So every now and then I get an idea in my head and I think about it and think about it until all I can do is act on it. Call it OCD if you will (professionals have, after all), but a lot of decent ideas have gotten caught in my head!

I bought Oprah's magazine this month after seeing an incredibly honest broadcast of the show wherein she talked about her weight gain and her frustration that weight was still an issue. The show was the start of a week's worth of episodes helping people to live their "best life".

Dr. Oz wrote an article in the magazine about the nine important numbers we should know. Now, okay. I am a Dr. Oz fan. I have all of his books…I became a fan after Mom passed along her copy of YOU: The Owner's Manual. Have I maintained my weight loss? Yes, for the most part. I play peek-a-boo with 10 pounds (now you see 'em, now you don't), but that's about it. Interestingly enough, not one of the nine numbers in the article included weight or BMI.

The top two on the list were blood pressure and resting heart rate. My numbers are not pretty. I have only been exercising two or three days a week. A few years ago, exercise was the priority and every now and then I might take one day off, but that was rare. At my 2006 physical (before I got sick), my numbers were so low that they fell under the "athlete" classification on my doctor's chart. Now they tend to take my blood pressure twice: once when I arrive and a second time after I've sat there awhile to see if it has gone down.

I have been using my pain as an excuse for a lot of things, though self-consciously. There are loads of people out there with chronic pain MUCH worse than mine, and upright exercise doesn't bother it anyhow. Well you know what self? If this is the way it is going to be, you might as well accept it and move on. So, that is exactly what I am doing. I refuse to be put on blood pressure medicine in my 20s.

"21 days to make a habit", that is what I keep telling myself. I just completed 10 straight days of exercise and man I feel so good I could cry. I have more energy AND I sleep better at night—a twofer! I have my first appointment with the pain clinic in March, and I hope to have my blood pressure low enough that I do not have to see raised eyebrows.

Mom died three years ago tomorrow from a disease that she couldn't control. A heart can only beat so many times…I really shouldn't be wasting mine. I am posting this here because I needed to be reminded what my lifestyle could do for me, and maybe you do too.