Jogging Again: Water Jogging

Today at physical therapy, I did my first water jogging lap in the pool. I am making a lot of progress in therapy, and this was a great milestone.With my Autonomic Dysreflexia, the dizziness and low blood pressure keeps me from doing much cardio workout, but I'm getting back on track, and this was my start. I could feel that good feeling that my heart and lungs were getting cleaned out. I felt really good. I got in the hot tub afterwards, and as I did, I contemplated trying to do a second lap. Then I got out of the hot tub and felt very dizzy, and totally wiped out.... so I didn't do another lap. My therapist told me to expect feeling wiped out tonight. It's a good thing. I'm excited to do more jogging that will be an excellent gateway into swimming again.

Helpful, Healing Meditations

Here is a playlist of the Most Helpful Meditations I've found on You Tube, and I'll also include them separately below.

This one is excellent one to do after your morning prayer. (or anytime during the day - not at bed time)

Guided Morning Meditation 

This one would also be great for the morning (or anytime during the day - not at bed time). It would be a very good one to do in the middle of the day too. If it's warm enough, you could go recline in your car during a break and take 15 minutes to clear your mind and reset your thoughts for a super positive uplift.

Positive Meditation Uplift Your Emotions

These next two are the best ones I've found on Youtube to do in your bed right before you go to sleep. (You can also do them during the day, but I think it's best to lay down to do them.) They help me quiet my mind and send a calm restful feeling throughout my body. 

Guided Light Meditation for Beginners

and

Healing Light Energy, Full Body Scan Guided Meditation

This is the meditation that Angie Holpuch supports most. My homework for a few weeks was to do this once during the day and once at night. It was very helpful to get my mind and body to relax (although she's a bit mono-tone and the music isn't my favorite) - still a great tool though!

Physiological Quieting

and this is a CD that I HIGHLY recommend. I found this even before my diagnosis, and it was the first thing that truly started to shift my mindset and help me relax and calm my mind and body. Seriously, this is the best $9 I've ever spent on Amazon!

Stress Relief: Deep Relaxation Exercises

You can also get the individual tracks at the link above, and if you are interested in that, these are the ones I'd recommend in order of helpfulness for me for certain times:

Before bed/while falling asleep:

Flowing Comfort

Progressive Relaxation

Relaxing Restful Breathing

Guided Imagery - Floating Through Colors

Autogenics

As a rejuvination/de-stresser/energizer mid-day:

Power Nap

Guided Imagery - Inner Energy

Relaxing Restful Breathing

As an Emotional Reset:

Guided Imagery - Inner Wisdom

As you can tell though, I recommend getting the whole album. Why not? It's only as much as a Chipotle Rice Bowl with a Side of Guacamole and Chips, and we could all give that up once for relaxation, calm and a good night's sleep :)

I hope that all/any of this could be helpful to you. Please feel free to share with anyone you think it could help.

Progress Update - Digestive Health and Clearer Skin!

Well, it's only been a couple months since we started all this, and I'm already seeing improvement in some areas!
Since I've cut out dairy and meat, my digestion has really improved! I'm having a lot less trouble digesting my food, and I just feel better after I eat. Before, after I ate, I often felt great discomfort, and even pain, and suffered terrible consequences. It's amazing it took me this long to be willing to change! But I am so glad I am now. I did eat meat this week, a couple times actually, and each time, my digestion regressed to a state similar to my former condition, and I did not like it. I don't want to feel that way anymore. No thank you. I don't miss eating meat or even dairy. That is a shocker. But, thanks to avocados, I am very happy with my current food choices, and I've been pleasantly surprised that my tastes can change. People can change what they like! I've gotten used to feeling better, and I want to keep feeling better and better, and the food that makes that possible is tasting good to me. Really good!

My digestion isn't perfect of course, but I am almost positive as to what causes the problems I still encounter occasionally: stress and lack of sleep. Yes, these are the culprits. Sometimes they are under my control, and sometimes they are not. I am doing what I can to help lessen these problems, but I have a long way to go. It is good that I know what I need to help myself, and I have a goal to work toward. I could basically guarantee myself excellent digestion if I:
- drink my veggie/fruit juice when I wake up
- practice yoga in the morning (and hopefully another time during the day to help lessen stress and slow down)
- eat my big bowl of cereal (which includes plain shredded wheat, rolled oats, grape nuts, ground flax seed, raw walnuts, raisins, banana and almond or soy milk)
- have a nutritious, plant centered lunch with whole grains
- drink a big fruit smoothie (with frozen fruit, water, ground flax seed, and raw kale or spinach
- eat a dinner centered on veggies, beans and whole grains
- eat at least one large green salad
- not over work myself
- get a good nights sleep from 10pm-6am
Yes, this is the absolute ideal for me. I am sure of it, and all of this happens maybe once or twice a week, but it is what I have to strive for, and if I do even half of these things each day, my digestion is still pretty good, so hooray for that!

