Yoga, Dr. Oz and Oprah Helped Me to Overcome Life’s Aging Challenges

Do you want to be healthy, happy and age gracefully? Then maybe I can help you conquer what life throws at you with my experience.

After I turned 50, I realized that I needed to make some major changes in my life. I was very overweight, okay “obese” is the correct word.  I was always tired and suffered from chronic back pain. I developed sleep and other problems. My allergies seemed to get worse and I was having more problems with asthma. My cholesterol and blood pressure were too high. I stopped weighing myself when the scale hit 259 lbs.  I dreaded doctor appointments because they weigh you.  I felt like a failure and hated the way I looked. I spent most of my forties gaining weight and developing health problems.

I tried to do something to at least stop gaining weight. I changed my diet a bit. I cut back on some of the junk I was eating and started to add more fiber to my diet. It was really hard to stop the cravings. I felt a little better, but not much. After over a year of eating higher fiber, I had only lost a little weight and stabilized at 251lbs. I stayed at that weight for almost a year, but at least I didn’t gain back any weight!

Of course I wasn’t doing any exercise!  I never had any energy to do much of anything.  I walked a bit at work, but also sat a lot. When I had to stand I would look for a stool to sit down on. My left foot started to hurt every day when I walked and my ankles became stiffer. My back hurt most of the time and my knees felt stiffer. Some days I couldn’t straighten up right away after getting up. I started to get scared. With that and chronic back pain, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to walk when I hit my golden years. I wanted to be an active senior and keep gardening, a passion that was starting to be too hard to manage. I had been seeing Chiropractors for several years, but it wasn’t helping my back pain enough.

I tried to exercise with some old workout videos I used to use years before. But I got so tired and out of breath that I had asthma attacks. I gave up with a sense of frustration and depression. This is was not the person I used to be.

One day I woke up and said to myself that this was the day. I was determined to feel better. I remembered hearing that yoga was relaxing and toned the body. I used to practice meditation years ago, so I thought I could at least try yoga. I rented a couple of DVDs and tried them. It wasn’t easy, even the “beginner” classes were not at all easy to do. But I didn’t give up! It took time but I started to feel some tiny differences after a couple of months. So I purchased a few different videos. (I was too embarrassed to take a class.) I have an old exercise bike, so I started to ride it a couple of miles a week. I had to make myself ride it. Not easy, when you hate exercise. Some days I made excuses to myself why I couldn’t ride the Exercycle. But I kept practicing yoga. I wasn't sure where that resolve came from.  I had never been able to keep up with a diet or exercise program for long once I reached my thirties. But I was starting to feel the benefits of a regular yoga practice.  And I loved them.

Not very long after I started practicing yoga, I was given the devastating news that I had type II diabetes. I had watched the Oprah show where Dr. Oz talked about the omentum.  Mine was enormous.  I made a doctors appointment and had blood tests done.

I felt myself go into shock when my doctor told me. I couldn’t even remember what questions to ask, I was so stunned. I had no symptoms except fatigue, and later found out I had other lesser know symptoms, like irritability. Only one relative, an aunt was a diabetic.

I went through an incredible range of emotions in those first days. But I kept up the yoga and meditation, no matter how angry or depressed I felt that day. And that was a key to meeting my life’s challenges; perseverance. I pushed myself to keep going and to make a major change in my life.

My doctor told me that almost no one ever lost the weight and defeated diabetes. He prescribed medication twice a day. After that meeting, I started to do a lot of research. Even though I had upped the fiber in my diet, I hadn’t cut out the processed foods, diet soda and enough starches to loose weight. I read article after article about how food affects your health. I found the answers to my weight and health problems. I was eating foods that defeated my attempt to lose weight. What I was eating helped make and kept me fat!

I looked up and read everything I could about diabetes, nutrition, exercise and yoga. I talked to nurses and dietitians. I listened carefully to what they had to say. I talked to diabetic patients and asked them how they found out about their illness and what they did to deal with it.

I added more fruit, whole grains, nuts, vegetables and fish to my diet and banned most processed foods. I eliminated most white foods.  And believe me, It was NOT easy.

But it was yoga that I feel saved my life. I started to practice more often with the growing collection of DVDs I purchased. It surprised me just how much a regular yoga practice changed my life. It has helped me to be more mindful of how much I was eating and what I put into my mouth. I have been able to reduce or cut out the favor enhancers, like salt and butter that I use. I steam vegetables now. No more fast food or microwavable dishes. I pack a healthy lunch.

Practicing yoga has helped me really taste what I eat and to appreciate the flavors. I discovered that I love baby spinach.  I wouldn't touch it when I was a kid. My snack choices became healthier. For a snack I may eat organic peanut butter, baby carrots, avocados, etc. I eat handfuls of a variety of nuts as treats. These are all healthier choices.

Six months into my practice, I realized that I could hold my breath longer. I was able to hold a pose that I couldn’t even do three months before and I started to cry tears of joy.  I started to close my eyes during the poses that made me feel good. My emotions were easier to control. Feelings of irritability, anger and sadness dissipated quickly. I returned to being the more cheerful, positive person I had been years before. I had had a break through.

With proper breathing, I increased my alertness. A benefit of yoga is that the breathing aids in digestion. Combined with specific poses that enhance digestion and by adding more fiber, bowel movements increase. This may sound odd, but I always pay attention to my bowl movements now.  Thanks again to Dr. Oz and the infamous Oprah "Poop show", I have them every day now. 

Eating healthy and yoga are not enough to continue to loose weight though. I did not cut back much on how much I ate. I just began to eat healthier. I stopped craving junk foods and craved healthier things. However, my body began to adjust to my new habits, and my weight loss stopped. But my stamina improved, so I was able to ride my Exercycle for longer periods of time. I try to cycle at least 30 minutes five days a week. With 20 to 40 minutes of yoga, a few times a week and/or walking 3 to 4 days a week, my weight has stayed down for over 2 years.  And I eat a lot of food.

 Life throws you curve balls, and you just have to catch them. I started to practice meditation again and I added five to ten minutes of light weights to my workout. I started leading a relaxation and meditation group where I work. Over two years later, we still meet about twice a month, meditate and discuss more effective ways to deal with stress. 

Since I started practicing yoga, I have lost and kept off about 60 pounds. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but for a diabetic, it is a huge number. I plan to continue loosing weight the slow and healthy way; a few pounds a month. I made it through the holidays (twice) without gaining any weight, something that has not happened to me in more than ten years. I am calmer in stressful situations. Stress tends to increase cortisol, which causes weight gain.  In another post I will tell you about my father's illness and death and how meditation got me through it.

My A1C (a number that measures how well controlled your blood glucose is) went from 7.4 to 5.8. Needless to say my doctor looked at me with such surprise, that I had to laugh. I said to him, “See what a little yoga does for you!" 

Oh and by the way, I am off the diabetes medication now too.

I encourage you to try some kind of exercise program.  And learn to meditate.  I get so much from it that I am now a certified meditation teacher.