Category: CMT

Happy New Year!

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I love the new year. To me, it gives a chance to evaluate what went right and what went wrong in the last year health-wise, that is. When I do this, it gives me the opportunity to realize where I can improve myself this next year.

For someone with Charcot-Marie-Tooth, setting health goals might seem a little silly or maybe even stupid. No, not at all. I can have goals to try to reach, but, I need to be wise with what goals I set. For example, in 2017, I walked 312 miles. Of course, this was with the encouragement of my dog! I set a goal to walk further than that. I think I set it to be around 350 miles. Surprisingly, I made it!

The setting of a health goal, made me get off my behind and go for a walk! Instead of being totally lazy, I walked. As I mentioned, it helped quite a bit that my dog wanted to go out for a walk too. He always reminded me to go for a walk and not to forget!

Another goal I realized in 2018 was to take advantage of the Deep Water Aerobics classes on a regular basis. The classes are offered 5-days a week. Since I tend to “burn out” on repetitive activities like taking the class every single day but Sunday, I planned to take the class every Tuesday and Thursday when I am in town. Maybe on Mondays when I might miss one of those days. I succeeded in attending my classes and will plan it again in 2019.

Health goals, as I call them, for someone having Charcot-Marie-Tooth needs to be reasonable. For me to decide in 2019 to walk 500 miles is unreasonable. It is 150 miles over what I did in 2018. I might aim for 375. An easy way for me to think about it is a mile day and a little more here and there. However, if I aim too high and get too ambitious, I could hurt myself and get discouraged with not making my goal. Too low and I might feel like I didn’t accomplish anything.

An important aspect to keep in mind, is if you miss a day or two, don’t stress about it, just pick right up and get going again. For me, it took many years to reach the about to walk very far- it did not happen overnight.

Using an app on your Smartphone to track miles walked and any other exercise is really a great way to track your success.

As always, talk to your doctor about health goals and any, and all, exercise routines. Each Charcot-Marie-Tooth patient can have different symptom and situations. Your doctor will know what’s best for you.

Hello!

Boy Writing Notes

Hello! I have been wanting to create a website about my life with Charcot-Marie-Tooth for years.  The disease is very annoying, to say the least, but, since it is what it is and I cannot change anything, I am making the best of it.

I wish I had had the vision when I was a young boy to begin writing about my experiences. I never really thought about. And, though I knew something was wrong, I wasn’t willing to admit it, have it diagnosed, or even pay attention to the fact that it was possible to have it until I was in my 20’s. Further, I needed to accomplish another goal before I began writing or talking about my health.

To be honest, regardless of what Charcot-Marie-Tooth does to my physical being, I could never have gotten through life without God and His care for me. God spoke to me while I was in college that He would be my strength which I will share about in a post. I will share more about that experience in another post.

My plan is to write about the different things I’ve done to help myself along life’s way. I hope that my tips and stories will help you fight whatever health issues you might have and be the best you possibly can be.

Please read my “About” page on this site. You’ll learn that I am a man sharing about my journey. Please always check with your doctor for their recommendations.