#but now my blood sugar is low and I cant focus

[thedisablednaturalist]

surely a chronically ill person can go a day without EATING right? It's not like I'm managing a complicated illness that requires strict management right? And I totally don't need to be pain free for work tomorrow right!?!!

/sarcasm

[apsaraqueen]

what the body knows

A gift of smut and angst for the wonderful, magical @coppercrane2, one of the mods over at @ssminibang, and also? Very much one of my favorite people. I hope you enjoy this, Charlie!

title: what the body knows fandom: Sailor Moon characters/ships: Rei/Mars x reincarnated!Jadeite rating: R for explicit sexual content below the cut, along with canon and non-canon character death

“You just a little hungry, or,” he wonders, warm breath shivering across her breastbone, “you starving?”

what the body knows

…

In the windows the sky is thickly concrete, a fine film of drizzle that had gone all morning and kept them indoors, and perhaps it’s only because of a brief lull in its gentle rush against the roof that he can even hear her pause, sock–footed and quiet, on her way down the hall. Feet arrested on the threshold to the kitchen where he stands facing the sink. She listens to the ripe snap of his teeth, breaking the taut skin of a plum; the back of his hand abortively wiping juice from his chin as he turns partially around. Dim light silhouettes the edge of his jaw.

“Hey,” Junin says to her, mouth full, not even looking in her direction, “it’s getting late. Eat something.”

Sunday, and so far she’s spent it in the pantry, clearing out the back for the first time anyone’s done in – years. The smell of old crumbling contact paper lining the shelves, ringed with rusty stains from canned tuna, pineapples, curry, all with expiration dates embarrassingly long gone by. Twine, cracked soup bowls, aluminum foil, a casserole someone had gifted her (bizarrely) after the funeral. Other things. Packets of her grandfather’s aspartame, the mints he nibbled when his sugar slid, protein shakes with ingredients she still couldn’t pronounce. Milk protein concentrate, calcium caseinate, 1% or less of the following: inulin, cellulose gel, magnesium phosphate, artificial flavors. What does the body know, Rei thinks, recalling how she poured down the drain half-glasses of chocolate-flavored fluid while her grandfather dozed, his belly rejecting the decoy of sustenance, patiently eating itself down to something that could be lost or wander away, float off on a breeze. Into trash bags they all went, revealing space in the pantry like new skin. When she had emerged blinking into the hall even that darkening afternoon had seemed too bright. Now here she is – and here he is. In one hand the plum, in the other a bowl with a second one. Cut up how she liked, to keep her lip balm intact.

This was what stopped her short. How he would’ve had to have seen her pickily dicing her fruit like that; how alarming, to find herself the focus of such complete and close attention.

She’s already moving without conscious thought, hand on his arm, turning him. Rei gives him no chance to see her face. Her fingers climb the shaved sides of his head, taking the slightly grown-out hair atop for purchase; her eyes fall shut as her jaw cants up, triangulating from memory where his mouth is. His small surprised laugh is swallowed down her throat. “Rei.”

What does the body ask for? Under her palms the cord of his neck, his chest and stomach are all tangibilities, warm blood and muscle, and it feels, almost, as if she’s the one who might fly away. Months ago when he’d first reached for her she’d jumped back as if scorched; it had been so long since she felt another person’s skin. Now, she sucks his tongue from his mouth, sticky plum juice off his day-old beard. If she could she’d suck the air out of his lungs. She gets her hand in his briefs, around his cock, and he does not hesitate. The fruit goes rolling across the floor when he hoists her on the counter, accidentally dislodging her hand; there’s a brief struggle of crossing limbs, she straining for him as he steps between her legs, somehow both tugging down and rucking up her short dress. It’s faster than he usually moves, unlike him to accede to her impatience. He palms her breast in a rough squeeze, ducks his head to lick the nipple. Tiny hairs rise all over her skin. When she rubs her thumb over the wet tip of his cock he laughs and gasps both at once, and it’s so exactly what she’d wanted from him without needing to ask that closed, still, the corners of Rei’s eyes suddenly sting.

“You just a little hungry, or,” he wonders, warm breath shivering across her breastbone, “you starving?”

She wants to tell him, but what’s lodged in her gullet is an animal or the selfish type of spirit (her own) she read about in childhood, devouring whatever would come out, ravenous for anything coming in. So she tells him by doing, gets a brusquer hold on him, throttling down, the rough edge she’s learned he craves. When they’re like this he’s vocal but not about his desires; always they seem matched to hers, as if he’s afraid she’ll balk. I like everything you do to me. But what does the body want? Surely there are acts he had begged from others before her, as they kissed and touched skin and shed their clothes on the floor, acts he and she have yet to perform. Clear directives and not only suggestions found in the jump of his stomach, his head lolling back to the futon in lamp light, brow strained, almost as if he’s in pain. Maybe he is. Starving the same as her, desire tamped down inside. But in his presence it’s impossible to swallow her wants, hide or make them casual. As she beats Junin off, her hand sure in a way she does not feel, he drops his face in her chest, shuddering. His fingers insinuate themselves along her inner thigh, twist away her underwear. The tip of one dipping there, barely into her sex. Maybe he doesn’t realize. How much of him she would take.

The air in the kitchen feels heavy and cool, window cracked open (broken), all that unspent water loading the sky. In her ears is the hushed mix of their breaths and she finds herself counting his, noting each hitch, each sigh. Familiar. But Junin feels more solid than anyone she has held, hips digging into her thighs, width of his torso crowding her, his head tucked under her chin in the guarded apostrophe of her throat. She has an urge to take him further into herself somehow, a sentiment that feels protective but lacks the associated tenderness: selfish again, the frank way she would consume air or water, things the body needs. When he leaks a little the friction eases, so she grips harder to compensate, drags slow from root to tip. His answering groan is muffled into her sternum, a low, defenseless thing, and her mouth goes wet. A dozen unwired thoughts light up her mind at once. The noise her father made when the hospital called – Kaidou’s lips tensely closed under her own – Junin’s thumb stroking her throat as she kissed him, imbuing her with an odd, illogical sense of safety – the deep chill of her grandfather’s forehead the time she touched it last. Going out under the eaves this morning, looking at the sky, wondering if the drizzle was rain, really, or only mist. Putting out her palm to check as if this was a distinction that mattered. Sustenance, decoy.

What does the body know? Her eyelids flutter when Junin pushes two fingers into her, long and recurving like a bow, hooking at the place where she already feels something – not pleasure, not quite – starting to take form. Something stronger and less anodyne, like biting the inside of her cheek and tonguing the resulting wound: a sharp, dizzy sensation of brilliance, copper dissolving in her mouth. Something her body already knew for itself, what was asked for, wanted, needed. The first time he’d so much as touched her hand – that recognition – instant. In that moment she had understood what was known could never be unknown. But where did that leave her without him? The broad slope of Junin’s back encompasses her field of vision, the old gray college T-shirt in graying light, his shoulder moving up and down. Breaths burst from her in harsh little pants. He shifts into focus, making no attempt to delay or tease, working the tips of his fingers into that tenderness again and again with brutal efficiency. As if from someplace far away Rei hears herself whimper.

Junin kisses the divot of her collarbone. “You good?” he murmurs. His voice ragged. “You okay?”

The gentleness in his words calls up that thing in her gullet again, another pang of hunger, and she feels as if she’s being carved wide, skinned and left out open. Any moment he could glance up and witness her. The late day shines darkly through the windows, through the gleam of what could be rain or mist or nothing at all. Her skin feels like a bruise everywhere he’s against it, throbbing and too soft to be touched. Down where she’s holding him she can feel the trip of his pulse. What does the body know? The length of his cock overfills her small hand and she wonders if when they make love this will be enough to sate her. If anything is.

“I’m fine,” Rei tells him. She licks her lips, swallows. “Go harder.”

[shadedrose01]

maybe where harley burns himself out in the lab and when Peter manages to get him to leave he passes out pls?

This isn't exactly what you asked for? But its close, sorry about that! Also sorry this is so late!! I hope you can still enjoy, anon!! 💗

Tw/cw for: burns, getting cut and passing out. Stay safe everyone!!

--

"Shit!" He curses, as he rips his finger away from the wires and shakes it, trying to ignore the way it burns as the electricity runs through his joints. Once the pain settles, slightly, he pushes it into his mouth, glaring down at the conglomeration of metal and wires sat in front of him innocently on the table, sighing when it doesn't disintegrate or melt before his eyes. Oh well, it was worth the shot.

He's been working on this suit, a new suit built for him as a Just in Case (in case Peter or Tony or somebody needs him on the field at some point, as a last resort), for what feels like years now, struggling with getting it exactly how he wants it to be, and he's frustrated, because hes been working extra hard on it lately. He wants it to be done soon, because the sooner its done, the sooner it can be there, the sooner Peter can be safer.

He sighs again, plopping down into the chair beside the table before leaning his elbows onto it, putting his face into his hands for a moment, giving him only a moment to close his eyes, to rest.

He's so tired.

He pushes his head back up suddenly, and shakes himself out of the haze he found himself in, standing back up and tilting the light at a deeper angle, to get it exact where he needs it to be. He needs to focus. He needs to get this done.

He focuses back in, ignoring the faint fuzziness at the edges of his eyes, reworking the wires with only a bit more difficulty before starting on sanding the metal pieces, making them just right. He tilts his head once thats done, biting on his bottom lip. There's something off, he thinks its too long, so he goes to grab the electric saw, without much thought, without even a glance.

It should've been unsurprising, the way he reaches directly for the blade and slices his finger open immediately, but Harley still jumps, still swears loudly, continuously, again, quickly grabbing a napkin sat beside him and pushing it onto the cut, hissing as pain shoots through his bones.

And of course, just at that moment, does another voice chip in, of a man who should be asleep but somehow, right now, is awake. "Baby? Harls, it's two in the morning, what're you doin' up?"

If that wasn't bad enough, there's something else you should know about one Harley Keener. The man can handle horror movies, can handle jump scares and needles and the ocean like a champ. But when he sees blood? When he sees the drops of red crimson, escaping from his finger, he can feel his legs go weak, wobbling like jelly, can feel his head start to spin. His stomach start to lurch.

He can hear Peter speak up again, but the words sound muffled from the ringing in his ears, and before he knows it, the room is spinning and he's falling to the floor, and he's blinking-

And then he's in a bed. Staring up at a sleek white ceiling, with a wooden fan circling slowly in an almost soothing rhythm, the noise adding a faint hum into the room. He groans, throwing an arm over his eyes and wincing as his finger hits the pillow, because he recognizes that fan.

