Ottis Redding Rules

Sorry, that heading really has no relevance to health - there is no way I could manipulate that connection, I just happened to be listening to him and I just happen to need to emphasize how great he is!

I have talked, and probably will talk, a great deal about ayurveda but never really explained what it was. Without taking big measures to do so, I will just outline in basic terms. Ayurveda is a term that really when broken down means the science of life: Ayu = life, veda = knowledge.
It is basically a health system that comes from India, you can kind of tell just by the sound of the word.
Ayurveda focuses on the three doshas which are basically the three categories and most people have a primary dosha and a secondary dosha that is almost as prominent. The doshas are based on your physical build of matter but also include an energy level. As I have said reluctantly in the past, my primary dosha is Kapha - which to no surprise, on the physical level is stomach and lungs...astonishing isn't it...with all my sinus congestion in the winter and my digestive issues in general. My second dosha is vata which is the colon on the physical level. In ayurveda, the doshas are often looked at as what is "not in balance" so when you are having particular things not going so well, it is because one or more of the doshas is not in balance. Therefore you would eat, or otherwise, in order to reach that balance.

With my dosha, it recommends warm drinks and foods. One of the things it suggests is having a warm or hot cup of water every day, a few a day if possible, with lemon. That is simple enough, and it is pretty soothing really. So today instead of just starting the day with a cold glass of water and a coffee, I went with a hot cup of water with lemon. And I liked it. This isn't to say coffee isn't in my near future as well, but this is one of the little things I will try to implement in my daily life. I am thinking a hot cup of water with lemon in the morning and then at work in the afternoon, a cup of green tea, will be part of my new routine.

The funny thing is that my body type with all the different books I am focusing on right now whether by blood type, dosha or just dr. oz's methods - they all tell my type specifically to stay away from sugary, fat, oily foods specifically and moreso than the average joe. Okay already!! Got it!! Thanks for nothin'! The thing is, when I truly give something a try, and actually do stick with it, I will usually end of liking it. So maybe I will like this new non ice cream way of life. Can't quite see it that way yet. But I could.

The other thing is I need to get this under way if I want to get back on track in the next month or two to train again for the next half marathon. I have been tossing around a couple of different popular ones that are in the spring but I think I am really leaning towards the dexter-ann arbor one. We'll see, but I am predicting that is going to be the chosen race.

This is Ottis Redding fan, signing off. Wishing balance to all. Namaste.

The Sun Rises...The Sun Sets...

Dr. Chopra is one of my favorite authors on the topic of health. As I have explained in earlier posts, he writes quite a bit on the topic of Ayurveda. I have evaluated myself in the charts of Ayurveda, and to no surprise I am the kapha dosha which is the suckiest of all three doshas. In one of his chapters he discusses going through the cycles of each and every day. This is one of the things I think people just aren't conscious of. Everyone wants to think about tomorrow or next month, but rarely are our thoughts truly in the here and now. As he said, every day the sun rises and the sun sets, and inbetween that that are hundreds of things that happen. There are many cycles that occur within each of our amazing bodies. There are reasons why people tend to weigh more in the morning, or why the temperature in our hands is higher in early afternoon.

There are many cycles that occur, and of course it then makes sense that we can live more in tune with nature and with our bodies by paying attention to these daily patterns. The concept in the chapter is much too large to spawn a conversation about in my simplistic little blog...but I must say, I never cease to be amazed while learning more about how we all tick. And just think, I barely know anything! My stuffy-ness is lingering and it is a bit annoying. Yet I have nothing else at all wrong with me, just the congestion. If it weren't for my beloved netty pot, I would most certainly have a sinus infection by now. The thing is my best friend. So, I have been using it probably about 2 times per day. Let me tell ya, the other day I felt only slightly congested but figured it was just good due diligence to go ahead and run the netty pot through. Well, when I blew my nose afterward...amazing. I will not be gross and describe what I saw, but let's just say - WOW. I will leave it at that.

When I went to the ear, nose and throat doctor last year, he did an x ray of my sinuses and said there was no reason he could see that I was getting these chronic sinus infections - except that my nasal passages were fairly narrow. All he could suggest was the netty pot, which I had been dying to investigate anyway. I have been a happy girl ever since.

Today I packed a fairly healthy lunch. I made some quinoa last night so i had that with some steamed vegetables of green beans, peas, broccoli, cauliflour and carrots. Then for breakfast I had a rice cake and coffee, then for my afternoon snack I had some celery sticks with peanut butter. I have enough of these leftovers that I can pack the same thing for tomorrow. For dinner I just had some mrs grass chicken noodle soup, because honestly it just sounded like exactly what I wanted, and it actually isn't very high in fat but probably heavily processed and preserved, but whatcha gonna do, right?

