Moments D729: Focused Treatment

Today's moment is all about my shoulder.  It's been giving me grief for nearly 5 weeks now.  It irritates me all day and while I generally get some relief at night there have been a few nights where I wake in the middle of the night from the pain.

I've been good about letting it rest.  I haven't played volleyball in 4 weeks.  That's torturous to me.  I really, REALLY miss playing.  It really hasn't been easy to lay low and let this craziness pass.

Today, I visited my favourite RMT ever.  (Total side bar, but I've followed Sarah throughout her career. If you ever need a good, deep massage, Sarah is the one to connect with!)

Today's appointment was the second in as many weeks in the hope of killing this pain.  This evening Sarah focused 90% on my pained shoulder and neck in the hopes of really digging in and working out the congested muscle tissue.

Wow, what a treat it was to have her so focused on my shoulder and its issues.  We (well, technically she) dug into areas on my arm, armpit and shoulder that we've never before focused on.  It  was interesting to experience the shift in my pains and feel the muscles releasing.  There was much pain, breathing through the pressure points and then relief.  After an hour, it was amazing how much of the overall pain had disappeared.
While I was surprised at the time she spent focused on my should and neck, I was very much appreciating the relief post treatment.  Sarah gave me homework to do to help keep my muscles stretched and open.  The most interesting concept was "nerve flossing".

Yes, that sounds kind of painful, doesn't it?

But it's not, not any  more than a deep stretch can be from time to time.  This was the video I learned from to do my homework.  So far, so good.

Moments appreciating some relief from my pain through treatment.
Moments being thankful for having the ability to seek treatment for my pain.

Moments D712: Relief

So, I'm still dealing with the pinched nerve in my shoulder/neck.  It hasn't been much fun.  Sleep is short-lived as when I roll over to my side (either!) the pain wakes me.  Sleeping on my back is not natural for me.  It's been challenging.  

Thursday after work, and a day of pain, I thought I'd see if I could get in for another acupuncture treatment.  I've never had an acupuncture treatment with my naturopath and thought to myself, "why not?".  Boy, am I glad that I stepped outside the box a bit.  Honestly, if my naturopath wasn't also practising acupuncture I may never have contacted her.  Shame on me, for her suggestions have offered the most relief and, in the end, I've learned something new.

My ND suggested that I pick up a homeopathic remedy:  Hypericum Perforatum.  This I've never tried before, but it's good for nerve related trauma.  In her words, "it takes the edge off."

She also suggested doing an Epsom salt compress for the tender area as I hadn't been seeing any relief from an Epsom salt bath.  (Again, something that I never thought about doing!)

So Thursday night, I started up with the hypericum perforatum and did my first Epsom salt compress.  The edge was definitely lifting, but there was still a lot of pain.  I can say that I slept deeply for the first time in nearly two weeks.  Friday I found I still had some discomfort, but any time I took the hypericum perforatum the edgy pain noticeably diminished

I've kept up with the prescribed use of the hypericum perforatum through to today and did another Epsom salt compress.

And now, I'm a believer.  Today, not only is the edge gone, but I feel like I have a shoulder and arm again.  (It's been on again/off again numb/tingly.)  I can turn my head side to side nearly completely.  What sweet, sweet relief.  Good thing because I needed to have a productive day to get through a lot of readings for school.  BANGARANG!

All because I connected with my ND for a pinched nerve.  It was random and unexpected to find solutions that were not based in either acupuncture or massage.  Label me impressed.

And my ND did this all over the phone.  I owe her.  Big time.

Moments being shaken out of the box you didn't even know you were in.

Moments finally finding some relief from a pain you've been carrying for two weeks.

Moments D705: Vibrating Needles

I have been dealing with a pinched nerve and a kinked next for a week and a day as of today.  Yes, laugh it up - I'm getting old.  Sleeping deep and hard in one position apparently is not good for one's neck!

Early this morning, it my neck finally popped back into place, but all the muscles around that point are still furious with me as I haven't been relieved the pain I've been carrying around.  To make matters worse (or the pain in this case), all week my left arm has been spasming because of the pinched nerve.  Today my entire arm feels like I've been doing major workouts on it every day for the past seven days.  It's sore, it's exhausted, and it is still spasming!

And so, I made an appointment with my chiropractor for some acupuncture and an adjustment in the hopes that I would finally find some relief from this crazy pain.

