Good morning and welcome to Holy week!
Wow. What a whirlwind this past week was for me. Starting on Monday, I worked an incredible amount at my job. By the time I left around 2:20pm on Thursday, I had already worked 55 hours. Go figure. My company's department hosted a FLC Fly-in to DC, the second annual one, and it was twice as big as last year. My responsibility leading up to it was sending out Hill meeting requests to all our targeted Senate offices, and I feel like I did pretty well with this. There were only two offices that we did not end up getting meetings with, and I think 2-3 of them came through because of relationships our lobbyists have. Another key and time consuming responsibility was coordinating all the logistics for the week. Fancy dinners on Monday & Tuesday, a more casual dinner on Wednesday, plus cupcakes for birthdays (from my fav cupcakery in DC - Baked & Wired) on Thursday and boxed lunches for them as they headed home. Oh - and coordinating the logistics for our training day at MWE and then the food and such at our home base - CHC for the Hill day. All in all it went pretty well, and the FLC members said they had a great time and enjoyed going to more Hill visits than last year. For me, it was a tad stressful with some things being left to the last minute that weren't in my area, but another colleague and I pulled together and made it happen to give them the list of who was in their groups. At the end of the week, one of the FLC members told me that this piece of paper of who was in what groups was the most helpful piece of paper to him in the packet! It felt all worth it when I heard that comment.
Anyways, health wise was not good this week. This shows the data from Sun, March 22nd - Sunday morning, March 29th. Since this is a public forum, I will not go into the details on here, but suffice it to say the stress, lack of sleep, and my struggle to stay hydrated (even though I carry a reusable water bottle with me everywhere) all contributed.
1. Drink honey-lemon water every morning. Check! Yes, I have done this every morning, and really enjoy this step. It tastes delicious and is a good way to wake up in the morning. I think the missing piece for me with this is GINGER. I tend to have a lot of uncomfortable stomach pain most every day, and at least every week - so if I add ginger to my morning routine with the honey & lemon, it might help. I will try it this week.
2. Exercise - Well, I did do a lot of walking on Wednesday (Hill Day). So much so, that my left ankle was killing me and my right knee for the next few days. I need to stretch my calves more, which will help my tendons not pull on my body in the wrong way causing pain. And on Friday, I did some walking (10 minutes) outside, which was refreshing. So, it's not "organized" exercise, but it's a small step for me.
3. Sleep: I track my sleep on an app on my iPhone called "Sleep Bot", so let me look at my logs for the week and see if I got 7 hours each night or not.
This week was dismal with sleep. It's almost too embarrassing to share, but I will.
1 night - 8 hours ; 2 nights - 7+ hours; 1 night - 5.5; 1 night 4.5; 2 night - 6+ with a Sat nap (so Fri night into Sat all day - I'd say - 7 hrs). I told you it was sad...
4. Less sugar - I believe I was more successful in this category. Each day, I did have sugar, but it was only 1-2 items, not miniature sized candies throughout the day. I am making progress here. Next week, we are doing a different kind of eating plan with our YA group at our community. We are eating foods like the rest of the country - no meat, dairy, or refined sugar. It's mainly beans, rice, lentils, local in-season veggies (or frozen veggies for us), spices, bananas and plantains (yum!).So - we'll see if I make it all week with no refined sugars. I am still taking my daily honey potion in the morning.
5. Take high powered probiotic every day.
So, this one has been controversial for me. I went to the doctor on Thursday, and he advised that I STOP taking the Ultra Probiotics (which I had already done) and resume taking Acidophilius - see previous post for link. I took my probiotic in the liquid form 3 times this week...so half fail, half success.
Overall health: Not great this week. I had stomach pain, little sleep, increased heart rate, etc. Suffice it to say, after all the working part was complete, I went to the doctor on Thursday afternoon. He said I have a sinus infection in both nasal cavities, so I'm on a penicillin version of an antibiotic that is doing a number to my stomach and other end. :-/ But hopefully it's killing all the bad bacteria. I'm also doing flonase when I remember - usually after irrigating in the morning or after a shower. I still sneeze an awful lot! The doc wants me to see their in house allergist this coming week on Friday.
