Real Food Week 2 - Beverages

This week's real food challenge focused on beverages: "Beverages will be limited to coffee, tea, water, and milk (only naturally sweetened with a little honey or 100% pure maple syrup). One cup of juice will be allowed throughout the week, and wine (preferably red) will be allowed in moderation (an average of one drink per day)."

Water - Wow! I have a lot of work to do. I don't drink enough water daily. I know water has so much value and that proper hydration provides so many benefits to the body. Just look on the internet about the value of drinking sufficient water daily. So why don't I get enough water daily? NO EXCUSE! So, I will continue to work on drinking at least 8 cups of plain old water daily over these 100 days. Hopefully, by the end, I will have established a good habit. Instead of eating at night when I feel hungry, I choose to drink water. Sometimes, the body really isn't hungry but simply dehydrated.

Coffee - I need to cut back on my coffee intake. I drink at least 12 ounces daily, sometimes more. Again, I am choosing to drink more water rather coffee. Last week, Starbucks started offering the Flat White.

I fell in love with Flat Whites while visiting my daughter in New Zealand a number of years ago. I have seen it in a few speciality coffee shops here in the USA since, so I was intrigued to see how Starbucks would do Last week, I drank my first American Flat White, compliments of Starbucks. The milk's texture is less velvety than I recall in a true Kiwi Flat White. While pricy, it was tasty and held the texture while drinking it. This first was pretty good. And no, a Flat White is not the same thing as a small latte or caffe latte. Wonder if we will start seeing Long Blacks soon here in the USA. The thing about it: I don't know if there's a correlation but later in the day, I had a little bout of vertigo. The next day I realized my heart was experiencing PVCs, something I hadn't experienced in a number of years. Maybe the Flat White and its two shots of espresso had something to do with my PVCs, maybe they didn't. I didn't drink or eat anything caffeinated that next day and the following day, I had no PVCs when I listened to my heart through my stethoscope. Either way, I'm definitely cutting back on my caffeine, past this second week. 

Soda Pop - YAY! I dropped this back in 2006. The only time I drink pop is root beer when it's mixed with ice cream, which happens about once a year. So glad that I'm not fighting this one.

Wine - I don't drink wine or alcohol, except maybe 10 times/year. So, YAY! Alcohol is not a problem in my real food challenge.

Milk - My family switched to organic milk about a year ago. My husband and I go through a half gallon about every 2 weeks or so. I like milk with my cereal and my coffee. So this is another YAY! Not a problem.

Juice - I tend to eat my juice by eating fruit. Another YAY! No problem.

Bottom line: Less coffee, more water!

Brevity of Life

I woke up this morning and leaped out of bed with full resolve to start my day well by eating a healthy breakfast, having a good time alone with God, and working out with my buddy, Dolvett. 

 Then I felt it.

 The odd beating again in my heart.  I sat down with my mom's stethoscope and listened to the beating of my heart.  Yep, the PVCs.  

I had these back in 2010 and they disappeared in 2012 after working hard on getting active, eating healthy, and generally taking care of myself.  That they should pop up again....where's the dislike button!  

Then it hit me....I'm 59 years old.  I really could be gone in the next 10 years.  Okay, be positive, I told myself and make it 20 years.  10 years! 20 years!

It's odd how that seems like a long time, yet it seems so short.  My next thought was:  only 10 years to study my Bible, to know it, to store in the recesses of my heart.  Only 10 years to make a difference in the lives around me!  Only 10 years to get my house in order (I better clean out my junk drawers) and get rid of ALL the junk in my home.  I don't want my family burdened with MY junk.  Only 10 (Lord, I hope it's way more) years to enjoy my future grandchildren and to know them and have them know me a little.  

I recall to mind how My sovereign Lord is in charge of my life.  Job 14:5 (NLT) says
" You have decided the length of our lives.
     You know how many months we will live, 
      and we are not given a minute longer."

God knows!  The God who keeps the universe in order, the God of the tiny atom and its smaller parts, the God who cares about each detail of my life, the God who loves me perfectly, wisely, graciously, and faithfully.  I could keep adding adjectives here for the next 10 years and it would only scratch the surface of who God is.  So I rejoice in knowing that this life is short and that one day, in God's perfect timing, I will be with Him for eternity because I know Jesus Christ, His Son, who died for my sins, and who rose again and is now interceding on my behalf and is walking with me through each day.  

Jesus Christ is my Saviour, Lord and God.  John 3:16 says, " For God so loved the world that He is his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life".  I believe and trust Jesus Christ as my Saviour.  Do you?  If you don't, won't you ask Him today to be your Saviour?  

Real Food Week 1 - Fruits and Veggies

I'm glad this 14 week challenge has started on a positive note, to eat more fresh fruit and vegetables, at least two per meal.   I thought it would be a piece of cake (haha) to accomplish this week's goal.  I love fruit and have no trouble meeting my daily requirement of fruit.

