Cheese Steak Stuffed Peppers

It's what's for dinner, and you can eat as much as you want without worrying about calories.  Sound too good to be true?  Just trust me.  Add these to your diet, and your body will thank you.

Make double or triple to put in the freezer for when you don't feel like cooking.  To freeze, place unbaked, stuffed peppers in a freezer bag or other freezer container, and place in the freezer. Thaw before baking.

You will need (per batch):

4 bell peppers, halved and seeded
1-2 onions, julienned
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cooking oil
1 pound roast beef (or ground beef, steak, roast, or other lean meat), sliced
1 small can mushrooms, drained
Salt
Pepper
Your choice of shredded cheese or thin cheese slices

Heat oven to 375° F.

Spray an oven safe dish or pan with cooking spray.  Place peppers open side up on dish.

Heat frying pan on medium high heat.  Add oil, onions and garlic. Sauté until nearly caramelized.  Add meat and mushrooms. Salt and pepper generously. Cook until nearly all liquid has evaporated and meat is done.

Fill peppers (somewhat evenly) with meat mixture.  If there is extra, just pile it on top of the peppers.  Top with cheese (it's at this point you will set any aside for freezing, if you choose to freeze any). Bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

These are quite filling on their own.  If you want to eat your fill and not think about calories, skip the side dish.  You won't go hungry, guaranteed!

Be sure to HIIT it today!

You want to eat healthier, but you're not sure where to start, and you know you won't stick with a complete overhaul.  I hear you.  You've probably tried a complete diet change, and maybe you even had good results, but for some reason it wasn't sustainable.

If this is you, instead of making drastic changes, let's ease into it a bit.  Time to get honest.  Think about your diet.  Really think.  How much soda do you drink?  What about potato chips, snack cakes, other prepackaged treats?  Fast food?  How often?  Let's start there. 

Instead of five sodas a day, cut down to one.  Do you normally eat a half a bag of potato chips? Fill a normal sized bowl, and stop there. Prepackaged snacky cakes? No more than one a day.  And if you already ate fast food today, then no snacky cake.

Yes, you can allow yourself a (reasonable, not super sized) treat every day, but just one (or two if you're weaning off a diet of nothing but junk), OR you can eat healthy all week, and give yourself a cheat day.  Either way is recommended by the pros and used successfully by people wanting to make positive changes in their diet.

I know it's extremely difficult if you are raising children to put in the extra effort to cook, but it's so very important.  Prepackaged meals make everything easier day to day, but this is the time to instill healthy habits.  It really is.  This cannot be overstated.  If they grow up with unhealthy habits, they will become unhealthy and often times unproductive adults.  It's a lot easier to already have healthy habits than it is to try to break bad habits.  Most people never break their bad habits - they end up making excuses for them and contribute further to our diseased society.  Popping a pill or injecting insulin is not a good alternative for an unhealthy lifestyle.  Ask a diabetic how much fun it is.  Not just the treatment but the disease.  Sadly, it is inevitable for many people with bad habits because they do not possess the will to change once they are an adult. 

Don't take the easy way out and set your kids up for failure.  It may be easier now, but it will be much harder later in many ways.  Does each meal need to be cooked?  Of course not.  I will cover more on this in future posts.  For now let's just work on setting in stone a quality decision to live better.

So today, do the Tabata (click here) routine from Wednesday.  One time through for beginners, twice if you're up for it, and three times if you really want to see changes!

As always, best wishes.

Sarah

HIIT it!

If you can spare five minutes, you can get a decent workout in. I will show you how, just stay with me here.

Here's the truth.  You don't have to exercise for hours on end, or an hour, or a half hour to get results, but you do have to be consistent.  High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has become my favorite method of exercise.  It increases resting metabolic rate, it takes less time to get the same effect as longer cardio workouts, it's not even close to boring, your whole body gets a workout, and you're done before you know it.  You don't need a gym or equipment for the ones I've put together, so it's also free.

Have kids?  Get them involved.  Not only is it a good time in their life to get them into healthy habits, but it will keep them doing something constructive and burn up some of that excess energy they have (while giving you the extra energy you need to keep up with them!).

No time to exercise is the number one excuse I hear, which is why I've put together five minute routines.  Get your five minutes in 3-5 days a week.  Build up your strength.  Start getting your energy back.  You might find you want more!  Repeat the routines for a more intense workout that will give you results you can see.  Go through them three times in a row, and you'll feel like you've gotten a real workout!