Back in the fall of 2009 when I was still in Kansas, my allergies were giving me a run for my money. I was sick the entire month of July and so in October that year, I went to see one. They found I am allergic to ragweed, pollen, mold, and pine trees. Since it's been 5 years and I'm in a new environment (part of the country), it does make sense. Well, like the rest of us with the change of ACA in the last few years, my health insurance is not great. There are no more copays. Boo. Instead I have to meet my deductible of $2,600 - 100% and can pay for it through my HSA. I'm seriously not a fan, but that doesn't matter, because it is what we have. That said, Kia called me (the allergist) and said that it will cost between $200 - $500 to take. So - we'll see if I keep my appointment or not. Of course since it's the beginning of the year, I have only put a small dent into my deductible. Time will tell on that one. I have a follow-up with my family care physician on Wednesday this week. I am hoping for better sleep. Although, last night I was up in the middle of the night after using the restroom and my stomach was cramping and in all kind of knots. After drinking almost a glass of water and #2, I was able to feel slightly better. I will be glad when I'm done with this round of antibiotics and have my intestines back to "normal".
Well, that's all for now. I will say - I am loving the cusp of Spring we experienced last week here. There were some beautiful days of warm weather, some light Spring showers, and just the promise that it is coming soon! This past weekend was cold, but this week it is supposed to be warmer. I am hoping the Cherry Blossoms peak when they are projected to arrive - around April 9th.
Have a great week, all! Be well, look for the bright side (there's always one...we just have to look hard for it sometimes), and remember to communicate the heart with others - intention matters a lot. I am learning this.
Hugs & love,
Tina Lou
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Week 2 & Week 3: Health Challenge
Good morning dear readers,
And welcome to Spring, at least according to our calendars. :) We had a wintry mix grace the East Coast where I live on Friday, which was "officially" the first day of Spring. However, this weekend, it has been a bit warmer (40's - 50's) with sunshine and specs of green peeking through.
As you know, I missed last week! When Sunday slipped through my fingers, the week kept pushing along, full as ever (an outing every weeknight) and before I knew it, come Friday, I hadn't updated. So - see below two weeks smashed together of my updates. In the normal black is the week of March 8-14th, and this past week will be in dark green (for beloved St. Patrick's Day week), which includes March 15th - Sat, March 21st.
1. Drink honey-lemon water every morning. Check! Yes, I have faithfully done this every morning. Organic meyer lemons and a teaspoon of local unpasterized honey. I did this both weeks - horray!
2. Exercise - This are is a bit dismal. If I look at my "health app" on my work iPhone, I have walked about 2.2 miles on the 10th of March. I had the most step for week 3 on this past Tuesday, walking about 2 miles. Overall, this area is a fail both weeks. Part of it I think is I need to MAKE time for exercise. Mornings do not work for me, and so I need to put 30 minutes on my outlook calendar at work and try to stick to it. However, be forewarned - this may be a fail week, as well because Tuesday - Thursday at work we have an event I'm coordinating logistics for and will be out of the office from 7am - 9:30/10pm each day, so hopefully I can make exercise 1 day next week. That is my adjusted goal for the last week of March.
3. Sleep: Looking at my app, "Sleep Bot" on my iPhone, I will report whether I slept 7 hours a night each week or not.
Week 2: 4 nights I slept 7 hours, 2 nights I slept over 8 hours, and 1 night I slept 6.8 hours - which is so close. 90% pass rate this week.
Week 3: 4 nights I slept 7 hours, 2 nights I slept over 8 hours; one night I slept 6.4 hours. Also a 90% pass this week.
4. Less sugar - On week 2, I ate slightly less sugar, but was still struggling with this goal. Last week, I was better about not eating as much sugar at the start of the week, and lost 2 pounds. The end of last week, we celebrated birthdays at work and so I had some cupcakes, etc, but I did not overindulge.
5. Take high powered probiotic every day previous goal. (This is exactly what I had been taking: Renew Life Ultra Flora)
This is a complicated one. After I got sick a few Fridays ago, I tested taking the high powered probiotic on a Sunday (not on an empty stomach as I did previously), but in the middle of the day, and again I had stomach cramps and pain. Thus, after talking with a few nurses who are friends, I have decided not to continue with this type of probiotic. So - the past few weeks I have taken probably a whole total of 3. Today, I plan to go and purchase Acidophilus, which is how I gained my probiotics prior. Here's a link. http://www.amazon.com/American-Health-Probiotic-Acidophilus-Strawberry/dp/B00185UIL2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427033178&sr=8-1&keywords=liquid+acidophilus+probiotic It's a much lower dose, but it did not upset my stomach.
Overall health status -
Week 2: I had work travel to Kansas City this week from late Monday through Thursday. That said, I kept doing my honey-lemon water, and reported on the other items above. However, I felt much better than the week before with the occasional upset stomach or stomach pain. Usually, it comes in the morning and after drinking my concoction, and sometimes eating breakfast (I always eat something for breakfast...its whether the pain goes away prior to eating or after), it's usually gone mid-to late morning. Sometimes later in the day (in the evening) it'll come back for a bit. When this happens, I treat it with drinking a little ACV with water or having some lemon-ginger tea or drinking a ginger chew. More often than not, this will fix the issue.
