baby.....steps

I think I know why old married couples choose to start sleeping in separate beds....even separate rooms.  It's a little known fact that we ALL need our hibernation time.  Of late it has eluded me.  I awake bright-eyed and busy-tailed at 1 a.m. (NO, Strawberry, it is not time to wake), 3 a.m. (damn it), 4 a.m. (crap, might as well get up) and thus begins my day!!!I'm a mad bear waddling down the hall kicking anything that gets into my way...usually a squeaky dog toy (yes, my fur-babies know it is not time to get up!).  Last night I decided I needed my sleep (thanks to the non-habit forming commercial, I remembered I had some Z-Quil).  Slept through the night and I'm lovin' it!

I don't usually watch TV in the afternoons but yesterday I tuned in to the Dr. Oz show.  The first part of the episode was about an increase of women having heart attacks before the age of 55.  I knew what would be said.  Let's face it: we ALL know is going to be said about prevention.

1) eat right
2) exercise
3) get yer sleep
4) handle the stress
5) pay attention to the warning signs

One woman who had a heart attack at 32 said she knew heart disease was in her family yet she didn't exercise (unless it was to cancel out the fact she wanted to eat cake after supper).  She loved any food handed to her in a sack and she said she got chills eating anything out of a crinkly sounding paper.

Fast Food.  my downfall.  

There was another woman who had a heart attack at 27.  She DID exercise and eat right.

Each woman's story reminded me how precious we are.  Earthly life is not a "given forever"; we have a time table.  It's okay to splurge once in a while, but if it is every day, we will reap the consequences at a later time.  I'll never forget hearing about a woman who just had a baby.  She was manical (my new word of the day!  Okay, fine "manic" to all you teachers out there) about losing the baby weight.  She finally worked out to grand mal seizures and a life-ending heart attack.  Her body needed to recuperate from the stress of child-birth, but all this woman could think of was a hot bod.

Moderation.  Baby steps for those of us with addictive personalities.

Yesterday I cut out diet coke.  I don't plan to drink anymore but if I do, I will NOT go to the store and buy a 44 oz fountain drink.  I have a few cold 12 oz bottles in the frig.  I know they are there.  I know I can have one.  But I have to drink responsibly.  My habit can take over in a blink of an eye.  I've gone cold turkey before and know I can do it.  I also know all it takes is one wrong move and I'm on that Diet Coke truck again and spiraling toward the first convenient store with a soda machine and $1.61 in my hand!

Baby, baby steps.

I'm linking (or hope to link) Dr. Oz's show from yesterday.
 
Doctor Oz on heart attack.

 I hope you can open this file.  If not, go to "doctoroz.com" and watch his Thursday's episode.

Happy Friday and Weekend, Grainiacs.

Signing off,
Strawberry (48 lbs to go)