6 months ago I hit a brick wall. My body wasn't recovering my exhaustion was no longer manageable, and my moods were erratic. I've known for years something wasn't right. One ND said adrenal fatigue, one doctor laughed and said of course I was tired (ignoring all other symptoms) because I have 5 kids (who are all older and mostly self sufficient) and another doctor that said I should go see psych because I'm being emotional.
It was frustrating to know something was wrong but to not be taken seriously. I gave up and just tried to cope the best I could, but coping was no longer working. I could no longer muster enough energy to go to the gym, eating well flew out the window, and forget even mundane normal tasks, just getting off the couch to pee was sometimes too much some days.
Then a few weeks ago I happened to be working my Jamberry booth at a vendor event when I met Ginger, trained in Chinese medicine and pulse diagnosis. Just for the novelty of it I let her check my pulse and she blew my mind. She ran down the list of almost every single symptom I've been suffering from, just by simply feeling my pulse. I made an appointment with her at the acupuncture clinic she works at for a full assessment. On my second visit the acupuncturist asked if a doctor had ever suggested fibromyalgia to me. I just kind of laughed and said no, they all assured me I was crazy and it's all in my head. She went over the symptoms and how she felt this was what was most definitely what was wrong. Now I could go through the horrible process of dealing with the military doctors to get an "official" diagnosis but I don't see the point as I won't take the pharma drugs that would be prescribed, the side effects simply aren't worth it, nor do I have any plans to file for disability.
I've now been on Chinese herbals for two weeks. As the fog of fatigue starts to clear, the symptoms I didn't notice before due to being overshadowed by the fatigue are starting to become clearly. Mostly the constant pain. I'm learning new coping techniques. It it's definitely a struggle. I still find many mundane activities to be a struggle but I at least have the energy to mostly push my way through and do things.
Yesterday I hit the gym. I was scared. My body ached so bad but I knew I needed to just walk through those doors and move my muscles. I started easy on the elliptical, which at first I thought might actually kill me. My quads were screaming but I shushed them by blaring some Backstreet Boys and pushing through. 15 minutes later I was feeling better and had a bit of endorphin kick, so I hit the weight room. My gosh it was magical! I seriously missed feeling that cold iron bar and squatting. I don't even care that I had to lower my weights, the fact I finished a workout was success enough for me!
And yes, today I am sore but I'm sore in the best way possible! I'm not sure what I will do today. Cleaning needs to happen but I'm feeling much more like curling up here on the couch with Supernatural and some knitting and maybe some hot tea. Maybe after my husband gets home we will do some yoga together just so I can stretch the muscles and be ready for weights again tomorrow :)
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Friday, January 11, 2013
But what do your kids eat?
I get this question a lot! It's also a common concern among my clients as to what they will feed their spouse/children for dinner while they are on a "diet". PS I hate the word diet since it has such a negative implication attached to it. We are ALL on a diet, a diet is simply the food you eat. I don't put my clients on a diet, I give them a guideline of what to eat and the portions to eat them in, and I give them the tools to learn how to make a lifestyle change. I believe the number 1 reason diets fail is because when it's over the person goes right back to the lifestyle/habits that lead to them needing to diet in the first place, whereas a lifestyle change there is no end date. You just do it, right Nike? That's not really here nor there but does offer some background to this common question.
What do my kids eat? The same things I eat, in portions meant for them. We do not buy junky snacks, we do not cater to what they think they want, we cater to their health! Some people feel our children are deprived because they don't get soda or cookies or twinkies or whatever but they aren't and they do get those things IN MODERATION. That is the key word there. We have a pizza night once a month in which we enjoy pizza, cookies, soda. Or we will have our geeky weekend movie marathons in which I'll bake treats that fit the theme of the movies we are watching (Harry Potter is a family favorite, the kids love butter beer!). As for snacks, we always have a huge bowl on the counter full of fruit options, potatoes are always handy as the teenagers love to make roasted potatoes as afterschool snacks, and we keep popcorn kernels for air popping. They can also fix a tortilla wrap with ground turkey/beef and cheese if they are really hungry and need something more filling to tied them over to dinner.
