Update. Still Sick.
OMG. I am so sick of being sick. Day 3! Thank you for all the emails and such y’all….so sweet. I’ve just got a really super-bad cold. Hoping to see my doctor this afternoon for some antibiotics. Clearly, for your sake, I am not doing a vlog. You would NOT want to see me- I haven’t been tanning in a week (since I left for Park City a week ago), I need my nails done and obviously can’t go and get that done, my pupils are dilated from all the medicine I’m on, I can barely talk because I’ve been coughing so much, my nose is red from perpetual sneezing and runny nose syndrome and MY HAIR IS A MESS.
I do (fingers crossed) feel maybe 20% better this morning….thinking that perhaps this could be the turnaround day. Pray for me.
Oh did I mention that Aunt Flo is here too, making sure I’m ok? Good times. Hit me with your best shot- I can take it. Dang. DANG.
Hope to see you soon. There is a huge Mashable Tweetup downtown tonight that I was supposed to attend and of course now I can’t. Sadness. ;-(
Anyway, see you all SOON I hope!!! Miss you!
Migraine Headache
Migraine Headache: Introduction,Clinical Features, Trigger factors,Diagnosis,management and Prophylaxis
Introduction:
Migraine is the 2nd most common cause of headache affecting 15% of women and 6 % of men worldwide. It is an episodic headache associated with certain features like sensitivity to light light, sound or movement . Nausea vomiting often accompany the headache.
Triggers for Migraine Headache:
Hormonal Changes:- Changes during menses, pregnancy, menopause, and effect of OCP
Changes in daily schedule:- over sleeping, inadequate sleep, skipping meal and a rest after a hectic schedule.
Weather:- Rapidly rising barometric pressure, rise in pressure, temperature and humidity
Foods:- food rich in tyramin like aged cheese, chocolate,banana, soya sauce and citrus fruits
Environmental triggers like cigarette smoke, perfumes, petrol and fresh paint
Migraine Headache
Variants Of Migraine:
- Hemiplegic migraine- weakness which is usually reversible
- Basilar Migraine- dizziness,ataxia,tinnitus, vomiting
- Retinal Migraine- recurrent attack of unilateral visual disturbances
- Complicated Migraine- chronic migraine and status migraines.
- Ophthalmoplegic Migraine- Associated with periorbital pain, diplopia sec to cranial neuropathies.
Symptoms:-
- Nausea
- Lightheadedness
- Vomiting
- Vertigo
- Seizure
- Diarrhoea
- Photophobia
- Scalp tenderness
- Visual disturbances
- Syncope
- Confusion
Diagnosis:
Diagnosis is Clinical, No investigations are mandatory.
Diagnostic Criteria for Migraine:-
Repeated attacks of Headache lasting 4-72 hours in patient with normal physical examination and no other reasonable cause for headache, and
Atleast 2 of the following features:
- Unilateral pain
- Throbbing pain
- Aggravated by movements
- Moderate to severe intensity
Plus Atleast 1 of the following features:
- Nausea/ Vomiting
- Photophobia or Phonophobia
Management Of Migraine Headache:-
MIDAS ( Migraine Disability Assessment Score) is a well validated tool , on the basis of which Migraine is Graded from I to IV
General Measures Against Migraine:
- Identify and Avoid Trigger factors
- Regular exercise and healthy diet
- Regular sleep pattern, avoid alcohol
- Yoga .
Medical Management:
Judicious use of 1 or more drug is the mainstay of treatment:
- Mild cases- Oral agents
- Sever cases- Parental therapy
- NSAIDS- decrease both severity + Duration. Naproxen, Ibuprofen are good enough
- 5 HT1 agonists- Sumatriptan, Naratriptan,
- Parental Inj Dihydroergotamine + Sumatriptan is FDA approved therapy
- Dopamine Antagonists:- Metoclopramide, Prochlorperazine are used as adjunctive therapy
Other Agents are:
- Nasal BUTHORPHANOL
- Oral Acetaminophen + Dichloralphenazone+ Isomethaptene
- Parental Meperidine ( 50-100 mg )
Prophylaxis therapy In Migraine headache:
According to the British Assocaiation for Study of Headache, Prophylaxis are required when any of:-
- Frequent disabling attacks > 2 per month inspite of Acute therapy
- Failure of acute Therapy
- Hemiplegic migraine, Basilar Migraine
- Very high attack frequency( >2/week)
- Progressively worsening attack.
