How much sugar?

Today, I went to Starbuck's to meet someone for coffee. I haven't been to Starbuck's for a long time, and didn't know what to order. So, I decided to try their Salted Caramel Mocha. With help from the barista, I ordered a decaf, Grande, and "half-sweet". It was really good!
However, by the end of the day, I felt so incredibly gross! Then I looked up how many calories and sugar grams were in one of those drinks...

OMG! 59 grams of sugar! Even though I ordered it half-sweet, I don't think it was less than 50 grams of sugar in total. That is more than what I'm supposed to have in one day! No wonder I felt so bad!

The last day

Today was the last day of my Tai Chi classes. But, I got my T-Shirt today with this logo on the back...

I'm definitely going to take the class again in September. For now, I have to try and practice at home more than I have been.

100 ways

According to the sign in my doctor's office, there are 100 ways to live to be 100. I was pleasantly surprised to see that number 23 on the list was "Do Tai Chi"

I'm still taking the course, and absolutely loving it. But I really do need to find the time to practice more!

Tai Chi for Newbies

I did it!
I signed up for a newbie Tai Chi class a few weeks ago. Today was my first lesson. An hour long. I had no idea what to expect. But, it was wonderful!

I showed up a bit early, and got a chance to talk to some of the other participants. Some have taken the 13 week class before, and are returning again. It was a bit more of a workout than I thought it would be. Probably because I'm overweight and not-at-all-in-shape. My back was sore too, but apparently that will go away as I get stronger.

I've always had this on my bucket list of things to try. I always envisioned that I'd be that retired person in the park on a cool spring morning doing Tai Chi with a bunch of Chinese people who don't speak English. But, life is short and I decided to do it sooner rather than later. Turns out starting earlier is probably good -- it's going to take me a few years to learn all the moves and practice, practice, practice!

Just my luck

My acupuncturist stopped working at the clinic near my place. She still works at another clinic part time, but it's further away from my house, and her hours are only during the weekdays there. It's been months since I've seen her, and I'm starting to see my BP rise back up to where it was before.
So, I was looking for a new acupuncturist, close to home, that works on weekends. And someone was recommended to me. So today, I checked out her website only to see this...

*Sigh* Just my luck! I guess I'll just have to wait another couple of weeks!

Resolutions

One of my New Year's Resolutions this year has been to try and eat healthier. And one of the ways I'm achieving that is by tracking all my food in My Fitness Pal (MFP). I created an account many years ago, and have used it off and on.
Last year, my Naturopathic Doctor suggested I keep my sugar consumption under 50g a day, and my carbohydrates under 100g a day (all in the attempt to limit the migraines). And MFP is the perfect tool to track all that kind of stuff. And I thought it would be easy to maintain those levels. Until I started tracking everything I ate. I knew that I eat more sugar than I should (I love honey in my tea!). But cutting out all the junk food did not get me under 50g a day. So, I'm not 100% there yet, but I am doing well -- I've been tracking around 80g of sugar a day which isn't far off.
Carbohydrates are a different story. I love carbs. And while I'm over the 100g a day limit every day, at least I'm choosing better options. Whole wheat bread and quinoa instead of white bread or rice. And if I try, I can usually stay under 200g a day.
What is keeping me motivated though is a blog I found on MFP. I don't know her name, but she writes an interesting blog post about once a week. Look for "The Movie Chair's" blog in the Community section of the MFP website. She's funny and "real" and very motivating as a result.

Yoga

I decided to start doing Yoga every morning while on vacation. One of the girls at work showed me the "Yoga with Adriene" videos on YouTube. So, I decided to try it.

First, it is a LOT harder than it looks. I originally was going to do the "30 days of Yoga" series of videos, but after the first one, I decided to go to the "Yoga for beginners" section. Because after only a couple of sessions, I am so stiff and sore! I'm going to keep doing it... after only a few days I do see some improvement. But it's been harder than I thought it would be.

Smoke!

The smoke in the city is making it hard to breathe. People are being told to stay indoors. I can't walk outside for more than a few minutes without feeling like I have a chest cold. I cough a lot. Even driving, I have to leave my sunroof closed. The only good thing is that I work so much this time of year, so I get to spend most of my day (from 8:00am to 7:00pm) in air conditioned comfort, with HEPA filtered air.

New beginnings?

I recently went to see a Naturopathic Doctor about my migraines. She gave me a lot of information, and a lot to think about. She wants to run a bunch of tests, tweaked the vitamins that I'm taking, and wants me to go dairy free for a month.
So, this week is supposed to be my first week dairy free. So far, I'm finding it very difficult. But, I'm determined to try it (if only for a month) to see if it works or not.

trying something new

Well, I bit the bullet, and decided to try a new chiropractor! My guy is still off sick, so I booked an appointment with his replacement. Turns out, it was a great decision! The new guy actually trained with my usual guy, so his technique was very similar. And it worked for me! He got my hips back in alignment, and got rid of my nagging headache! I love it when trying something new works out for me.

Cal Mag

I recently ran out of my calcium magnesium pills. I've been taking one of these every night in an effort to help me deal with my migraines.

