Diets/Way of Eating/Being Healthy/etc....

With my reduced exercise level lately (I'm working on increasing it!) I've been thinking about food a lot. Now sometimes it's just because I'm hungry and wondering what I'm going to eat next....but more often it's because I'm thinking about cleaning up my act. I know I have made steps towards that lately, stevia instead of splenda in my coffee, adding in more fruits and veggies, yummy greek yogurt for breakfast, etc... But here's where it gets tricky....a lot of what I'm seeing lately is telling me that everything that I think is healthy, really isn't. For example, many in the CrossFit community have adapted the Paleo way of eating. Paleo basically says all dairy, legumes, grains, and sugar are off limits, completely. So you get to eat meat, and veggies, and fruits and weird substitutes like sunflower butter and other oddities, but no bread/pasta/yogurt/milk. When did milk become bad for you? I'm confused! Aaaahhhh!!!

OK, so out of all of my confusion (I definitely toned it down here - there's so much more swirling around in my head!) here's what I think it comes down to for me. Everything in moderation. I will never survive with a plan that tells me "no, no, no". I'm more about the yes! So yes to veggies, yes to fruits, yes to lean meats, yes to real food, but also yes to milk, yes to hummus (oh my gosh - I couldn't live without it!), yes to vanilla greek yogurt for breakfast (yum!), and yes to a beer or 2 with friends occasionally. Basically yes to being healthy, but also yes to enjoying life and not stressing too much! :)

Aahhh....I feel better already. :)

D-Town not so fun-ness...

I've been gone, and not gone as in "hooray, I'm on vacation!" gone. I was in Detroit. For 10 days. For work. In a warehouse. That's really about all you need to know about that. Not looking forward to having to do 6 more of those roll-outs this year.

In other news.... I'm slowly recovering. I think the progress is way way way too slow, but the doc seems to think I'm right on track. Time for yet another appointment tomorrow so we'll see if I get any exciting new milestones! This morning's milestone was making it through 45 whole minutes on the trainer! Yes, that's right. 45 whole minutes is now an accomplishment....I miss the days when I could ride centuries!

Oh, (and this is totally random but I need to say something about this somewhere!) I caught a snippet of The Biggest Loser tonight and was totally disgusted with it. They had a "temptation challenge", long story short they forced one of the contestants to eat 2,300 calories of almost all pure sugar in a span of about 5 minutes. Gross. Disgusting. Totally wrong. And goes against everything the show stands for....or so I thought. Does it have to be a "game" can't they just motivate and then celebrate people getting healthy??

Ok, that's all for now. This random stream of consciousness blog post needs to be done. I promise to try and be more coherent next time. :)

I apologize...

So I started reading back through old blog posts today....and I realized that all of my posts since November have been about my foot. I'm sorry blog readers (if there are any of you left) that must have been incredibly boring for you. I promise to get better. One quick update though, and then I promise I have something else to talk about today! :)

I am now "boot-less"! Hooray! No more wearing the giant, ugly, uncomfortable boot. I can't even tell you how exciting it was today to wear matching shoes, yes I actually got to wear a left shoe again. (I missed them so much...) I still have to wear an ankle brace (dug out my one from high school volleyball days...glad I held on to it!) The doc even said that I could start swimming and biking (well sort of - I don't really count pedaling aimlessly with no resistance as riding my bike, but the doctor does). Giving myself today and tomorrow to just get used to walking without the boot, but Saturday morning I plan on getting my bike on the trainer! :)

Ok, so now for the other stuff. I got 2 new books in the mail! I'm pretty excited about getting into these. I have heard lots of good things about Born to Run from some friends and Runner's World says Once a Runner is the best novel about running. Good thing I have some plane trips coming up soon!

I won't miss them...

Tomorrow the crutches will stay at home! Hooray! Not going to lie, it is a little painful to walk, and I'm incredibly slow, but it will be nice to not have the crutches. I can carry things, get through tighter spaces, not run into things, etc... generally - far more awesome. Good timing too, lots of fun plans coming up, and crutches just would have been in the way. So I'm ready to suck it up, leave them at home, and move on to the next step of recovery! :)

A test...

This is an easy one....can you guess which leg hasn't been used for over 3 weeks??

