My Experiences With CBD Oil

Have you seen the movie, “Limitless”, with Bradley Cooper? In the movie, Cooper, a struggling writer, is failing in many aspects of his life, until one day a friend gives him a pill. Upon taking this special pill, he immediately zones in and becomes an ultra-efficient and successful version of himself with total access to his full mental capacity. So what does a Hollywood film have to do with a cannabis product? I am honestly reminded of this movie when I reflect on how CBD oil changed my life.

Have you ever stopped to think about how many of your waking thoughts actually serve you, and how many are really working against you? I used to worry A LOT about anything and everything and I honestly thought it was normal. My internal dialogue was plagued with self-doubt and negative self-talk. I had no idea that I was struggling with anxiety. All. The. Time.

I’ve known for a few years that my stress coping mechanisms weren’t great and I often looked for the next best supplement to help: herbs like rhodiola rosa and holy basil, even vitamin B and magnesium helped a little over the years. I should also mention that cutting coffee out of my life and swopping it for matcha green tea also created some positive changes with how my body handled daily stress. But, when I started taking CBD oil in June 2018 my mental state really changed for the better.

Here are some of the huge changes that I’ve noticed in the last ten months:

• I sleep like a baby and hardly ever wake in the middle of the night. I actually feel rested in the mornings. Before CBD, I would wake 2-3 times every night and often lay awake for hours. I now wake up feeling happy and rested and I’ve even started going to the gym at 6:30am!
• I worry less, much less, like, hardly at all. Gone are the constant mental recordings of, ‘anything that can go wrong, will go wrong’. After all, worry is just a misuse of imagination. Now, I put those same imaginative powers to productive use in creative projects that bring me happiness.
• I am working more hours per week than ever before, and it does not come at the cost of my happiness and sanity. Besides my regular day job from 8am to 4pm,  I picked up a part-time job at a local restaurant, AND I still fit in some freelance work here and there. Before CBD, working 50 – 60 hours a week would have compromised way too much of my mental health but now it actually feels rewarding to maximize my time!
• The negative self-talk is gone. This one took a while to notice because it was such an unconscious part of who I was that I didn’t even realize when it stopped. I just realized one day that it wasn’t there. I used to think about what other people thought of me and assume the worst. I was sure the people running behind me thought my ass was fat, or the motorists who watched me cross at cross-walks thought I was walking too slowly, etc. I must have had at least a couple dozen of those unconscious self-deprecating thoughts a day!
• The “clutter” in my brain, as I like to call it, has vanished. I think more clearly, focus on what I want and need to do, and procrastinate less. I get more done in a day, a week, a month, and do it well, making me feel more accomplished and even more intelligent.

Anxiety is a modern epidemic and I don’t think most people even realize how much of their daily thought processes are dominated by anxiety – I certainly didn’t! I was plagued by daily, low-grade anxiety for as long as I could remember and it’s only in looking back that I can see the drastic shift that has taken place in the last year. It took me about four to six months to really notice these changes, so if you are at the beginning of your CBD oil journey, please give it enough time. And please make sure that you are medical-grade cannabis CBD oil, the kind that you get through a doctor, and be consistent with your dosage.

If you could take away all the thoughts that run through your mind that hold you back and keep you from your goals and living your best life, what would you accomplish? I’m ten months into my own personal CBD oil journey and I’m still finding out!

To Detox or Not to Detox?

There is much debate in the wellness world whether or not detoxing is beneficial. Let me start by saying that I am aware that our liver is our bodies built-in detoxifier. It filters out toxic substances and converts it into harmless matter and forces it out of the body. It also plays a central role in all metabolic processes in the body. It stands to reason that when we are feeding our bodies with whole, fresh foods, veggies, and lots of fresh water, then our livers will function easily, just as nature intended. But what happens when we are consuming a heavy diet of mainly processed foods and consuming too much alcohol? It stands to reason that years and years of strenous labour could really slow our poor livers down. Whenever I feel like I’ve strayed too far from healthy eating and drinking habits for too long, a detox really makes me feel better – menatally and physically.

