Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Game Plans and Green Juice

Today I met with my new physical therapist.  She was fantastic and I'm so excited to start working with her.  Several times during my appointment I felt tears start to well up - mainly because she knew a lot about AS and what kind of treatment would be best.  The key is long term mobility, strength and posture.  It seems so basic, but these are the things that someone with AS is fighting for.  We worked on some exercises to help get things moving again, including breathing exercises to open up my rib cage.  It has been a long time since I've been able to take a deep breath without pain.  Anyway, the point is there is a game plan and I'm so happy. I'm not just going to sit back and wait for my spine to fuse. No way.  

It was another great day on vacation.  Believe it or not, the hardest part isn't avoiding certain foods, it's making sure I'm getting enough of everything I need.  No dairy means making sure I get enough calcium from other sources:  kale, broccoli, spinach, tofu, beans, etc.  No meat means making sure I get enough protein:  quinoa, almonds, lentils and other beans, etc.  Most of the time my brain is so busy thinking about what foods would give me a, b, c and d, I don't have time to crave bread and chocolate.  Like I mentioned yesterday, it's all about what's in our default drawer.  Once there's a whole new spread of goods in the drawer, it won't take so much thinking.  For now, I kind of like the mental work behind it.  

Mornings are easy.  Rise and shine with some kale, romaine, spinach, celery, cucumbers, and pear.  I must say my husband gets big props for replacing his morning coffee with some green goodness.  Totally impressed.  


Steamed broccoli, cantaloupe, almonds and water with lemon for lunch.  Completely satisfying and filling.


For dinner, I made a Spinach and Chickpea Soup from the Power Foods recipe book.  It also had shiitake mushrooms and brown rice.  It was really good.  I wouldn't say great, but really good (my 11 month old and 3 year old both liked it). I left out the parmesan cheese that it called for - that probably would've kicked it up into the "great" category.



Thoughts for the day:
1.  Keep learning.  Never stop.  If life is getting boring and mundane, learn something new.
2.  I'm so thankful for new friends.  My heart is full.
3.  Choices are a gift.  Choose well.


With Love,
Kim 

2 comments:

  1. Totally inspiring, Kim.

    I'm about to start PT too. I hope I find a good therapist also. I would love to hear more about that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. So glad to hear about the new PT! Sounds like it will be a great relationship. And Jed, yes, props for sure. Giving up coffee...that's love! haha

    ReplyDelete