Listen Up, PCOS Friends!

*Note: I will be talking about periods and menstruation and delightfully female issues, so if that isn't your cup o' tea, get out now and skip to the second paragraph!

I can barely contain my excitement!!  As you know about a month ago I started working out, obviously eating relatively healthy, and just being mindful of what I was doing.  I hadn't even finished taken the naturopathic supplements designed to help with my cramps and this month my whole menstrual cycle has changed...for the better!  First off, I woke regularly in the morning to the lovely little surprise that I got my period.  Standardly, I am awoken by massive cramping and internal pain before my period actually starts, so while it was a surprise, it was a good sign.  I am into day 2 and there are very few clots (I know, gross, but it is an important factor as to what is going down inside the body) and it is already starting to lessen.  I am literally blown away by the immense change.  Very little to no cramping.  I am impressed and that makes me even MORE motivated to keep the exercise going on a daily basis.  Also, I think drinking a lot of alkaline water (water with lemon or cucumber if you are concerned about the wearing away of your enamel) and I think that definitely helps.  The interesting thing (but still frustrating) is that I haven't lost any "weight" according to the scale, but you know what...I don't care.  My goal was to get healthy.  To change the way my body works by working with it instead of fighting it.  It seems to be working and that bodes well for my future.  To read some funny things about periods go here.

             

In other news, I have been extremely diligent with the gym, and I have gone 4 days this week and then did ballet on the 5th.  Tomorrow, Stephanie and I are adventuring to yoga in the morning at the gym which will be interesting because it was when I was doing yoga with my friend Vicky in the summer, that I realized exactly how bad my body had gotten.  It made me so self conscious and sad that I couldn't hold myself up or touch my toes because my tummy was in the way.  Now, I feel stronger, I love the definition in my arms, my core is tighter (I can tell when we balance in ballet), I can lift more, and I have more energy.

I have to say though, there were at least 2 days this week where I attempted to not go to the gym.  But I made myself go and I am super glad that I did.  Motivation is a hard thing sometimes, especially when we live in Winterpeg.  I certainly do not enjoy crawling out of bed at 7am to get into a cold car in -30.  And this weather isn't the worst of it yet.  Sometimes it is just nicer to stay in a snuggly bed, or hang out on Facebook with the fireplace going, but I know that those habits are not what helped me achieve my current results.


Right now I am watching a documentary called Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead on Netflix.  It is an interesting documentary on the benefits of juicing and as you know, I have been into the juicing situation for awhile now.  This documentary is very interesting and I know a lot of people joke about "the juice diet" but I think it is about moderation and once you reset your body, implement juicing as a way to incorporate those fruits and vegetables that you hate to eat.  I think the greatest thing about the documentary is just the transformations and the motivation that you can get from watching another person's journey.  For myself, I find it extremely important to keep reading, watching, and learning about nutrition, exercise, and overall health.  It is keeping me accountable, but it is also incredibly interesting!  I am now watching Food Matters and it is much more in depth.  Watch it ;)

                       

I also bought 2 new books from Chapters which I am pretty pumped about!  I will write more on those later when I get to reading them! In the meantime, have a good time perusing my Recharge Wishlist for Christmas!