Grazie Mille Signore Rodney

"Grazie Mille" is Italian for "a thousand thanks." This morning I missed my Yoga class because there were time sensitive errands that had to be run right during class time. I was a little bummed as I'd rather be in a class and feeling the present energy than be popping a DVD in at home. Plus if I go to class Kellen gets the added benefit of running around and socializing at Gold's Daycare. But alas, sometimes there are forces that keep us from what we really want to do and we have to improvise. Step in Power Yoga with Rodney Yee. This is a video I purchased years ago, I think 4 or 5. I did it many times after Kellen was born before I could start going to the gym again and he was old enough for daycare. It's a great kick butt yoga workout! 

Plus I get to use my personal yoga studio. Well, I do have to share it with Kellen's toys but it still does the job and it looks super cool. I decorated the room with elephants, candles, pictures of the people who matter most to me, and my iPod docking station.

And have you seen my new meditation pillow? Isn't it beautiful! A great addition to my yoga room.

This afternoon I made some delicious Sicilian Caponata. I couldn't find Lidia's recipe so I searched the Internet for something close to her delicious dish. I found this recipe on Pinterest from another friend who was also living in Sicily at the time we were. Sicilian Caponata tastes best after its been sitting in the fridge for a day so I plan on eating this delicious cold salad tomorrow with my friend Rasa. http://www.apronandsneakers.com/2011/09/caponata.html

Home Grown

If I forgot to mention than I'm sorry. The reason I've been MIA lately is because we finally got into our new home. As I stated in previous blog entries we were in the process of buying a short sale. I'm not sure why they call it a short sale because it was anything but short. It took 7 months from the time we submitted our offer to the time we moved in. It was all worth it though because I absolutely adore our home. Today I spent some time outside in our beautiful yard. The weather in Las Vegas right now is gorgeous and all of us want to be outside in the sun. After we moved in I realized what exactly the property has in terms of landscape and vegetation. I was surprised and o so very pleased to see we have a peach tree, pear tree, fig tree, lemon tree, lavender bush, mint and rosemary all growing! The peach tree and fig tree have fruit growing but not ripe yet. The lavender, mint and rosemary all smell divine. Kellen loves to pick the lavender and walk around sniffing it. Then like most little boys do, he drops it to the ground and begins stomping on it with his shoes. Hahahaha. I can't help but laugh, he is such a funny kid.

The figs look the closest to being ripe. I'm so excited to eat them fresh AND to use them dried and chopped in my different recipes.

"Summer Bars". Grain free, refined sugar free, vegan

1/2 cup ground sunflower seeds
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup ground flax seed
2 tbs chia seeds
1 mashed banana
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup chopped dates
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
2 tbs pumpkin seeds

I ground both my flax seed and the sunflower seeds in my Vitamix to make a gritty textured flour. Then I mixed all ingredients except for the pumpkin seeds and also I reserved a little bit of the coconut flakes for topping. After mixed well, I pressed the mixture into Tupperware containers, sprinkled the top with the pumpkin seeds and reserved coconut flakes, and placed in the freezer. Funny thing is I was originally going to bake this (hence the picture with the salt and baking powder) and cut them into bars for snacks. However, it's 97 degrees in Las Vegas and just before I turned on the oven I realized doing this would create an incredibly uncomfortable house. So I opted out of baking them and placed them in the freezer to harden up. I pulled them out 3 hours later and cut a couple into bars serving them to Mike and Kellen. They were very tasty and a nice cool snack for our hot Vegas day. I decided I liked this option better and decided to make them freezer snacks instead. This recipe can easily be made nut allergy free by substituting the almond flour for more ground sunflower seed and using 1/2 cup of your oil of choice in place of the coconut oil and peanut butter.

*NOTE: They will begin to melt and turn to goo the longer left out. So treat it like Ice Cream and only pull them out of the freezer when you want the snack.

