After a brief respite, I am back blogging. I missed everyone but needed a bit of a break.
Since my last post, I discoved this great web site from Heidi Swanson featuring natural, whole foods and ingredients and vegetarian recipes that are good for you and for the planet.
http://www.101cookbooks.com
You might try her Carrot White Bean and Dill Recipe. I know I will as it reminds me of a yummy meal I had during a recent visit to New York.
If not that, maybe another? Hopefully you will find it useful and delicious.
During my hiatus from blogging, I was forced to put my sweet chocolate lab, Fay Ray, down in December. As you know, she had suffered from two canine strokes and had recovered from both. In the end, her old hips just wouldn’t hold her up and she had lost control from her backend altogether. Her arthritis was so painful she didn’t enjoy getting pets on the neck or moving around much. She failed to greet me when I came home and just wanted to be still. That is no life for a Lab! When you have a younger dog side by side, the contrast between the two was evident. Bailey remained active and was missing out on park visits and other outings as a result of Fay’s immobility. We miss her so much but are finally considering adding a new companion for daytime company. We are in no rush enjoying our smaller “pack of two” and will wait it out for the right one! Stay tuned.
After a short reprieve (5 months), I am back on track with healthy eating and working out! I guess I got out of the habit of working out due to limited funds (could not afford personal trainer M!) and my tendonitis in my elbow (see previous posts). It was quite painful and I felt I was not giving it time to heal properly by straining it 3 times a week. Especially those kettle bells! Oh how I hate them.
Well as soon as that healthy habit stopped it wasn’t long before my eating discipline slid as well. Slowly I added in more calories and with lack of workouts, I saw the weight come back. Oh how hard I worked to get it off and there I let some slide back on. Luckily, before I gained it all back, I decided I better get on the stick. I joined Weight Watchers (again!) since I knew I would be accountable and would have to commit to a weekly weigh-in. It was the best decision I made. Immediately I got focused and started losing again. I was able to remain vegan as the program is very flexible and allows you to eat anything. That’s right anything (within the context of your daily allowances). I saw results right away which motivated me to continue. Eventually I joined the YMCA and got back to working out too.
So far I have lost 17 pounds bringing my total back to around 50 lbs, just a few more to get back to my 60 lb net loss from September. While it may sound ridiculous that I lost that control, I really feel great about regaining my composure before it all came back and then some. I have done that before that’s for sure. I figure not only have I lost most of the weight, but I am moving in the right direction toward my goal. I think it is a journey of discovery. The more I backslide the less I want to do it over again.
So I decided to tackle this elbow injury with a trip to an acupuncturist. I figured it worked so well for my dog, Fay, that I would try it myself. My friend suggested her doctor as she had a great experience with her in solving her own health aliments. I got the impression that the doctor would be very comprehensive and holistic in her approach and diagnosis. I was not disappointed. She spent about an hour and a half discussing my overall wellness and tweaked a few herbs and vitamins. She suggested that I don’t need to take iron anymore and my One-A-Day Women’s had too much. Apparently it can become toxic in excess. So I switched over to her Thorne Brand. She confirmed continued use of my new found love – black cohosh (suppressed my hot flashes).
So eventually we got to the needle part. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain so I was fairly relaxed. She began with a deep tissue massage of the forearm and then followed that with the needles. The ones in my wrist and knees went in with no pain, but I have to admit the ones near the elbow joint were brutal.
After they were in place, she left me alone to relax so they could do their healing. I was laying down and suddenly felt the need to move my arm around. Man – not a good idea – very painful. The best I could describe was cramped and achey. When she returned to remove the needles I asked if that was normal. She explained that as the energy reaches the acupoints it pulsates or throbs. That was it. It was like little lightning rods that attracted energy and then vibrated!
Well I go back next week for part two. I do feel a bit better so I am hoping for more success next week so stay tuned!
Canine hot spots come very quickly and take forever to heal. Poor B has experienced many this summer. In fact, thanks to another trip to the vet, she now sports a “naked” rear end similar to a baboon!
The vet said that with Florida’s hot wet ‘08 summer the mold is running rampant. In B’s case, it was most likely an insect bite that became infected from the licking/itching. Yesterday’s Relief® bath, plus our ongoing Benadryl® routine is a good start but not enough. We now have script for antibiotic and a shaved (cleaned) area ready for Genesis® Topical Spray.
I have to send *dog bones* out to Publix® for providing free antibiotics – even for dogs! Just ask your vet to write the script for you to fill. Bravo!!!!
I should have foreseen that I would have food issues in my later life since one of my favorite children’s books was The Hungry Thing. You may remember it if you ever ordered Scholastic books in the 60s and 70s? Orignially priced at 75 cents, it is now $4.95! ”One morning a Hungry Thing came to town…” with food requests that rhymed with real food items. “Boup and Smackers” instead of “Soup and Crackers” for instance. Good times.
Working full-time (or just being busy) can interfere adversely with one’s schedule by sucking up spare time. That extra time could be used to plan meals, cook healthy dinners and pack lunch. Without it, I have been forced to plan ahead by having ready-to-eat food that is also healthy at my fingertips. This keeps me on track. Here are a few of my favorites foods (links):
When I DO have time (mainly on the weekends) I usually cook 3 or 4 portions at a time and immediately freeze the extras for during the week “frozen dinners.”
Currently experiencing a minor setback due to an elbow injury. It’s always something it seems – just when you get on a roll, you run into a challenge! The good news is that with a lot of Alleve® and a little rest and ice, it seems to be improving. I suspect it is bursitis but of course that is self diagnosis with internet assistance. (dangerous) I hope to take it easy on the pushups and rows tomorrow at workout. In the meantime, I’ll watch the Olympics from the couch. (shh don’t tell.)
I am constantly amazed at how M continues to brew up these unusual workouts. Yesterday I see these PVC pipes stacked up on the floor and assumed they were part of the gym’s renovation. To my surprise, they were not! In fact he had me stabilize it overhead – simple. But the trick was they were filled with different amounts of water which sloshed around from end to end as you tried to stabilize it. While it was a subtle effect at first, the water quickly gained momentum making it really difficult! I mean who comes up with this stuff? Wouldn’t you know, he found it on the internet. See a “slosh pipe” in action for yourself:
So my additional cardio workouts are really paying off. I was inspired by stories of my sister in law, E, doing them daily. How great is she to keep them up so consistently! I thought I would give it a go and see if the scale returns the favor. Indeed it has! I have been using my Firm DVDs. When I don’t get in my workout with M, I use the Complete Aerobics and Weight Training and in between personal training sessions I use the Maximum Cardio Burn. I found that I don’t need a lot of room to do them – in fact, a 4-foot square area in my living room suffices. The indoor environment works out great as an alternative to the Florida hot summer weather. I just turn on the overhead fan and I am good to go.
In addition to the extra cardio, I have been really trying to count my calories closely. It seems I am hot and cold on this task. I either do so all week or it seems I slack off and don’t bother any more. Recently, I had to drop down to a lower calorie total as my weight has dropped. Almost at 60 lbs now! Just goes to show that even slowly I have achieved success over time. And I must say that I don’t feel like I am dieting at all.
E has found during her journey that she needed to eat right plus exercise. Sounds logical but isn’t always easy I know. M keeps reminding me that I should be getting in at least 5 workouts a week so I am finally catching the hint. I just need to prioritize my time to allow it.
The lessen learned is that you do have to put in the work, but then you see the results.
