I had another Pilates equipment session tonight. It's been a few months, and I've been out of practice, so it really held some medieval torture chamber aspects for me. But it felt so good! I was absolutely worn out during the work out and had to call for a water break at one point. As I was walking to my car, I realized how much I've been underestimating myself. I did so much more during that session than I've done in a long while. It was an hour of hard work, but I felt good afterwards. Tim was worried because my face was very red when I got home, but I feel fine. I know I'll sleep well tonight, and I should have some interesting aches tomorrow in muscles that hadn't been used in awhile.

I've been reading the Kathy Smith Challenge in iVillage.com, and there are some good ideas for trying to lose weight there. I like the step-by-step approach of the challenge. For example, this week's nutrition focus is on healthy breakfasts. That's something I need to think about, since I sometimes bypass my planned healthy breakfast to indulge in a Panera chocolate chip bagel or some Krispy Kremes. But now I am recommitting to healthy breakfasts. By accident, I have also managed to successfully complete the first two days of the exercise schedule...a major accomplishment. I think it's been a month since I exercised two days in the same week.

Work is still insane, but I have managed to squeeze in some long-overdue (and even a few on-time) checkups. Female-wise, all is fine, and I expect the same report when I have my three-month appointment with the neurologist this week. Next month is the dreaded physical. I was supposed to get my cholesterol re-checked over a year ago, but I put it off since I didn't want to hear the bad news. The MS was enough bad news for me for awhile. But now it's time to face the truth. I also plan to ask my doctor for the name of a nutritionist, since an overweight woman with MS and high cholesterol could use some professional advice.

This week is also a Working Women's Luncheon sponsored by the National MS Society. I'm so glad I didn't throw away the invitation, because I misread it the first time. We're going to be discussing the benefits of journaling. Hello? You're reading my online journal right now - talk about a topic that would interest me. Oh, and I ordered the turkey sandwich box lunch, so another step in a right direction there.

I've gotten my training materials for my volunteer training and started to study them. A couple of years ago, I volunteered on a crisis hotline, and I think that training will help me handle this. Funny, I used to be scared to talk to people on the phone, and here I am volunteering again for something that requires phone time.