Again and again and again

 It is that wonderful time of year when the promise of touch of autumn is whispered in the wind. I thrive during this time of the year! With the first kiss of coolness on the breeze, my heart lightens. I needed to feel that first kiss. Like for practically everyone else in our communities, it has been a difficult year for me. It has worn me completely out. I became too tired in body and spirit to do the things for myself that makes me a better me. I couldn't focus. My type A, glass half-empty, melancholy personality took over to protect me. People almost died...not really...maybe. But autumn's sweet kiss has awakened my type A, glass half full, buoyant personality.So, I begin yet again. 

It can be easy to feel like a failure when you have to start again and again and yet again. However, it is one of the many benefits of life for which I am grateful. I am one of those "do it big or go home" types, but I am too tired for that right now. I am going for the little things. Last autumn I lost 18lbs and felt amazing! I've gained back 12lbs since stuff has happened * ((sigh)) and it's landed in different body zones ((sigh)). BUT I made a few small adjustments since Sunday and have lost 2lbs already this week. Small changes with good results. 

What I had stopped doing that brought me to the point I am at: meditating 20 minutes almost everyday, breathing freely, earthing, eating 15 servings of vegetables a day, drinking 2 quarts of water a day, taking MCT oil, ACV in water before bed, making down time that is engaging, gratitude list, affirmations, praying, scripture daily, getting rid of ANTs moderate exercise, taking my Shaklee supplements, and eating balanced throughout the day. 

The small step I've done this week: meditating 2 minutes a day, praying, gratitude, taking my Shaklee supplements. 

I will keep at it again and again and again since that is what it takes. I am grateful for the seasons of life and the blessings that have manifested through the many frustrations during this summer. I shout, "Welcome!!" to autumn and to another new beginning!

*covid-19 shut downs, covid-19 mask mandate, a custody battle, and a new job

Anti-, Non-, or Pro-Vaxxer

It was a conscience choice I made with the father of my sons 16 years ago now. The informed choice, after the first and only vaccine my son received,  was to not continue vaccinations.  I had read every bit of material I could get my hands on. I weighed the options. I listened to other people's personal stories. I made the right choice. 

I called myself an anti-vaxxer proudly. I didn't get walk up to a podium and announce it. I confidently gave that description when asked. After more research, continued learning and growth,  I confidently take on the title of non-vaxxer. 

I have received my share of negative comments in response to my opinion. But for the most part, in my circle of community,  even those with differing opinions are open-minded.  I think that would be because I don't behave as if my opinion is the only,  all-powerful, God-appointed, and enlightened fact. It is my conviction. My choice. My strong belief to handle this matter in this way. When my boys are adults, they can decide for themselves if they want to get vaccinated and if they will follow the CDC's recommended vaccination schedule with their own children 

Here are two podcasts with good information that can be a helpful introduction into why I made my informed choice. I wish I had had this information back 16 years ago, but I'm glad it's available now. It is affirming to me. I hope it will help others make their decisions, even if it's different from mine.

LEARN TRUE HEALTH episode 224 

VIBE episode 154 

Blessings on your journey! 

Where the journey has taken me...

Where has the time gone? It's now May 2020! I've gone from tutor and full time student, part time care-giver, and part time grocery associate to full time grocery manager! Still health conscious. Still trying to balance life. Still finding joy in the journey. 

Lately I've been putting some consistent time in working on my Plan B. I've been focusing on being my youngest, healthiest self and helping others do so. My Plan B business is Optimal Wholesome Living.  Right now I am preparing an event beginning June 1, 2020: Prove It Challenge Healthy Summer Jumpstart to help us reach our summer health goals. The Prove It Challenge has had a 100% success rate so far. I'm excited to see the goals that will be reached this time around! This has got to be my favorite Shaklee plan ever!!

Over the years I have learned what foods I can eat, how I can successfully exercise to be my best, to accept me for me, meditating for wellness and focus, tapping for grounding and healing, that doing affirmations work, and that I still have a lot to learn! I hope you will stop by again to find out how we are doing. I trust something along my journey will help and bless you!

Feeling Better...Feeling Good....Feeling Great

Groggy...achy joints or achy body... aggravating sniffles...reoccurring bouts of diarrhea...cycles of headaches or migraines...weight gain or loss without a change in diet...eczema, adult acne or mysterious skin rashes...
These things take us to our doctor or practitioner. We want to know what is going on. We want it to have a name so we can attack it at its roots and feel better. We just want to feel better. So, we get our diagnosis with its proper multi syllabic name. We are given the prescription for the pill that is going to make it go away. Finally, we are going to feel better. We look forward to it. Or, maybe we are told that things are just wearing out. That happens as we get older. But there is a prescription to help deal with the symptoms of aging. Feeling better. We just want to feel better. Is this all there is? Do we just have to deal with taking a prescription or feeling this way until we give up this mortal clay?

