Hard Day

I am back at work today for the first time since Wednesday night (before my surgery).  I am dragging butt, in a bit of pain and keep breaking out in a sweat.  Whine.

This morning I text trainer Gwyn with what she knew was coming, no workout for me today.  I was being unrealistic, I know.  But I really wanted to get back at it.  I also e-mailed dietitian Katie about Intuitive Eating, no class for me tonight.  I am going to be lucky to make it until later this afternoon.

My main goal now is to finish my work and go home a bit early.  I know that rest will help me much.

Well, I better go, I am about to blow up my spell check because my brain isn't working correctly.

Yours in Health,
Kate

There is little more satisfying than yard work

I have avoided yard work since my knee flared up.  It seemed a poor choice considering I was in pain and could only make it worse.  So, I started physical therapy with Kristi and the gang at the YMCA Healthy Living Center with a couple of goals - do stairs without pain, making workouts less painful, be able to do yard work without fear of injury and run.  I can say I think we have accomplished one through three.

My knee hurts a little this morning, but compared to a couple of months ago I am sitting pretty.  You see I didn't just pull weeds yesterday...  I mowed - we have a corner lot that is raised, so the upper part of the lawn slopes down - that's a lot of strain on the knee.  I weed whacked.  I walked the yard spraying weed killer.  I wanted to do more, but it was getting late.

In fact, I could work in the yard until dark every night.  It is one of the few chores that has instant results.  If I get a chance tonight there are a couple of quick things I have planned as well.  Though it may rain, we will see.

My other event for tonight is Intuitive Eating at the Mercy Weight Loss and Nutrition Center.  We didn't meet last week because of the holiday, so it will be good to get back into the groove.  Well, I better roll.  Have a good day!

Yours in Health,
Kate

The Week Begins

Yesterday I worked in the morning and then went home to find Lori was nearly as tuckered out as I and so we hung out for a while and then I took a nap.  It was the kind of nap you can't wake up from, so that wasn't very helpful.  That lead to a fitful night's sleep last night.  My brain is on overdrive.  It is starting to feel a bit insane.  The dreams are vivid but for the most part make no sense.  Which makes me believe I should workout harder. :)

The nights after I workout with Gwyn at the YMCA Healthy Living Center I sleep much better.  Luckily I meet with her today.  There was no Intuitive Eating Class at the Mercy Weight Loss and Nutrition Center yesterday because of the holiday.  But I have been doing my best to practice what it has taught me so far.

Last night I had one of my favorite desserts - angel food cake with strawberries and whip cream.  The strawberries were fresh from the Berry Patch north of Des Moines.  The angel food cake was personal size and the whip cream was light with no partially hydrogenated crap.  So, for about 200 calories I was totally satisfied, I love spring!

Well, I better go work.  Have a great day!

Yours in Health,
Kate

A New Week

Yesterday was the culmination of a very long week.  I worked at the station and then worked at LAZERfest from 5:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.  It really put my body through the ringer.  I believe my big saving grace was taking healthy snacks to eat.  I ate every couple of hours to keep my energy up.

Toward the end of the night as my energy wained I gave in to needing caffeine and grabbed what was available, Mountain Dew.  Then I ate a handful of Doritos and someone wandered out to the grounds and brought back warm mini fried donuts, I ate three.  I know that may look bad, but if I peek back at my history at concerts and festivals - It's actually impressive.  In fact, I am proud of myself.  These were small indiscretions in one long day and if I beat myself up, I will accomplish nothing.  Will I repeat it today?  Of course not and that's why it's o.k.

As for this new week, very tired because of yesterday.  But still went and trained with Gwyn at the YMCA Healthy Living Center.  It was a good hard workout and my abs know it. :)  Then this evening I went to my Intuitive Eating class at the Mercy Weight Loss and Nutrition Center with Dietitian Katie.  I find the very concept fascinating and am trying to pay closer attention to why I eat and when.  I also think hard about whether I am actually hungry or in fact thirsty or frustrated. 

The overall concept of really going back to child-like eating, in that (before we adults ruin it) kids are quit self maintaining.  They eat when they are hungry and don't when they are not.  They do not eat when they are bored, because kids are still learning and growing and rarely find boredom.  When they are feeling sluggish, they naturally crave the right foods to get back on track.

