Hi everyone! My energy levels during week 11 were awesome. I was getting so much done. It really made me see how much of my life last year was affected by being drained all the time. This week I was able to accomplish so many tasks needing to be completed as I prepare for the fall as well as do some exercise. I walked the dog, biked at the Y, mowed the entire front and back yard and cleaned the whole house. I also spent one day tubing the James River soaking up the sun for 6 hours. When I would return home after teaching I still had energy to tackle emails and planning as well as tidy up. This was noticeably different, for in the past after a full day of work, even putting the dishes in the dishwasher required energy I did not have.
Being drained also highlights your poorest skills. While I would prefer to pick up after myself and keep my room and house tidy, when I am weak this is the first area of my life to go. Slacking on all things violin related is not an option, so inevitably the laundry piles up and the house chaos starts to accumulate. I love the fact that when I feel good I can keep the chaos at bay and go to bed in a tidy room and wake up to a clean kitchen. It makes me feel like I have my act together! I am a functioning member of the human race!
This week I began practicing the violin again after a long summer break and found myself noticeably excited for the musical projects up ahead. Being excited about anything is also a good sign. When I’m exhausted even though mentally I know something is worthwhile, it is hard for me to attach any emotional desire to it. Everything just takes so much energy. Practicing and teaching while otherwise enjoyable feel like a slow torture. After the season ended last spring I never thought there would be enough time that would allow me to recuperate. I felt physically burned out and therefore musically as well. I am happy to say that with small steps towards renewed vitality I am looking forward to the fall rather than bracing myself for it!
This week however my stomach started to bloat a little. Nothing like it used to be, but still I’m wondering why. After a month on this beef diet my stomach shrunk down and I was feeling so much more attractive. Finally I can fit into my jeans! Now I feel like I’ve lost a bit of that, although it is still better than pre-beef. I’m really missing though putting my hands on my hips and feeling a waist line. That was great! I had also lost 4 pounds and have regained 2 of them although I’m not concerned about that. I have heard that you should eat as much and as often as you are hungry. Your body is starved for the nutrition. Eventually, even if there is initial weight gain, after time the weight drops off. But losing weight is nice and I was a little bummed that the downward weight trend is now zigzagging.
More of note however is that my digestion really slowed down. This is very surprising. Up until this point I have really had no problems. In fact it was quite the opposite. Hmm. What’s going on here?
I’ve also begun to wonder if ground beef doesn’t agree with me. I would really like to try eating all but ground for several days to see if there are any differing results and I can’t get enough of Perrier or San Pelligrino. I am totally addicted! Separate blog post on that to come.
I seem to be doing better with the electrolytes. It would be nice not to supplement, but I seem to have hit a sweet spot–at least for this week with the supplementation. I divide a packet of LMNT into 4 parts and sip as needed. If I pay attention I can tell how much my body needs. Sometimes it will take me 3 days to drink the entire packet, sometimes 2. Sometimes I take ph mins before bed or some CALM (magnesium citrate.)
Well, there was a lot of odds and ends to cover but I can sum it up by saying that my energy levels are increasingly moving upward while some of the bloat and digestion patterns are off. I’ll see what happens next week. Thanks for reading! Have a great day!
Gonna Get Well 