Knowing both sides of the arguement, almost every spring and fall, I like to do a short detox to give my system a tune-up. It is a time to focus on giving my body more of what it needs to thrive, and less of the things that slow it down. As long as you go about it in a healthy way, I see no harm. There are countless detox systems and protocols out there ranging from very specific month long protocols to three day juice fasts. I feel like the ten day to two week time frame is enough for me to feel better, without compromising my sanity. I also prefer a whole foods approach where I can eat real, complete, filling meals that are a little healthier than my status quo. Enter the Wild Rose Detox.

Wild Rose is a Canadian based company and their 12-day detox is a staple product on the shelves of most natural health food stores.  The kit consists of four supplements that you take with breakfast and dinner and a diet guide that is fairly simple; no sugar, dairy, tropical fruits or flours of any grain (details on the diet can be found in the kit). You continue this diet for 12 days and at the end, you should feel rejuvenated – body and mind.

The key to being successful with this detox is reading the dietary guidelines beforehand and doing lots of meal planning and prepping. Cook large batches of rice or quinoa. Bake some chicken breasts, make a stew or soup in the slow cooker. Have plain nuts, apples and pears on hand for snacking. It’s also very important to drink lots of water – I like to infuse mine with lemon and cucumber. I reccommend starting the detox on a Saturday so you can ease your way into it on the weekend when there is more time for meal prepping and grocery shopping. I find the Wild Rose diet to be easy to follow and feel nourished by the meals. The key is to come out of any detox phase feeling healthy and happy, not deprived, so that you continue on with a healthy diet. Do not focus on what you can’t have as part of the diet. Try to focus on all the wonderful healthy good-for-you-foods that you ARE eating, and how great this food is making you feel!

I have completed this detox about six times now and this most recent experience may have been the easiest yet. Days 1-4 were a piece of cake (no cake deprivation pun intended). I was happy to step away from food indulgences and happy hour drinks, which were becoming far too frequent. On days 5-10 my energy slumped a bit and I was finding my every-other-day 10k runs to be a little more challenging. But on the final couple days, I was looking forward to the detox being over and rewarding myself with an ice cream :).

Since finishing the detox I have noticed that my clothes are fitting better and my skin is also looking great. The breakout that I was experiencing before I began, totally cleared up and vanished by day 12. Better gut health and a healthier diet help me to keep  blemishes at bay. The bloating and digestive issues that I’ve been prone to these last few years have disapated and my energy has returned and then some – my running mileage is back to the 40k / week range. I feel like my healthiest self again, my most authentic self; just in time for spring!

Spring Cleaning

Last night I watched a very powerful documentary called, “May I be Frank“, about a man who decided to undergo a six-week detox, involving a mainly raw vegan diet, with the intention of reversing some negative health issues and losing some weight. What happened in this six-week period was far more than he could have imagined. He actually focused on improving all aspects of his life, worked through some major emotional issues from his past, learned how to love himself, and live an all-around better life in the process. That’s on top of  him losing 60lbs and reversing his serious health issues.

The concept of detoxing and cleansing gets a lot of criticism. Our bodies are designed to detox themselves. That’s what our liver is for! I think it’s perfectly normal to indulge at times in our lives and if taking a couple weeks to clean up the crap makes our bodies feel better, then GO FOR IT.  Our bodies were not designed to handle the processed diet and alcohol that the general population tends to consume. Most of the people I know are tired, depressed, out of shape, dehydrated and hung over. I actually know very few people who actually feel like their physical health is thriving.

The struggle is real, though: there’s always a birthday, girls night out or reason to celebrate with unhealthy food and alcohol. No one should have a diet so strict that they feel suffocated or anxious about socializing. But at the same time, we should ensure that we actually give our body the nutrients it needs to function at its best. The most basic part of self-care, I believe, is eating well and for me thats about a 90% / 10%  healthy food / indulgences ratio. But still, achieving this 90/10 ratio takes commitment and sacrifices, and remaining true to WHY we are doing it.

Eating mainly whole unprocessed foods fills me with energy, it makes me feel happy and gives me the foundation I need to fuel my running and fitness goals. So with these motivators in mind, and the same dedication that I bring to all of my important goals in life, for the next twelve days, I’m committing myself to the Wild Rose Detox and will be turning down all alcohol, sweets, baked goods and dairy in the hopes of realigning with healthier food habits.

