Category Archives: health

the lowdown

06 Thursday Jul 2023

Posted by in health, health & happiness, knee saga, knees

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doctors orders

Since my GP for all the time I’ve lived here, also my friend and my second ever English student Agustín, retired a couple of years ago, I have had a new GP assigned to me. A woman. And she seems nice enough, albeit a bit, um, terse? So I never feel like I can actually talk to her, other than to ask her to get things done (blood tests, this and that). Mostly because her response to most of the “complaints” I’ve had over the past couple of years has been YOU NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT. Uh, thanks? I mean, of course I know I need to lose weight, for so many reasons. But this has always just felt like a brush off and not helpful.

Anyhow, went back after latest blood test and also after THE KNEE INCIDENT. I really thought she was just going to remind me once again that I am fat and tell me to take Ibuprofen, but she surprised me. I mean, she did tell me (once again) that I have to lose weight. But this time she looked me in the eye and said, “Shawn you have four things going on here, your age, your weight, your blood pressure and now high cholesterol. You need to start taking this seriously.” Gulp.

She then booked an x-ray for my knee for Monday morning, started me on cholesterol meds (to go with my blood pressure ones), arranged for more blood tests in three months, said she would call me next week with the x-ray results (she thinks it’s artrosis) and is sending me to a nutritionist. So that was all a bit more than I’d bargained for but at least she’s not just brushing me off this time.

Thing is, I DO know all of this and I’ve known it for some time. But nobody has called me on it until now. And I don’t know what I think I was trying to “get away” with because that doesn’t make any sense. It wasn’t even that… it’s something I can’t describe. Anyhow, got a bit of stuff to “unpack” here, as they say.

ouchy knee

23 Friday Jun 2023

Posted by in health, health & happiness, knee saga, knees

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ouchy knee

I have had KNEES for several years now, meaning that I didn’t used to be aware that they were there and then suddenly I was. Stairs were no longer my friend and as for getting down on my knees (yoga, pilates) forget about it. Those days were gone. But this is the first time I have been hit with such a sudden blast of severe stabby pain through my knee (left one) that my leg almost buckled under me and even taking small careful steps afterwards was excruciating. It kind of wore off after a bit, or at least the pain became bearable, but omg what a shock. I almost went to Emergency to get it looked at but then decided to wait it out a bit to see if it improved on its own. For now I’m using a stretchy cloth bandage wrapped around the area but also have one of those “knee sleeves” winging its way to me.

I wondered if this had anything to do with the Chair Yoga/Pilates I’ve been doing, but that stuff is supposed to alleviate or prevent knee pain. In any case, I couldn’t lift my leg in a sitting position now for all the iPhones in China, so any lower body exercise is off for the moment. Gaaah, it’s always something.

chair pilates

21 Wednesday Jun 2023

Posted by in health, health & happiness, pilates, yoga

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chair pilates

Omg so guess what? There are also Chair Pilates vids out there. I was so excited when I first discovered Chair Yoga last week, and have faithfully been doing one routine a day. But I’ve also been mixing it up with other chair workout options. They are usually 30 minutes and I can choose which one fits in best with whatever else is going on in my morning. And I’m really loving it. Couldn’t be more convenient, in front of my laptop, in my house PJs, getting in a light workout before I start my day. Still early days but I have noticed I am sleeping better, perhaps because I am breathing better? Anyhow, yay me!

chair yoga

12 Monday Jun 2023

Posted by in health, health & happiness, sevilla, yoga

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Today I tried chair yoga for the first time and I think I like it! I’ve had it on my mind to do this for a while, it was just a question of … DOING IT. Then this morning I had nothing else planned and a bit of free time before going out for a walk so I had a look online and this was the first one that came up. It’s about 20 minutes, very slow and gentle, but it kind of perked me up and now I am going to look for more. Afterwards I even did a round of my short routine with weights (arms & legs) and wow, felt great.

So far I like this woman, she’s pleasant and encouraging. But if you know of any others I should try just let me know. Variety is the spice of life!

on being an introvert

31 Wednesday May 2023

Posted by in friends, health, health & happiness

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introvert

I never used to think I was an introvert. I mean, I know I was painfully shy as a child but put that down to the trauma of childhood abuse, etc. Later as a teen and young adult I still felt out of place in groups of people but also really liked being around people. In other words, I liked being social, I just didn’t know how to do it very well. Fast forward to present day and if you met me tomorrow you wouldn’t see any shyness or any sign of me being an introverted person. Unless you know.

And that’s the deal. I think this whole introvert-extrovert thing is one of the most misunderstood “labels” that we like to label people with. You know, just to know who you are dealing with and where you stand as a result of that “knowledge”. And we all do this, even if you think you don’t, at least when we first meet someone.

Thanks to our society – survival of the fittest and all that – extroverts have always been seen as the more successful types, with introverts seen as hiding away, not able to cope, etc. But in fact this is far from reality and there are (at least) four types of introverts according to MBmindfulness…

A Complete Guide To Introverts: The 4 Most Common Types And Signs

Me? I am the social introvert (as a child, totally the anxious introvert). Or who knows, maybe I’m a mix of both at this point, since these are just labels, or guidelines, for understanding yourself and others. My point is that trying to make people fit into a perceived notion of yours does both you and the other person a disservice. I am constantly seen as being this “strong capable woman” and that initially draws people to me (and, let’s face it, I’m also smart, intelligent and fun to be with – SO I AM TOLD). But often times it turns out that the people who only choose to see Smart & Fun Shawn get annoyed, upset, or even really angry when it turns out I’m actually a bit more complex than that.

And it always plays out like this. Once they realise they’ve “made a mistake” with befriending me they look for any comment or action to take the wrong way or out of context to justify them getting the hell out of Dodge, without a word, without an explanation, without any acknowledgement at all for the fact that, hey, the other day I was your friend, remember? I can’t help being an introvert, but I am the same person you met that very first time and I do the best with what I have going for me, but I am not here for your entertainment.  I’m actually a person.