LittleTurtle Practices Balance

[LittleTurtle]

 

Somewhere along the way, my brain became a bit of a scumbag and would have me believing that if I wasn't getting on the treadmill, then whatever other workout I did simply did not count.  I found this out recently when I went to do one of my yoga DVD videos and could barely do any movements because I've become so stiff and inflexible.

 

Also, I've been so damn focused on eliminating sugar from my diet, that if I really think about it...my diet has been kinda crap lately.  Gluten-free bread, processed cheese, very little veggies and fruit, etc.  I guess I was simply substituting my sugar addiction with other crap, and that comes to an end now!

 

I do believe it's time to hit the reset button on everything...including my mindset.  I've got to find a balance.

 

 

Turtle Practices Balance

 

MAIN GOAL

BE KINDER TO MYSELF.

 

NEW MANTRA

THERE IS NO BALANCE IN PERFECTION.

 

 

(As always: Exercise, eat well, drink plenty of water, and get enough sleep.)

[LittleTurtle]

For breakfast tomorrow, I will have a homemade smoothie consisting of kale, cucumber, mixed berries, a half a lime, and coconut water.

[deftona]

On 26/11/2016 at 7:12 AM, LittleTurtle said:

 

 

 

I love the simplicity and the Labyrinth gif! Following  

[Heidi]

Hooray for balance!

You know how I struggle with it too, my dear.

I love that you never give up; that's what it is really all about.

(well. That or the Hokey Pokey. I keep getting that bit mixed up.)

 

Following, of course.

[LittleTurtle]

Okay, @Heidi, I'll do charts again, but I'll keep them simple so as not to aggravate my OCD.   

 

 

☯	MONDAY 11/28	TUESDAY 11/29	WEDNESDAY 11/30	THURSDAY 12/1	FRIDAY 12/2	SATURDAY 12/3	SUNDAY 12/4
EXERCISE	✔	✔	✔	✘	✘	✘	✘
REST	✘	✘	✘	✔	✔	✔	✔
FRUIT/VEG	✔	✔	✔	✔	1/2✔	1/2 ✔	✘

[Heidi]

14 hours ago, LittleTurtle said:

Okay, @Heidi, I'll do charts again, but I'll keep them simple so as not to aggravate my OCD.   

 

 

 

 

Balance in all things, even in charts (especially so?)

Also, I love this: ☯

[LittleTurtle]

Yoga on Monday, a 2 mile jog this evening, and plenty of fruits and veggies the past two days.  In fact, my biggest treats so far have been a small amount of Feta Crumbles I added to my spaghetti squash this evening and a piece of 72% dark chocolate with forest mint I had for "dessert".  Nom Nom Nom.

 

I've been taking my thyroid medication for almost 3 weeks now and some things I've noticed are:

- Less aches and pains throughout my body

- No heartburn/acid reflux (in fact, I stopped taking my prescription Prilosec about 2 weeks ago!)

- No weird, painful throat burps

- A little bit more energy

- No more weird popping, crackling, itching in my ears...

(I hope I continue to experience more good things...I've been feeling off for so long, it will be nice to feel like a "normal" human Turtle again!

 

 

 

Now I'm off to listen to an ASMR video before bed.  Oh, so relaxing!  Thanks @SomeGuyFromScotland for making me aware that this is something that even is a thing!  

[LittleTurtle]

I'd like to interrupt this regularly scheduled challenge for a much needed and very necessary David Bowie gif:

 

 Good God he's gorgeous.  

 

Okay, that's all.  Carry on.

[Heidi]

20 hours ago, LittleTurtle said:

I'd like to interrupt this regularly scheduled challenge for a much needed and very necessary David Bowie gif:

 

 Good God he's gorgeous.  

 

Okay, that's all.  Carry on.

* s i g h *

 

you just made my whole day.

[LittleTurtle]

I can't decide whether or not to give myself a "green checkmark" on my chart for yesterday (Fri, Dec 2nd).  My daily goal for veggies is 3 and fruits is 2.  Yesterday, I had some kale and cucumber and only a half an apple.  I'm pretty sure that is all I had for produce all day.

 

Again...this is me probably getting a little too OCD and making things harder than need be.  If I could get some insight or advice, I'd be eternally grateful.  

 

Also, is there a specific way I should be eating since being diagnosed with Hashimoto's?  ...That be super swell to know.  

 

On a positive note though, I was just looking at myself in the full length mirror to check my outfit before my boyfriend and I head out for the day, and for the first time since I can remember, I liked what I saw.  

[Heidi]

LT -- breathe.

You had vegetables; give yourself the credit.

 

Worry not, my dear.

[Heidi]

I had never heard of that condition, but when I went out looking for information on it, and the best foods and dietary structures for treatment, I came across Sarah Wilson's story, author of I quit Sugar, which was part of her story after she was diagnosed with Hashimodo's who soon learned that sugar was the cause of it all. I don't know if this helps, but here are the results of my research adventure of the afternoon.

[LittleTurtle]

5 hours ago, Heidi ☯ said:

LT -- breathe.

You had vegetables; give yourself the credit.

