The Brain is Connected to the Back Bone 03/27/14

Let’s be honest, this injury isn’t my first rodeo. If I inherited anything from my father, I inherited the bull in him. I’m heavy handed, hard on my body and when I decide I want something, I put 700% of myself into that thing – sometimes to a fault – all leaving me with a pretty hefty tolerance for pain. I’ve had two knee surgeries leaving me with two screws in my right knee, one shoulder surgery, a broken ankle, countless strains and sprains and more cuts, burns and bruises than I would ever care to count. However, this injury is different. All of my prior incidents have had an end in sight and I’ve understood the injured mechanism and knew how to work around it. Sure, I still have days where my knee bothers me or I may sleep funny and leave my shoulder sore, but I know that it is temporary and I’ll be back to me shortly. This one is different.

This injury has proven to be so much more than just physical. The first week of March was the absolute worst week I have ever had in my life. Simple movements would leave me shivering and sobbing in pain; I couldn’t walk without crutches and even with them I was still sobbing harder with every step. My mom had to pull up my pants for me in the bathroom because I couldn’t bend down to do it – and I could rarely even use the restroom once I got in there because the pain of sitting upright was so immense that the rest of my body just shut down. I remember lying on the couch thinking that my life was over. I couldn’t even fathom getting back to any form of normalcy considering how terrible the pain was… how much my body wasn’t working – or how much it was working against me.

Things have improved considerably over the past two weeks in regards to my physical condition, but my mind is still struggling. Before hurting my back, my body was so fucking strong. I was doing awesome at work, I could lift more than a lot of guys at my gym and I had a desire to be so much more and so much better than I was. Now all of that – everything that meant SO MUCH to me – seems so far out of reach. I cry because I feel like I’ve lost my identity. Other than Nora, my entire life was work and working out… and now I can’t do either of those things, or even pick up my baby girl. I’ve spent the last three weeks on the couch while lives are happening all around me. I slept upstairs in my bed for the first time last night with Nora and she woke up in the middle of the night screaming and crying because she wanted to sleep with my mom… because she’s slept with her for the last three weeks. I just feel pretty useless right now. My chiropractor warned that it was easy to get depressed with injuries like this because it can be so frustrating and feel so hopeless – and it effects every part of the body. He keeps stressing how important it is to stay positive and hopeful so the negativity doesn’t cause regression with the recovery process… but that is far easier said than done. As I still struggle to walk at times, I have a hard time imagining my life or my body ever being back to normal. I fear that I won’t be able to run again. I fear that I won’t be able to go hiking with Nora. I fear that I will have to change my career. I fear that a simple movement will throw me back into the excruciating pain I experienced just two weeks ago. I have never been one to let the challenges of my body hold me back from doing anything, and I feel like I’m succumbing to the fear of the pain.

Despite all of the negative aspects of this injury, I have discovered some positive to hold onto. Never in my life have I been so appreciative of the simple things. The ability to walk, to drive, to stand, to bend, to run, to jump, to dance. Never again will I take for granted the ability to function without pain. Never again will I waste a day of physical freedom by sitting lazily. It has certainly put things into perspective and I find myself getting annoyed much easier when I hear people complain about silly things or see people lamenting about insignificant things on Facebook. I can’t help but want to say to them, “Yes, but can you walk? Okay, shut the fuck up.”

I know it will get better and I’m on the path to recovery… I’m just waiting for that light at the end of the tunnel.

 

Starting Your Losing Path 03/21/14

Recently, a friend of mine who is working on getting her life to a healthier place asked me how I got started on my journey. After thinking for a while, I actually had a hard time remembering… it literally feels like an entire lifetime has passed between the ‘old’ me and the ‘now’ me! So, I went back and re-read some of my very first blog entries and wow – I don’t even know that person anymore! I found a person full of excuses and complaining about having to ‘dance around the meatheads’ in the gym… ha! And now, I’m one of those meatheads! Lol Anywho….

The first step to changing your life is probably the hardest – making the decision to change and committing to that decision. Before finally committing to my decision, I made quite a few failed attempts at changing my life… failed attempts because I never fully committed to the changes and I always regressed. While it may seem like an easy thing to do, this is one of the most difficult aspects because you are committing to changing everything. Your eating habits, your lifestyle/activity habits, your mindset etc – and those are big things! I hear a lot of people saying that they are ‘making healthier choices’ and while that is commendable and definitely a step in the right direction, keep this in mind: if you want to see a big change, you have to MAKE a big change!

Once you’ve made the decision, you just have to honestly evaluate your life as it is… what are you eating? How often are you moving? Why have you not made any changes up to this point? Once you figure out the honest answers to these questions, make a plan of attack to decide how you’re going to approach your new life! It takes some work – do the math to figure out how many calories you need per day and how you’re going to get those calories in the most nutrient-dense way. What kind of workouts do you want to do? It’s important to stay positive and re-train your brain to think positively and proactively. Don’t make excuses to skip workouts or cheat on your diet – remind yourself of reasons why it’s important to stay disciplined to those changes!

