If Your Health Status Has Changed Don’t Live In The Past, Embrace Today While You Can

Hi folks,

Cardiac Athletes is a site where people with heart problems can find their peers and talk exercise. From: http://goo.gl/1cUJs

As life goes by we encounter changes in our health status. You can resist for a while, but you’ll eventually be forced to accept this reality. Better to learn to live well with your issue sooner rather than later, I say. For instance, if you have a heart attack, followed by coronary arterial angioplasty, you are now different. If you are diagnosed with diabetes mellitus type II, you are a changed person with respect to who you perceived yourself to be before the diagnosis. I had to face this problem with my abdominal aortic aneurysm, and with some work, including this blog, I got my life back on track. In fact the greatest challenge I faced was fear.

If you have type II diabetes mellitus exercise and diet modification could markedly improve your life. From: http://goo.gl/tbl72

If you continue to behave as if your health status has not altered it will ‘be on your head.’ There are effective and ineffective approaches to change. In the case of angioplasty, just explore your options, which should include exercise, but this exercise has to be carried out wisely. If you have diabetes, exercise and modify your diet, which might actually reverse your condition if carried out promptly. These changes should be undertaken slowly and methodically. Don’t expect to change your ingrained behaviors overnight, just gradually increase your exercise and gently modify your diet. First and foremost, educate yourself about your condition. For example, I recently posted an approach to exercise for people recovering from aortic dissection surgery.

Look for inspiration. I found it in Lance Armstrong, and at Heartosaurus with Benjamin Carey. From: http://goo.gl/1nFrR

We are each individuals, so learn to tailor your life in a way that optimizes your health and joy. I know people who used to be great athletes in their youth, but now they have a health challenge of a serious nature. What do they do? They talk endlessly about what they did ‘back then,’ whilst doing nothing but feeling sorry for themselves. What a waste of time! You don’t live in the past, you live in the now. Make it the best now that you can, for heaven’s sake. There are plenty of people out there to help you, so go find them and get on with your life.

You might want to Chez Ollie sent to me by my dance teacher, Rebecca, as it contains some relevant advice.

-k @FitOldDog