Prioritize.. It Can Mean Many Things
Boy, where do I start with what prioritizing means to me. I’ve been working a lot on my health, honestly for the better part of my life, and as I enter new stages, priorities need to shift to accommodate the growth and change. Part of my drive stems from my mom as she told me we are nothing without our health. She’d say you have to help yourself first if you want to help others. This statement wasn’t in a selfish way. It’s having high standards for yourself in order to help support beyond yourself. She was ahead of her time in many ways. My time with her was very short, but I absorbed so many good things.
I’ve noticed things in my body being a bit off to say the least and the doctors that I had didn’t know how to help. So I went looking for a new general and new OB to help me out. Answers were found and I'm so grateful for it!
Some of this is my truth and some of this is what I've learned from these professionals. I’ve been working with a Personal Trainer for the past 2 years and have made progress in dropping inches and bringing my muscles back together because I'm hyperflexible. I don’t normally weigh myself, so when I was at these appointments I noticed the changes in the scale. It was higher and had seemed to increase over the last 4 years, which yes this can be muscle, but I knew there had to be something else going on too. So I asked my OB about it and informed her that I’ve dropped inches with the help of a trainer but I've gained 40 pounds. Her response resonated with me so much and I thought I'd share with you especially since I don’t think these topics get talked about much at all.
I was informed that when the body starts to not produce enough estrogen it can try to find ways to adapt. In my case it’s very possible that my decline in estrogen triggered my body to store fat and turn the fat into estrogen, which doesn’t actually fix my issue. When I heard this I looked at my body and very kindly said “Oh, no that’s not how this is going to work.” This along with other factors indicated that I’m in perimenopause. It IS early but there are reasons for that and I fit the profile to be early.
With a blend of medical help and working with a kinesiologist, my priorities have had to shift yet again. As what will work for me is my truth, something else I've learned during these appointments. Each woman's body is uniquely their own so what will work for one may not work for another. The key is to connect with women in an unconditionally supportive way. I think this is where things got messy, so much inconsistent information is floating around. The medical system itself has cracks in it but there’s a place for all types of health knowledge. The bottom line is, don’t give up on yourself! If something feels off, there is always a reason.
With all this new information and these new priorities, I have noticed improvements and as I continue to work with each professional I foresee things to continue to improve, for that I'm grateful!
Lastly, remember to have some fun! I was asked recently what I had done for fun and I didn’t have a response. I’d been working so hard on figuring out my health that fun had dropped away. I plan on prioritizing fun as well, otherwise one would go a little nuts.