Just so you know:  The information shared in this blog is not meant to be used to treat or diagnose any condition. Information shared in this blog is not meant to take the place of the advice of your doctor or practitioner.   I am not a medical doctor...I don't even play one on tv...I'm a nutritionist working on my Masters of Science degree in Nutrition and Body Biomechanics. I share information but YOU are responsible for your own health and the decisions you make regarding your own health.

There just might be another choice! It is often overlooked by the doctors we trust to give us the best information. Good doctors who really do know what they're doing. Nutrition. I don't mean the many diet plans you've used over the years. I am talking nutrition.

Nutrition:  nu·tri·tion  /n(y)o͞oˈtriSH(ə)n/ noun the process of taking in food and using it for growth, metabolism, and repair. We think of food as our fuel.  However, food is more than that. It is our nourishment. Maybe we should rethink our definition of food. When you think of food, what do you think of? What do you include in that definition? Go ahead and take a minute to make a list.
If food is fuel, then we can say there is good and bad fuel. If food is nourishment, then we have to eliminate some things that we call food that provide no nourishment and can actually cause our bodies harm. Certain "foods" can make us sick. Often these "foods" are addicting. Certain foods are medicine...healing, nourishing medicine. This type of food is delicious, filling and life giving to the body!

There are many people who have been diagnosed with auto immune disorders and illnesses to which they've been told would be life long issues that would require constant medicine to deal with symptoms. Many of these people have turned their thinking to their diets. By choosing food...nourishing food, they've overcome these life long ailments and are feeling better. Not just better! Feeling great!

My own experience in my mid twenties receiving a diagnosis of arthritis due to benign hypermobility (I couldn't turn door knobs, walk at the end of the day and had constant, sharp pain whether moving or being still) and migraines (weekly, often 3-4 days in length) left me with the understanding that this was a life long state of being and  it would only get worse. I had prescriptions that left me feeling weird, out of it, incapable of performing simple tasks after taking them, and messed with my stomach. I took a step back from this diagnosis and its remedies. I changed my diet and it changed me. Within weeks my pain diminished to nearly non-existent and the migraines dropped down to one day a month. I felt great! Then, after a few years, extremely stressful long term situations arose and my eating habits digressed. The results were adrenal fatigue and thyroid issues. I changed my diet and felt better. This time the journey to healing is going to take longer. But, it is worth every step. I still have my moments when I'll choose for whatever reason (birthday, holiday, moment of weakness) to eat food that has a negative reaction on my body. I sometimes wonder if I'll ever learn...smh, but this is a journey and I'm not perfect.

I have learned that there is so much more to the relationship between my body and the food I give it. Disciplines of diet impact our bodies in the most unique, fascinating and definitive ways. How good do I want to feel?  How healthy do I want to be? What paradigm of health do I want to live my life in?  What about you?

50 by 50

In a few short weeks, I'll be 49. The number doesn't mean much to me, but it gives me a stepping stone for a new goal. After a winter season of apathy, it's time. I've created a rough draft for my own journal that I'll share.

"50 by 50…how to get there

To start eliminate gluten, dairy and eggs, soy, peanuts, grains and corn, sugar. After three weeks begin reintroducing single items two days at a time. I’d like to keep any bread consumed as sour dough, dairy fermented, no peanuts or corn or sugar. Limit alcohol for weekend and limit the amount.  Take coconut oil every day, bone broth with collagen daily, stay well hydrated …. eliminate caffeine.

20 minute HIIT at least 3 days a week and strength training 3 separate days. Qigong weekly (or tai chi).

I have on several occasions successfully lost winter weight gain down to just above a size 14 but never passed that. When I reach that size, I plateau no matter what I do. My goal this 12-month period is to surpass this plateau, be 50 pounds lighter, show softly defined muscle tone, and feel radiantly healthy inside and out.

I need to make sure that I have foods that I enjoy and nourish me on hand so I do not reach for something that doesn’t nourish but simply satiates my hunger. It’s important to be prepared and not hope for the best or wing it. Healthy eating is a blessing to the body and with the variety available to support optimal nourishment this should not be a problem. 

Same mindset with exercise: do things I find fun! I like getting the most out of a little since my time is limited. Therefore, I am going for varied HIIT exercises with alternating weight lifting days. I still think it is important to have a more relaxed cardio so qigong, walking, belly dancing, bike riding, swimming, etc. will be incorporated. 