"Hey, you're awake!" He lowers the arm just enough to peek up at Peter in the doorway, leaning against the wooden frame with his hip, holding two glasses with a softer smile on his eyes, even as his eyes sparkle. He walks further into the room, placing the glances onto the table before sitting on the sheets besides his legs, placing a hand onto his knee and squeezing once. "Sorry, I was just grabbing some water. How are you feeling?"

His eyes, looking golden in the moonlight cascading through the linen blinds, pierce through his guard as easily as they did the first day they met, the first night they spent together, the first day they kissed, their first date. The way he knows they will on their wedding day, as he glances down at the ring shimmering on his ring finger as Peter squeezes his knee again. "'M alright. I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" His eyebrows raises. "For passing out?" At Harleys nod, Peter scoffs into faint laughter, glancing away. "I mean, after the first few seconds of "oh god he passed out what happened?" And I found the cut on your finger, I wasn't too concerned about that. That is not what you should apologize for." Harley winces again, but this time its not at the pain, or the way his finger is throbbing against the bandages Peter must've put there after dragging him to bed. No, this time its at the heated glare Peter sends his way, the annoyance only a cover for the sheer amount of concern swirling in his irises. His hand runs up and down his leg, then, and Harley tries to ignore the way it sends shivers down his spine. "Why were you up, baby?"

His voice is much softer than his look, and Harley sags as he sighs, dropping his arm completely from his face and picking at the sheets below him with a shrug. "I wanted to get the suit done. The Iron Lad suit?" Peter hums, showing he's listening, but doesn't say anything else as Harley pauses, knowing Harley has more to say, just the same as he knows Harley likes sugar in his coffee, or the same he knows the way he likes to stand in the sunbeams just to feel the warmth, or likes his hair to be played with. Knowing Harley, through and through. "I just-" He huffs, lightly, before glancing back up into Peter's eyes, and then, when that becomes too intense, to the wall behind him. "I keep having- dreams. Nightmares. Of you getting hurt, of you needing me and I just- I cant-"

He doesn't finish, leaning back to look up at the ceiling, again, and blink away the burning tears pooling at his rims. He hears a sigh, low and sad, before a hand comes up to cup his jaw and cheek, to lower his face back down until their eye to eye, until Peter leans forward and their noses brush, their foreheads touching, leaning against him gently. "You gotta trust me, Harley."

When Harley starts to rebuttal with an "I do-", Peter just shushes him with a kiss, leaving his breathless as he leans back again, the brunet pulling back again and laughing airily as Harley leans in subconsciously, wanting more. "I know you do, baby, but you gotta trust me." He stares deeply into him, and Harley can't help but to stare back, but to melt into the pools of honey warming his soul. "Trust that I'll try my hardest to come back, to come home to you. I can't-" Peter puffs out warm air that brushes against his lips, that Harley inhales and lets warm his insides as his heart thumps heavily in his chest. "I can't promise anything, God I wish I could, but- I'll try. I'll try my hardest to get home to you."

With the way Peter is staring into him, pleading and begging him to understand, theres no way Harley couldn't. He nods, and Peter pushes his nose against him again, rubbing it in a butterfly kiss that makes Harley scrunch his own, and chuckle as he rubs back. "Okay," He murmurs, whispers, as Peter smiles sapily back at him. "Okay."

They lean back into another kiss, this one lasting longer, lingering, soft and full of emotions they couldn't show, they couldn't speak, Peter's hands running up to the back of his neck and Harley's grabbing onto his collar, his shoulder.

After they pull away, Peter leans in fully and wraps Harley into a hug, that Harley folds into easily, pressing another kiss to Peter's collarbone. "We can-" Peter speaks back up, tone hushed and crackled in the cold winter night sky. "We can work on the suit together, on Monday? If you want."

Its a compromise, and Harley jumps at the chance, but not without a faint tease of, "Not tomorrow?" The words slightly slurred together as exhaustion starts to return, creeping up on him slowly, steadily.

Peter snorts, and pinches his side lightly, making Harley yelp. Just the reaction he wanted. "Tomorrow is a rest day." He says firmly, and Harley doesn't even think of fighting against him, just shuffling closer to the brunet with a hum.

"Monday." He agrees, voice barely a whisper as sleep slips his way into him, as his eyes slowly fall closed and his breathing starts to even.

Peter just pulls him closer, rubbing a heavy hand up and down his back. And just as he's about to give into the feeling, he feels another kiss pressed to his head, like a promise, easing the last tension from his body and allowing him to falling into an easy, calm slumber.

[katrinacpeterson-blog]

Hello Friends so something I want to touch on and really had me thinking while working out yesterday is about how to improve your health to build up its immunity to not only stand strong against CV but any virus, illness, disease, etc. It seems that the news and all that broadcast about corona virus only have negative news to share but they have yet to share positive news in regards to how to build up your immunity against this virus!

I am going to speak on this in terms of just fighting all disease, virus', and illnesses because we are all sick of hearing about CV in all forms I am sure but this is important vital information! Now, I AM NO DOCTOR or SPECIALIST but I know the basics from what I have learned in school and in my own personal research (Im a geek and read research journal articles and studies when I am bored) but with that being said, if you have questions about anything I speak on PLEASE DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH!

1st, lets talk about Exercise, now Im not going to tell you to go run a 5k, lift heavy weights, do some crazy intense workout, etc, etc,. I am simply telling you to get out and move your body more than what is your norm! Exercise is vital for creating longevity in your life. When I say longevity I mean living a longer healthier life. Now you may be young and think, "Why do I need to worry about that now?," but you do! Why? Because if you don't now it will eventually catch up to! That's a promise! And whether it catches up to you with something minor (blood pressure issues) or severe (heart attack), it can and will! Exercise works your muscles, not just your bicep, tricep, etc, etc but your heart too! Did you know your heart is a muscle? A muscle that is the second to most vital organ in the body, right under the brain being #1. When you exercise you create better blood circulation which creates an increase in oxygen circulation throughout the body because oxygen is transported through the body in your blood. Your blood runs throughout your entire body, right?

2nd, Gut Health, your probably wondering how the 1st topic relates to this, well imagine your body like a puzzle, all the pieces have their distinct place to create the bigger picture but they all work together to create that picture. The body. Blood flow controls digestion in that poor blood flow allows fat to stick to the abdominal lining. Now on top of unwanted fat from lack of exercise and poor circulation imagine adding a crap diet on top of that! A diet high in empty calories which is a diet that has no nutritional value. But is high in sugar (which mostly make up carbohydrates)and fats! Well we all know that for most weight gain occurs when a poor diet is someones everyday norm. There are more details in regards to the microbiome of the gut why some people can eat whatever they want and stay "lean" and others cant but that is for another post! Anyway, poor diet = poor digestion which can essentially cause inflammation, inflammation can cause poor digestion. So where do we end this cycle, proper nutrition and exercise! The Gut is considered "your second brain" ( that means it is too a vital organ and NEEDS TO BE TAKEN CARE OF) not only the main control center for digestion but also where your immune system lives. So....

3rd, Immunity, about 70-80% of your immune system is housed in the gut, when the gut is not taken care of, well then your immune system response is low and you CANT easily fight off infection and disease.

With the current situation of the world and the endless opportunity to focus on yourself, to evolve, to grow, and become a better version of yourself, focus on your exercise, on your fitness, on your nutrition. Do it for yourself! Do it to not only live a healthier life now but to live a healthy life always! Create the ability for your body to fight anything it needs too (virus, disease, illness). Create longevity!

[letsdiscoverkitty]

Therapy summary: 20/02/19

Today’s session has left me feeling utterly exhausted (even more so than usual, and that is saying something!). I find it quite helpful to write down the things we talked about so that I can remind myself/look back if I need to, so I will give this a whirl, it might be a bit of a ramble, which I am going to blame on the tiredness... NOTE: This will be long as we talked about quite a lot to, including my depression (for the first time). Also, TW because, well, you know why.

- Okay so to get it out the way, my weight was down slightly. Which yeah, it’s not great but it’s been fairly stable recently and is within a certain range...so we kind of moved on as lingering talking about it wouldn’t have necessarily helped as we both know the severity of the situation/I have been reminded about it enough already. - In general things have been rather messy and hard, my intake has been stable, maybe a bit more than it was but I know it is not where it should/needs to be. I’ve been wanting to make changes but feeling utterly paralysed day after day. - Today was the first time in therapy that we have openly talked about my depression....which I did not realise until T pointed it out. A lot of the focus was on how the depression/anorexia cycles keep each other going. This came about as I have kind of realised that one of the things that has been holding me back in terms of committing to change is that I was “allowing” my depression to dictate major parts of my routine. - For a long time this has meant not setting an alarm for the mornings and trying to sleep in as long as possible (one reason is because I am always tired but also to put off having to face the day), thus putting off breakfast as late as possible as I did not/do not see the point in getting up...Anorexia then jumps on the bandwagon saying it is then too late to make changes/increases to breakfast, that I can do it later. Then lunch gets pushed back further and further because I ate breakfast late (it has not been uncommon for me to have lunch past 3pm recently)...Again, when lunch would finally come around, the excuses of it being “too late” in the day to change things/increase would come in, with anorexia also reminding me that I would be having a snack in x time, so I should just wait until later... - I was always vowing that I would make changes “later” and that “tomorrow” things would be different but they never were... - This cycle has been going on for weeks/months and I have been beating myself up over it time and time again. I’ve been telling myself that I am a failure/need to pull myself together/talking to myself in very negative ways (that I would not say to anyone else) and dragging myself down a lot by feeding into these negative spirals. - Another example of depression getting in the way of things is that I have gotten stuck in the habit of not showering until gone midday and just sort of sitting around not really doing anything (unless I had to be somewhere) as I didn’t feel like there was any point in getting up and ready for the day as I had no purpose...this then feeds into the whole “what’s the point?” “why even bother trying? there is no reason to eat more” and anorexia jumps on it all dragging timings out and manipulating anything it can get its hands on. - These two ‘main’ things have both then been exasperated by the effects of starvation/malnourishment and ensured that I have stayed trapped in the same cycles day in and day out. We spent quite a while talking through some of the side effects of starvation/malnutrition (and the science behind it) which helped to get my head around it a bit more (I know the facts, it is just so hard to apply to myself) as it can be so easy to brush it off and forget how intertwined depression and anorexia can be and how they affect one another. - For example, I find my mood drops quite a lot in the afternoon, usually after lunch until well into the evening. This, we came to agree, is likely because my lunches are quite messy/not enough, as well as there being quite a bit of time between breakfast and lunch. There is a lot of science behind it that actually explains quite a lot (e.g. blood sugars and the importance of having all macronutrients at each meal as they each have their own role to help sustain energy, hormones, absorption of vitamins etc)

