The Healthy Home book

Last night I went to a book tour event for The Healthy Home.  I really enjoyed it and learned a lot of things.  The biggest being a new understanding of how our body works.  The author started out by explaining the human cell and how it works and what it is made up of  and needs in order to function properly.  With the periodic table he explain the elements that make up...us.  I remember learning the periodic table in school but I always thought of it out there - in the world.  Last night I became a little more a part of "the world", literally.

When you understand what our cells need it is hard to not give it to them.  Food isn't meant to stop the hunger pains it is meant to feed our body - our cells.  Our cells are so forgiving and with a few changes they can  and will be new again.  We are not punished for life for our choices but only to a point.  Health has a tipping scale and that is why people are living with ailments too much of the time.  Think of the people you know over the age of 55 or 60.  Are they on any medications?  Do we really just except this as normal?

The book goes far deeper than food.  That good smelling car, perfume, cleaner is probably filled with elements from the periodic table that conflict with the bodies elements - otherwise known as toxic.  It seems that word is so controversial but when looked at scientifically, it is the best word to describe what it does to our cells.

I like this book and the Authors because they keep a level head.  They give the information but understand life cannot change on a dime.  Learn the information and then make simple small changes, that is the recommendation.  And, when we do we feel like we have accomplished something - like we are making a difference and that is the emotion that I love to evoke.

Go the the website www.myhealthyhome.com and take a look around.  It is very well done.  And, buy the book.  It is only $13 and all the proceeds are donated to the Children's Hunger Fund ...yes ALL. 

Rock Bottom

There is one process, and maybe it is just me, that comes around again and again.  The cycle to and from rock bottom.  Rock bottoms don't need to be drastic crazy affairs, they are just the end of a cycle to where the we begin to rise again.  Sometimes, maybe most times, we don't know we are on the downward trend until we get that "aha" moment and life bounces up - easier and better. 

There have been many times that I am just not in balance.  I am going through the motions (or not) but I am not feelin' it.  Then one day something clicks and I "get it" all over again.  The motivation comes from out of nowhere.  Bless that nowhere.  I adore you.

Sometimes I know I am falling down, down, down.  I feel completely out of control and I hate it >(  I have learned, for sure, that if I start to panic or if I turn on myself and scold and shame I will be right back to my old weight again.  Keeping a positive mindset during these times (and these times WILL come) is ,by far, the hardest part of getting healthy.  If it were easy it would be easy...right?  Eating healthy and exercising is not hard when the motivation is high.  You have got to have a plan of action ready for when it is not.  I know that if we all can be kinder and cheer louder for ourselves during the slumps we will get through them.  The rock bottoms do come and a sunshiny rainbow is on the other side.  

     

When I plateau

In the beginning,  I found that when I plateaued I would start to panic and I would frantically step up my workout and decrease my calories - cursing myself along the way.  It didn't help.  I had to get back to my confident place before I could conquer it.  I learned when the scale lingered I had to first take a moment and decide if I was willing to move on or was this where I would stay.  If deep down I knew I wasn't up for the "fight" then I would have to be okay with where I was.  If I was ready to keep going I would analyze where I was.  If "stuff" was going on in my life I knew that is where I really needed to work.  If I was injured or ill then I knew that was the problem.  Sometimes convenience is an issue and has to be addressed.  Like I said, if I had hit my limit then that was it - I would name it, whatever it was.  I stopped shaming myself and took on the real issues.  It is those "real" issues that make saying "no" to your favorite food painful not the taste so much and not so much the feeling of being full.  Food doesn't cure all the ailments but it is a great band aid:)   

Now, the issue is not plateauing but the cure is the same.  When I put on a few pounds I go through the same list.  Sometimes the real issue is something totally within my control.  I again ask myself if this is the new normal or just a phase.  As of yet, they have all been phases and I either wait it out or find a new motivation.  For example, I might download some new music to help me look forward to working out.  The fix doesn't have to last forever.  It just has to get me over the hump.  This is a life long process and I am more okay at times with that than other times but I keep on keepin' on and that makes all the difference. 

A Penny For Your Thoughts

Do you remember that movie Somewhere in Time?  I bet I have seen that film over a dozen times.  It was a favorite of my mom's and chick flick lovers alike.

