On Sunday afternoon, I went to my kettlebell class. When doing jump lunges, I jumped incorrectly and slightly sprained my left ankle. Even though it is only a slight sprain, it still hurts and is a big pain in the butt.
If only this was my only nagging injury! Sigh...it's not.
My friend Dave says that, when you train as much as we do, you're going to have minor injuries or, at least, aches and pains. I have all of the above!
Here's my list of injuries:
1. Weak left knee: I injured it like 10 years ago when I wasn't active. Being active means that I have to be careful not to aggravate it.
2. Right elbow: I injured it a while ago (I can't remember when - seriously). I think it's due to a repetitive stress injury...office jobs! It causes me to have limited mobility in the right arm. Consequently, my right arm is significantly weaker than my left...nevermind the pain.
3. Sciatic nerve: I get shooting pain down my left leg. It f'ing hurts.
This list does not include my aches and pains. I would love to have a day when my shoulders don't hurt!
I'm not meaning to complain about injuries, aches and pains even though it sounds like I am. They are my reality. My point here is that they are a part of most active people's reality. You have to deal with them. Ignoring them will not make them go away. I have to keep all my injuries in mind when I exercise. To do anything else would just be stupid and I would risk hurting myself further.
Sure, there's stuff I can't do because of my injuries. I always find alternatives that still challenge me. Because, isn't that what's important? The challenge.
BTW...hasn't lost any weight in 3 months...F?&*%&?))&?$#@#$$#!!!
Tuesday 28 February 2012
Tuesday 14 February 2012
Positive Thoughts
Valentine's Day will be over shortly for another year. Although I am certainly not a romantic - generally, I'm just too practical for romance - I have to say that this year Valentine's Day has made me reflect on what I have in my life. Lately, with my plateau and my various injuries being a huge annoyance, I've been focusing a lot on the negative. I like to think that I'm a pretty positive person so I need to get out of this funk and back on the right track.
I know that it isn't Thanksgiving, but Valentine's Day, a day meant to tell the people you love that you do indeed love them, seems like just as good a day as any to make a list of things I'm thankful for. Maybe these positive thoughts will get me in the right frame of mind. Plus, my friend Natalie really likes lists so I know I'm at least making one person happy!
1. I'm of course most grateful for the absolute love of my life: my son Samuel. I could burst from the love I have for this one little person. He's amazing and I made him. I don't think I could ever put into words how much I love him.
2. A close second is my husband Matt. He doesn't always (often) say the right thing but he's a good man and a good father. I'm thankful that we are partners in love and parenting.
3. I'm grateful for my parents...even though they give their opinions freely and think that I should do what they say even though I'm an adult. I guess you never stop being your parents' child. I'm kinda grateful for that too!
4. I'm thankful for my brother Eric. My brother has severe cerebral palsy. I grew up with a sick brother and, although it wasn't easy on any of us, I feel that I'm stronger yet more sympathetic for it. He unwilling taught me that.
5. I'm thankful for kettlebell and all the power, strength, energy, confidence and, most of all, friendship it has brought to my life.
6. I'm thankful for scrapbooking and my Divas! Thank goodness not everything is about exercise!
7. I'm grateful that I have a good job that keeps a roof over my family's head and food on the table.
8. I'm thankful for not letting my first impression of someone be the deciding factor. I won't name any names, but there's someone who is close to me now that I initially really didn't like. If I hadn't had given this person another look, I would have missed how amazing he/she is.
9. I'm grateful that Melanie picks me up for every kettlebell class. She keeps me motivated and the car is also warm when I get in!
10. I'm grateful for Karine's spa...because I get all the benefits of a spa with having to maintain it or pay for it! ;) I'm grateful for Karine too but she's covered under #5.
11. If I'm going to have an injury, I'm thankful that the person helping me get better, my physiotherapist, is nice to look at!
So that's my list. I could probably think of more. Really, I have a lot to be thankful for...but I have to go to bed now (seriously).
I know that it isn't Thanksgiving, but Valentine's Day, a day meant to tell the people you love that you do indeed love them, seems like just as good a day as any to make a list of things I'm thankful for. Maybe these positive thoughts will get me in the right frame of mind. Plus, my friend Natalie really likes lists so I know I'm at least making one person happy!
1. I'm of course most grateful for the absolute love of my life: my son Samuel. I could burst from the love I have for this one little person. He's amazing and I made him. I don't think I could ever put into words how much I love him.
2. A close second is my husband Matt. He doesn't always (often) say the right thing but he's a good man and a good father. I'm thankful that we are partners in love and parenting.
3. I'm grateful for my parents...even though they give their opinions freely and think that I should do what they say even though I'm an adult. I guess you never stop being your parents' child. I'm kinda grateful for that too!
