my stomach is on strike

For the last few weeks, my stomach has decided to take a trip down memory lane & revert to its ultra troublesome state.  This past week was the worst so far & I almost had to go home early from work on Thursday & then did have to call in sick on Friday.  I have some special meds to take when it gets bad, but they make me a little blurry, which isn’t a helpful side effect when working with patients!

I’m in the midst of a bad IBS flare up & it completely sucks.  There are some variations in the types of IBS and mine includes an epic stabby feeling inside my stomach, nausea, & bloating.  It’s quite painful & unpleasant.  Since mine is combined with an ulcer, Pepto Bismal tabs are my bestie.

I like the taste of these now.

My diet has played a role.  Since I started working at the office, I’ve eaten more gluten than I have since I went to France for my brother’s wedding two years ago.  There are a lot of office treats & I’ve had to grab some lunch out when I’ve forgotten mine at home.  Way, way, too much for this gluten sensitive gal.  I’ve been eating way too legumes, a no-no on the approved FODMAPs list also.  Then there’s been sooooo much popcorn!  I’ve never had problems with popcorn in the past but it’s been extreme as of late.  I just finished my last 1/2 a bag of Skinny Pop & I won’t be buying any more for as long as I can hold out. This one is going to be TOUGH.

Skinny Pop – it’s my true (addictive) love!

Next up, the stress.  Ugh.  Starting a new career is challenging and I get frustrated with myself as it feels like my progress is slow.  Money is tight – what is this rent & utilities nonsense?!  It doesn’t help that WA is in the top 10 for most expensive states to reside.  I love LuLaRoe but I’m finding it difficult to forward this income source as my business person skills don’t seem to come second nature to me.  There are some other loose ends as well, so consequently, my anxiety is playing a key role in my Pepto popping madness.  My insides are basically downing pint size shots of cortisol, or at least this is how it feels.  Bad dreams, constant fretting, and I was having at least one panic attack daily for a month.  It’s no wonder it feels like Wolverine lives in my stomach & is trying to find freedom from the confines of my stomach lining!

I’m guessing this is why Wolverine wants out (source)

Then there is the lack of exercise.  I’m quite the couch potato.  This isn’t good on a couple of levels.  1.  The New York Marathon is in 4 months – eeeeek!  I have downloaded a 16 week training plan which looks doable for a successful finish.  But there is that whole thing of ACTUALLY GETTING OUTSIDE!  2.  I’m finding I’m quite fatigued when I get home in the evenings.  9.5 hour days are long & I just want to be in sweat pants, sitting, & zoning out in front of the tv.  Productive, eh?  My former stomach doc told me working out helps with the stomach pains, & that I have to get up even if I feel really crummy.  Of course it’s easier for him to say than for me to do.

my goal

When I was speaking with my sister about some of the above, she asked me to think about things I can control so I don’t feel so helpless.  And there are a few if I convince myself that it’s within my reach.  There is an optimistic part of me that while currently being drowned in stomach acid, is hoping feeling more in control helps calm this flare up as missing work isn’t an option and my stomach hurts!  The stomach issues are also aiding in my lackluster LuLaRoe sales since my energy levels are tapped by the time I get home.  But it means I really do need to take this control back.  I’ve already jumped back on the gluten-free train – I need it out of my system.  I’ve started down the path of dealing with my student loans dilemma, & I went for a run today.  I advertised for a couple of in-house LuLaRoe Open Houses for the week & reread my last post on motivation – turns out I can give myself decent advice.  These aren’t giant steps but they are steps nonetheless.  I mean, starting somewhere is better than not starting at all, right?

get motivated – tips from a lazy-ish person

Every time I see an article that says “running motivation tips and tricks” I immediately start reading it.  I’ve read countless articles like this.  I appreciate what they have to say, I really do.  The advice is quality but doesn’t always address my motivational dilemmas.

