No change but lots of food for thought

Well, I had a bad Monday food and exercise wise but, apart from that, have been good and have done loads of exercise. I was particularly proud that I managed to go running in the morning on Wednesday. I had been intending to go swimming when, late on Tuesday evening, I remembered that I had a lunchtime meeting so wouldn't be able to. I also had a hair appointment that evening which would make doing something after work difficult, so what to do??

I'll go for a run first thing I said confidently and set the alarm accordingly. To be honest, I didn't really expect that this would happen as early morning runs have never featured heavily in my life. I manage to go to personal training at 7am because I would feel guilty about standing Huw up at that hour but, with no-one waiting for me, running seemed unlikely.


But, to my great surprise and that of my unwilling chimp, there we were at 6.30am, pounding up the road in a somewhat stiff and sluggish manner!! Go me. It was definitely chimp management that made the difference. I did all the "you'll enjoy it when you get out"; "it's no different to going to Personal Training"; "if Peridot can do it (and earlier too) then you can!" and something must have worked because I did eventually manage 3 reasonably sprightly miles.


What I hadn't factored in when choosing my route was how cold it was going to be - it's May for God's sake!


And, that I was running along the main road in the Valley along the route to a local factory. Loads of people I know from the pub or football work there and apparently start work at 7am so I was getting beeped and smirked at the whole way. Next time (and there will be a next time!) I will run over the fields....I could do without trying to look athletic at that time in the morning. There I am, running at my usual sensible, slightly slow pace when I see a car I recognise and my vanity (or maybe my chimp's vanity) impels me to speed up and run "bouncily" until it has passed....pathetic....and tiring!!


Weightwise, I maintained the exact same weight, right down to the decimal point, for 6 consecutive days until yesterday when it dropped slightly. Not enough to say that I have dropped a lb but at least it changed. I was beginning to think that the scales had broken. I'm hoping that it is time of the month which is causing this stickiness but, in case it is not, I have cut out all cappucinos and am limiting fruit until I see another drop.


On a different tack, has anyone heard of a condition called Electrosensitivity (ES) or sometimes Electrohypersensitivity (EHS)? I met a woman on Tuesday night suffering from this and am appalled at what a huge effect it has had on her and how it hit her out of the blue. Basically it's a condition which develops as a result of overexposure to electricity and radiation and over time sufferers become effectively "allergic" to their computer, mobile phone, cordless phone, microwave and, in more severe cases, all electricity.


The woman I met (Allison) had come round to talk to me about walking my dogs. She's a bright, intelligent, attractive, fit and healthy looking 40 year old woman and we clicked immediately. I was asking where she lived and why she was dog walking (as it was obvious that she was a professional type woman from the South of England) and she told me her story.


She was living in London with her longterm partner working at a professional but very computer and phone based job. Fine and dandy. Over a long period of time she started getting symptons of low-level illness: being rundown, headaches, bad skin. Put it down to the normal malaise of busy modern life. Tried to get healthy etc but it just got worse. Eventually she was coming out in bright red rashes, itching, pain in the head and neck, loss of bladder control, difficulty breathing all of which went away when she was outdoors and away from her computer or mobile phone!


She has been diagnosed (which was apparently a battle as it is not widely recognised) with ES and has had to move to a remote place to get away from all masts, mobiles, wifi, radio waves. She's now living in a motorhome on a campsite in Hope while trying to find a more permanent cottage which will allow her to totally detox. So all last winter she was here on her own: no lights, no mobile, no computer, hardly able to go in shops because of the till technology, only able to drive for limited periods, only seeing her partner every other weekend, signed off her job on longterm illness and going to bed at 5pm for want of anything better to do. I think I would have gone spare!


And the prognosis is not great. She is hopeful that, if she totally detoxes, she will get to a stage when she will be able to live a relatively normal life (without computer, mobile, heavily adapted home etc but at least reasonably functional) but this may take years.


Yet she is sunny and as positive as possible without coming across as a nutter. So, she's now walking my dogs with her young cocker spaniel Hope. What a name in the circumstances - both the place where she lives in exile; and her hope for sanity and company and her hope for a future I suppose! Minty and Hope get on like a house on fire - it's a cocker lovefest of barking, playing, chasing and jumping when they're together. Shelagh, much more sedate, trots along behind and only joins in when sorely provoked.


Allison and I are going to join the tennis club in the village at my suggestion. We walked past it and I thought that it would be ideal for her - it's sociable, outdoors and well away from mobile technology. And good for me too to meet a new friend and combine it with exercise instead of drink!!


As you can probably tell, meeting her made a big impression on me. I couldn't help think that there but for the grace of God go I and so many others. And I wondered how positive and lacking in bitternessI would remain in similar circumstances. I'm sure she has had and still has her dark times but she was an inspiration to me to look to what you CAN do and maximise the good side of life rather than dwelling on the negatives.