On Health

In September 2015 I was referred to hospital by my GP due to severe bleeding from my uterus. Awful right? It was as unpleasant and stressful as it sounds. It was the result of an uncommon side effect to a different contraceptive pill I had started three weeks earlier.

This trip to hospital was the beginning of my journey to start focusing on my health. I’m not getting any younger and I look forward to having a family of my own one day so I decided it’s time to take my health seriously. It was time to think about regular exercise, eating well and getting enough sleep. If I can get all those things right (well, right enough for me) then I am going to be a healthier person both inside and out and a better person all round because of it.

EAT HEALTHY

When I went to hospital a quick blood test and thorough check over showed that thankfully I hadn’t lost too much blood. I wasn’t going into shock and so I didn’t require an overnight stay on a drip. However, my blood cell count was low, my iron levels were the lowest they’ve been and my iron stores were virtually non-existent.

My iron stores have not been particularly great for the past 10 years so my iron levels didn’t have far to drop. I had been a vegetarian during those 10 years and although I tried to eat a complete and balanced diet I required iron supplements to help me along. I’ll be honest I could be very lazy when it came to taking a daily supplement and I’d go months without them. Now this is not to say all vegetarians, or more specifically all menstruating female vegetarians are iron deficient because that is not the case. We are all designed differently and there are a number of factors at play when it comes to iron deficiency anaemia.

Once I was given the all clear to leave hospital I was told that as a vegetarian I needed to take an iron supplement every day for 3 months and have my bloods tested again. I thanked the staff and left. I was so grateful for the help my doctor gave me by referring me to hospital and grateful for the staff there that looked after me. I sent them all a thank you card just to let them know. Expressing my gratitude felt great. I wish I could have seen their faces! I know how warm and fuzzy it makes me feel when a client at work shows appreciation for the care vets and nurses provide for their pets. I hope they felt warm and fuzzy too.

So I went out and bought iron supplements. Perhaps I missed a day here and there, but sadly my bloods showed little improvement after 3 months. It was time to make some big changes to ensure I was doing all I could to help my body recover.

This lead me to eat kangaroo. I now consider myself a kangatarian which was a little odd at first after 10 years meat-free. Through extensive research on the topic I found that it is an iron-rich option that aligns with my views on animal welfare and environmental sustainability. I began eating kangaroo 1-2 times a week and in early October this year I was due for my 6 monthly blood test check to see if things were moving in the right direction. I was excited but very nervous for my results. What if I had been eating an animal this entire time and it made no difference? What more could I do if my levels were still low? To my relief, for the first time in a long time, my bloods are perfect! I have kangaroo, time and a healthy body to thank for that.

Jed enjoys exercising, going to the gym and eating well which has been great for me too. He always encourages me to be the best I can and supports me in my career, my blogging and my health. Together we have gone for runs, long hikes and even tried hot yoga. Cooking together is always a lot of fun too. We aim to try new recipes and always eat fresh healthy produce. I have a bit of a sweet tooth so I’m a little cheeky and have more treats than Jed but it’s always in moderation, I promise. I enjoy cooking a lot more now than I did as a student and now I love making delicious home-cooked meals. As much as I like cooking, I won’t say no to dining out which is one of my favourite things! I’ve started a food diary too. Not for calorie counting or weight loss, but just to remember to be mindful about what I’m eating and to look back on to ensure I’m eating a balanced diet. I’ve only been doing it for a couple of weeks but it’s already helped me address some bad snacking habits.

All in moderation…

 

“Microbiome: Bacterial Broadband” is an article published in Nature online earlier this year. It’s a great introductory read for those wanting to learn a little more about the link between our gut health and digestion, immunity, and brain health, especially those suffering from IBS. There’s still a lot of research to be done but it’s very interesting to know that the brain and colon aren’t so far apart after all. Eating well makes my good gut bacteria happy but makes my brain happy too. Read it here http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v533/n7603_supp/full/533S104a.html

“The human digestive tract is host to a massive and diverse community of bacteria that aid digestion and strengthen immunity — and over the past decade, scientists have observed that the gut microbiota also interact with the central nervous system (CNS). As a result, mental health and even neurological development might both shape and be shaped by the composition and behaviour of these bacteria.”

