Living Well While Living With an Illness

As most of you know, I have several illnesses that I will always have to live with- Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, recently diagnosed chronic migraines and mitral valve and tricuspid valve prolapse- but these illnesses do not mean that I will always have to be sick. I know that this sounds like an oxymoron or like it just doesn't make sense, but in to me it does. For me to live well means that I accept my illnesses, I work daily on my spiritual being with God, I work on my mental well being and that I take care of my physical body through diet and exercise. That is why I decided to name my coaching business Wellness From the Inside Out- I believe that all three- body, mind and soul - must work together in harmony to have complete well being while living with a chronic illness.

I believe that the soul and relationship with God is most important. I know that there are others that like to believe in other beings and other religions, but I do not put stock in those and as a Christian coach and acceptor of Jesus as my personal savior I definitely cannot and will not give them credibility in my blog or in my life and will not apologize for that. I believe that daily we have to pray and we need to study God's word. We need to seek Him out to draw closer to Him and seek His will in our lives. It is amazing how much He will help us and how much strength He will give us when we are seeking God daily.

Next I believe our mental wellness plays a major role in how our physical wellness is. If we think that we aren't feeling well, believe me we aren't going to be feeling well. The saying mind over matter really is true. If we dwell on negative thoughts and bad things that happen to us it is going to reflect in our physical bodies. Stress is one of the major reason for physical pain, triggers for migraines and other types of headaches and is even believed to be one of the factors for causing pain syndromes such as Fibromyalgia and Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome.

Physical wellness... this one is actually one of the easiest for us to change and take charge of by changing what we put into our bodies and by how we treat our bodies. Remember to leave the junk out and to put the good stuff in. I know this is easier said than done- I suffer from a disease that makes my body crave sugar. Hasimoto's has been proven to cause carb cravings. I have always wondered why it is when I eat one cookie I feel like my body wants another and then another and then another and now I know. I also know that I have to stay away from the first cookie or piece of birthday cake or my body will crave it for hours and days after until I give in. The only thing I can do at that point is ask God to take that from me and to give me the willpower to walk away.

Another thing to do for your body is to exercise. Get up and get to moving. Take some dance classes or go for a mile- 3 mile walk every day or every other day, join a gym and use the membership. It doesn't matter what you do, just get up and do it. Remember though a good combo of cardio and weightlifting does more for you than just one. Weight lifting has many benefits that cardio doesn't and vice versa.

Don't ever think that because a doctor says that you have an illness that it has to define who you are- it is still your life, it is just a part of your life. There will be days that it will interrupt and slow you down. There will be days when the pain is all you can think about, but you can still live a happy life and do the things that you enjoy!

Getting Back to the Blog!

I know that it has been a long time since I have blogged, but I have been one busy bee. I decided that I was going to work straight through the summer with school and not take any breaks and that seems to be a mistake. That was a major energy drainer. My husband and I also took several trips during this time, some to see family and some just to enjoy each other’s company. 

With my weight loss journey I am now down 50-51 pounds, it changes depending on my scale’s mood each morning and depending on if it wants to frustrate me or not. I just go with it. I have now gotten down to a size small and 4/6. It was never my intention to get into a size 4, I actually thought that for me I would be in a size 8 at 127 pounds, but I am a very petite person with a small bone structure so I am sure that has something to do with it. My mom swears that I am starving myself, but that really isn’t the case. I just eat, and try to make sure that I eat healthy, when I am hungry.

Unfortunately I have had to cut back on my exercising because I have been diagnosed with basilar type migraines and mitral valve and tricuspid valve prolapse. I have had migraines since I was 18 but we never knew what type until I was hospitalized in August and had an MRA (MRI that looks specifically at the vessels in the body) and CTA (CT scan that does the same as a MRA) and found out that I have a fenestration in my Basilar artery. Basically instead of having one large basilar artery I have two very small basilar arteries and this causes my migraines and actually puts me at high risk for stroke at 31 years old.

As for the mitral valve and tricuspid valve, that isn’t a huge surprise. These issues were found when I was 19, but the doctors thought that since I wasn’t a full grown adult yet that they would go away and when I went to my internist with dizzy and light headed spells he basically blew me off and said that it was nothing, although I also had other issues such as low blood pressure and fatigue (which got diagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome). I actually plan on calling tomorrow or Friday to get my cardiologist appointment, I would have already done this but momma duty has called. I have had a sick daughter this week and she has been my focus.