4. I'm thankful for my brother Eric. My brother has severe cerebral palsy. I grew up with a sick brother and, although it wasn't easy on any of us, I feel that I'm stronger yet more sympathetic for it. He unwilling taught me that.
5. I'm thankful for kettlebell and all the power, strength, energy, confidence and, most of all, friendship it has brought to my life.
6. I'm thankful for scrapbooking and my Divas! Thank goodness not everything is about exercise!
7. I'm grateful that I have a good job that keeps a roof over my family's head and food on the table.
8. I'm thankful for not letting my first impression of someone be the deciding factor. I won't name any names, but there's someone who is close to me now that I initially really didn't like. If I hadn't had given this person another look, I would have missed how amazing he/she is.
9. I'm grateful that Melanie picks me up for every kettlebell class. She keeps me motivated and the car is also warm when I get in!
10. I'm grateful for Karine's spa...because I get all the benefits of a spa with having to maintain it or pay for it! ;) I'm grateful for Karine too but she's covered under #5.
11. If I'm going to have an injury, I'm thankful that the person helping me get better, my physiotherapist, is nice to look at!
So that's my list. I could probably think of more. Really, I have a lot to be thankful for...but I have to go to bed now (seriously).
Monday 6 February 2012
The gluten-free week
This is the beginning of my gluten-free week...which will eventually lead to my gluten-free month...I hope.
So where did this decision to go gluten-free come from? Well, I have a few nagging injuries that won't go away (that's another blog entry). I've been going to physio for awhile and I've been seeing some improvements but not enough for my liking.
My friend Samara, who seems to dislike when I call her hippie-dippie-trippie but who is, suggested that I go see her osteopath. Samara has a few health issues and has told me on many occasions how seeing her osteopath has improved her overall health. She has been trying to convince me to go to the osteopath for months now. I always thought that it was too granola for me. I'm a firm believer in traditional or main-stream medicine. But main-stream medicine hadn't managed, so far, to completely heal my injuries. My pain is a daily reminder of that fact. So, finally I thought, what the heck? It couldn't hurt so why not try it?
I had my first session with Samara's and now my osteopath this morning. Maybe I'm becoming less cynical with age but it wasn't as granola-ish as I thought it would be...or maybe Samara did a good job at preparing me! Either way, he had some suggestions for me. He believes that I have an iron, vitamin B12 and vitamin D absorption problem which may be preventing my immune system from letting certain things heal. I get enough in my diet but I have trouble absorbing these nutrients because of gluten. Therefore, eating a totally gluten-free diet is ideal.
For those who don't know, gluten is found in wheat, rye, barley and soya. The grains that are recommended are oats, rice, quinoa and corn. Of all the grains with gluten, soya is by far the hardest to stay away from. Soy is in everything! For example, I love roasted nuts. If you read the label, almost all roasted nuts have soy, including those sold in health food stores. My solution: I roasted my own peanuts in 20 minutes this afternoon.
Although more expensive than eating gluten products, eating gluten-free won't be very hard for me in my home. I don't eat much bread or pasta and there are lots of alternatives (rice pasta is quite good). It's eating in a restaurant or at another person's home that might be a problem. A restaurant is easy enough: go for a salad and ask if there's any soy in the dressing. Another person's home is a little trickier. How rude would it be to go to someone's home and say: "By the way, I don't eat gluten."? This isn't an allergy. Anyway, I hope my friends will still invite me over for supper and I hope they will try to accommodate me...
On my way home from the osteopath, I stopped at the health food store in Aylmer called SOL. I bought brown rice flour, oat flour, plain pecans and peanuts, rice pasta, gluten-free cereal, bread and mac & cheese! I wasn't feeling very creative for supper so I use the gluten-free bread to make grilled cheese sandwiches and I made the gluten-free mac & cheese. Both the bread and the mac & cheese were delicious! Too bad they cost twice the price of their gluten cousins!
So where did this decision to go gluten-free come from? Well, I have a few nagging injuries that won't go away (that's another blog entry). I've been going to physio for awhile and I've been seeing some improvements but not enough for my liking.
My friend Samara, who seems to dislike when I call her hippie-dippie-trippie but who is, suggested that I go see her osteopath. Samara has a few health issues and has told me on many occasions how seeing her osteopath has improved her overall health. She has been trying to convince me to go to the osteopath for months now. I always thought that it was too granola for me. I'm a firm believer in traditional or main-stream medicine. But main-stream medicine hadn't managed, so far, to completely heal my injuries. My pain is a daily reminder of that fact. So, finally I thought, what the heck? It couldn't hurt so why not try it?
I had my first session with Samara's and now my osteopath this morning. Maybe I'm becoming less cynical with age but it wasn't as granola-ish as I thought it would be...or maybe Samara did a good job at preparing me! Either way, he had some suggestions for me. He believes that I have an iron, vitamin B12 and vitamin D absorption problem which may be preventing my immune system from letting certain things heal. I get enough in my diet but I have trouble absorbing these nutrients because of gluten. Therefore, eating a totally gluten-free diet is ideal.
