Food allergies, Food intolerances, or just plain bad for you food.

Many people have food allergies.  My son used to break out in eczema from head to toe if he had dairy or white flour (yes, white flour -- they tested him allergic to wheat, but he never actually had problems with whole wheat foods).   A missionary we know is so allergic to beans that he has to carry around medication to give himself a shot if he accidentally ingests some beans so his throat won't swell shut.  I've heard of children with such extreme peanut allergies who have died from unknowingly eating something with peanut butter in it.

I'm not sure if I have any food allergies.  I know that during peak hayfever months (pretty much March through November with August off), if I eat or drink any dairy products, I'll have allergy symptoms within minutes.  I don't really consider that a food allergy because those foods don't cause the same health problems when it's not allergy season.  I have found, however, that when I eat dairy products, I get sick easier -- catch the common cold or flu that's going around.  I definitely notice a difference with mucus (I know -- no one likes to read that word) when I eat dairy and not without.

What I've come to understand for my body is that certain foods weaken my immune system.  Dairy products is one of them.  Processed foods, even sugar and flour, also weaken my immune system.   It's not that my body is actually allergic to them.  It's just that my body has to work harder to figure out how to assimilate them into (or eliminate them from) my body and this energy makes my body not as able to fight germs.  I also think that many foods we eat in the Standard American Diet (SAD) are inflammatory, which weakens our bodies and brings a host of problems (asthma, allergies, arthritis, just to name a few).

So I find it interesting when I talk to my friends and explain how when I just eat whole foods and stay away from processed foods and animal products that this or that health problem improves immensely that they often respond with things like "I don't have any food allergies" or "If I had problems like that, I'd change my eating too, but I don't, so . . . " -- but they don't seem to realize that the health problems they have could be alleviated by healthy eating too. 

I actually heard a doctor's assistant at the dermatologist's office tell my child that skin problems are not related to how we eat, (but to make our moms happy, we should just eat healthier anyway -- but it doesn't affect your skin ).  I wanted to challenge him with a big, "Hmmph!  Have you had  any experience with this?  Where did you get that opinion?  That doesn't make any sense to me.  Wouldn't a car drive better with clean fuel that was actually made for the car to drive at it's optimum level?"  Instead I just shook my head inside and told my son afterward that I didn't agree with that at all.

Enough rambling.  Just wanted to set the record straight since I keep it in other times that you don't have to have something as bad as a food allergy to keep yourself away from certain foods that are so prevalent in the SAD.  Food allergies are real and valid to be sure.  But so is the fact that many things we eat just make it hard for our bodies to be healthy and strong. 

Off to do some yoga.  TTFN!

Yogi Tea

If you haven't discovered Yogi Tea yet, I'll share a few of my favorites.  I used to think herb teas were all awful.  I'd try one every year or so, but would never make it past the first few sips.  I don't drink caffeinated drinks, so I've only used black tea to dye my linens and I haven't jumped on the green tea bandwagon.  But I do understand the healthfulness and healing powers of many herbs the earth has to offer, so I've continued to test and taste herb teas. 

I can't remember how I became acquainted with Yogi Tea.  Perhaps it was the yogi in me that drew me to this brand.  I think I was reading up on how to get rid of eczema a few years ago and read about detoxing.  I thought I'd try a detox tea and Yogi has Peach Detox.  What's not to like about Peach?

Peach Detox quickly became my favorite and I've since grown to love Echinacea, Cold Season, Breathe Easy,  and Berry Detox.  I bought Women's Energy and while it's not my favorite alone, I usually mix 2 bags anyway and just mix it in with a Berry or Peach if I'm feeling the need.  I just drank a mix of Echinacea and Breathe Easy and to me, it's as tasty as some yummy muffin in the morning.  Just wonderful. 

I just read that they have a Skin Detox too.  I'm not sure if I'd love it since it has a floral smell/taste, but I'll give it a try.   Oooh, they have a Mayan Cocoa Spice too.  I haven't seen that one yet.  I'll have to look for it.  Most health food stores sell a wide variety of flavors.  Grocery stores carry maybe 5 or 6 and Trader Joe's just carries a few.  

It's just nice to feel that warm mug with my cold hands on a cold wet day like today.  Off to boil some more water so I can use these bags at least one more time.  TTFN!

What's your price?

