It’s a week into the new year…. how’s it going? I’ve been feeling like shit for DAYS now, all thanks to enjoying the holidays, perhaps a bit too much! Too much alcohol, too much cheese, and too little exercise.

I didn’t initiate any changes at the very start of the year as I wanted to gauge how I was feeling once the dust from the holidays settled. However, my body is DEFINITELY telling me that it’s time to start implementing changes.

The first two obvious things will be my “diet and exercise”

Diet

If you’re on a health or wellness journey, diet will play a HUGE part in the trajectory of your success. What you put into your body directly impacts how you think and feel.

Let me ask you this: how do you feel after eating less nutritiously dense food? Maybe higher in fat or sugar than you’d normally consume. Or maybe you ate too much. How do you feel?

Once the initial “OMG, this tastes SO good!!!”, you probably feel bloated, sluggish, lazy (cause who wants to move after over consuming food?), GI discomfort. If you’re like me, what I eat can trigger a migraine. And don’t get me going about not having a gall bladder! Diarrhea. For days. No fart could be trusted (which I learned the hard way).

It’s unfortunate that NOW I learn “the food isn’t the problem, the quantity is” lesson – when I can’t indulge. Well… I could, but it would be really uncomfortable! All those years of the restrict/purge cycle, and now, with no gall bladder, I don’t want to indulge! The doctor (surgeon) said my body would acclimate to no gall bladder, but I’m finding my physiological response to food with higher fat content is worse now. It kinda sucks!

So, a couple of things I’ll be focusing on will be anti-inflammatory and low-fat foods.

Foods that cause inflammation:

• Red meats, such as steak or ground beef.
• Processed meats, such as bologna, bacon, and sandwich meats
• Commercial baked goods, such as pies, cookies, and muffins
• Deep fried foods, such as French fries, fried chicken, and donuts
• Foods high in added sugar, such as syrups, jelly, and candy
• Bread and pasta made with white flour
• Sugar sweetened drinks, such as pop, bottled tea drinks, and sports drinks
• Transfats, such as those found in margarine, microwave popcorn, refrigerated doughs, and non-dairy coffee creamers
• Dairy, such as milk and cheese
• Alcohol

Did you pick up on one thing about the above list of foods that cause inflammation? Many of them are high in fat as well, so 2 birds with 1 stone! Though, other than the pasta and bread, I really don’t have much on the list – except for the past 3+ weeks!

Now, one thing I’ve noticed is that my body reacts very differently to store bought breads vs homemade bread.  Or store bought cookies vs homemade cookies. So even though something is on the list, doesn’t mean that I can never have it – it’ll just take more effort and time!

(Unless I want to play Russian roulette with my farts!)

Foods That Fight Inflammation

• Tomatoes
• Olive oil
• Green leafy vegetables, such as kale, spinach, and collards
• Nuts, such as almonds and walnuts
• Fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines, due to Omega-3
• Fruits, such as strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and oranges due to antioxidants and vitamin C

See one thing in common with the above list? The majority are plant based products. Now, I’m not saying vegan is the way to go, but everyone can benefit from eating more plants/vegetables.

The problem with having no gallbladder is that my body doesn’t differentiate between fat from a donut and fat from nuts or an avocado. Now, I will have a stronger reaction to the donut, but I still have to watch the fat, no matter the source.

Exercise

Exercise has so many benefits that have NOTHING to do with losing weight!

• Cardiovascular health – this relates to your heart and how effective your heart is at moving blood around your body, which can also reduce blood pressure
• Mental health – it has been shown to help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression thanks to a little thing called dopamine – the feel good hormone!
• Bone density – women start to lose bone density starting at around 30 years old – obviously, there are going to be other factors such as an individuals physiology, genetics, and underlying health issues, but 30 is an easy number to go with. Resistance training and cardio like walking (or running, if you’re one of those people!), combined with a good diet (aka, the foods you regularly consume, not restriction of food/calories) helps keep your bone density higher
• Disease – exercise can help keep you away from disease such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and some cancers
• Digestion – exercise can help improve digestion which can help if you have constipation or IBS
• Boost brain function – promotes cell production and keeps neurons firing to support cognitive functions

One question I would get all the time from clients was, “What time/type of exercise is most effective?”. My answer?

