I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. Charles Dickens

     That sounds like a great resolution for the New year.  How about you?  What are your resolutions and goals? This is the time to look back at 2011 and ask ourselves just what we have done.
     John 'The Penguin' Bingham, a runner/writer, had a resolution for this past year to exercise at least 30 minutes every day, which he has kept.....admirable and doable.
     Resolving to make 2012 our healthiest year ever is a good goal. I hope to jog or run/walk 1000 miles in 2012, bettering my 640 miles in 2011.  Also,  I am doing plank-a-days, which I have done daily since September, and plan on continuing in 2012, but the New Year and the world deserve and need more from me, and us, than that.
     Albert Einstein said that "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."  The same old tired resolutions won't cut it anymore for our world. It is time for a change, a tabula rasa or clean slate, a chance to start from the beginning. Today is the day to begin to contemplate possibilities for the future, for "the future you see is the future you get." (Robert G. Allen).  Spend some time reflecting on what you have done in 2011, and what you can do, in 2012.  I plan to.

Cheers to the new year and another chance to get it right.
                                Oprah Winfrey


Happy Christmas (War is Over), by John Lennon

So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear ones
The old and the young

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
And so this is Christmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The world is so wrong
And so happy Christmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red ones
Let's stop all the fight
A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
And so this is Christmas
And what have we done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
Ans so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young
A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
War is over over
If you want it
War is over
Now...

Wheat Belly.

     Sugar and white flour are my gateway drugs for overeating.  They always have been and always will be.
      I recently read the book "Wheat Belly" by Dr. William Davis, a cardiologist.  He discusses the changes in modern day wheat.  It is not the same wheat that humans have eaten for the past 10,000 years.  In the past 50 years it has been genetically altered and hybridized so as to be almost unrecognizable to the human digestive tract, which has not evolved in that short amount of time to adapt to it. 
     Celiac disease has increased 4 fold in the past 50 years, and there are many other types of wheat sensitivities and allergies.  Dr. Davis feels that many adverse health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, immunological and neurological disorders, may be eliminated by eliminating wheat. 
     Thus, being an experiment of one, I am going to go wheat free for 3 weeks to see if I notice a difference in my life, to determine if I am wheat sensitive.  In reality, I eat very little wheat anyway, but will avoid all pasta, cold cereals, and bread, plus start reading labels to make sure no wheat ingredients are listed. I will see if I feel less hungry or less achy or just better.
     He makes a good argument for not eating wheat, but then he generalizes it to most carbs, and the diet he suggests seems very Adkins-like.  He doesn't back up any of that part of the book with research.  He does state diet should primarily be plant/vegetable based, though, for health.

     I received a soy-milk maker for Christmas from my kids....they know me well!  Today I will try a batch of almond/rice milk as that is what I have on hand.  Later I will try soy milk and other nut milks.  I love to experiment.  

     
                    Go vegan and nobody gets hurt.

Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.

       We were very fortunate people this Christmas.   Dean and I, and our kids and grandchildren were all together, and in the relative warmth of Austin, TX.   We are lucky people.  Not everyone is as fortunate to have family near, or even far.  But as the saying goes, "There are no strangers on Christmas Eve."  We hope everyone found companionship and comaraderie, warmth, and love for the holiday.  Even our foster doggie, Rin, was with another foster home, the same one she was with over Thanksgiving.  It is a time to be thankful for all of our blessings.

"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree:  the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other."  Burton Hillis.

Hiking in Austin

Our Grandson loves legos.



Tack room for the horses.



Our Granddaughter LOVES horses.

This Christmas cactus is from a plant given to Dean's Grandma by her aunt.  It is old!

Christmas is coming...

and I got no sleep at all last night.  Unlike the tiny tots awake and excited about Santa's upcoming visit, I was awake and mentally creating to-do lists and worrying about the weather.  I've always been a worrier.  I will be excited, too, but later on after the to-do lists are accomplished and we see how bad this winter storm becomes.
     Wishing you a wonderful holiday, no more to-do lists,  reasonably good weather, and no worries.

Get Plant Strong With Plant Power.

     Green leafy veggies are powerhouses.  Eat them for lean muscle growth.
          1.  They help the mitochondria in cells to function more efficiently.
          2.  They contain the amino acid glutamine, which is often taken by
                 body builders.
          3.  They are important for muscle building at any age, but especially in
                 older adults.
          4.  They cause muscle tissues to recover faster after an intense work-
                  out.
     Please read more:
     http://www.diet-blog.com/11/vegetables_for_lean_muscle_growth.php
       
     Let's all try to eat healthily and be more active this holiday.  Remember,
Nobody is impressed with how good your excuses are.

There's someone in there.

     Have you heard the haunting Christmas Carol, "In the Bleak Midwinter?"
It is based on a poem written by Christina Rosetti in 1872.  The first verse is as follows:
                         In the bleak mid-winter
                         Frosty wind made moan,
                         Earth stood hard as iron,
                         Water like a stone;
                         Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
                         Snow on snow,
                         In the bleak mid-winter
                         Long ago.
     Today is one of those bleak mid-winter days, dark and cold.  On days like today, this song always goes through my mind. 
                 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRobryliBLQ

