My Activity Tracking
37
kms
My target 31 kms
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Recovery Is Built in Very Small Steps
Tuesday 19th MayThis morningâs walk felt like a quiet little gift.
Somewhere between the birds, the ducks, and the smell of the morning air, I started thinking about my heart.
I set out planning to go a short distance, but the morning had other ideas. The air was cool and clean in that way only early morning seems to manage. The birds were already holding their daily conference and the ducks were chiming in from the water like they had important opinions to contribute.
I love, love, love the smell of morning. If youâre not a morning person, it might be hard to explain. Morning has a scent that feels fresh and full of possibility, like the day hasnât quite decided what it will become yet.
As I walked, I found myself thinking about something that has puzzled me for a while.
How did my cholesterol climb and my heart health decline so quickly?
The philosopher in me did what philosophers do. I started asking questions and digging around for answers.
What I learned was both fascinating and a little unsettling.
During perimenopause and menopause, women experience a decline in estrogen. Estrogen doesnât just affect reproductive health. It actually plays a protective role for the heart. As estrogen levels fall, that protection fades and the risk of heart disease rises. The risk is even higher for women who enter menopause early because we spend more years without that natural protection.
Suddenly, a lot of things made sense.
I entered menopause before the age of 45. Looking back now, I can see that I was likely experiencing perimenopausal symptoms as early as my thirties, although at the time I didnât know what they were. Like many women, I was navigating something significant without realizing what was happening.
When my doctor confirmed that I was post-menopausal, he did explain that my risk of heart attack and heart failure would increase. But because I was very active, it wasnât something either of us worried too much about.
And for a long time, that was true.
Then life took one of those turns none of us plans for.
A slip and fall. A concussion. And then months that stretched into a year and a half of persistent concussion symptoms.
For a long time I was almost completely unable to do the kind of cardio activity that had always been part of my life. Even everyday things like grocery shopping and cooking became difficult.
The sudden drop in my activity levels had a much bigger impact than I expected. When my numbers changed, it was shocking to see how quickly heart health can shift when movement disappears.
Recovery, it turns out, is built in very small steps.
Lately, each of these walks has started to mean something a little bigger to me. Theyâre not just about getting outside or rebuilding my stamina. Theyâve become a small way of honouring the health we often take for granted and supporting the research and knowledge that help people understand heart health better, especially for women.
This morning I walked a little farther than I planned. At one point I had to stop and sit for a few minutes while my head reminded me to take it slow. But after a short rest, I got up and kept going.
And that felt like progress.
Small progress, but progress.
If this reaches even a few people, I hope you share it with the women in your life. Your daughters, sisters, nieces, aunts, and friends deserve to know that perimenopause and menopause are not just hormonal milestones. They can have real and significant impacts on a womanâs heart health.
Itâs something many of us move through without enough information or conversation.
As for me, Iâll keep walking. Iâll keep rebuilding both my brain health and my heart health one quiet morning at a time.
And I am hopeful. Ever so hopeful.
That somewhere ahead of me there is another beautiful, quiet, fresh-smelling morning when I lace up my shoes, step outside, and start to run again. Even if itâs just for a few steps. đââïžđ
Consistency and Compassion
Monday 18th May I I havenât walked in about five days not because Iâm lazy or not because I enjoy poor health But actually to protect my health and my well-being. One of the things that triggers and increase in my brain injury symptoms are barometric, pressure, changes, noise Bright light and socializing. I had an amazing Motherâs Day with my grandson and two of the three kids. Everyone helped out with some yardwork or general cleanup, and lots of playing and excitement with Ellis and I wouldnât change it for the world. This resulted in increased headache, some brain fog and just overall fatigue. Then a few days later we had some pretty significant barometric pressure changes which increases my headache quite substantially to the point where Iâm very nauseous and again, of course, fatigue. Our neighbors had three lawn care service over to do the spring cleanup, and that noise partnered with all of the other activities significantly impacted me where I was lucky if I made it out of bed. Old me would Have given up completely because I wasnât doing things perfectly, and I just wasted I have learned through the course of my recovery that I have to be compassionate with myself on days where my symptoms significantly impact me. Iâve spent the last year and a half learning how to manage my energy so I can do more for longer Which has been a very significant change to my mentality, and one that I actually have to constantly work at so well I havenât been consistent as most people would be. I have been very consistent with my walks based on my capabilities and for that, I am proud of myself. I still plan on completing the 31 km for me by catching up a little bit on my good days so even though itâs only been two weeks of my walks and making a few dietary changes, I am super happy to report that my blood pressure is down still a little high for me but down with a normal range which is pretty significant and so I keep taking one step one day at a time until Iâm back to healthy heart healthy mind/brain in the new me. Thank you so much for joining me on my journey and I wish you a great health.
