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Thursday, March 23, 2017

Don't forget to take care of yourself when making big life changes

Going through a big life change? How about a cross country move? Add in downsizing, daily chores, aging body and much more to create a time when you definitely need to prioritize taking care of yourself along with getting everything done.

I haven't been following my own advice. Skipping exercise. Stress eating by loading up on carbs and having an extra glass of wine. So what am I doing about it?

One thing is that I decided to invest in getting advice on nutrition in an integrated medicine context within the parameters of my particular body health and medical conditions/medications. I had the first meeting yesterday and we discussed a lot that I know I should do, but also some things I didn't know or hadn't thought about.

That included the impact of taking a daily low dose of antibiotic and how to  counter that nutritionally. Why I have ridges on my fingernails. The fact that I may have a low level of stomach acid and how to  check that out (this could explain why I no longer like to eat high acid foods such as oranges, strawberries and some apples). How my diet may contribute to inflammation in my body.

She brought over a nifty scale that in addition to measures body fat, muscle and bone %s, visceral fat and how many calories you can eat to maintain your current weight if you are totally inactive. It even gives you an estimate of your body age for what that is worth.

I'm looking forward to her follow up report as I want the recommendations to see what I can do right now. Then our meetings are on hold until I get to CA and unpack a bit. We will do follow ups and weekly phone support via phone or skype. No more nifty scale measures though!

Overall my short terms nutrition goals are to
- Increase my hydration and do this consciously as I typically don't feel thirsty and I prefer coffee over other liquids.
- Plan breakfasts and lunches to get more fiber and protein - we do dinner quite well.
- Create some snack combos that are healthy and curb my cravings for sugar and fat (cookies anyone?).
- Add some probiotic rich foods and/or supplements to counter the impact of the antibiotic (yogurt and kefir top the list right now as fermented foods tend to have too much salt for me).
- Explore ways to balance stomach acid in addition to idea of eating more bitter greens which I do love. Not sure about drinking apple cider vinegar LOL.


Today at Trader Joe's I bought some unsweetened Kefir to try, a women's multivitamin and some hummus for snacks. A start.

What are you doing just for yourself?

6 comments:

  1. Juhli, I highly recommend nuts for your midday snack. While not necessarily exciting on the surface, I find them deeply satisfying, brain and energy wise. I enjoy 10-15 almonds with half an apple as my midday snack, and it will carry me beautifully to dinner with no dip in blood sugar. And I think I've finally overcome my addiction to processed sugar, which has done wonders for my overall energy. Keeping my blood sugar even is increasingly critical to maintaining good energy as I get older. I've finally accepted that though I love sugar, it just doesn't love me back!

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    1. I also love sugar and it doesn't love me back - great thing to remember. Thanks for the ideas.

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  2. Hi Juhli, I'm coordinating my elderly parents' local move next month so I can relate to some of the stress you're experiencing. Just for myself, I get my daily exercise in, and calm myself down with deep abdominal breathing and meditation, even 5-10 minutes a day helps. I think of the flight attendant's instruction to put the oxygen mask on yourself first before you can be of help to others. I agree with Tamara's suggestion, too. I eat almonds and a small apple as snack. Maybe "an apple a day does keep the doctor away" :-)

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    Replies
    1. What a challenge to help elderly parents move. They are lucky to have you to do it. I need to start back in with my stretching exercises!

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  3. Ditto on the almonds!! Maybe if you can't fit in official exercise, just giving yourself a few minutes outside in the sunshine would help. I try to get a bit of sun everyday. Just lifts my spirits.

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