In the movie Christopher Reeve falls in love with a women from the early 20th century and trains his mind to live in her era.  He meets her and they fall in love.  The whole science of the matter get lost in the romanticism - like all the greats do.  At the end (beware spoiler ahead), he pulls a bright and shiny 1979 penny from his pocket and his "trick" is up.         

I have found that "pennies" exist for me in my mental training as well.  When they pop up it is disheartening.  I am not talking about being sick of the work it takes to be healthy, it is not a motivation thing at all.  Nor am I talking about some kind of plateau that drags on and on.  It is an instant dash of reality... or not.

Enough with the bull..ogna.  The other day "the penny" (it is a long story and really not relevant) made my image in the mirror bigger.  In an instant I see the old me.  I know it isn't the bigger version of me in the mirror, I know that logically, but the flaws stare out at me like the sun shines .

Part of the "training your mind" stuff I am always talking about is looking at the positive. Building yourself up.  Focusing on all the good parts of you and ignoring all the rest (most everyone does that with you so why not join the crowd).  You only have to convince one person that the person in the mirror is smokin' hot.  Nothing else really matters, right?    

Fighting these "pennies" are, for me, the hardest battle in weight loss.  I would much rather deal with cravings or lack of motivation to exercise.  Pennies take all the strength I've got.

How do I conquer pennies?  Well, in the movie he had try a different tactic to be with his beloved again.  Was it a good one?  That is the great part about movies.  We all get our own opinion.

For me, I have to talk my way through the pennies.  I have the most wonderful husband that will listen and I have to go right back to my chants.  Which now that I think about it is the way he made his journey in the movie.   And, I have to be patient enough to know that it will take a little time to get back on track.  If I let my expectations rule my  timing then I am doomed before I start.

This road is hard but the hardest challenges have the biggest rewards.  Let's keep our heads in the game, this game right now not yesterday's game, and we will eventually win.  That is why this is the greatest game ever invented.  You win when you lose and when you lose you win;D   

Weighing in on Weights

Here is 12 reasons to add weights to your workout.  I believe in weights. I love weights.  You don't have to sweat to get results with weights and I am all about that.  As I am getting up there in age  (I am not a whippersnapper anymore which by saying whippersnapper I am proving my point)  I am adding more strength training to my routines.   Results take a while but then one day you say "hey, I am lookin' good!"

Go Veggies!

I just read an article that was warning us about the rise is food prices, especially fruits and vegetables.  Yikes!  It is hard to maintain a healthy diet when the cost of those essentials can bust the bank.   So, I am going to try to give you some ideas to help ease the wallet at the store.

1. One of my best and proudest money savers is my cleanser recipe.  This is used as a replacement for glass cleaner but I have cleaned my bathroom with this as well.  Take that empty Windex bottle and fill it with warm water (only to help mix, no need to add warm at every use) and a couple of squeezes of dish detergent.  I buy a big bottle of blue Dawn and it has lasted forever.  It even looks like Windex and I love this even more for mirrors and glass.  Dish detergent has been THEE very best granite cleaner I have used.  Try it, you won't be disappointed.  

2. Invest in some dryer balls and then reduce or skip the fabric softener.  I did this a few months ago and I have noticed my clothes are dryer faster.  I still use a little softener for the smell factor but I am open to skip it once my supply runs out.

3. Watch ads and clip coupons whenever possible.  There are several websites like  smartsource.com   that will let you print out coupons.  I think I bought that big bottle of Dawn for 99 cents when I used a coupon while it was on sale. 

4. Sometimes the price is worth it.  When you take into account the guilt factor, the way-you-feel factor and the cost later on in health care costs the price is greatly reduced.  Remember, demand influences the price so if we all demand better food then the prices will come down.

5. Checked out the frozen food isle lately?  It is fabulous.  There are all kinds of stir fry mixes as well as add-ins that make life easy and delicious.  You would have to spend $10-15 to buy all the different things that come in these already prepped mixes.  Stay away from any that come with "sauce" if possible.  Just add a little salt and pepper and steam in the microwave, YUM!  (remember this is not chocolate yum)  

Good luck at the grocery store next time and pick up a little something different in the produce section.  You might surprise yourself at what your adult taste buds favor. 

Today I grabbed Kale and tonight I am making...

