Last week was rough. I was physically and mentally all kitty-whack. On at least two separate occasions, I put my shirt on backwards. My max reps in my conditioning log were at all-time lows. I downright stank at checklisting pretty much every time I tried. I managed not to cry on the mat, but that’s not to say I didn’t shed a tear or two of exhausted frustration over a paloma at my favorite Mexican restaurant. Thank goodness I had a long holiday weekend to recover a little!
So, before I start gushing about my new favorite web and mobile health app, let’s get something straight. One in five women will develop depression at some point in their life, and anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the country — with women twice as likely to be affected as men. Additionally, antidepressant use in the United States rose by 400% between 1998 and 2008.
Reading over past blog entries, I hadn’t realized how much I’ve changed since I started this blog two years ago. I went from an aspiring vegetarian and marathon-hopeful with worsening digestive issues, mood and skin problems to an aspiring cavewoman and black-belt hopeful with ever-increasing energy, well-being and self esteem. I intend on explaining this transition in more detail in subsequent posts, but I’d like to start today off with a huge success! As of yesterday, I have successfully completed my first Whole30 program, which is basically a 30-day, strict introduction to the wide range of paleo, primal, or ancestral…
Read more →
A few weeks ago I made an appointment to donate blood at United Blood Services. If there’s one thing that makes me totally uncomfortable, it’s needles. I hate needles. I hate mosquitoes. My skin is there for a reason, and that reason does not include getting poked, by human or otherwise. However, I decided recently that I really should get over myself and make an effort to donate blood regularly. (It saves lives you know. Yes, plural. One blood donation can be separated into its various parts and used to treat multiple people.) If it wasn’t for my hangup about…
Read more →
What do you get from a cow after an earthquake? A milk shake! Ah, the humble American Milkshake. Lactoblendus americus. Treat of undeniable pleasure for some, awful harbinger of gastrointestinal distress for others. Until this week, I was firmly planted in the latter category. That’s before I met my new BFF. Well, my new colony of BFFs. Billions upon billions of tiny little creatures who simply cannot wait to stake their claim in the wasteland of my intestines: Probiotics. Probiotics are any number of microorganisms that benefit their hosts via colonization. Kind of like those birds that eat bugs off…
Read more →