- Patients Request
Calcium Channel Blocker – FLUNARIZINE 5-10 mg reduces the frequency by 50-75%. Women require lower doses.
NSAIDS- NAPROXEN
Beta Blockers- PROPONALOL
TCA
Botulinum Toxin
Read about http://www.merckmedicus.com/pp/us/hcp/diseasemodules/migraine/pathophysiology_sub.jsp
SOURCE: Lecture notes from Harrison, Davidson and ache.org
Worky work
Hey guys! I feel like I have been away from all of you forever! =( This work thing has really messed with my entire, finely tuned schedule. I am still trying to find a balance within my day. Running, personal time, relaxing… I do miss not being able to make a fresh breakfast at home. I am in desperate need of breakfast ideas! Preferably raw. I know shakes are are a great item to take with me but I need more ideas… HELP!
Today’s eats were:
Breakfast – A half of an almond butter and pumpkin jam sandwich on sprouted bread. 
Lunch - salad with romaine, fresh basil and cilantro, sundried tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, EVOO and a dash of salt and pepper.
I have been packing a lot of salads for lunch – they are pretty much the best lunch for eating at work!
With some fresh summer fruit. Rainer cherries are my absolute favorite cherry! They are only available for a short period of time so I make sure I buy and eat my fair share.
Dinner was a hot bowl of spaghetti squash with mushroom ragu.
I do love my pasta but I am becoming more and more fond of eating vegetables as noodles. My next kitchen gadget – a spiralizer!
I am so in love with this color combination.
I started cutting small squares out of fabric with no real plan or idea. I finally came up with a sweet baby quilt pattern. Random placement of squares gives this sweet quilt a unique and country feel.
A perfect way to end the day. ![ztashaz_thumb[1]](http://lh4.ggpht.com/_xnK7HWJMdFs/TCrX3MntWcI/AAAAAAAAFw0/mEbkIsZar54/s1600-h/ztashaz_thumb%5B1%5D%5B3%5D.png "ztashaz_thumb[1]")
Orecchiette Pasta with Rappini and Sausage
Almond Milk Nutrition
Introduction
Just yesterday afternoon, a neighbor showed me this eleven-stringed instrument known as the 'Oud', that is very much like a guitar but is played very differently.
I was so fascinated by the absence of frets, the vibrato and harmonics that are played constantly when watching a professional perform for over six minutes while playing one their traditional wedding songs on the Oud.
And somewhere at the back of mind I thought, "Hey! These guys aren't so bad either…" considering the social stigma that effects these chaps wherever they go. Even though the Islamic world is a closed and a painfully rigid culture that is far too controlled by their sense of spirituality, it felt right to consider that as they have contributed quite a bit to the world in every field even including nutrition.
For example, take almond milk, that has its uses as a nutritious baby food and is consumed as a healthy drink in the Middle East as well, and is catching up as a healthy replacement for those with allergies to milk (due to its casein content) and for those who wouldn't touch a bottle of soy milk with a ten-foot pole.
Almonds
Whether based on superstition or not, almonds have always been considered nutritious in different parts of the world. In India, almonds are considered good for the brain (as if we don't have enough already that causes enough trouble!) while in China, it is considered to be a symbol of enduring sadness and female beauty.
As quaint as all this sounds for the history buffs, this drupe (not nut) has a host of benefits that pertain to health & nutrition as well as in other areas such as spirituality and so on and so forth.
And so we before we learn how to make almond milk, let's look at the benefits that come with drinking almond milk.
1) Rich in Vitamin E, an antioxidant, which is excellent for those undergoing detoxification programs.
2) Lowers the risk of heart attacks, drops bad cholesterol levels and helps in weight loss due to its high unsaturated fat levels.
3) The best alternative for lactose intolerance, and for those who aren't so fond of the taste of milk (but not necessarily allergic to it), almond milks comes with a light, nutty and crisp taste.
4) With a calorie amount of 70, one can down a glass of almond milk, without destroying your diet. Incidentally, the number of calories for cow's milk is 86…
5) Lastly, it works as an excellent substitute for vegans and for religious reasons and finally, lasts much longer than milk as it doesn't need to be refrigerated.
