Laugh out loud.

     As you may have read, it was abnormally hot for Monday's running of the Boston Marathon.  Many people were were treated for dehydration.  I had to laugh out loud when reading this blog about it, however, from Runnersworld.com:
http://rwdaily.runnersworld.com/2012/04/is-it-wrong-that-i-laughed-at-this.html

     "You sound fat."     (giggle)
   
     Or maybe that comment was by one of the couch potatoes that I am lapping when I slowly jog.

Eating to prevent cancer.

              "We have met the enemy and he is us."   Pogo (comic strip)


    Cancer cells are our own cells which have been cloned and have learned to evolve. This is according to "The Emperor of all Maladies: a Biography of Cancer" by Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee.  This definition of cancer really makes sense to me.  The enemy is us, our own cells, which is what makes it so difficult to fight. I feel that because we are dealing with our own cells, a state of detente, not of war, is needed.  We need to keep our bodies balanced and strong.
     We all have cancer cells floating around in our bodies. Most of these micro-tumors are dormant.  They cannot grow larger than the tip of a ballpoint pen without developing a network of blood vessels.  This is called angiogenesis.  We need angiogenesis for health and healing of course, but it can go haywire with cancer, as tumors have their own angiogenesis-promoting substances.  Fortunately, there are foods that are anti-angiogenic and help normalize angiogenesis in the body.
     Apoptosis is normal programmed cell death controlled by the body.  Cancer cells are difficult to kill because they are immortal, and they can evolve. They are not self-programmed to die.  Certain foods, however, promote apoptosis in cancer cells.
     Several functional foods are known to inhibit methods used by cancer cells to avoid apoptosis, suppressing cell proliferation and sensitizing cells to apoptosis induction.  This  Apoptosis list includes: Apples, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Ginger, Green Tea, Red Grapes, Red Wine, and Cucurmin (turmeric).
      It just makes sense to include these functional foods in our diet every day.  Eating lots of healthy fruits and vegetables means helping prevent cancer growth through normalization of apoptosis and angiogenesis. It also boosts our immune systems, and it tastes really good.  (Note: No one is suggesting to do this in lieu of seeing your doctor.)
   

Courtesy The Angiogenesis Foundation

http://www.livestrong.com/article/504555-foods-for-apoptosis-and-cancer/

http://cancerbattlefield.com/research/apoptosis/

http://www.latestagecancer.com/2011/06/anti-angiogenesis-powerful-foods-starve-cancer.html

http://illnessisoptional.com/learning-center/articles/healthy-eating/anti-angiogenesis-a-break-for-cancer-prevention/1178

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/what-you-can-eat-defeat-cancer

http://www.befit4life.co.uk/cancer.html

"Tramps like us, baby, we were born to run."--Bruce Springsteen

     As I mentioned this past weekend, looming deadlines help me to Git-R-Done.  Well, I have a half marathon looming.....it is coming up much too fast, on May 20.  I am not at all ready, even though I plan to alternate jogging and walking to finish.  Therefore, today I got myself out the door and did a long (for me) jog/walk.  Fear of looking like a total idiot always helps me focus.  Tramps like me, baby, were born to run slooowly!

Good things come slow, especially in distance running.  --Bill Dellinger, Oregon coach

"Git-R-Done."---Mater, from the Disney movie "Cars"

   

     There are some days where you're just not feeling it.  On those days, whether it is exercising or doing your taxes, you just have to "Git-R-Done."  Today is one of those days.
    A looming deadline helps .....at least with taxes.  We have no choice but to Git-R-done. We'll feel so much better once we can say "Got-R-done."

(Dean would like me to note, I'm sure, that the procrastination with taxes is all on me.  I am the collector and organizer of all the information needed.  He actually does the taxes, and I kept him waiting.)

The scents of spring and youth intertwine forever.

     It's was hard to make myself get out the door this morning, but when I did, the pleasant aroma of neighborhood crab trees in bloom drew me along from yard to yard and tree to tree; pinks to whites to reds.  It was intoxicating. I just followed my nose.  That spurred me on to trading the sidewalks for soft dirt trails at our nearby park. There I found thickets of wild plums in bloom.
     I love the spicy, overpoweringly sweet fragrance of wild plums. It always takes me back to childhood.  Thickets of plums grew in the roadside ditches and also surrounded the rural school, District 34, that we attended.  I don't know if they were the remnants of century-old hedgerows or just accidental tourists, but we kids loved them, and loved eating the little yellow/pink plums come autumn. To get to school every day we walked through the shelterbelt of trees behind the house, up a little rise and around the cistern, out across a field, and then  ducked through a break in the plum thickets along the road, and crossed over to school.
      Also, I was a big fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder.  Remember the book, "On the Banks of Plum Creek?"  There is a little stream surrounded by plum thickets not far from here, which I have named "Plum Creek" in Wilder's honor.  Of course, nobody knows that but me and now you.
     Those Nebraska plum thickets of my youth are all gone now but for memories, which is why I enjoy these so much.  What scents of youth bring you back home again?

"Home is where one starts from."  --T.S. Eliot

David vs Goliath

     I read an absolutely fantastic blog post this morning so am posting the link for you.  It is self-explanatory and well worth the time it takes to read it all.
   http://www.nomeatathlete.com/carlos/

Fall in love with taking care of yourself.

     I just watched Tuesday night's episode of "Biggest Loser" while doing some yoga and stretching.  I had to watch to see Michelle Obama.  She is the most impressive First Lady! She not only talks the talk, but she walks the walk.  I cannot imagine any other First Lady doing a sweaty workout with the Biggest Loser Team while being televised for national television.  She is really fit and is an excellent example for us all. She is also sincere in her wishes to make America, and especially America's children, more fit.  Go to the website "Letsmove.gov"  for more information on her "Let's Move" initiative.
   

     Summer is coming.  I read somewhere, and can't seem to recall the source, that the popularity of dieting is fading.  People have realized that healthy eating and exercise are what works in the long-term to get that summer leanness that we all desire.  It's all life-style.
     Here is a good blog on "leaning out for summer."   I like the suggestions to not eat less, just eat cleaner;  to not exercise more, but to be more active;  and to spend time outdoors.....easy small efforts that are doable for all of us.
Here is the blog:
http://zentofitness.com/lean-for-summer/

"Limit your sitting and sleeping to just 23 1/2 hours a day."---Dr. Mike Evans

"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out."---R. Collier