Tag: health

Giving Up Snacking is as Hard as Giving Up Smoking!

On the last Monday in July, I went to bed feeling very apprehensive.   Earlier in the evening, my blood glucose levels were the highest that they had ever been.  I had done some exercise to burn off some of the glucose in my blood quickly, but I was still in shock.  I went to bed that night praying that if God woke me the next morning, I would make some drastic changes.  

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The Next Morning

I had been on a carb binge.  I don’t know why, but I craved Lays Sweet Thai Chilli Chips in particular.  I was eating a large packet a night.  Added to that I was eating Cornetto ice cream almost every day.  I was out of control, and my body was not having any of it.  It was like these chips in particular had become my new cigarette!  When I saw that reading, I knew I had to stop.  When I woke the next morning, I was so grateful to be alive.  I immediately made the decision to keep my promise to God.  That morning, I drastically reduced my breakfast to 2 hard-boiled eggs, onions, tomatoes, and bacon.  No carbs to start the day.  My lunch was a chicken breast and veggies, and dinner was an omelette.   I was taking back control.  This is largely how I have eaten for the past month and a half.  Naturally, I have lost a little weight and a few cm’s. I allow myself a cheat day over the weekend just to help me keep momentum.  It helps.  It’s easier to resist snack cravings all week if I know I can indulge on a cheat day. Oh and Lays Sweet Thai Chilli does not even make it off the shop shel anymore.  I work right past with my head held high. 

The Cravings are Real!

I have used the same mental tricks that I used when I gave up smoking because this feels like giving up smoking all over again.  When I was thin, I didn’t snack.  In hindsight, it was probably because I sucked my thumb.  Yip, I did that until I was eighteen and then replaced it with cigarettes. Of course, when I stopped smoking, I started snacking, and the weight piled on, and diabetes kicked in.  Currently, I’ve been going cold turkey for 6 days a week. (Is that a thing?).  Sometimes the cravings are so strong.  It feels like I am talking myself down from a ledge when I have to get past them…lol.  I have made a promise to God, though, and I am determined to keep it.  That gives me the strength to push through each craving.  

Romantising water

In the middle of my carb binge, I also started craving Coke.  I was mortified, as I don’t drink soft drinks unless they are all that’s available.  I would rather drink coffee.  I am not a water drinker by nature either.  To overcome my sudden craving for Coke, I started drinking sparkling water.  Not very refreshing, but it doesn’t have that plain water taste, so it works.  I started drinking it in a very large wine glass to make it fun, but I still didn’t do it as often as I should.  What I liked about this glass was that it held more than 250ml at a time.  Last weekend, that glass broke, and I found 510ml whisky glasses. So, four glasses a day get me to 2L, and I don’t even notice it really.  Whoop whoop!

My 510ml Whisky glass

Adapting to Adaptogens

I have started taking Ashwagandha in the evenings to help with getting a good night’s sleep and dealing with the daily stresses.  This is also supposed to help with my blood glucose levels.  I used to take it in the morning, but I started feeling depressed by the evening.  I recently listened to the Huberman podcast on reducing cortisol levels, where it was mentioned that taking it at night can help lower cortisol and promote a good night’s sleep, so I made the change, and I no longer feel depressed by teh afternoon.  My sleep quality has improved, so that is a bonus.  

Nootropic Mushrooms

Lastly, I started adding a nootropic mushroom blend to my morning coffee.  It includes Lion’s Mane and others. I have so much to get through and think through every day at work, so I wanted to see if it would at least help me focus and improve my clarity of thought. It’s only been a week and a half, but it has definitely helped with both the focus and the clarity, especially in the morning.  By the afternoon the effect seems to have worn off. It also seems to have enhanced my short-term memory.  If I remind myself not to forget something, I usually don’t.  It’s pretty cool.  Of course, all of this could just be a placebo effect….lol.

That’s me for now.  Have you tried Ashwagandha and nootropic mushrooms yet?  What has your experience been?  Let me know in the comments.

88 Days to Christmas 😱

I know right! Where has the year gone? On the bright side, it means we still have 95 days left (at the time of writing this) to achieve the goals we set for 2024. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s enough time to close off what you have started, at least.

Photo by Steve Johnson on Pexels.com

2024 Goal

I have been reviewing my year thus far and I have to say that it hasn’t been too bad of a year. 2024 is my year of Less. Most importantly for me, I needed to declutter my home. I am thrilled to say that I am about 70% of the way there. My kitchen countertops are clear. My dining room area is clear (most days at least. What is it about table tops that attracts life’s bits and bobs? 🤷🏽‍♀️) My lounge is looking neater and I finally figured out how to keep all the electrical cords out of site. I hate to say it but I do need to get rid of some of my books as I am never going to read them all. The sight of them overwhelms me sometimes. Next in line: my wardrobes.

Tough love is Tough!

Raising a teen is a challenge like no other. This past school term has been a push to get my son’s marks up. I think he forgot what he is capable of. I had to set strict boundaries to get him focused throughout the term. The hardest part of tough love is the toll it takes on the person giving it. I have always hated saying no to my son, but I also accepted that there were times when no was the only answer. This term was a term of an almost constant stream of “no”. It broke my heart to have to do it and to see the frustration and disappointment in his eyes. At the end of the day, it was all worth it, and even he couldn’t believe some of the marks he achieved. He was so thrilled that he couldn’t wait to get to the car with his report, so he called me and told me about his marks as he walked the few 100m to the car. I was so happy for him and very relieved that his hard work had paid off.