*WARNING: Do not give these as snacks to your toddler before bedtime. The dates and banana are wonderful natural sugar and energy boosters. Not a great idea at night when you want your child to start winding down, not wind up. I learned this the hard way. ;)

Accidental Hot Yoga

News Flash! We are finally going to move into our house this week. Because of all the business that ensues moving into our home, my workouts will be few and far between. I hate missing workouts and I get especially grumpy when I don't exercise, but since I don't have time to get in a traditional workout at the gym, I'll have to do at home workouts. Step in my Clark County Library Card! I picked up two yoga videos that I will use this week in between the cleaning and moving of our stuff.
Today I cleaned most of the townhouse in preparation for our walk through with the landlord and moving out. This included deep clean of the kitchen cabinets, towel and linen laundry, deep floor cleaning, and utilizing the Self Clean button on the oven. Little did I know that Self Clean button heats the oven up to temperatures beyond normal baking degrees and for over 4 hours of these temperatures. During Kellen's nap time, I popped in one of the videos, "Power Vinyasa: Whole Body Workout." It is a one hour Vinyasa Flow yoga workout. It is an intermediate level DVD but they have included modifications for the difficult poses. Halfway through the practice I felt the living room getting uncomfortably hot and laughed to myself thinking, "I just accidentally created a hot vinyasa flow class!" Overall I liked the video and would recommend to try it yourself through your local library or on Netflix.
Kellen perfectly timed his nap to wake up just as I was starting to come out of Shavasana, Dead Man's Pose. I brought him downstairs and he insisted on watching the video and trying some of the poses himself.

Raw Cashews and Why I'm Eating Fruit Again

After successfully finishing the cleanse weeks ago I continued to eat a mostly produce and animal meat diet, similar to Paleo. My body likes this but it can be hard to stick to when traveling or being social. Recently I began to eat lots of raw nuts and seeds as a snack source (mostly raw cashews and sunflower seeds). For almost one week I noticed horrible lower abdominal cramping and diarrhea. The only thing I could pinpoint was the raw nuts. So I completely removed them from my diet for 3 days to see if it relieved the issue. Sure enough, it did! I then began to experiment by bringing the raw cashews back into my diet to see if I could handle them. Even in a regular serving size they gave me an issue. I had no idea that my body didn't like cashews. Funny thing is I have no problem with almonds or sunflower seeds. It's amazing what you can find out with food allergies and intolerances after you really pay attention to your body and go down to the basics.

About a week ago my go-to grocery store had buy one get one free Strawberry Containers. At $4 a pop, and the known fact my boys LOVE this fruit, I took advantage of the deal. After the strawberries found a home in my fridge they began to start staring back at me every time I opened the fridge door. Then one day I went, "aw, the heck with it!" and pulled out about 5, washed them, and gobbled them up. They were so sweet and delicious. I haven't had fruit in months! So far my body has been happy with them back in my diet. I also ate a banana on Sunday after my yoga class. I'm still going to keep the fruit to a minimal, only one serving per day. I have noticed that my sugar cravings are back. After my 2pm bowl of strawberries yesterday around 8pm I craved another bowl. It was really hard to say no, but a little bit of Sleepy Time Tea took the edge off the craving.

On the home front, we are hoping to sign the papers and get the keys to our new home sometime beginning next week. I can't wait, seriously, it can't happen soon enough! I've been "homeless" and a "gypsy" of sorts for 11 months now. When we left Italy our stuff was transferred to storage in the US and its been there ever since! We began living with family this summer in Utah, then went to a hotel for a month in Vegas, transferred to a furnished condo for 3 months, transferred to a temporary townhouse for another 4 months, and now we await to move into our beautiful home. This short sale process was anything but short taking over 7 months. I'm not sure if I'd ever do it again, maybe I'll change my mind once we've moved in and it's ours. So if you're ever looking at buying a short sale, know its not for the faint of heart.

Audra's Hit Vegetarian Chili

Just got back from a wonderful trip to Tucson visiting my family. My nephew was turning one, so we drove down to spend the special day with him, my brother and his wife, and my sister who flew out from Maine. On Saturday night my sister Audra put together a fabulous dinner for all of us. It was a delicious vegetarian chili served over cornbread. Both Audra and her boyfriend are vegetarians and they love beans and sweet potatoes. Two things I love as well! This chili was a hit with everyone. We appeased the meat eaters in the group by adding cooked ground beef to their bowls. Here's her recipe.