On the up side, I have started my coaching business. I love working with others and helping them find their direction. It is just such a blessing to talk to someone and hear them discover that they have the answers and know how inside of themselves already. The client that I am working with right now is a wonderful lady and I enjoy or sessions, she is a blessing to my life. God has just given me such a passion for others and I know that no matter where I go I will always enjoy getting to know the people that God brings into my life.

I am looking forward to getting back to this blog and sharing with you all what I have learned and just about life in general! Blessings to you all!

Did much better yesterday and more updates.

Yesterday I did great food wise. I had fruits, veggies, turkey sandwich meat as well as some low fat, low carb turkey smoked sausage for dinner last night. Again I didn't run out of energy at all and although I really wanted something sweet last night I had an apple! I did have some sweet potatoes yesterday with less than a serving of brown sugar (more just for taste than for the sugar content) and lots of fresh ground cinnamon! Yummy. I know some would say that the brown sugar was cheating, but seeing as to how it was only about 10 calories worth and I had control over the portion, I am not going to feel bad... it was much better than 100 calories from refined sugar or more in something that was processed and full of other icky things.

Other Updates

I have been frustrated because my scale seems to be stuck and I have only lost 3 pounds in the last month. I thought that my weight loss was at a stand still, but that is not the case. Today I took my measurements and I have lost 2 more inches off my waist, 1.5 inches off my hips and about .5 inches off my arms and thighs. I have also lost 3% of my body fat. This made me feel much better than I have about my progress in a while. I haven't been able to workout regularly for a while due to things going on in life and the fact that I have had bronchitis for 3 weeks and it causes an asthma attack in the middle of workouts. I am hoping that I can get back into working out full force this week. We shall see what happens, but the lungs are feeling better and so am I!

I have started my health and wellness coaching class in school and I am loving it already. It is full of useful information and my goal over the summer is to start a reading list for this subject and getting into some really useful books for you all so that I can answer questions and share with you all the best ways to be healthy and life a long, fit life.

An update to eating healthy....

I have been doing much better than I thought that I would- but I did slip up one time. All day Thursday I had fruits, veggies and Boars Head sliced turkey for protein (not the pre-packaged kind with all the extra stuff added to make it bad for you) and I felt great! I didn't get tired mid-afternoon like I always do and I slept well (except for the coughing). Yesterday I was doing well also. I had my fruits, veggies and turkey again. I did eat some soup for lunch and for date night we went to Panera Bread. I had a strawberry smoothie (it had plain, non-fat yogurt in it), vegetarian black bean soup and a salad with no dressing but lots of veggies. I know the smoothie was really on the line of what I should or shouldn't have, but I felt ok with it. What got me was the ice cream cone at McDonald's after putt-putt golf. It is a tradition that my sweetie and I have ice cream after we play putt-putt, but I think that tradition is going to end. I felt guilty eating the ice cream because I had to be honest with you guys. I don't want to feel that way again, so it is back to healthy eating today!

I know you guys don't expect me to be perfect, but I expect more from myself. I have made a commitment to my body and there is no backing out. There is no way in going half way and not finishing, so it is back on track and back to feeling healthy and whole. I am going to push through my bronchitis and asthma today and try to get a short cardio workout in- this is something that I have been dealing with for three weeks now, so I have only been able to work out a couple of times in the past few weeks. I will keep pressing on, even though I know it will probably be a little longer until I can get back at it full time.

A New Eating Journey Beginning Today!

I really have to get my food back on track. I am not one to eat a lot of packaged and processed foods anymore, but here lately, I've been doing just that. And sweets- ugh- I've let them creep back in under the influence of others, but it has to stop!!!! And only I can make it stop. So I am starting a new eating adventure today- my husband doesn't even know about it yet. He may hear about from me as soon as he is done with his work meeting or he may click on my facebook link as soon as he gets off work and read it just like the rest of you, lol.

