Reclaim the Pen to Your Own Story

Wisdom while riding…

I usually hear something on my #peloton rides (from the instructors) that leaves me thinking, well after the ride is over. 

Tonight’s quote from the #arethafranklin ride was from the always inspirational #robinarzon - “reclaim the pen of your own story.”

It doesn’t matter how old you are, where you are at on your journey, it is yours and yours alone to write.

Things may happen along the path we walk to change what our story looks like, but at any point we can start writing a new chapter. 

What do you want your story to be? Are you writing it? Are you living it? What one step can you make to steer you towards the story you dream of?

It can be literal, maybe purchase a new pen, new notebook, or less literal, what boundaries have you set in place, or feel like life has set in place to limit your story? What can we do to undo one of those?

Give yourself permission to start a new chapter. Buy the pen and start writing your dreams. Make a plan or just write #streamofconsciousness until new ideas begin to emerge. 

There are no rules, no limits, dream big!

I’m taking the first step and buying this #crosspen the #wanderlustborneo Ballpoint Pen, or a similar one. Cross was always a big deal when I was in college, so how fitting to be drawn to it once again.

April from The Lipedema Journey and I will be talking all about boundaries as part of this year’s #mindfulmovement collaboration this Sunday at 2pm ET, hope you can join us.

Meralgia Paresthetica & Lipedema

First off, yes, I’m just learning what Meralgia Paresthetica is - after experiencing sharp burning pain in my upper thigh area (in the middle of the night) and fearing the worst (like we do) I looked into what could be causing the searing pain that was shooting across my thigh and waking me from a sound sleep.

Meralgia Paresthetica is a condition caused by the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN) being compressed.  The nerve runs from the lower back through the pelvis & groin to the skin of the outer thigh.

Common causes of the nerve being compressed are repetitive leg movements, prolonged sitting, tight clothing, obesity, pregnancy, etc., and while no evidence to confirm my suspicions, I believe the lipedema tissue we carry on the outer thigh, hip and abdomen areas can also put pressure on the nerve. Not to mention the graduated compression we were all day to help our Lipedema (talk about tight clothes).

Seems to be very similar to #sciatica - just a different nerve being compressed. So yeah, been a fun couple of months for my poor body.

Thankfully there are some great stretches you can do to try to help unpinch both of these nerves, and the number one thing I’ve been reaching for in the middle of the night for some instant relief is my trusty magnesium lotion. 

Do you experience tingling, numbness, burning pain in your upper and/or outer thigh? Do you have experience with Meralgia Paresthetica? What do you find helpful?

Some of my goto stretches are some of my favorite hip flexor poses/stretches…

Learning to Live with Lipedema, Without Judgement

#withoutjudgement keeps coming up for me, primarily in my meditations. 

To notice things but place no judgement on them. To place no judgement on yourself.

Maybe you are like me and struggle to meditate, struggle to quiet your mind. Instead of thinking I am bad at meditation, and putting blame on myself for not “being better” and feeling shame over it, or worse stop doing it because it makes me feel vulnerable, I’ve learned it is not about the thoughts popping up, it is about being able to let them come and go without judgement. 

Breathing helps me refocus, when I’ve realized I’ve been distracted by a thought I focus on my breathing and let the thought fade away. I am completely present with myself in the moment.

Same goes for fitness. Show up for whatever class, movement, race, etc. you sign up for and participate without judgement. 

Maybe you are not where you were before, maybe a few days off due to illness, stressful work week, vacation, etc. derailed you and you feel like you lost all the momentum you built up. Life happens and we adapt, we still show up for the movement with compassion for ourselves.

It is not about the quantity, the duration, the weight you lift, it is about you. So important to tune in with yourself and take notice of emotional and physical cues and know you are doing the best you can in this given moment.

Letting go of judgement is so freeing. It lets you experience the moment and learn from it. Learn so much about our bodies, and ourselves and have compassion for ourselves and each other. 

