Thanks to the mouth pain I've had and the medication I've been taking, my diet has been awful for a month now. On Tuesday, I went to the grocery store on a mission: to buy healthy foods full of fiber and vitamins!
I also bought some pre-bagged kale salad to have for lunch at work yesterday, but that didn't turn out too well. The antibiotic I'm still taking makes foods smell and taste funny to me, and I kept thinking I caught a tiny whiff of the smell of cat pee. I had to throw the salad in the trash. And the vegetarian refried beans wrapped in a burrito with mild salsa I had for dinner last night seemed terribly salty and kept sticking in my mouth. I threw that away too. Only a few select things, like the granola pictured here, taste normal to me right now. I guess I'll have to stick with fruit and yogurt and bland foods for the next few days, until I'm done with the antibiotic.
Another goal for the next few days is to drink a lot of water to flush my system out. I have a large tumbler that I take to work and keep full of filtered ice water. I try to sip all throughout the day. Hydration is especially important with the dangerous heat and humidity we've been having.
Which leads me to exercise. I need to get moving again! It's been far too hot to walk the dogs most days, even after the sun goes down. I think I'll start using my two 15 minutes paid breaks at work to walk around the air-conditioned mall. Even that little bit of time spent walking will make a big difference in how I feel on days when I wouldn't otherwise get any exercise in. But my poor dogs! We bought a portable air conditioner for the garage (where they live) so they could be cool and comfortable, but now they very rarely even venture out into the backyard! I don't blame them, and it's comical to see them snoozing all day in their big dog bed in front of the cold breeze from their very own personal a/c unit, but I still feel guilty that they're not getting enough exercise. I do wish this heat would break so we could resume our normal 2 mile walks each night!
I still feel a bit like Jabba, but I'm working on it.
What do you do to bounce back after you've been ill or somehow unwell? I'd love to hear from my blogger friends on this!
I am glad my post inspired you and you found granola and fruit tastes good and you could chew it. Hurray! I think you are on the way to recovery and your dogs will cheer when you are up to taking them on walks again.
ReplyDeleteI have a tradition of reading Thomas Hardy's 'Jude the Obscure' when I'm ill. It's such a depressing book that somehow it makes me feel better.
ReplyDeleteThe food which we eat in the morning gives us energy for the whole day. Nice to see your healthy food.
ReplyDeleteI have muesli (looks very much like what you call granola) for breakfast every morning, and when I have fresh fruit from my parents' allotment, like the freshly picked raspberries right now, I put them on top. During the day, I drink tap water all day long - there always is a glass of water on my desk, whether I work from home or at the office; I guess I easily get to the recommended 2 litres a day!
ReplyDeleteAs for bouncing back after an illness, I find that the sooner I get back to my regular habits, the better I feel, including taking up my walking and running again, and even with such simple things as cleaning my flat/apartment. I hope you and your dogs are soon able to go out again!
Sounds as though you are finally on the mend Jennifer - hope you continue to feel better.
ReplyDeleteIt's very hot here during the days and evenings (mid 30ºC's) so I walk the dogs at first light - around 6:30 a.m. when it's reasonably cool. They then spend the rest of the day lying on the tiled floor of the porch with the air-con blowing on them !
Bouncing back? I am very rarely ill so it's hard to remember but I agree that drinking water is a good thing to do. Abseiling off tall buildings always helps to get the old adrenaline flowing.
ReplyDelete