Walk / Flare / Cry

Yesterday I did my first walking workout in a year.  I did about 1. 3 miles in 30 minutes on the indoor track at the YMCA.  My time was slow and it was exhausting, the only guy on the track that seemed to be slower than me was an 80 Year old man using a walker.  But I didn't feel horrific during the walk just tired. 

Flash forward 5 hours and my back is really not happy with me.  Another 5 hours and I was in a full on Fibro flare with pain upwards of an 8 on a 1-10 scale.  The only thing that didn't hurt on my body was my head, but my head was causing me all sorts of other problems.  I quickly spiraled down into an "I'm fat, and ugly, and there's no way I'll ever be able to do a half marathon, I can't do this" pity party.  Crap.  I took some heavy pain medication and headed to bed.

Before the pain got out of control I remembered that when I was working out previously I was following a pattern of Ride - Walk - Rest.  I can't remember being in this much pain after walking before, but I must have come up with that rotation for a reason.  The pain is better this morning with just my back twinging.  I decided that I needed to take an extra rest day today, so tomorrow I'll go back to the gym and use that rotational schedule.  Ride - Walk - Rest to give my body the best opportunity for recovery after the walking (and eventually running) work outs.

I was doing so great with the bike rides and feeling great about working out again, yesterday's walk did rotten things to both my body and my head.  What am I thinking, can I REALLY pull off a Half Marathon?  Seriously?  I have roughly 379 days to get to the point that I can run/walk 13.1 miles in roughly 3:45:00.  Today it seems completely insurmountable. 

Welcome Back To Junior High

Source: Uploaded by user via Sharon / Bear / on Pinterest

I found out last night that I the other parents at my kids youth group don't like me, so four of them ganged up and told the guy in charge of the parent group that if I stayed around that they would all quit helping out.  Obviously, the key to groups like that surviving and flourishing is parental involvement and four is more than one, so I'm out.   Even though the guy in charge said that he didn't agree, liked what I was doing, and appreciated all of my efforts.  Whatever.   It is so not worth my time and energy to put up with that.  It really amazes me that I'm obviously so important other people feel that they need to plot my removal.

I watched a video online the other day about Mom Bullies, and the person was saying that they had never run into them.  Oh... my... god... just come spend some time in my shoes.  My youngest daughter and I have actually spent the last four months in therapy because of these people doing crappy things to us.  Between the therapist and my best friend saying "leave... why are you staying... leave... take yourself out of the bad situation... leave... stop letting yourself be abused..." a sense of protecting my child from these asses kept me there.  Katie and I now more or less have our Thursday nights free again, and have lost a WHOLE lot of stress, and will save money without the therapist bills. 

Yesterday, I sat down and made out a work schedule.  I printed it out, and posted it on the wall for the family to see what I really do all day.  I'm hoping that getting my hours organized is going to open up some time in my day to fit in some other things.  Like this!  Look, I've actually gotten another blog post made here.  Granted it's more random ranting, but here it is none the less.

Have you ever taken much more time that you should have to get out of a bad situation because you thought you were doing the right thing?  Have you ever dealt with "grown ups" that forget they're not in Junior High any more?  What did you do?

Heavily on My Mind: Health Insurance

One of the things that weighs heavy on my mind these days is the lack of health coverage. We've always used our heavily, and since my husband lost his job, we're sort of out in the cold.   I discovered a few days ago that one of my regular prescriptions is on the generic list, that means I'll only have to pay $4. I was so happy when I learned this news, I almost cried. Serious tears.  I had been afraid that I wouldn't be able to afford it any longer and that would mean I would likely never really sleep again.

My family is being proactive with our health and changing our unhealthy habits in an attempt at better living. However, overall the “pray not to get sick” method, isn’t a quality plan. For a girl with Fibromyalgia, removing stress is a key factor in feeling better and having less pain. Getting out of the house and walking is just one of the ways that I relieve stress.

My husband, daughter and I are working, but none of us have healthcare.  The very substance of the American workplace is changing, and it's leaving many people out in the cold as far as healthcare goes. Since I work as an independent contractor I don't have the option of having any benefits one would get as an employee. That raises my stress levels. Today small businesses do have options for providing their workers with group insurance coverage, but it can be just as hard for them to find as it is for the independent contractor to find someone who can provide it.

If you’re a small business owner or self employed consider looking into information about group health insurance not only to benefit you, but to help give your employees the security that they need.  People with peace of mind are much more creative and productive, which only means good things for your business. What ways can you think of to help relieve your employee stress?

Disclaimer: Sponsored editorial post.  All opinions and life experiences expressed are entirely those of the author. Your mileage may vary.