Elephant Dung and A Dog's Energy . . . Yes Please!

I've been doing a lot of research the last couple of days for a healthy, somewhat equivalent nutrient dense shake that I can replace my shakeology with. While I didn't get the sustained energy boost from Shakeology that I was hoping for, my body DOES like the nutrition my gut can absorb from a nutrient dense shake! Sometimes it's tough to be able to absorb all the nutrition you need with chronic diarrhea from not having a large intestine due to j-pouch surgery. (TMI??) The shake has been awesome that way. . . just not $130/month awesome. . . not without the energy of a dog or a 2-year-old boy!

Facebook is LOADED with advertisements for the 310 shake. Advertising works so naturally I looked at that one first. Advertising good, shake not the best... although I DID like the price! After checking them out I started looking at different websites and blogs to see comparables between the different shakes available.  The best blog that was updated with WAY more information than I can process with fibro-brain is this one. I took all my new-found knowledge and went to amazon to read the reviews. 

I ended up choosing

Garden of Life Meal Replacement - Organic Raw Plant Based Protein Powder, Chocolate, Vegan, Gluten-Free

I read the BEST WORST review of this product and am going to copy it here because it's too funny not to share.

Customer Review

3.0 out of 5 starsThe difinitive review of...whatever is actually in this tub.

ByJDL303on March 28, 2014

Flavor: Vanilla|Size: Large|Verified Purchase

First off, the short version: This is the worst tasting stuff I've ever actually put in my mouth, and I just ordered another tub.

It's amazing what the human body can get used to. Seriously. The taste is bad. Like ground up elephant dung mixed with sand.

A little about me: 38, used to be in shape, then got kinda fat and decided to do something about it which entailed T-25 and an improved diet. I also waited to write this review until after I had finished my first tub of Raw Meal and went to regular protein powder instead so that I could compare the results. Let it be known that I am not a raw foods, vegan, vegetarian, health or excersize nut or anything like that. Just a regular guy trying to correct years of eating and drinking whatever it occoured to me at the time to consume.
Part of my diet is a breakfast smoothie, which is where this product came in. I read the reviews (just like you) and decided to give it a go because I had no intention of drinking it straight, but instead was planning to mix it as an ingredient in my smoothie. The other things I blend in my smoothie include ice, juice, almondmilk, frozen berries, ground flax, and chia seeds. The first day I added this to my smoothie, I thought someone must have mixed up at the Raw Meal factory and put ground up latex paint in a tub and sent it over. Awful. Really bad. Anyway, I got that choked down, and decided to try it again the next day...and the day after that...and so on. Every day it got slightly less bad and eventually became something I got used to like paying taxes, going to the dentist, or spending time with my in-laws.
The problem started one day when I made my wife's smoothie too thick (Did I mention that I make a smoothie for both of us in the morning? The only difference between them is that she refuses to drink the Raw Meal and instead gets regular vanilla protein powder.) and had to drink it down a little to put more liquid in. OMG. It tasted like licking angel tears off a unicorn's horn. I couldn't believe it. So good. Then I mixed up my Raw Meal smoothie and cried.
I finished my Raw Meal about 2 weeks ago, and went back to regular protein powder. There really is no compairison when it comes to taste. The only way they could make the Raw Meal taste worse would be if they somehow added durian fruit to it. New problem is that taste isn't the only thing to consider here. With the protein powder, I'm HUNGRY in an hour. With the Raw Meal, I wasn't hungry for lunch until early afternoon. Now whether this is because it keeps you from feeling hungry because it's so great, or because it makes you a little nauseous for several hours is up for debate. All I can say is that I'm eating a bunch more food now than I was when Raw Meal was part of my diet.
Now lets do some Pros and Cons:
Cons:
Absolutely everything that has to do with sensory percetion of Raw Meal. Taste, smell, sight, texture, etc. They are all really bad. Have I made that clear? Only some vegan who'd given up on life would think this stuff tastes good.
Pros:
Everything else. Feel better. Full for longer. Eat less. Poop better. Etc.
It's really a good product, it just tastes like the south end of a north bound rhino.
A couple of things I've found to make it tollerable:
Mix it with more liquid than it reccommends. This stuff is THICK and gets thicker the longer it sits. If you were to let it sit for an hour, you could probably lay bricks with it.
Never mix a banana with it. Bananas make it WAY thicker than it already is. You'd have to eat it with a spoon.
Drink it kinda quickly. No need to sit around and sip this stuff.
I never even tried it without mixing it in a smoothie, and I never will. Do yourself the same favor, and at least put some juice or something with it.
In conclusion, if taste is important to you, look elsewhere. If you can deal with putting this in your mouth and are more interested in the nutritional benefits, you can't beat this product. Understand that your body will get used to it if you force it to. You'll probably be glad you did.

