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My husband and I decided to “get away from it all” and go on a family vacation for about 5 days. Just get some much needed R&R and enjoy being with the kids. It all started with a night out roller skating with friends, before leaving town for a little trip to Orlando. What a bad idea! I have loved to roller skate since I was at least 10 years old. I have always been good at it and it was my favorite way to exercise. Well, I’m not 10 anymore (far from it) and I rented some roller rink skates that didn’t feel quite right. I didn’t want to fall, so I traded them in for a new pair. This pair was worse than the first, but because the staff were so “unhelpful” with exchanging my first pair, I decided to ride them out and deal with it. So sorry that I did! I was trying to break them in and fell backwards. To avoid falling flat on my back, I extended my left arm out to break my fall and ended up fracturing my elbow. Oh, the pain! So many things went through my mind right then – is it broken, will this pass, why didn’t I take the skates off when I knew they weren’t safe to skate in, why didn’t I buy my own skates to wear? Anyway, for the first few hours it felt fine, so I thought I had just twisted it or something. Then, the pain and swelling kicked in. I waited it out for the weekend and saw the doctor on Monday who immediately told me there was definitely a problem. After seeing the specialist, I ended up in a sling. Just in time to go to Orlando---ugh! I couldn’t drive, it was hard to eat and I couldn’t write or type (yes, I’m a lefty, south paw, or whatever your term is). A mother of two on vacation with a swollen elbow and painful wrist and now I’m supposed to rest my arm – yeah, right. Well, we originally didn’t plan to do Disney, Sea World or Universal this trip so at least I didn’t have to worry about missing out on the rides.
Now I am adjusting to the fracture and doing exercises to help my elbow and it gets better every day. The wrist is a story of it’s own, but it feels like it will be a while before that will heal.
This blog post is a result of practicing typing with only my right hand, hence it took forever to write.
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There is no lack of websites out there that have advice on healthy eating. I have decided to begin my journey of research to see how I can develop a better diet to go along with my gym membership. Exercise and diet go hand in hand and one doesn’t work as well without the other. Although the following tips on healthy eating are quite obvious, it doesn’t hurt to have a few reminders:
-The best way to avoid unhealthy foods is not to buy them at all. This is a hard change to make for those who love having cookies and chips handy, however, you might be surprised at how easy it is to reach for a “convenient” piece of fruit instead. Keep plenty of fruit and nuts available for when you get munchy.
-You will crave your favorites, so find ways to eat them a little bit healthier (example: look for unsalted alternatives; lower calories; less fat).
-A diet balanced with the proper vitamins and minerals might cut down your cravings for sweets or salt and is necessary.
-An important part of healthy eating is being sure to eat a healthy breakfast. It really is the most important meal of the day because it starts your day, hopefully the right way. Starting your day with “junk” food will lead to other poor choices for snacks, lunch and dinner so try to eat foods that are high in fiber and protein. This can include foods like oatmeal or low-fat yogurt with granola.
-Go ahead and eat all your meals for the day! Many think that if they skip a meal, they will lost some weight by cutting out those calories. This only leads to extreme hunger and then eating too much later in the day. You might also lean more toward eating an unhealthy meal that contains a lot of fat and sugar, so try to eat light meals every 4 hours or so. Taking in low calorie meals throughout the day helps suppress appetite and keep your energy stable too.
-Healthy eating also includes drinking plenty of water! Water is so healthy for your body and it is recommended to drink at least 6-8 glasses daily to help your body function.
-Here’s a new one: brushing your teeth could suppress your appetite! If you feel a craving to snack on unhealthy foods, try brushing your teeth first. Leave a comment on here if it works for you!
Look for an upcoming blog post on some healthy snacks you can choose to eat at home, at work, at school or on the go!