1 can drained chickpeas
1 can drained black beans
1 can drained kidney beans
1 can diced tomatoes with basil
1 can diced tomatoes with garlic
1 very large sweet potato chopped
1 large red pepper
1/2 sweet onion
2 tbs Arizona Dreaming Spices (Penzeys)
1 avocado

Place all in ingredients except the avocado in a crockpot and cook on low for 10 hours. Serve in bowl with avocado on top (this is how I ate it). You may add cheese and sour cream if you desire. If you don't have Penzeys Arizona Dreaming you can substitute with chili spice. Arizona Dreaming is my favorite spice though, so I suggest at least trying it. Go visit your local Penzeys spice store or order it online, it's the most amazing salt free spice you'll ever use! Delicious!

Chocolate Coconut Cashew Clusters

4 heaping tbs raw cashews
3 tbs unsweetened shredded coconut
2 squares Ghirardelli 82% dark chocolate (22 grams extra dark chocolate of choice)
1 tbs coconut oil
Drizzle of honey (or 2 dates to make it Vegan)
Pinch of salt

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend till gritty texture. Transfer to refrigerator for at least 1 hour. This helps it set better. Remove and using spoon or ice cream scoop create balls of yumminess.

Sweet Potato Breakfast Pie

1 medium sweet potato, cooked and cool (3-4 ounces)
3 egg whites
1 tbs chia seeds
2 tbs unsweetened shredded coconut
1.5 tbs almond flour
Dash cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
Pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Remove skin from sweet potato and mash flesh in a bowl. Combine remaining ingredients (make sure to mix very well so the egg incorporates and you don't get scrambles). You may add stevia if you want it more sweet, I opted for no sweeteners. In an oven safe bowl/ramekin, either spay with cooking spray or coat with coconut oil. Pour batter into ramekin and bake for 30min or until set. Let cool. It tastes even better chilled but if you don't have the patience for that wait time it's good hot too (because I had ZERO patience this morning and ate it hot. Kellen liked it warm too).

As I mentioned in previous posts I haven't been eating any sugar or using sweeteners so this was plenty sweet for me. However, if you like sweet then you can add some stevia or honey.

Finishing the 10 Day Cleanse

Yesterday was the final day of the 10 days Candida Cleanse. To recap, days 1-3 I had horrible headaches in the afternoon/evening. Days 4-5 I felt pretty good, my energy was a tad low but nothing I couldn't handle. Days 6-10 were NOT GOOD. I had horrible diarrhea, a couple headaches, extreme lethargy and mood swings. After doing some research and reading others' experiences my symptoms were not uncommon. But they were still none the less uncomfortable. I stopped taking the GX Assist (DoTerra Essential Oils Blend for liver detox) and began using a Activated Charcoal supplement to help with the diarrhea.

I'm slowly going to start implementing some foods back into my diet but will continue to eat primarily a real foods/processed free lifestyle. My birthday is coming up on Thursday and I want to be able to eat a little something off limits, but not too crazy. Sadly, I will not be eating any birthday cake that day. The one thing I will not be adding anytime soon is sugar. No sugar, no fruit, no honey, no sweeteners. There will be ONE exception to the rule, and that's Stevia. Stevia does not "feed" candida so it's ok to use, however, this will be used very sparingly. I must say, after 10 days of absolutely no sugar or sweeteners everything tastes very yummy. I had a PLAIN sweet potato yesterday and it tasted like heaven. Seriously, like a sweet potato pie! My vegetables are also tasty, I sprinkle just a small amount of salt on them while grilling and that's all they need. Eggs taste awesome, however, I'm still working on making my chicken yummy. I did try cooking a large batch of chicken breast in the crock pot with tomatoes and salt on low for hours, which definitely helped.