Ups and downs....

Recovering sucks...plain and simple, and honestly, it's been wearing on me lately. I finally realized why the other day. I looked at my car and noticed my "Live your passion" sticker in the window. That's it! All of my passions have been slowly taken away from me over the last few months. First running, then CrossFit, then cycling, and recently the ability to even walk and do things for myself. (Yes, I'm having a Debbie Downer moment - deal with it for a minute, ok?)

So now that I know what the problem is, it's time to do something about it. Just because I can't participate in my passions yet doesn't mean I can't still enjoy them. I will cheer others on, and surround myself with people that enjoy the same things that I do.

So if you are a runner, cyclist or CrossFit junkie, expect me to become your biggest cheerleader over the next couple weeks! :)

Can't help but smile....

Lately I need to give myself frequent reminders to keep smiling, and I have to say that this does it every time!

Can't wait until I'm able to take her running again so we can both be this happy!

I promise I'm coming back eventually...

I know, I've been absent from the blogosphere for a while. You would think with all of the couch surfing time I've had lately that I would have found time to write, but honestly, I just don't have a lot to write about.

I had surgery on my foot last week and recovery is proving to be MUCH tougher than I had planned on. The pain and inability to do things for myself is starting to wear on me. So until I am in a happier place and can find positive things to write about, I will spare you all my whining.

Peace out homies...

Thank happy thoughts on Tuesday Dec. 22

Tuesday Dec. 22 - it's going to be a big day - surgery day. I'm not looking forward to what comes after the surgery, mainly the hobbling around on crutches and not getting to wear any of my left shoes - but I am looking forward to getting closer to being healed.

Doctor says 3 months after surgery until I can get back to high impact activity. I'm marking my calendar - March 22, I plan on going to CrossFit in the morning and then running after work. It's going to be a tough and amazingly awesome day! :)

Big news...

So about that idea of wearing the boot and avoiding surgery....well that didn't work out so well. I went in to talk to the doctor again last night, and we decided that surgery really is the best option. This is what it comes down to, even if I can get the injury to calm down now, there is about a 99% chance that it would flare up again at some point when I go back to running and CrossFit. And frankly, I don't ever want to deal with this again. No date yet, but the plan is to get it done before the holidays. There really isn't a reason to put it off, I'd rather just get it done and start the healing as soon as possible! Unfortunately that's the tough part - the healing. Surgery will be easy, but recovery....well, not so much. Probably looking at 4 weeks on crutches, no weight bearing on the foot at all. Then another 2 weeks of light weight - meaning probably looking super awesome and walking with 1 crutch. After all of that I will still have to wait another 6 weeks before I can do any sort of high impact activity. Sorry CrossFit buddies, I'm still out for another 3 months. So sad. :(

So there's the news. I apologize now if I get a little whiny while dealing with this, it's going to be tough, and I just can't wait until it's all done.

Boot season...

I know it's boot season, but this is not exactly what I had in mind....

Turns out I have an "extra bone" that detached, and is causing all sorts of issues. It's not a break, because the bone didn't separate from another bone, but it's still a problem. So it's boot time, for anywhere from 2-6 weeks. (I'm rooting for 2!) And basically all (fun) exercise is off limits, even swimming! But I'll be good, and wear the boot, if this doesn't fix it, then it's surgery time, and I definitely don't want that!

The truth comes out...

Tonight is my appointment with the podiatrist, where I will hopefully get my MRI results (finally!). I don't really know what I'm expecting, but I know that I have 2 distinct worries of what the outcome could be.

1. They tell me that my foot is totally jacked up and I need to wear a walking boot for X number of weeks. This would totally suck. First off, wearing a walking boot is annoying, plus I will be highly annoyed that they didn't put me in the stupid thing 6 weeks ago preemptively and get the stupid thing healed. (Plus I recently bought 2 pairs of cute boots and I would much rather be wearing those!)

2. They tell me that they don't see anything wrong with my foot. Well then I will be totally confused! I would like for my foot to be healed and get back to normal, but I also feel a need for some sort of validation for the pain I am feeling. I really don't think it's all in my head (I think I proved that when I tried running), and I really don't think I'm making it out to be worse than it really is to use as an excuse to be lazy. I am really not enjoying being lazy, it kind of sucks.

