Day 1: Sugar = No. Sinus Cold = Yes.

So today is Ash Wednesday, for those who follow the Western Christian calendar. For those unfamiliar with the concept, Ash Wednesday is the kick off to Lent and it occurs 46 days before Easter. The story goes that Matthew, Mark, Luke and Jesus spent 40 days and 40 nights fasting in the desert while being tempted by Satan (I guess he had nothing better to do). The purpose of Lent has changed over the millennia and basically it boils down to giving up some sort of luxury or benefit in your life as a way of paying penitence for your sins. Now if you've been paying attention, you'll notice that we're missing 6 days in the math. The extra 6 days account for the Sundays between now and Easter and those are kind of like a day off. Fast for 6 days and feast on the 7th. Anyhow, back to my point. Since I am neither overly religious (much more spiritual really) nor do I believe that I commit many sins, I use Lent as a time of motivation. A period to make positive changes in my life and use it as a motivating factor. And with a little hope that God, the Goddess and the Universe all help me out a little and give me some extra strength and will power.

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I'm giving up sugar for Lent. To clarify, I'm giving up any foods with "added" sugar in them, as well as high fructose corn syrup and other bad sugars. Anything that has naturally occurring sugars like fruit and milk are ok.

It just so happens that the World Health Organization published an announcement today asking people to consume no more than 6 teaspoons of sugar a day. They go on to say that no more than 10% of your daily calories should come from sugar but would prefer it if people could make that 5% instead.

Sugar is everywhere. It's in things that you'd never think of it being in. One tablespoon of ketchup has almost 1 full teaspoon of sugar in it. Even one serving of the Sour Cream and Onion Crispy Minis that I have has 1 gram of sugar in it. A lot of processed foods have sugar in them. A lot of "diet" or "low fat" foods have added sugar to help with the taste. It's very overwhelming when you stop to think about it.

I'm kicking the habit so I'm going to do what I can to avoid sugar for the next 40 days. I dawned on my today that my dad's 60th birthday falls during this 40 day period so that's going to be a tough one. But my aim isn't to be perfect, just much more aware.

Day 1 went well. Mostly due to the fact that I'm rather sick with a nasty sinus cold right now. I remember to buy sugar free cough/throat drops and I used honey in my tea this morning. Once I'm feeling better, I'm going to have to hit up the grocery store for a new cereal as my favourite one here has added sugar in it. I'm also trying to find some recipes online for no-sugar granola and breakfast bars. I'm sure I'll be a little more motivated when I'm finally feeling better.

My night time cold medication is kicking in so I'd better log off before I fall asleep at my computer and get snot/drool all over the keyboard (that's a pretty image eh?).

Good Night!

Sarah

Let's Talk About: Flu Shots!

I managed to make it through my 2nd last french class (of this session) today with only minimal confusion, so that was a nice change of pace. Just 1 more class to go. I think I'm going to have to re-read my notes and such every week or so to ensure that I don't forget anything along the way.

This afternoon I went and got my flu shot. Other than my arm being a little on the sore side when I move around a lot, I feel perfectly fine. As I knew I would seeing as this is the 12th year now that I've got the shot.

I am definitely a big supporter of the flu shot. I think everyone should get it. When I lived in Calgary, I was volunteering with seniors and getting the shot was mandatory in order to keep working with them. The flu is very dangerous to the elderly as well as babies and anyone with a weak immune system. I hear a lot of people say that they don't need the flu shot because they don't get sick. Good for you. It doesn't mean that you don't have the virus. You can carry the virus and in turn pass it along to others without actually getting sick. You can feel fine but end up giving the flu to the nice old lady you sit next to on the bus.

And for the love of god, you CANNOT GET THE FLU FROM THE FLU SHOT!!! The vaccine does not contain the live virus. It's dead. It can't make you sick. You can have a reaction to the vaccine that presents with similar flu-like symptoms, but it's not the flu. And if you're already sick and just haven't developed a full blown flu or cold yet, the shot isn't going to stop that from happening.

In this day and age, with so much medical research being done and such wonderful advancements being made, it's hard to believe that the flu still exists and that there is still a need for the flu shot. Or the flu nasal spray if you really hate needles. But when you stop to think about how many billions of dollars the drug companies make every year from the sale of cold and flu remedies, you can see why it's not quite so surprises that science hasn't been able to eliminate the flu (or the common cold yet).

Other than not wanting to pass the virus onto anyone else, why would I want to get the shot? Well...back in my first year of University, I got the flu. The Sydney flu to be exact since that was the name of the strain going around that year. My god was I sick. For an entire week, that damn flu knocked me on my ass. Never again do I want to get that sick. So the next year, I got a flu shot. And the year after and so forth and I've never been that sick since. In fact, I've never had the flu again. I've had colds, sinusitis and a broncular infection once, but no flu. If the world health people predicted the flu strain correctly, the vaccine is 70-90% effective. I like those odds. And seriously, who actually likes being sick? I certainly don't.

Here's a link to the Government of Ontario's Health site on the flu:  http://health.gov.on.ca/en/public/programs/publichealth/flu/about_flu.aspx
And here is a link to Health Canada's website with info on vaccine safety (all, not just the flu): http://www.healthycanadians.gc.ca/health-sante/medicine-medicament/misconception-eng.php

Ok, that's it for me and my soapbox tonight. My book awaits :)

Good Night!

Sarah

Photo my parents took in Alaska

Strike 2!

I had my re-scheduled doctor's appointment this morning. It was my 2nd attempt at a physical. Here's what happened:

I get to the doctor's this morning and check in with the front desk, where the receptionist promptly tells me: "He's not in this week." WTF??? I asked why no one called me and she gave some BS answer about the doctor not giving them any warning and only told them in the afternoon of his last day that he was taking a week off. Whatever. My guess is that she forgot that the doctor was taking a week off and accidentally booked me in. Moving on.

So the receptionist says that she can get me in to see the other doctor. I ask how long that will take and she tells me that it will be 15-20 minutes and that she'd put me ahead of those waiting since I had an appointment (my doctor's office is also a Walk-In clinic). Ok fine. I get shown to a room right away and I had to wait 20 minutes to see the other doctor. I did manage to finish reading my book during this time, so it wasn't a lost cause. 

The other Dr. (I have no clue at all as to what her name is!) came in and went over my blood test results with me. Good news; I'm perfectly healthy! Well, except for the being extremely overweight part, but on paper, I'm perfectly healthy. Everything is good. My iron was good, my kidneys are working well, my cholesterol number is normal, my sugar is good. No signs of diabetes.  The Doctor then asked how my blood pressure is. I told her that I had no idea so, she took my blood pressure too and said that it was good. That was kind of impressive. I figured that with how annoyed I was, it would have been through the roof. Guess reading my book calmed me down.

 Before she left, the nice doctor lady told me to book another appointment with my doctor for my physical and pap. I almost laughed in her face. That's so not going to happen. I've lost 2 mornings so far. I'm not taking any more time off work. This is by far, the most dysfunctional doctor's office I've ever been to. It took me 3 years to get a doctor and it doesn't seem to matter. I think I have to renew my efforts and see if I can find a better doctor, one who actually gives a shit and cares about how their office is run. I wonder if there's someone I can complain to about this?

My next trick will be finding an eye doctor (not so bad) and a dentist (scared to death of them!). This should be a blast :) Stay tuned for those adventures.... LOL.

Good Night!

Sarah

The relaxing view from the dock at Steph's cottage