Healthy Beginnings

Today marks exactly two months until I officially turn old (yikes...50!).  For probably the last 20 years I have been on a get healthy yo-yo.  I work at it, then I don't, then I work at it, then I don't even care...you get the picture.  A little background: I am 6' tall and except when I was with child, I have never weighed over 125 pounds.  When there is a good wind, if you listen closely you can actually hear my bones rattling around in my skin (grin).  We used to have a Black Lab that when he was a puppy would actually try to use my arms and ankles for chew toys!  Yep, I'm that skinny.  However, even with how skinny I am, each time I gain the tiniest bit of weight, it appears in my gut. Tall and skinny with a protruding belly, not all that attractive, I can guarantee you that.


Today I am going to commit to intentionally working on my health for two months.  I'll be tracking my food and water intake as well as my physical activity.  I don't think I will be changing my eating habits much except to try and eat three meals a day instead of skipping meals because I am busy. I also have started on Plexus Slim to work on getting my insides healthy too.  In the 'working on it times' of my healthy yo-yo, I have enjoyed various 30-Day Challenges.  These will be making appearance again.

March:
*Planks (ugh) at the end of the month I should be able to hold a 5 minute plank!! 
*Shoulders (trying to build up the muscles and ward off that yucky bursitis) will have me doing upright rows, side lateral raises, shoulder presses and shoulder rotations.
*Guns, Buns and Abs (my favorite) at the end of the month I should be doing 250 squats, 40 push ups and 100 leg lifts.  I have used this challenge before but have to modify for my back. 

April:
* Arms-push ups, dips, bicep curls and punches
*Glute and Legs (I'm already dreading this one)
*Burpees (groan) Start with just 1 singe burpee on day one and increase by 1 each day so at the end it will be 30 of those dreaded things.  Nope, I don't like burpees, I don't care how good they are for me, they are not my friend and I don't foresee me ever inviting them into my inner circle.

So dear friends, come along with me on my Healthier Me Journey.  Follow along or even join me!  

Guns, Buns and Abs Challenge

I think about getting fit and healthy often.  Lots of thinking.  Yep, I am great at thinking about it.  With all this thinking, why am I not getting more fit and healthy?  Let me be clear, I DO actually give it a try from time to time, I just don't seem to stick with it very long.  A month or so ago I bought some work out clothes and a good pair of walking/running shoes.  My thinking is if I put money out on it, I would actually stick with it.  Yep, that's what I thought.  Didn't work.

Here is the problem, Papa Bear and I are taking our Boy Scout troop hiking, fishing and camping in the Idaho mountains this summer.  **Hiking**  Pfftttt...how am I supposed to do this when I am so out of shape?  How am I supposed to out-run the boys when we are being chased by a bear? 

Well, dear friends, I am going to do it!  I am going to start with a 30 day arm, hiney and abs challenge.  I am going to reward myself at the end with a mani/pedi.  I'm also going to see if I can enlist a few of my friends to do this with me as I always do better when I have to be accountable to others.  If you would like to join in, the challenge is as follows:

 Click on picture to enlarge

Who is in for the challenge with a mani/pedi (or reward of your choice) afterwards?

Relaxing Detox Bath

While perusing Pinterest last night, I clicked on a link for a detox bath.  After reading about it I thought to myself, "Self, this might be a good thing for you to try".  Since I don't think my self would  lead me wrong, I followed my advice. 

I was actually wanting to have a nice long soak before going to bed but the directions make it clear to drink plenty of water during and after the soak, and I wasn't really wanting to drink bunches of water before going to bed.  Instead, I set my alarm a bit early and started my day with a nice relaxing soak in the tub.  If it weren't for the fact of loving my sleep, I might just start every day in this manner.  I don't see this happening though as I really enjoy my sleep time.

Bath Detox Directions:

1.  Schedule your bath.  You'll want to plan out about 40 minutes for maximum results.  The first 20 are to pull the toxins out while the second 20 are for letting the minerals absorb into the body.  If in a time crunch, at least getting the first 20 minutes in is still very helpful.

2.  Fill the tub with comfortably hot water.  You don't want to burn your hide, but you do want to sweat.  Fill it as full as possible.

3.  Add Epsom Salt.  Soaking in Epsom salts actually helps replenish the body’s magnesium levels, combating hypertension. The sulfate flushes toxins and helps form proteins in brain tissue and joints.

For children under 60 lbs, add 1/2 cup to a standard bath.

 

For children 60 lbs to 100 lbs, add 1 cup to a standard bath.

 

For people 100 lbs and up, add 2 cups or more to a standard bath.

4.  Add 2 cups of baking soda.  Baking soda is known for its cleansing ability and even has anti-fungal properties. It also leaves skin very soft.

The directions go on with fresh ginger and scented oils, but they aren't necessary to the detox. 