 

Worry not, my dear.

 

48 minutes ago, Heidi ☯ said:

I had never heard of that condition, but when I went out looking for information on it, and the best foods and dietary structures for treatment, I came across Sarah Wilson's story, author of I quit Sugar, which was part of her story after she was diagnosed with Hashimodo's who soon learned that sugar was the cause of it all. I don't know if this helps, but here are the results of my research adventure of the afternoon.

As always, thank you for all your encouragement and insight.  Without you, I doubt I'd even still be here.  Much love, my friend!

[LittleTurtle]

I'm changing my goal today.  Here's why:

I'm too hard on myself.  I push and push, and when I don't see the results I want, I push some more.  I talk negatively to myself, and I emotionally beat myself up over every little misstep.  I strive for perfection in all areas of my life and get mentally exhausted trying to keep up with it all.  

 

There is NO BALANCE in perfection.  (Wow...I guess I just discovered my new mantra!)

 

The bottom line is, I do a lot of great things for my health.  I'm very conscientious of what I eat, how much I exercise, making sure I get enough sleep, hydrating, consistent blood tests for annual health assessments, etc.  These things are not even "goals" anymore because I do it all without thinking.  It's habit.  But I make them my goals so that when I treat myself to some ice cream or a slice of pizza, I can use it as a measure of how my to hate myself for not getting a "green check mark" for the day.  What's the point of making these things my goals if 1) I do them regularly anyway and 2) it's going to cause me more stress if I happen to miss a day or two?  

 

My diet and exercise will never be perfect; I'm human.

 

In fact, I've had several people tell me that I am the healthiest person they know, and I scoff at them because my body fat % is a little higher than I'd like it or because I haven't been able to lose more than a pound or two since January 2014.  Like, seriously!  It's time to take a step back and look at the big picture.  

 

Like Heidi said, 

Quote

LT -- breathe.

You had vegetables; give yourself the credit.

 

Worry not, my dear

 

The thing I need to improve upon is being kinder to myself and giving myself a bit of leeway.  I mean...my doctor JUST put me on thyroid medication 3 weeks ago.  Prior to that, I had an undiagnosed condition for who knows how long!  I could've been doing everything perfectly, but nothing would have changed.  I need to allow time for the medication to fully kick in and then be diligent in keeping up with my follow-up appointments to make sure the dosing is correct.

 

No more negativity.  No more perfection.

 

It's time to give myself some much needed love, compassion, understanding, and patience while my body heals.

 

I don't exactly know what this means yet or how to go about achieving it, but I'm guessing it will come to me along the way.

 

Namaste.  

[Ensi]

Are you me...? What you just wrote is exactly what I've been going through, and I realized it yesterday.

 

5 minutes ago, LittleTurtle said:

There is NO BALANCE in perfection.  (Wow...I guess I just discovered my new mantra!)

 

Oooh this is great! My mantra's been, "average is the new perfect", but I just love this one a lot  Listen, we're both trying super hard. It's a big step to recognize that you're being too hard on yourself. I hope you can have a short moment today just pampering yourself, and maybe reading a good book or learning something new. I just read an article today about how we're trying to find peace from within. It's good to a certain point, but sometimes turning outwards, educating yourself and learning new things just might distract you from your own inner demons. Try it out! I'm gonna grab a book I just borrowed from the library. Have a lovely day

[LittleTurtle]

I've been doing some in-depth research about Hashimoto's Disease to see if there are things I can be doing differently while waiting for the medication to take full effect.  I found some great articles I'd like to bookmark so I can find it easily if ever I need to refer to it at a later time:

 

Easing Out of Hashimoto's

Hashimoto's Diet

 

In other news, I woke up this morning and have an awful pinched nerve down my neck and into my shoulder blade.  I must've slept wrong or maybe I just wrenched it somehow because I've been freezing my ass off lately and my body tenses when I'm cold.  Either way...it's making me fairly miserable right now.

 

The high temp for the next few days isn't going to get much above 10^o F and there is snow in the forecast, so I guess I can plan on being pretty cold for awhile.  

 

I feel like I need a heating blanket, my furry cat, and a long nap.  

[Heidi]

I am glad you're still here.

I'm really pleased that you're focusing on progress instead of perfection.

I love you.

[Sulinar]

On 06/12/2016 at 7:02 PM, LittleTurtle said:

I feel like I need a heating blanket, my furry cat, and a long nap.  

 

Hot water bottles are great in this kind of weather. I've been sleeping really well since I started warming my bed up with one. Very pleasant on aches and pains (just make sure you don't make the water too hot).

 

Also really interested to hear that you've been having heartburn/reflux and it's gone off with thyroid medication. I had half of my thyroid removed 10 years back and have been fine since but I've had heartburn for the last couple of years on and off. Never thought of the thyroid.

 

And yeah, perfection is the enemy of progress. Don't be too hard on yourself.

[LittleTurtle]

6 hours ago, Sulinar said:

 

Hot water bottles are great in this kind of weather. I've been sleeping really well since I started warming my bed up with one. Very pleasant on aches and pains (just make sure you don't make the water too hot).

