January is Thyroid Disease Awareness Month

January is thyroid disease awareness month and I am one of those that is very aware. I have been hypothyroid for 8 years and have been on a long journey. There are many struggles with thyroid disease and sometimes just when you think you have everything figured out or you think you have found normal again, your body just throws a wrench in the whole operation and you have to start all over again. There are many forms of thyroid disease: hyperthyroid, hypothyroid, hashimoto and graves disease. Thyroid disease not only has physical affects but also impacts you emotionally and psychologically.

The best thing that I have recently found were support groups on facebook. I have learned way more through those groups than from my doctors who frankly know little on the subject. If anyone suffers from thyroid disease I highly recommend the following support groups:

https://www.facebook.com/HypothyroidMom/
https://www.facebook.com/thyroidsupportgroup/
https://www.facebook.com/thyroidnation1/

Nobody goes through anything alone and sometimes all you need to do is ask. :)

                                       

Super Healthy Spices

The best way to add flavour to your dishes is with fresh spices. I found this list on-line and are common spices that you might already have in your kitchen and their health benefit. I use turmeric in place of over the counter drugs for joint and muscle pains. Try adding some of these spices to your daily diet and see if you see any health improvements. I know that I have already. :)

Pho Soup Recipe

Our family has a severe addiction to pho soup but with two tweens and two adults, the bill to keep up with this addiction can get expensive! I have been experimenting for months and have came with the perfect combo to making my own version of pho soup right at home for  a fraction of the cost. I don't measure anything and typically go by taste and smell but I estimated the amount of each ingredient below. This recipe is for one of those big black pots with white dots that you normally make big batches of stew in. All you need is the following:

• 2 bunches of green onions
• 4-5 organic chicken bouillon cubes
• 4-6 tbs fish sauce
• 1 inch of ginger
• 4-6 chicken breasts (cut up into small pieces)
• 2 bags of pho spice
• 2 bunches of cilantro
• 2 packs of pho rice noodles
• bean sprouts
• chilli peppers
• sriracha sauce
• limes cut into wedges
• salt to taste

Fill the water to about 1 inch from the top and add all ingredients on the list from green onions and stop after adding the cilantro. I just cut everything and put it all together. It doesn't take long for the water to start boiling so I put the temperature down a bit and just let it simmer for about an hour so all the spices come out from the pho spice bags. 

In a separate pot I bring water to a boil and the add the pho noodles. They only take about 3-5 minutes to cook.  You want to run them through cold water for a few minutes because they will get slimmy and as they cool they will start to stick together. I learned that the hard way.

Once everything is ready you put your noodles in a bowl, add the soup and garnish with your bean sprouts, chilli peppers, sriracha sauce and squeeze the juice from a few wedges of lime. Voilà!! So good.  You can also add some cuts of thinly sliced beef like they do in the restaurant and the hot soup broth will cook the meat. Bon apetit! :)

This is the pho spice that I was using but there are a variety of them at the market. They don't offer this one anymore and I am now using a combination of 2 different spice bags but I didn't have any left in my cupboard to post.

Here is when we do just the the bean sprouts. chilli and lime wedges.

    

And this is when we get legit and add the thin slices of beef! lol

                                                                      

Here is the end result! Mmmm! :)

My Own Smoothie Powder Mixture

Just made my own version of shakeology. I got a free week work sample with my cize video set but it is really expensive to buy. One months worth is something like $120 plus tax and shipping. I was able to find the ingredients and make close to the same thing at bulk barn for $50 and will last me 2 months. Win!  It includes super red powder, super green powder, maca powder, chocolate whey protein powder, moringa powder, hemp powder, ground flax seed, cinnamon and turmeric. I taped black construction paper on the outside as maca and moringa powder lose some of their nutritional value with light. I add 1/4 cup of the mixture to about 1-2 cups of almond milk and coconut oil. Can use as a meal replacement or add to snack after morning workout. :)

   

New Year....New Me!!!

Hey everyone! It's 2017 and I woke up after the Christmas holidays and decided that enough was enough. I have been MIA since November because I was trying to get my thyroid back in check. I switched to NDT (Natural Dessicated Thyroid from animals) meds back in October which contains both T3 and T4 instead of Synthroid which only contains T4 and is synthetic.  My doctor went off of a conversion chart to go from Synthroid to Armour, so 0.088 of Synthroid was supposed to be equivalent to 60 of Armour. Well when I went back for testing my TSH levels were so off that she doubled my dose to 120 of Armour. Every one reacts different to the NDT I guess. I have been taking the last couple of months to get my energy back and finish the damn renos in the basement that have been going on for what felt like years. 

My house is back in order and now I feel like I need to get my health and fitness back in order. Since my thyroid has been out of whack I've gained about 30 lbs and have been feeling the affects and now that I have my energy back, it's time for a change! The 2 first weeks of January I was doing my favourite short workout Jillian Michaels videos. I did kickboxing and some of the shred videos as they ranged from 20-30 mins. I popped in one of her longer and harder workouts to see where I was at in strength and I could barely keep up after the 3rd circuit and had to modify the rest of the video. Those weighted squats and plank circuits are brutal. Bummer man! Those videos used to be cheese for me so I know I have a long way to go to get back to where I was in summer 2016. 

I was in my living room folding clothes and watching TV on the weekend and saw an infomercial about the Cize program with Shaun T. It might of been a weak moment and too early in the morning but the people on the TV looked like they were having fun and I just love dancing. So yeah, 2 minutes later I went on-line and bought it. LOL I started the program this Monday and man is it awesome! The moves are not that difficult but you are constantly moving without breaks and I was huffing and puffing within a few minutes. I would definitely recommend this to anyone wanting something different, that goes quick and is fun. I sound like I work for them. HAHA. I applied for the trial 30 day membership and you can stream all the beach body videos in their library. A few clicks, you pick a workout and boom...you just do it. What?!

I am also trying to make a smoothie every morning with key ingredients like almond milk, frozen fruits, spinach, ground flax seed, moringa/hemp powder, cinnamon and just making little variations so that I don't get bored. I am not perfect and will never pass up a piece of cake. lol But there is something called in moderation and that is how I am doing this. I have been monitoring my sleep, exercise and water with my S Health app on my phone and it really helps you visualize and see what you have done. I am keeping this train going now that I have momentum and am not stopping. This has been my 3rd week of exercising and I am trying to incorporate a 2nd workout in the evening. I sit at a desk all day and no matter how energized I feel after a morning workout, that dies by 3pm in the office. So I've been sticking to doing at least something in the evening. It ranges from walking, the exercise bike, throwing in another beach body or Jillian workout or even lifting some weights while watching TV. Anything is better than nothing and I have to say I am really liking my spike in energy. I was having pain in my lower back, knees, ankles which are all from being hypothryoid. Now I feel very little pain and am starting to sleep all night. I've been drinking ginger and turmeric tea every night after my workout as it also helps with inflammation and pain.

I've added some Vitamin C, D, Magnesium and Probiotics to my daily routine and that seems to be helping too. Keeping my water up and just moving when I can. It's all about attitude as well. I finally broke down and bought a scale and did a before picture with measurements that I will go back to in a month. I will not get down on myself if my weight doesn't change and for my short comings. Nobody is perfect and we are all trying to balance our health while living a very busy like with work, kids, errands. Just do your best and the positive attitude will eventually put everything into place. My favourite saying is Live Laugh Love. Live my life to the fullest, laugh when I can, and just love myself no matter what. And that is what I am trying to do! :):)