Now, I've been doing acupuncture for many years now.  It's always been helpful on the strangest pains that have cropped up over the years.  What happened in today's treatment has never happened before.

As my chiropractor inserted the needles into my shoulders and elbows (both points), I could feel the needles vibrating, wiggling in their points.  It was the weirdest sensation.

Once inserted and fully into position, they felt the same as all the other needles:  a bit warm and biting in my tense muscles.

Twenty minutes pass and it's time to take the needles out.  Again, as my chiropractor goes to remove the needles, they are actively vibrating just as she pulls them from my skin.

Very weird and wondrous.  I don't really know how it works, but the pain in my neck was nearly gone and I had better rotation of my head too.  The pain in my shoulder and forearm, that was still there, but definitely lighter than it had been earlier.

BANGARANG for vibrating needles.

Now to deal with these tight muscles.  Spa anyone?

Moments finding solutions to a problem.

Moments experiencing something new doing something old.

Moments D479: Motivation

Today's moment was inspired by motivation first thing this morning.  Throughout the day, this theme seemed to follow me.  And so, I'll share a few moments that came to me today based on motivation.

First thing this morning I pulled on my NEW  size 4 jeans.  Yup.  That's right.  Size 4.  Now, for some that may seem insignificant.  For me, it is kind of amazing considering 2.5 years ago I was busting out of size 12 jeans.   It was January 2011 that I decided that I wasn't care of my health and that something had to be done about it.  I was about 40lbs overweight, puffing after climbing two flights of stairs and incredibly unhappy.  I spent the next 3-4 months working very (very) hard to get myself back into shape.  I wasn't focused on shedding the weight, for me it was more about getting back into shape and being active.  It was about eating more healthy and less processed foods.  Both brought me to this point.  Now 2.5 years later I am training for Tough Mudder and I couldn't be more motivated for building my strength and maintaining my health.  Slipping into a size 4 jean this morning = great motivation to keep up the good (hard) work.

Later on today, I found myself cheering on Heini.  After a challenging week of work, she found herself feeling isolated and challenged to find the positive around her.  After a brief back and forth, she was feeling better, inspired and ready to tackle the last day of the week.  I love helping to pick-up my peeps and make them feel a little better.  When I hear that I've made a difference, it gives me ever more motivation to keep sharing my light and love.

Finally, my boyfriend had some challenging news come his way today too.  Instead of processing things in the same typical way, he decided to try a new approach, one inspired by our new relationship.  As he shared this with me, I was a overwhelmed by the feeling of purpose and of connection. Incredible.  Knowing that he soared through the news with a warmth in his heart, filled my own heart.    I find myself motivated to give more and share all that I can.  Isn't that really what life is about?  Sharing with those you love?

Today life is better having this sense of motivation floating around me.  It brings a sense of purpose.  A sense of direction. By investing time in yourself, and investing time in those you love, it all comes round again in the end.  Definitely worth the energy.

Moments celebrating milestones.

Moments sharing your light to help motivate others.

Moments D461: Squeeze in that workout!

I've been lazy.  It's partially due to the fact that I have two very bruised ankles.  It's partially due to the fact that I've been trying to cram in consulting time for a startup and also catching up with school work.  And it's partially because I haven't been getting to bed on time.  There have simply been too many things to cram into a day and my workouts were trimmed from the schedule.  (On the bright side my ankles are getting better, even though my right still hurts quite a bit!)

Today, as my study break, I decided I was going to squeeze in a workout.  In the end, it was a 90 minute workout.  Surprisingly it wasn't nearly as challenging as I was prepared for after being out of the game (so to speak) for nearly two weeks.  Don't get me wrong.  I struggled.  I cursed.  And I pushed through it with my heavier weights.  I dug deep to push through the pain.  But it wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be.

Now my body has a nice buzz and I feel invigorated to cram in a few more ideas into my head before bed. I also know I will sleep like the dead when my head hits the pillow tonight.

So I'm a little stronger, a little smarter and ready for whatever comes tomorrow.

Moments to pause and invest time in your health.

Moments feeling strong.

Moments D364: Support Systems

Today’s moment is pausing to appreciate the support systems we have. For whatever reason, today was a day where I gave support to more than one friend, and I was in receipt of the same from more than one friend. It only seemed fitting to focus on this as the moment of the day. Too often those we love most are not celebrated enough. So today I stop to celebrate them in their struggles and thank them in helping me through mine. For me, it’s a reminder of what goes around. Give love, and receive it. Give support and accept it when you need it.

