Banish Migraine Headache Pain Forever

Migraines can be a debilitating chronic condition, causing around 157 million lost workdays each year, according to the National Headache Foundation. They estimate that 28 million Americans—70 percent of whom are women—suffer from migraine headaches caused by disorders such as occipital neuralgia and transferred migraine.
Occipital neuralgia is a term used to describe a cycle of pain-spasm-pain originating from the base of the skull that often radiates to the back, front, and side of the head, as well as behind the eyes.
Occipital Neuralgia may occur spontaneously, or as the result of a pinched nerve root in the neck (from arthritis, for example), or as the result of prior injury or surgery to the scalp or skull. Sometimes “tight” muscles at the back of the head can entrap the nerves. Symptoms include the following:

• Headaches that are localized or following a "ram's horn" pattern on the side of the head, often starting in the upper neck or base of the skull. It can be one-sided or on both sides.
• Scalp that is tender to the touch, often hypersensitive. Even brushing your hair can be a painful experience.
• Pain or pressure behind the eyes. Eyes are very sensitive to light especially when the headache is present.

Although massage therapy and acupuncture can bring immediate relief, it is necessary to maintain a strength and stretching program. Ice at the base of the skull helps as well.
I suffered from these headaches for years. After starting a family, I slacked off on the strict exercise and stopped my monthly massage therapy visits. I finally mentioned the debilitating headaches to my doctor, who handed me a variety of migraine medications. Some made my heart palpitate out of control, while others would make me unconscious for up to twelve hours. Neither of these options appealed to me. So, I was prescribed Tylenol 3, acetaminophen with codeine. I loved the way it deadened the pain and allowed me function instead of being locked up in a dark room.
My headaches continued to increase until my I suffered from two each week. I didn’t like the fact that I was taking narcotics regularly, but could not deal with the pain that radiated through my head. Being knowledgeable of the human body, I found it hard to believe I was suffering from migraines.
After conducting in-depth research, I realized I was suffering from Occipital Neuralgia. Now, as a personal trainer I needed to figure out what I needed to do to fix the problem. After all, I had spent years relieving other people’s pain, why could not relieve my own?
I began to exercise harder, but the headaches would always worsen a day or two after I did strength training exercises for my back. Yoga helped the most, but I felt I was again slacking on the strength training.
I have found relief through my inversion table, yoga, and performing neck strengthening exercises every other day.
To strengthen the neck, lie face down on the bed, with your shoulders at the end of the bed and your head hanging off the end. Move you head like a chicken. Let it dip down, then pull it back up, keeping your chin facing straight down.
Start out slow, as tight muscles, can bring on the headache. Work up to 50 reps, increasing 5 reps per week. After the exercise, massage the back of your neck and up to behind your ears.
Please visit my website at http://www.keepfitnessfun.com/ and feel free to email me at rani@keepfitnessfun.com.

Weighloss During Vacation

It worked! Vacation worked!

What? Yes, I went on vacation and lost weight! How did I do it? Smaller portions and virtually no sweets. Yes, I hiked a few times, but spent most of my time in a car or sitting and talking to relatives and I still lost weight!

I was amazed at how easy it was to avoid sweets while on vacation. I really watched my portions and left some of the food on my plate. I have started to tell myself, it is just as big of a waste eating the extra calories and adding fat to my body, as it is to throw it out or feed it to the animals. If I was hungry for a large home-grilled burger, I ate it, bun and all. However, I limited myself to a bite of potato salad with water to drink. I was amazingly full for the entire afternoon and did not feel overstuffed. It was wonderful!

I tried to keep breakfast as the largest meal, but that was rather hard to do while traveling and staying with relatives. I usually ended up eating cereal for breakfast with a large lunch or dinner. Somehow none of that mattered, as my stomach came back looking more cut than it has in years.

I did attend my class reunion and a street dance and managed to make it through both without drinking. It was hard, but I succeeded! Ok, I had one shot before the street dance, but my nephew insisted on buying one and all I had for dinner was carrots and celery!

Unfortunately, as soon as I got home, I discovered the ice cream sandwiches in the freezer and the graham crackers in the pantry. It would be so much easier to watch what I eat if I did not have all the junk food around. I was also so tired from my trip home, that I didn’t have the will power to say no for the first two days.

