Another Chapter Ending

I guess the time has finally come for me to leave this blogosphere. I've enjoyed my stay and it's been great. I may be back later but right now I just don't seem to have it in me to blog about my life. I've learned a lot through the blogging world but it's time to reconnect with humans face to face. I think I have more to do in that area.

Thank you to all of you that have followed me on my journeys. I appreciate the support and comments and it's been a great ride. If and when I feel I have more to say I'll be back but for now I don't feel that I have that much to say.

I did graduate from massage school (WOOT WOOT!) and I'm continuing on  and will be finished and certified by the end of the year. I still need to keep practicing since I haven't found a part-time gig as of yet. And I don't want to lose what I've learned.

And on a final note, I get to go on vacation next month! The first time in about 3 years that I'm going on vacation! HAWAII!!!! "Come on and go Hawaiian!"

So that's really funny because I didn't realize that song was Donny and Marie. I just remember the jingle but didn't remember it was them singing in it. FUNNY! Aah...the 70's and 80's, quite a time!

I'm going to leave you with that! Stay well and be happy!

The more I know the less I know!

This past weekend was a DOOZY! I mean...whew! and WHOA! and WOW! And it was all a little bit much. An emotional wipeout! But I can say that with all of that came some goodness, some clarity and some peace. Funny how that goes. Also exhausting because I had no time off. Full day of class Saturday AND Sunday! Massage class Saturday and aromatherapy Sunday. Saturday's massage class was a very challenging exercise about how pain and trauma, emotional or physical, shows up in your body. It's fascinating to be sure. But it was a tough tough class for me. I'm glad I did it and participated fully but I think it just about wiped me out!

While I was at class Sunday one of the other participants said, "I feel like the more I know the less I know!" Oh, yes, that resonates with me 100%. Does it ever amaze you how much you don't know and how much there is to learn? And on the flip side does it ever amaze you how much you already know? It's shocking to me sometimes. Like when you have the answer for something that you didn't know you knew. I have definitely felt this way about my massage school. There are so many facets to massage, bodywork, energy work, etc. that I either didn't know existed or didn't know the extent all these different things can help you. I feel like such an infant in my knowledge base on how we can heal ourselves and/or live a much younger and healthier life. There's SOOOOO much to learn! Then I get anxious and overexcited about learning and want to know it all now. Does this happen to you? Please tell me it does. Or is this what being obsessive is all about? Haha! I was really glad I went to this class because now I know that the Raindrop Technique, while being extremely amazing to receive is not something I would be inclined to give. It's just not for me. But at least now I know what it's all about and that I really enjoy it being done and also know that I have no desire to practice it. I will of course be incorporating some essential oils into my massage practice though. And for my own personal use of course.

I've had a pretty big shift over the past couple of weeks about working out and my body in general. I hold a lot of muscle and don't lose it too quickly. Yet I think I've kind of been living in fear of losing my muscle since you do lose muscle as you get older. That seemed to be my reason for lifting weights. Well, it eventually was working against me and I had no desire to lift weights. And my desire to work out kept dwindling. Finally about a week and a half ago I decided that enough was enough and I was just going to have to do what sounded good to me and felt good to my body regardless of if I thought I was going to lose my muscle. And then I started blading and dancing and I already feel so much better. We often forget to honor what our bodies and/or mind are telling us.

Then last week I went to get an AMAZING massage. This therapist taught me that I have a whole helluva lot left to learn in this field. It was amazing and inspiring. And he said to me something that made me stop and think. It was about doing weights. And he said to me that I didn't need anymore muscle. Now he didn't say it in a mean way as if I'm too big and muscly. He just said it matter-of-factually and it struck a nerve. And I had to question myself and my reasons for doing weights in the first place and then I realized that I don't need anymore muscle right now and I really don't need to fear the loss of muscle. Yes, I think it's important to be strong but I AM strong and I do have a LOT of muscle. And after thinking about this I basically breathed a sigh of relief. How crazy is that? It's like I needed "permission" to not lift weights.  And now I'm totally fine not lifting weights or even going to a gym right now. I'm thinking more skating and dancing are in the works for me. And I think I'll even bring back my Pilates practice that I love so much. And even some yoga again. I actually haven't been going to yoga because the best time for me is on Tuesday nights and I've been in massage class on Tuesday nights. So now I'll be able to go back to yoga on Tuesday nights. Yay!

There's so much to learn about myself, my body, my mind, and life in general. I feel like such an infant right now. Everything is new as far as all the bodywork stuff goes. But that's what life's about, right? Finding something that you really enjoy and just learning all you can until the next thing comes along that you want to learn about. Kind of fun, don't you think? Wow! I can't believe I only have two more classes and then this part of my massage school is over. I'll be taking more classes to get my certification but this part will be done. It's been quite a ride!

