Hi there to all my Carol’s Corner readers. Hope you’re all having a great weekend. This was me today at our craft vender’s spot at the mall. I forgot my sweater today and it wasn’t warm enough , so later in the day had to go buy a sweater and found this awesome one. Went really nice with my outfit and will probably use it a lot this winter. It has a really cool back , so just gotta show you the back view. Everyone loved it.

I am so happy with my early Christmas present. The Fitbit Flex is so awesome. I met my step goal for the second full day since I got it. It was really funny because we were dancing when it buzzed and lit up. I’m “What a cool time to reach my 10,000 steps”. Here’s what I ended up with and I already have 3,956 toward Sunday’s step count.

I can see why people that have these love them. It is an awesome motivational tool and makes you more aware of whether you need to be more active. While at the vender area for 8 hours, I got up and tried to walk around more instead of just sitting. I highly recommend this to anyone that wants something to help them stay on track. Until I joined the walk group, I never heard of FitBit. So glad I let my oldest daughter know I wanted this. I knew she would get the rest of the family to put towards it for Christmas. Now I can’t wait for the colored bands I ordered to come, but think they’re coming from overseas, so will be awhile. Now I’d like to talk a little about exercise and weight loss , if needed, for people with all the different forms of Arthritis and related autoimmune diseases. I have Osteoarthritis myself, so I know some of the challenges. First and foremost, you should be seeing a health care professional , who will advise you of things you should do, or medications they think you might need. Weight loss can be very important, because any extra weight we have,puts much more stress on the joints. A fact I know, because I have two knee replacements, is this little know fact. For every pound you lose , it takes four pounds of pressure off your knee joints. Considering my weight loss of between 54-58 pounds, I’d say I just prolonged the life of my artificial joints. If I hadn’t lost the weight and kept gaining more, I probably would have needed knee revision surgery sooner than later. This issue alone , should make anyone with these diseases more determined to take off excess weight. That brings us to the exercise component. It is even more important to do some form of exercise on a regular basis. You know how Leslie always talks about walking putting juice in the joints? Well this is totally true. Doctor’s say exercise increases lubrication of the joints and strengthens surrounding muscle, putting less stress on the joints. Studies have shown that exercise helps people with Arthritis by reducing joint pain & stiffness and increasing flexibility, muscle strength & energy. It also helps with weight reduction and a sense of well being. Don’t let Arthritis beat you. Arm yourself with all the facts you can find, get doctor’s advice , and keep as active as you possibly can. As an old saying goes, “if you don’t use it , you lose it”. Since I lost the weight and exercise regularly , I have much less pain and stiffness. I only take medication if I have a flare up. So get out there and move as much as your body lets you, and if weight is an issue take charge, and commit to getting rid of those extra pounds. Your body will love you for it. I know this was a topic that people wanted me to address. I hope those who needed this , find it to be helpful. I promise tomorrow I’ll have a recipe for you. Don’t have to get up early Monday. Not gonna get much sleep tonight, but can never rest until I Get this online. So get out there and get moving. Till next time, God bless.