Surviving the Holidays

One of my favorite indulgences during the fall is pumpkin flavored food and drink. I can't seem to get enough of it.  And what's funny is that the stuff is available year round. We can buy canned pumpkin every day at the supermarket, but during the fall the product is marketed as fresh, in season and ripe for the picking so we take the bait; hook, line and sinker. Enjoying a holiday treat once or twice during the month is acceptable, but using the entire fall and winter seasons to overeat sweets and comfort carbs will leave you looking at an extra 10 pounds on the scale, trying to figure out how you gained the weight. Maybe that's why so many New Years' resolutions involve diets. Consumer advertisement is often created to emotionally trigger a response and therefore our purchases and consumption attempt to satisfy those desires. How do we defend ourselves from these enticing, entertaining exhibits that bombard our brains on television, radio, at the grocery store and gas station?  Isolation isn't an option for most of us and honestly if you alienate yourself there's another problem set that will surface. Let me offer a 3 step solution and expound briefly on each recommendation.

1) Education: Understanding the consequences and rewards reaped from eating different foods is a great motivator that can empower people to make healthier choices. Americans are experiencing insurmountable health problems and a severe obesity epidemic due to the current condition of our food industry. The present fast paced information age has fewer and fewer people taking the time to buy fresh foods and cook healthy meals. Instead we fall victim to convenience, carryout and packaged products that are full of toxic preservatives.  Let's get back to the basics of growing gardens, eating fresh produce and teaching our children how to cook with real food. You've got to take some time to watch the new movie Fed Up. This movie illustrates how misinformed this country has become about proper nutrition and how the youngest generations are suffering from the consequences.  There's an old proverb that says, 'give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; show him how to fish and feed him for a lifetime.'  Are we teaching our children how to eat for a lifetime or how to eat for a couple decades from a fast food drive-thru?


2) Encouragement: Create an environment of support for yourself and your loved ones.  Be vulnerable and let people know that you are making a change and need their help. By having the accountability of friends, family and fitness minded fans you will create a community of support that will offer encouragement as you make health and nutrition a priority. Changing the unhealthy habits and distancing yourself from the negative people is no easy feat, but I assure you that the effort is absolutely worth the result. If you take the first step towards change, become a leader in your home, workplace and community I assure you that people will follow. Criticism and critiques will come, so get ready to stand your ground and inform others about your commitment to better health.

3) Exit Strategy: It's the weekend before Christmas and you're hurrying around the mall in an attempt to find that perfect gift for the last relative on your shopping list.  The one person you struggle to buy for every year. While roaming the stores you can't help but enjoy samples of peppermint candy, hot chocolate, pumpkin scones and gingerbread cookies. Before leaving with the back massager for Uncle Bill you've consumed an extra 800 calories and only burned 200 of those while walking around the store.  If this cycle repeats itself you'll be carrying around an extra 5-10 pounds before Santa Claus comes to visit. Now a decision must be made: do we create a calorie counterattack with hours of vigorous exercise or do we war game a plan to avoid the free holiday treats?  Chances are you don't have hours of extra time to invest in working out. It's hard enough getting to the gym for an hour just three times a week before/after your day job. Now you factor in the office party, visit to Grandmas and the church choir performance so the likelihood of any exercise is reduced to a Turkey Trot or Jingle Bell 5K. Let's just decide not to eat the treats. Walk away from the dessert table, avoid the sample booth and evacuate the area.  Flee from the temptation.  If you develop a course of action now, then when you get ambushed with holiday cheer in the form of calories it will be easier to resist the urge to indulge and instead execute the exit strategy.

I want to invite you to join me in the Fed Up 10 day sugar detox. My goal is to start with 10, keep it up for 30 more and then embrace a new lifestyle. We will start on the 28th, right after Thanksgiving and end on Christmas.  Then after enjoying some rewards for our hard work on Christmas, just pick back up and take the new, healthy habit into 2015. A New Years resolution is quite cliche, but this is so much more than that.  We are committing to change the way we eat so that our children don't fall victim to childhood obesity and we ourselves can lead healthy, long lives and enjoy as many years as God will give us here on planet earth.

