Injury Recovery in the Slow Lane

I deal with some crazy insomnia, and as evidenced by my posts being published between 3 and 6am most days, it's a common thing. In addition to my physical health issues, I deal with depression, and that has really messed up my sleep cycle. One would think that I would go insane, feeling sick all the time, not able to practice yoga as much as I would want, and not sleeping.

But the truth is I'm alright. I'm learning to embrace the simple things in life. Yes, I'm up at 5:45 on a Saturday, but I also slept a broken 6 hours. That''s better than before. It gives me time to meditate, blog, read, draw, and anything else (quiet) that my heart desires before my husband and dog wake up.

Yes, my body is not acting properly, and as a result I haven't been able to establish a solid home practice, but it has given me the opportunity to read about the other branches of yoga and remind myself that the yogini's path is more that just asanas.



Yes, my mind sometimes sinks into depression, but it reminds me that change and suffering are inevitable, but unnecessary suffering is avoidable. Everything in life is transient, and attachment to feelings or thoughts that drag you down lead to cycles of suffering.(Yes, I'm studying Buddhism) Someone who I respect dearly changed the words of the serenity prayer:

Grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change,
The courage to accept the one I can,
and the wisdom to know that it is ME.

Just because your body hasn't caught up with your desire to have an intense workout or reach your optimal fitness level, it doesn't mean that you have to give up and give in to couch-potato status. Learn what brings you to your path, what other aspects of your path you can be exploring, and work on that. Running is not just about putting one foot in front of the other; it's about dedication, commitment, style, technique, motivation and a desire to improve and challenge yourself. The same could be said for most fitness and health routines.

Find your fitness, and explore it. Read about the greats in your sport. Learn about technique. Write about it. Immerse yourself in it, so that even when you are not practicing your craft, it is still a part of you.



In my humble opinion, that's how you go from someone who does x,y, or z to someone who is a yogini, a runner, a swimmer, etc. You love and embody all aspects of your chosen fitness.

If you're not able to get off the couch due to an injury, you can still go out there and just do it. You're still working on becoming a better you and loving what you do.




What are your thoughts?


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Simplicity Sunday

Today is a day that I am determined to make the best of because after a long string of not great days, I think I deserve one. The husband is in the kitchen making almond milk (from almonds), and I can't wait to taste it. Today, I'm going to try cooking something new, although I'm not sure what yet, it will have vegetables. And cheese.

I'm going to do yoga. Not a hardcore routine, but some sun salutations and heart openers, as a way to celebrate the beginning of a new chapter in my life.

I'm going to get organized and prepared for the week, because I feel better when I have a plan.

And I'm going to enjoy time with family and friends, because it makes life worthwhile.

Looking Before I Leap

Do you always look before you leap?


I wish I could say that I always look before I leap, but that is just not true. As much of a stereotypical control-freak over planner that I am, there are times when I just make giant leaps based off of a gut feeling. This has happened when choosing a job, selecting a new apartment, and fairly big things. In technical terms this is called satisficing - stopping as soon as you meet the first thing that meets your criteria. I say that I am just decisive and that I know what I want and stop as soon as I find it, but truly, I act with leaps of faith.


The results of NOT looking before I leap are mixed. I've ended up in jobs (in years past) where I liked the person and premise, but ended up being completely off-base and miserable. I've also lived in apartments that I've hated because I was sucked in by some initial charm but had serious problem.



In the health and wellness world, I've found it prudent to do my research first. Given my many health conditions, the wrong move could potentially have some severe ramifications. I love more high impact, high energy activities such as Muay Thai, but the reality is my body is unable to handle that. I've tried, gotten injured in some serious ways, and have moved on. Since then I've been overly cautious about breaking into new routines, including upping the difficulty of yoga class levels. I am also hyper-vigilant about adding any new foods or supplements into my diet, as I've seen through the process of doing some of the Whole30 and other programs that my diet has such an impact on my wellbeing.

