Getting Older has its toll

"One bowl and a cup at a time to healthy living and a well-balanced diet"

For the past weeks or so, I've been feeling like an overloaded balloon waiting to pop. After several days researching online what my symptoms could be, I decided to alleviate my pain by taking warm baths. Of course, with a little help from taking Alka Seltzer.

Just recently it occurred to me that taking heavy dinners is not a good idea. With that being said, I felt so much better this morning.

Ever since I returned to the work force, my time spent taking breakfast has been almost non-existent. The "bad" habits of skipping meals has taken a toll on my body. Almost every waking hour was spent spewing last night's meal and trying different ways to alleviate the bloating aches in my chest and abdomen.

Just to clarify a misunderstanding, I'm not trying to be Bulimic. I'm not blaming the work force either. I am aware that all work experiences are stressful. I was simply stating that my attitude towards stress needs a lot more positive improvement than I'm normally used to.

There were moments of having a small breakfast, a fairly medium lunch and a heavy dinner around 8:00 pm which used to be my bedtime. Other times, I would skip breakfast, take snacks during break time - if at all; take a small lunch and then eat a heavy dinner.

You see, I take the bus to work. The bus stops here from where I'm at are usually a good 10 to 15 minutes of a walk. I have to be there 5 minutes before the quarter of each hour to catch the bus in order to be on time at work. On top of that, I have to walk my daughter to the school bus route at 0-dark-thirty because she cannot be trusted to go out on her own. Depending on the time of day when I feel exhausted and sleep deprived, I take a 30 minute nap before getting ready to work.

So, since this habit has caused more problems than it had been 10 years ago, I have to continually remind myself to take breakfast like I used to; take snacks during break time as I should do; eat lunch as before and have dinner 3 hours before bedtime.

With that being said, I am aware that it's easier said than done, but I will still try to do what I can since my body isn't as young as it used to be. The risk of high cholesterol and high blood pressure along with Diabetes runs in the family. These conditions are not something one can just ignore especially when one is a resource of financial support and upbringing. I need to make sure that my "bad" habits are in check - otherwise it will become the end of me. Wish me luck.

Mainstream Medicine

I've been thinking a lot about my health lately, especially now that I will be approaching 40 soon. A couple of memes passed through my Facebook wall. The one that stood out the most was "Stupid Cancer". It made me think for a while considering the message was quite beleaguering.

The only time I became aware of cancer was when a young boy was announced dead from handling dog shampoo over the TV broadcast news in 1993. Several months later, one of my friends from church was diagnosed with cervical cancer at 14.

My grandfather died from lung cancer. I found out on the last day of his life that he had been a heavy smoker. He made me promise him that I would never light a cigarette. Sure, as young as I was, I broke that promise. After a puff and a whiff, I couldn't figure out what it was that made it "addictive". The curious person that I was, I did my research. I am apparently one of the few people, who can't get addicted to nicotine. Lucky draw for my genetics, I guess. As an aside, I still haven't lit a cigarette since that discovery. I saw no point to it. The other ways of getting nicotine is not a better alternative either. I stopped chewing gum since Junior High. That was about the time when my parents became seriously health conscious people.

Another family member, passed away from Lymphoma. She was my grandfather's sister-in-law. Her family suspected that she might have been affected by the fertilizers she was using for her garden. Not long after her passing, her daughter (my grandfather's niece) passed away from breast cancer. I never got a chance to know them up close and personal, but it still saddens me of their passing.

Is cancer truly the epidemic at this day and age? Could it be possible it is the way people live their lives? May be the medical field has become more of an entrepreneur rather than a charity of doctors? Either way, someone's raking in the cash with cancer still prevalent and incurable.

The more I learn about the causes of cancer, the obvious the answer becomes. If I believe that my genetic make-up consists of mutant genes, which may affect my breasts or ovaries, it would come directly from my mother's side of the family. The possibility of me for getting other types of cancer, would be the way I take care of myself. Considering that I could have a slim chance of seeing that day, I will be the one who would be "stupid" for not taking precautionary measures. So, my conclusion to that meme is: Cancer is not stupid; People are.

I will leave that note for a better message:

A Letter to Dove

Dear Dove,

If you created this comparison poster, please note that models are real women too. They're different from other women because they're younger and their bodies are still developing. How many models older than 30 do you see on the Victoria's Secret picture? It is a failed and futile comparison by far because the women you depict in your photo are not constantly badgered by their employers to meet a certain weight requirement. If this is how you want to depict your campaign, you have lost the values and positive outcome of what you've started. If we are about educating ourselves and our daughters about believing in ourselves and our inner beauty, we should live by example. Not insult or disparage other women, who were construed by the media, about how fake they look. I was that skinny too. It's not really nice of you to compare a mature body to a growing body.