Ahh here we are again Sparkpeople. I am at the cross road again where I must lose weight in order to live. I have been having some health issues lately and the doctor is trying to find out what is going on. My hands and legs have been getting so swollen I have what's called pitting edema. It can be pretty bad if I don't drink enough and elevate when possible. This condition itself has caused me to gain about 5-7 pounds since Thanksgiving when it started. I have also been having some heart palpitations that we thought was just anxiety but when you add it in with the edema it could mean my heart is having trouble. I'm 32 years old and can be having heart problems again (when I was a baby I had a PDA or patent ductus arteriosis and had open heart surgery at 7 months). It is crazy, I'm too young for these problems.

Another thing that has gotten me worried about my health is that a friend from high school just recently had a heart attack just before Christmas. He is the same age as me! It is a scary reality that could happen to me. It is almost like a ticking time bomb if I don't do something about it.

So, I'm here and I have joined the 10 min/day exercise challenge. So far so good with that. I've also picked up a few people to slim down with on Facebook. I've picked a short term goal and a reward for when I reach it. Honestly I have done more for the 3rd times a charm than I have done in the past. This is going to be my life change. I've got a new to me treadmill and I'm committed to working out on it for my 10 min a day.

Let's do this!!!