The self-care project (A post-W14 study)

[jennor]

I am a bit behind, I can see!

 

Friday was another day of me feeling a bit frustrated with my lack of energy and inability to carv out time for myself. My work and my family are important, but I also need to take care of myself. I need to sleep, rest and also take care of my body. Saturday I headed out on a run and thought about all of this. It was hot out and I was tired, so it wasn't my best run ever. But just getting an hour to myself made wonders for how I felt the rest of the day. I also got out on a long run early on Sunday and it was equally nice. It's been a sunny, hot weekend and we have been swimming a lot. But also working hard - we are gutting two rooms on the bottom floor (living room and dining room) and this week we will have the electricity re-drawn and then both rooms sanded and painted. It will be a big make-over, and we have moved all the furniture, tore away the trim and put in new window sills this weekend to prepare.

 

I am still feeling fairly tired and like I have no extra reserves of enery. I just get through my days, then crash. Today my husband started his vacation, so he is taking the kids up to the summer house while I stay and work one more week. I will have all evenings to myself, all week long!  I will also get to sleep all night! It will be like vacation, really. I will miss them like carzy, but ... I have no duties except my job and myself!!!!

 

Today I will meet up with some girls and we will pick up sushi and hang out. I think I would have preffered to start the week off with just a quiet night at home, since that is what I crave the most. But I think it will be a lot of fun to meet up. Seriously, it's been years and years since I met up with girlfriends after work and just hung out!

 

Monday 2014 07 07

 

Sleep: I couldn't sleep last night. It was hot and I think I was a bit stressed about the rest of the family leaving, plus we were up packing and preparing too late.

 

Food:

Pre-wo: Egg, fish oil, coffee.

Post-wo/ breakfast: 2 eggs, handful nuts, tomatoes, de-caf.

Lunch: Meat balls, salad, handful nuts. Herbal tea.

2 squares 70% chocolate

Dinner: At the girls night: Sushi, seaweed salad, edamame, a splash of some fruit juice in sparkling water. 4 pralines for dessert. I tried to get sashimi, but the order got mixed up. I ate the rice, picking it away would have left me with almost nothing to eat.  

Cherries, some more 70% chocolate squares.

 

Exercise: 5.1 mi recovery run. I took it really easy and stopped to stretch midway and at the end. After that I went to the gym and did some upper body weights and stretched more. I also rollled out my back on the foam roller. My back, yes, it is giving me problems again. I really need to strenghten my core. I am very weak now. I also keep having these problems with my back where it hurts a lot and stiffens up and I can see my entire body is tilted to one side. I think I need to get a massage, or maybe even see a chiropractor.

[jennor]

Yesterday was so refreshing. The kids were doing great at Granma and Granpa's over night, and my husband was relaxing there to. Today they drive the rest of the way up to our summer house. 

I had the house to myself after getting home from the sashimi sushi night. I watched a TV show and chilled with a magazine before bed. Today I will go for a massage after work, then home to cook my protein for the week, do a short yoga session and go to bed early. I think I might be relaxed and caught up on sleep already when I start my vacation next week!  

 

Tuesday 2014 07 08

 

Sleep: 7 hours undisturbed sleep! Not being woken up really makes a difference. Today I will aim for 8 hours. Shoot for the stars!

 

Food:

Pre-wo: Egg, shot of fish oil, coffee

Post-wo: Egg, tomato, handful nuts and dried cranberries, de-caf and water. Lot's of water!

Lunch: Thai fish cakes, roasted carrots, mixed veg (big salad), handful nuts, donut peach

Pre-dinner snack while cooking: A few suares 70% chocolate, cherries

Dinner: Ground beef, sweet potato/onion hash, spinach/peach slad, spicy dipping sauce

Water melon

 

Exercise: 16.7 km (10.3 mi) easy. Long stretch and foam rolling. My back is so much better. Foam rolling really makes a huge difference. I can feel myself working through layers and layers of muscle tensions and hard spots in my right hip/lower back. Today's run was a nice and slow one on small riding trails. It was such a lovely way to start my day. I will also go for a massage after work today, to get some more of the knots in my back worked on. I look forward to that.