Check out the website below for details about the Fed Up 10 day Challenge.  And let me know if you're in so we can hold each other accountable, track our progress, celebrate the victory over temptation and freedom from sugar ;)

http://fedupmovie.com/#/page/fedupchallenge

It's been 5 months already?

Whew... time really flies when you're having fun!  Hard to believe it's been so long since I've had the pleasure of blogging, but I am blessed beyond measure and I wanted to share a few tidbits of testimony with you.  Most of you know that this year has been quite a crazy one with many changes ongoing in my life; job, marital status, military assignment, mothering a toddler... just to name a few major milestones. And as we come around the last corner of 2014 my feet fasten with an excitement to finish the year in stride, sharing my passion for living a full life with my friends and family, despite hurdles and hiccups that life may lend along the way.  

What's the secret? How can we overcome adversities, deflect defeat and curb complacency?  I'm only 27 and have many lessons to learn, but allow me to mark this mile of my life with a few words of wisdom I've acquired thus far:

-don't ever lose hope. when tragedy strikes or hardship hits, stand firm in the faith and look for the positive in every situation. change your perspective to a positive one or the world will kick you while you're down. 

-speak life, not death. negativity is toxic and even if you see the fault in someone, encourage them to be better. 

-don't be a slave to perfectionism. when you fail, not if-- believe me it will happen, be resilient and bounce back. get up, dust yourself off and use the experience to overcome the obstacle with more zeal and determination. 

-don't waste your life. time is our most valuable resource and we've got to make the most of every minute, hour and day. 

-create healthy boundaries and put them into practice. don't be afraid to say no. we have to protect our time with proper planning, allocating our most valuable resource to the efforts that really matter. 

-monitor your motives. why are doing that thing that you do? is it going to produce a positive purpose in your life?  

-have a goal, write it down and make it a reality. if you don't have a plan to guide your performance today, stop wandering aimlessly and put a pen to paper. 

-all of life is a choice. what you wear, eat, say, do. where you go, work, play, sleep. how you think, act, feel, live. choose to be happy and healthy. you're in control of your life. so grab the wheel and control the throttle. we can't slow the spin of the globe but we can decelerate our speed and make the most of each mile.  


Hebrews 12: 1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

And I'm back

Note to self: do not begin contemplating journal entries and a return from your brief, blog sabbatical at 1am upon waking for a potty break.

Let me first apologize for my leave of absence and confess that this new life as a single, working mom is no easy feat.  I once thought my days couldn’t get busier when working full time on active duty with the Army, married and a new mother to John, but boy have I learned a great deal and come a long way in the last year. So here I sit, at 1am in my cozy little camper, finally returning to my beloved blog and so excited to share some stories of encouragement and catch you up to speed after about 3 months away.

Let me first address a topic I had discussed blogging about with a friend back in January; a review of the movie Lone Survivor.  There seems to be a great divide amongst Americans that seek out entertainment on the subject of our military’s’ involvement in combat.  Either you generally appreciate and enjoy watching the narrative that depicts our soldiers engaged in intense situations throughout the last decade we’ve been deployed to the middle east or you strongly object to this countries involvement in the conflict and watch war films in an effort to support your staunch stance on the subject and shoot holes in the premise that we have in fact been successful during the war on global terrorism. 

Nonetheless, I immensely enjoyed watching Lone Survivor because the movie afforded viewers insight into one of the many moral dilemmas that soldiers deal with during combat operations.  Most of us are too quick to judge and jump to conclusions when we hear or read news of yet another soldier returning from war facing charges of misconduct and mistreatment of other soldiers, prisoners or war, military combatants or civilians caught in the middle of conflict.  We have most  certainly been desensitized after longer than a decade of such ‘death and destruction’ being so negatively portrayed in the media and it’s no wonder why Americans don’t support the idea of cleaning up unfinished business.  Whether you support or reject the presence of American soldiers in Afghanistan I think we can all agree on one thing: the Taliban is a terrible, tumultuous organization that should cease to exist and if you take nothing else away from watching the Lone Survivor at least enjoy the fact that a very brave patriot lived to tell his heroic story and we should be grateful for his sacrifice and steadfast dedication to integrity.  Defending the freedoms afforded to citizens of this country comes at a very high price and the movie depicts that cost all too well when a four man fire team turns into one, lone survivor.