They prefer healthy, whole foods to junky foods. They know which foods will help them grow, keep them healthy, give them energy. Just like they know which foods will make them feel yucky. The kids have oatmeal for breakfast, sometimes with eggs, sometimes with turkey sausage, sometimes just the oatmeal. Lunch they pack themselves and includes a protein, a carb, a fat and sometimes a healthy(ish) snack. A typical lunch for my 7yo is tuna fish in pita pockets, slice of real cheese, mandarin orange, and possibly whole grain goldfish or organic 100% fruit rolls. My 10yo loves making chicken salad, she cops up lettuce, fresh veggies and chicken breast for her salads, sometimes she will take a salad dressing for it and sometimes not, then of course a fruit (banana, apple, or mandarin orange) and sometimes one of the same treat snacks as the 7yo. My 12 yo you can almost always predit his will be a tunafish sandwich, a banana, and if available one of the treat snacks. They rarely pack something different, this is what they enjoy and they don't get bored eating it.
But ohemgee what about dinner? Easy! Remember my basic grocery list? We fix meals off that! It's really amazing how many ways you can cook chicken and so many options for veggies and complex carb to go with it, even spaghetti can be healthified! We make the sauce from scratch using canned tomatoes and tomato paste, sauteed/roasted veggies, and spices, lean ground beef and whole wheat or brown rice noodles, voila!
There is always the concern that well my kid is a picky eat or my kid will only eat xyz. I'm going to be blunt here, your kids will eat what you put in front of them, they will eat what you model eating. It may take some time but they will eat, they are not going to starve themselves, kids are kind of smart that way. Take for instance when i first married my husband he got custody of his son from his previous marriage and his son would pretty much only eat pizza out of the box or hamburger helper and the only thing he would drink was Sunny D. He was 3, and like most 3 year olds, stubborn. Ha, I am stubborn too ;) I won't say it was easy, I won't say I didn't consider throwing my hands up and just letting him eat that stuff but I knew if I held my ground he would start eating more variety. Now he is still picky about some things, I mean who isn't, but by far he is the one of the least picky of all of our children. Our pickiest is definitely the youngest and that stems from sensory issues and food allergies so we do make exceptions for her, still she eats 90% of what everyone else eats.
My husband and I both model healthy eating. We eat clean whole foods most of the time, allowing for treats in moderation. We both hit the gym several times a week. We use helpful language when it comes to talking about food, teaching them rather than forcing them. For younger kids using language cues can be amazingly helpful. Dr Sears classifies foods that help you be strong and healthy as "grow foods" and also puts foods into a stop light category. Green light foods can be eaten all the time, yellow light foods eaten often but not unlimited like green light foods, and red light foods are the ones to eat rarely or never. Some of our clients have found using this type of language and classification the biggest helper in transitioning their children to a healthier, cleaner eating lifestyle and teaching about what foods without putting a good or bad label on them. I personally don't like to classify foods as good or bad either, it's kind of like sticking a big red button on the "bad" foods and saying don't touch. I bet you will touch that red button right? Right we can't help it. So no foods are 100% off limits but there are foods that are better to eat in abundance and foods best left to moderation.
How do you handle food in your home? Do you keep healthy snacks at the ready or do you buy convenience snacks in packages? Do you eat the same dinner as your children or make several different dinners to meet the personal wants of everyone?
PS I forgot to add this handy link to an article called clean eating for kids, it has some tips for the transition.
What do my kids eat? The same things I eat, in portions meant for them. We do not buy junky snacks, we do not cater to what they think they want, we cater to their health! Some people feel our children are deprived because they don't get soda or cookies or twinkies or whatever but they aren't and they do get those things IN MODERATION. That is the key word there. We have a pizza night once a month in which we enjoy pizza, cookies, soda. Or we will have our geeky weekend movie marathons in which I'll bake treats that fit the theme of the movies we are watching (Harry Potter is a family favorite, the kids love butter beer!). As for snacks, we always have a huge bowl on the counter full of fruit options, potatoes are always handy as the teenagers love to make roasted potatoes as afterschool snacks, and we keep popcorn kernels for air popping. They can also fix a tortilla wrap with ground turkey/beef and cheese if they are really hungry and need something more filling to tied them over to dinner.
