So, my “allergies” have flared up again. I ran out of Claritin on Saturday, so I decided to see what would happen if I didn’t take anything. Well, each day since then has gotten a little worse, yesterday being the worst of them, so I bought some more meds last night. I am trying a different kind this time (on sale super, super cheap at Target) so we’ll just see how well they work. And, I’m having a weird eye thing going on right now. Yesterday I started to feel pain in my right eye like someone had punched me in it. At first I just thought it was sinuses, but it’s clearly not. And, it hurts worse today. Thankfully it doesn’t look abnormal, but it feels yucky and I’m afraid that my eye is going to swell up or start watering uncontrollably or something. Let’s all hope that doesn’t happen.
OK, so enough of the whinny post! Let’s talk about some good stuff. First off, it’s Friday!!! Who doesn’t love that? John and I (and Ms. Bailey) are going to northern Vermont this weekend to visit John’ sister, so I am really looking forward to that. I’m really feeling in the fall spirit these days with the crisp, cool weather that we’ve been having, so I’ve decided to try out a new recipe that I got to bring with me to VT this weekend. Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins…seriously, how good does that sound?!? I cannot wait to try them! Also in the fall spirit...last night I did some serious damage at New York and Company on some great fall outfits, got a Pumpkin Spice candle at BB&B (which btw, Yankee Candle Pumpkin Spice and a few other fall scents are on sale at BB&B right now, so be sure to run out and get one!), and then I pulled out all of our fall decorations and decorated our house to celebrate this wonderful season (of course while burning my yummy fall candle).
I have to say that as I get older, fall is creeping up on my list of favorite seasons. There is just so much that I love about it! Crisp, cool air, sweaters, scarves, leaves, fires in the fireplace, pretty colors abounding, football, apple picking and then baking up a storm with the fruits of my labor, hot apple cider, butternut squash, pumpkins, Halloween, the Big E, gosh…I could go on and on! It’s hard to explain, but this time of year just gives me a feeling of comfort and contentment inside. Being outside in all this fall glory just makes me feel so inexplicably happy in a very unique way…a way that only this time of year can do. I just feel so relaxed and feel like all is right with the world. It’s fall-tastic!
I am just so tired today. I cannot even being to express how busy work has been for me...I am juggling several huge, high-profile projects and have been pulled in a million different directions by a million different people looking for guidance, help and support. Don't get me wrong...I'm really enjoying the work that I'm doing. And, I am so happy and so proud that people around the organization view me as a valuable resourse and feel that they need me and my expertise. BUT...it has been difficult to manage everything and I've been pushing myself really hard, and I think it's caught up to me today.
I've definitely been feeling very stressed at work and that stress, which I am not used to, has given me some serious insomnia this week. However, eventhough I haven't been sleeping much, I've still been at the gym at 5:30 AM every morning working out hard, working 10+ hour days without any breaks, trying to squeeze in time at home to do my chores, get my schoolwork done (which I had hoped to get done during my lunch breaks...but that's impossible when you don't get a lunch break!), spend quality time with my husband, and still try to have a little fun. It's a lot, and today my body is telling me to take a rest! So here I sit, writing a whinny blog post when I should be tackling my mile-long to do list. I have a lot to get done and absolutely no motivation...a deadly combination for sure.
I need to just power through and finish out the day strong...the more I accomplish today, the less I'll think and stress about work this weekend. Get going Melis!
Hello old friend! It's been a long time. I haven't been blogging much lately, not for lack of things to write about but, to the contrary, too much to write about! Where do I even start? In a effort to not make this post the size of a small novel, I will try to highlight the big things in the adventures of Melis:
We had a fabulous long weekend (Labor Day, that is)...highlights include attending a Jack and Jill, renting a boat and cruising on the Connecticut River for a day, and going for a great bike ride on a newly discovered bike path. And, we managed to get a lot of relaxing in too. Why can't every weekend be a long one?
I did, in fact, join the gym again and I'm so glad I did. I've been going to the 5:30 AM classes (I know...I'm insane), but I love them. It's such a great way to start my day and my workout is done before my day even gets started. The classes are tough...I've been working out harder than I have in a long time...but it feels so good. I convinced John to try spinning and he really liked it, so I'm excited that we can go to spinning class (yes, at 5:30 AM) twice a week together. Awww!
