The holidays can be a fantastic time to kick back and enjoy some family, festivities and most of all… food. The problem with this is that during the holidays, we have a tendency to overeat and work out less. I know that for myself, it’s been a rough couple of weeks. The week prior to Christmas involved my eye injections and finishing out my work week prior to going on holidays. And this week involves my actual holidays, which has included a number of delicious meals and deserts baked by my lovely wife.
During these two weeks, focusing on one’s fitness can be difficult. After all, with gatherings, gift opening, staying up late, sleeping in and dealing with the kids, finding an hour here and there to work out becomes more difficult than usual. And that’s taking into consideration that finding time for one’s fitness is already a challenge during the regular daily grind. Oh, I’ve managed a few 30 or 40-minute weight workouts from home. But it’s been a while since I managed a solid sweat.
A couple of days of wicked snowfall meant that I found myself shovelling and blowing snow in -30 degree weather. It was freezing out and made for some exertion. My blood sugars seem to bottom out when I spend any period of time outdoors in the freezing cold. But that didn’t seem to happen, this time. But it’s been a slow couple of weeks and I have to admit that I’m starting to feel it. Despite being back on CGM and SmartGuard with better blood sugar levels, my overall physique has suffered and my body is voicing its displeasure at my laziness.
No one likes to get up early while on vacation. This limits the amount of time in the day, especially if you’re lucky enough to have kids who let you sleep. Mine fall under the medium category, where some mornings they’re up at the butt crack of dawn and others, they let us sleep almost until 10 a.m. Since we don’t bother with alarms during the holidays, the kids basically dictate when we wake up. This means that the golden hour when everyone is still asleep, when I could be hammering out a quick body-weight workout or doing some katas.
I definitely find myself needing to get back on the fitness train. If only for the fact that I know my circulation is lessened and my knees and legs are killing me. Gotta love this whole Diabetes thing! And that’s the other issue; enjoying all the perks and fun parts of the holidays can play hell with one’s blood sugars. While indulging in all of those baked goods and luscious meals, don’t forget to monitor your blood sugars often and adjust for the added carbohydrates.
As I’ve often written before, there’s no problem with taking a little break from fitness. But if you’re reaching a point where your overall fitness seems to be lagging and your body is telling you that you’ve been sitting idle for too long, get back into it! Your health, blood sugars and overall wellbeing depends on it. Find an hour here and there, even just half an hour, where you do something, anything. Take a walk, go for a run, hammer out some quick dumbbell reps… Anything is always something more than nothing, right? ☯
It’s a bit ironic that I’m writing this post on a Monday, since I took this week off. While most people tend to focus taking time off during the week of Christmas, my wife and I took this week off, keeping us at home during the week leading up to New Year’s. The reason I say it’s ironic, is because this post was prompted by a conversation I had at work. I was chatting with one of my employees about the fact that everyone is good at SOMETHING, but that the path they walk will ultimately be different. Even if two people train to master the martial arts, the environment, conditions and motivation behind doing so will differ.
This is important because in life, there will be things you will be good at and some things that you’ll basically suck at. And the latter part is okay. No one is meant to be absolutely fantastic at everything and the ones who say they are, are not only lying to themselves, they’re lying to everyone to whom they say it. I’m not saying that there won’t be some people who won’t have a natural tendency to be good at things in general. I’m referring mostly to achieving some mastery over a particular thing. For example, most people don’t know that I tried a variety of martial arts styles before I landed on karate.
