Beating Back The Beast - best laid plans

Best laid plans of mice and men -
I had planned to do a longer run today looking for distance rather than speed but plans change. With visitors due today I didn't have time to be outside for a long period of time so opted for the shorter 2 k run and again tried to increase my pace.

I am happy with the results today as I again managed to shave time off the distance. Split time of 8 minutes per km. That is another 26 seconds per km off my pace. Now this gives me something to  smile about 😁 I may be under 8 minutes a km sooner than I thought.

One thing I do have to look at potentially changing is when I eat breakfast. At present I am eating after my run, I get up, drink some water, stretch and then run, but I am not certain this is working as well for my body as I would wish. Thing is though I do not want to wait around for food to digest before I run. It gets hot quickly in the mornings and I am not a morning person, so getting up earlier is not an option I will be exploring any time soon.

If I could get by with a protein drink then I would be set but of course they are not something that my body will accept anymore. I will go back to my recipe books and search for something that is easily consumed and digested so I can grab it and run, literally. Wish me luck on that search! Considering fruit is out.

Oh well as I said the other day, onward and upward. Something I have learned from martial arts, is when an opponent thinks they have you trapped, if you relax, don't panic, there is always a counter and a route to success.

I am grateful today to have again started my day with a run on a glorious morning

and to have improved my times. Today is going to be a wonderful day. 

My training buddy 😍

Beating Back The Beast - Shorter and some what faster!

Lifting the intensity!
That was my goal for today, I wanted to lengthen my run intervals and cut my time per kilometre. I cut my run to 2 km's and increased the length of my run intervals. I was a little disappointed as I had hoped to take more off my time than I did. I shaved off 14 seconds a kilometre. It seems the nana run I was managing by the end of my run was not a lot faster than my walk, oh well onward and upward.

I think I will go for distance again for a couple of runs and then attempt a shorter faster run again. I am determined to improve both my endurance and my speed.  I must admit though breathing was an issue with the Nor'wester blowing. Always full of allergens and willing to share. I think without it I may have managed a better time so that is promising. I am thankful
the wind was not gale force this morning and allowed for the hounds and I to run in the forest.

I feel blessed to be able to run on such a beautiful morning, there have been many such mornings where simply getting out of bed and crawling through my day have been all I could manage. Feeling grateful even if I am having salad for breakfast.

Beating Back The Beast - Running again

Wow I never thought I would ever say this but ...It's great to be running again.

After nearly 2 months off running due to food reactions, the craziness of end of year gradings and the prize-giving and then Christmas I finally plucked up the gumption to run again. I have been doing other workouts but to be fair I find none as hard as running, well maybe the Yoga but that is challenging in so many other ways.

The first few laps of the forest were particularly difficult but as I found my breathing rhythm and got going I found it got easier and easier. I stuck with the interval training I had been doing prior to my break, walking and running, but instead of using the coaching program just went back to the app the logs my progress and coached myself. I actually found this worked better for me, as I could push myself to a goal and I wasn't waiting for the coach to tell me when i could walk again.

Managed a little over 3Km's today which I am actually quite proud of considering how the beast has been treating me of late. I definitely know I have extended myself but after the initial recovery period I have been energised all day.

Tomorrow will be a stretch day. I said last week I intend to do more stretching and as tempting as it is to run again tomorrow I am not going to I am going to stretch! Discipline is the key here. Lets see how that works out for me.

Win to Amanda today 😀

Beating Back The Beast - A New Year!

Starting the New Year as I mean to carry on with some P90Xtraordinary awesomeness!!!!

Today was Shoulders and Arms.. Sunday was Extreme Yoga!!!  And that is not an exaggeration....Phew...whose idea was that anyway???

After a chaotic end of the year with gradings, prize-givings and reactions to food I took a break over the silly season.

A wonderfully sweet family member gave me The Healing Kitchen book for Christmas and I have been trying a few of the recipes out. Some work others even though they are AIP have me flaring up. But it was a good time to experiment while I was not trying to push my fitness.

Make no mistake I didn't have complete down time. There was a lot of gardening to catch up on and the new veggie patch is still in progress. Always something to do to make sure I do not become sedentary again.

 I find that when I have to sit at the computer for long hours I tend to become glued to the chair. It becomes very hard to motivate myself to get up and do anything. The excuse is always readily at hand that I have work to do here.

I have just completed another proof of By Dragon's Light but was proud of myself this time. I still got myself outside to do things that required activity as well. It makes for a much healthier happier soul. Now I just have to keep that motivation and not let the Beast steal it away.

A good weight work always surprises me with a boost to my energy and that feel good feeling, I love P90X, I love working out and I love being fit and healthy, Yes Beast I said healthy I am on the road and the journey is just beginning.

BRING IT!!

 

An Open Heart

To have an open and caring heart is more than just giving words to a situation. It is denoted by your actions; to your fellow man and to all living beings. This is not dependent upon their beliefs, their skin colour, their religion or their gender it is dependent only on how we accept difference.

Can anyone of us imagine our children or animals judging us on any one of the above categories? Many of us look to our children and our animals and often times wish human kind as adults could love so purely, so unconditionally. Yet those same people who claim to wish this for human kind are often the very first to judge and censor others.

If we wish to see change in the world around us, we must first be that change. We must look to our own hearts and wonder if indeed they are open or if our hearts are closed upon our beliefs and any who think, look or feel differently are to be judged, shunned or ridiculed.

The human race claims to be of higher intelligence, yet that seems to come at the price of peace, love and inclusiveness. Is it intelligent to disconnect with the world around us? Is there not a huge amount of arrogance in thinking our intelligence is greater than the laws of nature? That we know better because we have run a few studies? Nature has been running her studies for many an age, her experiment with us may be on the point of failure.