- I don’t know why or how but after months of knowing it, something has begun to actually shift over the past few days in terms of facing up to the depression cycles. I think a lot of it has been pure exhaustion/frustration of going around and around and around time and time again, but also because I have been a lot more open with mum and she pointed out a number of things that I was not necessarily thinking about/aware of before... - T and I were able to talk about how important it is for me to have a more positive/healthy morning routine as those are the hardest times for me. This is something that I have begun addressing over the past few days in a CBT style - I have begun setting an alarm for the mornings (the first day was roughly half an hour before I was ‘usually’ getting up, then the next few days have been 10minutes earlier). I force myself to get up and out of bed, and then get in the shower straight away. For me this is so important as even just the simple act of getting in the shower and starting the day off can put my mind in a much more stable place. I also find the routine of “get up, shower, get ready for the day” makes me feel a lot more, idk, purposeful? and again with a slightly clearer headspace. - It has not been easy, so far from it. I have been an anxious ball of mess and I am only a few days into the shift, but I know deep down it is what needs to happen and actually, this is evidence to myself that I CAN make changes. That I can go against these routined patterns and nothing terrible happens. - T emphasised how important it is to keep working on this and that in order to do so it might be worth trying to factor in at least one “thing” in each day to give myself that feeling of “purpose” as otherwise my depression clouds over and drags me down v easily. Whether it be going to a coffee shop, the library, a little walk, a specific craft thing etc. I agreed to aim to think about things one week at a time and try to schedule some things in, which is apparently a CBT depression worksheet (which I think I have used before and I did find helpful as it gave me more structure/feeling of purpose). She said that it is important that even if I don’t want to leave the house and I have down to say take my nan for coffee, that I stick with the plan like I would a prescription and not allow my depression to dictate when/if I follow it.  - Anyway, what came from all of this, in the end, was that I need to try to approach the eating side of things just like I am with the mood/depression/sleep....so much easier said than done but it is the truth. - Again, it helped to talk through some of the side effects of starvation that I have been really struggling with, as anorexia has been very very loud. This included: constant food thoughts (seriously so sick of this), irritability, low mood, feeling of needing to hoard and buy more food in case it runs out/the supermarkets stop offers/run out, I AM SO BEYOND COLD all the time and can’t warm up, tiredness, sleep never being restful, and the sheer constant exhaustion. - We then tried to talk about lunches but ahh my head got so messy that I could hardly think straight :(  - I’ve been worrying A LOT about getting things ‘wrong’. Whether it be the speed of increasing, the foods I use, the timings etc etc. I feel like I should just be able to do it by now and keep beating myself up, but as T pointed out, this is not helpful in any way/shape/form. My mind gets so caught up in the “what if’s” that I forget that there is no evidence behind those fears/worries... - As ever, the only way to find out is to collect “the data” and see what happens. To do the actions. Follow through. COMMIT. Actually make changes. Because, as we said for the millionth time, talking doesn’t change anything, action is where it lies.  - I will have to admit that one big fear is gaining on less calories...I am so scared to increase incase I start gaining on an amount that is “less than maintenance” or I “should” maintain on. I know the science. I know why I MIGHT gain weight at first. Yet applying it to my own situation feels so alien/wrong/doesn’t make sense. AN comes up with all the excuses and reasons under the sun as to why to put things off and wait...why today is not quite right, or perfect, or whatever it is. It is so incredibly frustrating and I am so tired of the bullshit that goes around my head 24/7. I also know from the past that it does take a lot more than you think to gain, but again anorexia has managed to “convince” me that this time I have definitely broken my metabolism and that my weight will skyrocket and I will always have to restrict just to keep it stable and I will forever me trapped in the hell of disordered rules and actions.....blergh. - The thing is that I KNOW that I need to gain weight (heck right now I actually HATE so much of what being like this has done/is doing to me and how I feel. I genuinely hate leaving the house and seeing people because I am ashamed/embarrassed of how I look :( ) yet it’s like I can’t allow myself to have this chance. That I believe so strongly that I don’t deserve to get better. That it isn’t possible. That this is all there is....So many thoughts start swirling and excuses firing.  - My lack of mental clarity at the moment due to malnutrition is such a huge hindering block. I can’t concentrate. I cant think straight. I can’t be “present” in conversations. My mind constantly wandering. I literally feel like I am floating, barely even existing in this space. Just trying to keep going is so exhausting that it often feels so much “easier” to listen to those disordered thoughts (which in the moment i believe are what is “right”) as they are so automatic. I let them guide me, make decisions, dictate my days....but in doing so that is exactly what is/has been keeping me trapped and stuck for months on end....

Wow, gosh, if you got to this point in this post then I really do want to give you the biggest hug in the world (and a sticker) because this has been quite the ramble. Right, so, summary...below are the goals we set out for the next two weeks (T is off next week and training as well so we can only have a text check in  :( which is so not ideal but these things happen):

I need to continue to set alarms to get up in the mornings, shifting it a little earlier each day if I can (this will hopefully help get my eating into a bit more of a ‘normal structure’)

Have a shower when I wake up

Try to factor in one thing each day to “focus” on/give me a little purpose/reason (no matter how big or small it may feel, it matters)

Continue to work on the “little acts of defiance” that I have been trying out the past few weeks to help build my confidence

LUNCH NEEDS TO BE LUNCH. (I am so bloody stuck with this one though :( we talked about maybe trying to buy some premade lunches? but ah I dont know)

Increase meal plan by 300 calories minimum

Make sure lunches have all necessary components (as well as dinners and nothing gets cut out or compensated for)

Be kind to myself (in many ways e.g. take care of my hands (using hand cream but also things like keeping food as SIMPLE as it can be so I don’t get trapped in the internal tossle with anorexia over decisions/options/calories as it becomes a form of torture)

Try to speak to myself in a kinder way/try to stop myself when I find the negativity beginning to ruminate

Weigh myself ONCE a week and check in with T next week. I need to give this experiment a proper go, not keep putting it off and waiting. I need to collect the evidence for myself. Increase my meal plan and ride out the wave. 

Gosh, it all feels like A LOT and thinking back on it now, it is!!! And there is no wonder why I am tired after that session. There is so much I have to focus on/do over the next two weeks but I think writing it down like this has helped put it more simplistically/focused, especially with the bullet pointed goals at the end. The review with my consultant is coming up too so I really really need to continue to take this turn in the road that has just started and show that I can do this and that want to (because I do, I do I do). Okay come on Kitty, time to ride out this messy and shitty pathway. God I am terrified. Scared. Apprehensive. Worried. Anxious. amongst all the other emotions flying around. I am already finding myself questioning every single thing I have written/thought/talked about but I am trying to stay grounded. I can’t let anorexia win. I can’t. I need to trust the process. Trust my T. Trust that it will be okay in the end (short term pain for long term gain, REPEAT) and as simple as it is I just have to give this a go.  If I never try, I will never know, and I will always wonder. 

[stevenrogers5-blog]

In Her Blood

Summary: Sometimes it’s hard being an expecting Parent. But how hard is it to be one when you weren’t even apart of the process that made the kid in the first place? 

Warnings: Bad Words. But a lot of love from Seb! 

A/N: HERE IS MY BABY FEVER INDUCED WRITING FOR SEB! FINALLY DONE! 

We walk the streets of New York. A few shouts from Papz would call through the street every so many blocks. But Seb and i have learned to block it all out. To focus on each other only in these moments. So we walked hand in hand as we made our way to our favorite sub shop. He placed our orders as i stood outside. I stare down at my phone before i look up to see a women walking closer to me.

“Hello. I am Mary Summers.” She holds her hand out to me. I take it cautiously.

“Hello Mary. I am Y/N.” I say as i pull my hand from hers. She smiles sickeningly at me.

“I know! I am reporter for (Make your own mag up) and i would love to talk to you about Seb and that fun little bump.” Mary says as she points towards my belly. I look down at my bump before looking up at her once more. I look at her with a cautious eye before i open my mouth.

“What about my Daughter?” I ask as i place a safe hand on my belly. She watches my actions. I can see the gears making a mental bubble of the action behind her eyes.

“Well. That fun little bump has caused a lot of questions to arise.” Mary says as she pulls out her phone from her pocket. She tapes a few things before pointing the thing in my direction. I just look at her.

“Okay well this fun little bump is My daughter thank you very much. She is more than just a “little bump.” She is a person too.” I slightly snap at her. My reaction must have sparked something in her.

“Well. That stupid little thing. I mean beautiful angel has obviously caused just an inconvenience for Sebastian so our sources say.”

“I do not know who the fuck your sources are. But i can assure you that they aren’t truly from our team. No one would tell you a single thing about what is happening behind closed doors. Because it is no ones business what we are doing. So you can leave. Bye.” I say as i start to turn towards the building. But she steps in front of me and sneers down at me. Then her words start spilling from her mouth.

“Is it Sebastian's? Because sources say it isn’t. Who’s the bastard child's real father?! Why would you get knocked up?” Mary asks. I stare at her in disgust.

“What is wrong with people like you?! She is not a fucking Bastard Child! She does not deserve such words spoken about her when she can’t even properly defend herself! She’s not born yet and you people cant even let her live her damn life!” I spit at her. She holds her phone out at me.

“Why whore around and ruin a child's life? Then throw it on Sebastian when the child shouldn’t even be his problem?!” I stare at her in shock. But before i could even get a word out Sebastian was already by my side. He rips the phone from her hands and throws it against the pavement. He stomps on it for good measure. The shattered pieces looking back up at all of us as we look down at it then both at Sebastian. He wipes his pointer finger out and points it harshly at her.

“Who do you think you are?! You are a disgusting person. It is not a single persons fucking business whos child it is. Who do you work for? I will happily get you fired for speaking such words to the mother of MY CHILD! Grow the fuck up! You are no journalist. You belong in the sewer with the scum and mice. Now get lost before i help you get lost!” Sebastian lits into the woman. She stares at us for a few more seconds before turning around and marching away. Mumbling profanities against Seb. Seb turns towards me.

