This morning, I felt like a flotsam of flesh and bones with a heavy bag of sand for a head. Rotten! … and I blame the ageing process, but most importantly, I blame myself!
Get with it, woman! You know what to do! This sad mental attitude began before retirement, but retirement has definitely blown it out of proportion. Attitude toward what, you say? - MY HEALTH and what I should be doing to feel better.
Lesson Number One: This “epiphany” actually hit me in my late 40’s when I helped a dear friend with a building project toward building her home. It was a New Year’s Eve celebration, and we decided to do something different and special, so we “treated” ourselves to white Russians!!! YUM. I was feeling no pain at the stroke of midnight; in fact, my body was literally swinging from the rafters … oooooh, so much fun – til morning. This migraine was different … streaks of lightening were zooming across my brain: ZOOM, ZOOM, ZOOM – Hell. Somehow, I crawled out to the car at 4:00 a.m., drove home, and vegetated with the proverbial “porcelain goddess” for three days! The DT symptoms were in force!
Later, I learned that a snow storm had felled trees across the road to my friend’s home; they wondered how I got out … I’ll never know. At least, I had the clarity of mind to post a message on the answering machine that I was out with friends and would return calls when I returned. Thank goodness, I had cloroxed the bathroom floor, because I lay there, nauseously writhing, during those entire three days.
We all know what happened next. I prayed to Lord Jesus that I would never, ever, do that again…and I didn’t, except for one more time. This time, a group of friends went down to the beach with me and Mom to celebrate her birthday. A lovely little place served the best margaritas in North Myrtle Beach, and we ordered them by the pitcher full. Again, a great old time was had by all, even making new friends with everyone that came near our table, but reality set in the next morning. Finally, I had my fill of celebratory alcoholic beverages, and knew what had to be done in order to avoid feeling that way again.
Don’t get me wrong. I imbibed only at Christmas and New Years. It has now been over two decades since I’ve drank anything with alcohol, but every once in a blue moon, I’ll take a sip, and BANG – that’s all it takes. That little medulla oblongata starts ringing a warning bell. The sugar content in the alcohol goes straight to the back of my head. I do have a better understanding of my body, and it was because of these “early experiments” that I went to a doctor, then, was diagnosed with hypoglycemia. I simply cannot handle sugar.
Lesson Number Two: Sugar. Sugar comes in many forms, but your body can’t tell the difference – thanks to recent research. It doesn’t matter if you ingest it from alcohol, fruit, sweets, or artificial sweeteners, the body will react. Due to my hypoglycemia, I obviously cannot handle it. Period! So, why do I keep “stepping over that same log?” Attitude! I love chocolate and fancy desserts (some are not as bad as others) and cooking special dishes in my kitchen – but, hey, I normally know how to not overindulge. Since retirement, I’ve been enjoying the time to pursue many of my interests – one, of which, is baking.
Returning to the scene of the crime, how did this epistle begin? Oh, yes – the migraine this morning. Why? Because I baked beautiful and wonderful Cranberry Pumpkin Bars for the Fall season! DID NOT overindulge – only ate one modest piece. However, let’s look at some of the ingredients: cream cheese, 2 sticks of butter and a whole bag of powdered sugar (main culprit). I can’t stand the thought of eating another piece of that dessert (remember when you ate too much Halloween candy and got sick?).
Why didn’t I pay attention? Attitude! My body is ageing, and the hypoglycemia is more pronounced. So, woman, what have you learned?! Well, I like to cook, so… maybe, I should start cooking for a healthier life. DUH! You see, I knew this!!! But I keep lapsing into that old style attitude of how I grew up, and relishing those sacred recipes of how my mom and grandparents cooked….excuses, excuses.
What am I going to do? I am going to be the responsible person I’ve always been. All my life, I’ve done the right thing. I have been responsible toward children, family, job, bills, etc. Once upon a time, I was responsible toward my health by exercising; it’s time to incorporate and accommodate that same attitude toward my retirement years! My husband and I have started a new program. We have three date nights a week to work with something that, I hope, will become a third member of our family – Mr. BowFlex!
Also, I need to begin looking at healthy recipes to cook for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and slowly incorporate them into our lifestyle. See, I told you, I know what I’m supposed to do! Attitude. Attitude. Attitude. Just today, I saw something that caught my eye on FaceBook: ZOOMER BOOMERS. According to the article, ZOOMERS are seniors over the age of fifty who exercise and practice preventive medicine to reduce inherited health risks, among other longevity traits.
So, I have hypoglycemia; I can find support from abundant literature on the web. It’s time to put this retirement into a proper perspective, and make it work for me. Time to revamp the old recipes of my youth so they will better accommodate this Boomer body – NO! - make that “soon to be” ZOOMER body. This renaissance won’t happen overnight, but I’m now developing a focus and a plan. No New Year’s Resolutions, but definitely a Retirement Renaissance!
