Summertime Monopoly

It’s almost the end of the month and it’s hard to believe that summer is really here. It finally got warm enough that we had to shut up the house and turn on the air conditioner. I love the fresh air blowing through the windows and miss it during the summer. Don’t get me wrong, I am VERY grateful for air conditioning. When I grew up, we didn’t have air conditioning and our schools weren’t air conditioned either. It’s hard to believe that we didn’t completely melt into puddles during the summer months. But we survived and enjoyed our free time immensely. We used to sit in the breezeway to the house and play board games all during the long summer. I used to have the monopoly board memorized and knew the price of every house, rent and property in the game. I miss having all that free time. There is always something on my list to do these days. But, at least I’ve learned to use a list and make it my friend. I keep a daily, weekly and even monthly to do list. It’s where I park my brain so that I don’t have to keep it in drive. I schedule out my household chores, homeschooling tasks, menus and miscellaneous. It helps keep my mind uncluttered and gives me the ability to claim free time when I can. The bathrooms might be getting messy today, but tomorrow is my day to clean it. So, today, I can overlook the mess knowing that it will be clean tomorrow. It’s amazing the freedom it gives me to “goof off” when I can. I’m not an overly organized person, but having a schedule is freeing for me. Well, gotta run. It’s time to enjoy some of my free time and go have a game of tag with the kids. I love to do lists almost as much as margin!

Eat at Home!!!

I was completely surprised yesterday while I was surfing the net collecting information for an article I wanted to write. I was looking up nutritional information on some restaurant and fast food items and was stunned, literally stunned, by what I found. I know that eating out is typically a very unhealthy choice both for the waistline and the wallet. However, I guess I never really took the time to quantify that knowledge before. But with our family’s new commitment to following a spending plan each month and our continued commitment to healthy eating, my eyes were suddenly opened. Everyone knows that eating at home is much less expensive than eating out. It takes a little bit of time to prepare and clean up and a little bit of water and energy to complete both, but it doesn’t cost that much. But cost is another story for another day. What really surprised me was the fat content of items most people don’t think twice about while consuming. It is so easy to prepare a meal for the whole family with less fat than one serving of food to go. When a frozen mocha latte has over 40 grams of fat and ONE donut has over 15 (and who eats just one donut anyway?) it is no wonder that we have an obesity problem in America. It doesn’t matter what type of diet you are on, the only thing that counts for weight control is the number of calories consumed versus the number of calories used. Since each fat gram contains over 9 calories and carbohydrates and protein grams contain only 4 calories, no matter how you slice it, fat grams count too. I can’t even imagine fixing a dinner with so much fat. It reaffirms my philosophy of eating at home. Unless the only thing you eat at home are prepackaged meals and convenience foods, whatever you cook is probably much healthier than almost anything you can eat outside of your home. Want to lose weight? EAT AT HOME! Try it for a week. Just a week. See if being hyper-vigilant for only 7 days makes a difference. I bet if you just REFUSED to eat ANYTHING you hadn’t prepared yourself for 7 days, you would lose weight – and feel better! TRY IT! Let me know what happens! And if you don’t need to lose weight, does someone in your family? Seven days can make all of the difference in the world!

Living in the moment - What a blessing!

I’ve read a lot lately about decreasing your stress by living in the moment. Rather than physically doing one task while mentally doing 5 others, living in the moment means being truly present with the one task you are doing. I thought that was impossible and no one could live that way. I am always planning four or five things while doing what is at hand. Well, being sick has really opened my eyes to the importance of living in the moment. I am still recovering from pneumonia and trying to take it easier than normal. Yesterday seemed like a pretty relaxing day. I wasn’t stressed and I wasn’t overly tired by the end of the day. But then I reflected on what I did do yesterday and I was astounded. I had done 3 loads of wash (all folded and put away); homeschooled the children; prepared breakfast, lunch and homemade black bean soup for dinner; gone to the vet, the dollar store, the bank, the drug store, the post office, the library and the grocery store where I did my week’s worth of shopping; and returned home to unload and put all of the groceries away. I am not superwoman, but I was not overly fatigued. What was my secret yesterday? Besides relying totally on the Lord, I realized that I had also lived only in the moment. I knew I couldn’t do everything on my list, so I did what I could without beating myself up that I wasn’t doing more. I didn’t make phone calls while driving and I didn’t write blogs in my head while cooking and I didn’t plan cooking classes while homeschooling the children. I simply lived in the moment. I talked to the kids while driving and listened to them while we did our errands. I’m hooked – I hope! I never really knew how stressful and tiring it was to mentally be engaged somewhere else rather than in the present moment. And I never really knew how blessed I would feel to be recuperating and not at my fullest. I have really learned that God’s strength provides and he is always teaching me lessons – if I live in the moment enough to hear him!