    
     Emotions come from deep ancient parts of the brain.  The science is clear that animals have emotions, as do humans, and animals exhibit empathy as well.  New research shows that rats help other rats with no explicit rewards at stake.  http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/238929.php
     I am watching the 2010 "Get Healthy Now" conference, out on DVD.  They have the usual great speakers such as Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Dr. John McDougall, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr,  Rip Esselstyn,  and John Robbins. 
     Rev. Heng Sure, PhD, a Buddhist Monk and mendicant, also spoke.  He is known for his 800 mile "three steps one bow" pilgrimage which lasted 2 1/2 years.  He and his companion, Heng Chou, bowed from South Pasadena to Ukiah, California, for world peace.
     He told the story of bowing his way, on that pilgrimage, past a mile-long stockyard next to the highway, and smelling the stockyard smells.  Cattle semis carrying cattle to slaughter traveled that same highway...he told how he and his companion smelled the cold fear eminating from those "Death Trucks", and that those cattle knew what fate awaited them.  "Death Trucks"....how aptly named.
     He also told this charming story.  His monastery has ceremonies where they rescue food animals and release them to sanctuary or nature.  In one ceremony his Mom, a Methodist lady, came to observe.  They were releasing turtles (saved from turtle soup) back to a lake.  He handed his Mom a large turtle and asked her to release it.  One of his associates told her to be sure and watch the turtle after she let it go, that the turtle would look back directly at her.  His Mom said " sure, sure," not believing, and released the turtle.  That turtle took off in a turtle sprint to the lake and dove in.  It swam a short distance, then turned and looked back at Heng Sure's Mom, directly in her eyes.  It swam off, but again turned back and looked directly in the eyes of Heng Sure's Mom.  It did the same thing a third time before diving down into the lake for good.  Heng Sure's Methodist Mom was absolutely shocked and said: "There's someone in there!"  
     Animals are sentient creatures, and they can be grateful.

"May my table be a blessing for the world."   Rev. Heng Sure, PhD 

Dalai Lama's 18 rules for living.

     I recently read the "18 rules for living" issued by the Dalai Lama at the beginning of the new millennium.  They are worth reading and remembering as we near the start of 2012.

1.  Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

2.  When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

3.  Follow the three Rs:
          1.  Respect for self.
          2.  Respect for others.
          3.  Responsibility for all your actions.

4.  Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

5.  Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

6.  Don't let a little dispute ruin a great friendship.

7.  When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
 
8.  Spend some time alone every day.

9.  Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.

10.  Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

11.  Live a good, honorable life.  Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.

12.  A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.

13.  In disagreements with your loved ones, deal only with the current situation.  Don't bring up the past.

14.  Share your knowledge.  It's a way to achieve immortality.

15.  Be gentle with the earth.

16.  Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.

17.  Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

18.  Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it. 

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

I'm going on a squirrel hunt.



Going to catch a big one, but I'm not afraid.

It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood, A beautiful day for a neighbor. Would you be mine? Could you be mine?... It's a neighborly day in this beauty wood, A neighborly day for a beauty. Would you be mine? Could you be mine?... I've always wanted to have a neighbor just like you. I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you. So, let's make the most of this beautiful day. Since we're together we might as well say: Would you be mine? Could you be mine? Won't you be my neighbor? Won't you please, Won't you please? Please won't you be my neighbor?

Won't You Be My Neighbor By Fred M. Rogers © 1967

Are you a contender?

     To contend:  to strive in opposition to or against difficulties; to compete.
    
     I read a couple of interesting articles this week that I am going to pass on to you. 

     The first, "Shape Up America before it's too late," is from NPR's blog.  It has a great video :  "Living in Mississippi."  America is the fattest country in the world and Mississippi is the fattest state, therefore Mississippians are the fattest people in the world.  It is worth your time to watch.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/12/07/143271253/shape-up-america-before-its-too-late#more

     The second article is called "Too Fat to Fight".  It states that childhood obesity is now a national security issue.  "Three fourths of Americans aged 17-24 can't enter the military because they are ineligible---either because they are obese or dealing with substance abuse, a criminal record, or academic problems.  Obesity is the leading medical reason why potential recruits are turned away." 

     Academically, "the U.S. was once first in the world in both high school and college graduation rates.  Today we are respectively at postions 20 and 16."

     Our global competitiveness is at risk.  Is the USA still a contender?

     http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-novick-okeefe/too-fat-to-fight_b_1133758.html?ref=healthy-living&ir=Healthy%20Living

     These articles really make one think. What do you care about that makes you contend, strive, or compete, just a little bit harder?  Your health?  The planet's health?  Are you a contender?  I'd like to think that I am a contender.  Shout it out and mean it:  "I am a contender!"

  "You don't understand.  I coulda had class.  I coulda been a contender.  I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it."      From the movie "On the Waterfront"

Never lose your magic.

"We all start out knowing magic.  We are born with whirlwinds, forest fires, and comets inside us.  We are born able to sing to birds and read the clouds and see our destiny in grains of sand.  But then we get the magic educated right out of our souls.  We get it churched out, spanked out, washed out, and combed out.  We get put on the straight and narrow and told to be responsible.  Told to act our age. Told to grow up, for God's sake.  And you know why we were told that?  Because the people doing the telling were afraid of our wildness and youth, and because the magic we knew made them ashamed and sad of what they'd allowed to wither in themselves."

Robert R. McCammon
Boy's Life    

Wisdom begins in wonder. Socrates

Otters hold hands when they sleep so they don't float away from each other.

Fitness is where it's at.