So the articles I have to write tonight are the first ones that put me in a bit of a moral dilemma. I have to write "positive" articles and reviews on various HGH supplements. Ugh. I am not a fan. Basically, HGH stands for Human Growth hormone. This is a naturally occurring thing in your body already, but it gradually decreases after the age of 30. So the whole reason people want to take this, and they can get it injected, or get supplements that are slow release tablets or whatever, but the reason they take it is basically to fight the effects of aging which do happen as the HGH starts to decrease its stimulation.

Who am I to say this is wrong, I mean, people take it to keep all those youthful benefits - leaner muscle, less fat, better skin, sleep better, etc., etc. But I feel apprehensive about writing a positive review about these supplements. I think there is a lot of healing power and natural methods for all of those things through herbs and aroma therapy and various foods. I just innately do not feel compelled to say we should take an injection or a pill for a HGH. I am not the type of person that likes to do that sort of thing. I am sure some are better than others, but I don't like the fact that my articles tell me what stance to take on a subject instead of just give an objective, balanced look at it. I guess that just wouldn't sell the product, now would it? Well, anyway, I am going to do it and try to remain factual. This is why you shouldn't trust what you read on the internet sometimes - you really don't know who is writing the stuff....could be contractors like myself who are paid to be nameless and write what they are told!

Signing off for now. Stay warm and sleep well.

Sarah's Got Her Groove Back...

Today was a great day. It just was. I really had no reason to think so but I just felt good. I am still kicking my sinus congestion, therefore I am holding off on my second gallbladder cleanse. I can do that later in the month when I am stronger. But today I felt my energy coming back and I was so excited about it. Unbelievably, I have not needed to take any cold medicine this week at all. I think that is a first in quite a while. Sure there was a day or two where if I had a clariten D handy I would have popped it, but it wasn't convenient so I just went on and it was fine. Basically, I just listened to my body and I am getting better. I drank a lot of hot tea, a lot of water, some soup and some regular foods too. In fact, if I was able to make myself go to bed at a normal hour, I think I would have recovered much more quickly if given normal hours of sleep. I am actually feeling up to probably about 20-30 minutes of exercise tonight but I will try not to over do it. I am feeling restless from not doing any in the last week or so.

So back to the B6 unanswered questions from the last post. If you will remember, I was perplexed at the fact that an adult my age needs 1.3-1.6 mg per day and when looking at my multivitamin it said 25mg. I thought for sure one of my sources had misprinted something. But no, upon calling Whole foods market vitamin dept. I was assured those numbers were correct. He then told me, "is there a percentage next to that number of mg?" Sho' nuff, there sure was. When looking at the column with percentage of daily value for B6, it said 1250! So on some vitamins and minerals it doesn't hurt to exceed the daily amount by obviously a great amount. He also said that he only takes his vitamin a few times a week, not on a strict every day basis. This was a relief to me, as I am fairly regular about taking all of my vitamins but there are usually a day or couple days in a given week that I don't. It is more cost effective, too, to spread them out just a little bit more!

I've started reading that book, The Seven Pillars of Health, and it is basically set up like a 50 days of health tips sort of thing. The first one asked that you spend the entire day thinking about your drink selection. What a great first lesson, it gave me a little boost, because this is the one thing that I absolutely rule at. I pretty much drink water all day, and that is his point, to make sure you are drinking enough water. I have my coffee in the morning but then I pretty much drink water all day. I feel bad that I never have interesting drinks to offer people at my house. At home I buy low fat milk for bree and soy milk for me and then usually one juice like an apple juice to mix with water for her in the morning. That is really all I need. So it is this small aspect that I have very good habits in! At least that is something!

Tonight at dinner I didn't really have anything planned so I just sort of winged an easy whatever meal. I asked bree if she wanted peanut butter and jelly or tuna fish sandwich for dinner. As I was getting the supplies out she insisted that she had told me turkey. Whatever, that wasn't even one of the options! But luckily I did have some in the fridge so I went with it. So we each had a turkey sandwich ( i put a slice of cheese on mine and I am not supposed to, so i guess i lose 5 points for that) then I looked for stuff to put on the side. I just put some low fat cottage cheese on one section of our plates, sprinkled a little cinnamon on it and a couple of raspberries on top. Then put a couple raw veggies on the other section, of broccoli, carrots and cauliflour. It turned out perfect. And bree ate everything. I sat so satisfied - what a good kid, ate all her veggies and everything on her plate. Then I smiled about myself - what a good mom, served up a low fat dinner and set a good example. More times than not, if I am eating something, she is interested in it too. I am just very lucky that I like most healthy food. I just can't let her see those cookie binges of mine! Or hopefully I will eliminate that habit altogether! Today at work I didn't even feel interested in the treats sent in by our customers. I didn't have any. It was great. I had a Healthy Choice Low sodium vegetable soup and it was much better than I thought it would be.

