A Renewal of Life, Spirit and Energy

HAPPY EASTER!

There are certain times of the year when one is filled with a renewed sense of life, hope and faith.   Easter is one of them.   More than any other date on the Christian calendar, Easter signifies a renewal of life and joy.   It is probably not a coincidence that it takes place in the early weeks of spring, which is also a season of renewal of life.  Winter in many parts of the world is a gray, cold and dark time of the year.  This year, winter seems to have taken its toll on several friends and family around the world where cold and icy weather prevailed for several weeks/months.  But spring is finally here and when the season of spring makes its grand entrance, how the world changes! Not only does the world become more colorful, but there is a sense of joy as we find the first budding flower, or once again hear birds singing...or as one friend noted, seeing the ducks once again in her yard.  Spring has definitely sprung!  Walking in the warm sunshine is so much nicer than when one has to bundle up against the cold.  My own favorite physical activity is swimming.  Truth be told, on cold days, my desire to don a swimsuit and go to the pool greatly diminishes!  Now that spring is here, entering the dressing room both before and after my swim is not as much of a challenge as it is in the winter.

Both our physical environment and spiritual nature tend to affect our feelings, our energy level, and our whole outlook on life. This brings me to the topic of our attitude towards ourselves and the effect it has on our efforts to lose weight. I have been reading a lot lately about the mind-body-spirit connection to weight loss.  Authors such as Jon Gabriel, Geneen Roth and Marianne Williamson focus on how our attitude towards ourselves plays into the whole scenario of weight loss and the fact that we need to be uplifted spiritually in order to believe in ourselves.  We can be our own best friend, or our own worst enemy - and the latter can cause us to sabotage our efforts.  There is even a case for "self-love" vs "self-loathing".  One has to care deeply about oneself in order to believe that he or she is worthy of becoming healthy.  Marianne Williamson in "A Course on Weight Loss" also brings into focus our connection with God, and how we were created to embrace a healthy, self-nurturing lifestyle.

I think back to the "darker" periods of my life - and I will say that there was a time when I had very low self-esteem.  It was also a time of my life when I gained a lot of weight.   It was as if I completely stopped caring for myself.   I am happy to say that I'm no longer that person; I'm a much happier person now and becoming healthy has indeed become a priority in my life.  This journey has led me to a renewal of my own life, spirit and energy - and it is a great feeling...so much so that I am looking forward to the continuation of my journey, especially now that I've found "the keys" to better physical heath (or at least, what works for me!) - i.e. juicing combined with healthy eating and adding more physical movement!  This journey is tranformational and is truly turning into a way of life for me!  It's also been quite a revelation as the more I read and the more I've shared insights with a friend who has done the same,  the more I've been inspired to delve more deeply into all the issues and aspects of becoming healthier - physically, mentally and spiritually.

The Healthful Benefits of Swimming

I am so glad to finally return to lap swimming after being away from it for over three months which for me is way too long!  Our Y pool finally reopened after several months of renovation - and it is gorgeous!  A long wait but a worthwhile one!  I had been traveling across town to swim throughout the Fall but stopped in mid-December before we left town for the Holidays.  Then, inclement weather, illness, a fall in which I sprained my ankle  - all contributed to my hiatus from swimming.  Today was my first day back to our pool, and as is often the case, I realized how much I had missed only after I entered the pool and began swimming - it felt absolutely wonderful!   In fact, it felt so wonderful that I decided to devote this post to the healthful benefits of swimming!
So as I often do,  I decided to do some research.  I found plenty of articles on the healthful benefits of lap swimming but found one in particular that summarized them well.  (source:  Health Benefits of Swimming )

The benefits of swimming include:

>physical strength and flexibility
>muscular stamina 
>cardiovascular conditioning
>posture correction
>weight-loss
>lower your stress
>lower risk of diabetes
>make you happier (because it causes your body to release endorphins)
>boost confidence and discipline
>work your body without having a harsh impact on your skeletal system, thus lowering your risk of injury.