“Hey hEy Hey! Calm down. Deep breaths.” He says as i turn whiter and whiter. I shake my head as the world gets blurry. Her questions. Sebs actions. Everything mixed together as i felt myself falling. And before i know it, i am sitting in a hospital bed. I stare down at my hands as I await for the doctor come in. Seb holds them as he stands next to my bed. He stands silently, kissing my forehead every so often to reassure me that he is still there and always will be.

“Hello. I am Doctor Smith. I see here we have a rather glowing Mother to be. And a rather nervous Father to be. Nice to meet you both.” We both shake his hand. “So i hear that we had a little low blood sugar moment and passed out. Now i know your fist question is, and always will be, is the baby okay. She is great. She is a little upset she never got her lunch. But she is doing amazing. She is on track to be born soon! Exciting!”

“That’s great Doc.” Sebastian says as he smiles down at me. I smile back at him. “It is very exciting! We can’t wait to meet our little girl.” There it is again. Our little girl. My child. She wasn’t really his but...

“I do have one thing. And that is i recommend Bed rest for a little while. Little to no moving around. And eating your heart out. You and baby are our number one priority. Okay? We can not wait to see you two back when it’s time for her to meet the world. You are free to go when you feel strong enough to leave.”

“Thank you Doctor.” I say as he nods his head and goes back out the door he came in. I look up at Seb.

“I can’t wait for her. I am happy she is doing great.” Seb says as he places a soft hand around my bump. I look at his hand then at his face.

“Are you ready to leave? I do have a wheelchair for her.” The nurse says as she pops her head in.

“Ready as i’ll ever be.”

I lay in our shared bed now. Seb moved me into his room to keep a better eye on me. Watching Tv as my mind strays from the moment. Seb sound asleep next to me. I look over at him. I sigh loudly before the tears stream down my face. He isn’t the father then why is he going around telling everyone that he is?! We aren’t even together… I sigh again, crying harder. A sob leaves my lips. A soft gasp leaves Seb’s mouth as he rolls over to look at me.

“What’s wrong? Are you in any pain?” Sebastian asks as he sits up faster. He leans over to touch me but i push him away.

“No!” I cry as i keep pushing him away. “Please don’t..”

“Y/N what is wrong? Is it the baby? We need to get you to the hospital if it is!” Seb says as he climbs down the bed and back up to my side.

“Stop it! Stop caring soo much about her! She is not your problem to worry about!” I explain between sobs. He stops all actions after the words hit his ears. “Just don’t. You shouldn’t be worrying about us. We aren’t your problem.”

“Y/N…”

“If i didn’t need help out of this fucking bed i would be gone already. This is so unfair to you! You shouldn’t be pushed into a father position if she’s not yours.”

“Y/N!” Seb yells. I clamp my mouth shut as grabs my hands. “Stop it right now!”

“But Seb…”

“No. I do not want to hear any of it anymore! She is mine. I don’t care if my DNA isn’t in her blood. I still want to raise her. I want to be her first prince charming. I want to be her shoulder to cry on. And the one who catches her when she tries to sneak out. I want to be her dad. I don’t want a single word of some other scummy man making her. She is mine. I will raise her till the day i die! I love her. And i love you.” He wipes away a few tears. “I love everything about you. You’re glowing everyday. Before you were pregnant. And i bet even after you give birth. You are amazing. I hope to one day we will make a child of our own. But right now. She is mine. Ours.”

“Wait…. You really want to have kids with me..?”

“Sweet girl. I have for years now. Sadly someone beat me to the punch. But she still is mine. Forever and always.” I sigh as i wipe away the last of the few tears. “How about we turn this TV off and go back to bed? Sound good?”

“Yeah.” I nod my head. He smiles and reaches for the TV remote. He turns the TV off and places the remote back on the bedside table. He leans down and helps me get cuddled under the covers again. He climbs back to his side and climbs under them as well. He snuggles up closely behind me, placing a protective hand over my bump. A soft kick hits his hand.

“Goodnight to you baby girl.” Seb mumbles sleepily as he sits up a little. He rubs my belly and kisses my cheek softly. “You too.”

[something--wicked]

vent

so todays my first day on wellbutrin

i was on prozac for 5 years and now weening off and starting wellbutrin bc i was having constant panic attacks related to my hypochondriasis. and i keep seeing a lot of ppl saying that wellbutrin side effects are nausea, dizziness and a lot of worse stuff thats making me more anxious

but i want this medication to work so bad because i just wanna go one night without getting nauseous and dizzy for no reason, which inevitably turns into a panic attack bc im convinced that im dying

vaping cbd oil helps out with the anxiety but im just so tired of feeling like shit and feeling like my eyes cant focus and feeling disoriented im just tired of it

i cant even eat my safe foods anymore cuz they have been making me nauseous and im too scared of throwing up or inducing a panic attack to try to eat and i just dont know whats wrong and it just sucks right now

on top of that im starting college in a month and i still dont have any idea how im gonna pay for it, i have my driver license test next week and if i pass i have no idea how im gonna pay for the insurance, i still need to get a job but with how much anxiety and general shitty feelings im having now i cant imagine trying to go into work every day and functioning all day

and if i let my mind wander for even a second my brain convinces me that whatever normal body function im feeling is a symptom of a deadly disease that will kill me within minutes. like ive never really burped my whole life i just couldnt do it, and like 2 months ago i suddenly gained the ability to burp and lately my brain has been trying to convince me i have stomach cancer. being on wellbutrin now i live in a constant state of fear that im about to have a seizure. if i go too long without eating and start feeling faint then im scared that im about to fall into a coma from low blood sugar even tho im not diabetic?? if i feel slightly hot which is always cuz i live in texas in a house without central air conditioning, i get convinced that i have an extremely high fever and im gonna drop dead from an infection. ive gotten headaches constantly my whole life and now that ive had one bc of switching meds im convinced im gonna have an aneurysm and die. if my arm hurts for just a second too long im convinced im having a heart attack. if i can hear my heart beating then im just sitting there waiting for it to explode or something cuz it has to be going too fast. i just cant function like this when im in a constant state of panic over every single thing and i dont even know why im feeling like this in the first place!! why am i dizzy and nauseous and spacey ?? i take my vitamins and i stay hydrated but i still feel like shit constantly and theres nothing i can do about it cuz nobody knows whats wrong!!

right now i feel hungry and my stomach is growling, and i saw a warning for a rare side effect of wellbutrin that manifests by spaceyness, and extreme hunger. guess what im scared of now. yep. thats my life.

i just wanna go to a doctors office and have them perform every single possible test on me. put me thru an mri, do every blood test imaginable, give me every kind of scan or exam there is, just do everything so i can know whats going on in there and tell me that im fine and there is nothing physically wrong with me and that im not suffering from stomach cancer, diabetes, heart failure, epilepsy, brain cancer, and lung cancer all at once . because my brain legit convinces me that i am and its so exhausting. im tired of it

I just wanna feel normal and not live like this anymore

[arnulfo02k0173-blog]

Ending The Cyclical Ketogenic Diet - Is It Necessary?

Low not really any fat weight loss plans are frequently the wrong way invest when shopping burn physique. Healthier fats certainly are a tremendous element of fat burning diets. Often if you appear at the nutrition content of weight food there will be sugar even more. Sugar itself is really a low fat food, naturally eating sugars may cause you in order to fat. This is the reason diets regarding weight watcherscommonly don't excel. I have known people who conserve their points and waste them on empty sugar loaded food possessions.

Without going to too much detail, Kapple Keto Ingredients Keto Review the reason for 1-2 era of high carb intake is refill the glycogen stores in muscle tissues. Glycogen is the main source of food inside your muscles. Anyone use your muscles throughout the week (hopefully you use your muscles), glycogen reserves slowly sets out to empty. Therefore, increasing carb intake a couple of days a week fills the muscle energy tanks additional. Now you're ready to go to the gym with full force! The next thing that require to focus on is insulin resistance. Will be also in order to as starvation all forms. When you introduce carbohydrates into the diet, hyperinsulinemia and blood swings may occur. Is definitely due for the change within the levels of enzymes inside your body. The enzymes that are primarily affected are and the great that have concerns in carbs or fats burning. Given that body has not been fed with carbs, ending a ketogenic diet furthermore mean how the 'down regulation' will be changed. Staying on the ketogenic diet will keep insulin needs in level. Carbohydrates have always created problems if anyone else is with troubles. Depending dealing with your day, odor intense your training will be, you might like to have a quarter to half of a typical sweet potato at lunch with butter and a tablespoon of coconut gel. Along with each meal, have some protein and fats like steak, cottage cheese, whey protein, peanut butter, in addition to. (I have an example diet on the website.) Completely want consume small, frequent meals about every 2 to 2 and one half hours. Your body will adjust and if possible be for you to feeling fine. I'm going to pick on Dr. Low carb. He has a associated with a keto diet. While feasible to eat very few carbs for long period of time, recognize you to be able to? You're more irritable and a person terrible breath just details a few pounds in short order? No thanks. Instead operate on doing effortless you know you can stick with for a lengthy time. In the end, I learned that eating small, frequent meals was necessary. I also learned that eating low carbohydrate diet, and a diet high in fat, fiber and protein was primary to me being live a "normal" and active life again. It took a moment for myself to adjust. In the beginning my stamina were low and I would personally get tired easily, creating a month or so I had adjusted with my new diet system down to be able to science. So we now know how to calculate the calorie requirements but how about the get ripped practice? Well your fortunate! When excess fat and muscle maintenance is the goal your workout routine isn't incredibly interesting. Now some people lose so much of strength when drop bodyweight, others not in such a way. Your workout should maintain same involving intensity and rep number. What generally happens though is people cant do as many sets, which isn't OK because we are maintaining as well as want retain muscle group. So if you bench 190lb for 4 sets of 8 but during this dieting phase can only get 2-3 sets of 8 but maintain the 190lb weight that is perfectly thin. Effective Carbs can be divided into two basic groups: simple and complex sweets. Simple carbs are rapidly turned into glucose by the Kapple Keto Ingredients diet facts body while complex carbs (which, simply because the name implies, are more in structure) generally a lot more time to convert to glucose. The first area then one of function things that you will want to consider when pursuing your own rock star body is the food and meal choices. You want to make sure how the foods you are consuming are depending on goal you have selected. If you're carrying a little bit of extra weight, obviously you are have get rid of some than me. How do you determine the amount fat you should lose? Have your weight checked with professional at one of the big gyms or work with a personal trainer. After this is done, you will discover how many calories vegetables and fruit consume each day.