Wishing you all a healthy and happy weekend!

Spring Self-Reflection

My last post was about finding motivation and since then I’ve had no problems running, just for the high and feel-good vibes. Spring has sprung here in Calgary, AB and the weather is slowly warming up. It’s perfect running weather and I am truly enjoying my 30ish km per week. I can’t wait for the warmth and the late sunsets in July!

I have been thinking a lot about my fitness goals for the spring and the difference between focusing on fitness for health and for vanity. When I started running, I weighed about the same as I do today. I got into running partially, to help me look and feel better, but I was not overweight! My body weight has fluctuated a bit in the last few years; at my leanest, I was a size 2 and today, I am a healthy size 6. I have no issues running a 15k whenever I want, so why is it that I sometimes I feel like I should lose 10lbs to look “better”? What’s wrong with being a fit and healthy size 6? Why are so many women just focused on being the skinniest and leanest they can be?

It’s a common sickness in our society and I, unfortunately, am not immune to it. I stil want to feel like my best self physically and continue onwards and upwards in my fitness pursuits. I want to eat healthfully because it’s my body needs good food but, I am also big on the self-acceptance movement and keeping self-love as the foundation for all new health and wellness initiatives. In the last three years I’ve grown a new appreciation for my mental and physical wellbeing. I want to be strong and eat well because I want to experience a long healthy and fulfilling life, not because I want to look a certain way.

With this new mindset at the core, my fitness goal this spring is just building and maintaining sustainable healthy habits. I will run or lift weights 4-5 days per week and pack healthy balanced lunches to work. My focus is on how I want to feel. Women should be empowered to feel fit and strong for reasons other than their appearance. Spring is a great time to work on new goals and motivation will come easily, but vanity shouldn’t be our main motivator. Solid fitness plans and eating habits should be the backbone for healthy lifestyles, not superficial endeavors. Let’s keep things in check and remember that fit and healthy is a way of life. Not a bikini body diet plan!

The Evolution of My Running Motivation

As much as I still love a good run, I haven’t exactly been a super-committed runner in a while now. These days, I’m doing a couple 5ks a week but I haven’t tackled more than 10k for a really long time. I’m slower and I feel a lack of drive. I’m running for exercise, but I don’t mind taking walk breaks and I hardly feel like pushing myself. But I miss being a 10k-a-day kinda girl! So, I’ve been soul searching to try and get to the bottom of it.

I try and remember what motivated me a few years ago when I was so friggin gung-ho. Why did I start running in the first place? What did running mean to me? What were my motivators? What pushed me out the door early on Saturday mornings to go run 20k? If I’m honest with myself, I think my driving force back then was to overcome a lack of self-esteem.When I started running it was my path to self-improvement. Deep down I wasn’t a confident person and I felt that if I was at least a decent runner, then I would earn people’s respect.  If I pushed myself through race training and across a finish line as fast as I could, then I could prove that I was good enough. But over time, and several thousand miles in the last eight years, I eventually found a lot of inner strength, I grew as a person and I’ve pulled on that strength many times to overcome obstacles and achieve other goals.

These days I feel like I have nothing left to prove. I like who I’ve grown up to be. I’m confident. I’m content with who I am. I still have goals, yes, but I am also very proud of my accomplishments off the trail as well. I have new, grown-up ways to measure my self-worth. I’m not running from my problems, and I don’t NEED to run fast to feel good about myself. There are many other feathers in my hat these days besides a decent marathon time.

So thank-you running, for pushing me when I needed it. Thank-you for getting a fire going inside me when I was a scared, timid little thing who needed reassurance, praise and to be told, “YOU ARE ENOUGH”. Without the strength I gained through running I don’t know if I would have gone back to university and finished my bachelor’s degree. I highly doubt that I would be getting ready to start grad school. I might still be clinging to an expired relationship, trying to fill a void of self-love with ego-flattery. Thank-you for helping me to finally, once and for all, genuinely like myself separate of external validation.

