Not Mundane At All

Yesterday I had a doctor appointment that I thought would be a mundane normal yearly check-up.  Wrong!  My blood pressure was so high (even though I am on medication for it) it was approaching dangerous, and I was given a Cardiac Vascular Disease assessment and told I have a very very high risk of having a heart-related medical event within the next five years.  Something needs to be done!

Lake Rotoroa in central Hamilton

I know I have put on a lot of weight since losing my husband.  The last thing on my mind has been taking care of myself, even though I was told to often enough.   I knew I should have been doing more, but I felt at a bit of a loss as to what exactly to do (or was I procrastinating?).  Now I need to lose at least 15 kilos to get my weight down to a manageable level again, and at the same time improve my level of health if I wish to continue into my Senior Years without too many problems.

This is not the sort of thing I would normally post about, not liking to talk about health issues, but I decided that some readers may be interested in the journey I am about to embark upon – and maybe even like to join me, or be inspired to take better care of their own health.

Walking beside the Lake

The first step I am taking is setting a goal of exactly what it is that I want to achieve, then make a plan on how I can do that, as well as setting rewards for smaller achievements along the way.

This is going to be a whole lifestyle change and is going to take time.  My weight did not appear overnight and, realistically, it will not disappear overnight.  I need to learn to be patient, to set up a Plan and then follow it.

It is a very pleasant walk in places

This morning I went for a walk beside Lake Rotoroa in the centre of Hamilton.  I went early but there were still quite a few people out walking or running or following their dog around.  I kept a special eye out for birdlife and was happy to see mallard ducks, Australian coots, pukeko (some had chicks with them), pigeons (they roost in the Phoenix palms), sparrows, blackbirds, starlings, Indian mynahs, some welcome swallows, a couple of kingfishers, and a very special sighting (both heard and seen) of a long-tailed cuckoo (Eudynamys taitensis). 

Long Tailed Cuckoo
 (Buller, Walter Lawry, Birds of New Zealand, 1888)

Long-tailed cuckoos are summer migrants to New Zealand (they breed here and nowhere else) and are not that common.  I have only had a confirmed encounter with one other bird and that was several years ago when I had the privilege of watching it stalk a smaller bird through some shrubbery.  Watching wildlife is so amazing.

Let birdsong bring joy to your soul,

Margaret