Wishing all my friends a very Happy Valentine’s Day! ❤
Love Your Body Today
Tag: health
Run, Walk, Move!
Isolation, social distancing, schedule changes, constant adaptations to your normal way of living have taken a toll on everyone. Listening to the “news” for a glimmer of hope may only depress you even more, so is it even necessary? The tension and stress of daily life are cumulative if you don’t regularly take some time to let off steam. The good news is the weather is improving, so you can enjoy some outdoor activities again!
While you can’t control everything in this crazy world, you can do something to shift your attitude toward a more optimistic focus. Running, or even fast walking, for just 15 – 30 minutes each day has great mental as well as physical benefits. It not only tones and strengthens your muscles, it also improves blood flow to your entire body including your brain. This releases feel-good endorphins for natural stress relief. The “Runner’s High” we hear so much about is real. That’s what calls many habitual runners to don sneakers and squeeze in a run in any type of weather.
Go at a comfortable yet challenging pace. This level is different for each individual. This is not a race. You are not in competition with anyone. It has been said that if you aren’t sweating, then it isn’t exercise, but you should still be able to converse with another person while exercising. If you haven’t been physically active for a long time, then start slowly and work your way up. If you can only walk half a block, then start there. You are moving more today than yesterday, so celebrate each accomplishment as a WIN! Soon you will be walking one block, two blocks, a mile, then more. You might even turn that walk into a run!
The important thing is to get moving. Now that the weather is warmer and masking is optional, you can go outside and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine as you walk or run. Fifteen minutes of direct sunlight on your bare arms, face and legs will give your vitamin D levels a real boost, which will in turn improve your natural immune system.
Start now and make daily exercise a priority. You devote so much time and effort to other people and things, you should not feel guilty about taking time for your own physical and mental well-being. You are worth it! If you schedule this time as a meeting on your calendar it will be much harder to ignore. Put your sneakers on first thing in the morning as a reminder to get moving. Now is better than later!
Continue reading “Run, Walk, Move!”
The Coronavirus: Fear vs. Wisdom
If you follow the news, then you hear hourly updates on the coronavirus as reporters spread doom, gloom and fear about worldwide sickness and even death from the coronavirus. You may be asking: When will it strike here? What should I do if I get sick? Am I safe? How can I protect my children from something I can’t see? Obsessing on this one topic is creating panic when commonsense wisdom would be more helpful.
Please, keep in mind that fewer people have died from the coronavirus this year than from the flu last year, and those who have died had compromised immune systems before they contracted the virus. It is believed that thousands of people have recovered from the coronavirus thinking it was just the common cold, because their symptoms were so mild. So it seems obvious that the way to deal with this new health threat is to strengthen your immune system and use the necessary precautions to avoid getting sick in the first place. Here are some reminders:
— Wash your hands often, at least 20 seconds each time with soap and running water.
— Use antibacterial wipes at the grocery store (many stores provide them at the entrance) to wipe down shopping cart handles before use.
— Carry antibacterial wipes with you, and remember to use them.
— Sneeze and cough into the crook of your arm instead of your hands.
— Keep your hands away from your face.
— Carry your own supply of tissues with you. Communal tissue boxes are loaded with germs.
— Think of others. If you feel sick, STAY HOME. No matter how badly you “need to be there,” no one there wants to catch what you have.
— At home, sanitize often: door knobs, light switches, buttons on the microwave, toaster, stove, coffeepot, tea kettle, toilet seat/handles, faucets, etc.. Bleach infused wipes or even a paper towel saturated with rubbing alcohol will do the job quickly and easily.
— Avoid sugar. Sugar depresses your immune system for the next four hours after consuming it.
— Eat plenty of whole foods: vegetables, fruit, and minimally processed grains, legumes, nuts and seeds.
— Stay hydrated and make pure water your beverage of choice. Nix the sugary drinks.