However, one take-away from this week's challenge was the realization that I don't really eat a wide variety of quality vegetables on a daily basis.   Yes, I eat a lot of organic spring mix, organic romaine lettuce.  In fact, my family and friends say I make a great salad, all with fresh ingredients.  I like my salads.  But.....there is a vast world of vegetables that I never seem to get around to eating.  Even staples, like broccoli and green beans, aren't making it to my plate enough.

When I signed up for the challenge through the FaceBook site, I discovered a group of local women who were looking for support in cutting out processed food.  One woman told me of an online source for local organic fruit and vegetables.  With a 50% off coupon, I gave the company a try.  In the middle of a raging snowstorm, a beautful box of fruits and veggies arrived at my door.  There were two grapefruit in the box.  Oh my goodness!!! Such sweetness I haven't tasted in grapefruit in a long time.  The organic bananas were fabulous.  The green peppers and romaine lettuce were fresh.  Swiss chard.....tasty!  I'm still eating through the box.

 My husband, bless him, brought home some fabulous green beans at the beginning of week one.  He decided to join Weight Watchers online and is doing his part of helping us eat real food.  He prepared a delicious meal of broiled salmon, roasted potatoes, peppers, onions and asparagus.

So bottom line,  I need to continue working on eating my veggies that aren't salad fixings.

100 days of real food

I am choosing to take the 100 day challenge (14 weeks) of cutting out processed foods this year. I've been following Lisa's blog at 100 days of real food for a couple years. This is my first challenge through her blog. Each week there is one challenge to try to follow.  I'm diving in.

One Word 2015

A couple years ago, it was suggested that you pick one word to describe your goals for the coming year. My word for 2011 was "Grow".2012 was "Faithful" 2013 was "Healthy" and 2014 was "Joyful".

 My word for 2015 is "Kind".

 Ephesians 4:32 says, Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

 Kind encompasses how we think, what we says, how we act. FaceBook and other social media are overloaded with unkind comments and pictures. Hop in your car and you quickly see unkind behavior from other drivers. Look at the news: just think what simple kindness would do to mitigate the strife and conflict so ever present in the news. Kindness can be an act of the will when the mind is struggling to catch up. The best kindness is the kindness that outflows from a heart filled with gratitude for who Jesus Christ is and what He has done for me; kindness doesn't cost anything financially and is an act of worship to God, as I choose to be kind regardless of my circumstances.


 "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.

 Kind - My word for 2015

 If you were to pick one word for 2015, what word would you pick? Have you considered joining the community at One Word 365?

More or Less for 2015

1. More reading and less TV.
2. More saving and less spending.
3. More vegetables and less sugar.
4. More prayer and less complaining.
5. More faces and less Facebook.
6. More exercise and less sitting.
7. More water and less other drinks.
8. More space and less clutter.
9. More creating and less consuming.
10. More praising and thanking and seeing God, and less self-serving and criticizing and being anxious.

Sound bite: The word "momentarily" to our local movie theater means 20 minutes.

We went to the movies today and there were these words on the screen at the time our movie was scheduled to begin:  "Your feature presentation will begin momentarily."  So I glanced at my watch to see how long momentarily was defined by the movie industry moguls.  Seven previews later, our movie started.  Webster's dictionary defines momentarily as at any moment : in a moment, for a moment.    Thanks, theatre people, for the new definition that a moment equals about 20 minutes.  So, um, does that mean when we say "I'll be there in a moment", that we have between 15-20 minutes to be there?   Just wondering.....

See you momentarily....in my blog terms, that could mean a long time.  Hoping to post more regularly this coming year.

finished with 90 days

 I am DONE, DONE, DONE!!! I have officially completed reading through the Bible in 90 days, actually doing it in 89 days. Granted I read the last 2 days' readings in one sitting and now it is the middle of night....I just didn't want to put it down. How can you leave off reading a book at the climax? I'll be tired tomorrow, but it was worth it. It helped to have accountability and encouragement each week. I used a 90 day Bible (it had no notes in it, just the Scriptures) and armed with a blue highlighter (no reason for the blue, it was the marker I had on hand), I highlighted any verses that resonated with me. Now when I leaf through this Bible, I can see all the things that stood out to me about God, Jesus, about how I should walk, or was something I wanted to learn more about or study more. This Bible was also in a version I don't normally read, so there were familiar verses that seemed new because it was new wording.

I have a couple books of the Bible that I now plan to drill down on and study more closely. And I plan to start reading the Chronological Bible that I purchased late 2010 and never cracked open. So I have plenty to keep me in the Word.

Walking helps improve our memory!

