My Fitness Journal Post #1

Fitness. The ultimate goal. The seemingly unreachable goal.

I have a problem. Or I should say, I had a problem. I was a wimp. If exercise got too hard, I just plain quit. Why make yourself go through pain and sweat? It wasn't fun. It wasn't enjoyable. So, I quit.

Here's the problem with my problem: it's not good for me. I know, incredibly basic, right? It's actually a bit more complicated than that. I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome - a condition that essentially means my hormones are out of wack and my ovaries don't do what they're supposed to. With that, I am at a significantly higher-than-average risk for the following conditions:

  • Type 2 Diabetes
  • High blood pressure
  • Cholesterol and lipid abnormalities
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Severe liver inflammation
  • Endometrial cancer
  • Gestational diabetes or pregnancy-induced high blood pressure
Fun list, huh? :/ The first time I saw this list, I just felt totally depressed. I felt like I was doomed or something. Also, one of the symptoms of PCOS is gaining weight inexplicably, and then having a really hard time losing it. So, the odds are against me. At the same time, I have a pretty strong motivation to be healthy and take care of my body. It's just not always easy.

There are so many do's and don't's when it comes to eating for PCOS. Don't eat anything made with white flour, anything sweet, corn, dairy (so some places say), soy. Eat hardly any salt, low carbs...and so the list went on. As I really investigated this back in 2011, it just felt unachievable. All of the things I was used to eating were now big no-no's. Even many fruits were not allowed. Add in the costs of eating this way, and it just made me more depressed. I wanted to be healthy, but it felt completely out of reach.

Fast forward to now. I am at the point right now where I just feel ready to make the changes. It is not going to be easy; there will be BIG changes with food and lifestyle for us/me. I love sweet things. I love carbs. There will be a lot to give up. But, I know I have to do this. I need to take care of my body the best way I can. Maybe I won't hit the magic number on the scale. Maybe I'll always be a little overweight. But, I have to do my best.

I am also learning with food (and life, really) that there has to be balance. So yes, I love sweet things. But just because something tastes good, doesn't mean it's good for me. Just because I really want some ice cream doesn't mean I should get some. I am learning self-restraint with food. It's really hard for me, but I am determined to win this battle.

So far, I've been working out at home with a military workout DVD about four times a week. When I started a few weeks back, I felt like I was about to die, and I wimped out multiple times. Today, I finished and only wimped out once right at the end. I am proud of myself. This hasn't come easy to me but I'm sticking with it. I also plan to add in one workout a week at a Crossfit gym with a friend. I am also going to potentially start going to a local Crossfit gym a few times a week (and phase out my at-home workouts) once I get into a rhythm with school.

On the food side, I am still trying to clear out my cupboards and freezer of "bad" foods, and then I plan to start changing our diet. I am also planning to do a lot of research on more specifics of what I can and can't eat, and also how to feed Selah with all of these changes. I expect it'll probably be a month or so before we are up to starting on the new way of eating. I am so excited to take better care of myself and eat healthy.

Anyway, I know this post doesn't really fit with the usual kind of stuff that I post, but I felt like it was important for me to have this "out there" to keep me accountable to my goals. If anyone has any low GI recipes that they've tried or other healthy recipes, I'd love to hear from you!

Comments

  1. Rebekah,
    I don't know if you have run across this blog in your research, but for recipe ideas and information try preventionrd.com. It is written by a registered dietitian who also has PCOS. She focuses on whole grains, vegetables, and lean protein in her foods. I hope you like it as much as I do.
    Whitney Kitchell

    ReplyDelete

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