I still think that there is a level of impulsivity and spontaneity in me that causes me to not look before I leap, but I'd like to think I'm starting to balance it out with common sense.


What about you? Do you always look before you leap? Care to share a story where it paid off? Or didn't?






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Go big or go home?

#NaBloPoMo prompt: Discuss your experience with the saying, "go big or go home."

Since I've adopted a risk-taking attitude, I've definitely adopted a "go big or go home" attitude. But as time passes, I feel like I can't subscribe to that anymore. It's a whole lot of pressure, and I feel like for some people, even taking a risk is going big. I would hate to discourage people from taking risks by scaring them into thinking that if they can't go big, then the risk is not worth it.

What are your thoughts?









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What's the Riskiest Thing I've EVER Done?

Today's #NaBloPoMo Prompt: What is the riskiest thing you've ever done? How did it turn out?

The biggest risk that I have taken was moving to California 5 years ago site unseen. I had never been to California, or even anywhere on the west coast, prior to the day I moved here. It was a leap of faith and one I have not regretted. It was the catalyst for so many changes in my life, not least of which was the journey to become a better, more physically and emotionally person.



Back in 2007, we were living in NY and the grind of the city was getting to us. Like most NYers we were starting to think about moving somewhere quieter (i.e. New Jersey). But one day, while on an Internet car forum, my husband connected with a recruiter for an international company. That brief conversation turned into interviews, and subsequently a job offer with a sweeeet offer to relocate us. I didn't love my job at the moment, so we decided to take the plunge and move across country. For me, it was a huge leap of faith because I was moving sight unseen.

It was a big risk because we knew of one person other than the recruiter who lived out here, and she was relatively far away from where we settled. After the nerves subsided, we realized that this risky move had a great reward - it was the opportunity to reinvent ourselves and be who we wanted to be without the confines of the preconceptions that people we knew in NY had of us. We could get interested in anything or do anything or be anyone we wanted. And it has been awesome.

It's like getting a blank slate in life and starting again. We both had jobs in areas that were familiar but not exactly what we were used to, we found different kinds of friends than we've had in the past, we both picked up new and old hobbies, and we both found some fitness and dietary changes that we fell in love with. My husband found boxing, and just excelled at it. I found Muay Thai, CrossFit, marathon training, 5k running, kettle bells and yoga (in that order) and was thrilled to expose myself to different people and different styles until I found my own path of fitness.



This move has been the riskiest thing we've done, and almost 6 years later, I can say it's one of the best things I've done.







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Risks that Pay Off

I had to think really hard about this, because I think there is some payoff in any type of risk. If you have a positive outcome, it's whatever you wanted. If it's a negative outcome, it's a lesson learned. Either way, it pays off in the cosmic/karmic sense.

Most recently, my husband and I took a big risk into moving to a town 30 miles away from where we have lived since we moved to Southern California. It was a risk because we had built a nice little life in the area we used to live in, had all of our spots, knew how to get around, and it was convenient for lots of reasons.

New town is in a valley surrounded by gorgeous hills and way more suburban than any place we've ever lived. The town is very old-fashioned, with a Main Street that has wagons out in the street. You have to drive everywhere, and we only know two sets of friends up here. We also moved farther away from our only family member out here.



This was by all accounts a risky move, but it's paying off big-time. We got a larger space for much less money than we're paying. My husband has a home office, and I have an outdoor meditation/yoga space. There are lots of great hiking trails for us, and motorcycle rides for him, and it's given us a sense of peace that we didn't quite find in the more urban area.

And with that peace, we're finding ourselves more productive and less weighed down by the blahs. Which means we're more active - doing stuff together, enjoying hobbies, cooking, spending time with our dog, etc.

It's helped us find a really nice balance in life that I think we were missing. We've been here less than a month and I'm thrilled over the improved quality of life.


What is a risk,you've taken that has paid off?