I read this week that walking just 6 miles a week helps improve memory and preserve brain size, according to the journal Neurology. Now who wouldn't want to have a sharper memory capacity! And at my age, anything that preserves and/or improves my brain power is a fabulous thing.  It's the end of week 4 (and month 1) of the 100 Mile Fitness Challenge, and I walked 10 miles this week for a grand total of 27 miles.   Hmm, I wonder,  if you walk more than 6 miles a week, does your brain's memory improvement grow expotentially?!? 

So, to my fellow 100 Mile Fitness Challenge members, keep walking! 

100 Mile Fitness Challenge-Week 3

Between the extreme heat and the consistent migraine headache I had this week, I'm happy to report that I managed to get 6 miles in this week. In addition, I did three days of strength training. For me, strength training is key to improving my overall health and fitness. Strength training helps retain and improve muscle mass. Gaining muscle mass helps my body become more efficient and effective at burning calories, which helps me lose needed pounds. Strength training helps my bones, body and mind stay strong.

I'm still learning the My Fitness Pal site (see yesterday's post). It's a great way to track my workouts and calories and maintain a food diary.

Tomorrow, I'm signed up to walk a charity 5K with a couple good friends. That will be a great start to next week's total.

How did you do this week?

Discovered a good free fitness website

A personal trainer at the gym told me about this site today. So I thought I would check it out and give it a go. If it's a way to keep track of my fitness progress without being too time consuming, I think I will like the site.

I have a primary goal of losing about 25-30 pounds as quickly and safely as I can. I need to drop this weight to help bring my blood pressure under control. I've been hovering in the Pre-hypertension to Stage 1 Hypertension range since I gained 15 pounds recently. So I'm on a mission to drop the weight.

The site is My Fitness Pal.  You can track your exercise, your calories, your nutrition, your meals, and your progress.  It's hard to believe it's free.  They even set up a blog for each user that is available to you to use.   They also have a mobile app that works with I-Phone and Droid. 

Let me know if you try it. 

Genesis & Exodus-B90

In this first week of reading, I raced through all of Genesis and Exodus.  Reading through the Bible in 90 days does feel like a race, a long distance cross-country race.  You can't stop and smell the roses along the way because you have to keep the finish line (the whole Bible in 90 days) in sight.  So why read through it so quickly?  Is there any benefit?  I think there is!  Reading the Bible like a regular book helps me see God's big picture of salvation, redemption and his love.  It's like standing back and looking at a masterpiece of art and seeing the grand sweep of the artist's painting.   The closer you walk to the painting the more detail you see but you no longer are able to see the entire painting. Verse-by-verse study of the Bible is like examining the painting with my nose really close to the picture.  I see the paintbrush strokes and the individual pieces of color that make up the entire painting.  I can learn how to paint for myself by looking at the painting up closer.  Scripture study/reading is similar.  I love to camp out in a book or a chapter of Scripture, examining the detail and learning what God wants me to learn from the passage.  Combining both methods of Scripture reading (a big-picture walk-through the Bible, like the 90 day read, with my normal verse-by verse and chapter-by-chapter camping out of the Bible)  allows me to see God in the big picture of life, as well as his day-to-day love for me. 

100 Mile Fitness Challenge-Week #2

Well, I'm off to a slow start.  Between all the family visiting in the last two weeks and the major storm that knocked power out all over the area for 3-5 days,  I was only able to post 6 miles this week, all walking.  I was hoping to swim this week and discovered on Monday morning that my local pool was closed for the week for cleaning.  Shortly thereafter, the biggest storm in 10 years hit the entire region, knocking out power to 800,000 customers, including my fitness center where I like to treadmill.   No power there for 3 days.  Yikes,  that meant I had to actually walk outside in the heat with all the lovely misquitos who love to feast on me.  Do I sound whiny enough in my excuse-making here?!?  

I know the value of consistent exercise.  In my journey toward better health and fitness in the last two years,  I was able to bring my blood pressure down to an acceptable measurement because I was able to lose 30 pounds.  Those 30 pounds only came off because of consistent exercise (cardio and strength training) and careful intake of food.  Sixteen of those 30 pounds has inched back on me in 2011 and my blood pressure has inched upward, too, which is scary.

So I'm celebrating those 6 miles walked this week, as well as the 1 hour collective strength training I did this week, knowing every step taken, every weight lifted, and every exercise performed moves me closer to my goal of normal blood pressure and a healthy, safe weight.

So, how did you do this week?  

Read through the Bible in 90 days!

I must be a glutton for punishment.  I tried reading through the Bible in 90 days beginning in January and got behind almost immediately.  What I DID read in January was amazing, exciting, and difficult.  It is a very fast pace.  So here I am again beginning another try at reading through the Bible in 90 days.  I'm a great starter but a lousy finisher.  One thing I have going for me this time around is that I have a mentor this time who can encourage me, cajole me and give me a swift kick to keep pressing on with the reading.
 
