Friday 15 March 2013

Checking in

Whoa nelly - it has been too long since my last post!  My apologies, honestly, I have been reflecting about which direction I would like to take this blog in.  Why, you ask?
  • My running has slowly come to an almost halt (see below for explanation)
  • I do not want this blog to be 100% IBS-focused, nor do you, I assume
As you know, I injured myself last year - knee, hip flexors, IT bands and hamstrings.  I was on the road to recovery, ran (pun kind of intended) into issues when exceeding 3k runs and now am doing 2k runs once or twice a week. The reason for such a short distance is because my knee goes a little crazy when I exceed 2k, so in the name of being able to walk up and down stairs, I have opted for very short runs.  

As you have likely read from my previous post, I have been spinning and enjoying it (somewhat) - I would probably enjoy it more if Goodlife did not incorporate Cosmic Girl into their spin classes quite so frequently.  I am praying for that song to be removed from the list and I continue to cringe whenever the opening bars open my spin class.  My knees and hip flexors have not been faring so well with spin, or with life in general.  I am back to physio, laser and extended massage sessions to maintain myself at a tolerable level of discomfort, as a result, I have had to reduce my spin schedule.  I am hoping to discover the cause of these issues at some point during my lifetime, but, as we all know, our healthcare system is anything but speedy, especially if your affliction will not kill you anytime soon.    

In other news, I have been working on some guest blogging, my first post can be found at The Local Traveler - a great site devoted to exploring Atlantic Canada, taking us on a journey through our own backyard.  

In terms of the IBS -I have become an avid user of myfitnesspal to track my food and exercise - I have been doing so well with it that I have logged in 45 days in a row!  I have always avoided the whole food diary experience and only used it when medical practitioners forced me to use it as a tool to help with my IBS.  Although I scoffed at these exercises a few years ago, I am beginning to see the light and have been trying to take note of my symptoms when they crop up.  I am hoping to discover some patterns or triggers, so I keep logging.  In this vein, I am considering trying out the FODMAP elimination diet to see if I have any luck with it.  This diet was not around when I was first diagnosed, but, I have seen it mentioned a lot in my social media networks and am wondering if I should just give it a whirl.  The main thing holding me back is the elimination of garlic - I am not certain I can survive without a healthy amount of garlic in my life!  I would love to hear if any of you have tried this, and if so, what was your experience - was it helpful?