Some of those styles were very good, in their own way. But if I based my decision to pursue the martial arts based on the results of those attempts, I never would have gotten to where I am now. I still remember my first visit to a Tae Kwon Do class and realizing that I had neither the skill, ability or motivation to go spinning through the air like a top to land a kick. Even at the young age I was, I couldn’t understand why they didn’t just kick in a more straightforward manner instead of trying for all the high-flying fanciness… but I digress…
One can’t be good at everything. And that’s okay but it’s something you have to make your peace with. You have to be okay with it. Because the time you spend pining over what you may have realized you’re not good at, could be time used to pursue and achieve things that you ARE good at. That would be a terrible waste and even the things that you may be good at, need to be pursued and strived for. None of it will ever happen on its own. So push hard and be okay with your failures; they’re al part of the journey. Food for thought… ☯️
Recently, I wrote about how I discovered that my medical insurance only covered about $1,000 of Diabetes medical equipment. This means that in a calendar year, my insurance will only cover three to four months worth of reservoirs, infusion sets and CGM. Basically, anything tangible that isn’t medication. Towards the end of November, I made the decision to save a few bucks by burning through my stocked supplies by using my extra Freestyle Libre sensors, even if they don’t communicate with my insulin pump and won’t make micro adjustments. this means that I spend much less time “in range.”
Despite the handiness of the Freestyle Libre, I’ve come to realize over the past month that I’m dependent on CGM and the SmartGuard system. Having a programmed insulin pump that regulates my insulin and blood sugar levels for the majority of my day and keeps me within a healthy range is something that I’ve gotten far too used to and that I’ve also taken for granted. I finally knuckled under last week and paid out of pocket for a box of CGM sensors so that I could start back on SmartGuard and have the pump take over management of my blood sugars.
In some ways, a lot of ways, I’m disappointed in myself. I’ve only been on an insulin pump for about six years and on CGM for about two years. Prior to that, I managed my blood sugars and kept myself alive through my own, direct, hands-on efforts. So it catches me a bit by surprise and disappoints me that I’ve become so dependent on a piece of technology to keep the groove going. But I’ve noticed something important during the four to five weeks I’ve been without CGM; I have been feeling like absolute, unfiltered shit. And it’s lead me to ask an important question: Is this what Diabetics always feel like?
I should probably explain. I was diagnosed with Type-1 Diabetes when I was only 4-years old. During the first five to six years, I suffered through all the typical complications that one would assume; hyper and hypoglycemic episodes, mood swing, Diabetic Keto-acidosis and even living through a few comas, one that lasted almost a week. Luckily for me, I suffered no brain damage from any of these (at least that I know of) and by the time I reached the age of 10, I took control of my own health and Diabetes and joined karate. This was the turning point that would ultimately save my life and bring my health to the forefront of my daily routine.
The bottom line is that since the age of 10 when I took control of my own destiny, I’ve struggled and fought my way through a number of obstacles in the past three decades. But the reality is that I’ve had it pretty smooth. I had the benefit of staying in good health, clean nervous system, clean cardiac system and I still have all of my toes and appendages. I’m afraid I can’t say the same of all the Diabetics I know. But how I’ve been feeling recently since coming off of CGM, I’ve come to understand how fragile the balance I’ve built has actually been
Compulsive sweats, varied teeter-tottering from low to high blood sugars and the opposite, lack of sleep, restless legs and random pains, twitches and mood swings… It all sounds a little too much like my teen years. And we all know how much of a bastard I was back then! Well, most of you likely don’t know, since you weren’t there. But I’m sure that any readers who remember me from my childhood could attest to the fact that I wasn’t QUITE as pleasant as I am now. Yes, I’m tooting my horn. Just let me have it…
My point is that I’ve been through the Diabetic trenches and came out better than most. Some of it was determination, some was competent doctors and some of it was sheer force of will, refusing to let my life be forfeit without some attempt at control. And of course, some of it was basically dumb luck. Back then, if you’d asked me if I felt worse than the average person, I would have said no. Because I didn’t know better. As the years have melted away, treatments and how I live my life have continued to grow and improve.
Because of these improvements, my quality of life has continued to improve and once I came to be on the insulin pump, my life changed for the better. Once I included CGM, it became even better still as I enjoyed the benefits of the best A1C readings I’ve had in over 20 years. But all of that came crashing back down and I lost it all as I came off of SmartGuard and CGM. As some of you may have read in previous posts, I often make a point of being pretty harsh against the use of modern technology, despite the fact that some of it is keeping me alive. But I will humbly admit and agree… CGM and SmartGuard makes a measurable difference in the life of a Type-1 Diabetic.
