August 6, 2024

 Two "workouts" today. And by workouts, I mean walks.  The first was one mile during the day. It was lovely, cool out, and the air felt great.  The second was after dinner, and it was just around a few blocks -- .62 miles. 

This afternoon I was dressed in my workout clothes, ready to do weights.  I was overwhelmed. I did not know what to do. I totally froze.  This is a trauma response. I could not choose, it was just odd.  So, no strength training today.

I deactivated my Facebook account at the end of July.  I miss some of the people, but I do not miss the book of Face. I'm tired of seeing antisemitism and anti-Christian posts mostly in groups/like pages. I'm tired of politics, and it's heating up now. This was the perfect departure time.  If I return, it will be after Christmas. I don't plan on returning at this time, though. 

Have another surgery/procedure set. Not looking forward to it at all. On the bright side, the recovery time is super fast so it shouldn't interfere with workouts much. 

Have been battling tennis elbow, frozen shoulder, and super tight neck/shoulders.  On Amazon Prime Day, I bought a vibration plate, and just using that--standing on it--10 minutes a day, things are loosening up.  Some say it helps you lose weight. I did not buy it for that, as I don't really believe that. I did not do a literature review on the subject, however.  I bought it for pain, to loosen things up as I can't afford massages, plus our massage therapist moved to a different state. Bottom line is that I feel more energetic after 10 minutes on the thing.  Would I recommend purchasing one?  Too soon to tell. I do think it's helped my issues, though. I also sit on it, and it has helped to relax the glutes.

That is the last of purchases for me. Like everyone else, this economy is slaying us. Groceries/needed household supply costs are through the roof. It's time to cut back on everything. I cancelled Audible, a fitness subscription, and the one YouTube channel I was a supporter of. I have enough "stuff" anyway, and enough books to read, free videos to watch (I love certain podcasts), and so it's all good. It's nice to declutter in all areas of life.

Goal for tomorrow: come up with a fitness plan so I don't get frozen when it's time to hit my gym. Firm, Cathe, Joyce Vedral?  I keep telling myself that right now to establish that habit again, do what I love the most. That's easy, it's Benson-era FIRMs. It's yin yoga, to relax my body and mind. I have no plans of doing The FIRM's 90-day rotation. I think planning out one-week-at-a-time rotations might work best for me.

My life has been very unpleasant for the past several years. Lots of hardships, trials and tribulations. It weighs heavily on me. I know this is a universal problem, everyone goes through things like this.  I've been reading autobiographies which are inspiring.  I've been working hard on changing my perspective and viewing things from a different lens, and that different lens differs from my education and training. It appears to be working as my mood has elevated somewhat in the past couple weeks.  Uncoupling from social media was a step in the right direction, as is doing things that I love to do daily.  Stepping out of one's shoes, seeing things from a fresh perspective really helps. Find what meets your needs, discard what doesn't. Make the necessary changes.  Do the work. Checkmark on that. 

One day at a time, go crush it.

July 4

Happy Independence Day!

The past week-ish, I forget which day I started, I've been doing a short, one-mile walk every morning. I am NOT a morning person, and it has been difficult for me to get out the door.  I thought it might be a good way to start my day, get needed Vitamin D, sunlight, re-set my circadian rhythm, and just feel good.  And it worked. I've been working on multiple projects, and I've noticed I'm far more productive when I do this.  Just a short 20-minute or so walk, Zone 2 cardio, easy peasy, and it's truly a mood lifter.  I plan to continue.  

I did not walk this morning as hubs had the day off, and I've been in sloth mode. This afternoon we decided to hit the pavement. It was raining.  We leashed up the dogs, put on our rain gear, and headed out.  We walked 1.6 miles, and of course it stopped raining and I was sweating because raincoats are hot and it was humid.  I was feeling super achy today, and was I surprised how that walk made those aches disappear.