     More good news...this from a study reported by the American Heart Association.  For longer life, fitness is more important than losing weight.  Increasing your fitness is a better way to decrease your death risk than just decreasing your BMI.  Becoming less fit increases your death risk regardless of BMI.  This is great news for people who are physically fit but just can't seem to lose weight, and really good motivation to keep exercising for the rest of us.  Read more here:
http://newsroom.heart.org/pr/aha/physical-fitness-trumps-body-weight-219973.aspx

     I am trying to use the treadmill 3 times a week, but really hate it.  Hopefully it will grow on me, or the weather will warm up and melt the ice on the sidewalks.
     I am over the 90 day mark on my plank-a-day streak.  Still working towards one full year of planking. 
     Rin is still with us...no one has even called for an pre-adoption visit.  She is still stalking squirrels and rabbits, and is now even more intense.  She startled a squirrel and it fell out of a tree at her feet, but got away back up the tree and on to our garage roof.  The squirrel proceeded to chew us both out royally for several minutes.  Rin never forgets and carefully checks the tree and roof every time we pass.  She is such a typical labrador now....just loves bounding through the snow and sniffing for animal tracks.  No more timidity.  She is a hunter (on a leash at all times).

"And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow..."

     This says it better than I ever could:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DDaG6ayJPg

     I hope you Austonites (Austonians?), and all of you in the South, are realizing how lucky you are right now.  It is 7 degrees at 12 noon.  Poor little Rin isn't getting much "squirrel stalking," or even walking, in because I'm afraid it will frostbite the pads of her feet. 

     We attended a wonderful Christmas concert put on by the Colorado Chorale yesterday.  We were home before the snowstorm hit.  The old familiar carols and some new ones, too, did their job by starting to nudge us towards some Christmas spirit. We need it as we get grinchier every year. Great job, Kate, our daughter who is a Chorale member.

Being thankful for a warm house to come home to.

     Another 6-8 inches of snow so far and very cold temperatures.  We did take Rin out for her obligatory, what she considers to be, squirrel hunt.  Later, we will go out with shovels and get more functional fitness.  Once out the door you do notice the peacefulness and quiet of the snow.  I did look up, but I can't see foothills or their beauty right now, but I know they are there.
     I saw on Facebook that more than a dozen brave and hardy souls went to running group this morning.  Not us.  Keeping up a jogging routine is going to be more difficult than I imagined over the winter.
     I am so thankful to have a warm home and hope everyone has found a warm place out of the elements today.
     Do any of you get cabin fever, too?  I feel like I am trapped in a snow globe sometimes and wish someone would stop turning me upside down. 

Inside the snowglobe on my father's desk, there was a penguin wearing a red-and-white-striped scarf.  When I was little my father would pull me into his lap and reach for the snowglobe.  He would turn it over, letting all the snow collect on the top, then quickly invert it.  The two of us watched the snow fall gently around the penguin.  The penguin was alone in there, I thought, and I worried for him.  When I told my father this, he said, "Don't worry, Susie;  he has a nice life.  He's trapped in a perfect world." 
                            Alice Sebold,  Lovely Bones

Brave, hardy runners today (not us)

"A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise." Winnie the Pooh

     In continuing yesterday's subject matter... there was an article in the New York Times on 11-23-11 discussing the FTO (fat mass and obesity) or so-called fat gene.  It was discovered several years ago.  65% of people of European or African descent and 44% of Asian descent do carry some version of the FTO gene.
     However a new report published last month in the Journal of PLoS Medicine emphatically suggests those with the FTO gene are not "doomed to be tubby."  Physical activity, even in small doses, may subvert genetic destiny by about 30%...enough to change from being seriously overweight to normal weight.  Physical activity plays a role in weight control even for those genetically predisposed.
     This is much better news than that presented in Gina Kolata's book, "Rethinking Thin." 
      
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/23/when-fat-runs-in-the-family/?scp=1&sq=doomed%20to%20be%20tubby&st=cse


     On to other things....we did get about 8 inches of snow yesterday, and more is to come tonight and tomorrow.  It is icy out!  Scooping snow last night was actually kind of fun once the wind died down.  I kept telling myself that it was functional exercise, and better than any old gym membership (which I don't have).  I am striving to love snow, cold, and ice.  It is only the first part of December.  I'd better get to love it.  After all, the snow on the foothills is truly beautiful if I just remind myself to look up once in a while. 

Why even try?

     I finished the book I mentioned yesterday:   "Rethinking Thin, The New Science of Weight Loss--and the Myths and Realities of Dieting" by Gina Kolata, who is a science writer for the New York Times.  The basic story line is coverage of a 2 year study comparing Adkins dieters and low calorie, low fat dieters.  This story line alternates with a history of dieting since the mid 1800s and also obesity research since the 1940s. 
     The history of dieting was very interesting.  People have been worried about their weights for at least 150 years.  Also, people's perceptions about what is normal weight have been changing....decreasing over the past 150 years.  At the same time, since the civil war, average heights have increased by 3 inches and people have gotten fatter.
     She didn't give the results of the 2 year study, just anecdotal results of some of the dieters.  Most of them lost weight at first and then, no matter what they did, the weight came back.  
     She quotes other research that found the same thing....weight loss will eventually lead to regaining the weight.  She states that most of obesity is due to genetics...that there is a narrow comfortable range of 20-30 pounds in weight that most people can sustain.  She also quoted studies that show that overweight people (not obese or underweight) are healthier and live longer.  She blames the Diet Industry for not letting this information be known...that overweight is not unhealthy, and that diets don't work.  She theorizes that "higher weights could be an unintended consequence of the nation's generally better health, or maybe even a contributor to it."
     I found the book depressing, hopeless, even.  I can see how being overweight can be healthier, especially if you are fit, but that doesn't explain the sudden growth in obesity in the world.  Morbidly obese people do have health problems, and it doesn't help to have someone generalize from a few studies that weight loss is never ever sustainable.
     She never mentions the people who do manage to lose weight and keep it off.  The National Weight Control Registry follows these people.  The registry participants have lost an average of 66 pounds and kept them off for an average of 5.5 years.  45% lost the weight on their own, 55% used a diet program.  98% modified their food intake in some way.  94% increased their physical activity.  The majority eat breakfast every day, watch less than 10 hours of T.V. a week, weigh themselves once a week, and exercise on average 1 hour a day.  Sustained weight loss is certainly possible.
     My thoughts: 
          1.  The point should be health and fitness, not a number on the scale.
          2.  None of the researched diets discussed were what I would call
               "healthy."   Low calorie, low fat, or even Atkins are starvation 
               diets and obviously won't work.
          3.  Why has no one researched eating high fiber, unprocessed, real food?
          4.  Why no research on plant based vs animal based diets?
          5.  Why no research on eating steroid-free, hormone-free, added
                chemical-free organic diets?
          6.  Why no studies on increasing fitness?  The fitter you are, the more
                you crave healthy food.
          7.  I do wonder what the statistics are for continued weight control for
               "Biggest Loser" participants.  That would be fascinating to know.
     After some of these questions have been answered, then and only then, should conclusions start to be drawn.

