It is week 2 of the new year. Are you doing well with your resolutions/intentions? Have you even made them yet? According to Kristin Armstrong, you should "write your goals down and increase the odds of realization; share them with others and they become alive." Who are you going to be in the new year? Put those goals out there to the universe and anything is possible.
The New Year lies before you like a spotless tract of snow
Be careful how you tread on it, for every mark will show.
Looking together in the same direction.
Sea otters hold hands while they sleep so they don't drift apart.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Friday, January 6, 2012
The best defense is a good offence.
I recently read the book "Super Immunity, The Essential Nutrition Guide for Boosting Your Body's Defenses to Live Longer, Stronger, and Disease Free" by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. I highly recommend it, especially if you haven't read his book "Eat to Live".
There is clear scientific evidence linking diet and health. He explains how to transform your immune system from weak to super to help ward off viruses, bacteria, and possibly even cancer; to build the strongest defenses possible.
The chapter on "Super Foods for Super Immunity" gives the scientific basis for why we need to eat leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, mushrooms, onions and garlic, berries, pomegranates, and seeds.
His views on flu vaccinations and medical treatments for colds and flu were also enlightening, and he provides research results to back them up.
I was aware that having poor nutritional and immune status would make a host more susceptible to catching viral and bacterial infections. I was not aware that nutritional inadequacies in the host also allow the modification of pathogens into more virulent or dangerous forms within the body. Host nutrition affects the genetic sequence of a pathogen allowing it to mutate and cause more serious damage. The healthier your immune system, should you even catch an infection, the shorter and milder that infection will be.
He discusses other factors as well. Exercise plays a role. Life truly is survival of the fittest.
Nobody gets any guarantees, but we must do our best to change the odds and stack the deck in our favor.
There is clear scientific evidence linking diet and health. He explains how to transform your immune system from weak to super to help ward off viruses, bacteria, and possibly even cancer; to build the strongest defenses possible.
The chapter on "Super Foods for Super Immunity" gives the scientific basis for why we need to eat leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, mushrooms, onions and garlic, berries, pomegranates, and seeds.
His views on flu vaccinations and medical treatments for colds and flu were also enlightening, and he provides research results to back them up.
I was aware that having poor nutritional and immune status would make a host more susceptible to catching viral and bacterial infections. I was not aware that nutritional inadequacies in the host also allow the modification of pathogens into more virulent or dangerous forms within the body. Host nutrition affects the genetic sequence of a pathogen allowing it to mutate and cause more serious damage. The healthier your immune system, should you even catch an infection, the shorter and milder that infection will be.
He discusses other factors as well. Exercise plays a role. Life truly is survival of the fittest.
Nobody gets any guarantees, but we must do our best to change the odds and stack the deck in our favor.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Rinny's Back!
I forgot to mention that the dog we are fostering is back. She had spent the Christmas and New Years holidays with another foster family, who also love her.
I picked her up at the Freedom Service Dogs kennels earlier this week. She was so excited to see me! You have to love someone who is bursting with joy to see you again.
Dogs can be a pain. They have to be walked far, even in the dark and in blizzards and terrible cold. They need to be entertained. Their Vet bills can be extensive. They make travels guilt-filled for their owners, and expensive.
But they need to be cuddled and loved, and know that we need it, too.
Today we took our first long walk since her return. It was a slow one. She had to stop to sniff out who all had been on "her" path in her absence, and leave her own markers. She had to roll in the snow, several times, and eat snow and stop frequently just to sniff the breeze.
Walking with a dog gives new meaning to "stopping to smell the flowers", even when there aren't any in season. The sky is blue, the clouds are so white in contrast, the snow is beautiful with the sunshine on the hills....I may have been vaguely aware of these without Rin, but with her I really saw them.
Having a pet is like having another family member. You love them and worry about them and sometimes even complain about their imperfections, but you would never change them. It will be so hard to give her up when she is finally adopted. I had a last minute call to bring her in for an adoption visit along with a handful of other dogs up for adoption. We didn't go. A) It was short notice and I was busy. B) I couldn't let her go just yet.
I picked her up at the Freedom Service Dogs kennels earlier this week. She was so excited to see me! You have to love someone who is bursting with joy to see you again.
Dogs can be a pain. They have to be walked far, even in the dark and in blizzards and terrible cold. They need to be entertained. Their Vet bills can be extensive. They make travels guilt-filled for their owners, and expensive.
But they need to be cuddled and loved, and know that we need it, too.
Today we took our first long walk since her return. It was a slow one. She had to stop to sniff out who all had been on "her" path in her absence, and leave her own markers. She had to roll in the snow, several times, and eat snow and stop frequently just to sniff the breeze.