It's tough being sick - but I'm glad I have margin!

It’s tough being sick. Over the last month, I have been battling what I thought was a little cold that just wouldn’t go away. A dear friend of mine has been battling the same thing, except for three weeks longer than me. My cough continued to get worse and instead of slowly getting better, I was getting worse. Finally, I decided I had to go see a doctor. What I thought was a cold was actually a case of bronchitis with asthma and pneumonia thrown in for good measure. No wonder the day before I went to the doctor my morning work out was spent coughing as much as working out! So, Mother’s Day found me in a walk-in clinic after church. For someone who never takes medications, I walked out with four prescriptions and a promise to get a chest X-ray if I wasn’t markedly improved in 4 days. Needless to say, I found myself 4 days later getting a chest X-ray, coughing myself silly and with 2 more prescriptions. So, I am convalescing and learning how to let my husband, mother-in-law and children help out. I am also learning how to say no to certain activities and obligations and how to pace myself throughout the day. What is really amazing is that I have never felt short of breath and never really felt bad. A little more tired at the end of the day, but I was still working out almost everyday. My normal 4 mile walks were shortened slightly and my time was off a little – which I thought was due to my taking time to cough. I am now slowing down for a while and waiting to work out until my cough settles down. But I sure am glad that I have worked out and eaten right. It’s no guarantee that I don’t get sick, but it sure does help when I do. I may be slower this week, but I am not stopped. I still am able to take care of the house and kids without total fatigue and exhaustion. Maybe I would be better off if I needed some bed rest. Hmmmm…perhaps I need to think about that!

Fiber Rich Brownies

I couldn’t believe what I saw tonight. I was going through a magazine about health and nutrition and I ran across an interesting ad which included a recipe for “Fiber –Rich Raspberry Brownies”. It was an advertisement for psyllium fiber which touted its ability to lower your cholesterol. Normally I don’t pay too much attention to ads but for some reason it caught my eye. As I examined it more closely, I couldn’t believe what I saw! Here was an advertisement for a product being promoted as heart healthy yet the recipe they included called for 6 large eggs and 3 cups of sugar! Oh, but it did have ½ cup of fiber powder! Color me silly, but I like to get my fiber the natural way – in the whole foods and grains I eat every day. As astounded as I was, it started to dawn on me that if the fiber product being advertised was paying for the advertisement, it must be profitable. People must actually believe this nonsense. Perhaps we’ve all just been lulled to sleep by the large pharmaceutical and supplement industry. Somehow we think true health comes out of a bottle, in a pill or somehow in our “magical” brownies which have 6 eggs, 3 cups of sugar, and ½ cup of fiber powder. We need to wake up and think. True health comes from a full spiritual life, fulfilling relationships, enjoyable recreation and proper care of our bodies through exercise and a diet based on whole foods. Don’t get me wrong. I love brownies too and think they can have a place in our diets. But mine won’t have 6 eggs and 3 cups of sugar. And they surely won’t have ½ cup of psyllium fiber!

Too Much Help in the Kitchen!

We have a large black Labrador Retriever named Sharlotte which we all adore. She was a wonderful gift from some friends just as my daughter was praying and begging for a dog. God always provides! But that’s another story. Sharlotte has a slight drinking problem as most labs do. When she drinks she also deposits a large amount of water directly on my kitchen floor. We always keep a small towel by her bowl to wipe the floor with after she gets a drink. When not in use, it normally “hides” under my kitchen counter. Really, it helps keep my kitchen floor pretty clean because several times a day I find I am using it. But that’s another story too.

