Post Holiday Check-in

I am ready for the new year! And some serious sugar detoxing. January is a month of clean eating & fitness (rebuilding my base), and I just feel that 2010 is going to be a fantastic year.

I am working on the things I want to do for myself in 2010 (sounds so much better than resolutions, doesn’t it?) and am feeling pretty good about my list. 2010 is going to be all about making a happier healthier smarter gazelle.

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I am pretty much taking this week & most of next week off from my fitness goals. I went to the doctor on Wednesday, and although my cough isn’t anything BAD (like bronchitis, or pneumonia, or consumption), she did say (more than once) that she would suggest taking it easy cardio-wise until the cough is completely gone. So, I’ve canceled my runs for the week, and will start back slowly next week. I have plenty of time in January to rebuild my base, and it will be easier to do if I’m healthy.

The other thing I learned is that I’m apparently protein deficient, and my vitamin D levels are on the low side of normal (which is not unusual for Pacific NW residents in December). So, I need to get more protein, and am trying to figure out how I’m going to add that in – I’m thinking more eggs for breakfast, more green smoothies supplemented with protein powder, and that occasional burger (like today). I also am going to try to figure out more delicious tofu recipes.

Protein deficiency can cause anxiety, depression, and the need to eat a lot (and think about food a LOT), it can also cause muscles to heal at a slower pace (check!), kidney stones/infection (check!), hair thinning (check! fortunately I have a LOT of hair), sore & aching muscles (check! especially today – I hurt so bad from Thursday’s workout), headache (check!), cardiac issues (check!), weight gain & lean muscle loss (check!). All of those symptoms that I have are mild, as is my deficiency, but I’m pretty excited to know that with a little extra vitamin D & upping my protein intake, I will have be both physically & mentally healthier for the new year! (Protein deficiencies are pretty rare for people from the US, even vegetarians, but athletes do tend to have higher protein needs than other people, and as long as I’m conscious of getting the recommended allowance of protein, I should be able to reverse this pretty quickly.)

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I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday, whichever one you celebrate!

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