Yes, I know, this is a little long, but here is a tid bit on my story with nutrition and staying active.
I don't believe in being skinny. I remember how during my childhood, I could eat anything and never gain weight. Most girls would do anything for this, but try putting your fingertips together, forming a circle. That was about the size of my "quads" since this naturally came with having CF. I have seen girls and women who munch noisily on celery or carrots all the time or always giving the excuse "I'm not hungry" or "I'm ok" (without food.) I have seen girls and women run vigorously or push cardio more than anything else to stay skinny when they are already skinny (usually with not much muscle.) I always see girls in advertisements and magazines, wearing sweats or athletic gear
who are only skinny and not fit. There is a difference.
I remember the days where had a feeding tube in my stomach for night feedings and the mornings throwing up after it because it made me sick. I was not always liked by classmates or teachers for having bring snacks to school to eat during class, since our Texan county did not allow it. I remember the hospital tune-ups to gain weight and improve lung function and the days I bruised easily. Again, I don't believe in being skinny, but I believe in being fit and healthy by getting the proper nutrients needed, and yes, being lean can come as a result.
As soon as I was officially diagnosed for chronic blockages a couple of years ago, I knew I would have to start eating healthier. It's been a work in progress! First off, starting off by eating less junk food or food with heavy creams, butter, or a lot of cheese.It felt weird while having CF, because I was raised with eating those foods all the time. Then it came to forcing myself to eat a better amount of fiber, fresh fruit, and veggies. I used to not like veggies too much, but as time progressed, my taste buds have adapted and I crave them a lot more. I prefer foods such as dark green leaf lettuce over iceberg and whole wheat over white flour. I occasionally use white flour in baking, but have discovered how much better whole wheat tastes, and how refined sugars can be found in pastas or anything that's starchy and not as natural. I also switched from Yoplait yogurt--since it's mostly sugar and not as good of probiotics--to Greek. I am still adjusting since it was a recent switch, but I realized that the Greek yogurt has more protein, more probiotics, and less sugar.
I believe that food is for nutrition. You've have to have it, just through the right sources. Sweets are ok every once in a while, but the best foods were created by the Lord for our own good and have important purposes. More foods have evolved because they are cheaper to make (especially through corn), but we need to remember that food is supposed to help us.
You may think I don't touch junk food, but that's a lie! I love to cook and still use cheeses and (low-fat) creams. I love meat, chicken, steak, and one of my favorite restaurants is Tucanos. I also love Chick-Fil-A and ice cream. However, I believe eating in moderation. I have looked into a few organic
foods, but I still eat normal food from the grocery store. However, I
hardly touch the "inner isles," where most of the processed food is
located. If you are wondering how to eat more healthily, try the "shop
around the perimeter of the store" trick. I'm not the girl who eats only veggies and organic food, but I try not to gorge my plate with creams and strive to stay away from processed food when possible.
Exercise:
I wasn't raised being taught much about exercise, and I
despised exercising when I had to take gym in middle school. I felt tiny and overlooked by surrounding students who played sports or danced their whole lives.My teacher pushed us hard and promised to give a good grade, but I always ended up failing the fitness tests or getting no higher than a C no matter how hard I tried. I began to hate it even more after a serious stress fracture in my leg while playing soccer because it was too much on my body. (I believe it took at least several months to completely heal.) However, while in school, we had dance assemblies. When I saw the girls dance, I felt a strong pull towards the creative ways of how they expressed themselves through stories and movements, with a weird feeling that I could do the splits, jumps, and more, but I couldn't because it had been several years since I had. Somehow, as weird as it sounds, I could feel it within me.
This is the funny story. This was when I was about 14 or 15 and saw a notice to audition to be a dancer for HSM3. I thought,
why not. I made a fool of myself at the audition, however, I realized
how much I LOVED dance. I knew I had to start as soon as I started high school.
So then it started with the beginning dance class my first semester. I loved it, then jumped onto the JV team my 2nd semester. I pushed myself hard during the next while on the JV team and was still not doing as well as I dreamed, but found pleasure in expressing emotions and having fun through movement and trying new techniques. After time passed on, I realized during more difficult hip hop routines, that running did not take much more effort. I heard stories from CF patients on how running changed their lives, so I gave it a shot. I took it easy, and would have to stop at every block. Later on, I signed up for the CF Great Strides run.
Yes, I took many stops and went slow while running, but as time went on, I was able to push myself a little bit more each time. The long hours after school for performances for dance (and pilates in the class) increased my strength, making things a little easier for running. I almost joined track by my sophomore year as I trained with the team, but dance and work took over. A couple of years passed with dancing each school day and running here and there, and I found that I loved running. I realized that I should take on weight lifting, so I hit the gym as soon as my step-mom offered my siblings and I gym passes. It was great! I started off easy and continued, keeping the motivation to stay strong for dance and running.
Senior year, I took a huge leap. I felt uneasy and unsure about it. Before I knew it, I joined the running club in the summer to wake up at 7 and run, preparing for cross country. I sprained my ankle pretty badly during a mountain trail run, and had to take a break from there. However, I couldn't wait to start running again, and cross country came before I knew it!
I quit dance temporarily for some reasons I don't want to go into detail about (major girl drama in the class), as well as becoming impatient as I tried and tried to do better but was not getting much further. I decided I would wait to take dance in college :) So I kept with cross country in the fall: day after day of fatigue, sore muscles, running in 100 degree weather up steep sand hills and through beautiful scenery with canopies of forest trees and sandy nature trails as my endurance strengthened incredibly. Since then, I can now keep running without stopping at every block! I made friends while on the team, and realized that each player was facing their own type of battle. For instance, there was a girl with stomach cancer and one girl born with 50 percent of the normal lung capacity. I hated to see them in pain and struggle, but they inspired me as they kept trying, and helped me realize that if they could do it, then I could too. Cross country was an unforgettable, incredible experience that I will never regret participating in. I was one of the slower team members, but realized that everyone runs their own race.
Exercise and eating healthily has extended my life while improving pulmonary function test scores, eliminating hosptial tune-ups, and helped out my immune system. I keep reminding myself of those past experiences, and how I need to put off any similar hard situation if I can. It's never easy and takes a lot of courage to keep going, but I know that as long as I keep up with it, it adds on more time. That is, more time with my future family and dear loved ones. I am still young, but how I take care of myself greatly affects the quality time that I will be able to spend with them. Being able to love my future husband, whoever he may be, more fully, to keep promises and have fun together; to joke and laugh; to play with, teach, and take care of my children while loving them fully; to stay active and have fun as a family, and all the blessing that would come with being a mom and having opportunities to serve motivate me to keep up the things that CF requires. Most people may not get why eating a bag of potato chips would be such a big deal or would rather skip out on the sweat and soreness each day. However, each choice will make an impact on the duration and quality of life with those I love the most. I may not always be able to be this healthy, but I continue to pray with gratitude for the strength provided for better, more days ahead.
