Decisons

Do you remember the question?  What three things would you bring with you if stranded alone on a deserted island?  I have pondered this question over the years when I hear it come up and I never had a solid answer because I felt I might make the wrong decision.  Well, I feel this same emotion is staring me in the face, but in real life this time.

I was recently diagnosed with a breast condition called Lobular Carcinoma In Situ.  It sounds scarier then what I think it is, but then what do I know.  My understanding of the “condition” is that I have cells within the lobules of my breast that have cancer cells that do not invade the breast.  These cancer cells are considered “markers” that could/may increase my risk of breast cancer by 1% year.   If I understand this correctly, and lord knows I am a blonde, I figure over  15 years this is 15% increase for me.   The doctor cannot tell me how long the cells have been there and truly whether or not my increase of breast cancer is higher just because of the finding of the cells.   

Supposedly, this is a rare finding since this condition does not show up on a mammogram, MRI, ultrasound or palpation.   Yet, I have already met 2 people at the gym who were diagnosed with the same condition and both had invasive cancer that was found when they decided to have their breast removed.  My LCIS was incidentally  because I had found a lump in my breast and a lot of lumpiness that was changing in my breast.  When the surgeon did surgery , ironically the two lumps were benign (thank you) but both the margins had LCIS present.    

With all this said so far, I am told I have three options of treatment:   

1.       Monitor the condition by having regular mammograms, ultrasounds or MRI’s performed along with constant breast examinations.  (Did I mention, that from my understanding that LCIS doesn’t show up on any of the above test?)  This again is confusing for me, because being the way I am, I want a definite confirmation and sense of peace.

2.       Take an oral drug that is supposed to help decrease the chances of invasive breast cancer.  You may have heard of the drug Tamoxifen.   I read about the drug and unfortunately after reading the side effects and the other cancers risks, it scared me.   My Mother took this same medication after her fight with Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (this breast cancer is not detectable on mammograms, MRI’s, ultrasounds etc.) .   I have very mixed emotions, my Mother began her fight against her cancer 12 years ago and she is amazing!!!  I do remember her being on the medicine and I remember some of what she dealt with while on the medication.   I feel bad, but I don’t want to have hot flashes that turn me bright red, I am petrified of having joint pain, and I am even more petrified to worry if this medication may cause another cancer.  With that said, I realize all this is my total fear of the unknown and I am also aware that I do not do well with the unknown.  It could almost make me crazy! I was also explained that the 1% chances per year is .5% decreased by taking this medication.  That’s a small amount.

3.       My third option is to have my breast removed.  I have HUGE fears that come along with this if I choose this route.   BUT I also feel I may in the long run have peace of mind.  I also realize, at this time, until more testing is done, I don’t have to make a decision any time soon.   I know some  woman base their feminity (is this even a word) on their breast.  I personally do not.  I think of them as fat, yet I must admit, I want them , and I want to feel and look  like a woman.     I also have my other half, and I want him to want me.  I cannot help but wonder will he still be attracted to me without my real breast and what will a reconstruction look like.    My mind sees Frankenstein and this absolutely petrifies me.  Obviously, I haven’t seen new rebuilt breast at this point in time. 

I am set up to meet an oncologist next week.  Once I meet with her and compare notes from my surgeon I will be set up to consult with a doctor that can reconstruct the breast.    Once all this information gathering is over, I guess I have to decide what I must do that is BEST for me.  

I must admit that I have not had  great experiences with the medical community since I was 23 years old.  So, I feel I must go the extra mile to make the best informed  decision for my future and put trust in others once again.   This is really, really, really hard for me! 

I also do not want to be judged by what I decide is the best decision for me.   I believe it is easy for someone on the outside to question what others decide is best for themselves BUT once confronted with the decisions for themselves they realize it is very, very personal.  Decisions like this are life changing and life altering.    I pray to God that I make the choice that is truly best for my for my quality of life every day.

I am curious to see how my life pans out over time.  Medicine is a practice and not a perfect science.  I realize we are all different mechanically, emotionally, physically and especially on the cellular level.   So what will this mean for me and others?

