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07 NOV

The Cholesterol War

The battle has begun! My body has declared war on me, and I’ve gone into fighting mode. What else can I do when my doctor tells me that I have high cholesterol? It’s just one more health problem to add to my existing diabetes and hypothyroid issues. And all I keep wondering is: Where did I go wrong? How is it that I’m only twenty-seven and I already have all these health problems?

However, one good thing is that I have a really great doctor, and she’s giving me three months to attempt to get my cholesterol down on my own. She knows how proactive I am about taking care of my body. Many doctors would prescribe a pill and let it go at that, but she’s giving me a chance. The downside is that we’re just starting the holiday season. Could it have come at a worse time?

Bones Alive

Can you believe this week is Halloween and the end of October? My family doesn’t really participate in the whole Halloween scene. Just to be honest, I think it’s kind of creepy! However, I did get my daughter a costume, and my husband and I took her to a Halloween Alternative party at our church. It was very cute.

Anyways, whether you have chosen to participate in Halloween or not, you have been given your very own costume. Underneath your skin, your layers of muscle and fat, tendons and ligaments you will find your very own skeleton.

Apricot Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. Pure Florida Crystals (sugar)
2/3 c. soy margarine
1 t. vanilla
4 T. water
2 T. cornstarch
1 c. whole-wheat pastry flour
1 t. Rumfords baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2 1/2 c. quick-cooking oats (raw)
1 c. walnuts (coursely chopped)
1 c. dried apricots (diced fine)

23 OCT

Cures for the Cold

Well, I think Fall has finally arrived! For most of the country we have been experiencing unseasonably warm weather which I guess has its perks. However, if you’re like me, the changing seasons are welcomed. I love Fall. However, it has its unpleasant side too. The beginning of Fall marks the beginning of cold/flu season. You and your family members may, in fact, experience the nasty side of this time of year and perhaps be wishing for summer all over again.

The impending season change was apparent to me this week. Fall has made its mark on me with my first cold of the season. I really hate being sick. It’s just not fun, just all of a sudden, out of nowhere came a horrible sore throat. I mean, it was awful. I thought I would cry each time I had to swallow, let alone eat. Then after about 48-hours my sore throat was gone, and I was left with nasal congestion and a slight cough, which I’m tolerating.

Superhuman Superbug

Wow! Have any of you been following the news lately? If you have this will sound familiar, a superhuman “superbug” is out to get us! No, I’m not talking alien invasion, but what I am talking about is a bacteria that lives on you. It’s called Staph. If you watch T.V. or surf the net, […]

10 OCT

Dealing with the Stress of a Newborn

I’m going to be honest with you; this week I’m at a loss for words. And if you knew me you would know that never happens. I usually always have something to say; just ask my husband! I think I’ve just been a little stressed-out taking care of the baby, the toddler, the husband, the house . . . you get the point, right? Then to add to it, I started back to my part-time job working at the pediatricians’ office last week. I thought it would be a stress reliever to get out amongst the living, but it’s actually more stressful because I leave my set of screaming kids to deal with other peoples screaming kids.

03 OCT

Bare Your Chest, Examine Your Breast

Cancer, no one ever wants to hear that word! It’s one of the most frightening words a person can ever hear. In fact I think most people would agree with me that when they hear the word cancer they immediately think death. And let’s face it: all of us probably know someone with cancer. Maybe it’s your friend, family member, or it could even be you.

October is breast cancer awareness month, which I think is such a wonderful thing. It’s so important for us as a society to come together and continue to educate our fellow brothers and sisters on cancer. Knowledge is power. The more we know and can learn about cancer the more empowered we can be to fight the disease and to offer support to those that are in the battle. And that’s really what cancer is; it’s a battle in every true sense of the word.

24 SEP

Happy Healthy Heart

“Heart disease and stroke is the world’s largest killer, claiming 17.5 million lives each year,” according to the World Heart Federation. They state: “That’s why World Heart Day was created, to create public awareness of risk factors for heart disease and stroke and to promote preventive measures.” And this year World Heart Day is celebrated on Sunday September 30 with a theme entitled “Team Up for Healthy Hearts.” What a great cause!

You know we’re all affected by disease and I bet if you thought long and hard enough you could think of someone you know who suffers from heart disease. It certainly hits home for me. In fact, it recently affected my father in a major way. Let me explain. My dad is truly amazing. He’s seventy-four years young and is one of the most active men I’ve ever known. All his life he’s worked hard and been physically active. Maybe he’s never gone to the gym to pump iron, but after an entire day’s work of farming and landscaping I don’t think he really needed to clock time in at the gym! Even now he hasn’t slowed down. He still works three jobs! Isn’t that incredible? He puts me to shame and I’m over forty years younger than he. He’s the picture of health concerning his diet and lifestyle. He doesn’t smoke or drink. He’s a vegan and all of his meals include lots of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. If we all took such good care of ourselves the world would be a healthier place.

Tummy Delight

I’m officially done with my sugar and junk-food binge! I’m so desperate to get out of my maternity clothes and back into “regular” clothes that I’m willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that. So, since last week I’ve taken up walking like I said I was going to do. But instead of going to the gym to do my workout, I bought an at-home walking DVD called Leslie Sansone Walk at Home, Walk Slim. I figured since there was no way I was going to make it to the gym with the current circumstances I would bring the gym home to me. Good idea, don’t you think?

Fat Walk

Well, it’s the beginning of another week, and it doesn’t look anymore promising than last week. I’ve finally made a game plan on how I’m going to get back into shape after the birth of my son. However, because of extreme fatigue from dealing with my children, I haven’t been able to start it. And it’s not the exhaustion from the baby, because the baby is doing great! In fact, he is sleeping 4-5 hours at night already. Instead, it’s my almost- two-year-old daughter who’s giving me a run for my money. She is the one who has been getting up every two hours at night. Last night she woke up at 2 a.m. and never went back to sleep; she just screamed all night. Lucky me! This vicious cycle with her has been going on for the past seven days. My husband and I have been getting roughly about two hours of sleep a night between her and the baby. Doesn’t that make you feel bad for me?
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