Category: Physical

The Weight

For any of you that know me well, you know that I have been battling with my weight for years now.  Growing up and through college and my early working life, I didn’t really give the matter too much thought.  Luckily, I was surrounded by friends and family who didn’t shame me for my weight, and I pretty much just did what I wanted around eating.  In my late 20s, though, I would go for my annual checkup and find that my blood pressure and cholesterol levels were getting worse, not to mention I felt more tired all of the time.  Once I started seeing myself at risk for health problems (and I was old enough to start seeing that my mortality was indeed a thing) I took action.  I have pretty much been exercising and dieting ever since.  Several times and in several ways I have lost around 85 pounds, but have gained some or most of it back.  My latest round of weight gain was due to my pregnancy, so I honestly don’t regret that, but there is still quite a bit of that weight that I would be fine with eliminating.

The good news for me is through all of this I have finally started to get real about what diet and exercise should be.  I have done the heavy exercising thing.  I have done the very few calories thing.  I have spent time avoiding my favorite foods and absolutely hating how deprived I felt.  Another element after having a baby is that I simply don’t have the time to go all out on something either.  So, what am I doing now?

In general, I am looking at my “diet” as simply what I eat – no starvation or deprivation.  I have learned about some great things out there and I have tried to apply them.  Some common themes are to eat real food and think about how added sugar can be an issue.  Now, I do try to avoid some things most of the time – bread, some dairy, soy, and some other things, but I do have something I crave every once in awhile.  For example, last night I had some ice cream, and it was delicious!  I am also trying to at least get 30 minutes of exercise or movement into my day at least 5 days a week.  It is nothing extreme, but there are definitely some benefits to making it happen.

How about you?  Do you even think about what you eat and if you exercise?  If not, is it something worth considering?  If you do think about it, do you think what you are doing is realistic and something you can do in the long run?  My hope is that you can find a healthy way to eat and move in ways that are realistic and beneficial.

Yuck

*Note: This was written at an earlier date

Yesterday was a bad day.  Both my husband and I were up in the middle of the previous night with stomach issues, and we were both nauseous and achy and tired.  I later found out that my mom had it too.  Luckily, our little one seemed fine, but when we thought about it, we remembered that he had been sick just briefly a few days before, so we suspected we had all gotten it from him.

So, here we were on a weekend day – our son seemed healthy, which again, was a good thing.  However, we had no daycare to take him to, and our main babysitter was sick too.  In addition, it would have been wrong to ask someone else for help since I was pretty sure whatever we had was contagious.  We faced a whole day of having to stick it out watching our little one when both of us felt that we didn’t have the energy or strength to do so.  It was one of the hardest days of my life thus far.

I realize this scenario happens all of the time.  And, I realize that for a lot of people this is nothing compared to days that they have had to face.  But for me, it was so tough.  I was definitely in survival mode – I was taking it one bottle and one diaper at a time.  I was also trying to focus only on keeping him safe.  He might not have been wonderfully entertained all day, but he was safe.  At the end of the day, right before I went to sleep, I couldn’t stop thinking about how horrible of a mother I must have been during the day – I was impatient, lethargic, and not all that cheery – and that wasn’t the end of the list.  I thought I did the best I could, but it was still terrible!  I knew that physically I felt awful, but I didn’t realize how psychologically awful I would feel too.

I woke up this morning after about 10 hours of sleep and so far I am physically feeling much better.  I am looking back on yesterday still with some of the same misgivings that I had last night.  What I know, though, is that this may have been one of my first tough days as a parent, but it will not be my last.  I need to give myself some grace and forgiveness for those days when I am not my best, because they happen.  I also need to give myself some credit for what did happen.  While essentially we just met his basic needs, we did keep our son fed, changed, and safe.  He also had plenty of toys to play with during the day.  I’m sure he is feeling way better about yesterday than I am.  I did the best I could with what I had, and some days that is simply enough.

Sick Week

My last post was about a detox.  Now, today, I am sitting here and I have not felt good most of the last week.  A few days ago my head hurt.  The day before yesterday my stomach felt weird.  Yesterday and today I have a runny nose and congestion.  Darn.  Is it related to the detox?  I’m not sure, but I doubt it.  I think I am just in another round of some illness, which has been very common for me since I had my son.  Of course, it is not his fault, but I have noticed that after having him I have been sicker than usual.  My theory is that I have given him my immunity and lost mine, but of course that is probably pretty silly to think.

It seems that no matter what week it happens, illness strikes when there is a lot to do.  This week is no different.  But, like my previous blog on rest, I know it is way better to adapt and go with it instead of fight it.  For me, that means resting more and not worrying as much about getting things done.  Yes, there are essential things that have to happen – the baby needs care, I need to care for myself, etc., but to me illness is a way to tell your body to slow down and take it easy.  So, I am doing the best I can to slow down.

How about you?  Do you slow down when you are sick, or do you try to power through?  If you power through, do you end up feeling worse?  If you don’t already practice this, I encourage you to think about taking it easy next time you are sick.  For me, I’ve found that almost everything can wait for me to feel better, and hopefully you can do this as well.  It might also be a time to get help from a family member, friend, or other resource if you are not feeling well.  This can be very important because it can be hard to care for anyone else if you are not cared for when you need it.

Detox

Today I am planning to start a one week “detox”.  What exactly am I talking about here?

