Fit For Good challenge

I joined the Fitbit FitForGood challenge  for my steps from Nov 9-20th to support the MS Society.

Join me
https://fitforgood.fitbit.com/

Walk MS Houston - National MS Society

Walk MS Houston - National MS Society:



'via Blog this'

Why I Participate:

Walk MS is a day that connects friends, families, and coworkers who join together to help create a world free of MS. I am an advocate for all invisible diseases as a person with Fibromyalgia that may be more I support any work to rid the world of these diseases and help those that currently have them and may in the future.

About MS
Multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system, interrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS.

Did you know?: Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease. 

Please support me!
Your gift helps provide life-changing programs and services for people affected by MS, and cutting-edge research. Your donation puts us closer to realizing our promise to STOP MS in its tracks, RESTORE lost function and END MS forever. Ending MS means no one will receive an MS diagnosis again.

Every step matters. Every dollar counts. Every person makes a difference.

Why we march

Each year my family and I participate in the March for Babies walk to support premature babies and families. While we have our own reasons for marching we are reminded everyday of other reasons.

I found this article about Zoë Saldana and while she references a different  charity the cause, reason and n outcomes are the same and should inspire others.  Our first walk in 2008 was fun and because we believed in the cause but after we became personally invested.

March for Babies 2016

2015 Butterfly Garden 

Each year the March for babies give participants the option to donate and purchase butterflies for a butterfly garden in memorial or celebration of a life lost or granted by the aid of today's technology and funds made and given from the March of Dimes.

It is that time again, the March of Dimes has set the schedule for the 2016 March for Babies.  And the Team Qhamatas will be at it again.  We hope you will join us or at least donate.  

Join our team for 2016: Team Qhamatas

Why we walk

When you walk in March for Babies, you give hope to nearly half a million babies born too soon each year. The money you raise supports programs in your community that help moms have healthy, full-term pregnancies. And it funds research to find answers to the problems that threaten our babies. We’ve been walking since 1970 and have raised an incredible $2.3 billion to benefit all babies.

What to expect

This year, 3 million people will join their family, friends and colleagues in nearly 700 communities across the nation. Our volunteers and staff will encourage and support you in your efforts to raise awareness and funds. No matter if this is your first year or your 25th, you can expect the event to be fun, compelling and rewarding.

Walk Distance: 5 miles

Registration Time: 8:00 AM

Start Time: 9:00 AM

Chapter: Houston Division

Family fit day

I climbed 10 flights of stairs and earned the Happy Hill badge! #Fitbit

Curried Chickpea Salad

Yum,  I tried this out and it was great.  My kids and DH loved it too.

http://www.simple-veganista.com/2014/01/curried-chickpea-salad.html

30 Things About My Invisible Illness You May Not Know

30 Things About My Invisible Illness You May Not Know

1. The illness I live with is: Anemia, Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia (that I know of)

2. I was diagnosed with it in the year: Anemia started 2005; Fatigue and Fibro August 2012

3. But I had symptoms since: 2010

4. The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make is: Sleep schedule, knowing when to stop instead of pushing past my limits

5. Most people assume: It's normal every day aches or old age pains :) or I simply overslept or being lazy

6. The hardest part about mornings are: Getting out of bed.  Sometimes my back hurts so bad I can't do anything but lay there. 

7. My favorite medical TV show is: Right now Grey's Anatomy.  It used to be House when it was on the air.  

8. A gadget I couldn’t live without is: My scanner/adobe type writer; I have issues writing for to long so what I tend to do is scan things I need to write on and use my adobe typewriter to fill in the forms.

9. The hardest part about nights are: Getting comfortable enough to fall asleep or keeping my RLS at bay

10. Each day I take _ 7_ pills & vitamins. (No comments, please. That is including taking 1 pill twice out the day)

11. Regarding alternative treatments I: Am still looking.

12. If I had to choose between an invisible illness or visible I would choose: Actually I probably would prefer an invisible one.  Even with all the trouble of trying to convince someone that you do have a problem.  I would prefer that over them seeing my pain everyday and either feeling sorry for me or it hurting them too seeing my problems.  At least this way I can hide it when I need to (which also causes it's own problems :) ). 

13. Regarding working and career: Hmm, that has been my biggest struggle.  I would like to be further along than I am, but I wonder sometimes if I take on the extra work will I be able to keep up.  Or will my ailment remain at the stage it's at or worsen making it harder to keep up.

14. People would be surprised to know: Anything is wrong with me.  I rarely just let go and lay out not moving.  I try to push through, which on days I fall asleep at the drop of a dime is kinda scary.

15. The hardest thing to accept about my new reality has been: Unpredictability.  I love to plan ahead, but I can't always count on my plans.  

16. Something I never thought I could do with my illness that I did was: Running.  With the pain that I feel and the extreme pain I feel after exercising I didn't think I would be strong enough to even pretend to run, but I do.  And  I love it.  And will keep it up until my body tells me otherwise.

17. The commercials about my illness: Are vague.  I'm glad they are there because then when I say Fibromyalgia or chronic pain people are like "Oh yeah" I heard about that.  But they don't really do it justice.

18. Something I really miss doing since I was diagnosed is: Getting up and just going.  Now getting up is an issue and some days I can't go because I can't wake up.

19. It was really hard to have to give up: Hanging out after the kids are in bed.  That's usually my me time or me and hubby time, but for the most part I usually need too (don't always do what I need) go to bed when they do to function in the mornings.

20. A new hobby I have taken up since my diagnosis is: I haven't fully executed it, but I want to garden.  Actively as mentioned above I've taken up running.

21. If I could have one day of feeling normal again I would: Take the kids somewhere like disney were we would walk around all day, ride rides, eat whatever and do it again the next day.  As it stands if I did that I wouldn't be able to walk either the next day or a few hours into that day.

22. My illness has taught me: Priorities

23. Want to know a secret? One thing people say that gets under my skin is: Just take some tylenol or just get up and move around you'll feel better.

24. But I love it when people: Want to know more and don't blame everything on my ailment

25. My favorite motto, scripture, quote that gets me through tough times is: Of course, God doesn't give you anything you can't handle.

26. When someone is diagnosed I’d like to tell them: Don't think about what you can't do, remember all you can and do what you can until you can't.

27. Something that has surprised me about living with an illness is: How little people know about others.  When I tell people

28. The nicest thing someone did for me when I wasn’t feeling well was: My hubs took the kids out the whole day so I could be alone to sleep, surf the internet or just veg out.

29. I’m involved with Invisible Illness Week because: There are a lot of those who suffer in silence and I was one of them.  I'm not trying to put a sign on my back and say look at me, but look at the illnesses support those with them.

30. The fact that you read this list makes me feel: Happy that maybe you will take interest or show us chronically ill some support.

My Facebook Page: F-A-I-D-Fighting-Against-Invisible-Diseases

MS Donations: http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Donate
My Personal Lupus Donation page: http://lupus.donorpages.com/Raise4Lupus/TPQ/