29 August 2009

Holding it and each other together


It's been so pleasing to see and hear that more and more couples are working together on their wellness. Whether you are a couple, or a group of friends, it always enhances a relationship when all involved encourage and inspire each other to be their very best. The outcome is always a positive one. Participants find themselves hugging one another, smiling smiles bigger than ever imagined and feeling a "oneness" of sheer gratitude that they can uplift one another.

This week, a few of the gals finally managed to get their husbands/boyfriends on board to start working out and they are elated. These husbands were noticing that their wives/girlfriends were staying dedicated and true to their programs and they were loving the results of their consistencies. At first "said" gentlemen had the mindset of "go ahead honey, do your thing," to now having a new attitude, "hey baby, not only do you look great, but your attitude is amazing, maybe I should try that workout too!" (Pssstt.....P90X..or what have you :)!

Some of the men are choosing to workout on their own, without the gals, but that is very ok! What matters is, we are seeing that couples who are on the same page about their health and well-being seem to have an overall "healthier" relationship. There is a new level of respect, and an absolute new level of appreciation for one another. When you can know and say to one another, "I love you and I want us to spend healthy, happy, fulfilling days together," you are allowing your relationship to have a more positive existence.

But there are still those out there who seem to do all they can to hinder the health and well-being of someone else in their lives, and this goes for relationships and/or friendships. It's horrible, the blatant sabotaging that people do in order to prevent their so-called loved ones from ever achieving a life of well-being.

Those folks who frown everytime they see their partner or friend get up daily and workout. They utter stuff under their breath, even as much as wishing they would pull a muscle or something. They criticize them. They curse them. Why?

How about the ones who constantly try to talk their partner or friend out of a workout? They try to entice them with doing "something else," like going out, shopping, eating, a party, drinking. You hear it all the time, "come on, you are in such great shape, I am sure you can miss one workout," or, "please, you only have one life, you should be having fun, not working out." They constantly joke and make light of the person's dedication to their health. They NEVER support and encourage them, but rather they seek endlessly to sway and discourage them. Misery loves company.

Well, if such people are truly your partners or your friends, they would support you and allow you to be true to yourself and remain dedicated to what you have deemed important for your wellness. You ARE doing good for your body and soul and why should anyone try to discourage you?? Consider that deeply.... why does someone who claims to love you try their best to stop you from doing GOOD things for your body, mind and soul?

It's one of the top 5 reasons why people do not stay committed to their programs, because there is someone(s) or something that is constantly getting in the middle of their plans. It's disgusting, and it is much like a crime ... a theft. Stealing one's ambition!

Out of a 24 hour day, any and everyone is allowed to commit 1, 2 or even 3 hours to their well-being. You still have the rest of the time to share it with your partners, loved ones, friends, etc.

If you have a partner or friend who is encouraging and supporting you, be thankful and stick with that support. Take it, run with it, let it take you to where you want to get to, and let it be part of your life's journey forever.

If you have a partner or friend who is constantly trying to talk you out of exercising and eating right, look that person in the face and say (if you feel this way about THEM), "I love you and if you love me, don't try to mess me up!! I need this for me, and I need you to respect that." End of story.

You don't owe the demise of yourself to someone else so that they can feel about good about their lack of desire to care for themselves. This is especially the case if you are already struggling with your own issues and have true serious goals that you are trying to meet and conquer. Your goals are your priority.

In the end, perhaps you will end up encouraging that person(s) to get on board with their wellness, and if you don't, oh, still stay true to you!

21 August 2009

Decluttering does in FACT induce weightloss


Imagine that you would not need a workout plan, no diet, no nutritionist, no diet pills, but rather, just a plan to declutter your home, your life, and be guaranteed weightloss?

Today the thought of, "what were you doing last year?" popped into my mind, and then I smiled when I remembered that I had decluttered about 75-80% of the contents of my house, and I was starting a huge project to switch my children's rooms around, which included, scraping wallpaper, filling holes, painting, tossing old furniture, decorating......

Back in March 2008, almost 2 months after I had lost my job, I was very much in search of RENEWAL everything for my life. After working 22 years on Wall Street, and then losing that job, I looked at it as an opportunity of a lifetime....an opportunity to start my 2nd life!!

