"What does she have in her mouth"....watch it, she will choke on that......boil that plug, it just fell on the floor....don't let her play with that, she will put it in her mouth and swallow it"..... and on and on, go the sayings of watchful parents over their babies and toddlers....as part of parental caretaking 101, the primary task is to ensure that only "good & approved" things can go into their little children's mouths....
Then, we grow up....and that means, we have our own "mouth patrol and control"...that is, if we like it, if we want it, we eat it! We certainly know what is GOOD for us, don't we?!? Just in case we don't, we can read the fine print on the outside of the package.....because that is the truth, right??!?! Well, i'm afraid to tell you...............well, let's just start from scratch.....
The truth is...there are chemicals, toxins, carcinogens, volatile organic compounds (vocs), everywhere....let's just step back for a minute and go through our day and see what we put in our mouths and on our bodies that we THINK is GOOD for us?!?!
Let's back up a bit and start with a good nights rest - right?! Well....not so much.....
11pm - Time for bed - climb into that nice mattress full of polyurethane foam and particleboard containing formaldehyde (YEP YOU READ THAT RIGHT, YOU AREN"T DEAD YET, BUT ARE ALREADY GETTING SOME EMBALMING FLUID TO GET YOU READY!).....and if you have the bonus of "fire retardant" in your mattress, then you get some bonus chemicals such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) which accumulate in humans and may promote things such as breast cancer in woman and interfere with brain development in children. Some states have banned certain forms of PBDEs.....
Cold??? Next, cover yourself up with some nice sheets and if they aren't "organic", they are likely sprayed with 1.25 pounds of pesticides - YIKES! INTERESTING UNBELIEVABLE TIDBIT HERE - conventionally grown cotton uses 25 percent of the world's insecticides and 10 percent of all pesticides, which of course are carcinogens (i.e. cancer causing!) - PLUS BONUS, regular cotton sheets are also usually treated with formaldehyde (YEP MORE EMBALMING FLUID! So that is why they don't wrinkle~?~) which is also a carcinogen and can cause throat irritation and headaches among other things! So SWEET DREAMS...............go to sleep!!!
7A - Alarm clock rings - jump up and head to the shower......How about cutting your shower a little short...did you know that the average faucet runs through 3 gallons of water PER MINUTE!
So if you leave the water running, just while you are brushing your teeth for 2 minutes, 2 x day, that is 12 gallons a day, 4380 gallons per year. Beyond the whole "conserving water" piece, just think about all that water that literally had to be "treated" to just go back down the drain and the energy that took! 4380 gallons of water equates to 25 pounds of CO2 into the environment and that is just YOU brushing your TEETH! Turn off the water while you brush!!! You can only imagine how many gallons are going down the drain during our leisurely showers!!! How about shaving your legs before you shower, or turning off the shower, while you soap up!? I didn't say this was going to be easy....or fun.....
So on to your shower.....
get your shower gel or soap, shampoo, conditioner and lather up....oops wait a minute - more chemicals.....
Most body care products are produced in a lab and have harmful chemicals including 1) Phthalates (found in deodorants, baby wipes :(, baby powders :(, liquid soad, sunscreen, lotions, referenced only in the ingredient list as "other" ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Scientists have shown they are probably carcinogens as well as "endocrine disruptors" which means"gender bender chemicals that make girls develop earlier and reduce testosterone levels in boys!!! Because of commercial "trade secrets", there is no need to list "phthalates" on the labels :( VERY SAD INDEED;
2) Next look for "parabens" which are chemicals found in most soaps and shampoos made commercially; whether they are shown as "methyl, prophy or butyl" they are endocrine disruptors;
3) Lastly, look for DEA, which is a wetting, thickening and foaming agent used in shampoos (including baby wash :(, liquid hand soaps, shaving products, deodorants....this group of chemicals interfered with normal brain development in baby mice when applied to the skin of pregnant mice based on a study at the UNC at Chapel hill - OMG!!!!!! Plus, bonus, DEA can react with other ingredients in a formula, whether on the store shelf or in your cabinet, to form extremely potent carcinogen called NITROSODIETHANOLAMINE (NDEA) which is readily absorbed through the skin and linked with stomach, esophagus, liver and bladder cancers!!!
Basically, try to avoid buying products with ingredients that end in the letters "eth", "oleth", "laureth", "ceteareth", PEG, "polyethylene" and "polyethylene glycol" or "polyoxyethylene" or "oxynol".......Even some of the "natural" and "organic" products have this stuff in them....Best idea is to use trusted info from organizations such as the Environment Working Group (EWG) online database of personal care items (http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/)...
Fragrance?? Buy things with the fewest ingredients listed, that are fragrance free or even make some of your own!!! Even toothpaste isn't free from these things!!!!
8a - Time to put on your makeup - yikes - what is in all this stuff we are putting right near our eyes and on our face!?!?! And what about your nails - do they need some polish!???
Avoid these 5 ingredients in makeup:
-formaldehyde
-parabens
-phthalates
-petroleum (adds moisture to skim, listed as "mineral oil" p"paraffin" or "propylene glycol" - besides petroleum being a "nonrenewable resource" i.e. limited quantity, this ingredient adds to "clogged pores" - just what we want - petroleum loaded up in our pores!
Buy things "unscented" when possible, as the word "fragrance", innocent as it appears, indicates there may be formaldehye, phthalates or parabens present! Man, lots of sneakiness going on!!!
-toluene
Lipsticks are the worst :( - and that is bad because over your lifetime you eat pounds of lipstick! Estimated 4 to 9 pounds per person! They are often petroleum based and contain formaldehyde in the form of preservatives....but there are good ones out there.....i.e. lavera.com (haven't tried it yet, but plan on it!) and also Burtsbees!
Eye makeup - watch out for the lead (usually listed as lead acetate) because it is a "neurotoxin"..
I actually read (and someone from Holland on my recent trip to Curacao confirmed this!) that some makeup/perfume companies actually put certain things in their products for AMERICA that are actually BANNED in Europe!!! So they make up 1 "batch" for America and the other "batch" for Europe! That was shocking and made me sick!
Next up - time to get dressed! Opt for "organic cotton" when possible! Why? As mentioned above, conventional cotton crops use the most pesticide-intensive farming process in the world! Consider this - 3 percent of the world's farmland is used to grow cotton but 24 percent of all the insecticides IN THE WORLD as well as 11 percent of all the pesticides are required (which then permeate the air, damage the soil and seep into our water supply - YUCK!!!!!!!)
This translates to every POUND of cotton (which is about what it takes to make 1 shirt) is sprayed with 1/3 of a POUND OF PESTICIDES!!!! Smell your shirt now!? And if you have gone to the cleaners, they have added even more chemicals to your shirt! Really amazing that the cotton doesn't just disintegrate, isn't it!?!? And that material is right next to your skin - makes your skin crawl a bit doesn't it!?!?
So each cute little cotton tee, has about 1/3 of a cup of chemicals, including cancer causing agents! If you would have just bought organic cotton, there are no pesticides or chemicals used!
Wool isn't much better! Linen actually is made from the flax plant and doesn't get near the chemicals as cotton. And workout gear?! Well, most workout gear is made from nylon and polyester which are manufactured from petrochemicals, the creation of which releases nitrous oxide into the environment :(....Nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas that is 310 (YES 310!!!) times stronger and worse than carbon dioxide!!!
