Monday 01.04.10 Went Pretty Well, But This PMS Is Killing Me!

Yesterday was a pretty good day. I slept poorly and I got up late, but I stuck to my plan for the day. I got up, got on my Wii Fit and did some gentle exercise for 28 minutes. Considering the Graves disease recuperation and the horrible PMS and cramps I am having at the moment, I think I did a great job! After the exercise I had a glass of Bolthouse Farms Green Goodness Juice. I felt pretty good, but the PMS makes me feel like someone has hit the 'mute' button - energy, enthusiasm, brain function - you name it. I don't drink coffee because of the years of Graves, so I don't miss caffeine. My nerves were however jangly from hormones, so a cup of Tension Tamer Tea was helpful. It doesn't even need a sweetener.

I ended up having a late lunch. Surprisingly I wasn't hungry until later in the day, but I might be able to contribute that to hormones as well. I poached a chicken breast so that I could use half of it, cooked some black and mahogany rice, and made a nice bright salad. I used a cup of the cooked rice, the chicken, a tomato, a couple of scallions, celery, parsley, and basil. The dressing was a teaspoon of olive oil, half a lemon with some zest, whole mustard, one grated garlic clove, salt and lots of black pepper. The dressing combines with the juices that come out of the tomato so that the warm rice and chicken are nice and moist. It's a very satisfying dish.

I did have some craving issues around dinner time though. I worked on making some tomato soup. I had made several quarts of vegetable stock Sunday night, so I would be prepared to make a variety of soups this week. I cooked onions, carrots, celery, garlic, tomato paste, bay leaf and then added my vegetable stock and a can of whole tomatoes with basil then blended it nice and smooth. It smelled and tasted great, especially with a drizzle of 20 year old balsamic on top. I sat down to have a small bowlful and the trouble struck. My boyfriend decided to cook cheeseburgers and the smell was MADDENING! PMS makes me crave salty greasy food!!

I went and got into the bathtub for some combative aromatherapy - lavender oil, candles, and a copy of the Dalai Lama's The Art of Happiness. I did just fine. I think I might be 'retreating' more than normal over the next four weeks.

After sitting in the tub for a long soak I had a cup of Sleepytime Tea, and even though I went to bed later than I wanted to, I felt calmer and sleepier than the night before.

It was a good day.