My Progress with my Jogging

If you follow me on my more "blog" facebook page - Jamielynn *A Soldier's Angel* - you know I'm on a "journey" to becoming healthier. Now, I have a weightloss goal, but I'm also focusing on NSV (non scale victories). Mainly on breaking my own personal records with jogging.

Last year I was using "jog tracker" to keep track of my miles and times. I wasn't really trying to set any kind of personal records though. Just kind of "going with the flow" and doing what I felt. In March 2012, my average pace was about 20mins/mile. My fastest mile was over 18mins/mile.

HealthCare Reform - Where Does it Start?

I saw a picture quote on FB this morning that really jumped out at me. It makes so much sense! --

"True healthcare reform starts in your kitchen, not in Washington. - Anon"

 First let's define reform - to put or change into an improved form or condition, to amend or improve by change of form or removal of faults or abuses, to put an end to "an evil" by enforcing or introducing a better method or course of action.

I honestly believe that healthcare costs wouldn't be so high or so needed if people took better care of their bodies. One of the easiest ways to take care of your body is to watch what you put into it! The correlation between what we eat and the diseases we (as people) have are astounding. Let's use children as an example.

Kneller Fit Wraps - Product Review!

In the beginning of December, I received a few items from Kneller Fit Wraps to try out for a review. I was extremely excited, to say the least!

I was sent a 4pack of the Ultimate Body Applicator , one of the Facial Applicator and a 30 day supply of Greens .

First, let me say, I loved these products!! Now, I'll give a rundown of what each product is said to do and how it affected me.

October 8th - October 12th (2012)

Well, here's week two of my 4 Weeks of Fun - not a good week at all. I only exercised 2 days of the 5 and that's my fault because I let personal shit get in my way. All I wanted to do at the end of the week was mope around and not do a thing....so that's what I did... except for the housework, can't let that go lol

October 1st - October 5th (2012)

Let me point out that my "weeks" are going to be Mon - Fri.... 5 days. Refer to 4 Weeks of Fun to see why I'm writing about my weeks.

This week was my first week starting my videos.

4 Weeks of Fun!!

On Monday, October 1st, I wrote up 4wks worth of "exercises" to do to push my butt into gear. I may not follow each day exactly, depends on how I feel physically, but I WILL do something everyday. I have some exercise videos that I want to start doing so they are what I'm focusing on this month. I want to see what I like and what works for me.

Health/Fitness "Quiz"

Two important things need to happen for you to get healthy and fit. First, you need to have the right attitude. Second, you need make a commitment! After you've got that done, it's good to have a baseline to start at so you can physically see where you can start making better choices and start the journey to a healthier and more fit "you"!

In a book I'm reading, there is this Health/Fitness "Quiz". It helps you develop your Health/Fitness profile so you know where to go from there. When you're done answering the quiz and you get your "number", go back and see where you need improvement and set your goals from there!

HIIT - High Intensity Interval Training

I'm always googling things about weight loss and strength training and what are the best things to do. Not only did I keep seeing things about HIIT, but I have seen others actually talking about it. So for those who may not know, HIIT is High Intensity Interval Training.

What exactly does this mean?
HIIT is a type of training where you alternate short, high intensity exercises with recovery intervals. For example, sprinting for 60 seconds and walking for 2 minutes. Repeating for 30mins which includes a 5min warm-up walk and a 5min cool-down walk.

Starting with just One Step

When I was a teenager I use to jog every night. Then I had kids and got lazy lol... I let myself go and before long I didn't know where to start to pick up the pieces and put myself back together again. Then I thought, "I'll start with one step."

I've been going through some personal things and I needed a way to get out some of my aggression...my anger..my hurt... I know I need to get healthy and lose weight so I decided to work on myself mentally & physically.. walking does both!

I grabbed my walking shoes, my iPOD Touch & my bottle of water and got my ass out the door. In the mornings I'll walk my daughter to school and then just keep going. For now, I'm aiming for at least 2 miles a day and I want to work up to at least 5 miles a day. I use http://www.jogtracker.com/ to track my walking. I have the app on my phone and the gps tracks it for me and directly uploads it to the site when I save it. It figures how far you walked, speed and calories burned. You can even add friends for support on JogTracker - look me up! My username is "jamielynn1027".

