#27 My Favorites for January...

Every month, at the end of the month, I will share a couple of my FAVORITE things that I've encountered throughout that month.  They will not necessarily be about health and fitness but it will be anything that I feel might be a help or encouragement to you.  Just something fun that I want to add to my blog every month.

The first thing that I want to share is something that I have started this month to help me save money throughout the year.  Here it is:
 

So I went to one of my local banks that offer Christmas Club Accounts.  At this bank you could start a Christmas Account with just $1.  You can deposit money at any time.  The good thing I like about it is -- you cannot withdraw any money.  If you do, the account is immediately closed.  If you follow the above chart, in October they will mail you your check way ahead of time for Christmas shopping.  I'm on week five ($15 deposited) so by week 43, in October, they will be mailing me $947 + interest (more or less depending on how you follow the chart above).  That's a boat load of Christmas money or "WHATEVER" money!

My second favorite things that I would like to share this month is a video that was yet so simple and so powerful at the same time.  I hope you enjoy it and that you will enjoy this new addition to the blog.  Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Check it out (click on the link under the picture):

 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oot4b2pcvcw

Until next time...

Please leave a comment on the left.  Thanks for visiting.

#26 Are You Constipated???

Little Bathroom Humor:  In looking at this -- I think of the old song "If it Don't Fit Don't Force It Just Relax and Let it Go." 

It shouldn't be like this -- EVER!!!!

Ever since I was a little girl I have been constipated.  I will never forget being maybe seven or eight years old going to Six Flags with my family and crying the entire trip while visiting every bathroom in the park and not being able to rid myself of the waste that was causing me so much discomfort.  Growing up taking laxatives that would jolt my colon to give me a big spill but then after that being left with cement bowels.  So I became dependent on the one thing that gave me temporary relief.  Doctors offering a colonoscopy -- giving you a name for your problem -- "You have Irritable Bowel Syndrome" and only offering a band-aid by offering medication that ultimately hindered but not help.

Our diets, our sleep patterns, and our exercise may be different; but there is one thing we all have in common -- we must ALL have bowel movements.  How often?  Well that's different as well.  Let's look at the animal kingdom.  They have no problem eliminating.  You have never seen an animal straining to pass their waste from their body.  Take a horse for example, 



I've been to many parades and you will always see a host of workers behind them with shovels and cans to pickup whatever they dump.  They don't drop little pellets -- shovels are needed remember?  But some humans, on the other hand, strain and struggle just to get the slightest pebble to evacuate from their rectum.  Resorting to laxatives, plastic gloves and Vaseline and other methods.

This is something that needs to be addressed.  We spend a lot of time concerned with what the outside of our body looks like and our insides are wreaking havoc because we may not be eliminating properly. 

If you have regular bowel movements three to four or more times per day and they are shaped like sausage-links you are among the minority.  GREAT!!! From my research, the majority of Americans are having a bowel movement "MAYBE" once or twice per week -- and many of them are straining just to do that.

So today I am sharing relief.  I've tried colon cleanses,  Metamucil, coffee enemas -- whatever you can think of I've tried.  Most of the things I've tried have been harsh to my system.  I had lots of cramping and the entire process was unbearable. 

  

I started my journey for relief recently from a book I purchased on my Kindle called Complete Colon Cleanse by Dr. Edward Group.  It was very thorough.  It was more of a reference book that offered lots of information on your overall health of your colon.  My true help came at Whole Foods.  I went looking in Whole Foods for the products discussed in the Complete Colon Cleanse.  They did not carry the products and I did not want to have to purchase this stuff on-line.  So I had a talk with the lady there in the supplements area and she pointed me in the direction that she felt was what I needed for my situation. 

Her suggestion was Bowel Cleanse by Renew Life along with drinking Aloe Vera juice.  So here are her tips she passed on to me:

1. Drink 70% of your body weight in water.  For instance a 140 pound person should be drinking 70 oz. of water per day -- roughly 8oz.x9=72 (9-8oz. glasses per day).  More if you are active.
2. Eat plenty of fiber in the form of fruits and vegetables.
3. Take natural products for your bowel cleanse -- nothing with psyllium or anything that causes cramping.
4. Stop eating processed foods.  Eat lots of whole foods that will keep your engines hummin.
5. Find the right amount of Aloe Vera juice for you and drink the Whole Leaf type, Fresh Pressed.  It's organic, no preservatives and not from concentrate.