As for the workouts, they've been "meh". With all these toxins being dumped into and out of my body I've definitely felt a difference in the gym. I stuck to my workout plan, but everything seemed so much heavier and more exhausting. I had a hard time keeping up with my usual pace. Even friends in the gym who see me on a regular basis mentioned I wasn't acting like my energetic and spunky self. Phew, last week was a doozy.

This week I will continue to stick to my workout plan and begin slowly implementing more starchy carbs (potatoes, beans, quinoa, rice etc) back into my diet. I will still be leaving out dairy and gluten for now and of course no sugar. The one exception will be my birthday lunch at Otto's Italian in the Venetian. Not sure what I want but I will try not to stray too far as I don't think my tummy will permit.

Butternut Squash Hot Cereal

1/4 large butternut squash, cooked
3/4 cup almond meal
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 egg whites
Honey, unsweetened shredded coconut and Chia Seeds (optional)

Pour the almond milk into a small saucepan and bring to boil. Meanwhile, place the 1/4 cubed butternut squash in a food processor and blend until smooth (or you can mash it up in a bowl). After the milk comes to a boil, add in almond meal and butternut squash. Turn heat to medium and cook until it is thick. Turn heat to low and pour in egg whites stirring constantly to help thicken cereal and prevent any scrambles. Keep stirring until egg is cooked. Turn off heat and pour into two bowls, sprinkle with sea salt. I topped my cereal with chia seeds and shredded coconut. Kellen preferred his with a drizzle of honey.

Not the Time To Set A New PR

Wednesday I woke up very tired and lethargic. It was one of those days when I forced myself to get out of bed and go to the gym. Just before I arrived at Golds, I received a message from my husband that our short sale was finally approved! I was so happy and excited from the news that I got a sudden burst of energy and motivation to hit the weights HARD. It was leg day so I just kept throwing one plate after another onto the squat bar. I completely forgot that morning I woke up exhausted. Until set 5 when I realized my heart rate was high and it wasn't coming down even between sets. I began to slow down even though my motivation was high. My body was saying, "NOT TODAY!" I took a couple of longer breaks and tried to push myself on the hack squat but my legs started shaking and I began to feel light headed. Definitely my sign to slow down and take it easier. The rest of my day was exactly like my gym time. Every time I walked up the stairs my body screamed to take it slower, relax a little bit.

Thursday was no different. I ended up taking the day off from the gym and just spending the day with light cleaning around the house, I even took a nap. Reflecting on both Wednesday and Thursday, I really feel like my body is exhausted from the cleanse. I'm eating sufficient calories and I'm not overtraining, so I believe all the toxins from the "die off" are effecting my body processes.

I used to regularly see an acupuncturist in San Diego. Her name was Erin, and what she taught me has stuck with me since I saw her 4 years ago. Erin always believed you should listen to your body, back off when it was asking for rest. The way she explained it made so much sense to me. Sometimes Eastern Medicine just makes more sense. She always said that I needed to slow down, and listen more to my body. I was way to hard on myself, and she was right.

And speaking of white tongues, because that's one of the reasons I chose to do the cleanse. The first day I met with Erin she asked to look at my tongue. It seemed strange to me but I showed her. She smiled and said, "it looks great, nice and pink!" I'm currently working toward getting my tongue back to NICE AND PINK with this cleanse. And it's working. ;)

What The Heck Is That!?

So what the heck am I eating these days? (and go ahead and laugh at my heck, I picked it up the 7 years I lived in Utah) It's very similar to the Paleo diet but without fruit and without starches (potatoes). I've been having to get creative in my kitchen again so that I don't get bored eating the same things over and over. I do have my staples on this diet; eggs, turkey bacon, chicken, eggplant and almonds. I've been eating these everyday. I try to rotate the vegetables to keep things fun and flavorful. And boy have I ever used my salt shaker these last 5 days! Here are a couple of the pictures I've taken. I like things simple and fast. When I'm hungry I'm HANGRY so it's got to be quick. I've really been liking scrambles and my turkey bacon every morning. I was a oatmeal or quinoa for breakfast gal so giving up my carbs first thing in the morning was hard. Not to mention giving up that cup of black coffee! And great news, absolutely no headaches today!

