Summer heat!
It used to really bother me when I was fat. Now, it's more of a nuisance. I can work outside, and work up a sweat without problems.
Yesterday, I cut the lawn. I did half of it, then took a break, and did the other half. I always stop halfway through and re-hydrate, even when I don't need to. This is a trick my first physiologist taught me. If you take a break, you trick your body into thinking it's finished, and your physiology changes. Then, when you start up again, your body has to play catch up and it works a little harder, burning a few more calories.
I can feel that happen. When I get up after the break, I walk like an old man for the first few minutes. Then, I get my "sea legs" and pick up the pace.
I've also found that wearing the proper clothing helps a lot. If I wear gym shorts, and a moisture-wicking material top, I work better. Wearing jeans or regular heavy duty shorts is harder.
This morning, I took a walk wearing a tank top. My "farmer's" tan was blazing. My arms are very tan, but my shoulders have been covered up, so they are not. I was only out for about an hour, so I don't expect to get burned. The tank top is cotton, and it now feels uncomfortable. I will change it to something that doesn't cling so much when I sweat.
My preliminary blood test results came in. My diet guy called me to review. I won't go into details other than my fatigue problem, but suffice it to say that all numbers not related to fatigue, were in the normal range. Normal has never been in my vocabulary, medically speaking, until my surgery. I feel great! I will never tire of hearing that word when it comes to my health!
My iron levels were low, and the supplement increase is working, although he tells me I won't notice much change for awhile. The process is slow. So, I will keep plodding on, hoping to regain my energy level soon.
He did tell me that fatigue can mess with things, such as sleep patterns, which can complicate things even worse. So, as an example, if I'm feeling tired, it could cause me to not sleep well, which makes things worse.
So, putting it all together, my fatigue is caused by:
It used to really bother me when I was fat. Now, it's more of a nuisance. I can work outside, and work up a sweat without problems.
Yesterday, I cut the lawn. I did half of it, then took a break, and did the other half. I always stop halfway through and re-hydrate, even when I don't need to. This is a trick my first physiologist taught me. If you take a break, you trick your body into thinking it's finished, and your physiology changes. Then, when you start up again, your body has to play catch up and it works a little harder, burning a few more calories.
I can feel that happen. When I get up after the break, I walk like an old man for the first few minutes. Then, I get my "sea legs" and pick up the pace.
I've also found that wearing the proper clothing helps a lot. If I wear gym shorts, and a moisture-wicking material top, I work better. Wearing jeans or regular heavy duty shorts is harder.
This morning, I took a walk wearing a tank top. My "farmer's" tan was blazing. My arms are very tan, but my shoulders have been covered up, so they are not. I was only out for about an hour, so I don't expect to get burned. The tank top is cotton, and it now feels uncomfortable. I will change it to something that doesn't cling so much when I sweat.
My preliminary blood test results came in. My diet guy called me to review. I won't go into details other than my fatigue problem, but suffice it to say that all numbers not related to fatigue, were in the normal range. Normal has never been in my vocabulary, medically speaking, until my surgery. I feel great! I will never tire of hearing that word when it comes to my health!
My iron levels were low, and the supplement increase is working, although he tells me I won't notice much change for awhile. The process is slow. So, I will keep plodding on, hoping to regain my energy level soon.
He did tell me that fatigue can mess with things, such as sleep patterns, which can complicate things even worse. So, as an example, if I'm feeling tired, it could cause me to not sleep well, which makes things worse.
So, putting it all together, my fatigue is caused by:
- low iron levels.
- excess stress of losing my wife and all that entails.
- depression, caused by the above, and any previous problems from before.
- The current stress of not being employed enough to make a living to keep my house and pay my bills. Gee, maybe that's money problems? Yeah, I think so.
- Fear of returning to my previous state of being fat and unhealthy.
- Life itself!
That last one sums it up. I am dealing with the low iron levels. That's the easy part.
Next, I have to improve my diet.
I have to improve my exercise program.
I have to bring in more money.
I have to sell the house. In order to sell the house for the most money I can get, and to make me feel better, I have to finish what I started. That's the toughest part for me.
In short, I have to fix the things I can, and deal with what I can't as best as I can.
This past week, I've had a friend come over a few times and help out. This has been more help than you can imagine, even though he hasn't done that much. Just having someone here working while I do something else, is a help to me.
He was able to clean out the one side of the garage for me two evenings ago. I had cleaned out the garage for the most part, but it needed to be done again.
He got the right side, and moved my toolbox and everything else that was there to another area. He put tools back into the boxes, then cleaned the trash off the floor, and swept. While he was doing that, I was inside the house. I did the dishes, vacuumed, and emptied the bedroom closet of all the stuff I've been storing there. I had sorted out the costume jewelry from the real stuff, and now have that packed and stored properly so that I will be able to move it easily, or sell it as I decide. I now have room in the closet for real things that should be there.
I am close to having the house organized, although there is still a long way to go. If I am able to spend some full days working on it, I will be able to get it finished before the end of the summer.
Yesterday, I moved the car out of the garage, and swept the rest of the dirt out. Then, because of his work, I was able to spray some dish detergent (cuts all kinds of grease!) on the floor, and scrub much of the grease and oil off, making it a lot cleaner than it was. It will look good if I sell the house.
I have plans to clean the floor in the basement in the next few days. I've also asked my school bus kids to come over and help me paint the kitchen.
My daughter stopped by yesterday afternoon. She had taken her kids over to Dutch Wonderland for the day, and both kids were exhausted. This was the first time she saw the house since the carpets were cleaned. I asked her about it, and she told me the house smelled better and the carpet was much brighter. I live here all the time, so I can't smell the odors. It was nice to know that the place didn't stink anymore.
Next, I have to improve my diet.
I have to improve my exercise program.
I have to bring in more money.
I have to sell the house. In order to sell the house for the most money I can get, and to make me feel better, I have to finish what I started. That's the toughest part for me.
In short, I have to fix the things I can, and deal with what I can't as best as I can.
This past week, I've had a friend come over a few times and help out. This has been more help than you can imagine, even though he hasn't done that much. Just having someone here working while I do something else, is a help to me.
He was able to clean out the one side of the garage for me two evenings ago. I had cleaned out the garage for the most part, but it needed to be done again.
He got the right side, and moved my toolbox and everything else that was there to another area. He put tools back into the boxes, then cleaned the trash off the floor, and swept. While he was doing that, I was inside the house. I did the dishes, vacuumed, and emptied the bedroom closet of all the stuff I've been storing there. I had sorted out the costume jewelry from the real stuff, and now have that packed and stored properly so that I will be able to move it easily, or sell it as I decide. I now have room in the closet for real things that should be there.
I am close to having the house organized, although there is still a long way to go. If I am able to spend some full days working on it, I will be able to get it finished before the end of the summer.
Yesterday, I moved the car out of the garage, and swept the rest of the dirt out. Then, because of his work, I was able to spray some dish detergent (cuts all kinds of grease!) on the floor, and scrub much of the grease and oil off, making it a lot cleaner than it was. It will look good if I sell the house.
I have plans to clean the floor in the basement in the next few days. I've also asked my school bus kids to come over and help me paint the kitchen.
My daughter stopped by yesterday afternoon. She had taken her kids over to Dutch Wonderland for the day, and both kids were exhausted. This was the first time she saw the house since the carpets were cleaned. I asked her about it, and she told me the house smelled better and the carpet was much brighter. I live here all the time, so I can't smell the odors. It was nice to know that the place didn't stink anymore.