So yes, I feel I have my groove back, my energy is good, my attitude is positive and although things are beyond crazy at work, I enjoyed it a lot today. You want to add 20 additional things to each loan we have to scrutinize?? Bring it, I am ready! I did awsome today. One girl had the day off and another left early and I was the only one funding one section of our department's loans and I just cranked, it was so great. I was like an efficient, number crunching machine - there was no loan I couldn't trouble shoot. Well enough of my nerdy life. Tomorrow is my favorite - Saturday morning with bree! To all good health, and remember, drink your water, lots of it, every day.

Seriously....

Now really, why do I do it? That cubicle...it is haunted or something! I am fine, level headed and together - but put me in that cubicle around 2:30 - 3p.m. and I am thinking chocolate is the only way to survive. It is no surprise at all to me that I am sick right now. But that is okay.

I am currently reading a few books that I haven't sifted through before.. one is the liver cleansing diet by Dr. Sandra Cabot and the other is the seven pillars of health by Don Colbert, MD. Both seem pretty good but have a ways to go.

Let's talk just for a moment about Vitamin B6, shall we? This vitamin has many tasks to perform in your body. Colbert says that studies show a whopping 28 percent of women ages 19 years and older do not have an adequate intake of this vitamin. Some of the things in your body that are affected by B6 are enzymes involved in protein metabolism, red blood cell metabolism, the nervous and immune systems, increases oxygen carried to your tissues, and helps keep your blood sugar levels in normal range.

So where do you find B6? It can be found in fortified cereals, fish, poultry, red meat and some produce. The recommended intake for adults 19-50 yrs of age is 1.3 mg per day. I just checked my women's multivitamin and it says it has 25mg of b6...what the?? Something is off with these amounts so either there is a mispring in this book or something is weird.

Just Another Maladjusted Genius

I haven't had time to write this week, I am really just trying to keep up at this point. I have been busy after work writing articles which I sign off my rights to and am drastically underpaid for. I am congested and this concerns me as my second gallbladder and liver flush was to be under way this friday. At this point I think i will still go for it unless things get much worse. I used my netty pot to flush my sinuses out and I sure am clogged up.



The good news is that a bath and bed are in my near future. Right now, at the depth of the season where we are in enclosed and heated rooms almost constantly, it is more imperative than ever that we eat well, hydrate well and get enough sleep. Unfortunately, it is the sleep part that never quite falls into place for me, no matter how well intentioned I might feel that I am. This aspect of my life may actually take more planning and preparation than my nutritional supplements and meals! But it is day by day and piece by piece that I am approaching these values, otherwise it is just too overwhelming and way too easy to give up and throw in the towel.

Weekend away from the Cubicle

It was a long week this week, even though technically it was a "short" week at work with Thursday off. It cannot be stressed enough how intense it has been at work. Title companies are filing bankruptcy and closing their doors left and right, throwing our whole process of funding loans into a whirlwind. This week a very big company, LandAmerica, did just that and right before the holiday. To say it was a mess is an understatement. The amount of detail we now have to look for in each loan is unbelievable and it intensifies with each passing day. If we do end up getting busy in the next week or so due to the rate drop, I don't know how we will manage to keep up. So now I sit thankful to be away from that cubicle!

It is Saturday morning, and truthfully, it is my saturday mornings without my daughter that are the most difficult ones. I am pretty much the person that schedules out every free minute of my free time, that is just what I do quite often. But I do enjoy leaving some open time to myself when I can so it is hard when I don't have my saturdays without her all set with plans. There is something about her playing while she watches her saturday morning cartoons while I make breakfast. It is just fun. Then we plan the day's events like going to the park or the library. When that is missing on my saturday morning, such as today, it stirs sort of a restless lost feeling. My first inclination is my craving for a mint mocha frappuccino, probably no coincidence that I wanted to rush out and get one. Instead I had to instantly refocus myself on what I need to get done with my time. So that is exactly what I did, made a list of what things I need to get done most importantly, as well as some of the more frivolous things I would like to get done if possible. What does this have to do with health, you might wonder. Well, the line of thinking directly impacts how choices are made regarding health. With that feeling of dread when she isn't here upon waking up - the day could be approached two different ways, one could be to run, get the starbucks frappuccino and drown my sorrows while watching Lifetime movies all day in my pajamas, or the other is to focus on what i can do positively with my time - doing the things I normally can't do when she is here like exercise, cleaning, research, etc.

