nutrition

All posts tagged nutrition

Time Out for the Injured Reserves… :-(

Published March 24, 2013 by Susan Woodward

I had myself all pumped up, too!  But I realized when I could barely move my right arm, let alone put weight on it, that Cirque Fit wasn’t going to be as productive for me as has been… and that I couldn’t use the silks today.  😦    I think it’s tendonitis, so I am nursing this baby from now till Tuesday so that I can go back on the silks!

Lisa and I were both on the injured reserve sidelines yesterday, but we stayed to cheer on our compadres.   Still, it’s very hard sitting and watching when I know that I just want to be in there trying to do some move, even if I end up on the mat.  It’s the participation and the daring myself to try something new that I have grown accustomed to in the past eleven weeks, and I am going to continue in that thread!

Jenns 6 Injuries

Hmmm…on the outside of the elbow, it’s “Golfer’s Elbow”; on the inside, it’s “Tennis Elbow.”  Where’s Aerialist’s Elbow?  That has a better sound at least!  But I am certain that this is what I am dealing with, especially since the area on the inside of my elbow is actually quite warm, or inflamed  (hmmm… I am noticing the spelling of that word on the picture.  Sigh…).

Well, I am taking Will’s advice as for how to take care of this arm by resting it and massaging the elbow.  I am actually using hard pressure massage to get my thumb into the joint to loosen the tension, and then I am massaging the arm downward from the elbow to the wrist and then back again.   I think by Tuesday I should be fine to do the class, and then Thursday and next Saturday open practices.  After that, I am off till my next session starts on April 8th, so I have time to rest it some more.

Yes!  I signed up for another session!!  My plan is to continue on the silks, as well as continuing what I have learned from both Will and Patty about exercise and diet.  For my exercise, I have joined the YMCA for my fitness training (class times are easier on my schedule, plus I can swim and hop into a hot jacuzzi and sauna right afterward).  I have met with a trainer, so I have my weight-training and cardio routines set up.  That, plus my silks training 2-3 times a week, will get me into better shape.

As for my diet, I have already made drastic changes.  I am avoiding packaged foods jammed full of preservatives and opting for whole grains and fresh produce.  Because the price of meat has skyrocketed due to the summer droughts, I am looking for other sources of protein to add to my diet.  I do know that my water consumption should be higher… it’s not that I am drinking something else instead, like coffee or soda… I am simply not drinking period.  I don’t drink soda anyway, but I am down to one cup of coffee a day (Tim Horton’s stock must have gone down in the past couple of months…).   I shop at the public market nearly every Saturday to stock up on my fruits and vegetables, and I am juicing most of them!  That is going to be part of my morning routing: getting up and making fresh juice to drink on my way to work instead of making coffee.

Oh, yes… and the most important thing.  STILL SMOKE FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cirque Challenge: “Before” Pics

Published January 9, 2013 by Susan Woodward

Okay… I am going to bravely post these “before” pics of me in exercise attire.  Relating the Challenge to the Extreme Home MakeOver, I am in the “tear down that house!” phase, complete with a bad hair day.   As I am not feeling all that well this evening, I am simply going to post the pics, drink more lemon water, have some cinnamon-honey tea, and get to bed.  Oh, by the way… I have not had a cigarette all day!  Day 1 of being a non-smoker!!!

Ok… no more delays… here are the pics:

susan_woodward_Cirque Challenge Before Pics

Meeting With the Nutritionist and How to Stretch the RIGHT Way

Published January 8, 2013 by Susan Woodward

After last night’s blasting entrance into the world of Cirque Fit complete with super-cardio workout, I was a little nervous for tonight…but I was going to do whatever I needed to, come hell or high water.   I must say that the twins (Epsom and Salt) did a good job on my back last night because it really wasn’t too bad today.  A little stiff and a few twinges, but overall, not too shabby.  Where I DID feel soreness was in the muscles between the shoulder blades… not an “Oh, my God, what did I do?” soreness… just a reminder that I actually did something physical last night, and that was a good pain to have.  I’ve been told that tomorrow will be the telling day, so when I got home after meeting today, I the twins took care of me (and I remembered to get the spa kit out of its box!).

Tonight we had our introductory group meeting for the Challengers, met our Nutritionist, Patti Hedrick from Love Nourish Live, and our head trainer, William Dovidio, showed us how to stretch properly.  We were given a binder that holds our meal plans for the first two weeks (the Real Change Challenge), as well as a lovely journal to keep track of thoughts, aha moments, and notes from our sessions.  Mine is a lovely dusty rose color with an amethyst tea rose on the cover.   Ah, synchronicity!   Amethyst tea roses are my favorite flower in the whole world!  Not only that, my birth stone is the amethyst and my middle name is Rose (hence the name of this blog site!).  Yup, the Universe is telling me that I am exactly where I am supposed to be right now.

I have yet to sit and read through the meal plans because, excited little bee that I am, I wanted to hit the blog right after the hot soak I took as soon as I got home.  I’ll expand more on that in a later post, ok?  However, there is one nutrition related thing that I want to share.

Last week I saw a FaceBook post about cinnamon and honey being a killer cough remedy.  Well, I was pretty sick with the flu and I could tell it was one of those things that was probably going to travel into my chest, so I thought I’d give it a try to see if I could avoid the groggy effects of OTC medicines.   I added a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and about a tablespoon of honey to my tea… and within a half hour, I was actually not coughing.  And it cleared my sinuses to boot!  I was so surprised that I went online to learn more about the combo, and I found that the mixture has been reputed to cure a whole host of illness as well as aid in weight loss.

This info can be found courtesy of Sue Baily at her Hub Page-  http://suebailey.hubpages.com/hub/CINNAMON–HONEY-THE-MAGIC-MIXTURE.

