Just for fun

What I find endlessly attractive in a man:





All of Gerard Butler...lol






Eric Bana is nice to look at too.






Yep, him too.






Man-thighs are great. (I need to marry a Scottish man!)






Man-hands. Yum!






A nice, full, well maintained beard.

It's the little things, no?

-Jess

Journey to a healthier me

The past few months have been filled with doctor's appointments and some health-related worries. When I went for my yearly gynecological visit I found out that my blood pressure was through the roof. It was something like 167/93 (or possibly 163/97, both awful) and led to my doctor saying "holy crap your pressure is off the charts!" was I under stress? Of course, who isn't? It certainly was not enough stress to cause my body to react in such a way. My exam went well and we decided to end my once wonderful relationship with the nuvaring and go sans-birth control for the first time in ten years. My doctor said she wanted to see if it was the nuvaring that was causing the blood pressure spike and scheduled me for blood work and a pressure check for the following week. That one appointment really had me think about my lifestyle and the things I was doing to my body. In general I eat a well-balanced diet. I try to eat lean proteins, whole grains and limited fats. Do I splurge? Of course! When I have my period there is nothing that I want more than McDonalds fries! I just try not to splurge often. My lifestyle isn't overly sedentary. I am on my feet for at least 5 of my 7 hours at work and that isn't counting the walking/running/lifting/SCIP (ways of using your body to help contain aggressive behaviors) that I do throughout the day. I average 6000 steps a day at work. Some days are far more (the most I've logged was 13000) and some are less (on days we can't go outside because of weather it's about 3000) but I move a lot. I come home and play with coda, take him on walks when the weather is good and do some general house-related tasks before sitting down and relaxing. Why was my body not cooperating with my lifestyle? I picked up my book on PCOS and started to read again. That's when I decided to get control of my body and make it work with me. My follow-up with my gyno confirmed that the nuvaring had elevated my blood pressure. She wants me off birth control for a year before deciding if an IUD or the depo shot would be best for me. I then asked her to refer me to an endocrinologist so I could discuss my PCOS and med treatments more thoroughly. At my endocrinology appointment my blood pressure was fantastic. I brought up the use of two different drugs, both of which were okayed after some discussion, a physical and a 6 week follow-up scheduled. The one drug I am hoping works is called metformin (glucophage) and is traditionally used to treat people with type-two diabetes. I'm sure you're thinking "what does that have to do with polycystic ovaries?" According to the studies on PCOS, many women have problems with weight gain because our bodies do not process insulin correctly. Women with PCOS have a higher risk of diabetes, heart attack and stroke because of the hormone imbalances, weight gain an insulin resistance. Metformin has been prescribed to women like me who have tried to lose weight but cannot. It helps our bodies process our food better and therefore leads to less fat being stored. I've been on it for only 5 days and am only on 1/3 of my actual dosage so it's still too early to say if it's working. I have, however, started keeping track of everything I eat and all the exercise I'm doing since my first gynecology appointment, and am down 12.5 pounds. I'm still in my typical weight-loss range, and am not expecting to get to my high school weight (the thinnest I've been since puberty) easily. I've not really changed what I eat (except I am eating breakfast now) but rather how much and when I am eating. I'm trying to teach my body that smaller meals more frequently is better than no breakfast and two enormous meals. I've been doing zumba at least three times a week (this week was tough due to heat problems in the house) and have been doing some calisthenics and time with the weighted hula hoop. Here is hoping that keeping up with this lifestyle change will help my body self-correct. All I know is I'm glad it's almost hiking season. I can't wait to do some serious calorie burning on my favorite trails!


-Jess