How to heal

I got to stop by CFD yesterday, and it was so amazing!  I didn't stay for a very long time, just enough to say hi to a bunch of people and show off my shoulder and how it's hooked up to a bunch of electrodes, so I can make it twitch.

Seeing all the lovely active sweaty people made me realise I need to stop sulking about being a one-armed wonder and start living the "wonder" part while making the "one-armed" part as short and impermanent as possible.  So here's my game plan.  Some of these points I'm already following; others I'm going to start incorporating.  As always, any and all comments and suggestions are welcome!

DIET
With a few exceptions that I'll note below, I'm going strict paleo until I'm healed enough to use my arm again.  The reasoning is pretty simple: it promotes reduction/avoidance of inflammation, which in turn helps avoid infection and speeds healing.  I've also been using an ice pack and occasional doses of ibuprofen, as my shoulder still seems to me to be a little swollen (no redness, oozing or other signs of infection, though).

I've also been keeping half an eye on portions, though I'm not actually counting calories.  Reason is that I know my BMR is about 1500 cals/day when I don't factor in any activity, and I haven't been very active at all lately.  This isn't too much of an issue, since the sudden and dramatic decrease in exercise and activity means my appetite dropped to almost nil.  However, I do tend to binge-eat when I'm bored, and ennui has been the main emotion of late.  The times I have caved, I've kept it pretty paleo, though, so that's a semi-victory.  A better fix is finding something to erase the boredom, and I'm working on that.

My exceptions to the paleo rule are mostly driven by the fact that I'll be staying with my godparents for a couple weeks while my parents are on vaycay and I'm still pretty helpless.  They keep chickens in their backyard!  I'm also expecting to encounter

• delicious homemade fermented things (like sauerkraut, not beer), as well as
• happy milk!  that is, not all cooked and nastified, just as pure as Bessie intended (wink wink)

In addition, I'm fully planning to deviate from strictitude when I just want some goddammn chocolate already.

EXERCISE

So far, this has consisted of one leisurely two-mile stroll around the neighborhood a few days ago.  I attempted some squats and one-arm push-ups against the arm of the couch the same day, but I was still pretty shaky from the meds and it didn't work out very well.  Since then, however, I've focused on cutting down severely on the meds, and I think I'm finally close enough to myself again to attempt another try.  Besides walking, which I intend to do at least once a day, I've come up with

• squats
• pistols, once I'm up for it
• one-armed push-ups off the wall or the arm of the couch
• side plank holds
• front one-armed plank holds, once I'm up for it
• sit-ups
• one-armed kettlebell stuff

As soon as I can do more than just slow controlled movements (I don't know how long that'll be), I'll start working bouts of slow running into my walks, preferably barefoot, as well as jumps onto low objects, like stairs.  At the moment, any movement that causes me to tense up my body and thus my shoulder involuntarily or quickly is fairly painful.

For my right arm: officially I'm still not supposed to take it out of the sling unless I'm showering or doing the only prescribed exercises, which consist of straightening my elbow and bending my wrist, 20 reps at a time, 3 times a day.  I've been taking it out of the sling and letting it rest on  a pillow in my lap as much as I can, working my wrist and hand, as well as bending and straightening my arm when I'm standing with it hanging by my side.  There's little to no pain associated with these movements, or with slow isolated shrugs (of which I'm still doing VERY few, just to be safe), mostly just joint stiffness.  I'm pretty worried (read: totally paranoid) about losing muscle mass, though, so in my eyes it looks like my arm's already transformed into this shrunken blobby thing from a week of disuse.  Meh.

MEDICATION/MEDICAMENTS

Like I've mentioned before, I'm been prescribed some pretty serious meds for the pain, which all the doctors told me numerous times was going to be quite considerable.  The first several days it was bad enough that I was popping pills like a toddler eating jelly beans off the floor of a movie theater.  Side effects included being awake for like 4 hours a day, not wanting to eat anything at ALL and getting seriously backed up in the ol' GI department (tmi, sorry!  but something you should definitely be aware of if you ever have to take these), as well as being super shaky and out of it whenever I was awake.  Now the discomfort has shrunk to more manageable levels, so I'm trying to do without the scrips as much as possible, relying more on ibuprofen or my handy dandy shoulder electrifier during the day, then taking meds at night if I need the help to get comfortable enough to sleep.  

To help with the anti-inflammation, I'm taking between 6 and 9 capsules of fish oil every day.  I'm also drinking a couple glasses of Metamucil+water and at least 4 6-oz cups of fully caffeinated coffee every day to help combat the aforementioned particularly unfortunate side effect, and it is totally working.  The more you know...

REST

At this point I'm just trying to get back into a normal awake-during-daylight-hours schedule, and get between 8 and 10 hours of sleep at night.  But sometimes naps are an awesome way to pass the time.

