My day today began at 5 a.m. when the alarm clock blared and Ryan and I seriously debated sleeping in. I knew I would feel better after a workout and tried to psych myself up as we drove to the gym. Thankfully I started to get into my grove when I was about 10 minutes into my workout.
Today’s gym session began on the stair master with an interval workout that looked like this:
It was a good one and I was super sweaty by the end of it! I finished my workout with some strength training that focused on my shoulders and calves.
Reebok Nano Speed Review
During my workout I wore my new Reebok Nano Speed sneakers that I absolutely adore.
These are, hands down, my favorite Reebok shoes to date. Through our ongoing partnership, I’ve been able to try a handful of their sneakers and I feel like these shoes are perfectly suited to my workouts. Plus, they are so darn comfy! (I think they fit true to size, but I talked with Anne who also works with Reebok and she thinks they run a little big.)
Like the Nanos, the Nano Speed is lightweight and has a low heel to toe drop, but the main difference I noticed between the two shoes is the flexibility of the sole. The sole in the Nano Speed shoe is much more flexible than the traditional Nanos which I really appreciate for workouts that incorporate short bouts of running. The low profile still allows me to feel very stable during exercises like squats and lunges, but the flexibility in the sole makes them a better fit for me during boot camp workouts that incorporate some running. I’m a big fan!
I also like the way they feel as just a casual sneaker outside of my traditional workouts. I wore the Nano Speeds all over the Outaouais region of Canada zip lining and on a short hike in Gatineau Park and my feet felt comfortable the entire time.
Sometimes when I wear traditional running shoes for activities other than running, I feel like they are too bulky, so the Nano Speeds are a great alternative for me.
Breakfast
Once Ryan and I made it home from the gym, it was time for food.
On the menu for today was a batch of scrambled eggs with chicken sausage and a Jazz apple on the side.
I ate breakfast as I typed up my morning blog post and then hopped in the shower to rinse off before heading out to a doctor’s appointment.
Allergy Testing
Two weeks ago I scheduled an appointment with an allergist. Back in July I had an allergic reaction that freaked me out and then I actually had another allergic reaction a few weeks later that never made it on the blog. I made an appointment with an allergist to see if we could uncover what set off my reactions.
After the doctor asked me a series of questions, he scraped an “X” mark on my back and asked me some more questions before checking my back. He told me that the scrape he performed on my back caused my skin to raise, indicating that I have dermatographism, a condition that occurs in 4 to 5 percent of the population. The skin of those with dermatographism becomes raised and inflamed when it is scratched because mast cells on the surface of the skin release histamines without the presence of antigens.
As for what exactly caused me to break out into hives during my first allergic reaction and experience hives and slight difficulty breathing during my second reaction, the doctor said it will likely never be uncovered. I’ve never had any sort of reactions to food in my entire life and he said that testing patients like me rarely uncovers anything at all. It’s kind of confusing to me, but we have a follow-up appointment in four weeks where I’ll be able to ask more questions. It was an interesting morning!
Question of the Afternoon
- Have you ever been to an allergist?
- Are you allergic to anything?
I am not severely allergic to anything that I know of, but dust, pollen and cats make me sneeze like crazy. They also make my eyes water and the back of my throat itch. No fun!
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
I was at my allergist’s office today (coincidentally also Allergy & Asthma Care, just in Memphis). Love him! I am allergic to cats, dogs & cockroaches (gross) of all things. Cats & dogs rarely bother me but I also have chronic non allergic rhinitis…Chronic sinus nonsense. Thankfully my dr has found the right combo to keep me breathing. Hope they figure out what’s bothering you soon so you don’t have another scary episode. Don’t leave home without Benadryl!
In high school and college I had that thing where the slightest scratch would puff my skin up. My friends thought it was hilarious to “write” things on my arms knowing it would be several hours before the puffing went away. Then one day it just stopped happening, I don’t know what changed.
The stairmaster always leaves me super sweaty! I will try out this interval workout today. I’ve never been to the allergist, and I’m not allergic to much. I just have one very weird allergy…the sun! I’m allergic to the sun. It sounds worse than it is. I just get a little red and itchy and have to take a claritin.
I’ve had awful eczema since I was young and had a patch test done several years ago where the doctor applies various environmental allergens to your back and they stay on for a few days and then determine what you’re allergic to based on your reactions. I had a huge welt from nickel and also reacted to formaldehyde. Funny enough, looking back the appearance of my eczema began in the 6th grade when I got braces- all nickel.
I’ve never been to an allergist, but I know that I have a reaction to bee stings. I once got stung on the tip of one of my fingers and it caused my whole arm to swell! It was pretty scary but luckily it didn’t affect my breathing or anything.
I’ve nevered suffered from food allergies; however, similar to your situation i have had two allergic reactions that required a trip to the ER. I went to the allergist and recieved a round of “prick testing” for different types of food allergies- after several rounds of testing i found i was allergic to certain ingedients in vegetable and produce washes -which i dont use but i guess some restaurants do – such a random allergy but i am happy i found out what it was.
I have dermatographism too! So it looks like we’re in the 4% together haha
A few years ago I started having random allergic reactions to various dishes, many of which I’d had before. It was terrifying, but I didn’t want to see an allergist until I had an idea what it was. After about a year, I was able to narrow it down to green peas (which has since expanded to include chickpeas and lentils), and went to the allergist for the test. The problem is there’s so many different things out there they can’t test you for everything, only the most common, and my allergist had never even HEARD of a pea allergy, or the type of symptoms my reaction presented. However, the skin test (I brought in the sample of peas) had such a severe reaction she immediately prescribed me an EpiPen. Pea protein has started to become a more popular add in in foods, due to being vegan/vegetarian friendly and (theoretically) not an allergen, so now I have to be veeeeery careful in reading labels.
I’m on the look-out for some new sneakers, so I will def check these ones out!
I just created a new workout that looks a lot like this! I’ve been loving the Stairmaster lately, it’s a nice change from the treadmill and intervals leave me worn out and sweaty!
I’ve never seen an allergist but I’m convinced I’m allergic to goat cheese (even though I’m not sure goat cheese allergies even exist!).
I had the scratch test come back “positive” too – I had no idea it was such a rare thing! I have had terrible allergic reactions to all types of antibiotics – all with hives. I’m sure someone already mentioned it but when that has happened to me the best thing for me to take to get them to go away without falling asleep has been Allegra.
I have dermatographism! I’ve had it since I was 5 years old.. Whenever I try on clothes, scratch myself, etc I get hives all over. As for the food allergies— eosinophilic gastroenteritis. It SUCKS. I’ve been hospitalized countless times, and I showed up positive for 90% of the foods they were testing me for (along with dust, pollen, weeds…)
So yeah, the dermatographism is really nothing to worry about though.
I have that reaction too (and hives of unknown origin since my teens). It makes other stuff look so much worse since if you cave and scratch even a bit then you swell even more!
I have the dermatographia too! bizarre…along with a lot of other environmental and food allergies. I would try to get tested maybe with another doctor- allergies are weird but nothing to take lightly. If you find out it’s a certain food it’s good to avoid. I am allergic to peanuts and even though I avoid it, there are always scary run ins that I don’t expect. There are lots of different ways to test, and it can change over time, but it’s better to know than not. Good luck!