Good news - you can actually find lots of workout apparel made from ecofriendly fabrics, such as bamboo - believe it or not!!! Check out bepresent.com or patagonia.com..
Once dressed, time for a nice cup of coffee (never actually touch the stuff, never have, but most of my friends and husband do!!! So here's the dirt on coffee.........
Sorry to add 1 more thing to stir the pot, but coffee is 1 of the most chemically treated food crops ON THE PLANET!!! It is sprayed with 1) pesticides 2)grown with chemical fertilizers, 3) herbicides 4) fungicides......all those "cides" can't be good! Most coffee is imported from countries that use chemicals that are BANNED IN THE US! Yikes, bottoms up peeps!
And then there is the whole thing about coffee used to be grown in the shade of tropical forests, which provided habitat for over 150 species of birds and wildlife....but now we want faster, cheaper, so forests are cleared and coffee grown in full sun...no problem, right? WRONG!! What's the problem? Negative impact on the environment, and wildlife, when the birds are removed, more pests come in which equals, you guessed it, more chemicals!!!
So what to do?! Look for "shade grown" coffee - it's on the package! They use significantly fewer chemicals.....better yet, choose organic! BTW, Starbucks buys "certified fair trade coffee"!
Okay, enough for 1 day.....but just pointing out that while our bodies are STRONG, come on, we need to give them a break from SOME of these chemicals........I'm not suggesting you throw out everything in your medicine and food pantry! That isn't green either - use up what you have! However, every little change you make, makes an impact!!!
And speaking of "green"....not only are plants pretty, they also help ELIMINATE TOXINS in your home, such as formaldehyde, toluene, xylene and others.....for example
1. gerber daises - reduce formaldehye levels
2. chrysanthemums - reduce benzene and trichloroethylene levels
3. orchids - reduce xylene and toluene levels
4. english ivy - reduces benzene levels
5. bamboo reduces formaldehyde levels
So just for today.....what's 1 little thing you can do to start making this world a bit greener and YOU a bit less CHEMICALLY INDUCED!?!? GO FOR THE GREEN!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
This little piggy went to the market......
Okay, how many times do you suppose you have read that nursery rhyme??? As a child, my sweet mom read it to me, as well as some of my siblings I'm sure...why not? I was the baby of the family so everyone likes to remind me that I was spoiled rotten.....
Then as a mom, I read it to my 2 sweet darlings....and now I have 2 precious granddaughters that I can read it to (okay, maybe via skype some of the time, but I guarantee you, I will be reading it to them!)
But I must say, I never really realized how SMART that piggy was? Why - you ask? Well, I have been going to the market (Ferguson Farmer's Market on Florissant road - AWESOME) on Saturday mornings every possible week I can and I am LOVING IT!
Why, you ask?! Well, besides the fact that it is just plain FUN, you can even pull your red wagon (there on loan for your shopping and to get your purchases out to your car!) and wheel it around to all the vendors and load up on all kinds of FRESH, UNSPRAYED food as well as cute little booths with jewelry and all kinds of stuff...Plus they always have some kind of fun entertainment going on...the 1st week we went they were shearing sheep! Yes, you read that right, that was pretty neat to see! Usually there are some fun musicians playing while you shop and you can even pull up a picnic bench and order an hot, fresh omlette! (Doug usually does this while I wheel around the wagon!) It is just a real "event" and one you shouldn't miss!
So you know I told you I have been reading up on some "green books"...and although I already knew "pesticides" were not good, the more I read, the more I realize that "not good" is seriously not strong enough! Why, you ask? Well, I'm glad to share.....
An interesting comment in 1 of the books talks about someone babysitting at the writer's house and telling her family how all of the food in the house is organic and "so weird"....well I can remember when the term "organic" kind of made me tilt my head and scrunch up my eyes and nose and wonder - hmmmmmmmmmmmm - what is that all about!? That has been many years ago, but now just wish I would have paid more attention a long time ago.....
Is it more expensive? Yes, sometimes it is, but if you go to the farmer's market, it is quite reasonable and that runs from May-Oct! Just remember to ASK and even if it doesn't say "organic" still ask if or what they "spray"...many small farms can't afford "organic certification" but they do not use the chemical pesticides on their crops.....and I have found that some of my "local farms" DO spray with pesticides - VERY DISAPPOINTING!
I think Chapter 1 in Supernatural Home summed it up perfectly....."imagine picking a fruit or vegetable from your garden, spraying it with bug spray , and then eating it! That's exactly what we do each day with store-bought non-organic produce even if we wash it."YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That should make all of us a bit queasy!
"Organic" means grown without pesticides, synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, fungicides or herbicides! OMG, you mean ALL that stuff can be on my "non organic" fruit and vegetables! That answer, I'm afraid is a big fat YES! Organic foods are minimally processed with no artificial ingredients, preservatives or irradiation. Unfortunately for us, chemicals in pesticides are ODORLESS, TASTELESS and INVISIBLE so the only way you know a food is grown without pesticides is to buy organic.... Sorry, but it gets a little worse...
For example, those red delicious NON ORGANIC strawberries (yes, I have bought them many times also.....) look and taste delicious BUT
-the red color is enhanced by a "fungicide" whatever the HECK that is!
-they are "infused" with methyl bromide, a gas injected by the tractor into the soil (OMG, that just sounds ILLEGAL!)
And that my friends, (fungicides and methyl bromide) do not wash off! How many times have you bought those strawberries, brought them home and ran them under the water before you started cutting and eating them!!! Me too :(
Then we have the fruits/veggies that FLY in from other countries (so besides the fact that in some countries ANYTHING goes in terms of pesticides), we have now wasted all that energy getting the dang fruits/veggies here! And the pesticides got a free ride into the USA too!
And PESTICIDES - REALLY!?! When I think about this, I'm embarrassed to think that it has taken me so long on this.....seriously, I'm OKAY with someone spraying CRAP on my food, this CRAP they are spraying is KILLING bugs, but I'm okay with that!? OMG, when you think about that it is quite unsettling....
When I had breast cancer in 1999/2000, I went to the LIvingston Clinic in San Diego to beef up my immune system between my surgery and before my radiation started (another scary decision I made!) There among other things, the diet was very clean and we were told to try to buy organic whenever possible, but if not possible, take all of your fruits and vegetables and put them in a sink full of water (now suggesting filtered water - if you don't have a BRITA pitcher, get one, it is better than nothing and affordable!) adding 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar (I buy Braggs organic - not expensive) - let the fruit/veggies sit for 5 minutes or so, then rinse with cold water. Obviously for some fruits (i.e. strawberries ) don't do this until you are ready to eat them. But for others, you can do it as soon as you get them home and just let them dry well before putting them in the fridge. You will be surprised how apples become "not so shiny" once they are in the vinegar water and rinsed off. But that is a good thing - as apples can have up to 50 (YES 50) kinds of pesticides sprayed on them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I could go on and on....I know organic can be more expensive, so another good thing to consider is to buy local....save the energy of shipping our food all across the country! But eat organic and local when possible -
The books I have been reading list the 12 fruits and veggies that you should buy organic. The list is based on studies by the Consumers Union and Environmental Working Group who have done analysis on the amounts and level of toxicity of the pesticide residues found in conventionally grown food samples by the USDA and the FDA....The reality is that in a "single dose", the "safety limits" (I.e. how much pesticide can you eat BEFORE your belly hurts?!?!?! or who knows what else happens!!) weren't "exceeded" however, most contain MULTIPLE PESTICIDE RESIDUES!!! i.e. 30 different pesticides on strawberries, 50 on apples...need I go on?