For those who don't know, gluten is found in wheat, rye, barley and soya. The grains that are recommended are oats, rice, quinoa and corn. Of all the grains with gluten, soya is by far the hardest to stay away from. Soy is in everything! For example, I love roasted nuts. If you read the label, almost all roasted nuts have soy, including those sold in health food stores. My solution: I roasted my own peanuts in 20 minutes this afternoon.
Although more expensive than eating gluten products, eating gluten-free won't be very hard for me in my home. I don't eat much bread or pasta and there are lots of alternatives (rice pasta is quite good). It's eating in a restaurant or at another person's home that might be a problem. A restaurant is easy enough: go for a salad and ask if there's any soy in the dressing. Another person's home is a little trickier. How rude would it be to go to someone's home and say: "By the way, I don't eat gluten."? This isn't an allergy. Anyway, I hope my friends will still invite me over for supper and I hope they will try to accommodate me...
On my way home from the osteopath, I stopped at the health food store in Aylmer called SOL. I bought brown rice flour, oat flour, plain pecans and peanuts, rice pasta, gluten-free cereal, bread and mac & cheese! I wasn't feeling very creative for supper so I use the gluten-free bread to make grilled cheese sandwiches and I made the gluten-free mac & cheese. Both the bread and the mac & cheese were delicious! Too bad they cost twice the price of their gluten cousins!
Sunday 5 February 2012
The Superbowl and other diet killers
The Superbowl is this afternoon and people all around the world are preparing to, not only watch the game, but eat their way through the game.
Having never had a problem eating to excess, the Superbowl gives me a February excuse to eat myself silly. Listen, I could lie and tell you that I'm going to be good this year...but I know that's not going to happen.
This year, I'm in control of the menu. In years past, Matt and I attended Superbowl parties at our friends' home. Unfortunately, this year, our babysitters (my parents) are having their own Superbowl party at their place...how rude! ;) Kidding of course. My parents are allowed to have a social life and do not exist simply to provide us with free babysitting services. But it is a bit of a bummer because we were invited to our friends Suzanne and JF's house. Suzanne is a great cook and always makes really good stuff.
Alas, it was not meant to be this year...
Anyway, that's why Matt and I are having our Superbowl party for two (Sam will be in bed by then...YAY!). You would think that, since I'm in control of menu, that I would make a effort to only buy low calories\healthy snacks. Yeah, no. This is a Superbowl party!
The Superbowl got me thinking about other diet killers. Holidays are the obvious ones: Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter. But there are so many others! For example, birthday parties. I have two of those in the next week and a half.
If you're trying to lose weight, or even if you aren't but still want to be careful and make better food choices, you need some kind of strategy. Splurge a little and pick your spots. My strategy is to enjoy the Superbowl. Matt and I love football and we've been following the NFL all year. This is a fun day for us. Today is my cheat day. But that just means that I will have to be extra careful about what I put in my mouth for the next few weeks. It also means that I will need to make smart choices when I join friends for those two birthday celebrations this month.
My advice, let yourself have some fun with food once and awhile, or else you will go crazy. I know I will!
Having never had a problem eating to excess, the Superbowl gives me a February excuse to eat myself silly. Listen, I could lie and tell you that I'm going to be good this year...but I know that's not going to happen.
This year, I'm in control of the menu. In years past, Matt and I attended Superbowl parties at our friends' home. Unfortunately, this year, our babysitters (my parents) are having their own Superbowl party at their place...how rude! ;) Kidding of course. My parents are allowed to have a social life and do not exist simply to provide us with free babysitting services. But it is a bit of a bummer because we were invited to our friends Suzanne and JF's house. Suzanne is a great cook and always makes really good stuff.
Alas, it was not meant to be this year...
Anyway, that's why Matt and I are having our Superbowl party for two (Sam will be in bed by then...YAY!). You would think that, since I'm in control of menu, that I would make a effort to only buy low calories\healthy snacks. Yeah, no. This is a Superbowl party!
The Superbowl got me thinking about other diet killers. Holidays are the obvious ones: Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter. But there are so many others! For example, birthday parties. I have two of those in the next week and a half.
If you're trying to lose weight, or even if you aren't but still want to be careful and make better food choices, you need some kind of strategy. Splurge a little and pick your spots. My strategy is to enjoy the Superbowl. Matt and I love football and we've been following the NFL all year. This is a fun day for us. Today is my cheat day. But that just means that I will have to be extra careful about what I put in my mouth for the next few weeks. It also means that I will need to make smart choices when I join friends for those two birthday celebrations this month.
My advice, let yourself have some fun with food once and awhile, or else you will go crazy. I know I will!
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