Most of the authors seem to be people who can’t sit still.  Me?  More than capable!  Or it seems the days they aren’t motivated are few and far between.  I seem to struggle with the motivation to get up and get out more often.  So, I decided to write a piece myself.  Perhaps it might resonate with you too.  I can’t be the only person out there who needs a slightly different take on the “how to go for a run (work out) when you really don’t want to” … at least I hope not.

Problem #1: The couch is too comfy.  The thing of it is, I can be lazy when it comes time to working out (as you might’ve guess by the title!).  Once I get too cozy, all bets are off and there is a higher chance of me staying where I’m at rather than hitting the streets in my trainers.

 

The Fix: I hate to say it, but I can’t sit down when I get home.  I have to change into my work out clothes immediately and can’t do any of the  “I’m going to sit for a moment” business.  Don’t sit down!  Ride the wave of adrenaline from getting home from work (or wherever), or the alarm clock, do the little things that need to be done, change, and get out the door.  As fast as possible.  Before the couch’s siren calls or the snooze button become too loud and convincing!

this is essentially where the couch comes into play

Problem #2: Sabotaging my workout time.  There are way too many times where I’ve decided on a time for a run when deep down I knew I wouldn’t be able to fit it into my schedule.  I’ve picked a time during a really busy day when I knew it was going to be massively crunched and it could be sacrificed.  But I felt all noble & accomplished that I was planning for it.  When it doesn’t happen, because my timetable was ridiculous, I get down on myself for not making the workout happen.  At the same time I can blame not going on not having enough time.  Built in excuse that isn’t based on being a lazy buns!

The Fix: There are going to be days when a run simply can’t happen.  I need to be honest with myself regarding these days.  This is the way of training.  BUT some time management needs to happen here.  I can keep the days where my agenda items are stacked miles high to a minimum by planning ahead.  This means doing as much prep for the day as possible and looking for more efficient routes to accomplish tasks <— a constant work in progress.  I know people suggest scheduling a work out time and viewing it as an appt you can’t possibly miss.  My brain is onto this game though, and if we are on the same wave length, so is yours.  This is where getting out the door by sheer force of grit and will come into play until it becomes more habitual.

I need to work harder on making good habits … bad habits are just so much easier to establish!

Problem #3: Overhyping the start of training.  This is a classic motivation killer because it becomes this MASSIVE event.  I recognize some suggest to announce your training start date to the world to garner support.  However, for procrastinators like myself, it turns the start date into a scary impending opportunity for defeat.  Suddenly there is this monumental task sitting there and it’s much easier to shy away then risk falling flat on my face in front of an audience.

The Fix: Don’t make the sweeping announcement.  Pretty simple, yeah?  I do want to share with the world, but these declarations can too overwhelming.  An element of procrastination is fear of failure, so the build up can be too much.  Begin training and get a more established routine down, & then yell it from the rooftops!  I’ve done it both ways, and when I went ahead and waited until I was a couple of weeks into my training to spread the good news, I still got support and it was of the “keep up the great work” variety.  When I declared my start date, I got lots of “good lucks!” which are just as nice, of course, although the latter works better for me.

Problem #4: Getting frustrated & losing focus.  This runs parallel to my conundrum of setting my expectations too high.  Train for a marathon in 6 weeks when my running fitness is in the gutter?  Of course I can!  I tend to get frustrated when I don’t make progress as quick as I want or expect of myself.  This is a common theme in every area of my life, so it naturally carries over to my running.  Hope is a wonderful thing, nevertheless, when it comes to expecting our bodies to perform physical miracles they aren’t possibly prepped for, they rebel.  In all kinds of painful ways!  With regards to losing focus, marathon training seems to last FOR-E-VER, so what is one missed run here or there?  Most likely nothing terrible, but for us motivationally challenged folk, the “here or there” can derail a great established routine quickly.