Ok!  So I decided that if I was going to add this to my routine and my challenge, I was going to make sure that I used the purest ingredients.  I got myself a jar of organic cinnamon and one of raw honey, and I am going to drink this twice a day throughout the whole twelve week challenge to see what happens.  It’s supposed to help with arthritis, lower cholesterol, improve blood vessels, and fight fatigue…all of which I need help with.  I will keep you posted on how all that works out as well, and I happen to be enjoying a mug of it right now!

Oh…one thing I did figure out about how to make this.  The first time I did it, I poured the boiling water into a cup that had a teaspoon of cinnamon powder in it and I added honey afterwards.   It made a mess because the powder caked up around the cup and was nearly impossible to dissolve.  The second time, I poured the honey over the cinnamon before adding the water, and the mixing results were not much better.  After that, I decided to make a paste out of the two before the water, and that made a tremendous difference!  So if anyone is going to try this, that’s the way to go!

Another thing, though.  If you are going to use raw honey, hot water kills all the beneficial enzymes. ..but cinnamon doesn’t dissolve well in lukewarm or cold water.   I pondered how to work this concoction so that I could get the most of the benefits with the least amount of mess; this is what I came up with.  I made a paste of the cinnamon using one teaspoon of pasteurized honey and dissolved that in the boiling water.  I let it sit with the tea bag until it became lukewarm, and THEN I added the raw honey.  It may not be a steaming hot drink, but it’s still delicious (and it still works to calm the cough).

My Suzie Homemaker tip of the day!

Ok… so that’s what’s going on with the nutrition end of the deal so far.

As for the fitness end, William gave us great ideas about how to stretch and went around to check out to make sure that we were each doing them correctly.  He also gave us our homework assignments for morning and night, as well as for those days we don’t have a training session.  By the time this is all over, I really, really want to make sure that I can do the following:

– a decent freaking push-up without a face plant in the carpet

– at least get both legs off the floor at the same time in a V-sit position (they are presently both dead weight as I tried to will the heels to leave the ground without success)

– my first-time-ever-in-my-nearly-51-years-of-existence pull up!

Anything else that I learn is welcomed and will be a complete surprise to this body!

As soon as I get my pic-collage back from William, I will share my “Before” pics.   Yup, I am hesitant to post them publicly… not proud of what they probably look like… BUT I do look forward to seeing what happens by the time we get to the “After” pictures!

Cirque Fit and My New Best Friends

Published January 7, 2013 by Susan Woodward

Well, I am off and running…err, crawling at the moment.  However, I got through my first Cirque Fit Class of the Cirque de Rochester Challenge!  Woop!

Before I go any further, I just want to introduce you to my two new best friends:

salts

Oh, yeah!  And these are the BIG boys!  500 Count Mr. Ibuprofen and the six pound twins, Epsom and Salts!  We became acquainted very quickly immediately following class… at a CVS conveniently located next door to Aerial Arts of Rochester!  Isn’t that nice?

Well, I may have sore muscles and an aching lower back (I think I pulled something), but I managed to make it through MOST of the class.  I had to forgo a few push-ups (I tried, I really did… my arms didn’t want to get with the program!), and I forgot to bring my knee brace for my ACL-less right knee, but I actually surprised myself a few times.  Yippee!  I think the high point was actually being able to do the leg pushes.  A partner stood at my head while I grasped her ankles, and as I lifted my legs, she pushed them back down!  The trick was to try to fight the pushing.  I managed a full freaking 40 reps before collapsing, gasping for air.  Good thing this whole thing isn’t being filmed… I have a pretty good idea of the grimaces I was making!  BUT I DID IT!

An hour later I was crawling for my coat and boots to head home, but the beckoning bright lights of the CVS were calling to me, demanding my attention.   Twelve pounds of salts and a hefty bottle of Ibuprofen later, I was heading for the car with the added bonus of now lifting weights.  It was double the pleasure once I got home and carried them from the parking lot to my upstairs apartment.  This is the very first time I have felt disgruntled at living on the outside of the complex, furthest from the parking lot.  I couldn’t wait to spend time with my new friends!

Hot water filled the tub and, man, am I looking forward to thirteen weeks from now when I will fit better in the apartment sized tubbie in my bathroom!  Complete with less water displacement!  Woo hoo!!

Once I was all snuggled into the hot water with the twins, I was thinking how nice it would be if my tub had jets.  That’s when I had my Homer Simpson “DOH!” moment.  I happen to own one of those jet tub spa kits that you lay in the tub and connect to a pump!  My mind really, really wanted to climb out and go get it, but the back said, “Honey, let’s just save that for tomorrow, ‘K?”  I was easily convinced.

The instructor also suggested massage therapy for sore muscles.  Hmmm… I need to start dating a massage therapist.  But then I remembered… I ALSO happen to own one of those massage mats complete with a heating element!  Ohhh…. rapture!  Two Christmas presents from years gone by that have not seen as much light as they rightly should have… well, we are about to become sincerely reacquainted!  A hot tub and a masseuse all at my electrical fingertips!  RG&E will want to call ME their new best friend in the next few weeks!  (They are actually already chummy because I am keeping my Christmas tree lit till my Marine comes home from deployment later this month!)

To make the pot even sweeter, it turns out that due to getting paperwork done and having a formal informational meeting to get all the ins-and-outs of the Challenge, it OFFICIALLY begins next week… but we are invited to come to classes this week!  BANGARANG!  BONUS TIME!!

On my way home, I kept thinking about the Extreme Home Makeover show… the one where they actually tear down the house and rebuild it in like three days or something.  Well, I am tearing down THIS old house and getting ready to move past the pain of the destruction to get to the rebuilding phase… rebuilding a new me!

MOVE THAT BUS!!

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