Hopefully first of many...

Well, I have started blogs various times throughout the past few years, and I have never really stuck with them very long. I am approaching this a bit differently. I am writing this for me. I am compelled to start recording regularly about my life, most especially since my memory since chemotherapy is not what it used to be. I want to be able to read through this and remember how I was feeling at that time. I would be happy to have people read it and either gain some desired insight into who I am, or maybe I am shooting high, but I would love it if I can help inspire other people to do better things in their life, or to know that life really does get better. Even if none of that happens, I will be happy just to have gotten my thoughts and feelings down in a written form I can review later.

Today's post is going to be about my weight loss goal. I have been told by my physicians that my body is cancer free at this time. By no means am I out of the woods, however, I have to continue to get scans to check for its return at regular intervals. The thing is, during some of the hell that was my life during cancer treatment, when I would eat things I shouldn't, when I didn't do much of anything at all, I promised myself that if I survived cancer, I was going to do whatever it would take to lose the weight to give myself the best possible chance of a long life. I couldn't bring myself to do anything about my weight during the time when I was never even sure I would wake up the next day, let alone make any long term plans. Well, now it is time.

In preparation for the long battle in front of me, I have procured the tools I feel I need to make this a successful life change. I purchased a bodybugg, because delayed gratification is not nor has it ever been my thing. I want instantaneous proof of my "success". The bodybugg gives you a really accurate accounting of how many calories you are burning in a day, which is a way for me to instantly know how well or poorly I am doing. I purchased a filter for our sink so I can drink water, as the water out of our tap is disgustingly chlorine flavored. I could buy bottled water, but I am trying to be more green and not add to the bazillion plastic bottles out there. I already have a membership to 24 hour Fitness, and I downloaded the couch to 5K app to my iPhone. I put new batteries in my scale, and bought some vitamins.

I am on the second day of the couch to 5K program (C25K) and it went really fairly well. I had a little trouble getting out of the door, but once I was there, I felt pretty good about being there. For me, actually going to the gym has been a big part of the battle. My body feels fatigued, I think it is experiencing a bit of shock. It is likely saying to me lady, you just put us through chemotherapy, a bilateral mastectomy, radiation treatments, started a new job, and now this?! I haven't experienced the whole, Wow it feels good to exercise feeling yet, I sure hope that is coming.

I have decided to be accountable on Facebook and Twitter to help make sure I keep this going, but this blog is probably the biggest form of accountability...to myself. I just have this feeling in my mind that the only way I am going to live a long life, the only way I am going to beat cancer for good is to get healthy. Cancer was the wakeup call of a lifetime, and it made me realize I do indeed want to live, and not as a couch potato!