We close the meditation with gratitude for showing up. For being present in this moment we set aside for ourselves. It is healing to feel that freedom and gratitude with my body. 

The ten minute nightly meditations have been so healing for me. Do you meditate? 

PAIN AWARENESS MONTH

September is PAIN AWARENESS MONTH and according to the US PAIN FOUNDATION this year’s initiative is #solvepaintogether 

Exploring the experience of #chronicpain 

Diagnosis > Treatment Plan > Advocation

Lets begin #changingthepainequation

What is the journey like for those of us living with chronic pain? 

We know diagnosis of #lipedema can be challenging, even though first diagnosed in 1940 at the Mayo Clinic.

Figuring out what treatments work best for us can take years of trial and error, and even when we get a great treatment plan going, things like #menopause can throw a monkey wrench at us.

Discovering who we are with Lipedema is extremely challenging, and can be quite overwhelming. But there is no cure currently so we have to work on how living with lipedema looks like to each of us.

Through the journey we become amazing advocates for not only ourselves, but for our #lipedemacommunity too.

That has been what it is all about, coming together. We are #strongertogether and we will #solvepaintogether too.

Check out the US Pain Foundation for more info on how you can get involved.

#lipedemafitness members and friends let’s start by sharing tips on managing pain. #meditation combined with #vibrationplate has been a big help for me these past couple of months of dealing with an inflammation surge.

Lipedema, Inflammation and Dry Eyes, Oh My!

Earlier this month I shared how abruptly coming off Wegovy (due to insurance denial) caused an inflammation surge in my body, and one of the results was a very painful Dry Eye flare up.

It was so painful. If you have not experienced it before, For me it feels like something is in my eye that I cannot get out, tears streaming down my face, I couldn’t keep the eye open as it gets super sensitive to light, causes a nasty headache, and my eye feels so swollen, and inflamed, just plain ouchie, in all the ways.

I was surprised when I researched inflammation and dry eye syndrome - that there was indeed a connection. I read they even describe dry eye syndrome or dry eye disease (DED) as a vicious cycle of inflammation.

I had learned about DED during perimenopause a few years ago.  Did you know DED is a common symptom of menopause, due to the hormone changes we experience? Like 61% of us, common.

But nobody was talking about possible connection to lipedema, or more specifically, living with chronic inflammation. 

I’ve been more aware of inflammation since menopause, as it has been showing up more in my body, and also in my face/head. The almost overnight inflammation reduction with Wegovy was one of the first things I experienced. So having the inflammation come flooding back, and going through some very painful, seemingly unconnected symptoms, has made the last month extra challenging.

Thankfully the Lipedema Community had great suggestions for DED relief - from supplements, to moisture drops, to the Bruder Eye Mask - thank you delirious4dolphins for recommending it 😍 I purchased the mask and added it to my nightly vibration/meditation self care routine. 

The mask is a moist heat compress that I microwave for 20 seconds on a small plate, and then place over my closed eyes, and it feels really nice. Very soothing. It gets a little too hot right out of he microwave, so I just massage it in my hand for a few seconds to cool it down.

The warmth of the mask causes the oils in our meibomian glands to flow, the oils are the outer protective layer of our tear film that keeps the tears from drying up too fast. Which also helps reduce inflammation and bacteria, which are, you guessed it, common causes of DED.

When you take the mask off, your vision can be blurry (their website says that is due to the oils flowing), it does clear up in a few minutes. But was alarming at first.

Grateful to our lipedema community. Sharing things we deal with, and what we find helpful, is so important, even when we think they may not be connected to lipedema. I realized after purchasing this mask that it is the same mask my eye specialist recommended (number one recommend DED treatment by Optometrists) when I was initially dealing with dry eyedness during peri menopause, I even found the original one in my bathroom closet, but the way delirious4dolphins described it in her comment on my Instagram post made such sense.

