Category Archives: health and wellness

Going Keto in a non-Keto World

health and wellness, Keto Love, The Joy in the Journey

junk

Last night, Greg and Kepler and I saw the Cincinnati Cyclones take on the Ft. Wayne Komets. What a whirlwind of sights and sounds! Watching a hockey game in person is a way cooler experience than watching it on the television. Also louder.

Get Your High-Cal Snacks Here!

Also. Snacks at the arena are not keto-friendly, or even keto-tolerable. I walked by counters where they were serving Graeter’s ice cream (simply the best), giant soft pretzels (umm, not low carb), popcorn or super large refillable popcorn (approximately 40 carbs in a small, which is twice my daily limit), brats and metts served on buns with copious amounts of ketchup available, and much more. Six kinds of soda in industrial size cups. Beer and mixed drinks for sale over here. I’ve had all those snacks and more many times at concerts, sporting events, conferences, and movie theaters.

Water?! Of all the Nerve!

What *really* got me is they cannot/do not sell water. They looked alarmed when I asked if I could get water. After a little shocked pow-wow, they were able to give me a 12-oz cup of ice with no lid and I could fill it up at the drinking fountain. Not such a terrible thing, but the water was for Kepler, and he strongly prefers a lid and a straw. I mean, he adjusted, as did I, but the truth is, I wanted to be able to take care of my self regarding food and water, but I had to leave my water bottle in the car because you can’t take such items into the arena.

The overall impact of this “deprivation” is that I felt my energy flagging and I knew that the things that would help were in the car and in my kitchen. The pleasures of going to games as a kid with my dad and having chips and hotdogs and pepsi and doughnuts are still right there in my memories. I’m grateful for the memories and the experiences and also for the opportunity last night to evaluate the choices and be able to choose not to eat just a little popcorn or ice cream, just this once.

The Road Less Traveled

I have chosen to indulge more times than I can count on all my fingers and toes and yours as well. Last night, I chose to continue on the path that has brought some incredible benefits to me. Robert Frost said it well, “Two roads diverged in [an arena] and I – I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”

I’m 9 1/2 weeks into my keto life and I love it. People ask me if I’m going to do this forever. So far in my life, no healthier eating plan has lasted forever, but right now, the benefits of this way of eating are extremely desirable and so I’m just taking it one day at a time. Next time I go to a hockey game though, I’m going to sneak in a soft-side water bottle under my shirt. Maybe something like this:

design_go_body_pouch-4

I’ll look at little fatter, but I’ll fit in ok. The metal detector won’t detect my secret stash and maybe I’ll make it all the way through the game!

Your Turn

I really like to respect the rules establishments have, and I also like to be as healthy as possible, so you do the math. I have found that movie theaters don’t have any problem with me bringing my water bottle in, so I’m a little more comfortable taking it past the sign on the door that says “no food and drink.”

Do you have any tips or tricks for taking healthy snacks into places that do not sell them or allow them?

 

750Words and HealthMonth — 2 websites that are inspiring me

#fun, 750Words, creativity, health and wellness, HealthMonth, journaling


This is Buster Benson. I don’t know him, beyond the detailed information on his website but he must be a very fun-loving guy, from what I’ve seen on two websites he has created that I am enjoying immensely.

First, there’s 750words. Anyone familiar with Julia Cameron’s “morning pages” will recognize that each page is about 250 pages of written words, and she recommends 3 pages per day, preferably first thing upon waking. Buster came up with the idea of providing a website where anyone can sign up and have a blank screen every day for the purposes of writing their “morning pages.” He sends out a daily reminder, and he came up with a scoring system that is somehow related to the idea of strikes and spares in bowling, which gives you more points when you complete your words on subsequent days (and the day after that and the day after that). I have done Morning Pages in a spiral-bound notebook every time I’ve have periods of completing them, but I love having the computer availability for this. It’s not a blog. I could relate to what he said about not wanting to put private thoughts on my blog in case I forget to mark them “private.” Eek! While I think there is a different type of benefit to writing words down on paper which is also valuable, I love being able to put my lightning-quick fingers on the keys and get my thoughts out quickly. He even tells your wpm, your streak of days, and a few other bits of information. From what I am seeing on his sites, he must really know computers. And he clearly enjoys creating websites to inspire other people through fun.