Today's focus is on the herb Milk Thistle. I first came upon Milk Thistle in a gallbladder article I was reading when first learning I had gallstones. I didn't think anything of it then because everything in the article was so brand new to me. Since then, Milk Thistle has become a common element in almost every piece of material I have read. Most people haven't really heard of it and don't know what it is, much like myself back then. Dr. D'Adamo (Eat Right 4 Your Type author) recommends it for my blood type (Type A) in his book. He explains that it is, "an effective antioxident with the additional special property of reaching very high concentrations in the liver and bile ducts. Type A's can suffer from disorders of the liver and gallbladder. If your family has any history of liver, pancreas, or gallbladder problems, consider adding a milk thistle supplement to your protocol."

Dr. Sandra Cabot (the liver doctor)also speaks highly of this herb. She calls it a traditional liver tonic that has been around for centuries, that many research papers have been written on its liver healing properties. Basically, it has liver-protective and liver-regenerative anti inflammatory and antioxident properties. She states that it has been found to "reduce toxic fatty degeneration of the liver."

I have started taking milk thistle pills on a daily basis as one of my proactive moves to conquer my digestive road blocks.

Well, the sun is out, the day is young, and it is time to make some progress in the world. Wishing all good health and motivation. Peace out.

Turkey Day Joy

Well here it is Thanksgiving Day, the weather is pleasant and the whole day is ahead. I have just learned of the news that me and my blog have been exposed - word on the street has reached and now people in my family know about this! Well, I would say that if this blog about my health doesn't bore you to tears or put you to sleep - then power to ya and read on! As I stated in my first blog, this is to maintain my mental focus towards reaching optimal health. I call it the cubicle health venturer because having worked in offices for all of my working career, I have seen bad habits and people actually wondering why they have all the ailments that they do. Well, I have read a "few" books, read a "few" online articles, ezines and columns and it actually takes no genius to see that our bodies are not fool proof. I am not an angel, nor would I ever claim to be. But the bottom line is that we feel fine a lot of the time, doesn't mean we can trash our bodies. After several years of "abuse" and organs are going to start giving way. Our bodies are amazing machines, constantly growing and changing and the whole time we have complete control over the decisions we make each and every day. One of my favorite quotes I have posted over my desk is by Peter Maher, a 2 time olympic marathoner: "Running is a big question mark that's there each and everyday. It asks you, 'are you going to be a wimp, or are you going to be strong today?'"

I think the same question could be applied to anything we face in any given day. Are you going to be responsible with your finances, good to your friends and family, are you going to treat your body with respect, be a part of your community, commit to your work with 100 percent, and so on and so forth. I don't think anyone ever wants to answer, "no" to the question, rather they probably just ignore the question sub consciously.

So with no further ado, it is Thanksgiving, a day to sit back and reflect on all that is good in life. It would be best if we took a good 15 minutes every single day and do the same. Life is really good. We all face challenges, hurdles, consequences and pain. No one person faces the same ones. I love the phrase that there are no problems, only opportunities. It is this line of thinking that reaps results. Being that this blog is of health purpose, I am so very grateful for my health. I might have small little discomforts but nothing close to things that other people suffer. I am grateful that I have no idea what a migrain headache feels like, that although I crushed my lumbar vertebrae 15 years ago, it has not prevented me from doing anything at all that I have wanted to do, that my daughter and I both can run, play and laugh without any physical problems. Health is a beautiful thing we take for granted; every day I am grateful that I walk, smell, see, touch the world. War heros are missing limbs. I have been through a number of car accidents with no permanent injury, I have had near fatal incidents when climbing and went through what was not anything but ADVANCED white water rafting in Idaho, and through it all, i come out with barely a scratch. I don't know if it is because there is some sort of angel shadowing me, or if my challenges in life lie elsewhere, but no matter what I appreciate my physical capabilites. That is one of the reasons I run. I feel that I am appreciating my abilities by using them and not taking them for granted.

I am grateful for all that I have including my awsome family, friends and acquaintences. There are people out there that are homeless, lonely or just amidst feuds or separations that can't be repaired. I am so glad that my daughter has lots of people to love her. Even though she is an only child, she will never know loneliness or neglect. I am grateful that although I have been through a sticky divorce, there are much much worse and I know I am lucky. I am grateful I have a car to drive! And I am thankful for my condo, and living in a safe neighborhood. I am grateful I still have my job in a time when so many people don't. There are so many things to be thankful for.

Okay, enough of the sappy stuff - but today is a day to recognize these things. Onward with health related discussions. So I told a co-worker on tuesday that I had made a deal with myself. I would allow myself to have the sugary sweet things that I am not supposed to have, only when they are completely free. I figured I wasn't really making a deal with the devil, because I wouldn't have junk in my house and if there happens to be an occasion where there is a free cookie or something, then I can indulge and carry on. Well, no sooner had the words left my mouth, there was an email that we were celebrating the monthly birthdays in my department where two large lucious cakes resided on the table. One vanilla with vanilla frosting, the other completely chocolate. I shouldn't have had any, but per my new agreement I could! So indulge, I did. The following day, a girl brought in 2 huge trays of cookies, one chocolate chip, the other sugar cookies with loads of frosting. All homemade. Perhaps this type of deal is not feasible when working in an office setting. If this type of thing continues I may have to revise the agreement with myself! But in the meantime, not a dime of my money is going to sugar and fat infused items, just the broccoli and non fat milk for this girl. My co-worker who I confided my agreement to said, "well if that is the deal, you are really going to go to town on the dessert table at thanksgiving and christmas!!" She might have a point, hmmmmm!

