Walking for a Cure

Yesterday, I participated in the MS Walk in support of a family friend who has MS. It was a little cold and windy, but we still made it the whole 5 miles. It was the same route as last year, which clocked out to be closer to 6 miles. Panera donated bagels for us to eat before the walk, and Erberts & Gerberts donated subs for us to eat after the walk. During the walk, there was plenty of water, fresh fruit, and other snacks. My mom and I were able to break $200 in pledges, so we got the official 2011 t-shirt and long-sleeve shirt. It was cold, but were successful in our walk towards a cure for MS.

Migraine Free!

Today marks going 1 week without any migraines for 9 years! I had my 3rd recheck appointment with my nutritionist today, and she was just as excited about this news. Turns out, I really am sensitive to milk. I haven't had any for 2 weeks. Now I have to eat more veggies to ensure getting adequate amounts of calcium and other nutrients I usually got from my milk. I'm also going to try almond milk or coconut milk so I can still have my cereal once in awhile.

Feng Shui

Tonight brought the last speaker for my holistic class. She talked about feng shui. I knew a little bit about it all ready, but I still learned some new tips. She talked about the 8 sides and how to bring positive energy into the home and workplace. It was pretty interesting. My mom wants to practice feng shui in our house, which is an excellent idea. There is too much negativity in the house, so it could definitely use a burst of positive energy.

Blue & Yellow Easter

Happy Easter! To start out the holiday weekend, C and I planned an egg hunt for some kids in her neighborhood plus my nephew. We hid 250 eggs for 6 kids and 2 babies. They definitely had some sugar to hype them up for the holiday weekend. Each kid also got a big prize and a box of crayons. They had a lot of fun. Murphy tried to eat the dinosaur eggs. Last night, I headed north for the last home-season Swarm game at the hive. The Easter Bunny was at the game, and they were handing out team posters. It was an awesome game. Not only did we win, but we also scored 10 goals in a row! This morning, I, along with my parents, met my relatives for church before going to Wong's for our Easter tradition lunch. I love eating Chinese food for Easter! For dessert, we went back to my grandparents' place for some strawberry rhubarb pie.

Holistic Eating

Tonight's speaker talking about holistic eating. I never realized that food has energy power. She talked about cool foods and warm foods. These foods create that energy to either cool off or warm up the body. For example, watermelon is really good at cooling down the body. No wonder it tastes so good in the summer! And chili is a warm food, which makes is taste better in the winter. She also recommended a few books about organic and holistic eating. It was interesting.

Yoga

Tonight's speaker was a yoga instructor. We did not learn a lot about the history of yoga, but we did do a lot of it. 50 minutes to be exact. It was a lot harder than I expected. I thought yoga was about breathing and relaxing, but the stretching involved is challenging. I'm sure I will feel it tomorrow.

Nutrition Response Test

I went to see a certified nutritionist today to have a nutritional response test done for my holistic class. We have to experience an alternative therapy first-hand and write a paper about it. The test was really interesting. First, I was hooked up to a machine to record my heart rate while lying down and while standing up. Then, the real test began. Basically, I lay down on the chiropractic bed and held my right arm up at a 90 degree angle to my body. The nutritionist applied pressure to my raised arm with one hand and various acupuncture points on my body with the other. If one of my organs was stressed, my raised arm became weak and gave in to her pressure. It was really weird. I could actually feel my arm turn to jello and give in to her pressure. It happened over my sinuses, lymph nodes, adrenal glands, and my pancreas. I knew my sinuses were stressed, but the rest of news to me. I also found out that my body is sensitive to pesticides, formaldehyde, oats, soy, and cheese. I will find out more come next week when I meet with her again.

Massage Therapy

Tonight's speaker was a massage therapist. She talked about the different modalities and styles of massage, as well as provided the class with first-hand experience. It was so nice and relaxing, even if the massage only lasted for about 10 minutes. She also talked about the benefits of massage and how to choose the right massage therapist for your needs and wants. I wasn't aware that there was no state licensure for Minnesota, so I will have to check for a national certification before getting a massage in the future.

Tai Chi

Tonight's speaker discussed tai chi and meditation. So, there was more energy talk. She also taught us a 5-part movement. It was a slight challenge, but it was a lot of fun. Each movement had a different name, like "part the mane" and "slap the monkey." It was hard not to laugh at the names. The movements were very relaxing and energizing. The speaker actually teaches a tai chi class at school. I'm thinking about taking it next semester to help with stress and relaxation.

Reiki

Tonight's speaker for my holistic health class talked about reiki, qigong, and singing bowls. It was interesting. The main point that she made was that everything is made out of energy. It's a weird concept at first, but it makes sense. She had us do some qigong exercises, and I actually felt like there was a ball of energy in my hands. I also imagined a white light filling me with relaxation and energy. She also practiced reiki on some of my classmates. It was interesting watching. She simply placed her hands on the different chakras, and they could feel the warm-tingly sensation all throughout their bodies. It was a weird experience, but very calming. The singing bowls were the weirdest part. It was a giant bowl made out of quartz crystal pieces. She rand a wooden tool around the outside rim of the bowl, resulting in a loud, overwhelming pulse. It sounded like a plane taking off. The vibrations are used to release tension in muscles, but I did not like the noise associated with it.