Spring Blues

Not sure if it is missing Japan, the inability to find any kind of job, even a crappy kind, still sofa-surfing at my mother's house, or just the crazy, changeable weather of spring. But the spring blues are in full force this week...

Running in the Rain

I woke up this morning a little after 7 a.m. Sadly, these days, I tend to wake up as late as 8:30 or even 9:00; gone are the days when I was up and active at 5:00! Hopefully that will change when summer comes here to this arctic land. But anyway - as I was saying - I was up a little after 7, enjoyed two hot cups of tea before taking Dexter for a run.

Now, due to his having had pneumonia when I first adopted him, and then the holidays, and then the surgery, and then the snow and cold, Dexter has never been for a real jog before. He loves to run, of course, but has only ever run for a few minutes at a time. This morning the temperature is above freezing for the first time in ages, so I wanted to get out and figured to take Dex with me. However, it was raining. I'd forgotten, but Dexter absolutely hates the rain. So, the run became more of an enforced walk, before I dropped him off at home and then set off again on my own. I then ran just under 5km in the rain which alternated between rain and snow.

It was my first outdoor run in months. I realize now that the treadmill and gym workouts just do not free the mind and spirit as much as real outdoor exercise.

I woke up this morning a little after 7 a.m. Sadly, these days, I tend to wake up as late as 8:30 or even 9:00; gone are the days when I was up and active at 5:00! Hopefully that will change when summer comes here to this arctic land. But anyway - as I was saying - I was up a little after 7, enjoyed two hot cups of tea before taking Dexter for a run.
Now, due to his having had pneumonia when I first adopted him, and then the holidays, and then the surgery, and then the snow and cold, Dexter has never been for a real jog before. He loves to run, of course, but has only ever run for a few minutes at a time. This morning the temperature is above freezing for the first time in ages, so I wanted to get out and figured to take Dex with me. However, it was raining. I'd forgotten, but Dexter absolutely hates the rain. So, the run became more of an enforced walk, before I dropped him off at home and then set off again on my own. I then ran just under 5km in the rain which alternated between rain and snow.
It was my first outdoor run in months. I realize now that the treadmill and gym workouts just do not free the mind and spirit as much as real outdoor exercise.

Dexter

No only do I have to lose 15 to 20 pounds, but Dexter, too, needs to lose a good 10 pounds.

I took him back to the SPCA last week to have him neutered (which is included in the adoption fees), and when I walked into the clinic, the lovely vet said to me, "Um, you DO know he is obese, right?"

Well, taking her advice, I soon went to the pet shop and bought some high quality, light dog food, and poor Dexter is now on a diet, limited to 1 and 5/8ths of a cup of food each day. I also am getting him to run a bit more, and do more and longer walks. Perhaps he and I can shed a few pounds together.

Diet and My Plate.com

Okay, I know I've been talking about dieting for a few months, but now I really mean it:)

Seriously, I gained 10 pounds in the space of one month last July - basically, the minute I left Susono (and beautiful mountain runs!), I balooned up. It was instantaneous. What is surprising, though, is that I haven't gained weight since being in Montreal. Despite drinking ten beers a day, eating bagels and cream cheese at midnight, and sitting my ass on a sofa most of the day due to the winter blahs. So what's the problem if I have not gained more weight? The problem is, I have a muffin-top. I have never muffin-topped!!

So, time to get serious. Oh, no way will I become a food nazi, no no no. I will still enjoy a cold beer or a fine bottle of red wine; I will still have a nice steak dinner (oh yeah - I've been eating so much meat since I've been here...weird!); and I will still have a fried egg sandwich occasionally. But I will simply refrain from eating any form of potato chips; no more pepperoni pizza; and I'll cut back from ten brewskies to one or two!

One of the tools I really like using (when I'm in the mood to watch what I eat!) is the My Plate section of Livestrong.com here http://www.livestrong.com/myplate/. I find it really makes me think twice about putting something in my mouth when I am aware of how many calories it contains.