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Great Risks = Great Rewards?

Some people say that with great risks come great rewards. I would amend that statement to say with great risks come great consequences. Not all risks are positive, and a negative risk can really hurt you if it doesn't work out.

Some risks ate just dumb - putting all your money in a risky business may really come back to bite you. Jumping into the ocean in Australia without checking to see if it's iricanji territory is stupid. Quitting your job without anything lined up because you *may* have a prospect - dumb. One of the great risks I took that ended up with negative consequences was opening up a consulting business last year. I was having terrible insomnia and only slept until 1 or 2am every day. I figured since I was up I could use the extra hours in the day to do all of my consulting work. And it worked for a while...I got my website set up and everything. But when it came time to actually do business, no one is really working at 3am, so after making a whopping $50, I decided to close the business. Closing it has been much more difficult than opening, so it definitely had it's consequences.


Another great risk I took was to start a new and completely foreign fitness routine - yoga. I had been more of a hard-core wanna-be crossfitter/Muay Thai fighter. I was all about lifting heavy and kept getting injured. There was the sprained ankle from doing burpees, the broken elbow from the crab-walking (long story, but the bottom line is OUCH), and other injuries. I stopped training altogether, and when I finally decided my body was recovered enough to do something I did something radically different - yoga. And it has given me the greatest of rewards. I have found a sense of peace, calm, and challenge that I never found in the other activities I've done. I still do some light weights to build my strength for more challenging asanas, but it is a more holistic approach for me and it works in my life right now.



What is a great risk you've taken? Was the consequence a great reward or something more negative?





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What does it mean to be a More Conscious Family Member?

Every so often (not often enough) I welcome people into the More Conscious Family. But I don't think I've ever taken the time to explain what that means to me.

My blog could have been titled a number of things, and rejected titles include:
- A More Mindful E
- Elyse Gets Her Head out of Her Ass
- Waking Up and Taking Stock
- An Evoluton oF Elyse
- Why did it take so long??
- I have no idea what I'm doing but I hope you follow along

I was content with A More Conscious E when it came to mind because it embodies my philosophy. I am at a point in my life where I am more deliberate and mindful about the decisions I make while I am on a health and wellness journey.



I am NOT about radical transformation - If you're looking for a tough workout plan or an easy diet, then this is the wrong place for you. A More Conscious E is for the beast-mode certified (insert certification here), gym and business owners, and for the individual who has just taken the very first step towards a healthier life. We are a community of people who are striving to make the best decisions for us, knowing that each journey is different and that each person will make different choices that will add up to their optimal healthy life.


If you've been in the health and fitness game for a long time, I hope you generously share your knowledge. If you've just come to the realization that you want your life to be different and better, then I hope you have the courage to share your journey with us.


I want to hear all of your voices, because they matter to me. Every one of you has a unique story and add something wonderful to the tapestry that is the More Conscious family.

If you're ready to take the plunge, or stick your toe in the water, then welcome. Pull up a chair, a bean bag, or a fitness ball, and let's get to know each other. Invite your friends, and let's walk this road together to a healthier life, whatever that means for you.



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My CORE Food Review

CORE Foods Defender Meals – “Eat Like Your Life Depends on It”
I don't often review products because I feel that anything I review should be of the highest quality and something I would not only eat, but recommend to those closest to me. I was thrilled to be give the opportunity to sample and review CORE Foods Defender Meals as a perk of being a #SweatPink ambassador for FitApproach.com.

ABOUT CORE FOODS: Before I even tasted their products, I went to their website to see what they were all about. I was pleasantly surprised. After reading the following, I knew that this was a company that I could comfortably stand behind.




We cultivate a healthier planet by empowering people with fresh food and resources. Our founder, Corey, went on a quest to get to the bottom of nutrition. He trained with elite athletes, researched the biology of food, and lived intimately with twelve tribes around the world. Remarkably, he discovered the most profound and consistent things we know about nutrition are REALLY SIMPLE. At CORE, we apply this enduring wisdom to make convenient, healthy, food.