So here's how they work.  Some of my HIIT routines consist of 30 seconds of an exercise followed by a 5 or 10 second rest.  The Tabata routines (which is a specific form of HIIT) consist of 20 seconds exercise followed by 10 seconds rest.  These are especially good for beginners.

During the exercise period, you want to do as many of the exercise as you can while maintaining proper form.  If you can't do very many,  it's okay, just keep trying.  Keep moving.  Don't stop until the rest period.  During the rest period, catch your breath and get ready for the next exercise. 

If you see an exercise and don't know what it is, Google it before you begin.  Remember that most exercises can be modified if they are too difficult at first. Pushups can be done against a wall or counter to make them easier, or on your knees if you prefer.  When I do jumping jacks, I keep my hands at the base of my neck, not moving them as in a traditional jumping jack.  The reason for this is not because of difficulty but because rotator cuff tears have been associated with the arm movements of traditional jumping jacks.  If you don't have a jump rope - fake it!  Just be sure to do something in the exercise time, even if you have to march in place. If you need some padding for your bottom to do the crunches, get a towel if you don't have a special mat.

There are free timer apps that make it easier than watching the second hand on a clock, or they may be necessary if you don't have a clock with a second hand.  In your app store, search for "interval training timer".  Several should come up. Choose which one suits you.  For the Tabata routine today, your timer needs to be set like this:

Round -    00:20
Rest -        00:10
Rounds -  10

That will add up to 5 minutes on your timer. Your timer will beep when to begin, beep when it's time to rest, then beep when it's time to get moving again. If you are just beginning or only have five minutes, then at the end you are done.  If you're ready for more, catch your breath and start your timer again.  Feeling extra frisky? Three times through will give you a better workout than a forty minute cardio workout - in just 15 minutes.  These routines are versatile in that they can be as light as you need or extremely intense.  The main thing is just to do them and (try to) have fun!

By the way, I've seen advertisements for routines based on the exact same methods I will be showing you, and they are ridiculously high priced.  Mine are free and will give you results so long as you do them. Don't forget to cut down on the sugar.  You can't out exercise a poor diet.

Remember it takes more than a day to see results - so stick with it!

Here's your first HIIT, Tabata style- enjoy!

Use common sense. No more excuses.

Be positive.  Be positive about yourself and other people.  Don't shame fat (yes, I said "fat" and not "overweight" on purpose) people, but don't shame skinny people either. For some reason it's more acceptable to pick on "skinny" people. "You're so skinny!" is just as irritating to a thin person as "you're so fat!" is to an overweight person.  So just stop it, and all the junk that goes with it.  Never make light of someone's efforts to better themselves.

Outlook. Attitude. Motivations.

This is the baseline for all of your goals (health wise or otherwise, but today I'm talking health).  Having more energy, treating health issues or wanting to live longer to be around for your kids and grandkids (and actively be a part of their lives) are the types of goals and motivations that will get you on the track to success.

If you're only on a health kick to lose weight, it will be hard to drop and keep off.  Why?  Because either the change you want to see won't happen quickly enough, and you'll quit, or once you get down to a certain weight, you'll go back to your old habits and put the pounds back on.  I've seen this happen with many people, including bariatric patients, one of which is a surgeon.  You would think a doctor would know better, right?  They do, but they fall into the same traps as the rest of us.  We want results, but we don't want to make the permanent changes that give those results.  We'd rather pay for a fairly dangerous surgery and hope for lasting results than consider doing things differently than we do.

It's vital to love and accept your body no matter it's size, shape, or weight.  Part of loving your body means keeping it reasonably healthy. It's not just about appearance.  It's about being the best YOU you can be.  When your body is getting the necessary nutrients and your metabolism is up, you will be happier in general, not just because you feel better about yourself but because your endocrine system will be functioning better, and you'll be producing endorphins that improve mood and overall outlook.  Even if you have underlying thyroid issues or polycystic ovarian syndrome, you will benefit from making healthy lifestyle choices. 

Do it for you.  If you won't do it for you, do it for the people you care about.  People ALWAYS find time and energy to do what they want.  It's a matter of getting priorities in order.  Your health should be in the top part of the list.  Educate yourself on healthy eating.  Fresh foods will always trump processed any day.  In no universe are Poptarts, cupcakes, icing or cookies considered health food.  Not that they are off limits, but they should not be a part of every meal. . . or even every day.  Use your head. No more excuses.