Aside from the eating and exercise plans, I need to daily listen to information that keeps me focused on healthy living.  I know I will need to also make available supplements that fill in nourishment gaps: omegas, B vitamins, MCT, micronutrients, etc.

I want to make this lifestyle permanent; so, it needs to be doable, fun, and satisfying year-round."

This Week's Healthy Tidbits....

I'm constantly coming across healthy bits of information that I find fascinating, helpful and that I want to somehow add into my routine as I read and listen to audible books and podcasts. This week I heard the most fascinating things!

Did you know that by drinking 16-17 ounces of water in one full swoop you are kicking off water induced thermogenesis. This means drinking it down...you know, like you fill your glass with 2 cups of water and stand there and drink it...or sit there,if you wish, but this is not your leisurely sip over an hour's time. Studies show a metabolic rate increase of 30% begins within just 10 minutes of drinking 500ml (16.5 oz) of water! Doing this 3 times a day will burn 200kj (48kcal) a day. This was compared to taking 50mg of ephedrine 3 times a day to burn 320kj (74kcal). That's a pretty awesome comparison! Water is some pretty amazing stuff! I'd much rather have it in my body then ephedrine! (1) Shawn Stevenson recommends drinking 24 ounces of water first thing in the morning. He calls it an "inner bath". (2) It's pretty cool that doing this in the morning not only rehydrates water lost during sleep through respiration and puts us on track for good hydration for the day, but this also amps up our metabolism! All through the power of water!

Another very interesting tidbit I learned this week was that the majority of our weight loss occurs through breathing! Can you believe it! There are studies to prove it! (3) I first heard this from one of my favorite podcasts.  Now if that doesn't encourage you to get to be doing those activities that really make you breathe, I don't know what will! And, don't forget to do deep breathing meditations! Those deep cleansing breaths are way more powerful than we thought!

Later this week I was reading an article about how toothpastes are really not healthy for your teeth. I  pretty much agree, but I don't always remember to buy Young Living's Thieves toothpaste so I will grab whatever at the grocery store. Anyway, I finished the article and did some research and found this wonderful recipe for tooth powder by Wellness Mama. This is something I really want to try. While I do like to shop locally, I am thankful I can find the bentonite clay, calcium powder, and peppermint leaf online.

This week I also read two books by Dr Kellyann Petrucci about the healing power of bone broth. It's encouraged me to make sure to have a cup or two of it daily. I'll more than likely share more on bone broth another time.

One more thing that I've taken another peek at this week had to do with Anna Cabeca's Acid or Alkaline and Why I Should Care. I got her pH and Keto app. She has keto and pH test strips available on her site. I've also looked at  Keto and pH test strips on Amazon.

These are just a few bits of the information that I've been mulling over this week. I hope you'll find it helpful on your healthy journey.

Cassava Flour Tortillas

I became interested in cassava flour when looking for baking flours that would be healthier. What caught my attention is that cassava is a resistant starch. Resistant starch does some wonderful things.

• "it helps with insulin sensitivity (link is external).
• Improves digestion.
• It helps to keep low insulin and glucose levels (link is external) after meals.
• It stimulates bacteria to produce butyrate (link is external). Other prebiotic fibers can also stimulate butyrate producing bacteria, but they are not as efficient.
• Since it stimulates butyrate production, it is a great help for people suffering of IBS, and ulcerative colitis. It also helps with constipation.
• The same butyrate is involved in apoptosis (link is external), hence it reduces the chances of colon cancer (link is external).
• Because it stimulates gut bacteria, it boosts immunity.
• It helps with weight control by providing a better satiety. The mechanisms are complex, but the effect seems to be as a result of gut hormone stimulating.
• It lowers cholesterol and blood fat. Short chain fatty acids, such as propionate, butyrate, and acetate, can decrease the production of new fat cells.
• Resistant starch also helps with liver (link is external) health.
• Reduces inflammation, so it can help with eczema, arthritis, and any autoimmune diseases.
• There is some evidence that RS can help SIBO sufferers. This is explained by the ability of RS to trick bacteria in the small intestine to adhere to it. Once trapped into the starch, bacteria are evacuated from the small intestine." (as stated on this site: http://www.fermented-foods.com/resistant-starch-surprising-prebiotic)

I like this kind of health food! So, I found a recipe for cassava flour tortillas on Traditional Cooking School's site.  I used coconut oil  because I didn't have olive oil. I used a couple of gallon size freezer bags to roll the tortillas between. The tortillas turned out delicious and pliable. I reheated a couple and they had a crispy texture like corn tortillas. I'll definitely enjoy making these again!