My house was chaotic and that was because I was a full-time working mother, working 12 hour days and having to balance that with taking care of my home and my children and most importantly ME. I had gone through a divorce from December 2005 until January 2007, which truly upset my world in many ways. My life was drastically altered in ways that I did not want, but ways that I had to accept, and find alternative solutions in order to keep it going strong, and to be a dedicated and loving mother through out. I was determined to be a bright energetic spirit for the sakes of my children.

March 2008, I was home alone one day and trying to sort through some stuff, and I became immensely overwhelmed and confused about where to start. That's what clutter does to you. When you are running out of your house everyday and then coming home with only bits of hours to spare with your loved ones, you just take care of the most important things, like eating together, showering, making sure the dry cleaning is home and clothes are ready for the next day, and you convince yourself that all is good.

Life can be so hectic that you stop worrying about what is piled up in the closets, draws, attic, garage. You are just thankful that you have a home. You shop every so often because you convince yourself that you need more stuff because you truly never focus on or remember about what you have already. If you gain 5 lbs, you run out and shop. If you lose 5 lbs, you run out and shop.

Over the years, I had been good about donating clothes, mine and my children's clothes, but given the fact that I had many closets in my house, especially one nice big cedar walk-in closet, I justified that I needed to hold onto my good quality stuff. What was I saving it for?

I lost sight of my own identity. At that time, I was "Jacquie, the gal with tons of great clothes, shoes, bags, memorabilia, my favorite this, my favorite that......" Until one day I realized that none of that was true and it all had absolutely no meaning whatsoever. Having gone through the divorce, I realized that I had to put the past behind me. Let go. Just let go.

If you are going to make steps to a new you, you have to let go of the past. Let go of the material garbage that has a hold on you because none of it has any meaning. The only meaning all the junk and clutter in my house had was that it was aggravating me and causing me grief.

Think about living healthy.... how can you do so if your closets and draws are jammed up with STUFF? You have to take everything out, every so often, to make sure you are cleaning and dusting those things. If they are there sitting in a box, a closet, a draw for months or years without being touched................ LET IT GO! It is serving no purpose.

A cluttered home very much is the cause of a cluttered mind, bad habits and even weight issues. If you really want to live a life that is fulfilling, you will very much benefit from having a home that is sensible and tidy. You want to open a closet and see what is in it. You want to cut down on wasting time trying to find something.

Speaking of trying to find something..... what are you looking for????? Life is so precious and why waste it looking for things? Think about that..... think about the last time you comfortably told someone, "It took me forver to remember where I had put..."

Back to me and my decluttering project last year. I met the greatest person, Pamela, who taught me the art of decluttering, and I can tell you that I am forever thankful for meeting her. It's very simple. Start with one room, and go through it with a vengeance. Be truthful. You have 2 options, Keep or Don't Keep. From there, another 2 choices, Donate or Garbage.

I was liberated in so many ways. I remember running up and down, piling up stuff, hauling hundreds of garbage bags out to the corner, boxing up stuff, shredding, shredding, ripping, drives to donation spots. The more I emptied out my house, the more I felt a sense of freedom, and the more I lost weight.

Yes. Before I had lost my job, I had gained about 15 lbs during the divorce despite the fact that I was still working out almost everyday. Stress will INDEED do that to you. But when I started the decluttering of my house, my mind switched from the mind that once was filled with thoughts of JOB, commuting, spending little time with the children, finances, problems..... to new thoughts of, "MY HOME is really feeling like a home now, and NOT a storage warehouse."

By mid-April, I had lost 15 lbs! Being a pack-rat is an act of trying to fulfill an emotional need. The terrible thing is, it really does not help your emotions when you just keep on hoarding, buying, collecting, etc. You know it's true because moments, days after you add yet another item into your home without getting rid of other stuff, you have already lost some interest in the new item. And I know for a fact that the true underlying emotional "issues" are still there along with the new "stuff" you purchased. People joke about how shopping is their therapy, but it's really not a good joke.

During my PURGATION :), I was giddy and people were amazed with my attitude. I would literally call up friends and say, "Oh my goodness, I feel so happy today, I just watched the garbage men take away about 50 bags of garbage. It felt great."