This is your blog, too.

When I make these blog posts, I use "I", "me", and "my" a lot because this is a documentary of my journey, but this isn't meant to be a blog all about me.  The purpose is many fold - the most important of which is for others (you) to know that if there is hope for me, then there is hope for you.  If I can improve my quality of life, then so can you.  My methods may not work for you.  It has taken me many years to discover what is most effective for me (and that I will follow through on), and it may take a little while for you to get into your groove, too.  No matter where you're at, I'm here with you, and I'll be your biggest cheerleader.  We're all different, but we're all here on this planet at the same time, together, for some purpose.

It is for this reason I share my experiences and invite you to join with me in whatever capacity suits you.

Yesterday I deviated from my normal routine with my arm exercises, and am so glad I did!  The incline pushups were getting a bit boring but more importantly it gave me a renewed resolve to get strong again. "Mixing it up" with training is beneficial for many reasons. 

This is the simplified version. Muscles will build/tone/improve only to the point they are pushed.  If you do 20 pushups every day, your muscles will increase strength and tone for a time until they reach as far as they can with the amount of weight and reps 20 pushups gives them.  At this point, you will stop seeing improvement.  This is also why it's important to not workout every day.  Your body needs to rest, recover, and rebuild. By resting, you can go back to the same exercises, and they will become effective again.

I noticed a few weeks ago that my arms had plateaued.  There are dietary changes I could make (like cutting carbs way back) that would make a difference, but I already know that when I do that, my immune system takes a nose dive, I get crabby, then abandon ship and drown at sea.  Browsing some fitness sites, I saw some arm workouts using a resistance band and thought, "cool!"  Resistance bands add weight without using weights.

Thanks to the good people at the BodyRock blog for these.
http://www.dailyhiit.com/hiit-blog/

1) Sag Stopper

Start in a lunge with a band looped under back foot. Hold an end in each hand by shoulders, arms bent and parallel to floor, elbows behind you. Press arms straight out to front, level with shoulders (as shown). Slowly and with control, bring arms back to start so you feel chest stretch open. Do 8 reps. Switch legs and repeat.

2) X-Raise

Stand with feet hip-width apart, the end of a band under each foot. Hold the other end in the opposite hand so bands crisscross in front of you, hands at sides. Bend knees and squat, extending arms out slightly to sides. As you straighten legs to stand, simultaneously reach up and out (as shown). Return to squat for one rep. Do 12 reps.

3) Breast In Show Row

Stand on left leg, loop band around right foot and hold an end in each hand. Extend right leg and arms out in front of you to start. Bend arms and draw elbows straight back (as shown). Be careful not to hunch forward; keep back straight and shoulders down and back. Slowly release arms, keeping leg extended. Do 8 reps. Switch legs and repeat.

4) Kickback

Stand on an exercise band, feet hip-width apart, holding an end in each hand. With arms down at sides, squat and bend slightly at waist, keeping back flat. Draw the band behind you, keeping arms straight, squeezing shoulder blades together and feeling chest stretch open (as shown). Slowly release arms for one rep. Do 12 reps.

I used someone else's resistance band and WHOA!!! I had to grab a different one with less resistance!  Apparently there are different levels of resistance bands (noob alert!), so be sure and find the appropriate resistance band for your strength level.  You don't want it to be too easy, but not so hard you cannot get proper form (which is the mistake I made the first time).

That all took very little time to do, btw.  You could work on getting those in during TV commercials :D.

I also got in 100 Russian Twists.  These are so simple but I love them, they definitely improve the silhouette of your middle, and they're kind of fun - not how I would have described exercise a few months ago!  These can be done in the evening while watching TV, too.  Plus, if you're mind is distracted, you can get more in than you think ;).

For an example of a Russian twist, click here

Then I got up today and realized it's already Wednesday, and I still had not done any cardio, so I got in 40 minutes of low impact cardio, and I'm feeling good about what has been accomplished.  Now to have a healthy meal and relax :D.

Cheers!

Sarah

Hey! Bring Back my Motivation!