I like JogTracker because it is good to see my progress and you can earn nifty little "medals" lol I know it's only the internet, but it's cute =)

Walking helps me clear my mind and on the days I walk, I actually feel more energetic the rest of the day.

I have also been spending less time on Facebook b/c of my walking and it's wonderful!! As much as I love Facebook, I don't log seeing the negativity all the time...and sadly, as much as I want to, I can't control what other people post LOL Not reading all the negativity has positively affected me =) When you read and see all negative stuff, you slowly start feeling negative about things... and right now, I don't need it... I need positivity!! Facebook was poisoning my thoughts lol...

You can google all the benefits of walking and read about it, OR you can just get out there and do it and feel the benefits for yourself =)

BTW, I've lost 5 pounds in less than 2wks from adding walking to my (almost) daily routine. =)

Today is the day!! (weight loss/health)

Over the weekend I went and bought a treadmill. I was contemplating between a treadmill or elliptical, but I look at the elliptical in the gym and want to cry lol..so a friend (Thanks Kevin!) told me that I should pick what I enjoy doing and will keep me motivated. So, the treadmill won. =)

Yesterday, Darrell put it together for me (thanks babe!). Today will be the day I start using it =)

Last night, Darrell gave me an iPod touch and this morning I loaded some music on it so I can "get my jam on" while on the treadmill.

My daily goals for now:
*get on the treadmill for at least an hour a day
*keep track of my calories (between 1200 & 1600 a day) with my "lose it" app
*keep track of my exercise on the "lose it" app too
*I'll be doing sit-ups, push-ups, and weight/resistant exercises with the stuff I have at home. Once I make up my schedule, I will share it =)
*I will start using my Zumba fitness for the wii but this will be every other day

That's all for now lol

Love Tea? Me too! and it's healthy for you!

I've always loved tea... hot tea or cold, sweet or not... I love it all. I've decided to cut back my coffee intake and up the amount of tea I drink since I have read that tea is good for you and it has about half the amount of caffeine in it as coffee. (I'll never give up my coffee completely...just can't do it lol)

Here are 10 health benefits to drinking tea -

1. Tea contains antioxidants. Antioxidants can help slow down the aging process, and help cells regenerate and repair. Many studies suggest antioxidants also assist our bodies in preventing cancer.

2. Tea can lower stress hormone levels. Black tea can reduce the effects of stressful events by lowering the amount of the stress hormone cortisol in the body.

3. Tea fights cavities and reduces plaque. Compounds in tea are capable of killing or suppressing growth and acid production of cavity causing bacteria in our mouths.

4. Tea keeps you hydrated. Every cup of tea you drink, especially low or no caffeine varieties, counts as a cup of water with the added bonus of providing antioxidants as well.

5. Tea may reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack. Tea can help prevent formation of dangerous blood clots which are often the cause of strokes and heart attacks.

6. Tea can help lower blood pressure. Drinking green tea daily can reduce your risk of hypertension by up to 50%.

7. Tea aids your body in digestion. Tea has been used for thousands of years as an after-meal digestive aid. It can also help relieve stomach cramps.

8. Tea may help prevent diabetes. There is some evidence to suggest that green tea might help to lower the risk of getting Type 2 Diabetes.

9. Tea can help beat bacteria. An Egyptian study testing the effects of green tea on antibiotics found the tea to enhance the bacteria killing effects of the drugs.

10. Tea aids your immune defenses. A study comparing the immune activity levels of coffee drinkers vs. tea drinkers found the tea drinkers to have levels up to five times higher.

Since I'm watching my calories and keeping track of my serving sizes I have been watching my sugar intake as well. Sugar will add up fast... so I have been drinking my tea unsweetened. I drink regular tea, flavor infused tea, herbal tea...all tea!

And so it begins -

As I said in a previous post - My Next Journey - I mentioned I'd be working on getting healthier and losing weight. Well, I've started =)

On November 2nd I started counting my calories again and doing portion control... eating every few hours and drinking tons of water. A few things have been helping me. For one, I have thyroid medication I have to take every day and so I don't forget, I set a daily alarm on my phone. Taking my medication is very important b/c if my levels don't stay right, I will never lose weight and I feel crappy. Next, I downloaded 3 apps on my phone. One app is called "Lose It". I put in my height, weight and age and said what my goal weight is and how much I want to lose each week. It tells me my daily caloric allowance. I have been keeping my calories around 1500 a day and I record EVERYTHING I eat in this app. I measure out everything I eat. The next app is a water app. I edited it to remind me 12 times a day to drink a glass (8oz) of water. This has really helped me keep up with my water intake. My third app is "jogtracker". I put in my height and weight info and then I track by GPS how far and how fast I walk. It then calculates the calories I burned. I can then put that amount into my "Lose It" app under the exercise section. The last thing that has been helping me is my weight loss support group. Bunch of great chicks who are all supportive of each other =)