[jennor]

Haha, I had a  yoga fail last night. I tried to put the iPad up out on terrace, but it was so windy I couldn't hear a thing. Fine, I'll just watch then. Except it was so windy my mat blew away! I'd be standing on it and it would blow up and wrap itself around my legs. I took the mat and the iPad and went inside. Well, downstairs the big rooms are warpped in plastic and filled with painting gear, so I went upstrairs. But there we put all the furniture from the rooms that are being renovated. There was not enough space to roll out a mat! I gave up on yoga for the evening. I woke up this morning and realized I could have tried the loft. D'oh!

 

I also had to cancel my massage yesterday. The bridge between Sweden and Denmark closed for a few hours just as we were supposed to leave. It was a minor accident, so they opened again in an hour, but I had to move my appaointment to today instead. I look forward to it!

 

Sleep: I enjoyed another 7 hours of unbroken sleep. This rocks!

 

Food:

Pre-wo: Egg, shot of fish oil, two tomatoes, double espresso, water

Post-wo/breakfast: 2 eggs, sweet potato hash, nectarine, de-caf, more water

Lunch: Meatloaf, roasted jerusalem artichokes, big mixed salad, olive oil + apple vinegar.

Snack: Nectarine and a few grapes.

Dinner: Big bowl of baby spinach topped with a heap of sweet potato/onion hash and a lot of roasted salmon, spicy dipping sauce. I was hungry! 5 squares 70% chocolate, bowl of cherries, de-caf espresso.

 

Exercise: 13 km (8.1 mi) easy this morning. I have been frontloading my training program a bit this week. Now I can have two easy days (´Thu and Fri) before my 10K race on Saturday. I also lifted weights (short but intense!) and stretched and rolled out my hip on the foam roller again. It is magical! I feel amazing after stretching and foamrolling for a few days. I can't believe I didn't take the time for it for so long. I need to make this stick.

On the other hand I have more time now than I usually have. I was thinking today how I haven't had the time to take care of myself this well with weights and runnig and stretching since before we had our first child. I wonder if I can make it stick in my real life, when work is at full speed and family too?

[jennor]

The massage last night was wonderful. Or, it hurt like nothing else, but in a good way. She spent most of the 90 minutes working on my back from every angle. She worked through it layer by layer and I was soft mush by the time I left. I think need to go every month or so to prevent this type of build-up again. Aaahhh!

 

2014-07-10

 

Sleep: 6.5 hours. It was really hot and I opebed the windows to get some cool air in. But then the strong wind made lots of noice all night. I woke up earlier than planned from the heat and the wind.

 

Food:

Breakfast: 2 eggs, sweet potato/onion hash, shot of fish oil, double espresso, de-caf green tea.

Mid morning: Nectarine, a few grapes.

Lunch: Beef stew, baked sweet potato and onion, marinated mushrooms, salad.

Snack: 2 nectarines, handful grapes. (In retrospect I think I was thirsty, not hungry.)

Dinner: Salmon, sweet potato, lots of baby spinach, spicy dipping sauce. 4 pieces 70% chocolate, watermelon, a small bowl strawberries with coconut milk.

 

Exercise: Rest day, just a 2.5 km (1.5 mi) streak run. Day 6 today!

[jennor]

11-07-2014

 

Sleep: 7 hours? I slept well.

 

Food:

Post-WO: Egg, some sweet potato hash

Breakfast: 2 eggs, more sweet potato hash, coffee

Lunch:

Dinner:

 

Exercise: Restday, just 2.5 km (1.5 mi) for my running streak (day 7).

[almcc]

Hi - Day 1 here. Think I am getting a cold.  So no big cook ups.  Will have to rely on the food we already have.

 

Yay! Day 7 of your running streak.  How great!!!!  How did the race go?

 

I am still behind in reading all the posts - will catch up soon.  

 

Happy caring for ourselves!!!

[jennor]

Hi, Ashley! I am a bit behind with posting. Vacation has started!

