It’s Monday, so you know what that means…

Last week was a good and successful week. I completed a couple of CrossFit sessions, made it to NYC for Comic-Con on Thursday, and had a fun time at Oktoberfest with my cousins. I also posted two new videos and a couple of fun photo cards from my essay last week. I am still looking for rewards for my weight goals, so get me some ideas! And if you’ve been curious about something I’ve shared or a topic you’d like to see me hit, ask away!

So, overall it was a fun week, but there were challenges.

First, I completed the “Doctor Appointment Gauntlet” on Monday with my visit to the Electrophysiologist. We started the discussion on the aFib front, he’s still strongly suggesting going through a procedure to try to fix it. Which I am not excited about, especially since I asked him if we’ve detected any additional aFib events on my loop recorder since December. There were none. He said that since I was on a low dose of Metoprolol, it’s been controlled. I asked if we could taper it to see if the aFib returns and he did not want to do that. I told him, while I trust his judgment and skill, I am getting a second opinion on what we’ve seen. Talk about a gut check moment for me, especially with the person who would be operating on me, but I really need empirical evidence that this procedure is the right move.

From there we moved into the discussion about my bradycardia and pauses while I sleep. He said that they seem to be worsening overnight.
I insisted I was just getting more efficient.
But we did discuss what impact the metoprolol and my increased fitness from CrossFit would have on it. I mean, realistically the increased cardio fitness alone will lower my resting heart rate; factor in a beta-blocker and it could amplify the effect. After that, he decided we can taper the metoprolol and I should be fully off it in a week from today. Now, don’t think I’m being reckless with my heart. I live close to a hospital with an emergency room. If I notice any issues I am not hesitating to get it checked out. Needless to say, this will be discussed at my second opinion visit.

Next, I finally received the lab results that my primary doctor ordered. The results were a little frustrating for me as my understanding of them indicates I may need a statin. Full disclosure, I need to meet with my primary to discuss this. Right now it’s speculation based on previous medical conversations. I want to be clear: I am not against medications or medical interventions, but I want to make sure it’s the proper decision for my health.

The last significant challenge was with my mental health. I ended up being a bit down toward the end of the week. I attribute it to not getting the exercise I needed, processing my medical updates, the weather on Sunday, and thinking about my Dad’s passing. Don’t get me wrong, I had good times with my family and friends, but not getting out of the house more and exercising took its toll. I became lonely, withdrawn, and spent most of the time working on NASM curriculum. I also understand the rest of this week could be challenging, but I am going to do my best to stay above water.

To help get through Friday, I am attending a bereavement session. We’ll be meeting during the hour my Dad passed and just remember him. It’s something I am looking forward to and need to do.

I have also decided to incorporate a couple of new goals this week. They are:

Prep my breakfasts for the rest of the week.
Walk at least 6500 steps every day, starting Tuesday. I have noticed that my activity level plummets on days I don’t do CrossFit, so getting at least that many steps in will be a step in the right direction. (Yes, I see what I did there.)

Last week I started something new in my essays and focused on an aspect of my curriculum. This past week I was focusing on Behavioral Change and let’s just say I had to tell it to stop looking at me. While I’m not going to deep dive into the content, I want to touch on the connection between mental health and exercise. (Standard disclaimer, I am not a medical professional and if you require mental health support, please reach out to the appropriate services in your area.)

My interest in this came from my experiences this past week. As I mentioned above, after a few days of minimal to no exercise, I noticed an increase in my anxiety and depression.
Today, I was still in my “funk” and it held right until I went to CrossFit. After that, my mood lifted and I feel better. Why? Well it turns out that even small doses of exercise will increase the release of brain chemicals that help regulate your mood.
Now, in my case, the mood dip showed up around 24-48 hours after my last workout. That dip, in turn, made everything worse.
In my ‘non-medical’ opinion, being sedentary for those days directly correlated with my anxiety and mood. It also makes the case that even some exercise during the week will help your mental health. So get out there, take a walk, go to the gym, whatever motivates you. Just take a few minutes every day to get some exercise in.

As always, thanks for reading and have a great week.

Times Like These - Foo Fighters

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Being Unconquerable #3: Times Like These