Food:

Food has always been the hardest part for me, as it is for many people. The majority of the population looks at food as this beautiful romanticized thing that can bring you so much pleasure through your taste buds and blah blah… (which is good considering I’m a chef and my career depends on this lol). BUT as a person on a plan to improve their health, your mindset has to change. Remember this: FOOD IS FUEL. Your body is a machine and the food that you eat must fuel your body appropriately to give your machine the power that it needs to achieve your goals. This may sound asinine to some, but it is a necessary way of thinking. Now, just because we are now using food as a fuel source doesn’t mean that it has to be bland and taste like crap! There is certainly a way to eat healthy and still enjoy what you are eating.

My nutritional habits have changed many times over the years. While I have had a relatively stable nutritional personality for the last year or so, it took a lot of experimenting to get to this point! When I started my Losing Path, I was mostly just watching the labels… trying to keep my calories, fat, sugar, protein and sodium in check. While I still keep all of these things in mind when I choose my foods, I also take into account the QUALITY of food that I am eating. While a Lean Cuisine meal may be in line with my calorie/fat goals, the food is shit and I’m not adding anything to my health by eating processed stuff. I can get the same amount of calories/fat etc by making the food myself using whole, natural ingredients... so I’m benefiting my overall health while still adhering to my goals.

So, what to eat? In order to help your metabolism speed up, it is important to let go of the ‘3 Meals a Day’ standard mentality. Split your meals into 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day. Eating on this schedule will help jump-start your metabolism and get to burning that fat! Personally, I eat 5 meals per day, spaced 3 hours apart. Currently weighing roughly 235lbs, I shoot for around 1,600 calories per day. Each meal has a lean protein source and a complex carb. I get my carbs from vegetables, brown rice (½ c per day), black beans (1/2 c per day) and oats (1/2 c per day). Your lean protein source can be boneless/skinless chicken breasts, lean turkey, lean ground beef (although I am never a fan of red meat), lean fish, eggs or protein powder. As I said, I use mostly vegetables for my carbs but it is important to use low-glycemic veggies. For instance: broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, leafy greens, green beans etc. It is super important to measure your portions when doing your meals as well! There’s no sense in spending the time to calculate everything just to approximate on the actual amount you’re putting in your body!

Something else to consider is what you are drinking! For me, my only options are water, black coffee, organic unsweetened green tea or my supplements (protein, glutamine etc). Stay away from juices, soda etc... So many hidden calories/sugars/sodium! Shoot for 1 gallon of water per day… you’ll be peeing a lot but that will help to keep you hydrated, keep your belly full and flush out some bad stuff!

Exercise:

Frankly, this is the easy part. Its pretty simple- just move! When you’re starting your journey, you have to decide what is right for you. Although I wasn’t in good shape when I started, I have always been a relatively active and athletic person and always really enjoyed working out, so it wasn’t a big deal for me to get back into the gym. Some people just aren’t gym people, though! Figure out something you can do to get your heart rate up that you will enjoy! Take a walk, ride a bike, go to zumba etc… Just start somewhere. When I started, I got on a treadmill and could only run 2 minutes before I had to stop. So I would get on that treadmill a few times a week and continue to push myself and eventually I got to the point where I could run 5 miles. Consistency and persistency is so important when it comes to fitness! Also – keep in mind that while cardio workouts are important, strength training is super important as well! Lean muscle mass helps to burn fat… so the more muscle you have, the more fat it is going to burn! I’m not recommending that everyone jump into the weight room and start bench pressing – just doing some sort of strength training (which includes body weight resistance training) should always be a portion of your fitness plan.

 

While I realize this information is all relatively vague, it kind of has to be. Every person is different and will require a different plan to achieve their goals… this is just a guideline! If anyone has specific questions, feel free to contact me! I’m always always happy to help and to answer any questions! My Facebook page is Ali’s Losing Path.

A before/after from before I began my journey to now :)

 

That’s all for today, folks! Keep it happy and healthy!

 

Meal Prep Party 03/19/14

Let’s talk meal prep! I had a question in regards to succeeding with meal prep on a budget and with limited time, so let’s discuss!

 

As most of you have probably noticed, I am a huge proponent of meal prep and here’s why:

1. Saving Time – Once you get your meal prep finished, you’re finished for the week! Each day for the rest of that week, meal time is nothing more than grab, reheat and eat. No prep/cook/cleanup time is needed.

