Are you listening?

Your Body is talking

I learned years ago that if I didn’t respect and listen to my body, then payback being a bitch would be worse than I could have imagined.

Years ago in my mid-20’s I was told if I didn’t keep my blood pressure under control, as in foster a better, calmer lifestyle, then I would end up on blood pressure medication for the duration.

I listened.

Not because I didn’t want to be on BP meds -- which I didn’t, but I also didn’t want to be taking something every day when I couldn’t remember to take a daily vitamin.

Over the years I’ve been good to my middle-age body and it has returned the favor. Until a couple of years ago, I almost didn’t recognize my current composition.

There were changes that left me feeling let down and pissed off that I was so good and moderate all those years when I should have stayed out later, drank more cocktails, or hiked higher when I had the chance.

As a former athlete, this was frustrating.

Now I had to consider what I was eating to curb frequent stomach upset, I’ve had to exercise regularly, as in almost every day, otherwise the pounds pile on, and I have to be careful weight bearing so I don’t upset the herniated disk in my neck.

Seriously, I’ve been listening, but its been harder than ever.

After some resistance and several vegan chocolate chip cookies later, I’ve slowly accepted these changes. Nowadays I feel pretty good especially when I consider I don’t take any medications (so far) and I keep things moving daily, which makes a big difference.

After all these years of doing things I thought my body would appreciate and benefit from, there’s still more listening to be done, even if I don’t like what it’s saying.