It Truly Is Never Too Late!

I think I have always been one to like being physically active. When I was a kid --like most kids in the 70s and 80s--was always outside. I loved hanging out with the kids in the neighborhoods we lived in. And by hanging out I mean running around and playing or riding bicycles. I think I really enjoyed the show Strangers Things because the show has the kids on bikes. It was just something that we all did back then. And the running around playing too. I personally think that is what made my era so awesome! Sure, we weren't the only generation that was all about being outside BUT I like to think we were the best. Call me bias! So, it goes without saying I was in good shape growing up. How could we not be when all we did was play, which was what most of us were about.

Now our family didn't have a lot of money, so we didn't eat giant meals. But we never starved either. Not saying we had a balanced meal as, well, my mom worked two jobs most of the times and she wasn't very versed with healthy eating habits herself. There were four of us so my mom bought more like the cheaper stuff and most of that stuff was far from being the most nutritious. Not blaming my mom, at all, as she did the best she could with what she had. But it wasn't even that we didn't eat a lot of big meals that kept me quite skinny. No, it was me always being so active with playing outside so much. My mom actually thought I had a tape worm at one point and that was because I would eat my food and then eat any left overs that my siblings would leave behind YET I never gained any weight. When I say I was skinny I was SKINNY! Of course I think having a good metabolism in addition to playing all the time had something to do with it too. But nonetheless my point, a long walk to get to it -- I know, is that I have always loved moving around in one form or another.

It didn't just stop when I got older either. Okay, maybe the "running" part stopped and that was because I stopped running and got into basketball. I ABSOLUTELY loved that sport! I remember being eleven and asking my dad if I could join him and his friends play. I remember him telling me that I was too small and that basketball was for boys or men (remember this was the year 1982 and though there are probably men -- and maybe even women -- who still think like that there were way more that thought like that back then) and that did not make me happy. I didn't get into basketball to necessarily show him he was wrong, but I don't doubt him saying that was a motivator for me to get more interested in the sport just the same. And wow did I get interested in it!

I won't say that I was some awesome player. I wasn't necessarily great. But I loved it and I loved it best when I was playing street ball or pick up ball at the gym. There was just something really fun playing with most all guys. It was just playing to have fun and have some competitive spirit. Whereas playing with girls in school seemed harder for me. I think it could have been me getting flustered with learning the plays and where this player goes and where that player goes and this of that sort. Oh, and also how some girls would really complain a lot which was things I didn't experience with the guys. We just played and it was just as intense if not more with them -- and it was most of the time half court. Which made it easier for me as I hated running up and down the court.

Anyway, as I got older, I got taller ... as in much taller. In fact, I ended up taller than my dad which was funny to me considering how he once told me I was too small for basketball. Oh, and the fact that he thought it was a sport for men, and I ended up playing it all through middle school and high school, as well as playing it in Hawaii representing the Navy. Well, I just love how funny how like can be sometimes!

But here is the thing thought basketball was my jam, so to speak, I learned about the high jump and really liked that. I tried volleyball but this tall gal wasn't a great vertical jumper -- weird, I know! But running, well, running, was my weakness.

That was until I joined the Navy. After I saw how bad I was at it I promised myself that I would get better as I aged. That's exactly what I did too! I did my best to work at it ALL the time! It didn't matter what the weather was like, I'd be outside doing it to it! I learned to fall in love with running really. Even after I got out of the Navy I kept up with running. Which is good as diabetes runs in the family and I wanted to do my best with keeping in shape, staying physically active. And I did! So much so that at age 27 I went back into the military but instead I went into the Army. I got so good at running that what was a problem for me in the Navy bootcamp was somewhat a breeze for me in the Army basic training. My fastest one-mile run was 7 minutes! For someone that at one time sucked at running that was pretty impressive, in my opinion.

I loved the fulfilment of running gave me. I liked going to the gym as well for muscle strengthening too. But once I hurt my back while on a mission exercise, I had to learn how to run in a way that didn't cause pain. It took time but I was able to keep running, just, obviously, not as fast as before. Still, I kept up with working out. In ways running was therapeutic for me. Like it kept me calm even. It was my place of Zen, in some ways. Meaning that I would talk to God when I was out running, and I felt good physically and mentally.

But then I got cancer! Everything changed! After surgery and then the brutal five months of chemotherapy my body was so different! I lost all my strength. I had to get my mom to help me get up off the ground because I was so weak. Even though there were times I would get outside and go for a walk I knew that I had lost a lot of muscle. I would have to be starting at a place I never really was before. Due to always doing something to keep in shape, even as a kid, I always had some strength and muscle. This was different. It was almost like starting from scratch. But I was determined to get back to it.

