Combat 60 & Pain

Yesterday I completed Day 15 of LMC and my first Combat 60 video. I was terrified to try Combat 60, as most of the videos are 30 min long and I am still getting used to some of the fighting combos. I was SO happy that Marvin, dare I say willingly, completed the video with me. It actually wasn't so bad once I got past the 30 minute mark, and I felt so good afterwards.

15 days complete without any skips or cheating... and I feel somewhat healthier. My stomach looks and feels a bit flatter, and the scale says 1 pound less. I haven't really been "dieting" but have been making an attempt, at least since my last post, to eat healthier. If I could lose 4 more pounds by 10/25 I will be happy.

I've also been experimenting with some new recipes from Eat Yourself Skinny and loving them. One of my favorites is Lemon Chicken with Thyme. I cannot BELIEVE how juicy the chicken comes out using no oil or butter whatsoever. Plus, Marvin's Dad grows Thyme and gives us huge bagfuls of it. I find that if it stick it in the freezer it stays forever.

And now... on pain. Oh how I hate when my blog lives up to its name. This morning I woke up around 5:50 with some strange searing pain in my head. I groggily walked into the bathroom to grab some aleve before squeezing an extra 40 minutes of sleep. When I turned on the light and looked in the mirror, I realized I was mid-aura and a few minutes away from a full on migraine. I tried to hold in the feeling of panic as I fumbled for my migraine meds. I HATE waking up with migraines because a) it scares me that my body gets a migraine at my most deepest state of rest and b) waking up with a migraine usually means its near impossible to relieve... since the meds only work if you take them immediately.

And... 12 hours later, here I am. Still in dull pain, nauseous, and exhausted... despite spending almost the entire day sleeping. I had to call into work, skip exercise, and resort to eating whatever's around the house instead of cooking the pork I planned. Overall, not a good day.

But what can I do? This is my life and this, as my mom puts it, is my special challenge. Instead of slowly sinking into a state of depression and fear, I'm going to try to feel my favorite feeling: gratitude.

I am grateful for my new apartment and neighborhood and the peace it brings me.
I am grateful for Marvin and the fun, loving, compassionate way we are learning to live together.
I am grateful for my stable health aside from migraines, and that I do not have a life threatening disease or disorder.
I am grateful for my family and that both of my little sisters are growing into amazing young women (Happy 17th birthday little Laura).
I am grateful for the opportunity to teach 5th graders reading and writing, most of which were born into poverty, abusive relationships, violent neighborhoods, and worlds of instability.
I am grateful for Fall - for the changing colors on the trees out my window, and the crunchy browns and gold I step on each morning.