So Naturally, I Got Sick!

Somehow I knew this would happen.  I was finally getting back into the swing of a 3 day a week workout and enjoying it.  I felt better after, and given that it is the holidays, I felt less guilty about the peppermint bark and moose much I keep sneaking (all in moderation of course).  So naturally, I got sick.

It all started Monday, while I felt good most of the day I felt more tired.  I just chalked it up to extra stuff I had going on over the weekend.  Nope! By Wednesday I was miserable.  My body ached, my head hurt, and my sinuses were killing me.  On top of that I didn't sleep well because I couldn't breathe, so this mommy was a crab-monster.  I really do feel for my kids because little thing had me upset.  In fact if I hadn't had to take my oldest son to karate (he had to go because he had his 3rd screening of 4 for his second degree black belt exam on Friday), I would have been in bed knocked out by 8 pm.  But no, this good mommy hauled her sick butt, the 30 minute drive to karate for my baby.

So naturally I couldn't workout.  I mean I was struggling to breathe so working out was not an option.  Unfortunately for me, I eat when I am sick, and I eat like crap.  I tend to crave comfort foods, so that peppermint bark, gone.  The moose much, it was delicious! So I was expecting to see the scale move back up when I took my weight this week.  Nope, it stayed the same.  Woo Whoo for small victories!
By Friday, while still drained I was back to myself.  Since the flu has been going around like crazy I have increase my probiotics (ProBio5) for both myself and my kids, so far so good with the boys, and I really believe I recovered faster because of the combo of natural things I was doing for myself.  Don't get me wrong, Wednesday I took advil cold and sinus so I could breath, but adding things like adding essential oils to my daily routine.  We use doTERRA essential oils, but I know other therapeutic grade companies out there are also great.  I used Breathe, like it was going out of style on my chest, and the new Breathe vapor stick under my nose. I also starting taking On Guard, Oregano, Melaluca, Lemon, Frankincense in a veggie cap to ward off infection.  And I started diffusing On Guard all around the house (we have a diffuser in almost every room in the house and I have one in my car). Sound a bit crazy?  It might be, but it worked.  The thing is, I think OTC meds, and antibiotics are great.  But I would much rather try to use homeopathic remedies.  For one, are family takes enough medication.  Anything I can do to reduce that I am all over. And second, I am allergies to most common antibiotics.  In fact when I go to the doctor they normally ask what I can take instead of me listing of the meds I am allergic to.  So anything I can do to keep the few antibiotics I can take still available to me I will do.  But really, the bottom line is I felt better, and I felt better quickly.

So what's next?  A new week with new goals of working out 3 times.  I am setting an intention to not let myself find excuses as to why I can't do.  Why? Because I deserve the time to myself and I need to make myself a priority.  So here's to a new week, and a continued journey to a better me.

And just in case I forget, here are some images for my workout inspiration board...

Why Hello! Long Time No See

I started this blog several years ago with the intention of becoming a person who runs and enjoys it.  Well that didn't really happen.  While I still run on occasion, it is a slow and painful process.  I am just not one of those people who likes to run.  I like a good walk and while I feel good after a run it just doesn't seem to be something that has stuck.  That said I would still like to run a 5K at some point, and hopefully I will achieve that goal within the new year.

So let me update you on where I have been the past few years... I have been busy dealing with my children and several health issues that developed.  3 years ago, yes it has been that long since I last posted in this blog, my older son was diagnosed with officially diagnosed with epilepsy.  During that time I started another blog chronicling his health and our journey through that time.  He is also diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, and the fall of 2012 was one of the hardest we have been through as a family.  In December of the same year moved from old home in the Chicago suburbs to another in a town 20 minutes away.  While a good move for our family, it definitely lead to a lot of changes.  Our boys changed school, which for our oldest was a difficult transition.  That said the services our school district  has are amazing.  In the spring of 2013 my oldest had a hospital stay and to be honest 2012 and 2013 really sucked.  I spent less time focused on myself and my health and more time on my kids.  Because of this I gained weight, and not just a couple of pound, I gained between 15 and 20 pounds and I was not happy with myself.  I exercised less and less and the thought of running, let alone running a 5K went by the wayside.

In the fall of 2014 one of my friends and I came up with a bet to see who could loose the most weight by the new year.  While I didn't win, I did loose 17 lbs.  I started seeing a registered dietitian and really worked to change my eating habits.  I also began exercising again.  I started doing PiYo several times a week and I got back into walking and running.  I still didn't like it but I tried.  I still ran slower than molasses but at least I ran.  And I continued to loss weight. By the summer I has lost 23 pounds.  Then a summer packed full of weddings and travel led to a set back.  I gained close to ten pounds back, but at least I was still down.  So this fall I have been getting my but back in gear and I am finally losing again.  So far I have lost 5 of the 10lbs I gained back and I am still working on losing more.

So now this blog is going to be able overall weight loss and getting healthy.  I decided not to start a new blog or change the name of this blog because at the end of the day I am always running.  It may not be the traditional feet pounding the pavement way, but as a mom I am always on the go and since I am still a fat girl in need of improved health and weight loss, I feel the title is still fitting.  Hopefully over time it will because Healthy Girl Running, because lets face it being healthy is the ultimate goal.

A couple of things I have done differently over the past year have been starting some amazing supplements and protein shakes.  Like many people out there I started using Shakeology.  It is a great meal replacing shake that is full of vitamins, a full serving of fruits and veggies, and protein.  Plus it is surprisingly  tasty and filling.  The other thing I did was I started using Plexus supplements.

