work it...

And lo... the saga of the Choconots and Frenemies is drawing to a close.

We've seen our fair share of comic ugliness as the choconots tried (successfully) to avoid the lure of the chocolate while the Frenemies taunted us mercilessly...

Or... not so mercilessly really, we've all been pretty nice I think and a good time seems to have been had by all... right?

But it is nearly time for this tale to come to an end, and when it ends, just as  the chocolate is once more a consumable good for us, something else altogether will begin.

Where in January we sought to avoid the bittersweet goodness of chocolate in all its forms, in February we don't seek to deny ourselves a thing.  Only to do a little something to better ourselves, our hearts, our bodies and our minds by exercising 3 times a week.

3 times a week!!!!!!!  Oh no... I couldn't possibly... unless of course you count fun things, like:

walking
riding my bike
roller skating
yoga
wii boxing
dancing in my underwear

because if you count those things and add in... oh I don't know... maybe weight lifting here and there... that I could totally do.

Could you?

Could you if you read a post that scarily laid out for you the reason that you should want to get a little more exercise?

February is the American Heart Association's Women's Heart Health Month and that means a lot to me.

There's something you might not know about me, I have high blood pressure.

I fall into the large percentage of women with heart problems.  Mine is minor compared to so many others and I am being treated.  Though knowing that I'll have to take medication for the rest of my life is daunting even after being on medication for several years now.

When I was pregnant with K my blood pressure became dangerously elevated.  Anyone who has ever heard the tale of K's birth knows that I was induced 3 weeks early.  My blood pressure was the most significant reason for that happening.

She was born, we took her home and went about our life but something funny happened.  My blood pressure never went back down to a normal level.  I underwent more tests than I care to recall to find the source of the issue.  They found other issues that had nothing to do with the blood pressure that required more tests.  They never found the source of the problem.  It was a mystery why a 5'3" 120 pound 26 year old had dangerously high blood pressure.  I cut back salt I tried to eat even

but to no avail.  Over the next year or so I had to try 3 different medications with varied doses and unpleasant side effects until my doctor and I were finally able to find a medication and a dose that worked for me.

It was scary.  It was overwhelming.  It was time consuming.  It was invasive.

But the alternatives were too horrible to think of.

So for the month of February I want to give back.  To you and you and you and you.  All of you.  I want us to all be a little healthier.

Anybody want to join me?

I'll make you a badge...