INFECTED!

Like the blog entry title? Hahaha, I'll explain. So about 2 days after my previous blog entry it was brought to my attention that I may have a candida infection. I decided to research a little more into the subject and discovered I had many symptoms that were connected to candida. My biggest and most prevalent being recurring infections, headaches, digestive issues (diarrhea), heartburn and... The dreaded white tongue! Candida can become a problem when diet is poor, you're a smoker, antibiotics have been used (antibiotics kill both good and bad bacteria in your body), stress, and other various lifestyle factors. Considering I've been through 2 rounds of antibiotics in the last 3 months and my stress is through the roof I figure the likelihood of having an infection for me is high.

I will still be performing a cleanse but it will look a little different. The cleanse will be void of any grains, gluten, dairy, sugar (even fruit), legumes, caffeine and alcohol. All these can feed the candida, so by removing them you are "starving off" the yeast. Supplementation with DoTerra Essential Oils to help cleanse the liver and further detoxify will be added to my daily diet. A probiotic is also used daily to help repopulate my digestive system with the "good guys".

On Friday I began the diet and started off my day with an ancient Eastern Medicine colon cleanse. Upon waking I drank 1 quart warm purified water mixed with 2 tsp of Mediterranean Sea salt and consumed within 30 minutes. About an hour later the "cleanse" started. And boy was it a cleanse! This colon cleansing method is compared to the efficiency of a professional colonic, and I believe it. I won't go too much more into detail, because it quite TMI but if you're interested further go ahead and google it. ;)

Both Friday, Saturday, Sunday and today I've had sufficient energy. However, I have been experiencing "Candida Die Off" which has been unpleasant. Headaches are common because as the yeast dies it releases 79 different toxins into the body. Fridays headache was so bad by the evening that I went to bed at 8pm to try to sleep it off. Saturday was a little less severe, Sunday was almost non existent. By today (Monday), no headaches! Also, my tongue is a lot less white. I know I should have taken before and after pictures of my tongue but I didn't think of that until today when I noticed more pink.

I'll continue to keep you posted on my progress through my 10 day candida cleanse. So far so good. But I must admit I miss my sushi and coffee. Boo hoo!

The Cleanse & My New Workout Program

Next Sunday I'll be starting a 7 day cleanse as well as a new workout program that I've put together. I'm incorporating both traditional bodybuilding lifting as well as yoga into my weekly split and I'm starting the whole thing off with a modified whole food cleanse.

The Cleanse is explained as follows:
Days 1, 2, 6, 7:
Upon Waking large glass of purified water with fresh squeezed lemon
Breakfast: Quinoa. Topped with chia seeds, sunflower seeds and craisins
Lunch: Brown Rice, unlimited vegetables, 4 ounces chicken
Snack: Vegetables with hummus dip
Dinner: Same as lunch

Days 3, 4, 5:
Upon waking water with lemon
Breakfast: Large Bowl of Fruit Salad
Lunch: mixed plate of chopped vegetables
Snack: smoothie with vegetables and low sugar fruit
Dinner: vegetable Soup

No caffeine, alcohol, dairy, gluten, or oils (with exception of coconut oil for its healthy fats and anti fungal benefits).

As for the weekly workout regime:
Sunday: Power Yoga
Monday: Ashtanga Yoga
Tuesday: Traditional Bodybuilding Lower Body
Wednesday: Traditional Upper Body Push (chest, shoulders)
Thursday: Traditional Upper Body Pull (back)
Friday: Gentle Ashtanga Yoga
Saturday: Hiking or Gentle Yoga

I'll post my experience after I complete the 7 day cleanse. I'm both excited and nervous but looking forward to experiencing the benefits.

"Sizing Up" the DTP Program

Yes, that was a play on words.

