Mile High Healthy

It has been a stressful past few months. I usually don’t let stress affect me – ask my friends, I’m pretty laid back and don’t really care too much about anything. However, I’ve had a few things pile on my plate and the cumulative effect of dealing with them was starting to get to me. I wasn’t sleeping well, I was always pre-occupied and I kept worrying that I didn’t know what my future was going to be like. My face has been breaking out and we all know that I’m holding a little extra around the middle (stress eat, anyone?).

Now I finally have answers to my three most pressing questions!! Hooray for relief – I’m sleeping like a baby these days.

Nursing School

I got in!! I got in!! I’ve been working towards Nursing School for two years by doing my pre-requisites. I put in my application to our local program way back in January. I knew that I wouldn’t hear anything until late May, but that didn’t stop me from worrying about it. It’s such a small program – what if I didn’t get in? What if we couldn’t afford it? What if it’s too hard? Well luckily, I did get in. We still can barely afford it but thanks to student loans and some extreme budgeting cuts we will be able to squeak by. For a while I thought about not even going so we could save more money. Then I realized it will never truly be convenient for me to take off work for two years to go back to school so I might as well just go for it now before there are kids in the mix, right? I’m going to continue to work (though they discourage it) so we aren’t hurting too badly. I know people with 3 children who’ve gone to nursing school while maintaining a job so if they can do it, there’s no reason I can’t.

House

We are finally under contract on a house! Unfortunately, it’s not our original pick that we put an offer on way back on April 8 – that one just wasn’t meant to be. We went and looked at so many houses and put offers in on FOUR total before we got this one – and you know what? I love it. It fits my husband and I so much better than two others we thought we wanted. I’ve gotta say, buying a house is no joke. Because my husband works nights and sleeps all day, I’ve been handling the day-to-day paperwork and communication with our realtor and loan processor. There were a couple of times were I about had a meltdown but thankfully the worst is behind us now (we finalized application and did all inspections and appraisals yesterday). Well unless you count actually moving which I’m not thinking about just yet.

Knee

And to top it all off I got some even better news last week – I CAN RUN AGAIN!! When I first saw my orthopedist last month, he told me I may never be able to run again. I cried. When I went to meet with my physical therapist she said not only would I be able to run again, I would come out of this a better runner. I seriously considered sending her an Edible Arrangement. I have run a total of 3 times so far. Although when I say “run” I don’t mean I just hit the pavement for a 5 miler. I’m allowed to run/walk right now. My total overall time is 20 minutes and I’m gradually increasing my run:walk ratio. I started by running two minutes at a time, then three and tonight I get to run four minutes at a time! It’s for the best that I’m starting slowly cause my ass is out of shape – my knee may not hurt but my lungs sure do!

Finally, finally, finally things are coming together and looking up. It’s nice to have an answer to my questions. Now that those stresses are over, all I have to worry about is moving, starting school, losing my income and trying to find a part-time job that is hopefully not waiting tables. Oh joy. Who wants to contribute to my upcoming “Send me to school” kickstarter???

I’ll leave you with some adorable kitty pictures because I can only imagine how much you guys miss them.

Hello!! I felt like this post would never happen. I turned on the computer at 9am to write a quickie blog but after some much needed updates, scans and uninstalled software, here we are 9 hours later and I’m just getting going.

Our computer has been so ridiculously slow lately that I don’t even like to use it. Yesterday I had to email one document to our realtor and it took me over 20 minutes!! 1999 me may have been impressed but 2013 me wanted to throw the computer off a mountain (and there’s no shortage of those here). Hopefully after this TLC today the computer will be back to running smoothly and I will be back to actually using it.

The original point of this post was to say that I just realized I’ve been blogging for over 2 years now! I started Mile High Healthy in may of 2011 at the urging of a friend. I posted Clutter Clutter Everywhere on May 9, 2011 and have shared many recipes, workouts and cat pictures ever since (450 total, to be exact).

I know I’ve been terrible in posting regularly this year, but I do what I can when I feel like it. Quality trumps quantity anyhow, right? To celebrate 2 years of blogdom, I want to share some of my most favorite posts. I always seem to like and care for the ones that don’t get the attention they deserve!

Favorite Recipes:

Strawberry Lemon Ginger Smoothie – probably my favorite smoothie ever

Mango Blueberry Smoothie

Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats

Tropical Oatmeal

High Protein Banana Soft Serve – how I love to eat dessert for breakfast

Chickpea Kale Salad

Guacamole Kale salad – best kale salad ever!! 

Easy Squash Soup

Raw Spicy Almond Noodles

Texas Taco

Sushi Bowl – I’m craving one now! 

Vegan Caprese Sandwich

Favorite Health Posts:

How I lost 50lbs.

Bef0re & After Pictures 

Missing the Big Picture – my most commented on post!

My Top 10 Daily Health Habits – I really need to get back to this

Easy Vegan Breakfasts – because there’s so much more than eggs and yogurt

If at First You Don’t Succeed – how it took me many tries to open up to healthy food (underappreciated post!!)

Favorite Fun Posts:

A Guy and a Girl – the story of my husband and I

How to Raise an Awesome Cat – no explanation necessary

How to Grow Your Own Wheatgrass – you should try it!

Ice Lake Hike – my favorite hike in SW CO so far

I know this barely scratches the surface, but they are the posts near and dear to my heart. Now I’d like to hear your favorite posts! Any recipes you’ve made and loved? How long have you been a Mile High Healthy reader? I know I don’t say this enough but thank you for coming back post after post. I cherish each and every one of you.

I attended my fifth physical therapy appointment yesterday. Per my doctor, I am to go to physical therapy twice weekly for six weeks. Then we check back in and see how things are going.

The good news is that my physical therapist is seeing huge improvements! When I came in I could barely do a regular squat and now I have full range of motion with single leg squats on my left side. WOW!

The appointments start out with her feeling around my knee to check for pain and swelling. If my knee is swollen I get an ultrasound with some anti-inflammatory goo. After that, we do some sort of leg rotation where she physically torques my tibia inward. She literally sits down and cranks my lower leg in toward my body. It’s an odd sensation but surprisingly it doesn’t hurt.

Then we do “Russian STIM Treatments” which means that little patches are connected to my quads and a machine physically stimulates the muscles to contract. It’s so powerful I can see the muscles working! This STIM goes on for 20 minutes while I do a variety of exercises really focusing on my left leg. Think squats, rotation, leg lifts etc. After that I get a more relaxing and lower power STIM treatment and ice.

It’s so nice to know that I’m making progress with my knee. I can feel it day to day – especially when I climb stairs. However, I have to admit that I do feel a little stir crazy in my own body. I’ve been spending a lot of time feeling sorry for myself lately about all of the things I can’t do.

Can’t run.
Can’t jump.
Can’t spin.
Can’t dance.
Can’t HIIT/do Epic.
Can’t do hard/technical hikes.

Can’t…can’t…can’t…Let me tell you, this way of thinking truly sucks.

So I decided to start focusing on the CAN.

I can do a super sweat inducing manual treadmill workout.

Or go to the gym with my hubby and do an incline treadmill workout while I watch him lift (hubba hubba)!

I can power trail walk.

I can (and am encouraged to) hike easy trails.

And as of yesterday’s appointment, I can do full body toning workouts!!
(I did the Tone It Up Bridal Babe Workout tonight)

The bottom line is – although I can’t run – I can be happy and active. I can feel good. As long as I continue to do what I can, the things that I can’t will come soon enough.