lifestyle – Just a Dash

Last Sunday night I had an awful upset stomach. On Monday I felt a little better and I decided to go ahead with my supermarket run – you know, visit 3/4 places to get everything I needed. My stomach was still a bit in a knot when I left home but after 2 hours I started to feel the hunger kick in. I wanted to just get everything done and then just sit and have lunch and unload everything.

BIGGEST. MISTAKE. EVER. I literally spent Tuesday in bed with the worst migraine of my life. My husband knew it was awful when I hadn’t even showered. I always say when you feel sick, take a shower, somehow it helps you to feel better. But I was just in fear of fainting in the shower without him home with all of the extreme dizziness that I had. I also had an asthma attack last September and was only allowed to take Tylenol so I only took 1 extra strength hoping it would offer some comfort in the morning. It did, I managed to make breakfast and went back to sleep. Half hour after my husband got home in the evening, the nurse at my doctor’s office finally called back to let me know what to take. It was Ibuprofen, something I shouldn’t take with my asthma, but this was an isolated incident so I should be fine. I took it and it slowly started to go. The next morning I took 2 more and I was ok.

Would you believe I almost did the same thing yesterday? I got so caught up in doing research on something that I totally forgot to eat. I dropped everything and went to Panera as I figured soup would be the best thing to eat. I also followed it up with a cup of tea and prayed that I don’t get a repeat of last week.

All of that to say, sometimes we get so consumed with life that we don’t see how it’s affecting our health. Next month I’ll be officially entering my late twenties and I want to feel better than I ever did. But if I keep this up, I’ll just be on the way to feeling like shit and encouraging disgusting habits and creating health issues that I never had before.

I’m not waiting until next week, or for a Monday to come – today it begins. I’ve progressed in that I was very sketchy with breakfast and now, like it’s supposed to be, it’s the most important meal of my day. I also want to lose at least 3lbs by my birthday which is more of a diet process than exercise process for me and it’s been hard so far but I have to stop thinking I *need* something when I really don’t. Like that raspberry filled, powdered donut is a treat for today. Or the chocolate brioche is ok once I have it with my Babybel light cheese which is a protein so it balances out… But it’s not ok.

It’s still the first month of the year and I haven’t been doing too bad but any bit of motivation helps. I’m going to meet with my dietician as soon as possible to help get me back on track. Lifestyle changes are what we need not resolutions. Life is a work-in-progress, treat it as such and roll with it.

Technically I live in Bellevue but it’s still “part” of Seattle. Anyway, as I was driving on the road recently I was observing the weather which led to me consider writing the post. So here are a few things I’ve learned while living in Seattle since 2009.

Weather

Compared to what I grew up knowing as rain, Seattle has more of a mist than actual rain. And it’s annoying. You keep getting this feeling like will it just rain and stop? It’s sooo annoying to have this “heavy mist” building up on your face. To light for an umbrella but heavy enough to need a hood. Sometimes, you can still wear sandals in it. Yes it’s weird like that. However, despite the more gloomy than sunny days, I have grown extremely appreciative of the sun as well as sensitive. I grew up in the sun and now if I stay out in it too long (even if it isn’t hot) my skin gets really sensitive to the touch. I’m trying to be consistent with taking my Vitamin D, because Lord knows I don’t get enough of it naturally. I’m learning to live with the cold and found out layering is key. I haven’t perfected layering to deal with the weather but I’m getting there.

Driving

NEVER blow your horn… never. For you will be wrong. Yes! YOU will be wrong if you toot your horn at someone who’s been sitting still at the green light. You will be wrong for doing it to someone who put on their signal while changing over to your lane. You just don’t blow your horn here. If you do, you’re a foreigner. I’ve somewhat adapted though, I count to 10 first then blow the horn if you haven’t move so, technically, I gave you a chance.

Lifestyle

People here are very zen, there isn’t much of a rush (except during Christmas). This also relates to the driving it seems. People are very laid back and it’s not about “look at me!” – you have every right to express yourself as you see fit. If there is a lot of plastic surgery I don’t see it and feel free to carry any designer label while looking like you just got out of bed, don’t make any effort to say I showered. It’s hard to get dressed up around here. It would have to be for a occasion or Saturday night. Women here don’t do heavy make-up unless they work at a make-up counter or that’s how they express themselves, but the majority doesn’t.

One of the places I encounter this “I live in a bubble” attitude is at the gas station I go to, where people are intent on getting to a certain pump and have no regard for the fact that they are blocking the road. They’re basically saying “you need to find a way around me as I’m not moving because I’m next”. Now honestly, the gas station isn’t the only thing there, you have a supermarket and mini strip mall, we just want to pass and obviously that’s hard with traffic coming down and you sticking out in the road just because you have to be next in line! I encounter some of the most selfish drivers on this road daily and it’s scary more than anything. I truly believe that a lot of people live in bubbles and only see themselves on the road. For that reason, I try not be on the road close to lunch time as traffic increases and these hungry people need to dash out for lunch and get back to the office within an hour and here you see the extremes – the crazy drivers and the ones who aren’t in a rush and drive well below the speed limit. I play music… it’s the only thing that helps my road rage. I’ll end that there 😛

Outdoors

Now Washington is known as the “evergreen state”. I am truly thankful that it’s here my husband ended up working. Despite the gloominess 300 out of 365 days, the atmosphere is one that relaxes you. I have been able to think and write more on the days I just stare outside at the mist. However, I am NOT an outdoor person and this is one of the activities a lot of Washingtonians take part in. I have considered getting a bike, but it’s not sunny enough and I won’t be riding in the mist and cold. I also have a fear of grasses touching me because when I was younger we used to go hiking around Barbados and I broke out into a rash or just itch like crazy after going through some grass areas, so I prefer to just stay away from it. And I don’t like bugs or wildlife unless there is a cage or glass or wire separating us. So outdoors just isn’t for me but I adore the greenery around this place.

On a serious note, God knows what he’s doing when he puts us in certain places outside of what we’ve known to be our way of life for a while. Being so far away from family and friends has made me more thankful for them and also to know who my true friends are and strengthened a bond between my husband and myself. We only have each other up here and it’s been interesting growing in our marriage without the interference of family and others. If we had to pick up and go I’ll be happy wherever we go ~~once it’s not colder than here~~ knowing that this adventure of life can only get better with every challenge we face, and we can only grow wiser with time.

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Tag: lifestyle

Stop. Eat. Continue

What I’ve learned living in Seattle