Apricot Mint Smoothie - dairy free & vegan

It's apricot time! Yay! Let's all cheer for apricots! I love them so much. We actually had an apricot tree growing up but wasn't as crazy about them then as I am now. And apricot and mint? Such a divine combination. With all that in mind, I set out to make a delicious apricot smoothie this morning. This is so refreshing and yummy.

Apricot Mint Smoothie

1 cup lightly flavored tea (I used Adagio from Lupicia - green rooibos with lemongrass) or water

2 large apricots (3-4 small), pits removed

1 1/2 handfuls of macadamia nuts

1/2 tablespoon chia

1 tablespoon hemp protein

1/2 teaspoon maca

1/2 teaspoon chlorella

2 dates, pitted

2 stems of mint, leaves only

8 or so ice cubes

Blend all but ice till smooth. With blender running add ice cubes one at a time through hole in top of blender. Blend till desired consistency. Enjoy!

Massage School and Life (which is GOOD!)

Sorry I have been MIA. I've just been super busy and trying to get in a lot of massage practice so I can rock as a massage therapist! Woohoo!

And let me just say WOW! What an affirming day today was! I guess I know I'm finally...FINALLY...on the right path! Where to begin...well probably here - at Massage School

MASSAGE SCHOOL AND AROMATHERAPY: Massage school is still awesome and amazing! I just love it. I'm learning so much. And tonight was the cherry on the sundae. My instructor pulled me aside and asked me if I wanted to be a T.A. (teacher's assistant for those that don't know) for a class later in the year! Wow! How cool is that? He said that my body mechanics are really spot on and I can observe in others what they might need to change to help them with their massage. This was very awesome to hear and very very affirming! I'm so excited! WAHOOO!!!! I was also practicing with two girls in class that said great things like "you notice every single thing, you don't miss a beat" and "why are the body mechanics so easy for you". Oh! And the bonus of being asked to be a TA is that you get credit hours that can go towards advanced classes at the school.

Also I had lunch with my friend that I had worked on a couple of weeks ago and she said, "I just want to tell you that massage was the best massage I've ever had." Again...wow! Thank you so much Charlene! That means so much to me.

Also a couple of nights ago I went to a free aromatherapy intro at my massage school and I was the demo client! It was amazing. Those of you that know me know that I have a very sensitive nose and am very tuned into scent in general. So aromatherapy is something that definitely resonates with me. It was really cool and amazing. I know this sounds crazy but they measured my height before and after and I probably gained about 1/4" or so in a 15-minute session. Very cool. I'm going to be taking the full course next week. Can't wait! Essential oils are amazing and have been around for a long time. And since they come from plants of course I believe they are great for you. From nature to you. It's the only way to go. I'm going more and more natural in my life because I know that all this man-made creations can't be all that great for you.

HAIRCARE: I've stopped dying my hair with chemical dye. I can only imagine how bad that is for me. I don't want to do that anymore. Now I use henna from Morrocco Method. Next time I dye it with henna I'll try to remember to take some before and after pictures. It's actually quicker to apply than the chemical dyes but you have to leave it on much longer and it takes FOREVER to rinse out. But it didn't stain anything at all. It says your hair will feel softer but I don't really find that to be true. It does feel healthier though. I understand that I still have a lot of chemical left in my hair too so maybe once the chemicals are finally out of my hair my hair will actually feel softer. I also use shampoo and conditioner that don't have chemicals in them. They smell a little funky but I can tell my hair is happier in general.

WORKOUTS: Okay, let me just be honest. Strength training is having little appeal to me right now.Very little...virtually none...actually almost completely none. I really don't know why. So I had to reconfigure my mind! LOL! And I decided that I need to do something that's appealing to me so I will actually get in some kind of workout and movement. So I decided to bring my inline skating back to the forefront of my life. I love the outdoors and the weather is PERFECT for skating right now! So yesterday I went and it was FANTASTIC! I forgot how much I love it! And so I decided that it may not be the best thing for me in terms of building strength but there is something to be said for pushing my bodyweight up a hill through the friction of the road in lateral movement. And to be honest it doesn't matter how much weight training I do but those muscles used in skating I can never truly target in the same way. So...it's onto more skating for me. Yes, I'll still go to the gym but mostly now to enhance my skating ability! This is a win win for me.