I was just watching Joe vs. the Volcano the other day (and wonder if anyone else on the planet enjoys watching that movie as much as I do) and there's this part maybe 2/3 the way through where Patricia (Meg Ryan's 3rd character) apologizes to Joe for being rude to him on the dock.  It got me thinking.  Patricia tells Joe that she was snobby when she met him because she was angry at herself for getting back under her father's control.  Her dad had a lot of money and Patricia, unlike her shallow, materialistic, parasitic sister had decided to not depend on her father anymore financially or otherwise.  She had broken away from that trap in her life.  But her father knew that she loved to sail.  He offered her one of his yachts in exchange for her taking Joe on the boat over to the island so he could jump into the volcano.  Patricia didn't want to do it, but she knew that her father had discovered her weakness.  She had set a goal to break away from depending on her dad, but when he offered her the yacht, she sold out. She was angry at herself for having a price, for selling out. 

I thought about my efforts to eat healthy and to exercise.  It's much harder after moving than it is when I'm settled and in the swing of things.  So I'm continually regrouping and trying to get myself to do what I know works best for my body and all it's crazy conditions.  I stay focused in the morning, even through lunch, but at some point in the afternoon (or even after a full day or two of sticking to my goals and feeling great), I sell out.  I sell my goal for the price of __________ (fill in the blank depending on the circumstance).  For the first few years of me striving to eat healthy, that price was pizza.  I've finally moved past that for the most part.  It can still be a weak spot, but not during my very long allergy season.  Even when it's not allergy season though, I get congested and have other problems from the white flour.   The price could easily be chocolate if I'm at the store and haven't nourished by body well enough up to that point in the day.  The price could be many things.  I won't tempt you with all my weak spots, but I am happy to identify them as a price that is not worth it in the end.  It never is.  I end the day with the same problems I had the day before (or some new ones -- the other day I ate a bunch of soy ice cream and ended up with zits, canker sores and a headache) and know if I just stick with my plan, I'm much better off.  

I could probably write 50 posts on things I learn from Joe vs. the Volcano.  Go watch it again if it's been awhile.

Being in tune with my body's needs

One thing I love about eating the most healthy foods (besides not being sluggish in the morning nor requiring much sleep) is I feel so much more in tune with my body's needs.  I have a better understanding of what my body is signaling throughout the day.  I feel thirsty far more often and absolutely love drinking water.  It's as rewarding if not more than any food I could possibly eat.  I don't crave sugar or other processed foods but savor the taste of the pure real foods that I eat.  I even want to spend more time outside enjoying nature than I do inside the house, as usual. 

On the flip side, if I'm eating foods that aren't good for my body, I don't think about drinking water much, wish I could keep sleeping and sleeping when it's time to get up, crave foods that I shouldn't be eating in the first place, and even when I do eat them, don't feel satisfied -- I just want more, more, more!

I'm thinking I like being in tune with my body better than being oblivious.  It's like the oblivion feeds shots in the dark to what might make my body feel better, but it just opens up the way for more cravings and confusion to my body's signals.

What's the best way to get in tune with your body's needs?  Try fasting.  Even just fasting for a few meals can help cleanse your body and help you see that you want and need water more than you desire or need any foods.  Then once you do eat again, start with raw fruits that are easy to digest and you'll notice and enjoy the flavors more than usual.  Take time to prepare foods from there on that are nutritionally dense.  Enjoy those foods and start to feel the benefits of eating healthy foods.  I hear so often a negative reaction to eating healthy -- like people are afraid that they will feel deprived or won't enjoy what they eat.  Nonsense!  We're just so patterned to eat unreal foods that our bodies don't know what's good for it or what can be pleasurable.

You'll also have more energy to move and increase your pace in life whether it be in your exercise regime or your need for rest and sleep.  Being in tune with your body's needs is the way we're designed to be -- to increase our life span and to help us be the most productive we can be in life.  Cheers!

photo by iglooo101

Pilates likes and dislikes

I absolutely love Pilates, but it's not because it's easy.  It's tough and soothing somehow at the same time.  One might think if they do the same moves each time they do Pilates, it would get boring, but somehow it never is.  Most Pilates dvds I've done (and I've probably done 40 or so) have at least a dozen exercises in common with some variety amidst them.

There are some moves that I always look forward to doing and others that I just dread.

Top 3 Likes:

Single Leg Circles:  This is such a simple basic move, but it always sends soothing messages (to steal a phrase from yoga instructor Baron Baptiste) through my mind when I do them.  It works my legs, but feels relaxing too.

The Mermaid:  I add this move to my yoga asanas all the time because it is a better stretch for my side than any other I've found.  When I'm doing a Pilates dvd, I often do twice as many on one side because I don't want to switch so early when the instructor does, then I'll skip back a move on the dvd and do it twice on the other side.  Just heavenly.