So the 12 fruits/veggies to definitely buy organic are:
-peaches
-grapes
-sweet bell peppers
-apples
-strawberries
-potatoes
-pears
-raspberries
-tomatoes
-green beans
-spinach
-cantalope
Wow, do you know HOW many many spinach salads with strawberries and raspberries I eat!!! YIKES! And we think we are eating so healthy and we are if we are CLEANING it well or buying organic. Trader Joes is another great place to buy things like organic spinach - very affordable there.
I'm sure you want to know the 10 "nonorganic" fruits/veggies with the fewest traces of pesticides too:
-onions
-frozen peas
-frozen corn
-asparagus
-cabbage
-avocados
-mangoes
-kiwis
-bananas
-pineapples
Another suggestion for cleaning the "conventional" fruit/veggies is something called "veggie wash" but it can be a bit pricey. And don't forget - you still need to wash the organic stuff too!
For those "eye rollers" out there, a few more interesting "organic facts to leave you with....
-If the entire planet did "organic farming", it would equate to taking 1.5 BILLION cars off the road!
-You can increase your antioxidant intake by 30 PERCENT by choosing organic - WOW!!!!!!!!
(Remember the antioxidants power off the "free radicals" that try to mess with your cells and when cells are compromised, things like cancer, disease, set in....Ok, I'm not a scientist, or biologist or doctor, but that is "my version"...you can get a medical book for the fancy version!)
and drumroll....LAST interesting fact...THIS ONE REALLY BOTHERS ME AND I HOPE IT BOTHERS YOU TOO!
-The average child in America is exposed to 5 pesticides DAILY in food and drinking water!!!
FEED YOUR BABIES REAL FOOD, not all this FAKE stuff in boxes and in dairy/frozen cases that are giving us "false hope" on what it really is!!! Read the ingredients...if it has more than 5 and if you can't pronounce them, do you REALLY want your children eating them! i.e. Goldfish are cute, but come on, what exactly are we expecting out of them!?
Lastly, I'm not suggesting that you forego all the good CRAP that we are all addicted to and have come to know and love, what I am suggesting is that you LOOK at what you are eating, make a conscious effort to eat some REAL food and CLEAN it somehow before you eat it! We can't or shouldn't change everything at once, but we can make those little changes along the way that will help not only our health, but also the health of our poor little planet! So come on peeps, head to the Market and have fun!
Until next time, what are your plans for your next meal!?!?
Then as a mom, I read it to my 2 sweet darlings....and now I have 2 precious granddaughters that I can read it to (okay, maybe via skype some of the time, but I guarantee you, I will be reading it to them!)
But I must say, I never really realized how SMART that piggy was? Why - you ask? Well, I have been going to the market (Ferguson Farmer's Market on Florissant road - AWESOME) on Saturday mornings every possible week I can and I am LOVING IT!
Why, you ask?! Well, besides the fact that it is just plain FUN, you can even pull your red wagon (there on loan for your shopping and to get your purchases out to your car!) and wheel it around to all the vendors and load up on all kinds of FRESH, UNSPRAYED food as well as cute little booths with jewelry and all kinds of stuff...Plus they always have some kind of fun entertainment going on...the 1st week we went they were shearing sheep! Yes, you read that right, that was pretty neat to see! Usually there are some fun musicians playing while you shop and you can even pull up a picnic bench and order an hot, fresh omlette! (Doug usually does this while I wheel around the wagon!) It is just a real "event" and one you shouldn't miss!
So you know I told you I have been reading up on some "green books"...and although I already knew "pesticides" were not good, the more I read, the more I realize that "not good" is seriously not strong enough! Why, you ask? Well, I'm glad to share.....
An interesting comment in 1 of the books talks about someone babysitting at the writer's house and telling her family how all of the food in the house is organic and "so weird"....well I can remember when the term "organic" kind of made me tilt my head and scrunch up my eyes and nose and wonder - hmmmmmmmmmmmm - what is that all about!? That has been many years ago, but now just wish I would have paid more attention a long time ago.....
Is it more expensive? Yes, sometimes it is, but if you go to the farmer's market, it is quite reasonable and that runs from May-Oct! Just remember to ASK and even if it doesn't say "organic" still ask if or what they "spray"...many small farms can't afford "organic certification" but they do not use the chemical pesticides on their crops.....and I have found that some of my "local farms" DO spray with pesticides - VERY DISAPPOINTING!
I think Chapter 1 in Supernatural Home summed it up perfectly....."imagine picking a fruit or vegetable from your garden, spraying it with bug spray , and then eating it! That's exactly what we do each day with store-bought non-organic produce even if we wash it."YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That should make all of us a bit queasy!
"Organic" means grown without pesticides, synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, fungicides or herbicides! OMG, you mean ALL that stuff can be on my "non organic" fruit and vegetables! That answer, I'm afraid is a big fat YES! Organic foods are minimally processed with no artificial ingredients, preservatives or irradiation. Unfortunately for us, chemicals in pesticides are ODORLESS, TASTELESS and INVISIBLE so the only way you know a food is grown without pesticides is to buy organic.... Sorry, but it gets a little worse...
For example, those red delicious NON ORGANIC strawberries (yes, I have bought them many times also.....) look and taste delicious BUT
-the red color is enhanced by a "fungicide" whatever the HECK that is!
-they are "infused" with methyl bromide, a gas injected by the tractor into the soil (OMG, that just sounds ILLEGAL!)
And that my friends, (fungicides and methyl bromide) do not wash off! How many times have you bought those strawberries, brought them home and ran them under the water before you started cutting and eating them!!! Me too :(
Then we have the fruits/veggies that FLY in from other countries (so besides the fact that in some countries ANYTHING goes in terms of pesticides), we have now wasted all that energy getting the dang fruits/veggies here! And the pesticides got a free ride into the USA too!
And PESTICIDES - REALLY!?! When I think about this, I'm embarrassed to think that it has taken me so long on this.....seriously, I'm OKAY with someone spraying CRAP on my food, this CRAP they are spraying is KILLING bugs, but I'm okay with that!? OMG, when you think about that it is quite unsettling....