As spring and a new running season approach, it’s time now, to find a new source of running motivation. But, no longer will I rely on superficial goals like six-pack abs, or flattery and attention as a crutch. I know that whether I’m a size 16, or a size zero, my worth is the same. I know that whether I’m single or worshiped by a wonderful man, my worth is the same. And even if I never qualify for and run The Boston Marathon, my worth is exactly the same.

I must remember that regardless of anything else going on in my life, I always feel my best after a great run. So maybe, I’ll just rely on the buzz and the fact that I am always just one run away from a better day.

I switched from a pot of coffee a day, to green tea. Here’s what happened.

Today, February 4^th marks 30 full days since I’ve had a sip of coffee!!

I am elated to declare that I am a reformed addict and a total matcha green tea convert! The old Liz drank a pot of coffee a day and the girl writing this post today drinks two to three cups of matcha green tea a day.

My reliance on my daily coffee habit was like being in a toxic, co-dependent relationship. The differences that I’ve noticed in the last 30 days have been nothing short of life-changing. Here are a few things that I’ve noticed in the 30 days since I said goodbye to my old friend Joe:

1. Let’s get the bad out of the way first: I was TIRED. I was super facking tired. I struggled to get through some short runs and had to take walk breaks that the old, over-caffeinated Liz, would not have needed. And thank god I made this huge change during a period where I was not working at a 9-5! I could sleep and nap as much as I wanted. The energy slump was just a necessary adjustment phase and my body has learned how to produce its own REAL energy. It was hard getting used to NOT being over-stimulated all day, but I DID IT!
2. Now let’s move on to the GOOD NEWS: The cloud of anxiety that has been hanging over my head as long as I can remember has totally vanished and I feel happier. This was the first thing that I noticed as I kicked off my new green tea lifestyle – and the change came quickly – within 3 days. I just felt calm. Every day. Considering the fact that I just moved to a new city, and would normally be stressed out about money, finding a new job, etc., the fact that I am calm and cool totally amazes me. This could be due to the L-Theanine that exists in green tea, and it’s calming, mood-boosting effect.
3. My skin improved – BIG TIME. Within a week, every little blemish that I had on my face was healed, my skin was more hydrated and I swear my fine lines have decreased. Because of this, I am not really wearing much makeup anymore. I no longer feel embarrassed about redness and dark under eye circles. I am heading out into the world barefaced daily. Even the once desperately parched skin on my legs has improved!
4. I am less hungry all the time. This is probably because excessive coffee consumption leads to dehydration. When we are dehydrated we often mistake hydration cues for hunger cues. Green tea is much less of a diuretic than coffee is. Because I am not ravenous, I believe I am eating less and making healthier food choices. I haven’t been hangry in a while!
5. It is currently my time of the month and hallelujah – I experienced zero PMS and absolutely zero cramps this cycle. Last month I was taking pain killers, I was super tired, bloated, cranky – the worst!

When I made the decision to quit coffee cold-turkey, I had many hopes for what this change would do for my health: regulating my hormones and resetting my cortisol levels was a big part of it. I also wanted to improve my digestion, and while I can’t say that my digestive issues were completely due to the large amount of coffee I once consumed, I know that quitting coffee, at least for a little while, would help.

I haven’t decided if I will be coffee free forever, or try and reintroduce a little back into my diet down the road to see how I feel. I still miss the taste and smell quite a bit and would like to eventually enjoy a decaf here and there. But I think I’ll give it a few more weeks, just to confirm the new daily matcha habit is solid.

The moral of today’s story is this: It might seem impossible to tackle addictions to food or coffee… or break bad habits, but you CAN do it. We make so many choices daily that impact our health for better or for worse. All steps forward towards better health will be worth it and the more you are willing to change, the greater your rewards will be!

I Quit Coffee!

To paint an accurate picture of why this is such a monumental achievement for me, let me start by explaining my previous dependency on coffee.

