Rhino Spray & the Joys of Allergies ...

Well apparently I will be taking nose spray (aka rhino spray) for the rest of my God-for-Saking life (no offense to the big G).  I was prescribed it (along with Allegra) for my allergies, abundance of ear fluid & constant post nasal drip (sexy, I know).  The nurse practitioner that gave me the prescription asked that I truly give the rhino spray a shot & really commit to it & I gave her my word I would, even though I hate the feeling of spraying anything up my nose-ughk!  She said that given enough time, it would help reduce the amount of fluid in my ears & the post nasal drip.  I should point out here that when she looked in my ears, she was actually shocked at the amount of fluid in them!  She then looked in my throat & said "Yup, post nasal drip" (not that she needed confirmation after seeing my ears).  Anyway, I have to admit I was hoping it wouldn't work so I didn't refill it along with my Allegra last week.  I also thought I had more left over in the bottle than I did.

At some point last week I had a conversation with my boyfriend about whether or not the medications were helping.  I said something to the effect of "I think so" & proceeded to tell him that I was hoping it was the Allegra that was helping not the rhino spray.  I believe he then just looked at me like I was nuts (he does that a lot).

The night before last I realized I'd pretty much used up all of said spray so last night I went without (obviously).  I didn't think too much of it & went to bed as normal.  I woke up at about 3 o'clock in the am with my ears draining, a stuffy & runny nose (yes, that's possible) & this nasty taste in my mouth, complimented with a lovely amount of phlegm/mucus which, of course irritated my throat thus causing me to have a sneezing fit.  Needless to say, I immediately thought:  Shit, the nose spray was working!

What's funny is that I had completely overlooked the fact that I wasn't waking up with that awfulness when I was taking the nose spray.  I knew I was sleeping better & that my ears weren't draining nearly as much but that's about it.

Needless to say, I promptly jumped online to have my script refilled & will be picking it up today.

I also need to pick up some brown hair color (my highlights were growing out & driving me nuts so I attempted to go blonde & it's more strawberry blonde - no likey!), finish my laundry, vacuum*, & get my run on.  I've actually already put in 15 miles since the beginning of the year!  I'm tracking my miles via the little tracker-thing-a-mabobber at the bottom of my blog.

Oh & I had a really vivid dream this morning right before waking up.  Yes, my sleeping patterns are still all f'd up even though I sleep sooooo much better since putting my allergies in check & exercising regularly.  Ok, so -  it involved my mom, our old house, ghosts, skeleton keys, enormous spider webs & a black widow spider.  Don't worry, no-one was hurt (well, except the black widow).

* I swear, I will never in my life be able to properly spell the word vacuum.  Thank you my dearest spell checker, than you!

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Exercising & the runner's high

It's been a while since I've gotten off my lazy butt & truly exercised.  Well, until this past weekend anyway.

I know the stigma associated with making a "New Year's Resolution" ... blah, blah, blah ... however I've been putting it off & putting it off so I figured it was the perfect time.

Without delay, immediately on New Year's Day I went in search of the perfect routine to get started.  I used to be a Certified Personal Trainer so I know where my weak areas lie & I know what I need in order to stick with a program.  Taking that into consideration, I went with a Yoga/Weights combination workout & to kick my cardiovascular system into gear, as well as to maintain health, I also added a beginner's running program.

I also put them both into a spreadsheet so I can monitor my progress & be held accountable for my actions (or lack there of should I miss a day).  This is key (for me anyway).  I need to be able to map out my plans & also be able to watch my progress.  This monitoring for me = motivation.  Granted, I don't have to answer to anyone but myself ... but, it's still there in black & white (well, & green & blue because I used MS Excel & made it all puuurrrty :-)).



Anywho, thus far it has been terrific.  I love that I've worked Yoga into my routine & that weights are a part of it.  I feel wonderful afterwards & I know I'm doing something good for both my mind & my body.  The other terrific aspect about yoga is the versatility.  I can add & deduct poses & even completely change it around of I want to.  I tend to get bored easily when working out (if I do the same routine for a while) so change is imperative!

I chose the beginner's running program because quite frankly I've really hated running in the past.  Admittedly, I far too often started out too gung-ho & ended up getting shin splints & being out of breath & frustrated.  This time, I'm doing it right.  Also being a beginner's program it includes a lot of change to help you progress in running skills.  The program also involves walking which bores me but it's good because it forces me to slow down & gives me a chance to "rest" while also getting exercise.

Since starting my new routine I've also been sleeping A LOT better & I'm loving it!

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