Monday, October 29, 2012

A week of pain

I have had the great fortune of having some type of dental problem for almost the past three, four weeks. And when I say dental problems I mean excruciating pain whenever I would chew on my right side. I found myself using the same breathing method to deal with the pain as when I was in labor haha. Except I have to venture and say that this pain was worse to me then going through labor and delivery, and I did that without an epidural. Finally got a dentist appointment and they couldn't find anything. As in nada. They did x-rays, a cold test, and had me chew some hot tamales candies lol. The pain magically disappeared and since he couldn't find anything on the x-ray he was at a loss as to what it could be. I couldn't believe it. I was so upset about it I almost starting bawling in the dentist chair. Did I mention that my wisdom teeth are coming in too? yeah so basically I didn't want to eat anything at all. It was awful. Anyway, he told us to leave and go eat and do what we were going to do for the day and if it started hurting again to come right back to the office. Well, we went to lunch and the first bite that I took of my chicken I started crying. So back to the dentist we went. He told us that it sounded like a cracked tooth and was taking the best guess as to which one it was. He let us know that he rarely guessed wrong but it was up to us to decide what to do. Now, I have gone to this dentist since I was twelve so I trusted him. If it had been any other person saying that to me I would have really hesitated about it but I was in so much pain that we decided to trust his instincts and let him do a root canal. B stayed in the room with me and watched the whole thing. I asked B afterwards about how he did the shots to numb my gum and he said the dentist took something that looked like a steel vial with a trigger and small needle at the end of it and would basically go in and out all over my gum. I never looked when he was doing it and I am SO glad I didn't. Makes me feel weird thinking about it. I think it took us about thirty minutes or so and we were out of the office and ran to the grocery before we picked S up from my mom's. B thought it was cute that I had a lisp from all of the numbing medicine. I couldn't feel the whole right side of my face practically and my lower lip felt fat. 
So, before we headed into the store we were going over our shopping list, and out of habit, I pulled my chap stick out of my purse  and started putting it on. I'm listening to what he's saying and suddenly I realize something. I stop him and ask, "Hey, honey is this my lip I'm swiping my chap stick on?" he looks over and busts out laughing. Turns out I was applying it all over my chin. That's how numb my face was. We got a good laugh about it though haha. 
By the time we got to my parent's house with my prescription that we picked up from the pharmacy the anesthesia had worn off and I was in serious pain. So I popped one of pills and fell asleep in my little sister's bed. B had to haul my butt home lol. But it seems to have worked having the root canal because I am not having the same pain anymore. Just a little discomfort with hot stuff . Hopefully when I get my crown on it will fix that.

Now I know that you really wanted to know all of that boring stuff about my dentist appointment lol but that was just the beginning of my week of pain.
We took a legit Crossfit class at the Crossfit gym and it KILLED me. Like seriously. It took them three hours to explain all the basics of Crossfit and show us the proper technique for everything. But get this. The workout part was just 8 minutes long, and I thought I was dying. I am so not even anywhere near my level of fitness that I want to be. Right now my shoulders and arms are so sore I can barely lift them above my head, and it was really uncomfortable picking S up today. I mean we had been doing some of the stuff at home but dang this was intense. It was a husband and wife team and they were incredibly nice and patient but they meant business and my butt got whooped haha!   
I did some of these:


Except mine was only 53 pounds not nearly that heavy! lol oh yeah and found out why ladies who lift weights like that wear those tall socks: to keep the skin on their legs intact. See how tight the weight bar is against her skin? The bar is never to leave contact with your legs so basically you get rubbed raw if you don't wear them. Just a little fact :p
Anyway, we have a week free at the gym since we took their fundamentals class so I'll be going three more times this week and honestly I'm a little nervous. I don't like being sore lol. But I will say when I was taking the class, even though it was hard they were really encouraging me and when I would get something right they would cheer me on. It really gave me more confidence than I've ever had doing a workout. I think it will be a good thing. I'll let you know how I feel after tomorrow and a couple more days of it though.... if I survive ;)

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Know your sources: why I like to buy organic.

