Gratitude - June is Lipedema Awareness Month

I'm not sure if you know, but 3+ years ago I could barely stand, let alone walk, and as I sit here typing I have 11,468 steps registered on my fitbit.

I have primary Lipedema, and secondary Lymphedema (because it took so long to get diagnosed). Most doctors have no idea what it is, let alone how to diagnose or treat it. There really is limited treatment, and there is currently no cure.

3+ years ago I started a new job at the Temple, one I was not sure I could keep because of the walking involved to get to/from work and the huge flight of stairs to get to/from my office.

My loving husband and soon to be coach began working with me in CrossFit (he is a certified CF instructor and amazeballs at modifications). He had been training others for years, and 3+ years ago it was my turn to be added to the team. We switched eating style to the Zone at that time as well, but we don't consider it a diet, it was/is a change of eating style.

We stopped soda and as much processed food as we can, but we still live. We still share in celebratory cake from time to time, and even have pizza after every 5K we finish.

I have grown stronger and stronger over the past couple years, and I am forever grateful to my coach/hubby and my training mates. You know who you are, and I love you deeply.

Survive the Farm 2015 (Obstacle/Mud 5K)
Couldn't have "survived" it without these guys!

Today after our workout I wanted to mow the lawn, and began on the side yard. headphones on, I am sure I was a sight to those drivers passing by. After the side yard, i moved on to the front yard - more performance of singing and dancing while I mowed. I had a ball! I love mowing so much, and it is a great workout, too.

I started to cry towards the end of the lawn. I felt so good, so blessed, so grateful, and I recalled the beginning of my journey back to regaining my mobility. I looked at the driveway, maybe 50 feet, and I recalled those brutal first steps into my training, and here I was 11K plus more steps and I still felt amazing.

June is Lipedema Awareness month. I am sharing here because I want to thank those who mean so much to where I am now, and to spread awareness, so if there is someone out there in a similar situation, feeling their own mortality, please know that little steps do add up. You are not alone.

JUNE IS LIPEDEMA AWARENESS MONTH - Give Yourself a Challenge

It is what we do, right?  We give ourselves challenges.

Sometimes others give us challenges, but either way accepting and then crushing a challenge feels A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

It doesn't matter if it is a mental or a physical challenge, both, or something entirely different, but the act of working towards a challenge (or goal) and accomplishing it is a sure way to make you feel alive.

I've taken to posting my personal challenges on facebook, I don't know if I'm looking for someone to say I'm nuts and talk me out of it, or to cheer me on in the hope it lifts me up when I think I'm nuts for attempting it; but either way the act of posting it out in the open for all the world to see ensures one thing, I will fight like the dickens to crush that goal. (Thank you Mr. Shakespeare for that wonderful expression, "like the dickens")

Fighting for my fitness has become a lifestyle.  You see Lipedema has a way of making you feel weak, both mentally and physically, and it can also make you feel like a victim. Like there is nothing you can do about your condition, that your body will eventually break down completely and you will be trapped inside of it like a prisoner on death row. That sounds dramatic, but trust me when I say IT IS REAL.

Fighting back in whatever way I can is the only way I have found to take my life back.  I am living with Lipedema, I am not dying from it.

Training on the Ropes Challenge Course at Ndakinna

So here is my challenge for you - spread awareness about Lipedema.  Tell anyone and everyone who will listen, find creative ways to do so - there are some great videos on youtube, created by wonderful people all over the world, like the one below from Sherry Simoes (Lipedema Network Canada).

The more we spread awareness, the more lives we touch, the more we learn, the more we grow and the closer our chances of finding other life changing things we can do for those of us living with Lipedema.