I have been doing well. The race went ok. I came in an annoying 10 seconds later than the last 10K I did a month ago. The kilometers 7-9 sucked, as usual. By then I just want to walk off the course. 10Ks really are not fun until afterwards. But afterwards they are great! and hopefully they will force me to do the speedwork I need to get faster at the longer distances. Next 10K is planned for 23d of August. And the streak is alive and well. Currently on day 11.

Sleep has been ok. Little one wakes up 2-3 times per night and wants me to hold her hand as she falls back to sleep. My husband and I need to take turns, except I ALWAYS wake up faster than him when the kids call at night. So I end up having to either wake him and explain or I just go in myself. I usually just go in myself. Maybe I should buy earplugs to wear on my "off" nights? Generally I think things are getting better though.

Food is going well too. I might off road every few days, but not going crazy. Also, it is more of a conscious decision and it is not followed by guilt. I can feel how my tummy responds and usually there is some kind of reaction. That just makes it easier to get right back on track. My mum is thinking of doing a whole30 in August. I am thinking if I should join her? Not sure though. I still feel like I know I can do a whole30, but the challenge is more in finding MY WholeLife way of eating. Balance, balance.

2014 07 15

Sleep: I was making a photo book for the kids last night, so I went to bed to late. I am guessing a little under 7 hours, with 3 excursions to the kids room. Tonight I am going to bed early!

Food:

Breakfast: 2 fried eggs, bacon, sweet potato hash, coffee.

Lunch:

Exercise: probably just the streak today. It is so windy!

[jennor]

Ah, I am not doing a great job of updating here while on vacation. So be it. I am off in our summerhouse on an island, living the simple life.

I will finish my coffee now and then we are going down to the beach.

[jennor]

My back is killing me. It is so tight and painful. I am barely functional when on Tylenol. I can't bend over, sit or even walk. The pain is driving me crazy. I had a great but painful massage last Thursday and it helped a ton. But now it is just as bad again. I am getting another massage today, but I think I need to find an osteopath, chiropractor and also see a regular MD for a referral. I can't handle the kids. I should take them swimming but I can't walk there. I feel so lame and so frustrated.

[jennor]

Back from massage and feeling a bit more mobile. I feel guilty for writing "I can't handle the kids" above. It's not like I don't want to, I was just in so much pain standing up and sitting with them at meals, that I couldn't even process the thought of walking to the beach today. I WANT to be with them, always. They are my world.

The masseuse thinks it is lumbago, and I think it makes sense. I just keep getting it again and again and I obviously need to change something to stop that cycle. I sit a lot at work, but I have to get better with using my standing desk and sitting on the balance ball. (My desk is adjustable.) I also need to strength train more and stretch after EVERY run. Oh, I am getting old. I can't get away with not taking care of these things anymore. This also means I need to heal my back a bit before pushing the marathon training.

Good news: my period is back and regular. I actually never expected that. I have not been regular since getting the ulcerative colitis diagnosis. Amazing!

I am thinking I'll do a whole30 again. I feel like I have been eating too much ice cream and it is time to both clean up my act but mostly to be kind to my system. I am about to get blood work to evaluate the lover dose of immunosuppressants and I really, really don't want to challenge my system with additional stressors like sugar and milk. (I don't really off-road with grains; chocolate and ice cream are my vices.) today was compliant:

Possibly day 1: 20140722

Sleep:7-ish good, Uninterrupted hours!

Breakfast: 3 fried eggs, mixed salad, chipotle chili with mayo, coffee.

Lunch: aubergine, potato and onion hash with Bolognese sauce. Water melon. Dried mango.

Coffee.

Dinner: Pork loin, baked mixed veggies, oven roasted potatoes. (Out at a pizzeria-type restaurant)

When we got home I had a few pieces dried mango and a bowl of watermelon.

Exercise: no, I seriously couldn't move.

[almcc]

HI,

 

Glad the massage worked some.  What is lumbago?  And no one thinks you don't want to be with your babes - so don't worry about that.  Woohoo about your period!!!! August marks 12 months without one for me and I am going to celebrate.  No more perimenopause!!!  