     In Dr. Andrew Weil's blog today he discusses new research showing that inflammation can cause depression, and that eating an anti-inflammatory diet can help treat it.  http://www.drweilblog.com/

     In Dr. Joel Fuhrman's blog today he discusses fighting breast cancer by eating flax.  http://www.diseaseproof.com/

One more Thanksgiving picture.

Look who's back!

Rin (AKA Rinny)

     It's our (actually Freedom Service Dogs') big goofball gorgeous adoptable dog, Rin.  She was so glad to see me.  She really hates being at the kennel with all the noise and uproar.  She was only there a day after her other foster family brought her back after the holidays, but that was still much too long for her. 
     First thing out the back door she treed a squirrel.  How will I ever get her to "leave it" with squirrels when they always run right under her nose.  So tempting.
     We got a nice walk done today because cold and snow return tonight and tomorrow.  She'll get a moderate walk, maybe, but that's it, in the snowstorm.  Tomorrow we'll see how it works hooking her out front on a long lead while I try scooping snow.  It could be entertaining in a Laurel and Hardy slapstick kind of way.

     I read an interesting health article in Medical News Today.  Research shows that regular exercise changes the workings and structure of our brains.  Physical exercise increases connections in grey matter and in the prefrontal cortex, and improves the brain's executive functions, which includes inhibitory control.  This helps us resist the many temptations found in a society where hypercaloric food is more and more omnipresent.  Exercise also makes the brain more sensitive to fullness.  In the short term, physical exercise affects metabolism, in the long term it affects behavior. 
     http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/238191.php
     I'll keep this in mind for the next holiday trip.  Maybe instead of planning to exercise once in 4 days, I will exercise every other day at a minimum.  The temptations were really getting to me by the time the holiday ended.
     This is actually really good news.  I am currently reading a book about weight and health that makes it sound hopeless.  I will write about it later after I complete it.  Maybe there will be an uplifting ending? 

Families are forever.

My family

     We had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Thanks to our great hosts, Brad and Tracey, for all the healthy food and for sharing their home with our entire clan.  Your home is beautiful, as are all of your antiques.  Memories were made, as well as meals.
     I have 5 younger brothers.  All were there but one.  As the saying goes:
"I smile because you are my brothers...I laugh because there is nothing you can do about it."
     We do have a great clan. Three generations were gathered together, including 2 of Dean's and my 3 kids.

     Here's tae us
     There's nae like us
     Some's tried
     Their all dead.
               An old Scottish Toast

Some of Dean's family

     
     We did do a lot of driving over the 4 day weekend....1200 miles in all.
On the way home, you start waxing philosophical, or maybe just getting a little goofier than usual, after hours of seeing nothing but semis and other cars full of traveling families.  It seems like we are nothing but lazy ants being carried from anthill Lincoln to anthill Denver.  We can't even carry our own food for winter...we hire other ants to drive big rigs to do it for us. We all stream on the same ant highways.  I was starting to anticipate a passing giant accidentally stomping on a few of us. 
     Then about 75 miles east of Denver the Rocky Mountains came into view.  The ant imagery faded and was replaced by the beauty of anthill home.  

"And thank you for a house full of people I love,  Amen."
                                           Terri Guillemets

Being together is the best gift of all.

     Thanksgiving day/weekend approaches and I wish you much about which to be thankful.  I am trying to motivate myself to continue to be healthy during this time.  The holidays are always so difficult to maneuver as the available foods are yummy, plentiful, and always fattening. We lack sleep, then drink more caffeine and crave more food to try to get that energy boost to help with the tiredness, and then we are too tired to even exercise a little.  The vicious cycle begins, and we feel awful. Not this year.
     I am trying to remember a few rules for myself:
          A healthy lifestyle means being healthy ALL of the time.
          Eat vegetables and fruits first!
          Get more sleep.
          Try to exercise at least once over the 4 days.
          Remember how awful we feel when we eat junk, so try to come home
               feeling good.
          Most importantly, the point of Thanksgiving is being together with
               family.  Absolutely nothing else matters.
          And if I slip up, I can forgive myself and start over.   There is always
               the rest of my life to get it right; being healthy is a lifestyle; a journey,
               not a destination.

Safe travels everyone on all of your journeys.

(PS.  Our little foster dog Rin has another foster home for the holiday weekend.  We will get her back next week.)

