Since I was about six or maybe seven years-of-age, I had been struggling with weight issues and had brought a lot of contention in my family and home since, well, I was a chubby Filipina kid. I remember frequently being scolded to exercise when I had no concept of the idea, and it didn’t help at all that running around brought upon fits of asthma attacks that created  frequent trips to the hospital. Years later, I had went through phases of losing weight, gaining it back, and continuing that cycle up until now.

This time, I am trying hard to beat that cycle and continue to stay healthy. I’m not getting younger and I my desire to live long to enjoy life with my loved ones has become stronger as of late. It hasn’t been easy, however, as two persistent problems have cropped up to make things difficult: my lower back and my chest. My chest has only started up recently and I’m not sure what exactly is wrong. I think it may have been an adverse reaction to Advair that I had experienced a year ago, but the lingering pains has me worried it might be something else. I’ve had to turn down my workouts quite a bit just to ensure I do not end up in the ER, again…

As for the back pain? Proper lifting technique and knowing ones limits goes a long way. I had foolishly attempted to lift an extremely heavy box with awful lifting technique and tweaked my back. Its gotten better, but I always need to be careful of what I do or else the pains will come back. I’m currently laughed at because the pains make me look and feel as though I am 60 or older.

Despite these two continuous problems I’ve faced in the past few weeks, I’ve also made great strides thanks to my sister, brother, and boyfriend. They have said that success rates for exercising is greater if you have a partner to help encourage you; it doesn’t work if you have someone who will demotivate you or be the little devil to tell you its ok to go for one day, then another, and another! I had practically begged for her help in being my workout partner at the newly built YMCA, so that I would not be alone and that I could have someone practically nag me to go even when I didn’t feel like it. My boyfriend does almost the same thing but in a different way. Because I manage a linkshell on XI and XIV, I often worry if I am neglecting it and if I need to do more or be on more. Couple this with the occasional bouts of depression and anxiety, it brews for rather anxious ridden times when I feel reluctant to want to go exercise. Derrick is the one who will then give me the permission I have trouble giving myself to go do what I need to do to take care of myself. My younger brother, however, is an anomaly. He doesn’t really get me to workout, nor does he motivate me. In fact, he taunts me in subtle ways and is possibly mocking me as well. Actually… he’s more of a pain in the ass. Yet I cannot deny that his actions amuses me at times and that before my persistent chest pains, he was able to push me further than I would have originally done on my own.

Since the eight weeks I’ve started to workout, I haven’t really lost much weight except for the initial water weight loss. I have, however, began to build up more muscle mass and have started to tone up my body. Though I guess I have lost quite a bit of weight as certain articles of clothing have either started to become loose or have started to become noticeably baggy on myself. Hah! I have a long way to go, however, but I am not really caring about it. I feel that loosing weight is sort of the natural result of me just getting back to being active. Hell, I had a <i>blast</i> just playing Racquetball even if I sucked at it. Then again, who would have thought that the goggles really would have come in handy and I would have my eye hit within minutes of starting play? Did you? I for sure did not. Thank goodness my normal glasses were not on, because I shudder to think about broken pieces of glass shoved into my eye… *shudder*