I have decided that today through Sunday, I am only eating fruits, veggies and a couple of hard boiled eggs for protein. I don't have to change what I drink because I only drink water and coffee with the occasional cup of peppermint tea. I know that if I force myself to do this that I will feel better and I will have changed my eating habits. My body should be almost through its phase of going crazy for sugar, and if it is not, then I will continue to only eat this. I love meat, so this is going to be hard, but the kids are with their dad this weekend and my sweetie has to work, so I won't have to really cook meat for anyone so it is not in my face. This is also going to take prayer and strength from God, and I know that He is going to help me because God wants us all to be healthy!

If any of you have any good, yummy all veggie recipes that you would like to share, please do. If not, then I will be eating a bunch of raw food- which is ok by me. I love the taste of fruits and veggies.

It is harder than it looks...

I know that I started this blog out strong, but keeping up with it, being a wife, mom, full time student plus the other things that have been going on such as getting bronchitis, the trip we took to the mountains a few weeks ago, and all the other stuff that life throws at us, it is hard to keep up with it all! I am definitely not giving up. Even though stuff isn't being put on here all the time I am still coming up with ideas on what I want to write about and am even going to be covering some topics in depth that are going to be more focused on my beliefs as a Christian, but I still believe that the lessons I will be sharing will be valuable to everyone.

I want to talk about contentment, inner peace and joy, and being spiritually healthy. I want to start featuring a guest blogger, having a healthy recipe post, give in depth information on medical conditions, healthy habits,alternative treatments and tons of other stuff. I know that I keep saying that I am going to get this going, and it may take a while yet because I am still a wife, a mom and a student and life is fairly busy, but I know that in the end it will be worth it.


If any of you have any ideas about what you would like to see me blog about or want to be a guest blogger, please let me know! You don't have to be an expert to share something that you have learned along the way, you just need to want to help others! If you aren't a good writer, put something together, I can edit and rewrite and you still get featured. I really want my readers to be interactive.

Falling Off the Wagon...

I haven't been putting forth my best effort this past month in any area of my life. I haven't been eating the best that I could, working out very much or pushing myself when I do workout. I haven't gained any weight back, but I haven't really lost any more either, and trust me, I still have some to lose.

I realized all this over the weekend and I am stepping up again and am starting over. I revamped my diet, again, because I had pretty much stopped eating a lot of veggies and was only getting one or two servings a day. I had also let some sugary food creep back in, so those things are going again. I do love chocolate and ice cream, so I do have 1 serving of that in the evenings, and yes, I do measure out the amount so that I don't go over.

I am also ramping up exercising. I will be doing intense cardio (Turbo Jam) 3 days a week and on the other 3 days I will be lifting with ChaLEAN Extreme and doing light cardio (more Turbo Jam) as well as abs.

I think that my body needs me to do this to get through this slump and get back on track. I have used every excuse I could to get off track and I am done with that now. How am I going to be a good coach if I can't do it myself? So the only option is for me to do it!

One Of My Favorite Snacks!

I love smoothies, especially fruit smoothies. You can make all kind of combinations and make as much or as little as you want. You can also sneak yummy veggies and greens in and it not effect the taste. Here is a recipe for one of my favorites.

About 5 medium frozen strawberries
1 small or half of a large banana
About 2 ounces of orange juice or you can use water
5 leaves of spinich
3-5 cubes of ice (optional)

I put all ingredients except the ice in my magic bullet and blend until the strawberries are pureed. I then add the ice and blend a little longer until the ice is crushed. I usually make this smoothie about 2 times a week.

Reaching out to others with Fibromyalgia

I have been trying to give others with fibromyalgia that have asked for advice some tips on controlling pain with diet and exercise but it seems as if no one wants to hear any answers unless it is something that has to do with medication. I feel that everyone is searching for that miracle drug because no one wants to put in a little effort to get their pain under control. A lot of medications have horrible side effects, can cause you a large amount of weight gain and can make you a zombie. I wish that they could see that there is more to life with fibro than being in pain and being medicated. I am at a loss as to how to get through to people and help them if they want to toss aside everything that you share with them.

I haven't dissapeared....

I was part of a wedding last night and the last two weeks I have been busy with that (as well as some family craziness that I won't get into). I do have to say that it felt great to put on my maid of honor dress last night and have it fit so nice:) It was actually too big in the abdomen, hips and legs, but I had to buy it to fit my rib cage and I am fine with that.