When I had breast cancer in 1999/2000, I went to the LIvingston Clinic in San Diego to beef up my immune system between my surgery and before my radiation started (another scary decision I made!) There among other things, the diet was very clean and we were told to try to buy organic whenever possible, but if not possible, take all of your fruits and vegetables and put them in a sink full of water (now suggesting filtered water - if you don't have a BRITA pitcher, get one, it is better than nothing and affordable!) adding 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar (I buy Braggs organic - not expensive) - let the fruit/veggies sit for 5 minutes or so, then rinse with cold water. Obviously for some fruits (i.e. strawberries ) don't do this until you are ready to eat them. But for others, you can do it as soon as you get them home and just let them dry well before putting them in the fridge. You will be surprised how apples become "not so shiny" once they are in the vinegar water and rinsed off. But that is a good thing - as apples can have up to 50 (YES 50) kinds of pesticides sprayed on them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I could go on and on....I know organic can be more expensive, so another good thing to consider is to buy local....save the energy of shipping our food all across the country! But eat organic and local when possible -
The books I have been reading list the 12 fruits and veggies that you should buy organic. The list is based on studies by the Consumers Union and Environmental Working Group who have done analysis on the amounts and level of toxicity of the pesticide residues found in conventionally grown food samples by the USDA and the FDA....The reality is that in a "single dose", the "safety limits" (I.e. how much pesticide can you eat BEFORE your belly hurts?!?!?! or who knows what else happens!!) weren't "exceeded" however, most contain MULTIPLE PESTICIDE RESIDUES!!! i.e. 30 different pesticides on strawberries, 50 on apples...need I go on?
So the 12 fruits/veggies to definitely buy organic are:
-peaches
-grapes
-sweet bell peppers
-apples
-strawberries
-potatoes
-pears
-raspberries
-tomatoes
-green beans
-spinach
-cantalope
Wow, do you know HOW many many spinach salads with strawberries and raspberries I eat!!! YIKES! And we think we are eating so healthy and we are if we are CLEANING it well or buying organic. Trader Joes is another great place to buy things like organic spinach - very affordable there.
I'm sure you want to know the 10 "nonorganic" fruits/veggies with the fewest traces of pesticides too:
-onions
-frozen peas
-frozen corn
-asparagus
-cabbage
-avocados
-mangoes
-kiwis
-bananas
-pineapples
Another suggestion for cleaning the "conventional" fruit/veggies is something called "veggie wash" but it can be a bit pricey. And don't forget - you still need to wash the organic stuff too!
For those "eye rollers" out there, a few more interesting "organic facts to leave you with....
-If the entire planet did "organic farming", it would equate to taking 1.5 BILLION cars off the road!
-You can increase your antioxidant intake by 30 PERCENT by choosing organic - WOW!!!!!!!!
(Remember the antioxidants power off the "free radicals" that try to mess with your cells and when cells are compromised, things like cancer, disease, set in....Ok, I'm not a scientist, or biologist or doctor, but that is "my version"...you can get a medical book for the fancy version!)
and drumroll....LAST interesting fact...THIS ONE REALLY BOTHERS ME AND I HOPE IT BOTHERS YOU TOO!
-The average child in America is exposed to 5 pesticides DAILY in food and drinking water!!!
FEED YOUR BABIES REAL FOOD, not all this FAKE stuff in boxes and in dairy/frozen cases that are giving us "false hope" on what it really is!!! Read the ingredients...if it has more than 5 and if you can't pronounce them, do you REALLY want your children eating them! i.e. Goldfish are cute, but come on, what exactly are we expecting out of them!?
Lastly, I'm not suggesting that you forego all the good CRAP that we are all addicted to and have come to know and love, what I am suggesting is that you LOOK at what you are eating, make a conscious effort to eat some REAL food and CLEAN it somehow before you eat it! We can't or shouldn't change everything at once, but we can make those little changes along the way that will help not only our health, but also the health of our poor little planet! So come on peeps, head to the Market and have fun!
Until next time, what are your plans for your next meal!?!?
Friday, August 20, 2010
Kermit says, "It's not easy being green".....do you agree?
Ok, folks - in my last blog, I mentioned I was back and excited to share some things with you.....well it all started a LONG time ago, when I first learned about recycling and quickly realized this was something I believed in and was in for the long haul "for my grandkids" is what I believe I thought at the time, since I felt like surely we had plenty of what we needed for "now".... but like everyone else, sometimes I got a little lazy.....then the "bottled water" craze hit (SERIOUSLY - WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THAT!?) and while we all thought we needed our own "plastic bottle full of water", little did we realize that we are just polluting this world even more...and fast forward a bit, here I am....
My oldest daughter Emily was visiting from Abu Dhabi this summer and happened to pick up a book called "SUPERNATURAL HOME" at the library....well it happened to be 1 of those books that you are so in awe of, that you READ ALOUD TO EVERYONE IN THE ROOM whether they want to hear or not....while some were not so excited by the time she read the 15th excerpt out of the book, I was FASCINATED! So excited that when she left, I rechecked the book out of the library along with 2 others....Turns out the author of SUPERNATURAL HOME had quite an amazing health revelation and actually spent some time at the Optimum Health Institute in San Diego - a place that my sister just happens to treat herself to for her birthday every year to unwind, recharge and just get healthier; anyway, the author of this book had amazing results at this health clinic......as she said "I discovered that the body is a self- healing organism if we just get out of its way and don't gunk it up with bad food and stress"...boy, she has that right!
So what is green about that?! Well it isn't just what you put in your PIE HOLE that you have to worry about! Global warming, remember that catch phrase, well it is real and all around us, and everything we do impacts it.....these are all the little things I can't wait to share. I don't think I realize the impact that I, singly, have on this big planet of ours, or that I, singly, can really make a difference in so many daily decisions that I make, the way I think, eat, breathe, drive, buy, etc.
Kermit the frog, sings, "it's not easy being green". He wasn't talking about our environment, but I am. There are a million ways you can be "green". And even if you aren't ready to go all the way, you can at least start to make a BIG difference today.....how?? That is what I can't wait to tell you, but of course I can't tell you everyone in 1 blog, I'll have to space them out a bit...but just to wet your appetite - just think about a few of these things for starters...
Let's just start with bottled water....
-8 out of 10 plastic water bottles used in the US end up in the dump! We consume so many bottles of water that we use about 1.5 tons of plastic in AMERICA;
-Studies show that even though we started drinking this water because we thought it was better, safer, etc, often the tests on bottled water show significant chemical or bacterial contamination! WHAT AND I"M PAYING FOR THAT?!?!?!
-Or that it isn't any different than your TAP water! If the bottle says "form a municipal source" or "from a community water system" it is coming from the tap!
-The bottle of water sitting on a shelf in the store is likely to now contain a chemical called antimony, a potential carcinogen that leaches from the plastic! PLASTIC is a whole other subject and scary one at that....don't worry, I'll cover that later....
-BPA (bisphenol-A) is often found in plastic and is a chemical that acts like estrogen when it enters the body and can get into the body by leaching out of hard plastic bottles as they age, or are heated (in microwaves or diswashers) - what about those long truck rides those cases of bottled water makes or how long they sit in the hot warehouses!? And estrogen?!?! HELLOOOOOOOOO - I had "estrogen receptor positive cancer" - don't need anything that looks or acts like estrogen, but believe me, there are many things we use everyday that come into our body that act like estrogen...more on that later too!
-Research from our MIZZOU professor, Frederick vom Saal, who taught Biology there, and happens to be a leading BPA research scientist, said that in lab studies with animals, BPA changed their behavior, decreased sperm count, stimulated prostate cancer and caused symptoms of attention defict hyperactivity disorder! YIKES! No bottled water for me please!
And I haven't even covered the greenhouse gas effect of all the fossil fuel to get this bottled water to the stores all over the country!