NUTRITION: Hmmm...what do I have to say about that? Nothing really. It's just really nice to eat what I really want to eat. I do need to be better about making meals and not eating out so often but all in time, all in time. I really enjoy my shake in the morning so I'll probably keep that up for most of the summer. I can just put so much goodness into it that it makes it so worthwhile. I was having 8 ounces of kombucha each day with some acai, chlorella, and maca. But then I found out by checking out ayurveda that I probably shouldn't really be eating/drinking fermented foods. So I decided to chill with the kombucha. So no I put those items in my shake instead. Can't even taste them in there. Well, I don't always put the acai, just in fruit smoothies. But not in the chocolate one.

The only thing I really need to put a focus on is going to bed earlier! Why is that so challenging for me? I've been better about it but really not getting to bed when I need to...as witnessed by the post time of this blog entry! Okay, I'll be better next week. For real! Good night! Have a great weekend everyone!

Macadamia Peach Cobbler Smoothie

This morning I wanted something fruity and quick. So I checked out my frozen fruit and saw that I had frozen peaches. Hmmm...and macadamia nuts? And the flavor of peach cobbler? Win win win! This is a tasty concoction I came up with. Try it out yourself! I think you might like it!

1 handful macadamia nuts
1 cup frozen peaches
1 cup water
1 tablespoon hemp protein powder
1/2 tablespoon chia seeds
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 dates
2-3 teaspoons coconut sugar
6 ice cubes

Place all but ice cubes in blender. Blend well until smooth. Add ice and blend again just until all ice is blended. Serve. Yummy!

Setback? Why, yes, I'll take one.

I really was gungho about getting back on the workout scene. So where did I go wrong? Overdoing it. That's all. Once again I didn't listen to my body. I'm sure it was talking to me but I really think I didn't listen. About two weeks ago I hurt my shoulder working out but I really didn't think it was that bad. Yeah, it actually was so I've only worked out once in the past two weeks with weights and been to the track only twice for two light workouts. I feel unhealthy to say the least. But that's okay. I'll be back in the swing of things.

I went to see my chiropractor the other day. She did some active release type of work on my shoulder area, mainly my rear delt and pec major. That helped out a lot. I felt better almost instantly. I call her my "magician". I'm doing some rehab/strengthening exercises to help me out. And finally some ultrasound. I know it doesn't seem like it would work but it really does.

I've been in touch with Kellie also so we could figure out what to do now. This is the only downside to not being able to train in person. But that's okay. I feel safe with her and she's going to rework my plan to be lower body for now till I feel healed then we'll work back in the upper body. I need to have a plan right now. I definitely cannot fly by the seat of my pants. That is just not going to work! So a plan is a plan is a plan. And I need a plan! Thanks Kellie for helping me with that!

On the nutrition front, not so much. I feel like a whirling dervish. I feel like my life is kind of spinning out of control so I need to take some time for me this weekend and I'm going to do it. I need to get back in control of myself and my life! And so I will. It will be done. In fact I think I'm going to start tonight and should be all squared away by Sunday night. When my home is a wreck, I'm a wreck. And right now I would say that I'm kind of a wreck. But fear not...I will return full force so get ready.

That's about it. I'll be back with more next week. Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

I'm an angel...or at least I have a wing!

A winged scapula that is! After my workout on Friday night I was in pain all around my serratus anterior and up through my neck. NOT a fun feeling. Quite painful to be honest. And it hurt all the way down my rhomboids making it hard to breathe. So of course I did what anyone living in this decade would do and self-diagnosed via Google. Although I have had this problem and pain for a long time, no one has ever diagnosed the problem and therefore, I have constantly had problems with my shoulder. These pictures are from my competition days but you can clearly see the difference between the two there.

Winged Scapula (and this is me trying to make it not be there!)

Sometimes I could get it to not show.

So now I have a clearer plan and know that I need to strengthen my serratus anterior and increase my mobility. Again I had to contact Kellie and ask her to please rewrite my plan for that day because that is a pain I can deal with again. And she's so awesome that she did as well as gave me some rehab type exercises. It would be nice to not be in pain like that and also to not have my shoulder do the funky wing thing. 

Saturday was a wash since I had class all day. Sunday I felt worse than Saturday but I went to the track with my BF and did some activity. Then Monday came. After a full day of work and my upper body still hurting I really didn't want to work out. So after some couch time (not related to psychotherapy couch time) I had a talk with myself. I knew I couldn't workout upper body but I could do lower. But I didn't want to. Then I knew I would only have myself to blame when there was more self-loathing and feeling fluffy. So I got my butt up off the couch and went to the gym at 8:30pm! I finished there, went to the Co-op to pick up a few things then headed home. I was proud of myself for getting there and getting in a great workout when I really didn't want to. Sometimes I have to push myself to do something that I may not want to do. 

But later I'll be more than happy that I did it. And that's exactly what happened last night. Loving my workouts though...I must say!

Well, that's about it for now. This little angel is signing off.