Improvements in ADHD symptoms and the paleo-ish/ gluten free connection

Hey! What’s good? 

Oh you know, same old same old over here. 

Food

BIG cups of coffee- A lot 

Providence Bruins game last night- free tickets!

I LOVE hockey.. nothing says fun quite like a bunch of heads hitting plexiglass and men beating each other up. Super excited to go to another free game on Sunday!

Woke up to more snow

Headed to the gym for a training run- only 50 more to go… 

No seriously.

I tossed in 12 wide grip pull ups and 50 pushups- done and done. 

 The husband is working overtime today- I have no work due to mandatory vacation and it’s cold.. which means I really have nothing to do but play with makeup and take pictures of myself.

 (Your welcome for the laugh)

 I wish I knew why the best pictures are the ones with stupid looks on my face.. 

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So as you know I’ve been playing with a Paleo-ish, gluten free diet these last few weeks. Paleo-ish because I am still eating dairy since I only eat fish and eggs as protein sources (I’ve completely cut soy and all other legumes- sorry peanut butter.. I’ll always love you) . Overall I’ve been feeling pretty awesome.

Unexpectedly and totally by accident the lack of gluten and therefore less sugar/insulin in my system has been helping manage my ADHD symptoms. 

I noticed a difference after the first week but wasn’t sure if it was all in my head.. So I started googling. Countless articles popped up, but This one really resonated with me- and it is really worth a read if you or someone you know has ADD or ADHD.
Medication is helpful, but if you can achieve similar benefits without ingesting toxins, wouldn’t you?

WO+ Focus+ Foods

      Holla happy Thursday- how did you manage the week so far? I’ve been working extra shifts at the toaster because a couple of the girls are on vacay.. so today was the day to catch up on some things I’ve been neglecting- rest, housecleaning, dishes, buying a gift for the husband (our 5th wedding anniversary is Saturday) and last but certainly the most important… Studying

 

    After weeks of trying to study for my CPT certification sans meds-without ANY success, I tried everything I could think of to be able to focus and nothing seemed to work.. so today,  I made the executive decision to take some Adderall. Back a couple months ago I stopped taking it daily since it was making me an emotional mess- and had stopped being effective.. I was told that I could take it as needed since then, but I was scared. In all honesty, taking it everyday changed me and I didn’t like it.         Taking it as I need it is completely different though, So now it is all about cramming 5 weeks worth of brand new material into two weeks, and using the following two weeks to study everything before the exam. Thankfully I have a months supply of the little blue pill- allowing me to go from 15 minutes of attention at a time to being to study for 2 entire hours.. Fingers crossed I can pull it together and do well on the exam.. 

      One thing I never have a hard time focusing on? Searching out new workouts

     And then actually doing them. (Well at least on of them so far) :)

      CF (Crossfit style) 10-1- Starting from the top, 10 reps; 9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 of Deadilfts, Bench Press, and Cleans for time.. I completed this workout in 12:53 using 50lbs. The 4 minute plank hold was done separately in the afternoon. Holy Guacamole! I don’t know if my hamstrings have ever been this sore before.
    When I woke up this morning I knew right away I needed to take it easy. I opted for yoga x2 (once at home and one teaching class) Hopefully the clean eats and stretching will heal me quickly.

      While out and about I lost track of time and was STARVED! Paula and I went to the local burrito joint and ordered up some taco style salads

 Yumm.. look at the cilantro and guac! Hit the spot :) also in the bowl- romaine, black beans, peppers and onions, tomatoes, and lots of hot sauce.
    Of course it wasn’t too long before dinner rolled around- we have very limited options since I refuse to go grocery shopping before we go away for a quick weekend anniversary celebration, but I was still able to whip up something good

 Lots of veggies and protein to fuel some teaching. Tonights class was so much fun, lots of laughing and muscle burn to go around! I’m exhausted- time for bed!

“Jumping” into Phase 3, Adderall update, another Interview

EXERCISE	Set #1	Set #2	Set #3
Superset:	XX	XX	XX
Leg Press: 3 sets of 15 reps	180	180	180
Squat Jump: 3 sets of 15 reps
Working Set Active Rest:	XX	XX	XX
Smith Machine Single-leg Split Squat 3 sets of 15 reps, per side	20	20	20
Jump rope: 3 sets of 1 minute
Superset:	XX	XX	XX
Walking Barbell Lunge: 3 sets of 20 reps, 10 steps down, 10 back	50	50	50
Long Jump: 3 sets of 20 reps, 10 jumps down, 10 back
Superset:	XX	XX	XX
Leg Extension: 3 sets of 20 reps	40	40	40
Lateral Bound (side-to-side single leg hops): 3 sets of 20 reps
Smith Machine Squat: 3 sets of 30 reps	90	90	90
Working Set Active Rest:	XX	XX	XX
Standing Calf Raise: 3 sets of 20 reps	bw	bw	bw
Jump rope: 3 sets of 1 minute
Working Set Active Rest:	XX	XX	XX
Calf Press on Leg Press: 3 sets of 20 reps	bw	bw	bw
Jump rope: 3 sets of 1 minute

    I know Spring is coming and everything- but I felt like a fricken bunny jumping around the gym like a goober, lol. Actually I prefer workouts that combine plyo-moves and even though we looked ridiculous pretending to jump rope and doing long jumps in the middle of the gym at 6:30 in the morning I had a lot of laughs and fun with this workout. Don’t get me wrong I was super sweaty and working hard! I have a feeling this is going to be a long week, hah.

    Today is day 3 of Adderall and I haven’t much to report for today besides thirst. the initial jolt that I felt the last few days hasn’t happened.  Day 2 I didn’t have that talkative jabber mouth but I swear the thirstiness and dry mouth got worse! I definitely feel that and the decreased appetite more than anything and this day I felt the “switch- off” around 3pm which the doc said might happen. (Because I’m taking a 12 hr time release version, the way the body metabolizes the medicine is different for everyone.. it might make it through my system more quickly or  slowly so I have to keep track of this… In which case I will then be prescribed the “Instant” release version to take in conjunction with the 12 hr for when the switch-off happens… this is something that I would take when needed)
 
     Ah yes, another interview today at noon. This is the Wellness coach job I was telling you about, so I’m pretty excited! Wish me luck!