Wow, sorry to open with such a sensitive subject, but I had to address that topic first and tie up a loose end.  Let’s move on to a more positive topic, shall we? 

I want to expound a bit on the power of positive thinking.  I have enjoyed discussing this topic with a coworker and friend of mine this last few week as she also shares the belief that we are directly responsible for the good or bad things that happen in our life.  Think of yourself as a magnet that attracts those objects to yourself that you think of most often.  If you are familiar with the Law of Attraction that rule would also apply to my theory that we can truly effect the events of everyday life by focusing and visualizing on exactly what we want to happen.  Of course if you allow yourself to perpetually worry and entertain thoughts of ‘the worst case scenario’ than you will begin to manifest those negative actions, however; if we can train our minds to remain in a state of positive, forward thinking than our lives begin to reflect that peace and perceptive power. 

It’s no coincidence that last Saturday I ran into one the assistants from my chiropractors office at the Cherry Street Farmers Market in downtown Tulsa.  Emily was volunteering for a table set up by the Metaphysics School of Learning.  Unfamiliar with the subject of Metaphysics I decided to do a little of my own research after briefly discussing the idea with her and considering attending once of the schools’ seminars.  So yesterday I found a very rare, spare 10 minutes to hop the Google express and gain some traction on this new concept. And YAMMO… wouldn’t you know I get another healthy dose of my mental medicine for the month: the power of positive thinking. 

A few weeks ago I met an older man while taking care of some internet errands on the wifi at Starbucks.  He was seated near me enjoying his coffee and after noticing my Gold’s Gym tshirt began to make small talk about health and fitness.  We had quite a bit in common on the subject of holistic health and natural nutrition but our conversation soon turned to religion and we started discussing the benefits of prayer and visualization.  After about 15 minutes he said he had to run but wanted to leave me with an inspiring story he had printed about the Olympic athlete Mikaela Shiffrin using visualization to prepare for the winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.  The American athlete became the youngest Olympic women’s slalom champion in history and credits her success to having mentally envisioned taking the gold before her victorious feat actually occurred. You can read about a few brain training secrets that many Olympians claim to use and benefit from in this article from The Huffington Post  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/11/mind-hacks-from-olympic-a_n_4747755.html

And now my friends it’s time I leave you with this nugget of advice and a word of encouragement; go write down your goals.  Just in time for spring cleaning and some organization; let’s start to visualize today what we want for tomorrow and beyond.  Take some time to reflect on the lessons we’ve learned this last year, meditate on the direction we want to steer the ship and write down a plan of action for 2014.  Visualize yourself succeeding, take a deep breath and make strides to improve yourself one day at a time.  Consistency is key and change usually doesn’t happen overnight, but if we can train our brains to harness certain thoughts and make them captive to a positive perspective we can begin to attract those things we so desire.  Get out of debt, take that vacation with your kids, plant a garden, lose those extra 20 pounds, run that marathon, read that book, learn to play the piano, live your life on purpose and love with your whole heart. 

Live More With Less

What would New Years Day be without a resolution and a blog?  As cliche as it may seem to set a goal for the next calender year, I believe any time is a great time to make positive change in your life.  And if you need a holiday to get you motivated, than so be it.  During this season of my life things have been getting a little cluttered and out of sorts, therefore I am resolving to unpack the last of my boxes sitting in the garage since moving in July, take a close look at the stuff in my house to decide what I actually need and get rid of all the extra items just taking up space. My diet is also undergoing a few modifications and I am excited to embark on a new food foray. Both resolutions have an underlying theme that I want to share with you today; finding fulfillment in the intangible vice the tangible and learning to live more with less.