[denisalvney]

How Jennifer the Photographer Discovered a Love of Strength Training, Lost 20 Pounds, and Leveled up Her Life.

“This is why we do this.”

When I heard Jennifer’s story, I knew I had to share it.

She’s a member of the Nerd Fitness community who for years struggled with things most of us can relate to:

Seeking comfort in sugary foods and alcohol.

A lack of energy and all around feeling of fatigue.

An eating disorder as a teenager that created an unhealthy relationship with food.

Not knowing her next step towards a healthier lifestyle.

Jennifer found herself stuck in this pattern until rock bottom presented itself: divorce.

When bad times strike, it becomes easy to slip further into bad habits and vices.

Jennifer knew this and realized she had to turn her life around.

Six months ago, she did just that.

Today, Jennifer loves strength training and is the strongest she’s ever been. She changed her views on food and nutrition and is no longer intimidated by the kitchen. Jennifer recently completed her first 8k, something she couldn’t have dreamed of doing before.

And oh, Jennifer just came back from an epic photography trip where her new found stamina and strength allowed her to hike mountains to capture some awesome shots:

That’s her!

I’m honored that Jennifer has been a member of our 1-on-1 Online Coaching program since August, and has used our guidance to level up her life!

While strength training and getting comfortable in the kitchen are important, the real success for Jennifer has been with her mindset. She knows she can’t change everything at once and is using one small change to spring into another change and then another, using each as a stepping stone to the next.

This new frame of mind is something we can all learn from.

It’s how Jennifer was able to transform so quickly and lose 20 pounds in a healthy, sustainable way. While it seems like changing everything at once is the quickest way to success, it’s often too stressful and thus abandoned.

However, if you do what Jennifer did, and start with one simple habit like a food journal – it can start improving other areas of your life too.

You don’t need to hear it from me though…

Let’s bring in Jennifer!

HOW JENNIFER THE PHOTOGRAPHER LOST 20 POUNDS AND LEVELED UP HER LIFE

STEVE: Hi Jennifer! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me.

I’d love to hear from you about your past – can you describe a normal day for you before you joined NF Coaching?

JENNIFER: My day was pretty random, with no real set schedule. It would be hard for me to get up in the morning, and then I’d have an unhealthy breakfast – the American South is full of delicious things like biscuits and fried foods. Later in the day, I’d often find myself needing to take a long nap.

Looking back, I did not have any sort of set schedule and spent my days with a foggy brain and zero energy.

STEVE: I hear ya. A super carb heavy and sugary breakfast can send your blood sugar on a rollercoaster for the day. Sometimes a nap is the only way off of it.

What changed? What made you invest in yourself by joining Nerd Fitness Coaching last summer?

JENNIFER: I had a really horrific divorce and hit an all time low. I moved out of my home in Seattle, WA, back to my hometown in North Carolina. Sometimes you just have to escape your surroundings.

I found myself comforting with sugary foods and alcohol. You know, totally healthy antidepressants.

This really started to take a toll on my body.

I had a moment of clarity then, as I realized I just didn’t have enough knowledge or drive to make changes on my own. I’m a believer in the “spoon theory,” which is a metaphor you see around the internet, which helps explain the limited amount of energy we face.

Imagine having twelve spoons handed to you each morning. Every task or difficult scenario takes a spoon from you. Often at the end of the day, you have no more “spoons” to give.

I knew I’d be much more successful with a routine that didn’t require any “spoons” to get to the gym. Instead, I could just start with workouts from home.

It was right about then I decided to give the Nerd Fitness Coaching program a try. I decided I wanted to be told exactly what to do, which again would require less “spoons” from me.

STEVE: I love the analogy of “spoons!” We’ve talked here in the past that willpower can be a finite resource for many. By the end of the day, you really can just be drained. Our philosophy on the subject matches your thoughts on spoon theory. That’s why we always encourage people to design systems that have the least amount of friction and require the least amount of willpower, or “spoons.”

I’m glad you realized this and wanted to create a system where you could start working out from home. You can grow the practice into a gym routine (or not) later. The important thing is finding a system that allows you to start TODAY.

You’ve been with coach Evan now for six months. Can you talk to me a little bit about what he had you do?

JENNIFER: Evan started me out just counting calories, learning about the foods I ate, and getting used to comfortably logging my meals.

I had an eating disorder as a teenager. Hyper-focusing on everything I was eating and logging it all was really starting to trigger a lot of anxiety and bad memories in the beginning.

But I told Evan all of this at our first meeting and he has been very good about helping me completely turn my perspective around about tracking my meals. He told me not to have any judgment about what I was eating, and to view the practice as a scientist collecting data.

That perspective helped (Steve’s note: woo! Science rules!)

For exercise, Evan started me out just taking a walk every day, followed shortly by some basic bodyweight exercises. At first, these were really tough, because I was really out of shape to start. I’d end most sessions a sweaty exhausted mess on the floor.

Then Evan added in more dumbbell exercises (I have a small set at home and borrowed a bench from my family) and I instantly fell in love with those exercises! Evan made sure to add more of those into my routine as well.

STEVE: That’s great to hear Jennifer. It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of strength training.

What’s your routine like now? What else is Evan having you do?

JENNIFER: 5 months in, I’m even more of an avid walker. I walk daily, sometimes over 5 miles, or sometimes shorter if my walking buddies bail on me.

Total flakes (j/k, I love you guys).

I do strength training 3 days a week with a combination of bodyweight and dumbbell exercises.

We just introduced some yoga routines to both help with stress relief and to help with stretching and mobility. I have had some issues with cranky muscles and joints on occasion, which yoga is helping with.

The whole experience has been crazy to me.

I’ve gotten to the point where I enjoy some kind of physical activity every day of the week.  

And fell IN LOVE with lifting weights.

It is damn satisfying to see myself becoming a chick with “guns.”

At this point, I have bigger biceps than my father and brother, haha. I am loving every second of that. It feels so good to be strong and be able to handle things on my own.

As a female, that is even more important to me because society is pretty much built around telling us women that we can’t be strong enough and we cannot do things on our own. I am fed up with that cultural stereotype!

As an aside, prior to joining NF Coaching, I was greatly inspired by Staci’s story and transformation. I like to think I’m following in her footsteps.

STEVE: Yes! I love it. I think everyone should follow a strength training practice: man, woman, child, grandparent, self-aware robot… all of them! I’m really glad you found this new passion.

Also, I’m glad you found inspiration from Staci! Many a rebel around here have also changed their lives after reading about Staci.

You sent over some awesome pics of a recent trip in Scotland. Can you talk to me a little bit about that?

JENNIFER: It was my goal in 2018 to do a hiking trip in Scotland. With Evan’s help, I got enough strength and endurance to do exactly that!

I went on a photography workshop on the Isle of Skye and completed the most difficult hike I have ever done up to a rock structure called the Old Man of Storr. It was one of the proudest moments of my life. I couldn’t have done it without Evan’s help. So I am quite grateful.

I wanted to be able to do the mountain hikes with all my heavy camera gear on my back, without being assigned to the group of folks who couldn’t do as much. I knew I was in no shape to do it originally.

However, Evan and I created a plan, executed it, and boom! Up the mountain I went.

I can do so many cool things with my body that I wasn’t able to do 5 months ago! I power walked my first 8k about a month after starting with Evan. It was hard but I had built the endurance from walking every single day before it.

STEVE: I think it’s so great that you worked towards a goal and then hit it. I often encourage people to try and build up strength for an event. Something like a marathon, a ski trip, or in your case a photography workshop on the top of a mountain.

It gives you something to shoot for, something to motivate you to work out when it seems so much easier to skip it. I’m glad you created a goal for yourself, made a plan with your coach, and then nailed it!

Your physical appearance has changed. What else has changed about you?

JENNIFER: I’ve had vast improvements in my posture which I think in turn has improved my self-confidence.

There’s something about standing straight and tall with your shoulders back that makes you feel a bit like a badass. Someone who can conquer anything the day will throw at you.

I’ve also battled depression for most of my adult life. And while it by no means is cured, the severity of it has been lessened by the daily physical activity and improved nutrition.

All around, today I have the general ability to do more things because I have more energy and focus than I used to.

I still have days when I get overly stressed out and go a bit off the rails with my nutrition and make unhealthy choices. However, I appreciate Nerd Fitness for the “never twice in a row” mindset. It keeps me from feeling like an utter failure if I have a day with too much pizza or delicious cake or something. I just know the next day, it’s time for me to get back on track.

STEVE: That’s so cool! I’m happy “never twice in a row” resonated with you. I think it’s an important tool for preventing bad habits from developing. When people slip up (and we all slip up), it can become so easy to continue. Having a motto that stops this trend from continuing is a game-changer. I’m proud of you Jennifer.  

You mentioned a need to adjust your relationship with food. Can you talk to me a little bit about that? What’s your nutrition strategy like now?

JENNIFER: I’m proud to say I’ve changed my relationship with food. I’ve always used food as a comfort. Knowing this, I was really nervous about even just logging my food. Looking back though, it was such an important first step.

Tracking everything I was eating was eye-opening.

It helped me see what I was putting into my body, which gave me more confidence and determination in the kitchen. As of today, I’ve conquered cooking all kinds of foods, founds healthy recipes I enjoy, and am beginning to work on meal prep. Evan has a strategy for me to plan ahead on food preparation.

Healthy eating really has been a game changer. I am much more clear-headed today than I was six months ago, and I credit nutrition as a huge reason why.

I don’t really follow Paleo or anything like that.

Coach Evan has introduced me more into a “If It Fits Your Macros” style of eating. He really hammered in the thought that I had to eat protein with every meal.

I’ve also drastically reduced my sugar and alcohol consumption, although I’ll still indulge from time to time. Going back to “If It Fits Your Macros,” if I know I’m going to be eating dessert or having some drinks, I’ll plan for it and reduce my calories and carbs beforehand. Again though, I’m doing this less and less. I actually prefer healthier foods now, to be honest.

STEVE: That’s great to hear you say that. We here at Nerd Fitness continuously remind everyone that 80-90% of the weight loss comes down to nutrition. Not only that, but REAL food just makes you feel better. Which will give you more energy to workout. I’m glad that Evan has helped you see a plate of food differently.

What are you still working on? What new habits are you trying to develop?