School started! I'm all set up and organized for my class except for one small detail...I haven't gotten my book yet! Fortunately, I don't have to complete my first assignment until next weekend, so I've got a little time. I'm hoping that it will be sitting on my doorstep when I get home today (I did pay extra for fast shipping, after all!). I've been participating in this week's discussion actively, however. It's the perfect topic for me...banning trans fats in NYC restaurants. Right up my healthy alley :-)
And speaking of my healthy alley, personal trainer studies are nearly complete (again, waiting on my last shipment of study materials...hmmmm...I'm starting to see a trend). Just need to get my CPR cert and I'm all set. 3 weeks until the exam!
Bowling started, baby! Love it! It's so great to have John back on the team and I'm looking forward to what is sure to be a fun season.
Work has been insanely busy, but super productive. I feel so accomplished and I really feel like my hard work is being recognized. I've got a lot of key deliverable coming up soon, so I've got to stay on my A-game!
I've got a busy month ahead of me...running a 5k (the "Jail Break 5k" where 3 prisioners "escape" and we have to chase them down. If you cross the finish line before them, you get a special prize. So cute!), a visit from my beloved college roomies, the Big E (my absolute fav!), a weekend away in Vermont (WITH Bailey...yes!), and of course, the personal trainer exam. Oh, and I'm supposed to take my mom to a pow-wow for her birthday (seriously, mom?). How am I supposed to fit this all in with work and school? If you know, please tell me!
Well, I really could go on and on (in case you haven't noticed, I tend to be long winded), so I'm going to stop myself before it gets out of hand. I just want to say how all of these wonderful things are a great reminder of just how good I have it. I am truly blessed to have the life that I do.
And by F/U I mean follow up...although the other famous F-U could apply. I tried to give it a fair chance, but after a week of taking it and still sniffling, sneezing, and suffering from all of the other fun symptoms of allergies, I could not take it anymore. I broke down and bought some Claritin. And...it's my savior! The past few days have been, for the most part, blissfully sniffle free. I love it!
This is hard for me to admit, but as I’ve said many time before, this blog is a place for me to be completely and unabashedly honest. Here it goes…I am sick of my home gym. Ugh…I feel guilty for even saying it!
It was a rather large investment, and it’s been wonderful to have over the past couple of years, but I am plain old bored with it. I like running, but I don’t love it, so if I do it too much, I get sick of it. It’s pretty much the same story with elliptical-ing (totally not a word, but you get the idea) and biking. I like them all, a lot in fact, but too much is just too much for me. I get bored easily by them. I have a lot of dvd’s that I like, but you can only do them so many times before they become uber-boring as well.
So, what do I love that I can’t get enough of? As cheesy as this may sound, I love the classes at the gym! Kickboxing, step, boot camp, yoga, pilates, spinning, groove, body pump…the list goes on and on! So many choices, so much variety, and being in that environment really motivates me. I was going to these classes religiously before my wedding, and I was seriously in the best shape of my life. I’ve missed them since I stopped going, but lately I’ve really been missing them.
I tried to suppress my desire to go back because it seemed foolish to pay for a gym membership when I have a rockin’ home gym right in my basement. But, recently John told me that he was feeling the same way…that he really missed the gym and getting to work out with his buddies…and you know what he did? He went and re-joined the gym! So, I’ve been mulling over this in my mind for a few weeks now, and I think I’ve finally decided that it’s back to the gym for me too. It’s not that expensive, and I’m sure I’ll still get some use out of our home gym...in fact I’ll probably be more inclined to want to use it when the monotony is broken up by the variety that the gym offers…so it’s really not that bad of an idea. Sure, it’s a little wasteful, but there is so much more to it than money. It’s my health we’re talking about, and you can’t put a price on that.
So, sorry home gym, but you’re not the most important exercise location in my life anymore. I still love you, though :-)
Oh Peppermint Patty, how I love thee
Your yummy goodness makes me so happy
Your creamy peppermint filling is quite simply the best
When you add that dark chocolate coating, you have a recipe for success
Your genius creator, York, knows where it’s at
At just 50 calories each, you won’t make me fat
How did I go all these years without knowing of you?
