Gear Maintenance

I'm the first one to say "Rest! A week off will not be the end of the world." And the last one to listen.  

Really, take a week off?  That's just not happening. Such a fine line we walk, isn't it?  A myriad of articles for and against over training can be brought up in less time than a fast Fran. 

Over the last 2 years I definitely neglected "gear maintenance".  Physical, spiritual, emotional & financial maintenance...it was survival mode.  Now I recognize those years as the exact road I needed to be on.  No, I didn't enjoy them, and that was my choice. I understand better now.     

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 

It was a time I let circumstances into the driver's seat of my life. And the destination I was headed to did not please me.  Everything is SO connected.  Mind, body, spirit...influence one in either direction and they all change. I've come to recognize, accept, and honour that I am created to move. So when my physical world is out of sync, it shakes up my mental and emotional world too. I ignored my RA over the last 2 years.  Not sure why really.  I got tired. I thought it would just stay the same, not get worse.  All while other areas of my life were tipping to the "worse" side.  And my RA got worse too.  It lead me to scaling many movements and eventually not being able to do them. It slowly chipped away at me.  AND I denied it. (the invincible complex) Until one day God decided that I needed a little more than the gentle squeezing of my hand to let me know He was there. With His next move He got my attention. That's another blog post.  

Fast forward to now where I am in a very good place...in the driver's seat.  I am grounded spiritually, emotionally, physically.  

What have I learned about physical maintenance & prosperity? Do not stop looking for an answer when it comes to "repair mode".  Disease, injury, whatever is going on physically, keep looking.  Cleaning up your diet is the first step.  So much pain & inflammation disappears when you find the right combination of foods for you.  Some people are more sensitive to certain foods from the same food group.  You have to figure that out by paying attention to the signals your body sends.  I personally, with RA, avoid all grains, eat very little dairy and red meat.  Nuts, eggs, night shades, tomatoes and oranges are in particular, flare-up causing foods. 

Concentrated food sources or what others call supplements are always in my routine.  My essentials are fish oil with a high EPA to DHA ratio, cur cumin (turmeric) & nitric oxide combination, a probiotic, an enzyme called serratiopeptidase, and a multivitamin. I own a nutrition company and use our 3 supplements.  My Nutrie - Our Success   I'm followed by a Naturopath Dr. who has me on some drops and an injection of Zeel (into my heel which is where the RA is most stubborn). She also suggested I juice ginger root and drink it in hot water with a little stevia.  I think this has been a great addition for me.  Swelling in my fingers is really down.  Try it as a simple and cost effective anti-inflammatory.  Peel the ginger 'cause it's hard on the juicer. :)  

Looking after the physical gears and keeping them well maintained,  means training is a breeze.  :)