Day 8 was another mellow workout day. I joined in a hot yoga class in the morning and then walked to Ellie’s Table for a latte and some sunshine (its 80 degrees in Orange County!)

After finally getting some good rest and recovery, I finally feel good enough to get back to the kettle bells and have a generally more active day (today, day 9).

This brings me to an important point.

Here’s your daily PSA:

It’s imperative that we listen to our bodies when it comes to diet and exercise. I mentioned this previously in a post about some bloating that I was experiencing. Strive to be in tune with your body, recognizing the changes that occur when you eat certain things, stay up too late, train too hard, or too little. All of this awareness will go a long way in keeping you healthy and safe for the rest of your life. No one will ever know your body better than you. I refuse to leave my health and wellbeing in the hands of my health insurance and my doctor. The attitude that, “If something goes wrong, someone else will fix it”, is not only dis-empowering, it’s also expensive and risky. Sure they can run tests, check your heart, endoscope your bowels, take blood… but they still may come up empty-handed with a diagnosis… or it might be too late. They will give you a diagnosis, but it won’t be easy or possible to reverse.

Speaking of body-awareness, here’s an update to my bloating issue. I’ve narrowed the suspects down to seeds (like hemp, chia, flax, and possibly the seeds of berries) and apples (pears, etc.) After removing the possible offenders, my stomach was flat and happy all day long. Day 8 I had some juice with apple in it, and the hempseed pesto and BOOM. bloat. I also had a banana earlier in the day and did not experience any discomfort so I’m pretty sure it’s not ALL fruit. Just specific ones. The self-experimentation will continue until I uncover the real culprit!

Clean Eats

Breakfast: Pumpkin pie smoothie (banana, pumpkin puree, spices, vanilla, hemp milk)

Lunch: 2 hard-boiled eggs, 1 Real Stick jerky, plantain chips

Snack: Diced tomatoes, cucumbers, red bell peppers with hemp seed pesto

Dinner: Salmon salad lettuce boats with butternut squash

Other beverages: ginger kombucha, decaf almond milk latte, 8 oz. Orange Glow juice from Thrive Juice Lab, rooibos tea