Official Report on Blood Pressure

Every 6 months I am required to have a Class 1 medical to maintain my pilot's licence in Canada.  Like all the Boomers I talk to where employment income depends on good health, we breathe a collective sigh of relief with every semi annual stamp of approval (literally a stamp on the licence).

"Clunk" goes the stamp, good for another half year - Phew!

The exciting thing was the blood pressure reading.  Consistent work outs over only 6 weeks involving lots of cardio work such as swimming, bicycle rides (did a 36 km ride yesterday), Zumba classes, have had the desired effect.  My blood pressure reading at my previous pilot medical was 148/85.  This was a serious concern for me for a couple reasons.  One, I have had very low blood pressure my entire life (until the past few years where it has started to climb steadily) and two, both my parents suffered from hypertension.  I told my aviation doc I did NOT want to go on medication!  Not that he was prescribing it, but he did mention maybe it was time to see my family doctor.  Or, he said, I could consider exercise and treat it like a prescription, in other words do as directed!  I took the second option.

New reading *** 140/80***!  I am pumped about this (yes, pun intended).  This is a significant drop and it proves that exercise plays a major part in reducing blood pressure.   The doc explained to me that as we age our blood vessels harden and blood pressure rises over time and for my age  (56) this new blood pressure reading was a normal reading and it would probably never go below 130/75 because of my age.  My new goal is of course to see the blood pressure drop to at least that 130/75. 

My weight is another issue.  The weight has not changed in the last 6 months.  But, my clothes are looser.  I am not concerned, but I admit I am bitterly disappointed.  I understand that muscle weighs a lot more that fat does.  All the exercise has increased muscle mass, I can tell because I'm not as flabby.  Muscle is the engine that burns fat.  If you want to lose weight in a healthy way you need to increase muscle mass.  You need to increase the muscle mass in your body first and then slowly the muscle will burn fat.  So it makes sense that as this process is happening, you actually could weigh MORE, or like me, stay the same weight but your Body Mass Index, or BMI, is improving - the percentage of fat in your body is decreasing. 

Like I said, I'm disappointed with my weight after all this work. I personally need more feedback.  In the past I have been told to throw away the weigh scale because it doesn't give a true story.  But, surely I should see some results soon.  So I caved.  I bought a scale, but am not going to live on it, I"ll check my weight once a week.

So, here's my theory

Waist measurement is down one inch!!  I am starting to feel thinner and certainly feel much healthier.  My daughter came over this week to go on a bike ride with me;  she hadn't seen me for a few months and her first exclamation was, "Are you losing weight??"  Finally, someone's noticed.

Two weeks ago I was over at a friend's place who has a blood pressure cuff.  Around Christmas I had her take my BP;  it was high.  My last medical also showed that the BP was high normal.  I was quite concerned because I have always had very low blood pressure and also a slow heart rate.  The aviation doctor suggested that perhaps I should see my family doctor and maybe he would start me on some kind of medication.  NO WAY!!  I asked about alternatives and he suggested that exercise be completed daily, just like a prescription.  His 'prescription' was one of the final catalysts for my decision to live in a smaller (healthier) body and thus, this blog.  Thank you Dr. Willowby!  A few weeks ago at my friend's place we did our BP readings.  Hers was as normal for her, mine.... she tried 3 times.  "I think you're dead!", she said.  "Your BP is so low it practically doesn't register!".  Maybe???  Just maybe, my health has taken a turn for the better.

The real test is in 7 days - the official 6 month medical.  I'll have a weight, and a blood pressure reading to post.

So here's my off-the-wall theory...  If  you're into weight loss solutions you've more than likely read that shopping the perimeter of the grocery store is recommended.  The perimeter of the store provides the healthiest food choices.  Closer to the heart of the retail space you find more processed foods.  It makes sense for efficiency in the store to stock fresh produce and items with frequent expiry dates around the perimeter so staff can easily access.  Items on the perimeter usually require more time to prepare.  Items on the internal shelves are often quick options and are usually heavily packaged.  For example, canned carrots - open, heat, eat;  outer ailse - remove greens, wash, chop, boil, eat.  First option you end up with a can to dispose of, second option - compost.  The first option usually contains high levels of salt or worse, sugar, the second, just nature's fare.  Without going on too much, I am sure you catch my drift, in that getting back to preparing and eating foods that have the least amount of processing the better.