I’ve been back on the Guardian 3 Sensor and SmartGuard for almost a week now, and have been enjoying stable blood sugars, better sleep and improved health. I essentially no longer feel like shit. And that’s saying quite a bit. I’m a firm advocate that all things happen for a reason. As much as it pisses me off that a newly-joined health plan doesn’t cover the very equipment that’s keeping me alive, I think that it’s taught me a very important lesson about my Diabetes care and how I approach it. Ignoring technology and its advancements is no longer an option. ☯️
I get to climb into a frigid vehicle in an hour or so and make my way to Saskatoon for eye injections. Again.As much as I’d like to bitch about those injections and be bitter about them, they keep me from going blind, so I can’t complain TOO much. No, the focus this morning will be in being prepared for the road during winter conditions.
People will travel, no matter what the situation. Hell, look at how many people are still foolishly jamming themselves into a contained metal tube with recycled air to fly around to different places. Given the pandemic, this is likely the dumbest thing one could do at the moment. But, hey… Have lack of intelligence, will travel… But I digress.
Now that I’m off my soapbox and can focus appropriately, let’s discuss how one can ensure they’re prepared during winter travel. In a car. My eye injections are considered mandatory travel since without them, my vision would start to reduce. I’ve had to travel through excessively snowy conditions, snow storms, you name it. My training has been helpful, but not everyone has that training. As a law enforcement officer for many years, I’ve seen the unfortunate results of collisions during the winter months.
If you’re going to travel during winter months, it’s important to pack your vehicle will some vital items. For example, bottles of water and emergency candles are good items to keep stuffed away in your cargo area. A first aid kit, extra cloths and a booster pack for the car can also be life-saving. Most people carry a cell phone these days, but on the off chance you aren’t one of them, carrying emergency flares and a flashlight can be especially helpful.
The important hung is to make sure you don‘t allow yourself to be fooled by the thought of travelling in a warm vehicle. It takes very little time for a stalled vehicle to turn into a refrigerator. So be sure to dress to the weather outside, not how warm you think you’ll be inside. Lastly, be sure to carry a small shovel in the vent you soft land in some deep snow. And if you’ve never done basic vehicle maintenance, like change a tire, you should try it so you’ll be familiar with the process and be able to do it safely.
As I always say, life doesn’t care about one’s plan. Inclement weather and bad roads can make for hazardous travel conditions. If you MUST travel, it’s important to take all precautions to ensure one’s safety. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get some caffeine into my system and hit the road. Wish me luck! ☯️
I was thinking recently, about how it always seems that I get sick during the winter. And I suppose that makes sense, right? Colder weather, differences in atmospheric pressure and going from hot to cold constantly when one goes inside to outside or vice versa, all tend to wreak havoc on a person’s immune system. And I don’t need to tell you that a Type-1 Diabetic’s immune system isn’t all fun and games to start with, right? If it weren’t for issues with my good ol’ immune system, I wouldn’t be T1D to start with.
Last weekend, I started to feel that familiar yet unwanted tickle at the back of my throat. You know the one; a mild itch that makes you think you’re going to cough but it never quite comes out? Combined with my sinuses thinking that it would be a good idea to coat all the interior surfaces of my throat, it was a clear indication of what I already suspected; I was getting sick!
I should start by pointing out that contrary to most jokes and memes one can find online, I don’t do “man flu!” That is to say, I don’t crumple into a disgusting pile of self-pity as soon as my nose gets stuffed up or I have a few body aches. Considering the life I’ve had, if that was all it took to incapacitate me, I‘d be dead by now. I know that there’s a running joke that guys turn into big babies when they’re sick. And perhaps that’s true for some. But I wasn’t forged that way.