The Seal:  This is usually done at the end of a Pilates routine much like Rolling like a Ball is done towards the start.  The main difference is that you have your knees out to the side instead of together and you clap, clap, clap your feet together (like a seal) as you sit up and again as you roll back and your feet are over your head.  The feet clapping together is like a bonus massage (bonus because you're already getting a massage on your back).

I love many of the side leg series exercises too.  I'll focus on those another day.


Top 3 Dislikes:

Swimming:  I always feel awkward swimming on the floor.  I stop part way wondering if my legs are truly alternating with my arms and they always are.  I just don't feel that coordinated and it doesn't feel great to do them.  But I read an article in Pilates Style magazine about Romana, who is now the grand dame of Pilates and she said that she didn't enjoy this move either, but Joseph Pilates told her she must do it and she saw great benefits.  Didn't make me feel like a wimp if even Romana didn't like it.

Teasers:  The more I do these, the better I get, but they are always TOUGH!  My legs quiver, my core feels it, I struggle at the end of each move to stay balanced, and then know that I must go back down onto the floor and come up again.  As hard as it is to do and as much as I dread it when the instructor says it's time to do the teaser, I always feel that this exercise alone does more for my body than any other Pilates move, so I press on.  And I love seeing the progress my body does after even doing them 3x a week.

Neck Pull:  I've read that this is a basic move for some.  Not for me!  I have a long torso and maybe my center is lower than most so I have a bigger challenge getting my upper half up and over the center line.  I'm not sure.  All I know is this is one of the most challenging Pilates exercises for me.  When I've been doing Pilates for a few months, then I don't hate this one as much because I have built up the strength to do it.  But generally, my core isn't strong enough and I have to modify by putting my hands in front of my face with my elbows bent instead of behind my head for coming up and over, then I put my hands back behind my head to roll back down.  The other alternative (which works better, but hurts my feet a bit) is to put weights over each foot to give me that leverage so I can come up.  It just takes tons of core strength.  But I can work up to being able to do it again since I'm doing much more Pilates now.  Maybe I'll post a video when I can!

Revisiting Guilt for the New Year!

I keep evaluating guilt and it's place in my life.  I use it as a parent on my children and to myself in parenting.  Sometimes it's useful, other times it's a burden.  I just looked through my previous posts because I knew that I'd written about guilt before.  What did I find?  Not one post, not two, but quite a few where guilt was discussed!  So why write again?  Because I'm not finished thinking about it.  In fact, I think I've come to somewhat of a conclusion (which, yes, means that the pondering will continue).  Here's what I've learned though after doing that 8 week challenge in the fall:

When I did the 8 Weeks to a Better You challenge, I did it because:

a) I love health & fitness challenges
b) I needed to lose a little weight
c) we were about to move and I knew that the last time we moved, I really started eating poorly and lost my desire to exercise.

Did the challenge address my fitness and healthy eating ideals?  No, but I knew that it would keep me basically on the path.  I started out with a few extra goals of my own, but as time passed, I knew that I *could* eat this or that if I wanted or do a lighter work out if I wanted to.  I was still getting a perfect 70 points each week amidst not achieving what I might normally feel guilty about.  I found that the biggest benefit was that I was basically eating well and exercising consistently and I was guilt free!  For the first time in a long time, I wasn't going to bed each night, thinking "Now you CAN do better than that!"  I loved it.  That's how I feel when I eat all raw foods too because the rules are simple, my body feels great and there is no guilt involved with when I eat or how much.

I love eating without guilt.  I love doing yoga without wishing I'd done some super sweaty cardio workout instead.  I love feeling great about the choices I've made. 

Once I saw that I really wasn't achieving any weight loss goals, though it was a little discouraging (my pants were still not fitting!), but I still liked the guilt-free life.  Five weeks into it, I decided to not end this challenge without any weight loss and I went all raw.  I lost the weight, went down a size or two and felt fantastic!

Then the challenge ended.  We had moved, Thanksgiving was here (there) and all the Thanksgiving fare was before me.  It wasn't all that tempting, but I'd eat a bit of this or that (pumpkin cheesecake, for heaven's sake!) and I didn't like it.  The sugar was so rich and gave me the biggest headache.  But that led me on a path of "well, you can have this if you want" for a few days.  I think I thought that was another way to live guilt-free -- to not care if I ate something unhealthy.