OKAY, HAVE YOU PUT THE DANG WATER BOTTLE DOWN YET?! Come on, how about this - instead of buying your next case of bottled water, go out and get a stainless steel water bottle that you can not only use over and over, it will keep your drink HOT or COLD and you can avoid all the nastiness outlined above! And Kermit will be sooooooooo happy that you are green!
-Remember this whole blog is about taking care of ourselves AND our planet and that all starts with little old GREEN YOU!
-Don't worry - i have lots more to share.....just be happy you aren't here with me, listening to me as I read these things outloud and just shake my head....
Until tomorrow, fill up your water bottle and just say NO to those plastic bottles!
My oldest daughter Emily was visiting from Abu Dhabi this summer and happened to pick up a book called "SUPERNATURAL HOME" at the library....well it happened to be 1 of those books that you are so in awe of, that you READ ALOUD TO EVERYONE IN THE ROOM whether they want to hear or not....while some were not so excited by the time she read the 15th excerpt out of the book, I was FASCINATED! So excited that when she left, I rechecked the book out of the library along with 2 others....Turns out the author of SUPERNATURAL HOME had quite an amazing health revelation and actually spent some time at the Optimum Health Institute in San Diego - a place that my sister just happens to treat herself to for her birthday every year to unwind, recharge and just get healthier; anyway, the author of this book had amazing results at this health clinic......as she said "I discovered that the body is a self- healing organism if we just get out of its way and don't gunk it up with bad food and stress"...boy, she has that right!
So what is green about that?! Well it isn't just what you put in your PIE HOLE that you have to worry about! Global warming, remember that catch phrase, well it is real and all around us, and everything we do impacts it.....these are all the little things I can't wait to share. I don't think I realize the impact that I, singly, have on this big planet of ours, or that I, singly, can really make a difference in so many daily decisions that I make, the way I think, eat, breathe, drive, buy, etc.
Kermit the frog, sings, "it's not easy being green". He wasn't talking about our environment, but I am. There are a million ways you can be "green". And even if you aren't ready to go all the way, you can at least start to make a BIG difference today.....how?? That is what I can't wait to tell you, but of course I can't tell you everyone in 1 blog, I'll have to space them out a bit...but just to wet your appetite - just think about a few of these things for starters...
Let's just start with bottled water....
-8 out of 10 plastic water bottles used in the US end up in the dump! We consume so many bottles of water that we use about 1.5 tons of plastic in AMERICA;
-Studies show that even though we started drinking this water because we thought it was better, safer, etc, often the tests on bottled water show significant chemical or bacterial contamination! WHAT AND I"M PAYING FOR THAT?!?!?!
-Or that it isn't any different than your TAP water! If the bottle says "form a municipal source" or "from a community water system" it is coming from the tap!
-The bottle of water sitting on a shelf in the store is likely to now contain a chemical called antimony, a potential carcinogen that leaches from the plastic! PLASTIC is a whole other subject and scary one at that....don't worry, I'll cover that later....
-BPA (bisphenol-A) is often found in plastic and is a chemical that acts like estrogen when it enters the body and can get into the body by leaching out of hard plastic bottles as they age, or are heated (in microwaves or diswashers) - what about those long truck rides those cases of bottled water makes or how long they sit in the hot warehouses!? And estrogen?!?! HELLOOOOOOOOO - I had "estrogen receptor positive cancer" - don't need anything that looks or acts like estrogen, but believe me, there are many things we use everyday that come into our body that act like estrogen...more on that later too!
-Research from our MIZZOU professor, Frederick vom Saal, who taught Biology there, and happens to be a leading BPA research scientist, said that in lab studies with animals, BPA changed their behavior, decreased sperm count, stimulated prostate cancer and caused symptoms of attention defict hyperactivity disorder! YIKES! No bottled water for me please!
And I haven't even covered the greenhouse gas effect of all the fossil fuel to get this bottled water to the stores all over the country!
OKAY, HAVE YOU PUT THE DANG WATER BOTTLE DOWN YET?! Come on, how about this - instead of buying your next case of bottled water, go out and get a stainless steel water bottle that you can not only use over and over, it will keep your drink HOT or COLD and you can avoid all the nastiness outlined above! And Kermit will be sooooooooo happy that you are green!
-Remember this whole blog is about taking care of ourselves AND our planet and that all starts with little old GREEN YOU!
-Don't worry - i have lots more to share.....just be happy you aren't here with me, listening to me as I read these things outloud and just shake my head....
Until tomorrow, fill up your water bottle and just say NO to those plastic bottles!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
I'm back! Did anyone miss me?!
Ok, so I have been a bit "in and out" the last few months....but I am BACK! Why?! For a few reasons...
-I miss blogging - I never ever realized how much I love doing this! This blogging is therapy not to mention loads of fun!
-I have so much that I want to share, I have been learning so much lately about so many things...(have I peaked your interest yet???) ....but the reality is when I'm blogging, no one really has to listen to me or read it...heck I'll never know, unless you mention you read it! So, I get to say it and I don't have to worry about whether or not anyone is really out there! (But seriously, I hope someone is reading this....at least a little bit :))
-We have goals to get to....come on, we are not QUITE where we want to be, are we?! Whatever your goals and my goals are, we need to keep pushing towards them - that takes a lot of time, energy and SUPPORT! Helllllllllllllloooooooooooooooooooooooooo....just consider this the 1-800- support line...
So what's new with me?
The good news is that I'm holding my own....I did notice I have picked up about 3 pounds from my goal weight, so I'm getting those back off, before all of their "friends and neighbors" try to hop back on as well...........been there, done that, DON'T WANT THEM BACK! So I have been refocusing on workouts and diet,.....never really lost my focus, just lost a bit of the TIME I had devoted previously. Working out 5 or 6 days a week is just about impossible, from a time standpoint, but trying to make the most out of the workout time I do carve out....
I think that I need to get back to my "trotting" a/k/a jogging.....I have been away from it for a bit - mostly due to excessive heat as I don't find the treadmill particularly appealing and have been caught up in all the fun classes (Body Pump - LOVE IT, Drills that make you sweat - LOVE IT thanks to my coworker Melinda, who kicks my butt every week at that class!) and those are just a few of the great classes at Club Fitness! But I'm going to try to get up early tomorrow and if the heat isn't totally oppressive as it is right now, I'm going to try a little trotting and get back into it...I think the running, jogging or whatever you want to call it, really helped me kickstart my metabolism more than anything else has done in the last 15 years! Believe me, I haven't ever felt the "runner's high" that I read about or heard about...ha, I'm far from that! But I will tell you that when you are done, and you are sweating, you feel good!
I reached out to my fellow LOSE A TON (LAT) ladies last week in hopes of getting us all back together......some are right on track and others are struggling.....so really want to see if we can get together periodically and work out.......it really is about SUPPORT and MIND SET.....you really need both, SUPPORT for those tough days and MIND SET to get yourself started....
So, I'm BACK.......My MIND SET is ready to go......I have my SUPPORT system fired up....
What about YOU!? Are you where you want to be? Do you need a little kick start? Are you ready to get back INTO IT!? After all, the holidays are coming up next - do we really want to go INTO the holidays with the extra weight or should we do something NOW to get rid of it and be ready for that tempting time of year, with a healthier, happier mind set and body!!?!?!
Hope you are BACK too!!! I've some some amazing things to share......