Purging the garbage in your home is the ULTIMATE therapy for starting a weightloss program. It is the ultimate diet AID. I urge anyone who has closets, draw, cupboards, attics, basements, etc., that are jammed up with stuff to take the journey. Give stuff away. Donate it. Throw out the garbage. When you do that, you will throw out the barriers that have prevented you from achieving your TRUE health and fitness goals.

Don't put it off either... don't wait until vacation, don't wait until you get laid off, don't wait until you retire ..... do it now... it will have a profound positive impact on your life!

Let me add, because we all do this (particularly us gals ...:), that saving all those sizes of clothing in your closet is sabotaging your program in many ways. You are committing that idea of a "self-fulfilling prophecy" by keeping all the sizes for when you DO gain or lose all the weight....over and over. Why keep a bunch of clothes in 3 sizes? You are telling yourself that you don't think you will stay committed to YOU and YOUR health. You are making plans to fail. When you do that, you will indeed fail.

Go ahead and keep one or two things in a couple sizes, but let go of the rest. The truth is, you must declutter EVERYTHING in your life, not just your home. DECLUTTER the thoughts that you have been imprisoned by. When you have committed to becoming a healthier you, commit on all levels. Commit to your new way of thinking. Throw out the old!!! If it includes some people.... well, let them know that you have thrown away the old you and they better not try to resurrect that old garbage because if they do, you will have to throw them away too!

It's so funny, each time you have an obstacle in life, at that moment, you most likely think as I did, that it is the worse situation you have ever had to deal with in life, but when you get through it, and breathe that huge sense of relief, you come out feeling empowered. However, you truly say to yourself, I hope that is the worse that I will ever have to endure, and from here on in, my life is going to get better. If you are like me, you Thank God daily, sometimes every moment because you know without him, you would not have made it. I Thank God everyday for giving me the ability to be the person I am.

Every so often, as I am doing today, I go back and declutter again. It's an on-going process, just like eating healthy and exercising on a regular basis!

15 August 2009

Love and sleeping, and not sleeping

They returned to me yesterday, a bit tired since they were up from 5 a.m, but still able to sustain a full day of errands, swimming, diving, eating, fighting, Wii'ing until 9:30 p.m. Oh, the energy and determination of children can be an amazing thing to witness. They possess a will of positive intent when they realize it's a bright sunshiny day and they refuse to let it pass by without living it out with meaningful "summer" spirit!

Don't you love that about children? Yesterday during our brief encounter at the supermarket, a man stopped to convey a similar thought to me about my children as he witnessed their joyous energetic interaction with one another, he said, "Oh what fun it would be to be a child again!" They live pleasurably in the moment, even when I tell them that the supermarket is not a playground. They ignore me and they just "have fun!"

For the past week, my children slept at their father's house though I was still able to spend some of the days with them. In his house, he has "his" rules and he reminds them of this fact each and every time they are with him. They remind me of this too!

Nia said to me yesterday, "Daddy lets me fall asleep in his room, but later he picks me up and puts me in my bed. Many times in the middle of the night, I wake up and forget where I am, but then I realize I am in my own bed at Daddy's house." And I asked her, "so what do you do when you realize you are in your bed?" She said, "I just go back to sleep or I go into Miles' room and sleep there." Miles has an extra bed in his room at their father's house.

So I said to my angel last night, "I will do that then, I will carry you to your bed after you have fallen asleep in my bed." She looked at me with her warm brown eyes and beautiful addictive smile saying, "Oh Mommy, if I wake up and I am not in your bed, I will just come down the hall and get back in bed with you!" And I thought to myself, "that's fine with me."

I just adore these days that my children adore being with me and I will embrace it and soak it up as much as possible since I certainly have no clue what tomorrow will bring.

I purposely let the children stay up until 9:30 last night in hopes that they would not wake before 7:30-8 a.m. I told them not to get out of bed before 7:30. In my house, the rule is, if I say stay in bed until a certain time, I expect them to try their best to do it, usually this is easy for Nia to do, and I am able to get my workout in!

