Living a Healthy Lifestyle with a Disability

Over the past year I have fought many afflictions in my body. I would constantly suffer from pain in my legs and back and also with migraine headaches. When I began to pinpoint the time my health took a turn for the worse I realized it was when I had my son. I was spending so much time making sure he was healthy and taken care of that I let myself go. Not only did I neglect my body and health but I neglected my mind and spirit. There were things in the past that I would have never let go that had become an everyday ritual. I have come to the realization that if I want to be around to see my child grow up I am going to have to take time for myself again. One of the things that I began doing to keep myself going was drinking lots of caffine. As most of you parents know, working a 9-5, while raising a child and looking after your home and having extra curricular activities will make you very tired. My unhealthy solution was to drink caffine. My drink of choice became Starbucks. Not only did my new energy kick make my health worse but it also drained my finances. Sodas were another caffine choice of mine. I would drink around 4-5, 20 oz bottles of soda a day. Eventually, my kidneys began to hurt and bladder infections came. My face was breaking out horribly. I also became so addicted to caffine that when I didn't have it I would get mood swings. The mood swings affected my relationships at home and work. Once I identified there was a problem I slowly stopped drinking soda. To stop drink soda I allowed myself 1 can a day. Eventually, I stopped drinking soda altogether. Although quitting soda sounds easy it wasn't. I still have cravings for it. When I stopped drinking soda I increased my coffee intake. I thought "coffee is natural it can't hurt me." Coffee had the same effects on me that soda did if not worse. I decreased the amount of coffee I drank the same way I approached soda. Only allowing 1 cup of coffee a day was my rule. I am now down to drinking coffee socially. I don't intend on adding sodas back to my diet. I will keep coffee around but only for occassions. Another health "NO NO" that I inquired was my eating habits. I was eating way to much fast food. Fast food is easy and of course fast. When you are busy with work, family and extra curricular activities it seems to be the best option. Unfortunately, fast food is not the healthiest nor the most inexpensive option. My whole life I have been underweight and very skinny. I suddenly began to gain weight and get puffy. I always felt drained and tired no matter how much sleep I was getting. My husband and I were doing research about food one day and came accross several you tube tutorials about fast food and also unhealthy eating habits. After watching these tutorials our eyes were opened and we began to do more indepth research on food and healthy eating. After several months, we have changed our diets dramatically. I can't say that I eat totally different but my family is definately eating better. For instance, instead of having fried chicken, french fries and a large soda we would now eat a large salad with lots of fresh veggies on it. We have substituted cookies, snack cakes and candy with fresh fruit such as apples oranges and bananas. Oranges are a good way to keep infection and viruses down in your household. We give my son orange juice on a daily basis. When I feel a bladder infection coming on, I drink lots of orange juice and take extra vitamin C tablets. Incase you are wondering, my son does eat these foods. In fact, he LOVES salad and also fresh fuit and veggies. My husband and I decided to introduce healthy foods to him as a young child and let him choose what he wants to eat as he gets older. Our drink of choice these days is water. For those of us with disabilities we all know that bowel and bladder problems are constantly affecting us. The best way to help rid away infections is to drink lots of water. Water flushes out impurities and also hydrates your body in the proccess. This will also help your skin by giving you a natural glow and healthy skin tone. As far as my mental health is concerned, I am still working on that. Having a child is a HUGE change in your life. I thought getting married was a roller coaster. Once I had my son I realized that raising a child was one of the biggest challenges I have had yet. I am now responsible for a life. This precious little life depends on me to take care of him. I have to admit I have a hard time with letting anyone else take care of my child. I want him around me 24\7. I've been told many times that It's what mothers do. For now I am trying to surround my self with positive things and positive people. I try to get away from negative situtations by not staying up to date on the latest gossip. I have too many things to worry about than what my neighbor is up to. My husband and I have began taking my son on walks several times a week to get out and exercise as a family. This has helped us alot. As a paraplegic I need the exercise to keep my strength. My son loves the walks we take as well. He rides in the stroller while my husbands pushes him. We like to point out things in nature to him to educate him on the beautiful things GOD has created. Sometimes we invite a few of the kids from our youth group that live nearby. This gives us a chance to encourage them and introduce them to healthy habits. We also invite other young families to go with us. We enjoy sharing lifes challenges with others and exchange ideas on how to approach different situations. One of the best ways to live a healthy lifestyle is to surround your self with people who care about you. Staying happy and encouraged will increase your life and help you stay mentally healthy. My journey has began to live a more healthy life and keep my family as healhty as I can. I have a long ways to go but have overcome many obstacles. The changes I have made are simply my opinion and the way I have chosen to live. I recommend doing research and discussing options with more knowledgeable people before making any dramatic changes. I strongly encourage you to add healthy relationships to your life. Spend time with those you love and don't waste time on those who dont love you. Be encouraged and know that everyone has the ability to change. It's up to YOU to do it.