Until next time, find your MIND SET and get ready to roll...
-I miss blogging - I never ever realized how much I love doing this! This blogging is therapy not to mention loads of fun!
-I have so much that I want to share, I have been learning so much lately about so many things...(have I peaked your interest yet???) ....but the reality is when I'm blogging, no one really has to listen to me or read it...heck I'll never know, unless you mention you read it! So, I get to say it and I don't have to worry about whether or not anyone is really out there! (But seriously, I hope someone is reading this....at least a little bit :))
-We have goals to get to....come on, we are not QUITE where we want to be, are we?! Whatever your goals and my goals are, we need to keep pushing towards them - that takes a lot of time, energy and SUPPORT! Helllllllllllllloooooooooooooooooooooooooo....just consider this the 1-800- support line...
So what's new with me?
The good news is that I'm holding my own....I did notice I have picked up about 3 pounds from my goal weight, so I'm getting those back off, before all of their "friends and neighbors" try to hop back on as well...........been there, done that, DON'T WANT THEM BACK! So I have been refocusing on workouts and diet,.....never really lost my focus, just lost a bit of the TIME I had devoted previously. Working out 5 or 6 days a week is just about impossible, from a time standpoint, but trying to make the most out of the workout time I do carve out....
I think that I need to get back to my "trotting" a/k/a jogging.....I have been away from it for a bit - mostly due to excessive heat as I don't find the treadmill particularly appealing and have been caught up in all the fun classes (Body Pump - LOVE IT, Drills that make you sweat - LOVE IT thanks to my coworker Melinda, who kicks my butt every week at that class!) and those are just a few of the great classes at Club Fitness! But I'm going to try to get up early tomorrow and if the heat isn't totally oppressive as it is right now, I'm going to try a little trotting and get back into it...I think the running, jogging or whatever you want to call it, really helped me kickstart my metabolism more than anything else has done in the last 15 years! Believe me, I haven't ever felt the "runner's high" that I read about or heard about...ha, I'm far from that! But I will tell you that when you are done, and you are sweating, you feel good!
I reached out to my fellow LOSE A TON (LAT) ladies last week in hopes of getting us all back together......some are right on track and others are struggling.....so really want to see if we can get together periodically and work out.......it really is about SUPPORT and MIND SET.....you really need both, SUPPORT for those tough days and MIND SET to get yourself started....
So, I'm BACK.......My MIND SET is ready to go......I have my SUPPORT system fired up....
What about YOU!? Are you where you want to be? Do you need a little kick start? Are you ready to get back INTO IT!? After all, the holidays are coming up next - do we really want to go INTO the holidays with the extra weight or should we do something NOW to get rid of it and be ready for that tempting time of year, with a healthier, happier mind set and body!!?!?!
Hope you are BACK too!!! I've some some amazing things to share......
Until next time, find your MIND SET and get ready to roll...
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Day 193 - My how time flies..........
I am so caught up between my crazy job with a huge GO LIVE going on, and finding time to spend with my kids visiting from the MIddle East, that I find myself coming and going...... For so long this blog was just part of a routine, just like the gym and my healthy diet.....but lately...well, not so routine...
Good news and there is ALWAYS good news, just have to dig a bit deeper at times, is that my weight has not returned! HOWEVER, my diet has not been the same lately nor has my workout routine.
Tonight, while still at work at 7pm, my friend Jennifer called me for some "inspiration" to get ready for a "highschool reunion" occurring later this fall. My first thought was, WOW, she thinks I can INSPIRE her, now that is INSPIRING TO ME! And it made me think about the impact we have on each other's thoughts and lives......Sometimes what won't work for me at the moment is working just perfectly for someone else....like when you are in that "workout/weight loss mode" or that "clean out/declutter" mode or that "get all my to do's done", you know what I'm talking about?! How on earth can 1 minute find you so totally motivated and the next sitting like a slug?
I still say it is mind over matter. YOU make the decision and although the first so many steps may be like dragging a 50 pound bag of dog poop over your shoulder up a big hill, once you get halfway up, you can't believe you have made it this far with this smelly bag and by the time you get to the top of the hill, not only are you thrilled for your accomplishment, you don't even smell the dog poop anymore!??! Seriously, what the heck am I saying here!? I can tell that I am suffering from too many hours at work with not enough rest, but whatever, I'm on a roll here, so will keep typing this nonsense...
If we could just REMEMBER and more importantly BELIEVE that the capability lies totally within our 2 little hands (and feet and body and brain) - that's it!! In a nutshell!! The power is totally within YOU! And YOU can make it happen starting right NOW! All you have to do is START! And if day 1 isn't perfect, then make some improvements on Day 2, followed by more determination for Day 3 and so on...pretty soon SOME of it will seem so simple to you and you will start seeing the results....at that point, the results will drive bigger and better results to continue.....just like a snowball that starts small and as it rolls downhill, it gets bigger and bigger with more momentum (except of course in this case, we are striving for smaller and smaller with more momentum :)!)
So Jennifer, thanks for YOUR inspiration in reminding me it is time to start training for my 10K! I made the 5K and thought the 1/2 Marathon was a bit too big of a step next....so I plan to start training for a 10K......Not sure WHEN it will happen, but I plan to start looking around to see when the next one is available and engage my coach, Kelly to guide through some training.....
During that training, I will have the opportunity to kickstart my healthy eating again and get back to some gym time....AFTER of course my babies leave St. Louis.
Until then, I plan on exercising WITH them by walking with them, running after them and rocking them!
And Jennifer, in case you are reading this, I was serious about what really worked for me...I think that interval training/running was really responsible for the metabolism change that has occurred! After years of a sluggish metabolism, something has changed and I'm sure it is related to my diet/workout routine over the last 7 months. wow, what a gift that has been!
So, just for today, dig out a routine and get started.....whether it is just adding 6-8 glasses of water to your daily diet, or walking up the steps at work or parking at the furthest spot on the lot when you go shopping or park at work...whatever the case, make some change in your routine starting today! Make it a change that will INSPIRE you to make those healthy life changes you have been talking and dreaming about for far too long! It will be the best routine you ever started!
I have missed my blog - feels good already to be back to my "routine" -
Good news and there is ALWAYS good news, just have to dig a bit deeper at times, is that my weight has not returned! HOWEVER, my diet has not been the same lately nor has my workout routine.
Tonight, while still at work at 7pm, my friend Jennifer called me for some "inspiration" to get ready for a "highschool reunion" occurring later this fall. My first thought was, WOW, she thinks I can INSPIRE her, now that is INSPIRING TO ME! And it made me think about the impact we have on each other's thoughts and lives......Sometimes what won't work for me at the moment is working just perfectly for someone else....like when you are in that "workout/weight loss mode" or that "clean out/declutter" mode or that "get all my to do's done", you know what I'm talking about?! How on earth can 1 minute find you so totally motivated and the next sitting like a slug?
I still say it is mind over matter. YOU make the decision and although the first so many steps may be like dragging a 50 pound bag of dog poop over your shoulder up a big hill, once you get halfway up, you can't believe you have made it this far with this smelly bag and by the time you get to the top of the hill, not only are you thrilled for your accomplishment, you don't even smell the dog poop anymore!??! Seriously, what the heck am I saying here!? I can tell that I am suffering from too many hours at work with not enough rest, but whatever, I'm on a roll here, so will keep typing this nonsense...
