Easy Parking the Key to Fitness Success in Hollywood. Beans are the Magical Fruit, for Some, it’s the Pineapple.

Greetings, my fellow early birds and aspiring superheroes of consistency! Today, I'm here to share a tale of epic proportions—a story of a habit made easy, hydration, and the unlikely positive side effect of my PICC line. Brace yourselves for a narrative that will have you laughing, cheering, and maybe even contemplating the benefits of getting up at the crack of dawn. Wait. It's fall now, so light is not that early anymore.

Last week, I decided to take a deep dive, reviewing the notes I keep on my morning routine, particularly my quest to rack up 7,000 to 10,000 steps before most people even consider opening their eyes. Yes, you heard me right—5 to 6 a.m., folks! It's wild, I know, but trust me, it's also convenient.

The Early Bird Gets the Parking Spot

One of the hidden gems of waking up in the ungodly hours of the morning is snagging the coveted free parking spots in front of Hollywood's 24-Hour Fitness on Sunset Ave. Parking restrictions don't come online until 7 a.m. It's princess parking with actual Doris Day credentials to score a front-of-house parking space. No crowds, no traffic, and a parking spot practically with your name on it—what more could a Hollywood fitness enthusiast ask for? Trust me, if I try to go later in the day and can't find free parking. I will give up and go shopping rather than go to the gym.

Distraction Be Gone!

Let's face it: life has a knack for throwing distractions our way, but when you're sweating it out at the break of dawn, nothing can stand in your path. No meetings, no last-minute errands, and certainly no unexpected Netflix binges. It's just you, your morning sweat session, and a world that's blissfully unaware that you're even awake.

Enter the Furry Obstacle

Now, I can only take some of the credit. My fur baby, the Jindo dog, occasionally insists on an early morning spin to chase away the mysterious creatures of the night, aka "el coyote." But even that can't stop me from consistently crushing my step goals. It's a warm-up, not a distraction.

Keys to Success

Two keys to success with any habit are making it easy and tracking it. Going early and having a PICC line hooked up for hydration made it easy as pie. It's like having your very own IV drip of determination. And the results speak for themselves! Here is how it got started. I feel like Dorthy explaining how her house landed on the Witch in Wizard of Oz to the Munchinks. In May 2023, my exercise routine was a hit-or-miss affair, happening twice a week at best. Because I would lose stamina or get some other distraction by going to train later in the day. But in June, when I joined the early bird club, I miraculously transformed into a fitness fanatic, hitting the gym six times a week. I missed a few travel days and two days due to illness, not because of distractions. Four months of consistency—now that's something I did not expect to accomplish. It was not a goal I was shooting for. Instead, I achieved this by habitually getting up when I wake up and going to the gym to get my steps. I started with the 10 minutes and added more time and a steeper incline. I am a habit machine on a machine.

From Zero to Hero

When I started my consistent cardio training habit in June, I could barely muster 10 minutes on an elliptical trainer without feeling like burnt toast. My homebound lifestyle, primarily due to the circumstances of my Crohn's disease, had me in a perpetual stop-and-start recovery cycle. I struggled to stay hydrated and ended up in the hospital offten, so I stopped posting about it on social media. But here's where the plot thickens. This spring, I discovered I had more stamina due to —a thrice-weekly IV hydration regimen courtesy of my PICC line. No more hospital visits, just pure, stamina-building goodness. It's been the most prolonged and consistent period of recovery I've ever experienced with my Crohn's condition. Previously, I was getting in clinic IV fluids once a week. Now, I give them to myself in three smaller doses at home, giving me a more even keel of functionality to build stamina.

So, there you have it, folks: the inspiring tale of how a PICC line, early morning shenanigans, and an unwavering determination to hit those steps turned me into a consistency champion. Remember, the road to success may be filled with crazy adventures, furry distractions, and IV drips, but it's always worth the journey. Here's to PICC-ture perfect mornings and stepping into a healthier, more consistent future!

How does my garden grow?

I have been messing around with pineapple starts. They are the tops of pineapples I cut off and plopped down in a pot of soil. They look terrible. Now, I have some green puppies coming up around the edges. I am so excited I may even remember to water this batch. It took four or five tries to get the one success. I am pleased to have one of my plant experiments pay off finally.

What am I reading this week?

Your Tastebuds Are Assholes: How I Trained Mine and Healed Crohn's

| By Unique Hammond

Short Answer: It's Beans!

I was disappointed. While the author's personal story is horrible and triggering, it's accurate and valid to explain what happened to her. However, I would skip the first few chapters. No two people have the same experience with Crohn's or, more generally, autoimmune diseases. What worked for her and the people she has helped only works for some. The breakthrough diet she reveals is that she eats beans between meals to reduce inflammation in her gut. Also, fiber products do the same thing, so she uses powder fiber products when she travels. When she has a flare, she eats a diet with refined, simple foods to allow her gut to recover more quickly.

She talks like an anti-vaxxer and rejects medical treatments common for people with severe Crohn's. There is no clinical information to back up her book. It's based on her own experience and personal opinion. She is a data point of one, which is similar to playing the lotto numbers. If you have an inflammatory bowel disease, try the diets and read about your options, but get into a good clinic for professional help.