 

I have been eating crap - there I said it. I feel horrible, my digestion is messed up, and I feel like I have gained 20lbs. All the vacations are done and the company is all gone till 9/1.  So today was my day 1 of a whole 30!! Great minds think alike!

 

Meal 1: Eggs, prosciutto, banana, coffee, 

Meal 2: chicken, tomatoes, nuts

Meal 3: chicken, tomatoes, avo, olives - probably have another banana

 

I have lots of produce from the farmers market to cook and I need to make mayo.  When do you get back from vacation?  I hope you have lots more time!!

[jennor]

Well Ashley, great minds certainly think alike! Yippie, I am so happy to once again be in sync with you!

Congratulations on the 12 months of no period. I must admit I had forgotten how inconvenient it can be... But at the same time I knew that it was a sign of health that it came back after 6 years of absence, so I welcome it!

Next week I am back at work, so vacation is coming to an end for me. Most people at my company are taking 3-4 weeks off in the summer, but I am just taking 2 since want to save some days for winter.

Day 2 20140723

Sleep: 8 hours, only one wake-up. I feel rested.

Food:

1: 3 fried eggs, aubergine, onion and sweet potato hash, coffee.

2: Same as above, plus avocado and other veggies plus watermelon

3: Coffee and frozen cherries with almond milk after getting home from the beach

4: Grilled steak, grilled sweet potato "chips", potato, salad, home-made aioli. De-caf with blended with frozen almond milk

5: Bowl of watermelon

Today was really hot, so I was all about ice cold fruit... I should probably stick to 3 meals per day, but I really want to enjoy the fruit this time of the year.

Exercise: My back is much better, so I made it down to the beach today. Other than that I just did so e easy stretching on my yoga mat.

I think little E was in the hot sun for too long today. She was very tired and threw up at bed time. She is sleeping now, so hopefully she is ok. Tomorrow we will go home and not stay at the beach when it is the hottest hours. I think the kids need to get out of the heat and just relax with a book or a film and a lot of water!

[jennor]

Oh, and lumbago is just some bucket diagnosis for muscular problems (spasms and pain) of the lower back. Nothing serious, just annoying!

[almcc]

jennor - glad your back is better. I have suffered from back muscle spasms. Not fun at all. Take it easy.

Day 2 went ok. I worked out at 10 which screws up my eating since I can only work out on an empty stomach. So 2 meals. Will do lots of cooking tomorrow so I have plenty of good food ready to go.

Meal 1: chicken, curried carrots, roast veg, banana

Meal 2: Proscuitto, melon, salad with radish, cukes, bacon, onions

Snack: banana, almond butter

Took 1/2 a melatonin tonight - the dog got the other half. Hope we both sleep well.

[almcc]

Day 3.

Sleep was troubled. Don't like melatonin. And even though I gave the dog 1/2 the dose the vet suggested he was out cold. And peed 2x in the bed. Not good. Just now finishing up the bedding.

Meal1: eggs, sausage, kale, coffee/cm

Meal2: chicken, tomatoes, avo, cherries

Meal3: chicken, roast veg, blueberries, almonds

Feeling better already.

Happy day!!!

[jennor]

Oh, sorry the melatonin wasn't working for you. It knocks me out but I always feel a bit groggy the day after, which I don't like. I think it works really well to make me sleep through jet lag though, so I use it when I travel. Poor doggie, do you think he slept so deeply he didn't wake to go pee? Or does he usually wet the bed?

Another really hot day here in Sweden. We have some kind of heat wave from Poland. We spent the first part of the day by the sea, then hid indoors during the hot afternoon. The kids think it is too hot to go to bed, even though they are exhausted and grumpy. Now they ate sleeping with the night breeze from an open window keeping them relatively cool.

Day 3 20140724

Sleep: not enough. We went to bed optimistically late and the kids woke up early. Maybe a little over 6 hours?

Food:

1: Eggs, left-over salad, coffee.

2: Steak, salad, sweet potato, aubergine, onion. Watermelon. Cherries.

3: roasted cashews with salt.

4: Steak, potato-onion hash, salad.

