One sufferer's experience of one type of migraine

Migraines come in many shapes and forms with varying symptoms that depend on the person and depend on each specific migraine episode. One migraine sufferer could have a very different experience from another. And those who are lucky enough not to have migraines often have no idea what it actually means. No, it's not just a bad headache.

My mom wrote a great post debunking migraine myths and explaining clearly what they really are. I re-posted it for everyone to see, so PLEASE give it a read. https://www.facebook.com/cactuslynx/posts/10101311942039626

I only occasionally have migraines, and each one is its own individual beast. This is the story of just one experience.

***

I woke up on a Saturday morning, happy and refreshed having slept in a couple hours later than on weekdays. I greeted the day with a jog - nothing too strenuous but still a good workout. The rest of the morning went as Saturdays usually do, with a big healthy breakfast, a load of laundry, and a couple long Skype calls with my parents. I had a healthy lunch, and then sat down at my computer to work on updating my resume.

I was having trouble concentrating on the work, feeling restless, and had a bit of a headache in the front part of my head, behind my eyes. This is fairly common for me when I spend a lot of time motionless at a computer, and a bit of exercise often helps, so I decided to go for a walk and stop at the store while I was out. The store I wanted to go to was pretty far, and it made more sense to go by bike, but I often enjoy going for long walks on the weekend.

I set out, enjoying the warm sun and plum blossoms signaling the approach of spring. I tried to ignore the fact that the sun seemed overly bright, always shining right in my eyes. I also tried to ignore my runny nose and tingling in my sinuses that seemed to be reaching back into my brain, like too much wasabi.

After about an hour I was getting really tired and glad I had just reached the store. I could feel my pulse in my head, and thought maybe I should take the bus rather than walk back home after finishing my errands.

I only had five things on my mental shopping list, and I like to shop efficiently, getting what I need in the order than it's laid out in the store. So I walked straight to the escalator, heading to the department where I wanted to pick up a gift for my friend.

Department stores seem to be full of middle-aged and elderly women, and a surprising number of yelling children. There are also many lights, colors, sounds, and smells.

I found myself wandering in a circle, briefly forgetting what I was looking for and where it could be found, my brain fuzzy, not being able to sort through everything bombarding my senses. "The noisy part of the store, what I want first is probably near there..." I thought, changing directions once again. "Did they reorganize the store? Or is it just not here? Oh, it's probably seasonal. I have to wait until summer. I won't be here anymore then." My thoughts came slowly, one at a time, while my feet trudged along trying to bring me to my goal.

A sudden wave of nausea hit me, and I had to stop and take a deep breath through my mouth. My eyes were only half open, as I tried to filter out the light and relax my face and temples. "Ok, next. What do I need to buy next?" I walked very slowly, all the while breathing deeply but not through my nose to avoid smells that made my stomach churn. I picked up a couple items and tried to buy them, but I was at the wrong cash register. Department stores in Japan can be so confusing. I backtracked, looking for dotted lines on the floor letting me know when I had left the section my items where from and looked for the big ¥ sign within those lines, all with half-closed eyes.

Looking back, I should have just skipped the store completely and taken the bus straight home. But migraines make me think slowly and not clearly, and it took far too long to realize how bad it really was. I had set out with a goal, and I wanted to finish my goal.

I then set off for the supermarket on the first floor to get a couple items before heading home. I could no longer remember what was on my mental shopping list. I knew there were five items, one I had not found, and two I had already bought. I literally stood in the middle of the store counting these off on my fingers, because my brain could no longer just visualize it. So, two more items, and they were both food. But I could only remember what one of them was.

