# My first day at the fitness center !



## Happyflowerlady (Jul 28, 2015)

It was wonderful, and now that I am back home, my body is feeling it, too. 
Many of you that have known me here for a while will remember that for the last few years i have barely been able to get around, let alone exercise.
 I have had a-fib and CHF for a number of years, and each year, the heart just wore out more, until it was functioning at 23%EF last summer. 
Because the meds weren't helping anymore, my doctor decided it was time for a heart precedure called a cardioversion. 
Basically, they scraped the inside and outside of my heart, and put it back into rhythm again. 

I feel much better now and have been getting more exercise this year.  I have been taking the Lugol's iodine for the hypothyroidism, but then I read that it is also very beneficial for  both the a-fib and the CHF. 
I am doing so much better now that I have even been working outside in the yard and garden this spring, until the weather got too hot to be outsiide much. 
 The last time they checked, my heart is now working at around 40%EF, so much, much better ! 

My Medicare Advantage plan now includes a fitness program called Silver and Fit; so both Bobby  and I went down and signed up at the fitness center, and today was our first day. 
I will be doing mostly swimming and water aerobics, at least for a while, until I build up more muscle and endurance. 
She also started me on a cardio machine that is like walking or maybe cycling, except it is recumbant, so you do not have all of the stress on the knees like you do when you are walking, and it works out both the arms and the legs.

We are planning on going several times a week, and my husband is happily enjoying his workout on the weight training machines while I am swimming. 
 After the swimming, I relaxed in the hot tub and put my legs and feet up by the jets and got a wonderful massage. 
I am now drinking my green smoothie protein shake, and then going to recuperate for a bit.


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## Ameriscot (Jul 28, 2015)

That is great, Happy!  You will both feel so much better.  Gain more energy and stamina.  I'm guessing they instructed you on stretching after every workout?  It will cut way down on soreness and possible injury.


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## NancyNGA (Jul 28, 2015)

Hello Happyflowerlady.  I haven't been on this forum for very long so I don't know your history, but it's so good to hear about your improvement.  And I'm glad you are enjoying the fitness center.  It sounds like a great experience as well as beneficial.  :rose:


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## SifuPhil (Jul 28, 2015)

Glad to hear you're doing so much better, Hap! :goodjob:


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## hollydolly (Jul 28, 2015)

OOOH HFL this is fantastic news, I know what a struggle the last few years have been for you , and I know at times you thought you'd never feel better, so I'm absolutely delighted for you that you've come so far and are really feeling soooo much better.. ..and the icing on the cake is that you have your hubs right there exercising alongside you too.. :yougogirl:


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## drifter (Jul 28, 2015)

Wonderful news, HFL. I hope you continue to feel stronger as your health continues to improve.


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## Shirley (Jul 28, 2015)

Wonderful!


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## SeaBreeze (Jul 28, 2015)

Good to hear you're feeling better Happyflowerlady, and you and hubby are going to the fitness center, that's such a positive thing to do!  I've never used Lugol's before, but heard good things about it.


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## Happyflowerlady (Jul 28, 2015)

I am really happy about being able to go. Our medicare insurance agent found us a company that had one of the Advantage plans which also included the fitness benefit. Before, I just had a basic one that covered my heart meds; but by changing the company to Cigna Healthsprings, we were able to also have the fitness membership included.  
The free part of the membership does not include the pool area; but it was only $8 a month more to use all of that facility also. 
Anyone else who has a Medicare Advantage plan and is interested in the fitness membership might want to see if it is available on the plan that you have, too. 
I love swimming, and the water aerobics will also allow me to do exercises without to much stress on my body like regular aerobics would right now. 
The Lugol's iodine is great, and I noticed the difference in my energy level almost right away. I started with just a few drops (since it also cleans toxins out of your body), and then I am graduallybuilding up the amount of drops that I take each day. 
Since it is supposed to kill parasites, I also add a few drops to the dogs water, just to keep them safe from worms, etc. It is good for them, and much safer than regular worm medications are.


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## Glinda (Jul 28, 2015)

HFL, so glad you're catching the fitness bug.  Hopefully it will become a habit and you'll continue to feel better and better.  Good for you!


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## Happyflowerlady (Jul 28, 2015)

Glinda said:


> HFL, so glad you're catching the fitness bug.  Hopefully it will become a habit and you'll continue to feel better and better.  Good for you!


Glinda, thank you  (and everyone ) for all of the encouragement ! 
Actually, I have been pretty much an athletic person all of my life. I grew up having horses, riding every day in the summer, and even in the snowy cold idaho winters.  My folks went camping on weekends, and we were at a lake, so I would swim and row the family boat around . 
I have always walked a lot, often several miles at night after work. So, it was a real discouragement for me when the heart just went wacko, and almost overnight; I could no longer even walk out to the mailbox to get my mail. 

I did not think that it would ever get any better, and I was pretty much resigned to a sedentary lifestyle. I can't begin to tell you how thrilled I was after the heart operation, and I started to feel better. 
It has been a slow process healing up (being 70 probably does not help); but I am actually starting to regain at least a little of the energy and physical health that I used to have, and enjoyed so much. 
Even if I can never just jump on my horse and spend the day trailriding in the hills; it is good to at least be able to swim and work in the garden again.  
Doing eveything I can to help my body recover is important to me.


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## tnthomas (Jul 28, 2015)

Happyflowerlady,   good to hear you're enjoying the fitness center, such a good thing for life!


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## Ameriscot (Jul 29, 2015)

Many people who have knee issues will swim or do the water aerobics.  My gym overlooks the pool and it is always mobbed with people doing laps, most seem to be over 60's.

Here in Scotland if your doctor thinks you risk bad health due to not exercising he can write a 'prescription' for gym/swim membership which is paid for by the NHS.  

I always see a couple of people in the gym who are obviously new at working out or recovering from an illness.  One lady looks like she had a stroke and over the last year or so I've seen steady improvement.


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## Debby (Aug 2, 2015)

How wonderful for you HappyFlowerLady!  When you compare how you feel now to how you used to feel, you must be overjoyed.  You'll have to change your name here.  If you were Happy before, now you could call yourself the 'Overthemoonhappyflowerlady'.  Or maybe "ThrilledtofeelsogoodHappyflowerlady" or for the sake of brevity, just plain 'Joyful'.


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## drifter (Aug 2, 2015)

I wish you well, HFL, but I'm just afraid you're goingto cause a health explosion around here.


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