Playing Catch-Up

Photo by Ross Parmly on Unsplash

Hi, Everyone. I’m playing catch-up after being gone for two weeks, then coming home sick with a stomach bug—one whole year of the Pandemic, not even a sniffle. We got our Covid vaccines and went to see family in Florida and Colorado. Boom! A non-Covid virus got us! There’s a reason why grandkids are so doggone cute. They are incredibly good at sharing sick bugs with us. We were down with it for about four to five days. I had a blog post started, but it is still in the draft stage. I hope to have it up for you soon.

In the meantime, I thought you might appreciate some insights from our trip, and illness gave me valuable lessons.

Patience Pays Off

We decided to move to Florida, so we have a home there under construction. Neither my Boaz nor I do well with cold having health conditions that affect our tolerance for cold. We agreed that living in a warmer climate would be better for us, and my hubby wants to live in an airpark. It took six months to get to the groundbreaking part. Many emails and phone calls between the builder and us made seeing the onset of construction seem further away. Finally, the ground is broken, the house staked out, and the pipes laid! God has pressed our patience to accept His timing. Although we would love to move this summer, it looks like His plan is Fall-ish. Expect a bit of a bumpy ride with blog posts and group sessions during our move, but it will all be good. God’s got this already!

We spent the same amount of time in Florida as we did in Colorado, except the plans for each trip were different. In Florida, we surveyed the progress on our house and help my younger daughter and her husband with a couple of home projects at their house. In Colorado, I went to support my older daughter in the NPC Denver Open Body Building Competition. We also wanted to visit with my Boaz’s son’s family.

Not Everything is as It Appears

My older daughter has always wanted to compete in women’s figure competition, a form of bodybuilding. Now, I have to tell you that it looks like a pretty body show on the surface, but I can assure you it is NOT. She has worked very hard during the Pandemic with her coach. Her workouts are about building muscle—balanced muscle. She also had to follow a strict dietary regimen that some of the Novice competitors struggled to follow, and it showed. The real difficulty comes when these competitors super restrict their calories for a short time, then restrict their water intake, so the muscles show. At the show, the serious athletes—yes, athletes—have impressive muscle definition. Their body fat percentage is super low. Those who thought it was a beauty contest didn’t make the cut for the top five. My daughter ranked fifth in her division in Novice her very first time!

These bodybuilders are athletes. They do the workouts and know the science involved. Their dedication to their sport-art is just as much as any other athlete. Their regimen is designed to build muscle, burn fat, and maintain balance with agonist-antagonist muscles for the best and safest build. After the show, they eat carbs right away, almost all of them got a donut, cookie, or some other sweet treat from a family member or friend. They slowly and carefully increase their food and rework their workout regimen to maintain what they have so their bodies can rest. It was good to support her and see the results of her hard effort.

Elevation Effects Hit

We seriously noticed the altitude difference between Colorado and home more now than ever at 5,198’ difference from home. My Boaz’s hereditary heart condition showed up, so he had difficulty with it. I felt it more, but I think it was because we flew rather than drove like the last time we visited during the wildfires. The area where we spent time had great walkable space to get a thirty to sixty-minute walk easily. We waited until our second day to go for a short walk and worked up to forty-five minutes. It never got better for him, but I did well by the end of the week. If you have heart or lung problems, high altitudes can be a problem for you.

Celiac & Food Allergy Minefield

We stayed with family in both places, one of which easily accommodates my food allergies and celiac disease. The other not so much. This house was challenging because they love eggs and eat foods with gluten, making my food and eating feel like walking through a minefield. A busy two-year-old added a bit of stress to the mix. Not everyone thinks about how they handle food in the kitchen or the dining space. I also had to watch out for the microwave. Mouth sores developed, and fatigue joined in, signs of cross-contamination. I needed to communicate my dietary needs for safer cooperation in the kitchen and dining table. It is possible to comingle in the food prep areas. Still, separate cooking utensils and diligent cleaning methods are essential to reduce cross-contamination.

Taking Advantage of Weight Loss from Illness

I didn’t feel well the day we left for home. The breakfast I ate that morning sat like a weight in my stomach which never seemed to begin the digestive process. Our very next couple of days at home, I found myself kneeling before the porcelain throne numerous times through the day and night. Two days later, it settled out, but my sweetheart went through one day of the same symptoms. So for five days, we suffered from a stomach bug we must have picked up from my hubby’s son’s family, who had it the week before. I lost five pounds as a result but would never want to lose weight that way. So, I decided to take advantage of a bad situation by carefully adding foods to my diet. I cut a few carbs out and a snack until I can get my exercise back on track.

I would like to leave you with this Bible passage:

Psalm 145:1-3 NIV

I will exalt you, my God the King;
    I will praise your name for ever and ever.
Every day I will praise you
    and extol your name for ever and ever.

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
    his greatness no one can fathom.

As I said before, I have a special post for next week. Watch for it! Many blessings to you.