Yes, you can now officially place me in the category of "crunchy mommies". We've all been told to eat our fruits and veggies, cut out sugar, don't eat too much, and exercise on a daily basis to lead healthier lives. I know that I've heard it so much I would just kind of tune it out without thinking twice about it. After having my baby girl and failing to breastfeed her the way I wanted to I started to become more aware of what I was giving to her and started doing some research. 

You may have heard a while back where they came out with a new study that said organic food had no greater nutritional value than that of their "standard" counterparts. This is true. They grow the same way. Have the same soil. But there is one big, big difference. Organic foods do not use harmful pesticides. Don't hate on me for using this but Dr. Oz explains it pretty well,

http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/breaking-news-are-pesticides-greatest-threat-your-kids-health?video=14882 

Reading on this led me to another controversial topic: Genetically Modified Food. This is where I got really grossed out. Learned more about it in one of my natural health magazines. I had no clue that more likely than not the quick meals that I was getting at the grocery store (ie. frozen family meals done in thirty minutes or less in a box) were full of junk. Well, I knew they probably weren't the best, but not THAT bad. I also never gave a second thought about my baking supplies being genetically engineered. Check this article out:

http://www.naturalhealthmag.com/healthy-eating/gmos-friend-or-foe?page=2 

In case you were too lazy to read it you should know that crops which are genetically engineered can have spliced DNA from other plants, animals, and even viruses. They are created so they can withstand the elements better and "naturally" emit a bug repellent I guess you could say, so they are more likely to be harvested in greater quantities for a greater profit. But when we consume them our body can react to them and actually after a while our bodies could possibly turn on THEMSELVES. Have you been curious as to why our population (in America) has seen in increase in food allergies, and immune disorders?
Well, I've been curious. Also, don't know if you have heard about the illegal smuggling of Chinese honey into our country has become a bit of a problem. Think it's silly to be worried about that? Did you know that the Chinese fill their honey with substances that are banned by the UN? One such substance goes by the name Chloramphenicol and it's an antibiotic that could potentially be deadly, causing a rare bone marrow disorder (found this out from my Women's Health Magazine) . And that honey could be used in making your breakfast cereal that you feed to your children every morning . Concerned yet?

Now, I am not about becoming paranoid and jumping at every doomsday story about how we are all going to die, blah blah blah. But as a parent I am responsible for the well being of my child and I cannot in good conscience ignore some major evidence that is in front of me. I'm not here to preach and believe me I know that it is expensive to buy high quality products. But if we can spend hundreds of dollars every year on movies, clothes, vacations, heck even that cup of Starbucks, can't we spend a little more on our health and that of our families? I'm kind of starting to ramble here because it's late but this is really on my mind because it has been a BIG adjustment for us to be healthier. I've given up favorite snack foods and we don't eat out whenever we want because we want to take that money and put it towards our groceries and such. Just in a week and a half of really putting our foot down on what we would allow ourselves to put in our bodies I can feel a change in my mood and my energy during the day. We aren't going crazy but we are building a lifestyle that I am truly happy about and at peace with. (should not be ending a sentence that way. Bad English major ;)  
We now make our own cereal (a paleo recipe that my hubby got from his fire buddies) and buy local honey. Along with buying local beef and milk. Soon, we hope to depend on ourselves for making our own bread so we don't have to worry about the extra junk they throw in as fillers. It is really hard not buying processed but in the end I know the extra time I have to put into planning meals is going to be worth it in the end. I also keep thinking of that verse in 1 Corinthians that says, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the Glory of God." The Bible says that our bodies are the temples of God. How often do we take that seriously? I want to serve God in the best way that I can, with all of my strength. So I'm paying attention from now on when it comes to what I put in my mouth. And that is my long, drawn out reason of why I like to buy organic :D

PS here are some helpful links if you are interested in buying organic:
 http://www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets/

http://www.earthsbest.com/

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/