Power!

..through positive thinking and positive action. Sounds like a book title, doesn't it.

OK, I'm going to have a bit of a grumble and moan first, but I'm not taking this lying down, so then I'll tell you what I'm doing to get over it.

Hmmm, methinks this fat lass must be getting a tad long in the tooth. Rapidly approaching 54 years on this planet, my body tends to be a bit on the achy side first thing in the morning - especially when the mornings are cold and damp (and, guess what, we're back to that this summer!).

A lot of that will be down to the various stresses I subjected my poor carcass to through all my obese and unhealthy years. Random joints creak, and crack and pop, and complain when I start to move, often in chorus... to the extent that it sounds like the orchestra's percussion section warming up some mornings. Hey, let's keep it in perspective though - it's not so bad... except for one particular bugbear.

That 'buggy' thing is that my dodgy left knee has decided to hurt quite a lot of the time now, not just first thing. It's quite often a bit swollen too, but it isn't 'awful' or 'excruciating' or anything, more of a dull, nagging toothachey-style ache with random sudden sharp stabbing pains. Your general 'wear & tear' sort of pain, in fact. Ironic really, since that's what the problem is.

It's not often bothersome to the extent where I hit the painkillers, though. In fact that's pretty rare. I rely more on getting lovely hubby to provide night-time rubs with Tiger Balm when it 'really' bothers me (oh, the things we do for love). Occasionally, when things get extra annoying, maybe a little pharmaceutical assistance is required, but that doesn't happen much. I guess at some stage I'll have to see someone about it but for now, while I still can handle it on my own, I'll postpone the evil day and just get on with life.

A day typically goes like this:

I get up and the knee hurts (er, as do various other bits), so I get up, say a quick ouch or two to myself, then 'ah, f** it!', and hop onto my lovely Connie, the rower. After a couple of minutes rowing, pretty much everything eases up. I'm going to anthropomorphise here for the knee (because it sure seems to have a personality of it's own!) and say that it takes the hint, gives in, behaves itself and stops hurting... Not bad, eh?

Then I do my daily abs stuff too, although the knee doesn't give a hoot about that. Whatever, the lack of pain lasts quite well. In fact, all through breakfast and for the (shortish) walk on the way to the bus stop.

I get on the bus to work, sit for a while (in theory around 40 minutes, but traffic can make a mockery of timings!) and the knee begins to nag at me again. I get off the bus at the first stop (this way it's a nice, brisk, 20 minute walk into work) and I walk. After a few minutes the knee gives up the battle again, behaves itself and stops grumbling... all the way to work. Super.

I sit at my desk at work (way too darned much but, with my job, it can't be helped) and it starts to hurt again. The odd short journey around the workplace doesn't do all that much to relieve it. So, I get off my backside at lunchtime and walk.... for up to an hour. After a few minutes the knee gets the picture again, behaves itself and stops hurting...

Rinse and repeat for the afternoon, and the journey home.

Recently (including last night), the knee has taken to waking me up in dead hours of the night, which I suppose is pretty generous of it... I'm guessing it does this because it's been raised proper and was encouraged to 'share' it's stuff (!), so it likes  to 'do the right thing' and let me know it hurts. Er, thanks knee! Obviously I don't haul my butt out of bed and walk around like a madwoman during the night. I can only say b** that for a game of soldiers!

So, we get to morning, and off we go again.

Right, do you see a trend emerging here? Hmmm, I think I do.

If I can keep the blighter on the move, it doesn't give me grief. If I'm immobile (you can read this as a lazy mare!), after a while it starts to grumble again. Seems to me I have a good self-help prescription going on, so who needs the doctor and drugs, eh?

I know, I know, this jolly state probably can't last forever. I'm aware that it's getting to be a little bit more of a problem as the years add up. I am all too aware that I did whatever damage is causing the pain by getting fat, remaining obese for so long, and forcing my knees to bear the strain of this. And that's without even mentioning the 'inflammatory' nature of my old eating habits. So, yes, I also know it's all my own fault. But the solution it seems, for now at least, is also in my hands.

Hey, you know I rather like this as a concept.

Given the various worries surrounding me in recent weeks I wonder if, whatever the problem I find I'm faced with, if I actually 'do something' I may find I have the power to help resolve it? OK, this may not work in every situation, but it's a good positive 'general' approach for the fat lass to adopt. Time to give it a shot.

Onwards ever...

Still here, still OK

Hello folks. I'm still here... although you might well have thought otherwise since it's been a while.

I've been away on a well deserved and eagerly anticipated holiday, and wonderful it was too. Relaxing, with fresh air, the very best company I could wish for (it was just the two of us), loads of walking and good, wholesome, home-made low-carb food. Who needs eating out when you can cook up a storm... so we did just that.

That means we both got back from holiday at just about the same weights as when we set off. A rather nice feeling. I do have to admit to consuming a tad too much red wine and Woodford Reserve, but it wasn't completely over the top and, hey, we were on holiday.

We also had the sunshine (praise the Lord) and it was SO beautiful. There was still quite a breeze though, so it felt quite chilly at times... and this brings me to my second confession. The fat lass (and lovely hubby) did a very silly thing. We 'forgot' it was June, we 'forgot' the sun was strong, and we went out on a five hour walkies trip (cliff paths and beaches) wearing short sleeves and no sunscreen.

You'd have thought two sensible grown-ups would have known better, eh? Er, nope. Guess what? We fried!

In fact, neither of us actually even realised it until we got home and decided various bits and bobs felt a tad 'warm' and 'tingly'. When we checked later on, we'd both turned a delicate shade of lobster! Ah well, a week down the line and the red turned to brown, which was lovely, but we're both now peeling like snakes! Non-venomous ones, of course.

It did us a LOT of good to get away. The stresses and worries of recent weeks faded into the background for a while and we remembered how to relax. We slept properly too, which was a real bonus.

Life has a tendency to hit you again when you get back, and the worries about my Mum are still ongoing, but I do feel at least a bit better able to cope with it all again.

So, it's onwards ever...