Sleep, Hydration and Missing Foods

Since I posted my last update I've been attempting to improve my sleep (so, so important to health) and decrease my headaches. A note about the headaches: They are like no headaches I have had because they are so mild, rest on my face more than my head and I can tolerate them very well. They are like that buzz your refrigerator makes that you don't notice for hours and then suddenly you're like, "You've been annoying me all day!".

Sleep:

For sleeping purposes, I had to adjust my cat's desire for waking me up at all hours. I've added catnip playtime right before I go to bed and it seems to have helped them. They still get antsy around 6am, but I have noticed I'm sleeping for 6 hours before I wake up naturally. I do feel loads better, but I still feel I am not getting enough sleep. I would like to sleep 8 hours.

I may look into adding Vitamin D and Magnesium to my nightly ritual (right now I take Niacin and no other medication or vitamins). I'm also wondering if I need some potassium which can be found in Avocados and Salmon.

Headaches:

I upped my water intake to help deal with the face-ache and it has helped a lot, but there is still this nagging bit hanging about. I was laying around this morning in bed with curiosity and realized that some of what I am feeling is reminiscent of the after effects of my (also mild) migraines. My migraines are linked to my digestion. So, I'm wondering if it's just my digestion readjusting itself to the improvements I'm making *and* I'm wondering if I'm missing some sort of food.

While I am totally sated and eating protein, veggies and the right fat, I am not sure I'm getting enough fat. I am not shy about eating good fats (Coconut oil, animal fat, extra virgin olive oil), but as I think about it, what I am eating may not be adding enough because it's pretty lean.

I'll add a bit more and report back the results -- remember, this is partly an experiment to see what happens in a month. If it's not working for me either because I still don't feel 100% or I'm not seeing any improvements I'll adjust for the next 30 days to see. What once worked 3 years ago may not work since I am getting to that age of major womanly changes.

Food I'll add:

Usually I can tell what my body is craving, but I can't this time so I'm going to guess and add some avocado as a snack to the mix. Mmmm. Actually, I may make tacos as one of my weekly meals. YUM!

I actually make my own taco seasoning and have since I completed this challenge in 2014. It's actually cheaper and has no preservatives:

2 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 ½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
¼ tsp. paprika
1 tsp. sea salt
¼-½ tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

You can mix and match to your own taste. You may, for example, want to add black pepper.

We then make homemade pico -- OMG, you'll never go back. Tomato, red onions, pickled jalapenos, cumin, salt, pepper.

The guacamole is simply 1 or 2 avocados mashed up with some of the homemade pico added. Then we usually salt and pepper to taste.

Now we just need iceberg lettuce for the taco shells, ground beef cooked with the taco seasoning and tabasco sauce for me (paleo makes me LOVE hot sauce -- and most other hot sauces have preservatives to I stick to this). My mouth is watering now.

Weight loss:

I'm down 7.3lbs as of day 11. I lost 5lbs in the first few days and since then it's been pretty slow with many days at the same weight. I'd be lying if I said it's not hard to see changes in the scale, but I remind myself that this is a lifestyle change and I am doing it as part of a journey to be healthier. As I have gotten older (I'm 44) I have noticed that my feet don't carry me as far without complaint, my knees are hyperextended and I often have moments of sharp pain because my muscles have atrophied. I see weight loss as one equation to lightening the load, but more importantly as the first step that will lead me back to weight lifting to strengthen my body.

Mood:

My mood's been really solid throughout. I feel balanced, calm and focused on meeting whatever needs pop up. I had one evening where I felt lonely and a bit sad but that's not so abnormal anyway -- life is not always roses. I'm an introvert and spend lots of time by myself -- I need to -- but sometimes I realize I need my friends and at times I realize that after I've already felt the pangs of loneliness. I actually bounced back by first confiding to my husband how I felt, getting a much-needed hug, and then making plans with friends. I don't think it had anything to do with paleo.

Exercise:

I really haven't done much exercise, not because I don't want to, but because I recognize that if I pile too many challenges on at once I will stop them all. I feel like any desire to eat crap has faded and it might be time to add exercise more consistently. What I need most is to strengthen my muscles so that my core and knees are more supported. Oh, wait! I started a plank challenge yesterday so that is a start to core work. Here's where I want to be again -- I love my muscles! 

This is me at my goal weight with one major difference -- I was lifting weights so I was leaner and much stronger than I am right now. That said, it only took me about 3 months to get here. If you are curious, in this photo I am performing in a musical number -- cell block tango -- such fun! He definitely had it comin'.

Incidentally, notice how oily my face is. I actually solved this problem by switching to washing my face with -- you never will believe this -- OIL! I'll write a separate post on this.

Writing this blog helps me stay excited and curious to see what happens in 30 days. Thanks for joining me on this journey.