Tag Archives: depression

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02 Monday Jul 2018

Posted by in health, recovery

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Is it fair to say we idolize caffeine? We put in all sorts of beverages, foods, lotions and potions. It’s the most widely used legal stimulant on the planet. There are some good reasons why you may want to consider clearing this drug out of your system. One is that the impact it has on our brains can actually aggravate depression. Another is that you may simply want to get off the up and down rollercoaster caffeine use creates.

Regardless of the reason, let’s say you want to get free of caffeine, how can you do it? Here’s what I’ve found helpful which might get you through the process.

  1. In the morning, consume your usual dose of caffeine. Then that’s it.
  2. Be prepared for a wicked headache during the late evening/night. I use Naproxen or Ibuprofen to get through it. Drink lots of water.
  3. The headache might persist through the next day but it will pass.
  4. Hang on through the brain fog and lethargy that will last a few days until your brain and body adjust to not being on a drug. Exercise and naps help.

About 4 days after that last dose, the drug will be cleared out of your system. From there it’s the habit you have to change. Finding healthy replacements and distractions – new habits – will help you maintain your new lifestyle.

12 Depression Signs

14 Monday May 2018

Posted by in health, Observations, recovery

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I recently found an article called, 12 Common Symptoms Of Depression That Shouldn’t Be Ignored. Click the link and read the whole article but here are the bullet points.

You’re always tired
Everyone and everything annoys you.
You sleep too little or too much.
Eating’s an issue.
You’re in pain everywhere – pain can make you depressed, and depression can make you feel pain.
You don’t care that you look messy.
You’re hiding.
Nothing interests you.
You’re beating yourself up.
You’re forgetful or have trouble concentrating.
You feel numb.
You think about dying.

If you or someone you know is showing more than one of these signs for an extended period of time, please enlist the aid of professional help.

Workout Essentials

13 Friday Jan 2017

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I started out this short series of posts about how getting active was an important part of dealing with my depression and physical health issues. I hope it’s helpful if you are doing anything fitness related. If you missed the first parts, you can check them out: The Cyclist, YK2HR, Swim, Bike, Run, Nap, and Typical Workout. Did you miss my upper body workout or lower body workout?

This post is about “non-negotiable” exercises. The reality is, I negotiate with them all the time but they usually win. I was given the leg exercises as I was recovering from calf injuries. I aim for doing these exercises after each run – 2-3 times a week. They don’t take long to do. I try to stay focused, minimize rest, and get them done. I usually complete 2 sets of 30 reps each for the leg exercises. The core exercises vary but I do strive to reach the point of failure.

Side notes: 

  • If you want to see your abs, you also have to manage your diet – they’re there, they just need to be uncovered.
  • Watch the video below concerning spine health. Work smart  and keep yourself from ending up with an injury.

Remember that these work for me. They may not work for you. Your goals may be different than mine and so you may want to do different exercises. If you have any medical issues or injuries, please take care and get some help.

Typical Non-Negotiables and Core Exercises

  • Standing Body Weight Calf Raises + Side Leg Raises + Leg Back Kicks
  • Bird Dog Plank
  • Regular Plank + Side Plank (both sides) + Regular Plank
  • Stir the Pot Plank or Mountain Climbers
  • Woodchopper

 

Typical Work Out Week

06 Friday Jan 2017

Posted by in Discovery, health, Observations, recovery

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Have you transformed yourself; became something you weren’t before? My last few posts have been about how between 2012 and continuing through today, I went through a transformation. I was overweight and out of shape with bad blood test results, badly depressed, and a mostly inactive person.

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I have become a lighter, more fit, mildly depressed, fairly active triathlete! If you missed my other posts, you can check out how I started, my first big goal, and then what I did to stay motivated.

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So how does an elite triathlete train for optimum race day performance? I don’t know. Honestly, I really just want to be sexy, less depressed and finish races at least mid-way or higher in my age group.  I’m happy if I can improve with each race. All I can tell you is what works for me. If you’re starting out, I hope you take care, do that doctor check in thing that nobody does, and always remember that results vary.

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The following is what I usually plan for each week. Sometimes I change it up or take a rest day when I don’t get enough sleep – sleep is critical for recovery! Sometimes my work requires meeting or events that mean I have to shift around workouts.

Swim:

  • Day 1 – Long course up to 2.5km.
  • Day 2 – Intervals or Fast 50’s as I like to call them.
  • Day 3 – Longer swim mixed with kick sets

Bike:

  • Spin Class – at least 2x a week.

Run:

  • Treadmill for 30 minutes – walk on incline to warm up then run at 6.5mph for 2-3 minutes, then walk for 1 minute then repeat.

Strength:

  • Day 1: Upper Body
  • Day 2: Lower Body
  • Day 3: Upper + Lower Body
  • Essentials and Core Exercises – 2 times a week

Most of the time, I am done and on to my usual day before 10 am. My work time is usually 11-9. In upcoming posts, I’ll give more details on my workouts and diet.

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(I want to give a shout out to Shay-lon, a fitness enthusiast, trainer, and blogger living in the USA (but don’t hold that against her). I follow her blog and occasionally give her a hard time. She bugged me to write about this stuff even though it’s not my usual focus. I’ve enjoyed the process and now, when I die, there is a record for posterity.)

 

 

The Cyclist

03 Tuesday Jan 2017

Posted by in Observations, recovery

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This is based on an article I wrote for EdgeYK Magazine in the spring of 2014. I’ve edited it slightly as it refers to an event in the past.

No one gets to where they want to go alone. That thought kept coming back to me as I prepared for YK2HR 2014 – an annual, 500 km, three day bicycle ride from Yellowknife to Hay River.