Last Saturday was a break day for me, having done a free-weight workout the day before and feeling some of the stiffness in my arms and shoulders. With the exceptions of some mild stretching to keep from seizing up, a Costco run with the entire family was all the workout I needed for the day. But on Sunday, maybe against good judgement, I still ran my 12k at the gym while wearing my sauna suit. I came out of that workout flushed, sweaty and exhausted but I assumed it was no different than my average runs. I was wrong.
By the evening, I was stuffy, raspy and sounded like something out of a bad horror movie. My wife wasn’t feeling great either, so we opted for an early bedtime to get some rest. Turns out that my Diabetic system had some different ideas. By the time midnight had rolled around, my blood sugar was SO LOW that my sensor couldn’t even register a reading other than “LO.” Since I felt like proverbial shit, I staggered to the kitchen where I carbo-loaded like it was going out of style.
Once I sprawled back in bed, playing the fun game of “too hot, too cold,” I finally drifted off to a fitful and shallow sleep. I awoke at about 4 am to found that my blood sugars had sling-shot in the opposite direction and I was sitting at 18.0 mmol/L! Considering I didn’t think I had eaten THAT much, was this MY bad, or was it the illness playing rollercoaster tycoon with my blood sugar levels. I’ll never know… I adjusted my insulin levels to compensate and fell asleep for another hour before waking up for work.
It shouldn’t be all that surprising, and if I’m being honest, I don’t like the way my posts often sound like I’m whining and complaining about all the issues associated with Type-1 Diabetes. But the unfortunate truth is that something as simple as getting the common cold can completely throw off the delicate balance that a properly controlled Diabetic may have been working on for months. It can be frustrating, more so on the Diabetic front than catching the cold itself.
There are a couple of important aspects to bear in mind as it relates to getting sick with Diabetes. The first one is hydration. You think you’re prone to dehydration now? Catch a cold and see how long it takes T1D to dry you out like an autumn leaf! That’s why it’s important to maintain a steady flow of liquids while you recover from whatever you may have caught. You want to avoid drinks that will do more harm than good, like alcohol or coffee. Yes, I know… That last one actually had to be forced out, but coffee is a diuretic and will contribute to dehydration.
The next is steady monitoring of your blood sugar levels. And I can’t stress this one enough. What’s worse for me right now is that I currently can’t afford CGM and am using Freestyle Libre. For those who may not be in the know, the difference is that CGM will check my glucose levels and communicate with my pump to make micro adjustments that help to keep my blood sugars in range. The Libre requires me to physically check my levels with a phone app (I try to get at it once an hour) and physically determine what insulin levels I may require in order to correct.
A slight inconvenience and if you’re T1D and using neither of these options, I think we can agree that poking your finger for a traditional blood glucose check every hour can be tedious. But it’s better than the alternative of potentially dropping to a dangerously low level or slipping into DKA for being too high. Last but not least, if you’re illness causes you to lack an appetite, be prepared to force the calories in, in some way, shape or form. Whether you have broth and dry crackers or something small, your nutrition needs to be maintained for faster recovery and continued health. Stay healthy! ☯️
First of all, for any of my fellow Saskatchewan residents reading this post, it’s a hoodie, not a “bunnyhug!” Now that THAT nonsense is out of the way, let’s get on with it. I recently purchase a garment called a sauna hoodie. The concept is that the garment traps body heat and increases core temp, causing greater perspiration and helping to burn fat. The claim is that it will also increase circulation and help with muscle growth. And let’s not forget that it purports to keep you warmer when working out in colder weather by virtue of the heat it traps.