I woke at about 5:30 a.m. and I tiptoed into the kitchen to make my coffee and I was loving life, until I heard a yell just as I was taking my first sip, "Moooooooooooommmmmmmmmmyy
y!"

Nooo! Nooo! Again, "Mommmmmmmmmmyyyyy!" It was "her." I quicked uttered a "shhhhhhhhhh!" loud enough, I hoped, for her to hear, but not loud enough to wake her brother. Great. That was that. There was no turning back to the dream of "she will sleep and I will work out." It was done.

I went to her... she was in my bed. She immediately started wimpering, "Mommy, where were you? I called you and you were not here." Yes, this is true. I said to her, "I know Nia, I got up and I wanted to get some stuff done. Can you just go back to sleep? It's too early for you to wake up." Futile. Why? What was I thinking? So I quickly said to myself that I better just give in now and not waste time thinking she would embrace my words. I said, "I will be right back. Give me one minute."

I dashed to the kitchen, swigged some of my coffee, then put the cup in the fridge and went back to the room and got into bed with her. While lying beside her, I thought, "well, this is not so bad is it?" She quickly moved near me, tucking herself right under my chin, trying her best to get as close as possible. She just warms my heart.

Every so often, she would adjust herself and noticeably move closer to me. I tried to keep my eyes closed and my breathing soft in an effort to soothe her and possibly get her to believe that I was going back to sleep so she should follow suit. Nope. I decided to take a peek and see what was happening, and there they were, open wide, those beautiful brown eyes. Even in a somewhat dark room, you could not miss the bright sparkle of her open eyes.

I said, "Nia, why are your eyes open?" She just hugged me tighter. So I said to her, "hey let's turn flat on our backs and then put our heads together." So she did. Our heads, angled in, touched one another, and it was a tender moment. I said to her, "say something intelligent." She said, "10 plus 10 is 20." I said, "that is true, good one," then I asked her to say another smart thing, and she said, "Mommy, I love you." I said, "That's the smartest thing I have ever heard." Then she said, "Love is Love."

I just hugged her up and kissed her, and hugged her again. So the "rule" in my house is that we love, hug and comfort each other at anytime, in ANY bed :)!

I fully understand that the reality is that the children will grow up and who knows............. but I adore these days and I wish they could last a bit longer!!




Nia as a baby


Miles as a baby

11 August 2009

Why can't I eat like everyone else?


Such a question leads me to another question, "Who is the everyone else?" This is a question I get asked or hear people asking repeatedly when they are resistant about the idea of making healthy changes to their nutritional programs.

My children sometimes ask me a similar question, like the title of this blog. They need constant reminders as to why a diet of bagels slathered with butter, sausages, fried chicken and unlimited bowls of ice cream is not a good daily practice. For their simple minds and the fact that the "Bible" is a great compilation of spiritual stories that children seem to enjoy, I re-explain to them about what living was like back when Adam and Eve were first created. Trees and plants... that's it, fruit, fruit and more fruit!

Among all of us, we have those friends or family members that seemingly eat any and everything, that is deemed not healthy, and manage to be just fine. Well, I beg to differ that they are just fine, and perhaps they are just good at not showing that they are not completely fine, or perhaps behind closed doors when no one is looking, they are bingeing on extra spinach and flax seeds.... lol! Some people do hide their "healthy" habits. I know this firsthand!

My life, my health and my weight have been a work in progress all along. When I was a little girl growing up, I was considered "chubby," and I remember all the jokes my father used to make about my weight. I won't say that it did not bother me back then, and just how much, but I think his "fat" jokes (coming from a FAT man ~ imagine that) may have been all the motivation I needed to try to manage my weight. Who knows? I am no longer interested in trying to figure out my childhood "issues" since I feel good that I just deal with life today.

I came from a family of great cooks, and so this was very hard to do because every dinner was a tasty dinner, every Sunday was a feast of many tantalizing creations, and every birthday and holiday was like a "Last Supper" indeed. Hug each other, hold hands, bless the food, pile up the plate, finish it, pile it up again, get uncomfortable and smile with the stomach ache and heartburn. Food was the center of focus for our family gatherings, much like many other families. You could have all the animosity and dysfunction to make for a great episode of "Oprah" or "Dr. Phil," and still take that same wonderful group of family and get them to produce the best epicurean food festival for the next gathering. Food and gathering always seemed to momentarily squash whatever "issues" were looming. Food makes people happy?? Gosh, I did it again, a blog within a blog..... we have to save that topic for another blog, because that is indeed another HEAVY topic of discussion!

