Rebounding

Friday, 20 March 2009

Oops. Another month has passed. So, I guess this is my monthly update. Darren left for Italy yesterday for ten days, so I suspect my time to sit around and reflect on my diet and fitness status will be minimal, and I’d better squeeze in a little introspection while I can!

I was sick for almost two weeks this past month, with what started out as a flu and progressed into the worst sinus and chest cold I’ve ever had. Thankfully, I took a turn for the better a couple days before my birthday (16th), so the segue into my 36th year was pleasant and uneventful.

On a positive note, I really worked with different dietary tactics this month to tackle the bloating problem I had been having. I narrowed it down to primarily just focus on smaller portions throughout the day, rather than one big meal, and trying to not feel rushed when I eat. I just started spreading my food out during the day, and really paying attention to the way I eat (slower, only eat when relaxed and not rushed, etc), and this seems to really help. Of course, I’m not always relaxed, nor do I always have time to sit and totally focus on eating consciously, but I see the benefits, and make a real effort.

I got a couple new “cook” books, and have continued to try some new raw food recipes. I don’t see myself committing to a 100 percent raw food lifestyle, but I do notice the digestive benefits, and really enjoy experimenting with different dishes. I got a nice dehydrator for my birthday, and am looking forward to making some raw treats. Some raw food recipes require a lot of forethought and patience, though, because you often have to soak and/or sprout seeds and grains for a day or two, then dehydrate for up to 24 hours. I guess it’s just like anything, you incorporate new things into your routine if you want to.

As for our standard vegan fare, we made some really yummy veggie sushi for my birthday. I’ve made it a few times now and I get better at it every time. We also tried experimenting with the nori sheets to make veggie “wraps.” They are actually quite easy and tasty. You just take a sheet of nori, wrap up lettuce and whatever veggies you want, roll it up, wet the edges to stick it together, and consume! Much quicker than sushi!

On the exercise front, being sick really wiped me out. I barely moved for four or five days, then I only got up to walk around the house. I went about ten days without moving much at all. So, in the past few days, I’ve slowly transitioned back into walking, just by taking a stroll around the neighborhood with the kids or doing 30 minutes on the treadmill with no incline at a slower speed. I totally feel my muscles rebelling after being so sedentary. But, I always feel something is missing if I don’t at least have some moderate exercise in my life, so now that my lung capacity is almost back to normal, and I can breathe through my nose, I will gradually work myself back up to where I was.

I weighed myself the other day, as I was feeling almost recovered, and I was right at 140. I stupidly weighed myself the week prior, after being sick for five or six days, and I was down to 134! I hadn’t eaten in like three days. But, it’s weird, because in a “sick” sort of way, it actually felt good to give my body a break from the work of digesting when I was feeling so awful. I obviously didn’t expect to stay at that weight, as soon as my appetite returned. Nonetheless, I think the result being sick was a few pound loss, and a great appreciation for feeling better!

I’m pretty sure that the prelude to getting sick was several weeks of total sleep deprivation. So, one of the things I’m really working on is establishing a better sleep routine. Like right now, it’s past midnight, and even though I would like to write more, and go finish the dishes in the sink, I’m going to just stop. Tomorrow is a new day, and right now I’m going to quiet my mind, think restful thoughts, and just go lay in bed until sleep comes. I find that it takes just as much commitment to stick to a sleep routine as it does to an exercise routine, and I’m realizing that both are equally important!

Good night.