Do you know what pleurisy is? For those who have had it, their reaction is always the same:
“Oh no! You have pleurisy? That’s awful!”
What is pleurisy? According to the Canadian Lung Association, pleurisy is an inflammation of the pleura; the two-ply membrane that both encloses the lung and lines the chest cavity. From experience, I can tell you that it causes intense pain each time you take a breath. It can be a complication of the cold virus and in my case, an anti inflammatory was prescribed.
The piercing pain didn’t allow me to move my arm or twist in a certain direction, cough, laugh, sneeze, sing or take a deep breath without severe, tears-to-your-eyes pain. Due to pleurisy, I obviously haven’t been able to exercise. Yes, no jogging! Sigh…
It is recommended to:
“Limit the movement of the lungs”
That is exactly what I had to do in order to limit the pain. In other words, I’ve been forced to chill out. Rest. Relax. Lay low. Don’t jog.
If you are injured and not exercising to the amount you were before there is something you need to remember:
DON’T OVER EAT!
When you work out, you can eat more food because you are burning more calories.
When you are injured, you aren’t burning the same calories so watching how many calories and where you are getting your calories is really important.
Empty calories from potato chips, processed foods, candy or other sweets should be limited or avoided all together. Instead, choose nutritious foods that not only will give you natural ingredients to build up your immune system but also give you calories that are healthy.
I will tell you a little secret.
I don’t have cable so I don’t watch TV during the week but on the weekends I like watching a movie. This is the time to sit and munch.
Instead of munching on my usual buttered popcorn, I have substituted for a POMEGRANATE.
I LOVE POMEGRANATES!
They are really good for you and keep you busy picking out the individual seeds as you watch a movie. Instead of feeling a bit bloated and enormously thirsty when I eat buttery or salty carbs, I feel clean. My body is happy.
Don’t get me wrong, I love popcorn but check out the health benefits of POMEGRANATES:
- Packed with antioxidants
- Loaded with Vitamin C, Potassium, Vitamin B5, Folate and Vitamin K
- Believed to lower risk of heart disease
- Believed to lower risk of cancer, specifically prostate and breast cancers
- Helps to reduce cholesterol
- Fight cell damage
- High in fibre (must eat the actual seed to get the fibre)
And ladies, apparently it helps fight erectile dysfunction so you may want to introduce POMEGRANATES to your man’s diet. Its lovely, juicy red seeds look beautiful in salads!
Watch the squirting of the juice as it can stain counters, hands and fabrics.
This weekend, pick up a couple POMEGRANATES and give them a try. If you can’t imagine watching a movie without popcorn, have a smaller bowl and then crack open a pomegranate. Your body will thank you!
WISHING YOU A HEALTHY, HAPPY AND JUICY WEEKEND MY DEAR FRIENDS!
With a smile,
Tina
PS. If you are returning to exercise after an extended injury or illness, check out my inspiring book “THE DECISION” for some helpful tips. Because I KNOW IT WORKS, I personally will be using it to get back into my training!
[...] the past 5 or 6 weeks I have not been able to exercise due to pleurisy. Prior to that, I was only jogging about once a week because of a bad cold so this has been an 8 [...]