Let's get real though, and let's agree that you can't eat like that everyday and everyone "else" does not eat like that everyday. It's not conducive to managing your weight and your health to consume loads of fattening foods on a daily basis.

As I remember one young girl asking me that very question, "why can't I eat like everyone else?" I did indeed understand her frustration, but she needed to become a grown up and realize that it just was not realistic, particularly since she was very unhappy about her weight. You can not have it both ways. You can not lose weight, in a healthy manner, and maintain it while eating a diet filled with bad fats, sodas, sugars, salt, and processed foods. Those are the things she wanted to eat that she claimed "everyone else" was eating.

Moments in the mouth, all sorts of things give your taste buds amazing delight. I love how my mother, who embarked on a very healthy nutritional program in recent years, would criticize certain foods if they were around, saying things like, "Oh my goodness (practically screaming), that is toxic garbage, you should not be eating that!" -- referring to perhaps a slice of pizza.... lol! But here comes the kicker: She would taste it, and then keep eating it... now saying, "well, the only reason why I am eating it is because I don't want it to go to waste." LOL (again)! Her motivation to change her diet came about because she was sick and tired about feeling sick and tired. She is another "blog" discussion too!

I know my mother well though, and I can vouch for the fact that though she may have unwillingly indulged in a "toxic slice of pizza," she would not "re-indulge" again for a long, long time. That length of time could be months, years or even never again! She has trained herself to enjoy very healthy foods and this was not how life was when I was growing up.

There it is! The possibility of changing your eating habits is very DOABLE. Anyone can reassess their relationship with food. Just like when you are in a bad relationship and it's time to reasess the situation -- whether it be to build it up and strengthen it, or to walk away and look for something BETTER and HEALTHIER.

10 August 2009

No more guilt trips!


Who started this "guilt trip" excursion?? Personally, I think it's a waste of time, unwarranted anxiety and money! Don't buy into it any more! Get your money back, get your self-esteem back!

It always goes back to how we value our thoughts. If you put your beliefs in something that someone says, without merit, then you will surely struggle with your life. Guilt uses up so much time, energy and causes so much conflict within a person. We must be very careful about what we choose to feel guilty about. If you have done something wrong, it's best to just admit it, make amends, and surely not do it again. Don't burden yourself with the weight of unnecessary "guilt!"

Yesterday the children and I stopped by a farm market to pick up a couple things. Though the actual "store" was very small, the grounds of this farm was huge, lots of lovely stuff growing all around. We went to the store and then my son wanted to walk around a bit, and at first, I thought, ok, but then I realized that there really was no one around to guide us, and so I said to my son, "let's not because I am not sure we are allowed to." He then said to me, "Mommy, we can just sneak and look around." At that point I said to him, "no we don't sneak because this is not our property and that may be considered trespassing. We can sneak and do things in our home if it's all in fun, otherwise, we don't do those things." I wanted him to understand that our actions should be just and right, because when they are not, that is when we find ourselves in trouble and then with regrets. That's the key, to know what your actions will be so that you have no regrets...... no guilt!!!

When it comes to the issue of health, fitness and wellness, we must learn to exercise less guilt with certain things. If you put too much pressure on yourself to do what seems to be the impossible, then you may resort to this "guilt" practice, which is not a good idea. It's the set up for failure, over and over. It leads you to thinking you can't believe in yourself, and it's so very WRONG!

I often hear people who are on a wellness journey use words like, "I cheated yesterday," or "I was bad." Those words, "cheat" and "bad" have negative connotations that imply that the person just about committed a crime. These types of classifications do not promote a healthy positive journey and in fact they, by themselves, cause the "setback" in the person's own mind. From there, a self-attack, self-degradation unfolds, and causes this conflict.

