And the Verdict is …

I went back to the neurologist this week for another MRI and MRA. My sister came with me. She was very happy not being the patient 🙂 Well the verdict is no riding, at least for now. The left vertebral artery is healing, but still has a ways to go. The doctor doesn’t want me to risk another “event” especially since there’s no clear cause of the first dissection. I’m bummed, but when he spelled out the continued risk it was rather sobbering.

The same goes with exercising. I have to start slow and see how it goes. No crazy work outs for now. I also need to be careful turning my head or moving it up and down. Gentle movements.

The good news is I can stop taking the rat poison or as it is called by the medical community, Warfarin (Coumadin). I am thrilled to be off of that stuff so I can get back to eating green veggies!! I’ve lusted over a spinach salad more than once these past seven months. The neurologist has me taking one 325 mg tablet of aspirin every day for preventitive measures against a stroke. Stroke is still a risk, lower than before, but still a risk. I know what you’re thinking … some people have all the fun!

Put on your helmet, buckle up your boots, and zip up your jackets friends – take a nice ride for me!

P.S. I’d still like to feature female motorcyclists. Ladies? Any takers? Email me at pamela(dot)court(at)gmail(dot)com and I’ll send over the questions.

 

 

Guess Who Came to Visit?

My brother-in-law drove to Minnesota for a business and we found a stow-away … my sister Peggy!!

Me and my sister Peggy!!

Since Peggy’s diagnosis and my dissected vertebral artery we haven’t seen each other in a forever!!! What a wonderful surprise to have a visit from my sister  and brother-in-law.

Peggy still has an inoperable cancer tumor, but her attitude is outstanding. She will be in town for a few days and is going with me back to the neurologist on Tuesday. I’m hoping for a good report … like back to riding my motorcycle, off the rat poison, I mean Warfarin (yes, it is the same chemicals found in rat poison), and back to exercising. Bottom line, I’m hoping to return to life pre-dissection. Fun will be had by all.

Back to my sister, Peggy. I’m still looking for help off-set expenses from ovarian cancer. Check out my the GoFundMe page for Peggy Thank you friends for any help you can give! xoxoxo

I did The Color Run 5K!

This past Sunday was The Color Run 5K I talked about back in January. A bunch of coworkers, a few spouses, and friends formed a team. It was so much fun!! There had to be a few thousand out there. Trying to find the actual number of participants!

Here are a few shots I took.

The Starting Line

I look like I fake-baked that “tan” but it is just the orange color they threw!

Me and my friend after the race!

Throughout the race there are different color stations set-up with volunteers who throw color at you! Below is a picture of a color blast they do at the end of the race … just in case you didn’t get enough color during the run!

Color Blast!

Here’s the group at the finish line!

I’d definitely like to do that again next year! I highly recommend this event even if you don’t run. It is not a timed event and many people walked the route.

If you want to really get an idea of what The Color Run 5K is all about, check out the TCR Twin Cities Facebook photos!

Back on the VStrom!

Back in January I signed up for the Color Run 5K in July and started training on my treadmill. I also started using a BodyMedia Fit arm band to help me hit my target aerobic levels. More recently hubby and I started eating a plant based diet. All of this has resulted in some weight loss as well as feeling great! And then the snow ended and it warmed up so hubby and I took a motorcycle ride. Life is good.

Saturday hubby and I rode to Whole Foods. It is about 23 miles away and all freeway. Freeway. Did I mention freeway? Up until this point I haven’t done too many freeways. Well I have now. Not to mention several cloverleaf interchanges. Felt good. Really good. A confidence builder for sure.

One of the reasons we went to Whole Foods is to get ingredients for Mighty Bean Muffins. I had to try these after reading what Char had to say about them. The batter was tasty and the muffins were too!

Might Bean Muffins

Hard to believe this recipe didn’t have eggs or oil. I used black beans and dried cranberries. Tummy-lious!

We spent most of Saturday riding. It was so good to be back on the VStrom!

Snow, Exercise, and Food

Today is April 14, 2013. I thought for sure I would have been out on my motorcycle by now! I couldn’t have been more wrong. Spring is no where to be found here in Minnesota.  We’ve had snow, followed by more snow, and then snow. Today we had a little remix of snow, ice, and rain. Make it stop!!

Enough whining. So, what have I been up to? Well I’m still working on training for The Color Run 5K in July. I did a preset workout on my treadmill today called the Maui 5K. It varies the incline to be similar to the actual three mile course in Hawaii [wish I were in Hawaii] and I’ll continue training indoor until the weather cooperates. I worked out listening to Classic Rock on Pandora. It is a nice way to keep a pace steady. Anyone else run to a Pandora station? Suggestions are welcome.

Another change that hubby and I have made is to our diet after watching Forks over Knives documentary. There are a couple of health issues hubby has wrestled with and we are not a fan of popping pills so dietary changes seem like a good course to try. We picked up the book The Engine 2 Diet to follow the 28 day meal plans based on a plant strong diet. We are two weeks in and liking it!

Here are a couple of meals we’ve had lately.