JENNIFER: I am still establishing a fixed routine for sleeping and waking up, which is definitely something that has been a struggle to do. I have seen improvements though.

I’ve created a pretty solid breakfast routine, prioritizing protein. Oftentimes it’ll be cottage cheese, which I never realized I’d like!

I also have a glass of water upon waking up, which has been a good change.  

Earlier I mentioned I started doing yoga. I’m experimenting with doing it first thing in the morning.

My biggest challenge for creating a successful morning routine is going to bed on time. I would say this is still a work in progress. One habit at a time.

STEVE: Getting to bed on time can be such a critical step. I’ve struggled with being a “morning person” myself, but it really is worth pursuing the routine. Keep at it, Jennifer!

Do you have any words of advice for somebody who hasn’t invested in any program and can’t seem to make any progress?

JENNIFER: Don’t fall into the perfectionistic trap that I did and feel like you have to do ALL the things at once or you are a total failure. No human can dive into deep water before learning to swim.

Trying to do that is like taking a starter character in World of Warcraft and heading straight to a high-level dungeon: you’ll get trampled.

If you cannot commit to a program or feel overwhelmed that’s completely okay. Start small. Pick a small change and stick to that and build onto that routine once you’ve gotten comfortable. This way you slowly mold yourself into the person you want to be.  

I loved RPGs and grew up during the NES and SNES era and building good habits and getting healthy feels exactly like those games in a way. You don’t start at level 99,999 doing max damage to everything. You level up from the beginning and gain spells and abilities along the way and your character slowly evolves into the one you want it to be.

I think the Nerd Fitness “Level Up Your Life” motto is incredibly accurate.

Great change is made by accomplishing many smaller changes. And you’re so much less likely to become discouraged and just rage-quit if you go about change this way.

STEVE: That’s amazing Jennifer. You nailed the whole philosophy on “Level Up Your Life.” Start small, and before you know it you’re a top-level mage slaying dragons with ice spells. Or in your case, climbing up mountains.

Alright, one last question: you’ve already used some of our language, but what makes you a nerd?

JENNIFER: I consider myself a multi-dimensional nerd! If that’s not a phrase I am deeming it thus. I’ve loved video games since I was very small. Loved all the NES and Mario games, as well as the Zelda series and RPGs like Chrono Trigger and the Final Fantasy series.

I’ve played World of Warcraft with an awesome guild of all women for over 10 years.

Shout out to Daughters of the Alliance!

Comics are also a love. My absolute favorite is Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, and pretty much anything else he or David Mack have been involved in. I pretty much love all things nerdy.

STEVE: I do love me some Neil Gaiman too – I actually have Vol 1 of Sandman sitting on my coffee table! Thank you for taking the time to speak with me, Jennifer! All the best!

THE SIX KEYS TO JENNIFER’S WEIGHT LOSS AND LEVEL UP SUCCESS!

In speaking with Jennifer, I realized she had a few great traits which helped her succeed.

Lots of people embark on a fitness journey. Unfortunately, many of them are exactly where they started six months later.

Jennifer is different. In half a year, she’s changed her relationship with food, begun strength training, and has taken an epic trip.

After a rough patch, she used hitting rock bottom to turn her life around.

In speaking with her, and analyzing her choices and decisions, I think there are six traits that set Jennifer apart.

Here’s what we can learn from Jennifer’s success:

#1) JENNIFER STOPPED RELYING ON WILLPOWER

I love Jennifer’s “spoon” analogy. She knew she only had so much energy, only so much willpower, to get things done. So she sought a system that would require the least amount from her:

Instead of buying a gym membership she would never use, she started working out from her home.

Jennifer started with simple bodyweight exercises, a solid strategy to build momentum

Once she got a little more comfortable from working out at home, she starting using dumbbells and a bench press that she had access to. Again, all from home.

Working out and going to the gym are not tied together. If you have limited experience and/or motivation, start by doing simple bodyweight exercises at home. This is what Jennifer did!

Second, know that working out gives you more energy. Which can help give you more willpower. Which can help you embark on other habits like cooking or meal prep.

If you want to head to a gym for exercise, great! I do. However, if you have a hard time motivating yourself to leave the house, it doesn’t have to be the only option.

Starting small requires less willpower, which can help make your actions more likely to become routine.

#2) JENNIFER INVESTED IN HERSELF AND ASKED FOR HELP

Continuing on the theme of limited willpower, Jennifer knew she needed to do things differently. She saw herself with destructive habits that needed to be changed.

Doing it alone seemed impossible. It was hard enough for Jennifer to get out of bed and face the day. She knew that creating a plan and then sticking with it would require a lot of energy. Energy and willpower she was already having trouble coming up with.

So she asked for help. Jennifer wanted “Someone in MY corner to help cheer me on and guide me into a better way of living.” I’m proud that she reached out to us for that someone, and that she made a connection with her NF Coach, Evan.

It’s okay to ask for help! Knowing what to do, how to do it, and how to tell if it’s working requires a lot of energy. Some can do it alone. But many can’t. Asking for help, and then being willing to invest in that help can be a life-changing decision. Jennifer knew this and was willing to take the step to hire someone to create a plan and help her execute it.

I’ve had an online coach myself for 4 years and it has changed my life.

#3) JENNIFER HAD DRAGONS TO SLAY

I love that Jennifer planned a photography workshop in Scotland that required some physical strength and endurance. Hiking up a mountain with camera equipment isn’t easy, and Jennifer knew she’d have to train if she was going to make it.

So she asked for help, developed a plan on how to do it, and followed the plan. And boom! She was able to hike up her equipment for her class.

Having a goal gave Jennifer her “Big Why.”

When Jennifer started logging her food, it gave her anxiety. When she first started working out, she would be exhausted. When her walking buddies bailed on her, she went anyway.

Jennifer did these things because she knew they were part of a plan to get her up the Old Man of Storr in Scotland. Without doing the work, she would never get to the top. She would have to be part of the group that stuck to the sidelines.

Having a goal can provide the “Big Why.” When things get tough (and they will get tough), knowing “why” you are working hard can make all the difference.

Perhaps you want to go skiing with your kids and don’t want to be exhausted halfway through. Maybe there’s a marathon your friends are doing, and you want to go with them. Perhaps it’s practicing pull-ups so you can go tag along with your spouse who loves rock climbing.

Having a “Big Why” can be the key to making or breaking a fitness journey. And what happens after you slay a dragon? You go find a bigger dragon!

4#) JENNIFER STARTED HER JOURNEY WITH SMALL STEPS

Jennifer began with two small habits that most people can start today:

Jennifer started logging her food.

Jennifer started taking a daily walk.

We often advise people to pick a small habit they can imagine sticking with permanently. Once this becomes part of a normal routine, they can think about picking another.

This can be better than planning on “Going full Paleo, start rock climbing, and beginning a ballroom dancing practice.” If you don’t do any of these things currently, it could be very tough to start doing them all at once.

And we all know temporary changes produce temporary results. We want results that last!

That’s why Coach Evan had Jennifer start with small changes she could actually sustain.

For nutrition changes, Evan just had Jennifer track her food.

No judgment. No “eat this, not that.”

Just a log of everything she was consuming. Once Jennifer got comfortable doing this, and only once Jennifer became comfortable doing this, did Evan start to make recommendations for adjustments.

Jennifer also started small with exercises: just a walk.

Walking is a great start for a fitness journey (it’s also a great way to get to Mordor). It’ll get your heart rate up and your muscles moving, and it’s something you can do around your neighborhood. Even just a five-minute walk is a great start. Once you get in the habit of that, you can make take it to 10 minutes or even a full mile. If you start this way, eventually you can be like Jennifer and crush miles each and every day.

After you get in the habit of walking, you can switch to picking up some weights every other day. The habit of walking is easy to adapt to another exercise practice, like strength training.

“Instead of my 2pm walk, it’s now my 2pm bench press time.”

Be like Jennifer and start small. Once the habit is built, you can work to grow it from there.

5#) JENNIFER PLANNED ON WHAT TO DO WHEN SHE FELL DOWN

It brought a smile to my face when I heard Jennifer say “never two in a row.”

It’s a great frame of mind to keep.

Things will come up. You will miss a workout. You will have some beers and eat pizza. You will sleep in and miss your walking groups AM meeting. Your kid will get sick.

When you miss these things consistently, you start creating bad habits. And what you do most of the time is how you create a healthy life.

Missing one workout is okay. Missing two is bad because then it’s really easy to miss three.

Eating pizza is fine. But “once and a while” can quickly become an “everyday” thing. Continue this for too long and then you’re just living off pizza!

“Never two in a row” provides a framework for making sure bad habits don’t develop:

“If I miss today’s workout, there is no way I’m missing tomorrow’s.”

“If I eat pizza tonight, it’s eggs and a little bit of fruit in the morning.”

Create a mindset of stopping these things before they get out of hand. Be like Jennifer and create a plan on what to do when you inevitable stray from the path.

6#) JENNIFER IS HAVING FUN ALONG THE WAY

Jennifer considers herself a work in progress. When you think about it, we’re all works in progress!  She knows this. But she is having fun now, which makes the days ahead seem sustainable.

We are not on a month-long journey. We are in this for the rest of our lives. To make sure we stick with it, we need to have fun! And as I say in this video: we stop thinking in terms of “weeks and months,” and instead start thinking in terms of “days and years”

Jennifer legitimately loves strength training. You can tell she’s looking forward to one day doing pull-ups.

Jennifer likes eating nutritious food and loves how much energy she derives from those meals.

My favorite part: she views where she’s at as an experiment. She highlights this when she talks about her morning routine and yoga. She’s still not sure how to get the AM just right and thinks a little yoga in the morning might help. She’ll try it to see if it works. If it doesn’t, she’ll try something else.

IN SIX MONTHS, CAN YOU TURN YOUR LIFE AROUND LIKE JENNIFER?

All of us will hit tough spots in life.

Maybe it’s losing a job. Perhaps it’s a sick family member. Or a child that’s struggling in school.

For Jennifer, it was a nasty divorce. At first, she coped in the ways many of us cope: food and alcohol.

Jennifer decided this couldn’t continue. So she sought help. And in six months time, Jennifer has leveled up her life. She can pursue her passion for photography and not be afraid of the literal mountain ahead. She knows the shot at the top of the climb, is not only worth it, but doable.

Where will you be six months from now?

It’s enough time to build some great healthy habits as Jennifer did. However, it’s also a short enough time which can fly by if you’re not looking.