Once again (while working my arms today) I've been reminded how weak I've become since my constant struggle with migraines began.  When you feel bad it's already difficult to keep up with your normal activities.  When you have a migraine, it's impossible.  Have those chronically, and you're in a constant cycle of general "feel bads" followed by the actual headache, which can last from a few hours to a few days, followed by the fatigue and head fog that is residual from the migraine (which also lasts a few days).  If you're lucky, another migraine isn't already forming by the time one is heading out.

Anyone with chronic illness deals with this same cycle to some degree.  I tell you the truth when I say that it is more of a struggle to stay active during these times than it is dealing with the illness.  Some days getting out of bed seems like a marathon.  Combine that with dealing with family or friends who "just don't get it", and it becomes overwhelming.  They don't understand why you're grumpy or don't want to participate in every activity or family function.  They get irritated that you never feel well (join the club!).  All this serves to make you feel even worse about yourself than you already do.  Motivation level - 0.

There is so much I could say about that, but this is why it's imperative to be active when you are able.  Sometimes you're not able, and I totally get that, but when you are able, do something.  It doesn't have to be the exercises I post on my blog.  Just getting out and seeing people and talking to them will get your body making chemicals that will help you.  It will even boost your metabolism.  Make new friends if your illness gets in the way of your current relationships.  I know that may seem daunting, but you can do it.  It just takes saying, "hi", and being nice.  Strike up a conversation (stay away from religion and politics unless you are already familiar with the person).  Find out their interests.

When I lived in Florida, I lived next door to a very nice housewife that just wanted a friend.  It wasn't until a month before I moved back to Indiana that I met her and finally spoke with her.  We didn't have much in common for the most part, but we were both housewives looking for a friend!  What a missed opportunity that we didn't take the time to get to know each other sooner!  I promise you, there are people like that around you, someone just needs to take initiative!  Great things happen when good people get together :).  You'll feel better, your outlook will be better, and you just might get some motivation back.

Warmest regards,

Sarah

Incline pushups and reverse crunches!

That's what's on the exercise menu today!

It was going to be a cardio day, but I woke up with an odd desire to clean house.  By the time I had washed litter boxes, vacuumed, did laundry, and washed trash cans (gotta keep those stale odors away!), my heart rate was up sufficiently.  Also, the activity was aggravating my muscles and a slight headache was forming (my body's warning light).

So, I took a pause for a lunch of tuna and a protein smoothie. That may not sound appetizing, but I crave a lot of protein.  I feel enormously better when I consume plenty (again, listening to the body).  I'd have rather had a big steak, but that was more effort than I was willing to put in.

Feeling a bit more relaxed, I got in 100 incline pushups.

Incline pushup

I do mine using the kitchen counter.  I don't know why, but doing them on the floor seems very unappealing (even though I will do the crunches on the floor).  I didn't start out doing a hundred, either.  Remember I started working on getting back in shape in February.  At that time I was doing well to get in 20 (and I was ashamed at how weak I had gotten), so do however many you can.  Today I split it up - 40, stretch, 20, stretch, 40, stretch and done.

Feeling the headache trying to come back, time for another break.  Once my body mellowed back out, time for reverse crunches.

Reverse crunch

The reason for reverse crunches isn't because I favor them over other ab exercises - it's because my rear end is kind of small and my lower back is kind of bony, and doing sit ups a couple weeks ago in my undies on carpeting left my skin sore and raw, and it's still recovering.  They target the lower abs, and no matter your weight will help smooth out the belly.

I set a babaseline of 50, but ended up getting in 100.  Do as many as you can.  Anything is better than nothing!

I want to make a brief note here about bloating.  If you exercise but are still poodgy and bloated, it's probably because of your diet. Wheat is notorious for causing bloating, even if you are not allergic.  If you are concerned, see your doctor.  For most people it isn't an issue.  If you are self conscious about it, just be sure to avoid wheat or other foods that make you bloat a couple days before and the day of an event for which you may be concerned about your appearance.

Remember not to starve yourself.  Have some protein and healthy carbs, and less sugar.  Replace one of those sweet treats with a healthier but tasty alternative.

Best wishes on your journey,

Sarah

Fitness cycle, May-June

Tomorrow kicks off the beginning of another one-month fitness cycle after which I will post before and after pics.  I would have some for you today documenting from February-March, March-April, and April-May, but I was monkeying around on my Google account and accidentally deleted all of my pictures (ALL of them).  I was quite excited about them not because of how fantastic they were (they weren't) but because of the transformation they showed with extremely little effort.