— Increase your intake of Vitamin C and Zinc. Taken together these help to lessen the severity of a cold, but you can also take them before any symptoms arise as a preventive measure.
— Elderberry syrup taken daily is a great immune booster (also comes in lozenges in case you’re traveling).
— If you live in the northern hemisphere and don’t get much sun for part of the year, you may need to increase your vitamin D intake. Vitamin D3+K2 is most easily absorbed. Ask your doctor to monitor your blood levels to get the correct dosage.
— Finally, reduce the stress in your life. Prayer and meditation, daily exercise, even a walk are all great stress relievers. Read a good book. Enjoy a hobby you’ve neglected for a long time, or try something new. Spend time with your pet. Turn off the news and just relax.
— Refuse to worry. Worry leads to anxiety, which stops you from living your best life. As long as you use wisdom, you have nothing to fear.
God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. II Timothy 1:7 NKJV
NIV
What You Eat Really Does Make a Difference
Remember that children’s song, “Oh be careful little mouth what you say?” Maybe we need to learn a new verse — “Oh, be careful little mouth what you eat!”
Proverbs 21:23- He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.
If you are eager to improve your health, then God may be speaking to you about the food you eat. Sometimes saying yes to God means saying no to yourself. The Holy Spirit will begin to change your appetite if you don’t ignore his voice. If you are asking God to help you lose weight, the answer to your prayers may be on your plate.
Bakers Guild Café
225 Center Street
Bloomsburg, PA
570-784-2271
While in the college town of Bloomsburg, PA last weekend we found a delightfully healthy café. We just had time for a quick lunch before a family wedding started, but we didn’t want to settle for junk food either. We were so glad we checked this place out! There is seating for about 12 – 15 inside the café, but take-out is also available. We ate inside.
Bakers Guild Café is also the retail outlet for Columbia County Bread and Granola, known for their organic sprouted breads, crackers and granola. You can visit their website ColumbiaCountyBread.com to learn more about their products. Yes, they ship anywhere in the country.
I chose the sprouted whole-grain pita for my Vegan BLT. It was so good, and came with a side of organic sprouted spelt chips. The vegan bacon had all the flavor (if not the texture, so don’t expect that) and none of the fat and cruelty of bacon. All the flavors complemented each other perfectly. This was such a treat for a vegan who never gets to have a BLT! Dave ordered a grilled cheese and onion sandwich (his usual lunch order), and even though it wasn’t on the menu they didn’t blink at the request. He also ordered the Caesar Salad with greens, capers and sprouted “sprigs.” The sprigs were thin slices of their sprouted whole grain bread toasted. That salad was quite large so he shared a bit with me. I usually don’t like croutons, but these “sprigs” were just lightly toasted and still warm — not like the hard little rocks usually topping a Caesar Salad. It was exceptionally delicious. Douglas Michael, the owner, took the time to explain the process he uses to sprout the grains and his wholefood philosophy behind the restaurant’s menu.
Dave and I both had iced tea, freshly brewed and served from a pitcher, not from a can, bottle, or soda fountain. You could taste the difference. This iced tea tasted like tea, not chemicals, and our empty glasses were promptly refilled. An unexpected find was compostable straws. Ever since learning about the harmful effects of plastic straws on the environment and wildlife I have been trying to find a safer straw to use. Paper straws are no longer available, and I hate to drink an iced beverage without a straw (always waiting for the ice to come crashing down onto my face). Bakers Guild uses straws that are cornstarch-based and completely biodegradable. Doug even told me where to order them… yay!
If you are ever in Bloomsburg, and want something healthy to eat, please look for Bakers Guild Café. The prices are reasonable and the food is wonderful. You will feel like you’ve eaten real food, and know that you’ve done something good for your body and the environment.
Bakers Guild Café, 225 Center Street Bloomsburg, PA 570-784-2271
So, How’s that New Year’s Resolution Going?