How to prepare Almond Milk
It's very easy to prepare almond milk which can be done in 15 minutes. And here's how:
What you need: 4 cups of water, a cup of almonds
Step 1: Add the 4 cups of water to the cup of almonds, and cover it with a lid.
Step 2: Refrigerate the container for 1-2 days.
Step 3: Next, blend the mixture of almonds and water until you get a smooth mixture.
Step 4: Use a cheesecloth to strain the smooth mixture obtained.
Step 5: Go ahead and drink like you would drink normal milk or use it for several dishes and other preparations that you can make normally.
In Closing
And so, some of us who aren't so fond of the Soy Milk can finally bid it good bye. Hehe.
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Oil Spill
Checking my vegetable garden in early morning is my usual task during the summer time. This morning I followed my routine. It was a less humid and cloudy day. The wind was gently blowing from the South. Then I noticed the subtle gasoline stink. Yes, the smell was the oil from the Gulf. We live in Baton Rouge, which is 80 miles away from the sea. It is unbelievable but sadly our life is affected by the oil spill.
The small particles of oil must be everywhere around the Gulf. We breathe the contaminated air and no one knows the long-term result of it. It is scaring.
Happy Birthday To Me!
Best part of this picture? I think he’s wearing an argyle sweater vest!Today I turn 32. I’m really excited about it. Thus far my 30′s have been way better than my 20′s (and my 20′s were a dream compared to my teens – you couldn’t pay me to do Middle School again). So for my big 3-2 I’m giving myself a gift that nobody else could give me: time.
As of today, I’m putting The Great Fitness Experiment on hiatus.
Why?
1. I want to go out on a high note. My subscription list is growing every day, my blog stats have never been better and – best of all – I have the BEST readers/commenters in the blogosphere. I’d hate to see this community dwindle and die a slow death.
2. I need the mental space. Despite having you guys for free therapy – and believe me, you all are quite excellent! – I’m having a tough time lately. I’ve tried to shield you guys from my insanity on here (although I think it’s been creeping through more and more, as of late) but in the end, for my mental health, I need to quit spending so much time focusing on feeding, exercising and – while I’m being completely honest – clothing my body.
I’ve spent a lot of time the last few months deeply deeply hating myself. And all for irrational and unproductive reasons (is hate ever productive?). If I’ve learned one thing from June’s Geneen Roth/Intuitive Eating Experiment it is that I can’t become the loving, kind person that I want to be by hating myself.
Several of you in the past have questioned the wisdom of a girl with a self-professed exercise addiction running a fitness blog. While I didn’t want you to be right, I think that you are. I need to do other things, find new hobbies, read books that have nothing to do with exercise, diet or body image (and I have the list that you all gave me to start from!) and change my focus. I need to go from being “addicted to fixing myself” like one astute Reader put it, to opening myself to all the beautiful opportunities for joy and love and service that I’m missing now because of my narrow focus.
3. I’m right back where I started from. The deciding factor was this moment: A few days ago marked the 3rd anniversary of my first official Great Fitness Experiment (just in my notes, I didn’t start blogging about it for several months so this blog won’t be 3 until September). That day I weighed myself and you know what? I weighed exactly the same as the day I started, to the ounce. Three years of blood, sweat and tears and I am exactly where I started from except hopefully a little bit smarter. Over the past 3 years – not counting my pregnancy – I’ve fluctuated 20 pounds and 14% body fat and yet when all the dust settled, here I am. Still the same. Still me.
Of course I have learned to love exercise for many reasons beyond its weight-loss benefits and the journey has been immensely entertaining, educational and poignant but – and I’m going to invoke Einstein here – the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. The problem isn’t that I haven’t lost the weight I set out to. The problem is that for all my Experimenting, I still hate myself. And that breaks my own heart!