The main objective is to sweat, sweat, sweat.  And sweat you will.  If you have a shower curtain, I recommend closing it for optimal heat retention. I will give you a heads up on the gross water you will be ending up with.  The grossness are the toxins floating around.  Honest, this is a good thing! 

Once your detox bath is complete, a warm shower followed by a cool rinse finishes the whole affair quite nicely.  During my next bath, I do believe I will light a candle and have some soft music playing to help set the relaxing mood.
 

Be The Match

Yesterday morning on Good Morning America, Robin Roberts revealed she has a rare bone disorder and will be needing to undergo a bone marrow procedure. Fortunately, her sister is as close to a perfect match as can be found.

This morning I went to www.bethematch.org to sign up to be a donor. If I am chosen as a match, I WOULD NOT have to have a huge needle stuck in my spine sucking out my bone marrow. From what was explained this morning on GMA, I would be given a medication that somehow would put what was needed into my blood stream, and then I would basically give blood for a few hours. I know I just explained it in a very simple basic way, but you get the idea of what I'm talking about.

There are so many people on waiting lists trying to find matches. If you take the four minutes needed to fill out the form, you could help save lives. What better feeling in the world is there than helping someone to live?

Drinking and Driving

Back in February I shared with all of you when my son was in an accident. This accident was due to drinking and driving. By the Grace of God, both he and his passenger lived. This event drastically changed my sons life.

Sunday, there were three young people in an accident. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene. A girl passed away that evening while the other girl has been released from the hospital. These young people were 20 and 21 years old. It has not been released to the media, but friends of these young people tell me there was alcohol involved. I have no doubt this event will forever change the life of the young girl who lived.

When I was younger, I did my share of drinking and getting behind the wheel. In fact, I did it for many many years. I guess this makes me the proverbial pot calling the kettle black because I want to just kick people square in the seat of their pants when they perform such a dangerous and stupid act.

My heart is breaking for the parents who have just lost children. My heart aches for the girl who will carry this with her the rest of her life.

If there is any good to be found here it's maybe friends of these young people will think twice before drinking and getting into a vehicle.

Couch to 5K

Today I am starting on a nine week journey. Don't know how much fun this journey is going to be in the beginning, I'm sure though I will be loving it by the end. You see, today I start the Couch to 5K program. The idea is to take me from a couch potato to running a 5K in just eight weeks.

Even though the program is for eight weeks, I'm starting it by first doing a week of conditioning my body. Drinking lots of water, eating pretty healthy, and doing some basic exercising so my body doesn't go into shock.

I'll be keeping a journal during this journey. Tracking my eating, my sleeping, my water and my program progress.

I tried to do this about a year ago and failed miserably at it. I don't think my heart was in the right place. I think I might be ready now...uummmm...I HOPE I am ready this time.

If all goes well, I will be able to run in my little towns 5K race during the summer festival~that is my goal.

Well dear reader, that's what I have going on, feel free to keep me accountable!

Fake Coffee

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I stand before you this morning to say, "My name is Mama Bear and I am a fake almost every day". Judge me if you will, but it's not going to change.

You'll remember a few weeks ago I shared with you about EFT, Emotional Freedom Technique, my friend Lori turned me on to. This technique has made a huge difference in my life. Lori also helped me in another area I was having much struggle with, coffee.

I like coffee, I really really like coffee. Not to the point of being a coffee snob or anything like that, I just really really enjoy drinking coffee throughout my day. Due to health issues, I am no longer able to do that.

*sigh*

Lori came to my rescue once again and turned me onto a product I can drink in place of my decaf pots of coffee each day.



Cafix is an all natural drink that is naturally caffeine free. I can drink as much of it as I want and it doesn't cause me any pain. I like that it is instant so I can enjoy a cup anytime I want.

The flavor is just a bit different than coffee, however, it definitely takes care of my coffee fix.

I do want to caution you, even though I can drink Cafix all day without it causing me health problems, I don't. Well, let me clarify that I won't do it again. You see, it is all natural...ALL NATURAL...it gets you moving (if you know what I mean). Nope, won't make that mistake again.

If you are interested in trying this wonderful hot drink of happiness and you are local, visit Lori at Optimal Health in Princeton, IL. If you are not local, I'm sure you can do a Google search and find it in a health store near you.




I'm going to take a small break and enjoy a cup of my fake coffee, I do hope you all have a day filled with friendships, happiness and blessings.

No Stress??

You hit snooze one to many times making you late for work. The boss was a jerk. You forgot your lunch at home. The car has a flat tire. One of the kids comes home from school sick. Your teenager has major attitude because you dared to breathe her air. Supper was something just thrown together and no one really cared for it. The dog puked on the floor.

STRESS!!