The Fix: Take a good look at the expectations.  Expectations really do get us in trouble – I find we tend to either set them too high or too low without taking all of variables into consideration.  Not to mention, the need to check the good ol’ ego.  Any type of training takes hard work, and focusing on small chunks at a time helps turn goals into realities.  The frustration piece … well, this could just be me.  I don’t mind hard work but I want results entirely too quickly.  I’m a bit ridiculous!  I also need to remind myself, A LOT, of just how easy it is for me to slip back into the cushy bad habits and crush those “it won’t be so bad” thoughts with a stomp from my Brooks.

I’m hoping I’m not the only person who struggles with motivation and isn’t always helped by the pearls of wisdom that are commonly offered.  Again, I don’t think the advice is bad and I do utilize it, nonetheless, the above tips are what I fall back to when I’m in need of that boost.  I love running, I really do.  I love the feeling of a healthy routine of running when I get home from work.  Not to mention giving myself multiple high-fives when I’m done working out and all cleaned up from a good sweat session.  Getting started though … or fighting exhaustion after a long day … or simply a “I don’t wanna” can jeopardize success and be a challenge to fight.

Oh, and watch some inspirational running documentaries.  I love the one about the Barkley Marathons – these are always really helpful in the motivational category!

weekly wellness recap

I’ve decided to do a weekly wellness check in – maybe I can help others who are struggling with similar issues?  Also, I want to write out what I am doing to help avoid making the same mistakes and repeat some of the successes.

Mind Arena:

As mentioned, this was an emotional week.  I soak up the emotions of others – especially those I really care about.  I’m slowly learning to turn down my emotional permeability to detrimental or unnecessary emotions but I’m a work in progress on that front.  With regards to people who are dear to me though, all bets are off.  This definitely created some angst to my physical and emotional self.

A good point though was during one or two days when regular work stress was hitting the fan, I was able to utilize tapping to ease it in the moment along with working out in the evenings (more on this in a moment).  Both of these gave me a boost of confidence that in time, I might be able ease more of my current and future physical pain/symptoms.

Oh and I continued to ease my troubled mood with some Parks and Rec each evening – seriously helped.  Not to mention satisfying my craving for waffles (thanks to Leslie Knope for initiating that craving!).  And a wonderful gift from a friend – Trex socks!  I know, how lucky am I?!

when I look at my feet I get happy

Body Arena:

Last week was a three day work out week.  Not as good as the week before, however, I did have 4 work outs, so that’s something!  But I really shouldn’t write about work outs until AFTER they happen.  Thursday night I was all set for a swim.  Unfortunately there was another swim meet.  Instead, I hit 4 miles on the treadmill friends.  It was a struggle.  I REALLY wanted to give up at mile 3 but hung until the end.  Friday was a really bad stomach day but still hit 3 miles – walking, you know, to make sure I didn’t vomit on my cat.  Always a good thing, eh?

ha!

So, a brief recap: Tuesday night, 30 min swim, followed by 3 miles on the treadmill.  Thursday, 4 miles, and Friday 3 more.  This past weekend was a ROUGH one.  The doc did say exercise helps with both the acid issues and IBS but even after stuffing a ton of meds down my throat during the day, I wasn’t able to even slowly walk on my friend, the tready.  The weekend before was bad too and I’m beginning to wonder if my being a lazy-bones during the day has something to do with it.  Or maybe because I push it during the week to make sure I hit my obligations and then once I can let my guard down, my body goes into full attack mode.  On itself.  Hmm… I’m going to brainstorm an action plan and some experiments to see what I can do about this.

In the food realm, I totally laxed on my low-FODMAP diet.  I tried to eat some foods on the no-no list with lousy results.  I did better with the GERD diet, although my stomach didn’t seem to appreciate my efforts.  I do this thing where once I’ve been diagnosed and received my marching orders, my expectations are an IMMEDIATE “I feel better!”.  Perhaps I should give things time to work?  What can I say?  I’m a delusional optimist!

thanks to Kara at It’s a Dog Lick Baby World for tweeting me this! Sorry it’s hard to read but fruit is kinda off the table at the moment.

