Hey hey it's Friday!

It's been a hectic week. On Wednesday afternoon a huge pile-up on the highway made a mess of it for most of Pretoria's residents. Yesterday wifey and me had to take the back street way to work. Hectic! Did this contribute to my blood pressure situation? I don't think so, because last night I measured a lovely 131/80! Quite nice, even if I have to say so myself...

Why am I so worried about blood pressure? According to Wikipedia blood pressure is "a force exerted by circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels, and is one of the principal vital signs."

So what does this mean? Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by the blood on the arterial walls. This is influenced by narrowing of veins and arteries, viscosity of blood, etc. When the diastolic pressure (that's the low/resting pressure) is too high, it can lead to strokes, etc. The heart muscle also weakens over time. So we need to keep it in check.

The weight is also coming down nicely. The scales still tells me to get lost, but my clothes start to fit better, feel looser and I'm not getting irritated so easily. I can even get my pants down without unfastening the button! Last week I could not fasten the button without serious effort... Just goes to show what pure will power and a pill (and self-control) can do.

If I can do it, so can anyone else. For I am a weakling if there is a juicy lamb rib on the table, or a yummy koeksister within reach. Even the smell of a braaing boerie gets me going!!! But now? I walk past the ice cream freezers with a sneer.....

Have a wonderful, blessed, God-filled Friday!!!