Rabbits and squirrels and prairie dogs, Oh My!

     Rin, our foster dog, has spent a few weeks in the nice kennels at Freedom Service Dogs.  Prior to that she was at the Wyoming Prison for some dog training at their program.  I gather from that, that she is originally from Wyoming...maybe there are no trees and squirrels in Wyoming??  For the past several weeks, though, she has been behind bars or fences of one type or another.
     Fast forward to our house....we have no fence, so she gets lots and lots of walks and gets to experience nature up close, which she apparently hasn't before.  I mentioned previously that she is bonkers about squirrels.  I need to add to that.  She is also bonkers about rabbits, of course, typical of a labrador retriever.
      There are a huge buck and 2 does that live in our neighborhood and wander around eating grass, shrubbery, and crab apples from the ground.  They
have no fear of dogs or people.  When the breeze is from the right direction, Rin stops and scents them from a block away.  That is one scary big buck with big sharp antlers.  Rin is fascinated and really wants to get to them.
     Yesterday at the park she discovered prairie dogs....she probably considers them fat squirrels that bark and quiver and taunt her without running away.  She really wants them, too.
     On our walk last night a fox ran across the street in front of us and then just turned and sat there on a lawn, taunting Rin, daring her to even try to catch her.  Foxes do that.  And Rin really wanted to comply!
     On the one hand, it is nice Rin gets to be a dog and experience these things at last.  From a trainer's perspective, though, I hope she gets bored of them soon and learns to heel.  On the plus side I guess, I am developing a strong bicep in my left arm holding her back from nature's critters found in typical suburbia.

"A dog can never tell you what she knows from the smells of the world, but you know, watching her, that you know almost nothing."
                                                 Mary Oliver

Bonkers about squirrels...

     Sweet little Rin didn't get adopted this morning;  they adopted another cute little dog named Gunnar instead, so we get to keep her for another few days at least.  I hope she finds her perfect forever home soon.  So many wonderful dogs that need homes, so few people adopting right now!
     Have a great weekend.  We will.  We will be taking Rin on a jog at Clement Park, for one thing.  She is socializing very well, but goes absolutely bonkers about squirrels.

To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved. George MacDonald

     Our sweet little foster dog, Rin, has her first appointment with a potential adoptive family on Friday morning, so keep your fingers crossed for her.  She has been with us for 8 days now and is gaining confidence and settling in well.  She follows me from room to room and is my little shadow.  I just hope she transfers the trust she has formed for us to another family who will give her the chance to love them.  I will miss all the daily walking that she has prompted in us.

     Dr. Joel Fuhrman had a great blog yesterday on his Disease Proof Blog.  He wants us to all Get Healthy in 2012, starting now, and is issuing a holiday challenge.  Here are his starting guidelines, which we follow:
     *Eat at least one large salad each day.
     *Enjoy generous amounts of cooked green vegetables with mushrooms
       and onions.
     *Satisfy your sweet tooth with at least 3 fresh fruits each day.
     *Eat at least one-half cup of beans each day.
     *Remember the acronym GOMBBS.  Greens, onions, mushrooms, beans,
       berries, and seeds.  These are the most health-promoting foods.
     *Avoid completely these disease-promoting foods:  white flour, sugars,
       artificial sweeteners, oils, and factory-farmed animal products.  Unhealthy
       food is designed to be addictive--keep it out of your home.
     *Retrain your taste buds to prefer healthy foods.  Staying away from
       sugar and salt is the secret to a heightened sense of taste and enjoyment
       of natural flavors.

     You may have read that Congress has buckled under lobbying pressure from the food industry and is not going to pass the recommendations for school lunches made by the USDA.  Pizza will remain a vegetable.  There will be no limits on french fries or other "potato" products.  There will be no long term reduction in sodium, just further study.  There will be no requirement to use more whole grains, just the request that they be defined.  Congress clearly values the health of industry over the health of America's children. 

     "We are willing to tolerate this revolutionized food because it's easy and cheap.  But it comes at a high price...to our health.  We spend less on food today than at any other time or any other people in recorded history.  And the less we spend on food, the more we spend on healthcare.  When I was a kid in the '60s, the average household spent around 18% of their income on food and less than 8% on healthcare.  Now, we cook and eat less fresh food, we spend less than 9% of our income on food and close to 18% on healthcare.  Coincidence?"  Christina Pirello

Start now.  Get healthy in 2012.


 

Food for Thought.

     Today is World Diabetes Day, a day to raise International awareness of a disease that doesn't need to even exist, but is growing to epidemic proportions.
According to WHO, more than 346 million people worldwide have diabetes.

     There are also new recommendations just released by a government panel of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics.  They recommend that every child be checked for high cholesterol between the ages of 9 and 11, and again between the ages of 17 and 21, as atherosclerosis begins very early in life. 
     The panel also suggests diabetes screening every 2 years starting as early as age 9 for kids who are overweight and have other risk factors, including family history.
     I don't believe anyone is recommending that kids with high cholesterols be started on statin drugs, but instead with early awareness of the problem, to begin to make lifestyle changes.  It is much easier to make changes at an early age.

"Heart disease is a food-bourne illness."  CNN, "The Last Heart Attack."