This week I’m striving for a more concerted effort with eating low-FODMAPs (I think I’ve found a couple of fruits I can eat, smoothie style – got to avoid some scurvy!), swimming at least 2x – it relieves stress/anxiety better than running and more miles on the treadmill.  Also, I will employ some more tapping sessions to head off some of the aforementioned stress/anxiety.

Welcome week!

vega sport = vrooom!

Okay, so why the wacky title? Because Vega Sport Energizer gives you the pep you need to GET.MOVING.

Do I sound like an infomercial?  Or how about Billy May’s replacement? (have you ever seen the auditions for his job? very interesting).

As mentioned in previous posts, my epilepsy meds tend to make me quite sleepy and low on energy.  That coupled with a debilitating bout with depression last year, I’ve gotten in the habit of lots and lots of couch sitting.  I’ve tried numerous products to get myself moving, including some that probably weren’t the healthiest.  You know, the kind that are LOADED with ingredients that nature hasn’t ever heard of – yeah, those.  So, it appealed to me that this was a natural product and plant-based.  I also showed my office mate the package and he is completely natural.  He is/was very intrigued and is taking it with him on his epic bike trip in the next few days.

I first tried Vega Sport Energizer on a regular training run.  I run in the evenings and I didn’t exactly follow the directions on the amount of water to add to the powder.  This was a mistake as it certainly affected the taste.  I will completely admit, I was worried about the flavor.  It’s definitely an earthy flavor and I wasn’t sure this was for me.  For instance, while I like my supplements more natural, I drink my coffee very sweet so these counteracted each other a bit.

check out the ingredients!

I drank it 20 mins prior to working out as instructed.  The boost was very real.  In fact, I could feel it’s effects long into my run, which I wasn’t expecting.  I really needed the energy and Vega Sport came through for me.  On a more recent training run, I decided to half the packet and it seemed to work out for an evening run.  If I could manage to get my booty out of bed in the morning, I think a full packet would be perfect. As it was, I had lots of energy!

I really did feel this way on my run

Next, I decided to try it out for the 25k.  A few years ago when I did the race, I took a gel at the beginning and then two more later in the race.  Gel-sickness set in and it wasn’t pretty.  This time around, I took Vega Sport and also followed the water mixing instructions.  Again, I was very impressed with the results.  Even though I learned my lesson, I still WANT to take a gel at the start of the race.  I’m just not a morning person and while I drink coffee before the race, this only partially helps (I only drink a half cup).  This time around, I had the energy I’ve craved at the start and could evenly space my gels at mile 5 and mile 10.

it’s a flower… cause it’s plant based!

Vega Sport also has Sustain products that I would love to give a go.  I would like to feel more evenly fueled as opposed to certain bursts and then kind of falling with regular gels.  I also think this would really help my pacing.  There is recovery products/drink also that is on my radar but we all know, I am lousy at recovering properly so of course this is lower on my priority list <— please note some of the sarcasm here!

Again, I was really pleased with Vega Sport. I am looking forward to hearing what office mate has to say and unfortunately, I’m posting this before he returns.  So #FuelYourBetter and check it out – I think you will be impressed as well.  I know many people are looking for a different version of fueling and I like this option a lot.  I dig the whole proper prepping of my muscles for what I am about to inflict and ask of them.  Another BIG plus of this product is it doesn’t interfere with my epilepsy.  I’ve tried other things that have made me so wired that a) I could see sounds and b) it was too much for my brain.  With epilepsy, my brain is “easily agitated” so I need to be conscientious about fueling properly and safely. Vega Sport is a win in this category without the side effect of what I call “shaky energy”.

trust me, this is hard to find

Seriously, this is good stuff.  I was able to try out this product for freesies  but I asked to review it since I appreciated what the product contained and promised.  That’s my disclaimer folks…

tips to find the perfect dress

pretty much says it all

*It dawned on me today that I have less than a week to find the perfect birthday dress.  Since my luck has been so crummy lately, I wasn’t sure how it would turn out but I ventured to the mall to see what I could find.  Now, if any of y’all need to be reminded my bank card number was stolen last Monday.  What that meant for today’s shopping excursion was I had ONE check and my Macy’s card.  I didn’t want to break out my credit card so I left it at home.  I know, I totally live on the edge.