The moments of support today were many. I’ll try to be concise lest my words run away on me!

Moment one of support out: My dear friend was patient with me and my questions and then proceeded to remind me of things I should already know. Honestly, things I already know but keep pushing aside because of fear or this need to do what’s right. What’s right isn’t always what’s best. She was firm and loving and non-judgmental. I love her dearly for this support.

Moment one of support in: Midday a dear friend was in crisis mode over her job. We spent the time talking through options and trying to find a path that she was most comfortable with given the situation. I think we succeeded. I was happy to be a pillar for her. She’s always been there for me.

Moment two of support out: As I arrived home, I received a text from another girlfriend that I’ve been friends with for over a decade. She had a call from her doctor’s office about strangeness in her recent mammogram. She asked that I send her all my love and light for her appointment tomorrow morning. I happily obliged.

Moment two of support in: Another friend shared supportive words with me in hope they would fill me with hope for brighter days. The words are touching and given my journey this past year, it hits close to the core. But the words are also enlightening, and they do fill me with hope for brighter days and the possibility of really, truly being loved. For this reason, I close my post on support with these words. The quote, for which I can’t find an author:

The greatest irony of life is loving the right person at the wrong time, having the wrong person when the time is right and finding out you love someone after that person walks out from your life. 

Sometimes you think you’re already over a person but when you see them smile at you, you’ll suddenly realize that you’re just pretending to be over them just to ease the pain of knowing that they will never be yours again. 

For some, they think that letting go is one way of expressing how much you love the person.

Most relationships tend to fail not because the absence of love; love is always present. It’s just that one was being loved too much and the other was being loved too little. 

As we all know, the heart is the center of the body, but it beats on the left. Maybe that’s the reason why the heart is not always right. Most often we fall in love with the person we think we love only to discover that for them, we are just for past times, while the one who truly loves us remains either a friend or a stranger. 

Here’s a piece of advice: let go when you’re hurting too much, give up when love isn’t enough and move on when things are not like before. There is someone out there who will love you even more, surely then, you will know true love.

Moments appreciating my support system.

Moments knowing I too am a support system.

What goes around…..

Moments D362: Kale Chips

Today my day started earlier than normal for a weekend. I thought I might sleep in, but it was about 5:30-6am when I woke. But, today was the first day in many weeks (dare I say months?) that I didn't have an agenda for the day. Nowhere to be, nowhere to go. No real errands that had to get done. I had nothing pushing or pulling me. And so, I lounged in bed. I read, and later I pulled out my laptop and watched the final episode of a bad (I can’t even share the name I'm so embarrassed by it!!) reality show. And then at 9:30am, I finally shook myself out of bed.

It was that moment that I decided I was going to get myself back into some kind of routine. The last few months haven’t been good for routine. Too many tasks and not enough time. I’ve been trying to steal time from here and there to get it all done. Truly, the fact that I forgot to update my license plate sticker AND I missed the date on concert tickets a couple of weeks ago only goes to show just how crazy things have been. Now that school is done (for the next two weeks at least) and that my personal life feels more under control in general and that I nearly have things caught up at work, it’s time to set myself some new routines and get back to a few old ones.

So, I vowed to myself today, that I was going to kick up the health and fitness routine once again. (It’s been lagging along with much due to my lack of time!) Today was going to be a day where I picked up groceries for the week (yes I planned my entire week!). The big decision: I was going to juice some very healthy juices and I was going to get a workout in. If you are curious, I did the following: (1) Carrot, Orange (2) Carrot, Beet, Ginger (3) Carrot, Beet, Ginger, Lemon (4) Kale, cucumber, Lemon, Ginger (5) Kale, celery, Lemon, Ginger, apple

And so, I did all of that. I know, not a very “lazy” day, but it was an unstructured day and that’s nearly the same for me. (Besides, later on I was lazy as I played Bioshock2 for a just over an hour as I waited for dinner to cook!)

But the interesting part of my day, my moment today, was the last minute decision to make kale chips. My girlfriend from work was raving about them and I had picked up kale to juice. The kale bunches were on sale, so I actually picked up two while I was out shopping. It wasn’t until I was done juicing (and all my glass bottles filled!) that I realized I had some left over and I was going to try this crazy idea. (Okay - not so crazy since I do love baby kale as a salad base!)