Well Happy Thanksgiving to all, and to all wise proportion choosing at the dinner table!

Flat on My Face

Today was just plain bad. It started out good, packed myself nutritious lunch and snacks for work. Everything was going according to plan! But then, alas, some evil doer brought in a bag of bite size candy bars and left them on the table for all to indulge. I swear over the course of the afternoon I think I had like 5 of them. I feel so very sick. I know I can't digest these things! And I freakin' can't help myself! I know in some mortifying way it is my way of coping. I am such a mixed breed. I have so many healthy habits and ways of coping and yet I have this binge thing going too. It will be a struggle but it will not be impossible. I just keep getting up and starting anew. The thing is, how do you turn down free food? It just seems wrong. Well, I have taken a long break from running and a somewhat break from exercise in general it seems, but I have decided I am ready to get going on it again, I don't like how I feel when I don't do it everyday, just wish I had more time. My horoscope said 2009 is going to be a great year... I can't wait.

New Favorite Quote for Today

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”----from A Return to Love, by Marianne Williamson.

I came across this quote and fell in love with it, just had to share it.

The Results Are In...

So, here I am post - flush. It worked, and it was good, but I didn't see as many as I had hoped. Josh mentioned that if you don't see as many, that usually means that it is pretty bad, and in the next one you will see it even more. He did three flushes, spaced about 2-3 weeks apart between each one. So in theory, in two weeks I have to do another, and in theory, I will see even greater results.

Last night at 10p.m. I did the olive oil and grapefruit juice which I thought was going to be completely vomit-worthy. Actually it wasn't as bad as I thought. I just focused on the grapefruit taste and it went down fairly well, I didn't think about what was in it, just drank it. This morning I had to do another saltwater mixture at 7:10a.m. and let me tell you, it was hell. There has to be another way! So after I choked that down, bree was hungry. Can you believe I had to scramble eggs and cut up fruit for her breakfast while I was rumbling away. So then I started hittin' the toilet. The first two beared no results but after that I started seeing some stones! Just about 15-25 small green pea-sized stones with each "trip". Which is fine, it works obviously, but others have mentioned seeing hundreds and even some of the larger ones. I know there is probably more in there so a second flush in two weeks is a must. After that, they say it is good to do this at least once a year.

I don't know that I feel "so much better" afterwards like josh did. I mean, I felt hungry by noon when it was pretty much over. And I don't normally feel fully hungry like that. I definitely don't think the bloating thing is gone. But I did realize that I did something wrong. In my nonfat breakfast and lunch yesterday, I had coffee with no creamers in it. But I read in a different source today that I should not have done that. The caffeine interferes with the process and actually puts more toxins in, so that was a no-no. It may be partially responsible for why the cleanse wasn't as productive as I would have liked to see. So now I know.

In the meantime, the continued challenge of living in a low fat day to day life on a budget. Game on.

Yikes

Just finished the second saltwater....lord help me, that was not easy. It was much more difficult to get down the second dose. I am starting to see the light in why josh said by the third one he was gagging.

I can't quite fathom how to get that next concoction down...is going to be straight up disgusting. Not to mention right after I took the second saltwater mix I was giving bree a bath and she was making pretend chocolate birthday cakes. She was saying, "yes, and it will be so delicious...with blueberries and chocolate and strawberries. Everyone have some cake it is so yummy." I sat there thinking...is she seriously trying to torture me? As my stomach rumbled and moaned with the newly swallowed salt mixture, I winced as my 3 year old punished me with thoughts of birthday desserts and chocolate delights. Surely these two days of slight agony will be worth it. Surely, I told myself, this endeavor will lead me to the path of enlightenment. And I continued to bite my lip as she carried on giving pretend cupcakes to the bathtub duck and his friends. Sheesh!

