When the Going Gets Tough...

Happy Friday!  I'm saying that sort of tongue-in-cheek as I can't believe my week off is quickly coming to a close.  I haven't done anything I thought I would do this week.  My goal was to open the textbooks used for the Nutrition Education Trainer certification that I'm working on and really, really want to take the first test for just after the first of the year.  No studying was done.  It is something that has to happen when I don't have a million other things on my to-do list and when I'm not feeling under the weather.  Yep!  That's right.  This girl with the superior immune system caught a cold!

photo courtesy of Doug Glaze Photography

It's not really the cold I'm bummed about, it's the fact that I had to cancel a dinner date with friends yesterday.  I was so excited to share with them my lentil taco recipe.  They are a couple who are trying out the nutritarian way of life and have already made huge changes in their diet.  So we will reschedule to after the first of the year.

About this illness thing... Normally, when I get a cold I know it!  It starts with a sore throat and usually by the end of the day I feel like I've been whopped good.  This time, I started coughing on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning I just felt "off," not really so sick that I couldn't do anything.  I even went to the gym and had a killer workout.  I let my friend know first thing in the morning I thought I was getting sick and she was the one who decided to reschedule.  I wouldn't want to share my "fun" with anyone else.

After a hearty breakfast of steel cut oats with fruit and nuts, Hubby and I ran some errands.  It wasn't until about lunchtime that I decided that I was actually getting sick.  I made some miso ginger soup with other veggies and made my way to the bed to hunker down.  I spent most of the day there, just watching TV, reading and sleeping.  Part of my reading was the book Super Immunity.  It is there that I learned nothing but rest and eating lightly (especially vegetables and veggie juice) will help you recover from the common cold virus.  Of course, I knew that no forms of medication can help you get better.  But I didn't know that they can actually make you more sick.  I'm talking about damage to your liver and other organs.  The fever that you get is actually good for you and is best left untreated unless it goes very high or is so uncomfortable that you can't sleep at night.  So I let it go; no ibuprofen or acetaminophen, NOTHING!  I was a little uncomfortable with a killer sore throat that two years ago I would have been sucking on throat lozenges to relieve, but  not this time.  I rode it out with the aches and pains.  I even made dinner last night!  We had a wonderful spaghetti squash with a very tasty rich and thick pasta sauce with a fresh, crunchy salad. 

photo courtesy of Doug Glaze Photography

I'm sorry I didn't take pictures of the food, but sometimes it's all you can do to get dinner on the table.  I can tell you that all I did was bake the squash for an hour and then made Mom's famous lasagna sauce (sans the meat) and topped off the spaghetti squash strands with the sauce.  No parmesan cheese needed!

Today I feel great compared to yesterday!  My head feels just a little achy and my back hurts a bit, but I'm wondering how much of that is from laying in bed most of the day!  I missed the gym this morning so after a shower and trip to the grocery store, I'll hit my to-do list.  After all, I do have 17 people coming for dinner on Sunday -- something has got to get done!

photo courtesy of Doug Glaze Photography

I really do believe that creating a good immune system by eating fruits and vegetables over the last 18 months helped in my quick recovery!  I can't believe in just 36 hours how much better I feel!

I will be back here Monday to share my thoughts on New Year's Resolutions!  Have a great weekend!