Finally Friday!

Hello all, from my horribly messy kitchen! Hey, you can't be fabulous in all areas of your life. My outfit – for tonight's Maggie and the Romantics show – is fab enough to cancel out the mess that is my kitchen.

A few new things to report.

My PT said it's actually bad to stop using my arm all together, which is good because I was starting to get lopsided; one shoulder goes up higher than the other. Apparently "avoidance behaviors" can cause more problems and make the injury worse. Now, I'm sure that's not the case for everything, but I'm trusting my PT on this. Repeat after me, Maggie: I have faith in my PT. Good. Keep it up.

Can't hurt to try, I suppose. By "use" he meant wash face, wash hair, etc. No heavy weight lifting. Or yoga. How lame is that? I've injured myself TWICE with yoga. But no more. I will give up downward dogs for life if it means a healthy arm. That's a promise.

The other great thing I've found recently is a few Bible verses about worrying.

1. "So do not worry...seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be give to you as well." Matt. 6:33

2. "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done." Philippians 4:6

Great, huh? Especially the second one.

Now a pic of my wonderful band.

Love to all!

Maggie

Again?

So...I sprained my elbow again. I guess. That's what my PT tells me. It may have been by stretching it too much ... because that's about the most strenuous thing I did with it. Oh well, what's done is done. I'm chronicling this here really for my own benefit rather than the random peeps who may stumble across my blog. Hopefully I'll be looking back at this in a few months, possibly more, and thinking, "Gosh, my elbow feels pretty normal now.

I'm not going to whine about it, just chronicle the progress...otherwise I may go crazy. There may/may not be random anxiety moments, but that's just me.

Disclaimer: I know this is really no big deal, which is why I'm going to try to "work on" other things in my life as I wait for this elbow to heal – or while I wait for it to slowly deteriorate to the point where surgery is the only option. Whichever comes first. Things I've been thinking about improving/working on:

1. Reading my Bible more. I've always called myself spiritual, but I don't engage in any real spiritual activities. Maybe it's time I did a little more exploring of my faith. I also want to get more involved with the community at my church.

2. Becoming the most awesome jazz singer ever. Doesn't take a good elbow to sing the blues, and Maggie and the Romantics are really doing well these days.

3. Doing the best job I can at work. My PT said typing won't hurt it, but I shouldn't type for hours on end. That said, I can get a lot done in 10-minute segments, and after all, I wasn't hired for my typing speed.

4. Not complaining about it. 'Nuff said.

5. Finding other ways to get exercise that don't use my arms a bunch. They've gotta be out there.

6. Being the best possible patient ever. I'm icing at least 3x a day, and doing heat intervals when I can. I'm elevating. I'm icing after I type and heating before. I'm doing my ROM exercises and gentle (emphasis on that word) stretches. I'm learning self-massage techniques to get the swelling down. I'm attending PT once a week. What more could I do, really?

7. Finding my identity in things other than my body. I'm not as bad as some – but I could do better.

So, that's about it for now. My arm will get better – I hope. I was thinking about it this way. If I was right in thinking that it would never get better, that would mean a couple other things are true:

• My physical trainer is wrong.
• My friends and family are wrong.
• The internet is the best source of information.
• I know more than doctors.
• I have some rare illness that inhibits ligament healing.

Hm...none of those are very likely.

Time to ice my arm.

Love,

M

Random stuff

Look at that mess...what is that? Well, it's sweet potato cakes, broiled cod, mango salsa, guacamole and raw crudites!
Who's that girl? Oh, she's just fantastic. Look at her all dressed for work.

That's all.

Green and glorious

This is my "Long-day-at-work-followed-by-long-meeting" face. Cute, huh? I'm not complaining. it still boggles my mind how lucky I am to have a full-time job in my field of expertise. I'm never going to be a millionaire, but who cares when I've got an interesting life and a plateful of...

GREEN!!!!

It wasn't really on purpose...that's just how I eat. I wanted something quick n' easy, so nuked eggs, broccoli, toast and guacamole was in order. It might sound weird but the combination is hitting the spot.

