Finding the Midline

Wow, has it really been January since I posted? I feel like my first post back should include some kind of COME TO JESUS revelation. It doesn't. Sorry. I took a break. I decided I missed it and this chronicle is more permanent than a bunch of Facebook updates. I also got rid of the ads on the right. I don't like being told what I can post and what I can't. Also, that stick of gum it bought me every couple of months has too much sugar in it.

For the last couple of weeks, I've been really ridiculously out of sorts. I feel like I could sleep for a year, but can't seem to stay asleep for even a few hours at a time, my brain in in a perpetual fog, and I've gained 20 lbs. I'm getting excema in exactly the places my mother used to get it (and if you don't think that sent a ripple of fear down my spine, well, you don't know me). Yes, I've had my thyroid tested. And my iron levels. All are OK. I have a feeling that whatever's wrong with me isn't something that's going to show up on standard blood tests, unless maybe it gets a whole lot worse. Besides, I believe in trying out lifestyle changes before seeking medical attention. Unless you think you have a broken bone.

My best guess is that it's a combination of perimenopause, if not outright menopause, stress, age and not paying attention to what I eat.

So we're going in for a few lifestyle changes here at Body Lunasea to see if that will help.

1. Switching out coffee for tea. I love coffee, but I particularly love the milk and sugar that comes with it. I switched to artificial sweeteners a long time ago, which isn't much better. I can drink tea without milk or sweetener, so I'm going for that. I'm not ready to give up caffeine yet.

2. Writing. I miss writing, and the best periods of my life have been the periods where I wrote consistently. I need an outlet to sort things out.

3. Yoga. I intend to play on the floor with my grandchildren when I'm 75. And, more importantly, get back up again.

4. Sugar. I'm cutting out all white sugar. I'm absolutely a sugar addict. I love sugar and the more I eat, the more I crave it. I think I could be at risk for type II diabetes, so it's better to take care of that before I've gone totally insulin resistant.

5. White flour. I'm cutting that out too. Our family is mostly eating whole grains at home, but when I eat out or eat convenience foods, that goes out the window.

6. Sleep. My goal is to be in bed by 10pm. Lights out by 11pm at the latest. I was doing well for a while, but now it's creeping back towards midnight. The boys aren't waking us up as early as they used to, but given that my hormones or whatever are waking me up at 5 or 6am without their help, and at the most I doze after that, I have to get better sleep earlier.

7. Give up Farmville. OK. Maybe not GIVE UP Farmville completely, but maybe ignore it for a month or so and see what happens. I know it's one of the things making me stay up late because trying to fertilize everyone else's farm takes so long! And that's kind of ridiculous.

I may include cutting out dairy eventually, but I really really love yogurt, so we'll see.

I had a dream last night where I was in the ER with a huge cut down the vertical center of my body from trying to cut myself in half (don't ask or I'll have to go into the whole backstory of the dream which you don't want to hear). A lady came over, examined my fingers, and said, "She's totally glutenized." I was like, "No, I'm not, I have a huge cut down the center of my body." So it's possible I'm focusing on the wrong things. But I think trying to get lifestyle back in balance is never a bad idea.