Hypo-motivated?

Last night, I actually slept 8hrs. I know some of you may ALWAYS get 8hrs, and some of you may say you do not NEED 8hrs, but this chick NEEDED 8hrs last night. Grad school + Working = HAAAARD. As the semester is starting to close out, I have been really working on keeping my priorities in line. Unfortunately, that means I have not been able to catch up with some of my girlfriends, or attend certain social events.... But that is what it takes. I know that I function BEST when I stay committed to my prayer and devotional time, exercise (even if that is just a 20 minute walk with Ernest, my dog), eat well, and sleep at least 7 hours. Last week, I had to get up a few mornings at 3am, just to get my homework done. THAT, my friends, caught up with me. So today, I felt like a NEW woman!

After work, I hit the gym. I created a little circuit for myself in a lonesome corner:
-Pushups with my feet on a balance ball; in between each pushup, roll your knees in.
-Crunches on the ball
-Pushups with my hands on dumbells; in between each pushup, I would do a back row with the weight.
-Bicep curls to a shoulder press
-Front shoulder raise
-Lateral shoulder raise
-Rear delt flys
-Chest flys
(EVERYTHING WAS 10-15 REPS; 3 TIMES THROUGH).

I hopped on the elliptical and went through this interval program that I have posted before from pbfingers.com (love that girl).

I was pretty tired, but I heard they got new treadmills....so I just HAD to try it out. This thing has a FAN!!! I felt like I was on the Cadillac of all treadmills. I did 2 miles, then felt guilty about the homework I have to do tonight... So I came home.

CHECK OUT THE FAN!!!!

I munched on half of my burger that I saved from yesterday's lunch, while Clay munched on the rest. I threw some chopped cabbage and spinach in a pan with olive oil, threw in some precooked ground turkey, tomatoes, onion, garlic, pepper, and lemon.... and created the "Beffy Bowl." My nephew calls me Beffy, and I just loved how easy this was. The trick for me....PRE COOK MY GROUND TURKEY because it was so easy to just toss it into my veggies! 

Picture does not do this justice... sorry!

Hypothyroid: READ WITH CAUTION

The following is just a general description of hypothyroid disease... I do not need

to be medically critiqued by my nurse/doctor friends... this is for some

general public friends of mine who were asking me questions =) 

Tonights' topic I really wanted to talk about is hypothyroidism. SOOOO many people I know and love have this. I am really surprised that we (the medical world) do not know more about why so many people are coming down with this, but I have been reading this book, The Thyroid Diet, and I have been pretty interested in this woman's approach.

She states that around 15 million Americans have hypothyroidism... and many of them are not diagnosed (same with diabetes, but that is another soapbox). Your thyroid is a HUGE HORMONE PRODUCER in your body and highly influences your metabolism. Some people get hypothyroidism because they WERE hyperthyroid (too many thyroid hormones were being produced) and they had to get their thyroid removed. Some people have an autoimmune disorder and their own body attacked their thyroid (Hashimoto's disease). Some people have a goiter or nodules that leave their thyroid rendered helpless. Some, are born with it.

Symptoms: dry hair and skin, tired., moody, sensitive to cold environments, difficulty losing/gaining weight,  joint or muscle pain, heavier period than usual, constipated, problems constipated, regular infections, shortness of breath, and many others. 

Tests: you may have blood levels drawn that indicated WHAT your thyroid is producing (T3 or T4.... too many may mean you have a hyperactive thyroid....not enough, may mean hypoactive thyroid), you may have antibodies looked at (thyroglobulin and microsomal... these MAY indicate that your body is fighting against your thyroid).... and finally, antithyroid peroxidase (antiTPO) antibodies... I had never heard of this until I was researching this book... these indicate the possibility, again, of your body fighting your thyroid. 

Ok, so now that we are finished with all of that mumbo jumbo, what do you do with it? Basically, your metabolism is functioning at a lower level. You may need to be stricter with your diet than you would like; it is not good news, these are just the facts. You need to operate in a way to try to provide an optimal environment for your metabolism. Most people start on a form of levothyroxine, which gives your body more T4 and helps your body function as if the thyroid was producing what it should. Here are some lifestyle tips:

- Avoid white flour products and starchy white carbs

- REST; get your sleep

- Strength train! Your muscles will help increase your metabolism if you work 'em.

- Eat protein (0.5 grams for each pound of body weight)

- Patience (just change one little thing at a time... do not overwhelm yourself)

- Eat good fats (olive oil, avocados, almonds...)

- Pay attention to the glycemic index of your fruits and veggies (high glycemic index increases your blood sugar quicker).

High: Beets, potatoes, yams, carrots, corn, peas, rutabaga, bananas, grapes, raisins, pineapples....You can still have these, just be aware of portions.

Low: beans, eggplant, mushrooms, tomatoes, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, spinach, apples, berries, grapefruit, peaches....

South Beach Diet does a good job with this chart... It may be helpful.

I say all this, just to say, that most healthy diets are similar in that they encourage lean protein, vegetables, fruit, and carbs in the most natural form....oats, brown rice, millet, barley, wheat....) We try to complicate things and knock out entire blocks from the food pyramid. Healthy eating takes planning, and that can be intimidating. Start with the basics, and try to eat more veggies. Drink more water. Get some sleep. If your metabolism is not functioning at high capacity, then you need to pay extra attention to sleep and stress management. Some of you may have just tuned me out, but it is a fact. We do not rest enough, and I will be the first one to say, "guilty." I could go on and on with this topic, but I have to go do homework =) If you have specific questions, just email me. Bfit828@gmail.com. If you have hypothyroidism and have helpful hints/tips, PLEASE SHARE!!!!