Posture and Alignment

I held a 2 session posture and alignment workshop for Mothers and Daughters the past two weekends and was pleased with the turn-out.  I was grateful that a lot of Mothers realize the importance of good posture practice and what positive and rewarding results this awareness brings to their lives.  The first session focused on posture and teaching the group the importance of keeping the natural curves to our spine while sitting and standing and during sports activities.  Most of us stand hunched over, sit slouched and unfortunately due to the consistency of the bad sitting and standing posture carry the bad habits into our sports activities which lead to sports injuries.

We discussed the way others view those that have bad posture and they learned that many of the reviews from others can be negative.  You look shorter, less confident, appear disinterested and less focused, sloppy and even lazy.   None of which would do well if going for a job interview.  Not to mention, bad posture can make you less memorable.

We discussed that our bad posture re-molds our body over time.  Unfortunately since technology has improved and our younger generations are using cell phones, video games and laptops this re-molding is occurring faster in the children and young adults compared to the past.  This is frightening that young adults have the “hump” early in life because of their sitting habits.  Scary!

We discussed the side effects of practicing bad posture.  Some side effects are neck pain, back pain, fatigue, less oxygen due to the collapsed chest cavity, the big hump on the back, a forward head and headaches.   They say 95% of headaches are caused from a forward head posture.

The group discussed how when our body is out of alignment and a move is repeated over and over an injury to our body is occurring over time. We did some simple test on everyone to see what muscles in their legs naturally fired (worked) compared to muscles in their legs that were not firing.  This is what we call a muscle imbalance.  We all have them.  Muscle imbalance may over time wreak  havoc on our body creating pain and worse injuries just from the way we walk, sit, sleep or do exercise.     For example, I walk like a duck, (my feet turn away from each other).   This means my inner thighs tend not to fire and the muscles on the outside of my legs and butt over fire, creating an imbalance.

All in all, I was very happy with the group of 40+ Mothers and Daughters and have enjoyed hearing their stories of how their daughters’ backs are sore from sitting up straight because they do not want that hump on their backs. 

Happy Day!! MaryAnne

Exercising and Diet ... Two Peas in a Pod

Italy here I come!!! In less than two weeks John and I are Tuscany bound along with three other couples. I am so excited. I have never left the Country and cannot believe I will be seeing beautiful Italy. I have heard so many stories of how romantic and gorgeous it is there. We plan to do some of our site seeing by bike with our tour guide who is a professional cyclist in Italy. How cool is that? But no worries, we also rented a 10 passenger van so we didn’t have to be on our bikes all day long. I’ll let you know how the trip goes when I return.


Have you been to the doctor at any time and the doctor recommended that you lose weight? Did you leave the doctor frustrated at all because you’re not sure at how to go about losing weight? You may even be confused because the doctor didn’t say to lose weight because you are grossly overweight but were told your blood sugars are elevated, or that you had a change in your cholesterol levels or because you have been running higher than normal blood pressures. Most feel overwhelmed when told to lose weight because they don’t know how to do it so they don’t. It truly is a vicious cycle. Doctors are not trained to teach you how to lose weight and they are not dieticians. So we leave the doctors office not sure of what to do. Does this scenario sound familiar?

Have you ever known a friend who went on a diet, lost a lot of weight and when the diet was over they gained back the weight plus more. Sadly, this is what happens. I kind of describe it like this. When you diet you eat less calories, lose a lot of water weight, lose muscle (muscle weighs more than fat) and your metabolism slows down therefore your weight drops. When you stop dieting most end up eating food higher in calories and higher in fat over time, they now have less strength, the fluctuation of fluid returns and their metabolism is now slower yet they are now consuming more calories which are turning back into fat. Can you see where I am going with this? To lose weight, dieting is just the first part of the equation. Exercise is the second and honestly, one cannot work without the other. One easy way to begin watching your food intake is when you go to a restaurant and you are served your meal ask for the doggy bag first. Put half of the meal in the doggy bag. Why?? Most meals at a restaurant are large enough for 2 to 3 servings. My clients find this tip very helpful when they first begin to change their eating habits. Portion control is a big deal and most people overeat at any given meal time. I find that many enjoy the “crunch” of food. So I recommend replacing chips with baby carrots, celery with peanut butter, or cut up apples. You may find you have a “crunchy” food that is healthy and tasty that you can think of to replace for chips. For sandwiches, I recommend using mustard instead of mayonnaise.   Obviously these are a few ways to begin to change your eating habits.  Local dieticians can help you learn more tips along with great companies like Weight Watchers.