A few simple lifestyle changes will be good and will probably have results fairly quickly....

Cold, flu, gastro, or none of the above?

What I had thought was post-celebratory fatigue was, I think, the onset of the seasonal flu.

Montreal is experiencing two outbreaks at the moment - gastroenteritis, and an earlier-than-usual season flu outbreak. On Monday, after a long day of soicalizing, but realizing I really did not feel like drinking much, I thought I was just tired. That night, I fell into a restless sleep at 9 p.m. or so, and woke up freezing in an icy sweat.

On Tuesday, I was still certain that I was just recovering from the holidays which involved a fair amount of late nights.

Tuesday night was another night of tossing and turning, and by 2 a.m. I had a massive sinus headache.

By Wednesday, I gave in and admitted that maybe I had a virus, and was not just exhausted!

I haven't had the flu, or even a real cold, in a long, long time. But perhaps the dry, cold winter air, and the even drier indoor heat, combined with a holiday-weakened immune system, left me susceptible.

I don't feel too bad at all - just constantly tired, and achy, and fevery. And coughy. Okay, I don't feel great. And I look kinda bad, too!

My New Year's Resolution, which is the same as every other year, to get healthy, will have to wait a few more days!

Brian's Left Foot

I realize I haven't updated on Brian's condition - and I want to. He's doing Great!

The nerve that had the awful Morton's Neuroma was successfully removed over a week ago, and the stiches from surgery came out on Saturday (Aug. 14th). Brian's been walking just fine, and even taking long morning strolls to get some exercise. Running is not on the program just yet, but he assures me that the foot is doing great and the pain from the surgery is nothing compared to living with the pain from the neuroma!

Morton's Neuroma Update

So, as some readers may know, Brian has been having severe foot pain for several to many months, and it's been getting progressively worse, progressively more difficult for him to do any activity and find it pleasurable.

I was more annoyed, I think, by this ruination of joy than he was, but finally,after repeated cortisone treatments, the docs here in Japan agreed that surgery was the best option.

Initially, the plan was to open the foot and snip the 'strap' but not actually remove the nerve. However, once inside the foot, the doctor discovered that there really was a neuroma, and it really was pretty big! So, the entire nerve came out.

Brian is still in the hospital in Gotemba. His surgery occurred on Friday, and he's been alone there in the hospital since Thursday, when he checked in. He finally caved in to my repeated (strong!) hints that I go there to be with him, and I took the overnight bus from Osaka last night, arriving here, in Gotemba, at 6:30 this morning. After a pleasant morning walk, followed by a huge American breakfast, I made my way to Brian's bedside.

Brian was very happy to describe to me the size of the nerve and neuroma that was removed, as he asked to see it upon waking, and the doctor handed him the jar in which the nerve was now housed. Gross. Anyway, he is recovering extremely well and will be released tomorrow. I will take the day off school and stay with him for the day before I have to head back to Osaka.

Morning Run in Nagai Koen Park

I have been here for nearly a week, and been without real exercise for just slightly longer than that.

Luckily, there is a gym arond the corner from me, which I went to on Thursday; I stepped on the scale and have, as I feared, gained more unhealthy weight. I've been eating junk food and not getting any morning runs. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am feeling a tad homesick for the scenic surroundings of Susono, where biking and running were a regular pleasure. Seeking some way to stay healthy in the heart of this big, bustling city, I did a search and found a park that is good for running, and that's just a few subway stops away. Actually, it took me about 40 minutes to get there this morning, but Nagai Koen is big and nice, and has a 3km circuit that you can run or walk around, safe from traffic and in the company of other runners. I only ran 6.3 km this morning, and then walked about 3 km, before heading back home to try to study some kanji, but it felt great.

I figure I can go to the gym three times a week and run on the treadmill and do weights, and then I can go too the park on the weekend for a morning run, and with any luck that will help me shed a few of these extra kilos.