Melodie’s musings

So I returned to the gym after 3 months off due to surgery. Having FMS complicates things when getting back into shape. You have to hurt to recondition your body. That’s the way it is.

I started slowly. Twenty minutes of low impact cardio at first, 3 days a week, increasing it 5-10 minutes per visit. This week I pushed harder and did 1 hour. I overdid a little, but it felt so good! My body is sore but I know the results outweigh the pain.

You can’t focus on the “immediate” results when getting into shape after 3 months of little to no workouts. The secret is thinking and focusing on the “long term”. Just like with anything else, you don’t get better or improve by doing something for a short period of time usually. It takes time. I do however know when my body needs rest.

When 1st diagnosed back in May of 1999 (I was 23) I was under the assumption of “no pain no gain”. Now it’s “some pain=eventual gain, but know your limits.”

I don’t know ALL of my limits because I sometimes try new workouts or push a particular workout a little too hard. (I. E. Too much weight, push-ups on my knees v. push-ups using full body weight, planking with both legs extended v. one knee on ground, etc. ). These are just tops and tricks I’ve leaned along my journey to a healthier, happier me.

Pick one (in my case three). workouts you love and stick to them! Do them consistently and listen to your body. Are you getting stronger/more toned/ more endurance? Then you’re doing what’s right for you. Not for your peers. (Trust me, I often see women my age and older go 5 days or more a week). It’s HARD not to compare yourself to them. But you can’t! Because they’re not YOU! Your body is your own and as my PT recently commented every BODY needs rest in between workouts. So that’s my new mantra. “It doesn’t matter how often others work out.” I’m doing what’s best for me and my health. It’s actually a selfish way of thinking but really it’s about self-preservation not selfishness. Who knows what those ladies might go through in the long run? Who knows?

I don’t normally take three months off from work outs, but had to due to my recovery from surgery. I decided to “give myself permission” to not look “photo ready” in the following pic. I’ve gained about 8-10 pounds just eating unhealthy food snd no exercise. Hence the double chin. Getting out of pain from surgery was another journey but that’s for another day. Happy workouts to all!

Here’s wha you need: lasagne noodles, 16 oz. cottage cheese, lean ground beef, mozzarella cheese. Layer lasagne noodles, cottage cheese, then the meat-pesto sauce, followed by cheese, then repeat layering until pan is 3/4 way full.

This was a happy accident for me. Originally, anti-inflammatory sauce I made was white cheese sauce. Then I found basil pesto pre-made sauce at Costco and it’s delicious!

This recipe is so yummy! If you’re expecting it to taste like “traditional lasagne” you may be disappointed, but if you’re open-minded and like pesto sauce, you won’t be disappointed!

Two days ago I had a struggle with sleeping the night before. This happens sometimes with my fibromyalgia. I have intermittent sleep so even though I got six hours it felt more like four. I can go a few days without getting seven hours. I decided when I have my bad days due to fibromyalgia or ICC flares, I have to keep moving.

Fortunately I have children who need my time. It isn’t an option to “take a day off“ from my responsibilities. Helping them takes my mind off my pain for a time. I give myself permission to have a bad day and then make it a good day. How do I do that? I keep moving. My fibromyalgia was bad due to my lack of sleep. Getting back into shape also requires pain. My muscles felt like they were on fire two days ago. It was a hard day. But I keep going.

Then my interstitial cystitis flared up for no reason yesterday. I hadn’t eaten to make it flare. Super frustrating. Its OK to have bad days because they will come. It’s what you do with those days that matters.

Did I give myself permission to flop on the couch last night for two hours watching Netflix? Absolutely! Did I find an excuse to sit down for 30 minutes in between taking kids to and from activities so that I could write some lyrics to a song ? Absolutely! Did I take a long shower with hot water to ease pain in my muscles? You better believe I did! I took Lunesta (prescription of course) to sleep. It helps me sleep six hours. Then I add an antidepressant call trazodone which gets me 7-8 hours total.

I’m not condoning medicating. But I know myself. If I don’t take medication at night, I wake up every two hours. It’s like having a newborn, without the benefit of a baby. No point waking up every two hours. Therefore. I medicate.

Some people call it “campfire dinner”. I usually wrap it in tin foil for each person, but decided to change it. Not everyone eats their portion so this works better. It consists of potatoes, ground beef, onions, sweet potatoes (or carrots). Then I add Worcestershire sauce and Lawry’s seasoning. It’s served with ketchup. It’s a simple dinner, but filling and satisfying.

I have always loved the shepherds pie. In recent years, my sister-in-law lead me onto a more hearty way of making it. Basically, you cook a meatloaf in the bottom of a glass pan. I go ahead and season it with my favorite the McCormick brand smokehouse maple seasoning. I do 2 pounds of ground beef, one cup of quick oats and 2 eggs. Then I bake it at 375 for 45 for 50 minutes.

While it is baking I choose which vegetables I will use: steamed carrots and peas or this time, frozen corn and peas. I steam them, then make McCormick brown gravy. This creates the “middle“ of the pot pie.

Lastly, my boys peel russet potatoes. Sometimes I use golden or red potatoes just depends on what I have on hand. We usually peel 10 to 12 for our family. Once the potatoes have been steamed and drained, I melt butter over the potatoes, then add milk and seasonings. I prefer garlic, seasoning salt, and minced garlic. As a side note, I used to use black pepper but that is some thing that causes me to flare, so I can no longer use it.

Once the meatloaf is baked, combine all of your ingredients. You can also top it with melted cheese.

So I made a fresh blackberry pie today! It tasted so good. Not too sweet, crispy flaky crust. Yum! My fav is butter Crisco. You get flaky mixed with buttery taste! So good!

So we had a impromptu potluck on Sunday. Family was coming and I had to figure out food to feed a crowd. Of course I thought of my moms roll recipe because it’s always a favorite. My mom taught me to make them. They are so light and fluffy! I use scalded milk but one change from the original recipe is to scald the milk, then add ice to cool off the milk enough to put immediately in with the yeast. I can’t do without my beautiful Bosch mixer that does all of the mixing and kneading for me. Also, letting it rise twice. Once in the Bosch, next on the cookie sheet. I love making “comfort food”, which is what this is. Bring on Fall, I’m ready for baking!