Today, I was busy in the kitchen after dinner cleaning the dishes. Normally I feel a little like an Egyptian. I am getting quite good at building small pyramids of clean dishes and pots in my sink to drip dry. But today, I was concerned that my 9th wonder of the world may collapse, spilling all of my clean kitchen utensils onto the floor. So, as my 6 year old son was walking by, I told him to get the towel and start drying my dishes. I probably should have been more specific when I unknowingly made what I thought was a simple request. Andy was quickly obedient and started taking layers off of my pyramid and drying them. We had a nice visit while he helped and the time and chores seemed to fly by. It was only after I finished putting away all of the washed and dried utensils did I turn around and begin to sense that perhaps things were not as they had seemed. I quickly called Andy and asked him to tell me which towel he had used to dry ALL of the pots, pans, dishes, silverware and assorted other kitchen utensils I had used to prepare dinner. Much to my belated surprise, he told me had picked the towel up off the floor and used that one. ARGH! Next time I guess I need to be slightly more specific in my directions and perhaps I may be a little slower asking for help. Sometimes, there IS such a thing as too much help in the kitchen!

Choose health over convenience!

We had a good day today! We were supposed to spend the day doing ballet and early morning baking. However, ballet got cancelled so we spent the day together unwinding and enjoying each other’s company. After dinner we decided to go fishing in the St. John’s River from a local boat ramp. The kids both caught some good sized Bluegills and we enjoyed watching the alligators nearby. We made sure to keep the children away from the water’s edge and one of us always kept an eye on the water nearby. There would be no falling in today! Emily was completely grossed out by the wiggly worms we used for bait and could scarcely eat at home once she learned that the bait had been carefully stored in our refrigerator. Yet, what I really found interesting is that we had been fishing in almost the exact same spot my Grandpa used to take me when I was only 5 years old. Grandpa and I would head out to Camp Holly with our cane poles and worms and have a wonderful time fishing. Unfortunately, I did not get to repeat this adventure many times. Grandpa had diabetes and had died of complications from the disease by the time I was in Kindergarten. It’s nice to know that through exercise, keeping my weight down and eating a wide variety of plant based whole foods that I am significantly lowering my risk of developing diabetes. It’s also wonderful to be able to help others do the same thing. I love hearing from people about how they have overcome their health challenges and family history through adopting the same principles. I also love hearing people say that they never knew a healthy lifestyle would be so easy, fun and down right tasty! Healthy, vibrant living isn’t about giving up things; it’s about doing the right things. But I really love thinking about all those future children who will be able to build a lifetime of memories with their grandpa and grandma because they chose health over convenience.

Breakfast in Bed! What a treat!

My kids brought us breakfast in bed on Saturday! WOW!!!! What a treat! We finally got our “new” dog to sleep in. She likes to get up at 5:30 and eat – but this Saturday we got her to let us all sleep until 7:30! YIPPEE! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen 7:30 from in my bed! The kids snuck in while Rick and I were chatting and enjoying the slow pace of Saturday morning. They were very excited about serving us. And so was I, until I thought about the clean up I would surely face later. But, there’s only one time which is the first time your children bring you breakfast – or anything other than nightmares – to bed. I had made whole wheat blueberry and banana muffins the previous day so I knew we had something in the kitchen they could handle. But, I really felt like fruit – not muffins. I suggested they peel some bananas, slice them in two bowls; add a little maple syrup and walnuts to mine and a few raisins and soy milk to Dad’s bowl. What a wonderful job they did and how exciting it was for me to realize they were slowly becoming self-sufficient! We only lost half of a banana to the floor and my banana chunks were floating in maple syrup and covered with pecans – but with great enthusiasm we cherished the moment!

Me and my cantaloupe!

I went into my local produce market today and got really excited to see Florida cantaloupes! You don’t often see cantaloupes and excited in the same sentence but after a long winter of apples, bananas and pineapples I do get a little enthusiastic when spring and summer fruits begin appearing in the stores. I never really knew how much I liked cantaloupes until I tasted one which was grown right here in the good old USA. When we owned our own produce market we had a customer we called the cantaloupe guy. He would appear each year when cantaloupe season began. Every visit, he would buy 6 to 8 cantaloupes. I used to think he was odd, now I think I may be just like him!

Locally grown cantaloupes are nothing like their off shore counterparts. Fresh, local cantaloupes are often only 1 day from the vine when they appear in the produce market. How do I pick a cantaloupe? First, I look for a local melon with a nice round shape and no bruises or soft spots. (I NEVER shake a cantaloupe. Shaking a cantaloupe does nothing but loosens the seeds and causes the melon to ROT rather than ripen.) Depending on how long before I eat it, I choose a color. The greener the skin, the longer the melon will take to ripen. Then I take it home and let it ripen on my counter or even in my refrigerator. Once the skin begins to turn yellow and dimple I know the cantaloupe is ready to eat. I can even begin to taste it as I prepare to carve it. Take my advice and treat yourself to a locally grown cantaloupe and see if you don’t start using excited and cantaloupe in the same sentence!