I walked up and down a couple aisles in a daze. I stood staring at juice for no apparent reason. I noticed a young girl and her mother were looking at me and talking intently to each other. This meant I had been this girl's English teacher, and she was working up the courage to say hi. I pretended I didn't see them, and continued staring at the juice that I didn't need. They walked up, and the girl said, "Uddo Ro-ra Sensei?" Oh great, now I have to put on teacher face and talk with them. I said, "Hello!" trying to radiate a joyful expression. Smile, Laura, smile. We all stood there awkwardly in silence, beaming at each other. The girl's mother started talking to her daughter, "It is her! Aren't you glad you said something? Why don't you talk to her?" As sensei, I realized it was my job to engage with this child. I said in a big, happy, clear voice, "How are you?" The girl grinned and hid her face behind her mom. Her mom continued to encourage her. This exchange of me trying to force my brain and face to do the appropriate things and the mother trying to get her daughter to speak more continued for a few more minutes. The whole time I was internally screaming, "Go away! Go away! Go away! I just CAN'T right now!"

I couldn't process anything outside of my immediate sphere - the overly enthusiastic mom, the shy girl, juice that I couldn't remember if I wanted to buy or not. Bright lights. Deep slow breaths. Churning stomach. Static in my brain. Static that I could FEEL, like a million little pin pricks.

Finally we said our farewells, and I turned back to the juice. Green. Green is good. Get some green juice. And GET OUT OF HERE. My brain had finally realized that I needed to go into serious emergency mode.

I bought my items, trying not to inhale the scents of the nearby bakery, and made a beeline for the door.

I'm not sure how long I had wandered through that confusing nightmare of a store, but by the time I left the sun was disappearing, the wind had picked up, and it was really cold. I crossed the street to the bus stop, and looked at the time schedule. I comforted myself seeing that the bus would come in about ten minutes, not too long. I then sat down on the bench, the first time I was off my feet since I left my apartment earlier.

I dug through my purse, pulling out the little container I keep a stash of medicine in. I considered, "Should I take two or three ibuprofen? No, wait a minute, don't make the mistake of underestimating a migraine, it's time for the big guns." I pulled out a triptan, and put my pill box away. I then realized that the foil had already been opened, and there was no pill inside. In a previous migraine haze I had probably put the empty foil back into my pill box. So I dug into my purse again, praying that there was a second triptan. There was, and I made sure to properly throw out the packaging this time.

I huddled on the bench in the cold wind, waiting for the triptan to kick in and waiting for the bus to arrive, ignoring the people and everything else around me, focusing on my breathing and trying not to cry.

A bus pulled up, and I almost grabbed my bag and got on, but thankfully realized that it wasn't the bus I wanted. It had the same end destination as my bus, but took a different route to get there - a route that would completely miss my apartment. This time I looked up the time table on my phone, knowing that I had the correct bus line bookmarked, and wouldn't make a mistake like I had with the numerous signs posted at the bus stop. I checked the time. My bus wasn't coming for ANOTHER ten minutes. Deep breath, don't cry.

While waiting, two more buses that weren't mine went by. I was the only one left at the stop. The wind was biting through my sweatshirt. I started to doubt my ability to think clearly at all, and wondered if I was even at the right bus stop. "Isn't there only one bus stop? How are there so many buses? I didn't know there were even that many bus lines in this little town. Am I, like, a block away from where I should be? Will my bus ever come? This has to be the right place, I've caught the bus here before! Haven't I? I need to pee. I think."

Finally my bus came and in my excitement I stood up too quickly and nearly fell back down. I stepped onto the bus, searching for the card reader to scan my ICOCA card to pay for the bus fare. I was dizzy, everything was fuzzy, and I could only focus on one thing at a time. Step up. Card reader. Beep. Step. Sit. Don't cry. Old lady smells like old lady. Deep breath. Home soon.

I half sat and half lay on the seat, my eyes mostly closed and my mouth hanging open. I couldn't even find enough energy to keep my mouth shut, although I was fully conscious of how ridiculous I probably looked, and hoped nobody I knew was on the bus. I couldn't bother to actually look around and check.

When my stop was announced, I lifted my arm in slow motion, like moving underwater, and reached to push the button signaling I wanted to get off. It gave me an odd sense of pleasure, that it was exactly within reach of my outstretched arm.

Once home, I dropped my bags on the floor, slowly and deliberately used the bathroom and washed my hands, and then collapsed in sobs. My brain felt like an old dish rag being wrung out, and crying made it feel like it was also being beat with a hammer. I grabbed a stuffed doll and started whacking it against the wall out of frustration. "WHY?!?!" I screamed, as tears and snot dripped down my face.