Plexus is a company that focuses on health and more specifically getting healthy from the inside out.  I started with the Plexus Slim and found I had more energy, was sleeping better, and overall just felt better.  From there I tried the TriPlex combo which consists of the Slim I was already using plus ProBio5 (an amazing probiotic) and BioCleanse (a gut cleaner with magnesium, that oxygenates the body).  Wow!  This was a total game changer.  After a few days of detoxing all of the nasty stuff in my gut, I felt better than I had in years.  I had more energy, slept better, my mood improved, and my skin got better, and I felt better.  I was finally targeting my gut health which is so important when it comes to overall health.  I was getting healthy from the inside out. I was also losing weight and more importantly inches.  And while I did gain some weight back over my crazy summer, I truly believe the results would have been even worse had I not been using Plexus.

What is even better, after starting my oldest on some of the products, many of his ASD and sensory symptoms got better.  Those of us in the ASD community have heard and preached the importance of gut health and despite years on different probiotics nothing has had the results that ProBio5 and BioCleanse have had on my son.  Even his doctors have commented on his improvements and fully endorse the use of these supplements (that said check with your own doctor before using with children as these products are not marketed towards children).

So know I am focusing on my overall health and wellness.  I am continuing to learn how many things can be improved by improving gut health, and most importantly I am seeing my family get healthier. So I plan to work on blogging more.  Discussing health more and sharing how my journey is going.  I hope you will continue to check out my blog and will be able to journey towards a healthy lifestyle with me.

If you would like to learn more about Plexus or have additional access to weight loss, health, and healthy living articles please check out my plexus group on facebook Annisa's Plexus Group-Drink Pink at https://www.facebook.com/groups/737562269700034/
or check out my plexus website at http://annisapinkdrink.myplexusproducts.com

What's in a mile...

Well apparently when you run slow there are about 2000 or so steps in a mile. And when you recently wrote a post about how slow you run, how you can barely run 10 seconds let alone ten minutes, a mile is a whole lot to celebrate.

As you know, last year I had hoped to run a 5K, but was sidelined many times with asthma flares and knee issues. When I started my journey last year I could only run for 5 to 10 second intervals. I got up to minute intervals fairly quickly, although it was a struggle to push past the five and ten minute marks. At the time of my last and worst flare, I was able to run about a mile to a mile and a half in about 30 minutes. Like I said, I run slow.

When I started walking and then running again about a month ago, I thought I would be able to hit that 10 minute stride right off the bat. WRONG! Those first couple of runs were more walks than runs, but eventually I got to the point where I was running a half mile consistently.

Well that was last week, this week I decided I would try to push a little harder and farther and low and behold I am running a mile. Woooo Whooo I ran a mile! And I have been running between a half mile and a mile all week with the past two runs being a mile or a little more. So maybe my hopes of running a 5K are not out the window.

What's with this weather?

Over the past week we have had record highs in Chicago! I mean it has been in the 80's in March and I have loved it. In fact I have been enjoying some great outdoors time with my family. My youngest son and I went on a hike that turned into me carrying him in the backpack (it's a Kelty soft hiking pack that goes up to 65lbs) for half an hour. He's 4 almost 5 and weighs 45lbs. Needless to say Mom got her workout that day.

Joaquin and I on our way back

We also went on a family bike ride which was fun because in lieu of having the kids on the trail behind and the Burley we were all on our bikes, so I did a lot of loops to stay with my youngest and ended up walking and carrying his bike on mine for the last 10 minutes or so of the ride. I think I am starting to see a trend here.

On yet another beautiful Sunday we took a family hike, this time all four of us with the dog and yet again I got stuck with the extra 45 lbs of weight while my husband walked the dog. Seriously! Well in the end it worked out ok because the extra weight really worked my butt so I'm glad I had to lug it around.

Me and my boys

(notice Joaquin in the backpack again)

Joaquin and I

David and I

All of my boys!

Joaquin, David, Brent, and Google

Sadly all good things come to an end and today we woke up to a love 31 degrees. Luckily it warmed up to 47 degrees, Yippee! But all of my windows are now closed and I actually had to put the heat back on. On the up side it was good weather for me to head out for a run/walk. I only went a mile because I was on a time limit (had to get the kids to karate), but I actually ran half a mile. I am really proud of myself considering my last attempt was less than stellar (and considering I had a horrible asthma attack last night). So it is a definite plus! Now I just have to work towards making that half mile a mile.

Remember the 10 minute mile in high school, this was definitely not it!

So when I had to take a break from running last fall I was able to run for 20 to 30 minutes at a time. Sadly, asthma had better plans for my running and I was sidelined. So when I started running again this past weekend I had set the goal of being able to run for 10 minutes. Well, apparently my body had other ideas, because 10 minutes did not happen. In fact, it did not even come close to happening. It was really frustrating because I was only able to run at 2 or 3 minute intervals. And despite doing this for 15 minutes and knowing that interval training will help me build back up my stamina, it is still really frustrating. I guess it just it comes down to this... I couldn't run a 10 minute mile in high school and apparently now I can't even run for 10 minutes.

Journey to Healthy

So while I still want to run a 5K, I really want to get healthy and be more fit and active for myself and my family. Constantly being sidelined with knee and asthma issues is very frustrating and yet my weight and current health are affect by the lack of movement these flares and issues cause. Extremely frustrating. So I am on a mission to move more, get back into running (because to my great shock I actually liked it) and lose some weight. So here we go!

Just as an FYI I am starting this years journey coming off of strep and a sinus infection that of course triggered my asthma. But at thins point I am still breathing and I intend to keep it that way!

Update

So after recovering from a horrible asthma flare and knee issues, my 5K for 2011 was sidelined. So on to 2012. I am hopeful that I will be able to take on the task again this year, but given the current state of my knees, I am have decided that I am ok with the fact that I may have to conceed the running part and just go with walking a 5K. More than anything the goal in to get moving and to get into better shape.