Since November 2nd, doing only the things I have said, I have lost 2.5 pounds... in 9 days. I'm excited to start adding some exercise in there as soon as my plastic surgeon gives me the "ok"...and I'm sure he will at my visit on the 16th.

So for now, it is just baby steps... I intend on making slow but steady progress. A quick fix is never the right fix =)

Feel free to share any "health" or "weight loss" tips you have =) Success stories are welcome too, great for motivation for me and for those who read my blog =)

Breast Reduction - Part 11 *1 month Check up*

Yesterday was my 4 week check up (although not technically 4wks until the 9th) and it went well =) The doctor says I'm healing great, except for one area under the left side that is taking a little longer. I have been given the "go ahead" to start using ScarGuard and tape for my scars now. (Heads up to any who will have this done, ScarGuard is a tad expensive lol) - Click here for more info on ScarGuard -

I FINALLY remembered to ask my doctor exactly what size I was (I know I was a little bigger than DDD) and exactly how much he had taken off each breast. So, my size was actually an "F" and he took just under 3lbs from each breast. That is about 6lbs total!! Holy Moly!!

Now, as far as how I've been feeling... I'm still swollen, but it has come down a lot and I'm still a little bit sore. Not unbearable and nothing like it was 2wks ago. There is no bleeding or oozing (except a tiny bit under the left side where it is taking longer to heal).

Looks? Well, the right side is still bruised and is more swollen than the left side. It seems that overall the surgery was more traumatic for the right side. The shape is still a bit "footballish" because of the swelling, but my doctor tells me that this will change as they continue heal. They will fall into their normal shape as the swelling continues to go down and the scars continue to heal.

I have some days where I feel great when it comes to my energy levels and then there are days where I do the dishes and feel exhausted. I have to keep reminding myself it hasn't been that long and I still need time to recoop lol... plus I think my thyroid meds are whacky...AGAIN.. ugh...

Oh! I can also go without a bra now!! What a relief too...wearing one for almost 4wks straight (except for cleaning the area and bandaging it back up again) was hell. I like being "free" lol

My next appt is in 6wks... so let's break down the timeline...

June 2011 - I had my doctor put in the referral request for the plastic surgeon.. it took about 2wks for Tricare to approve it but I had to wait until August to set up my first appointment because I was going to be gone in July.

August 3, 2011 - My very first appointment with the surgeon, my consultation appointment. He said I was a great candidate and he put in my referral for the actual surgery itself. It took 2wk for Tricare to approve the surgery.

August 31, 2011 - My pre-op appointment! I signed some papers and got my meds and after care instructions.

September 9, 2011 - The day I had my surgery.

September 14, 2011 - My first post-op appointment

September 21, 2011 - My second post-op appointment

October 5, 2011 - My third post-op appointment, the one month mark


So, it took me about 3months to actually get my surgery done once the first referral was submitted to Tricare. It may have been shorter because they could have gotten me in the surgeons office for my first appointment in July, but I wasn't gonna be home lol.... Not a bad timeline though. =)

My Next Journey..

The next small "journey" I'll be embarking on is getting healthier!! This means losing weight, toning up, eating the right things (with indulgences here and there)and getting more active!

I'm also going to get healthy "mentally"... flush out the negativity in my life around me and IN me... you know that sometimes we can be our own worst enemy.

So, I'll be a lot of research on all kinds of things related to this and I will share it with my readers... I will blog about this journey too, just like I have been doing with my Breast Reduction.

I won't be able to start exercising yet until my doctor gives me the "okay"...it's only been 2 1/2 weeks since my surgery.

I hope that by blogging about this and sharing what I find, my feelings and my results (or setbacks) will help hold me accountable to myself AND help encourage others who want to make healthy changes in their life as well... until next post =)

Breast Reduction - Part 1

I've decided to "document" my little "journey" to getting a breast reduction. It isn't something that I decided on a whim, I've been thinking about it for years now. It really became clear to me that I wanted one last year when I lost almost 50lbs and my breast didn't get any smaller...not one bit...Then this year I gained half that back from my thyroid medication being off! In order for me to lose weight, I need to exercise extra hard, but with DDD's, it is painful. So here we go...