In terms of exercise think of the word “cumulative”. Exercise is cumulative. How cool!!! This means that all the walking you do in a day adds each week to calories burned. Even better, all the stairs you climb in a day add up to calories burned weekly too. Do you drive around a parking lot for 10 minutes looking for the perfect parking space? Do you watch TV for hours a day? Do you sit at the computer for hours a day? How about reading or paperwork. How many hours a day are you sitting?? This is a big deal. The more sedentary we are the less likely we are to burn off our breakfast, lunch, snack or dinner. Here are a few easy tips for adding some exercise to your day. Park to the back of the parking lot, don’t use the elevators use the stairs, walk your pets daily (they will love you!), walk with your spouse or your kids, run your errands at the mall and park at the other end of the mall far away from where you have to run your errand or take a walk during lunch with a friend in your office instead of sitting at a restaurant. These are truly not hard ways to add exercise into your day.  Join a local gym and take a Zumba class or try a pilates class.  Try it, you may be amazed how you feel!

The first step to chaning your life starts today.  Pick one habit to change each week so you won't be overwhelmed.  I call them baby steps to a new you!!

Have a nice afernoon.  MaryAnne

Exercise... the fountain of Youth!

I cannot believe that we are in May when I feel like we just watched the ball drop on New Years Eve. I’m happy it is Spring but this year a little sad that June is upon us. My first child, Boone, will be graduating from high school and I have mixed emotions. I am really excited for him in one breath and then sad for me in the second breath. Life as I have known it with my son is going to change very soon and I must admit I am not great with change. Boone wants to be an animator and truthfully, to be in the business he will need to live elsewhere after college for real opportunity in the animation business. While this is an exciting time in his life and I truly, truly want the best for him and I am happy that he has this incredible dream but my heart is sad that my time with him will never be the same. The day he was born was truly one of the absolute happiest days of my life!!!


Since college is just around the corner and obviously the expenses of college are also just around the corner, Boone and I have been working on applying for every scholarship and grant we can find out there. It has been quite a process. Many of these scholarships require that Boone write essays. One essay topic he had to write about was to answer the question: How would living a healthy lifestyle affect a students’ life at school?”. This was music to my ears that this organization realized how important our health is to our daily life.

Boone enjoyed writing this essay and seemed to have thought it out rather well. He listed several reasons he felt a healthy lifestyle would make his experience at school better.

Reason one: overall he felt he would live longer
Reason two: he felt he would miss less days from school
Reason three: he felt he wouldn’t need money for doctors appointments as often
Reason four: he felt he wouldn’t get tired as easily and that he would handle the stresses of being away from home better
Reason five: he felt in general his overall attitude of life would be better
Reason six: he felt it was important to control his weight because of the fatty foods that will most likely be served in the school cafeteria and because of the lack of portion control

I was impressed that at 18 he was able to realize that healthy living can make the above differences in our lives. The healthy affects listed above don’t necessarily have to be attached just to students, they fit working moms, working dads, stay home moms and the retired. Healthy living habits truly make a difference.

My other half, John and I, were looking at a magazine that showed a bunch of pictures of individuals back in the early 1900’s. The pictures had both men and woman and they listed their age. I was stunned to see woman that were in their 30’s who clearly looked like they were in their 60’s and men in their 20’s who clearly looked like they were in their 40’s. Obviously this was a different time and age but showed the hard lives these individuals had lived and how quickly they had aged.

My parents are in their 70’s now and I actually forget their age many days because they look so young to me and seem much younger. I think back to when my grandparents were their age and boy did they look and act much older. My parents have always stayed active and continue to travel, play golf and work their own yard. Fortunately they both enjoy doing things together which studies have shown keeps us younger as we age too. Daily activity keeps my parents younger and happier. They rarely have much downtime to any type of illness and they are both extremely happy and positive.

So the moral for today - Healthy living is the fountain of Youth!!

Have a nice evening, MaryAnne

Just 30 minutes....