It’s truly a miracle that I was able to make it through
Your deliciousness can only be described as sublime
I could eat you day or night, I could eat you anytime!
I’ve never wanted them (who would?). I’ve gone 27 years without them. I’ve never fully understood how terrible they are…until now. What could I possibly be talking about? Allergies. For the first time in my life, I think I have them. I’ve got classic symptoms…runny nose, sneezing, headaches…it’s no fun at all. I thought I’d give it a little time before taking any action, just to see what happened. Well, the symptoms continue to persist, so I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands. I’ve been doing a lot of research on natural remedies for allergies, and my proposed solution to my allergic state is Stinging Nettle. Here’s a little science lesson on my potential miracle herb:
From prevention.com:
Stinging Nettle is a leafy plant that is found in most temperate regions of the world. The Latin root of Urtica is uro, meaning “I burn,” indicative of the small stings caused by the little hairs on the leaves of this plant that burn when contact is made with the skin. The root and leaves of nettle are used in herbal medicine.
There has been a great deal of controversy regarding the identity of nettle’s active constituents. Currently, it is thought that polysaccharides (complex sugars) and lectins are probably the active constituents. Test tube studies suggest the leaf has anti-inflammatory actions. This is thought to be caused by nettle preventing the body from making inflammatory chemicals known as prostaglandins. A preliminary trial reported that capsules made from freeze-dried leaves reduced sneezing and itching in people with hay fever.
From necessarywriting.com:
In 1990 The National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon sponsored a double-blind randomized study on allergic rhinitis, or hay fever. They compared the effects of freeze-dried nettle to a placebo. (Plant Med, 1990) After only one week of therapy the results were nothing to sneeze at.
Stinging nettle (Utica dioica) contains, among other chemicals, histamine, serotonin, and actylcholine. It might seem counter-intuitive that these substances have a positive effect on reducing allergy symptoms but histamine actually acts as an autocoid (a local hormone) to modulate the immune response. (Melman, et al., American Journal of Medicine, 1981) In fact, the participants of the above study all rated stinging nettle more effective than the placebo, and in many cases, more effective than their traditional allergy treatments in relieving hay fever symptoms.
Andrew Weil, M.D., author of Natural Healing, Natural Medicine (Houghton Mifflin, 1998) says that stinging nettle has long been a traditional remedy for dispelling mucus, treating coughs and providing an antihistamine effect. Dr. Weil recommends nettle as an effective and safe treatment for hay fever symptoms, saying, “Stinging nettle is the best natural remedy for hay fever that I know.”
When a person gets hay fever, an allergic response is initiated, causing the immune system to work overtime. According to Dr. Weil, “Getting an allergy is an example of misplaced immunity. The goal of treatment should be to convince the immune system that it can coexist peacefully with external allergens.” How does nettle factor into these physiological peace talks?
Delving deeper into nettle’s pharmacological nature reveals an important immune-balancing component. Greg Kelly, N.D., reports, “Stinging nettle contains, among other things, a small molecular-weight lectin that is capable of favorably inducing a balanced immune response.” It works similarly to histamin mentioned above. Dr. Kelly adds, “This means that unlike most things stimulating the immune system toward greater activity, this super-lectin appears to stimulate the immune system toward balance.”
The most common stinging nettle allergy product is found in freeze-dried form, produced by Eclectic Institute. This company has pioneered a freeze-drying technique that they say preserves herbal vitality and potency. The process involves harvesting nettle plants at their peak, freezing them immediately and placing them in a vacuum. The frozen water then evaporates without passing through the liquid stage. According to Eclectic Institute, “It’s the next best thing to fresh plant materials as no nutrients are lost in a liquid solution.”
Well, when I read that Dr. Weil is a big proponent of Nettle, I was sold. I am a big fan of Dr. Weil and his philosophies. I frequent his website and have read many of his works. He has made me a believer of homeopathy and has inspired me to seek out natural remedies to the ailments that affect me rather than turn to pharmaceutical solutions. So, today is the day that I am going to buy some Nettle and hopefully stop suffering from allergies for good!