    

We do not stop exercising because we grow old--we grow old because we stop exercising. Dr. Kenneth Cooper, Cooper Institute

     The New York Times Health section had an interesting article this week titled:  "Aging Well Through Exercise."  Previous studies showed that after age 40 people lose 8% of their muscle mass per decade, which accelerates after age 70.  New studies done on athletes ages 40 to 80, however, show that is not the case.  Exercise mitigates those muscle losses.  What was previously thought to be muscle loss due to aging was actually muscle loss due to inactivity.
     More research needs to be done to determine the right types and amounts of exercise; how much strength training vs how much endurance training.  It is good to know, though, that aging can be under our own control, that we can avoid the decline to frailty if we want.

 http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/09/aging-well-through-exercise/?ref=health  

     Or my suggestion is that you walk your dog in an area full of squirrels, rabbits, and deer, and combine your endurance training, strength and balance training all at the same time.

"If you're going 'over the hill' anyway, bring a kite!" Dan Millman

     Yesterday I got to hear my nephew on KCSU radio station, Colorado State University's non-commercial, student-run, campus radio station licensed to Fort Collins, Colorado.  They have on-line streaming if you are interested in listening.  My nephew, DJ McFly, is scheduled for Mondays and Wednesdays from 3-4 pm MST.  He was great, in my unbiased opinion, plus I got to listen to a lot of good music.

     Foster-dog Rin is settling in well at our house.  We took a long walk today.  My thought was to wear her out, but it back-fired and wore me out instead.  This extra walking will be great for us.  Let's hope this beautiful weather lasts.

     From Runnersworld.com's daily quote of the day, the Daily Kick in the Butt:
"I'm just very lucky and blessed and do what I love.  I'm also a positive person, which helps.  Nothing gets me down.  I have to live up to my name." 
      Joy Johnson, 84 year-old marathoner.

    

You are Brilliant, and the Earth is Hiring. Paul Hawken

     We are fostering a dog who is up for adoption at http://www.freedomservicedogs.org/.  She is a wonderful little black lab mix who happens to be very shy at first when meeting strangers.  We are working to build her confidence.  Her name is Rin, and she is a real sweetheart.  She went jogging with me today...actually more of a jog/stop and sniff and roll-in-stuff kind of outing.  I had forgotten how much fun it is to have a doggy-running partner.  The time flew by, and now she is tired and napping nearby. 

Rin

     From the blog "Zen to Fitness" today I read about the five fitness tips we can learn from kids, written by Stacy Cavalari.  It was great advice.  I think it could also be called five fitness tips we can learn from dogs.
     *Exercise is more fun with a friend.
     *Don't be afraid to get dirty and look silly.
     *Laughing gives you abs. Laugh til you cry.
     *When you're tired, stop.
     *If it's not fun, don't do it.

     Here is another blog I want to pass on to all of you.  It is by Debbie Robins.  In it she exerpts the unforgettable Commencement Address 2009 by Paul Hawken.  Please read what he has to say.  It will give you hope;  "hope only makes sense when it doesn't make sense to be hopeful."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/debbie-robins/7-questions-that-can-chan_b_1078673.html?ref-healthy-living

    
"Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup."   Dilbert, by Scott Adams

  

"Fit is the new thin. Fit is the new black. Fit is the point." Mina Samuels, Run Like a Girl

     The ING New York marathon today was exciting.  I hope you were able to watch.  Firehiwot Dado of Ethiopia won the women's race in 2:23:15.  Geoffry Mutai of Kenya won the men's race in 2:05:06, breaking the course record. These are outstanding athletes.  Kathrine Switzer, the 1st women to run the Boston marathon although before women were allowed to run it officially, was a commentator and did a wonderful job.
     George Sheehan said that "the difference between a jogger and a runner is an entry blank", therefore I guess I am now a runner.  Some run/walkers we know were discussing next year's Kaiser Permanente Colfax Half marathon and marathon taking place on May 20, 2012 here in Denver.  They convinced me to enter the half.  My thinking is that if they can do it, and they are my age, then I can do it, plus it is 6 months away.  Who knows what can happen in 6 months, miracles do happen. 
     Also, I have previously mentioned my need for continual motivation, for a kedge to pull me forward.  According to Newton's first law of motion:  unless acted upon by a net external force, a body at rest will remain at rest and a body in motion will remain in motion. Hopefully this $55 entry blank is my external force and will propel me into staying in motion over the winter. Inertia is hard to overcome but fear of humiliation can be a great motivator.
     I realized today that I have 2 nephews graduating from high school in another state next May.  I am not sure when they will have their graduation parties, but I am now committed to this Half on May 20, 2012...I am doing this for me.
  

NYC Marathon

     Sunday,tomorrow, is the New York City Marathon.  If you are interested in watching there will be live streaming video starting at 9am Eastern time @
     http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/   or http://www.universalsports.com/

     I will be watching.  Meanwhile, today, we will be jogging or run/walking our usual 3 or 4 miles, but dreaming of being marathon runners.

    Standard time resumes tomorrow, so don't forget to set your clocks back when you go to bed tonight, and have a great weekend.

Medical news Wednesday

     More cold and snow in Denver...today's exercise will be scooping the driveway and sidewalks.  Oh, joy.  Meanwhile, it will be 83 degrees in Austin for our lucky family members who live there.
     Dean rode his bike to work yesterday for the last time this year.  Due to the time change this weekend, and the season, he can no longer count on having any daylight to ride by before and after work.

