Un-symptomatic

Well, in my pre-public days I'm rather uneventful. I was all prepared for morning sickness and headaches. My symptoms have included fatigue, which due to my sometimes silly schedule I've had to just kind of push through - though I'm trying to really catch up on resting on weekend days like today. I've sat, pretty much, all day. I know - it's rough. I do also realize that now that I'm putting in print how smoothly everything has been going, I'll start vomiting right away tomorrow morning. Will keep you posted, for sure, if that happens. I have felt cramping, but I've been reading on The Bump that that is the normal feeling associated with a growing uterus...and it will continue. Yay! I look forward to a continually growing uterus for the next 33 weeks.

Posting in Private

For the time being, I'm posting in private to record this very special time in our lives. We're having a baby!! Jeff and I found out on Saturday, November 15th that we'll be having a baby in July. Since it is early (very early) we're keeping it under wraps until after our doctor's visit. We're planning to tell more people over the holidays. So far we have let our parents in on the secret. It's kind of nice to keep this to ourselves. I feel like once I tell everyone that's all they'll want to talk about - similar to wedding planning. Right now I can pretend to be a "normal" person, not just a pregnant person. Soon enough, baby will make itself quite evident. Our first prenatal appointment is December 16th, a full month after we found out! From what I've read, it's even possible that we'll have an ultrasound then - time will tell. Today I am 7 weeks along. A website called "The Bump" (from the people who brought you The Nest/The Knot) has a chart to illustrate "How Big is Baby?" in fruit and veggies. I love it - I have a blueberry right now. Check it out!

Step It Up

Pedometer found - now I can step it up with the steps! Just in time for a walk tomorrow to our diving meet!

Oh, right...and Health

A lot of people ask how this choice can be healthy and where I get my iron and protein from...man oh man, we made it without fire, didn't we? Spinach salads provide a great source of iron and nuts and beans provide me with all the protein I need. Like many others I was concerned about the health consequences of my choices, because we've all been brainwashed by our marketing system here in the good ole U.S. of A. I went to my doctor last January to get blood work done to make sure everything was copasetic...and it was. I also consulted with my doctor to see if it was "OK" to be doing this, and it is. Which leads me to the preview I recently saw of a documentary coming out called "The Beautiful Truth." It pretty much explains in a much more mind-blowing way everything I've been saying in these last couple of posts. Check it out! The basics, our government system controlled by lobbyists including dairy, and meat won't let the people know that a plant based diet could be best because, well, then what would they do?

Vegan-Ish

Many people ask if I'm vegan. I like to say I'm vegan-ish. I still have a weakness for cheese, I've found that yogurt may be truly important, and when creating recipes if I can't find the proper substitute then I'm going to use the "real deal." Also, if I'm invited over for dinner to a person's home, I'm not going to dictate the menu or make a host/hostess create a separate dish for me. I figure I ate meat and processed junk for a long time, if it's what's being served then you won't hear a peep from me. Also - irony of all ironies - the only place I still intentionally eat meat is at Saladworks. Funny, right? The Tivoli Salad. I get it without ham or turkey, but I keep the pepperoni. Some things never change.

Healthy Movin'

In addition to a change in eating habits, consistency of exercise is a key to a healthy lifestyle. I wear a pedometer (though as of late it's gone missing), do push ups, crunches, and stretches, and do yoga or pilates each day. I try to walk more and more intentionally. If I'm out to do food shopping or in any sort of parking lot, I try to park as far away as possible for the extra walking distance. I walk wherever it is feasible. Not only does this help my health, but it also helps my gas tank. Think about it. As is true with voting, if you don't get out and do something about it, then you can't complain for the next four years.

Healthy Eatin'

Since last November, I've embraced a plant based, whole foods diet. At first, the instructor advised us of a plan - 6 days on, 1 day off - to manageably ease into a vegan lifestyle. So, that's how it started - 6 days of plant based diet, and 1 day of whatever I want. I found that I felt healthier and stronger. I decided to learn as much as I could. Through the course of the last year, I've read other books supporting this ideal: Michael Pollan's books - The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food as well as Plenty by Alisa Smith and J.B. McKinnon. There are more on my waiting list: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, and Slow Food Nation. Additionally, I've begun research into a local CSA and have invested in a winter share for my husband and I. One of the suggestions that the instructor gave was to prepare - if you prepare fresh fruits and vegetables for the week in portions, then there are no excuses. It is what is available in the house. Likewise, if you don't buy things that you know are unhealthy, then they're not there making it that much less likely that you'll indulge. If you want to make a change - be smart about it!

Healthy Learnin'

About a year ago, I was part of a graduate class with a very enticing name: "It's All About You: Health and Wellness for the Educator." Now, I'm not typically the kind of person who wants it to be "all about me," but for three credits, I could deal with it. Within the context of the course, we read a book called "The China Study." This book reveals the results of research that took place in the 70s. This research was intended to show that by exposing people in Asia to animal protein, it would exponentially improve their health. Unfortunately for those researchers, exactly the opposite occurred. After introducing animal protein, the subject's health declined and many "western diseases" resulted - heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. They continued the study to see if the opposite would hold true - and it did. A plant based diet resulted in the disappearance of cancer. The course also delved into a healthy lifestyle including regular exercise of different varieties. As students, we were challenged to change our lifestyles and document it, and I did.