I decided to not buy any books this year, and ha ha, I've bought a few.  My recent order was a book about a biblical approach to weight management.  I had joined OA, did meetings everyday on the phone, and loved the intermingling of faith with the focus on weight/food/fitness.  I think that brought me closer to God, which I find surprising because He has always been with me.  Then I got a sponsor.  That lasted all of three days, and I haven't attended a meeting since. Controlling, bossy, judge-y, unsupportive were only a few of the negative attributes she had.  I don't need that in life, and I set hard and firm boundaries.  It was so off-putting to me because she is in all the meetings, and I can't avoid her. That's why I haven't been back, I don't want to get triggered.  We thrive when we lift others up.  I didn't need to be torn down, I was already there.  It was ugly.  As a therapist, it made the hair on my neck stand up.  So I will also continue to read the Big Book on my own, my new book, and go about it on my own, because "ain't nobody got time for that!"

Some memes are old, but never lose their relevance. 

I look forward to reading my new book (it's used and out of print). I hope it can guide me to finish the weight-loss journey.  Yeah, I've lost 80+ pounds.  I pulled a summer bathrobe out of the closet yesterday and I was swimming in it! That made me feel so good. I've been buying new clothes at the thrift and consignment stores in our small town.  Yes, that makes me feel good.  They will make do until I hit my desired weight/size, then I'll invest in new clothes.  I've been hit or miss with fitness, but I've still been far more active than before.  And the biggie, I've reversed my Type 2 diabetes. That's huge. No meds.  I love my food, my very low carb lifestyle, and that's all good...except I'm still a touch above 200 pounds and would like to be 150ish.  I need to make this so.

This, while also doing a major Swedish Death Cleaning project. Hubs has actually jumped in (because I made him) and we've cleaned out our barn (it's a two-level single car garage that is in the shape/color of a barn.)  We went to the dump, we also took 2 truck loads of crap to the city-wide cleanup.  We're working on the garage now.  It's a lot of work, and dependent on him.  I've been working in the house as well.  When that's all finished, it will be time to make household repairs, and then re-paint everything. We also plan on new flooring, most likely plank flooring that we can install ourselves.  Money, time, effort -- work, work, work. Not to mention that somehow I ended up being the person to mow the lawn every week. Ha!  The first time I thought I'd die. I mowed the front and had to come in and rest. I had nothing to give.  I mowed half the back and hubs finished. The next time it got better and he only mowed a little for me. And after that, boom, energy was there and I mow front and back and then I am done. No rest breaks needed.

(I actually really enjoy mowing the lawn, but don't tell HIM that.) 😂

So that's life in a nutshell for now.  

It's all a process.  Two steps forward, and hopefully there won't be one step back anymore.  Future focus for the win.

Go Crush it Again!

The Merry Month of May

I purchased a clearance teacher planner from Erin Condren. I thought I ordered a 9 x 7, but got an 8.5 x 11. Didn't know what I was going to do with it, but I decided to make it my health planner. It IS big. This is my second week using it. I'll use Jan-April next year, just redate it. I really liked it a lot. Great amount of room to write workouts, glucose, events such as the prednisone drama I just encountered, which greatly increased my glucose. I think this planner was a good mistake. I usually cut my planners apart and use a 6-ring binder, but left this on the coil.

Also changing tastes as I grow old(er), more muted colors. I'm a bright color person, but I LOVE these colors. And lilacs, who doesn't love lilacs! Anywho, the weight loss has stopped and I still have some to lose. I am a die-hard for-life low carb person as it reversed my type 2 diabetes, and gave me the best lipid panel I've had as an adult. Zero meds. No going back. But they say (experts & literature review) don't count calories. I think it's time to count both carbs and calories and see if we can't finish this weight loss saga. I think calories matter once you hit a certain point, at least we'll see if that's truly my n=1 story. Dr. Shawn Baker, the Carnivore King, says calories do matter. I've read a few other experts who quietly say that as well.