What a week…. I have missed my clients this week because of a kidney stone, a 7.5 mm stone that became stuck in my ureter. I have been to the ER twice and have been put to sleep twice for two different procedures to help the stone pass. Needless to say, this was not a comfortable spring break week with the kids home. I am feeling better today and hope I am able to go away with my best friend this weekend – fingers crossed!! Tuesday was one of my “Happy Day Memories”, John and I met three years ago and to this day the day we met is one of my favorite days to remember.



I hope you have been exercising in some way this week. The weather here has been seasonably warm and many have been able to get outside. Take advantage of the mild temperatures to get a nice brisk walk with a friend or relative. Make sure when you are walking that you walk at a pace that you cannot hold a conversation for very long. You want to work your heart (which is the cardiovascular of your workout) to fatigue just like you would your biceps or your legs ok? Cardiovascular workouts or cardiovascular hours per week are so important. Many who do not exercise regularly believe or think that exercise has to be at a high level to have results, this is not true. For those new to exercise or for those that have just fallen off the band wagon, will have quick measureable results from cumulative cardio minutes adding up to 30 minutes a day. What do I mean by cumulative? I mean that you can do different types of cardio throughout the day and the amount of time you have exercised will add up by the end of the day and also by the end of the week. Added bonus is you will be burning more calories. For those that are new to exercise, or just had a baby or have had a major life change that halted your physical activity, this is a great way to jump start your daily cardiovascular activities. It is also a great way to begin preparing your body for longer exercise workouts later on.


Here are some tips to add cardio into your daily life:

1. If you go to the store park in the back of the lot so you have to walk further to get to the door

2. Ask a friend to walk with you twice a week at the mall or your neighborhood

3. Use the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator

4. Cut your grass with a pushing lawn mower instead of a sitting mower

5. Walk up and down the stairs at your house several times a day

6. If you don’t have stairs find a neighbor who does and the two of you walk around the perimeter of the house and up and down the stairs 3 to 4 times.

7. Pick a chair in your house and sit and stand 16 times to strengthen your legs

8. Use the bottom step of the staircase and march up and down for 30 seconds at least 4 times

9. Put the remote to the TV away so you have to get up and down to change the channel

Do you get breathy when you walk from a parking spot at a store to the front door? Do you get breathy when you walk up and down stairs? If so, try to add some of the above tips to your daily life. Believe me they will make a difference!!

Have a great Thursday and God Bless!! Mary Anne

Are you important?

Happy Monday!!! Spring is on its way and I cannot wait. I am in the mood for shorts, no-sleeve shirts and cute sandals. I just love cute sandals!!. There is just something different about the feeling you get when you know Spring is close. Spring to me is a new beginning each year. I love being outdoors, I love the smell of the flowers and mostly, I love the colors of the flowers. I wish I was a yard person. I have always been envious of the perfectly manicured yards and the beautiful landscaping that comes very natural to some. Like I’ve said before, Betty Crocker does not live at my house and unfortunately neither does Martha Stewart, therefore, I will continue this Spring to enjoy the beauty of nature and the neighbors who know Martha Stewart.


What have you done for yourself this week? Did you get your hair colored? Did you get your hands manicured? Did you buy a new outfit or maybe just find an extra hour that you had to read or maybe just sit and watch TV for fun. Maybe you were able to meet a friend for lunch!!! Do you feel guilty when you take time for yourself? Many people do feel guilty. I hear this story on a regular basis in my business. Clients share they want to make a change to their life to get healthier and feel better, but they feel guilty because the money could be used for better reasons. Better reasons? What could be more important than taking care of ourselves? This is not selfish, it’s smart. If your are healthy your medical bills will stay low, you won’t miss work due to illnesses as often, you set healthy daily examples for your children to follow which leads to their future health, your probability of living longer rises, your chances of diseases decreases and in general you feel better, handle stress better and everyone around you will enjoy you more. So, why do you feel guilty? Look in the mirror and tell yourself, “I am important!!” Began to change your fitness and health habits today.


A few updates:


My client Debbie began her first round of chemo today and once again, she was totally positive and upbeat. She shared she had picked up her new wig and that she was nervous about her hair falling out but yet she was prepared. Sadly, this is one of 5 treatments that she must incur to rid her body of this horrible cancer. Please remember to keep Debbie in your prayers. She shared that knowing that people are praying for her has really made a difference in her life. Let’s continue to send her strength – thanks!!

