Ever since I figured out that I was having difficulty balancing, I’ve been doing my balance/strength pose every morning, even on mornings when I don’t do my full yoga routine.

Basically, stand on one leg. Grab the ankle of the other leg behind you. Stick your arm out. Hold for the count of 10. Bend over slowly (generally count of 5.) Goal is to get your torso parallel to the ground. Hold for a slow count of 20. Come back up slowly, another count of 5. Release, shake it out, and do the other leg.

I’m back to being able to do this fully standing on my left leg, which is the good knee, relatively speaking. Can only manage about a 30 degree angle on my right leg, with the bad knee. 

Yesterday morning, though I could stand on one leg, holding the ankle of the other leg behind me, I could not bend over. Not without falling over. Not on either leg.

Turned out that yesterday was the first day of my period. I don’t recall my cycle impacting my balance so hard before. Seems to be a thing now. Today, I was fine. Might even have been able to get a little lower on my right leg.

Last month, when I was in Las Vegas, I felt as though I developed a sever electrolyte imbalance. My skin developed rashes and sores because I was so dehydrated. I couldn’t absorb my potassium and I got leg cramps.

This month, the same thing happened, just to a lesser extent. My skin got really dry again and I stopped absorbing my potassium.

For many women, their magnesium levels drop at the start of their period. And potassium is only absorbed if you also have enough magnesium.

I’ve never been able to supplement with magnesium. It always acts as a laxative for me. I’ve tried five different types.

Now, I’m going to have to try them again, figure out a form that works for me, and only use it just before my period. Ugh. Expensive experiment.

Yesterday was a pretty meh days in terms of being able to do a lot of things. The good news is that I was able to write. I was able to get through some of my email. I was able to walk 7K steps.

I still hate days like yesterday. It’s so hard to get through them. However, as my sweetie pointed out, I’m now down to about two of those days per month, verses three or four days of meh before my period, as well as three or four days during my period.

I finished the story I was working on yesterday. Will start a new story today, probably finish it tomorrow. Then I’ll need to figure out what I’m doing next. I have other stories that are due.

On a different note – that meme was floating around again, about what would be the one thing in the past that you would change if you could. Problem is, I like myself as I am now. Sure, I made mistakes. I wouldn’t be here if I fixed them.

So do you like current yourself? Of course I’m still tweaking and fixing things, but overall, I’m happy. I hope that you are as well, or are at least working on it.