Well, I don't know if you would call it wisdom, but I certainly like to think I've gotten wiser over the years. And because of all the reading I constantly do about fitness and nutrition, I've learned more than most people ever will or even want to know on the subject.
Last night, I told my husband that part of me wishes that I never got so "into" fitness and nutrition in the first place, then I could enjoy life like the other half does. People that eat sugar and white pasta with reckless abandon, not a care in the world. At least, not until they develop diabetes at the age of 50. And that right there is why I care so much. It's fun and nice to live life in the moment and feel that since you only have a short time on this earth, you might as well enjoy yourself...BUT. And there is a big but (or butt - pun intended). In fact, there are many buts. Like not leaving your children parent-less too soon and not making them take care of you in your old age because you didn't take care of yourself.
I just wanted to share a few things I think I've discovered about myself. You already know from my constant whining about my thighs that I'm a "hippy" sort of girl. A larger lower half, skinny upper half. A pear through and through. My shape is determined by genetics. The condition and appearance of that lower half is attributed to the abuse I put my body through in my twenties. Lots and lots of processed food. I didn't know about the dangers of boxed and canned foods back then. I smoked. I drank. I ate fast food every week. And I certainly didn't work out.
Fast forward to my 30's......
I started to give a crap about my appearance. I had coasted on being the "skinny" girl for too long and I wasn't exactly skinny anymore. I've never been over weight, but I wasn't skinny/tight anymore. I was skinny/fat. I got into working out more and fitness and health became an overnight sensation for me after the birth of my 3rd child. Being bed ridden for 3 months of my pregnancy proved to be disaster on the condition of my body. I've been paying the price ever since. But I've dramatically improved also.
In my 30's, I no longer smoke, I rarely drink, I workout consistantly and I've cleaned up my diet. Big time. It's been an ongoing process that, 8 years later, I'm still perfecting and improving. I'm more fit than ever and living a healthy lifestyle that will (hopefully) keep me kicking into my 100s!
But I still struggle. One of the things I've discovered is that I have poor circulation. Poor circulation can have a BIG impact on ridding yourself of that stubborn fat I talked about in my last post. I have a condition called Raynauds, where parts of my fingers and toes go white and numb in the cold. I believe this condition and poor circulation go hand in hand. I also believe it is a reason that I am skinny, very low body fat, yet have trouble with extra flab on my thighs. I've also discovered that other women with circulation issues have the same affliction - larger amounts of thigh fat.
I've also discovered that I was highly toxic. Years of eating processed foods can lead to a build up of toxins in your body and you hold it in your fat cells. Guess what happens when you hold toxins in your fat cells? They don't shrink! And you remain the same despite all that exercise. Rid yourself of the toxins, get rid of that stubborn fat!
So I've started to detox in more ways than I ever imagined I would do. Here is a list of things I've been doing to "detox" myself since the beginning of the new year:
1) only organic meat, eggs and some veggies (certain ones don't matter because of thick skin....more on that another day)
2) I have switched to NATURAL beauty products including shampoo, conditioner, body wash, deodorant, lotion. Even my toothpaste and gum is bought at the health food store so it's sweetened with xylitol, not anything artificial.
3) I've stopped taking most of my supplements. I was surprised to find out that a lot of stuff I was taking contained sugar, matltodextrin, soybean oil and other nasty stuff. Now, I only take a certain few all natural bioactive supps. I've even cleaned up my when protein powder so now I'm drinking undenatured, biocative, cold processed whey. Nothing unnatural or chemically altered.
4) I drink purified water so I'm not getting as much chlorine and other nasty stuff through all the water I drink
5) Obviously I'm eating whole foods and trying to increase my green veggie intake all the time.
This may seem drastic or extreme. If you would have told me a year ago that I would need to start doing this, I wouldn't have believed you. I used to read all the time about bodybuilders only eating organic grass fed meat but still thought that I could get by with the regular stuff. It's more expensive to eat organic and it can't make that much of a difference. But I have a feeling that it does make a difference. I don't want the antibiotics they give sick cows in my body! I can't say for sure yet, in my own experience, because I've only just started. And it can take the body at least 6 months to start seeing improvements from previous toxicity. There isn't a magic bullet. Nothing is a quick fix. But I am starting to believe that it makes sense, considering all my efforts over the years and the results I've gotten or not gotten.
It's certainly something to consider.
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