I’ve maintained my current weight for the past week or so. Though not entirely thrilled with my lack of loss I’m glad not to have gained. My goal for the next few weeks is to maintain the good habits that I have begun and to slowly add new ones.

Right now I am trying to learn all I can about an Anti-inflammatory diet…really lifestyle. I am grudgingly learning that chronic inflammation is nothing to ignore. It leads to the wearing down of cartilage and tissues which further increase the bodies inflammatory triggers. I can see this is already happening in my body because I’m not always able to wear my wedding band (which really ticks me off!). If the condition continues I may possibly succumb to heart disease, diabetes, arthritis (I can check this one off already), cancer (I’ve had that one too), Alzheimer’s, digestive issues (oh another one!), emotional (not balanced at all there!) and mental (lack of clear grasp on reality runs in the family anyway) imbalances. Isn’t that a fun future to consider…

No, not at all.

I’m over the emotional impact now and am ready to put together a plan of attack. I already know that the only lifestyle changes that stick are the one that are made slowly and deliberately. I’ve already increased my water intake and started exercising. I simply need to increase my exercise over time. Right now I walk with my husband and kids two to three nights a week and ride the exercise cycle maybe another couple of times a week. I would like to increase those numbers to three or four times a week. I’ve also started doing a little weight training with my husband after we put the kids down for the night. I like doing this with him much more than mindlessly munching on snacks and watching the telly. I like that we are exercising as a family.

Changing my diet is going to be a bit harder. I was completely confused by the terminology for an anti-inflammatory diet. My friend Ellie wrote a blog post (just for me)  explaining all I needed to get started. You can find her post here! Thank you very much my friend!!! Ellie’s post made me think about changing my diet and I plan to start making changes slowly. Many of the foods I am accustomed to are on the “no-no” list. Doesn’t mean I have to give them up forever but I need to enjoy them in moderation. I’ve already moved my family away from overly processed and boxed foods. I’m not going to try to change everything at once but I am going to work on one meal at a time. Right now I am changing my breakfast foods. Sometimes I skip breakfast or have leftovers. This week I’ve changed to having a smoothie for breakfast. I’m working on an anti-inflammatory smoothie recipe. For now I add a piece of ginger root to my pineapple-banana green smoothie. This week I plan to add a fish oil capsule once I figure out the whole supplement market. I’ve never taken any except for iron during pregnancy. Once I get a few breakfast recipes that I like and are good for my body then I’ll work on lunch recipes.

One of the problems Ellie mentioned with inflammation is that it is a response to stress. Constant stress can really break a body down and over the years I have become very sensitive to stressful situations. I’ve made no secret that my childhood was less than ideal. Calling my early years stressful would be an understatement. My life now is wonderful but my body is paying the price for the previous years of emotional and occasional physical abuse. Prayer is a healthy way to alleviate stress. I pray every day but not the way I used to. I used to get up early and meditate over scripture and really spend time with God. I’ve lost that precious time over the years occupied with little babies and sleep deprivation. I think it is past time to restart. I’ve lost my sense of the sacred and I really miss that connection.