With open hearts we can all begin to accept the differences in the world around us. With love not hatred we can learn to live in the peace that we all crave. With open hearts we will not be the cause of another's pain and when we are free from causing pain to others we will truly reap the rewards of happiness.

Random acts of kindness will become the norm and not only to those that we deem the same as us. When we begin to reach out to those who challenge our hearts we will understand what love really is. When we hold on to friendships, even when we learn a friend is of a different belief or persuasion than we are, we will learn so much more about not only their beliefs but also about ourselves. We will grow as conscious loving beings.

Fear is the enemy of an open heart and personal growth. Let us not give in to fear, let us be courageous and fly in the face of fear, and love our neighbour no matter their differences to us. Let us reach out to that friend who is different to us and love them and care for them as fiercely as we did before we learnt of those differences. Let us love with the innocence of the child we once were.

Beating Back The Beast- Six weeks, three days

Feeling Accomplished! 
The day is still early but I have had one win against the beast this morning. I increased the distance of my run today and broke the 4 km mark. Still grinning!

I have to be honest today's was not easy. I am still struggling with the effects of this flare up but I WILL NOT let the beast win two days in a row. The thing the beast has failed to take into account is I am VERY competitive! The first half of the workout went reasonably well but in the final half, the run intervals were extremely difficult. By the end of each interval I was barely shuffling as my muscles tied up and did not function. I pushed through it though, I am nothing if not obstinate and tenacious.

The Beast may hold some sway when I am trying to motivate myself to workout but once the workout has started it doesn't get a say. I pushed myself past the muscle fatigue and kept moving. As the workout neared its end I knew I could complete one more run interval and so pushed as hard as I could to complete it at more than a shuffle. This took all of my focus. I thank my martial arts training for giving me the depth of focus and strength of character to push through adversity. It would be so easy to say 'screw it, I give up', and to be honest there have been times in the last five years I have done just that but this time I will not.

I have set my goals and I WILL attain them.

On a side note yesterday due to the Beasts little tantrum I suffered from a sudden retention of fluid. I had been working in the heat, in the garden, came in and I had blown up like I had been on a long distance flight. Now this is not recommended but as I had to go take karate classes, I took one of my hubby's fluid retention pills. Many trips to the loo and and a few hours later and I had dropped the fluid again. Thank goodness. My hands had been so inflamed I couldn't close them and my face was just scary, lol. The day was saved, I managed to take class and no small children were frightened in the process.

Heading out.

Yay 4km.

Coming home to this face.

Beating back The Beast- Six week one day.

Mum's lost her mind! I am almost certain this is what Bridie was thinking this morning as she and her kids waited for me at the gate, waiting, waiting for me to finish my run and take them home.

I am using a new run app and it means I was running for 35 minutes. I should clarify that, it is an interval training program so I was running and walking for 35 minutes. Around the fifteen minute mark the hounds suggested we go home, heading for the gate each time I made a circuit. By the 25 minute mark they had set up camp at the gate. By the 30 minute mark they were certain OCD had claimed me and I would continue to go in circles forever more. They were now sending out smoke signals for someone to rescue them. Poet my dear wee, loyal boy continued to run and support me even if I had lost my mind.

I have to admit it was something of a mixed training, as the effects of eating something toxic to my system still grips me. I found that each time I started to run I felt better and stronger than I have on previous runs but the muscle fatigue gripped me strongly by the end of each run section. Also my sinuses were not happy campers. The headache may continue for the rest of the day.

Oh this note I have to voice my opinion on companies changing the recipes of their products without warning the consumer. I admit maybe it is lazy of me not to read the ingredients of the product EVERY time I purchase it but it can be tiresome and makes shopping a very long and protracted experience.

If I have read the labels before and I have eaten the product with no reactions I take the producers on trust and believe the product to be safe. Not so this week when I purchased Little Island Coconut Creamery ice cream. Yes I know it has sugar, yes I am supposed to be removing sugar from my diet but come on who doesn't like a treat once in a while. I am human too.

The packaging had changed on the product but there was nothing to suggest the recipe itself had changed. Come on Little Island could you not have put a sticker on it notifying consumers of the change. The two ingredients you have added are glucose and maltodextrin both of these ingredients are sourced from grain. And not just any grains but usually wheat, corn or barley. All of these are known triggers for people with autoimmune disorders. To tell me you have sourced the best quality organic versions of these products is a little disingenuous. It makes no difference to those who react to these grains.

My research into the causes of, and how to put my Hashimoto's into remission all tell me that grains are inflammatory and should be removed from the diet. I know from my own responses that even the tiniest amount of these products can cause a disproportionate response. I couldn't understand why I had woken in the night with my joints so inflamed I couldn't close my fists.Why I felt the crushing weight of fatigue over my whole body. Until after dragging myself around all day and working in the garden I thought I would have a little ice cream. I took one very small spoonful and my mouth immediately reacted, burning and prickling with the instant response. I picked up the container and read with great dismay what had now been included in the recipe.

I will now have to detox for the next couple of weeks and I know that will suffer from fatigue, inflammation and pain for the duration of that two weeks. I am unimpressed with Little Island's lack of information to it's consumers.

To our 'food' industry I say it is time you became aware of the consequences of your actions. A little sticker placed on the top of the product would have alerted those who have allergies to the changes. Do not say this is such a minority of your consumers it is not financially viable as the coconut products that are now on the market are there to fill a gap. That gap is for those that have dairy intolerance's. A word to the wise many people do not have an allergy to just one food group and you will not build trust by poisoning your consumers.

She's lost her mind I tell you!

I'm a little concerned that it appears I was staggering around the course going by the graphic.