2. Eliminating Temptation – I don’t know about you guys, but when I’m not sure what to eat and I’m just searching my fridge/pantry for something… it usually ends in a diet fail. At that point, I’m looking for what ‘sounds good’ rather than what I know I should be putting in my body for fuel. By preparing your meals ahead of time, this is never a question! Everything is ready, portioned and labeled so other foods really aren’t even an option in my brain.

3. Saving Money – When you plan your meals ahead of time and you are able to cook everything in bulk, it really cuts down on your grocery costs. Obviously, with my current injured situation, my meal prep is off right now because I can’t cook. BUT the last time I went to the grocery store to purchase my food for the week, I spent $40. For the week. Not too shabby. My costs are typically lower because I don’t eat animal proteins but you should still be able to stick to a tight budget if you plan it accordingly (more on that later).

4. Motivation – There is no better combination than having an awesome workout and surrounding it with awesome food to help fuel your fitness and everyday life. Staying on track and schedule with your meal prep helps to keep your mind in the right place. When you start going off of your diet, other parts of your healthy journey are easy to slip… missing workouts, sleeping patterns etc. I like to think of my food as an accountability partner… it holds me accountable to my goals and I always perform better in the gym when I have the appropriate fuel in my body. Because I workout so early in the morning, I can always tell a difference in my gym performance if I don’t eat appropriately for my last meal the night before.

 

So now we know WHY meal prep is awesome and important… now onto HOW to be successful:

I’m not going to lie, meal prep can take a bit of time for planning – especially when you’re starting out. You need to do some research and figure out the nutritional content of the foods you’re planning to eat. I personally keep a spreadsheet on my laptop of nutritional values of foods that I have used in my meal prep or in menus I have used for clients and as I add a new food to my meal prep menus, I just add it to my spreadsheet. At this point, planning a menu is much easier for me because I’ve done so much of the leg work over time.

Your menu should be planned according to your goals. I’m a big fan of 5 meals per day, spaced about 3 hours apart and with the final meal being about 2 hours before you go to bed. Obviously, if you have especially long days and need an extra meal, then go for 6. Your daily calorie intake is dependent on your body size, level of activity throughout the day and what you are trying to accomplish with your body. Because I am pretty well versed with food and nutrition, at this point in my meal planning the only math I do is counting calories (usually to ensure I’m getting enough). I know which foods are high in fat/carbs/protein and I keep that pretty balanced. Each meal should have a lean protein source and a good carb source.

Budget-Friendly Planning:

When planning your menu, keep in mind any crossover you can do with your foods. This will help keep your food costs down and also your prep time. Also, as much as possible, try to use produce that is in season. In-season produce will always be less expensive and more nutrient-dense. Feel free to use alternative shopping sources for produce as well! Farmers markets, organic markets etc… if you have a good source for produce that is less expensive, feel free to utilize. I do all of my shopping at Kroger and because I use my Kroger card, it tracks my purchases and I now get coupons in the mail for items similar to what I frequently buy. So I’ll receive coupons for a certain dollar amount off of fresh produce or coupons for free bags of frozen vegetables etc. Take advantage of these! And if you’re eating animal proteins, shop in bulk at places like Sam’s or Costco where your price/lb will be less.

Time-Friendly Prepping:

Multi-task! I always have more than one thing going at a time. Being a chef gives me a big advantage when it comes to prep because I’m used to cooking multiple things simultaneously. Take a minute before you actually start your prep and itemize everything that needs to be prepared. Then, list everything in order of cooking time. Start with the things that require the most time. For instance, if you’re going to bake chicken, start with prepping your chicken. I would do a dry rub or something on the chicken to help with flavor and while your dry rub rests, work on getting your rice cooking. Then go back to the chicken and get it in the oven. Then prep and steam your veggies, etc. Doing things this way should allow you to get everything cooked and finished in a shorter amount of time. My total prep time usually takes 2-3 hours and I typically do it on a Sunday afternoon.               

 

I hope this information helped! If anyone has any questions, feel free to contact me!

Happy Prepping my friends!

 

Confined to Recline 03/18/14

Well, here I am… on the couch. The last two weeks of my life have been confined to a reclined position. As many of my followers know, I have been having back issues since an injury in October, 2013: I was doing deadlifts at the gym and in standing up on one of my reps, I felt a very sharp pain in my lower back. I immediately racked the bar, and stepped away, as I knew something wasn’t right. I went over to the dumbbell rack and attempted to do bent over delt flyes, but didn’t last through more than two reps without severe pain. At that point, I gave up. Not knowing what was happening with my back or really what to do to help it, I decided to sit in the sauna for 30 minutes – thinking that would help to loosen things up and I could just stretch it out and be good as new. Boy was I wrong. I got out of the sauna, took a shower and got dressed... and at that point I knew something was really wrong. I limped out of the gym, went to my house and immediately lay on the floor and started sobbing. That day, I ended up going to the chiropractor and spending the rest of the day laying on ice packs and taking copious amounts of ibuprofen, ginger and turmeric. After about two weeks of rest and eventually getting back to my workouts, I ran the Tough Mudder race.

