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03 OCT

Bare Your Chest, Examine Your Breast

Cancer, no one ever wants to hear that word! It’s one of the most frightening words a person can ever hear. In fact I think most people would agree with me that when they hear the word cancer they immediately think death. And let’s face it: all of us probably know someone with cancer. Maybe it’s your friend, family member, or it could even be you.

October is breast cancer awareness month, which I think is such a wonderful thing. It’s so important for us as a society to come together and continue to educate our fellow brothers and sisters on cancer. Knowledge is power. The more we know and can learn about cancer the more empowered we can be to fight the disease and to offer support to those that are in the battle. And that’s really what cancer is; it’s a battle in every true sense of the word.

24 SEP

Happy Healthy Heart

“Heart disease and stroke is the world’s largest killer, claiming 17.5 million lives each year,” according to the World Heart Federation. They state: “That’s why World Heart Day was created, to create public awareness of risk factors for heart disease and stroke and to promote preventive measures.” And this year World Heart Day is celebrated on Sunday September 30 with a theme entitled “Team Up for Healthy Hearts.” What a great cause!

You know we’re all affected by disease and I bet if you thought long and hard enough you could think of someone you know who suffers from heart disease. It certainly hits home for me. In fact, it recently affected my father in a major way. Let me explain. My dad is truly amazing. He’s seventy-four years young and is one of the most active men I’ve ever known. All his life he’s worked hard and been physically active. Maybe he’s never gone to the gym to pump iron, but after an entire day’s work of farming and landscaping I don’t think he really needed to clock time in at the gym! Even now he hasn’t slowed down. He still works three jobs! Isn’t that incredible? He puts me to shame and I’m over forty years younger than he. He’s the picture of health concerning his diet and lifestyle. He doesn’t smoke or drink. He’s a vegan and all of his meals include lots of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. If we all took such good care of ourselves the world would be a healthier place.

Tummy Delight

I’m officially done with my sugar and junk-food binge! I’m so desperate to get out of my maternity clothes and back into “regular” clothes that I’m willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that. So, since last week I’ve taken up walking like I said I was going to do. But instead of going to the gym to do my workout, I bought an at-home walking DVD called Leslie Sansone Walk at Home, Walk Slim. I figured since there was no way I was going to make it to the gym with the current circumstances I would bring the gym home to me. Good idea, don’t you think?

Fat Walk

Well, it’s the beginning of another week, and it doesn’t look anymore promising than last week. I’ve finally made a game plan on how I’m going to get back into shape after the birth of my son. However, because of extreme fatigue from dealing with my children, I haven’t been able to start it. And it’s not the exhaustion from the baby, because the baby is doing great! In fact, he is sleeping 4-5 hours at night already. Instead, it’s my almost- two-year-old daughter who’s giving me a run for my money. She is the one who has been getting up every two hours at night. Last night she woke up at 2 a.m. and never went back to sleep; she just screamed all night. Lucky me! This vicious cycle with her has been going on for the past seven days. My husband and I have been getting roughly about two hours of sleep a night between her and the baby. Doesn’t that make you feel bad for me?
Read more about Fat Walk …

05 SEP

Controlled by Caffeine

Well, this week I’m going to be perfectly honest with you; I’m absolutely unmotivated and uninspired! I’m so sleep deprived that I’m literally like a walking zombie. My mind is so out of sorts that I’ve actually put the milk away in the pantry cabinet. How sad is that?

So, in light of the situation I’ve made a new best friend. . . . Caffeine. It’s sad, but true. And I’m not going to take the blame for it. Instead, I’m going to point the finger at my loving husband. It’s really his fault in the first place for introducing me to caffeine. I can’t tell you a time when I was ever so addicted to caffeine that I felt I had to have it to survive my day. But today I’m telling you just that.

01 SEP

Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

1 med. onion (diced fine)
2 c. Yves Ground Round (or other vege-burger)
1 c. brown rice (quick)
1 c. barley (quick)
2 t. salt
6 yellow or red bell peppers
4 c. tomatoes (canned)
water (to cover peppers)

Are You Really Hungry?

When we eat while actually hungry, food tastes much better and we’re physiologically primed for proper digestion. Hunger, in the true sense of the word, indicates to us that it’s time to stop what we’re doing and nourish our bodies.

Consider that real hunger is not often experienced in our modern, overfed population. Most people no longer remember or are aware of what hunger feels like. Most are surprised to learn that it’s a sensation felt in the throat, not in the head or stomach.

Instead of true hunger, what people are experiencing are detoxification or withdrawal symptoms. They feel shaky, headachy, weak, or suffer from abdominal cramps or spasms. They conclude that these are hunger symptoms because eating relieves them. I call this persistent imposter “stress hunger.”

Stress hunger is created by the symptoms a person experiences that are due to toxic wastes being mobilized for elimination. It occurs after a meal is digested and the digestive track is empty. It can make us feel very uncomfortable.

01 SEP

Coriander

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) was one of the substances utilized by Hippocrates, and other Greek physicians, for medicinal purposes. The Romans made coriander a popular seasoning, and introduced it to Great Britain. It was later brought to America, and became one of the first spices grown in New England.

It’s an annual herb native to the Mediterranean region and Western Asia. However, commercial supplies now come from Turkey, India, Bulgaria, Russia, and Morocco. It’s even mentioned in ancient Egyptian, Sanskrit, and Greek writings.
Read more about Coriander …

28 AUG

Miracles at Birth

Miracles happen every day. Some people merely brush them off as simple coincidences that compile their daily activities. Other people acknowledge the miracles and use them to give hope and reassurance. Sharing our life stories, our experiences, is a part of keeping health alive among the generations to come. Without the words of wisdom and the stories from our forefathers our lives wouldn’t be as enriched and blessed as they are today. So, this week I’m not going to give you any piece of advice on exercising or diet, but I’m simply going to tell you the story of my latest life miracle.

I’m a Christian. I believe in God, and I’m proud of that. I believe in divine intervention and the interactions of heavenly beings in my life. Sometimes I get frustrated with God when things don’t go my way. In fact, I get downright mad! That was the case just a few weeks ago before I gave birth. Each week, Wednesday would roll around and I would find myself at the doctor’s office for my weekly ultrasound and exam. And every week was the same news: the baby looks great, and your body isn’t ready to be induced (meaning my cervix wasn’t dilated).

Everybody Sleeps

Finally, two weeks ago I delivered my baby! He is just perfect! However, like most babies his sleep schedule is a little different from mine. His first week of life he decided that midnight until 3 a.m. was a good time to be awake. I didn’t agree. This second week he has been choosing a […]