My mom suggested we do our own little challenge (she had done fantastic on the 8 week challenge herself and felt like she needed that comradery to continue),  I had no desire to do that, but I didn't want her to fail.  I felt rebellious, not like following any plan at the moment.  But I agreed to help her.  I didn't do well at all and had all the guilt without any of the benefits.  The more I guilted myself, the less I cared.  It was a downward spiral.  I realized that the guilt was not playing any good role in my plans.  It was just getting in the way.

Now I'm doing my own little New Year's Challenge.  The 8 week group started up another challenge and I just couldn't do it.  Perhaps I was afraid of failing since I'd done so poorly on the one with my mom, but really I wanted to take what I'd learned from the fall challenge and apply it to my own goals. So I've simplified it to 5 goals instead of 10, have upped the expectations in eating, lowered the exercise a bit (well, I have a range and will hopefully get back to my 60+ minute workouts) and have added to the spiritual goals and left a few behind.  I'm hoping the focus on prayer will not only strengthen me, but also will help me to be more mindful and grateful with my eating.  I read an article in Yoga Journal once about the yoga of eating and learned much about really thinking about what we eat as we eat.  I hardly ever slow down with my eating.  Sitting at the table has become a rarity for me.  That's not necessarily the pattern I want to be in,.

Here is my plan:

1) High Raw/ All Whole Foods

2) Green Smoothie or Juice w/Greens + at least one other vegetable each day (hopefully many more)

3) Exercise 30-60 minutes/day  (start with 30, then have 30 be the exception)

4) Read Scriptures and/or other spiritual text at least 10 minutes/day (20-30minutes even better)

5) Pray with each meal + morning and night

The goals from the previous challenge that I've omitted are:

• not eating after 8:00 (I'll most likely still do this, but won't fret about it)
• 7 hours of sleep/night (I'll only need 5 or 6 once I get back to raw foods)
• 2 fruits in addition to the veggies (I always eat more than 2 fruits)
• 64 oz. water (This is second nature for me)
• no soda, junk food/fast food (that's a rarity)
• Write in journal daily (I'll blog here often, but if not daily, that's okay)
• Do a kind deed or service each day (I will still do it, but not keep track of it).

I know this wasn't the subject of my initial post, but I somehow ended up sharing that with you and hope that I can do this new challenge without letting guilt get in the way.  I think I've always been afraid that if I don't feel guilty, then I'm not caring about it anymore.  I don't want to be apathetic.  That's where I was about exercise during the holidays.  That's not me at all and I didn't like it.  I'm ready to get going again with my workouts so I can start sharing some more of my favorites with you.  I've started out with yoga and Pilates this week and will hopefully get back to cardio pretty soon.  (I sprained or broke my toe mid-November and it's still giving me trouble).  I'll fit weights in a little later.



My strategies for removing guilt from this equation of healthy eating and exercise are to:

1. not put too much pressure on myself amidst my goals
2. focus on the fantastic aspects of having healthy habits instead of the habits themselves (such as having more energy, being in control, not getting sick, having more patience, requiring less sleep)
3. pat myself on the back for all my successes (and there are many!)
4. think back to how poorly I used to eat or how I used to detest exercise to realize how far I've come
5. know that I'm human and am prone to a snag here and there -- progress, not perfection!
6. realize that apathy amidst eating and exercise is just a cry for not having any guilt, but it's not the right way to avoid it
7. realize that exercising self control is a much more productive way to live.

New Year's Mantra

I know, it's been forever since I've written.  We've moved once again and are pretty much settled, so I'm running out of excuses and am anxious to start writing MUCH more consistently.  We're hoping this move is a "for good" move and that we will be more stable than we've been in the past few years.  I'm certainly welcoming that idea!

I'm not sure if I ever wrote about some of our family struggles this past year -- mostly with my husband.  He had a serious back injury (herniated disc, compressed nerve), had 2 surgeries in June, then was hit by a errant driver in August and broke his back in 3 places.  Amidst our move and him starting a new job, it wasn't easy.  BUT as I've been evaluating the highs and lows of this past year,  the overwhelming idea "blessings, not burdens" filled my mind.  And I thought that was a fantastic mantra for me to keep in mind this next year.  I'm going to focus on the blessings in life, not the burdens.  I'm going to see the blessings and let the burdens go.  I really love this idea and am happy to have it.

Blessings, not burdens

I'll write some other time. I have much inside to say.  But for now, it's simply Happy New Year!  Hope you find some great idea to guide you this year too!