Week 3: This past week, my stomach hurt a bit more frequently. It would come and go, but it happened most every day. No nauseous feelings, which is good...but upset, and sometimes I didn't want to eat because of the pain. This next week, I'd like to write in my KEEP app or in a small book the times of days this next week that I feel stomach pain, to try and figure out the pattern. Or report if I feel good (healthy!) all day or a few days in a row.
Thanks for taking the time read my update, dear readers. I am confident that by taking the other priobiotic and trying to incorporate more movement (exercise), I will eventually feel better and have a more fit body. It will take time. Sometimes, I think I may struggle with stomach pain off and on for the rest of my life, but maybe not. A few years back, I tried having the doctors figure it out and after many tests and procedures, they came up empty. My natural doctor has given me some different strategies that have worked in the past for a while, so there's some hope there.
May you enjoy the rest of this beautiful Sunday, and take time to stop and see the beautiful moments of thanks this week. Until next week!
Ciao,
Tina Lou
And welcome to Spring, at least according to our calendars. :) We had a wintry mix grace the East Coast where I live on Friday, which was "officially" the first day of Spring. However, this weekend, it has been a bit warmer (40's - 50's) with sunshine and specs of green peeking through.
As you know, I missed last week! When Sunday slipped through my fingers, the week kept pushing along, full as ever (an outing every weeknight) and before I knew it, come Friday, I hadn't updated. So - see below two weeks smashed together of my updates. In the normal black is the week of March 8-14th, and this past week will be in dark green (for beloved St. Patrick's Day week), which includes March 15th - Sat, March 21st.
1. Drink honey-lemon water every morning. Check! Yes, I have faithfully done this every morning. Organic meyer lemons and a teaspoon of local unpasterized honey. I did this both weeks - horray!
2. Exercise - This are is a bit dismal. If I look at my "health app" on my work iPhone, I have walked about 2.2 miles on the 10th of March. I had the most step for week 3 on this past Tuesday, walking about 2 miles. Overall, this area is a fail both weeks. Part of it I think is I need to MAKE time for exercise. Mornings do not work for me, and so I need to put 30 minutes on my outlook calendar at work and try to stick to it. However, be forewarned - this may be a fail week, as well because Tuesday - Thursday at work we have an event I'm coordinating logistics for and will be out of the office from 7am - 9:30/10pm each day, so hopefully I can make exercise 1 day next week. That is my adjusted goal for the last week of March.
3. Sleep: Looking at my app, "Sleep Bot" on my iPhone, I will report whether I slept 7 hours a night each week or not.
Week 2: 4 nights I slept 7 hours, 2 nights I slept over 8 hours, and 1 night I slept 6.8 hours - which is so close. 90% pass rate this week.
Week 3: 4 nights I slept 7 hours, 2 nights I slept over 8 hours; one night I slept 6.4 hours. Also a 90% pass this week.
4. Less sugar - On week 2, I ate slightly less sugar, but was still struggling with this goal. Last week, I was better about not eating as much sugar at the start of the week, and lost 2 pounds. The end of last week, we celebrated birthdays at work and so I had some cupcakes, etc, but I did not overindulge.
5. Take high powered probiotic every day previous goal. (This is exactly what I had been taking: Renew Life Ultra Flora)
This is a complicated one. After I got sick a few Fridays ago, I tested taking the high powered probiotic on a Sunday (not on an empty stomach as I did previously), but in the middle of the day, and again I had stomach cramps and pain. Thus, after talking with a few nurses who are friends, I have decided not to continue with this type of probiotic. So - the past few weeks I have taken probably a whole total of 3. Today, I plan to go and purchase Acidophilus, which is how I gained my probiotics prior. Here's a link. http://www.amazon.com/American-Health-Probiotic-Acidophilus-Strawberry/dp/B00185UIL2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427033178&sr=8-1&keywords=liquid+acidophilus+probiotic It's a much lower dose, but it did not upset my stomach.
Overall health status -
Week 2: I had work travel to Kansas City this week from late Monday through Thursday. That said, I kept doing my honey-lemon water, and reported on the other items above. However, I felt much better than the week before with the occasional upset stomach or stomach pain. Usually, it comes in the morning and after drinking my concoction, and sometimes eating breakfast (I always eat something for breakfast...its whether the pain goes away prior to eating or after), it's usually gone mid-to late morning. Sometimes later in the day (in the evening) it'll come back for a bit. When this happens, I treat it with drinking a little ACV with water or having some lemon-ginger tea or drinking a ginger chew. More often than not, this will fix the issue.