So, ideally, they will tell me that X is wrong, but can be healed quickly and easily by doing Y. (I know, highly unlikely, but we'll see.) So keep your fingers crossed for me! :)

How I spent my Wednesday night...

This past Wednesday I went in for an MRI. It's finally time to figure out what's going on with my foot. I think at this point I am accepting that something is really wrong with it, I've tried resting it, and it's not getting better. So time to turn to real doctors to figure it out. The MRI experience was not pleasant. 2 separate tests, each 45 minutes long, and each had my foot in a painful position, and I was not allowed to move at all. Very un-fun! Hopefully I will have the results on Tuesday, fingers crossed that they will figure something out and be able to tell me how to fix it quickly so that I can get back to normal life. I'm so ready!!

In other news, yesterday was Thanksgiving. Mmmmm....turkey. :) As usual our dinner was delicious, but it was also kind of hectic. 20 people in one house! Yikes! It was interesting to say the least. But all in all, it was a good one. I'm already getting excited about the turkey sandwich I am going to have for dinner tonight. :)

And the best part of this is....there are still 2 days of weekend left!! Hooray! :)

Well...at least I was right...

It’s always nice to find out that you were right isn’t it? I used to think that was an accurate statement….until this weekend. I decided (stupidly) to go out and try running, in hopes that I would realize that my foot was fine and I had just been babying it and prolonging the injury only to avoid running. Part of me knew it was a stupid idea, but it was so nice out, and nice days in November in Chicago can make anyone do stupid things. So I Skirted up and headed out the door. ½ mile in and I thought I was doing ok (besides the fact that I was realizing quickly that I hadn’t run in 2 months), but after the first mile I felt the pain. Not good. At that point, a smart person would have turned around…. But no, not me. I decided to try walking a bit, and then start running again.

2 miles in. Yikes, ok, now this hurts. Time to head home. “But maybe I’ll try this new route instead of my usual that would get me home after about another mile.” Yeah, that was a brilliant idea. The new route put me on a very round-about path to home, and since I was starting to run late, I figured I needed to run some of it. After about 3 miles when the pain was shooting up my leg I realized I had made a very big mistake. But there was nothing I could do about it at that point. So I sadly limped the rest of the way home.

But at least I know it wasn’t all in my head, right??

A little bit crazy.....

I had another appointment with the acupuncturist last night. I've decided that she's a little bit nuts. Which really isn't helping the cause of me believing in this stuff.

The last treatment didn't help at all, which totally baffled her. She said that she was stumped. (Great, now I feel better about your skills...) So she tried a new approach last night, instead of just putting needles in the spots she thought they should go, she decided to use a poking maching thing and find the spots that hurt more than others, then she put needles only in those locations Yowzah!! It definitely was not a pleasant experience. Only made worse by the fact that she felt the need to stay in the room and "share her energy" since mine is so low. (she then complained about having to do that, since she really needed all of her "energy") Unfortunately she couldn't share her energy quietly....she rambled on about crazy things and how good she is at her job the entire time.

Can you tell I'm not a fan of this lady?

So far it seems to be another wasted hour of my life.... Anyone else have an idea for the miracle that will finally fix me?

A new approach...

Tonight I am trying something new. My foot is not getting better, so I figured it was time to branch out and try a new approach, accupuncture. I have my first consultation appointment tonight. At first I was a little nervous about it, but at this point my foot hurts so badly that I'm ready for her to just start sticking needles in it. Anything that may help make it better.

I weighed the financial aspect of this vs. MRI. While neither one is a cheap option, at least with acupuncture I feel like I am actively trying to make it better. While with the MRI, I spend all the money just to find out what's wrong. I won't have even started on the healing part. So, as my blog says, it's time for something new!

Gym locker room etiquette...

Ok, so I know that some people are more modest than others when in the gym locker room. I definitely fall on the side of more modesty, as I refuse to shower at gyms that have clear doors, no change areas, etc... But I definitely feel that there is a line of decency as well. Yesterday, after my swim, I encountered a woman that took a flying leap past that line of decency. So I would like to send a message to her through cyberspace....here goes.