I’d like to say that I haven’t been shopping lately but I’ve been shopping lately. If you haven’t guessed from my recent post about my smoothie blender… Maybe it’s because Black Friday just came and went or the holiday season is coming up and I’m finding all these specials… Who knows? The bottom line is that I’ve been allowing myself the indulgence of trying out some new items that I never would have, before. This is actually a good thing. I’ve always been something of a minimalist, which isn’t inherently bad on its own but it certainly prevents experiencing some of the more interesting things in life. And if there’s one thing I know, it’s that experiences are far more valuable than things. But I digress…
I usually purchase my fitness garments (dry-fit, sweats, etc) from a local sports apparel store as it’s the easiest place to find what I’m actually looking for. When you spend your summers sweating bullets in the hot sun on a bike and the winters running and doing elliptical, your garments eventually tap out. You can bleach wash your shit all you want, it’ll still smell like an abandoned jock. Now that I’ve sufficiently grossed you all out and guaranteed you’ll skip breakfast, I’ll get to the point. I usually only purchase clearance items. It’s an easy way to ensure I’m getting quality garments that will last a while without paying full price.
Sweating like only a flabby, middle-aged man can!
On a particular visit about a month ago, I found a neoprene hoodie in the clearance section. the tag boasted increasing the body’s core temperature to shed excess water weight and maintain muscle warmth. I decided to try the thing on, since it was a size large (the only one they had left) but I couldn’t even get my damn arms into the thing. I put it back and left the location without making a purchase but I couldn’t help but think about the garment and its potential benefit. I visited a different location of the same chain and found the garment, once again in the clearance section but a large as well. I took a photograph of the product tag and decided to do some research.
I couldn’t understand why the garment was always in the clearance section and the staff didn’t seem to know either, other than to assume that the chain was simply no longer carrying the item. I looked up the product online and managed to find a sizing chart that, based on my measurements, suggested that an extra large would accommodate my bulk. THAT felt great, I’ll tell ya! I ordered a hoodie online and within a couple of weeks, I received it through the mail. Last week, I had my first 13-kilometre run using the sauna hoodie and here are the things I noticed…
Usually, I’ll reach my maximum heart rate within the first quarter of my run. For some odd reason, it took me almost 40 minutes to achieve my max. The second thing is that I seemed to be breathing easier, despite the fact I was running at the same speed that I usually do. Since the garment was fitted neoprene, things were, umm,… jiggling less than they usually do when I run. I couldn’t feel myself sweating, except for a bit on my forehead and I was almost disappointed by the lack of heat. I thought maybe I had wasted my money and the garment was useless, until I noticed a dripping happening below my legs and realized that the garment was funnelling all the sweat (and a fuckin’ ton of it) down my spine and the back of my shorts.
By the time I had run for an hour, I felt great but my backside literally looked and felt as though I had sat in a puddle. I was still at work and had about an hour left, so I was kind of screwed. I put my pants back on, but since my underwear were saturated, the moment I sat down in one of my staff’s offices to discuss something, it soaked through my jeans and was visible for all the world to see. And no, there are no shower facilities available at my gym due to COVID-19, at the moment. Yay, me. My boss had a reasonable laugh at my expense, but my previous disappointment was quickly washed away by a torrent of residual sweat.
I felt like a sausage casing about to burst!
So, what’s the skinny on these garments? According to an article I found on HealthLine.com, weight loss due to one of these garments is primarily due to shedding water that should be replenished as you exercise. The article also points out that the liver and kidneys are the bodies best detoxifiers and that excess sweating only releases trace amounts of toxins. The article didn’t shed much encouraging light, despite having a header that read, “Benefits of a sauna suit.” Ultimately, as long as you aren’t overexerting yourself, a sauna hoodie shouldn’t cause anything you wouldn’t be experiencing anyway; thirst, fatigue and the need to replenish yourself.
Another article found on LiveStrong kind of echoed those thoughts, but added that the body’s extremities will benefit from the increased blood flow. It also indicates that “a sauna suit keeps the body temperature higher, prevents heat from escaping and essentially provides a shell of warmth in cold weather. I mean, i don’t work out in cold conditions for the most part, besides the occasional walk. But it’s a nice perk for those who still go running and jogging outside during the winter months.