I'm currently working on learning "It Might As Well Be Spring," this adorable jazz song, for my next concert. Yeah. I'm in a band. We're called "Maggie and the Romantics." Maybe that's a little conceited, but it wasn't my idea to put my name first. Blame my bandmates.

I'm going to spend the rest of the evening doing PT exercises, making my food for tomorrow and probably watching a little mindless TV...

How do you wind down?

-Maggie

Old ladies, unite

This morning, I realized that I am an old lady. Why, you ask? A few reasons.

• I take a ton of supplements. Multi-vitamin, Vitamin C, Calcium, Magnesium, Fish Oil and sometimes Cod Liver Oil. I used to take Metamucil until I realized I was actually eating enough fiber already.

• Because of my recent arm injury (see yesterday's post), I can tell when it's about to rain. Seriously! It gets all achy and sore! This did not happen when I was in dry, dry Durham!
• I eat oatmeal for breakfast. :) Maybe that just means I'm healthy. More specifically, I've been eating Irish oats from Trader Joe's. I love TJ's...almost had a heart attack when I went for the first time in about a year.

• Also, I have bunions. Yes, little bunions. I didn't actually realize they were bunions for the longest time. I just thought I had weird feet. I've noticed they've grown a bit in the past year – probably from wearing heels (which I only do occasionally, by the way). Oh well, they don't really hurt and there's always surgery. So...do you guys want to see a picture?

Moving on...

I'm currently enjoying an amazing savory breakfast of Irish oats, eggs fried in coconut oil and broccolli. All doused with smoked sea salt, chili powder, garlic and turmeric. Yum...

I've realized that the best diet for me (right now, anyways) is a balanced, mostly organic one with limited sugar and little to no preservatives. I've tried high protein and paleo...but it didn't work for me. I know that everyone's different and some people have amazing results with those, but this is what makes me feel good.

After breakfast I'm planning to go into the office to do a bit of work. I know it's a holiday, but I love my job and if I don't do some work today, I'll be swamped tomorrow.

Then it's errand time. I need to get more eggs...I eat way too many! I've been thinking about getting some Vitamin E oil for minor acne scars...Does that work?

Questions:

1. Are you an old lady? How so? Do you have bunions? Tell me I'm not the only one. :)

2. Vitamin E oil for acne...effective?

3. What are your Labor Day plans?

Love to all!!

Maggie

The end of Summer and sucking it up...

Hello!

It's been a while since I've updated, but I miss the feedback and the community of blogs, so I've decided to start again.

Wow, I can't believe it's already September! August flew by WAY too fast, mostly because I had my head stuck in my butt for the greater part of it. Yes, I have realized that although I'm now 23, I'm still a huge baby and I have a lot of growing up to do.

It all started with yoga, believe it or not. Since about February, I'd been doing mostly weight training and yoga. Healthy and safe, right? Well...kind of. Inspired by Oxygen magazine and dreams of a tight, muscled body, I committed the cardinal sin of exercising. TMTF (Too Much Too Fast). I was lifting too heavy for my small frame, and my yoga practice was getting increasingly more intense.

Near the end of July I found out suddenly that I had to vacate my apartment at the time and move to a new one...in the middle of the work week. For a few days, I'd work like crazy in the morning, rush home and pack and clean, then rush back to work.

I'm not sure if the stress contributed to what happened next, but it didn't help. FYI, stress is bad!! I'm on a mission to stop stressing before I kill myself. Seriously! Do you know how many awful disorders are linked to stress?

Anyways, one morning before work, I decided to de-stress with some yoga. Now, don't get me wrong. Yoga is great for stress – unless you turn it into a crazy, sweaty boot camp routine like I did.

While doing a particularly intense yoga push-up, I felt a "twinge" in my left elbow. It wasn't horrible, but it was bad enough that I couldn't continue the push-up without pain. I kept doing my routine (real smart, Mags) with a bit of discomfort, finished, went to work, thought nothing more about it.

I decided to see a Sports Med doctor just in case it was something serious. He didn't diagnose it as anything and we found out I had minimal pain and full range of motion, so he suggested the RICE treatment. Over the next few days it seemed to be getting better, but once I started typing a lot at work my whole arm started getting aggravated. Eventually the entire thing from shoulder to wrist would burn and tingle, even when I wasn't writing.