And then of course, generations of 'clean your plate' people go and ruin that.   ;)    The book and class really are an eye opener and I am already looking forward to next week.  Well, speaking of food, I actually am hungry and it's beyond dinner time, so I am headed home. 

By the way, I have changed the settings for the comments on the blog.  I had made it so people had to register after some angry and disturbing comments, some of which had to be removed.  However, I really do want to open this up as a forum for people to interact and support one another.  So, with that in mind you can now comment freely.  However, comments will be monitored and approved, simply so that no angry people make unwanted and unwarranted appearances again.

Yours in Health,
Kate

I Give Up - For Today

I am filling in for Jay on news this week.  So, I went to bed early last night, couldn't sleep, once I was asleep I tossed and turned and broke out in a wicked sweat.  When the alarm went off I wanted to pitch it out the window, alas, it's my phone, so that would be expensive annoyance.  I was tired when I got here.

Once I finished the news, I became physically exhausted.  I was shaking and freezing and felt like I could be sick at any time.  I kept working and finally went home at 11 to meet my new cleaning woman to be.  I decided to lay down for an hour before workout and hoped it was just a sleep thing. 

When I woke up I realized that I wasn't going anywhere.  I called and apologized to Gwyn at the YMCA.  Then I went back to sleep.  90 minutes later I forced myself out of bed and came back to work to finish KIOA.

Fifteen minutes ago I realized that my Intuitive Eating class (I called to let Nutritionist Katie to let her know) was not going to work for me tonight.  I am so tired, nauseous, cold and just ick feeling that the best thing I can do for my body is go home, eat something useful and go to bed. 

It's frustrating because I really want to learn from this class.  I did my homework and everything.  I have great hope that using it will return me to being a kid again and having a healthy relationship with food.  Oh well, I will e-mail Katie later and see what I missed.

Here's to feeling non-ick by tomorrow - I have too much to do.

Yours in Health,
Kate

Intuitive Eating

I started a class Monday night called "Intuitive Eating" at the Mercy Weight Loss and Nutrition Center.  It's based on a book and has been translated into a class by Team Kate member - Nutritionist Katie.  In upcoming classes we are going to figure out our exact triggers, tools to combat them and how to learn to treat food as a tool more than anything. 

I was one in a room full of people who were skeptical that we could ever go from 'people with food issues' to 'intuitive eaters'.  That said, I am open to trying anything and I am excited for the opportunity.  The biggest chance I see is to overcome my emotional eating.

Katie handed out work sheets asking us a number of questions, but the one that got my attention was the one that broke down every emotion and its variants.  The list was huge, but, since I have an amazing appetite no matter what I am feeling, I figured they all pertained to me.  In fact, only about 3/4.  I take that as a good sign, I don't turn to food for everything, just a LOT of things.

The best news everyone should know is Katie talked about not putting any food off limits.  She said exactly what I feel, "If you put a food off limits, you will only want that food."  That means that during Intuitive Eating I will learn how to have a healthy relationship with a brownie.  What?  Yep.  This should be very interesting.  ;)

Yours in Health,
Kate

500 Blog Posts on Get Healthy with Kate Garner!

Today was going to be just another blog.  I was going to cover that I am headed to workout with Gwyn at the Mercy/YMCA Healthy Living Center.  That I am starting a new class tonight at the Weight Loss and Nutrition Center called "Intuitive Eating", that I am both excited and nervous about - BTW - they still have openings - 358-9400.

But then I saw that yesterday's blog was 499 and that makes this one number 500!  In these 500 posts you will see me at my best and worst.  At my heaviest and my thinnest.  At my smartest and my dumbest.  At my happiest and at my lowest points. 

I have looked back from time to time.  I see what went right, what went wrong and the lessons I should continue to use.  More than anything, it's a reminder that I am unique and yet, not that different at all.  This is how an obese or overweight person is.  We have our ups and down, like anyone else, where we differ is the extremes.  When we hit the highs we've shot the moon and when we slam into our lows the only thing that will offer any comfort is food.

Where I hope to change the path this time is making this darn thing permanent.  And I believe the key will be Team Kate.  When I start to falter this time I can pick-up a phone.  Last time I was just picking myself up and I finally lost the strength to push back.  Now I have Gwyn or Kristi or Katie to push back with me and there is power in numbers.

Here's to 500 more that will help me and you.

Yours in Health,
Kate