Fortunately for me I learned organization and cleanliness at a very early age.  I can still remember my Dad strictly enforcing the bed made, room cleaned and chores complete rule both before and after school.  Growing up in a military family also helped to reinforce a general state of order and structure.  So needless to say, my living standards have always been quite neat and tidy.  Since John was born I have learned to loosen my grip on the idea of having a continual clean house and now enjoy a bit of organized chaos.  Having a child has also allowed me to accumulate a great deal of baby paraphernalia. And that coupled with a big move back from Hawaii into a house half the size of my previous one, means it's time to downsize.  We have given away many larger furniture items already, but the smaller, more meaningful trinkets and keepsakes have yet to be evaluated for worth and retain-ability. I also amassed a huge amount of shoes and clothes over the last 6 years having fluctuated in weight by nearly 30 pounds, having a baby, nursing that baby for 20 months and also moving from a very temperate climate to a normal one with cold winters. Spring cleaning is coming early this year!

Why do we let ourselves gather so much stuff anyways?  Did you really develop an emotional attachment to that hat you picked up on your vacation last year?  Or the decorative set of coffee cups that just collect dust above the stove?  Here are my theories on why most people have an inner-clutter bug lying dormant in their brain:

-Social status
-Desire to live in abundance
-Just in case-itis
-Sense of obligation
-Don't want to waste
-Can't let it go
-Organizational ignorance

When your living/working space is de-cluttered your environment becomes functional, peaceful and enjoyable.  Not to mention how liberating it is to be mobile and versatile. Ask yourself: do I really need it, do I really use it, when was the last time I used it, when do I plan to use it, can I borrow/rent it instead of owning, what's the worst that can happen if I get rid of it?

Now, how do we live more with less when it comes to food?  Plant a garden! Imagine if you forced yourself to eat only what you could grow.  Likely to starve, we are prisoners of the grocery store because of an inability to live self-sufficiently. But what if we could find a happy medium?  What if you planted that garden and harvested 75% of the food you and your family consumed?  We would not only be healthier for having labored in the yard, but the quality and freshness of our food would be substantially better than that of what we currently pay for at the market.  Learning when to plant, how to grow and which produce to harvest during each season is also a very educational endeavor to enjoy.  If you have children planting and caring for a garden can teach them some of the most important lessons of life; work ethic, patience, responsibility, commitment, protecting the environment, quality time with family and a love for the great outdoors.

I also want to share some of my thoughts on using food to fill a void in your life.  We are all guilty of having turned to food for pleasure and fulfillment.  Whether our weakness is sweets, caffeinated beverages or alcohol there is an epidemic running rampant in our society to numb the pain of our wounds from a life lived in emptiness.  Purpose and worth can be hard to find nowadays and even harder to realize.  Money is thought to buy happiness and drives many of us to continue filling our house and refrigerator with more than just the essentials.  I believe there is a remarkable correlation between the increase of disease/illness/cancer and the amount of Americans swimming in financial debt.  This is just my theory, but I really think that our culture has an unquenchable thirst for monetary gain and tangible pleasure which has led to a perpetual search for fulfillment through food, drink and material things. It's no wonder our country has seen such an increase in the occurrence of obesity, heart disease, cancer and indebtedness. Are we buying and eating food that is essential and healthy for our bodies to function or are we consuming foods that we think make us feel good?  Do you eat for energy and when you're hungry or do you eat because of boredom and an addition to unhealthy food.  In case you hadn't heard, your body can become addicted to sugar.  Try to count the grams of sugar you consume in one day, just try it tomorrow.  I'm willing to bet it's more than 30 which is a relatively safe amount to eat each day.

Enclosing, I wanted to share a quote from Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts.  

We are hungry. We eat. We are filled... and emptied.  And still we look at the fruit and see only the material means to fill our emptiness.  We don't see the material world for what it is meant to be: as the means to communicate with God.  

Christian, Muslim, Jew, friend: there is a God.  He created you along with everything else in the world and knows exactly what makes you happy.  If something is broken, take it to the maker and ask Him how to fix it.  

Oh and in case you're interested in my new diet, take a look at this website for details: www.knowthecause.com

Happy New Year!

