COVID-19 Timeout

There are many things at work here on a global front like we’ve not seen. One might consider COVID-19 to be a world at war with a giant learning curve for everyone. We are all scrambling to figure out how to handle, well, everything. With all the media chiming in on what’s going on, I’d venture to say this is only the tip of the iceberg and that there’s more going on here than anyone knows at this time. With health concerns, potential food and drug shortages, and plummeting financial global markets it can be difficult to understand your place in all of this. Following the CDC’s guidelines while trying to put food on the table and locate toilet paper can seem daunting when the community around you seems to be shutting down. What I can tell you is that we should not panic. We need to think clearly, and we can’t do that when we are in fear mode.

While many of us are following 2-week social distancing guidelines or sheltering in place restrictions, I think this forced timeout is a good time to care for yourself. Healthy individuals are able to fight this virus. So, limit the toxic news, eat healthy and boost antioxidants in your diet, drink plenty of water, get out and get some fresh air if you can, and consider the possibilities (my word for the year). Rather than binging on movies and television, what can you do during this time to be productive?

Hopefully, this period we are living in right now will help us all be more aware of the responsibilities we have to each other.

Stay safe and take care,

Michelle

Timeout photo courtesy of Gerd Altmann and Pixabay

Pressures Rising

QardioArm app start window on my phone, QardioArm in place for pressure reading,

history window on my phone, device ready to travel...

Taking care of myself is a top priority in my life. It helps me be the best I can be in whatever I am doing. While I do a good job of taking care of myself normally, our gypsy lifestyle can make it a bit more challenging. That's where creativity and adaptation help me learn a few new tricks along the way.

Case in point: Prior to being a full-time traveler, I tracked my blood pressure (BP) on a regular basis. Not because I had high blood pressure, but to show my doctor I did not need medication for high blood pressure. You see, I have white coat syndrome (white coat hypertension). In other words, my blood pressure rises as soon as I enter my doctor’s office. 

Last year when I went to Europe for four months, I didn't pack my BP monitor simply because my blood pressure is stable and packing light does not include my bulky BP monitor. I had thought I would occasionally follow up on monitoring somewhere along the way in Europe, but I did't realize it would be difficult finding BP monitoring stations in European pharmacies. When I arrived home, I was due for my annual physical, and once again my BP was sky high and continued to rise throughout the subsequent checking during the appointment. While my doctor didn’t exactly care for the readings, I told him I would be more vigilant in taking my own readings as I had previously been, and we could address the issue on a follow up appointment unless the monitoring showed a significant problem before then.

I did some research and tried a simple lightweight BP wrist monitor. But here’s the thing, the readings were always high. I checked the readings against my bulky reliable monitor and the wrist monitor wasn't correct. After more research I found this can be common with wrist monitors. I returned the wrist style and purchased a wireless QardioArm that works with an app on my iPhone and iPad. I wear it above my elbow on my left arm as I did with my old monitor. The device weighs 10.9 ounces and is 2.7 x 1.5 x 5.5 inches. It is much smaller and weighs half as much as the monitor I had been using. It triple measurement averages and shows heartrate with irregular heartrate detection, which is what I’m used to seeing from my old monitor. It’s easy to set up and use, but moreover validates the readings I had previously recorded on my old bulky reliable.

Consider this scenario: I go to the doctor and have not been monitoring my blood pressure on a regular basis, he sees rather high readings and notes those high readings from previous visits, then proceeds to prescribe medication for a problem I may not have! It’s up to us to be proactive in our health and work with our doctors as a team. Don’t leave your doctor hanging out there with limited information because you don't take the initiative for your own health. In the long run, taking medication you don’t need, or should be taking more of or less of, can lead to catastrophic health issues!

When I see my doctor next time, I’ll be able to show him the QardioArm history on my phone. And even though I'm traveling full time, QardioArm will help me stay on top of my health without adding pressure.

Michelle

QardioArm photo courtesy of DaMClark's

Eating to Live: Breakfast Salad

Since breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I do my best to start the day with a good meal. While I don’t always have a lot of time to spend on breakfast, it is important for me to start the day off right. Past breakfast posts have been about museli in Investing in Breakfast, beet smoothies in Smoothie Nirvana, and gluten free orange/flaxseed muffins in Changing Course. Today it's my breakfast salad. In an attempt to reduce my carbs, eating just two eggs on a plate without toast cradeling the eggs was unappetizing to look at. Even the eggs looked bored! So one morning I tossed a bunch of salad greens on the plate, topped them with eggs and my breakfast salad was born.

