Energy: Tortoise and hare strikes again!

Since I started training, I've noticed huge changes in my pain levels, but I thought my energy levels hadn't changed much. I'm starting to realize that they have. When I changed my diet in March and decided to make changes in general to focus on myself and downsize, etc. in January, I kept reminding myself about the tortoise and the hare.

I tend to be an all or nothing person and when things are really bad, I usually go for nothing and then bad gets worse. I've tried to push myself into making small changes and doing things a little at a time over longer periods of time to accommodate my condition, which has really helped me accomplish more.

It can be daunting and depressing at times when you don't see anything happening, but eventually, you see that dent or light at the end of the tunnel and it propels you. For example, when I cleaned out my closets in January, I took everything out and told myself if it took me a month to deal with it, so be it. And it took about a month of doing a little bit each day (and even some days of doing nothing) and climbing over piles of stuff, but I did it. And it was worth it. I got rid of so much stuff!!

Moving in July wore me out. But I love my new and so incredibly minimal new place! It allows me to focus on life and not worry about clutter.

Now that I'm working out and my pain has decreased, and I have less clutter in every way, I am starting to see comparisons in my energy....yes, back to that. I used to shop on qvc.com for many reasons. First of all, it was the only place I could find when I was in bigger sizes that had clothes that I didn't hate that fit me. When I went to Kohl's or other stores, the clothes were hideous and they just didn't fit. They were too short or wide or clingy. It was very depressing. At least QVC had plain clothes that fit me.

The other big advantage became shopping on the computer and things were delivered to my door. Now I actually go out shopping more. I am seeing how much I used to rely on online shopping because I was too tired to go out to the stores. Now I even go to stores again just to browse and have fun. Even before I could start getting clothes in smaller sizes, just recently, I started to go and hang out at the mall more often just to have something to do. I used to do that a long time ago with Target or Walmart--just wander around for fun.

Even though I still take naps a lot in the afternoons, I am realizing that I used to go out to the grocery store and have to come home and just lay down on the couch because I was so tired and I had to get my feet off the ground. I don't have to do that anymore. I sit more on my chairs and my couch. I can cross my legs.

I take a shower now several times a week as opposed to once a week. Once a week used to wear me out for at least a day after the shower. My arms used to hurt just to lift them up to wash my hair. My body (my skin, bones, and muscles) used to hurt to have me rub the soap on it.

There were times when I'd lean against the shower wall and cry before I got out. I used to have to rest when I got out of the shower before drying my hair and putting on makeup. Then I had to rest before putting on clothes. Then I had to rest after putting on clothes. Now I can do all those things without resting in between. I still think shower days wear me out a little, but that's a big improvement.

I clean things in my house spontaneously. I will clean a bathroom floor just because I see my hair on the floor. I make my bed every day. I empty the dishwasher as soon as it's finished running. I never have dishes in the sink anymore. I take out the garbage. I don't leave things on the tables like I used to. It's not because I've become a neat freak. I realize I have just smaller bits of energy to do things when I'm supposed to rather than letting things pile up because of the complete depletion of energy that I used to suffer from consistently.

All of this just dawned on me yesterday when I got my hair colored and cut. Usually by the time I get to the part where she rinses out my hair after we've talked a bit and I have to wait the processing time, I'm so relaxed and exhausted, I'm practically catatonic at the sink. She's always used to my extreme drop in energy from the time I walk in to the time when she gets to the haircut part.

Yesterday, I was wide awake at the sink. It was still relaxing and felt great to have her wash my hair, but I wasn't limping to the sink and I didn't have difficulty getting up after sitting for 30 minutes. It was such a noticeable difference doing an activity I was used to doing routinely every month or so.

It made me examine my energy levels in a new way. I have to stop saying my energy levels haven't improved-they have! For me, this is a ball of energy!!

Next week I'm going with my friend to her house in Michigan for a little weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing how that has changed. A long time ago we used to hike and go shopping in the little towns. More recently, I couldn't hike and my back would break just shopping in the little towns. I'm hoping to hike and hang out and talk and have a blast for a few days!