Chef Tom's "Smoked" Kale Chips
Prep time 5 min Cook Time 10 min

    * 1 bunch of Kale
    * 1 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Sesame Oil
    * 1 Tbs fine sea salt
    * 1 Tsp Smoked Paprika


Wash kale thoroughly, let dry.

With a knife or kitchen scissors, remove the thick stem in the middle of each Kale leaf. Tear the remaining leaf into chip size pieces.

Drizzle kale with Olive Oil, sea salt and smoked paprika

Load sheet tray with one layer of Kale and cook in 350 oven for 10-15 minutes / until edges are slightly brown.

What's for dinner?

These days one of my favorite mealtime helps is the allrecipes app.  If you have a smart phone you must get it.   You can name an ingredient and a dish and how long you want it to take and whalah!  You have a tested recipe at your command. 
My latest recipe was the Garlic Chicken Pizza.  It was a hit!

Super fooooods...to the rescue!

 

                                                                                                                      Image from howsuperareyou.com

Below I have included a list of the so-called super foods.  I am going to look at this list as I am making my menu each week and try to incorporate a few of the foods each day.  Some will be easier than others but I am going to feel good about what I add and forget about what I missed.  You must admit that your mouth waters a bit as you read the list  (and you thought healthy wasn't tasty).         

      Alaskan King Crab
    * Dried Plums
    * Bok Choy
    * Oysters
    * Bananas
    * Kiwis
    * Broccoli
    * Spinach
    * Leeks
    * Artichokes
    * Tea/Green Tea
    * Chili Peppers
    * Ginger
    * Blueberries
    * Cinnamon
    * Sweet Potatoes
    * Tomatoes
    * Figs
    * Mushrooms
    * Pomegranates
    * Quinoa
    * Grass-Fed Beef
    * Nonfat Ricotta
    * Tofu
    * Lentils
    * Eggs
    * Greek-Style Yogurt
    * Quorn
    * Chocolate Milk
    * Wild Salmon
    * Pineapples
    * Olive Oil
    * Bing Cherries
    * Dark Chocolate
    * Turmeric
    * Wild Fatty Fish
    * Flaxseed
    * Almonds
    * Apples
    * Whole Grains

There is a website dedicated to helping you choose and understand the super foods
howsuperareyou.com

All is right in the world:D

This is what life is all about people. Eat to live don't live to eat.  Have a gigantic belly laugh once in a while.  And, enjoy the moment - in the moment - more often.

Live! Laugh! Love!

Some cutesy little title is just not coming today

I would have to say the thing that slips me up the most is...change.  I hate change.  Life with four busy kids is doing its best to challenge my journey.  It is moments of stress and anxiety that I eat when I am not thinking about it.  Long stretches of these emotions send me hungryless (not a word - I know) but short ones...they are the killers.  Strange huh?

This morning on the elliptical I was actually fantasizing about a completely regimented life.  I wondered how long it would take for me to want to die of boredom.  I would really like the chance to find that out:/  Remember when you were a kid and your teachers would sometimes write the day's agenda up on the board - loved that.  I imagine having someone there, like a butler or something, making sure I was on schedule for the day and bringing me healthy meals and snacks.  Heaven I tell you, but it is all about perspective - right?

Perspective is the crack in the story that allows me to attempt a change.  Someone else is having the exact opposite experience and I, because I am a human being capable of empathy, can try to understand "her" thoughts and feelings and that can bring me more to center. 

One way this has worked for me in losing weight has been to experience another's love of healthy food that I am not blessed with.   I never liked veggies and fruits but I remember Mrs. Smith, my 5th grade teacher, long before I ever had her, monitoring the halls during lunch and eating a bowl of fruit or salad or something.  She genuinely seem to enjoy her food.  I remember wishing I had a bowl of fresh fruit myself.  I started to eat fruit through her eyes and, although it is not my favorite thing in the whole wide world to eat, I can see why she smiled so.  There is a freshness and crunch you just can't get anywhere else.

Being able to think outside myself has served me well in losing weight.  I am able to try new things and learn what works for me.  I do have to be careful to not get distracted when "what works for me" changes.  This is a life long process and I love it, truly I do.

MmmmMMmm  Fruit - y'all are wanten' some I know it!