Support Group and New Tool

Tonight was my monthly support group night and once again I was all by my lonesome. This is the 2nd month in a row that I have been by myself. I thought for sure after the January meeting when we had 3 people things were looking up, but I guess one of the people didn’t like that we were talking about doing exercise classes as an optional topic. I loved the idea since it was not going to be a “teach a fat person to exercise” event, but more a introducing us to new things – like Zumba, Yoga, Weight lifting. A chance to try things and see if we liked them. I mean I really didn’t like her cooking class idea, but I went with it.

The way I look at it is that this meeting isn’t just about “ME”. Every meeting is not going to meet the needs of everyone so there has to be some give and take. Heck, I have to listen to basic nutrition facts that I could recite by memory, but I don’t complain. Well I do, but only when they don’t bring things that pertain to band patients – like eat whole wheat pasta instead of white pasta!

Anyways, I expressed my concern during tonight's meeting that I needed to get more involved some how - especially with nobody else attending. I am afraid that I will stop like before if I don’t. It is just the way I am. I know it, I am dealing with it, and I will over come it.

My great NP had a great solution. It was something that we have talked about before, but starting next week I am going to start working out with the people in the office. I think it will be exactly what I need. Not only will I get some great ideas from the staff, but it will also be a lot harder to create excuses to not go!

So since nobody else showed up tonight, after 20 minutes we decided to go out and walk and talk. This was my second walk of the day and they sure didn’t pull any punches. If I had done it by myself I would never have taken the road up the big hill and gone through the parking lot around the building instead of just in front of it. I got out of running up the dirt hill, but they assured me that next time they won’t let me skip out :) It was GREAT! I had a little problem with the big hill – I know I was red as a cherry, but I could still walk and talk so we didn’t slow down.

At the end of the walk Kristie (the NP) said that by the end of summer we will run the 1.5 miles instead of walking it. I mentioned that I wanted to do a 5K by October and both her and Kelli (the dietitian) got excited and decided that we should do it together. They are both have been runners in the past so I think I am going to be in a world of hurt, but honestly what better people to push me than an NP and a dietitian (who I think also focuses on exercise) .

I also found a great tool the other day that I LOVE. It is RunKeeper.com and it is an Iphone app (maybe ipod touch too). You turn it on before you start walking or running and it maps where you walk and how fast you are walking. It was been a great addition to my tools :)  Here is a look at what I walk looked like: