Guest Post

Surviving Strep

So I must have done a decent enough job on my first guest blog appearance on Minus Thirty Three, that Victoria has invited me back to become a regular contributor to the site! I will be writing a guest post every few weeks, and will essentially be providing a glimpse into my lifestyle, fitness goals and progress, and other random stories along the way.

So summer was plugging along quite well, I had been hitting the gym more often, been jogging and hiking, and even took up hot yoga for the first time and purchased a one month unlimited pass, which quickly turned into a regular routine for me. Waking up with the birds to speed down to Duckworth Street at 6:15am may sound a bit stark, but in the summer it is actually a very peaceful start to the day, and after practice you have no regrets for doing it what so ever.

So yeah, summer fitness regime going great...to the point that the Wednesday before the Tely 10 (10 mile road race) I had such a good run I'm instantly motivated to sign up and do it on a whim and with minimal training for the distance. That was Wednesday. By Friday, thinking I had nothing but a slight hangover from the night before; I end up with Strep Throat! As Victoria mentioned in an earlier blog post in July, it literally took me out of commission for a week!

From Friday to the following Friday I experienced fevers, chills, headache, super sore throat....and fatigue! Literally couldn't get a glass of water without collapsing back in bed for a snooze. I pretty much spent my week in and out of dozing, working and catching up on Parks and Rec!

On top of my feeling bad, my neck also broke out into a ghastly sore that was reminiscent of something from an Ann Rice novel!

Feeling so hot right now

I had 3 trips to my GP that week, I'm sure he was sick of seeing me, but I left each time with a prescription for an ailment. Thanks Dr. G!

During the week my diet consisted of water, water and water, yogurt, soup, smoothies, and watermelon. I ended up losing approx. 10 pounds after the week was done with, dropping from around 180-lbs to 170-lbs! I don't usually eat watermelon, but it being in season, the fruit was easy on my throat and quite good. It prompted me to research the benefits of eating watermelon, and you wouldn't think such a light tasting fruit could be so beneficial.

Watermelons are an excellent source of several vitamins:

-     Vitamin A, which helps maintain eye health and is an antioxidant
-     Vitamin C, which helps strengthen immunity, heal wounds, prevent cell damage, promote healthy teeth and gums, and keeps skin looking healthy
-     Vitamin B6, which helps brain function and helps convert protein to energy
-     Lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that is said to fight heart disease and certain types of cancers, in particular prostate. Watermelon is the third highest fruit/vegetable for lycopene (behind tomatoes (sundried being the highest) and guava).

With this new found knowledge, I was eating up watermelon like someone was going to take it from me.

Back at it.

So strep has come and gone, and my neck is all cleaned up...and I'm back to my old self again. I'm back at the gym, went back to hot yoga before my 1 month completely expired, and have gotten out for some light cardio.

One thing I missed and craved while sick was COFFEE. Coffee can really dehydrate you, and also the heat of a hot beverage can hurt a sensitive and healing throat! Very glad I'm back to my Starbucks routine above all!

Like I said in my pilot post, I don't have any serious goals, or aspirations, but these are the few things I am looking to do over the next little while to stay on track:

-     Avoid TOO many carbs (I'm not planning on becoming a wheat belly comformist, but I've recently decreased my toast, bagel and cereal consumption in the morning and have opted for Greek yogurt/fruit/granola and egg whites for an alternative. If I'm going to have carbs, I'd rather it be worth it (i.e. nachos, BP twist bread, and similar)!

-     Challenge myself more at the gym. Sometimes a gym routine can become just that, a routine. I really need to do some research and change it up a bit

-     Try Shakti Yoga with Vic, and Nova Yoga with Daniel (my hot yoga buddy), and perhaps Yoga in the Park with Sam and Vic....and also keep up with a scattered Moksha Yoga practise

-     Jog, jog, jog. I'm signed up for Run for the Cure. It's only 5k, but I've never done any kind of race before so I think it will be a good intro

Let's see how it goes. All I need to do is keep myself in check at the upcoming festivals, beer tents, staff social, cabin adventures and house parties all scheduled before Labour Day. Wish me luck!