Time

Whenever you feel most energized.

When I was younger, I was all about getting my workouts in first thing in the morning, immediately after waking. Now? Not so much! I’m just starting to incorporate a little exercise first thing in the morning, but only 15-30 minutes, depending on how I feel and how much time I have. I do my regular resistance workouts mid day – I add it onto my lunch, so I have 2 hours to get to the gym, change, do my workout, shower, and get back to work.

Two things stand out to me about times of my workouts:

When it’s first thing in the morning, I feel energized throughout my day, and I want to eat healthy and engage in other healthy activities.

When I wait until after I get home from work, my workouts never happen. I just want to “relax for a few minutes,” and that turns into an hour. The longer I sit, the less likely I am to actually get it done. And the stupid thing is that by the time I get around to the workout (if it happens at all!), I’d have been done had I done it right away after getting home!

Type

This is easy!

ANY EXERCISE YOU ENJOY!

Yes, there’s a lot of benefits to resistance training for women,  so I highly recommend engaging in some form of it, but it doesn’t have to be at a gym.

Walking is one of the most underestimated forms of exercise that can be done anywhere by (almost) everyone with minimal financial investment. If you go for a walk, you can stop at benches and do exercises like squats, tricep dips, push-ups, and  lunges. It all adds up!

So what will this look like for me?

I go back to work tomorrow, thankfully! I know – I’m weird that way! The worrk itself isn’t terrible difficult, but I like my work and my people, it gets me back into a routine and to the gym.

We canceled our gym memberships back in May/June. We weren’t using them, and both hubby and I got posted into new positions that have gyms right in the building. In fact, my building has 2 gyms in it! But it’s also the reason why I haven’t worked out in a month; our offices aren’t convenient to our home… and some days, we don’t want to put on pants!

(Like most days!)

I get up around 0500, but don’t leave for work until 0615 or so. My breakfasts aren’t overly complicated as I usually wait and eat at work, so I have time in the mornings.

On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I intend on using the Bowflex treadclimber for 15-20 min – possibly longer as I progress – as long as it doesn’t make me feel rushed. Then shower, get dressed, and relax a bit before heading to work.

I work 700-300 and take my gym/workout time from 1100-100, where I focus on weights. I’d do more cardio, but I’m having issues with my knees, so I have to take it easy.

On days that the weather is decent and the pathway is clear of snow and ice, I’ll walk to where my husband picks me up.

We usually get home between 400-430, depending on traffic.

There’s a fitness studio I REALLY want to start going to on evenings and weekends – it’s a spin and yoga studio, but they also do pilates, fusion, as well as reiki and sound baths. As I’m also a Reiki Master and I want to get my yoga teacher training, it’s a great opportunity for me to get known with the studio! But I’ll probably wait until after our vacation to jump into that!

As for diet, I’ll be going with lean products, such as chicken breast or ground turkey, eggs (hard boiled, as scrambled set me off the other day – NOT fun!), and Greek yogurt.

For carbs, I’ll be going with a wide variety of veggies (as vegetables are carbs), such as bell peppers, carrots, and cucumber. Maybe celery every now and then, but I really don’t enjoy celery. Hummus is great for carbs and healthy fat.

Dinner is the “wild card” for now, as we have a subscription box to “Chef’s Plate”. In the summer, we always have salad with chicken or as a wrap, but in the winter, I prefer warming foods like stews, soups, and pastas.

I don’t count calories anymore. I have other things I’d rather be doing with my time!

Yes, my health is important. Extremely important. However, it does come down to quality of life. I’ve done that for too long – the compulsive clean eating – and I missed out on SO much!

What I’m cultivating is balance.