Walking with a dog gives new meaning to "stopping to smell the flowers", even when there aren't any in season. The sky is blue, the clouds are so white in contrast, the snow is beautiful with the sunshine on the hills....I may have been vaguely aware of these without Rin, but with her I really saw them.
Having a pet is like having another family member. You love them and worry about them and sometimes even complain about their imperfections, but you would never change them. It will be so hard to give her up when she is finally adopted. I had a last minute call to bring her in for an adoption visit along with a handful of other dogs up for adoption. We didn't go. A) It was short notice and I was busy. B) I couldn't let her go just yet.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Running for your life.
Running slows the effects of aging. An ongoing 20 year study done at Stanford University School of Medicine shows that older runners have fewer disabilities, a longer span of active life, and are half as likely as aging non-runners to die of early deaths.
http://med.stanford.edu/news_releases/2008/august/running.html
Running can increase your brain size and stimulate the growth of fresh grey cells. This has a big impact on mental ability.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/jan/18/running-brain-memory-cell-growth
I have been jogging or run/walking for 11 months now. I am surprised that it is not getting easier for me, but based on the studies listed above, I am going to keep on. The secret of success with anything is consistency.
Nutritional needs change as we age. Aging is caused partially by free-radical damage, therefore with aging we need more antioxidants in our diet to combat that damage. According to Jeff Galloway, a diet high in anti-oxidant rich fruits and vegetables will slow the aging process and increase performance. So far, so good. We believe in a diet of nutritional excellence and eat a colorful and varied plant-based high anti-oxidant diet.
Galloway also states that older athletes are more susceptible to muscle damage caused by eccentric muscle contractions, and are not able to repair this damage as quickly between workouts. That explains my soreness. Nutritional excellence and recovery days play a big part here. We try our best to comply with both. We will keep on keeping on. It sounds like we are on the right track. Hopefully we will get to the 20+ years of running like the studied Stanford runners.
I used to run with doubt. Now she can't keep up.
http://med.stanford.edu/news_releases/2008/august/running.html
Running can increase your brain size and stimulate the growth of fresh grey cells. This has a big impact on mental ability.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/jan/18/running-brain-memory-cell-growth
I have been jogging or run/walking for 11 months now. I am surprised that it is not getting easier for me, but based on the studies listed above, I am going to keep on. The secret of success with anything is consistency.
Nutritional needs change as we age. Aging is caused partially by free-radical damage, therefore with aging we need more antioxidants in our diet to combat that damage. According to Jeff Galloway, a diet high in anti-oxidant rich fruits and vegetables will slow the aging process and increase performance. So far, so good. We believe in a diet of nutritional excellence and eat a colorful and varied plant-based high anti-oxidant diet.
Galloway also states that older athletes are more susceptible to muscle damage caused by eccentric muscle contractions, and are not able to repair this damage as quickly between workouts. That explains my soreness. Nutritional excellence and recovery days play a big part here. We try our best to comply with both. We will keep on keeping on. It sounds like we are on the right track. Hopefully we will get to the 20+ years of running like the studied Stanford runners.
I used to run with doubt. Now she can't keep up.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
K.I.S.S.
As you know, we basically follow the Eat to Live diet...plant based and unprocessed. I am borrowing this suggestion from the Fat Free Vegan blog....
K.I.S.S.S. I wish I had come up with it as it describes what we eat so well.
KISSS=Keep It Simple, Soup and Salad. It really is simple. We make sure to eat one huge salad meal a day starting with a base of leafy greens and adding nuts, beans, sweet potato, beets, tomatoes, cucumbers, fruit, or whatever leftovers are on hand, using a good balsamic vinegar for dressing. Very simple. For dinner we often have plant based soup or stew, making a very large recipe so we have lots of left-overs for later in the week...simple.
Maybe K.I.S.S. should be the acronym for Keep It Simple & Smart, rather than the more common Keep It Simple, Stupid.
I also read another blog about ditching recipes to simplify your cooking. I did that years ago. Cooking should be and can be intuitive and creative. You shop for healthy food in season and on sale and create meals based on that. Just base it on the rules for good nutrition...have protein, carbs and fat at each meal....have a minimum of 9 vegetables and fruits per day, half of them raw. Try to eat mushrooms, greens, and onions daily. Avoid junk. It is so simple.
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. Confucius.
K.I.S.S.S. I wish I had come up with it as it describes what we eat so well.
KISSS=Keep It Simple, Soup and Salad. It really is simple. We make sure to eat one huge salad meal a day starting with a base of leafy greens and adding nuts, beans, sweet potato, beets, tomatoes, cucumbers, fruit, or whatever leftovers are on hand, using a good balsamic vinegar for dressing. Very simple. For dinner we often have plant based soup or stew, making a very large recipe so we have lots of left-overs for later in the week...simple.