Week 3: This past week, my stomach hurt a bit more frequently. It would come and go, but it happened most every day. No nauseous feelings, which is good...but upset, and sometimes I didn't want to eat because of the pain. This next week, I'd like to write in my KEEP app or in a small book the times of days this next week that I feel stomach pain, to try and figure out the pattern. Or report if I feel good (healthy!) all day or a few days in a row.
Thanks for taking the time read my update, dear readers. I am confident that by taking the other priobiotic and trying to incorporate more movement (exercise), I will eventually feel better and have a more fit body. It will take time. Sometimes, I think I may struggle with stomach pain off and on for the rest of my life, but maybe not. A few years back, I tried having the doctors figure it out and after many tests and procedures, they came up empty. My natural doctor has given me some different strategies that have worked in the past for a while, so there's some hope there.
May you enjoy the rest of this beautiful Sunday, and take time to stop and see the beautiful moments of thanks this week. Until next week!
Ciao,
Tina Lou
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Week 1: Health Challenge
Hello dear reader friends,
Here is my first check-in for my health challenge for the year. I will go through each item and mention how I did with it. At the end of each of these posts, I will let you know if I was sick this week and if so, talk a little bit about it.
1. Drink honey-lemon water every morning. Check! Yes, I have done this every morning, and really enjoy this step. It tastes delicious and is a good way to wake up in the morning.
2. Exercise - fail. I did not exercise at all this week. Hopefully the results will be different next week, because this is an area that I HAVE to change.
3. Sleep: I track my sleep on an app on my iPhone called "Sleep Bot", so let me look at my logs for the week and see if I got 7 hours each night or not.
The first few days of the week, I succeeded. On the night of March 4th, I only got 5.5 hours of sleep. Every other night this week, I have gotten 7+ hours of sleep, so I almost hit this goal. :)
4. Less sugar - hmm...I would say I probably did not do this one. I don't think I ate less sugar this week. Maybe if I can make it more tangible and say 2 sugary items a day, then I'll know I have decreased my sugar content.
5. Take high powered probiotic every day. (This is exactly what I take: http://www.amazon.com/Renew-Life-Ultimate-Complete-Capsules/dp/B00CCCNISU/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1425817754&sr=8-5&keywords=probiotic+ultimate+flora)
Well, I almost hit this one, too. I ran out, so I didn't take one on Wednesday. Thursday before all the snow got crazy and the roads were too icy, I went out and picked some up. I took one on Friday and have been feeling crummy, so I haven't repeated.
Overall health status - For most of the week, I felt good. However, on Friday morning after I took my probiotic pill, I started feeling crummy. Around 9:30am that morning, I ended up throwing up 4 times. :-( I went home and drank some 7-up and had some applesauce. I started feeling better, which is good. However, every day since then (including right now), my stomach hurts and is in pain. I'm not sure what's up (never really do with my tummy), but I know I'm ready for it to be over. I'm a little leary of continuing to take my probiotic pills when the pain started after I took it. I will probably take one today in between a few meals and see if I handle it okay.
I'm headed to KC for work this week, so I'm praying I feel better soon. I plan to take lemons and honey with me on the trip so I can keep up my morning regime.
Well, friends - I hope if you live in this area you were able to enjoy the beautiful and lovely snow and stay warm. Have a fabulous Sunday, and I'll see you here next week.
Hugs,
Tina Lou
Here is my first check-in for my health challenge for the year. I will go through each item and mention how I did with it. At the end of each of these posts, I will let you know if I was sick this week and if so, talk a little bit about it.
1. Drink honey-lemon water every morning. Check! Yes, I have done this every morning, and really enjoy this step. It tastes delicious and is a good way to wake up in the morning.
2. Exercise - fail. I did not exercise at all this week. Hopefully the results will be different next week, because this is an area that I HAVE to change.
3. Sleep: I track my sleep on an app on my iPhone called "Sleep Bot", so let me look at my logs for the week and see if I got 7 hours each night or not.
The first few days of the week, I succeeded. On the night of March 4th, I only got 5.5 hours of sleep. Every other night this week, I have gotten 7+ hours of sleep, so I almost hit this goal. :)
4. Less sugar - hmm...I would say I probably did not do this one. I don't think I ate less sugar this week. Maybe if I can make it more tangible and say 2 sugary items a day, then I'll know I have decreased my sugar content.