4. I need balance. This is probably the most salient of all my reasons: I don’t have the time to maintain the GFE anymore. Cutting back on posting helped but it made me realize (as so many of you fellow bloggers already know) that actually writing a post is about 25% of the work of blogging. I’d spend an hour a day writing – which I adore and will do regardless of whether I have an audience or not – but then I’d easily spend 3-4 more hours a day researching, answering e-mails, dealing with PR people, managing giveaways, connecting with other fitbloggers, doing guest posts, commenting/reading other sites and so forth. I’m not saying I don’t enjoy it – I have absolutely loved every minute of doing this blog – but it’s turned into a full-time job. One that I don’t get paid for. I am not complaining. Every step of this has been my choice and I have loved it, but my kids are so very young and they need me so very much. It won’t always be this way. And I want to be there for them while they still want me to be. Plus I have a hot husband that I need to spend more time ravaging. That’s hard to do when I don’t go to bed until midnight.
What Next?
I plan on leaving this blog up but more as a static page for news and updates about my book. Oh yes, there is still a Great Fitness Experiment book. Somewhere. I’ve written it. Clerisy Press bought it. They paid me a lovely advance in full (wheee!) and so I presume they intend to actually commit it to paper at some point. I’ll let you know when I know. (Although now it’s been two years since I’ve done those Experiments and I’m a little worried because there are at least three now totally inappropriate Michael Jackson jokes and at least one nipple-clamp reference that need to be fixed before it gets published lest I look like a totally insensitive fetishist.)
I’ve started work on a second book, this one more of a memoir about my exercise addiction. I’m excited about this because – as you have probably noticed – I’m kind of wordy. I hate being limited by post length (generally 400-800 words, max). So now I can flesh out my crazy in full color. Or at least chronological order. I’m not sure what I will do with it once it is finished. Perhaps I will just post it here and give it away. In the meantime I still have my gigs at the Huffington Post and iVillage although I post there rather infrequently.
I would also like to get more paid work – magazine articles, op-eds, etc. So if you really miss me (and are a publisher or editor), feel free to contact me!
Good Bye and Good Night
Now I’m sitting here bawling. Seriously. When I first started this blog (as an anonymous Goth, no less) I never imagined it would have become the wonderful place that it is. It wasn’t me that made it so great though, it was all of you. Every single one of you who commented, e-mailed or even just read quietly giggling to yourself, all of you who joined in my Experiments, all my Gym Buddies past and present, made this what it was. I love you guys. I am immensely grateful for all of you for sharing your lives with me and letting me be a part of you. Part of me feels like I’m really letting you guys down; it feels like failure. For that I apologize. I’ve made some great friends here and I hope I don’t lose any of you! I’m not going away forever. But when I come back it will be different.
Thank you all for (nearly) three great years!
Love with all my heart,
Charlotte
When Less Exercise Is MORE!
One of my clients has hit a wall – he has lost circa 60 lbs and is worried that we are not working out hard enough.
As you gain muscle, and lose fat, and gain overall better fitness levels, gains are going to become increasingly more difficult. This is to be expected and it is our job as trainers to get our clients to maintain progress, albeit at a slower rate.
When trying to burn bodyfat and maintain cardiovascular fitness, sometimes less is more. Once you’ve gained a high level of fitness, as my client now has, it is actually more advantageous to train cardio less in terms of time – and make it slightly more intense.
“The argument for less is relvant to both health-oriented clients and athletes with regard to (1) increased performance, (2) the same or possibly less time commitment, (3) a reduced risk of injury from overtraining, and (4) less chance of a personal burnout” – Doug Brooks, The Complete Book of Personal Training.
Rest and recovery from a higher intense workout is essential. And, remember, that metabolic rates stay high for up to 48 hours after a workout. So you could rest a whole day and not lose anything from a high-intense workout.
The same holds true, not only for cardiovascular training, but also strength and power training. I remember one of my conference discussions well: Will you lift heavier on chest with two or three days of rest? Three days of rest will allow you to lift heavier.
“It seems that anaerobic (strength) performance gains are much easier to maintain compared with endurance or cardiovascular training benefits” writes Brooks in his Personal Training Bible.
So, if you think you might be overtraining, you probably are. I used to be surprised when some of the fittest men and women in my London gym only worked out 45 minutes. But, now, having learned that muscular strength is easier to maintain and that perhaps just 3 cardio workouts a week with high intensity is better than an hour with lower intensity.
Tomorrow, we will look at Maximum Heart Rates and VO2 Max levels in regards to intensity of workouts.