They prefer healthy, whole foods to junky foods. They know which foods will help them grow, keep them healthy, give them energy. Just like they know which foods will make them feel yucky. The kids have oatmeal for breakfast, sometimes with eggs, sometimes with turkey sausage, sometimes just the oatmeal. Lunch they pack themselves and includes a protein, a carb, a fat and sometimes a healthy(ish) snack. A typical lunch for my 7yo is tuna fish in pita pockets, slice of real cheese, mandarin orange, and possibly whole grain goldfish or organic 100% fruit rolls. My 10yo loves making chicken salad, she cops up lettuce, fresh veggies and chicken breast for her salads, sometimes she will take a salad dressing for it and sometimes not, then of course a fruit (banana, apple, or mandarin orange) and sometimes one of the same treat snacks as the 7yo. My 12 yo you can almost always predit his will be a tunafish sandwich, a banana, and if available one of the treat snacks. They rarely pack something different, this is what they enjoy and they don't get bored eating it.
But ohemgee what about dinner? Easy! Remember my basic grocery list? We fix meals off that! It's really amazing how many ways you can cook chicken and so many options for veggies and complex carb to go with it, even spaghetti can be healthified! We make the sauce from scratch using canned tomatoes and tomato paste, sauteed/roasted veggies, and spices, lean ground beef and whole wheat or brown rice noodles, voila!
There is always the concern that well my kid is a picky eat or my kid will only eat xyz. I'm going to be blunt here, your kids will eat what you put in front of them, they will eat what you model eating. It may take some time but they will eat, they are not going to starve themselves, kids are kind of smart that way. Take for instance when i first married my husband he got custody of his son from his previous marriage and his son would pretty much only eat pizza out of the box or hamburger helper and the only thing he would drink was Sunny D. He was 3, and like most 3 year olds, stubborn. Ha, I am stubborn too ;) I won't say it was easy, I won't say I didn't consider throwing my hands up and just letting him eat that stuff but I knew if I held my ground he would start eating more variety. Now he is still picky about some things, I mean who isn't, but by far he is the one of the least picky of all of our children. Our pickiest is definitely the youngest and that stems from sensory issues and food allergies so we do make exceptions for her, still she eats 90% of what everyone else eats.
My husband and I both model healthy eating. We eat clean whole foods most of the time, allowing for treats in moderation. We both hit the gym several times a week. We use helpful language when it comes to talking about food, teaching them rather than forcing them. For younger kids using language cues can be amazingly helpful. Dr Sears classifies foods that help you be strong and healthy as "grow foods" and also puts foods into a stop light category. Green light foods can be eaten all the time, yellow light foods eaten often but not unlimited like green light foods, and red light foods are the ones to eat rarely or never. Some of our clients have found using this type of language and classification the biggest helper in transitioning their children to a healthier, cleaner eating lifestyle and teaching about what foods without putting a good or bad label on them. I personally don't like to classify foods as good or bad either, it's kind of like sticking a big red button on the "bad" foods and saying don't touch. I bet you will touch that red button right? Right we can't help it. So no foods are 100% off limits but there are foods that are better to eat in abundance and foods best left to moderation.
How do you handle food in your home? Do you keep healthy snacks at the ready or do you buy convenience snacks in packages? Do you eat the same dinner as your children or make several different dinners to meet the personal wants of everyone?
PS I forgot to add this handy link to an article called clean eating for kids, it has some tips for the transition.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
A delicious unvented recipe
I decided to quit writing out every damn thing I was eating, figured you guys didn't really care. And well let's be honest, my food isn't that exciting. I pretty much eat the same things everyday. I don't find it boring and I do spice it up here and there but I prefer easy to fancy and easy means I don't have to think about it!
Today though I had a craving for chicken curry, except I didn't have any canned coconut milk on hand. What does a girl with a craving do? Unvent a new way to make it! I have to say I think I love this version way more than the usual way I make it.