How to avoid this? First of all, be true to yourself, and who you are. If you were a person who enjoyed certain foods and you are making a huge effort to turn your habits in a new direction, be realistic, and make your changes gradually. Find ways to make adjustments that you know you can embrace. Find sources, or people who have great ideas for making modifications to your "old ways," so that you don't lose your mind.

Allow yourself moments of "treats." If it's a food treat, include it in your program. If it's "workout breaks," incorporate it in your schedule, or plan for certain days to not be as intense as others.

Notice as well, when and why you tend to have these fleeting moments (the triggers) of wanting to turn off your wellness path. Are they happening during "stressful" periods? Do they happen every time you come home from work? Do they happen whenever you interact with certain people in your life?

The object of the game is to figure out a new strategy for dealing with the triggers that cause you to turn off your path. The object of the game is to empower yourself where all your thoughts can produce a positive outcome that will keep you calm, smiling, and proud of yourself. The object of the game is to AVOID guilt trips completely and know that YOU are in total control of your life, and outside factors have no control over you. No one can tell you that you are bad, no one can sabotage your program, no one can affect you negatively. Add in your "fun", or "treats," and embrace them for the moments that you have them.

Trips, journeys, excursions, etc., should be enjoyable ---- Being well does not mean you have to give up enjoying your life, and as a matter of fact, being well would have you enjoying life even more!

05 August 2009

Do you ... Chew?


I read this statement some place, and I thought it was ideal, "Many grown people eat as if they ALWAYS have a train to catch." My motivation to write this blog on "chewing" stems from my frustration with my own son on this very topic. Since he was about 3 years old, he has not mastered the art of chewing his food slowly and efficiently before swallowing. I wish I could attribute this "habit" of his to my lovely cooking and the fact that he can't help but get overly anxious while eating, but he does it anywhere with most decent meals. I am at my wits end because I don't want to nag him about it, but I also know that it's my job as a parent to make sure my children are growing up with healthy habits.

Chewing food properly is very, very important. As a 10 year old, he may be able to "get away" with not taking this seriously since the digestive system of a child is usually at life's best and it does not start to deteriorate until we mature and become adults. Hopefully his maturity will kick in and my nagging words, "chew your food properly" ringing in his head will take effect!

All persons need to realize the importance of chewing properly, not just kids. There is a lot of truth in that statement about people eating like they have a train to catch. I worked on Wall Street for 22 years, and that was a way of life for those of us who worked on the trading floor. There was no lunch hour, and there was no dining "away" from your desk. We had limited time to get our food (breakfast and/or lunch) quickly and return to our desks where we would eat and continue to work (trade stocks). Back when business was booming, "eat fast" was the rule for everyone on the desk. I remember one trader (actually there were a few) who would gobble his lunch in about two minutes, and in fact, that guy ate so fast, shoving food and fingers into his mouth, I thought he would eat his fingers too. It's no wonder why these guys were always cranky and miserable, it was not only because they may have been losing money on trading/positions but they were also stricken with indigestion and heartburn DAILY.

So, here it is ... the truth. Chewing your food is EXTREMELY important because it maintains the integrity and health of your digestive system. Do you care? You should care!

Your body was built/created in a certain way and it was meant to be handled a certain way. When you go against this, you upset the entire body's functioning.

Many people eat and don't stop and think about what they are eating. Food has purpose. Sure there are some great tasting foods that just delight the palate and your taste buds and mind can't get past that ---- you believe that the moment each morsel connects with your tongue and mouth, and you "taste" that scrumptious bite, that you are experiencing all there is......

If this were the case, then our bodies should have been built with an instant "release door" so that we would not waste time with what comes after "TASTE." How many people actually stop and think about the EXPERIENCE they are having with any and everything they eat.... EVERY single time they eat???

Food has purpose, and that is a whole other topic for discussion. (Like why it makes no sense to overly indulge on highly toxic foods, fattening foods, processed foods, etc..... your body is a living being -- not meant to be working on such foreign matter). We'll talk about this another time!

From the moment you take that bite and the food connects with the saliva in your mouth, a very important PROCESS begins. It always does with anything you EAT or DRINK. Digestion is the process. Digestion begins in the MOUTH. In your mouth there are digestive enzymes and they do the PRE-digesting of your food. During this process, which should LINGER, you should chew your food -- a lot.... at least 25 times. Well, I know that is hard because often times, healthy foods breakdown in 10-15 bites. But, always consider 25 chews with everything and go from there.