Right Smack in the Middle of a Flush

Gallbladder, liver and digestive tract flush that is... So far I have eaten a non fat breakfast and lunch. Then at 2p.m. I had to stop all eating and drinking altogether. I think I was surprised about the no drinking. I have done a couple of different fasts and cleanses in my day, none of which said I couldn't have some water. So it sort of goes against my natural tendencies. Gotta have water, man! But I am surviving. At 6p.m. it was time for my first saltwater drink. This consisted of epsom salt and water. Nasty. Nasty stuff. It has the most...horrific taste, really. I have drank saltwater for cleanses before but never epsom salt, usually i just used a sea salt or whatever. But wow, I don't know if there is really a word for it. Bad aftertaste too, but after a few minutes I didn't care. After that, I lost that urge to eat anyway. At 8p.m. I have to do my next saltwater. So far, so good. Then at 10p.m. i have to drink the nasty olive oil and grapefruit mixture and report straight to bed and not get up.

I am overcome with excitement of how this will turn out. And I am so happy with myself for not backing out and thinking..."oh next weekend, I'll do it next weekend..." It is like I seriously can't wait. I read Josh's blog again and it just cracks me up how he describes the next morning:

"..ended up having about 15 bowel movements (yeah it was bad....but oh so good)"
totally kills me. For now bree and I are going to finish our robinhood movie then get her in the bath, get me another salt water and then read some books before we retire for the evening. Classic...how many women my age hang out and do a gallbladder flush on a friday night??! That's how I roll, yo. Will update on how the process proceeds, ta ta for now.

It's Go Time B-e-y-o-t-ches!!

Yes that is correct. Less than 24 hours from now I will have started the gallbladder liver cleanse process. The excitement and the fear overwhelm me. Should I alert the authorities so that someone can check on me saturday and make sure I am still functioning??! No, it is cool, I know it will be good. I was at the health section of the store today because I needed to pick up some extra olive oil and was talking to the woman and she saw my slip of paper. She asked if I was doing a gallbladder cleanse and I said yes. She said, "oh it really works!! we have people come in all the time and it really works! Don't get your gallbladder out!" So that was sort of cool, to hear the extra reinforcement, even though I don't really need it at this point. I hope Josh Spaulding was right in his blog about how you feel so much better after the first flush. But he did say you have to follow the instructions exactly and don't try to do your own thing or vary it at all.

So this is good timing, because this week I have been out of focus with the car trouble, cold weather and the endless stress and fearful environment at work. I can do this cleanse and feel better, hopefully feel like my old self again sometime in the near future. I should write a book about gallbladders. I feel like I am becoming all too familiar with the whole thing and turns out there are billions of other people out there suffering with the same consequences of genetics and hormones.

I have had serious cravings all night but darn it all if I haven't bought anything at all to munch on! Just stupid ritz crackers for bree and those aren't really that exciting. I am settling for some honey chamomile tea to give me that sweet taste I need. Amidst that I am doing my car research homework. This will be a good test ...can I handle this stress and manage my healthy diet lifestyle, then I can handle it down the line too.

oh my goodness I just tried this aromassentials lotion - "awaken" that someone gave me as a gift last year and it is actually really nice. I should do stuff like this instead of eat. should... such a funny and over used word. Okay, back to car research, break time is over. Over and out people.

U-Turn Mania From The Cube

Well, these past few days have been slightly shameful. I haven't written in a couple days and that is probably due to the guilt or the sub conscious desire to ignore my behavior! Quite a bit on my plate these days and it is obvious that I deal with a portion or that weight on my shoulders with food, as I wipe the remains of chocolate from my lower lip! Goodness. Well some self-examination may be in order...but this is good. With mistakes and acknowledgement come growth. And with growth develops strength and progress. So plunge on young sarah. Run towards your future and reach towards that flat stomach (girl's gotta have dreams, right?). So it is time to take my head out of the sand. Tomorrow is the gallbladder/liver cleanse!! Today I am going to lean toward whole/unprocessed foods and then tomorrow morning has to be totally fat free. oOOOOh i am so excited!!

Plan in Action!

Search and I have found. Plagued with the decision of what to do with my gallbladder, I began sifting through internet sites about cleansings for the gallbladder again. That's when it happened....Shazaam!!! I found Josh Spaulding's blog describing exactly what I have been through. When I read his post about his experience and then his gallbladder flush success I was sold. He even described the same exact miserable bloating I have been going through for the past year. I can't wait to try it, but I have to wait until friday as I don't want to be at work the following day. I anxiously await the day though. I hope it is as successful for me as it was for him.

Yesterday was fine, I had dinner with the girls and I ate salmon, green beans and salad for dinner. Great tasting and healthy too. Unfortunately there was a scoop of ice cream that followed, oops! I could have been strong but I wasn't. Now today, lunch with the old boss, he is a health nut though so it sholdn't be a problem eating good there. Today I am going grocery shopping too so hopefully all across the board it will be successful. I know it will be!

Dreary days do not bring out the motivation in me..!