Unvented Chicken Curry
Today though I had a craving for chicken curry, except I didn't have any canned coconut milk on hand. What does a girl with a craving do? Unvent a new way to make it! I have to say I think I love this version way more than the usual way I make it.
Unvented Chicken Curry
- 1tbs coconut oil
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2-3 tsp curry
- 1 lg chicken breast
- 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
I grilled the chicken until it was cooked on the outside but still raw inside (my George Foreman grill is amazing, my chicken is never dry!), then diced it. While the chicken was pre-cooking I sauteed the bell pepper in the coconut oil, then added the diced chicken, broth, cream, curry, and a few turns of himalayan sea salt. Brought this to a boil to finish cooking the chicken and then plated it. I took a picture of course before I devoured it but seriously the picture does not do it justice, and frankly i suck at picture taking anyways.
As for the last 2 days post carb nite, they've been eh. I'm tired but not due to the diet, it's just that time of the month and TOM and adrenal fatigue do not play well together. I did still bust out an ass popping workout yesterday and today spent a few hours purging my bedroom. Really want I want most to do is curl up in my bed with hot cocoa, knitting, and some guilty pleasure tv show or movie for the next day or two. Too bad life doesn't really allow for that luxury. I'm also not very hungry but trying to make sure I do get my macros in even if it's the bare minimum and I'm cool with that. I know I will be back to me soon!
Monday, January 7, 2013
Grocery Shopping made Easy
Grocery list I mean? Mine almost always has the same items on it although I do switch things up every now and then for variety. I love to cook and create new recipes and combos, I mean really there are so many ways you can fix chicken and fish! A sample grocery list of mine looks like this:
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This is just the basics, there are more items I interchange or purchase depending on my mood but for the most part these are my staples. Not on the list because I buy in bulk: oatmeal, eggs, egg whites.
The main reason I do not buy meat in bulk is 1-I hate thawing meat, I usually forget to thaw and then I have to microwave it to cook my meat for the week and 2-I haven't found that buying in bulk is actually cost effective and 3-I prefer to buy my meat from Trader Joes so that I know it's high quality. I buy what I need for the week so my meat is bought and cooked fresh. I am just funny that way I guess!
I like to keep my pantry stocked as well. I have enough spices to make any type of seasoning blend. One of the things my 12yo son likes to do is make spaghetti sauce from scratch so we keep an abundance of Italian spices on hand for him. I however love Curry so I have a couple of different powder curry's and cans of coconut milk for those moments when I just have to have chicken curry. You will also always find in my pantry Mrs. Dash seasoning blends, Pink Himalayan salt, sea salt, EVOO, coconut oil, various flours (almond, coconut, wheat, bread, gluten free. . .), non stick spray, and flavored extracts.
Do you have a basic shopping list you stick to and add or exchange items based on your mood for the week, or based on what's on sale? I find it helpful to have a basic list so even if I need to send my husband shopping I can just email this list and know he will have no problem getting everything we need.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Well, that happened
I have been so busy the last two days that I haven't had time to post or hell even write down my food for the day and take any pictures! Yesterday I took my 10yo daughter out for some girl time, she got to do a little bit of shopping and then met with my stylist to get her first "grown up" haircut and style. I admit I was very hesitant over the short a-line bob she wanted but Austin reassured me it would work great with her hair type. I have to say she looks older, more mature, and she absolutely loves the new style! I think she lost around 12-16" of hair! Once she was done it was hurry home and get dinner started so I could drive an hour up to the "city" for my massage therapy appointment. I had been looking forward to this for almost 2 weeks! My MT is amazing, seriously.
Yesterday was also day 5 of prep and CNS. I am finding I have such an abundance of energy. Before I never would have been able to feel comfortable driving an hour (at 6pm) for a 90min appt and then drive an hour back (at 9pm) before because I wouldn't have had the energy and would have needed several cups of coffee just to stay awake. Instead the only thing I needed, or wanted, was a massive ton of water. I drink somewhere in the vicinity of 6 liters. From what I have read that thirst is a sign of ketosis. Note to self never google symptoms of ketosis again, sheesh, that was almost as bad as looking up a symptom on webmd!
