So stick with me as I take the long route to get to the topic of fitness-the really, really long route where you start thinking, “Are we ever going to get there?” kind of long route, so here we go. As if having a mastectomy and complete reconstruction on my breast (which my hubby loves btw) wasn’t enough, about three years ago, I had to have a complete hysterectomy.
Real talk here; admittedly, I do like the fact that I no longer have cycles. I am also digging not having the need to have annual pelvic exams- Such a wonderful gift. But when they said I would immediately go into menopause once the hysterectomy was complete-Honey, they were not lying!
Listen, friends, I’m actually one of the lucky ones. Other than periodic, relatively mild hot flashes and a few different, shall I say, menopause-isms, this menopause thing isn’t really that bad.
Menopause confessions here-
1. I keep the temperature of our house at almost below freezing temperatures (because I’m always hot yall).
2. I wear tank tops or sleeveless shirts because long sleeves make me feel claustrophobic during one of my blasted hot flashes. Layers are a must!
3. I need to sleep with a fan blowing on my face and body every night. Even I admit that the whole temperature thing is a bit bizarre. Bizarre to me because my house feels like what you would assume the temperature of an igloo to be-super cold. The reason why I still need a fan is a mystery to me, also. All I can say is as cold as it may be, the cold air blowing on my face feels great. Correction, it feels better than great! The temperature of the house and the cold fan does freeze my poor husband, but man, it keeps me really comfortable. And being comfortable while going through this whole menopause thing is the goal, folks.
Another confession since I’m on a roll here telling all of my business is that the night cold then hot, then uncomfortable thing is, my friends, a whole thing. I’m hot until I get too cold. Then I snuggle into my husband until I get hot again. This body temperature see-saw continues until morning. Cold then hot until I throw the covers off myself and move closer to the fan until I get too cold again, and the cycle repeats itself.
4. If I’m being honest, I have to say that I have a much shorter fuse these days. I have zero tolerance for drama or foolishness-zero! I can smell drama, an attitude, or an issue from miles away and run from it as fast as I can. Behind my smile is a praying woman (me) asking God to deliver her… quickly, so don’t play me because I know people.
5. Also, there’s the excessive hair-shedding thing. Thank God I have strands to spare, so, so far, it isn’t an issue. I am, however, more intentional about my hair care routine now because I’m really not trying to have any hair issues if I can help it.
6. The dry skin is rather annoying. Shea butter is my new jam. I love it so much that I am making some to sell on my online store for you all to try out. It’s literally life to my skin! I can’t wait to share this with you.
7. Now for the ism that drives me the most bonkers-the bubble upper tummy thing (like seriously, what s that?). The bubble upper tummy is truly the most annoying menopause-ism of all.
With only seven things on my list of menopause-ism, you can see why I say I’m thankful that I don’t have many menopausal woes to announce. But I know it could be worse, so I’ll gladly take it!
All of that brings me to this post’s intended topic: fitness. So let’s talk about the middle age menopausal stomach bubble. Then let’s talk about my plan to pop said tummy bubble and try my best to get my flat pre-meno stomach back, shall we? So, I was given the gift of a tummy tuck at the time of my breast reconstruction, which was pretty awesome. Although I pray you’ll never have to go through what I had to go through to get said tummy tuck, that was no fun at all. Now that the dust has settled and my stage 0 Ductal Carcinoma Insitu breast cancer is a thing of the past. I can truly say that I love my flat lower belly. Until my hysterectomy, my upper and lower stomach were completely flat-I felt like a baddie!
Since the Delivered 50 series launch, I have and will continue to document my quest to shed 50 pounds this year- if that’s even possible. Shedding 50 pounds is my goal, which may be unrealistic, but that’s the goal. If this blasted upper tummy doesn’t vanish, I will document my consultation with a plastic surgeon… just saying!
Delivered 50 Fitness Journey-To be continued….