But last night, we went to the buffet and I watched what I ate, even down to the tiny rootbeer float I made myself for dessert. My husband and I then walked a couple of miles after dinner. It was wonderful!

Today, I ate about 3.5 inches of my six inch sub and split the rest between the dogs. I just wasn’t that hungry for it. Besides, I had a soda and cookie to add the extra calories. Although I have fallen off the wagon somewhat, I am finding that I am much better at portion control and have been watching what I eat since I went on vacation.

Yea! Please visit my website at www.keepfitnessfun.com.

Fasting, A Total Body Cleansing Journal

Monday, June 16, 2008

Today is the first day of my seven day cleansing program.
Breakfast: protein and banana shake
Morning Snack: A couple of Almonds
Lunch: Fruit smoothie which consisted of juice and frozen fruit, raw cheese, and a carrot
Afternoon Snack: Raw chocolate raspberry bar and a banana – I was starving!
Dinner: Raw cheese and another raw chocolate raspberry bar
Evening Snack: Carrot

Overall, I felt pretty good today. The cheese really helped curb any salt cravings and the fruit smoothie was pretty filling, even though I was starving within a couple of hours.
I was overly energetic and gave my house a thorough cleaning after work.


Tuesday, June 17, 2008

I am so tired, I am not sure I can get out of bed and my head aches horribly.
Breakfast: protein and banana shake
Morning Snack: A couple of almonds
Lunch: Fruit smoothie, raw cheese, and a carrot
Afternoon Snack: raw lemon bar
Dinner: Spinach leafs with gingerberry kambucha tea as a dressing, and raw cheese
Evening Snack: Carrot

I felt tired and rather cranky all day. I felt much more short tempered with the children in the evening and felt as though I had no energy at all. I tried to work on my book, but could not think of even the simplest words.


Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Breakfast: 2 eggs, scrambled and a small bowl of oatmeal (yes, it was cooked. I was starving!)
Morning Snack: Nothing, as I was satiated from breakfast
Lunch: Fruit smoothie, raw cheese, and a carrot
Afternoon Snack: raw chocolate raspberry bar
Dinner: raw cheese, carrot, grapes, strawberries
Evening Snack: Raw Chocolate coconut bar

Today my headache became unbearable. It was all I could handle to sit through work. I need acupuncture. Although I am cleansing, I took an NSAID for my headache. It dulled enough that I could enjoy walking the dogs with my husband and son.


Thursday, June 19, 2008

Breakfast: 2 eggs, scrambled and a small bowl of oatmeal (Still starving!)
Morning Snack: Fruit Juice
Lunch: Fruit smoothie
Afternoon Snack: Greens Fruit Juice
Dinner: Vegetable burrito at one of the most magnificent Mexican restaurants I have ever eaten at!
Evening Snack: Way tooooooo full from dinner!

I had a ton of energy today and the NSAID that I took with breakfast has dulled my headache enough to make it bearable. I am scheduled for an acupuncture treatment after work. I can’t wait!

Today I wavered severely from my raw food diet. I was starving in the morning and today was to be the beginning of my juice fast. However, I do feel that eggs and oatmeal are not a damaging break. The dinner was another story. We had planned on eating out with this couple before I realized that I would be fasting this week. I could and probably should have settled for a salad, but I broke the fast. Now tomorrow, it is juice only all day with a 24 hour water fast on Saturday! I look at it as shaking up my metabolism. It doesn’t know what I’m throwing at it!


Friday, June 20, 2008

Breakfast: Chocolate protein and banana smoothie
Morning Snack: Fruit Juice
Lunch: Fruit smoothie with spinach, banana, kiwis and a little frozen fruit – very excellent tasting (oh and black cherry and cranberry juice)
Afternoon Snack: Greens Fruit Juice
Dinner: Kambucha tea
Evening Snack: water

Although I had a hard time getting up this morning, my headache is gone and I feel pretty energetic and mentally clear. I can contribute these to a combination of healthy eating and acupuncture to get rid of the headache.

I don’t feel any hungrier than if I were eating solid foods.

I drank my bottle of Kambucha tea at 4:30 and was starving by 6:00. I drank water, but fell into bed at midnight (I had to wait up for my teenage daughter to get home) with a headache and feeling as though I would starve to death.


Saturday, June 21, 2008

Still on just water.

