Avery's Bucket List

Sometimes I think the universe whispers to us and other times I think it shouts.  I read a post earlier today about a little, 5 month old baby girl with SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy.) Her name is Avery and her parents started a blog called Avery's Bucket List  http://averycan.blogspot.com/ . They (and friends) made a list of all the things Avery would like to do before she dies. Babies with SMA type 1 rarely live to the age of two. A tiny little baby should not need to make a bucket list, she should have days and days and months and months and years and years ahead of her. Alas, Avery does not. The disease is progressing. . .

She has already lost the ability to move her legs, her parents know her time is limited but they are working to put a face to SMA. Perhaps Avery's beautiful little face will be the one that inspires someone famous to take up the cause of SMA, maybe a brilliant mind will see this pretty baby and take an interest in the disease and that mind will be the one that starts the research that eventually will find a cure for SMA.  At present there are no clinical research studies looking for a cure for SMA. Avery's parents know that help can not come soon enough to save her, but by putting a face to SMA, they hope it will help a child in the future.   

 

None of us have any magic answers but we all can do something to help - please look at Avery's blog and read her bucket list. Is there anything you can help with? At the very least we can help spread her story, we can help make her the face of SMA. The universe shouted today: SHARE AVERY'S STORY! I listened, I'm sharing. I hope you will too. 

Better than yesterday. . . .

I wrote this a month or two ago and then posted to the wrong page. I have lost and gained the same two pounds several times since writing this. So this person who does not like to exercise and does like to eat has decided on a new approach. I need to lose one pound. My goal between now and Saturday is to lose a pound. I'm going to exercise, cut back on sweets and make it happen!

I think I mentioned a year ago (okay, I whined) that I quit smoking in April of 2010 and have since managed to gain 30 lbs. Last year I said, enough, I'm going to lose the weight and basically spent more time thinking about it than doing anything. 

So today is the first day of my "Stop whining and take off those pounds" program. I know I need a consistent program but first I'm just going to start moving every day. I am so out of shape that everything tires me out - walking just a short distance makes me want to take a nap. Stretching and doing exercises is awkward and uncomfortable (not to mention I hate exercising.)

Still, I need to get in shape and I need to lose weight so I am starting with ideas that work with my current physical fitness status. I typically have the TV on in the morning while I clean house so today, for one of the hour morning shows, everytime there was a commercial break - I stopped cleaning and exercised - most of the breaks are between 3 & 1/2 and 4 minutes for a total of 18-20 minutes. Okay, not the longest work out, but better than not doing anything.

Then I happened on the 5 minute workout on the Dr. Oz website todayhttp://www.doctoroz.com/videos/jorge-cruises-5-minute-workout  and decided to add that to my routine. Ouch - still, I can do 5 minutes. I then decided to do 5 minutes twice a day, once in the am & once in the pm. Okay, I can do this.

Probably should not have eaten that jelly donut for breakfast but the chicken fajita for lunch was a good choice. Hey, it's a start. It's not perfect but better than yesterday and that's how I'm going to get back in shape. Doing a little better each day - one day at a time.