If we could just REMEMBER and more importantly BELIEVE that the capability lies totally within our 2 little hands (and feet and body and brain) - that's it!! In a nutshell!! The power is totally within YOU! And YOU can make it happen starting right NOW! All you have to do is START! And if day 1 isn't perfect, then make some improvements on Day 2, followed by more determination for Day 3 and so on...pretty soon SOME of it will seem so simple to you and you will start seeing the results....at that point, the results will drive bigger and better results to continue.....just like a snowball that starts small and as it rolls downhill, it gets bigger and bigger with more momentum (except of course in this case, we are striving for smaller and smaller with more momentum :)!)
So Jennifer, thanks for YOUR inspiration in reminding me it is time to start training for my 10K! I made the 5K and thought the 1/2 Marathon was a bit too big of a step next....so I plan to start training for a 10K......Not sure WHEN it will happen, but I plan to start looking around to see when the next one is available and engage my coach, Kelly to guide through some training.....
During that training, I will have the opportunity to kickstart my healthy eating again and get back to some gym time....AFTER of course my babies leave St. Louis.
Until then, I plan on exercising WITH them by walking with them, running after them and rocking them!
And Jennifer, in case you are reading this, I was serious about what really worked for me...I think that interval training/running was really responsible for the metabolism change that has occurred! After years of a sluggish metabolism, something has changed and I'm sure it is related to my diet/workout routine over the last 7 months. wow, what a gift that has been!
So, just for today, dig out a routine and get started.....whether it is just adding 6-8 glasses of water to your daily diet, or walking up the steps at work or parking at the furthest spot on the lot when you go shopping or park at work...whatever the case, make some change in your routine starting today! Make it a change that will INSPIRE you to make those healthy life changes you have been talking and dreaming about for far too long! It will be the best routine you ever started!
I have missed my blog - feels good already to be back to my "routine" -
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Day 160 - Where in the heck did the last 20 days go....
Wow, I have really missed blogging the last almost 3 weeks....Not sure if anyone is even still reading this or not, but it sure is good therapy for me.
I have been smothered in work for the last month and will continue through the end of June.
I have been back and forth to NY a few times and leave again tomorrow until late Friday night.
NY sounds fun and I'm sure it is, if you aren't working 15 hours a day! But hopefully this week will be a bit lighter than the last one there....and I truly am grateful for the job, even if it is killing me right now - ha!
So how am I doing?
Well, handling the stress okay.
Still working out....eating is going pretty well, except for the last week so need to get back on track with that
Weight is the same - that is the best part! My metabolism seems to have stepped up with the weight loss and apparently some muscle gain - ALLELUIA! What was DEAD is coming ALIVE :)!
I have been trying to get together with my "LOSE A TON" challenge friends, but seems we are all pretty busy....some of the girls have babies, others have new jobs, vacations, etc...but I did get to catch up with Diane, the LOSE A TON winner today. She and I hit it off from the very beginning of the contest. We were the "senior" players and from the start, we wanted to represent the "seniors" well :)! And she did, she WON the whole dang thing! However, shortly after the end of the contest, she hurt her back so bad, she couldn't do anything for several weeks.....she was on steroids and gained some weight back but is already getting it off again!
We talked today about how we want this time to be "different" from the other times....And we both think it is....How so?
Well, for 1 thing, we are WATCHING it....that is, checking in on the old scale and if the number goes up, we take some action....
We are supporting each other.....this isn't easy and we know we will have some weight gain here and there and falling off the wagon....so when 1 is down, the other can pick you up!
When we were in the contest, we were strict with our diet and working out daily.....
Now, we are no longer working out daily and our diet is not so strict.....
Today we talked about the need to find the balance between BEFORE and AFTER.....
So we talked about setting up some definite times to meet up and work out together as a group - keep the momentum going as a LOSE A TON team....You see, we not only lost weight together, we bonded :)......
So for this week, I will eat better, work out more and try to enjoy NY while I'm working up there! And then hurry home for next weekend - my siblings will be in town for my brother in law's 60th birthday extravaganza party followed by the arrival of my kids and grandbabies from Abu Dhabi! But tomorrow, I get to watch my daughter Kelly, who already graduated with her Masters in OT, now graduate as a soon to be licensed Massage Therapist! Today I watched her as a "wedding singer" at my church....boy, that girl does it all!!! So proud of her!
So just for today, do something to make you proud of YOU! What's it going to be?! Wedding singing, mountain climbing, bungee jumping or just some healthy living!? You make the call and you hold yourself to it!
Until next time, hang in there! The effort is worth the results!
I have been smothered in work for the last month and will continue through the end of June.
I have been back and forth to NY a few times and leave again tomorrow until late Friday night.
NY sounds fun and I'm sure it is, if you aren't working 15 hours a day! But hopefully this week will be a bit lighter than the last one there....and I truly am grateful for the job, even if it is killing me right now - ha!
So how am I doing?
Well, handling the stress okay.
Still working out....eating is going pretty well, except for the last week so need to get back on track with that
Weight is the same - that is the best part! My metabolism seems to have stepped up with the weight loss and apparently some muscle gain - ALLELUIA! What was DEAD is coming ALIVE :)!
I have been trying to get together with my "LOSE A TON" challenge friends, but seems we are all pretty busy....some of the girls have babies, others have new jobs, vacations, etc...but I did get to catch up with Diane, the LOSE A TON winner today. She and I hit it off from the very beginning of the contest. We were the "senior" players and from the start, we wanted to represent the "seniors" well :)! And she did, she WON the whole dang thing! However, shortly after the end of the contest, she hurt her back so bad, she couldn't do anything for several weeks.....she was on steroids and gained some weight back but is already getting it off again!
We talked today about how we want this time to be "different" from the other times....And we both think it is....How so?
Well, for 1 thing, we are WATCHING it....that is, checking in on the old scale and if the number goes up, we take some action....
We are supporting each other.....this isn't easy and we know we will have some weight gain here and there and falling off the wagon....so when 1 is down, the other can pick you up!
When we were in the contest, we were strict with our diet and working out daily.....
Now, we are no longer working out daily and our diet is not so strict.....
Today we talked about the need to find the balance between BEFORE and AFTER.....
So we talked about setting up some definite times to meet up and work out together as a group - keep the momentum going as a LOSE A TON team....You see, we not only lost weight together, we bonded :)......
So for this week, I will eat better, work out more and try to enjoy NY while I'm working up there! And then hurry home for next weekend - my siblings will be in town for my brother in law's 60th birthday extravaganza party followed by the arrival of my kids and grandbabies from Abu Dhabi! But tomorrow, I get to watch my daughter Kelly, who already graduated with her Masters in OT, now graduate as a soon to be licensed Massage Therapist! Today I watched her as a "wedding singer" at my church....boy, that girl does it all!!! So proud of her!
So just for today, do something to make you proud of YOU! What's it going to be?! Wedding singing, mountain climbing, bungee jumping or just some healthy living!? You make the call and you hold yourself to it!
Until next time, hang in there! The effort is worth the results!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Day 130 - 38.18
Ok, so that number doesn't represent a Bible verse or a chapter in any book I'm reading...hmmmm....just what is that number and what does it mean?