So, what’s the verdict? Well, I’ve enjoyed a couple of runs with the garment and I like it. I like that I seem to run better, breathe easier and get a wicked sweat on. I may only be shedding water weight but it’s important to remember that the body’s sweating process does mean you’re burning calories, so I’m doing something right. like any new gimmick, as long as I stay hydrated, don’t overexert myself and keep a close eye on my blood sugars, i should be fine. And that’s the other thing; usually my runs will have my blood sugars start to drop by the 30-minute mark. But this time, my blood sugars remained normal. Something to do with the increased blood flow maybe? Who know? I’m not a doctor… ☯️
All life is a game of balance. By that statement, it would make sense that the negative needs to exist in order to complement the positive. While most of us live our lives within the confines of this balance, most would agree that it’s more pleasing and typically one’s goal to live within the positive, as negativity tends to bring suffering. And suffering is not good. At all.
So what can one do to simply and effectively eliminate negativity from one’s life? Following the Eightfold Path is certainly a good way to start. Right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right concentration and right mindfulness are good practices to have in order to eliminate the negative aspects of one’s life. But not everyone prescribes to these aspects, and society has a funny way of associating happiness with material belongings and tangible pleasures.
Unfortunately, some people experience the most negativity in their lives from other people. Have you ever had a toxic individual in your life? Someone that always seems to go against the grain and make things difficult? But you continue to keep them in your life because they may be a long-time friend, associate or even a family member. Occasionally, you won’t even have the choice. It can be someone brought into your life by virtue of someone ELSE’s choice, like a sibling or friend marrying someone toxic.
Sometimes it isn’t even so much that the person is TOXIC, per se. Sometimes it’s a simple matter of the person unfortunately living within their own negativity. And when someone is always negative, it just kind of seems to suck the air and energy out of the room. It’s important to note as well, that a person may not inherently be negative but their perspectives and life views may simply not be in line with yours. This can be even worse, since it means that even if they’re not negative themselves, it’s causing negativity within your own life by virtue of those differences.
So, should one cut such people out of their lives? This can be a difficult decision, especially if there’s a personal connection spanning years and possibly decades. I’ve faced that very situation, myself. Having someone who’s always difficult, negative and argumentative can be draining on a person’s soul, and common sense would dictate that knowing such a person for an extended period of time doesn’t make it worth it to have them linger in one’s life if all they do is spread negative energy into your existence.
There’s no easy answer. In fact, there’s no answer I can provide here. Each and every situation is different and subjective but it’s important to remember that one’s overall happiness will come as a result of their own actions; even if those actions mean cutting ties with someone you’ve associated with for years. Careful contemplation and consideration needs to be included but at the end of the day, like all things in life, one must do what’s in the best interest of one’s overall health and wellbeing. Food for thought…☯️
Yesterday I posted about how I’ve been using flax seed in the new addition to my morning routine, which is to consume a smoothie for breakfast while I prep for work. I made a brief mention of my mini blender but wanted my focus to be on the flax seed aspect. But I think it would be a good idea to talk about this new little gadget I purchased, as it really is amazing and I’m enjoying the hell out of it. Buckle up…
First of all, before anyone gets all high and mighty and fills my comments section with their bullshit, let me clarify: I am NOT endorsing this product in return for compensation. BlendJet hasn’t asked me to do this, I’m simply sharing my thoughts on the product because I bought it and it’s great. Trust me, I’d be bashing it if it were the other way around. Or maybe not, since I try to stay positive. But I digress…
A few weeks ago, after consuming a few well-deserved scotches, I was wandering around online and came upon an advertisement for BlendJet’s mini blender, the BlendJet 2. Not one to be taken in by advertisements, I was intrigued by the company boasting how effective and easy to clean it is. I had been contemplating moving one of my meals to smoothies, as you would have read in yesterday’s post, so I decided to take a shot and ordered one.