A day in the life of a nutritional activist

Counting calories is no fun.  We shouldn’t be concerned with the labels on our food because most the foods you should be eating actually have no labels.  My approach to nutrition is a natural, holistic one.  Let’s eat the foods that come straight from the earth that require little to no processing and modification.  If we can learn to practice self control and necessary meal planning, our need for doctors and health insurance will disappear.  Not to mention the money you will also save by foregoing the average America fast food joint and the many national, restaurant franchises.  Pharmaceuticals? Absolutely not.  Dare I say, no immunizations?  Unfortunately the FDA, USDA and the CDC would rather do what’s best for their wallet instead of our health.  Not all of their recommendations are nefarious, but the vast majority are vested in only monetary gain.  My diet is borderline radical and I’m sure many doctors will advise against it, however; I dare you to be different.  At this point in our history and culture we have to be the black sheep because everyone around is dying.  The United States has seen both the number and severity of illness and disease increase threefold during the last fifty years.  If we don’t take a stand, educate ourselves and make better nutritional choices we are going to be just another statistic.

First I want to tell you what NOT to eat/drink.  These foods must be avoided as they are devoid of anything good for you:

-Fried Food

-Sugar, Aspartame, Saccharin

-Soda

-Bread (except sourdough)

-Corn

-Peanuts

-Deli Meats

-Partially Hydrogenated Oil

-Cow’s Milk

-Mushrooms

-Wheat

Second, let’s talk about what to enjoy in MODERATION:

-Coffee (organic)

-Alcohol (low sugar/light)

-Beans/Legumes (organic)

-Meat (hormone and antibiotic free)

-Fish (fresh caught)

-Eggs (organic)

-Cheese (organic)

-White Potatoes (organic)

-Dairy Products (organic)

-Whole Grains (Oats, Brown Rice, Quinoa, Amaranth, Millet, Buckwheat, Barley, Flour Tortillas and Sourdough Bread)

Finally, the foods you can eat all the time:

-Vegetables (only moderation should be used with the night shades; eggplant, bell peppers, tomatoes because they are acidic)

-Fruits (unfortunately this list is short; green apples, berries, grapefruit, lemon and lime. The other fruits can be eaten in moderation)

-Herbs and Spices (go easy on the salt)

It will be difficult to join your friends on a lunch date away from work and you might not fare well at the family Christmas dinner, but I assure you that the sacrifices are worth the outcome.  I’m not saying to make your life miserable by always alienating yourself during mealtime and condemning others for eating so terrible.  There will be times when you cannot avoid eating that turkey sandwich from Arby’s or denying a taste of Grandma’s fried green tomatoes.  Occasionally you can enjoy a splurge and take your kid for an ice cream date.  Now let’s ask ourselves; what does a normal day on this diet look like? 

Breakfast:  Most important and biggest meal of the day!  First start by drinking a huge glass of water as soon as you wake up, preferably with fresh, squeezed lemon juice.  After sleeping for several hours and likely urinating upon waking, your body needs water.  Depending on how much time you have before leaving the house each morning, you may want to prepare breakfast the night before.  Whole grains should be consumed at this meal; oatmeal is a quick and easy choice.  Yogurt with some berries and nuts is also a fast, nutritious meal.  Egg omelets are another great choice for the first daily meal; preferably with fresh herbs and veggies.  I love eggs with onions, garlic, cilantro, bell peppers and spinach.

Mid-Morning Snack:  I always have food on or near me because I love to eat and do it often.  Nuts, fruit, protein shakes and smoothies are my usual snack items.  Let’s talk about how to make a glorious smoothie.  A nice blender is an investment you want to make.  We bought a refurbished Vitamix a few years ago for 200 bucks and it is the Rolls Royce of blenders.  I could probably blend a whole coconut in there if I tried.  They also come with a 5 year warranty and have impeccable customer service.  A super smoothie is the fastest, most palatable way to eat/drink several fruits and veggies at one time.  My favorite combination is a bunch of fresh kale or spinach, one or two fresh carrots, blueberries, strawberries and an avocado.  Add water, coconut water or a fruit juice to help the mixture blend properly.  If you like a sweeter taste than add more fruit juice than water, but remember that fruit juices are chocked full of sugar that we should avoid.  Try different combos to figure out what type of smoothie you like best.  I also thaw frozen fruits and veggies (organic of course) for my smoothies; especially during the winter when it’s harder to find fresh produce. 

