Since the start of the New Year, my primary focus has been
my self and my health. In the
chaos of trying to graduate and worry about others, I have forgotten what it is
like to develop a healthy, “normal” routine. I put normal in quotations because my normal isn’t normal
for a 22-year-old college graduate.
I have come to realize there are far more important things than trying
to compete with my peers. If I put
in the time now, there is hope for a brighter and better future for myself and
I recognize that.
So what does this health look like? Well first of all I started following
the autoimmune paleo protocol, which means I eat all organic, all grass fed
meat, no nightshades, no beans, no legumes, minimal fruit, and not much sugar
at all. My hope is that I can
repair my gut through this diet and get my yeast situation under control. Due to the years of antibiotics my gut
has lost a lot of the healthy bacteria and unfortunately has grown a lot of the
unhealthy bacteria, even while taking probiotics!
What truly motivated me to take this plunge was the amount
of sugar I was consuming towards the end of 2014! I was consuming massive amounts of chocolate a day. I felt that chocolate was a reward for
everything I did and that I deserved a piece of this or that, or a jar of
frosting, or a box of brownie mix.
It was absurd and out of control.
The only way I was going to be able to grasp control of the situation
was through a detox that was going to nourish my body fully, which is what this
lifestyle does. I also needed to
make sure that when I began this new lifestyle change I would be supporting
other areas of my life, therefore preventing emotional eating or loss of
appetite or whatever it may be.
Additionally, a driving force to start on January 7th was my
sister was starting advocore and I wanted to start something on the same day so
we could motivate each other if we felt tempted. I must admit I have not felt the slightest tempted while
eating AIP friendly foods.
Granted I am not a food blogger but I thought I would include some of the meals I have been preparing for myself so enjoy!
Lamb stirfry with coconut oil
Goat burgers with oregano, garlic, onion, and salt
Bone Broth with veggies :)
Salmon with avocado on a bed of lettuce
Furthermore, I have begun exercising again and that is when
I feel alive. I used to be a
competitive swimmer, swimming almost every day of the week so when I go weeks
on end without any source of physical activity I begin to lose my mind! The past two weeks I have been
attending yoga and barre classes which have challenging me both physically and mentally. I think it is important, no matter what
stage of what illness you are fighting, to move your body. If you are on the ground, crawl. That is how much I believe in the power
of movement. Day by day you will
see the power it has on your spirit.
Also I am only working part time right now while I get all
of my ducks in a row. One positive
to this job is it’s a job in my field.
So everyday that I do work, I am constantly learning and I think these
kids are going to teach me more about life than I could ever learn in a
classroom. While I am disappointed
in myself that I don’t have a full time job right now, I am happy with where I
am. I am acknowledging how far I
have come and how far I have to go.
I am applying to graduate schools right now too. I have submitted one application, thus
far for a Master’s in Social Work and am working on my second application as we
speak.
In addition, I am increasing my probiotics and beginning to
take a few different ones. I
am going to start taking Prescript Assist (a probiotic) in addition to an
enzyme to help bind the probiotic to my gut. I am going to do a cleanse because that is still an issue
even while eating paleo! The name
of the supplement that I am going to take for the candida is called Candistatin
by PhysioLogics; I currently have a friend taking the supplement recommended to
her by her naturopath doctor. She
is seeing results so I thought why not? As far as health goes, I just started an antibiotic protocol
on Monday because my LLMD still believes that my coinfections and Chlamydia
pneumoniae are wrecking havoc on my body.
I had a fever two weeks ago and had to go to the hospital where the doctors
said it was just a virus, which I agree with; I just fear my immune system
crashing again after this past fall.
The antibiotics are already causing me to herx, nothing too bad yet,
granted it has only been 4 days; but I do feel increased joint pain, chest
pain, and it hurts to breathe. So
I am thinking it is my babesia causing me the most problems right now or my
Chlamydia pneumoniae.
“It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard everyone would
do it. The hard is what makes it
great.”