Working and Learning

At work, I have learned to look at things with a marketer’s eyes. Letting go of my technical mindset and methods for doing things has been tough. I am not there yet but I am grateful for the opportunity to grow in this manner. The one thing I have also had to learn is that, even though I am changing the way I look at things or articulate them, I must not doubt my instincts. It is so easy to doubt yourself when learning something new.

Tea is my New Best Friend

My health has been on a bit of a rollercoaster ride this year. I have finally lost most of the weight I had gained this year. My blood sugar is getting back to a good space. My cholesterol has been looking good, but my blood pressure has suddenly jumped up this year. Thankfully, it was almost back to normal this week, but I will keep monitoring it. I have reduced my caffeine intake as a start and am enjoying trying out new caffeine-free teas. Right now I am alternating between rooibos, rose petal and vanilla tea, chamomile tea and ginger tea. The rose tea and chamomile tea are definitely smoother, so I have them at night or when I feel stressed. The rooibos is more earthy in flavour and it seems to also curb my snacking habit. I need to monitor this a bit more to see if it really is helping. Ginger is supposed to aid digestion so I drink it after a meal.

6 Years into my New Reality – an Update

Lastly, this week, it was six years since my mum crossed over. Looking back, I am amazed at how much I have changed since it happened:

  • I am no longer drawn to articles and books on how to grow my confidence. I am a whole lot more confident in myself.
  • I am more aware of my strengths, and I spend my time trying to grow them. Right now I am drawn to mental models and strategic thinking.
  • I have clearer boundaries in most areas of my life.
  • My faith has grown stronger. I find it easier to let go of people and things that do not positively serve me or my son.
  • Most importantly, I know who I am.
  • I still struggle with committing to/focusing on one thing, but I am aware of it which is a step in the right direction. As Dr Phil says, “you can’t change what you don’t acknowledge”. I will continue to chip away at this block until it is no more.
Cheers to the end of another successful quarter! Photograph: Author’s own

So, it’s 88 days to Christmas. I must admit that I have started eyeing new Christmas ornaments in the stores even though I know I have too many already. Note to self, though: It is your year of less. Walk away from the ornaments!😅

How is your 2024 going? What are you most proud of? Do you still have goals that you want to achieve before this year is through? Let me know in the comments. I would love to hear from you.

Thanks for stopping by. Bye for now

Celebrating 2023: A Month of gratitude – Day 16

It’s been a challenging year. I share my wellness techniques including ample sleep, hot baths, walks, and more.

Hi there! I can’t believe I missed writing about day 15! I have to admit, though, that this year, I am super tired, and all I want to do these days is “veg”. This year has been fabulous, but it has also taken its toll on me.

Usually, I would feel terribly guilty because I would be worried that I am just being lazy, but I know I am not. I am just really, really tired. I know that if I don’t listen to my body now, I am likely to crash and burn at some point in the near future. That helps no one. Our well-being is so important, yet we take it for granted until our health takes a huge hit. I have a few tools in my well-being arsenal that have helped me through this year. These include:

  • Lots of Sleep: Some weekends and even some weeknights, I spend most of my time just sleeping as much as possible until the day arrives when I feel well-rested again. I don’t know about you, but I often find that it takes more than one night’s good sleep to get me back to feeling rested when I am exhausted. 
  • Hot baths – This is usually my weekend go-to when I need to sort my thoughts out. With a few candles, an essential oil burner, and my Spotify “Chill Beats” playlist, I am good to go. I love the smell of jasmine, wild orchid, ylang-ylang, and sandalwood. I also enjoy the scents of lime and clary sage and Ginger & lime. The latter has such a clean scent. 
  • Walking– walking in the afternoon with my friend, Megan, has helped as we bounce our thoughts, ideas and some of our frustrations off each other. Walking is known to help generate new ideas, so it has been great to have someone to walk with and talk through the ideas as they come through. 
  • Green Tea with Jasmine/Camomile Tea – These help me get a good night’s rest. I sleep like the dead when I drink jasmine-scented green tea. I woke up feeling like my brain had completely shut down. My sleep feels dreamless, although it probably isn’t.
  • Journalling – This is where I vent most of the time. It is so liberating to get stuff off my chest without any filters. Journalling is proven to help people get through difficult periods. In “Writing Down Your Soul: How to Activate and Listen to the Extraordinary Voice Within”, Janet Conner has a well-researched chapter on the science behind why journalling works. The entire book is beneficial as well. I don’t always do it daily, but knowing that I have somewhere to vent unfiltered when I need to is always reassuring.
  • Friends and family – sometimes, connecting with a friend is all you need to leave you feeling rejuvenated. It’s just my son and I at home, so I come to teenage conversations every day. Sometimes, I need to connect with a fellow adult in the evenings. Then I pick up a phone and call a friend. Thankfully, whoever I call is always available to chat. I am very grateful to my friends. I really don’t know what I would do without their support. I am blessed.
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What tools do you have in your toolbox to get you through life? I would love to hear what works for you. Please add them in the comments.

Well, that’s it from me today. I think I will hop into the hot bath and then enjoy a cup of jasmine-scented green tea next :).