I promise that now that things have calmed down that I will get back on track with the blog and start posting regularly. There are recipes and information that I really want to share with you all! Thanks for reading a being patient with me during all of this.

What Fibromyalgia Means For Me

About two years ago I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. It was not a diagnosis that I wanted, but one that I had suspected for a while. I was happy to have answers and even though there is not a cure there were treatments- medications like Lyrica, anti-depressants, muscle relaxers and narcotics. I wasn’t happy with most of these options, but I decided to try the Lyrica. It worked for a couple of weeks, but then they needed to increase my dose, not something I wanted because I didn’t want to feel drugged all the time, so I stopped taking all medicine to treat it.

For about a year, I was miserable. I was unmotivated and about the only exercise I would get was when we would go to the pool with the kids or to the Mall to walk around. My body hurt, I would sleep maybe 4 hours a night, eat sugary foods a lot, and would down 4 cans of Dr. Pepper a day, at least. I never drank water. I was MISERABLE!

I had heard all the hype about eating healthy and exercising to help control the pain, but I didn’t believe it. I had been told how drinking soda could make you feel worse, but I didn’t care because it couldn’t be true- how was I going to survive without it? I just couldn’t do it, until I couldn’t keep doing it.

Since I have given up soda and changed the way that I eat, my body feels so much better. No, I am not 100% pain free every day, but I am always at least 75% pain free and to be honest, the pain on those days is because I have had a bad night of sleep due to outside stressors. I have been amazed at how my body feels and how much my life has changed since then. I have been able to go outside and play with my kids. Hugs, massages and bumps don’t cause the pain that they used too and life is mine again.

I was determined that fibro wasn’t going to get the best of me because I want my family to have the best that I am. I refuse to let it win- to beat me down and leave me crying in pain. I will continue to win this fight and the battle that comes with fibro. I thank God for giving me the wisdom to have control over this and the wisdom to do what I need to so that I can take care of me.

For me, having fibromyalgia doesn't mean that I stop living, it means that I continue to live and be the wife that I want to be and the mother that my children needs me to be.

Guest Blog: 7 Ways Pets Are Better Than Pills

Today I am having a guest blog from a fellow health and wellness coach- Sue Ingebreston. Please check out her site and her blog.

Seven Ways Pets Are Better Than Pills

Have you ever had a bad day and come home ready to blow your top? Have you noticed how that frustration melts into a puddle as you gaze into your loyal pet’s golden brown eyes?
What better way to soothe aches/pains and symptoms of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, rheumatoid arthritis, Lyme, lupus, cancer, etc.? Our pets have the amazing ability to melt pain with simple wags and purrs.
We know they can do it so does the how really matter? Maybe not. And, we don’t even need to know why! Let’s just stick with, “because they love us.” And, there’s no doubt that the feeling’s mutual!

For this reason, I’ve come up with a short list of Why Pets are Better than Prescriptive Pills. Although there are lots of reasons, I’ll start with just seven. Add yours to the list and we’ll see how many we can come up with!
Here are Seven Ways that our Pets are Better Than Pills! —

1–There’s no side-effect label needed for the dangers of having a pet in your lap.
2–Giving a pet a bath is the quickest way to forget that stubborn ache in your knee (or toe, or whatever…).

3–The addiction to playing with or stroking your pet is not only healthy, it’s a good thing!

4–There’s no unsafe level or overdose danger for the time spent with your pet.

5–Even if the label is mis-typed – and it turns out your cockapoo is more of a doxiepoo – there are no lethal consequences from the mix-up.

6–An afternoon picking up dog poo at the park, beach, or lake, still trumps an afternoon in line at the pharmacy

7–Even though a dropped pill can bounce like mad on the kitchen floor, there’s no comparison to the entertainment value of a cat chasing a feather or a dog chasing a laser pointer. Hours of laughs — no prescription required!

That’s it for today — let me know what you think!

Thank you Sue for letting me use this and being my first ever guest blog!!!

Been away for a few days...

Sorry I have not posted any this week. My husband and I took a few days and headed up to the mountains to enjoy some peace and quiet and to visit some family. It had actually been awhile since we have been able to get away and it was a much needed break. Unfortunately, due to out air mattress getting low on us in the middle of the night we were unable to sleep well, so we cut our trip short by about 18 hours so we could sleep in our bed. I am still recovering- my fibro only gets mad when I don't sleep well, lol.