Maybe K.I.S.S. should be the acronym for Keep It Simple & Smart, rather than the more common Keep It Simple, Stupid.
I also read another blog about ditching recipes to simplify your cooking. I did that years ago. Cooking should be and can be intuitive and creative. You shop for healthy food in season and on sale and create meals based on that. Just base it on the rules for good nutrition...have protein, carbs and fat at each meal....have a minimum of 9 vegetables and fruits per day, half of them raw. Try to eat mushrooms, greens, and onions daily. Avoid junk. It is so simple.
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. Confucius.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Happy New Year, 2012!
"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day." Edith Lovejoy Pierce.
Don't you just love that analogy? I love blank new books....so much opportunity....a tabula rasa.
I have been reading blogs about New Year's Resolutions....for and against. One person suggested starting a "Possibilities" list, adding everything you might someday want to get or do. Another person suggested making a Fun bucket list for the year. If your resolutions or intentions involve fun, you are more likely to accomplish them. I like both ideas so have started my own "Fun Possibilities" bucket list. I'm sure I will come up with more items later on, but this is what I came up with off the top of my head.
1. Run/walk the 1/2 marathon I am already registered for on 5/20/12.
2. Run/walk the Bolder Boulder 10K on Memorial Day, and make it an
annual tradition.
3. Start taking an annual vacation...maybe Hawaii, someday maybe Alaska,
someday maybe a drive up the West coast of the United States, someday
maybe hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
4. Hike up Mount Bierstadt, a short and supposedly relatively easy 14er.
5. Plan some fitness rewards....after a big accomplishment get that Saucony
jacket I've been wanting to have for next fall, or a runner's GPS watch;
but make sure I really EARN them first.
6. Get a smart phone and move into this century electronically.
We had a quiet New Year's Eve. It was nice to be home. We called family and watched a really good DVD that I highly recommend. It is called "The Music Never Stopped" and is based on a true story by Dr. Oliver Sachs about a man with devastating amnesia. It is about missed opportunities and rebuilding relationships and the music of the 60s. We lived through that era but never really followed the music of The Grateful Dead. After watching the movie, I will have to investigate their music a little more. This is a moving story that will stay with you.
Isn't it amazing how music affects us...our memories, our emotions. Music has been described as poetry, prayer, medicine, the universal language of mankind, and life.
We plan on going hiking with a neighbor family today up in the foothills. It will be a perfect way to start the new year.
(P.S., the hike with the neighbors fell through, dangerously icy up there thanks to yesterday's extreme winds. We will have to take a local walk on our own, still not a bad way to start the new year.)
"You are the music while the music lasts." T.S. Eliot
"A peaceful place, so it looks from space, A close look reveals the human race." Grateful Dead
Don't you just love that analogy? I love blank new books....so much opportunity....a tabula rasa.
I have been reading blogs about New Year's Resolutions....for and against. One person suggested starting a "Possibilities" list, adding everything you might someday want to get or do. Another person suggested making a Fun bucket list for the year. If your resolutions or intentions involve fun, you are more likely to accomplish them. I like both ideas so have started my own "Fun Possibilities" bucket list. I'm sure I will come up with more items later on, but this is what I came up with off the top of my head.
1. Run/walk the 1/2 marathon I am already registered for on 5/20/12.
2. Run/walk the Bolder Boulder 10K on Memorial Day, and make it an
annual tradition.
3. Start taking an annual vacation...maybe Hawaii, someday maybe Alaska,
someday maybe a drive up the West coast of the United States, someday
maybe hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
4. Hike up Mount Bierstadt, a short and supposedly relatively easy 14er.
5. Plan some fitness rewards....after a big accomplishment get that Saucony
jacket I've been wanting to have for next fall, or a runner's GPS watch;
but make sure I really EARN them first.
6. Get a smart phone and move into this century electronically.
We had a quiet New Year's Eve. It was nice to be home. We called family and watched a really good DVD that I highly recommend. It is called "The Music Never Stopped" and is based on a true story by Dr. Oliver Sachs about a man with devastating amnesia. It is about missed opportunities and rebuilding relationships and the music of the 60s. We lived through that era but never really followed the music of The Grateful Dead. After watching the movie, I will have to investigate their music a little more. This is a moving story that will stay with you.
Isn't it amazing how music affects us...our memories, our emotions. Music has been described as poetry, prayer, medicine, the universal language of mankind, and life.
We plan on going hiking with a neighbor family today up in the foothills. It will be a perfect way to start the new year.
(P.S., the hike with the neighbors fell through, dangerously icy up there thanks to yesterday's extreme winds. We will have to take a local walk on our own, still not a bad way to start the new year.)
"You are the music while the music lasts." T.S. Eliot
"A peaceful place, so it looks from space, A close look reveals the human race." Grateful Dead
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