Keep On Movin’

I’m reading a book right now called “Healthy at 100” and it’s opening my eyes big time. I won’t get into all the details because this isn’t a book club here, but i’ll talk a little about the emphasis it has on the importance of exercise.

I’m pretty active, not triathlon active, but I like to get out and move around. My usual exercise includes spin classes, hikes, dog walks/jogs, and a bit of weight/resistance training. I played soccer for a long time which was one of my absolute favorite activities, but unfortunately I injured my knee pretty badly so I’ve kind of had to “retire” on that front. I don’t work out 7 days a week, but I at least go for a brisk walk with Parker on “rest days.” When I was in my early 20’s, I did this mainly to lose weight and because I was terrified of gaining weight. And I exercised kind of excessively. It was zero fun and starting to somewhat rule my social life.

These days I exercise for a lot of reasons, none of which include an unhealthy obsession. I do it because it makes me feel mentally and physically good (thanks to a good boost in serotonin). I feel stronger, more physically capable, and relaxed. It gets me outside with Parker who is an awesome hiking/running/walking partner. There have definitely been points in my life where I was totally inactive and would be huffing and puffing after climbing a small flight of stairs. I don’t ever want to experience that again. So I get off my butt and MOVE.

I also exercise because I love to eat. Gotta burn those calories!

Ok but back to the book and what it’s teaching me and why everyone should keep on movin’, even if it’s just a little bit.

• It increases your metabolic rate (ability to burn calories) because muscle burns more calories than fat;
• It builds and preserves aerobic capacity (your body’s ability to process oxygen) which is hugely beneficial for the health of your entire cardiovascular system;
• It keeps your blood pressure low;
• It maintains healthy cholesterol levels;
• It strengthens your bones and can actually increase bone mineral density;
• It helps your body regulate its internal temperature; and
• It improves your blood-sugar tolerance which can greatly reduce the risk of developing Type II diabetes. This is especially important because blood-sugar intolerance can be one of the most devastating age-related changes.

Exercise can do these things at any stage of life. Whether your 19 or 90, it’s not too late. Studies show that physical activity can absolutely reverse a lot of the changes that come with aging (like the points listed above). There are certain parts of the world that have the longest living people and one of the biggest reasons that they’re full of vitality, youth and strength well into their elder years is because they remain active at all stages of life. Unfortunately, western civilization has created this stigmatism that ageing and deterioration go hand in hand, so members of society may expect to feel this way and assume that there’s nothing they can do. It absolutely doesn’t have to be this way. Seriously, get moving! If you’re the most sedentary person on the planet, start with a walk around the block once a week. Then twice a week. And so on and so on. We don’t all need to be running 20 miles a day and lifting 3 x our body weight. But we all need to do something.

Duncan can be a bit of a couch potato but I’m gonna keep on him about this. And I will most definitely make sure that exercise is a huge part of Ryland and any future kid(s) lives. They will NOT be spending all their time glued to some sort of screen. No way, no how.

I hope this didn’t come across as a lecture…but maybe it was a little dose of tough love for someone out there ;). As I’ve said in a previous post, I may discuss things I’m learning about here and there, partly because I feel it’s something that someone else might be interested to here and partly as a way to reinforce it into my own brain.

Have a good one!

A Touchy Subject ~ Part I

My main focus of this blog is nutrition. I’m learning so much through my Holistic Nutrition Program, and I want to share it with you. Why? Because I believe we can all be healthy and happier, inside and out, with some good nutrition. I also believe it’s up to us to set healthy examples for future generations, which we can only do if we strive to be healthy ourselves. With that being said, it won’t always be recipes and nutritional tips & info that you find here. Sometimes things are gonna get a little real and a little raw.

It’s important that I touch on my past from time to time, not only because it’s a big part of where I am today, but also because I KNOW people out there can relate. I also know that being able to relate to someone who came out of a dark place and worked really hard to make positive changes in their life can make it a whole lot easier to do the same. It’s not always easy to believe in yourself. It can take a lot of ups and downs, trial and error, and self-doubt. But from experience, the harder you work, the greater the reward.