So there you have it!  My genius plan to take over the world be a total badass again as soon as possible.  What do you guys think?  

PS:  Here's me being extremely pouty a day or two after the surgery:

...and here's me right after I was finally able to take a SHOWER!  And put on REAL CLOTHES!  And a BRA!  I tell ya, bathing never felt so good.

(btw yes I know my clothes don't match at all.  it was the first thing I could put on after over 72 straight hours of that damn hospital gown, and I wanted some COLOR!)

-Nelly

Money Monday 21/3

Wow, haven't touched this tag in a while.  Before we blow the dust from it all over the place, here's some food:

Two eggs and two tomatoes, all fried in bacon grease that I've started saving.  Avocado for some more fat.  Mmmm, fat.  Part of a grapefruit the size of my head.  And coffee.  Nom.

This week's questions (original post here):

1. The most I've spent this last week was on PAYING OFF MY STUDENT LOAN IN FULL!  Yes I know.  I am just that awesome.  That's an extra $150/mo I have to play with now, and I'm probably going to put it towards rent.  Yep, I'm looking for a new place.  Anyone know of a cheap-but-not-crappy 1BR/1BA in a safe neighborhood somewhere around downtown Durham?  Let me know.  Hardwood floors and fireplaces droolworthy but not necessary.

2. Today I feel slightly abashed towards money.  I've been sadly neglecting my budget plans and my ledger for a month or so now, and while it was nice to just have fun without obsessing too much (among others, by taking off for the Outer Banks for a few days), it's time to kick it back into high gear.  I'm thinking about enacting an envelope system for the paying of bills and such, but I'm torn.  On the one hand, it's nice to literally see exactly where all your money is going; on the other, I'd like to set it up so I can pay my bills and rent online.  And even with checks, the money would still have to be in my account, not an envelope.  So maybe just sticking with virtual budgets for bills and rent, and doing the envelope shuffle for variables like food and gas (hopefully going to go down soon!)?  We'll see.  Any tips?

3. Money can't buy happiness.  One free thing I did last week was to go on a riverwalk!  For the uninformed, this is when you go to a river, normally one in a wilderness park with a hiking trail next to it, and then ignore the trail and just walk in the river.  It was a gorgeous warm day but the water was freezing!  Still amazing, even when it got up to my armpits.  I think I scared some hikers with my squawking.

4. I will consider this week a success if I stop slouching!  My back hurts like a mofo.  Also, total paleo at least 5 days.  I've been lax lately and I'm noticing the results.

5. I am thankful for this boy right here:

-N

Halfway done!

Can you believe we're already halfway through the first month of the new year?  It's insane how time keeps on speeding up the older I get.  Which, by the way, with be exactly 25 years old in about 38 hours and 35 minutes.  Yes, I was born exactly at midnight.  Ask my dad, he was watching the clock!  I'd say ask my mom but she was otherwise occupied.

So we're halfway through the month, and I'm also halfway through my first Whole30 bout.  I didn't make a big deal about it when I started, as usually when I have some kind of food or life revelation and get all gung-ho about a particular method enough to blog about how I'm going to omgztotallyRAWKit, I end up failing within the first week or so.  But...I haven't failed this one yet.  And I don't foresee a scenario where I'd have to completely abandon it, and after this much effort, even the iffy, possible scenarios (forgot to pack lunch for work, don't have the cash to buy it) don't outweigh the desire to finish this goal.

hope i'm not jinxing myself with this picture!

The Whole9 style of eating isn't all that far off from what I was doing before - no grains, no added sugars, no processed foods - with the addition of no alcohol and no dairy, which is the toughest area for me, as I am normally a milk fiend.  The biggest difference is that it allows absolutely no room for cheating - no beer or wine with dinner once in a while, no half-ounce of chocolate chips after a 10-hour shift, not even a drop of cream in coffee (I use coconut cream, so I don't miss that TOO much).  I never really realised how much I do take those little tiny sidesteps off the path of real, clean eating.  I firmly believe that it's okay to enjoy sweets and treats and things you wouldn't have every day...as long as you don't have them every day.  And I wasn't having them every day, but it was a lot closer than I'd like.

In the interest of full disclosure, I'll tell you that I did "cheat" once, just a few days after I started the whole deal.  The Man's holiday box of goodies finally arrived in the mail, containing all kinds of sugary deliciousness that tempted me sorely, all of which he spent a long time picking exactly which gift would be perfect for each member of the family, or which would mean something extra to me.  One of the things included was a little block of eggnog fudge from White House Chocolates in Middlefield, Ohio (if you're ever in that area, you MUST stop there. period).  They make it once a year and, it being super-good quality without many preservatives, it would have gone all stale by the time February rolled around.  So I cut a little chunk off the corner, just enough to taste, and then called up The Man to tell him merci muy mucho and yo te iubesc, and then put the rest of the goodies out of sight and mind until Feb.