OSSP Camping Trip

We just got back from a week long family camping trip and what a wonderful time we had! We stayed on the west coast of Florida for 5 nights in Oscar Sheerer State Park. It was a beautiful campground with shady, private campsites. We saw cardinals, cat birds, owls, herons, egrets, raccoons, cotton tail rabbits, armadillos and alligators, to name a small portion of the abundant wildlife. We went canoeing, fishing, swimming, shell and fossilized shark tooth collecting, sunset watching, hiking and even on an airboat ride. To say that our week was full of adventure would be a slight understatement. I’m not sure what activities we liked the best. All of the adventures blended together into a family memory which will not soon be forgotten. It was wonderful to be able to indulge ourselves in full days without aches, pains or other ailments sometimes associated with active vacations. Having children later in life has been full of challenges, but because of our commitment to a healthy and vibrant lifestyle, none of the challenges have been related to those commonly associated with aging. Now that I’ve had a few moments to reflect, I think all of us would say that our favorite activity was tuning into an “oldies” radio station and dancing in the car to some songs that reminded us of our life long before children. Somehow, the songs seemed richer and certainly more memorable when shared with our children with great enthusiasm and vigor. I never knew a 6 year old and 8 year old could be so creative while “dancing” in their car seats!

Getting Ready to Podcast

I am getting ready to start podcasting. At least I think I am. I tried tonight while cooking dinner to create a podcast about making dinner. It was a lot of fun. We’ll have to wait and see how it turned out. I was making stewed apples or what I sometimes call fried apples. It’s one of my kids’ favorite foods. We have friends whose kids love them too. Anyway, I had apples that we didn’t particularly care for, so we decided that they would taste great stewed. The apples were a little too tart. They were not as tart as a Granny Smith apple, but they were not as sweet as we like. So, while peeling and paring and stewing, I tried to teach a quick class on a wide variety of topics. I think I covered, or attempted to cover, the different types of common apples and what to use them for, the different types of vegan butter substitutes, the benefits of cast iron cooking, the types of vegetable/fruit peelers I like the best and how to thicken stewing juices quickly. Just a few topics to cover in less than 15 minutes, while preparing dinner and fielding requests from hungry children. Well, time will tell how it turned out. Not sure I am ready for the big time yet. But, hey, it’s always fun to gather in my kitchen and talk.

Check out my podcasts at Veg4health.libsyn.com.

The Joy of Pressure Cookers

If I could only keep one pot in my whole kitchen, without a doubt, I would keep my Pressure cooker. I can’t imagine what it would be like to prepare a whole meal without it. It’s hard for me to believe that I was over 40 before I ever even heard of pressure cookers. We owned our own large produce market and the kindest old gentlemen in the world introduced me to the wonders of pressure cooking. Mr. Pierce had purchased some green peanuts from us, and had returned with a sample of his recently “boiled peanuts”. Whether you are a fan of boiled peanuts or not, suffice it to say that they were the best boiled peanuts I have ever eaten. At my delightful ravings, Mr. Pierce cheerfully shared his secret – the pressure cooker. Not only did he educate me about pressure cookers, but he returned once again with one of his pressure cookers for me to try. I have been hooked ever since. There are lots of reasons why I like my pressure cooker. Pressure cookers cook food incredibly fast, they do not heat up my Florida kitchen, they produce tastier dishes, they seal in the vitamins and minerals normally lost during prolonged cooking and they leave my stovetop neater and cleaner than normal cooking pots do.

How do pressure cookers work? Pressure cookers simply cook foods faster than normal pots by cooking under high pressure and high temperature. Pressure cookers have a more elaborate lid than most cooking pots which provide a complete seal to the pot. By completely sealing the pot with a gasket and locking mechanism, the steam created during heating in a pressure cooker is trapped. This trapped steam builds up pressure within the pot and thereby increases the temperature of boiling water from 212 degrees Fahrenheit to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Under this high pressure and temperature, the fiber in the food is tenderized and the food is cooked in record time with incredible flavor and with very little steam released into the kitchen. Once the food is done, the cooker is removed from the heat source and the steam must be released before the lid can be removed. The steam is released either through a quick release method (using the cooker’s special valve or placing in the sink under running water) or through the natural release method (the pressure eventually drops as the cooker cools). Once the pressure is released, unlock and open the pressure cooker. Read more about this wonderful tool here.