It took about a week to receive it, which was super quick. I’ve used it repeatedly over the past week and let me say that the company isn’t exaggerating the effectiveness of its product. I excitedly opened the box and read through the instructions. It only takes about an hour and a half to fully charge before full use and is charged by using an included USB-C cord. So you can recharge it using your computer or a charging cube, just like a smart phone. Once it was fully charged, I decided to clean it and give it a try.
My new BlendJet, still wet from this morning
As per the advertisement, I put a tiny drop of dish soap and warm water in the blender, screwed on the lid and started a blend cycle. What’s nice is the blender will run for about twenty seconds or so and stop on its own. Once it was rinsed out, I found some frozen fruit in our freezer, some milk and a handful of chocolate chips because, well…chocolate! I blasted those ingredients and I was surprised at how well this thing worked. I poured a small glass for each of my kids and I have to say, besides a few of the chocolate chips staying intact and at the bottom, it worked really well.
It boasts about 15 blends on a single charge, but I’ve been using it for over a week where I use two blends, one to make the smoothie and one for cleaning, and I haven’t had to charge it yet. The unit comes apart so that if you want to wash it in the regular dishes as opposed to running a blend cycle to clean it, you can. But I’ve been jamming all sorts of ingredients into this thing, including flax seed… Go read yesterday’s post! It’s made my morning routine so much easier and keeps me from going hungry while making my way towards the lunch hour.
What’s fun is that there are over two dozen different colours you can order this thing in. And I’m not sure if it’s because it’s the Christmas season or what, but they appear to be half price, on their website. Again, I don’t often make a point of endorsing or promoting specific companies or products, but I think this mini blender is an excellent gadget and well worth the purchase. If y’all wanna check it out, you can visit BlendJet’s website here. ☯️
I’ve noticed that a lot of times when new “trends” emerge, they turn out to be something that’s been available for a long time; people simply weren’t aware or making use of it. A good example of this is flax seeds. I recently bought a mini blender that doubles as a tumbler. It charges through USB, takes 30 seconds to clean and will grind almost anything. But more to come on THAT in another post. Today, I want to talk about flax seeds…
Mornings for me have a tendency to be rushed. Once my alarm goes off, I usually hit the ground running to prepare lunches for myself and my son Nathan, shave, shower and get dressed before rushing out the door. This usually leaves me with very little time to consume anything for breakfast. Yeah, yeah, I know what you’re going to say; I could just get up a bit earlier. I hear that a lot and I honestly don’t get what people have against sleeping in. But I digress…
The bottom line is that I’ve been trying to find something to kickstart my day that ISN’T simply grabbing a protein bar or eating take out food. So, I’ve started making smoothies in the morning. Five minutes to throw some fruit, milk, flax seed and whatever else I want into the blender and I’m off to the races. Almost literally. But I can gulp down the smoothie while I get ready for my day, making it practical and quick.
I make reference to the concept of people thinking something old is new because there’s a lot of hype in nutrition circles surrounding flax seed, for all of its health benefits. But according to an article posted by WebMD, “Flaxseed was cultivated in Babylon as early as 3000 BC.” It’s been around for quite some time and the health benefits were suspected as early as the 8th century when King Charlemagne passed laws requiring his subjects to consume it because he believed so strongly in how good it was.
Flax seed is found in a lot of different foods as an ingredient. But you can purchase flax seed itself either ground up or in whole form, although most sources I’ve read recommend consuming the ground up version since the whole seeds are harder to digest. But there are a ton of benefits and I’ll list a few of them here. I got most of them from a list posted by HealthLine.com, but some are simply what I’ve observed.
First and foremost, flax seed is loaded with good stuff that your body needs, including fibre and omega-3. But they also have all sorts of nutrients and good stuff to help your body along. The fibre aspect is a big win for me, and flax seed has lots of it. In fact, flax seed apparently has soluble and insoluble fibre, helping you feel full for longer, reduce the amount of glucose released in the body and keeps those bowel movements on the regular.