4 weeks ago Mike and I started the lifting program DTP. DTP stands for Dramatic Training Principle and was created by Kris Gethin. You can find this program and many others by Kris on bodybuilding.com. I choose to try this particular program for a couple of reasons. First, it only required 4 weeks of dedication. Second, it was unlike other lifting programs I'd tried in the past because he focuses on a higher repetition range unlike the usual 6-12 for strength and hypertrophy. Third, it was more in line with what I want to achieve in the gym currently which is strength and muscle growth.

Basically, it breaks down your lift week into a 4 day lifting split. Because our schedules couldn't follow exactly how Kris lines up the split, we had to switch around the days. We performed Chest/Back on day 1, Legs on day 2, Shoulders on day 3, Arms on day 4. 2 other days of the week were cardio days. Mike performed cardio on the treadmill while I opted to tackle a class of Power Yoga (believe it or not power yoga is very cardiovascular!). Each lifting day you have 1 or 2 supersets. The entire workout is only 10 sets but each set can range from 5-50 repetitions. Mike and I never go above 12-15 repetitions per set regardless of what body part we are training, so to go up to 50 repetitions on leg press we were a little out of our comfort zone. I'll write out the leg day as an example. It is compromised of only one superset, Leg Press with Calf Raises.

Set 1 Leg Press 50 repetitions superset with Calf Raise 40 repetitions
Set 2 LP 40 reps superset with CR 30 reps
Set 3 LP 30 reps superset with CR 20 reps
Set 4 LP 20 reps superset with CR 10 reps
Set 5 LP 10 reps superset with CR 10 reps
Set 6 LP 10 reps superset with CR 10 reps
Set 7 LP 20 reps superset with CR 10 reps
Set 8 LP 30 reps superset with CR 20 reps
Set 9 LP 40 reps superset with CR 30 reps
Set 10 LP 50 reps superset with CR 40 reps

By the 10th set our legs were toast and pretty well exhausted. Kris stresses going to failure each set. All training days resemble this type of workout with 1 or 2 supersets totaling out at 10 sets for the entire day. Sometimes the repetition range changed, but only slightly.

Now onto my assessment of DTP. I liked that DTP was different in a sense that you had a higher rep range and we were challenging the muscle out of the traditional 6-12 rep range we use. I did see noticeable improvements in my strength. For example, on leg press day at 10 reps I maxed out the first week at 220lbs (not including sled weight). The final week I maxed out on the same set at 270lbs. That's a huge improvement! I didn't see an improvement on chest/back but I did see a small improvement on shoulder day of 10lbs on my max 10 rep range. While I did see some improvements, I was ready for the program to be over. It is because all 4 weeks you use the same 7 supersets. For me, this was extremely monotonous. I'm used to a variety of up to 5 different exercises each day, 4 days a week, totaling up to 20 different exercises in a weeks time. Each week is also different for me so in a given month I could be choosing 80 different exercises a month. This program was 7 exercises for that same month time frame. So for me, I was getting bored by the final week. I would recommend this program for someone who usually performs reps in the low range, needs a new challenge and doesn't mind performing the same routine for 4 weeks.

I will be starting a hybrid exercise regime next week and will go into more detail in the following post.

And Now I'm Confused

After the ultrasound the technician informed me the results would be sent to my doctor no later than Monday. So on Tuesday January 29, I called my doctors office. The receptionist informed me they in fact did receive the findings from my ultrasound and someone would be contacting me back to explain results. On Thursday I had not received any phone calls so I again contacted the office. The receptionist informed me the doctor has 72 hours to contact me. On Friday (72 hours after my first call) I again contacted the office. The receptionist apologized for no one contacting me and said she would have someone, whether it be my doctor or her assistant, call me by the end of the day. At 4:30pm, I had not received any calls so I again called the office. I was then informed mostly everyone had left for the day but a message would be delivered to my doctor immediately. Fast forward through the weekend and today (Monday) I call the office for the fifth time. I explained my annoyance and requested someone immediately call me back. 2 hours later, I finally get a call from my doctors nurse informing me that my ultrasound was completely normal.