We treat other people the way we want to be treated.We are inspired by the inherent reciprocity in human history and community culture. We believe we can rebuild our entire financial system to support each other by following the
Golden Rule principles: Not-for-profit, 0% Financial return · Living wages · Capped executive pay · Reduce/offset all carbon

MY THOUGHTS: I know that this is really why you read the post - to see what I thought of the products. I was sent three bars Defender Bars. "Defender Meal is focused on maximizing health and longevity. This recipe follows a strict vegan diet, which has been proven to be the most powerful weapon to Defend against diseases of affluence (heart disease, cancers, etc.)--the diseases that kill the majority of Americans. Defender Meals utilize our balanced recipe of complex carbohydrates and healthy essential fats fortified with Organic Flax and nuts for 12 grams of Organic Vegan protein. We recommend Defender for car rides, plane trips, and everyday pursuits."

This fits my lifestyle perfectly. I wasn't sure I would love the taste, given that I tend to hate the ultra dry crunchy nuts and granola. The bars were surprisingly moist, chewy, and most importantly tasty. Given my medical conditions, I generally have a hard time getting breakfast down, but found that eating a Defender bar was not upsetting to my stomach and was a great way to start the day. I did feel full and didn't get the normal blood sugar crash around 11am. I can see this becoming a staple breakfast food for me.

THE VERDICT: It's tasty, fresh and lives up to its promises. I definitely recommend CORE Food products and will be purchasing more soon :)

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#NaBloPoMo Playing it Safe vs. Taking Risks

I have always been an instinctually play it safe kind of girl. Without taking risks, there are no surprises. Control freaks HATE surprises. But life doesn't always run according to your preferences. Between my many health challenges as well as life circumstances, I've had to change my stance radically.

Funny enough, my husband has been the biggest catalyst of that change. Since I met him, he's challenged me to take a second look at my status quo and really examine what playing it safe had gotten me. The answer was not a whole lot. Since we met over 9 years ago, I've been slowly taking more and more risks. I'm still cautious though, and think things through pretty carefully before acting. I think risk-taking coupled with impulsivity can be dangerous, so I try to be conscious and mindful of my choices.

I've had the great opportunity to meet people I would have never encountered inside my safe bubble, never would have explored the different avenues of health and wellness that are now staples in my life. Trying Muay Thai, building muscle and even starting a yoga practice were all risks I've taken in the last few years. Opening up this blog and sharing my story was a huge emotional risk. But I've loved each and every experience and have learned so much along the way.




Recently, I've had to make a choice that both played it safe and is a big risk. One of the medications that I have been taking over a year caused me to have a severe bad reaction which led to a 7 day hospital stay and my subsequent disability. This drug had also been, up until the last infusion, the best medication I've had at controlling my lupus. I had to decide whether or not to try it again or switch to a class of medications that I know from experience will have negative side effects and not give me the optimal level of health I had with the infusion medication when it was working at its best. I ultimately decided with the guidance of my doctor to stop the infusion medication because we don't want to risk it again. We're playing it safe in that sense. But it's a risk - we know the other medications have side effects that will impact my health and ability to train (exercise and practice yoga) and will potentially affect my diabetes which I have been able to control very well with a mostly paleo diet.

It's a risk I'm willing to take, because I am still not even close to recovered from the bad reaction and not able to work right now. But the decision will have ramifications for a long time.

Having lupus, or any autoimmune disease, is difficult because choices like this have to be made all the time. We have to figure out what is the lesser of all evils and hope that we can live with the side effects. Despite this, I remain hopeful and optimistic. Once I've made my decision, I try to focus on the best scenarios and leave behind negative thoughts. I don't want to sabotage my risks by thinking I'm going to fail.




Have you faced any choices where playing it safe also meant taking a great risk?




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