It couldn’t be easier – I grab a handful of tender mixed greens, spinach, and whatever else I have floating around the kitchen that sounds good. My favorite ingredients on the greens are tomato, avocado, and green onion. I drizzle a bit of olive oil, add a dash of salt and pepper, and two fried eggs. You heard me right – fried eggs. I’ve added hard boiled eggs if I’ve had them, prepared poached eggs, but I prefer eggs fried in a slight amount of butter or a drizzle of olive oil – and voila, a lovely, quick and easy breakfast that stays with me until lunchtime. Other toppings I enjoy are: a sprinkle of flax meal, grated cheeses such as manchego, feta, Cheddar, parmesan, crumbled bacon, dried cranberries or raisins, leftover steamed veggies, even sliced fruit and nuts. With this salad you can not only have a great breakfast, but lunch or light dinner, too. Let your imagination run wild - if it tastes good, chances are it will only enhance your salad.

With all the traveling I do, starting my day with a health-filled breakfast is not only important for the day ahead but for my overall health. Since we are not on vacation, but choose this nomadic lifestyle, we can't eat like we are on vacation! As the Italians say, buon appetito! – Have a good meal!

Michelle

Salad photo courtesy of the DaMClark's

Eating to Live: Smoothie Nirvana

Beet smoothie photo initially published on Facebook.

Since eating well is a key to feeling well, smoothies have long been in my morning repertoire. Back in the 1960s I didn’t feel like eating breakfast prior to leaving for elementary school in the morning. And my mom didn't want me to start my day on an empty stomach, so she came up with what she called a protein shake for me in the morning. I’ve been drinking protein shakes, now called smoothies, off and on ever since. I don’t need fancy-dancy juicers to eat whole vegetables and fruit. I’ve been there, tried that, and decided if I ran a blender long enough on the liquefy setting, I could create smooth and delicious blends of goodness without the cleanup of a fancy-dancy juicer.

Here’s my absolutely delicious beet smoothie recipe...
Roast beets: Simply wash and scrub beets (no need to mess with peeling them), remove beet green tops leaving a couple inches of stems, trim root, and rub beets with olive oil. Place beets in foil and seal up. Bake 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow beets to continue to steam in foil. Remove foil, pop off stem tops, cool, and refrigerate until ready to enjoy. Roasting beets in this way allows the natural sugars to release for maximum sweetness. If you're in a hurry, microwave a beet as you would cook a whole potato. 

1. ½ medium cooked beet
2. ½-1 banana (I use this as the basis for most smoothies as it acts as a thickener)
3. 6-8 oz. yogurt (fruit flavored or plain)
4. 1 c. carrot juice
5. 1 kale leaf rib removed (these days I always add kale or a handful of spinach in all my smoothies, and no you don’t taste whatever green goodness you tossed in)
6. 3 strawberries (any berries or no berries necessary in this concoction)
7. Cinnamon (I use cinnamon whenever I can but you decide how much)
8. 1 slice orange rind (I freeze orange, lemon, and lime rinds in 1/2 inch slices to use in beverages, and the intense flavors are wonderful in a smoothie)
9. Mint leaves or basil or both
10. After blending, stir in ground flax meal if you feel you would like more fiber
11. Sit down, put your feet up, and enjoy smoothie nirvana!

You can throw almost anything you love to eat into a smoothie. Just toss in whatever you have on hand. You don’t need a recipe. You can concoct your own delicious goodness in a glass like a mad scientist and reap the rewards of good health and nutrition. So, what does this beet smoothie taste like? First of all, it doesn't taste like beets or kale, as a matter of fact it tastes like I had thrown in heaps of raspberries and strawberries. Let's just say I deemed it the best smoothie ever! Yum!

Michelle

Beet smoothie photo courtesy of damclark's family photos

Healing Elements

A few years ago, I was having dinner with my friend Anita. We talked about what we would do if money weren’t an issue, as in winning the lottery. We would have to buy lottery tickets in the first place; but what if? We both mentioned traveling more and agreed regular facials and massage would be a must. Nothing we mentioned seemed extravagant at all, even if we had won the lottery. Days later, thinking it was interesting how neither Anita nor I were over the top on anything we talked about, I mentioned this conversation to my husband, Dennis. He just looked at me and said, “You could do that stuff now; you don’t need to win the lottery.”

What was top on my list? Schedule a massage. My friend Phyllis had been going to a local massage therapist at Healing Elements for some time and raved about how skilled Jennika Brewer was. At the time, I was seeing an acupuncturist monthly, so I decided to alternate each month between acupuncture and massage. I found my body seemed to respond in a more positive way when I had massage. I had been doing acupuncture for a number of years and had felt I wasn’t getting the same benefits I had initially. After a few months of alternating between the two, I dropped the acupuncture and have been going to massage appointments at 4-6 week intervals ever since.