Oh my gosh! This makes me laugh so hard!

Well, needless to say, I ordered myself a large tub of chocolate elephant dung mixed with sand. It should be here right before I run out of my chocolate shakeology. I'll keep you posted...

Hard Days and Stupid People

A recurring theme I keep seeing over and over today on different areas of social media, is what to say and to NOT say to someone with a chronic illness. The posts are pretty much the same, varying with the authors personality. And they make me laugh. 

I ask myself repeatedly WHY do people try to tell others how to be well? It seems especially rampant with those that are healthy telling those of us with chronic illness what to do and to not do. Here are a few of my favorites that have happened to me personally...

If you would only try eating Vegan then all your troubles would go away.

This comment cost me a friend, but she wouldn't drop it! She had Type 2 Diabetes (caused by food) so OF COURSE eating healthier made her feel better! After trying to explain 4 different ways to her that I can't eat all that food due to no large intestine, and that I get ... tired blood ..... Fibro fog y'all. sorry.... and need to eat red meat, she got really upset and rather rude. THAT is what the "block" button is for on social media. Some people that cause that much stress in your life do not need to be in your life. Stress averted!

If you would just try *insert supplement name here* then all your troubles will magically disappear. I did it and it worked for me.

Do you know how many pills I already take??? Unless I see/feel/determine a need and my doctor that is monitoring all those meds agrees, I am not adding another pill to my repertoire'. Thanks. but no thanks.

If you would just exercise more... 

This one is just laughable. This last weekend I started on a new round of exercises called 21 day fit. It's for beginner/beginning intermediate NORMAL people. I modify the modifier. After just two days, I woke up Sunday and found out I. Couldn't. Walk. .... neither could I muster the strength to sit on the toilet! Oh how I wished that I had handicapped hand rails in my bathroom. Needless to say I came out in tears from the pain of just trying to stand back up after the pain of trying to sit down. People just don't get it! Exercise does NOT energize us. IT STEALS OUR ENERGY RESERVES! Now I'm not saying be a lump on the couch! Do what you can do, but for heaven's sake, don't over do it to tell people that you DO exercise! They don't understand that exercise isn't refreshing to us. Sometimes it's a death blow.

If you would just push yourself a little bit harder then your body would react and you'd find yourself being able to do it easier!

Please. Just. Please. We are already perfectionists and mourn what we can't do already. We don't need the guilt that comes from your judgments. It doesn't get easier. We may get stronger for awhile, and then we crash, start again, get back up to the strength that we might have had, crash, start again. The task for us is to have the courage and the strength to get back up and keep doing the same thing over and over. . . do you know the definition of Insanity?  Well, we are the walking poster child of the definition.

If you went to this doctor, they helped my *insert relationship here* and they are better now.

Each person, and each disease that affects that person is individual. It's called "co-morbidity". EVEN IF we have exactly the same diseases, in the same areas at the same time and our last name is the same, it is different. We are different. How it affects us is different. How we react to the meds, procedures, stress levels, etc are all different. Allow us to be who we are. Chances are we know more than the doctors do about our own cases anyway. Just because your *relation* got better doesn't mean our bodies will react the same way. We are happy and excited for your relation. Offer instead to scrub our toilets. That would make us giddy!

Maybe if you got a maid your house would be cleaner and it wouldn't stress you out so much.

"Maybe you could offer to be my maid." That'll shut em up! :) hahahaha it needed to be said. As if a maid can clean and have your house stay magically clean. Chances are that the money we would use for a maid is already being spent on medicine, doctors, and therapists for people who say stupid sh**! So there isn't money left over for a maid.

If you'd just tell people 'no' more, then they wouldn't bug you so much (as they ask for only a "small" thing - which most times they don't even realize they are asking!) 

I personally just groan inwardly and roll my eyes. The absurdity and irony is totally lost on these people. 

If I could say one thing to them, and not be the kind of person I don't want to be it would be this...

Won't you be my neighbor?

Lest you think all my people fall into these categories, they don't. Only the obnoxious ones. The others are very kind. They ask how I am doing, and if I need help. They don't get offended by my cancelling plans. Again. They pick up the pieces when I fall apart and run with whatever needs doing.