Exercise: not ready yet, but I want to go for a run so badly! Especially early morning, when the air is still somewhat cool.

[almcc]

Sorry it is so hot. Where are you? I'm trying to imagine a heat wave from Poland.

Glad your back is getting better.

The pup just turned 14 and he is aging fast. His hearing is gone now and it's been a challenge communicating with him. He did not pee in the bed last night thankfully. He's never done that before so I think it was the melatonin. I like magnesium and will go back to that. Not for the dog tho.

Day 4. Woohoo!! Not as stiff and achy as last week. My digestion is a mess tho. Started taking enzymes and bacteria last night. Will continue that and drink some kombucha.

I had the most amazing roast veg last night. All from the farmers market. Baby eggplant, zucchini, peppers and okra. Can you get okra? I have never had it roasted. Yum.

Heading out to the gym.

Happy day!!!

[jennor]

Poland is usually quite hot in the summer since it is inland, and apparently the heat travelled north to Scandinavia. It will cool down to normal temps by next week though.

Tired today from traveling all day, just checking in to confirm that day 3 is in the books. Check!

Be back tomorrow. Must sleep now!

[almcc]

Well - dinner out was a bust. I ate cake. So tomorrow is day 1. I am determined to not get sidetracked by sugar. I am going to pack yummy things for the farmers market.

 

Happy eating!!!

 

 

Day 1 again:

 

Woohoo!!! I survived the farmer's market.  And ate a fab meal 1!  It was hot - 88F when I was packing up.  So I am going to do nothing for the rest of the day.

 

Meal 1: Eggs, homemade sausage, eggplant, squash, pepper, coffee/cm

Meal 2: homemade sausage, avo, tom, sweet potatoe

Meal3: Chicken and salad (lettuce, tom, mayo)

[jennor]

Happy eating Ashley! It is good to hear that you are back on track again. You asked about okra the other day, and it is rare here. We don't grow it in Scandinavia, but I have seen it in stores a couple of times. I bought it and pan fried it in oil a few years ago, but I have no idea if that is how it is supposed to be cooked. It was good though! I haven't seen it in stores so far this year. When is it in season, is it a summer thing?

Yesterday, day 4, 20140725

Sleep: 8 hours.

Food: traveling back from the summer house by car all day, so eating what was available.
1. Eggs, piece of left over steak, iceberg lettuce, hot sauce, coffee
2. Snacking on cherries to tide me over until lunch
3. Smoked salmon, potatoes, salad. (No compliant fat available)
4. Coffee and 3-4 strawberries at my in-laws house
5. Chicken and egg salad with watermelon. (Bought a side salad at McD's and doctored it up with protein from my cooler bag. No compliant fats available)
6. Handful nuts and berries before bed (hungry)

Exercise: tested my back by jogging 100 yards. It wasn't pretty!

[jennor]

Today, day 5 20140726

Sleep: 8 hours? Little girl woke horribly early but my husband took the first shift since I had taken the night shift. So I slept a few extra hours, which was amazing.

Food:
1. Eggs, iceberg lettuce, coffee. (Came home last night to an empty fridge, so need to go grocery shopping!)
2. Steak, sautéed potatoes and onions, salad with avocado and peach, coffee, cherries.
3. Chorizo, sweet potato "fries", big salad. Peach. De-caf.

Exercise: I test ran around the park (2.5 km, 1.5 mi) and since it felt good I followed it with some gentle strength moves and stretching. It feel so good to be moving again!

[almcc]

Day 2.

Jennor - So glad the run went well today and the sleep! Sorry vacation is over tho! Okra is a summer plant. I think it needs lots of sun and hot to grow but I am not sure. I bought a bunch yesterday, as well as mushrooms, tomatoes, steaks, eggs, and 2 kinds of eggplant.

Yesterday was a mess- I ate well but I felt terrible. It took me an hour to take it all down and pack the car at 88F. So I think I was dehydrated. I went to sleep at 8:30 and got up at 9 this morning. It felt like I was drugged. Very odd. Going slow this morning. Need to work on jewelry for paying customers and do some shopping. And visit mom. And cook dinner. Hmmm - doesn't sound like a slow day at all.