Prior to Dennis’ comment, I thought of massage as a luxury, not as something clinical like acupuncture. I was wrong. They both deal with well-being. Just what is well-being? Simply put, a state of being, in that it embraces a state of being happy, a state of being comfortable, and the all encompassing state of wellness - all healing elements.

While I haven’t ruled out heading back to acupuncture if I feel the need in the future, having a massage on a regular basis has become one of my priorities. It doesn’t matter whether I have an issue I am dealing with or I just want the peace and relaxation that comes with a massage. It is truly a healing element as are my other priorities: meditation, working out, and eating well - which altogether helps me embrace happy. When my well-being is in balance, I feel my best and can be my best for whatever comes my way. No extravagance there!

Smile photo courtesy of Fergus MacDonald

I Am Tired

• I am tired of not feeling well more times in the last year than I can remember.
• I am tired of telling myself "you go girl" when there is no more go’in to be had.
• I am tired of doctors and tests.
• I am tired of pills.
• I am tired of trying to put a smile on my face.
• I am tired of searching for something more.
• I am tired of not getting a good night sleep.
• I am tired of having restless legs.
• I am tired of looking at the tired person in the mirror.
• I am tired of all the gray days we have had.
• I am tired of the 20 inches of rain we have had since January 1st.
• I am tired of not being able to eat what I want, when I want.
• I am tired of not being able to cook the things I love.
• I am tired of being too tired to workout.
• I am tired of being tired.

Have you ever had one of those days, day after day? That is how I am feeling today. Let it be known, I have released my inner petulant child! My stable temperament has gone into a yo-yo effect this last year. I can’t seem to go for more than a few weeks without having gut issues.

Over the last few years I have worked hard at becoming my best self and being who I am meant to be no matter what the circumstances are, but this last year has been difficult. We may all learn many things from the struggles of others but it takes our own battle weariness before we truly grow. I know when I feel the fatigue wash over me it is important to not only go from day-to-day but minute-to-minute. I can look, feel and be better a minute from now for it is my choice.

Sometimes I choose to give into the battle fatigue and have a good cry. While the puffy eyes afterwards do not exactly help me feel better, the tears sometimes provide a cleansing and sense of relief. Many times, by letting down and giving into the tears, I have found new meaning to what I may have been searching for. This allows me to move forward once again.

As I made the list above, it felt good to give my inner petulant child a voice. I know we are all tired of something in our lives. When you feel the wash of battle fatigue, it is time to step back and evaluate where it is coming from. Pinpointing it like that may just take the power away from it and give you the answers you need. So…just what are you tired of? Is it time to let your inner petulant child speak?

© Copyright 2011 Michelle Clark

The Joys of MiraLAX®

I’ve been busy this week with a two-day colonoscopy prep and subsequent colonoscopy. I have been having difficulties with constipation over the last two years, and more noticeably since December of last year when I had a rather bad Crohn’s episode. Since this is not about Crohn’s episodes, let’s just say it was a major gut-cramping event where I end up in bed and take medication to relax the muscles and knock me out. After that point, I had increasing problems with constipation. This seemed to come to a head mid-June of this year when I had yet another Crohn’s episode. This one left me unable to move anything through my bowels without drinking a ton of prune juice.

It usually takes my gut a couple of weeks to recover from an episode and get the eating and bowel movements somewhat in sync. After three weeks then four, I began trying all sorts of things to get on top of the horrible gas buildup in my gut. I liken it to the beast in the movie Alien attempting to burst out of the body of one of the characters. After contacting my gastroenterologist, he suggested using MiraLAX®. He mentioned this when I saw him in the spring, but I have tried to stay away from anything in the laxative family and had not used it to date. Yes laxatives work in a bind, but you can become dependent on them if you use them over an extended amount of time. Since I was starting to turn brown from all the prune juice I was drinking, or maybe I was just full of…well, you figure it out! I tried the MiraLAX®. Laaaaaaaaa, happy days! It was amazing. Thus began months of trying to figure out just how much of this miracle powder I would need to keep my bowels moving.