Little Ber is also having his next rounds of chemo this week. Amber took Ber by his kindergarten class last week for a visit and she said the students didn’t flinch at seeing Ber without hair. Aren’t children amazing!! I wish as adults we were as resilient and accepting. Gotta love the naiveness of being of kid. Please continue to pray for Ber and his fight to live. I was saying the other day, I cannot imagine 2 years of constant needles, surgeries, chemo therapies and worse, SF8 treatments and living in and out of hospitals and only being 6 years old. Ber doesn’t remember life any differently. God Bless Ber! Please continue to pray for Ber and his continued fight to live.


Have a healthy good night, Mary Anne

Exercise and Balance....

For the past nine years I have continually had to make life changing decisions to take care of my children, keep my life balanced and stay financially stable. My ex-husband and I split back in 2001 after 15 years of marriage. We had been high school sweethearts. I still to this day find it sad. As with most people who split, there is a story and consequences. We all handle the stress of divorce differently. For me it was a living death. During the divorce years I herniated my lower back (L5-S1) which eventually fused itself, I tore my rotator cuff and had surgery which ended up in frozen shoulder for 2 years and I spontaneously shattered my neck. My disc literally exploded into pieces sitting on my spine. Needless to say, I was a total mess. I was trying so hard to maintain a normal life for my children, working crazy hours to bring in money and pretending that nothing was wrong to everyone who knew me. I kept our separation a secret for two years because I didn’t want my children to be affected by outsiders. My body paid the toll and I truly learned that stress can kill you.

With all that happened, it changed my life and I feel I have been given direction. It is very humbling to have injuries that cause you to look at life differently overnight and realize you are looking at life through new eyes. It is very humbling to be a very active person your whole life and then one day have total atrophy and see a different person in the mirror. It is humbling to not be able to open jars, type on the computer, cook or look down to read for months and literally draw no income because you cannot work. Yet, all this humbling is good. God is good and very smart. As I healed I realized how incredibly fortunate and lucky I am. I am truly lucky!!! I thank God for these horrible injuries because they gave me a new life and a much bigger heart. The injuries also drove me to understand how this happened to my body after being active my entire life. Over the past two years I have become comfortable sharing my story with clients because I realized I was able to help them using the principles of alignment and core integrity I learned from Pilates that helped me to rehab myself. I found that my clients can use me as inspiration and also give them the belief that they can change their life through exercise. My clients know I really care about their own stories and that I believe in them. They quickly learn that I enjoy their successes as much as they do!!! Nothing better than a great success story to share

One of my clients, her name is Cheryl, is one of my cancer survivors who truly has survived a rare and very deadly cancer. Talk about humbling. Cheryl is one of my senior clients who was a nurse and is now retired. Cheryl has always realized how important exercise is to your body, yet she had really become weak and inactive. She has fallen quite a bit and does not have great balance and she drags one foot and she has had one knee operated on in the past. Cheryl and I have been working hard to get her legs stronger and to teach her to pick up her feet when she walks. One of her first successes was squatting with the ball on the wall and learning that she has to use the back of her legs (hamstrings and glutes) instead of just using the tops of her legs (quadriceps). She had to learn to turn her pelvis to the back, which takes the quadriceps away from the knee joint. She immediately realized her knee didn’t hurt to do squats. Yeah!!! I have also had to teach her how to use the deep core muscles of her stomach which is our bodies center of gravity (basically our own balance stabilizer). If you have had babies, (men obviously this is not you), you were taught to kagel (stopping the flow of urine) after birth to strength the deep pelvic muscles. Well these kagel exercises actually help you to engage a muscle called the transverse. This muscle is like a corset (yes, the ones that tie up the back like in the old south). The transverse muscle contracts around your pelvis and lower back creating a support system for the spine and stabilizes your hips and pelvis, therefore keeping you from falling or from injuring your back. Today Cheryl was able to get herself up and down from the floor without feeling like she was going to fall over and she was so elated!!!! This may not sound like much to you, but when you are a person who falls and cannot get themselves up, this is huge. I was so proud of Cheryl today – today was her day!!!

Well, good night and keep kageling!! Mary Anne