Now a lot of these things I was doing -- but I knew I wanted something natural other then what I saw on TV or on the shelves at Walgreens.  I also knew I wanted to be able to grab it off the shelves whenever I needed it again -- nothing I had to buy on-line with shipping and handling. 

The Bowel Cleanse reads like this: 

• Colon Cleansing Herbs
• Organic Fiber Blend
• Naturally Hydrates the Bowel
• Eliminates Waste & Toxins
• Non-Cramping Formula
• Psyllium-Free
• No Senna
• No Cascara Sagrada

I purchased the powder form (which is a 30 day Supply).  They also sell it in the pill form just in case you don't want to drink it.  It was under $20.  After one day -- my bowls were moving and grooving.  No cramping, no pushing and straining -- It slipped out so easily I had to look -- "Did anything fall out -- yep, there it is."  It was not like diarrhea either -- just nice and smooth.  Talking about exciting.  Breakthrough!!!!

I know this is a stinky topic but like I said, this needs to be addressed.  There are millions of Americans (according to what I have been reading) suffering with constipation.  There is hope and help.  THE NATURAL WAY!!!

Until next time...

Please leave a comment on the left.  Thanks for visiting.

#25 Have You Been To Whole Foods Market Lately???

Have You Been to Whole Foods Market Lately?

Last weekend, I woke up bright and early and spent a lovely afternoon perusing Whole Foods Market.  I love Whole Foods, but "OOH-WE" on a Saturday afternoon it can get pretty tight on the inside.  I believe everybody and their mommas had the same idea as myself -- "Let's Go to Whole Foods!!!"

Believe me, this picture was not taken on a Saturday!



This was more like it -- On the Inside!!!

Nevertheless, I was out (by myself, mind you) taking my time and just checking stuff out.  I must say, I don't get a chance to do this often -- it's usually -- get what you came for and go.  Therefore, I did not let the crowd bother me.  

I didn't know anything about this -- but I just so happened to be there and they were having this going on:

Passport Event

Enter for a chance to Win a $50 WFM gift card along with a list of healthy pantry items recommended by our HSH experts!

Looking for ways to make healthy choices in your diet? Want to learn more about our Health Starts Here program? Swing by Whole Foods Market and taste items throughout the store that are nutrient-dense and delicious. Pick up a passport at the front of the store and visit each department for a tasty and nutritious sample. . Shoppers who visit all the sample stations and complete the passport can enter to win a Healthy Pantry Makeover. The winner will receive a $50 WFM gift card along with a list of healthy pantry items recommended by our HSH experts!

I wish I was blogging to say I won -- (maybe I will, if I do win) but I must say it was a very nice surprise to have a "chance" to win something while sampling great food. It allowed me to try some things I would have never tried. For instance, So Delicious Cultured Coconut Milk Vanilla (was like yogurt) with Hemp Seeds.  Mighty delicious it was!!! OK folks, sometimes you have to get out of the box and try some new things -- it may not LOOK appetizing but after you've TASTED it -- you're hooked!  Here's a sneak peak at it: I had already bought the Hemp Seed from Costco -- so now I know another way to eat it!!!  YUM!!! I walked around looking at everything (just about -- but there is so much in that store -- it would take days to see everything).  I also purchased Go Raw 100% Organic Pumpkin Super Chips and Bob's Red Mill Polenta Corn Grits!  Have you ever had a taste for something and you had to HAVE IT -- well it was grits for me!  LOL!!  A friend of mine posted a picture on Facebook of cooked eggs that looked like pizza dough (picture it) flattened and on top she put tomato sauce, broccoli, turkey sausage and mozzarella to resemble a pizza -- which she then cooked in the oven.  Well, I took it a little further and made the exact same thing but I added my Polenta Corn Grits on top of the eggs and added the other ingredients.  I used leftover chicken and Romano cheese instead.  Here's my picture: SO GOOD!!!! It took away my hankering for Grits.  I know I sound country, "hankering" -- but it just fit -- you know???  I cut it up like pizza slices and that's all she wrote! My trip to Whole Foods was relaxing and enjoyable.  I know -- a health nut -- enjoying walking around a health food store -- not a lot of peoples idea of enjoyable -- but it was great!!! Can't wait to peruse other places -- just for the fun of it! Until next time...

Please leave a comment on the left.  Thanks for visiting.

#24 Kettlebell - My Birthday Present to Myself...

For my birthday, or should I say with my birthday money, I purchased a great exercise gadget.  It's a Kettlebell Set with DVD.