It is Saturday morning..as if it weren't hard enough that it is saturday morning cartoon time but Breanna isn't here. But it is pouring rain and gray out. I had planned on joining my new running group this morning, but considering I am not directly inside a training season for a half, I am not about to submit myself to the outside elements with the likes of what I am seeing out there. And trust me, I have emerged from the worst weather conditions with all runs completed, it is always possible, but in off season, I let myself off the hook.



This morning I let myself sleep in after seeing the and hearing the dreadful precipitation out there. Then I woke up and made myself breakfast. I made two scrambled eggs with some broccoli. Then I toasted two pieces of ezekiel bread and spread hummus on one piece and melted soy cheddar imitation cheese on the other, to complete a little breakfast sandwich. On the side I had a small cup of vanilla low fat yogurt with some cut strawberries and blueberries with a sprinkling of granola. Of course a cup of flavored coffee was brewed up to complete my breakfast. I had my probiotic this morning when I woke up, as well as a cup of water with two ounces of aloe vera juice. These are part of the daily things I am doing per my nutritional experiment through my reading. Actually the aloe vera juice was a suggestion from a woman at the Whole Foods Market in Troy, but I have since read about its benefits.



I am considering doing a "natural cleansing" for my gallbladder. I have done a ton of reading and there are a lot out there, but most have a lot of common elements. The idea is that you are eating certain things that have components in them that help to "soften" the stones so that they are able to exit without the sharpening and potential painful or dangerous effects. Apples and apple juice are one such component. I am still thinking this through. If I don't do it, or if I do it and it doesn't work...I might have to seriously consider getting the gallbladder out. It will only continue to be diseased and cause bigger problems. I don't want liver problems or pancreatic problems, and that is how deep it can go. I wish I could have known about it before it became stones...but there just would have been no way of knowing that.



Tough decisions. This whole gallbladder issue. But whatever decision I come to will be an informed one and I work on it constantly. Today it looks like I will be doing a short run on the ol' treadmill (poor ed and nancy downstairs won't be getting a break from me today afterall!) and some light weights. One of my biggest drives is my arms. I really want better toned arms. I really never have had anything close to that but I have never really tried with that. And I think once I start to see signs of it happening it will be a done deal - I will be hooked on seeing the results and it will make it a no brainer to keep working hard.



This week's new recipes I am going to try are a gingered squash soup ( i only have to buy 2 ingredients!) and a healthy blueberry muffins recipe. both are things I think bree would be willing to at least try. The muffins are great for her in the morning too, if we are in a hurry it is done and ready for her to eat if I need to get ready. These recipes were copied from the "cook right 4 your type" by Dr. D'Adamo. I still need to plan out the whole week's food other than that. This whole endeavor (which I have really been slowly reading and intrigued by for the last whole year) has made me realize just how much processed foods I have been eating...oh my goodness. I had no idea how bad just regular spaghetti sauce is. I will have to alter that habit down the road, I just don't have time to tackle everything at once! But I know for a fact that Dr. Oz has a simple and cheap alternative to buying jarred spaghetti sauce, it is just a matter of looking it up and doing it.



So my concerns for today are that I can somehow maintain wise choices this evening. I am going out with girls to the dollar theatre and a bite to eat. It should be a cheap evening as I will probably split a meal with laney and spend a dollar on the movie (I can always rely on laney for a cheap outing! I love it) but the flip side is the nutrition aspect. I will maintain a strictly vegetable and salad lunch and hope that it isn't too bad tonight! As for right now, I am going to do some reading, listen to some Otis Redding (oh man, he is so my hero, always a classic to break out and make me happy) and do some exercise before I shower and get ready for a night with the girls.



Think lean. Think strong. Think vibrant energy. Never think "I just need to get through this day" ...instead think... "I love every minute of this day, today is never going to happen again, I just want to make the most of it."

Deep Thoughts From the Cubicle

Am I really committed to this thing?? This week feels more like a sampler than a solid committment. Not sure why, maybe I want to get rid of some of the bad food from my house first, I can't just throw it away, it feels wrong. But then again, today I found myself with a bagel in my hand for breakfast. Today is kind of a wash because I forgot my lunch at home and now I am left at the mercy of the corporate world cafeteria which is anything but healthy and nutritious. I will have to make the best choices possible and try to recover this evening.

Yesterday I was supposed to wake up early to exercise before work...that didn't happen. Ugh! That's okay, as Dr. Oz says, it is okay to make "U-turns"! He calls them u-turns, when you slip up in your eating habits, rather than getting down about it and giving up, just call it a u-turn and get right back on track. Well, this week I have had so many u-turns I am feeling quite dizzy!