If you’re standing in the same place you were six months ago, think about what you can learn from Jennifer:

Don’t rely on willpower, build systems. Take the path of least resistance. Instead of starting with an hour-long workout program at the gym, start with exercises you can do at home.

Ask for help. You are not the first person who has tried to get fit. It’s okay to reach out to those who’ve had success, or those who have helped others. You don’t have to do this alone.

Have a goal. A “Big Why” can be critical when things get tough. When everyone is ordering pizza, or the gym seems so far away, having a goal can help you remember why you are putting in all the work.

Start small. Don’t try and change every aspect of your life tomorrow. Some can handle this approach, but most can’t. Adopt one habit you can see yourself sticking with and grow it from there.

Plan for failure. Things will come up. Having a motto like “never two in a row” can help prevent one instance of a slip up into turning into a reoccurring habit.

Have fun. Getting fit is not a 30-day experiment. It really is about a lifestyle. Pick and choose things you have fun doing. This will help ensure your new habits are sustainable.

If you relate to Jennifer and find yourself in a tough spot, we can help you turn it around.

Depending on your current situation, our 1-on-1 NF Coaching Program might be just what you need. We help people everyday complete life overhauls.

If you’re trying to get in shape, searching for a new way of eating, or want help developing a strength training practice, we know exactly how to get you there. You can learn more by clicking on the big box below and scheduling a free call with our team!

The next six months will come and go no matter what you do today.

I’d love it if half a year from now, you tell me Jennifer’s story was something you related to. Which inspired you to make some changes.

You started walking every day. You began a food journal. You finally decided to ask for help.

As always, if you do need somewhere to go for help, you know Nerd Fitness will be here.

For the Rebellion!

-Steve

PS: I want to give a special shout out to Jennifer’s Coach Evan, who has been the Dumbledore to her Hermione over these past 6 months. And I’m proud of Jennifer’s success and can’t wait to see what she does next.

If you are somebody that wants to have your own Yoda guiding you in the ways of the Force, check out or 1-on-1 coaching program, and I could be sharing YOUR story six months from now!

PPS: Speaking of success stories…If you’ve had success with any aspect of Nerd Fitness, whether it’s our free workouts, Academy, or Coaching, email us! Send your story to contact(at)NerdFitness(dot)com and let us know so we can share your adventure with the galaxy!

PPPS: We are very grateful to Guinevere’s Mirror, who provided some epic shots of Jennifer for this article.

How Jennifer the Photographer Discovered a Love of Strength Training, Lost 20 Pounds, and Leveled up Her Life. published first on https://www.nerdfitness.com

[dietcoachesofamerica]

After decades of fad diets and magic supplements, and with obesity still very much on the rise, our society is finally starting to grasp that a healthy lifestyle does not come with an easy pill.

Everyone seems to be trying to eat healthier and exercise, and I like to believe our generation has contributed quite a great deal to this sudden interest in living well-balanced, healthy lives.

Below is a list of eight simple, manageable, low-cost tips to help you get rid of some bad eating habits and replace them with newones:

1. Write down everything you eat.

In order to gain complete control over your diet, the starting point is having a complete overview of what you actually put in your body. You can start off by simply writing a food journal for a week.

Then, sit down and look for any patterns you can find. See if there is a specific time or day when you snack more, what your dinners usually look like and when you tend to eat the most.

Turn this end-of-the-week introspection into a habit. You can only write down what you eat, or you can actually begin tracking all of your macros.

Using one of the calorie-counter apps available makes tracking all of your macro- and micro-nutrients super easy, and you get a fantastic insight into what your diet actually looks like.

2. Avoid eating alone or in a hurry.

Besides enjoying good company, having a meal with other people will also help you avoid mindless overeating, which often includes gulping down meals in front of one of the many screens our 21st century lives have to offer, or even right there in our cars.

Sit down for every one of your meals and make an event out of it. Take your time and focus on the food in front of you.

Enjoy its smell, the richness of taste and even its appearance. Thoroughly chew every bite and pay attention to how your body responds. Notice when you feel full, and stop eating when you know youve had enough.

3. Be more active in everything you do.

I dont know about you, but for a long time, I was desperately trying to find the time for exercise in my busy schedule.

Often, that would naturally lead to the commonly known excuse of not having enough time to simply be active, when in fact, putting our bodies in motion is one of the most natural things a human does to exist in this world.

So, start using your legs more. Take the stairs (not the elevator), ride your bike to work if you have that option, play with your dog more often, take a walk instead of watching TV or spending useless time onthe internet and simply stretch every hour or so, especially if you spend your days cramped in front of the computer.

Basically, move out of your head and start using your body more.

4. Fill your plate with veggies first.

There is more than one upside to this habit.

Firstly, if you fill up your plate with low-calorie food (vegetables are ideal), you immediately perceive your plate as full and can barely find the place to add more food.

Secondly, if you eat those veggies before you attack that huge steak waiting for you, you just might discover your belly is actually quite full already.

And thirdly, vegetables are simply good for you. You might have heard the story of green veggies that are magicalbecause of their high-fiber content and tons of vitamins before.

And you might just hate me right now for stating this obvious fact again, but try eating two or three times as much vegetables than what you are used to, and trust me, your entire digestive system will thank you.

5. Feed your body with complex carbs.

Let go of the ancient belief that a low-carb diet is the best way to go.

The truth is, your body needs more carbohydrates than any other nutrient. The myth of getting slim by eliminating carbs from your diet is based on the fact simple carbs indeed do you no good, since your body processes them much too quickly, which leads to a rapid rise and then a rapid fall of your blood sugar.

This leaves you feeling sluggish, drained of all energy and, quite often, a bit bloated.

So, how to ditch this habit with little effort? Think in terms of substitutions, instead of eliminations.

Once you start tracking what you eat, focus on the meals where you consume most of your carbs, and make sure you substitute them with complex carbs. Some of the best choices are whole grains(oatmeal, whole wheat bread, brown rice, corn, quinoa), green vegetables, starchy vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and fruits.

6. Make sure you get enough healthy fats.

Much like carbs, fats also have a certain bad reputation with people trying to lose weight. Over the past couple of decades, everything diet-worthy seemed to be either low-fat or low-carb.

So, I cant stress enough how essential fatty acids are actually crucial for your well-being. The situation is again similar to carbs: You have bad fats (trans fats and saturated fats)and good fats (monounsaturatedand polyunsaturated fats).

Bad fats really are bad for you because they raise your cholesterol level, and they are the reason most people trying to eat right are avoiding all fats.

But mono- and polyunsaturated fats are good for your health, since they actually help lower your cholesterol and reduce your risk for heart disease. My tip is again the same as with carbs.

Find substitutions you will fall in love with. For example, coconut oil, olive oil, cod fish liver oil, nuts, avocados or nut butter are all great options to add to your diet.

7. Eat plenty of lean protein.

Protein is the macro that plays a crucial role in every single function of our bodies.

It also plays a very important role in your diet, if you are trying to lose or even maintain weight, since it boosts your metabolism and helps to reduce appetite. It keeps you full and satisfied longer.

Some great options are Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, quark and eggs. Try soy milk, tofu, tempeh or legumes if you want to avoid animal proteinaltogether.

If you eat meat, then go for chicken or turkey breasts, tuna, tilapia, salmon, etc.

8. Find balance in everything you do.

Last but not least, dont restrict yourself and dont torment yourself over every single thing you didnt do according to your plan.

Once you accept the only person in the world you should explain yourself to is you, it will be much easier to treat your body the way it deserves to be treated.

If you want to lose weight, get fit, eat clean or anything else, you most probably already know what you need to do. The only reason youre still not doing it is because you feel you should play by other peoples rules to achieve that goal.

But its your body, your life, your goal and your rules.

If you know you cant live without chocolate, then dont put yourself on a restricted diet that doesnt allow you to eat anything but fruits for a month, just because a friend supposedly lost 20 pounds doing it.

And then dont beat yourself up when you binge on chocolate after a really good week. Find what works for you and you alone.

Read more:

[badgummy]

my esteemed fucking faculty is just about riding a grand chariot up the valley of my ass right now and building goddamn empires on the foundation of the six thousand words ive already written this week combined on summatives that arent even finals and i still have more to do. you think studying is gonna be cute and organized and neat and fun and then you have to actually do it, and with anything less then a perfect attention span you turn around and realize youre actually on fire, and its not only you but all of your grades too. thinking about almost being out of school is painful because i know im going to have to ignore people i like spending time with and things i love to do to get this bullshit done. thinking about actually drawing right now makes me want to throw up. thats the most alarming thing thats happened to me in a long long while. i have never been more unhappy with anything i produce and when i get the one hour a night to actually do whatever i want before i pass out from low blood sugar and exhaustion at 9:30 pm, i end up doing jack shit because i cant even pull together a decent essay with 10+ hours how the hell do i expect myself to pull art out of my ass like that. so i dont anymore. nobody outside of schools able to do anything for me and everyone in it is too busy to be bothered with that right now. so here i am, left with one solution which is to power through, and instead im using my break to whine like a little pissbaby. im giving up art and people to focus on this and my underlying fear is that im not going to want to get back into it. its never been like this before.

[type2diabetestreatments-blog]

5 Tips on Thriving with Diabetes From Diabetic Powerlifter Chris Ruden

New Post has been published on http://type2diabetestreatment.net/diabetes-type-1/5-tips-on-thriving-with-diabetes-from-diabetic-powerlifter-chris-ruden/

5 Tips on Thriving with Diabetes From Diabetic Powerlifter Chris Ruden

Your meals are planned for the day, you prebolus when needed, and you are doing everything you should to manage your diabetes successfully. You check you sugar expecting a near perfect number—183.

Seriously? How can I do the same thing day to day, using my years of diabetes experience and still mess up? This is when negative thoughts start to fill your mind and you feel you are losing this uphill battle of managing diabetes.

The uphill battle of managing diabetes is perfectly depicted by a story in greek mythology.

Sisyphus was a deceitful, self-aggrandizing king that was punished to role an enormous boulder up a steep mountain every day, only to watch it come back to hit him — and he was to repeat this action for the rest of eternity.

While Zeus himself probably hasn’t punished us all with diabetes for being deceitful, there are times when managing diabetes seems like a futile, uphill battle—similar to Sisyphus and the boulder. The mundane process of checking blood sugar 4-10+ times a day, counting every carb, correcting blood sugars, and living with the mental burden of the disease can really dim our outlook on life at times.