Years of family life and a stressful, sedentary, job meant my weight had been continuously climbing. My blood pressure was rising and my latest tests indicated other risks were looming. Then came 2012 – a perfect storm of loss and discouragement. The year started with my mom’s death. We knew it was coming but I was still devastated. Six weeks later, I had a huge crisis at work that left me reeling. So there I was: unhealthy, grieving, and wounded. I entered a dark cloud of discouragement and depression. It was at its worst in the quiet times – in the middle of the week – and the rest of the time it was a chore to drag myself around and be functional. One week turned into a month, then two months…

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It’s been said that everyone has a story that will make you cry and many people have stories that will bring you to your knees. As stories go, I know mine is on the lighter side. But what made all this really challenging for me is that I was the pastor of the Yellowknife Seventh-day Adventist Church. Getting knocked off my feet a couple days a week and having a persistent dark cloud does not a good pastor make; it just made things worse.

The First Step
Through my work, I can access a confidential and free care line. Getting the courage to call is another story. Thankfully, I got desperate enough to pick up the phone. It was September 2012. That call was my first step to recovery. After listening, the counsellor suggested I had serious depression and I should seek medical assistance. That was the proverbial straw. I had to make a change.

Break Away Fitness
I’m not opposed to medication for depression but I also know that exercise is very helpful. My first stop was the gym, Break Away Fitness in Yellowknife. It took time, but I lost nearly 40 pounds, dropped pant and shirt sizes, and all my health indicators are normal to better than normal. Setting goals, using tools like MyFitnessPal, and participating in challenges kept me motivated. The thing is, something more happened. I found community. The gym owners, Kelly and Carey, were a huge blessing to me and I made many new friends. Let me introduce you to them…

Alyssa!
One of the first friends I made was Alyssa Mosher, a CBC reporter. She interviewed me for a challenge I had organized. There’s nothing like making a public declaration of your goals to make you determined to achieve them. I just hope that when she gets super-famous she remembers the little people. You can find her on Twitter – @ammosher.

Andy!
I met Andy Wong, an avid cyclist and organizer of the YK2HR ride, and I started to pick his brain about buying a bike. He went one better and offered to sell me one of his used bikes, a Trek hybrid. I used to cycle in my youth so returning to riding was transformational. As the cycling season ended I planned to invest in a new bike over the winter; something lighter and fitted just for me.

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Ron!
Ron Ogilvie changed my plans. I told him about my new biking goal and he encouraged me to do YK2HR 2014. I was hesitant. I love to bike but I hate camping. (Personally I think camping is against God’s will – Jesus said he was going to prepare a room for us so we can dwell with him. A room – not a tent or a camp site.) Ron’s persistence wore me down. I committed to the ride.

Preparation is Half the Battle
After I committed, I realized how unprepared I was. A high quality road bike also meant cycling shoes and pedals, clothes for various kinds of weather and, most importantly, padded bike shorts! That last item has inspired my sister to call me a MAMIL (Middle-aged Man in Lycra).

As YK2HR got closer, I gave more attention to stretching and massages – hey, it’s harder than it sounds. To be ready for NWT roads I would regularly go up and down on a teeter-totter while my wife threw dust in my face.

When I started to exercise I realized there was more I needed to do to see the changes I wanted. I started to look closely at my diet – I became intentional about how much I ate and what I ate. The game changer was Vegucated, a documentary on iTunes and Netflix. It’s a low budget documentary where three people are invited to try a plant based diet for six weeks. It wasn’t new information – Seventh-day Adventists have been talking the plant-based diet since the early 1900s – but it was the right information at the right time.

By the end of the documentary, I made the decision to go with a plant based lifestyle. Keep in mind that I didn’t see this as a “diet.” I committed to it as a way of life. I will confess it’s not easy to be vegetarian in the NWT if you keep your mouth open when you ride a bike. The biggest challenge has been eliminating added sugar. I keep telling myself I’m sweet enough on my own…

As I look back on where I’ve been and forward to where I’m going, I believe the best is yet to come.  Check out my next post for what happened after YK2HR…

Fight Back

10 Wednesday Feb 2016

Posted by in Observations, Spirituality

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I struggle with depression. It usually comes in on Tuesdays and stays until Thursdays. I became aware of it back in 2012 and at that time it was suggested I was clinically depressed and should consider medication. I decided instead to make some life changes. Now, it’s not so bad; my dark days are less frequent and not as severe.

Each person’s situation is different but there are some things we can do to fight back when depression comes knocking on our door. Here’s is what I’ve learned from my journey. (This is not a substitute for medical assistance if you need it!)

Get active: this can be hard to do at first but if you can get moving it’s easier to stay moving. I went back to the gym, started cycling, then swimming, and now running. Now my wife and I are doing triathlons. The bonus is, I dropped 40 pounds and I have much more energy. With that said, you don’t need to do anything extreme – start walking for 20-30 minutes each day.

Get a routine: depression makes our days mush together so it’s good to establish a routine. To that end, take a class, exercise at the same time and on the same days, arrange a regular and ongoing meet or call with a good friend. Another really important routine is gratitude. Daily reflecting and being mindful of what you are grateful for changes our focus off ourselves.

Get plants: you can go get a plant if you want but I mean get into a plant-based diet. This may require some gradual changes and some learning (take a vegetarian cooking class!) but the benefits are both mental and physical. There’s evidence that flax and chia seeds,  spinach, and avocado may help ease depression.

Get faith: having a consistent devotional and prayer life is very helpful but it also has to be lived out in community and put to use in service to others.

I hope this is helpful. I would be interested in hearing what you have done to fight back against depression.