Now that you have a little background, and perhaps more information than you really wanted to know, fast forward to the present. Months of working with the MiraLAX®, like a mad scientist, had not brought me any closer to coming up with a solution to the ratio of MiraLAX® to pooping. It had been over four years since my last colonoscopy and I was due, so my poop doc took a look. The results of the test were not surprising. Other than the fact I have Crohn’s, I had a benign polyp removed and have found I have a “tortuous colon.” Due to the fact I do not eat enough fiber, my colon has lengthened and twisted a bit. This condition can lead to intestinal blockage, which is never a good thing. I’ve always had problems moving fiber through my digestive system, and have been concerned with causing a blockage. MiraLAX® is an osmotic-type of laxative, which holds more water in your digestive system allowing the stool to soften, and is neither a stimulant nor bulk-forming laxative. It may pave the way for a number of IBD (Irritable Bowel Disease) and IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) sufferers. It is now available over the counter and in generic form at most drug stores, including by the barrel at Costco! So now I am suppose to not only add more fiber, but also add more MiraLAX® than I had been taking. After every meal, I’m to have what I am calling my MiraLAX® digestif. Interestingly, digestifs are served at the end of the meal to aid digestion⎯usually a liqueur, brandy or fortified wine, but in my case MiraLAX®. So now I can begin to enjoy eating more fiber and know that somewhere in my gut everything is moving smoothly, and I have put the Alien to rest. My dear soapbox-carrying acupuncturist will be happy to know this. I’m on my way to Costco. Cheers!

© Copyright Michelle Clark 2010

Beware of Little Chinese Lady Carrying Big Soapbox

A couple of weeks ago I went to my seasonal acupuncture appointment. I had been having some new disturbances in my gut along with the regular ache here and pain there kind of thing. The acupuncturist happened to ask me something about breakfast and I mentioned that I had a protein drink, something I quite frequently have. As a matter of fact, I have been having a protein drink for breakfast off and on since I was in junior-high. She immediately gave me the “evil eye” and started to say something about protein drinks. I interrupted her and said this was not something in a can or that I picked up on the way, and that I make wonderful, healthy concoctions at home. She asked if I add any type of protein powder to the mix. These days I do use a protein powder because raw eggs are not advised. She asked me if I eat a lot of processed foods. I really think I eat fairly healthy. I generally don’t eat at fast-food type places and I don’t drink soft drinks. I read all ingredient labels. I’m a “from scratch” kind of cook and I do consider every ingredient used. So I don’t think I eat a lot of processed foods. WRONG!

Out came the soapbox and this little Chinese lady proudly gave me a talking to. I wasn’t able to get a word in edgewise to get clarification on something she was talking about or ask a simple question. She was on a rant about the use of protein powders not being a “good thing” and the importance of eating natural, fresh foods.

Now, I can appreciate what she was saying. I do respect anyone who can eat this way. Walking through the grocery store after the natural, fresh foods lecture, I realized just how much processed food I do eat. Anything in a can or bottle is “processed” – even if there is no sugar or high-fructose corn syrup, m.s.g., food coloring or preservatives. Even if no chemicals, hormones or antibiotics were used. Even if the product is labeled organic. As I’m walking down the aisles, the types of foods I buy were shouting at me, “Hey, over here, I’m the ketchup you buy,” “Look this way, I’m the mayonnaise you buy.” I’ve had homemade mayo and ketchup. Both are fairly easy to make and very good. BUT, who has time to make EVERYTHING from natural, fresh scratch? My acupuncturist makes her own bread after grinding her own wheat. She even grinds her own meats. Trying to grocery shop after this lecture was a bit discouraging, but I gained a better understanding to what “processed” foods encompass.

With my gut issues, due to Crohn’s disease, at times I am significantly limited to what I can take in through my digestive system. When the Crohn’s is acting up, I must stay away from fiber because it just doesn’t move through. I know, we’re all told we need to add more fiber. I wish I could. I would love to eat a raw apple, but that won’t work for me. When doing well, I am able to eat cooked apples without the peel. There are many fruits and vegetables I can only eat well cooked. You can appreciate how important it is for me to pay attention to what goes in as well as what’s moving through.

Walking through the grocery store, I was trying to determine how one would go about eating natural, eating fresh. I wondered if my acupuncturist made her own butter. She probably doesn’t use butter. I use olive oil in most of my cooking, but I am from the Julia Child’s school of thought. Butter is a good thing. You just don’t need to eat the whole stick. I think Julia mentioned something about moderation.

It hurt my head to think about all the changes I would need to make. From my viewpoint, it seemed to be a very limited way to eat. And I already know what that’s entails. I am sure, like most things, you figure it out a step at a time. I could use Crohn’s as my excuse but that’s exactly what it would be – an excuse. It comes down to this, right now, I just don’t want to head down that road. It’s not practical for me. Maybe someday it will be something I am ready to try, but not today. I’m going to continue eating healthfully, processed or not. Lifestyle changes are very difficult to make. So, no matter what it is you should change or want to change, in order to make changes, one must be in sync with the changes you are making in order for them to stick!

Thirty minutes after my well-meaning acupuncturist started her rant, she got down off her soapbox, I told her I would see what I could do and then she stuck me full of needles – not good timing on my end!


Photo courtesy of MonsieruLui

© Copyright Michelle Clark 2010