And my favorite person brings home dinner when I'm too tired to cook after folding two baskets of clothes all day. He is also the same person that hugs me when I cry from pain and frustration. He's also the maid I don't want to afford, and carries me to escape when life gets too "lifey". He's also my chauffeur on days it's too exhausting to drive, my best friend when I feel like everyone just wants another piece of me, and is content to just sit by me quietly and enjoy the day because noise, lights, smells, people and stress get to be too much. He is my bodyguard with sword in hand to protect me, but allows me the graciousness of letting me fight the demon. He knows that he can't fight that fight. That the fight is mine. He is very courageous that way. I know he would fight it if he could. 

If you want to know how to help someone with chronic illness, be like my favorite person. He's got it down. And for that, I love him all the more. 

Thanks Brad. I love you!

Sweating Is NOT My Favorite Activity!

Sweating should be forbidden when a person exercises! I do NOT like the feeling of salty sweat dripping into my eyeballs! 

It Stings folks!

And I get all sticky feeling, and I stink . . . and it's just not right! EW!

It might be because it takes too much time and energy to bathe everyday... and when you sweat, you SHOULD bathe. I'm not judging here... just making an observation...

I think the REAL reason I don't like to sweat is because with chronic illnesses, we have learned to equate sweat with some negative things in our lives...

Like:

• if we sweat, we probably have a fever. Even though our temperature might read 98.6, for us that is could signal a fever - which means feeling feverish, then chills, then fever. then...

• if we sweat, it means that we have over done it AGAIN because we were feeling good for awhile and got everything on our list (and then some) "accomplished" while we could.

• If we sweat, our bodies are rebelling against us and we are headed for a flare up of whatever disease we are battling.

• If we sweat, we have to use extra energy or "spoons" to bathe, and heaven forbid wash our hair which takes even more energy! . . . and then a nap to regain that energy if we are lucky . . .Who has time for that everyday?

• If we sweat, and we bathe, we probably find out that we need to shave our legs because the hair on them is braid-able because we haven't had the energy to shave for awhile.

• If we sweat, we are going to need the rest of the day to sit down, and therefore miss out on all the other plans we have made (and will have to cancel . . . AGAIN) and just watch TV instead of live. . . we live vicariously through TV reality shows often enough anyway. 

• If we sweat, we have to admit to ourselves how "really" out of shape we are, because we have ignored our bodies "need" for exercise. But we have to ignore it because it is so far out of reach of our energy stores. Can I get a "I feel guilty" here?

• Basically, if we sweat, we have to think, acknowledge, and either fret because we "just can't do it" or we do it and then "fret" over the consequences.

Does that sound familiar?

I'm sorry that you have to go through this in your lives.

I'm sorry that I understand what you are going through.

Chronic Illness Sucks Balls. 

Yes, I said that.

(but you and I both know that's true.)

You're welcome.

As I was thinking about sweating today (while sweat was stinging my eyeballs) and all the negative connotations it implies for someone with a chronic illness, I also started thinking about all the good things sweat does for us. Things that I had forgotten about for so long! So here's a new list to consider:

• If we sweat, we can control the amount of sweat by following (in my case) the moderator of the activity we are doing. For instance, today I started a new exercise program through BeachBody on Demand called "The Shift Shop". (think playground games meets football training). It was really fun, and pretty intense, but they have someone doing a moderation of the exercises and you can follow that person. . . I couldn't even keep up with the moderator! But I did my best. I think I was sweating more than the hardest level person on the session was! So I controlled my amount of "sweat" or energy that way.

• If we sweat, it means that our body is building muscle, which means that we are GETTING STRONGER. If we aren't getting stronger, we are getting weaker. That's all we need with a chronic illness . . . something else to make us feel like crap!

• If we sweat, we REMOVE TOXINS from our bodies! Those toxins make us feel like YUK! Toxins build up in our bodies from all the meds we take, and processes that aren't working right in our bodies. Sweat is one way our bodies rid itself of some of those toxins. That's freakin' awesome right there!

• If we sweat, we are doing something POSITIVE for ourselves, and something that no one can take away from us for today! AND we did it ourselves!

• If we sweat, we SHOULD bathe, and that makes our loved ones love us even more! At least they will appreciate that we don't stink anymore, and that is always a good thing! 

• If we sweat, we create endorphins, which are hormones that make us feel good. Endorphines are great for depression and help lift our spirits! Chronic Illness Warriors suffer from depression a lot! I know it's hard to start the process of sweating from exercise when you are depressed...it's the last thing we WANT to do... get out of bed and move.... but it WILL help! It will help even MORE if you get your pretty little face in the sunshine! Which will also make you sweat! 