Taking a few deep breaths, I collected myself, and went about making myself comfortable - made a mug of tea and brought it along with some dark chocolate to my kotatsu table. I curled up under the blanket with the heater on, hydrated, nibble at the chocolate, and put on an old episode of Whose Line because it required no energy and made me laugh.

Eventually the pain and frustration faded away, my stomach settled, and I felt ok. Kind of out of it, but ok.

Dear friend in health, let's share ideas.

Email from my aunt:

Hi Laura,

I just wanted to let you know that I have been looking at your blog.  

I have done some changes in my diet for the sake of our new insurance that says that we need to stay healthy and get more healthy.  My body weight is at the border line of being too heavy and I have too high cholesterol.  My new diet is:

1. no snacking between meals (if I have to, eat veggies or nuts)

2. cut carbohydrates in half, eat whole grains

3. no butter or jam or honey on my bread during the week

4. no sweets during the week

5. no eating more than two helpings at meal times

I let the weekend be the time I allow a sweet treat or eat something I don't eat during the week. 

Success: managed to cut out jam, butter, honey during the week, mostly good about not snacking between meals.  Mostly been good about sticking to no more than two helpings during meal times, drinking more water, eating more salads, veggie sticks, and nuts, etc.

Unsuccessful: Still fall into eating too much carbohydrates. Example: crackers, muffins, biscuits   pasta, homemade breads, brown rice and white rice, pancakes, waffles etc. I cannot find a substitute that gives the same comfort feeling and fullness I get from eating carbs. Once in a while I end of eating way too many sweets, especially during the holidays.  When I was 26 I ate a whole batch of cream cheese frosting and got really sick for three days.  When I was 16 I had a lot of pastries filled with berries and only stopped when I realized I gained 5 pounds from eating them almost every week day.  I am hoping that I can managed to control my sugar intake when I turn 36 two years from now.  

Generally I eat well and I did get a great grade for my health, but there is always room for improvement.  The thing I have the most problems with is exercising.  I am really lazy, but I am trying to work out a little bit more.  My husband and I do 15 to 30 minutes of exercise twice a week together in the mornings. 

Well, I better go now.

God bless

*****

My response:

I’m glad you emailed me! One of the reasons I started writing a blog was because I was hoping it would spark some conversations. Also, I sometimes wonder if there’s actually a point in writing and posting, so it’s always nice to hear from someone that they do actually read it!

Making changes to your lifestyle is definitely challenging, and I think you should be proud of every step. Even if you can’t do what you want to right away, take longer than you planned to achieve your goals, or frequently have to restart your efforts, just the fact that you ARE trying is great.

I’ve found that the best way to go about it for myself is to make small changes, implement them, then once I’m used to them make some more small changes. If I tried to jump from my lifestyle five years ago or even three years ago to now, I’m afraid I would probably fail. It can be overwhelming and discouraging if you try to change too much at once.

I find that with both food and exercise, if I exceed my daily goals by a lot or set my goals too high (very low calories or very hard workouts), I can do it for a couple days, but then I not only won’t be able to keep it up, but I’ll swing to the other extreme and do very poorly. For example, maybe for two to four days I eat 1000 calories less than I burn. Then for the next couple of days I’ll overeat by 1000, 2000, or even more, completely ruining all the previous hard work. However, if I have moderately challenging goals, like eating 500 calories less than I burn, I can maintain that all week, and not have wild swings that I later feel awful about.

Having goals concretely written out, like you do, I find to be very useful as well. I also like to put those goals somewhere I’ll see them regularly. Especially a place where I’ll see them when I’m tempted to not follow them, like on the fridge or on the wall next to my computer, because I often want to snack when I’m watching TV online. And have a visible record of when you achieve those goals, like putting stars on a calendar for each day you succeed.