I have personally experienced many of the above benefits - especially  increasing my physical strength, lowering of stress, increasing my stamina - and even making me happier!

I need to add yet one more benefit - one which motivates me to continue swimming as therapy - as it is based on the fact that since I've incorporated lap swimming with a kickboard and the Zoomer fins, my knee pain has been greatly reduced and the strength of my legs has increased dramatically!  I do feel stronger - and I've managed to avoid knee replacement because of it, even though my orthopedic doctor only gave me three to five years before I would need knee replacement - and that was seven and half years ago!    I'm not saying I will never need knee replacement but I've been able to put it off - and will continue to do so as long as I am free of pain.    

Hungry For Change - an online event

Sharing an online series of events entitled Hungry For Change scheduled for March 21-31

It's described as an Online Screening Event - with Take Action Videos,  Detox Recipes, and Live Q and A Sessions with experts in the field of Healthy Eating, such as Dr. Christiane Northrup, Jon Gabriel,  Dr. Joseph Mercola,  David Wolfe, Dr. Alejandro  Junger, Joe Cross, and a host of others.  Here is the weblink where one can register for the event:  Hungry For Change 

Here is a synopsis of the event:

From the creators of the groundbreaking documentary FOOD MATTERS comes another hard-hitting film certain to rock your world. HUNGRY FOR CHANGE exposes shocking secrets the diet, weight loss and food industry don't want you to know about.  In this free online screening event you'll discover:

• The real truth behind "DIET", "SUGAR-FREE" and "FAT-FREE" products
• How to overcome food addictions and cravings
• How to navigate your supermarket - what to buy and what to avoid
• Why fad diets don't work
• What food additives to avoid and how to read labels
• The most effective detox and cleansing strategies, and
• How to eat for clear eyes, glowing skin and healthy hair

Featuring interviews with best selling health authors and leading medical experts plus real life transformational stories from those who know what it’s like to be sick and overweight. If they can do it so can you!  

Getting Back on Track

We just returned a couple of days ago from an eight day trip - including a two day anniversary celebration (10 year anniversary!) at a wonderful Old West style hotel in Alpine, TX and six days visiting our daughter and her family in San Antonio.  It may well be our last trip to S.A. for a long while as my daughter and son-in-law are planning to relocate to the Dallas-Ft. Worth area in a few months - if not sooner!  We will also be following suit, though probably not until the Fall.

Needless to say, we did not juice much while we were gone, but we sure did miss it! We were both more than anxious to get back on track!  I returned with a 2.5 lb gain (my usual gain while traveling) - of which .5 lb is gone after just one day of juicing.  I have no doubt that I will whittle away the rest of the 'travel fluff' in a short time.  Onward and Downward!

Some people seem to have the misconception that it's 'all or nothing' in regard to juicing. Yes, there are all day "juicing fasts", or juicing once or twice a day to replace meals (as we are doing).   Juicing can also be a supplement to one's eating regime -  as a snack or mid-day picker-upper.   It's a great way to get a ton of nutrients in just one glassful - even if one already has made veggies a mainstay of one's eating regime.  I'd rather juice for energy than take a pill or some bottled concoction.   Of course, we're juicing for weight loss and the weight is coming off faster than with other programs.   Another reason we intend to make this a mainstay of our regime is we truly enjoy experimenting with a combination of various vegetables and fruits -  and all the juices are simply delicious!  Right now, we're juicing spinach, romaine, celery, cucumber, carrots, green apples, pear and grapefruit - plus one lemon and one lime.  Very refreshing and invigorating!   We are starting the day with a normal breakfast - usually scrambled eggs florentine with feta and roasted potatoes.   We also make fruit and yogurt smoothies as snacks in between our lunch and dinner juices.   Yummy!

