Well, I'm in Phoenix, Arizona for the next couple of days. My boss sent me and two coworkers to the 30th Annual Barrow Neuroscience Symposium. Today was the first day, and it promises to be really good! So far the speakers have been engaging and the topics have been excellent. I've also gotten to know the newest member of our team better. She came from Michigan a couple of months ago to fill the Manager position for the unit. She's literally old enough to be my mother, but we have SO much in common! It's been really awesome to find out that she loves so many of the same things that I do, and we actually think a lot alike. She is a very strong personality which I know some people might misconstrue, but I really think she has the well-being of the unit in mind.
So, I started running again today. Week 2 Day 3 of C25K after a 2-week hiatus due to runner's knee. I'll tell you what, that was no stinkin' fun. Since I'm in Phoenix and don't know my way around or the degree of safety around here, I just ran on the treadmill in the fitness room at the hotel. I wore my new shoes and compressive braces on both knees. It went very well! I still have a tiny hint of residual soreness from time to time on my right knee, but otherwise I feel 100%. My right ankle has been on the weak side ever since my accident and I feel like I land a little harder on that foot than I do my left. I don't know how to fix that, but I am trying to be aware of it and step lighter.
I'm going back to hard-core Whole30 eating when I get back home. The bloating and gut issues have been really uncomfortable and it's just not worth it to eat those foods. Well, the blueberry bread pudding at Switch last night was worth it. Very worth it. I DO make good choices though...for dinner I had lettuce wraps with fresh veggies and lamb, and they were super tasty! I've been eating good food as a whole, with a little wheat here or a little dairy there, etc. Ick. Just not good for my body. So this time the family is going to gradually join me, whether they like it or not. Ha. I'll splurge a little at Thanksgiving and Christmas and during our week with the in-laws, but that's all. Need to eat clean. Wheat and dairy hate me.
My milk supply has been good so far. I don't think I brought enough bottles for my expressed milk. Oops. I'm going to have to buy some bags.
Well, it's time to study. Got stuff due this week and I need to make good use of all of this quiet, uninterrupted time. I miss my crazy family, though. Really. A lot.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Um...ouch
Long story short, I developed a very painful case of runner's knee and some additional pain on the inside of my knee because of my weak-ish thighs. Nice. Nothing like a reminder that you're out of shape. Anyhoo, when the knee pain progressed to the point of near excruciating, I stopped. I figured it had moved from just pain to injury, and needed a break. I got some supports for my knees and went to Sierra Running Company for gait analysis and new shoes. They hooked me up with a pair of shoes that should help to correct the slight overpronation in my ankles, and hence help my knee pain. I'll tell you, taking those short runs on the treadmill and around the store were misery.
So, nearly two weeks later, with the help of Aleve, knee supports, and ice, I'm back to 100% and ready to start running again next week! Although I haven't run during this timeframe, I do not feel as if I have let anything go or quit anything. I'm really looking forward to running again! I have found something that I actually enjoy, and I have goals that I'm reaching toward.
Today is the Two Cities Marathon, Half-Marathon, and Relay. I have several friends running (or "wogging" as one friend put it!) and it's really inspiring to me. I WANT to reach that goal for next year. I WANT to join them!
I went out with a couple of friends Friday night and had some of my favorite food at a favorite restaurant, Rousseau. Part of this meal was the bruschetta with fresh mozzarella, the goat cheese with roasted garlic and crostini, and the pot de creme, a melt-in-your-mouth chocolate worth-every-bite dessert. I paid for it the next day, but it was sure yummy! Again it was confirmed that I don't miss bread, but I LOVE my cheese! I'm learning that lactose and I don't really get along so hot anymore though. I weighed myself yesterday, and although I had some candy and a funnel cake at Halloween and the afore-mentioned meal, I haven't gained any weight. I haven't lost, but I haven't gained. That's a good thing I guess. I need to be stricter in my diet (my daily food is Whole 30-compliant, but I have some cheats here and there) and start working out again. Family pictures are in 20 days and I'd love to lose a little more weight!
My bonding leave starts December 5th. It'll be nice to have a month off.
I'm flying out to Phoenix tomorrow for a conference. It'll be the first time I'll have been away from my whole family, including the baby. I'm bringing my pump, but I'm concerned about my milk supply. I guess I should bring my More Milk Plus tincture just in case. It'll just be Monday evening through Thursday evening, but that seems like an eternity. I plan on getting a lot of school done during the nights, though. I have some catching up to do.
