5 Ways to Hydrate for the Heat

Summertime!  It is time to play outside.  But outside is not very climate controlled and you sweat out water and electrolytes.  How to put them back in?  Read on...

1.  Water.  Water.  Water.  Being active and playing outside for an hour or two in the heat?  If you are healthy and have been eating a balanced diet (including at least 8 cups of water each day), then plain water is your best hydration drink for that hour of playing in the sun.

2.  Natural electrolyte drinks.  Staying out longer than a couple of hours?  Intensely exercising for an hour?  Diluted vegetable juices - half water and half vegetable juice, especially one high in celery juice.  If you have a juicer, create your own vegetable juice with greens, celery, carrot, and a little apple or pineapple to sweeten it.  If you prefer a powdered vegetable juice mix, make it with a little extra water.  (If you are playing intensely for many hours, commercial electrolyte drinks are beneficial, too.)

3.  Just Eat It.  Eat your water.  Eat your electrolytes.  Watermelon and other melons.  Salads (without the heavy dressings that are harder to digest in the heat).  Celery.

4.  Drink fluids at room temperature.  Remember those ice cream headaches?  If you come in from the heat to a very cold room and drink an iced drink, it may feel good for a few minutes.  But you may constrict your blood vessels and give yourself a terrible headache later.  (Of course, we are talking about preventing over-heating, not dealing with heat exhaustion.  That's a medical issue to handle specifically.)

5.  Hydrate regularly: before, during, and after.  Don't gulp down 3 cups of water right before a run.  That is a set up for stomach cramps.  What's best?  Consistently hydrating both in small doses throughout your play and hydrating afterwards for recovery.

Stay hydrated everyday, because you never know...an opportunity to go outside and play could show up anytime.  Have a fun and safe summer.  

Extreme Fitness for Men

This week is National Men's Health Week.  The focus this year includes, of course, an encouragement to get your annual physical and PSA reading.  However, the folks at the Center for Disease Control (CDC) are also reminding men to get enough sleep (no less than 7 hours each night) and to increase their cardiovascular fitness levels.

I can think of no better "cardiovascular fitness" example to men than the Man, Jesus Christ.  So for this week's blog, I'm sharing an excerpt from my book Go Forward: 28 Days to Eat, Move, and Enjoy Life God's Way about the Extreme Fitness of Jesus.  Read Matthew 15 for the full story.

"To better understand the fitness level of Jesus, explore His journeys.  Find a map of Palestine during the time of Christ, in the back of your Bible or on the Internet.  Follow along Jesus’ route in Matthew 15:21 and 29. 

Let’s pick up the story in Matthew 15:21.  We find Jesus teaching in Gennesaret, which is located near the northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee.  He leaves Gennesaret and travels northward to Tyre and Sidon.  Between these two regions wind 35-50 rough mountainous miles.  Jesus either covers the distance in a day, or He sleeps outside overnight, likely in the mountains.  Either option is physically demanding.  After healing a Canaanite woman’s daughter in the area of Tyre and Sidon, He turns around and walks back over the mountains to the Sea of Galilee, this time skirting the sea on the east side through the region of Decapolis (Mark 7:31)."  

In a short time frame, Jesus walked 70-100 miles...an ultra-marathon.  (Oh, and at the end of that, He had enough stamina to hold the anointing for healing a multitude.)   "In addition, Jesus worked as a carpenter; this was a very physical profession, especially with the use of only hand tools."

So, men, take your cue this week and take care of your fitness and health.

Delicious Rainbow

A friend, who is feeding her family with intention, recently shared she is trying to eat a rainbow. What an important concept.  I teach how to "Eat a Rainbow" in my Nourish Your Life workshop, which is now (finally) available on video and audio here.

What she said inspired me to share a "Purple" recipe...plus fresh blackberries are coming in season, so it is an excuse to make this snack/dessert.

Enjoy!  

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1-2 tsp minced lemon verbena leaves (if you do not have this herb, lemon zest can substitute)
• 1/2 tsp ground or grated dried ginger or 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 10 or more blackberries
• lemon verbena leaves for garnish

Mix the yogurt, minced lemon verbena, and ginger.  "Marinate" in the refrigerator for at least an hour.  Top with blackberries and lemon verbena leaf (or lemon slice).  Makes 2 servings.

In my front yard...who knew?

Get out there and enjoy being active this summer.  Hike.  Play catch and throw frisbee with your kids.  Dig in the dirt.  I encourage you every year to do that.  But playing catch comes with a catch.  The possibility of stings and bites.  Yuck.

When Lisa Bedner of Pipssisewa Herbs taught me about Plantain being good to draw out the toxins from a bee-sting or insect-bite, I thought "I need some of that.  But, I'll have to plant some."  (If you are familiar with Plantain, I am sure you are laughing.)

