Changes for the Good

I've been talking a lot about my 2018 goal (focus on my body and my health) and I wanted to talk about some of the lifestyle changes I've made. Since Justin had to cut out sugar for his candida diet, I decided to join him and cut sugar out. Sugar is not only incredibly addictive and inflammatory, it also feeds Lyme bacteria. I still have a small amount occasionally, but daily I no longer cook or bake with sugar, and I use a stevia blend in my tea. I've enjoyed the challenge of learning to bake with sugar-free blends. My kids have also joined the healthy eating movement. We've never been junk eaters, but lots of empty calories for the kids (crackers, snacks, etc.) and not a whole lot of vegetables. I haven't been buying them snack foods, just fresh fruit and veggies, string cheese, yogurt, applesauce and those sorts of things. My goal has been to basically eat as many vegetables as possible and as little sugar as possible. No fancy diet, just eating what my body was made to eat and helping it to fight Lyme. It's going really well.

Sugar free "sugar" cookies

Almost two weeks ago, I caved and decided to give yoga a try. I'm a cardio junkie - I love running, kickboxing, anything that gets my heart rate going. I've enjoyed lifting weights and seeing how much my body can accomplish. But when you're chronically ill, all that stress is too much for your body. I've struggled with not being able to exercise at the intensity I am used to. Yoga has been suggested to me several times, but it always seemed to slow-paced, and I am horribly un-flexible.

I gave it a shot anyway, and guess what? I'm loving it! I wake up in the morning, take my first pills of the day, and make sure the kids are okay. Then I shut myself in my bedroom, turn on the diffuser and my snazzy new Himalayan salt lamp, open the curtains, and roll out my yoga mat on my wood floors. I may not enjoy it the whole time I'm doing it, but I feel so grounded and energetic afterward. What I love is the focus on doing what feels comfortable for your body. For so long I've focused on pushing my body, so it's nice to finally be in-tune with it.

As far as other changes I've made, I've added in red root tincture, which I spoke about briefly in my month 8 update. I've suffered from swollen lymph nodes nearly daily for quite a while. Red Root helps clear your lymphatic system, which helps your immune system and improves detoxification. It has helped immensely! I think between this and the healthier diet, some of my inflammation has gone down. Most of the weight I've gained since being sick has been concentrated in my stomach area. It's gone down enough that I can button pants I couldn't nearly button before. As far as the scale goes, I haven't lost weight, but I still take that as a victory.

Earrings available at www.fourarrowsembroidery.com

Journals available at www.fourarrowsembroidery.com

My business is going very well. I've been fortunate to be able to keep up with it. My hands have been very affected by Lyme, joint pain in my fingers was actually one of my first symptoms. I also struggle with stiffness in my hands, and it still comes up when I'm working on stitching, especially when I've been doing it for a few hours. I love being able to control the growth of my business to fit with whatever life has been throwing at me. Last year I made more than double what I made in profit the year before, and so far this year I am doing very well. I started making earrings, which have been a hot seller, and just recently started making hand-embroidered journals as well. The money has been so helpful in paying for treatment, but more than that, it gives me a purpose, and a distraction from my health issues. 

All in all, I'm very happy with 2018 so far in terms of how I've been sticking to my own goal of taking care of my body. It's now been 8 months of treatment, and I'm hoping to see some lasting improvements soon.