So I tried this recipe and waited for 20 minutes for them to be ready. Wow. I was not disappointed. They were crispy and salty and quite delightful, in fact, I ate the entire baking pan full in short order! I can even imagine them with a hit of cayenne pepper or maybe cumin. So very delightful. So much so, kale may be on my weekly grocery buy now! I wonder if they keep for a couple of days? I’m going to have to try that out - I’ll let you know how it goes! Do give it a try!

Moments enjoying a lazy Sunday.

Moments of surprise with a new recipe.

Moments D329: Mindfulness

After a visit to my ND (who, incidentally I adore and respect all at the same time), it’s become ever more apparent that I need to instil more mindful moments into my days.

I find this a touch amusing that my prescription from this last appointment was to be mindful. After all, this is very much what my daily blog is about - being mindful and appreciating moments. Apparently, it isn’t enough. On some level, I know this to be true. On some level, I know I need more. There are days where the race feels to be consuming me. The race against time, the race against the “to do” list, the race to keep up with friends and family. It very quickly reminded of the “Jar of Life” story I heard many moons ago.

And so, I was reminded to take care of my health first. Set my priorities and work towards them in a mindful manner. Yes. An even more mindful manner.

From today forward, I vow to take at least a 20 minute lunch break - to walk mindfully and focus on what’s around me in the moment. No deadlines, no drop-ins, no phone calls, no answers to offer. Twenty minutes in the middle of a hectic stressful day to carve out as my own.

It’s been coming down the pipe for awhile in that I’ve known for awhile that I couldn’t keep running at this pace without consequences. Actually, come to think of it, I’ve had a few consequences. But now that they become ever more serious, it’s time to give my heart, my adrenal system and my mind a break. Pause. Breathe. Repeat.

I can do this.

Moments of realization.

Moments walking past the “to do” list.

Moments D261: Push harder

Tonight I took some time for myself. All by myself. It was productive and lazy and quiet and absolutely what I needed. My moment today stems from being in this place of me. I was home alone and unplugged from the world and I was perfectly content to be in that space.

The first thing I decided to do was get a workout in. I’ve been bad/lazy as of late. Too many gatherings, outings and distractions for me to keep any real schedule. I realized it’s time to get back to something, lest I find myself 40lbs heavier again. And so, I put in one of my favourite workout DVDs and off I went.

And not 10 minutes into the program I realized I have been too lazy. Too lazy indeed. I was already feeling it! It reminded me that when we get lax about things, pieces of what you’ve worked towards fall to the wayside. This is not what I wanted. No way! And so, I pushed a little harder through the pain. With every step, with every lunge, I promised myself I would get back into shape and into a routine to maintain that.

Moments for self.

Moments for health and fitness.

Moments D233: Inspired

Those that know me, know that I’m not very good at taking compliments. In fact I can be quite awkward and uncomfortable with them.

Today I was completely caught off guard with a compliment. It’s been nearly two years now since I dropped 45lbs and have managed to get myself into the best shape I think I’ve ever been in. (Of course, that being said, I’ve put 8lbs back on, but I’m still in better shape than ever!)

Tonight, one of my co-workers and I were discussing the merits of exercise and eating habits. The lifestyle change and the commitment to it. For me, it was pretty simple. Calories in had to be less than calories out. I worked out daily (even if I was tired, I still dragged myself out of bed and did Yoga on those mornings) for many months, I monitored what I was eating and tried to choose more healthy ways to enjoy food. But I never restricted myself. If I ate a Big Mac (one of my favourite bad treats), then I just made sure I worked that much harder in my workout the next day and cut back on the calories that day.

For me, it worked. I feel better than ever before. I’m less regimented now (thus the 8lbs back), but I’m also feeling as though I’ve settled into a new healthier lifestyle. (too much of anything can be a bad thing!)

Near the end of our conversation I was told that I was an inspiration to others. That there were people in the office that talked about me and my journey to a more fit, healthy me. That this story of mine was inspiring to others to take steps to take better care of themselves. WOW. Who knew. I was pretty surprised to hear this news and it made me smile. What an incredible feeling that gave me. Of course it made me smile.

BONUS here? I think I managed to be less awkward with the compliment too.

Moments to share stories and challenges.

Moments to graciously receive compliments.