The way I see it...

My Health.

There’s something that’s been on my mind lately.  Well, by lately I mean the past year.  I’m not sure if I ever shared this with you all in my column, but last January (2012) I had a moment.  A: I’m-not-happy-with-myself-because-I’m-not-my-best-self-and-I-know-it moment.  I’m talking about in the physical sense, as the mom of four kiddos who wasn’t taking enough time for herself.  You know what I mean.

Anyway, I knew I had to make a change.  I have kids.  A husband.  I may be giving my child one of my organs.  I wanted to be as healthy as I could be.  I grabbed my cell phone and typed in free calorie counters.  My fitness pal popped up.  I downloaded it.  I started eating less crap.  I started making exercise more of a priority.

Over the course of four or five months, I lost about 35ish pounds.  I felt so much better!  Then, this fall rolled around and I kind of fell off the running and healthy eating wagon again.  I gained back seven pounds.  Ugh.  It’s hard.  Constant temptations.  When you’re tired, it’s easiest to just put your feet up and collapse in a big heap on the couch after the kids go to bed.

On January 1st I filled out my initial paperwork to be Blake’s kidney donor.  It said my body mass index (BMI) was still in the overweight range.  I could have cried.  But, instead it reaffirmed to me that if I’m the one who gives Blakers that kidney, it’s going to be the healthiest kidney that I can make it.  Since January 2nd, I’m back down double-digits in weight.  I’m tracking my calories again.  I signed-up for a half-marathon in April.

Yes, I know I’m completely crazy.  Here’s the thing.  After Dam to Dam last year (12.4 miles) I knew I always wanted to run a true half marathon (13.1 miles).  I wanted to put it on my list of resolutions this year.  Then, I started with the excuses in my head.  What if I don’t have time to train because of Blake’s surgeries?  Blake’s transplant?  Hospital stays?  Aaron’s schedules with reffing/umpiring?

Then, it just hit me one day.  It was a Thursday.  I told myself to stop with the excuses.  I was thinking about everything I see when I’m at the hospital.  The kids and adults with bald heads.  The people in wheelchairs because they can’t walk on their own.  The kiddos hooked up to numerous machines with tubes everywhere.

I got online and found a half marathon.  It’s April 28th in Des Moines.  I’m doing it!  Why?  BECAUSE I CAN.  Because I’m lucky to be in good enough health to do it.  I don’t want to take that for granted.  Ever.

Please don’t mistake me for someone who never eats a bad thing.  Anybody who has tried to make positive, healthy changes knows that every single day is a challenge.  I love sweets.  If I could pick one thing to eat for the rest of my life, I would choose dessert.  Sometimes I tell myself I will eat one oreo and then I eat five.  I figure if I can make good choices 85-90% of the time I’m doing pretty good.  I’m not perfect and don’t pretend to be.

I’m continually learning lessons from this book called life.  Because of Blake, I see just how precious your health is.  If you don’t have your health, what do you have?!  It’s something that people take for granted and shouldn’t.  I feel so strongly that good health is a gift and it should be made a priority, but that’s just the way I see it.