Is It Hot in Here?

That is the controlling theme for my life, it seems.  It started about mid December, this avalanche of hot flashes, and I've been trying to minimize them ever since.  I've Googled, researched, asked questions, tried supplements -- all with very little improvement.

I’m melting here, people!

I'm hot natured anyway.  Raise my temperature on top of my natural thermostat, and we have a critical situation here.  Several times a day I'm running outdoors to the back porch just to diffuse.  And it's WINTER.  What if it were summer?  Would they have to admit me to the hospital?  Keep me in one of those tents on life support?

That's not funny.

Never mind.

My research tells me that wine and coffee exacerbate hot flashes.  Great.  Just take ALL of my pleasure away why doncha.

I can't wear many of my favorites of my winter wardrobe -- ribbed turtlenecks, some of my heavier blazers, sweaters.  I'm wearing thin, light layers most every day so that I can shed when necessary.  No fun at all!  I guess it at least keeps me motivated to keep my arms as toned as possible.  No pressure.  RIGHT!

So I dreamed last night that I was on assignment (assignment?) interviewing women about their hot flash experiences.  What, when, how long, how extensive, what they did to alleviate them, whether they were successful in treating them.  I was on the news, reporting live with my interviews.  It was a funny dream.  But not really.  I mean it's funny thinking back to it, but the dream itself was tormenting.  Maybe I should change that to "nightmare."

So I managed to get to the gym today around 11:00.  It's my day off -- MLK Day -- and I had other errands to run earlier.  I wanted to warm up (warm up?) with cardio.  I suffered through on the cardio loft for ten minutes and then thankfully headed down to the [cooler] weight room for lifting.  It was shoulder and abs day, with a four sets of decline skull crushers thrown in for triceps.  I pushed hard for an hour and loved-hated every minute of it.

Three sets of each of the following, unless otherwise noted:

lateral raises

lying leg raises/crunches with gym ball

wood chop squats with medicine ball 

Arnold presses

inclined rear delt raises

inclined front DB raises

weighed planks (10 lbs 90 secs)

declined weighted crunches (25 lbs x 12)

leg extensions

bicep BB curls 21’s  (30 lbs x 2 sets)

declined tricep extensions (skull crushers) (30 lbs x 12)

Finishing with one continuous ab cycle: 

20 bicycle crunches

20 V-crunches

15 lying leg lifts 

I'm driving home with the windows down, the cool winter air and warm sunshine in my face.  Sunny and 50 degrees.  This isn't supposed to last long.  We're expecting snow tomorrow.

I have a list of things to get done today on my day off.  I plan to make a chicken casserole for dinner -- my mother-in-law is coming to stay with us for a couple of days before flying to CA to visit her brother for a couple of weeks to beat winter blues.  I'd like to go along too.  But reality tells me I gotta stay put.  We have a trial starting tomorrow.  No goofing off for me.

So in the meantime I'll keep yummy candles lit, play music that soothes and uplifts me, keep popping Vitamin D and fish oil, make visits now and then to the tanning bed (thank you, Deborah), and stay committed to my morning cardio and my gym routine.  It's my survival technique for the nextt couple of months to get me through winter.  You do what you have to do.  Look for happy...

And try to stay as cool as possible!