My Doctors have been consistently encouraging me to sleep every single time I get tired, pushing for a “hibernation” type of existence lately.  I’m a bad patient.  I take my naps, none too gracefully, and a grumble and complain like a constipated bear.  (I’ve never actually met a constipated bear, I hope I never do, but the analogy just popped into my head and I am forcing you to live with it).

Now that the weatherman is telling me to expect temps of 120 today, this hibernation thing is sounding utterly brilliant to me.

With one exception…

My mother is trying to improve her strength, just as I am trying to rebuild my entire system.

She needed a “buddy” to help her.

Back when I was a trainer, I encouraged the “buddy system,” constantly praising the benefits of having someone to make exercise fun, or keep you accountable, and so on.

I volunteered to be my mom’s workout buddy.

My mother is a two time cancer survivor, who had chemo 21 years ago (this summer, in fact).  She is in her late 60s.  Right about now, we are pretty evenly matched in terms of physical fitness.  There’s a huge lump of pride I have to swallow in order to get those words out.  I was the girl who used to bench press with a 55 pound dumbbell in each hand.  Sigh…

Mum and the kids and I have been doing stadium stairs.  20 minutes, every other day.  Lara is doing the “weekend warrior” version, and coming with us once each weekend.  I think I’m getting stronger.  🙂  Of course, I come home dying and sweating and disgusted with the weakness in my body.  I shower and then go straight to bed.

Wait, that’s not entirely true.  I shower and then eat a MEGA HIGH PROTEIN meal.  Then I go to bed.  I gained a pound.

The fact that I am overjoyed at these things makes me chuckle and shake my head ruefully.  I never knew how gifted I was athletically, back before I was sick.  Now, based on all of the things I have to struggle and push and grit my teeth to do, I realize I was so blessed, so fortunate, and I TOOK IT FOR GRANTED.  Grrrrr…

Lesson learned.  On to the new, strong, improved me.  Cancer free in every way, and climbing a hill to come back from this position of weakness.  I may have upgraded from weakness over the past few days: I think I qualify as a spaghetti noodle now.  😉

Blessings to you all…