Over the winter I had behaved as most other people do - indulging in all manner of unhealthy food and general (physical) laziness. February was the month I set to start getting things back in order.

I do not advocate massive changes at once unless you are absolutely mentally ready to follow through.  That has rarely worked for me when refashioning my eating habits.   It was more of an overwhelming, grandiose proposition that set me up for failure.  It may have been partly due to the fact that I followed the miracle cure diet(s) to a T for a lot longer than they directed and still felt as bad or worse than before.  Either way, if you're making a positive change, your body should respond positively in a reasonable amount of time.

There is, however, one revision that has had a profound effect on my health and my ability to follow through with other healthy choices - giving up soda.  For me, this was huge, and didn't happen overnight, exactly. 

There was a time when I drank nothing but Big Red and Coca Cola Classic.  I knew it wasn't the best, but it wasn't THAT bad, was it?  One year I gave it up (sort of - I would allow myself 4oz in an emergency) for Lent.  It's the only year I ever gave anything up for Lent. It wasn't easy, but there's no denying it was more tolerable when I considered the suffering of others around me from self inflicted abstinence of something they enjoyed.  By the end of the forty days, not only did I no longer crave soft drinks, I really didn't even want them, at least not regularly. 

It was some time afterwards (months) that my body became more balanced and my mind tuned in.  I would get a Coke and could tell that my body didn't want it, yet I would still drink it.  Afterwards I would feel sluggish and blah.  This realization was monumental because I was becoming conscious that my body was trying to tell me what it wanted, so I started listening!
 

"But, Sarah, that's so easy!  Doesn't everyone do that?"

Obviously not, otherwise our culture would be a lot healthier. I still have a Coke from time to time, but it is rare (btw, it was several years ago that I gave up soda).

This is what mainly governs my diet now - listening to my body.  Your body will tell you what it wants.  Beware of the sugar craving, though!  In fact, that's going to be our focus from today to the middle of June - reducing added sugar, especially high fructose corn syrup, the reason being that your liver treats it differently from glucose and converts it directly into fat - specifically visceral fat (on your belly) and triglycerides, meanwhile your brain is still begging for more glucose (meaning, it's not getting the sugar it needs and tells you to eat more).

I don't believe (with good reason, both from experience and working with my doctor) in totally cutting out or severely restricting carbs.  It's not sustainable, it's really for temporary dieting, will likely weaken your immune system, and will leave you grumpy.  If you feel a sugar craving, get your sweet treat but stop at one or two bites - those first bites are usually the most satisfying anyway.  Keep grapes on hand (those are loaded with the kind of sugar your brain and muscles need).  Go ahead and eat your potatoes and pasta (they get converted to the kind of sugar your brain and muscles need) - that may curb the sugar cravings.  Everything in moderation, of course.  You won't get healthy sitting in front of the TV or computer eating all day or evening. 

Identifying cravings and getting them under control and getting your body balanced is the first step.  Once you have that down you can tackle other dietary goals you may have.

Onto exercise.  My goal is to walk 1-2 miles 2-3 times a week and do light resistance training on my arms and abs 2-3 times a week.  Likely these will overlap as I plan to do no (purposeful) exercise at least two days a week.  There are several reasons for this which I will be covering in the coming days and weeks.

In mid June we will examine the results from light exercise and reduction in sugar and see if the results are worth it (I believe they will be).

Be encouraged to make your own goals.  Make sure they are realistic and attainable - maybe something you've been meaning to do but haven't had the motivation.  Mid June we'll celebrate any progress we've made. :D

Warm regards,

Sarah

Do you ever go to the freezer to get ice cream only to find that it's all gone? Ben and Jerry's has you covered!

If you are like me, you possess something called self control when it comes to snacks, candy, ice cream, cakes or other such treats.  Other people in your house may not be so blessed with self control, or anything that remotely resembles it.  If there is ice cream, they have this incessant need to eat it without moderation until it's completely gone (or worse, they leave one spoon full just to say they didn't eat it all).

Me?  I can have a pint of ice cream, and it will last me 2 months. When I lived by myself, I never had the problem of having a craving for ice cream just to open the freezer and find none there (or one single spoonful).  With a two month time frame, there is ample opportunity to restock before there is a shortage.