• If we sweat, we are taking back CONTROL of our lives. We are choosing to work to control the amount of pain we feel (instead of IT controlling US), the movement of our limbs, the strength of our muscles, and the attitude of our minds.

After thinking about this for awhile, while I still don't LIKE the way I feel when I sweat, I DON'T have to hate it. 

To be Politically Correct, I was bigoted about sweat. :) 

(If you know me, PC is something I am totally NOT! I don't think you can be truly sarcastic and be PC. . . and I enjoy sarcasm so much! It makes me happy on hard days! It's like punching hard days in the face!)

Although I'm addressing you, the reader, I am also documenting my journey with Beach Body and Shakeology and the effects that it is having on my body, my fibromyalgia, chronic migraines, j-pouch, blah, blah, blah...my health. With that said, I want to say something.

As I have been exercising, I have found that there is something else happening in my body. I haven't been quite able to pinpoint it until last night.

As I have been drinking Shakeology along with doing the Beach Body exercises, and following the food plan (basically learning portion control . . . AGAIN . . . ok, and that chocolate and diet coke are NOT a meal , it's my stress diet. . .) 

MY BODY IS HAPPIER!

Drinking Shakeology is giving me the nutrients that my body needs. I don't think my body has been able to absorb the nutrients that it needs because of all my gut issues and food sensitivities. Whenever I eat anything "clean" my body processes it pretty fast, and then dumps it. Because of that, I don't think that I was getting the nutrition that I needed, and my body went into "starvation mode".

(if your body doesn't dump [a polite way to say diarrhea] but holds on to the waste, Shakeology will help with regularity)

Starvation Mode is when your body holds on to every calorie that it gets, converts it to fat to be "stored" for a possible famine in your body due to lack of nutrition. It's very hard to lose weight this way, because your body just won't let those calories go! It saves that energy because it might need it later.

As I understand it, that causes stress on the body, which causes cortisol, another hormone, to increase. . . making MORE fat. It's a vicious cycle, and makes us feel worse.

I am starting to believe that Shakeology is allowing my body to absorb the nutrients! It's something that my body is accepting, and that is letting my body interpret nutrition! I think that alone is allowing my body to release that stored fat, and that is why I am starting to see a difference on the scale! And I'm doing it without the cravings! CRAZY!

Because of the ability to absorb that nutrition, I am also seeing my body get stronger, and having more energy. At least that is my Theory! All I know, is "SOMETHING" is starting to happen in my body.

And those are my thoughts today. Apparently I AM capable of more than this:

If you would like more information on Shakeology or Beach Body Fitness, either click on the link, or comment ME in the comments section. I hope that you have an awesome day, and do something POSITIVE for yourself today! 

YOU ARE WORTH THE FIGHT!

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Shakeology Recipe for the Day!

In a shaker bottle:

8-12 oz cold water

1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology (I use dairy/gluten free, Vegan)

1/2 tsp Cinnamon (anti-inflammatory)

1/2 tsp Ginger (anti-nausea)

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

1/4 tsp Allspice

-OR-

3/4 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

Shake Vigorously

(then I add ice, as I like mine REALLY cold!)

1 red container

Drink to your health!

I hope all my chronic illness friends have a great, pain free day! . . . and a few less pain meds! :)

-Erlyn

How To Choose A Workout That Is Right For You

Most of us think we have to be "in shape" to exercise our bodies. That we have to "look good" to wear exercise clothes to work out. 

I picked the above pictures, and the following pictures to illustrate something. 

We don't exercise our bodies so that other people can be proud of us. We exercise our bodies to get stronger.

Look at this woman above!

 I HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO DO THIS POSE IN MY LIFE! 

Even when I was dancing every single day! I got close once, then I fell over. She is standing there with no support, away from the wall, with her foot OVER HER HEAD and her hands and arms are BEHIND HER HEAD!

If you think you have to be in shape to start exercising, you are wrong my friend. 

What you DO need is a mindset that says:

I AM WORTH THIS!

i AM WORTH GETTING HEALTHY! 

I CAN DO THIS!

I AM DOING THIS FOR ME!

AND I AM GOING TO START TODAY!

Look at these people that are not "in shape" according to the world. But I guarantee that they are stronger than I am, although to the world I am more "in shape" than they are, because I don't have the weight that they do. Sad isn't it! That the world puts value on a person because of the size of their body instead of the size of their heart. 

This pose I can do! I sweat like a mad dog when I do it, but I can do this pose AND breathe at the same time. Yay!  . . . two weeks ago I couldn't do this pose. 

