May 16, 2023 – My week drinking Golden Milk

Back in March, I was feeling physically and mentally exhausted. The stress of dealing with the aftermath of a category 5 hurricane had damaged my psyche. Between eating unhealthy food due to dealing with an unusable kitchen sink and having to sleep in an old queen sized bed, my body was rebelling. It was time to do something.

After a lot of research, I decided to try Golden Milk. What is Golden Milk? It is a drink made of warm milk of your choosing, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, and dried coconut milk. I had heard that turmeric was good for inflammation. I thought about taking turmeric pills but decided I didn’t want to go that route. I found an organic Golden Milk mix on Amazon and decided to give it a try.

Day 1: The bag of Golden Milk arrived Wednesday, May 10, 2023. I was so excited to try it. That evening, I warmed up 1 cup of cow’s milk in the microwave for one minute. I added a teaspoon of the golden powder, stirred it and sat down to sip by drink. While I wouldn’t describe it as delicious, I wouldn’t say it was disgusting. It needed just a little something to make it more enjoyable. If all goes well, I will try added maple syrup to it as suggested.

About half an hour after drinking it, I was so relaxed and ready for bed. I went to bed without taking the Tylenol Arthritis and Advil that had become a daily thing for me. I slept like a baby and woke up feeling great. I actually woke up before my alarm went off and, instead of waiting for my legs to feel good enough to walk, I got up and made a pot of coffee. No hitting snooze. I was up and at ’em.

That first day I was able to go up the stairs at work for the first time in ages and I did it without having to stop part of the way up. I didn’t only do it ONCE, I went up the stairs TWICE that day. Amazing.

Day 2: This evening I added a tsp of maple syrup to the Golden Milk. It was an improvement but still not how I wanted it to taste. It went down smoothly and, just as the first night, I was relaxed and ready for bed in half an hour. I slept like a baby again.

The next morning I woke up, still feeling better than I was. However, I was muscle sore due to pushing myself too hard and using muscles I hadn’t used in a while. I did take an Advil and after being up for a while and getting the muscles warmed up, I was much better. Even with the little bit of morning achey muscles, still an improvement over how I felt in the morning before Golden Milk entered my life.

Day 3: This evening I added a squirt of agave and a splash of vanilla extract to my Golden Milk. YES! This is how I will be making it from now on. Once I finish my regular milk I will switch to unsweetened vanilla almond milk and I won’t need the vanilla. Drank my delicious latte and once I was relaxed, I went to bed. I know you are expecting me to say I slept like a baby and I will, but not the way I first meant it. Did you know that this turmeric has diuretic qualities? Yes, I encountered the I will call the wee wee hours. I lost count of how many times, but it was a lot. Just like a baby. LOL

The next morning I woke up feeling great. I looked down and, much to my surprise, my feet and ankles were no longer puffy. I weighted myself and I lost six pounds. Yes, I said six pounds.

Day 4: Had my latte and went to bed, sleeping really well.

The next morning, I had a sinus headache but the rest of me felt fantastic. Took an Advil and that went away quickly. I made sure to drink lots of water so I didn’t get dehydrated due to the diuretic actions.

As for how I am feeling today: One a scale of 1 to 10, my arthritis and muscle pain is a 2. A week ago it was any where from an 8 to a 10. My ankles and feet no longer look like the stay puffed marshmallow man. I wore pants haven’t worn since before the pandemic. I feel fantastic.

Day 5: Had a great nights sleep after drinking my yummy latte. Woke up refreshed and went for a walk down on Charlotte Harbor. I didn’t need to stop and take a break. I even walked up the slight incline near the Spirit of Punta Gorda statue. I’m down another 4 pounds! I’ve only taken Tylenol Arthritis once since I started this. I’ve taken Advil twice. I haven’t needed to take Claritin either. I’m looking forward to continuing this stuff.

