The first post when one starts their journey blogging can be a bit intimidating. I've been anxious to begin for over a week now, since my awkward initial "heyy I made a blog" post. (But everyone needs one of those to kick things off, right?) Since then, I've kept a list of things I've wanted to blog about, but haven't - and that list is getting rather long.
Life got a little hectic, as it always does, but nevertheless I am finally sitting down tonight to write. For a while, I sat and pondered how I'd begin. The first post is huge. In the future, newcomers will look back at it to find out what a blog is all "about". Some bloggers would want to start off with their whole life story. Well, that's not how I'm going to begin.
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All you need to know for now, I suppose are a few things. My name is Jessica, I'm 17 years old. I'm an extremely passionate individual who goes from hobby to hobby never figuring out what she really wants to do. I do know I'm going to be a nurse though, eventually - I start college next year. I love to sing, ice skate, volunteer, and experience life. I want to travel all over, see every inch of this earth and experience all there is to experience. My boyfriend's name is Logan - we've been dating for about 2 and a half years and eventually plan to get married and have kids and all that jazz. Not that it's very important, but I guess I should mention, (because of the nature of the blog) I have a large amount of life-affecting health problems all because of one pesky little genetic mutation. I'm not one to let something like that limit me, though.
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Eek, I felt like that was a little long. I do apologize. On to something I've been MEANING to blog about lately:
I lost 5 pounds! Not much, but hey, on my way! I've been mostly making healthy eating choices but I've been really trying to get exercise in as well. I have a gym membership but I feel like every time I go in there and see all the rooms and all the different machines that basically look the same but apparently have different uses I just get so confused my brain explodes, so like a zombie, I just go on the elliptical for an hour. (Did I mention I have an elliptical at home? Waste of an expensive gym membership!) So I decided I just can't figure out the weights on my own, and it's just a waste.
So... I've decided to start doing P90X! Yep, the most intense video-workout series ever. If you know me personally, you're probably thinking I've officially gone insane. Yeah, that's what my Physical Therapist thought when I told him. He laughed at me and thought I was joking. And then I told him I was serious. I've done a lot of research on it, and I'm confident it'll be good for me. I need that kind of structure. (very curious to hear what others with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and the dislocations associated with it, think of this! Do you think I'm crazy?) Thing is, I know my limits and how to exercise safely - and I wholeheartedly believe ANYONE with Ehlers-Danlos could eventually do the P90X workouts if they worked up to them over time.
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I'd love to hear some feedback! Hit me with your best shot. Comment below the post. I'm hoping to make this blog an interactive sort of thing. Have any questions for me? Comment with them and I'll answer them in a post so that anyone else who might be wondering can also see the answer.
One more, very important thing! Yesterday, February 29th, was not only leap day but also World Rare Disease Day! Me and rare disease know eachother pretty well. It's a great opportunity to learn about some rare diseases and to spread some awareness! Here are some great websites for rare disease:
http://rarediseaseday.us/
http://www.globalgenesproject.org/
http://crdnetwork.org/
And to learn about the specific rare disease I deal with on a daily basis (one of several conditions),
you can go to
http://www.ednf.org/
Spreading awareness = Spreading hope for cures!
<3
Welcome to the blogging world! I am an EDSer (Type 3). I am 21 years old..
ReplyDeleteI think the biggest concern with P90x is fatigue. If you are too fatigued and push through this could be damaging to your joints and could result in dislocations, etc. However, if you know your limits and you are smart about it, then I don't see why you can't at least do a modified version. I was once a competitive gymnast (my muscle strength from such an early age kept my joints in place until puberty...it all went downhill after that). I know how it feels to need to be active. So my advice is be careful but go for it!
Best of luck to you. Hope you enjoy blogging!
Hi there! Thanks for the warm welcome!
ReplyDeleteI definitely know what you mean about the fatigue. That's something I really struggle with. But the only way to build up endurance and beat fatigue is by exercising! I'm definitely going to go slow and steady with this - I know my body is different than those who can just jump in and do it all. But I'm still fully confident that I can eventually end up keeping up with all the exercises (and get a 6-pack!)
Growing up, I went from sport to sport, not really finding one I was passionate about till puberty, unfortunately. It wasn't till Junior High age that I discovered badminton, karate, and ice skating. I loved them all. (I LOVE being active in general). It was a shame that I couldn't do it for long before my EDS really started to get bad.
In October I did a 4 week intensive Physical Therapy program (6 hours of PT every day!) and it got my muscles strong again - I was heading for a wheelchair before, and now, I don't see it in my near future! The key to managing EDS is physical therapy and overall increased exercise. It's so hard to do in the beginning, I know. But it can turn your life back around :)
I know you said "it all went downhill after that", but I really think, especially if you're like me and love to be active, you can motivate yourself enough to be active! It's all about your mindset and your perseverence.
Thanks for the subscribe! I hope you enjoy my blog :)