Believe... Learning how to live without stress

A coworker posted the picture with the little dog in the wind on a day when I was struggling so I captured it to remind myself to believe...

believe in my heart that I am making the right decisions about managing my Multiple Sclerosis...

believe that the medicines I am taking will eventually get me into remission from symptoms...

believe that someday when I workout I won't do it with trepidation due to the likelihood and severity of a flare up...

believe that one day, in my life-time, they will find the right 'cure' for people with MS so this disease won't permanently leave me limited in some capacity...

believe that even on my hard days when I feel like crying and giving up, that I will take a deep breath and keep putting one foot in front of the other (or in some cases, let myself take a nap.)

I am a pretty busy person without dealing with not one (unstable thyroid), not two (unstable adrenals), but three chronic illnesses (MS) which I have struggled with unknowingly with MS, for the last eight years.  I believe in living life to the fullest although my husband and folks likely believe my life could be a little bit less full.  I have a tendency to keep pushing myself past when most people would stop, rest, regroup.  I am certain this tenacity and drive have also been part of my downfall.  I am not good at making time to do things just for me.  I am not the best at dealing with my stressors and letting things flow off my shoulders.  I have an army of medical professionals who keep me upright (acupuncture, massage, non-traditional chiropractor, etc.)

So with that I am attempting to redouble my efforts to allow myself some time to get back to meditation, learn how to do Tai Chi, and indulge in things like a ladies weekend to the woods or a photography class.  Unfortunately this adds more to my busy daily schedule but I am hoping the stress releasing nature of these activities counter acts any additional stress.

Meditation
Myths of meditation.  I have found when I meditate a few times a week I feel more calm and centered.
http://greatist.com/happiness/myths-about-meditation
A great resource for guided meditation series.  I have several of these programs and really like them.
https://chopracentermeditation.com/

Tai Chi
I started a Tai Chi beginner class with the hopes of learning the first 24 forms for the Yang family style.  I am only up to the first three forms, but learn a few more tonight.  I am hoping to do this a few times a week once I master more than three forms.  I find the movements very fluid and peaceful.  It will take a long time to master and I again find I have to be patient with myself.
http://www.taichiforlife.ca/?q=content/tai-chi-24-form-yang-style

I will report back on some of these efforts in a few months.  So with that I leave you with another quote (photo above) that seems fitting as a move along on my journey.  Below is a link to some of the work the Multiple Sclerosis Society is supporting.  I am tentatively planning to do an MS ride in June and would love it if you can help with my fundraising efforts.  As always, thanks for reading.

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/NationalMSSociety/media/MSNationalFiles/Brochures/Paper-Society-Research-Efforts-in-Progressive-MS.pdf

More resources and some great new recipies

Here are  a couple great blogs I found by MS folks living well.

http://milesandtrails.com
Beth is also a working mother of two who does marathons and half Ironman triathlons and was diagnosed in 2012.  Her latest blog is about finishing the Boston marathon.

http://thelesionjournals.blogspot.com/
Christie is another woman who is living with MS and is an avid cyclist.  She has a lot of great MS resource information on her site if you want to learn more about my illness.

Here is a great Ted talk which gives me hope.
Can a Damaged Brain Repair Itself by Dr Sidarthan Chandran

So I mentioned that I made some sweeping diet changes (minimal refined sugar and minimal refined carbs) and used Lent as a trial basis so I had somewhat of an out at the end of the Holy season.  I did really very good following this plan and only allowed myself a little birthday cake and ice cream for JJ's birthday a couple of weeks into Lent and the occasional high quality chocolate square. I spent a whole weekend in the woods with strangers and still managed to eat within my plan, and found the other ladies to be very accepting of my diet choices.  I have found a lot of snacks that take care of my cravings and don't throw me off my path.  Going into Easter weekend I allowed myself a little leeway with the family gathering over the weekend.  I allowed myself some refined sugar in the way of lemon meringue pie and decadent cupcakes.  None of these were gluten free and all of them had piles of sugar.  I also allowed myself a favorite in Black Market pizza which also has gluten.  Needless to say I paid for my indulgence with an unhappy gut and a sugar hangover on Monday.  Grrr.   Sadly outside of the amazing cupcakes I realized I didn't miss the rest as a post indulgence reflection.

I never planned to stop eating better after Lent but I felt like I needed to be less hard on myself after 47 days of sacrifice was complete.  MS isn't going to give me a break.  Even if the meds work and by some miracle I become symptom free again some day, I really feel I need to do better to support my body and it's ability to try to heal itself.  I believe this can only happen by fueling myself properly, getting proper rest, regular exercise and figuring out ways to better handle the intensity of my lifestyle.

So here are a few of my favorite snacks.  Homemade trail mix - walnut pieces, almonds, brazil nuts, cashews (all unsalted), lots of dried fruits, and the occasional m&m as part of several mixes I buy.  when I am on the go or heading to the gym before lunch if I don't have a handful of trail mix I will eat a Larabar which don't have any added sugar (unless they have chocolate) and are usually a mix of nuts and berries pureed together.

My favorite breakfast adventures - I have been making smoothies four mornings a week.  They are nutrient dense and quite filling.  My smoothie base is something like this - 1/2 cup of almond milk or 1/2 cup of juice, a banana, a cup of dates, 1/2 cup of almonds or almond butter, and a cup of plain Greek yogurt.  I then usually add a couple more fruit (a mango, a cup of mixed berries, etc) and a couple veggies ( 1/2 cucumber, 1 large carrots, one cup of steamed kale or spinach.  This usually makes two days worth of 12 oz smoothies.

New favorite recipes:
From "The MS Discoervy Diet" - Carrot and Ginger soup
1 yellow or white onion - peel and sliced
1 tablespoon of fresh ginger peeled and grated
2 tablespoon cooking oil
4-5 large carrots unpeeled
1 cup orange juice
1-2 cups broth (I used veggie but can use chicken)
salt to taste
2 tablespoons almond butter (essential the book says)

saute the onion and ginger together in the oil. (wrap any extra ginger in plastic, bag and freeze)  Cut the carrots into coins and add to the pot.  Add the orange juice and broth mixtures and cook 20 minutes until carrots are soft.  Add salt and almond butter.  Puree in a blender or food processor and eat.

Here is another fan favorite http://theshiksa.com/2012/05/01/quinoa-black-bean-burrito-bowls/  Here is my variation.

Quinoa Black Bean Burrito Bowl

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa (I used a seasoned box mix and just followed the directions to cook.  When I make plain bagged quinoa I use 2 cups of vegetable broth and some herbs.)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• medium eggplant diced and sauteed in olive oil with garlic below
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup shredded spinach instead of lettuce
• Salt
• Sliced avocado
• 1 cup freshly grated colby jack cheese
• 1 diced tomato 

Servings: 4

Cook the quinoa per box (or for around 20 min).  Heat up the black beans.  In bowls layer in a base of quinoa, then add black beans, then layer in spinach, sliced avacado, tomato and cheese.  Yum!

I will be posting more favorites soon even a great Brussel sprout and asparagus one!