Simple answer to that question is : You learn it the hard way, which means you GOTTA pay attention to what your body is saying and act on it!
That was the lesson for me for this week. Just to put things in context, I felt like I was doing a good job already on listening to my body. After all the injuries, I learned when to push myself hard or pull back with my workouts. Since I am a legit clean eater, I assume that I was good on that end anyway. So I should be good, right? But I forgot the fact that body is more complicated machine than we think it is and just by eating clean might not always be enough to operate your body the best way as possible. Looks like it is more than that.
This week was supposed to be a pretty chill one compared to an insanely busy and stressful past few months so I was hoping to normalize my work pace as well as the speed of my brain and get ready for my mini sun getaway next week. But things never go as planned:) However leading up to this past week, I was feeling something a bit off with my stomach, like I was carrying thousands of rocks in my belly, heavy, bloated and uncomfortable. My food was clean as always, my workouts were consistent but at the end of everyday I was feeling that uncomfortable feeling – as if I have swollen a balloon:) Didn’t really have time to really pay attention to it since work took over my life for few weeks so I thought it would be okay. And few days later I learned the reason why I was feeling that way and physically paid the price:/
Half way through the week, my energy levels started going down pretty dramatically. You could see the difference hour by hour that my body was literally shutting down. With the immediate appointment to doctor’s office, we understood why. Acidic reaction! Wait What? I was kinda shocked but the emergency break of my body was taking over. Had no words for me to say but follow what it was telling me to do. Basically I had to spend almost 30 hours of the next two days sleeping. With huge pain on my stomach where at some point doctor suspected that it could be a gallstone issue – thank god at least that is not the case, for now.
But the crazy thing is I had to go on a DIET!?!? Yeah not to get bikini ready for summer trip but to save my stomach – elimination diet. Anyone who knows me, also knows my love for spicy food, lemon and dark chocolate and coffee. Bad news is that they were the one I had to cut off. Basically I had to educate myself on the acidic generating foods within my clean diet and completely cut them out of my diet at least for 3 to 4 weeks until I am completely healed and then maybe slowly introducing them, just by changing the order of when I eat what. And the big addition is actually introducing more alkaline smart carbs so protect my stomach – well me and carbs were not that close but guess what, now we have to be friends again:) So no to that first glass of water with lemon in the am on an empty stomach, bye bye morning coffee, post dinner chocolate and turkish tea ceremony and amazing spicy thai food at Lovely Day but oatmeal for breakfast or brown rice for lunch. Well doctor’s orders – or more my body’s orders:)
After five days, I am 90% up and running & I call it #NeverNotLearning.
Keep your tummy is safe and calm – not stressed and acidic 🙂
Ayca Xxx
JUST SAYIN'... 