Every picture I saw when I researched the plant had roundish-oval shaped leaves.  No Plantain in my yard.  Then Jeremy Lekich of Nashville Foodscapes (www.nashvillefoodscapes.com) gave an edible plant walk at the Middle TN Urban Gardening Festival last weekend.  I learned that Plantain comes in two varieties:  Plantago major (the round one) and Plantago lanceolata (lance-leaf).  Guess what?  I have more than enough lance-leaf.  In fact, in my front yard and around my HVAC I have plenty to share, in case you don't have either variety.

Unfortunately, I got to use it the day after Jeremy taught.  I got two spider bites, which normally would stay red for a couple of days and itch.  I chewed Plantain into a poultice (side note - it tastes like grass), applied it, and let dry.  There was no itching and by the next day the redness was gone.

Oh, if you want some from around my HVAC, come transplant it quick.  I'm clearing that out before Covenant Heating and Cooling comes out next week for my spring maintenance.  (Gotta protect the air-conditioning system for when I go in from the summer play.)  

Novice Medicinal Herbs

Scullcap for muscle strains and pains and bruises

I write "novice" because "beginner" is even too advanced for me right now.  When I went to Pipsissewa Herbs to talk with Lisa Bedner (both an R.N. and a Certified Professional Medical Herbalist), I was immersed in herbal information and hands-on instruction for two days.  Thank you, Lisa.

As I grow some of these herbs, I'll share my experience with you.  Many of the herbs you may already be growing.  Mint or oregano, anyone?  Hopefully these posts will inspire you grow a few herbs for your own in-your-backyard-medicine-cabinet.

Here are my first ideas for you:  When you are out this spring and summer hiking, working in your yard, and cycling with your kids, your muscles may get a little sore.  Two herbs that help muscle soreness are scullcap and valerian root.  You can find both of these in capsule form at your local vitamin store, however...

I learned from Lisa Bedner that scullcap loses 90% of its effectiveness when it is dried.  To get the full power of scullcap, use the fresh leaves to make a tea or tincture.  It is an easy herb to grow and it is beautiful, too.  It grows well in a pot, only get a foot high, likes part sun and tolerates shade, too.  So if your lifestyle is prone to muscle soreness, strains and pains, start container growing some scullcap soon.

Oh, an added bonus:  both scullcap and valerian root mildly relax your muscles to help you sleep better, too.

Happy, Healthy Gardening.

Made in the Shade

It is that time of year...time to get out your seed packets and your garden planning notebook.  (By the way, I love this new planning notebook, Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener's Handbook, that White Harvest Seed introduced to me.)

In the book Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener's Handbook by Ron and Jennifer Kujawski, I found an answer to one of my "Reader Questions."  Kim Hulett, this post is for you and for anyone else with shady yards.  Here are their tips based on hours of sunlight received:

• 5 hours of direct sunlight?

1. beets and carrots
2. onions
3. kohlrabi and turnips
4. tomatoes and peppers
5. beans
6. squash
7. cilantro, dill, thyme, marjoram

• 2-4 hours of sunlight?

1. leafy greens (kale, etc.)
2. parsely, chives, and basil

• Dappled sunlight?

1. endive
2. leaf lettuce
3. leeks
4. spinach
5. radishes

• Heavy shade - no sun at all?  I love their comment:  "You'd best plant yourself in line at the local produce market."

Happy planting (and eating)!  (By the way, for those who like charts and "when to do what" tips to help plan the garden, this book is a treasure.)

Beginner Herb Gardening

Three different types of cilantro

Do you love the idea of cooking with herbs...but find it frustrating to buy just the right amount from the store?  Or you have limited varieties available?  Colleen McElroy of Colonial Creek Farm in Georgia has an answer for you.  Start a container herb garden near your window.  Then cut the amount you need...you can't get any fresher than that.

Here are some tips from Colleen:

• If you have never grown herbs before, start with oregano, thyme, chives, and parsley in a container together.  You may also grow sage in the same container...but sage likes to be a little drier, so don't over-water.
• To arrange the above herbs in a round container, plant the chives, parsley, and perhaps sage, in the middle.  Plant the oregano and thyme around the outside and let them trail over.  
• To grow these herbs in a window box, grow the chives, parsley, and sage in the back (closest to the window) and the oregano and thyme in the front.
• Mint is also a great herb to try, but it can be invasive, so consider a separate container for it. Colonial Creek Farm has over 20 varieties of mint...so pick your favorite flavor!
• If you are bit more adventurous, you can also grow rosemary and lavender in a separate container.  These two herbs prefer very well-drained soil, so they would not grow well with your other herbs which prefer more traditional potting soil.
• Do you love salsa in the summer, but can't get your cilantro to grow in the heat?  Cilantro is a cool weather herb.  However, you can grow Vietnamese cilantro, which prefers the heat.  I look forward to trying mine for the first time this year!
• Remember that herbs love the sun.  They get "leggy" (lots of stem and few leaves) in the shade.
• Last, herbs are generally "water it and forget it" plants.  They taste better if you don't fertilize them much.  