Frozen Mocha Frappuccino

Frozen Mocha Frappuccino

What an unbelievably refreshing treat!!!

1 cup soymilk (regular or vanilla)
1 tbsp instant coffee crystals (regular or decaf)
squirt of Hershey's chocolate
2 tbsp sugar or honey
1 tbsp ground flax
handful of fresh spinach (optional) (You really can't taste the spinach)
2 cups ice

Combine all ingredients except ice and mix in blender or VitaMix for 1 minute.
Add ice and blend on high until ice turns to slush.
Makes 2 servings.

OK, so maybe it's not the MOST healthy thing you could drink, but it sure beats soda or iced tea!!

(whipped cream optional)

More recipes available at http://www.veg4health.com.

There were worms on my Baby Bok Choy!

Last night I had my taste buds all prepared for a nice side dish of stir-fried baby bok choy. I could taste the sesame garlic bok choy already as I started to open my bags and clean it. I was quite surprised to find that I had unexpected guests in my baby bok choy who were quite happily indulging themselves in a fine feast. All of the inside leaves were covered with worm droppings and had quite a few holes nicely carved out. What’s a mom to do when faced with worms in her next side dish? Well, I have to admit that I was in too much of a hurry last night to face the daunting task of de-worming my baby bok choy; too concerned that my eight year old would happen into the kitchen and discover that we are not the only creatures of God who devour leafy greens; and too overwhelmed by the sheer number of tiny, happy, munching green worms. So, I tossed the bok choy, opened my freezer, grabbed the nearest green vegetable I could find and went back to finishing my dinner preparations.

What would you do if faced with worms on your fresh produce? Would you toss the produce or use it? Normally I just smile, feel blessed that my produce is not too drenched with pesticides to support life, quickly remove the worms, wash thoroughly and quietly use the vegetable. (I say quietly, because if my darling daughter who has an enormous aversion to worms ever found out that she has eaten a dish of raspberries that had once hosted a large green worm, she would never eat fruits or vegetables again!) Perhaps it seems a little odd to use food that once hosted other life forms, but it’s really quite natural and should be reassuring. Living food which is grown in living soil should not be devoid of insects and we shouldn’t be discouraged from using it. I have seen my share of insects and worms from having handled literally tons of produce every month when we owned a large produce business. What really bothers me is when I examine some really nice produce and find it completely devoid of any evidence of living creatures. Saturating a field with pesticides, fungicides and other chemicals may create a beautiful looking harvest, but is it really healthy? Perhaps a little worm isn’t a bad thing after all!

How to Make your Bread Machine More Useful in Your Kitchen than it is as a Boat Anchor or a Doorstop!

I love my bread machine. I mean it – I really do LOVE it! That may be hard for some of you to believe – but I do. I am amazed at how often I talk to people who have given up on their bread machine and left it our for the garbage men or left it in their garage to collect dust. In our house, there is nothing like a nice warm loaf of fresh bread to fill out our dinner menu or to fill hungry tummies when the main course doesn’t appeal to everyone’s “delicately fine-tuned” taste buds. When I was growing up, there was always a jar of peanut butter and a plate of sliced bread on the table. We always had to try what was prepared, but bread and peanut butter were often what filled our tummies.

I used to make bread by hand – totally by hand. No mixer or food processor or bread machine – simply a big bowl and a large spatula. When we opened our produce store, I knew that homemade, handmade bread was no longer going to be an option. So for Christmas, my wonderful mother-in-law blessed me with a breadmaker. Wow, I thought! No more work, just wonderful bread, made hot and fresh daily! After my first two weeks of trying to produce an edible and attractive loaf of bread, I was ready to toss the breadmaker out with my Salton food dehydrator. (That’s another story for another day!) But, I persevered. I checked out bread books from the library, I visited hundreds of cooking websites, and I started my own science laboratory – all to discover how to have my life made easier with my bread machine. It was not love at first sight. It wasn’t even close. Annulment, divorce or permanent separation was looking like my only option. Thankfully, we made it work.