We are forced to carry our burden as there is no cure yet, but just because we cannot control having diabetes does not mean we cannot control some of the variables and our reaction to diabetes.

Here are 5 steps to beat diabetes daily:

Step #1 Have Your Medical Management Strategy Down

It’s surprising to know that a lot of diabetics struggle with managing their sugars because they are not aware of important factors that affect blood sugar like insulin to carb ratio, how to prebolus, insulin correction factor, and even how different nutrients affect blood sugar. It is vital that you have an up to date team of medical professionals in your corner.

Your Endocrinologist should provide you with a comprehensive medical management plan, detailing how to control your blood sugars around your lifestyle. Make sure you have every scenario covered from low blood sugars to high blood sugars to being social and how to dose your insulin correctly.

When your medical management plan aligns with your lifestyle, dealing with diabetes daily isn’t as much of a burden compared to when you are wildly guessing how to manage your sugars.

Step #2 Build a Mental Management Strategy for Diabetes

The difference between humans and animals is that we have the ability to control our reaction to situations— even if we can’t necessarily control the situation itself.

It is not our fault that we have diabetes but there is no benefit in dragging yourself into depression, wondering what you did to deserve this diagnosis. That is reactive thinking that does nothing to better you and actually just holds you back from living your life with quality.

Reactive thinkers wish things were different, stress over things they can’t control, and live life in a state of “why me.” Proactive thinkers acknowledge what is out of their control (diabetes) and what is in their control (their actions and reactions to situations.

I’m not saying to be overbearingly positive in a burning building as an attempt to escape a bad reality. Proactive thinkers focus on what they can control and understand that putting their energy into things they can’t change is wasted energy and self-sabotaging.

Whether it is hard or easy to put into practice, it needs to be done. When you choose to start being proactive with your perception of your diabetes, you start making less self-deprecating choices that lead you toward hopelessness and more choices that lead you to understanding you are always in control in some way, shape, or form.

Step #3 Socialize For Strength

The diabetic online community is a wealth of social support, offering the empathetic advice that we often desire yet cant find in our day to day lives. Although there are thousands of people with type 1 diabetes, it is rare to have a personal friend with diabetes to support and understand each other.

Not knowing other diabetics in life to share the struggle with can cause you to feel alone in your struggle, regardless of the statistics.

Social media outlets like Facebook have solved that problem by allowing people to make groups based on similar interests and lifestyles. A simple search on Facebook for diabetes group or type 1 diabetes group shows hundreds of groups containing thousands of members with type one diabetes just like you and me. Personally, I love to work out so the type 1 athletes group has been a godsend for support and just a place to vent and feel better.

Through the diabetic online community, I’ve built friendships that may have never occurred because I was proactive in seeking support to overcome the struggles of diabetes. You will be surprised and what you find and the connections you make.

Step #4 Have a Team That Supports YOU

You need a team that can hold you accountable, improve your blood sugar management, educate you, and help you clarify your thoughts and struggles.

Your team is there to support you and they should work for you— not the other way around. If your endo doesn’t support or embrace pump therapy and you want an insulin pump, it may be time to switch doctors. The best medical management plan for your diabetes is the one you will adhere to for long term results. Their expertise and advice should complement, not complicate, your life. It is your job to practice what they teach. Better blood sugars often make us feel better physiologically and mentally, lessening the impact diabetes has on our quality of life.

Do not settle for “eat less carbs and check your sugar.” There is much more to the equation. Along with an endocrinologist, it may be beneficial to have a CDE, or certified diabetes educator, in your corner helping you even further to develop strategies that improve your quality of life as a diabetic.

When your medical plan is set and your team helps you improve your management, you will see tremendous improvements in your blood sugars and outlook on diabetes. Again, it’s not about being positive in a negative situation— it’s about accepting what is and doing what you can to make it better.

Step #5 Acknowledge Your Strength

You are here now. Whether you’ve had diabetes for a month or a year or a decade, you’ve beaten every challenge thrown at you thus far. Yes, you may have some scars and battle wounds. Yes, you may have made some mistakes along the way. But you are still here. The mere fact that you haven’t given up is inspiration to others in similar situations.

True strength in managing diabetes is making the decision daily to not let the boulder crush you. Your ability to choose to fight is there just as your ability to give up is there but you didn’t choose to quit.

Commend yourself for your strength and continue to choose to win daily.

While most people look at Sisyphus and his burden to be miserable and laborious, some philosophers actually imagine Sisyphus to be happy as he had one task and made it through his struggles daily.

I know I definitely wouldn’t be happy rolling a rock up a hill but I am definitely proud of myself for actively trying to manage my diabetes daily. Anyone who is able to get up every morning and choose to fight is choosing to win their seemingly uphill battle with diabetes.

Chris Ruden is one of the strongest disabled, diabetic powerlifters in the world. From overcoming body image issues to bullying to personal limitations, Chris travels the world as a renowned speaker inside and outside the diabetic community. He also runs a popular fitness & nutrition consulting business where he primarily focuses on helping people with type 1 lose body fat. Check Chris out on Instagram @ChrisRuden

Photo Credit: Chris Ruden, Benjamin Balazs (Pixabay), AxxL (Pixabay) and Burly Vinson (Pexels)

Type 2 Diabetes Treatment Type 2 Diabetes Diet Diabetes Destroyer Reviews Original Article

[bodyrescueplan]

Mindful Eating

In todays society we are surrounded by stress, not just the angry hurtful stress, but the need to be constantly stimulated. Stimulated by foods, drink, work, people, fun. We are always searching for that high where ever we go. And if we can’t get an instant high through food, or people we then try and buy things to make us happier. And if they don’t make us happy we have to go on facebook, or twitter or snap chat- always plugged in, always stimulated.

The problem with this instant high, this need to be charged up is that we stop apreciating the beauty around us. We then only desire big things, the sparkliest thing, the strongest tasting food, the high sugar or salt- we lose our taste buds for food and we lose our taste buds for life. We not only stop apreciating simple things, but we actually stop feeling this through our senses. Our senses are so overloaded, that simple beauty, and transient feelings become awashed with a flood of adrenilin.

    So why is that a problem?

Well for one thing with adrenalin- comes cortisol- a stress hormone that can make us gain weight, particulalry around the middle. Adrenalin also affects our sleep, our energy levels, our skin, our heart rate, our digestion- to name but a few.

So how can we start feeling things again, how can we stop the need to always be plugged in and switched on, on a high dial?

We start becoming mindful.

Mindfulness has become a buzz word in the last few years, mindful meditation, books and mindful apps, have increased 100 fold in their sales, and as we become a more crowded, polluted, stressed nation, we are starting to search for a way out of having to be available 24 hrs a day 7 days a week.

Being Mindful essentially just means apreciating, showing gratitude, feeling the moment, not living in the past or future but being present. Of course this is nothing new, many religions have been practising this through prayer and meditation for centuries, but its invented a new word in ”Mindfulness” because of the rising decay in our society from being ever present.

Sugar and Caffeine are a dominant metaphor for our lives- they represent everything we are evolving into and what issues that represents for us.

Sugar and caffeine give you an energy boost, they lure you in with their promise of a high, a quick and gratifying high, and with in a few minutes you are bouncing off the ceiling, in the high zone. With in an hour your energy starts to come down again, but you don’t just go down to the energy you were at initially, you sink lower, so then you need another energy boost, maybe even alcohol this time, and so the cycle begins, for another day.

Its really a bi-polar existance, a high and a low, erratic energy. And thats how we live these days, up and down, the roller- coaster of life. Always needing the next kick.

Whats interesting about sugar is that the body gets used to it, so eventually you need even more sugar to get the high again. And coupled with that caffeine and sugar are of course highly addictive, so your body not only craves them but needs more and more to meet your energy needs.

So, how do we get out of this cycle?

I meet so many clients who come to me energyless/fatigued, its like I am their last hope. They feel their helpless bodies have packed up on them, they have exsausted themselves on the food, drink, drug, and lifes highs and now they need help.

And I start all my clients with a good old bout of mindfulness.

Actually I rarely use that word even, but I start with teaching them to apreciate their breath and building from their. Our breath is so beautiful and powerful for us, and equally if we stop breathing, or shallow breathe, as most of us do, particulary when stressed, its very detrimental for our health.

The next thing I get them to do is become mindful of how amazing their bodies are, their bodies are fighting for them to live, and will do anything to try and help.

But we also need to help ourselves, we need to inject the first step, to jump off the madness train and SLOW DOWN!

With the foods its really quite simple, just for 1 week, have as much fruit, vegetable, eggs, white meat and fish as you like, or if you are veggie pulses, loads of water, herbal teas. Many call this a detox, clean eating- but with this clean eating comes mindful eating.

If you jump on a detox, the first thing you will naturally do is think about all the foods you are missing out on- chocolate, coffee, tea, bread, biscuits, crisps etc..

And then there is booze- oh no but I am missing out on my wine, Oh no but I am going to a party and everyone will think I am boring, NEWS FLASH alcohol does not make you interesting, you are intersting without it, you have courage without it, you are fun without it.

We are a spoilt nation- if you gave these bountiful ingredients that you have on a detox to half the world who do not have access to it, they would see it as a feast, we see it as a punishment.

So with detoxing comes mindful eating- apreciating every mouthful- going into a supermarket and thinking how lucky you are to have access to the incredible gifts that are offered to you. Someone, somewhere, grew that for you, picked that for you, packaged it for you, sold it to you. And then what about the vegetable or fruit itself. Packed full of hundreds of vitamins, minerals, nutrients that can fight cancer, that can heal your gut, that can give you energy- not high energy, real energy, that can cleanse your blood, that can increase your focus, do you every just stop and think- WOW how amazing is that. And why is it that we only associate hippies, and people who are high, that focus and tune into these miracles we experience every day?

Its us that need this, we need it for our health, and we need it for our soul. Our life line depends on this. So the next time you think you are somehow missing out because you cant have these foods for a few weeks or a few months, the next time you feel sorry for your self because its not fair- the next time you feel deprived. Give yourself a slap around the face and say-

I AM MISSING OUT RIGHT NOW!

I am missing out on feeling good energy, I am missing out on a good night sleep, I am missing out on being happy, I am missing out on good health, I am missing out on feeling attractive, I am missing out on having good skin, I am missing out on being able to wear the clothes I love- I am missing out on all my senses working…

source: thebodyrescueplan.com

See Full Article Here: Mindful Eating