An apple a day

I have been doing research on the internet regarding foods that are good for lung health. Apples were high on the list and just happen to be part of my new diet. Other good foods that I will be purchasing are carrots, broccoli, kale, sweet red peppers, and apricots. I will start with the carrots, adding them to my apple salad, and probably adding the apricots, too. Somehow I will work in the broccoli. I think I should eat as many raw foods as I can and plain, raw broccoli is not my favorite. But neither is supplemental oxygen. I have been having some blood work done recently due to a clotting test that came back "wrong," so I will hold off on kale until I am assured Vitamin K won't be an issue for me. Kale is full of it and "K" is a blood thinner. I'm not even sure I've ever eaten a sweet red pepper as I tend to avoid all peppers, but I may give it a try.

Today I went to my Qigong class and it was good. I was a little anxious, though. Last time I was fine - felt comfortable for the entire hour. But today I was not as into it. Perhaps because I have been working hard here at my house and I am probably a little worn out from my own exercising. On Wednesday night, I was afraid I had hurt myself with all my breathing work. I was pulling in air and pushing it out again very hard and thought I may have done it for too long. But no, I hadn't. I'm not sure I can hurt myself breathing, but I am the type of person who would think of such a thing.

Yesterday I had a great exercise day. I even decided to run around the house. I ran for one minute. Not a long time, but I haven't run in years. It felt good. And I did all my other exercises that I may list some day if I ever think anyone is reading this. It's really for me, although if someone else could benefit from my experiences, I am happy to share. Hence this blog.

I realized the other day how many ways in which my life has changed since I lost my job in November of 09. Not only am I no longer getting up at a regular time, getting dressed, driving to work, walking from the car to the office, around the office during the day and down the hall to the restroom when needed, I am not talking to anyone. Besides the day to day chatting with coworkers, a big part of my job was talking with potential employees on the phone. I worked as a recruiter. Now I live in virtual silence. Sometimes I talk to my dog and more often I talk out loud to myself, but there is no regularity to it. I'm not sure what to do about that. I am not a phone chatter and with texting being so popular these days, the few people I do know don't talk much on the phone either.

Well, I will continue to BREATHE. And breathe well. I really do want to heal myself. I read one article on the internet that stated new research is showing that COPD or emphysema is curable. That is the opposite of what the medical community has always said, but this new research, on mice of course, is promising. And it is centering on Vitamin A. The only problem with Vitamin A is, it's one of those vitamins that one can "overdose" on. Too much of it has unpleasant side effects. I will just have to do more research on what is the proper amount and see if I can add to that a little bit. To anyone who might read this, I will record the results.

I am a fan of the old television show, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and have recently been watching reruns. Tonight was the final episode of the series. At one point Buffy says, "The hardest part of Life is Living." Too true, too true. But it's definitely worth it.