Off to make brunch!

Meal1: zucchini, peppers, sp, eggs, sausage, coffee/cm

Snack1: larabar

Meal2: turkey meatloaf, okra, tomatoes, squash, eggplant, blueberries

Happy day!

[jennor]

Ashley, it sounds like you really needed some rest. I hope you were able to go easy on yourself yesterday, despite the busy day ahead.

 

We have discussed relatives that don't take care of themselves before, and I was thinking about that yesterday because I have met both of my sisters a lot this weekend. One of them is not taking very good care of herself and it makes me sad. She is such a great, kind and genuine person, but she dosen't treat herself well. She is like me in that she pushes herself very hard and lives a stressful life. She also smokes, suffers from deppression and various stomach problems (although not UC or Crohn's). My mum stayed with her last week and my mum is doing a Whole30 now so they stayed away from grains and milk all week. My sister said her stomach was SO much better. But then when my mum left it was back to her regular eating. I wish she would give herself as much loving care as she gives everybody else around her.

 

I realised when reading throughj the days that I had counted day 3 twice, so I am acctually on day 7 today. But first, a recap from yesterday:

 

Day 6, 2014 07 27

 

Sleep: 6-7 hours. I was up bribing the little one back to sleep with a bottle at 5 and had a hard time going back to sleep. But I figured it was ok since I needed to get back to my early habits anyway, with vacation coming to an end.

 

Food:

1. 3 eggs, massive pile of salad/babyspinach/tomatoes, spicy dipping sauce, iced cocnut-latte (double espresso blended with crushed ice and coconut milk)

2. 1.5 butrger patties, sweet potato "fries", mixed salad, water melon, another iced coco-latte but de-caf.

3. (Out at a good (meaning real food) resturant with a grill buffé) Grilled porkchops, veal patty and ribs, various salads, aioli and tomato salsa.

4. Small bowl of watermelon, a few nuts

 

Exercise: 8.5 km (5.3 mi) run with the family, easy pace. Super hot, but at least we ended it by the beach and with a nice swim in the ocean! Again, I am so happy to be mobile again...

[jennor]

Day 7 2014 07 28

 

Sleep: 7.5 hours. My husband took the "night shift" since he is still on vacation and gets to sleep a little longer in the morning. I tried the Sleep Cycle app on my iPhone and it was fine and got me up in time for work. I am not used to having to set a 30 min window for it to wake me though - my mornings are usually timed to the minute to maximize sleep. I don't really know what I would do with myself if it woke me 30 min before my usual alarm time just because that fit better with my sleep cycles? I will keep trying it a few more night and see if I like it, otherwise I may go back to my regular alarm. I never had any problems getting up on time with that, I just like to see the cool graphs of how I slept in Sleep Cycle...

 

Food:

Pre-wo: An egg, ½ peach, tomato, a few nuts, coffee

Post-wo/breakfast: 2 eggs, tomatoes, a few nuts, the remaining ½ peach.

Lunch: Chicken, salad, mustard vinegrette.

Snack: Green tea, water and too many grapes. (I think I was just thirsty, really)

Dinner: Smoked salmon, potato, big pile of mixed salad, spicy dipping sauce. A smal handful cashews.

Snack: Bowl of water melon. I love cold watermelon on a hot summer night!

 

Exercise: 10 km (6.2 mi) in the countryside and some weights in the gym. I took it easy on my back, but at the same time made sure to try to work it so that it will get stronger again.

 

Back in the office today, no more vacation! I am worried that sitting in my car for more than 2 hours and then on my office chair will mess up my back again. I am making sure I use the fact that I have an adjustable desk and I am alternating standing, sitting on an exercise ball and sitting in my chair.

 

Today I am getting my hair cut. It is such a nice treat!

[Derval]

I use the fitbit flex & enjoy the sleep graph too And I like the "silent alarm" - it just buzzes on my wrist, but it's not intuitive like the sleep cycle app, you just set the time. I didn't use the alarm function on sleep cycle because it wouldn't wake me up on time, or wake me too early!

Enjoy your beautification