Whew! Today's workout totally kicked my butt and Dan's, too! But we both made it through and Melissa, our trainer, says we've been building up endurance. I don't really see that, but I trust her. We started out with 300 meter rows as fast as you can, then you rest while your partner does one, and you trade off three times. I'm not that great at rowing so I was immediately anxious about putting my partner behind everyone else. I kept moving and Dan says I tore it up. I was still the last one done, but I was on my last set when everyone else finished and Dan, Melissa and my partner were all cheering me on, so that was kind of awesome. :) It didn't feel awesome then, cuz my throat was dry and my chest hurt and I was exhausted already, but looking back, it kinda was. :) The other good thing about today's workout was the walking part. She has the rest of the group run a ways, but Dan and I had four laps to walk on the street out front. She doesn't want us impacting our joints with running yet. I hate walking though. Walking has never helped me feel fitter, stronger, leaner, or healthier. Walking makes my back hurt badly, even when I squeeze my glutes like Melissa tells me to. Today, my back didn't even start to hurt until the fourth lap, which is definite progress! Next week is our benchmark week and our weigh in's, so I'll have some more tangible measures to look at, but I know I'm getting stronger and that can only be a good thing.
On the diet side of things, Dan and I are gonna kick it hard core starting next week. First, we're spending a weekend at Momma and Daddy's eating yummy home-cooked foods and then we're going to try to get a new food plan put into action during our three week unpaid vacation before summer school. Week one is the carb depletion week. I know we can do this stuff, it's just planning ahead enough to make it work that's the trouble. With three weeks, we should be able to figure out what we need to do ahead and get systems streamlined enough that once we are back to work, we can keep it going. Last time we tried this, I was pretty worried about cravings, but I think I've got a handle on those now. On the educational front, a good friend recommended reading The Diet Cure by Julia Ross. It basically talks about all the deficiencies in our diets, even if we're eating that right foods. She uses amino acids, the LEGOs of proteins, to help correct imbalances in the body. Of the eight imbalances that she describes, I suffer from at least five. Two of the biggest issues for me are in chapter ONE Depleted Brain Chemistry: The Real Story Behind "Emotional" Eating and chapter THREE Unstable Blood Sugar; Carb Addiction, Hypoglycemia, Diabetes, and Adrenal Exhaustion. It's not that it was new to me that I have these issues, it was just new to me that there may actually be a road to health that's a little less rocky than the one I've been traveling on. One amino that helps curb the carb cravings, due to either emotional eating or unstable sugars is L-glutamine. I have been taking 850 mg of L-glutamine four times a day for almost a week now. I've noticed two things about the effects so far. The first realization was that when I had a chance, soda doesn't sound as good and after a hard day, we still had ice cream in the freezer. Amazed? Me, too. The second thing I realized is that when Dan says, "Hey, let's hit McD's for a soda," I still say, "Sure, why not?" because I can't say no when someone offers me food or beverages. These things are reasons I need therapy and I'm pretty sure there is not amino to fix that, however, as Dan and I are on the same page, some of this should get easier when we start making food changes.
I'm very happy with the L-glutamine so far and plan to read The Mood Cure, also by Julia Ross, in the next few days to see what I can do to help with my depression. I'm hooked on the idea of solutions to get me through rough patches without more drugs, but don't take my word for it. Read the book for yourself and talk to your doctor for verification. I'm just guessing and stumbling around to find what works for me, get the facts from a more reliable source before you try new stuff like this. Buy the books or check them out at the library if you think they might help. They even address PCOS in The Diet Cure, which I have to admit I was very surprised to see. Nobody seems to know what it is, even when you talk to docs sometimes, so any new information is a well-appreciated tool.
If you do choose to check out Julia's books, start a new eating or exercising plan, let me know! I'd love to support your journey.
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