Inspired to be Healthy

I have had high blood pressure for a number of years along with fatty liver disease, a bad back, excess weight and have ankles that swell and hurt upon standing for a length of time or during travel. I had been trying to lose weight for some time through eating a bit better and some exercise when I could. However, I wasn’t as committed as I could be, and I needed a push to make progress. When I went to my doctor and discussed my health, she suggested I attend Health Basics.

I loved the program! It inspired me to take my health more seriously and showed me great results for doing that. The coaches were not judgmental at all and really made you feel good about yourself. I learned lots and have implemented lots that I learned. Over the 8-week program, I lost 4 pounds and 3.5 inches off my waist. My blood pressure has come down and stayed down. I am to the point where my medications can be lowered.

My back was sensitive and when I did too much, it would hurt which kept me from engaging in too much exercise. Now I find with increased exercise, I have strengthened my core and have very few back pains. For the longest time when I would stand for shopping or travel on a plane, my ankles and legs would swell and cause me a lot of pain for a few weeks. That is pretty well gone now, likely due to improved circulation. I do a half an hour exercise class online every day. I have started an exercise group once a week with 6 friends, so we keep each other motivated. I have shared my success story with many who also want to take Health Basics. As a result of taking this program I am all enthused and fired up for life and I really want to be healthy. It feels great!

Learn more about the Primary Care Network.

Dealing with Distress 

So many losses to cope with

Shaylyn is only 26. She experienced miscarriages and lost multiple friends, relatives, and pets starting in 2012.  The losses continued and just kept on building with 8 souls lost in 2019 alone. She was working through it her way but in the back of her mind she knew some help may allow her to move towards a better quality of life.  She put her thoughts out there asking the universe for some assistance when she saw a bus ad “Got Grief?” and the phone number to register for the RDPCN Grief program.  She immediately called to register for the program and is very glad that she did.

One of the valuable lessons that she learned was not to feel any anger or resentment to the person who passed. She could be mad at the situation they left her in but not mad at the person. She found comfort in the class exercise of writing a letter to the person lost and then writing a response from them. It felt like she was receiving comfort and support, and this helped her shift to the positive. She also realized she is a caregiver, but she needs to take some time and care for herself and give herself some time to work through all of this. She gained knowledge on how to do this.

Overall the Journeying through Grief program helped her to get on a more positive path. She realized how resilient she is and how she can move forward with her life. She gained self-confidence and can now walk away from non-constructive conversations. She learned it is okay to ask for help and okay to be vulnerable. The program gave her space to express what she was feeling and give in to her emotions. Often people don’t know how to be around you during your time of loss but having experience communicating with others in similar situations in the program gave me the practice and confidence that I needed to move forward. Shaylyn says, “I would highly recommend Journeying through Grief to anyone with loss in their life.

Self-care series: Lift your mood