I also need to bump up my fitness, a LOT. Aging depletes muscles, and I need to build. I know how to do this. I am applying everything I did in 2009-2011 when I was doing pushups on my toes, plus all my research on low carb, insulin resistance, autophagy, etc. Yeah, it's time to bump it up. Life is hard, and it's been pretty f*cking miserable for many years. It may still be miserable in the future, but not doing all that I can will only compound that misery. Exercise releases the feel-good endorphins, so...yeah. Slow and steady, start small, add to the dog and treadmill walks I'm already doing. I was doing Joyce Vedral for awhile, but I stopped and couldn't while recovering from eye surgery.

It's time. But due to my recent shoulder injury (dayum, it hurt!), having to take prednisone which is known to raise glucose, easing into things is better. My glucose was 205 one day and I was livid, stressed, wondering why in the hell they don't give alternative meds that are not known for glucose problems. Well, it's coming back to homeostasis now, slowly but surely. Thank God! I just need to let that all go, and focus on the now and the future.

And I can do it with a pretty planner. And this woman LOVES her Erin Condren planners, Silhouette Portrait 3, and https://www.creativefabrica.com/ subscription for clipart, backgrounds, papers, etc.

Clipart used: https://www.creativefabrica.com/product/12-elegant-flower-seamless-pattern-694-1/ref/6542823/

Surgery & A1c

So, I have surgery scheduled for later this month.  I can't see.  Well, I can see. I asked the doctor if I can drive and he said yes, absolutely, with my glasses. So I can see, but I can't see like I used to be able to see.  I have cataracts in both eyes and will be having them removed. I'm extremely photosensitive, and glare really bothers me.

On the bright side, I had my pre-op and my EKG was perfect, and I got an almost clean bill of health. Almost, in that my A1c was 5.8, which is the bottom of prediabetes. 5.7 would have been normal.  I was THIS close.

The great news about this, though, is it's proof that type 2 diabetes can be reversed by diet alone.  I haven't taken meds for a very long time, months and months. So yay to that.

The other thing, relatively minor, is that I'm dehydrated. I was told I can drink more water and/or donate blood to normalize.  That's easy enough to fix.

I've been playing around with my macros trying to get the weight loss going, and had I not, I think my A1c would have been in the normal range. Too much protein elevates my glucose.  Live and learn, right?

So I'll be out of the game for a few weeks with exercise post surgery. I'll be able to walk.  We've been out walking a lot, but my weights are missing me.

I must be consistent. Another factor that is huge in lowering glucose is gluteal activation. Squats, floor work, really drop my glucose.  The FIRM volume 1will give me a fasting glucose in the 90s the day after I do it. Same with The FIRM's Lower Body Sculpting. 

I need to get going again. I was really super down about my vision, then went to the doctor (I was scared, not so much down!), and I was NOT expecting to need surgery! I was stunned and I basically sat in a chair with high anxiety for a couple days after. That's no good.  Freeze response, which is my typical maladaptive go-to. I just freeze. 

Time to thaw out.

5.8, no meds. Even though I'm in year 3 of low carb, I'm still pleased as sugar-free punch with that number and no meds.

Anxiety spikes my glucose, and I'm ready for these little surgeries to be over. They're supposed to be one of the safest surgeries performed, use melt anesthesia, and you're conscious throughout (I don't want to see a knife coming at my eye!) But they last about 8 minutes.  

God won't give me more than I can handle. "With God, all things are possible." Praying for a safe surgery, letting go and letting God, and releasing my fear. 

February 23, 2024

 The FIRM Lower Body Sculpting.

This is SO good for my piriformis, it's got almost everything my physical therapist wanted me to do.  I did clamshells and then exercises from the PT video I previously posted.  My feet, knees, legs, and lower back are SO.MUCH.BETTER.  Yay.  #Grateful 

I really wish Lower Body Sculpting was for sale on DVD. I only have it on VHS. It's a classic, only 21 minutes of actual floor work, but so well done. The FIRM's Anna Benson was the best.  What a beautiful gift she gave us, and her workouts have withstood the test of time. 

I'll likely be doing this daily for awhile. I was supposed to when I saw my PT a few years ago. I've been hit or miss on that.  Time to add Joyce back in!