Tomato soap, salad with lots of sprouts, and open faced refried bean sandwich

Plant strong pizza with almond/soy cheese

This is quite a bit of a change from our previous lean meat and dairy diet and takes some planning. Hubby made me a chalkboard for the kitchen. Love it!!

Meal planning!

I’ve been really encouraged by Trobairtiz‘s other blog Trobairitz Table d’hote | A  Motorcyclist’s Adventures with Vegan Cuisine. Great resource for more recipes. Yay!

Sidelined

Well, my wonderful visit with my daughter and grandson ended last week. *Sigh* Then I proceeded to somehow perforate my tympanic membrane a.k.a. burst eardrum. No earache. No fever. No cold. No symptoms. No clue as to how or why it happened. Baffled the doctor. So I got that going for me …

For now training for the 5k has come to a crawl. Too much movement bothers my ear; which according to the doctor could take up to three months to heal. I feel like I’ve been sidelined. Not giving up though. I tried a walking incline program on the treadmill. That seemed to go okay. So until I can jog without feeling like I’m jostling my inner ear I’ll do a walking incline.

Here’s a picture of the little guy all bundled up! He loves sledding!!

Taking my grandson sledding!

P.S. I made the Panda hat for him 🙂

How to Reinvent Yourself

Did I get your attention? Do you ever think things will never change? Well mark the calendar. One year from now you will have replaced 98% of all the atoms in your body. True Story. Every five days your stomach lining is replaced. Your skin replaces it’s self approximately every month … your liver in six weeks … and your skeleton in three months. Now that is change!

Got your body covered. What about your mind? “Be careful what you think because your thoughts run your life” is an old Proverb I read frequently. Did you know we have about 50,000 thoughts a day and today’s thoughts are about 98% of the same as the day before. So, unless I intentionally stop and/or change my thoughts nothing is going to change.

I recently started training (way early) for The Color Run 5K that takes place in July using the C25K app. Why so early? Because I didn’t think I could do it. BUT, I put this up on the white board next to my treadmill, “Quit thinking why you can’t and start thinking why you can!” I just completed week 8 of training which consistes of a five minute warm-up, jog 28 minutes then a five minute cool down. Yup. Something I’ve never EVER done in my life and I’m old (getting closer to 60 than 50). What changed? My mind.

Image source: unknown (found on Pinterest)

 

The numbers don’t lie!

I think I originally heard, “The numbers don’t lie” on the Biggest Loser. Sounds like something Jillian would say at a weigh-in. It’s also something that I’ve been wrestling with when looking at my diet and exercise verses the scale.

For the most part I eat healthy: low sugar, lots of veggies and fruit, complex carbs, and lean meat. Since the beginning of the year I’ve exercising five to six days a week mostly to prepare for the Color Run 5K in July. You’d think there would be physical changes as a result, but nothing … nada … zilch.

So, rather than feel defeated I called in reinforcements. Enter BodyMedia Fit. It is an on-body arm band that collects a bunch of data that you sync with your computer and see the results online. I set-up goals, entered my activity level, and started recording my meals.

Arm band, computer dashboard, and phone app interface.

What a revelation to find out that what I thought was effective aerobic levels only registered as moderate! What?! This arm band is rather accurate so I couldn’t argue with it; I had to increase my workout to get into the vigorous (higher METs) to be able to hit my goals.

Well, let me tell you in one week recording and making sure I hit my goals the scaled moved … down two pounds. Yay!! This is an incredible tool if you believe you are doing the right things but nothing is changing like I was experiencing. I want to live healthy and BodyMedia Fit is helping me get there.

P.S. I just completed week 6 day 3 of my C25K training.

Image source: BodyMedia Fit

How I think I look and reality!

For me, there is so much truth in these images! I’m still laughing.

I’m still plugging away training for the Color Run in July. I’m using a treadmill and the C25K app. I’m determined to keep at it no matter what I look like (see above photo). I’m also looking for healthy recipes. Do you have any to share??

What is Happening to me?

Well I’ve gone and done it now. I’ve signed up for a 5K in July. What was I thinking?! First of all, July in Minnesota is HOT. Secondly, a 5K is about three miles and I can’t even run around the block. Thirdly, at my age? Fourthly, did I mention July’s hot weather, I don’t run or jog, and I’m almost closer to 60 that 50? Oy vay.

The 5K I signed up for is The Color Run | Minnesota. The run will be in over 100 cities across the USA. The first run is today down in Florida and the last race is November 2 in Little Rock, Arkansas. To find a city near you check here. The run supports a charity. The Minnesota charity is Open your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless. Check out this fun video of race highlights:

As of today I have 27 weeks to prepare. Theoretically, it sounds like enough time even for a couch potato like me. So where does one start? You download an App! My choice, C25K Pro Guy Hoffman. It takes you from the couch to a 5K in nine weeks. Three days a week it takes you through timed walking/jogging intervals. I’m doing this on the treadmill because it is not the time of year to be out doing this outside.

I also popped for a pair of ASICS Gel-Kayano 18 Running Shoes in pink.

ASICS Women’s GEL-Kayano 18 Running Shoes

So now I have a goal with a date, a plan to get there, and shoes! Are you doing anything crazy?