But anyways.  It's been really interesting, at the very least, to try out a deal that's both very stringent and at the same time feels can feel ridiculously decadent, based on what you can have.  I've also realised that left to my own devices I will eat any coconut product - dried flakes, coconut cream, coconut butter, coconut oil, any of the last three dipped in the first... - out of the jar with a spoon.  Which is not always a good thing.  But for the most part, my meals look something like this:

This was breakfast yesterday.  Roasted brussel sprouts, a couple orange and grapefruit pieces, macadamia nuts, a palm-sized hunk of cow and coffee with coconut cream.  Note that I don't have coffee with every meal, although I wish I could.  But yeah - there's so much awesomeness here that I barely miss things like sugar and dairy (although I'm daydreaming about the raw milk I'm going to get when I finish this up...but that's another story :D)

Lurkers: did you change your diet (by which I mean all the stuff that you eat, not an action you undergo) for the new year?  What's your take on food/diet "challenges?"  Are you a coconut fiend as much as I am?  What do you think I should eat on February 1st?

-Nelly

Good and bad

image from this blog via Google Images

BAD: Summer is officially over. No more fresh fruit and tomatoes at the farmer's market! Soon I'll have to start wearing sleeves again. Also, I was a bad pagan and missed all the summer festivals.
GOOD: Fall is probably my favorite season except for the fact that winter comes right after it. Apples! Squash! More apples! CIDER! And there's Mabon and Samhain to look forward to (and actually get something planned for this time around!)

BAD: I've had coffee several times this week, instead of sticking to the original goal of just once.
GOOD: I no longer rely on the stuff to get me awake in the morning. As such, I can now actually enjoy it for the taste, instead of just slamming it back, too impatient for the effects to kick in to even remember that oh yeah that's right, it's hazelnut-flavored.

mmmm, hazelnut...

BAD: I live 600 miles away from my boy and only get to see him a couple of times a year.
GOOD: We've somehow managed to keep continuously falling in love with each other for just over two years now. And the next time I see him will be this Friday! In approximately 57 hours! I'm too excited, you say? Nooo...

GOOD(i'm switching 'em up now! watch out!): The Primal Blueprint 30-day Challenge over on MDA just started up yesterday. Yay for eating healthy food and being active!
BAD: Um...I'm actually sipping coffee right now. While I'm inside. Sitting at the computer. And all this coming weekend I'll be wined and dined and also eating at my Grandma's house and trying not to offend her. (she gets rawther annoyed by vegetarians/pescetarians/lo-carbers/no-carbers/anyone with food restrictions, really)
BETTER: Other than the coffee, I am being amazingly good about what I eat. And there's always something at restaurants, even if you have to ask for it special. And Grandma still talked to me even after I attended Thanksgiving at her place while being vegan. So it shouldn't be too bad.

BAD: I just got my first bikini-area wax yesterday and it hurt like a BITCHMONSTER.
GOOD: It did not hurt NEARLY as much as I thought it would. Also, now it's over and done with! And apparently the first time is always the hardest, should I decide to get it done again.

BAD: Last session was my last official Crossfit Bootcamp. Now I'm no longer the second-most-experienced vet in the class...just one more (noticeably fluffier than most of the other regulars) fish in a pond (that is filled to the gills (MIXED FISH-RELATED METAPHORS LOL) with the crazy elites).
GOOD: See those insanely fit people doing hundreds of one-armed handstand pushups in a row?

That's gonna be ME.

-N

Screw noodles (et al.)

Aesthetically pleasing? Sure. Making me hungry? Not so much.

So Sunday night was (as it was, is and evermore shall be) Family Chinese & Movie Night. And after not having had a single item with flour or sugar in it (except for the aforementioned baked sweet things from Babysis) for a good week, I figured it was time for a break. After all, the last time I went on a serious (then Zone-based) health kick, I kept this tradition as my one vice all week, and still did pretty well. So having one wheat-and-soy-based meal out of the entire week, while avoiding it all the rest, isn't too bad, right?

The answer to that question is: blearrrrgh.

Holy shit. I felt so ridiculously bogged down - like the sick, too-full feeling you get after a bigger-than-it-should-have-been meal, but it didn't go away. I couldn't even eat my usual second helping - my taste for the flavors hasn't changed, but I just felt like I literally could not stomach any more.

However...

It's been slowly dawning on me for the past several days (what? i've been working!) that...that's how I always feel after FC&M Night. It was only with the week-long cleanse that eating only ridiculous amounts of veggies and salmon and fruit and nuts (and NO wheat or soy or caffeine or sugar or what have you) will give you that I could even realise it. Which means that, compared to the way I'm feeling now, I would have felt just as sick and heavy and bogged down on any given day of my life.