Given how scientifically minded everyone in this family is, it’s no surprise that I have similar thinking patterns and ways of understanding the world. Because of this, I find that the more information and knowledge I have, the better motivated I am. Just deciding to cut carbohydrates because that’s what the doctor recommends isn’t enough for me, and I probably won’t do it well. But if I read about how the body digests and absorbs carbohydrates versus protein and fat, and how each of those affect different functions of the body, and why a high protein and fat but low carbohydrate diet is therefore the healthiest, based on such-and-such research (give me facts!), I can fully understand, internalize, and then follow these diet recommendations.

Like you, I have found it challenging to feel satisfied and full after a meal low in carbohydrates, especially when I was first trying to cut back. Some tricks that help me are:
1. Eat TONS of vegetables. When I make a salad for myself, I use a mixing bowl and fill it completely, then eat it all. That’s how much many people usually make for the whole family. Yes, it takes a long time to eat, and a bunch of vegetables on their own might not satisfy, but it helps fill the physical space in your belly.
2. Get your calories from protein and fat. If you’re cutting carbohydrates, your body needs to get used to burning fat for energy instead. Fat has been vilified for decades, but research shows that the human body needs fat to survive, while it does not actually need grains and other high carbohydrate foods at all. Sure, people who eat lots of fast food are unhealthy. But why exactly are french fries so bad? The fat, the carbohydrates, or the fact that they're highly processed? If you’re always cooking for yourself and/or cutting carbohydrates, I say don’t be afraid of fat! Add avocado, tuna, olive oil, nuts, etc. to salads, don’t remove the fat from your meat, sauté vegetables in coconut oil, eat Greek yogurt if you’re ok with dairy, and so on.
3. After dinner I always drink a large mug of Bengal Spice tea (by Celestial Seasonings). It also helps add to the feeling of fullness by taking up space in my stomach. Plus, it has a very strong cinnamon flavor, which I associate with dessert, thereby making me feel like I’ve had dessert, even though there’s no sugar, sweeteners, or calories at all in the tea.
4. If all else fails, I have sweet potato or pumpkin. They give me that full feeling, while still being packed full of vitamins and minerals and relatively low in calories. It’s also easier for the body to digest than grain-based foods. And again, don’t be afraid of fat! I drizzle olive, peanut, sesame, or coconut oil on my sweet potato or pumpkin after grilling it. For a savory taste, season it with salt and other herbs and spices. For something more dessert-like, use cinnamon and cloves or even cocoa powder (but no sugar!).

As far as exercising goes, I approach it the same way I approach food – by making small goals, and slowly improving my overall lifestyle. For many people, having someone to exercise with can help you stay on track because you are holding each other accountable, so it's great that you and your husband are doing it together. And if exercise isn’t really your thing, keep trying different methods until you figure out what works best for you. Some people prefer weight lifting, jogging, or joining various types of classes offered at the gym. Personally, I get bored if I’m always doing the same type of exercise, so I like to change it up all the time. In one week I usually jog three times, do a low impact cardio workout two or three times, high intensity interval training about three times, and yoga once. For examples of each of those, check out the videos I posted in my FAQs blog. Also, don’t push yourself too much or you’ll burn out! Start at whatever your level is. Even if you’re a complete beginner, there’s no shame in that. Go at your own pace, always challenging yourself a little. When I started jogging, I couldn’t go more than five minutes, but now I can go for an hour or more!

Finally, something that can help a lot with motivation is rewards. I have a friend who is trying to lose weight, and she has various reward levels as she reaches different weight goals. If you like buying clothes or shoes, motivate yourself with the thought that you’ll need new clothes if you lose weight! Want a new dress? Get that one you’ve had your eye on once you’ve dropped a size or two! Or your favorite author just released a new book? You can buy it if you’ve stuck to your goals for x amount of time. If I have stayed on track with exercise and diet all week, I’ll reward myself by taking a break from my daily workout and watching a movie on Friday night. Just try to avoid food or drink rewards, because they defeat the purpose! So what’s something you’d like but wouldn’t normally get for yourself? Choose small rewards for small goals, and something really awesome for a big, challenging goal!

Thanks again for reading my blog and also emailing me! It makes me feel good about what I’m doing when I know I’m not alone, and I hope it is similarly encouraging for you. Keep me updated on how you’re doing! Good luck!

