Getting Healthy

It's been over 2 months since I've started going to the gym on a regular basis. As in really regular, 3 times a week without fail, with at least 30 to 45 minutes of cardio workout, & a bit of weight training on targeted muscle groups, the latter to strengthen muscles that support joints like the knees & shoulders which I've been having problems with.

As I get older, health matters become more of a concern. I know it sounds strange coming from a doctor, but doctors can be the worst patients. I know in my case, I haven't exactly been the paradigm of health as far as my weight & eating healthy was concerned. And I had my VERY FIRST HEALTH SCREENING just over a month ago. I know, I am very bad. So my LDL is slightly high, but HDL is at a nicely high level too. But my TG's need to come down - so I guess that means trying to eat fish & perhaps taking omega 2 (Jan 28 -correction: should have been omega 3) fatty acid supplements.

(The good news is that I have been religiously regular with the female checks like the PAPs & the Mammos & the US scans).

In my schooling years, I had always been active, with ECAs (as it was known then) & in university, with representing the medical faculty in various sports. So my activity level had always been decently healthy. Then after graduation from medical school, housemanship & MO ship started & I needed to find time for other things (like sleep!). Although I had had sporadic periods of time during which I went to the gym or played various kinds of sports once or twice a week, I inevitably found myself stopping due to either lack of time or different priorities coming up (like children!). I am sure many working parents succumb to the same trap; whether or not it's avoidable, that's arguable.

The turning point came after my thumb injury last year, as I became terribly sedentary during the recovery & rehab period, & felt myself getting more & more lethargic. It's a vicious cycle, really. The less you do, the more lethargic one becomes. So I decided - that's enough lazing around, aliendoc. You need to get off your butt & get healthy again.

In the months that I've become more active, I have found myself with more energy, & feeling less lethargic. If I miss out on a day of exercise, I find myself feeling uncomfortable, & bloated. Perhaps its the endorphins & adrenaline doing their jobs. Whatever it is, I need to continue working on it, not so much to lose weight, but for the sake of my cardiovascular health.

I hope I can persevere.