Life Preserver

I feel like my main focus this past week has been all about health issues. First I touched on the great difficulties I was having with my arms, then I wrote about my heart palpitations, and yesterday I talked about the lump that I found. I feel like I am constantly bringing up such medically-related topics, but I also think that it can be a good thing to really consider how our weight and overall health affects so much in our lives.

Today, I was able to attend the second half of a dragon boating regatta that I thought I would have to miss. I ended up arriving at the event just in time to see my team finish the last minute of their third race of the day. Everyone was happy to see me and I was immediately asked to sub in for the remaining two competitions.

About an hour later, as we were all mustering, there was some confusion as to where a couple of our paddlers were. I volunteered to locate them and it turned out that one of the women from our boat – who doesn’t normally row with us as she is part of another team who were combined with us today – was experiencing some disorientation. And the more the matter was investigated, the more concerning it became as it seemed that she had been suffering from mild symptoms from quite early on in the day. Eventually, about a minute before we pushed off from the dock, it was decided that an ambulance needed to be called and our oarsman swapped out with a spare so that he could tend to her needs while they waited for the paramedics.

By the time we were done the race, she had already been picked up. I just heard via email that she is well and that it was a simple blood sugar issue that had her so out of sorts. Of course, the biggest thing that I had been worried about was a stroke, so I am greatly relieved to know that she is okay.

It really brings once more to the forefront of my mind though both how fragile and resilient we can be. Health and fitness are such important parts of one’s overall well-being, but they are also often the easiest components to neglect.

It is important to keep our bodies in the best shape that we can (keeping in mind that every person’s best looks completely unlike another’s and will vary greatly from one individual to the next). For so long, I just didn’t understand the difference that it makes. Now that I get it, I can’t imagine going back to what I then largely considered to be satisfactory health, and which I now know was actually sub par fitness.

The silver lining of events such as those that transpired today is that it gives people an opportunity to reflect. I am so happy that my teammate is fine and I am also glad that I have yet one more chance to realize just how good it feels to have a fit body and to know that it is a gift that I created for myself. It's something I don't ever want to take for granted.

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 7 glasses of water
- 1 toasted whole wheat English muffin with light peanut butter and light strawberry jam
- 1 banana
- 6 homemade lavender shortbread cookies
- 1 wrap on a soft tortilla shell with deli ham, cheese, dried cranberries, spinach, fat free Miracle Whip, mustard, and pepper
- 1 cranberry and almond granola bar
- 1 Spartan apple
- 1 cup fruit salad with cherries, peaches, and pears
- 1 bite of a pepperoni stick
- 1 cup lemon meringue yogurt with 1 cup wheat and rice flake cereal
- 20 cheese-flavoured crackers with cheese
- 1 mug decaffeinated tea with milk
- 1 small square of a brownie

EXERCISE:
- 15 minute walk
- 3 1/2 hours at a dragon boating regatta (approximately 20 minutes on the water)