*****

And for those few readers who made it all the way to the end, I leave you with this.

http://www.gocomics.com/baldo/2015/02/10/

Yummies and stuff

Hey everyone, it’s been a while. Not much new to report. I’ve been pretty much on track all week, exercising once or twice a day and eating well. A couple weeks ago I chose not to go to a dinner party with friends because I figured it would be really hard to eat enough while following my rules, so I ate at home and then met up with them afterward for the second party. Another friend of mine did the same thing, which was awesome because it felt like we were comrades in this fight to be healthy. Any more comrades out there? Send me some comments so we all know we aren’t alone! What are you working towards, what do you find challenging, and what have you had success at? Even if we have different approaches to health, let me know! We all have different goals, different bodies, and different beliefs about what’s healthy, but we don’t have to agree to support and motivate each other!

In food related news, last Friday at school the fifth grade students made mochi. For those of you not familiar with this, it consists of cooking a special glutinous variety of rice and then pounding it with a large wooden mallet until it’s a big glob of sticky gooey deliciousness. It is then separated into smaller pieces and formed into balls that can be eaten right away or allowed to harden and saved for quite a while. Hardened mochi can be cooked to return it to its original texture by being toasted, grilled, fried, or boiled in soup. One of my favorite ways to eat it is fried and then put in soup, or with kinako (soy bean powder) for dessert! But this fresh mochi was great to eat as is, and I very much enjoyed my two pieces! It might not be the healthiest of foods, since it’s a lot of carbs and not a lot of nutrients, but it didn’t break any of my rules! Plus, it was Friday, so why not have a little treat?

 

Right after it's made is when mochi is at its best!

And in other food related news, I cooked some pretty awesome dishes this past week. Check it out: crazy looking cauliflower, slow cooked pork with spinach, wakame and tomato salad, and Hawaiian chicken.

This is so much more exciting than regular, round, while cauliflower.

Craving laulau, made this instead.

Love me some seaweed. Plus the secret ingredient, sesame oil!

First a laulau substitute, then Hawaiian chicken... I must be missing Hawaii.

How I learned to stop scorning yoga and appreciate it's benefits

I never did school sports as a young kid, or any other kind of class for exercise or health, other than the required P.E. class in school. When I was 12 or so I joined a jujitsu school because my mom wanted us kids to be doing something active with our free time. At first I went to a few classes a week, and then I started going every day after school, sometimes doing as many as three classes in one day. These were highly active classes, always beginning with a challenging workout, and often including sparing drills (like kickboxing), as well as other strength-intensive training activities. Toward the end of class we generally had a bit of free grappling or sparing and grappling for the higher ranks. Basically, it was one to two hours with almost no down time. And it was FUN! It was exciting, got my heart pumping, and made me feel great. In comparison, yoga sounded so boring!

I didn’t know much about yoga when I decided that it wasn’t for me. I basically saw it as fancy-pants stretching for people who were too lazy to do real exercise or had too much time on their hands. I know that probably offends a lot of people, but come on, do you really burn that many calories when you’re not even working up a sweat? Plus, I’m not very flexible. I’ve spent most of my life not being able to even come close to touching my toes. So I had no desire to do something that I was probably really bad at, and didn’t seem to have a point to it anyway.

Yoga wasn’t just a passing fad, though. It stuck around and is still really popular. I continued to blow it off, until I realized that a lot of my peers and other people I highly respected, like the singer Amanda Palmer, made yoga an important part of their lives. And these were genuinely healthy, active people, so yoga for them was not just a lazy way to have a false sense of being healthy. What, then, was the appeal?

When I found out that my friend was a yoga instructor, I finally gave in and decided to give it a try. I really just wanted to support her by going to her class, and I was between jobs at the time so I felt like I had plenty of time to waste.

The first class was pretty much as I had expected. I felt awkward with my butt up in the air, uncomfortable with my body twisted all around, and overall just bored. It did not get my heart pumping, I did not work up a sweat, and I felt like I had accomplished nothing. We spent the end of the lesson just lying on the floor with our eyes closed, for god’s sake! I even heard one person snoring. If taking a nap helps you lose weight, I can easily do that for free at home! Despite this initial experience, I continued going occasionally to support my friend.