Over the course of the next few months, I experienced similar experiences two more times; once while doing squats and another while doing bent barbell rows. Neither of these occasions was as severe as the first, but still put me out of commission for a bit. Growing very frustrated, and with the advice of my training partner, I eventually decided to give my body a rest. Beginning on a Tuesday, I vowed to take 6 weeks off of lifting and just work to strengthen that which was ailing me – my back (and also my hip – due to my back). That Saturday, I woke up for the first time in a long time with almost no pain at all! I felt awesome! I went to work, worked in the kitchen all day and then worked a party that night. The next morning, I woke up in quite a lot of pain… and pissed off. I went to The Arnold that day so I drove up to Columbus, went to the expo and drove home. The next morning I woke up super stiff and in more pain. I worked for a few hours then went to the chiropractor for an adjustment… then Tuesday happened. I woke up Tuesday morning in excruciating pain, unable to stand up or walk without sobbing and crying. My mom took me to the ER where I was examined by a doctor and had an x-ray. After reviewing the x-rays, the ER doctor then recommended that I go see a spine doctor ASAP as it appeared as if I had significant damage via herniated disc(s) and some other wear-and-tear. I left the hospital with Percocet, an anti-inflammatory and steroids. The next few days were absolutely horrendous – the most intense and severe pain I’ve ever felt in my entire life. A trip to and from the bathroom (on crutches) would leave me sobbing and shaking in pain.

I got in to see the doctor that week and had an MRI. Turns out, I have two herniated discs – one of which is “pretty massive,” according to my doctor. I had one steroid injection into my spine and have since been doing decompression therapy with a chiropractor. Unfortunately, I’m not noticing much of a difference. I’m still on crutches, still can’t sleep. I would say that some of the inflammation has gone down as the pain isn’t as severe as it was (I can usually get to the bathroom without tears) – but a lot of that is my figuring out the appropriate Percocet schedule to keep me comfortable.

So what does this mean for my life? Honestly, I’m not sure. The ER doctor suggested that I would have to give up heavy weightlifting forever. That hurt to hear. I know that this is going to be something I will have to be mindful of for the rest of my life – but I do hope to get back into my training at some point.

My goal for right now is to get the problem resolved and regain the strength in my back. Having a young and strong body going into the injury should work to my benefit in regards to recovery… I’m just ready to get to recovering already!

 

So what does it feel like? I have a dull aching in my lower back with a pinpoint pain at the spot of the herniation… however, the real pain is in my right leg. I have constant pain radiating all through my leg. Debilitating pain. It goes from my hip all the way down the front of my leg to my ankle, and sometimes the top of my foot. The constant pain feels like a strong ache, and then I have waves of shooting/burning pains that are typically focused in my shin and ankle. The last couple of days I’ve gotten a new one where there’s a huge amount of pain focused directly around my ankle and it seriously just feels like my ankle is broken. But again, this all comes in waves… so the intense pains will last for 5-10 minutes and then it goes back to the regular ache. One thing I can say for sure – I have had multiple muscle issues… torn meniscus, stretched shoulder capsule, strains and sprains etc as well as broken bones… but NOTHING compares to the pain of a damaged nerve. This shit is serious.

 

So how can you keep your back safe? There are a few things I’ve picked up over the last few months that I will most certainly be continuing to practice for the rest of my life:

1. Stretch! It is so important to be flexible. If you don’t maintain flexibility in your muscles and spine, you become far more susceptible to injury! A stiff body is more easily damaged. So do some yoga or at the very least, make sure that you are working in the time to each workout for a warm-up and a pre and post workout stretch!

2. Be Mindful that your back is there! After my injury, I started paying much closer attention to my back and spine and how I was treating it... and I noticed that I was really just ignoring it. Pay attention to your posture, whether you’re sitting or standing, moving or still. Always keep your tail bone tucked under and your core engaged, putting your spine in a neutral position and creating a trunk of strength to support any movement you attempt. Always squat, rather than bend at the waist and when you’re standing up, push through your heels to engage your hamstrings/butt more than your lower back. Practice by standing still and tucking your hips under… feel the difference in your spine! It takes practice and you’ll have to think about it but it is so worth it!

3. Strengthen your core! The best support system for your back is your core muscles! If your core is weak, your back will have to compensate and can easily be damaged. Remember to work all parts of your core doing exercises targeting upper and lower abdominals as well as your obliques.

 

Well, it’s about lunch time here in couch land, so I’m going to wrap this up. Thanks for reading and continuing to support me. As I lay here with all of this extra time on my hands, feel free to ask any questions or suggest any blog topics about which you would like to read!

 

Keep it happy and healthy, folks! Until next time…