I've lived many years dealing internally with stress and anxiety. I've been able to remove many of the triggers from my life, yet some things are just unavoidable. Until now, I've just dealt with it...but no longer. I've been turned onto a natural way of feeling better that I feel I must tell everyone about. It's just way to good to keep to myself.

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). It's a series of 'tapping' points on the body to rid the body of the yucky stuff. My friend Lori has a store in Princeton, Optimal Health, 815-915-4115 . What Lori teaches is a natural healthy way to deal with the 'yucks'. This is a technique you take with you into life. You can do it whenever you need.

There is no way I will be able to fully tell you the wonders of EFT, I highly recommend you research it for yourself...and call Lori! If you aren't local, find a naturopath in your area and ask if they are familiar with this technique.

Think of it, a life with little to no stress...even when the dog pukes on the floor.

Do you need an ambulance?

One of the worst feelings to have is the feeling of helplessness when a loved one is hurt. Unfortunately, I have seen this over and over again. As many of you know, I'm an EMT on our local volunteer ambulance service. When we respond to a call, there is certain information we try to obtain either from the patient or the family. When the patient is unable to respond, and the family has no clue, that helpless feeling is written on their face.

Sit down with your loved ones and discuss some of the following. It's also an excellent idea to have it all written or typed on a paper that is handy in an emergency. Some people carry it in their wallet, put it on the fridge door or in the medicine cabinet. Gosh, you could even have a copy of your spouses sheet with your own in your wallet.

Name
Birthday
Family doctor
Allergies
Medication and dosage
Medical history: diabetes, heart, COPD, surgeries...
DNR: Copy MUST be shown to EMT's

This information is important in the care of patients. Make sure medication list is kept current. If not 100% sure it is, grab a bag to put the medications in to be taken to the hospital with the patient.

Also, when following the ambulance to the hospital, keep in mind you still must follow rules of the road! The ambulance has lights and sirens...we are both seen and heard. The car following behind us with a worried driver at the wheel is nothing more than just another car on the road. No special privileges apply to you. If you follow an ambulance through an intersection, there's a good chance you could be in an accident.

Please schedule your appointment

The end of the month is fast approaching and so is the end of Breast Cancer Awareness month. This in no way means we should drop our guard on this terrible disease though.

With permission, I'm going to share with you my friend Kims story:

Yes-mammogram's can save lives. Case in point: I had my mammogram on Oct. 4. A recheck was advised and calcium deposits were detected (the deposits mean that there are active cells). A biopsy confirmed atypical aplasia, which means we caught it BEFORE it turned cancerous!! I'll be going in for a lumpectomy in the very near future. GET THOSE MAMMOGRAM'S, PLEASE! ♥

Please, dear reader, I can't stress enough the importance of monthly self breast exams and an annual mammogram. Is it a great time? Well, only if you enjoy getting your boobies squished, but the small amount of discomfort is nothing compared to breast cancer. Please, please, pretty please with a cherry on top--schedule your mammogram.

Squish and save!

I love this...squish a boob, save a life!

Immune Defense

It's the time of year that brings a bit of crispness to the air in the morning, fields are drying and will soon be harvested, and noses start running.

It's the time of year I break out my two favorite products: local raw honey and Emergen-C. I drink this daily in a cup of hot water, sometimes multiple times a day. With my line of work, I am constantly surrounded by snotty little noses. Since starting this drink several years ago, my own personal snotty nose time has been greatly reduced.

If you are unable to find local raw honey in your area, you can use the store-bought kind, I just prefer the local raw type as it also helps with allergies.

So, why not invest in a box of Emergen-C from your local Wal-Mart and give it a try? What do you have to lose...except the snotty nose?!

Breast Self-Exam

Without exception, I have a complete physical every year. I would never dream of skipping it. My 'yearly' is what caught the pre-cancer cells, which lead to a complete hysterectomy at the age of 34, before it was full blown cancer.

Why then, do I only have my breasts checked at my yearly? Why do I not take a proactive role and self-check every month? Do I not know how much cancer cells can spread in a year? What am I thinking???

In case you find yourself in the same situation as I do, and really not sure how to do a self exam, here is an easy three step process:

1. In the shower
*With fingers flat, move hand gently over every part of each breast.
*Use right hand to examine left breast, left hand for right breast.
*Check for any lump, hard knot or thickening.

2. Before a mirror
*Inspect your breasts with arms by your sides.
*Next, raise your arms high overhead.
*Look for any changes in contour of each breast; a swelling, dimpling of skin or changes in the nipple.
*Then rest palms on hips and press down firmly to flex your chest muscles.
*Left and right breast will not exactly match--few women's breasts do.

3. Lying down
*Put pillow under right shoulder.
*With fingers flat, press gently in small circular motion; then squeeze nipple.
*Check for discharge and lumps.

If you are not currently conducting a monthly self breast exam or getting an annual physical, I urge you to! It's up to you to take a proactive roll in your own health and well being.

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