The start of a new year is a funny time. People ponder the state of the goals they set during the previous year and resolve to do better this time around. Lose weight, finally read that book, get your finances in order, clean out the hall closet — every missed opportunity and put-off chore is on the list of things we resolve to make happen this year. Because it’s a New Year, a fresh start — anything is possible!
One thing I have been thinking about for a while is this blog. I’ve noticed that there are many blogs out there based on diet and food. Recipes abound for any diet you wish to follow. But, for some people, like me, you need more than a recipe to entice you to alter your diet even if it will improve your health. As a believer, I had to be convinced that following any specific diet was God’s will, so I researched with an open mind, read and prayed a lot. After two years I was convinced that a vegetarian (mostly vegan) diet was the correct diet for humans. Fad diets come and go, but this one has stood the test of time for promoting optimal health and longevity. This isn’t the answer I was hoping for (believe me, if there were a hot fudge sundae diet that worked, I would tell you!), but I am convinced this is the truth.
So this year, I resolve to share more about what God’s word has to say about the food we should eat. There will still be recipes, but more about what the Bible says that convinced me to permanently change my diet 18 years ago. It wasn’t because I loved vegetables (or even animals). My lifestyle change was an act of obedience to what I knew God was telling me. And, I believe that when you ask God a question, and He answers, then you’d better do what He says. I hope that throughout this new year you, too, will understand the wisdom of God’s original diet (Genesis 1:29 – Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”)
Keep Calm and Drink Tea
I confess, I love tea. I love the flavor, the aroma, and the total experience of brewing and drinking tea. This probably started when I was the very active little girl of a late-in-life mother, whose mission it was to turn her youngest daughter into a “proper young lady.” As a special treat she would prepare a tea party for just the two of us and whatever dolls and stuffed animals cared to join in. I specifically remember her explaining the attributes of the fine china teacups, which I was only permitted to use on these supervised occasions. She would hold the delicate teacup up to the light so I could see the faint shadow of her fingers through the china, and then explain how “a lady” would hold the cup, take a sip, use her napkin, etc. This must be how my love for tea began.
Now, I appreciate tea for all its health benefits as well. There is something very civilizing about brewing and indulging in a cup of tea. Over tea confidences are shared, problems are solved, friendships are solidified, and nerves are calmed. All of these side effects of tea may help to reduce the stress hormone, cortisol. Cortisol has been known to increase appetite and lead to fat storage. Elevated cortisol levels have been linked to many diseases, so controlling stress by stopping to enjoy a cup of tea during your busy day may benefit your health by reducing both appetite and tension.
Drinking tea (green tea, black tea, and oolong tea) has been shown to increase the fat burning process up to 17% and caloric expenditure by 4%. Studies in animals and humans have even shown that drinking tea may reduce the risk of accumulating belly fat. That’s one great reason to choose tea over other beverages!
In contrast, alcohol is loaded with 7 liquid calories/gram. Beer contains a similar number of calories as sugary soft drinks. Red wine contains twice that amount! If you want to reduce your midsection, then reduce or skip the alcoholic beverages.
Unsweetened tea, hot or iced, is a healthier thirst quencher than carbonated soft drinks. It’s easy to drink a large amount of empty liquid calories without even realizing it when you consume soda, and diet sodas are no better for you. These chemical cocktails are hard on your stomach lining, tooth enamel and bones, and have even been shown to CAUSE weight gain. The bubbles in soda also release gas in your stomach leading to embarrassing GI noises when you least expect them.
Fruit juices and energy drinks may seem like healthy alternatives, but these are loaded with concentrated sugar making it easy to drink excess calories on top of everything else you consume. Eating whole fruit is a much better choice than drinking fruit juice. Whole fruit contains the fiber, water, vitamins, and minerals your body needs without the caloric overload leading to weight gain. Try sipping fruit infused tea instead — it’s and excellent way to enjoy the flavor of fruit without all those unnecessary calories.