Didn’t think I could add more to my nightly self care routine, it is already jammed packed with vibration plate, meditation, deep breathing, self MLD, big 6, etc., but the mask is such a perfect match. It is so soothing and makes the self care routine more enjoyable. 

Rebounding MODs

We know #rebounding is a wonderful way to be active with #lipedema and #lymphedema - even gentle bouncing (where our feet don’t leave the surface of the trampoline) is really good for our #lymphaticsystem and is gentle on our joints.

If you have balance issues adding in a support bar to hold on to is a great MOD, and most manufacturers have them. 

Maybe your balance or mobility require you to be seated, then sitting on a #yogaball or #stabilityball is a wonderful MOD, and they make them super heavy duty now (I’ve seen some are anti-burst up to a 1000lbs).

But did you know you don’t need any equipment? 

You can bounce on the floor with just your body. Many like doing it barefoot, but in cute sneakers like these gorgeous green #cariuma sneakers is good, too. Or whatever brand you like. You can hold on to your kitchen sink or bounce in a doorframe, if you need more support.

In addition to helping move our lymphatics, gentle bouncing can improve our cardiovascular health, strengthens bones, pelvic floor, and muscles and it releases endorphins!!! 

People ask me do I wear compression and sneakers when rebounding, and my personal preference is yes to both. My legs need the support of my compression and it gives my muscles something to work against, and my feet and ankles need the support of my sneakers. 

Others may choose not to wear their compression and/or sneakers and keep all shoe to determine what is best for each of us. But if you bounce on a trampoline without sneakers the surface may be slippery with compression but not hey make grippy socks and those are recommended by the trampoline companies to prevent slipping/falling.

Do you bounce? What is your favorite song to bounce to? Mine still has to be #dancemonkey it is a great cadence for me. But I really need a new rebounder, the squeak of mine distracts me too much, or my family if I have headphones on 😂😁

Another one of my favorite bouncing MODs is in the pool!!!

What is Heel Drop?

I’ve been doing research into new sneakers, ever since my favorites #brooksrevel made a huge change a couple years ago, and became uncomfortable for me to wear. 

What I liked about them was the lower back (as most sneakers cut into the back of my ankle cuff), the less cushion (too much cushion feels unstable to me), and how much my foot pitches to the side (supination) and forward/backward. The revels were great, very stable, didn’t cut into my ankle and flat enough that I could walk and do squats in them. A great fit.

When they changed, my foot started to feel like it was rolling outward. And I felt unbalanced and my knees took the brunt of it. Not good with knee instability.

In learning more about the way the shoe positions my foot, I read a lot about  #heeldrop 

Heel drop, heel to toe drop, shoe drop, it is all the same - it is the difference in the height of the heel of a shoe vs the height of the forefoot (front) of the shoe. 

It is not about the level of cushion a shoe has (that is called the stack), the drop is more about the angle of the shoe. And by adjusting the drop you can improve your comfort, and possibly prevent injuries and falls. 

Zero drop is like walking barefoot, it is totally flat. Low drop is 1-4mm, mid drop is 4-8mm, and high is >8mm.

The average drop on sneakers is 10mm, and that is because most runners are heel strikers. Their heels come into contact with the ground first. A higher drop helps to shift their body weight to the forefoot.

Higher drop may also help if you have plantar fasciitis, Achilles and calf issues, too. 

A lower drop is good if your forefoot hits the ground first, it helps shift the weight to the heels. Lower drop is also good if you have knee and back pain. 

But remember the force of the movement has to go somewhere, ease in to the movements if you make a change in your heel drop. 

This new shoe, the #hokatransport talked about stability and balance, a shoe for commuters (lots of walking). It has a low back, lower drop, and not super squishy looking. 🤞🏻 

Stay tuned for a review once they come in!

#newseakers #sneakerhead #sneakers #walking #mobility #lipedema #lipoedema #lipolymphedema #lipedemafitness