My new job started and it was initially pretty stressful. There were so many new situations, I was thrown right into everything with minimal training, and I was dealing with the energy of elementary school children! So when Friday rolled around, I was wiped out and really not feeling up to my usual workout at home. I didn’t want to just do nothing, so I had a bite to eat and then hopped on the bus to go to yoga.

This was maybe my third class, so I basically knew the flow and how to do the regular poses. I concentrated on listening to my friend, trying to understand as many Japanese words as I could, and focused on doing the poses really well. I thought about my body, where each arm and leg should be, how to make straight lines, keep my spine aligned, and hold different positions with strength and balance. My mind was empty of everything except what I was doing in each and every moment. I didn’t look at or think about the people around me, but concentrated only on myself. And when we “took a nap” at the end, I didn’t have various thoughts running through my head, but just laid there feeling connected to myself, the ground, and the background music.

At the end of this lesson, I finally got it. I finally understood why people do yoga. I felt so much better! I had let go of my stress and felt like I was now complete. I felt at peace, fulfilled, satisfied, and happy.

I’ve been doing yoga either in that class or at home about once a month since then. I haven’t had such an amazing experience again, but I think that on that particular day I really needed it and was in the right mindset to get the most out of it. I learned that yoga does indeed have benefits, so now I can appreciate it much more. While I may not always get the same fulfillment out of it, I no longer feel like I am wasting my time when I practice yoga.

(In case you were wondering, my friend who is a yoga instructor is Hiroe, and I take her class at Shanti Yoga Studio in Kurashiki, although she teaches in other places as well).

ADDED 1/25 - here's an amusing video about yoga that I think fits nicely with this post.

Genki genki genki \(^o^)/

The past few days I’ve been feeling great! Super genki! I’m not sure why, but I keep waking up feeling happy and energetic. Including Monday morning, even though I was out late for dinner with friends on Sunday (at a pizza restaurant - that was difficult!).

I think I’ve been doing pretty well at getting back into exercising regularly. And I’ve mostly been eating only the types of food I want to eat, although in greater amounts than I probably should.

Since deciding that I’m moving back across the ocean, I’ve been thinking about what to do with all the stuff I’ve acquired over the past five years. One large item I have is a free-standing pull-up bar/dip/push-up station that I got for my birthday last year. Just last week I promised it to a friend, and he’s ready to come take it off my hands anytime. Given how much I’ve used it though, I feel like I haven’t gotten enough value out of it in just one year. So for the next couple of months I’m going to try to focus on doing workout routines that include exercises I wouldn’t be able to do without that type of equipment. Maybe someday I’ll be able to do a pull-up…

What is this even called? Exercise thingy!

So, I noticed once again that if I break one of my food rules, it’s much easier for all the rules to go out the window. For example, last week I had a school lunch that had both bread (gluten) and cream chowder (dairy). I also had been given a few little cakes and cookies. I took them home in order to either give them away somewhere else or just toss them, but I didn’t even manage to resist long enough to do either of those plans, and ended up eating them. Then I ate a huge dinner that was also high in carbs.

Perhaps this happens because I feel like I’ve blown it anyway, so I might as well not bother for the rest of the day. Or perhaps having food that my body doesn’t tolerate well actually increases my food cravings because of whatever chemical things are going on in my gut and brain.

Knowing that this is a problem, I was prepared for bread day this week, and make an extra hard effort to eat well for the rest of that day. A dinner high in fat and protein really helps when you’re limiting carbs, so I had both chicken and pork plus some grilled zucchini, and did quite well! I even resisted adding a bunch of my newly bought local honey to my tea. Hey me, high five! For dinner tonight I had salmon, chicken liver, and this awesome salad I just invented. It's celery, pear, and a dressing made of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and fresh rosemary. I don't really like celery, but I know it's an awesome healthy vegetable, so I'm always trying to find ways I can enjoy eating it. I used to eat it with peanut butter, but since I recently have been trying to cut peanuts, that isn't an option anymore. This salad was a great, though. Hey me, high five again!