I have to say, I'm incredibly ashamed at the way I handled it. I acted like my life was ending when all I had was some pain in my arm. Okay, some nights it was pretty bad, but still, that's no excuse for being a drama queen.

Long story short, it turns out I sprained a ligament in my elbow – the ulnar collateral ligament, to be precise.

That's where it is, in case you were wondering. The pain – as an orthopedist explained – was caused by fluid pressing on the ulnar nerve during the healing process. And there I was thinking I had some kind of chronic pain disorder...get over yourself, Maggie.

Well, this post has been long and self-centered, and my arm is getting tired (but not painful! Thank god!). I'm doing PT exercises for the arm and it's doing a lot better. Six more weeks until it's supposed to be 100 percent. The best part of that is that I'm ok with waiting. Which brings me to the point of this post.

Things I Learned from a minor injury

• Pain is (usually) temporary. Just because it hurts now does NOT mean it will hurt forever.
• Medication is not evil. If you have to take Ibuprofen for a few weeks, do it. Your doctor knows what he's talking about, and Ibuprofen abuse means taking it consistently for months. Just don't drink a bunch.
• There are MUCH worse problems. Cancer, lupus, MS, degenerative diseases, nerve disorders, deformity, psychological disorders, etc. Everyone experiences some pain in their life. If you didn't you wouldn't be human. Pain can remind you that life isn't perfect and doesn't have to be.
• Friends and relationships are immensely important. If you're wrapped up in your own problems, it's so easy to BECOME your problems and focus on them to the point of obsession. Friends keep you sane and remind you that there's more important things.
• Life is short. If you spend weeks ignoring the most important things because of a bit of pain (as I did) it'll slip by pretty fast.

There's a lot more I learned, and more that I have left to learn. Stay tuned for more life stories!

Love,

Maggie

Lots of Eats!

Hello lovelies,

I've been bad about posting, but that's the way it is sometimes. I'm really impressed by people who can manage to say something clever everyday! Most days I'm exhausted by the time I actually get home, showered, fed and turn on my mac. On that note, I'd love feedback. Why do you guys read blogs? What actually makes you subscribe to one blog instead of another? More pictures? Exercise logs?

Well, I've got both today:

Scrambled eggs, leftover roasted cauliflower, salsa and a big dollop of humus – all piled on top of tortilla chips and heated up with salt, garlic powder and hot sauce! I'm going through a spicy phase these days. Sometimes I'll have weeks where I don't want anything spicy, then I'll crave it!

Greek yogurt bowl with rice cakes, brazil and cashew nuts, crumbled Nature's Valley granola squares, with lots of coffee on the side!

A food-light of the week. Pita pizza with scrambled eggs and egg whites, bacon, sharp white cheddar and red pepper!

A lovely weekend lunch! Canned salmon mixed with humus on a lavash wrap with spinach, guac and salsa!

Plain old oats, soymilk and PB...with sauteed apples and cinnamon!

Another pizza! This one had a load of ground turkey cooked with diced tomatoes, garlic, EVOO, italian seasoning and hot sauce. All topped with sharp white cheddar!

Whew! Now I'm exhausted and ready to go off and play with my baby Shmo (that's my dog, btw) or do a crossword...I'm such a bad blogger.

Quick exercise notes:

• Still doing more strength training – still loving it.
• Went to the gym only twice last week and realized it's so easy for me to overdo it on the elliptical. Gotta watch that. How much cardio do you weight lifters do?
• Upped my weights for lower body to 2 15-lb weights instead of 2 10-lb weights.
• Gained weight! Muscle? I hope.
• Realized I don't really care how many calories the cardio machines say I burned. There's no way they can be accurate, and if they were – why does it matter?
• Realized that since I started doing dance and interval bursts and boot camp stuff for cardio that steady state can be pretty boring.

Any realizations this week? Let me know! I feel like I have some kind of revelation/realization every couple days.

Now I'm off to conquer the weekend! Some friends of mine from college are randomly visiting the mountains, and we're going out tonight!

Love to all!

Maggie