Taking Care of Me

Denial is a funny thing.
There were several signs that indicated I needed to take some action about changing my habits and improving my overall health.  I chose to ignore most of those signs, giving myself excuse after excuse: I just don’t have time to exercise; there was a vegetable on my plate at dinner, so it was a healthy meal; my only real vice was soda and it was my crutch, especially when times become tough caring for my son.  My favorite excuse was that I’m a hemo mom – I only have to take care of everyone else, not me.
But as many excuses as I threw out there, there were equal signs saying, “Do Something.”  A wellness committee formed at my children’s school; HFA launched Ponte en marcha; I exhibited some straight-up addictive symptoms to soda; my blood pressure was high; I barely was able to hike out of a canyon on a field trip with my daughter.  Then there were all these wonderful pictures of my friends – my blood brothers – guys with hemophilia who were biking, climbing mountains, and running marathons. It finally dawned on me that if those guys can keep themselves healthy and active, then I have no business not to do the same. This was my light bulb moment and I decided to make a change. 
I started small by making gradual changes.  I know that if I tried to make too many changes at once I wouldn’t be able to stick with it. Over a year ago, I stopped drinking soda on a daily basis (I still have one once in awhile, but previously I was a six can a day kind of gal).   Without any other dietary changes or adding any activity, I lost 15 pounds. Next I decided to dust off the treadmill I bought myself as a birthday present about five years ago.  My primary goal that first day was not dying or throwing up.  My secondary goal was to walk for 20 minutes every other day and stop telling myself that I didn’t have time. I downloaded the HFA Get in the Gear app and logged in my activity. 
The first few days were hard and I almost didn’t stick with it, but then I texted a dear friend – one of those aforementioned active hemo guys. I swallowed all my pride and told him what I was up to and that his active lifestyle had encouraged and inspired me to get off the couch.  It was a life changing text. I don’t have the extra income to afford a personal trainer to push me onto that treadmill, but in my friend, I found the most personal of personal trainers. He is the best training coach money can’t buy.  He cares about me and wants to see me do well. I don’t want to disappoint him, so I am even more motivated to keep moving.
Three weeks into a regular exercise routine and healthier eating habits and another 8 pounds were shed.  I found that I began to actually como the treadmill and began increasing my distance and difficulty. Healthy eating wasn’t as hard as I had imagined and even more astonishing was that the kids started modeling the choices I was making.  This past weekend, I surprised myself and did a 10K (6.2 miles) on the treadmill and have lost 43 pounds over the last two years.  I’m still no fitness expert or advanced runner, but at least I’m moving and feeling better.
I’ve heard plenty of experts talk and have read lots of articles about health, nutrition and exercise; frankly, they have irritated me for years. Ultimately what spurred me into taking care of myself came down to two things: wanting a healthier life so I can be a good mom to my kids and turning to the bleeding disorders community for inspiration and support.
Aren’t those the two things that really define us most as moms – wanting the best for our families and leaning on our friends for support?  If you, too, find you are making too many excuses, then consider a healthy lifestyle as a directive and responsibility to your family. Call or text a friend to be your cheerleader and take some time for yourself for a healthy lifestyle.
Sonji Wilkes nació y se crió en Carolina del Norte, donde durante la escuela secundaria desarrolló una apreciación por el voluntariado y el servicio comunitario. Se graduó Magna Cum Laude con una licenciatura en ciencias del comportamiento del Colegio Estatal Metropolitano de Denver en 2001. Sonji trabaja como voluntaria en la comunidad de trastornos hemorrágicos y fue seleccionada como voluntaria del año de la Fundación Nacional de Hemofilia en 2006. Sonji, su esposo Nathan y sus tres hijos: Nora (11), Thomas (9) y Natalie (7), residen actualmente en Colorado.
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*Nota: "Infusing Love: A Mom's View" es una colección de blogs de opiniones personales y una representación de las experiencias individuales. Si bien se realizan grandes esfuerzos para garantizar la precisión del contenido, las entradas del blog no representan a HFA ni a su Junta Directiva. El blog tampoco pretende ser interpretado como consejo médico o la opinión/posición oficial de HFA, su personal o su Junta Directiva. Se recomienda encarecidamente a los lectores que analicen su propio tratamiento médico con sus proveedores de atención médica.