Happy Spring!

A great time of the year! The snow melts here, and the weather warms to perfection. I usually grab my daughter and wander around the zoo often. We've already been once and it was a great day. One of the best I've had.

The problem was...I had to be drugged up on pain killers. I had to bring a driver, Shy's father, and he doesn't much care for the zoo. We still had a great time, no matter what, but I could definitely tell by the pounding of my head, Spring was in the air!

With season changes, so come the flares. Mine lasted about a month and I was in a pain killer haze. I really dislike pain killers but the fault was mine for needing to depend on them. I'd been forgetting to take my vitamins (as we often do) which resulted in a lack of ambition, so I didn't do much exercising either.

Spring, is the time of year to prepare for Fibro Awareness, so we need to take better care of ourselves; be preemptive! Encourage each other to keep pushing toward days where we look our doctor in the face and say, I don't need anything right now.

I know what Spring does to me. I hurt more, I get a migraine that lasts for weeks, I lose ambition and before I know it, it's halfway through summer.

Not this year!

I'm going back on Acai Berry supplements for energy, popping those vitamins, and walking the dog if it kills me! And it just might.

I plan to start my day with Yo-Plus vanilla and acai powder and granola for energy and to fill the belly. Then I'll take half my vitamins. (B-complex, Magnesium, Vitamin D, Biotin) Next I'll work out for 15-30 minutes starting with low impact exercises until I've built up my strength again. Shower and take care of my skin and hair. The rest of my day is going to be filled with writing, working, cleaning when I can, and I'm going to stay away from greasy fast food as much as possible. (Or at least count calories and carbs so I don't fall into the same pattern of overdoing.) I'm going to eat a low carb supper and maybe have a little bit of something that isn't very good for me because I deserve it for sticking with my routine. After my belly has something in it, I'll take the second half of my daily vitamins because I can't "stomach" taking them all at once. (Amino Acids, Vitamin E, Calcium{sparingly! Every three days for me. Omega 3,6,9) And at the end of the day, I'll treat my face with a calming, soothing masque and rub my body down with body butter to promote circulation and relaxation. Having a plan for taking care of yourself can work, even when we don't stick to every aspect of it (which for Fibro Mates is extremely hard). Don't beat yourself up for what you can't do in a given day. Reward yourself for doing what you can!

Remember, Fibro is a brain disorder. Our brain fights against us. It makes us depressed, it saps our inner strength and we have to fight self-defeating behaviors by not talking down to ourselves.

If you have a few days where you can't do any of the things on your list, hey...you'll get it the next day, or the next. When negativity due to Fibro takes a breath, you use that brief reprieve to get through enemy lines and take control for as long as you can hold on!

I have faith in you, my friends.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a list to complete today! :-)

All my best wishes for pain-free days.
Gin