     Here is some of the medical information and research I found interesting this week:

     Dr Joel Fuhrman ("Eat to Live") in his Disease Proof blog talked about October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  He would prefer if they changed it to Breast Cancer Prevention Month. He offered a few simple suggestions for helping to prevent breast cancer, and probably most cancers:
     *Exercise
     *Stay slim
     *Eat lots of green vegetables, onions, and mushrooms daily
     *Do not eat mass factory farmed dairy, especially those given rBGH
     *Stay away from fast foods and insulin promoting refined foods such as
          white flour and sweets
     *Do not eat mass factory farmed meats given antibiotics and growth
          promoting hormones

     I also read an interview with mycologist Paul Stamets.  A mycologist is a biologist who studies fungi.  He said that "mushrooms are constellations of hundreds of thousands of constituents." Some of the benefits provided by mushrooms:
     *supporting and strengthening your immune system
     *providing anti-inflammatory properties
     *providing anti-oxidant properties
     *restricting blood vessel growth feeding tumors (anti-angiogenesis)
     *causing programmed cell death of cancer cells (apoptosis)
     *providing antiviral effects
     *restricting the growth of pathogenic bacteria
     *assisting conventional anti-cancer drugs to work more effectively at
          lower doses
This provides many reasons to eat mushrooms on a more frequent basis.  We don't actually eat them daily as Dr. Furman suggests, but we do eat them several times a week.  The interview with the mycologist can be found at:
     http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-patricia-fitzgerald/mushrooms-beat-cancer_b_1070744.html

     A  small new study on resveratrol supplementation in humans was reported in the journal "Cell Metabolism". It showed that resveratrol supplementation can mimic calorie restriction.  It influences mitochondrial function and energy metabolism.  It increased the energy metabolism in muscles, improved insulin sensitivity, decreased blood pressure, and enhanced fitness. Resveratrol has been shown to increase lifespan in lab animals.  It is an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory.
     Now, this was a small early study, and isolated supplements don't have a great history of overall success, but it sure couldn't hurt to eat foods containing resveratrol on a daily basis.  Food sources include red and purple grapes (grape juice, raisins), peanuts (peanut butter), and to a lesser extent berries (cranberries, blueberries, and pomegranates). 

     The take away from all the above information is to eat a lot of varied plants on a daily basis remembering to add grapes, raisins, berries, peanuts, and mushrooms.
  

Life will be great in Texas.

In Missouri

In Norman, Oklahoma

     Our family members arrived in Austin okay and are getting settled in.  Monday was the first day of school and work, as well as being Halloween.  The kids will have met their new teachers and new classmates, and hopefully gotten in some Trick or Treating.  I guarantee they were the best Harry Potter and Ninja Austin has ever seen.
     Every day will get easier from now on.  It is sort of like learning a new sport....you feel like a fish out of water at first, but eventually you will be functioning swimmingly.  Soon you will all unknowingly pick up that Texas drawl, too.  Want to bet?

Happy (?) Birthday to the world.

     Did you read the news?  The human population will hit 7 billion today.  We are an aging, graying group in the developed world.  The country with the oldest population is Japan, with South Korea and China not far behind.  The USA is pretty much holding its own.
     Every minute of every day births outnumber deaths by 158.  154 of those births every minute are in the developing world. 
     It is easy to see the problems this presents.  How are we to feed, house, and educate this burgeoning population without destroying our over-burdoned planet?  How best to create a world of "shiny happy people holding hands, shiny happy people laughing" (REM)? 
     I have no answers except to live as sustainably as I can in my own little life....to follow the great law of the Iroquois that states that "in every deliberation, we must consider the impact on the seventh generation."  If we all do this, it will make a difference.

"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean.  But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop."
                                  Mother Teresa
    
    
    

Cold news, bad news, and good news.

     We had our first major snowfall and very cold temperatures yesterday so we "chose" (wimped out) to skip our running group last night, discretion being the better part of valor.  Hopefully, we will do better in the future.  We're tough, right?

     I want to bring to your attention a new Australian study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.  Previous studies have shown that after weight loss, metabolism slows and hormonal changes cause an increase in appetite.  In this small study people were asked to lose 10% of their body weight by going on a low-calorie diet.  They were then placed on a maintenance diet.  One year later their metabolism and hormonal levels had still not returned to normal, plus the subjects were starting to regain the weight despite the maintenance diets. 
     Their leptin levels fell by 2/3 immediately (when leptin falls, appetite increases and metabolism slows).  One year later their leptin levels were still 1/3 lower than at the start of the study.
     Other hormones (ghrelin was increased, peptide YY decreased) were also still changed as of 1 year later, increasing hunger.
     Conclusion:  it is very hard to lose weight and keep it off as your hormones work against you.  Hormones enjoy their status quo. Not good news for dieters.  The obvious conclusion of their study, in my mind, is to be ever vigilant after weight loss.
     This was a small study.  The weight loss was rapid and was caused by being on a very low calorie diet.  Hopefully, more studies will follow, maybe studying how long it does take for hormone levels to return to normal.
      My thoughts are to just exercise and eat healthy foods... a life-style change and not a diet.  Hopefully natural weight loss will occur and the hormones will be tricked into normalcy. Maybe someone will do a study on metabolism, hunger hormones, and this lifestyle change at some point.

     A new study shows that resveratrol may boost oral health.  Resveratrol was found to supress growth of certain bacteria known to cause periodontal disease.  Other studies in the past have shown resveratrol to increase length of life, to have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects, cardiovascular benefits, anti-diabetes potential, energy endurance enhancement, and protection against Alzheimers Disease.  Great news:  all the more reason to enjoy red, purple, and black grapes.  We keep some frozen and treat them as mini-popsicle-like snacks.   (http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/).

The adventures begin......

     Four members of our family are venturing into their new future by moving from Chicago to Austin.  Their farewells are over, now the adventures begin!

