Exercise and Iron Deficiency

This week has flown by and it hasn't included even one occurrence of exercise. Hmph. I was doing so well for a while there but I have yet, once again, fallen off the wagon. I feel pudgy and weak just thinking about it. I know my body can't change that quickly after a week of no exercise and a few weeks of sporadic exercise but it's amazing how powerful the mind is.

I had nothing but night shifts in October - usually two a week. I'm not complaining because that isn't that much work but it's been busy lately and nearly every night shift has been demanding physically. My night shifts have been spaced close together - for example, Wed and Fri or Tues and Thurs. When they are close together like this I just don't get that rested after the first shift before I have to do it again, which pretty much leaves me extremely unproductive for about 3 days. I try to sleep for a few hours after being up for all or most of a night but I can't always fall asleep. Usually my head is aching from the delay in caffeine intake. I'm forced to wait till after I try to sleep. Even with a little sleep I just feel like a zombie on those days (is this what having children is gonna be like??)

Anyway, that's my excuse for the poor exercise this month. Lame excuse but most excuses ARE lame. Oh well. November is a new month and I'm working about three shifts a week with many of those day shifts plus a few half days just to help out during prenatal exams. I must try to get back at it. I feel so great when I do and now that I'm not as anemic as I used to be, exercise isn't as much of a chore or as painful (for years I always gasped for air and my heart raced even with mild exercise). I had no idea that was due to iron-deficiency anemia all those years (some nutritionist, huh?). Now I feel "normal" for the first time in years. I can exercise and not feel like I'm gonna die the whole time. I used to have to DRAG myself to do anything active before but I don't feel like that anymore. It's a new day. That, in addition to watching the Biggest Loser. That has seriously motivated me. I just keep thinking, "If they can do that then I really have no excuse!" And because I see them pushing themselves beyond their own perceived limitations, when I do get to the gym I try to really push myself beyond what I would normally do. Man, I really gotta get back at it. This is only going to get worse when I have kids. If it's this hard to stick with it now I'm really going to be in trouble later.

On a quick side note - I've tried numerous iron supplements but none made me notice immediate improvement as much as Floradix Liquid Iron + Herbs did. I felt so much energy when I was taking it and my CBC saw a greater increase in hemoglobin than when I tried other supplements containing the more absorbable forms of iron (Fumarate and Gluconate). This supplement has no synthetic iron - only iron-rich herbs. So awesome. I just wish I could get more! Can't buy it here in the Phils unfortunately and it's not the easiest (or cheapest) thing to ship.

And just so you know, I'm not wanting to exercise to lose weight as I'm at a healthy weight and have no need to lose. I've stayed at this weight (+/- 3 pounds) since I got married 7 years ago. My body likes this weight. My thyroid has been balanced for years now and weight stabilization is a benefit of that. I haven't had to change my thyroid medication dose for over 5 years. I am exercising because it is essential to being healthy and essential to retain the muscle mass that increasingly wastes away as you get older and to keep metabolism working the way it should. Plus, it is essential for decreasing the risk of cancer (and many more diseases!) - especially estrogen-related cancers. I have a higher risk of breast cancer because of the radiation therapy to my chest in 1995 so I want to counteract this as much as possible and diet and exercise are things within my control. I do pretty well on the diet end but I've always struggled to keep a regular exercise routine.

I really like the gym I go to. I just don't like having to drive 15-20 minutes each way to get there. But seriously, no excuse. Must get back at it.