I've also noticed that when I eat processed oils with my food (any kind, obviously, I haven't been eating dairy kinds, but olive or canola oil, or any expeller pressed processed oil products such as veganaise (vegan substitute for mayonaisse), or tofutti better than cream cheese, I don't feel as well for one, and my skin is not as clear. When I don't eat those things, my skin is much clearer. I wish I had known this as a teenager! But at  least I know now.
And I would just like to say thank you to all of you have shown me support in my journey and are hopeful for my success. I have been deeply touched by people's desire for me to gain good health, and for the many people who want to learn more and hope that I will post recipes and instructions about how to do this.
Sometimes I even feel a little overwhelmed by it. I truly want to tell everyone about all the recipes I'm trying and inventing, so they can try them too, and sometimes I can find the time to post a recipe or two. But, I am finding that as a wife and mother, with a part time job on top of that, who is trying to learn how to do this herself just doesn't have the extra time to spend working on her blog as much as she would like to.
So, please accept my apology for being very slow to post my recipes. It takes quite a bit of time to invent them and carry them out, and critique and try them again. I aspire to write a cook book someday, even if it is just for my own family. That is a dream that I have. But you can't write a cook book in a day, I'm guessing it will take me years. But the important thing is to enjoy the journey.
And while you are waiting for me to post, and if you are really serious about wanting to make healthful eating choices and change your life, you can do it! I believe in you. If you really want it, you can do it. Search for those resources. I have posted on the side of my blog, links to movies and cookbooks that have really helped me on my way.
If you are interested in what I am doing, check them out, and they can give you way more ideas than I can! They are the experts, and I am just starting out as a beginner, so they can really give you the guidance you are looking for. I would especially recommend "Forks Over Knives" the movie, the extended interviews, and the cook book. That is solely focused on eating for health. And I wish you all the best in your own journey and hope with all my heart that I can be a good example and help inspire and empower people to discover improved health :)

Progress and Improvement

I've been pondering on progress and improvement. I love to see results, good results, quick results. Perhaps everyone does, but I have been learning that

progress and improvement most often require:

-patience

-learning

-practice

-perseverance

-consistency

You don't get to the top of a mountain instantly, you have to climb. You meet obstacles and switchbacks, but as long as you follow a steady upward course, and never give up, you will make it.

I see a long journey ahead of me, and I don't know how far the destination is, or even if there is a destination, maybe it's just always a journey. But I'm looking forward to it. I'm excited about it! 

I am a learner. I love to learn.

I am a worker. I love to work.

So, I'm on my way. I can do it, one step at a time.

I've been practicing yoga consistently for a month or two, and it always helps me feel better, more free, more open, more clean. Am I a master? Absolutely not. I'm really just a beginner, and I like to practice yoga alone (or with my husband) at home with a DVD (usually Rodney Yee) that I can pause and repeat and do my own thing. I can modify the poses to fit my own ability without anyone watching or critiquing or comparing.

When I started doing yoga again after our baby was born (it took many months to start again), 

I couldn't:

-do sitting positions without a cushion

-do downward dog position at all

-roll up to sitting positions from lying down without blacking out a little bit

-do standing forward bend without a tall block

But after a month or two of those 5 things I mentioned above,

I can:

-do sitting positions without a cushion

-do downward dog position for a little bit

-roll up to sitting positions from lying down and feel fine

-do standing forward bend with a small block

It has taken quite a bit of time and effort to accomplish these small things, but it's good to see a little progress, and I enjoy it.

A good friend of mine wrote a post on success that inspired me. She quoted W. Stephen Smith’s book “The Naked Voice:”

 "Success is all about the joy we attain in pursuit of our passions."

And I am pursuing my passions and I am attaining joy from that. I haven't reached my goals - really, I never will because I will always make a new goal - but I am finding joy in the journey, so I am successful.

President Thomas S. Monson, the current prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints advised, 

"Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family."