How? Go to http://www.veg4health.com/Articles/howtomakeyourbreadmachine.html for the rest of the story and my great bread recipe.

The "New" Fat

As Trans-fats are systematically eliminated and outlawed, don’t expect processed foods and take-out to automatically get healthier. There is a new fat on the horizon which is worse than trans-fats. Manufacturers and food outlets love it, but the human body doesn’t. The new fat is call interesterified fat and recent research shows that it lowers insulin levels, raises blood glucose levels and adversely affects HDL levels. The Food and Drug Administration recently ruled that food companies can label products containing these new fats as "high stearate" or "stearic rich" fats, or as "interesterified fats," thus avoiding the politically negative buzz word, "hydrogenated," which is associated with transfats. What’s a person to do? I’m going to continue eating as many fruits and vegetables as I can, as close to how nature made them. I’m also going to continue to be very wary of all processed foods and most anything served at a restaurant which is fried.

Menu Planning 101

Trying to drive to Alaska from Florida without a road map is pretty impossible. Trying to eat healthy without a menu and a plan is pretty impossible also. After a busy day at work or field tripping with my children, I need to be able to come home and prepare dinner without having to think. I need to move quickly and with forethought in order to get a healthy and delicious meal on the table in 30 minutes. If I didn’t take the time earlier in the week to plan our meals, I would be lost and the quality of our food would suffer. Not just the taste, but the healthiness as well. If there was one thing I would strongly recommend it would be to make the time each week to sit down and develop a menu for the week. It doesn’t have to be rigid and inflexible and it doesn’t have to be elaborate. It just needs to take into account your family’s schedule, taste buds and budget.

Healthy eating doesn’t just happen. It does require some planning and forethought, but it doesn’t have to be complicated or boring. Often people ask me, “If you don’t eat eggs, meat or dairy, just what DO you eat?” My response is always the same. “There is not enough days in the year to make all of the delicious foods God’s provided for us.”

Go to http://www.veg4health.com/Articles/menuplanning101.html for 5 easy steps.

I was there when he died

I was there when he died. It was an Easter Sunday, the day for bunny rabbits, Easter eggs and church. The day our Lord and Savior was raised from the dead. It was a day to rejoice, not a day to mourn. We were talking to him, all of his children, gathered around his bed, chatting about the grandchildren and Easter egg hunting. The doctors had just implanted a new pacemaker, and everyone believed he had received a new lease on life. We were smiling and laughing and rejoicing. And then it happened! The alarms went off, his face look startled and his eyes rolled up and back. The nurses came running, and the doctors came too. From every corner of the hospital the alarm was sounded. “Code Blue ICU, Code blue ICU.” Suddenly our joy was replaced with a wild flurry of activity, panic, fear, and anxiety. It had happened once before that week. Nurses and doctors scrambling to save his life; ventilators in place; momentarily stabilized. We could breathe again. But that was earlier. Now, it was happening again. But this time there was no happy ending. No rejoicing at a life momentarily stopped and restarted. No, it was just the end. I was left without a father, my mother without a husband, and the grandchildren without a grandpa. Heart disease had come and stolen my dad. MY DAD; the most precious person in a young girl’s life; the one who should be proud of you no matter how lopsided your kindergarten craft; the one who loves you no matter which boy rejects you and treats you poorly; the one you run to when our young heart is broken; the one who smiles as you run to him at the end of the day; the man with the big blue eyes that sparkle when you walk in; the one whose face, frozen in that moment between life and death, is forever etched in your mind; the one whose smile looks at your kids through the picture on the mantle because he didn’t live long enough to see them any other way. And people wonder why I eat a plant based diet, and why I take exercising so seriously. I remember how it felt to lose my dad and I don’t want my children to have to experience that either. Yes, someday the Lord will call me home, but until He does, I’m fighting. Fighting to have the healthiest life: fighting to be able to race my 6 year old son to the car without getting winded; fighting to see MY grandchildren be born; fighting to live life without hesitation; fighting to be able to serve the Lord with full capacities until the very day He calls me home.