Anyhoo, that's it, by way of updates. I hope my re-introduction to running goes smoothly!
So, nearly two weeks later, with the help of Aleve, knee supports, and ice, I'm back to 100% and ready to start running again next week! Although I haven't run during this timeframe, I do not feel as if I have let anything go or quit anything. I'm really looking forward to running again! I have found something that I actually enjoy, and I have goals that I'm reaching toward.
Today is the Two Cities Marathon, Half-Marathon, and Relay. I have several friends running (or "wogging" as one friend put it!) and it's really inspiring to me. I WANT to reach that goal for next year. I WANT to join them!
I went out with a couple of friends Friday night and had some of my favorite food at a favorite restaurant, Rousseau. Part of this meal was the bruschetta with fresh mozzarella, the goat cheese with roasted garlic and crostini, and the pot de creme, a melt-in-your-mouth chocolate worth-every-bite dessert. I paid for it the next day, but it was sure yummy! Again it was confirmed that I don't miss bread, but I LOVE my cheese! I'm learning that lactose and I don't really get along so hot anymore though. I weighed myself yesterday, and although I had some candy and a funnel cake at Halloween and the afore-mentioned meal, I haven't gained any weight. I haven't lost, but I haven't gained. That's a good thing I guess. I need to be stricter in my diet (my daily food is Whole 30-compliant, but I have some cheats here and there) and start working out again. Family pictures are in 20 days and I'd love to lose a little more weight!
My bonding leave starts December 5th. It'll be nice to have a month off.
I'm flying out to Phoenix tomorrow for a conference. It'll be the first time I'll have been away from my whole family, including the baby. I'm bringing my pump, but I'm concerned about my milk supply. I guess I should bring my More Milk Plus tincture just in case. It'll just be Monday evening through Thursday evening, but that seems like an eternity. I plan on getting a lot of school done during the nights, though. I have some catching up to do.
Anyhoo, that's it, by way of updates. I hope my re-introduction to running goes smoothly!
Saturday, October 22, 2011
When I'm a midwife, please remind me...
1. Not to be judgmental of other's choices (Explanation: When I had my well-woman visit yesterday with an NP who I didn't know, I was talking about birth control preferences, etc. She said "And you don't have any children, correct?" I said "Oh, no...I have three." She came back with "So the WHY do you want more children?" Really, lady? Rude.)
2. Be understanding of other's preferences (Explanation: At afore-mentioned visit, when I stated that I preferred non-hormonal birth control for various reasons, all I got was plug after plug for hormonal birth control in the form of pills and IUDs because that's what they carried and that was the NPs preference. I already said I'd like to avoid them, thank you, and gave you the reasons why. I'm a nurse. I'm educated. I know my meds and my side effects and risk vs. benefit. I didn't come to be preached at about what YOU think is best for me, I came to discuss options within my comfort zone. Thank you.)
3. Not preach my preferences at other people. Present the information as appropriate, then let my client decide based on the information and her preferences. (Explanation: See #2)
4. Have office personnel with personality. (Explanation: The medical assistant at yesterday's visit barely made eye contact, barely spoke to me, didn't tell me my weight or blood pressure but simply wrote them down and walked away. Weird.)
Those little tidbits are just from one office visit. I should keep a running log of these comments and situations...I run into them on a regular basis and always tell my husband "When I'm a midwife, please remind me..."
2. Be understanding of other's preferences (Explanation: At afore-mentioned visit, when I stated that I preferred non-hormonal birth control for various reasons, all I got was plug after plug for hormonal birth control in the form of pills and IUDs because that's what they carried and that was the NPs preference. I already said I'd like to avoid them, thank you, and gave you the reasons why. I'm a nurse. I'm educated. I know my meds and my side effects and risk vs. benefit. I didn't come to be preached at about what YOU think is best for me, I came to discuss options within my comfort zone. Thank you.)
3. Not preach my preferences at other people. Present the information as appropriate, then let my client decide based on the information and her preferences. (Explanation: See #2)
4. Have office personnel with personality. (Explanation: The medical assistant at yesterday's visit barely made eye contact, barely spoke to me, didn't tell me my weight or blood pressure but simply wrote them down and walked away. Weird.)
Those little tidbits are just from one office visit. I should keep a running log of these comments and situations...I run into them on a regular basis and always tell my husband "When I'm a midwife, please remind me..."
Theories and cultures and midwifery, oh my!