Lunch:  If you enjoy meat I would recommend having chicken breast, steak or fish.  Sweet potatoes, brown rice or flour tortillas can compliment just about any meal.  And of course, vegetables should be consumed at every meal.  Salads are a great lunch choice.  Add meat or boiled eggs to your bed of lettuce, but don’t sabotage the plate with an unhealthy dressing.  Most condiments are high in sugar, salt and preservatives.  Olive oil, lemon juice and garlic make for an easy, DIY salad dressing.  Sandwiches are also a favorite lunch staple for many folks.  Choose a healthy meat or fish and always use sourdough bread. 

Afternoon Snack:  The 3-o-clock slump can have you reaching for coffee, cookies and donuts, but that’s the worst thing for you right now.  Much like the morning snack the best choices are nuts, fruits (an apple is perfect) and a smoothie.  If you take a fiber supplement (phylum husk is a necessity) this would be a great time to drink up.  A belly full of fiber will ensure you eat less at dinner time. 

Dinner:  This should actually be the smallest meal of the day and should be consumed before 7pm.  Contrary to popular belief, eating a heavy meal and drinking three beers right before bed is not a sure fire way to a good night’s sleep.  Eat small and eat early so your body isn’t storing fat throughout the night and instead is focused on actually resting.  Protein should be eaten at supper so your stomach has enough substance to sustain you without eating for 6-12 hours.  I don’t recommend eating carbs or grains at dinner because your body simply doesn’t need that much energy.  Unless you workout after dinner, then you may want high energy foods to support the expenditure.  Remember it’s not good to do hard workouts at least three hours before sleeping.  And of course, eat vegetables with dinner.  Broccoli, egg and cheese casserole is a splendid, high protein meal option for dinner. 

Now I want to share a few other nuggets of nutrition knowledge that you probably haven’t heard before that will aid in your pursuit for optimal health. 

-Never eat and drink at the same time.  Hydrating should be done separate from eating for energy.  Liquids, particularly water are needed for your cells to function properly.  Food is necessary for energy.  Our bodies don’t do both functions very well together.  If you add liquids to the digestion process it can slow the breakdown of your food.  Always drink a glass of water an hour before you eat and an hour after. 

-It’s time you discovered and used coconut oil.  This magic potion can be used for everything; stir-fry, sweetener, skin moisturizer, butter replacement, weight loss supplement, etc.

-Stop using the microwave.  The chemical heating process changes your food/beverage in ways we aren’t even sure about.  Heat in the oven or on the stove as often as you can.

-Consider a few supplements.  Even if you eat like a well versed nutritionist there is still a margin of error because of the depletion of our soil during the last few decades and the likelihood that you won’t eat all of the daily recommended vitamins and minerals in an average day. I recommend and currently take a daily vitamin, fiber (phyllium hulls), fish oil, a probiotic (more on this next), and an all natural herb for anti-fungus on a monthly rotation (olive leaf extract, caprylic acid or pau d-arco).

-I also take several other supplements for muscle growth/repair as I workout and train often.  Conjugated Liniolic Acid (CLA), Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs), a protein powder and an electrolyte replacement with B vitamins for energy. 

-Probiotics are an absolute necessity.  Good bacteria in your gut is now being discovered as the secret link to not only generally good health but proper brain development, combating allergies, bowel regularity and improved immunity.  It’s not enough to just eat yogurt every day; an actual probiotic supplement is encouraged. 

-Fall in love with hot tea.  Whether you’re trying to kick coffee and need some caffeine from green tea or you want to reduce inflammation with yellow saffron tea, there is a hot tea out there for just about every ailment or health benefit you can imagine.  It can also help curve cravings for dessert.

