What’s the biggest physical challenge you face? What one step can you take today toward improving your physical health?

My biggest physical challenge is my health. Actually, that has long been a major challenge. I have lots of things wrong with me, though nothing clearly visible, like being in a wheelchair.

Thankfully I have been able to get help for some of my problems.

I had a hysterectomy and I no longer bleed twenty days a month (or more).

I take thyroid pills and I don’t have to celebrate the fact that I got up and cleaned a closet. (I still might not clean the closets, but it is no longer because I am physically unable to do that.)

I have sleep apnea. The CPAP machine helped me a little, but not a lot. I changed some of my sleeping patterns and I take melatonin. I dream again, which is good. I know I am not getting enough good sleep when I wake up in the morning and I haven’t dreamed anything.

I have nightshade allergies and although I give them up every once in a while for stretches at a time, and I no longer eat them for every meal in a day, I have not committed to giving them up long term except for special occasions.

I have other minor allergies that I have always had (caseine, chocolate, and cedar) and some new ones (latex), but these don’t give me too much trouble here. I don’t usually eat too much of the first two and thankfully the second is not a typical tree here in Houston.

Unfortunately, I didn’t inherit my dad’s body type, which is long and thin. I got my mom’s, which is curvaceous with a tendency to rotundity. And I haven’t worked on it and kept working on it. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t. I had been working on it really well and then my mother went crazy and I gave it up out of stress, which is silly. Giving it up just gave me something else to stress over.

For as sick as my body is, I am doing great. I would be doing even better, though, if I recommitted to being healthy by giving up nightshades, exercising, and eating right.

One step: I can think of lots, but I don’t want to say I’ll do something and not do it. What could I do?
I could give up nightshades.
I could exercise once a day.
I could limit my eating.

There, those are things I could do. Will I commit to one? No, I don’t think so.

How do you usually handle powerful emotions?

Irritation I give in to. I snap at people.

Anger, I usually don’t say much about. I try not to yell and scream and holler. (Remember that besetting sin I blogged about earlier?) I am trying to abjure anger.

Romance… I usually don’t deal with that much either. My husband doesn’t express his love like I do and sometimes when I am feeling overwhelmingly loving I just sit down till it goes away because I don’t want to irritate him.

I learned to eat to stuff down my emotions. I don’t really want to do that. I want to feel them and use them or let them go.

How would you rate your health in each of these four areas – spiritual, physical, emotional, relational – from one (terrible) to ten (fantastic)?

Spiritual – 8
Physical – 5
Emotional – 8
Relational – 8