Nothing like some good rock n' roll...

for squeezing in some extra shoulder reps;

I love Nickelback!

I Feel Good!

Yep, James Brown is in my head this morning because this is how I feel for sure! Just Awesome!

Woke up feeling energized, no cramps (etc!) after eating toast & coffee, good jog-I definitely feel good!

Over the last couple of days, I slowly ditched the elimination diet; Wednesday I had some honey, yesterday morning I had toast, then in the afternoon I had chocolate cake (for my birthday) and some strawberries-first fruit in 11 days. No issues at all immediately after or since. This morning was the best I'd had in a while-I even had some coffee too-just half a cup as that is my plan with the coffee now-when I drink it I'll just have half a cup before I exercise, then a bit more after my workout and yoga.

I should add that I trialled the supplements that were recommended in the Stomach Acid Is Good For You book. I tried the Digestive Bitters on Monday...BLECH, ICKY, PHOOEY! No way could I use those on a daily basis before each meal. Then on Tuesday and Wednesday I tried out the HCl-Pepsin (hydrochloric acid w/pepsin enzyme). Both days I ended up with a pain in the very lower part of my tummy that I hadn't even had before, so yesterday I didn't take it, and no pain. Hmmmm-me thinks that one is out; just adding two and two here-hehehe. I think I forgot to mention that I've been using a pro-biotic called Prescript Assist that I got in the states. It's a broad spectrum one recommended by Dr. Carolyn Dean author of IBS for Dummies.  I started that the weekend before the elimination diet. That could be helping as well-thing is I don't know if I'll be able to get that one sent from overseas...need to find another good broad spectrum one here-so if you know of one....let me know!

So, what have I learned in the last couple of weeks. Well, for starters, I don't have any specific food triggers, I need to relax on the inside as well as the outside and take my meditation practice into the rest of the day (as I've read for years and and now am working harder than ever to do), and eating slowly also seems to help. Plus drink less coffee before working out-kind of a no brainer really...lol.

All in all, I feel good about my experiment. I feel like I've made progress in finding out some of my issues-and I'm doing something about it.
How about you? Have been tackling your aches and ailments head on, or just sitting on the side lines not bothering trying to figure out why your body is not cooperating? Are you just happy to blame it on getting older? Not me! I want to be the best I can be for as long as possible and I know that 44 is not old, and 54 is not old, and 64 is not old. Heck even at 74 people are still mowing their own lawns and running marathons! Keep on keepin' on people! It may take some work and investigation, but it's so worth it to just have that little bit more energy or a bit less pain.
Have a great weekend!
Ciao for now!

Walking Lunges are Da' Bomb!

I hadn't done them in a while, and did some with dumbbells Tuesday; was feeling them pretty good by yesterday afternoon. Killer for the upper part of the glute-way high up. I do them in sort of a duck walk style which I think helps to hit higher up the booty.

I know, so old school, but they are awesome!

I love old school style workouts. Most of my workouts involve some basic old school stuff, and that's what works for me. Oh, sure, I switch things around here and there add new stuff in-but I usually fall back into the basics, just add more weight or do more reps. I think if you switch it around too much, your body never has a chance to improve. Variety is good, I like to switch things around for my clients,  but I like to see the weights, reps or time go up.  Like putting more weights on the good old fashioned bench press, being able to do more push ups, or jump rope for longer. And believe me, these work just as good for staying in shape as any new fangled gadgets or latest craze cardio routine. And you don't have to dish out extra dollars to do them. Bonus!

Obviously if you're not getting sore anymore, it's time to switch things up a bit and change it around,  but it's always fun and comfortable to come back to the basics and see how far you can go. 

How about you? Are you always searching for the latest thing, or happy to stick with the basics?

Ciao for now!

Did You Know?

I'm sure, that most people who have dealt with tummy problems know the basic herbs that normally help various tummy issues, like ginger helps with nausea (awesome for travle sickness!) and chamomile helps with anxiety and nervousness, but did you know that both can help with tummy spasms and can ease gastrointestinal pain and indigestion?

Here are a few other herbs you may or may not know about when it comes to tummy issues:

Caraway Seeds are an aid to digestion and for treating indigestion. They increase production of gastric juices and prevent intestinal spasm.

Anise also helps aid gastric juice production and relieves bloating and gas as well as prevents vomiting.

Oregano also increases gastric juice production and eliminates bloating and what goes along with that.

All of the above have many other positive features such as calming capabilities as well as antibiotic or anti-fungal properties. Cool stuff!

Have a great weekend!

2 Years, Alcohol Free

Yep, two years ago today was pretty life changing for me. Even Face Book reminded me that my status on this day in 2009 was "Have quite a bit to think about".

Here I am two years later and not a single drop of alcohol has passed my lips. I'm happy about that. Not in a proud way-how can one be proud of simply being an adult and no longer sneaking around like a child? But I'm happy that John and I stuck it out and that alcohol no longer has the hold on me that I once thought it had. It was nice to be visiting family and friends in the states and be able to do everything that we planned rather than have to cancel something due to a hangover; which seemed to happen at least once every year I was drinking.

So, two years and I really thought my tummy issues would be gone with the alcohol, but that obviously was not the only reason I had tummy issues. Today is day four of the elimination diet. Energy is good; but the funny thing is, I'm having similar feelings and cravings that I had when I was dieting for comp-like now I just want to run out and buy up all the food magazines to look at all the stuff I might not be able to eat. I'm once again thinking about desserts-although at least I'm looking at the grain free recipes in my books at home...hehehe; but I never even make dessert normally. This is what happens when you alter your food intake. When I was prepping for comp-again it wasn't a MAJOR change in my diet-but excluding just a few things (until the final weeks) and I was dreaming of food. Fortunately that hasn't happened yet. But it's all very interesting the way the mind and cravings work. I really do understand why people have such a hard time changing their eating habits-I don't even eat super bad stuff-but get rid of my coffee, honey and cheese-and well, there ya go!

I think my bitters and HCL have arrived-got some slips for boxes in the mail drop over the last couple of days, so I'll be going to town to pick that stuff up today. I'm excited to try them out-I just have a feeling about that low stomach acid thing. Fingers crossed!

Ciao for now!