To me, it means BUCKET LIST, as in.....I ticked off 1 of my items :)
No, it doesn't represent that I ate 38.18 ding dongs, or walked 38.18 miles (YIKES! Not adding that to my bucket list!) Okay, enough with the games.....it represents.....(sorry, I may need a drumroll here, as this is pretty exciting to me....)
MY 5K TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As Hannah Isabel says, I DEED IT! or I DID IT!!!
I spent the last week in NY working....whew and it was a lot of working, that is for sure!
But I kept up the running, trying to push a bit harder each day as I knew this weekend I was signed up for not 1, but 2 (AM I CRAZY???? YES!!!!) 5K's!
So on Friday, my friend, Brenda and I ran along the Hudson River up through Battery Park...although we weren't sure, I thought it seemed pretty close to 3 miles.......or at least hoped so to prepare for this weekend....
On Saturday, Kelly, Jenny (one of my "non biological" daughters :)) and I (along with my sister, and nieces, Allison and Molly) ran in the Ferguson "LIVE WELL" 5K.....
Kelly and Jenny were kind enough to pace their running with mine....and together we crossed the finish line at, you guessed it: 38 minutes, 18 seconds... running the whole time! WOW, what an accomplishment from someone that couldn't run up my hill most of my life! The weather was cool and didn't rain after all, so it worked out great!
Then again this morning, Kelly and I headed to Forest Park for the GIRLS ON THE RUN 5k....Kelly is a coach for this great organization, which empowers young girls, among other things, with their health.....Unlike Ferguson, which had a nice size crowd of about 800 participants, there had to be a couple thousand here! Kelly, Carrie (another "non biological daughter" - I adore my daughter's friends!) and I ran together on this one....we tried to run with the girls at the school where Kelly is coaching but with the HUGE crowd, it was impossible, plus they were with their parents, etc....
This one had a few more hills than yesterday, especially the 1/8 mile hill at about the 2.5 mile marker but we plowed through and finished again without walking! YAHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was breathless in St. Louis (get it, sleepless in Seattle!?) when I crossed the finish line!
As I sit here typing and counting up the miles I have run this week, I am shocked and thrilled....no, I don't want to be a marathon runner or even run every day....but I do want to continue to work hard to stay in shape and run along the way! This journey is truly a testimony to what you can do if you put your mind (and your feet!) to it! Believe me, it wasn't EASY to get started but worth every ache and pain (I'll remind myself of that when I can't move in the morning....)
This getting healthy journey is awesome.....I have never felt so good in my entire life....but my true message is....to those reading this that have been in this place for a long time AND YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, kudos to you.....wish you would have hit me over the head a long time ago.....but I know now that no matter what you did or said, it had to be ME MAKING THE DECISION TO GET IT DONE....
For those still "on the couch" or "on the fence" still choosing ding dongs (and I understand, because I like them too :)) over workouts.....WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! Ding dongs will never be completely off the market for you.....but the opportunity to get in shape before life hits you with another challenge because of your weight and inactive lifestyle may slip away....don't let that happen....
So just for today, make a decision FOR you instead of AGAINST you......Just change 1 thing this week towards a healthier lifestyle...but the trick is, once you change it, you can't go back! So if your decision is to start drinking more water, don't do it 1 day and then stop......Ok, clock is ticking, what's it going to be?!
On another note, I said I would weigh in every couple of weeks and I did......I was a bit afraid as when I was in NY, I wasn't quite as clean as last visit.....but I did workout every day except 1 and also made sure I did get in some healthy eating.....so the scale was kind and actually went down a bit :)
158.2 pounds.....
Now, just figuring out how to keep it there....
Have a wonderful week!
To me, it means BUCKET LIST, as in.....I ticked off 1 of my items :)
No, it doesn't represent that I ate 38.18 ding dongs, or walked 38.18 miles (YIKES! Not adding that to my bucket list!) Okay, enough with the games.....it represents.....(sorry, I may need a drumroll here, as this is pretty exciting to me....)
MY 5K TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As Hannah Isabel says, I DEED IT! or I DID IT!!!
I spent the last week in NY working....whew and it was a lot of working, that is for sure!
But I kept up the running, trying to push a bit harder each day as I knew this weekend I was signed up for not 1, but 2 (AM I CRAZY???? YES!!!!) 5K's!
So on Friday, my friend, Brenda and I ran along the Hudson River up through Battery Park...although we weren't sure, I thought it seemed pretty close to 3 miles.......or at least hoped so to prepare for this weekend....
On Saturday, Kelly, Jenny (one of my "non biological" daughters :)) and I (along with my sister, and nieces, Allison and Molly) ran in the Ferguson "LIVE WELL" 5K.....
Kelly and Jenny were kind enough to pace their running with mine....and together we crossed the finish line at, you guessed it: 38 minutes, 18 seconds... running the whole time! WOW, what an accomplishment from someone that couldn't run up my hill most of my life! The weather was cool and didn't rain after all, so it worked out great!
Then again this morning, Kelly and I headed to Forest Park for the GIRLS ON THE RUN 5k....Kelly is a coach for this great organization, which empowers young girls, among other things, with their health.....Unlike Ferguson, which had a nice size crowd of about 800 participants, there had to be a couple thousand here! Kelly, Carrie (another "non biological daughter" - I adore my daughter's friends!) and I ran together on this one....we tried to run with the girls at the school where Kelly is coaching but with the HUGE crowd, it was impossible, plus they were with their parents, etc....
This one had a few more hills than yesterday, especially the 1/8 mile hill at about the 2.5 mile marker but we plowed through and finished again without walking! YAHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was breathless in St. Louis (get it, sleepless in Seattle!?) when I crossed the finish line!
As I sit here typing and counting up the miles I have run this week, I am shocked and thrilled....no, I don't want to be a marathon runner or even run every day....but I do want to continue to work hard to stay in shape and run along the way! This journey is truly a testimony to what you can do if you put your mind (and your feet!) to it! Believe me, it wasn't EASY to get started but worth every ache and pain (I'll remind myself of that when I can't move in the morning....)
This getting healthy journey is awesome.....I have never felt so good in my entire life....but my true message is....to those reading this that have been in this place for a long time AND YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, kudos to you.....wish you would have hit me over the head a long time ago.....but I know now that no matter what you did or said, it had to be ME MAKING THE DECISION TO GET IT DONE....
For those still "on the couch" or "on the fence" still choosing ding dongs (and I understand, because I like them too :)) over workouts.....WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! Ding dongs will never be completely off the market for you.....but the opportunity to get in shape before life hits you with another challenge because of your weight and inactive lifestyle may slip away....don't let that happen....
So just for today, make a decision FOR you instead of AGAINST you......Just change 1 thing this week towards a healthier lifestyle...but the trick is, once you change it, you can't go back! So if your decision is to start drinking more water, don't do it 1 day and then stop......Ok, clock is ticking, what's it going to be?!
On another note, I said I would weigh in every couple of weeks and I did......I was a bit afraid as when I was in NY, I wasn't quite as clean as last visit.....but I did workout every day except 1 and also made sure I did get in some healthy eating.....so the scale was kind and actually went down a bit :)
158.2 pounds.....
Now, just figuring out how to keep it there....
Have a wonderful week!
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