Accomplished first lifting goal and supplements redux

Most people, when setting goals for a lifting program, tend to set a max weight that they want to be able to lift. I on the other hand, have trouble just sticking to a routine! After I finish tomorrow's session, I will have completed 2nd week of the 12 week StrongLift program and, if you read a previous blog post, I will have completed my first goal - hooray for me! Time to make my next goal which will be another 2 weeks. Taking baby steps, I believe, is the answer for completing long term goals for myself.

Right now these are my lifting stats:

Squats: 5x5 @ 75 lbs
Bench press: 5x5 @ 65 lbs
Barbell row: 5x5 @ 85 lbs
Overhead press: 5x5 @ 50 lbs
Deadlift: 1x5 @ 105 lbs

I've also added a pull-up to my routine because I've always wanted to be able to do 10 in a row (and thus, emulate Linda Hamilton in Terminator!). Right now I can't even do one unassisted. Yesterday I completed 5x5 with a 20 lbs assist.

I think I mentioned on Facebook or maybe on a blog post that I ordered some compression sleeves for my calves/chins. Well, I've been wearing them for 5 days now and I have to say, they are awesome!! For anyone with Raynaud's Syndrome as part of their lupus symptoms you definitely need to give these a try. No matter how much I get my heart pumping at the gym, my feet are usually not stiff or cold but, how do I explain it, just there, just appendages to my legs, just cool, without a whole lot of feeling to them. When I started working out with the sleeves, my feet actually got warm, warm and fuzzy in fact! This maybe a weird comparison but it's the best one I can think of. You know that comfortable, warm and fuzzy feeling you got right after the epidural kicked in in the middle of labour? That's what my feet felt like! My ankles felt fluid, like water or greased some how. Instead of feeling, really, nothing, they felt fantastic! I ordered these. They are cheap and not fancy, but they are working great!

So, supplements. I did a post a while ago on the ones that I used regularly. This has changed a bit so I thought I would update you on what I'm taking now. I tend to switch it up every now and again to ensure that what I'm taking has an effect on my overall health and trying new things that may help as well. You don't want to be taking supplements and spending a ton of money if they actually don't have much of an effect on your health. I've found that as my diet gets cleaner, some supplements just aren't necessary because I'm getting enough from what I eat everyday. Also, as your gut heals, nutrients become more bio available because a healthy gut can pull more nutrients out of the food you ingest.

Fish oil - I quit the Costco brand and switched to Carlson's Elite Omega 3 gems. The quality is so much better. They are more expensive on the surface but I used to take 6 Kirkland Softgels per day and now I only need to take 2 Carlson's daily.

Turmeric - I started taking Organic India Turmeric to add an extra anti-inflammatory to my diet. I take 2 caps a day.

Magnesium - Totally helps with my sleep. I have never had such deep sleeps until I started supplementing with magnesium. I definitely was not getting enough through my diet. I take Doctor's Best High Absorption Magnesium

Fermented cod liver oil - I take one Green Pasture Blue Ice cap a day

::Robyn

Supplements

Wow my little munchkin girl just turned 5 months on Sunday. I really do not know where the time went! My oldest started kindergarten and she is just beside herself with excitement. Mum however is a little sad but also incredibly excited for her!

I wanted to talk about the supplements that I take everyday as I think that I've got a regimen down now that really benefits my insides and outsides.

First and foremost, I take fish oil. I take the Kirkland's brand from Costco. For a while they started adding soy for some insane reason but it currently doesn't contain any. Make sure your fish oil is pure! No additives like soy or other vegetable oils. I take 8 pills per day (3 in the morning, 2 at lunch and 3 before bed) which is 8000 mg or 2400 mg of DHA/EPA per day. It's a lot for a normal person, who could get by with about half that amount but I have lupus, I'm nursing and I'm post pregnancy.

Next, if I don't get a chance to get outside in the sun for at least an hour (without sunscreen!) I take Vitamin D. I take 10,000IU/day. I use the Now brand from Amazon and they are 5,000IU each so just 2 pills per day.

I also take magnesium. Right now I have liquid magnesium ions which I just squirt into my herbal tea. I take about 400 mg/day. These taste pretty terrible so when they're gone I'm ordering magnesium gluconate pills.

Finally, I take probiotics both in pill form and I brew my own kombucha and drink 8oz per day.

And that's it! My 3 daughters, who also eat a paleo diet (5 month old through nursing ;)) and take the same supplements (lower dosages) except no kombucha and their probiotic is a sugar-free chewable  by Yum-yum.

Take care!

-- Robyn