As for returning to exercise - unfortunately, I took a bit of a tumble while in San Antonio so I'm "nursing" a sprained foot/ankle.  I'm waiting for it to heal before we get back to our walks.   I will also be returning to lap swimming in a little over a week, after Spring Break ends  (pool which just reopened after months of renovation will be crowded with kids this coming week due to Spring Break).    

Sure feels great to be back on track!

How to Juice Without a Juicer

I found this on a friend's blog (thanks, Flo!).  It is a "how to" video showing how one can juice without actually buying a juicer.  It's a great idea for someone who wants to try it out before purchasing a juicer, or if one doesn't want to pay the price of an expensive juicer (there are cheap juices on the market, but they break easily or simply don't "juice" well).   Anyway, I thought I'd post it here as I have a couple of friends who have been sitting on the fence, partly because juicers are pricey.   Hope this video helps!  

Our Paradigm Shift and Its Effect on Cravings

I'm going to post something I posted on DWLZ  (Dotti's Weight Loss Zone) today - as both a point of discussion and something I will be researching.   We have been mainly eating vegetarian meals since we started juicing (with the exception of eggs). The weirdest part of it all is we have almost no cravings for meat, sweets, and processed foods anymore. My husband says his cravings has also been greatly reduced - a big deal for him as he is/was a carboholic.   I can say that I look photos of desserts, steak, etc - and the craving is just not there anymore. A friend posted a photo on Facebook today - a big juicy hamburger with a post saying she could not wait to have one.  I looked at it, and it did absolutely nothing for me!  I can't explain it, but I can't say I'm disappointed as I haven't felt this healthy in years! 

Yesterday,  at a Red Hat luncheon, we were served chocolate-covered cream puffs by the lady who hosted our group. I honestly would have preferred a plate of fruit! However, out of politeness, I ate a few bites - and left most of it.  Am I going crazy?!! The only real craving I do have these days is a craving for really good fruits and veggies!  I truly wonder what causes this to happen??   As I continue to read more and more about juicing, I continue to learn more about the positive effects of both juicing as well as by adopting a regime of  mostly fruits and vegetables  (see graphic below).  Some articles I've read say that the lack of cravings is psychological.  I wonder if that's true...or if there isn't something else going on with my body physiologically.  It's almost as if my body is telling me it just doesn't want sugar, fats, etc. now that I've been filling it with nutrient-dense foods.       

Here is a great graphic on the paradigm shift in the eating lifestyle which we have adopted.  As you can see, it focuses heavily on veggies and fruits as opposed to meats, dairy, etc.    By the way, the doctor that created this food pyramid, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, is also the same doctor who was featured on Joe Cross's documentary, "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead".    There are tons of interesting information on his website:   http://www.drfuhrman.com/

Combining Juicing with the Real World - Making a Plan!

I love the graphic - although the 'drinking' we've done lately is "juicing" - not wine! However, we are indeed "shrinking"  : )  We are both committed to making "juicing" a mainstay of our meals at home - at least once a day, and at times twice a day.  Because of our commitment, we've had to work out a plan as we can really only juice at home and there are of course times that we eat out - whether it be at church functions, while traveling, or just having an occasional restaurant meal.   What we've decided to do is juice twice a day when we know ahead of time that we are eating out.  As for traveling, we will have to simply do our homework - by looking up menus ahead of time and choosing restaurants that serve healthy meals.   We all know the adage - "Failing to Plan means Planning to Fail."  We simply know that in order to be successful, we need to
plan ahead of time!

Ralph and I are continuing to see the scale go down, although not quite as fast as our first week of juicing.  Of course, that was partially a "cleansing" so it's not surprising.  We are both already into a smaller size and wearing clothes we haven't been able to wear in a long time!  We also feel energized, our joint pain is virtually gone, and our general well-being is improving by the day!   We're still getting in our walks although we certainly need to work towards daily walks rather than just two or three times a week.  I also plan to return to lap swimming in mid-March when the Y pool reopens.