It's my homework! I have assignments due in my Theories class and my Health Promotion class this weekend, plus work on a Power Point and a lot of reading for my Role of Midwifery class. The assignment for Health Promotion was to read a book from the list they provided about a culture different than my own and then write a "cultural desire" essay about it (this is basically a reflection on their culture and mine and an examination of my feelings toward other cultures, etc.). I went back and forth between a few books, to be honest. "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down" was really appealing because I deal with that type of situation often...I live miles away from the town where the book was based out of, I know the Hmong people because we have a large population of them here, and I'm a neuro nurse so seizures are right up my alley. But then I realized that kind of defeats the purpose of this assignment...I needed to pick something TOTALLY different. So I read this book, "A Midwife's Story", about midwifery and the Amish.
This book was not only very enjoyable, but a real eye-opener. The midwife in the story (a true story, by the way) was not Amish, wore pants, and wasn't religious...and yet she was accepted into their fold with open arms because of the work she did and the respect she had for their ways. It's a very good, light read (I read it in less than a day) if you have the time or the want-to. It'll bring tears, so keep your handkerchief close.
For Theories my group is exploring the middle-range theory of Comfort as it relates to a broad scope of health situations. I'm stoked about the journal articles we chose, and my work on that is almost done for this module.
Speaking of my Health Promotion class, I have to journal this week on my self-management plan, which was starting jogging three days per week. Like my Whole30, I'm really proud that I've stuck with this. I find that C25K has been very helpful in keeping me on track with my goals. I bump up the intensity today, going from running in 60 second increments to 90 second increments. My knees are still a little sore, nothing bad, but from the people I've talked to and the stuff I've found on the web, it sounds like I need to be fitted for some new shoes. I hear it can make all the difference in knee pain. The pair of shoes I have now are nearly new, but I can save those for walking to the park with the kids or whatever. Seems like I need some real running shoes to haul my big self around with less pain.
The weather is lovely this morning...partly cloudy, somewhere in the high 60's to low 70's...I'm going to get a bite of breakfast and run while it's cool.
P.S. I'm going through a certain blog/site called The Clothes Make the Girl...she has a ton of clean recipes and I'm feeling the need for something out of my ordinary. I found this recipe for her Paleo Pad Thai, and I'm nearly giddy with the excitement of trying it!! Hello, comfort food!!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Whole30 - Day 31
That's right! So I jumped on the scale this morning, and the final damage was 19 lbs lost! :) I can't believe I went from 214 lb to 195 lb in just 30 days! In this last week it REALLY tapered down, but I'm sure that's normal. I've continued on my way though, thrilled at the change the folks over at Whole9 promised I'd have...the life-changing experience of learning to view your food in a whole new way.
For example, my hubby swung us by Wendy's on the way home from work/school. Once upon a time I'd get a sour cream and chives baked potato (loaded with butter and sour cream, of course), a small chili, and a small frostie. Instead, when we drove up all I smelled was chemicals. I picked up the baggy of pistachios that I had stashed away and started noshing.
At work, people are saying "You're done! Now let's go to Starbucks and celebrate!" I happily tell them that I'm off sugar and dairy and am staying off because it does weird things to my body.
I am SO grateful for this experience. It has completely turned the way I view my food, a turn for the better.
I have to say that I celebrated a little bit by frying up a pan of organic uncured bacon...bacon is really less than ideal and this particular one had a little bit of sugar in it. But it was DELISH. I am saving all but the couple of pieces that I ate for the soup that I'm making tonight. And I saved the fat so I can use it to cook eggs again. I love poached eggs, but dude. You get a little tired of them day after day. It would figure that mere days before I was to be done they decided that grass-fed organic butter is fine if it's been clarified. Wish I had known that 30 days ago! But it will make the following months a little easier. Cooking eggs with olive oil is only slightly less gross than cooking them in coconut oil. Blech.
Time to run. Week 1 Day 3 of C25K today. I'm going to try to start improving my time/distance a little bit. I just need to push myself. Next run after this starts the next "notch up"...longer runs, shorter walks. Bring it on. I'm ready for this!
P.S. This is post-run Jessica speaking. My knees are feeling it a little bit today, not so much during my run but after. I improved both my time (by about 30 sec/mile) and my distance (2.18 mi) today. I have to admit that I had my first encounter with vanity while running. I was plugging along on my run segment when two very decent looking men came running toward me. Just as I was almost to them, my app told me to switch to a walk interval. They looked at me and cheered me on (must have been looking a little haggard) and told me I could do it...so I kept running...hahaha! I switched to a walk about 60 feet after we crossed paths, but I must admit I laughed at myself later...and told Trav and he laughed at me too. It's amazing what a little vanity will do for you!