"Look lady, it's great that you are confident about the way you look. Fantastic, congratulations, we're all happy for you. But that does not mean that we need to see you prancing around in your lacy blue thong, and admiring your giant fake books in the mirror from all angles. Seriously, do that at home. And if you plan on changing at your locker, please do not take a locker in the main aisle way where we all have to walk past you when there are plenty of other ones off to the side available."

Ok, I feel better now. And for those that are thinking "maybe you should just not look". Trust me, that was not an option. This lady really wanted everyone to see her. She was standing in front of the sinks in a room full of mirrors checking herself out. RIDICULOUS!

On another note....last night was another night of progress in the pool. I'm learning to break my workout into sets, instead of just trying to swim for a certain amount of time. Sunday was 6 sets of 10 with an extra 6 at the end just for fun, and last night was 6 sets of 12! Hooray for progress. Now that I'm starting to feel slightly more comfortable in the water, I'm looking for a little help from all of my fishy friends. Here is your assignment: Leave a comment with the 1 thing you think I should focus on that will help me the most.

Ready, set, comment!

Things I learned at the Ski and Snowboard Show...

This weekend was the Windy City Ski and Snowbaord show. So my sister and I went to explore all of the fun new stuff and get her boyfriend set-up for the season so he wouldn't have to use her old stuff. I learned a few things while there.

1. I really, really need to demo a Never Summer board at some point. They look pretty amazing
2. Tee (Veronica's boyfriend) can be very grumpy and stubborn when hung over.
3. I love the new Subaru Outback. Too bad I just bought a car, but congrats to Subaru for finally finding a way to make it not ugly!
4. I will probably be purchasing a new pair of Oakleys at some point in the near future. The new Trouble frame is awesome (available Nov. 1). Ridiculously huge, but still manages to not look ridiculous. I have 2 accounts that they looked good (from people who would definitely make fun of me mercilessly if they didn't look good). Now I just have to decide if I want them in black or turquoise?
5. I need to do more snowboarding this season! Even if it is just at the pitiful midwest resorts. More roadtrips are in order!
6. I am recruiting people to head up to Michigan with me on Dec. 18 for 6 for 1 day at Boyne Mountain! What better reason to skip a day of work than 6 for 1 lift tickets?? Who's in?
7. And most importantly.....the Oakley reps are hot! :) I'm still amazed that one in particular didn't talk me into buying the Troubles on the spot....although he did talk me into getting the Ravishing at the show last year. And yes, he remembered me.

New Toy....

Sometimes you just need to impulsively buy something for yourself. Today is one of those days. (Well actually there should also be a new fleece vest sitting on my doorstep from Sunday's impulsive purchase!)

Today's buy is a new Timex watch from Woot.com. I ran across someone's blog who mentioned that he had it for about 2 years and loved it, so I decided why the heck not? $25 for a watch that can record lap times (if I ever get back to running and ever go back to the track) and it can control my iPod?? Fun! So I'm in for an orange one! :)

At least I did it...

Well, I did it. I forced myself to swim after work yesterday. Putting my stuff in the car so I could just stop on the way home was definitely the right thing to do.

When I got there all of the lanes had people in them, and 1 guy offered to share. That made me a little nervous because I have no idea what I'm doing! But luckily another guy finished up just in time, so I wouldn't have to share. Into the water, goggles on and I started swimming. While I was swimming I tried to remember things that I hear my crazy triathlete friends talk about, but generally I just tried to swim. I have no problem staying afloat, I just dont think I swim efficiently.

I can't seem to get over how awkward I feel though. Amazing how I can feel like such a fish out of water when I'm in the water! Throughout the workout I found myself stealing glances through the window into the main gym area at all the people running and lifting and wishing I could be doing that!! Towards the end of the workout a girl in a lifeguard suit came in, and she looked like she knew what she was doing! I tried to watch and see if I could pick up anything, but all I noticed was how smooth she seemed while swimming. I feel like I am a splashing mess!

Oh well, there is only room for improvement since it looks like I'll have to continue doing this for a while. Helpful suggestions are always welcome! Otherwise I'll just keep swimming....I have no need to do it quickly yet. :)