I'm Sick of It ...

Sound dramatic? It should. We, the Elledge Clan, are officially sick of fall allergies … or sinus stuff … or a virus … or whatever it is that is playing havoc with our systems! We are fighting back:

Himalaya sea salt inhaler (clears out the sinus cavity and helps sooth the throat)
Vitamin C (enough to kill a horse)
Aloe Vera Juice (gone through 3 bottles the last 3 weeks)
Hot tea with Tannini syrup (for the throat)
Natural throat lodgens (they are called Hals Bonbons here!)
Lots and lots of fresh carrot juice (we have a juicer, you know!)
Ok … and when that doesn’t work good ol’ Ibuprofen and Tylenol (to help with the aches and pains)

I know the above makes us sound like total health freaks. The truth is, this stuff works. The other truth is we are getting older and feel the need to really be cautious about what enters our bodies. Does it all pay off in the end? The truth is in the end the body will die. In the meantime, I feel obligated to be a good steward of this aging frame the Lord has given me.

It is frustrating, however … can I vent? (Of course I can this is my blog!) For years I have taken an antidepressant to fight off anxiety. Just telling you that makes me a little anxious – just kidding! Anyway, one of the side effects is weight gain. Now, that I’m getting older (I hate saying that) it’s not so easy to get it off. To some of you, older and wiser than me, this is no secret to you. However, I am just entering this phase of realization and it’s a bummer. It doesn’t help matters that I, who have been the ever faithful exerciser, have not been ever faithful since we moved overseas. No excuses. Just plain ol’ lazy.

This morning I jogged. I thought I would die, but I jogged. The real battle came when I was still in bed contemplating the jog. I was sick of being out of shape! But, I was also irritated that just restricting my diet would not cut the mustard (or the extra pounds). So, I fought the urge to sleep and put on my tennis shoes and hit the pavement. It wasn’t pretty. I coughed. My nose ran. I sweated. But I did it. The goodness of God brought me back in a good attitude (and fighting for breath!) I knew I had been obedient. The results … hoping it will make a difference in my pant size, but right now just knowing I took the next step are enough!