For example, my hubby swung us by Wendy's on the way home from work/school. Once upon a time I'd get a sour cream and chives baked potato (loaded with butter and sour cream, of course), a small chili, and a small frostie. Instead, when we drove up all I smelled was chemicals. I picked up the baggy of pistachios that I had stashed away and started noshing.
At work, people are saying "You're done! Now let's go to Starbucks and celebrate!" I happily tell them that I'm off sugar and dairy and am staying off because it does weird things to my body.
I am SO grateful for this experience. It has completely turned the way I view my food, a turn for the better.
I have to say that I celebrated a little bit by frying up a pan of organic uncured bacon...bacon is really less than ideal and this particular one had a little bit of sugar in it. But it was DELISH. I am saving all but the couple of pieces that I ate for the soup that I'm making tonight. And I saved the fat so I can use it to cook eggs again. I love poached eggs, but dude. You get a little tired of them day after day. It would figure that mere days before I was to be done they decided that grass-fed organic butter is fine if it's been clarified. Wish I had known that 30 days ago! But it will make the following months a little easier. Cooking eggs with olive oil is only slightly less gross than cooking them in coconut oil. Blech.
Time to run. Week 1 Day 3 of C25K today. I'm going to try to start improving my time/distance a little bit. I just need to push myself. Next run after this starts the next "notch up"...longer runs, shorter walks. Bring it on. I'm ready for this!
P.S. This is post-run Jessica speaking. My knees are feeling it a little bit today, not so much during my run but after. I improved both my time (by about 30 sec/mile) and my distance (2.18 mi) today. I have to admit that I had my first encounter with vanity while running. I was plugging along on my run segment when two very decent looking men came running toward me. Just as I was almost to them, my app told me to switch to a walk interval. They looked at me and cheered me on (must have been looking a little haggard) and told me I could do it...so I kept running...hahaha! I switched to a walk about 60 feet after we crossed paths, but I must admit I laughed at myself later...and told Trav and he laughed at me too. It's amazing what a little vanity will do for you!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Today I learned...
1. That swallowing and/or inhaling gnats and/or other small flying creatures isn't really that bad.
2. That swallowing and/or inhaling them is far preferable to getting them in your eye.
3. There is a camaraderie among runners/joggers when they see each other on the road or sidewalk. It's like the biker mini-wave, except all they can muster is a glance and a nod.
4. I really CAN go a month without sugar (and grains and legumes and dairy).
5. I'm not the most physically fit person, but I surprise myself sometimes.
6. Being outside in the heat in Fresno is a bummer. It's even worse if you're exerting energy or breaking a sweat.
7. Those nifty little iPhone holder arm-strap dealios are pretty cool...and useful.
8. Bruises inflicted by my chiropractor feel much better than the IT band craziness I had before I saw her.
Well folks, I'm on day 29 of my Whole30. Tomorrow is the last "official" day. I haven't weighed myself for several days and I will not until Thursday morning. And I'll have to take an "after" picture too. I still have a LONG way to go, but every day I'm encouraged by positive comments and the support of others around me.
Week 1 day 2 of C25K today. Nearly killed me in the heat. I was slower than last time, but dang it was hot! As soon as I stepped outside my house I decided to go on a different route, a big circle around our development instead of to the park and around the track several times. I did this mostly because I knew if I did, then I couldn't just go home early. I had to keep going to get home. It wasn't the funnest thing ever, but I really didn't feel that bad after. It was just the "during" that was the killer.
I have gotten a lot of inspiration in the last few days from a blog that my mom sent me called One Twenty Five. It's written by a chica who was obese, albeit 10 lbs lighter than I was when I started. Her goal is to get to 125 lbs. She has had a tremendous journey, and she started running as well. She's done MARATHONS, dude. Whole marathons, not halves. Crazy. She's not to her goal yet, but looks fab. I love her blog.
Headache and homework so off I go.
2. That swallowing and/or inhaling them is far preferable to getting them in your eye.
3. There is a camaraderie among runners/joggers when they see each other on the road or sidewalk. It's like the biker mini-wave, except all they can muster is a glance and a nod.