-Make it a habit to always have healthy snacks with you.  This will minimize the chances of eating unhealthy convenience foods, allow you to resist rabid restaurant menus and keep your metabolism cruising nicely fifth gear. Carry an apple, blueberries, strawberries, walnuts, brown rice cakes or a protein bar.

-The less you have to use high heat to prepare your food, the better off you are since the nutrients can burn up and get destroyed pretty easily.  Especially when cooking vegetables, you should choose the path of least incandescence; however some foods need to be cooked in order to maximize our bodies absorption of their nutrients.  For example, just half a cup of cooked spinach will give you thrice as much nutrition as one cup of raw spinach.  It’s also important to learn the many powerful combinations of certain foods.  There’s a compound in spinach called oxalic acid, which blocks the absorption of calcium and iron. An easy way to solve this problem is to pair spinach with a food high in vitamin C; like bell peppers.  Omelet anyone?  Another way to reduce the power of oxalic acid is to boil the spinach leaves for at least two minutes. 

-Dynamic duos are worth noting here.  Who knew foods could be better for you if eaten together with certain other foods?  As researchers work to unravel the complexities of the interactions of the foods we eat, I present you with the most powerful food synergies currently known to science: Tomatoes and Avocadoes, Oatmeal and Orange Juice, Broccoli and Tomatoes, Blueberries and Grapes, Apples and Raspberries, Lemon and Kale, Salmon and Soy, Red Meat and Rosemary, Turmeric and Black Pepper, Garlic and Fish, Eggs and Cantaloupe, Almonds and Yogurt.  Sorry I’m not going into the chemical details here, but feel free to look up the reasons for pairing these items together.

Wow, are you still with me?  Sorry that was so extensive, but I had to cover all the most important basics here.  This is really only the tip of the iceberg and a great start on your journey to better health.  I dare you to put these concepts into practice for 90 days and I guarantee you will look and feel like a new man.  Extra weight you’re carrying around will start to fall off, skin conditions will disappear, energy and stamina will increase, mental clarity and focus is improved and life will become all together more enjoyable.  Do it for yourself, do it for your family, do it for the people around you who need to see positive change in the world. 

Email me if you'd like more information and/or help putting this plan into action :)

The 4am Blog

How much sleep do you need? I used to get wrapped around the axle about sleeping eight hours every night and for the last 26 years I probably needed that much shut eye.  But during the last two years (especially since having John) I have watched myself function and learn to live with much less sleep. It's amazing what our bodies can still do and how well they continue to function with little to no sleep. I am always amazed at the adaptability of the human body. And since my body decided to get up at 0345 this morning let's talk about sleep and how getting too much or too little can effect you.

I watched an interesting documentary a few months back called 'Who needs sleep' about the long hours people in show business have to endure when filming movies. They of course are arguing against the whole concept of sleep deprivation after a popular camera man was killed in an accident on his way home from an 18 hours shift. Many workers in the industry complain of the terrible schedule and having to endure extra long hours while on the set of a show. They must be staying in the business for some reason; working with celebrities, traveling to beautiful places to film, or maybe they just really like movies.

Another proponent of sleep I found is David Dinges, the head of the Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory at the Hospital at University of Pennsylvania. In what was the longest sleep-restriction study of its kind, Dinges and his lead author, Hans Van Dongen, assigned dozens of subjects to three different groups for their 2003 study: some slept four hours, others six hours and others, for the lucky control group, eight hours — for two weeks in the lab. The study showed how poor performance was a common denominator in folks that slept less and less each day. Results also supported the law of diminishing returns with people that habitually slept less and less as their cognitive ability to stay alert and remember things got worst with each night they didn't get around 8 hours. Check out the full story from the NYtimes here http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sleep-t.html?_r=0

So let's evaluate an opponent for less sleep. Margret Thatcher anyone? Or Abe Lincoln, Vince Van Gogh or even Isaac Newton were all notorious insomniacs. But could it be genetic? I've read several sources to support the idea that some people just have sleeplessness in their genes.  The military has several training events that require soldiers to push their personal and physical limits by going days with little to no sleep as to test the true character of oneself. And to this cause I believe little to no sleep has an important place. Sometime in your life you will be forced to push yourself through a day or week or maybe a whole year with little sleep and when that season comes will you be able to function? I think we have to take advantage of those days we can get adequate sleep and considerate it preparation for those days we won't be able to rest.  It's probably a good idea to also explore the limits of your endurance, perseverance and stamina. I'm the type of person who loves a challenge and hates to be told I can't do something.

