UTI's, Flu, and Covid Oh My!!

 I knew I would get Covid eventually. I didn't think I would get Covid, the flu, and a UTI all at once...... BUT I will be honest I have one major medical issue a year, wether its stitches, concussions, kicks to the face, mumps, you name it I have probably dealt with it. This year was no different. 10 days. That's what I was told I need to quarantine for 10 days. 

Tuesday, 2 days before I got tested I woke up with some strange symptoms. That could be Covid, or the flu but because I have kidney issues and my fair share of issues with them, some of those symptoms also how I present for UTI's. though i wasn't sure until I took antibiotics for it that I happened to have and felt better that I went in the next day to get checked. While the doctor was a little baffled by my symptoms and thought it might be something else, day 3 on antibiotics and those symptoms are basically gone so I like to think one of 3 problems are on the way out the door. 

Covid v the flu. who knows what's what. Yes I have a bit of a fever though I am sweating ball sacks and think its not quite right. Ok I have a cough I do anytime I get sick of any kind. Body aches ok yes but some of that was from the UTI and the lower half of my body is feeling better the top half of my body on the other hand..... not so much. My head hurts, my eyes are KILLING me. gah. 

The worst part..... My mom was supposed to come see me this weekend. We where going to have our first girls weekend since I was in college...... She was supposed to drive up on Thursday, the day I got tested..... She thought I would be fine and be negative.... Hell I thought I would be negative..... Nope positive, well she left early in the am before I got my results or even got tested as she thought I would be fine. Bless her. She came anyways to get me groceries, bring me meds. When I tell you I almost cried when she pulled up in the yard. I almost cried.

Have you ever missed seeing someone so much and then be able to see them but not be able to hug them or be close to them? It is heart wrenching. Man I have missed her. And I definitely over did it. We  sat in the yard for a while and chatted and it was so nice to see my mom and talk to her face to face, but by the time I got back inside I was done for. My fever spiked, cold sweats, couldn't move for a solid 30 minutes afterwards so my body could recover..... That was a terrible feeling. 

She leaves tomorrow..... I am going to miss her so much, but I can't wait for her to come back and we can try again.... though maybe once cases have dropped a little bit. 

Bright side at least my medical issues for the year have been taken care of in one go.

New Beginnings

 I GOT A JOB OFFER AND I TOOK IT!!!

Man does that feel good to say! Don't get me wrong I do like where i work and I am super grateful that I did get to work here and get the experience I did here, as it has lead me to where I am now. BUT I now get to move into a passion of mine nutrition coaching! ok ok it isn't the perfect ideal this is where I want to be for the rest of my life job but it does get me in the door. That is what I need right now. To get my foot in the door and start getting my toes wet. 

When I started at my current job it was my step into the fitness industry it was my intro into what opportunities are out there for helping people in the same way that I have been helping horses for years. I get to help with the behind the scenes things. The daily struggles, highs and lows, the moving into personal potential. That is what I am passionate about. I want to help people the way I helped horses. To be apart of the small victories, that's what brings tears to my eyes, and I think nutrition is a great way to impact lives in the way I hope. 

It's funny when I first started learning about nutrition I thought it would be about food and portions and how our bodies react to food, but it isn't just that it's how we perceive food, why we eat the way we do, it's not just about the food but why we eat the way we do how our bodies handle food compared to stress and sleep and workouts and so many different things! It is fascinating! 

Looking forward to this new chapter in my life and how I can grow and become better with this experience under my belt. Here's to mini milestones! 

Let the Meal Prep Begin!

Anyone else out there a meal prepper? Since Warren and I started dating, maybe a month and a half after, we started meal prepping together.  Let's talk technical....We combine grocery shop for meal things and then take one day, usually  Saturday or Sunday and spend a few hours in the kitchen prepping 6 breakfasts for him, (I make egg sandwiches day of for my breakfast), 6 of one meal, and 8 of another meal. The breakdown is 4 of each meal for him and 4 of one meal for me and 2 of the other. Warren has a thing for eating food hot and I definitely  do not. I like my ham/chicken sandwiches for lunch not a full meal. 

Now does this cover all of our food nope. not at all. But it does make it a lot easier! Warren doesn't have to worry about lunch or dinner most of the time, which is great for him as he is up at 4:15 most mornings, comes home just long enough to eat breakfast and take a short nap before heading to work until 5/6/7 at night. 