Best part? The pear was only ¥50 because the skin was brown,

even though it still tasted great, because Japanese fruit must LOOK PERFECT.

New Year's resolution? Each and every year's resolution!

These days many people are talking about their New Year’s resolutions and focusing on self improvement. That’s great, and I wish everyone the best! I want this blog to be a place where people can encourage and motivate each other, so I’d love to see some positive comments about your own resolutions and also comments supporting others in their efforts.

Personally, I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. If you’ve read even a couple of my posts, you probably know that I’m constantly working on self-improvement – setting goals for myself, tracking my progress, and adjusting my goals when I get new information or experiences. It’s a continuous work in progress, so if I were to make New Year’s resolutions, they wouldn’t say anything different than what I’ve already been saying all along. So I guess I could say that my resolution for 2015 is to be MORE genki! I will work on eating healthier, discovering more clearly what foods are or are not good for my body, exercising more, spending my free time in enjoyable ways, reducing work stress, and being in a more positive frame of mind.

And on that note, time to get back in the habit of exercising regularly!

Last Friday evening I did a 30-minute workout that focused of abs while getting a maximum calorie burn, and the next morning I went running. I’m still not running as much as I did before getting shin splints last year, so even though I did 5 miles on Saturday morning, 40 minutes of it was running and 27 minutes was walking while doing arm raises with hand weights (alternating every 9-10 minutes).

After those two workouts, I was starting to feel pretty sore, but joined my friend’s martial arts class on Saturday evening anyway. He teaches Kaju Kenbo, which includes elements of various different styles of martial arts. His classes are always intense, leaving everyone exhausted and beat up, but happy. In this lesson we did a lot of striking drills and sparring. We also did this really awful toughening exercise which involved hitting our partner’s shins with our own shins. My shins are now black & blue and feel just like they did during the worst of my shin splints. As much as I loved everything else, I can do without ever doing that exercise again!

At the end of class we're dripping sweat, aching all over, and feeling amazing!

A quick note for anyone that reads this blog but doesn’t see my Facebook posts, I have some news to share. This year will be a year of change for me, as I am moving to California in April. (Read more about it here). It will be a challenge to stay on track with my goals when I am busy getting ready to move overseas in March, but that will also be the most important time to stay on track so that I feel energetic, not too stressed, and free of headaches & stomachaches! Then in April it will be really interesting to see how I adjust to eating a different assortment of food while still sticking to my food rules. I have a feeling it might actually be easier, given the greater variety available to choose from, but there will also be more temptations! So that’s something to look forward to in 2015.

Post Holiday Blues

Having my brother visit for 11 days was a lot of fun, and I am so happy that he enjoyed Japan so much. But it left me exhausted! I am feeling very “blah” today. It’s cold and rainy, and all I want to do it curl up at my kotatsu table, watch TV, and eat a giant bowl of zenzai. Which is basically what I did yesterday, instead of cleaning, cooking and getting ready for my work week. So I had to do some of that this morning, rather than getting back into my jogging routine like I planned. Blah. I want at least two more days of being lazy! But I also want to feel happy and energetic, and get back into a healthy routine. Blah.

Well, the holidays are over. How did you all do? I think I made it through pretty well. The main challenges were Christmas gifts of various treats that I got, and trying to find safe dishes to eat while traveling. A couple times my brother and I spent an hour or more trying to find a safe restaurant, and still ended up being limited to just one option on the menu. Twice I had to eat Japanese curry and rice for lunch, which I’m not really a fan of. And despite being so careful, I still had digestion problems. I suspect the artificial flavorings, colorings, etc. in prepared food could be a problem. Staying at a hostel with a large, nice kitchen helps a lot!

I recommend Khaosan Kyoto Guesthouse for their nice kitchen and other facilities!

I only went jogging a couple times during the winter holidays, and didn’t exercise at home at all. I did a lot of walking, though, and reached 10,000 steps or often much more every day.

I plan on being as strict as possible with what I eat until I start feeling better again. And I need to get back in the habit of regularly exercising! January and February can be a couple of the longest, dreariest, least motivating months of the year, but hopefully I can muster some will-power to do my best and feel awesome.