 

Also really interested to hear that you've been having heartburn/reflux and it's gone off with thyroid medication. I had half of my thyroid removed 10 years back and have been fine since but I've had heartburn for the last couple of years on and off. Never thought of the thyroid.

 

And yeah, perfection is the enemy of progress. Don't be too hard on yourself.

I've been using a rice pillow that you can heat in a microwave.  It's so cozy!  I'll have to try warming my bed up - that sounds fantastic for sleeping well without aches and pains!

 

And yes, I was very shocked when the "throat burps"/heartburn/reflux let up after taking the Synthroid.  I'd been on a prescription Prilosec for months and months...and months to no avail.  I had issues regardless of what I ate (or didn't eat) and was starting to get worried.  It never occurred to me that it was a symptom of my thyroid issues.  May I ask why you had to have half of your thyroid removed?  That sounds awful.   

[Sulinar]

I haven't got a microwave, so I'm using old technology! And yeah, it really helps to warm the bed up first, if you're living in a cold house like I am at the moment. Otherwise your body is putting so much effort into heating the *bed* that it can't keep your muscles warm!

 

As for the thyroid, I had a (benign) tumour in one half of it. You probably know that it's kind of butterfly shaped, and you can apparently get by quite nicely with only one set of wings. So they took half of it out and it's been fine - no medication required or anything and you can hardly see the scar even close up. BUT now I'm wondering if the heartburn thing is related to that? I'm trying some other stuff anyway - and in my case it seems to be related to starchy foods (so no bread. And I'm currently in France. Which is like torture. But it's actually so unpleasant having the symptoms that I'm standing the lack of bread reasonably well.)

 

How are you doing with not being perfect?

 

And yes, I can highly recommend removing yourself from Facebook. I've got so much more mental space without it. Maybe do it just for a few days to begin with, see how you get on? And if you need any more encouragement, watch the first episode of the latest series of Black Mirror. That was one of the main things that did it for me!

[AverageFish]

Hi LittleTurtle, thanks for stopping by my thread. Following this because who doesn't need to be reminded to be kind to themselves? Also, I totally sympathize with the cold bed problem. 

[LittleTurtle]

QUICK UPDATE

I took last week off from exercise.  Between the freezing cold temperatures and my pinched neck, I decided to take it easy really easy.  Now that my neck has relaxed and I'm feeling better, I'm aiming to work out a minimum of 3 times this week.  My goal is to have each workout consist of: 1 mile (or so) on the treadmill, 20 minutes of yoga, and as many squats as my legs can handle.

 

My boyfriend has been constantly reassuring me that my diet is a lot better than I give myself credit for.  I'm struggling with being kind to myself in regards to the food I eat.  I swear I think I'm suffering from Orthorexia Nervosa*.  (Pretty sure the Whole30 I did earlier this year set that into motion...)

          Orthorexia

          * An obsession with eating foods that one considers healthy.

          * A medical condition in which the sufferer systematically avoids specific foods in the belief that they are harmful.

 

My sleep was all sorts of messed up last week.  I wasn't getting myself ready for bed, and I was falling asleep on the couch.  I'm hoping to get back on track this week.

 

I stopped keeping track of stuff on my fancy charts and I feel an overwhelming sense of relief!

 

Not challenge related, but our cat, Jixxer, got to meet Santa this weekend!  In the following photo, he was telling Santa that he's been a very good boy:

 

When Santa said he'd bring him a special present for Christmas, Jixxer got really excited!

 

Now, on to the next week!

[Sulinar]

What a sweet cat! I don't think mine would like Santa as he's not fond of strange men, especially ones that go "Ho ho ho".

 

" I stopped keeping track of stuff on my fancy charts and I feel an overwhelming sense of relief!" - I think you've probably hit it on the head there.

[LittleTurtle]

Huge thing!  

Since about November or December last year, I've had a pain in my right hamstring.  It hurt all the time.  ALL. the. time.  I started going to a chiropractor in December last year, but that didn't help, so I started Deep Tissue massage, but the relief from that was brief.  Exercising aggravated it horribly, so I haven't really been enjoying any workout I've done since.  The pain was always there, so it's like I almost forgot about it or got used to it or something.  

 

Anyways, I decided to get on the treadmill tonight (it's been about two and a half weeks since I've exercised).  I started walking, then began to job, then ran a bit.  It wasn't until I was cooling down when it hit me that there was absolutely no pain in my hamstring!!!  In fact, I probably could've kept going!  

 

I feel so fucking happy right now about the fact that I was able to do what I love to do and not have my body revolt against me!  

 

Could it be the new medication?  I've been taking it now for about 6 weeks and I have a follow-up with my doctor on Wednesday.

 

Also (and I'm a bit nervous to even post this for fear it was a fluke), my weight is down almost 5 pounds since I've started taking the Synthroid, and my measurements are very close to what they were Post Whole30.  I haven't seen weight loss like that since 2013!!  

 

[deftona]

Excellent news! I'll keep my fingers crossed for it not being a fluke and well done on the weight loss!