And I did! When I got back to Saudi, two months after finishing chemotherapy, I slowly got back into running or rather slow jogging. But with time I got stronger. Though I never hit the gym that hard I was doing something. Something to stay active and somewhat fit. I was also not eating as unhealthy as I was before being diagnosed with cancer, which makes a huge difference. All of that was good because low and behold almost seven years after treatment cancer returned. Though it wasn't as bad as the first time in that I didn't have fluid built up in my tummy and I wasn't going to need surgery it was still cancer. It was still going to be six rounds of chemotherapy. However, I did know, to a degree, what to expect. I knew to eat even if I didn't want to as a way to keep myself from losing a lot of weight. I didn't go to the gym but when I could I'd go for walks, that helped. Unfortunately, I was only in remission for a little over a year when cancer returned. It came back much harder too. I had to have surgery and do six full months of chemotherapy. Like are you kidding me?????!!! Is kind of what I said to myself!

But such is life! Just like the two previous times, I was going to trust God to get me through it with the biggest difference being I'd be doing it with a broken heart as I lost my mom to covid a few days after Thanksgiving. As much as I wanted, yes, a small part of me wanted to give up so I could go be with her, I knew that my mom wouldn't have wanted that, and that God still needed me here or at least that is what I was going to believe and that gave me the will to fight. But that chemo was so harsh! When I had energy, I would get out and drive for Uber. Mostly so I didn't have to sit in my apartment and think about the pain of missing my mother. And to not think about being in treatment. If I had the energy, I would maybe go for a walk here and there, which was good.

After the six months of treatment was over, I was able to maintain my weight which was around 174 pounds. Even though that was not the weight I wanted to be it was good because once again I didn't lose a lot of weight like the first time. But still, I wasn't happy with that weight. So, I decided to try some jogging and that went okay until my knees started hurting more and more. See, all that running I did while in the military and when I got out caused my knees to be not so good. The scans show bone on bone cartilage damage. Yay! But no worries! A friend of mine gave me one of her bicycles and I started getting into that. UNTIL the neck and back started hurting. Which I'm like "REALLY?!" as I decided to not do that for a while because the neck really felt it -- neck issues stem from when I was in the vehicle accident back in the Army that hurt by lower back. But, again, NO WORRIES! I then decided to just get into more walking. Which for the most part was doable; however, the knees still weren't liking it. Then I kind of got away from doing much of any actual exercise. And I did not like that.

Until one day at the end of December 2024 I made the decision to finally check out a gym. There's a YMCA about five minutes away and that has become my new home away from home. And folks, that's really what this whole post is about. I wanted to give you a back story to my love for keeping physically active and how I got away from that. How easy it can be to get away from it. Not just for someone like me that went through cancer three times but for all of us! As we get older, we (a lot of us) just seem to not invest in our wellbeing as much as we did when we were younger. Many that were in the military stop working out altogether. Why keep up with it as we don't have to pass any tests anymore. But to that I say why not keep up with it because now the tests are for diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol, heart disease and even obesity. Which, hey, personally, are way more important than any physical fitness test. WAY MORE IMPORTANT!

I have friends that have gotten out of shape. This is NO diss on them either. I love them no matter how in or not in shape they are. Although I do get concerned because being out of shape can come with health issues. It's not about looking like you hit the gym every day or how slim one is (because we all know that being slim is not an indicator of how heathy someone is -- for example I had a former colleague tell me that she was in shock that I had gotten cancer as I always looked like I was in shape, it's not what's on the outside but rather what's going on in the inside) but rather how one is eating and how well they are taking care of their body. Being out of shape also is draining. It makes you feel less energetic. It makes you feel like motivated. And then there's the not being happy with how you look. At least I can say all of those things apply to me anyway.

I didn't like being 174 pounds, even if people thought I "looked" in shape due to being 5'11 and holding my weight well, I simply was not in shape. Although I wished I would have joined a gym years ago --before and after cancer-- I didn't and can't do anything but be happy, and I am so happy, that I joined one over three months ago. I feel better. I think I look better in that if someone was to tell me that I look like I'm in shape I can smile more sincerely now as I know I am getting there. I am now around 155/156 pounds and I have a good strength conditioning workout routine. I incorporate weight training to where I actually have baby muscles coming in, which I'm not complaining. And I also now do 45 minutes of cardio at least 3 to 5 days out of the week. I may never get to a place where I like what I see in the mirror but that's because I have a lot of insecurities but also I have issues with an autoimmune disorder (something I hope to write about someday) where I can get hyperpigmentation in various parts of my body -- which are basically brown spots or blotches that can appear anywhere and at one time appeared everywhere on my body then, with time, will go away. So, not sure if I will ever be completely satisfied with how my body looks but I'm happy that it's a body that is getting in better shape because it's been so long and way overdue. Additionally, maybe just maybe others will see that if someone who has gone through so much with her health can get into the gym and into working out then maybe they can too. That is actually my hope. To show that if I can do it, anyone can .... even if they didn't grow up with a penchant for staying physically active.

It truly is never too late.

Happy April~ Hope anyone and everyone that reads this are doing well and hope it stays that way.

God bless! Be well. 🌻