If you're interested in joining me and about 1000 other women, go to Mom's Toolbox and sign up; and then let me know.  We can encourage each other.   I like Mom's Toolbox SOAP idea for this read-through. SOAP is an acrostic that stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. Here is how Amy at Mom's Toolbox describes it:


"S: Scripture-Write the ONE scripture that I feel God is using to speak to me in today’s reading
O: Observation-What might He be telling me with that scripture?
A: Application-How can I apply it to my life?
P: Prayer-What is my prayer to ask God in helping me to make that application?"


Here's my plan: Fortunately, I own a 90-day Bible. I have a journal that I will use to record my daily SOAP, along with a couple highlighters that I can use to highlight verses that are meaningful to me or are verses that I would like to understand better at a later date. They will be easy to find later if I highlight them as I read. Plus I will check in with my mentor group on Mom's Toolbox every Monday night.


I have a Droid Phone and also added the Bible in 90 days on my phone through YouVersion.com's Reading Plan. So, if I get behind, I can always whip out my phone and catch up with the reading...can't highlight or journal (at least I don't know how to do that on my phone), but I can keep saturating myself with the Scriptures. YAY!


Let the reading begin! And to my mentor group, I look forward to experiencing this grand adventure together as we spend time with God in His Word every day for the next 90 days!

100 Mile Fitness Challenge Week 1 Check-in

Hate to start using excuses at the beginning of my 100 mile fitness challenge, but my first week was definitely a rough start.  Between the 4th of July holiday and all the family visiting,  I didn't get much "me" time to get walking.  I only posted 5 miles.  But I am not too bummed.  I kept active "chasing" a 19 month old grand-nephew and spending another day this week walking all over a renaissance fair with some other family members, all activity not included in my count for the week.  So here's to week 2 and to achieving a higher number of miles than 5 miles for the coming week.  If you are reading this and want to join me in the challenge, you can sign up over at 100 Mile Fitness Challenge

New 100 Mile Fitness Challenge

The ladies over at 100 Mile Fitness Challenge are beginning a new 100 mile challenge beginning July 1st.  It's been ages since I've posted on my blog and a long time since the last 100 Mile Fitness Challenge.  So I'm making a fresh start on both my blog and on the challenge.  Post a comment if you want to join me.

Isaiah 41:10

Fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

This verse has been one of my life verses ever since 1991 when I discovered it written out in my dad's handwriting on a 3X5 card in my childhood bedroom at my parents' home.  Dad had just had an unexpected major surgery that day.  My mom and I were both weary, worried, and scared that Dad might not make it.  To see this verse in Dad's handwriting was like a balm to my soul.  I remembering running into my mom's room and sharing it with her.  Both of us were so deeply comforted by these words.  I have continued to find this verse a comfort and shared it with many others.  Hope it brings you comfort, too.

Isaiah 40:8

The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.

 
I'm studying Isaiah this school year.  I loved this verse because it reminded that if I want to my days to matter in an eternal sort of way,  spending time studying, reading and applying the Scripture is an excellent use of my time.  I am so fortunate to have the Bible in many forms.  I own multiple copies of the Bible in different versions.   Some people in this world don't have any access to the Bible.  I should not squander this opportunity to memorize and study God's Word.  There may be a day coming when I won't have the Bible be so readily available to me.  It may be the only verses that I will have available to me will be the verses I have seared into my heart and life.  Keep memorizing with me, siestas!

Hot Chocolate Race

Last November 2010, I walked/ran in my first BIG (30,000 people) 5K in Grant Park in Chicago.  It was a really cold but sunny morning.  At the end of the race, we were served Ghiradelli hot chocolate and fondue.  I'm glad my neighbor and her husband were with me to share in the fun.  I just registered for the 2011 race.  For my friends who have asked to join me in one of these events, here's your chance to do the 5K with me at the 2011 Hot Chocolate 5K Race in Chicago.  Dr. Oz was there last year and I ran by him at the start of the race.  He was high-fiving us as we ran past. 

Here's a short video from 2010's race to motivate you to get moving.  Ram Racing's Hot Chocolate 2010 Video

Micah 6:8

He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?

What matters most in my life?  I'm so often pulled in every direction and become ineffective in all.  These verses help me "keep it simple".  Jesus gave the great commandment to love God with all my heart, soul, and mind and secondly, to love my neighbor as myself.  What matters most in my life should be what God expects of me:  to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God.  Sounds simple but is a pretty big order.  So I need to start on my knees in prayer each asking God to show how to use my day in obedience to him.   Beware of spending too much time on things that aren't important. 

To serve the present age,
My calling to fulfill;
O may it all my powers engage,
To do my Master's will! --Wesley