Other than the sleep issues, the trip was great. I got to spend some time with my cousin Sam that is only 4 months older than me and is more like a brother than a cousin. My sweetie and I also spent a day exploring and enjoying God's beautiful creation (nature and all the beautiful little things that are in it) and each others company. There is nothing like taking a walk next to a roaring river with trees sprouting fresh leaves and baby caterpillars everywhere. It was awe inspiring. 

Although the trip is over and I miss my family, my tired body is very happy to be back home sleeping in my comfy bed and snuggling with my fuzzy, fat kitty.

The last picture is one of my favorites! Those are caterpillars marching across the path.

Tortilla Soup with or without chicken.

Everyone in my house loves this recipe. The best part is that it is healthy!

28oz can of tomato sauce
4 cups of low fat/reduced sodium chicken broth
2-3 cups of water
1 can of dark red kidney beans
1 can of black beans
2 cans of corn
1.5 tsp of cummin
3 tsp of chili powder
either 3-4 cloves of garlic sauteed with one onion
or 1 tbs of garlic and onion poweder (or chopped dried onion)
2-3 chicken breast poached and shredded (optional)
tortilla chips
cheddar, mexican cheese blend or whatever cheese you like with your mexican and southwest flavored foods.

Combine all the ingredients except for chips and cheese in a large pot (at least 6 quarts) and cook for 30mins-1 hr. Add chips to your bowl, put soup on top and top with cheese. You can also put the tortilla chips on top instead of first.

Be sure to read over the ingredients of the tortilla chips that you buy so that you can get the healthiest option. Remember you only need a fraction of a serving. Also look for lower fat cheese and make sure that it doesn't have artificial ingredients. Again you only need a small amount, so don't go crazy and add a cup to one bowl of soup. 

Why The Sunshine Is Healthy For You!

I know that we have been told since we are kids not to be out in the sun, it can cause skin cancer, but did you know that it also has its benefits? Yes, there are advantages other than getting a nice tan to going outside every day.

The sun helps your body produce vitamin D, which in return helps with strong bones, a strong immune system, helps prevent some cancers, cardiovascular disease and other medical issues. Just by stepping outside during the spring and summer for a few minutes each day without sunscreen you can help your body be healthier!

Another benefit to sunshine is that it can help your mood. It can make you happy and feel more awake. It helps release endorphins which in return make you feel better. There are actually people that get seasonal affective disorder due to the lesser amounts of sunlight during cooler months.

Another thing the sun helps with is our healthy fruits and veggies!!! This is a big one, it’s like being able to take a big bite right out of the sun itself. It helps everything including us to grow to be strong and healthy.

I have decided that although I have fair skin and red hair that this year, I am ignoring my doctor for 10 minutes and day and I am going to get me a healthy, fresh bite of sunshine every day. Welcome spring and summer- come help make me a healthier me!

Thank you God for such a wonderful thing such as the sun. Something that can make me happy and healthy and it is mine to enjoy each and every day!

Want to share with you all!!!

I just signed up to be a Team Beachbody Coach!!!! I am super excited. As you all know, I really have a passion for helping others reach their weight loss goals and this is another avenue for me to do that.

I am so thankful to their products for helping me through my journey. I love Chalean Extreme and am so amazed to see the muscle definition that I now have. My husband does these workouts with me and it is so much fun.  He even does the cardio with me!

Tonight we also ordered Turbo Jam! I can’t wait to get it. Chalean Extreme came with a Turbo Jam Fat Blaster workout and it is one of our favorites so it just seemed like a natural choice.

Being a coach also has financial benefits and I am really hoping to take advantage of these as well. I don’t want to work outside of my home because I love being here with my kids and I have faith that this is going to succeed and that God is going to help my business. I do want to share both of my pages with you guys.

Beachbody Site- http://beachbodycoach.com/Stacy1220

Shakeology -http://myshakeology.com/Stacy1220

Please check them out and feel free to contact me with any questions. And no, my blog isn’t going to become about pushing products for Beachbody, my main goal is to help others reach their weight loss goals through mind, body and spiritual balance and to share my weight loss journey with you all.