Something really cool happened this afternoon. After writers' group, I chose to do my errands on foot and make a little loop around town! Not just because it was glorious and sunny for the second day in a row (hallelujah after this rainy summer!), and not because I'd fallen back into my old ways of finding every excuse to push myself harder, from burning calories to saving gas and more, although those both had their say also. No - I chose to do my errands on foot because I felt like I'd enjoy the walk! It's the first time in months that I've felt good enough to have that be a conscious choice! An amazing thing to be able to say. Of course, my post-chelation tummy icks kicked in mid-walk, but when I got home, I squeezed some lemon into water, added a good scoop of MSM and a sprinkle of stevia, and it really helped. And of course, I'm really tired this evening, but so worth it. Given that, and having added a bunch to yesterday's post, I'll keep this one shorter than I'd planned to.
Part of my loop was through an empty block in the middle of town, wilderness within a hundred yards of the main road!
Last time I walked through here, it was all covered in snow. This time of year, it's boggy, and the grasses were over my head. I lost the path several times and had to wade through the vegetation, avoiding devil's club. But one can also tread the grasses down to stay relatively dry getting through the swampy areas.
Earlier in the day, I ended up back at the laundromat, pictured yesterday, for an important piece of self-care!
Huh?
Yes, that's right! This morning, when I went for my Vitamin C IV that happens at the end of each 'chelation' week, I told the naturopath about the icky gut and general bloating/water retention/appetite loss issues I've been having, and he said that it all sounded like lymphatic congestion. He strongly recommended getting a sauna or other similar, and said that I should do so every other day during chelation weeks, make sure I sweat a lot, and then rinse in cold water and repeat several times. The closest thing available, he said, was the steam-sauna at the laundromat!
Do you always take advice the first time you're given it, even from a trusted source? I'm afraid I don't always! I was frightened off by the $6.75 a time tag on that thing, and had avoided it, thinking I could manage without. Well, I'm so glad I took myself straight over there after seeing him today!
It took me a while to figure the thing out -
- but eventually I realized that you could have the steam independently of the shower, and that the vent at the bottom left in the shower (pictured) was for the steam. I love sweating in steam or saunas, so I really enjoyed this, but this time I did take his advice and did the cold rinses also. He explained that if I didn't, I'd lose all my body heat when I came out because of my pores being dilated. The cold was a shock that made me pant and gasp, but it felt needed too.
I came out of that thing looking like something out of a zombie movie (no self-portrait this time!) and felt sick to my stomach briefly, but seem to have been feeling better for it. Definitely worth the $6.75 - just wish I didn't need to spend it! But oh my, in the winter time when it's really cold, this will be a godsend. In fact, the ND recommended doing this back in April when I first saw him and it was still winter! Take-home lesson - listen to him!
