No, "Heel" in the title is not supposed to be spelled "Heal". It's a cutesy title for a program/research trial at UNC for breast cancer patients that I'm probably going to join. "REAL" is an acronym for "Recreation", "Exercise" "Active" and "Living", and of course "HEEL" is relating to the UNC Tarheels. I'm really excited about this because I've been wanting to get back in shape, but seem to either overdo or "under-do" (is that a word??? : ) when it comes to exercise. So it will be great to have a supervised, consistent program (3 days/wk) to which I am committed. Otherwise, I think my efforts to get in shape will be sporadic and maybe not as effective (I usually can get in shape aerobically, but don't do any or enough strength training).
The other part I really like is that there is also a Recreation component to the program which includes biofeedback, creative arts and expressive dance. It sounds perfect, and I thought it was neat that I found out about it at just the right time. I know that I needed some kind of focus because the other day I got really anxious and upset and had a couple of crying spells that day, possibly out of proportion to what was happening (although the stress of having cancer and a very sick cat may well be reason enough to cry). However, this also happened right after a gloomy weekend where I had been inactive (and had the lovely job of trying to pill and feed a sick cat and seeing her vomit repeatedly, which is what kept happening prior to our other cat's death). I've decided that a guaranteed recipe for me to get anxious or depressed is 1)lack of sunshine, 2)lack of activity/exercise and 3)added stress...a trio I definitely need to be aware of and to avoid. I can't prevent gloomy days and stress, but I can certainly do something about activity and exercise - even when I don't feel like it.
1 comment:
had a bad day, i miss you :(
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