Welcome to the "new" digital age

Welcome to the new digital age! Perhaps that seems a little dated, but for someone who just got their first PDA – it is new news! The PDA happens to be a hand-me-down from my older sister who has been in the digital age for years! But, at least I’ve arrived – it doesn’t really matter how I got here, just that I am here. Now, I just have to invest the time and energy to discover how to wisely use the PDA. I’ve used a paper planner system for over 20 years. Will I now be able to go paperless? Only time, coupled with perseverance and endurance, will tell. All I know is that my eyes have been opened, my horizon broadened, and my depth of befuddlement deepened.

Maybe I’m not too different from you. Have your eyes suddenly been opened to the need to move from the standard American diet and lifestyle to one of healthy eating and daily exercise? Perhaps you’ve been forced there by a confrontation with your current health status or perhaps you’ve seen a glimpse of what your future health, or lack thereof, will be like if you don’t begin to change. It is tough standing on a foreign shore and trying to decide what to do next. The language is different, the people have different customs and nothing feels quite right. All of sudden you are confronted with tofu, target heart rates, leafy greens, BMI, smoothies, biometrics, legumes and a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables you’ve never really noticed before. The first thing to do is take stock of the land you’re in and RELAX. Once YOUR sense of befuddlement settles down, you’ll be able to see and act. Take a breath, sit for a spell and listen.

What is the real difference between a paperless world and a non-digital world? The data is the same, it’s just a matter of storage. Kind of like “paper or plastic” when you go to the grocery store. The difference between the standard American lifestyle and a healthy one is just a matter of 2 things, movement and whole foods. Make the decision to embrace the reality and necessity of these two things, and don’t look back.

I didn’t need anyone to convince me that the digital world was better, easier and offered more possibilities than remaining in bondage to paper and pen. I just needed someone to come along beside me and enable me to make the discovery myself. You already know that eating less processed food and getting more exercise is better. You’ve just been searching for someone to come along beside you and enable you to live healthier. So welcome aboard – our journey is just beginning and it’s going to be a fun and tasty ride.

Christmas in Florida

Christmas in Florida is always an interesting experience. Two days before Christmas and it is sunny and warm – a perfect day for pleasant outdoor experiences. Now is the time of year when we all stop hibernating and start doing. Of course, the highways are totally crowded and the stores beyond description. We are going visiting today and taking our bicycles for some extra fun. Our eating – well, we are planning on using up some of our margin. But the extra activity will deposit into our margin account. So, it all balances out. And that is how we manage to have a life and truly enjoy it. We have become doers, not talkers. We don’t search for the illusive magic pill, fairy wand or pixie dust. Being healthy is truly a lifestyle, not something that happens to you when you take a pill, drink a particular juice or hope for health. It is an active, lifelong experience made up of choices that we make everyday and every hour of everyday. There is no fountain of youth which provides rejuvenation with a dip or a drink. And if we spend all of our time searching for it, we will fail to have the life we hope it would provide. And to be honest, we all know that. But moving from talking to doing can seem impossible when our easy chair seems so comfortable and relaxing. What do we do and how do we do it? The first thing we must do is look in the mirror and see who we are. Not who we want to be, not who we hope to be, but who we really are. When nobody is looking who are we? We can’t get anywhere if we don’t start where we are. The best navigational system in the world cannot take you to where you want to go if you don’t know where you are starting from. Next, set a long term goal – a picture of where you want to be. It’s a long term goal, so unlike others, I am prone to say it doesn’t have to be specific. I think a mental picture of the life you want to have is as good as specific biometrics. If need be, find some pictures for the internet or magazines of people who look like they are living the life you want to have. Post them on your fridge, your computer, your Treo or your phone. When tempted to go back to old lifestyle choices, look at the picture and think of what your life will be like.

Now that you know where you are and where you want to go, you need to allot time for the journey. How much time depends on you and the vehicle you are using. Traveling from Florida to Alaska can take anywhere from months to hours, depending on the mode of transportation you are taking. It would be silly to plan on being in Alaska in a day if you are planning on walking and it would be just as silly to think you can compete in your first triathlon next month if you not willing to make a major commitment to training and eating habits. My journey from a couch potato eating the standard American diet to an athlete eating primarily high nutrient-to-calorie ratio foods has taken years. I have greatly enjoyed the journey and am reveling in the beauty of my destination. Notice, it has taken me years to get here, and I still have a ways to go. I keep thinking about scheduling my first triathlon, but I’m not sure I’m willing to make that commitment, yet. It’s all part of realistic goal setting and life choices. But at least I’m making my own choices rather than letting ill health take over and dictate my style.