I woke up feeling fine and energized. I didn’t get real hungry until around lunch time. I was however, a little spacey and probably should not have been driving. By 4:00 I was counting the minutes until I could drink juice again.

At 4:30 I drank a Protein Naked Juice. I couldn’t believe how full and re-energized it made me. I took the kids to the circus at 5:00 and you never would have known I was fasting. I was more energetic and mentally clear than I had been in a long time!


Sunday, June 22, 2008

I ate today, but in significantly smaller portions than before the cleansing. I had a small piece of roast, 5 cooked baby carrots and 1 biscuit for dinner. I believe it was eating meat that made me feel sick for the rest of the evening. I took a walk, but still ended up going to bed feeling ill. I love the way fasting makes you realize what certain foods do to your body and how they make you feel.

I enjoy cleansing and fasting because I feel so energetic and light after the first couple of days of detoxing. I normally only go for 4 days, so this is my first seven day trial.

I feel it would be extremely hard for me to eat raw foods only, as I love my cooked eggs and oatmeal. However, the raw meal bars are extremely satisfying and I definitely look at food differently during and after the fast. After all these years, I continue to go back to my old ways, but I definitely eat healthier now than before my first fast.

I highly suggest tring it! Please visit my website at www.keepfitnessfun.com.

Hula Hooping for Fitness

As a personal trainer, I am always trying to find effective exercises that are fun. I have used my weighted hula hoop off and on for years, but this is the year I have finally found my groove.

At lunch, I go down into the basement, dim the lights and put on some deep meditation music. I hula hoop for 20 minutes, then do a seated meditation or yoga poses for the other 10. I don't have to change clothes, I get a good core workout, and I feel rested when I come back upstairs to finish my day.

I am slowly learning how to balance work, family, and exercise. As you can see from my previous blog, what happens when a personal trainer gets a real job. I could get down on myself, but I am turning it into a challenge and a learning experience. I hope you join me on my journey back to a hard body. I have 25 pounds to lose and a whole lot of muscle to gain.

My plan as of now: Yoga 2 nights per week, Cardio and strength training 3 nights per week. I will add an additional day of cardio in there when I get the chance.

Visit my website at http://www.keepfitnessfun.com/.

What happens when a Personal Trainer gets a real job.

I have been a certified personal trainer for eleven years. Growing up, I was naturally lean, muscular, and flexible. Needless to say, I looked good without having to try real hard. Let me tell you, that does not make for a good personal trainer. Through my early twenties, I could strength train, forget about the boring cardio, and have that nice muscular appearance. ( I did have that short time frame where I was addicted to donuts and gained some fat, but I overcame that with strength training.) I could not quite understand why all my female clients weren't like that.

After having three children, I was ten pounds heavier and had lost quite a bit of muscle mass. I figured I would work out more once they were all in school. I still worked at the gym and fit my workouts in when I could. However, I was frequently tired and did not put as much into my workouts, therefore, I did not get as much out of them, either. I still remember a single, male trainer telling his workout buddy, "I could never stand to be more out of shape than my client!"

That pretty much said it all. I was a hypocrite. I was trying to get people into shape, when I was having a hard time getting my own hard body back. Plus, I was spending so much time at the gym with clients, that my children spent all their spare time in the nursery. I really only got to see them on weekends. I would drop them off at school, go to the gym. Pick them up from school, head back to the gym until it was their bedtime. So, I got a day job so I could make money and still spend quality time with my kids and husband.

WOW! I have put on 18 pounds since then and can't seem to find the energy to exercise enough to lose the weight. I eat pretty healthy and always bring my food from home. I stay away from the vending machine, for the most part, although that was not the case for a short period of time.
I have been hula hooping daily for 20 minutes over lunch with a 5 pound hoop. It feels great! I was doing pretty well with strength training, but that has gone down hill this last week. I feel too tired to get up early before work to exercise. At night, I fix dinner, help the kids with their homework, watch a little television, then read to the kids and we all go to bed. By nine at night, I have no desire to exercise. The personal trainer in me wants to run back to a job at the gym so I can be fit again. But, I need to learn how to lose weight while working full time and caring for three kids (and a husband) so I can help others in my situation.

I need to kick in the cardio with a little strength training, until I lose the fat. I will keep you posted on my journey, and see if I can lose this weight. In the meantime, please feel free to visit my website http://www.keepfitnessfun.com/.