one of my main focuses lately has been my health. with all the symptoms i've had over the past couple months and the visits to the doctors office, it's got me thinking a lot about my body and if i can do better with taking care of it.
a couple years ago, i got really sick...like the kind of sick where you want someone to just knock you out until it's over type of sick. that is when i decided to change the way i ate.
one of the first things i did was cut out all caffeine products. it was creating a whole big mess for my internals and it had to go. that meant no more coffee and no more soda. i was a huge diet coke drinker and at first it was very hard for me to say goodbye to my vise. after just a couple days though, i was good to go without it. i didn't just stop with diet coke, i ended up cutting out pop all together. to this day, if i want a pop, which is rare, i drink a Hansen's soda but honestly i don't really miss it. that same year, i also decided to switch to organic foods. it took some time because we didn't want to have to throw out our whole refrigerator and pantry in one day but now we only buy organic. i feel better knowing what's going inside my body and knowing that the ingredients are healthy for me.
even though i made a switch to eating healthier a while ago, today, it's not enough. i have been reading more about our immune system (since mine is in need of repair) and i had no idea that 80% of our immune system is in our digestive system. well for someone that has ibs, this makes complete sense as to why mine is messed up. i am still learning but i have made a couple changes over the past weeks and i honestly feel it is helping.
one of the changes is my breakfast. i have been a bread lover since i can remember. i love toast and bagels...love them. heck..i don't just stop there...i really love all bread products. i love bread at every meal. i can remember eating dinner and my grandma always having a loaf of bread on the table. it's in my blood. ;)
well this is not doing me any good. it's actually helping my digestive system to create bad bacteria...and i don't want bad bacteria. so i've started eating alternatives like overnight oats. you can google the name for recipes but i loved the ones that i found on Kath Eats. you can change it up every day with different fruits, nuts and other items. it's actually quite fun and i got b on board! yay!
one of my favorites is nut butter and bananas. yum!
the other change is my vitamin intake. i have never been good about taking my vitamins. b and i would buy multi-vitamins and they would just sit in the cabinet and then i tried the gummy version and it would start off good and then do a dive bomb. one day, my older sister told me about the vitamins she took and it inspired me to step up and be an adult. after all..i am a mom now and should set an example right? so i looked into the ones my sister took to make sure i would need them as well and then ordered off of the website my sister suggested. i ended up adding an extra B vitamin for my digestive system.
so far, i've been really good at taking them and i feel good knowing i am doing it for my health (and son). whoot!
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after reading about the benefits of a probiotic a couple months ago, i picked up a bottle from Whole Foods. it's been a while since i started taking these but the main reason i wanted to try them was because they are known for having an anti-inflammatory agent. i will say, they do help me when my system has gone funky. i like to take them after i've been on an antibiotic. i don't know about you, but my body gets crazy on a antibiotic and taking one of these pills helps put me back on track.
not only am i changing what goes in my body but i'm also finally incorporating two things that don't deal with food, things i've been wanting to do for such a long time.
it's all thanks to my friend, Alyssa. :)
i have been wanting to take yoga classes for so long but have always talked myself out of them because of money or because i don't want to look silly being new.
with my new joint pain that could be with me for the long haul, i know yoga is something that isn't just for fitness now, it is something that could very well be my relief from joint pain. ahhh. i hope.
Alyssa has agreed to go with me to try out some yoga classes around our area.
so stinking excited about this! i'm going to need some new yoga clothes for sure! ;)
we also talked about doing something that we both have been wanting to try,
acupuncture!
okay, so i'm excited and yet a little nervous about this last one since i hate needles but i
know it has great benefits so i'm giving it a try!
i am still learning but i really feel that the changes i've been making and will make in the near future will help me with all or some of the health issues i've been having...or at least i have hope they will. :)
3 comments:
sounds like a great new plan d, and i do like the overnight yogurt that we are making now..i hope you find a good yoga class too! b.
wow - I was thinking you were writing about my health and life! I had years of chronic health issues (including joint issues, IBS and other gut stuff, and severely itchy skin - all. the. time). I made many of the changes you talked about and it has helped - a lot. Not 100% perfect, but a lot. One other thing to consider is food intolerances. I discovered that wheat and dairy were the primary culprits for me. I don't know if you are seeing a holistic health or integrative medicine doctor, but it was an integrative medicine doctor that finally pointed me in the right direction.
Good luck! And hope you are on the mend soon!!
Good for you! I think these sound like fabulous changes that I bet will help. I find that my system works much better when I cut out grains altogether. Just one thought. As for yoga, you could always try a video first and then you can be in your own home -- but I bet you will love yoga. Just be sure to take a "gentle" restorative yoga class not one of these crazy, sweaty, hardcore ones! And acupuncture - do it! It doesn't hurt. I do it on a regular basis and it's relaxing and so helpful. Also, my sister is an acupuncturist so I'm a big believer. It has helped me with lots of things. Good luck on your new journey to good health!
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