Day 6: Had my latte and slept well last night. Got up at 6:30 am this morning. Weighed myself and I was up two pounds, but that’s ok. I’ll lose it again.

It is Monday of my Staycation. I made coffee and started cleaning. Cleaned the refrigerator. Cleaned out some cabinets and took the items we no longer wanted to Good Will. I had a nice lunch and now it is time to take a break. More reports to come.

Day 7: I woke up feeling pretty good. Had a relaxing day. It is almost time to make my 7th cup of golden milk. It is funny how this has so quickly become an evening ritual. Once I feel that it’s time to meditate and get ready for bed, I get happy and look forward to that golden deliciousness.

Went for a nice walk around the block tonight. Did the whole thing without stopping. I’ve almost made my step bet goal for the day. I have 300 steps to go. After I finish that two week program, I’ll write about my experience.

What a great way to end my week of drinking Golden Milk.

My conclusion: After 7 days of Golden Milk I feel like a new woman. My arthritis is so much better. I’m sleeping great. My appetite and food cravings are so much improved. Digestion has settled. My skin is improving. My mood has improved and I’m feeling less stressed.

This was my experience with Golden Milk. Yours may or may not be similar. Please check with your physician if you plan on trying Golden Milk. Wishing you well.

Thanks for reading.

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January 3, 2023 – Two good days in a row

Today was a “rest” day. I did not go to the fitness center. Instead, I did several short cardio and strength exercise videos from the Wakeout app.

Wakeout helps me to work out the stiffness that occurs when you work a desk job. It gives stretches and exercises to get you moving during the work day. It will even let you schedule reminders to move.

My food choices today were excellent. Special K cinnamon pecan cereal with blueberries for breakfast. No sugar in my coffee and i even measured my sugar free creamer!

For my morning snack I had a cup of unsweetened tea and a Sargento balanced break. For my afternoon snack, I had a clementine. Delicious.

Lunch was shrimp, spinach, tomatoes, Kalamata olives over orzo with a squeeze of lemon. Yum!!

Dinner was two tacos loaded with lettuce and tomato with 2 oz of lean taco meat. Just a sprinkling of cheese to top them off. Yum.

I drank lots of water and had no sugary drinks.

It was a good day and I am proud of myself.

Have any good healthy recipes or tips you would like to share? What is your go to trick to keep yourself on track?

January 1, 2023 – Let’s start over

Happy New Year !!

Starting out on a positive note. Walked at the mall. Did chair yoga. Drank water. When we went out for lunch, I put half of my food in a to go box. Feeling tired but good. Tomorrow I hit the gym.

A good start.

My Zen Zone

If you know me, You know that I am not svelt and lanky. I am fat. I can say that and smile because all of my other health parameters are excellent (cholesterol, triglycerides, etc.). I am also one of the least flexible people I know. In an attempt to lose some weight and gain some flexibility, I began taking a chair yoga class at North Port Yoga and Wellness in the beginning of May. I love it and have seen a change in my body. I have lost 5 pounds and, so far, kept it off.

Last week I was sad to find out that the chair yoga class was being changed to a gentle and restorative yoga class. After emailing back and forth with my yoga instructor and the studio owner and reading a Yoga Journal article about this practice, decided to give it a try.

When I arrived at the studio yesterday morning, my instructor, Martha, explained a little about what we would be doing. She immediately put my mind at ease and assisted me with the worst part of the practice, getting on the floor. After some stretches, we entered rest and digest and began the gentle postures. Propped up with bolsters, bricks, and blankets, Martha put me into 5 poses that I remained in for 5 to 10 minutes each. I could feel the stress and tension completely leave my body. It was blissful.

I’m looking forward to next weeks class.  Speaking of classes, how did I find this yoga class? My employer signed up with a company called Peerfit. Each month employees get 16 credits to use towards different physical fitness opportunities. Gyms and studios who participate have classes you can sign up for using your credits. That is how I found North Port Yoga and Wellness and I’m so glad I did.

Namaste.