The story starts when I began working in the service industry, about sixteen years ago now… I drank a few cups of coffee a day to get me through my 3-11pm shifts. I was NOT used to working long hours on my feet and the coffee kept me going. Serving and coffee go hand in hand. There’s always a pot of coffee going at most restaurants to help staff stay awake, stay chipper and give them the energy to zip around the restaurant for hours a night. I have served in restaurants off and on for ten years now. Coffee has been a non-negotiable requirement in my ability to be a server.
I loved being a coffee addict! Nothing made my mornings better than the warming, brain-waking sensation that it brought me. As far back as I can remember, not a day went by that I didn’t have a cup of coffee to my lips within an hour of waking up. But it wasn’t just one cup; oh no, it was 3/4 of a pot each morning, just to get going, then another cup or two in the afternoons, and evenings, just to keep the buzz alive. There seemed to be no negatives. I never experienced sleep issues and have always been able to sleep 7-8 hours a night. I supported my addiction by reading many articles about the health benefits of the beans; a powerful antioxidant which prevents cancer; helps with weight loss, and enhances exercise performance. So naturally, I chose to believe that coffee basically made me a better person. It helped me to be more productive at work, made me happier, and it helped me wake up and perform better on early morning runs. Caffeine and running go hand in hand after all. As do caffeine and serving.

To say coffee has been important to my life is an understatement. As silly as it might seem, I would go as far to say that it has actually been a part of my identity. I remember meeting people who didn’t drink or like coffee, and I was bewildered and even a little turned off. Coffee addicts are cool, they are edgy (maybe jittery) and they are my tribe. There is a comradery amongst those of us who rely on coffee. We understand. We get it. I was not my best self unless I had about 3-4 cups in my system. I was constantly over-stimulated and that was how I wanted / needed to be.

So now that you understand the situation I was dealing with, you see why quitting was such a big deal to me. Coffee was part of who I am. Quitting was almost blasphemous. I am even a little sad about giving it up now as I write this post, as if I am mourning the loss of my previous self; a person I liked. Ok, ok, I’m being dramatic, but this was a big change for me!

On January 6th, I decided that my dependancy had gone too far and it was time to quit. I was visiting my boyfriend’s parents and was embarrassed by how dependent I was on my morning coffee. It is one thing to have a morning ritual when you are at home, but when traveling and that habit becomes a serious inconvenience and the idea of going without gives you anxiety, then it might be time to check yourself. I don’t like being dependant on anything. I’ve smoked a couple cigarettes in my life but thankfully, never liked it. I’ve drank plenty of alcohol but don’t mind going months and months without it. I’ve never been addicted to anything like I was to coffee.

So today I am 13 days coffee free and I feel great! Sure I miss it, and I don’t have quite the same energy that I am used to having but I have noticed some positive changes. For one, I am happier and calmer and have experienced far less anxiety. For two, my skin is clearer and more hydrated. At only two weeks in, it might be too soon to tell, but I also think that my stomach issues seem to be improving. I have been suffering a lot of bloating and IBS for the last few years and the situation seems to be slowly getting better.

You may notice that I haven’t mentioned quitting caffeine, just coffee. I have switched from starting my day with coffee to green tea which contains about a third the amount of caffeine. It’s a different kind of buzz, much smoother and mellower. Instead of drinking 5-8 cups of coffee a day I am drinking two or three green teas. I have cut down on my caffeine intake significantly. I plan to stick to the new green tea habit and may eventually add back decaf coffee, just for the taste, after a period of at least a month. I want to wait until the mental addiction is out of my system and I refuse to slip back into my old ways. It’s a new year and I am ready to up my self-improvement game this year. Quitting coffee is like eating the frog and overcoming my long-standing coffee addiction has been the elephant in the room for far too long.

Happy 2017 everyone!! I hope the new year is inspiring you all to set new self-improvement goals and committing to new healthy habits, even if that means switching to a new, healthier tribe.

#RWRunStreak – 2016 Edition

It’s funny that my last post was about a run streak. That was back in the spring and I was struggling to be consistent with my running, of course, a streak was a great idea; unfortunately it fell by the wayside. I was working too much at a very physically demanding job and my body just couldn’t take the extra punishment. Twelve hour days on concrete floors working as a frazzled; stressed out server totally burned me out this past year. But luckily things have changed a lot in the last six months. I have a much less stressful job, I’m now working fewer hours and the new position is far less physically and mentally demanding. I have also been taking part in a 30-day yoga and meditation program and think I finally have a handle on my chronic stress issues. I am super into meditation these days. Yay healing!