Okay, real quick, my new bank card isn’t supposed to be here for 5 to 7 days.  Do banks realize how FREAKIN’ HARD it is to write checks these days?!  I swear, I practically had to sign my life away and get a full body search just to make a purchase at Wal-Mart the other day.  Couldn’t the bank put a rush on that puppy?

Rant over… I kicked off my shopping at Macy’s by taking back a purse I had purchased over winter break.  Here are my shopping tips for finding the “perfect” ________.  Start searching the store – in the section you need.  Yep, sounds pretty elementary but I found myself getting sidetracked in the shoe department and had to pull myself out.  I did my first round and picked up anything and everything that I thought might look cute.  This is important, don’t focus on whether it’s “your style” or not.  If it catches your eye, grab it.  You just never know.

my arms were almost falling off!

I had an idea of what I was looking for when I first got there and I find anytime I have an important shopping trip, coming in with an idea of what I want is important.  See that green dress?  I thought that might be the one but alas it was too long.

the maybe's... but still part of the first trip to the fitting room

I find it helpful to try things on and put them either in “absolutely NOT”, “maybe” and “YAY!” piles.  This way I can see if I am making any progress.  Today was one of those “everything fits” days!  As many of you know, these are the best shopping days :)  Sometimes, it makes it hard to make decisions but there sure is something magical about them!

After the first trip to the dressing room, I went out and looked around again at the sections I missed the first time.  Yes, I realize for some of you, this sounds like torture.  This is typically why I venture out on these types of shopping trips on my own.  But hit up sections that you didn’t go through the first time – petites, juniors, parts of the women’s sections – whatever.  Also, really look through the sales racks.  Especially at stores like Macy’s, everything is just shoved in there and you have to spend time looking through it all.  Then I also end up trying the same thing on twice or in a couple of different sizes.  I feel fit is important and women’s sizing is the WORST as far as discrepancies.

this was my third trip in the dressing room

I have also found it’s important to be brutally honest with yourself if you are having a “everything fits” shopping day.  What do I really like rather than just enjoying how it looks.  Then it’s time to come to some decisions.  I found three dresses that were super cute and a few tops.  In the third dressing room trek, I brought in some different of sizes of items that I had already picked out just to make sure I knew what I wanted.  Again, I’m a bit obsessive about this part so if you like what you have the first time you probably don’t have to try it on again!

umm... don't forget to fix your hair before you leave the dressing room!

So?  How did I fare today?  One dress is not a birthday option but it is very cute.  Not to mention originally is was $138.00 (I know, crazy!) and I paid $22.00 for it!  Seriously!  Actually, I didn’t pay over $28.00 for anything I purchased today, which was amazing to say the least.  I found 2 dresses that I think are birthday party contenders but a fashion show is a MUST!  At  the register, I went through my pile of clothes again and cut a few things to make sure I was buying a) what I wanted b) what I needed (and yes, I use this term loosely) and c) items that looked the best.

Those are my best tips for successful shopping!  It is time consuming but I have found it helps to ensure I don’t make rash decisions that will cost me – literally and figuratively.

When I got home, I did a Shape video since it was almost dark out and I want to put more effort into cross training.  I also want to look GOOD on Friday.  I have forgotten how tough the video could be if you put the effort in and my arms are a bit wobbly.  After the video I was going to jump rope for two increments of 5 minutes.  Ummm… I made it for a minute and a half.  Haha, jump roping is hard work!  I would like to create a circuit using the jump rope and few other moves but apparently I’ll have to build up to it a bit!

I’m going to leave you with this funny pic of my brother.  My brother helped my dad put away the holiday decorations and I guess this is what happens

yes, we are a strange family :)

*card from someecards