5. Take high powered probiotic every day. (This is exactly what I take: http://www.amazon.com/Renew-Life-Ultimate-Complete-Capsules/dp/B00CCCNISU/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1425817754&sr=8-5&keywords=probiotic+ultimate+flora)
Well, I almost hit this one, too. I ran out, so I didn't take one on Wednesday. Thursday before all the snow got crazy and the roads were too icy, I went out and picked some up. I took one on Friday and have been feeling crummy, so I haven't repeated.
Overall health status - For most of the week, I felt good. However, on Friday morning after I took my probiotic pill, I started feeling crummy. Around 9:30am that morning, I ended up throwing up 4 times. :-( I went home and drank some 7-up and had some applesauce. I started feeling better, which is good. However, every day since then (including right now), my stomach hurts and is in pain. I'm not sure what's up (never really do with my tummy), but I know I'm ready for it to be over. I'm a little leary of continuing to take my probiotic pills when the pain started after I took it. I will probably take one today in between a few meals and see if I handle it okay.
I'm headed to KC for work this week, so I'm praying I feel better soon. I plan to take lemons and honey with me on the trip so I can keep up my morning regime.
Well, friends - I hope if you live in this area you were able to enjoy the beautiful and lovely snow and stay warm. Have a fabulous Sunday, and I'll see you here next week.
Hugs,
Tina Lou
Sunday, March 1, 2015
A year long health challenge
Hello friends! And happy 2015 - it's a new year and it's moving fast.
One of my goals this year is to be healthier. To be frank, currently I am not that healthy of a person. I am overweight, sick a lot, and do not get a consistent 7-9 hours of sleep a night. Taking small steps for improvement is my plan in 2015.
This is the challenge - to update this blog once a week with my progress. First, let me outline my goals to you.
1. Drink warm honey lemon water every morning. I purchased some organic Meyer lemons from Mom's and some delicious unfiltered, raw honey from Virginia yesterday. This morning marks my first cup.
2. Do some kind of exercise 2-4 times a week. Since I haven't been doing ANY kind of exercise at all, I figure saying twice a week to start is a a manageable goal.
3. Get at least 7 hours a sleep this week. (This goal may change in time)
4. Consume less sugar. I am not sure how to manage this one or measure it, but I KNOW that I consume more sugar than my body needs.
5. Take my awesome probiotic pill (90 million!!) everyday.
Well, that's all for now. Any time I get sick, I will write about it here. One of the supposed benefits of drinking the honey lemon water is not getting sick. Since I seem to be prone to sickness - especially tummy related sickness, I am curious to see if this works. Plus, honey lemon water tastes great, so there's no downfall in trying this out. Oh - I should also mention that 5-7 days a week, I also drink Smartmix zija and I think it helps me have all the nutrition my body needs daily. I know for a fact that I don't eat enough green leafy veggies to consume all the vitamins I need, but this drink definitely helps me out - plus it wakes me up in the morning. :-)
So, there you have it readers and friends, this is my 2015 health challenge. I am excited to embark on it, and I figure that if I blog my way through it, I will have some needed accountability.
Cheers,
Tina Lou
One of my goals this year is to be healthier. To be frank, currently I am not that healthy of a person. I am overweight, sick a lot, and do not get a consistent 7-9 hours of sleep a night. Taking small steps for improvement is my plan in 2015.
This is the challenge - to update this blog once a week with my progress. First, let me outline my goals to you.
1. Drink warm honey lemon water every morning. I purchased some organic Meyer lemons from Mom's and some delicious unfiltered, raw honey from Virginia yesterday. This morning marks my first cup.
2. Do some kind of exercise 2-4 times a week. Since I haven't been doing ANY kind of exercise at all, I figure saying twice a week to start is a a manageable goal.
3. Get at least 7 hours a sleep this week. (This goal may change in time)
4. Consume less sugar. I am not sure how to manage this one or measure it, but I KNOW that I consume more sugar than my body needs.
5. Take my awesome probiotic pill (90 million!!) everyday.
Well, that's all for now. Any time I get sick, I will write about it here. One of the supposed benefits of drinking the honey lemon water is not getting sick. Since I seem to be prone to sickness - especially tummy related sickness, I am curious to see if this works. Plus, honey lemon water tastes great, so there's no downfall in trying this out. Oh - I should also mention that 5-7 days a week, I also drink Smartmix zija and I think it helps me have all the nutrition my body needs daily. I know for a fact that I don't eat enough green leafy veggies to consume all the vitamins I need, but this drink definitely helps me out - plus it wakes me up in the morning. :-)
So, there you have it readers and friends, this is my 2015 health challenge. I am excited to embark on it, and I figure that if I blog my way through it, I will have some needed accountability.
Cheers,
Tina Lou
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)