I Cheated on my Body and my Body Fought Back

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

When will I learn?

After sticking to a mostly plant-based diet for the past couple of months and feeling so much better, I cheated last week. Big time. And I paid for it. I've been avoiding most dairy, which seems to cause inflammation for me, save for a splash of half and half in my coffee and a sprinkle of feta on my salads. I've been feeling so good. So good, in fact, that I got brave.

I made a quiche last week. Sticking to a veggie theme, it was spinach quiche. But it was made with 3 kinds of cheese. I figured I could try it, see how I felt after I ate. It tasted fantastic, my husband loved it, and I felt fine the next day. So much winning! Feeling brave, I got cocky. I had the leftovers for lunch. Twice.

My old nemesis, IBS (aka I'll be stopping) started to return. But it wasn't as bad as in the past and again, feeling brave, on Sunday at dinner, we ordered cheese curds. Tuesday, it was pasta with cream sauce.

Did I overdo it? You think so?

On Monday, I felt a little achy in my elbows. Slapped some CBD cream on it and I was good to go to CrossFit. On Wednesday's run, I also felt achiness in my knees. And my tummy--well, without being too TMI, let's just say I was stopping.

After that, I returned to my dairy-free life but the pain lingered on through the week. The worst was on Saturday. I woke up determined to run but every joint in my body hurt. The pain was making me a little nauseous too. I popped a few ibuprofens and hit the couch, waiting for it to pass.  While the pain simmered down to a dull ache, I still felt yucky. I finally gave in. There would be no run. I also canceled my massage--no need to poke the bear, right?-- and rested all day, hoping for a quick return to feeling good.

Weekly Rundown:
Monday: CrossFit
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: 6.33 miles, Yoga with Adriene
Thursday: strength, bootcamp
Friday: rest
Saturday: unplanned rest
Sunday: 9 miles, Yoga with Adriene

January miles: 67

Running:
I woke up Wednesday to another gray morning--it has been the gloomiest January on record--but it was still relatively warm, in the 30s, so I headed outside to run on the bike path. I was pleased to see it was mostly cleared of ice. There was one section that was covered with packed snow, which wasn't slick but it was uneven.

After Saturday's flare, Sunday was a new day. I woke up feeling much better with just a little residual stiffness and achiness. The sun was shining too! I decided to attempt 8 miles, figuring I could always bail and do 6 if my body fought back. It didn't. While I didn't do any planned walk intervals (!), I did have to stop to walk a few times where there was ice on the path. It was a good run and I write this recap with the biggest smile on my face. I listened to my body and my body rewarded me today. This run felt good. RA will not win!!!

Windy, but glorious!

CrossFit:
On Monday, we started the WOD with a strength complex: power snatch+hang snatch+overhead squat. We practiced the lifts. Once I increased the weight, I struggled with the hang snatch portion of the complex. I could not get under the bar to get it above my head. After that debacle, we had a 12 minute AMRAP of 7 Burpee pullups, 14 GHD situps, and 21 dumbbell thrusters. We ended with our choice of skill work. Well, I wanted a win so I did toes to rings. I needed it. I love how they feel.

Wrestling with the bar

After class, Sammy Jo came up to talk with me about my frustration and I started to cry. There's no crying at CrossFit, right? SJ told me she cries all the time. She also told me that the hang snatch is the most technical lift we do. She said it took her a long time to master it. She asked if I wanted to work on it in Thursday's strength session and I said yes.

Thursday's bootcamp was brutal. We did a 10 minute EMOM of 5 KBS and 8 Goblet Squats alternating with 8 pushups and 10 plank shoulder taps. After that were 4 rounds of 500m row, 20 goblet lunges, 15 KB hop burpees, 10 atomic situps, and 5 pullups. We had a 30 minute cap to finish and I completed mine in about 27:30. Pleased to meet you, endurance!

Strength
Sammy Jo had me warm up with banded hip side steps alternating with handstand work. My elbows didn't like it and she asked me if I wanted to stop. I told her no and I rubbed some doTerra Deep Blue into them. It's good stuff and it helped a lot! After that we worked on the snatches, alternating with the evil wheel. SJ broke the snatch down: the pull from the knees to the hip crease, to the shrug, to the elbow pull, and to the overhead squat. As I mastered the steps, she added more weight to the bar. Once we got to 65#, I struggled to get under the bar for the overhead squat. None of this comes naturally to me! I didn't master the snatch, but I certainly feel like I've got the pulls now. Hopefully, with more practice, I'll get it right.

Work in progress...sigh

Days like Saturday make me nervous to put my race plans out there like I did on Tuesday. My goal this year is to finish every race I sign up for. Hopefully, this flare is just a one and done. I'm back on track with my diet and if I didn't know it before, now I know that dairy is a big trigger for me.

Live and learn, right?

I Tried it! IUGA High Waisted Leggings

I mentioned a while back that I was looking for new tights to replace my beloved Lucy running tights. While they've held up well, they're starting to fall apart. No thigh gap here...Anyhoo, a few weeks ago, I was admiring Sammy Jo's workout pants. Turns out that they are not only cute, they're inexpensive and functional. I ordered a pair for myself and wore them to CrossFit last week. I'm wearing them in the snatch photo above. I liked them so much that I ordered another pair and wore them on my run today. These IUGA High Waisted Leggings fit really well. They stayed up for my whole run--I didn't have to adjust them once! I love how they hug my non-existent curves, but hold everything in place. The 2 side pockets are really handy for holding my phone or Tailwind packs. I bought black, but they come in a variety of colors. I'd advise buying your normal size since they are pretty stretchy. Since I just got them, I don't know if they'll last as long as my Lucy tights but at the price ($20), I'm not too concerned.

I'm no fashion model but Cocoa seems to agree that the IUGA High Waisted leggings are multifunctional and a good buy!
She gives them two paws up!

How was your week? Did you get all your workouts in? Are you staying healthy? What do you do when you can't master a workout?

I'm linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Rundown.