This set came with a DVD but it was purely instructional.  I thought it would be a regular workout video.  So I had to go and find on trusty "YouTube" a video that would help me learn and burn with this equipment.

 

Fortunately, I found a great workout.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pDMOIlPLFE

Here's what I found:

Thank you for visiting FitnessBlender.com. In your time looking around our site you may think that we are a large company with a big budget but in reality everything that you see on Fitness Blender has been created by just two people (WOW); a husband and wife team on a shoe string budget.

Fitness Blender has been painstakingly created, one piece of content at a time, in the sparse extra hours outside of our regular day jobs. There is no fancy office or professional film studio; there is only a spare bedroom that became our “office” and a walled in garage that serves as our “film studio”.

 

What I liked about their videos was that they are full-instructional videos and not shabby -- very, very professional for just a husband and wife team.  No different then any other video that you would purchase from Targets or Best Buy. 

But the real difference is, in my opinion, it's as if you have your very own personal one-on-one trainer in the room with you.  I use my Kindle Fire to work out with on these videos -- so it's easy to use a device like this to follow along with them.

I use my Kindle Fire to work right along with these videos


The instructor instructs you on when to start and stop an exercise. Matter-of-fact they work right along with you. He or she goes through each warm up, exercise and cool down, with you on each of their 200+ videos.

For example, if you were doing sit-ups three times with 12 repetitions, there would be one person working with you the entire three sets for each of those 12 repetitions. Usually you will find a video on Youtube that will show you how to do it for a few seconds and then go on to the next exercise. Not them. They work with you the entire video.

What a blessing.  I am so glad I found them on Youtube -- and I look forward to using their Kettlebell and other workouts in the future.  If you are looking for videos that are FREE and need that one-on-one trainer feel -- feel free to stop by Fitnessblender.com. 

Until next time...

Please leave a comment on the left.  Thanks for visiting.

 

#23 Some Things That Need to Change...



Happy New Year!

I have something to confess.  I am a good starter of things -- but I'm not really good at finishing them all the time.  Now this is not with everything -- it's mainly with things like exercise and eating certain foods.  I get really bored quickly and because we live in a day and time where there is sooooooooo much NEW stuff -- it's easy to try the latest new exercise or the latest green smoothie.  I put together a list of three things that I would like to change this year.  I'm not a person who likes the word "Resolutions" -- so lets say these are some of my "Goals" for 2013.

Goal #1

Remember a couple of blogs post back (November 8th to be exact) I started this challenge of drinking 132+ smoothies from the book Green Smoothie Magic???  If not, check out blog #15.  Well ladies and gents -- I could probably count on one hand how many smoothies I tried from that book.  There was really no excuse except I changed my mind.  I didn't like what I was tasting and the ingredients were vague, in my opinion.  So I kicked it to the curb.  One thing I'm learning is not to be too quick to jump on the band-wagon with new things.  132+ smoothies!!!!!  My sister said "Why don't you just try a couple of them and report how you like them."  I said, "Oh no, I'm going to do ALL 132+, besides, I "LOVE" green smoothies!"  HA!!!  Was I over zealous or what???  So I am learning that I need to be REALISTIC with my goals in order not to look "foolish" putting that kind of stuff out there.  Frankly, I want to be a keeper of my word -- if I say I'm going to do something I want to do it!

Goal #2

I'm a person who enjoys reading and ever since the invention of the Kindle -- I have so much to read that I can't possibly finish it all.  I will start one book and that of course is not enough -- I will read three or four books at a time with all good intentions of finishing them.  But life...what can I say -- gets in the way and my good intentions get pushed down with the pile of other things on my to-do list.  One thing I'm learning is to read one book at a time (or perhaps 2 -- need I dare, LOL) and finish it before starting another.

 Goal #3

Exercising is one of the things that I get bored with really quickly.  I enjoy doing it (maybe enjoy is not the word :-) but like everything else -- there is so much out there to do.  I know we should change things up a bit in order not to get bored -- but this should be done perhaps every six weeks or so.  I tend to go from one thing to the other quicker then I should.  Just to keep motivated.  One thing I'm learning is I am going to try new things because I enjoy them but I will give myself at least six weeks before I change to something new. 

Well these are some of my goals for 2013.  I want to set up short-term goals in order to accomplish these task.  One thing I'm sure of -- I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).  I will put it in His hands and do my part in the process.

It's In Your Hands Lord!

Until next time...

Please leave a comment on the left.  Thanks for visiting.