I on the other hand have a little more time in the am to make breakfast, and lunch, I do have an absolute love for sandwiches. But I don't get home until 5/6/7 either so having dinner ready and just needing to reheat it is a HUGE life saver. 

Meal prep is hard. I can't be the only one who thinks this. The doing of the prepping isn't hard its more finding recipes to make! Pinterest has been my best friend in that. Though not every recipe, dish, meal, is meal preppable.... I have learned this one the hard way. Have gotten better with it but I still have some moments where it just doesn't reheat very well those are not fun weeks, let me tell you. 

The more I think about it the more I wish bloggers, recipe makers, etc would give some tips and tricks for large batch meal prepping things. Like few things I know and can give you a secret on. Make extra sauce. When you reheat things the sauce doesn't go nearly as far as you think it does, make extra sauce. Don't finish the meal..... This one sounds crazy BUT remember you do have to heat it again to eat it. Let it do its magic on that heating moment. So like when at the end it says to combine ingredients together and simmer or whatever the recipe says..... DON'T DO IT!!! Combine them in your storage container then let them finish melding flavors when you reheat, it tastes better that way. 

Maybe this is my calling. I haven't found anyone else who dishes the tips and tricks for meal prepping a meal. Maybe I will start doing that. Giving the tips and tricks for making meals/
recipes that are delish, and turning them into meal preppable meals. That could get interesting..... I will add it to the ideas list.....

It Can Only Go Up From Here

 Today I finally went back to the gym after about a week and a half off. I will one day explain why that was as it is a part of my story and I have a feeling that it will be a strong point in my journeys timeline but that wound is a little too fresh to put on the internet. 

I woke up about an hour before my alarm this am. I have been in my head and over thinking all the things I could in life. I almost let that consume me again this morning. I felt it shrugging its comfortable blanket of constant over thinking trying to press it down upon my shoulders. But I am tired, tired of being in that space, for the past 2 weeks it has been while familiar not what I want to be comfortable in. But then I remembered that I have to move on, that getting stuck in this moment is not where I want to take my plateau moment at. Plateaus are for the good moments in life. The moments I want to feel and revel in so that the next climb has a little perspective to keep me moving for that next type of feel good moment.

I finished a chapter in my nutrition course. I wrote my goals on my mirror. Does anyone else do that? Someone out there that is smarter than me that has a lot more knowledge on that than me said you need to visualize your goals. What better way to do that than to write it down where you will see it all the time so you know where you are going. I can’t get away from that now. I can’t say no to my goals because they are there staring me in the face. I have 3 goals up there right now and I am so ready to start crossing those off and seeing the progress!

Now on to the second part of my morning. The getting back into the gym. I have put it off for a bit as I have been using food to hide behind so I didn’t have to process my emotions as I was scared to be uncomfortable as I felt those feelings and learned my lessons I needed to from them. Well boy howdy did I feel them today. I would say this was my favorite workout today, not because of the movements, not because of the people, I never actually talked to anyone today funny enough. But because when I showed up the power was off, it was dark there was no where to be but in the moment but with yourself. 

We started with an EMOM for 8 minutes and by minute 4 I was crying. I never stopped but let those emotions move through me as I moved and used that feeling of being uncomfortable to fuel my movement. My coach came over and asked me if I was ok, I choked out that i just needed to move. So I did. By the time we got to the workout I was able to focus to realize that it was going to be ok and that life moves on and its ok to miss a moment. To shelf something for the time being as it isn’t the right time for everything when certain things happen and just because somethings get put in your path that you want you have to say no, not for now, I need to do A and B before C happens I can’t just jump to C and hope A and B happen. And that’s ok. Sometimes I will say you might be able to get away with it, that fake it till you make it mentality. Which I have done and will do again, promise, but that doesn’t work for everything. Wisdom is knowing when to do it, wing it, and make it happen, and when to say hey not yet I can’t put that piece of the puzzle down until a few more pieces fall onto the table.  

My goal today was to move. And move I did. I haven’t felt this good in a hot moment. I might still be crying 2 and a half hours later as I soak up the last of these big feelings I have right now but I moved today so mission accomplished. 

Tomorrow I hope to be able to honor my feelings and my body and move again. Not  fast, not hard, but consistently move.