"Chicago is an October sort of city even in spring."  Nelson Algren

     They are leaving the snow and cold behind for the enviable winter warmth of Austin.....the live music capital of the world, a mecca for runners, year-round golf, and new opportunities of all kinds.  I can think of some people (ahem) who may be visiting them often in the winter months, and not only to enjoy their charming company, which we do love so much.
     Seriously, it takes bravery and character to leave one's comfort zone and the safety of the known, even with the knowledge of new joys and experiences ahead.  We respect and honor you for that.   
    "The Unknown".   Doesn't the phrase get your heart to beating just a little bit faster?   There is the excitement of new places to explore, new best friends you haven't met yet, all sorts of doors to be opened and firsts to experience.  It will be wonderful.  You just have to enjoy the ride.
     "Remember what Bilbo used to say:  It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door.  You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." (J.R.R. Tolkien). 
     This is just the start of a wonderful journey into your future.  Safe travels.

    "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from safe harbor.  Catch the tradewinds in your sails. Explore.  Dream.  Discover."
                             Mark Twain

Coloradans are a healthy bunch.

     As we knew would happen, winter weather is coming later this week.  We took advantage of yesterday's beautiful day to hike in a nearby county park, Deer Creek Canyon.  Everyone must have had the same thought as it was crowded with people and dogs.  We savored the warmth, the scent of sunshine on pine needles, crunching through the leaf-covered trails, and even did a little tree-hugging.
      We did the 7.4 mile loop; a moderately strenuous, sometimes rocky climb, and we were tired afterwards.  What surprised us were all of the mountain bikers and especially all of the trail runners.  I would guess that hikers and runners were out in about equal numbers.  We met a couple of people we knew as they were running back down the same route we had chosen to hike.  Coloradans are such a healthy bunch, maybe even a bit nuts.  I'm jealous.
      Note to self:  Add to Bucket List for the future, running Deer Creek Canyon Park.

"When you have worn out your shoes, the strength of the shoe leather has passed into the fiber of your body.  I measure your health by the number of shoes and hats and clothes you have worn out." 
                        Ralph Waldo Emerson

Vegan Athletes.

     Dean has ridden his bike to and from work the past 2 Fridays....the first times since he was diagnosed with cancer August, 2010.  It is a 12 mile trek each way, and the way home is mostly uphill.  On yesterday's ride home he set his all-time personal-best record of 57 minutes!  This after 3 surgeries, radiation and chemo in the past 15 months plus developing congestive heart failure due to the chemo.  He even beat all his times in the years prior to diagnosis.  I think the vegan diet deserves much of the credit, along with Dean's working out hard to regain his strength.  Eating the way people were meant to eat will never steer you wrong.  He is the #1 vegan athlete on my list.

     Here are a few other vegan athletes you may have heard of:

Surya Bonaly--Olympic figure skating champion.

Ruth Heidrich--6 time Ironwoman, USA Track and Field Masters Champion.

Desmond Howard--Professional football player, Heisman trophy winner.

Art Still--Buffalo Bills & KC Chiefs MVP defensive end, KS Chiefs Hall of Fame.

Martina Navratilova--Champion tennis player.

Bill Pearl--4 time Mr. Universe.

Stan Price--World weight-lifting record holder, bench press.

Paavo Nurmi--Long distance runner, winner of 9 Olympic medals and 20 world records.

Keith Holmes--Boxer, WBC Middleweight Title.

Mike Tyson--Boxer, heavy-weight champion.

Carl Lewis--Track and Field, 10 olympic medals, 10 world champion medals.

Dave Scott--6 time winner of Ironman triathlon.

Scott Jurek--Ultramarathon.  Course record holder Badwater and Western States.

Brendan Brazier--Professional Ironman Triathlete.

Robert Cheeke--Professional bodybuilder.

John Salley--NBA professional.

Salim Stoudamire--NBA professional.

Bob Harper--Personal trainer, Biggest Loser TV show.

Michael Arnstein--Ultrarunner.  Came in 4th at the 2011 Leadville 100 ultra.  He is a fruitarian.
          (see http://www.thefruitarian.com/).


     Dean is in good company.

Chasing the wind.

     I am borrowing the topic of this blog from one I read by Dr. Sherry Pagoto of  the FU Diet.  The information hit home for me and is worth sharing. 
     "Perfection is not a goal.  Perfection lies only in our imagination, it is not real.  It cannot exist.  It is by definition unachievable.  As you get closer, it only alludes you.  It's like chasing the wind......Life isn't perfect, it's messy."
     I think we all set unachievable, imaginary goals in our lives, and then get discouraged and frustrated when they continue to elude us.  Realistically, I will never be skinny, we will never be financially rich, I will never be the fastest runner in my age group. 
     The key is to set real, achievable goals.  I can aim to be healthier, financially comfortable,  a competent "jogger", and be happy becoming my best me.
     Dreaming is wonderful, but remember to distinguish the possible from the fantasy of perfection.  Enjoy the journey.
    
"Everybody is a genius.  But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid."   Albert Einstein.

"Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."    Lewis Caroll.

"Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile." William Cullen Bryant

"How beautifully leaves grow old.  How full of light and color are their last days."  John Burroughs

     We really do try to keep more active, so yesterday we hiked at Roxborough State Park.  We hiked the 6.4 mile Carpenter Peak trail to view the glorious autumn colors.  Even though the elevation gain was only about 1100 feet, it was a more tiring hike than we anticipated.  Solution:  do more hiking.  But the colors, the weather, were glorious.  Now, to remember days such as this to get me through the long, cold winter. 

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."  John Muir

"The mountains are calling and I must go."   John Muir

(Dean lives by this motto.)