I'm taking this theory one step further.  Suppose your goal is solely to reduce your personal carbon footprint, to be a caretaker of our planet.  Here are some of the things you may change:
1.  Grocery shop for items with little or NO packaging.  Make it your mission as you choose that what doesn't go in your stomach will go into  compost bin, or an accepted recycling program.
2.  Walk, ride a bike instead of driving a car for shorter missions.  Find shopping locations close to you that will allow you to do this.  Or, if not possible... plan your little missions to all happen at once to save time and fuel... don't just fire up the car on a whim... plan plan.
3.   Choose any option that uses human power.  Here are some examples:  take the stairs, walk over to see someone rather than text, turn OFF the tv.
4.  Dig up some earth, plant a garden, weed, spend time and care for your fresh, flavourful, sunripened bounty!
My thinking is when you prioritize reducing your carbon footprint you will naturally reduce eating unhealthy foods that pack on the pounds, you will increase energy spent, and being closer to nature, you will reduce stress as well.

This ah ha moment came to me when our city changed its garbage/recycling program plus they started charging for taking away trash that isn't recyclable.  The city is allowing us to recycle more items.  Also, we have a local area where we can dump our garden and kitchen compost items.  I noticed that I only put out garbage maybe once every two months, but I recycle more because of my purchasing choices.

Without going on forever, I found that when you concentrate on reducing your carbon footprint, you will eat healthier, reduce the glycemic index of the food you eat, reduce sugar and salt intake, increase exercise which will reduce risk of chronic desease. 

Recovery from a Tail Spin

My exhusband said to me recently "you know, most of what I've learned about life I've learned from flying".  Being a pilot myself, I concur.  I just never thought of it that way, like he does.  I've wrestled with writing this post, mostly because I feel I've failed the whole mission.  I was in a tailspin, I crashed and burned.  Who wants to read about negativity?  Everyone wants the magic bullet, to win, to overcome, to succeed.  But this blog was for me, it was for accountability to me, how will I reach that goal of living in a smaller body unless I get real with myself.  I committed to putting it out there.  My cheering section - consisting of one son- called and wanted to know why I hadn't posted, how did I lose that weight, "you left your last post in suspense".  I had plans to write an insightful piece on this super cool theory I have on weight loss that is really different and off the wall, but first I need to address recovery from a tailspin first.

Many years ago a full spin in an aircraft was called a tailspin.  That is where the saying "being in a tailspin" came from.  A spin is a STALLED condition.  The airplane's wings are stalled and then the stall is aggravated by a sideways force called yaw.  Read, you are stalled and then blind sided.  How did the aircraft stall in the first place?  The pilot lost sight of the horizon for one reason or another.  Maybe he was in cloud and couldn't see the horizon, maybe he was distracted, maybe turbulence upset his craft.  So, the wings stalled, yaw affected the stalled condition and the aircraft began to spin.  The spin continues UNLESS the pilot does something radical.   And that is positive control input.  It is to apply FULL OPPOSITE rudder FIRST, and then break the stall by pushing forward on the control column.

I lost sight of my goal (the horizon), was affected by turbulence (stress, life events), stopped following my daily plans (managing the controls) and entered quite nicely into a tailspin.  The only recovery method is to apply FULL OPPOSITE correction to stop the spin (get it?, do the opposite of what you are doing), bring life back to neutral (the controls) and focus on the plan (horizon) again.  Unfortunately there IS altitude loss from this (in this case, weight gain).  But, one can correct their attitude, apply power and get back up there again.

What happened re the weight?  I went to the Y, still feeling thinner, and wanted to weigh myself.  That big doctor's office-like scale was gone and replaced by a cheap scale you stand on.  I got on, and yep, NO weight loss!!  I went out to check at the front desk and was told the scale finally broke, it had been failing.  That explains the mysterious weight loss. :(  I stil feel tighter knowing my muscle mass has increased.  I still need to talk about the blood pressure.... too much for one blog, so I'll get on that next entry.

When I say I lost sight of the goal, what happened is that I fell back into an old pattern of getting up, getting on the computer, wasting time, not writing down the 5 things I needed to do each day and getting them done.  They say it takes 30 days to break a habit and 90 to make a new one.  I guess I ran out of fuel.  I've topped up again, this time full tanks, and I'm taking off again into clearer skies.