I went to my regular doctor and told him my problems and requested that he give me a referral for a breast reduction. It took about a week to go through with Tricare. I'm seeing a plastic surgeon in Savannah and I'm glad I'm doing it there because they have a great team!

Today was my first appointment, my "consultation". At this appointment, I met the doctor and his assistant. We talked about why I wanted a breast reduction, the size I wished to be and they took measurements and pictures. If you're modest, let it go. You will be fondled...in a professional manner of course, lol.

Did you know that 98% of your symptoms/problems from large breasts will disappear with a reduction? Another small fact - our breasts are not the same size! One may be slightly bigger than the other! I didn't know that before today lol.

My surgeon told me that it is an out-patient surgery. Meaning, I will go in in the morning and leave later that day. He said that it takes about 2hrs and I will be in recovery for about 2hrs. I will get pain medication and have to take it very easy for about a week. At the end of my second week I will be able to start slowly easing back into my regular activities.

After meeting with him I met with the secretary who handles getting the actual surgery approved by Tricare. She said I'm a perfect candidate but it should take about 2 to 3 weeks to get approved. I have heard that it takes less. Maybe they say that just in case. After I'm approved, they will give me 2 appointments. One will be my surgery and one will be for a week before my surgery to get me my prescriptions for my medications afterwards and for last minute instructions.

I'm so excited to be getting this done! Don't get me wrong, I'm nervous because of the pain and it is a major surgery, but I'm excited that I'll be on my way to feeling so much better physically and begin getting my health back on track.

Some pretty pictures!!

Here are some certificates on the wall (yes I know, I was bored lol)

Here I am after putting on my robe for the doc to "examine me" and take pics:

And here is the black area I stood against and did my amatuer playboy shoot (haha, I joke...):

Stay tuned =)

Mental Health Awarness Month - May ~ Help our troops!!

May is "Mental Health Awareness Month" so I think this entry is pretty appropriate.

I'm very upset this morning as I write this. Do you know how many soldiers don't get help with their problems, when they KNOW they have them, because the doctors don't listen to them? Or the doctors are just assholes... or they fear ridicule, or reprimand... or they are always sent away with motrin and not taken seriously? Motrin doesn't cure everything!!!

Now, I know there are lots of soldiers who do get help, but even one who doesn't get help b/c they feel it is useless to keep trying is one too many being neglected.

In 2004 the Army's first study of  mental health of troops who fought in Iraq showed that 1 in 8 reported symptoms of PTSD. Did you know it also stated that less than half of those sought help for it because they feared it hurting their careers? So sad....

I know there had been more outreach and more being done to help our troops but I fear it just isn't enough.  Did you know that in 2002, the year before the Iraq War began, there were 350 suicide attempts among our troops? Well, in 2007 that number jumped to 2,100.

I urge every family member to encourage their service member to seek help if they have signs of depression or PTSD. I urge every service member themselves to seek help if you know need it. While I will never understand the pride in serving, or the fear in seeking help because you don't want to ruin your career, I do understand and can sympathize with the family members of those who suffer from mental health problems. I have seen it with friends and see what they go through because they feel helpless when it comes to helping their servicemember who is suffering. It is rough on everyone involved.

Soldiers coming back from war are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, PTSD, anger management, mood disorders... the list goes on... go to Military OneSource and use the resources to seek help, or at least find out where to start.

You can also seek out help through your local ACS (Army Community Service) and your post Chaplin. If you go to church, seek guidance from your Pastor.

While this started out as about our troops, I also know the spouses can develop mental health problems with all the stress and things that come about with deployments. You MUST take care of yourself, physically & mentally!! If you feel you need help as well, contact Military OneSource and have them set you up with counseling as a start. They will find someone in your area and it is confidential. I called them when we lived at Fort Hood and saw a wonderful therapist!! She helped me tremendously and it was a huge relief. Don't be afraid because you're not alone.

Here are two other previous blog posts of mine that may have helpful info for you too:
Family Support Systems
Risk Factors & Warning Signs for Families - Suicide Prevention

As always, thanks for reading... much love and many blessings =)