“Detox” can mean a lot of things to a lot of people.  In a broad sense, I believe that a detox is like a reset or a recharge.  For example, I am resetting what I eat by doing a week of fairly clean eating – no soy, no dairy, no added sugars, etc.  I am also cutting out exercise this week, which I think will be fairly easy to do!

Another example is that I have heard of people going on a technology detox, where they do not use their computers, smartphones, or TVs for a certain period of time.  As you can see, there are many different types of ways to “detox”.  Have you done anything like this before?  How did it go for you?

While starting a detox can be hard, I have found that they can be a great way to jump start a goal you are working towards.  Of course, if you are doing something that involves your health, like changing up your diet or exercise, you will want to check with your doctor first.  As you can imagine, there are a huge variety of “detoxes” out there, and some of them are not very good for you, so getting a professional’s approval is important.

If you have the time and are willing to do so, I challenge you to consider whether any type of detox would be a beneficial way to change something up in your life.

Rest

Last night I did not feel good – as the evening went on I started aching all over and had chills so bad I was shivering.  I was able to breastfeed my son before bed, but after that I just collapsed.  And, instead of setting my alarm for the usual time, I set it for 90 minutes later.  Typically, I get up early, before anyone else, so I can exercise, blog, and take some time to myself.  As much as I love some “me” time, I chose to give that up this morning because I knew that rest would be the better option.

I have learned over the years that skipping sleep, especially when you are not feeling well, is a step on the road to disaster.  For me, my body will make me pay until I finally submit and get some extra rest.  In fact, it’s always amazing to me that my body seems to be very good at making me slow down when it needs to recharge and regroup.  Fighting my body is futile.  So, instead of waiting until my tank is running on empty, I am trying to be more proactive about getting some rest and slowing down.  And, while I hate thinking that I am not getting things done so I can rest, I know that in the long run I will be better off for doing so.

How about you?  Even when you know you need the rest, do you try to power through because there is too much to do?  Do you make the conscious decision to rest, or do you wait until you are really sick?  I encourage everyone to listen more to your body and give yourself the rest it needs.  Easier said than done I know, but I know I am way better this morning than I would have been without the extra 90 minutes of rest.  Make sure you are giving yourself the space to have some down time, and you may find that you can actually be more productive including it in your life.

Love It, Hate It

Ah, exercise.  One of the things I love to hate.   Honestly, I don’t enjoy carving out the time for some daily exercise, especially now with a little one in the house.  Also, typically I get up early to exercise, and I am not a morning person.  Some mornings it takes a ton of resolve to get out of bed, but most of the time I make it happen (with some exceptions, like sick days), because the benefits always seem to outweigh me staying in bed.

Most of us know that exercise has many overall benefits – it can help with mood and concentration, improve physical health, and reduce stress, among others.  And, while I reap those benefits too, some of the biggest benefits for me are the things I tell myself after I exercise.  The biggest one, and why I exercise in the morning a lot, is that all day long I can feel good about getting it done.  Yay for me – I made a healthy decision and took the time to get it done before I made any excuses not to do so.  I also tell myself that I am setting a good example for those in my life.  Of course, no one is watching me exercise that early in the morning, but I can share what I am doing and that can be a positive influence on them.

So, I make exercise a priority in my day.  It’s not always easy, but most things that are worth doing involve some effort.  And this is a love/hate relationship that I am willing to continue.

The Mystery of Acupuncture

Laying on a comfy table with needles inserted into various parts of my skin – definitely something you would not expect from someone with a past fear of needles.  It’s one thing to have lab work done, but to actively seek wellness with needles?  What leads people like me to such a therapy?

As my posts continue on, I think you will notice a trend – there was life before my dad’s last illness and death, and there is life after.  Watching my dad suffer and navigate the current healthcare system was painful, and yet there I was (and still am) a part of that system.  But that experience has challenged me in so many ways to look at the world differently.  Is our traditional Western medicine the answer to everything?  Absolutely not.  Could there be some merit to things such as massage, acupuncture, meditation, etc.?  I think so.

I didn’t actively seek acupuncture out, but rather it found me when a licensed acupuncturist came to my workplace to talk about what she does.  I was fascinated and decided I needed to give it a try.  My first appointment was a few days before my wedding, in which I had some type of “relaxation” treatment.  And, what a ride it was.  I felt amazing afterwards, and decided that I should go again.  From then on I have been going at least monthly.

I can’t speak about any scientific evidence that supports acupuncture, but I am guessing there is some out there.  However, from personal experience, I am a fan.  Some examples – after my wedding, I had acupuncture treatments to prepare me for a pregnancy.  There was no rush to get pregnant, but it happened literally about the second all birth control was stopped.  Also, I have a long history of sinus and allergy problems – after an acupuncture session focusing on those issues I tend to be less congested and feel better.  Of course, I am sure you might believe it has all been wishful thinking on my part.  I guess I can’t absolutely prove it, but I feel like I have only seen benefits from acupuncture.  And, if it seems to help, why not?

Regardless of your initial feelings on acupuncture, I encourage you to give it a try.  If you have a fear of needles, you should understand that the needles are very small and barely puncture the skin – it doesn’t really hurt.  You also need to make sure you go to someone who is qualified and legit, because training and experience is important.  Acupuncture can help with both active health issues and for wellness, and may just be a therapy that can better your life.