Fit with Ruthie

I AM SICK AND TIRED OF PAIN... I am discouraged, sad, and mad all at the same time. Last week for 4 days I had little to NO PAIN! I was so happy  even ran a few blocks and felt NO PAIN! Then one day we had a "staycation"... we did a lot of sitting, at the movies, going out to eat etc..... The next day (Wednesday) my pain was back worse than ever! Its so very discouraging. Mentally its so hard to be a running coach and not be able to run. I FEEL LIKE A BUM!!! I hate I can't go run 4 or 5 miles while I am coaching. hate it. I have no answers as to what to do but continue to ice, stretch, ice, sleep in my boot, ice and stretch. I refuse shots and i refuse surgery. I keep telling myself that at least I can zumba! Atleast I can be active and break a huge sweat. But you know how it is people... zumba is not running. A Runner NEEDS to run. So... here I am again... on the downward spiral that is life getting in the way .... I know I will be starting over again some da...

I posted a few days back about some hidden gluten I ingested and of course paid the price. It was so very frustrating to be 9 days gluten free and feeling so much better and to have that happen. Well... it happened again! Saturday something I thought was gluten free wasnt.  I experience stomach pains, exhaustion and major bloating since Saturday. ... It sucked. Something MUST change. ... You remember over a year ago when i found I had a cyst in my breast ( you can read that post here ).. I went mostly raw vegan for 3 weeks. I FELT AMAZING.... the cyst was healed and I swore that I would never return to my previous way of eating. I was determined to be raw vegan for the rest of my life. .. why would  I ever choose any other way of eating. Well, one of the main reasons I felt so wonderful during that time was because I was a celiac. Raw Vegan eating contains NO gluten... so for those 3 weeks I ingested no gluten! I remember the last week woke up full of energy after only ...

   Had a great 4th of July. We have a neighborhood parade that starts in front of my house... Its the 1 time a year that the fire truck parks blocking my driveway, which is great fun!.... I told the firefighters yesterday its every year I am so happy to see them and every year I say a prayer I wont see them in front of my house until next july 4th :)  Above is a photo of my breakfast :)    May daughter spent the morning putting tatoos on everyone.... I ended up with God Bless the USA... which is fine but my first choice was "Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" I would have loved to have Happiness on my bicep.. ha..  But it got messed up so I ended up with USA. Its ok. I still felt like a patriotic rebel. Yesterday morning Coach allowed me to go for a 2 mile run around campus... I was sooooooo happy. My heel hurt until about a mile into it then I was mostly pain free. I, of course, paid the price for that run later in the day but oh m...

I am a pretty up beat person... I dont cry much... I have LOTS to be thankful for.... but today (and probably tomorrow).. I will be ok with crying.... I will be ok with being a bit sad. Tomorrow is July 4th. Independence day... Its the day in my year that has become something I look forward too.... The past 4 years I have run 13.1 miles on July 4th. Its a tradition I started and thought I would never miss. .... but... here I am sad about tomorrow. Part of becoming healthy and fit means we have to find balance. I had to do this when I was just starting out.... figuring out how not to push too hard and knock myself out of the game for 4 days because of soreness. I had to figure out how to manage life and family and illness. Its a tricky thing to figure out .... you see this weight loss business is soooo much more mental than physical. I could physically loose weight but to keep it off I had to deal with whats between my two ears. And here I am again. Mournful I cannot run. I miss...

So you are driving to walmart and notice a really fit gal jogging down the street, she's got matching shorts and shirt, headphones blasting music, and some cool sunglasses on which keep her very far away from the reality that surrounds her. She is checked out. You have never spoken to her  but you know her. She's the chick from highschool who had it all. Size 2, great hair, awesome car, great personality.... the girl you wanted so bad to be. She's the girl that if you were her... all would be right with the world.  As you drive past you can't keep from looking in your rear view mirror... just to check and see if she has stopped, or is walking.... but no, she is still jogging (you roll your eyes). She looks like she could run forever, and.... she probably can.  As you look forward and drive to walmart you feel the tightness of the seatbelt on your waist, the steering wheel which is just too close to your stomach, and the aches in your back and feet..and know the hour y...

I am so freaked out at how great I feel. No wonder I struggled so much before figuring out what Gluten does to me! It makes me a completely different person. Stomach aches are to be expected.. but the exhaustion... oh my gosh! I remember (and so do my kids)... everyday having to lay on the couch cause I was so tired. I remember my husband coming home to find me on the couch most days ... but that wasnt me... that was me on gluten. I wish I had known. Things would have been so different. I missed out on a lot.... I was tired, a lot. I was exhausted and frustrated with my kids a lot back then.  ..... so happy I figured it out. ..... Even though its hard and occasionally I want to throw pity parties for myself ...... i am still thankful I am healthier than I have ever been! In other news... Yes, my heel spur is still keeping me from running. .... Its really frustrating... I miss running terribly. I miss the alone time, I miss the cool breeze, I miss looking at the stars and won...

I am a addict. Here is the definition... and where I believe a big problem lies with our society. ...  "To cause to become physiologically or psychologically dependent on a habit-forming substance: The thief was addicted to cocaine." You see... the example?  Drugs. .... So.... If I dont do drugs or alcohol or tobacco... then I am ok right? I have it all together.... It seems that way in society.  I mean.. when was the last time you have seen a sign that said "food-kick the habit" or ... "Don't do Bread". ... I mean.. its just not right.. it doesnt add up.  I have been on and off a mostly raw diet (some see as drastic i know) for weeks at a time throughout this past year.... I feel GREAT when I eat that way.... but for healthy eating to be a real, natural, happy part of my life I have to get over my addictions. I want to be around food and be happy, not tempted or have a feeling of poor little me.... currently I am eating about 50 to 75% o...