First of all, why did it take so long for someone to deliver as great news as "normal"? Second, what do you mean normal! Something has got to be wrong!

Yes, I'm very happy that the ultrasounds show normal results, but in the same respect, why am I bleeding all the time? What is causing all my symptoms? My husband assures me this is great news, and that it must be a combination of my PCOS coupled with stress that is causing so much of what I'm experiencing.

Regardless of my results, one thing is for sure, I'm changing doctors. I've been to the doctor 4 times in the last 5 months. Each time I've sat in the waiting room for over an hour (these were scheduled appointments). Not to mention waiting in the examination room naked only covered by a thin paper robe for over 30 minutes. One particular visit I didn't have a babysitter and Mike was at work so I brought Kellen and was reprimanded by a Nurse Practitioner for not finding a sitter. After my third visit it took a week for the doctors office to contact me informing me I in fact did have an infection and to go pick up my prescription. Then this, waiting a week to get a call back from my doctors office with results on my ultrasound. I'm extremely unhappy with my care and will be leaving "Women's Specialty Care of Las Vegas" for a midwife.

I still have uncertainty as to what I'm experiencing. I'm unsure whether I should keep searching to figure out what's going on or if I should just take PCOS & Stress as the reason.

The Test

I went in yesterday morning for the pelvic ultrasound test. If you're unfamiliar with the test they require you to drink 48 ounces of water beginning 90 minutes before your appointment and hold your urine until after the test is finished. This is because they want your bladder full so they can correctly locate the organs. This was my third pelvic ultrasound (my first was when I was 19 in which they diagnosed me with PCOS, my second was with my pregnancy) so I was no newbie to the uncomfortable full bladder feeling. Of course, I'm standing throughout the waiting period because I don't dare sit down, it only makes the pain worse. As I'm standing there in the waiting room I spot a woman probably in her 50's with a folder marks "mastectomy". She is quiet and doesn't look around much. After 5 minutes she stands up and begins frantically searching. A woman in scrubs asks her, "is there something I can help you with?" The woman says, "bathroom please." The scrubbed woman points to a door and the woman bolts to the room while clasping her mouth with one hand trying to hold in her nausea to make it in time. My heart dropped. I can only imagine what this woman is going through, I'm guessing she's on chemotherapy and has breast cancer. I pause to look around and I see two men waiting patiently in hospital gowns, one man is attached with tubes to a machine with wheels.

My ultrasound tech asked me how I was today, I cleared my head and lied, "I'm good." Trying not to be bothered. But how could I not? Both my mother and father have had cancer. Seeing these others brings back sad memories. The ultrasound tech was fast and I was finished in less than 5 minutes, then excused to finally use the restroom.

I should be getting back my test results sometime mid next week. I'll keep you posted. Until then, remember to thank all the nurses. It takes a strong person to see pain and sickness on a regular basis and still be able to care for others.

Post Doc Update

I went and saw my Gyno this past Friday to chat AGAIN about my irregular cycles and hormonal imbalance. After describing my symptoms, she ordered a Thyroid test and scheduled a Pelvic Ultrasound. No answers, which is frustrating, but at least there is some action being taken to get answers. My ultrasound is scheduled in one week, then I have to wait an additional week after the US to get my results. So I've got 2 more weeks before I could possibly find out the findings. Wait, wait, o ya, and wait some more!

In other arenas of health, I've started my DTP/Yoga weekly workout regimen. I. WAS. SO. SORE. Everyday was a constant battle in the gym. DTP is no joke, it's a different kind of weight training for me so I was definitely challenged. The Dramatic Training Principle was created by Kris Gethin and if you're looking for a short 4 week program to increase your muscle and challenge yourself check it out on bodybuilding.com. Also, I started training with Rasa, my yoga instructor, twice per week (instead of only Sunday). She is amazing and really has brought back my passion for the practice. I managed to perform a supported headstand inversion for 10 seconds, but then I lost my balance and came crashing down! Kind of embarrassing, but I was proud in the same moment.