I can do this pose! But I fall over. I want you to notice the block under his hand. He is NOT leaning on the block, but rather using it for stability. I assure you that he will eventually get to the point where that block is no longer needed. . . I still fall over.

I for one am totally impressed with this yoga pose. I can't do it. I don't know if I even want to do it with chronic migraine, but one day I will do it at least once! I don't have the balance to even start this pose yet. Please notice that this woman isn't "fit" per the world. But she IS strong, which makes her fit. AND she is wearing "stretchy pants". Bring it on world!

I'm not here yet either! Can you imagine how strong her abs are and how strong her arms are??? Holy Moly!

I'm just sitting here in AWE at the strength I see in this picture! 

So how did I choose Beach Body 3 Week Yoga Retreat as my place to start getting healthy again?  Well, I didn't. I chose Beach Body YOUv2. Its dancing! I LOVE TO DANCE!

Man, I could NOT keep up with those dancers in YOUv2! And guess what?! Those ladies on YOUv2 looked just like these ladies and guy in these pictures! But they were strong, and they were getting fit, and I was just beginning! There was NO WAY I could even begin to keep up with the timing of the music (which drove me nuts! I was always behind a count or two. If you dance, you'll know what I mean here.) OR keep up with their movements! 

My FIT BIT watch liked me moving in YOUv2, and it even threw me a celebration with virtual confetti! But my breathing, body and mind didn't like YOUv2 because at this stage in my health, I just couldn't do it. I wasn't comfortable, and I wasn't happy. 

THAT RIGHT THERE told me that I was in the wrong program of exercise. At least for now.

So I called my coach and asked her what else was available. My coach is so awesome. She is available almost 24/7. Beach Body works with people who want to coach that are your friends. 

(YOU can be a coach right when you start a BeachBody Challenge Pack. That's what I am doing! )

They get to know who you are. I was in another weight loss program when I was younger that focused on healthy eating, moving, and coaching, but my coach was available one day a week for an hour. Although I was successful, it was because I did it on my own and made a lot of sacrifices alone. The coaching was weak then. I understand that it has improved, but it still doesn't compare with Beach Body coaches. At least in my book. 

My coach told me to try a few different beginning programs and find one that DID fit! Beach Body has a program when you sign up for a year that gives you access to ALL their fitness programs for the year! Have you heard of CIZE, or P90X? How about INSANITY? Or 21 DAY FIX? 

THOSE are Beach Body Fitness Programs. . . They are out of my league right now, but one day. . . 

The programs are called "Beach Body on Demand". You can take it anywhere with you on a streaming device. Your computer, tablet or phone! (I'm so excited about this because I can still exercise while travelling.... but I digress. . .

Sorry, you are getting to see how a Fibromyalgia Brain works now. It's called Brain Fog and lasts a while after a flare. Remember the one I had last week?)

I chose 3 Week Yoga Retreat because I could breathe, it was easy on my body, IT DIDN'T HAVE MUSIC TO KEEP TIME TO, the instructors were sweet and encouraged me to do my best while not overdoing it! They have a Moderation instructor that does modified poses if you can't stretch to the whole pose! and they remind you that you are worth getting healthy, even if you aren't there yet! 

Yoga is gentle on your body, but it works muscles that make you strong. It stretches you. It challenges you. and it gives you a break when you need one! You can fall over and start again! You can wear stretchy pants if you want to! I want to! . . . . my husband wants me to! LOL

Those are the biggest reasons why I chose the 3 Week Yoga Retreat. For me it was the best fit. What kind of exercises do YOU like to do? 

(I'll confess... my last favorite exercise was watching movies and eating gluten free chocolate chip cookies and drinking diet Coke. See! You're among friends here!)

I hope that your mind and heart are getting in sync and that you'll take courage to get healthy again, or to stay on your journey. I hope that I can provide you with some of that courage, that you'll not feel judged here, and that you will laugh a little while you read these posts. Please know that someone cares.

And now I'm going to go get that Shakeology! My body is ready after my morning workout! I DID A FREAKIN' PLANK PEOPLE! FINALLY!!!!! It didn't last long, and my body screamed at me, but I did it! There you go FIT BIT! (Not much cardio in Yoga, so no "celebration", but I did get my heart rate up for a bit!)

Shakeology Recipe of the Day

In a Blender:

8-12 oz of cold water

1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology

orange container nut butter

Scoop of Ice

Blend until smooth and drink to your health!

Have an enjoyable day! I will!