Hang It on the Shelf in Good Health and in Good Time

Here's me trying to remember to drink more water in the Badlands this Summer.

Well, I guess it's as good a time as any to do my 2015 year in health post today. As most of you know, since my mom died at such a young age from a stroke, I do everything I can to stay healthy. I haven't always succeeded in keeping my stress levels down or my diet as healthy as possible, but I seem to be getting better with age.

Here were my stats from my last annual appointment: Pulse - 56, Blood Pressure - 112/68, Body Temp - 97.2 F (I must run cold?), Height - Just under 5'7" (I used to be 5'8" and 3/4, so I'm really shrinking), Weight - None of your damn business! but I will say I'm about 10 lbs less than I have been the last few years and still 15 lbs over what I was before I started racing bikes and used to run  about 40'ish miles a week...My fasting cholesterol was drawn this year and it was pretty good. My overall cholesterol was 156. My HDL was 121 and my LDL was 25. My Triglycerides were 51. That's all pretty good. The only thing that worries me was that 3 years ago when I was feeling super tired and weak and having increased migraines, I went to the doctor to make sure there wasn't anything serious wrong with me and they did a full blood work-up. Everything turned out pretty well, basically all of my weakness and stuff was being caused by the stupid menopause, except for a test they did for kidney function. It was a little below normal and I'm not sure how that works. Is it one of those things that just happens to everyone as they get older, or is it because I took so much Advil for so long, because of my migraines?  Most of my older family members were smokers, so strokes and cancer got to them long before they could develop diabetes or kidney diseases...I'm not sure, but, being me, I did research it some and it sounds like I need to make sure I hydrate like hell, don't eat too much protein and stay away from salt as much as possible. Also, watch the alcohol intake.

Anyway, for 50, I think I'm doing pretty good on the health front. I didn't have any horrible injuries this year. I do wear a strap thingy on my left knee and some metatarsalgia pads in my shoes when I run, so I sometimes feel like I'm being held together with duct tape. I'm also plugging along with the menopausal "fun". Earlier this year, I thought I was almost done with the whole business, I hardly had any migraines and the hormones seemed to be leveling off, but then the Fall brought a whole new level of migraine frustration and all I can do is take the crap when and  how it gets flung at me.

For next year, my health goals are to try to take less Advil when dealing with the migraines, drink more water and drink less alcohol. I want to eat less and better and hopefully lose at least another 10 lbs. I have started doing more sit-ups and some push-ups and every morning I MEAN to start doing my sun salutations, but haven't quite managed it yet, but I'm sure I'll get better about yoga and stretching in the new year. Most importantly, I want to work on relaxing and having fun. The fun factor was really high this year and I want to keep that ball rolling. Salud!