An update

I promised to write more regularly and here it is three months since my last entry. If I tell you that I've been too busy with the rest of my life to sit down to compose an entry, hopefully you'll understand and forgive me.

So many things to write about and it's already nearly 11:00pm when I should already be on my way to sleep; I'll keep this one brief and come back tomorrow with more.

• After 20 weeks of training for the Tinkerbell Half Marathon (held last Sunday), I came down with stomach flu four days prior to the race and was unable to drive two hours to Anaheim, much less run 13.1 miles. I am so disappointed to have missed the race but I also know that I've had terrible gluteus, hip, and hamstring pain after all of my longer runs that needs to be seen to by a doctor. Weekly massages and visits to the chiropractor haven't cured the problem, nor has twice-weekly yoga, so, now that I've got a respite in my training schedule, I'm off to see my general practitioner in a few weeks. I'm hoping for a referral to a physical therapist who can tell me what's going on and what to do to make running less painful.
• I managed to re-gain about 20 pounds from my lowest weight. Some of this is due to yummy vacation food on our recent trip to Seattle - organic donuts! - but mostly it's emotional eating, specifically sugar binges before bedtime. This is not only making me feel physically uncomfortable in my body, it's also playing havoc with my blood sugar. While my test results are still within generic recommended guidelines for diabetics, they are higher than they were when I was eating more carefully; this must stop. I am signed up for a weekly support group starting next Wednesday for alumni of the original Weigh 2 Eat program that started me on the healthier life I now live. It's led by a psychotherapist who specializes in eating disorders and will deal with challenges facing people who eat instead of dealing with their emotions. I also started eating a slightly-modified version of South Beach Phase 1 today: no fruit, no grains, nothing processed, lots of lean protein and non-starchy veggies, plus limited amounts of nuts, healthy fats (like avocado & olive oil), and low-fat dairy products. After the first two weeks, I'll add back twice daily fruit plus some grains (quinoa and my favorite diabetic-friendly bread at the very least) and hopefully that time will break my burning desire for sugar before bed.
• I'm considering taking a 200-hour yoga teacher training course in the Fall - not that I plan to quit my job any time soon but I want to improve and expand my yoga experience as well as being able to teach courses to underserved people in the community (like people with larger bodies and older folks, neither of which group is always well-served by mainstream yoga classes).

OK, I have to get to bed - 5:00am comes early and I'm planning to run tomorrow morning for the first time since my bout with stomach flu, so I want to be well-rested.