Yeah.

This is something to ponder.

For now, though, I have to go get dental surgery. I swear by all that is dear and holy that I will provide a Crossfit update later today! This round has been pretty awesome, and we're already halfway done with it and haven't said anything! I am a bad bad athlete-blogger, I know. But that will be remedied. I promise.

-N

Be healthy, y'all (completed, finally!)

Lately I've been fairly preoccupied with what it means to be truly, sustainably healthy, which apparently resulted in this song being stuck on repeat on my internal iPod for some days. For the year that I was vegan, this song was one of my credos, and although I no longer subscribe to the entire list of dos and don'ts, I still love both the message and the fact that it's being presented in a medium that's usually reserved (in America, at least) for rather more trite topics (although that is changing!).

At the behest of a couple of the trainers at Crossfit, I've been researching and experimenting with the paleo class of diets. They're based on the idea that many of our modern ills - heart disease, diabetes, obesity, some cancers; and those are only the biggest ones! - spring directly from our modern diet, by which they mean pretty much all foods introduced after the dawn of agriculture. That includes, for a start, all dairy, all cereal grains, all added sugar, all legumes (peanuts, beans, lentils) and all members of the Nightshade family of vegetables (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant). Here's an image I've seen tossed around the forum boards a lot, for a visual:Now, I will never give up dairy. That's pretty set in stone. I've pontificated before about how incredible yoghurt is for health (that's free-range, organic, plain, whole milk yoghurt, preferably family-farmed and local, not that sugary crap they sell under the name far too often) and I'm sticking to that position. Neither will I cut out an entire family of vegetables simply because the form they existed in when Ug and Grok were trekking around looking for dinner was a poisonous one. However, in the interests of science and health, I did submit myself to a week's experiment of this diet.

It exists in three "Stages," meant to ease you into the neanderthal lifestyle. The basic gist of Stage One, for the link-shy, is that you drink loads of water and eat ("graze lightly") only fruit and nuts during the day, and then "feast" on whatever you'd like for dinner, with the assumption that you will realise how good healthy foods make you feel and how much modern processed foods do the opposite. It's supposed to simulate the caveman's day of walking around nibbling on berries and looking for something that looks good to eat and easy to kill, then doing both of those things.

Let me stress right upfront that this is NOT a starvation type of diet, despite the relatively light eating during the day. I make sure that I'm getting about 1/2 to 3/5 of my daily calories during the day through almonds (LOVE those suckers) and fruit, then top it off with the evening meal. Anorexia is also a modern ill, and I've seen enough of it to ensure that I will always be overly cautious about developing any habits even close to resembling it.

The site instructs the would-be caveperson to "have Pizza, Burgers, Chips [for the evening feast], whatever your heart desires. You will come to learn how much you really enjoy these foods... not much at all." I've already pretty much figured that out, so I took it a couple steps further, sticking with my normal slab of fish and gallon of leafy green things for dinner (just upping the portions a bit), and cutting out all added sugar (except for a couple cookies and a brownie when Babysis was baking...damn her!), all wheat (ditto) and all caffeine, except for one cup of tea. That's right. No coffee. Nary a drop since Sunday morning last week. Instead, I've tried out the morning routine prescribed on the site: "First thing upon waking - slam down a big cup of water. You will get a 'brain rush' and your body will come to life rather quickly." Zomguh, you guys. This actually worked. I was pretty astounded.

I also feel pretty good, considering what I've heard about how it can take some time to adjust to paleo-style diets, given that we (as modern people) are used to consuming and burning carbs for body fuel, in a relatively quick transformation of food into energy, whereas the caveman stored up and burned fat, the original exercise fuel. The Crossfit trainers all mentioned a good week or more of "paleo flu," where your body is relearning to rely on fat stores for energy (thus burning them), resulting in slight headaches and body soreness, much like a mild flu. I've been able to avoid that for the most part, though.

One thing I was quite worried about was the effect on my workouts - I've always been super conscious about planning meals around them, figuring out what to consume and exactly how long to wait and on and on. A quote from one of the forums ran something like "Cavemen didn't hunt on a full stomach, so why would you?" This whole caveman-this-caveman-that deal can get a bit tiresome, but it is a good point - our bodies should be able to rely on previously stored fuel for energy, not just the quick-burning carbs we had two hours ago. And it wasn't too bad - I didn't feel lightheaded, and neither did I get that bogged-down feeling I sometimes did when I ate too close to a workout. The much-raved-about endless stores of energy haven't quite kicked in yet, but I'll give it time.

So I think this is pretty cool, and doesn't seem to be too harmful yet. I'm planning on sticking to it for a while longer, paying close attention to what it does to me - my body, my mood, my energy levels, my ability to exercise and whatnot. I like what it's doing so far. We'll see how it continues to measure up.

-N