Today was pretty similar, minus the crazy thirst. Decided to take my 16yo son shopping since he had been asking me for a shopping trip for a few weeks. We had a blast! Usually for lunch we always go and have chinese food in the food court and today was no exception. I gave him my rice and just ate some angus steak with asparagus thing and chicken with mushrooms & zucchini. We also of course had to get coffee, I had my first breve today and holy wow was that delicious! I kind of wish I had been drinking breve's before now ;) All in all we were out shopping for 7 hours. This was so surprising to me, I can usually last 1 maybe 2 hours at the mall or doing any kind of errands and by the time I get home I am so physically and mentally wiped that I often spend the rest of the day in bed. Before getting into this fit lifestyle I would often be out for 1-2 days after grocery shopping.
The only downer of the day was a run in with a rude cashier at Old Navy when I was buying some new athletic pants. Yes I do have to buy the smallest size they carry, whatevs, their sizing is all over the place. Anyways while she was ringing me up she saw the size tag on the pants nd said with a bit of an eye roll "xs? ugh!" Wow, really? That was uncalled for! She wouldn't have rolled her eyes and said "xl? ugh!" so why is it ok to make remarks like that to someone who is an xs? I really detest rude and disparaging comments aimed at smaller people. I work HARD to maintain my body. I could easily stop exercising and stop eating healthy and become overweight but I chose to be healthy to be fit and there isn't a damn thing wrong with that so take your jealous judgmental comments and keep them to yourself!
All in all this prep and the induction phase of CNS has been a breeze. I love the food options I have, I love watching the scale drop, and most of all I love this energy I have! Now I'm going to go make some chocolate almond protein pancakes and smear some natty pb on them, mmmm yum! (kind of like these, but this isn't my pic!)
Yesterday was also day 5 of prep and CNS. I am finding I have such an abundance of energy. Before I never would have been able to feel comfortable driving an hour (at 6pm) for a 90min appt and then drive an hour back (at 9pm) before because I wouldn't have had the energy and would have needed several cups of coffee just to stay awake. Instead the only thing I needed, or wanted, was a massive ton of water. I drink somewhere in the vicinity of 6 liters. From what I have read that thirst is a sign of ketosis. Note to self never google symptoms of ketosis again, sheesh, that was almost as bad as looking up a symptom on webmd!
Today was pretty similar, minus the crazy thirst. Decided to take my 16yo son shopping since he had been asking me for a shopping trip for a few weeks. We had a blast! Usually for lunch we always go and have chinese food in the food court and today was no exception. I gave him my rice and just ate some angus steak with asparagus thing and chicken with mushrooms & zucchini. We also of course had to get coffee, I had my first breve today and holy wow was that delicious! I kind of wish I had been drinking breve's before now ;) All in all we were out shopping for 7 hours. This was so surprising to me, I can usually last 1 maybe 2 hours at the mall or doing any kind of errands and by the time I get home I am so physically and mentally wiped that I often spend the rest of the day in bed. Before getting into this fit lifestyle I would often be out for 1-2 days after grocery shopping.
The only downer of the day was a run in with a rude cashier at Old Navy when I was buying some new athletic pants. Yes I do have to buy the smallest size they carry, whatevs, their sizing is all over the place. Anyways while she was ringing me up she saw the size tag on the pants nd said with a bit of an eye roll "xs? ugh!" Wow, really? That was uncalled for! She wouldn't have rolled her eyes and said "xl? ugh!" so why is it ok to make remarks like that to someone who is an xs? I really detest rude and disparaging comments aimed at smaller people. I work HARD to maintain my body. I could easily stop exercising and stop eating healthy and become overweight but I chose to be healthy to be fit and there isn't a damn thing wrong with that so take your jealous judgmental comments and keep them to yourself!
All in all this prep and the induction phase of CNS has been a breeze. I love the food options I have, I love watching the scale drop, and most of all I love this energy I have! Now I'm going to go make some chocolate almond protein pancakes and smear some natty pb on them, mmmm yum! (kind of like these, but this isn't my pic!)
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