In terms of my diet I've been craving more of a vegetarian/Mediterranean style diet. Once or twice per week I've ate meat but I'm sticking mostly to eggs, beans, and my protein shake as my primary sources of protein. I've been loving my Ezekiel tortilla with hummus wrap lately! And I try to get in sushi every other week. Once I finally get pregnant my sushi choices change from raw to cooked so I want to get it in as much as possible but still within my budget. Sushi is expensive!

In terms of being creative in my kitchen, that hasn't been happening lately. Sadly, we are still in a temporary furnished condo until our short sale has been approved. The process takes long, but I didn't realize it would take THIS long. So because I don't have my usual kitchen tools (food processor, vitamix blender, mandolin etc) I haven't been doing too many fancy pantsy stuff. But I've been really enjoying hummus (Trader Joes), Ezekiel Tortillas, fried eggs (fried in coconut oil), cucumbers, pistachios and craisins. Not all in the same dish though!

Sorry For My Two Month Sabbatical

I just realized its been two months since I've posted anything. Sorry about that. It's funny because I catch up on all my favorite blogs every morning with a hot beverage and I expect them to post regularly, yet I don't. Eh, they get paid for it, I don't.

So I temporarily gave up on the Maca and the Solace as of Saturday (Solace is a DoTerra essential oil blend for hormone harmony, Maca is a root used by South Americans for hormone regulation). It's a really long story so to sum it up my cycle has still been wacky and NEWS FLASH, I'm still not pregnant. Last month was especially stressful and confusing for me. I thought everything was going well and my cycle seemed to be regular and we did "the baby dance" almost every other day yet my period came, and stayed, for 2 weeks! I talked to Mike about it and we have decided that after 5 months of wacky hormone fluctuations (causing everything from spotting, to long and painful periods, exhaustion, acne, etc) I am going to see my Gyno again (3rd times a charm right?) and start the Metformin. If you're not familiar with Metformin it's usually given to Diabetics to help control their insulin. PCOS also creates insulin resistance and therefor starts creating too many androgens thus throwing off hormone balance and that's pretty much where I'm at. Doctors also give Metformin to patience with PCOS to regulate their insulin thus helping the body regulate its own hormones. So that's where I'm at now in terms of baby making. I'm feeling quite defeated as I've tried what would "naturally" help my body fix itself and it hasn't worked. I will continue to do what I need to in terms of nutrition, fitness, and natural supplementation along with the Metformin. I'm still currently taking my Organic Raw Prenatal Multivitamins and Vitamin D.

In terms of exercise, I've started practicing Yoga again weekly. I really like the new instructor I've found and she's renewed my love for the art. I spoke with her on Sunday at the last session and she suggested I start practicing twice a week. Also, Mike and I are still weight lifting 3 times per week together while Kellen plays at the gym's daycare. So starting next week I will be doing Yoga twice and doing a new strength program three times a week. The new strength program has 500 repetitions total for each body part. You only work two body parts a day but its going to be a new kind of stimulus so I'm sure it'll be a nice change for my body. Maybe even I will put on some new muscle. Regardless, it'll keep my mind from getting bored and keep my body guessing.

Our holidays brought a lot of time with family and friends. It was great to enjoy them all since last year we were in Italy away from the states. Kellen had so much fun, he loves his Grandmas and Grandpas. Plus we got to meet some extended family (Finney side) out in Oklahoma. I did pretty good with my eating habits making sure to not over indulge. We also stayed active by hitting up the local Golds wherever we traveled. I'm proud to say I didn't gain any weight, but I can't say that for everyone. Kellen did some major growing! So it was the good kind of weight of course. ;) I did read that Americans gain an average of 7 pounds during the holidays (Thanksgiving through New Years). Doesn't surprise me, there are so many parties and gathering that time of year and if you overeat and stop moving, it's bound to catch up. How'd you do this season, stay on track?

Sorry that I couldn't bring you better news, like that I am pregnant. Or even that my hormones have balanced and I'm starting to feel more like myself. I do believe that one must try naturally to heal the body, but if it fails, GO SEE YOUR DOCTOR! Ciao for now.