If you are caffeine sensitive, then opt for teas with low or no caffeine. Flavored herbal teas contain little or no caffeine, and are a relaxing evening beverage. Chamomile tea is one herbal tea well-known for its calming effect on the mind and body. Always try to find an organic tea. If you garden, you can make tea from your own organic herbs. I have made excellent peppermint, spearmint, and lavender teas from my own backyard plants. Tea made from herbs picked right from your garden tastes so fresh, and it’s free!
So, the next time you’re looking for a little something to drink, keep calm and drink tea. It’s an ancient beverage with modern health benefits.
Did People in the Bible Eat Animal Foods?
As a Health Minister, one of the statements I often hear is, “But people in the Bible ate meat.” I encourage you to read below and learn the facts. The diet in Bible times did not in any way resemble the Standard American Diet. To read the complete article: http://healthtip.hacres.com/index.php/2013/02/12/how-to-stop-cheating-on-the-hallelujah-diet?
Animal-Source Foods
In Bible days, there were societies of pure vegetarians while other societies consumed some animal products – animal flesh and goat milk. However, even in those societies where animal flesh was eaten, consumption was extremely limited and confined to special occasions because the ancients had no means of refrigeration.
For this same reason, goat milk was consumed in its raw state almost immediately after milking. It is also important to note here that almost all milk consumed in Bible days was goat milk. Even to this day, The United States is one of the few countries in the world that consumes more cow milk than goat milk.
It is also interesting to note that in Bible days, the fat content of grass-fed animals, which was all they had to eat, was around 3%. This is the fat content that you will find in wild deer to this day.
6 Things Man Didn’t Learn from the Bible
- Man started graining the animals in an effort to put more fat on their flesh.
- Even later, farmers learned that they could get these animals to grow more rapidly if they gave them growth hormones.
- Then they learned that by giving the animals antibiotics, they could cover up the physical breakdown that occurred by this unnatural and rapid growth.
- Farmers next began to realize that by giving the milk cows hormones that caused them to grow faster, they could also generate more milk production.
- Forcing these milk cows to produce more milk than God designed them to produce caused all manner of physical breakdown. Farmers realized (again) they could give cows more antibiotics.
- As man began to drink more and more cow milk, man had to find a way to prevent the milk from going bad too quickly. To solve that problem man learned that by cooking the milk in a pasteurizing process that killed both friendly and unfriendly bacteria and destroying the enzymes (life force in raw milk) they could give the milk a longer shelf life under refrigeration.
With the consumption of ever increasing amounts of both animal flesh and dairy, physical breakdown from these animal source foods began to manifest earlier and earlier in the lives of those who consumed them. In fact, my research reveals that animal source foods, both flesh and dairy, are the cause or contributing cause of as high as 90% of all the physical problems being experienced today.
These animal sourced foods are the primary cause of high blood pressure, heart attacks, and strokes, as the fat in these animal sourced foods clog up the arteries. In addition to the fat clogging up the arteries and causing all of these physical breakdowns, these animal sourced foods are the primary cause of cancer, diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, colon problems, acid stomach, asthma, allergies…
The list goes on and on….
Be encouraged, God loves us and His way is always best 🙂 “And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
~ Romans 12:2
FREE Health Fair, October 8, 2011, Glad Tidings Church, 1110 Snyder Rd., West Lawn, PA 19609, 610-678-0266
Come one come all, this Saturday anytime from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm to meet area wellness professionals and learn what options are available to meet your own personal physical, mental, and spiritual health needs. Free medical screening by Adventist Whole Health Network, samples, informative presentations, movies, and more. While you’re there enjoy a healthy lunch in the popular Sacred Grounds Cafe and Grille, and shop Scrolls Bookstore. See you there!
Five myths about vegans
This article answers perfectly the most frequently asked questions about a vegan diet. Please be informed and educated, not blindly led by deceptive advertising into an early grave.
Vegtutor's Weblog 