So why all this chewing???? Because you are doing your STOMACH a favor. A huge favor. When you send down barely chewed food, you are OVERWORKING your stomach, which leads to having a faulty, not so efficient digestive system.

When the pre-digestion starts off properly in the mouth, and then the food is sent to the stomach, the stomach is able to disperse the NUTRIENTS of the foods to where they have to go. Which brings me to WHY it is important to have HEALTHY nutritious foods a few times a day. The food does not just go into your mouth .... yum yum... and then leaves the body. The food is being USED --- nutrients --- energy ---- sent through the blood to do real work to keep you healthy and strong.

Consider, what does a can of soda do once it hits the stomach??? What about a nice greasy philly cheesesteak? What do you think carrots or spinach do when they hit the stomach for digestion? Food for thought ....LOL!

The exiting of that decadent chocolate cake...... through the intestines.......and how about that colon?

Chew it up well -- you might just cut down on indigestion, acid reflux, heartburn, irritable bowel syndrome -- otherwise, cut out the foods that are causing these problems in the first place.

A healthy digestive system helps to keep weight healthy, and body working healthy.

Keep chewing--- especially if you don't have a train to catch!

02 August 2009

Quality of Life


This morning while doing some laundry, I was throwing some beach/pool towels into the machine, some towels that I have washed about 3 times in the past 3 days because we went to the swim club 3 days in a row. I thought about how great they were retaining their color, plushness and not a thread was out of place. A good towel is important since you want it to dry you well. A few good towels is better than a ton of bad quality towels.

Over the years, with the various changes in my life, I have adjusted my spending in various ways, constantly changing my habits. There were a great many years that I was much the "snob" when it came to my tastes, where everything had to be expensive, designer labels, and that made me feel good about how I spent my money. I later started to become sensible about how much stuff I really needed, and where it made sense to make the investment and where it really did not matter. Like with a white t-shirt, or sneakers for the children (with their ever growing feet).

It's been a learning experience,and I can say that today, I can clearly look at where I foolishly wasted money and think, "never again," and other things, I look at and think, "that was the best investment I ever made."

The towels were a good investment. They were not overly expensive, but I remember taking the time to evaluate the towels and saying to myself, "I love the color, I love the quality... I believe these towels will last."

I have other things that I value in the same way:

My P90X DVDs - best home "get into gym shape" fitness program -- 12 DVDs...Bamm!
My Subaru - a practical, great quality car!
My Incline (50%) treadmill - it's the next best thing to going outside to run
My elliptical machine - a 40th b'day gift I gave to my ex-hub 7 1/2 yrs ago (hub at the time) ..he never used it..great! -- It's mine, mine... all mine!
My Jack LaLanne juicer - Yum!
My sewing machine - I can sew, or just mend anything, and so, I don't throw out many things!
My Ipod - music is beautiful!( I lent it to a friend last weekend for her hubby's 50th surprise party-I love making playlists for everything...working out, parties, seniors, the kids...)
My All Clad pots - cooks the best dishes in those pots and they will live forever!
My vitamins - always!
A few swim suits - don't machine wash them, lay to dry - they were not cheap
2 pairs of jeans (out of perhaps 30) - I will patch them and repair them when necessary!
2 watches that I have had for almost 20 yrs
1 beachbag that I have had for more than 15 yrs - washable, colorful, huge! - I pull it out every summer!
2 Coach weekend travel bags from my sister -- beautiful, plain, sensible big bags
My patio furniture - had it 10 yrs now -- I clean it up, store it well, and it looks amazing still!

............ and My willingness to keep learning, growing and adjusting....!

These things have stood the test of time, some obviously a lot longer than others. I know that if I could not go out and buy anything again, I would be ok with what I have.

Love is all that matters! Feeling healthy throughout is priceless!

Being grateful for this beautiful earth, and beautiful friends and family is priceless!

I love the sunny days and the rainy days.

Just getting up each and everyday able to breathe and enjoy life --- nothing can replace that!

Living Life is the BEST!