i quit my retail job last november mostly because i was being taken advantage of and just couldn't believe how much work i was doing considering the money i made. it's a whole story i don't think i need to go into because if you know, you know. anyway i got something else lined up and left.
one thing for me was that i did enjoy the physical aspect of the work and didn't want to return to a sedentary lifestyle. since i suddenly had a bunch of spare time, i got a gym membership and promised myself i'd go regularly and this is a promise i've kept. most weeks, i go three times for at least an hour and i've made some real fitness gains.
feeling more involved in my own health, i made a doctor's appointment for a check-up, to request some bloodwork and get a prescription refill. i don't see my doctor often because i neglect my health but also this town has like three doctors. my family doctor works in a walk-in clinic, isn't easily accessible and we have no personal relationship whatsoever even though she's been my doctor for like five years.
by the time i had my appointment, it had been three months since i left my job and three months of working out regularly. i still need to see her for the results of my bloodwork but while i was there she took my blood pressure. through. the. roof. i've always had hypertension but my blood pressure was scary high. my doctor said she needs me to make some serious changes and, once again, i have. since seeing her last month, i've lost 20lbs and have been jogging at least a mile and a half every time i hit the gym. (today i did two 🙂 ) <--- my double chin
because i live with old people, we have a blood pressure cuff in the house and, with the changes in diet and exercise, i've managed to lower my blood pressure in a way i think my doctor will like. i'm not going to say it was my job (that made my blood boil daily and stressed me out 24/7) that was responsible for the highest bp i've ever had, but i know i would never have been able to go to a gym if i were still working there. like, mathematically with the hours in the day, it wouldn't have been possible and i wouldn't have known where to start anyway.
i'm imagining myself now, working full time with a ticking time bomb and having no idea where to start or what to do. like, right now, i'm still not in good shape but i'm already on the path. i got the learning phase out of the way (it was a lot of research and effort) already and can do an efficient job working out (my current one hour routine when i started took like 3 hours). i'm several steps ahead of where i'd be if i'd stayed working. also, who knows if i'd even have gone to see the doctor if i was doing like usual and ignoring my health.
from now on, it's always always health first.