Yesterday was American Thanksgiving and the first day of the Runner’s World Run Streak that goes until New Years Day. I did a little 3.5k run last night in the wind and drizzle; hopefully, the weather isn’t terrible for the last 38 days of the year!

I have remained somewhat consistent with running and workouts this year but, at times, my crazy work schedule got in the way. There was a period of five weeks where I worked two jobs and literally went right from one to the other – no time even to eat supper! That burned me out quickly and reminded me the importance of making time for self-care and wellness (DUH). So my physical fitness and mental state may have suffered a bit but all work and no play helped my financial fitness improve dramatically since the spring; my debt is down and I have been saving like a madman. It’s not all bad!

My plan is to end 2016 on a positive note. I am hitting the gym for a weights workout three times a week (I’ll be writing a specific post about the details in the next few days), and my aim is to run a minimum of three km’s per day as part of the #RWRUNSTREAK. I will also be doing yoga at least once a week and eating as clean as I can. I want to enter 2017 feeling great and ready to take on some new challenges. I’m considering making 2017 another year of monthly challenges just like 2013 was. It was my healthiest and happiest year, maybe ever, and I am ready to do what’s necessary to feel that way again.

So let’s end 2016 with a bang and make the most out of the final days of what has been a challenging year for many of us. Happy streaking!!

UPDATE:

The 2016 / 2017 winter streak was a great success! My love and I ran every single day from November 24th until January 9th; a streak of 46 days!!

Let’s Go Streaking!

Although I haven’t written a blog post in ages, I am still a runner. Just maybe a slightly less obsessed, less interested in talking about running 24/7 type of runner. Yes, we do exist, I swear!

I just got home from my third 5k run in the last three days and I thought, “Remember when I was such a disgustingly motivated runner, that I actually wrote about every single run in a running blog? Ugh. But maybe writing a blog post will help refuel my motivation and help me get through a little spring streak?”

So screw it, here it is. I plan on running 5k a day for the next seven days to complete an even ten day running streak. No, not a huge accomplishment, but I’m hoping it’ll help snap me back into a regular running habit and get my spring training up and underway .

I’ve been going to the gym regularly for the last two years and running shorter and less frequent runs, but school has been my main focus. It took me three years but I have finally completed my degree now. Yay checking off major life goals! So now my sights are set on getting my poor little career (which I basically abandoned in it’s infancy) up and off life support. Running always helped motivate me in all areas of my life. I could use the extra motivation these days because a sweet new job is not going to just land in my lap, I’ve got to get creative and be tenacious. I also think that writing this blog will help keep the creative side of my brain alive – it really helped in the past.

 

Spring Fever

Whole30 Update: I made it 30 days, but my results weren’t exactly spectacular like I was hoping. Maybe I missed something? Maybe I snacked too much, maybe I should have pushed it to 60 days, or maybe I wasn’t that unhealthy to begin with? I love the concept of the Whole 30 Challenge and really enjoyed the book, It Starts with Food. I highly recommend giving it a try.

I’m happy to be back to my regular running and gyming routine. Runs are 8-10K and I am loving the grueling Signal Hill trail which takes me from my apartment, down the Rennie’s River trail and all the way around the Signal Hill hiking trail and back home. I also love scooting around town on my sweet newly remodeled bicycle (pic left), isn’t she gorgeous? I’m also a fan of running Signal Hill from the gym (7K) and following that up with a weights workout. Lifting progressively heavier weights has become my second love over the last year but and I’ve doubled my upper-body strength!

So life beyond clean eating and workouts is beyond stellar these days. I worked my butt off and managed to finish this semester with an 85% average overall! I am partaking in a study abroad program this summer in Harlow, UK. It involves six weeks of field trips around the UK and France and Belgium and after that’s done I am taking off with my backpack and classmates to explore some more areas of Europe. First up is Budapest! I also got an awesome job at a new restaurant which is a new venture by some of the finest restauranteurs in the country. Needless to say I’m stoked about this as well.

Spring as sprung, I’m feeling fit and healthy again, fun and excitement are on the horizon! #foreveryoung