Sleep, glorious sleep

Background - After my meltdown a couple of weeks ago at the Soulbuster workout, I have made an effort to try to figure out why my body was so damn uncooperative. I was swollen (over 5 lbs heavy), fatigued, muscles ached, and just all around grouchy. I suspected it might have been my thyroid levels, but that turned out to be wrong. At the suggestion of my endocrinologist, I went to Dr Hutchens to see if there could be another explanation for the swelling. I blogged about suspected food allergies (food intolerances, actually), and Dr Hutchens suggested this as well at my appointment. I didn't even mention it to him beforehand. So here's what I've been doing...

• I write down everything I eat (dr hutchens order).
• I log my weight every day. (dr hutchens order).
• I take my basal body temp every day (dr bledsoe order)
• I take my resting heart rate every so often (sisson order)
• I've been limiting the amount of wheat that I'm consuming. (voluntarily)
• I've been vigilant about taking my prenatal vitamins (lots of b vitamins and iron).

For those of you who watch The Biggest Loser, a lightbulb went off for me a week or so ago. Tara had seen little to no weight loss for two weeks in a row, despite working out like a monster. At the weigh in, her trainer Jillian told her she had been overtraining. LIGHTBULB!!! I might be overtraining. So, I've implemented a few more steps to start feeling better.

• I have been really trying to get more sleep - at least 7-8 hours a night.
• I take naps when I need to.
• I've lowered my mileage to 67-72 mpw on the hard weeks and 45-50 on the easy weeks. I don't feel pressure to squeeze in miles if my legs are too achy and I'm exhausted.

The result? Over the past couple of weeks I've been feeling much better. Day by day my weight is coming down (5 pounds since soulbuster). I feel rested. My poop is back to normal. My temps and heart rate are normal. I'm not as grumpy. My muscles are feeling better, too. I'm also able to hit my times better at workout.

Sure, two weeks is not enough time to say I'm 'cured' from all of the medical things. I will, however, keep doing what I'm doing to keep feeling better and better. Ahhh sleep, glorious sleep, you are my friend.