 

EXERCISE

Growing up I always did one if not two sports. Sport kept me active, I met new people with a shared interest and it helped set a healthy school-life balance. Once vet school began I would go through phases of making time for exercise and eating right but hadn’t found a sustainable routine. Starting work as a vet took up a lot of my time and finding a work-life balance was difficult so I didn’t exercise much then either. Last year following a break up I ate out more frequently than I usually would do as a way to feel social and meet people. In August 2015 I went to Vietnam for two weeks and tried all the local cuisine and more of it than I really needed. Not making time to eat right and not exercise lead to bad habits, weight gain, the dislike of making an effort to cook something healthy and finding any excuse to avoid the pain of exercising.

I began the couch to 5km app a couple of days after Christmas last year. Jed had flown to Myanmar for a two week holiday so I had more free time than I usually would so there was no longer an excuse to not exercise.  The first few runs were tough. I hated them. In fact, I hated running three times a week for the first 3 weeks (the app trains you to reach 5km after 9 weeks). So I signed up for a 5km running event to ensure I stuck to my goal because I’m too stubborn to quit once I commit to something like that. I was over the moon when I reached my first 5km because it seemed so long in the making that I didn’t know if I’d ever actually get there. I treated myself to new runners that day! Running became something I looked forward too after those initial three weeks. It’s such a great way to kick start a day or relieve stress after a long day at work. I found myself saying “I just need to go for a run” when I was feeling stressed or anxious.

I  then signed up for a 10km run in July this year. I had never run that far in my life! As the seasons changed so did my opportunities to run because I wasn’t comfortable running in the dark after work (and I wanted to avoid the rain too) so I joined a gym. Me? A gym? That’s right! It was difficult for me to believe too, but I was starting to lose motivation at this point so needed a push. My gym has been wonderful! I love doing classes (mostly body balance, Pilates, body attack and body pump) because I feel motivated, guided and pushed to do my best (and not slack off!). I met with a PT to discuss my goals and how to achieve them which has been inspiring. I’ve been able to find something enjoyable but more importantly for me a routine that is sustainable so I can develop and continue healthy habits in the long term.

Feeling pretty happy with myself after my 10km run. Jed was there to cheer me on.

Not only has running and exercise in general been great for my physical health but it makes me feel better mentally too. Exercise releases endorphins so you can’t help but feel good! Sometimes it’s tough to motivate myself and I complain about needing to exercise but I know I will feel great afterwards and for the rest of the day so I do it. My mind and body thank me later.

Jed meditates for 15 minutes every morning. He reminds me frequently about the benefits of meditation. In the past I’ve told him that it’s not for me and I can’t quite get in to it. After our little getaway to Brisbane recently it didn’t take long for the relaxed and recharged effects of a holiday to wear off. I began feeling stressed and anxious about all the things going on in life as soon as we landed back in Melbourne. My realisation was that life will only get busier so I need to find an effective, easy and sustainable coping mechanism to help manage my stress levels. Crying, as most of you may know, is something I do pretty well but I need a little more than a stress-release teary long-term.

So I took up the “Take 10” challenge through the app “Headspace” to meditate for 10 minutes daily for 10 days. It’s guided meditation for beginners and it teaches you about the goals of meditation with cute animations. It’s a great app so check it out if you haven’t and you’re keen to give meditation a try. The first couple of days were tricky but I’m completed my take 10 challenge and have been meditating daily since. They say it takes 21 days to change a habit so I’m hoping once I reach my goal of 21 days, meditation will become part of my morning routine without much effort required. It teaches you to look at your thoughts as if you’re on the side of the road watching cars drive by: acknowledge them but don’t try to stop them or chase after them. I’ve looked forward to meditating and I honestly feel that I am less stressed starting my day and learning to better manage my over-thinking.