It is unusual in that it is the same ratio of magnesium to calcium. Most Cal/Mag supplements are 2 to 1 with a higher calcium content. But I worry about taking too much calcium, because I do drink a lot of milk, and eat a lot of milk products (cheese, yogurt, etc.). And the magnesium is helping with the migraines.
Problem is -- I can't find this supplement anymore. My usual health food store isn't carrying it anymore, and I can't find it anywhere else. I think I'll have to try and look for another brand.

Post travel woes

So, I spent over 19 hours "at work" on Thursday. It started in Houston with meetings at 7:00am Central (that's 5:00am Pacific time). We were in meetings all day until 3:00 or so. A quick rush off to the airport and then on the plane by 6:30pm. 5 hours later, we were landing in Vancouver. I finally got home around 10:30pm. And by the time I had a shower, I finally crawled into bed around midnight.
I had Friday off of work, but I spent most of the day on the couch. I was so dizzy!! I'm not sure if it was dehydration from the travelling, or from the altitude changes on the plane, or what it was. But it was very disconcerting. The dizziness finally faded this afternoon, and I started feeling better.

More things I can't live without

So I wrote about my Soda Stream in my last post. Well, this year, I also go another present that I haven't stopped using since Christmas, and can't seem to live without. It's my Saje Essential Oil Diffuser...

One of the girls at work has one in her office, and she loves it. I thought it would be "too stinky" and didn't think I would like any of the scents. I was wrong. I love it! Some of the scents are so relaxing! Just what I need after a long frustrating day at work. I also got a selection of scents to choose from as I got two different sample packs. The Relaxation one and the Peaceful one.

By far, my favourite scents are "Tranquility", "Unwind", and the one called "Gratitude". The only ones I don't like are the ones that have patchouli oil in them. I really don't like that smell too much. But all of the others have been wonderful. I use it every night now!

budget brain

We met with a new financial advisor this week. Couple all that talk about finances and money and stuff, with working with budgets at work all day -- wow, does my brain hurt! I had such a headache today!

Getting back on track

I recently got a bit of a scare from the doctor. My blood pressure is too high. So, in order to get out of taking any type of medication, I have to do that "healthy thing".... lose weight, get more exercise, and find ways to relax, de-stress, and control my anxiety (which has really gotten a lot worse in the last year or so).
So, I'm back online on My Fitness Pal again, tracking food and keeping myself accountable. I'm going to lose weight, for sure this time.
I stopped at Saje, and picked up some essential oils to help with the stress and anxiety, and help me sleep better.
I read up on my vitamins, and re-jigged my daily vitamin routine... taking more B-vitamins, and a calcium-magnesium to help relax me.
I found my acupuncturist who is now working at a clinic closer to home than she was before, and have booked a Saturday appointment for next weekend.
My hips have been sore lately, so I've already been seeing my chiropractor on a regular basis, but I will continue to go to him, and not put it off so often like I usually do.
And I have been in the pool, and not just floating about. I'm treading water and doing laps. In fact, I'm trying to move more... in the pool, in the garden, at home, at work.
It's going to take a lot of hard work to get where I want to be. But, I'm determined not to go on medication. So, I need to do this, and get results, otherwise I won't be able to convince my doctor.

spring flu

I have the flu. UGH!

I've spent the better part of the week drinking lots and lots of lemon ginger tea. It's just hot water, slices of ginger root, a wedge or two of lemon, and a teaspoon of honey. But, it works better than any decongestant or cold medication you can find.
For my cough -- Buckwheat honey!

Living without additives

Finally!
We found a package of bacon that does not contain any nitrites or nitrates! It is made by Greenfield Natural Meat Co.

We found it at Safeway, and it was about the same price as Maple Leaf or any other brand of bacon. And the ingredients? Just:
PORK, WATER, SEA SALT, CANE SUGAR, CULTURED CELERY EXTRACT, SPICE, SMOKE
And the taste? Well, we had tried some "natural" wieners one year, and they were horrible. So my expectations were low, but (surprisingly) this was really good.

The Vitamin Bible

I recently bought a new copy of Earl Mindell's Vitamin Bible from Amazon.

I had an older copy that I bought years ago, and it was getting a little dog-eared, and somewhat out of date. So, I bought a new copy.
I've been suffering from a lot of migraines and headaches this month (like every day!), so I decided to try taking different vitamins. I stopped at the Health Food Store on my way home from work today, and purchased a new Multi, stocked up on a few essentials, and added a Vitamin C to my regimen. I usually take Vitamin C when I'm sick, but I haven't been eating as much citrus as I usually do (ie: I don't usually drink a lot of mojitos in the winter time), so maybe I'm a little low and need to take more each day. I'm hoping it will help the headaches. I've tried just about everything else.

The Good and the Bad

The Good
I got to take a day off of work today
The Bad
The reason I got to take a day off was because I had a root canal.
My appointment is at 1:00, so I decided to take a sick day today.

Dentist

I like my dentist, but I really don't want to see him as much as I have. I had a tooth rebuilt just before Christmas, and I thought that that would be the last time I would see him for at least 6 months. But, when a tooth of mine started hurting, I needed to go and see him today.
Turns out, I have another tooth abscess, and I am now back on antibiotics again, and have a root canal scheduled in about 2 weeks. ugh!