Good digestive health is important for weight loss, fitness, overall health and blood sugar control. I know that I don’t consume as much fibre as I should, and this has become an easy way for me to increase my intake. But flax seed has also shown the potential for lowering cholesterol and blood pressure; two things that I currently take “preventative” pills for, every morning.
Flax seed also packs a decent amount of plant-based protein and since the fibre aspect helps keep hunger at bay by making you feel full for longer, it can potentially help with a bit of weight loss since you may not snack as frequently if you still feel full. I like it because it adds a bit of a nutty flavour to my smoothies, it’s reasonably inexpensive for a lot of it and it covers off a bunch of aspect one might want from any meal, all consumed within a glass of liquid.
It’s only been about a week, so I can’t boast that I’m seeing all these results from consuming a shake every morning. But what I can say is that with about a half dozen blueberries, a cup of milk, a tablespoon of flax seed and a pinch of Splenda for sweetness, I’ve enjoyed working through my mornings without feeling hungry or snacking. It also prevents my bad habit of skipping breakfast all together, which helps with proper blood sugar control and helps me get on with my day with a bit more energy. Flax seed… the 3,000-year old “new” superfood. ☯️
I’ve never been a big fan of baths, preferring a nice, hot shower. Even as a child, I started using the shower before I was old enough to reach the shower switch. In any event, i suppose that as long as one cleans oneself regularly, that’s all that matters. I bring all of this up because I’ve been experiencing and enjoying showers way more than a person rightfully should, lately. And because I’ve been enjoying my showers, I thought I would share that joy with all of you. Isn’t that nice? Cough, cough… Moving on…
My home originally featured two bathrooms. One was upstairs and featured a bathtub and the other was in the basement and simply had a small, box-style standup shower. The upstairs shower worked but would leak into the basement due to a broken seal on one of the water pipes. Since there was no access behind the shower wall, it would cost a heavy amount to remove the drywall, repair the shower and repair the dry wall. So ultimately, my wife and I were limited to showering downstairs.
About a year and half ago, our foundation shifted and opened a crack in the western concrete wall of the basement. Although we could tell from the walls and some features that the house had shifted, we couldn’t see the extent of the damage hidden behind the walls or predict that a rain storm that followed would partially flood the basement with ground water (which our insurance policy ironically doesn’t cover). That’s when Grasshopper Construction came to our rescue.
They were able to demolish the existing basement, repair and shore up the foundation and brace it all around. The majority of homes in Regina require this bracing by virtue of the shifting soil in the area, but our home was never done. Once the bracing was done, the foundation was sound and safe but now we had a bare concrete basement, which couldn’t be used for any liveable purpose. This included the loss of the downstairs bathroom and shower.
Big deal, right? We still have the tub upstairs. That’s exactly what we said, over a year ago. But I have to admit that filling, sitting and using a tub for the purposes of daily cleaning is tedious. There’s nothing quite comparable to the ease and convenience of jumping in the shower for five minutes and being done. So after a year and a half of lowering my bulk into a restrictive space and trying to maneuver myself to wash all my 2,000 parts (if you don’t remember those Lever 2000 commercials, that joke will be lost on you), I had enough of baths.
A little over a month ago, the renovation of our downstairs was finally completed and we’ve had a working shower (and a much larger one, at that) for several weeks. Although this isn’t my usual type of post and there’s no real lesson contained in my words, I was having a hot shower this morning when I realized I was enjoying the “perk” of having a shower. Isn’t that amazing? Something that the average person takes for granted is something I had to have destroyed and go without for a year, in order to appreciate. There may be a lesson in there after all…
But just so that I can say that I shared some knowledge, did you know that a guy named William Feetham is credited with inventing the modern shower in 1767? It wasn’t until that point that daily bathing became a common practice for proper hygiene and better health. There you go, I shared some knowledge. ☯️
The Blogging Buddhist 