I battled with an eating disorder for close to ten years. Looking back, I was filled with so much denial. I just never saw myself as one of the typical girls that you would read about or see in a movie that had an eating disorder. I didn’t let myself believe it was real, but it was as real as they get. I felt weak, ashamed, embarrassed and guilty about what I was doing to myself, yet I just couldn’t stop. Being skinny was my only priority and unfortunately, that overcame how awful I felt mentally and physically.  And trust me, I felt awful.

This isn’t me, but it’s definitely how I spent a lot of time feeling. Eating disorders can completely distort how you see yourself.

One of the scariest experiences I faced throughout my disordered eating journey happened when I was in grade 10. I remember it so vividly. My best friend and I were outside playing in the snow like a couple of kindergarteners. It was late in the afternoon and I hadn’t eaten a thing all day. I started to feel increasingly dizzy and shaky until all of a sudden, I completely blacked out. It seemed to happen in slow motion and it was absolutely terrifying. I thought to myself “oh my God, am I dying???” Well no, of course that wasn’t the case, and the blackout lasted less than a minute. When I came to, my friend was really concerned and I just casually said “oh, I forgot to eat breakfast.” She insisted that we go back to her house and eat something. I agreed, only because I really didn’t want to black out again. It was embarrassing and I didn’t want her to call my parents.

We went to her house and she opened up a can of tomato soup. I figured I was pretty safe eating that. I mean it was basically just vegetable juice. But then she added cream instead of water and my anxiety level went through the roof. I knew I had to eat the soup to keep her from worrying, and I was still quite shaky, but it was the absolute last thing I wanted to do. I hated myself more and more with each bite. I was convinced that I’d get fat from that one bowl of soup. I was mad at my friend too. Why was she trying to make me fat?? Didn’t she understand how hard I had worked to become skinny? Was she doing it on purpose? Was she jealous? No, of course not. She was being a really good friend and unfortunately, my eating disorder prevented me from seeing that.

Battling an eating disorder is like having a little devil on your shoulder, constantly whispering things in your ear like “don’t eat that! You’ll get fat! You’ll be prettier if you’re skinny! You’ll have more friends if you’re skinny! Everyone will like you more if you’re skinny!” And of course you have the angel on your other shoulder. She’s trying to tell you how dangerous what you’re doing is, but the devil just gets louder and louder until the angel disappears. I felt like I was in complete control of myself, while also having zero control at the same time. I was obsessed with the scale and absolutely miserable. My poor parents knew something was going on, but anytime they brought it up, I’d lash out at them and deny that I had a problem. I’d make sure that they saw me eat, all the while just waiting to get the food out of my body as quickly as possible. I hated food, and I hated myself. It was no way to live, but I just couldn’t escape.

I find writing about my history with eating disorders to be very therapeutic and also pretty scary. It puts me in a very vulnerable position but I’m so grateful that I was able to overcome such a difficult battle and for finally having the courage to open up about it. It’s not something that I’m ready to talk about out loud, but for now, this is enough. My hope is that someone out there who is going through a similar situation reads this and realizes that they’re not at a dead end. Health, happiness and self-confidence are a very real possibility. I’ll be back soon with A Touchy Subject ~ Part II.

XO ~ Shannon

My very first post!

Wow…I don’t even know where to start! I’m brand new to the blogging world and I have to admit, it’s a little intimidating. There are so many great blogs out there that keep me coming back on a daily basis…do I have it in me to be just as interesting to other people?? I guess we’ll see!

I’m going to keep this first post short and sweet because chances are, I’m the only one that will be reading it. But just in case someone else happens to stumble across my little space on the internet, let’s talk about lemons!

I figure this is a good topic for my first post, a) because you might be wondering about the name of this blog, and b) because those little babies are basically magical. I drink lemon water every morning. OK, maybe not every morning, but at least 358 mornings of the year ;). Here’s why:

I go on and on (and on) about them here, so feel free to take a further look into my obsession if you so choose. I’m off to try and come up with something really exciting to talk about in my next post so I’ll see ya later. Have a great day!