His second website is called Health Month and is one of the most creative and playful sites I’ve ever seen to track health habits i am trying to establish. He’s made it into a game, which you can play with your friends, or just keep track of your own info. Checking in every day is part of the game and gives you points. If you complete your goal, you make it to the Wall of Amazingness at the end of the month. It’s free to use, but if you want to work on more than three activities or habits in a month, he asks you to pay a small fee. All I can say is, both of these sites have really been encouraging me to get outside and exercise every day, to stick with the way I am eating, and to do my private journaling every day. It’s only April 4, but the successes I am experiencing are building momentum, and I can see really completing the goals I have set for this month.

Sometimes in the day-to-day busyness, I can forget to look for and enjoy things that are fun, and I am really excited about having these two built-in opportunities every day to log in and smile. They are both extremely easy to use, and I highly recommend both.

How LOW can you GO?

#exercise, health and wellness, recommendations



Glycemically and hydratedly speaking, apparently too low. I found this out the hard way yesterday as I found myself looking up into a circle of concerned faces who were saying, “Siouxsie, do you know where you are?” My first answer to that was, “mmmghj.” You see, although I thought I was taking into consideration the fact that I had just worked out and was now giving blood, apparently, I put myself into a deficit situation, and after I perkily gave blood and jauntily answered the “How are you feeling?” question before I got out of the chair, my body had other ideas. As I sat at the table and tried to get some juice and cookies into me, I knew it was going to be too little too late and I croaked out, “I’m not feeling too good!” Next thing I knew, I woke up looking at this circle of faces wondering WHERE in the world I could possibly be.

Well, I’ll spare you the gory details of the whole process of getting back on my feet. Let’s just say part of it involved a bucket with a red bag in it. I would guess it took about an hour to feel good enough to leave. My blood pressure was fine, start to finish, at least when they were taking it. I suppose it must have gotten a little wonky during the fainting.

I spent the rest of the day resting and feeling pretty shaky and sleepy and weak. I abandoned the low-glycemic eating for the day because I just wanted to make sure I got to feeling better.

So, I’ll share my learning with you:

1. Do NOT workout and then go give blood.
2. Do NOT think a protein shake is a “good meal” to have before you give blood.
3. Do NOT workout, forget to drink much water afterward, and then give blood. This leads to dehydration.
4. DO drink water if you faint from dehydration — it makes you feel much better than nasty old Sierra Mist.
5. Do NOT think you can never give blood again just because you spend an hour of your afternoon on the floor of the Donation Center.
6. DO put a cold cloth on your stomach if you are nauseated — it helps the nausea settle.
7. DO make sure that if you decide to change your eating style, you still get enough to eat.

Last, but not least, I know this post has been an excellent time for me to exhort all my readers to give blood. It really is an important service and does save lives. So, if you don’t give blood currently, just re-read the list of do’s and don’t’s above, and get out there and save some lives!

I LOVE TO LIFT WEIGHTS

health and wellness, life is good


Although I am not a mouse, I think the body-shape is relatively accurate! I just returned from my second session with a personal trainer. And I am reminded that I absolutely love working out with weights. I always feel so strong and healthy when I finish. There are many benefits beyond just the initial high I feel, including stronger bones. My trainer’s name is Javier. Personal training is expensive, I will grant you that, but I think it is a great choice for me, in light of my assignment and the fact that I really do need to take care of myself. Going to a PT takes care of me REAL GOOD.

I’ll figure out one of those sidebar things that charts my progress for you and me. This is exciting!