Boy, he must've been a real jerk, Jennie! Lost a good dance partner, too, I am sure.

So now, Midchuck must feel better, knowing there are least two others who do not have ipods.**bg**

I was active enough growing up; rode horses, hiked with family, rambled with my dog, did gym classes in school, though I didn't exactly like those. My family used to tease me a bit about not keeping up with them when we did go hiking, but we all thought it was because I was the littlest and just had shorter legs at the time. I was still doing pretty well after I had my kids, my weight was no problem and I went dancing a lot, as well as riding horses and working full-time. Then I had a hysterectomy which caused weight gain and found out I probably was a slower hiker and got cold easily when out camping because my aortic valve leaked a bunch. I had an idiot cardiologist tell me to "run an extra mile" on those says when I felt like eating a candy bar. I say idiot, because I was unble to run even one mile! They explained to me my heart was beating extra fast to compensate for the leak, as a normal person's would when they'd run; running would not make it go any faster and I would run out of oxygen as it couldn't pump the oxygenated blood through my system any faster.

So, after many years of not being able to keep up one kind of exercise or another, though I did have a couple of good years of swimming and tai chi, I went downhill to until I was on oxygen for eight years, then new heart valve, you all have heard the rest.

Here I am, 2.5 years after the surgery and feeling well enough to really get going. I am up to ten minutes on the treadmill, my eating is good and I know the only thing which will probably really get my weight falling off is more time on the treadmill with a little dancing added in. I do little tricks with myself. If I want to watch a certain show on tv, I get on the treadmill to watch most of it, with half minute breaks every few minutes. Rog is weaning himself off cigarettes. When we are watching a movie together, when we pause it for him to go out for a smoke, I get on the treadmill. (I'm glad he is quitting and will find another reason to keep treadmilling.) I know it doesn't matter how much at a time, nor how long, but that I am consistent about doing something; that is what works for me.

There are plenty of days when I do not feel up to doing any of it. That's partly mental, though. Old thinking habits from when I really wasn't up for anything because the ticker wasn't working right. If I can talk myself into getting up and get moving regardless, I almost always feel better. If I can keep it up for a month or so I will change the old patterns into new, I hope.

I am also working on reminding myself to breath. With the supplemental O2, I got lazy with my breathing. I was able to get off it and do very well until pneumonia came for a visit. Now, I am slowly working my lungs and breathing up to capacity again.

So, moral to the too long posting? Take it one day at a time. Trite but true. Each day is a new start, so even if one has to say "Only for today I shall do this" it will work because you can do it, then get up the next morning and say the same thing and do it all again. Before you know it, you will have added up a bunch of days of "doing it" and can watch the clothes sizes change.