25 Mar Saying No to Say Yes
I’m a little overwhelmed this week, with hockey games literally every other day and trying to prepare for my back surgery, and the 2-4 weeks of activity restrictions. I had a few social invitations as well, and even though I really wanted to go and visit with some friends, I had to decline a few so that I wouldn’t overwhelm myself even further. I am a little anxious about having this surgery to begin with, at the end of the day, although the visit would be pleasurable, I could see the stress that would be created down the road so I chose to attend to the things I need to get done.
I have been saying no to alcohol, with a few exceptions, since my diagnosis. anti-inflammatory medication like Naproxen can cause stomach and esophageal bleeding, and that risk is exasperated with alcohol. Also, I’ve been having a hard time finding a pain medication that doesn’t make me nauseous, and i can’t see how drinking on top of the medication can make that better. I figure my body has enough to deal with, why add another substance to the complicated mix.
Kinda like my diet in the weeks post surgery. My husband isn’t known for his cooking skills, let alone his healthy meal choices, so I really need to do some planning. I would love to just let him handle it, but that would mean burgers, steaks and potatoes for a veggie; it wouldn’t help my body heal itself or my waistline. He also would go out to eat every night. Either would create more stress for me in the long run, so I have to sacrifice my time now in order to make in less stressful for me later.
The problem with getting take out or going out to eat is we always treat it as a “special event”, so we tend to indulge ourselves. We’ll order the burger or high calorie alcoholic cocktail, how often do we get the opportunity to go out to eat? Realistically, for our family, some weeks we eat out 4-5 nights of the week. Was Wednesday a ‘special occasion’? no. I am not sure what was so special about Friday (other than it was Friday, and aren’t all Fridays special?). I won’t be choosing restaurants that I know have limited options for me to make good, healthy choices. And I won’t be ordering the fries (I almost always get the side salad with dressing on the side. But I may steal a few fries from my husband).
Knowing that the next two weeks will consist of plenty of Netflix and couch time, and the boredom munchies that will accompany that time, I’ll be making sure i have healthy, low calorie/nutritionally dense snacks on hand. Some things i’ll be saying yes to, the many scrumptious fruits and veggies coming into season.
Fruits: Apricots, berries, cherries, dewberries, grapefruit, melons, peaches, plums, lemons
Veggies: artichokes, asparagus, avocados, leeks, lettuce, wild greens, spinach, spring onions, radishes, mushrooms
I also anticipate several cups of air popped popcorn in my future (yeah for fiber)! I plan on utilizing the Whole Foods prepared food section, as well as Flower Child and Grabba Green, for the first few days of recovery to make things easier for everyone. I’ll post links to their sites and let you all know what we liked, or didn’t like.
I’ve been processing a lot these last few weeks. Always listen to your body and mind. Practicing mindfulness helps me determine when I need some down time to recharge my batteries, both mentally as well as physically. In hindsight, I should have either said no to more events leading up to the race, or have said no to the race. Trying to train and be socially active, lead to me skimping on the training portion, which meant i wasn’t physically prepared to run, which lead to my injury. Taking care of yourself should be your priority; if you are not taken care of how can you take care of others? Every one suffers. I’m learning that lesson every day.
If you’d like to follow my nutrition inputs and see which foods I say YES to, I use myfitnesspal, user name: DawnLawson30
Eat well!
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