4. I really CAN go a month without sugar (and grains and legumes and dairy).
5. I'm not the most physically fit person, but I surprise myself sometimes.
6. Being outside in the heat in Fresno is a bummer. It's even worse if you're exerting energy or breaking a sweat.
7. Those nifty little iPhone holder arm-strap dealios are pretty cool...and useful.
8. Bruises inflicted by my chiropractor feel much better than the IT band craziness I had before I saw her.
Well folks, I'm on day 29 of my Whole30. Tomorrow is the last "official" day. I haven't weighed myself for several days and I will not until Thursday morning. And I'll have to take an "after" picture too. I still have a LONG way to go, but every day I'm encouraged by positive comments and the support of others around me.
Week 1 day 2 of C25K today. Nearly killed me in the heat. I was slower than last time, but dang it was hot! As soon as I stepped outside my house I decided to go on a different route, a big circle around our development instead of to the park and around the track several times. I did this mostly because I knew if I did, then I couldn't just go home early. I had to keep going to get home. It wasn't the funnest thing ever, but I really didn't feel that bad after. It was just the "during" that was the killer.
I have gotten a lot of inspiration in the last few days from a blog that my mom sent me called One Twenty Five. It's written by a chica who was obese, albeit 10 lbs lighter than I was when I started. Her goal is to get to 125 lbs. She has had a tremendous journey, and she started running as well. She's done MARATHONS, dude. Whole marathons, not halves. Crazy. She's not to her goal yet, but looks fab. I love her blog.
Headache and homework so off I go.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
The big picture (and the short view)
This week should be a good one. I hope. The Neuroscience Symposium that I've been planning and working on for about 6 months is done now. HUGE deep sigh of relief here. Until about February, that is, when I'll begin planning all over again!
I need to catch up on school. That crazy Symposium was a huge time-suck, and I'm a little behind now. Time to get Dropbox up and rolling and take At Your Cervix' advice and print out notecard-sized notes. Brilliant.
I also come to day 30 of my Whole30 on Wednesday. I can't believe I've actually stuck with it. It's a huge thing, you know. I'm the ultimate procrastinator and never-finisher. But like I keep saying, this is my year. It's time to get my stuff together.
I officially started my C25K program today. Holy crap that was brutal. I'm WAY out of shape! I ended up going a little over 2 miles with 1 minute of running followed by 1.5 minutes of walking. I'm going to do this three times, then up the ante, as described in the C25K program. I got a handy-dandy app on my iPhone that lets you play your own music (iPod, Pandora, whatever) but there's a voiceover every however-many seconds/minutes that tells you to run, walk, or cooldown. It even tells you when you're halfway done! So, 9 weeks to 5k. Then I'll bump it to 10k, then a half-marathon. Yep, it's officially my goal. I want to run in the Two Cities marathon/half marathon next year. I also want to be able to run for various groups (for instance, the American Heart Association and Susan G. Komen for the Cure have 5k's in my area every year). I've joined gyms and not gone, I've tried working out at home and not sticking with it. Dang it, I'm going to run.
Being that Trav wants to stop at 4 babies, I may only have one more pregnancy and birth ahead of me. I want to go into that (whenever it is) healthy and fit. I want to experience labor not as a huffing, puffing, out-of-shape momma. I want to labor strong.
I need to catch up on school. That crazy Symposium was a huge time-suck, and I'm a little behind now. Time to get Dropbox up and rolling and take At Your Cervix' advice and print out notecard-sized notes. Brilliant.
I also come to day 30 of my Whole30 on Wednesday. I can't believe I've actually stuck with it. It's a huge thing, you know. I'm the ultimate procrastinator and never-finisher. But like I keep saying, this is my year. It's time to get my stuff together.
I officially started my C25K program today. Holy crap that was brutal. I'm WAY out of shape! I ended up going a little over 2 miles with 1 minute of running followed by 1.5 minutes of walking. I'm going to do this three times, then up the ante, as described in the C25K program. I got a handy-dandy app on my iPhone that lets you play your own music (iPod, Pandora, whatever) but there's a voiceover every however-many seconds/minutes that tells you to run, walk, or cooldown. It even tells you when you're halfway done! So, 9 weeks to 5k. Then I'll bump it to 10k, then a half-marathon. Yep, it's officially my goal. I want to run in the Two Cities marathon/half marathon next year. I also want to be able to run for various groups (for instance, the American Heart Association and Susan G. Komen for the Cure have 5k's in my area every year). I've joined gyms and not gone, I've tried working out at home and not sticking with it. Dang it, I'm going to run.
Being that Trav wants to stop at 4 babies, I may only have one more pregnancy and birth ahead of me. I want to go into that (whenever it is) healthy and fit. I want to experience labor not as a huffing, puffing, out-of-shape momma. I want to labor strong.
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