Piriformis Pain

For several years, I've had a LOT of pain stemming from my piriformis.  I went to an awesome physical therapist who worked in the same hospital I worked at, and he gave me exercises. He said that my gluteus minimus muscle was also weak and gave me exercises.  I complained of IT band pain, and he gave me exercises for that.  I do them, on occasion, usually when the pain comes back. 

photo credit: https://www.circleoflifewellness.com/post/the-glutes-are-they-the-cause-of-your-pain

photo credit: https://backmusclesolutions.com/blogs/the-ql-blawg/seated-piriformis-stretch

The exercises help, as does stretching. Yin yoga, holding the stretches for 3 minutes, is lovely.  However, it's not enough.

I love my treadmill. We got a great deal on Craig's List years ago for a gym-quality treadmill (Landice) thanks to a divorce. The husband got custody of the wife's treadmill and sold it to us for a song. 🤣 Here's the thing, though. Every time I walk on the treadmill, I get piriformis pain.  Bad.  My pain is exactly like the second photo, a "line" across my lower back into my hip.  My hip hurts bad, and the pain extends down the side of my leg. I thought it was IT band pain.

The exercises I have just aren't enough. These muscles are weak, and so I went on the search for more info.  I found this video, Your Piriformis isn't Tight, it's Weak!: 

I got on the floor and did the first exercise, where you turn your thigh up.  Oh my gosh, it was instant relief. It was hurting bad today, and just that one set that he did in the video was like a magic eraser for the pain.  The pain was 80% gone. Wow.

So I'm going to follow his recommendations for a couple weeks and get this muscle built up.  I will also be doing this workout:

The FIRM Lower Body Sculpting 

This video has all but one exercise I was given by the physical therapist.  The other is the clamshell, which I can do on my own.  I wish I had this on DVD.  I have it on VHS. It's now OOP and I'd give anything to have the DVD so I could get rid of the VHS player.  For now, I am renting from the Fitness Favorites website, but it's $20 a month. This is an exercise I can do upstairs, not in my gym, and I prefer to do it upstairs because my dogs like to help me and they aren't allowed in my gym. 🤣 

So I'll continue my treadmill walking, and I'll be doing these daily, as prescribed by my PT in 2020. I need to get serious because the pain is for real, and it wakes me at night, and it makes me dread the treadmill and working out in general, which is stupid because I love to workout.

So there you have it, my cure for piriformis pain.

February 20, 2024

Today, emotionally, I felt good. In fact, yesterday and today both, I felt better than I have in a VERY long time.  Exercise is known to do that.  I hit 14,000 steps yesterday.  I was productive, got a lot done around the house.  Today I did some food prep, I baked 10 pounds of ground beef into hamburgers, and froze for future.The one thing I do not care for about being keto/carnivore (ketovore?) is that I hate cooking, but it's a requirement. We do not eat out. COVID stopped us going to restaurants, and we got out of the habit. We are both fine with that. Husband goes to Taco Johns twice a month, but I don't eat there.  I really have no desire to eat out. Now if there were a Starbucks in my town, I'd go for coffee. I do go for coffee with friends here sometimes, but the coffee is meh -- I'm going for the friendship. Starbucks, I go for the coffee because I love it. 

Tonight I did not want to walk after dinner.  Just wasn't feeling it.  Then I remembered a cognitive behavioral technique from The Beck Diet Book.  No choice. I have no choice, I must do it.  And with that, I chuckled, and I went and did a 35-minute walk and a 20-minute stretch.

One delightful thing: A couple years ago husband bought me a nice (under $100, but not cheap) pair of wireless headphones that completely cover the ear. I have always loved headphones, but these are awesome.  I lost the charger immediately, so I haven't used them.  I mentioned it in passing, and he gave me a new charger. Wow, are they amazing on the treadmill.  I love many genres of music, and music is my motivator.  Tonight it was Big Band again.  Mostly I like rock 'n roll.  Those earphones are just the best.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to pick up a dumbbell again.  Right now I'm establishing the cardio pattern, and it's time to add to it.