My personal mission statement regarding my health

Attitude towards life is important. Therefore, attitude about my own life is very important.

Recently, my doctors said that I need to set a healthy priority in my life. I am happily married and my wife is the most wonderful woman who is very concerned about my health. She said she will kill me if I die before she does.

Before being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, I was very athletic, swam for 30 plus years and road cycling 25 to 100 miles every weekend. I played golf every week. When I was healthy physically, I have learned nothing about real life until my doctor told me that I need to be active again. I will be turning 50 on December 11th. I have type 2 diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, high blood pressure and about 30 lbs over-weight. Lifestyle modification, including a combination of weight loss and exercise, is important. Exercise helps to control weight, reduce stress, and keep blood glucose in check. If I want to live almost 100 years like my grandmother did, I need to value my health as one of the highest priorities.

Living with multiple sclerosis often put me on a roller coaster of emotions and I am learning to cope with my depressions. MS disease has an on-again, off-again pattern called relapsing-remitting MS, in which symptoms flare up and then disappear. Swimming is often recommended for people with MS because it provides a way for a patient to get exercise without becoming overheated. I have been swimming in the water since I was very young and been on many swim teams over the years all the way up to my 40's until MS hit me.

There are millions of excuses not to exercise. Too busy, too tired, too bored. None of them are valid reasons.

I am not as self-disciplined as I used to be when I was younger and athletic. I have some habits to overcome which have caused me to procrastinate and lack of assertiveness. Throughout my life, consciously or not, I will have to constantly formulating, revising, and (at least to some degree) following my personal priorities. The simplest are the day-to-day lists that basically consist of chores, errands, and plans for the very short term. Priorities, the things in my life that I think are important, can change over time, especially when I face a serious illness such as multiple sclerosis. I have to recognize that my priority list may change over time.

This morning, I checked out downtown YMCA's swimming pool and it looks good. I will be making an appointment sometime this week (hopefully today) with a membership staff and join.

Increase libido for me?

Well... my sex drive is still low. I am glad that I am going back to swimming. They say that swimming is the best exercise for better health and better sex.

Almost all MS patients can't handle heat-whether generated by temperatures outside the body or by exercise-may cause temporary worsening of many MS symptoms. In these cases, eradicating the heat eliminates the problem. Some temperature-sensitive patients find that a cold bath may temporarily relieve their symptoms. For the same reason, swimming is often a good exercise choice for people with MS. Exercise is an important part of maintaining function for the person with MS, therefore, swimming is often recommended because it allows strenuous activity without overheating.

Swimming is the best exercise without adding stress to knees, ankles, legs and the back. A major benefit of swimming is the near weightlessness, which can help swimmers strengthen their shoulders and abdominal muscles. The exercise also strengthens the heart and helps decrease problems associated with diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure and allergies. Better sex is another benefit from swimming (or Aerobic exercise). Those who swim (Aerobic exercise) regularly tend to have higher levels of desire, greater sex confidence and frequency, and an enhanced ability to better arousal.

Why is swimming (or any form of aerobic exercise) is real libido booster?

Many experts says that aerobic exercise triggers the release of endorphins, opiate-like chemicals produced in the brain that create a sense of well-being, which makes you more receptive to sex which also boost your self-esteem, confidence and body image, all of which are important factors to maintain a positive attitude.

Anyway, I am going to swim about 1 mile each time I swim. Lap Swimming in a 25 tyard pool is 2 lengths, from the starting point to the other end and back again. 72 laps makes 1 mile (144 lengths). When I was swimming a few years back, I used to do a mile within 40 minutes. Not sure about now so I will find out when I start.

Okay... I am thinking about going back to swimming

I am way out of shape and my doctor wants me to exercise more often. Also, I am planning to lose pounds that I have gained. Swimming is one of my favorite exercises.

I am going to start slow. I have contacted a local Masters Swimming Team in Columbus (there are about 4 in the area). I picked the one closest to my home which is located at the Ohio State University location. In fact, one of the swimmers who is on the team is a speech and hearing major and would love to practice sign language. At least, I will have someone who can sign with me if I need to communicate. I can't wear hearing-aids in the water. They have many swimmers with ages from 18 to 50’s and 60’s so I won’t have any trouble fitting in. I will be 50 this year. Buckeye Masters Swim Club (BMSC) is an OSU sports club which is affiliated with United States Master Swimming (USMS).

Maybe when I am in back in shape, I might compete again since they compete with other swim clubs of other universities, and sometimes host home meets.

I was on the Masters Swimming Teams in the past. Here's the website about United States Masters Swimming. United States Masters Swimming (USMS) is a national organization that provides organized workouts, competitions, clinics and workshops for adults aged 18 and over. Programs are open to all adult swimmers (fitness, triathlete, competitive, non-competitive) who are dedicated to improving their fitness through swimming.