So today I encourage you to live a little more and sleep a little less. Don't make a habit of it, but get up earlier that normal once or twice a month and invest that extra time into doing what you love. Time is our most valuable resource and we never seem to have enough of it. But you already knew that; in fact you probably can't find enough time in the day to kiss your kids and read the news. So if that's your story I applaud your work ethic and trust that you are not wasting any time reading blogs and browsing your favorite department store's online sale :) We are only as good as our best intentions. Take the time to be intentional today, even if it means sleeping an hour less.

Weekend Getaway...

Tomorrow morning I will get up and leave around 4am for a very long, cold and rainy three days away from my baby boy. This is actually the longest I will have been separated from John since he was born. I am very grateful for having been near and with my son the last 20 months, as I realize this is not plausible for many women because of work and I was fortunate to sidestep many training exercises abroad while still on active duty. Nonetheless, I am still on edge about leaving and decided to blog about it this week.

This 36 hour drill will also likely be the end of my nursing endeavor. We've made it this far and even though I had wanted to breastfeed for two years, part of me is ready to close this chapter. I have been able to reduce John's nursing sessions from three a day just once at night before bed over the course this last month. This is quite a feat for us, because just two or three months ago John has STILL been waking once or twice throughout the night for comfort milk.  And even now that I won't give him mommy's milk when he signs for it or says 'ne-ne' the little guy makes a valiant effort trying to help himself by digging down my shirt. It's so special that even if he can't nurse he takes comfort in being near the breast.

FAST FORWARD...

Sorry I didn't get around to publishing this until today. Last week got too busy and I wasn't able to finish up before taking off for the weekend. And I'm glad that it worked out that way so you can have closure on the aforementioned big event. As it turns out, the weather got a little crazy, cold and icy so I actually spent three nights and three days away leaving Thursday night as to avoid early morning traffic and colder temperatures. So anyway, the time away served us both well giving John time to bond with his cousin Kolbey, Grandpa and Grandma Sanders and his daddy. I was able to enjoy a little bit of rest in the evenings, caught up on some reading and really just disconnected from my regular routine. These are great strides for our little family since John is a bit of a 'momma's boy' spending the majority of his time with me at home.

My training at the unit also turned out to be quite adventurous and not as arduous as I had been dreading. Well I guess it wasn't so much the training itself I was fretting but the cold weather and John withdraws. Despite the bone chilling temperatures we adapted the schedule to accommodate the soldiers quite nicely; the PT test was cancelled, our entire company of about 40 all successfully zeroed and qualified, and we were even cut loose early on Sunday so folks could make it home before dark and snow set in. I also came to the realization that my unit is pretty bad a**. The PSYOP community as a whole is very educated, insightful and down right entertaining. There are some characters in my company that can make a long, cold day at the range bearable with their quick whit, improvisation and good attitude. This was a fresh breath of air for me since there had been dubiousness and deliberation over the whole idea of staying in the Army Reserves. The whole purpose of leaving active duty was to have more time with my baby boy and now I found myself continually going over the pros and cons of sticking with reserves trying to balance the time commitment required to be a weekend warrior.

Coincidentally, that which I feared has made me stronger.  After enduring the weekend and overcoming my trepidation I shall remain a mommy soldier and do it valiantly so.  Most of  my fellow soldiers share this same sense of pride and honor that comes with wearing our uniform and serving this great country.  Being a leader brings me and even greater feeling of belonging. It is so inspiring to motivate other courageous men and women of distinction. And that my friends, is something I am very grateful for as we enter the Thanksgiving holiday and celebration. I am thankful for my family that supports my in all endeavors, my Army sisters and brothers that trust me to lead and succeed and finally for the ability to overcome my fears.

"Always do what you are afraid to do."  Ralph Waldo Emerson

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