Lower My Blood Pressure: Days 4 & 5

It's been an uncomfortable couple of days for me and my tummy. Yesterday, after doing my usual 30 lengths at the pool, I was so tired that I could barely walk home. I lay down for a while... felt a few chills... and thought, "Hmm, maybe I've overdone it."

Fast forward to this evening and the first solid meal (sort of) that I've been able to eat since yesterday morning. I think I must have had food poisoning or something, but whatever it was, it's just about finished now, and I hope I never have to go through another wretched night of crampy tummy again.

Heh, you can always hope.

Anyway, as I snacked on my second small bowl of dry bran flakes this afternoon, I thought about how delicious it tasted. My hubby was eating a banana, and it smelled like the best thing ever. Feeling brave, I went and got one, and man, was it good.

Then, it dawned on me:

Having never gone through something like this before, I tend to take my digestive system for granted. Perhaps I abuse it... I thought nothing of burning through half a big bag of chips on a binge day. I usually paid for it the next day, but I always recovered by the afternoon... no biggie.

All the clichés about food are true:

1. Food is precious.
2. Not everyone gets to eat the food I get to eat.
3. Not everyone has the stomach to eat like I do.

I've been so obsessed with counting my calories and making sure I exercise enough to eat the foods that I want to eat, that I forgot the main point: I can eat whenever I want. I just have to remember that I don't have to worry that it won't be there tomorrow for me to enjoy, and that my system really should only have to work so hard to give me energy. I need not test it all the time.

Oh, and also: If you're ever up in the middle of the night with cramps in your digestive system, try a mugful of hot water with a couple of pieces of star anise infused in it. Stopped my cramps within minutes!