Amber - Bikram yields results

I haven't been very diligent in writing this week. I have been going to yoga daily. I even went at 5:30 AM on Wednesday which I had taken off. I had a follow up appointment at my endocrinologist Wednesday morning. I have a severe Vit. D deficiency. This yields the same symptoms as depression and fatigue. It would make perfect sense. I'm sure that the deficiency gets worse in the winter months. You get a large portion of your vitamin D from the sun. This could be a contributing factor to SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder or Seasonal Depression). Doctors do not test for this frequently. I was diagnosed with SAD years ago. In turn I was put on heavy doses of anti-depressants because they don't work. Then it was decided that I have ADD. I don't question having ADD - but I am bothered that no one ever dug a little deeper into the SAD diagnosis. Especially when nothing was working. So, I am now on a prescription dose of Vitamin D. He said I should expect to see a drastic change in my energy level. We are retesting in 4 months. I can't wait to see how the test results come back. By then I will have had 5 months of yoga.

Last night I weighed myself... So many of you ask if there's an update on the number - well, I've lost 21 lbs. So, there is good news in all of this. My health problem is related to a vitamin that can be fixed. I've lost weight. I've quit smoking (one month yesterday). I've quit drinking. Will someone tell me why I now have high blood pressure? For the second time my reading was 135/93. I am supposed to periodically check it - like at the grocery store and such. If it is high in 4 months, I will have to go on medication for it. High blood pressure is a side effect of my ADD medication.

I signed up for my second month of yoga this week. Actually, I committed to a year. Achieving goals starts with identifying the goal, creating a map to get there, then committing. I had a goal of losing 30 lbs by my 30th birthday. With 3 months left until I get there, I only have 9 more lbs to go. After my birthday, I will probably make a goal to lose another 30 lbs by Christmas. I will still have 30 more lbs to go after that. I had another goal when I started this class. To be able to do the foundation of each asana by the end of the month. I have achieved that goal as well. Yesterday we were doing the Balancing Separate Leg Stretching, the goal is to eventually touch your forehead to the floor between your toes. I did it yesterday. Once you reach that goal - you bring your legs in closer together and start to work towards it again. (It is the 5th one from the end)

I can't wait to go back to class today. It is very exciting once you get something new. In yoga there are so many ways to measure health. In 4 months my labs will be a measurement. My weight has already been a measurement. I have still not pulled out a measuring tape to see how many inches I've lost. My flexibility and balance has improved exponentially. With every little step forward I make it builds my self confidence. Everyone around me thinks that I am confident enough - but I am also an actress. Perception is reality. As long as those around me perceive confidence, I must be. Well, I can honestly say - what I feel is catching up to what I project. Happy Easter to everyone! I wish everyone a very safe weekend...