Today is yucky...I am now at home and the bloating is back. Who has ever heard of such a sensitive digestive system as mine? It is hideous. I tried to eat good, but let's be honest there were some slip ups today. But I am supposed to not have wheat and EVERYTHING has wheat. It sucks. And I think it is part of the problem. I just did 50 minutes of hard core cardio with light weights and I feel this hugeness and bloatedness, it seriously is not fair. I guess that is why I have to try harder to not make the mistakes, even if they seem little at the time. The girl that did my check up at the blue cross blue shield check up said that she thought I should get my gallbladder out. She got hers out at 21 years old, and said if one of the stones slips and gets wedged in the track of my whatever, it could lead to a very painful trip to the E.R. I am just not convinced that is the way to go just yet. I think I can beat this thing. I at least have to try.

On the upside, I joined a new running group. The group at my work finished with the Detroit half marathon (no end of the season bar party?? what kind of lame-ass group was that??!) So now I am going to try the Stoney Creek running club here in the area and see what they have to offer, I am pretty sure they run together all year long. Maybe there will be some fun people and if it keeps me somewhat into running during this off season than it has done its job. This weekend I need to come up with at least a few different ideas to use as lunches and dinners that fit the guidelines, that will be my homework, to come up with a few new options each week to incorporate. This past week it was brussel sprouts and I must say, I enjoyed them!

Opening up to bigger and better things

I am an awakening health nut freak. It has always been there for me, but yet I have suppressed it at times. So I have never been one of the elite, or even someone who is noticeably super healthy. I hold on to a little extra weight. I can run half marathons, but yet I can still hold on to that extra weight. My eating habits are to blame. I love healthy food. The problem is I really love sweets and easy comfort foods too. I realize I am just going to have to put in the extra effort.

The exercise comes easily to me, the cutting out junk food doesn't so much. This is where my blog comes in. I am challenging myself to make the change. I am going public. I want to show my readers I can do it, I want them to know they can do whatever they put their minds to as well. I have spent the majority of my career in long 8-9 hour days in a cubicle behind a computer. That is the way it has been even at the jobs putting myself through college and has continued ever since. I don't have a great paying job but nonetheless I am a single divorced mom of a 3 year old and I need the health benefits and the steady and dependable income. So...in light of the fact that I found out this year that I have gallstones and have done considerable reading about my possible digestive issues, I have resolved that I cannot carry on with the I-can't-do-it-attitude.

I have instead decided to adobt the what-if-I-could-do-it attitude. So what if I did follow through and test out some of these theories out there? What if I did follow through? Instead of giving up every single day and giving into the ice cream and mocha frappaccino that seems to draw me in so intensely??! I want to see what would happen. I am not talking about fad diets, I am talking about adopting some eating habits from a few specific books I have read which are geared specifically to a person's metabolic makeup. Mine is different than yours and we are all unique in our build up which is why something that works for me may not work for you and vice versa.

That being said, the three books/theories that I am most intrigued with are "you on a diet" by dr. mehmet Oz, "eat right for your type" by Dr. D'Adamo and the ayurveda concept which there are numerous books written about by many authors, including Deepak Chopra. Now these are all different but yet some of their concepts are very similar. So I am going to do my own thing and sort of pull info from all three to do my experiment. They all insist that you go with the freshest foods with avoiding preservatives and processed foods. They all preach about me eating low fat foods and avoiding most dairy and wheat products. So, I am going to do it to the best of my ability and see what comes of it.

What spawned this endeavor, you might be wondering? Well, the pants are getting a little tight and on top of that I have been divorced for just about exactly one year. This past year has been extremely difficult to say the least. Now I am really ready to focus on me and live my life to the fullest. I owe it to myself and to my daughter. I believe that through this blog I will find a little enlightenment and maybe even spread a little enlightenment to others. It will be a discovery...I may become negative at times, might feel really good at times, I might even fail at times...but in the end I hope to achieve my goals. So better put those out there right now: My goals. I would like to go down one pant size. I also hope to lose 15 pounds. However, if I had to choose between the two, then I would like to go down that pant size for sure. My goal is to do some form of yoga or pilates at least 4 out of 7 days per week. Any other exercise I want to add on top of that is just icing on the cake but I hope to do the yoga and pilates steadily to get the flexibility and strength up for running next spring. I also hope to follow the eating principles to the best of my ability so that I can see these results. Dr. Oz states that in two weeks you could lose 2 inches around the waist following his guidelines. That would be lovely. I have already done my measurements....but I won't be posting those here, I just promise to be honest about my successes or failures!

I hope these changes will help me sleep better and reduce stress. Overall I hope I will achieve a good balance with body, mind and soul. If all goes well, I should be coming close to my goals near new years when most people are setting out to start theirs for the year. I want to be well on my way by then...my next half marathon will likely be in April or May and I want to seriously be able to wear a swim suit this year without devastation. I want to feel good about me!! Also, this will be a lot of learning as I go, I am certainly not an expert in the health field, so let it be known that I am not claiming such a thing. Join me for a new journey to being the best person you always knew you were!