Headspace 

This is a great article about running and meditation as a treatment for depression I read in the New York Times which you can read here. I’ve now got running AND meditation covered for my depression prophylaxis. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/03/16/meditation-plus-running-as-a-treatment-for-depression/?_r=0

SLEEP

Jed is very much a morning person. I am not. But when he goes to bed at 9.30pm it isn’t much fun being awake on my own.In the past I would go to bed around midnight only to start work early in the morning. Jed is inadvertently helping me go to bed at a reasonable hour so I actually have enough hours of sleep (I aim for 7-8 hours). I’m slowly becoming a more productive person in the morning. It’s amazing how much I can achieve in a day when the morning is my friend!

When I’ve had a good sleep I feel alert and ready to tackle whatever the day throws at me. I don’t feel like I’m waking up on my drive to work (very dangerous!) and I feel that I am more excited to be at work and look forward to the interactions with my colleges and clients. I’m less moody and have more patience when I’ve had enough sleep. Not to mention more productive and efficient, which is better for my furry patients! I haven’t fallen sick eg with the common cold as often this year and find I don’t need caffeine as frequently to get me going. These are some great side effects I’ve noticed from getting more sleep!

I do have a lot to work on so my next sleep challenges are winding down before bed and avoiding light from my phone and computer to reduce my alertness and avoid delaying sleep. I have the tendency to feel tired, get ready for bed, jump in to bed and play on my phone. Then when I’m sleepy after that I set my alarm and then try to go to sleep. That can take some time because I haven’t prepared for sleep properly. These simple but oh so difficult changes will result in better quality sleep so something that I need start practising.

I use an app called Sleep Cycle for my alarm. You rest your phone on your bed while you sleep and it records your movements and analyses your sleep quality. You can set your alarm wake up phase which by monitoring your movements will wake you gently with soothing music in the lightest phase of sleep. Since I started using this app late last year I have found my mornings are much more smooth and enjoyable than they used to be.

This link below is to a TED talk (20 minutes long) by Russell Foster a circadian neuroscientist on sleep. He outlines three main ideas about why sleep, discusses sleep deprivation and it’s effects on productivity and health, gives tips for sleeping well, debunks myths surrounding sleep, lets us know how much sleep we should get, and touches on the breakthroughs about sleep in relation to our mental health.

“If you have good sleep, it increases your concentration, attention, decision-making, creativity, social skills, health. If you get sleep, it reduces your mood changes, your stress, your levels of anger, your impulsivity, and your tendency to drink and take drugs. And we finished by saying that an understanding of the neuroscience of sleep is really informing the way we think about some of the causes of mental illness, and indeed is providing us new ways to treat these incredibly debilitating conditions.”

Watch it here https://www.ted.com/talks/russell_foster_why_do_we_sleep?language=en

SMILE

I’m now at a weight and look I’m happy with (I’ve lost 7kg to date). I’m in a regular exercise regime that doesn’t take up too much of my time and it doesn’t get in the way of all the other things I want to do. I eat healthy food as often as I can and I enjoy trying new recipes with my best buddy Jed (cooking is always more fun when I’m not cooking for one). I’m sleeping better and for longer which has boosted my energy and I don’t feel like I’m waking up on the wrong side of the bed morning after morning. I’m beginning my mornings with 10 minutes of guided meditation which gives me a chance to slow down, check in with myself and mentally prepare for the day ahead. Eating right, exercising and sleeping well isn’t easy but it’s worth it.

I’m grateful for the encouragement and support I’ve had along the way from Jed, my family, close friends at work and outside of work and staff at the gym who have all helped me to reach this point. I’m grateful for my health both physical and mental and fortunate to be able to say that. I hope I’ve motivated you to reflect on your health and lifestyle and aim to find the healthier you!