Humpy Dance

I have an incisional hernia that is on the left side of my abdomen. I've had it since I had surgery in January, 2001 and its getting to the point where I am sick & tired of it. I named it Humpy years ago, and Humpy is needing to move on at this point. I have to wear clothes at least a size larger than my waist to fit over Humpy. Add to it, its now interfearing with me doing things. Its hard for me to do a lot of bending because of Humpy being there. I guess the best way to describe it is being like you're 7 months pregnant for the last 9 years. Gee, any wonder why I get worn out and waddle sometimes?
So, I am going to start on the road to what needs to be done to get ready for surgery. I know that I want to have a speedy recovery, so that is going to require me to start now to be ready. One of the reasons why I have the hernia in the first place is due to weak abdominal muscles (the other was not following doctors orders after my last surgery and resting and not lifting-actually that was the main reason, its just the weaker muscles added to it a little bit too). So, in order to prevent any problems down the road, I need to build up abdominal strength. I don't want a pooch and I don't want to have a painful recovery either.
Between the treadmill, and adding weights and ab work to my routine, I think I can be in good shape to heal quicker than if I was out of shape. The added bonus is that I'll be healthier than I am right now. The Little Man got a pedometer in school yesterday and he was so excited! Its a health initiative from the gym teacher, and he's totally into it. He had over 5000 steps by bedtime last night, which was more than I had...I wish I had his energy!
I know how important it is to be healthy, but it is a struggle for me. Its a combination of laziness and a small dose of fear. What makes it worse is that I really like working out, and I love how I feel afterwards. I do get frustrated that I am not making as much progress on some things as I would like, but I can't let that hold me back entirely. It takes discipline to make progress-and this is something that I am trying to teach my son. He is enthusiastic about making healthy choices-but it is something new right now. He needs the discipline to go for the long haul.
For me, there's a lot of pressure with this. I want my little man to make healthy choices, both in terms of exercise and food. I want him to also see that these things are not punishment (like taking care of the house!) but just part of our lifestyle. I want him to understand that exercise is part of life, like brushing teeth, getting dressed and doing homework. Humpy does get in my way when I try to do somethings-lots of bending and even my hamstrings.
I want my little man to see being active as just something we do. Not that I am dragging myself to go work out or do yoga or whatever and that I am all complaining about it. I don't want him to think that there is something negative about movement. When I was growing up, there wasn't an emphasis on exercise (probably because we just moved around so much and rode bikes & stuff). Today its a different story. I am not worried about my little guy being overweight (even though both his parents are)but I am worried that he's not going to look at activity as a lifestyle choice.
Due to Humpy, I am not sure really how overweight I truly am. My doctor said that its probably adding about 15-20 lbs to my frame due to fluid retention (and the fact that I also need a hysterectomy and my uterus is about the size of a 7 month pregancy thanks to my friendly fibroids, and that adds weight). So that being said, I am only about 25 lbs from my goal weight and where I need to be to be my best. Humpy also distorts how I look, and that once again reinforces energy distribution. I am tired of looking at this massive lump sticking out from my lower abdomen. It limits what I can wear, and what looks good on me. Since I am a frustrated fashionista, its hard. I want to do my family proud and look great all the time.
In order to get ready for the whole surgery thing, I need to get into a groove. I need to do my yoga daily dozens. There's one set I do when I get up in the morning. There is another I should do when I get home at night (just to decompress from my day), and then the one I should do before bed. I need to hit the treadmill in the morning. I need to do my ab work everyday. I need to use the bowflex three times a week. I need to do pilates three times a week. I need to take the puppy dog for a walk every few days. I need to take him on long walks once a week. I need to get up and walk at work and get away from my desk. I need to stretch a few times a day. I need to go back to my commercial break work outs (exercise bands, stretching, crunches, running in place) that I used to do...plus its a great example for my little man. I do know that when I work out, I feel better and have more energy. I also know that consistency is key.