Not here.  If you don't grab up your ice cream in three days, well, you're just out of luck.  Someone has already eaten your ice cream, and they have no remorse.  They will do it repeatedly because they do not possess one iota of self control when it comes to ice cream.

Ben and Jerry understand this.  Even in their ice cream factory, apparently they, too, have suffered from someone else consuming their ice cream (actually it was a customer's idea), so they came up with this completely ingenious device - a lock for your ice cream!  You read that correctly. It's called the Euphori-Lock, and you can purchase it from a number of sites including Ben and Jerry's website (least expensive) and Amazon.

So if your roommate, spouse, kids, their friends or other family or guests are constantly consuming your ice cream before you ever get a bite, problem now solved!  No need to treat this as an early birthday or Christmas present - this is a necessary item that may just be vital in maintaining your close relationships!

"Get up and do something! It'll make you feel better!"

Unless it doesn't.

Everyone should exercise at least some, no matter if you are trying to get in shape, stay in shape, lose weight, what your age is, etc. It's quite literally one of the most important things you can do to improve your overall health and quality of life. If exercise is not part of your routine, it really should be. It doesn't have to be a walk. The exercise you should do is the one you will do. The one that doesn't make you miserable.

In addition to boring health benefits that many westerners don't care about (like cardiovascular health, preventing and managing a wide range of diseases from metabolic syndrome to cancer), it improves mood, helps you sleep better, and can even improve your sex life.

Tuesday was great.  I went for a three mile walk out here:

and would have gone further if not for the onslaught of bugs that love to dine on sweat and human flesh.  Walking here is great because not only is it very pretty and pleasant, it's also hilly, which works the glutes, and that's great because I hate squats.

Today it was a struggle to get two miles in.  Not even half way through I was winded and struggling.  Even though the fresh air was energizing, the view was stunning, and the time with Nature was refreshing, I could feel the blood vessels in my head swelling.  Then it started.  From the top of my head down to my feet, everything started aching.

Yay! Almost halfway through!

If someone had been with me midway, you would see a pic of me jumping in the air excitedly.  

By the time I got back, I was done.  Stick-a-fork-in-me done.  I came in and leaned over the counter for close to 30 minutes waiting for the nausea to subside.

Why do I do this to myself?  Because it improves how I feel when I don't have a migraine.  Also, I like looking at myself in the mirror.  

However, I cannot push myself like this every day. Getting up and moving doesn't fix every health woe. Try exercising when you feel like you're going to vomit.  Doesn't sound like much fun, does it?  It can be like telling someone with a broken leg, "get up and walk on it, it'll feel better and heal faster!"  

Granted, most people don't move enough, but try to have a little compassion.  Sometimes we're already doing everything we can to overcome our weaknesses.

Here

Here.  From there.

This blog is going to contain a wide variety of subjects - subjects that interest me or have become a necessary part of my life's journey, a journey that many people will be able to relate to, and hopefully someone will read it and find some tidbit that in some way will encourage them, motivate them, or just let them know they are not alone.  There will be stories of the good times, some not so good, some funny, and many detailing my quest for health and wellness.

I have chronic, frequent migraines.  And by chronic and frequent, I mean I have them in some form at least 5 days out of the week, sometimes more.  That is no exaggeration.  I have nausea at some point nearly every day.  Fatigue and sluggishness is the norm.  Yes, I've had every treatment you can imagine, CT scans, you name it, every herbal and homeopathic remedy, every miracle cure, sensory deprivation, hydrotherapy, EVERYTHING. 

"Don't medicines work?"

Not for these.  Migraine medicines work best for people who have them occasionally.  The unfortunate truth is that there is really very little known about migraines, except they are really, really painful, and it sucks to be the person that gets them. The next person who comes to me with another miracle cure is in danger of being mentally drop kicked.

I work out some, generally eat well, and do what a I can to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  There are many things that do improve my overall health and help a great deal with the sluggishness and most importantly, mental wellbeing.  Being in a large amount of pain regularly takes a heavy toll, as does not being able to do all the things I want to or used to, and I'm only 33.

However, I'm not going to just lie down and die, either.  I have to believe that somehow this will ultimately turn out for good, even if the migraines don't go away.

So, hi! I'm Sarah, and this is me now - working on being the happiest me ever!