So plant the herbs you love in the soil they love.  Keep them in sun and water them.  Cut, eat, and enjoy!

Thank you, Colleen, for chatting with me at the 2016 Nashville Lawn and Garden Show.  Colonial Creek Farm is a mail order nursery with unique herbs I've not seen in other nurseries.  Their web address is www.colonialcreekfarm.com

Keep growing your food fresh for a ViREO Life!

Trying Gardening this year? You need ...

Thanks to Randall Keele of the Big Yellow Bag!

A Big Yellow Bag.

A what?  Well, if you live in middle Tennessee, you need what actually comes in a Big Yellow Bag.  Yesterday at the 2016 Nashville Lawn and Garden Show I discovered the most unique garden-starter product I have ever seen:  one cubic yard of very high quality garden soil...delivered in a Big Yellow Bag.  I've got to tell you about it.

But first, here are a few tips I got from Randall Keele on small-scale gardening:

1. If you are growing vegetables in containers, then every two years change the soil. Recycle the semi-spent soil into your landscaping and turf.  There are still some nutrients for your yard and shrubs, just not enough for your tomatoes and kale.
2. With high-quality composted soil (like Big Yellow Bag) you can make a "compost tea" which you can use to add nutrients to the soil around your fruit bushes or houseplants.

Now, here's what's to love about "The Bag":

• The soil itself is vegetable garden ready.  It is fully composted grass clipping, other organic matter (all FREE of pesticides and herbicides), and manure from a next-door dairy farm.  The company is looking toward an OMRI (organic) certification.
• The amount is PERFECT for a beginner gardener!  One cubic yard will fill a 6' X 4' raised bed at 12 inches high...plus a little left over for a couple of container plants.  Or, if you are double digging (that's worth a whole other post), you could fill two 6' X 4' beds at 6 inches, plus a little left over.
• The storage method is what wowed me!  As a beginner gardener, you usually don't have time to set up all of the projects you want to do at once.  (We didn't, at least.)  That means you have two options:  either purchase numerous bags of lower-quality soil at "big-box" stores and haul it yourself, or purchase a cubic yard at a nursery.  

That nursery cubic yard of soil is usually high-quality - but it is dumped in a mound on your yard.  Then when you only use part of it this season, you have to shovel it somewhere else and cover it with a tarp.  Why?  So rain doesn't wash it away or (hopefully) weed-seeds don't get in it.  We experienced this back-breaking mound of an eye-sore for over a year.  Yuck!  

But, since this is delivered to you in a huge sturdy re-sealable bag, when you have leftovers you (plus a friend or two, depending on the weight of the leftover soil), move the re-sealed bag to the side of your house or inside your garage.  Then next season just open the bag again, still weed and water free.

• The cost?  Reasonable.  Compared to a nursery's vegetable-garden soil, delivered and dumped on your yard, it is approximately the same (assuming they will deliver a single cubic yard).   Compared with the same amount (27 cubic feet) in small bags at the "big-box" stores, it is also approximately the same...of course, you are delivering and unloading it all yourself and the quality is not as good.
• Bottom line?  If you are starting a small garden and you live in middle Tennessee, talk to the Big Yellow Bag company at 615-274-3009 before you purchase your soil.  If you live elsewhere, tell your local organic sod companies to start composting this product for you.

Regardless, keep growing some of your own healthy food.  Live a ViREO Life!

Videos and Audios coming right up!

In the world of ViREO Life, we've started some video and audio projects.  The main one we filmed on Monday, Feb 22nd.  Several friends came over and we discussed Nourishment and Intuitive Eating.  Oh, and we ate some really good food, too.  (Of course, I am biased.  I cooked it.)  We'll release it as a DVD and CD and downloads by end of March.  

We also have video projects starting for a YouTube channel.  Some of the first videos will be about Tiny Gardening.  For example, what to do inside your existing landscaping.  And what 2-3 container gardening options to try.  

I'm getting advise on this at next weekend's Nashville Lawn and Garden show.  I will be interviewing experts in home gardening.  Here's where you come in...what questions do you want answered?  I will be glad to ask the vendors at the Lawn and Garden Show.

• What struggles are you having getting started?
• What is confusing to you?
• If you have started gardening, what issues do you need help with?

Thanks for sharing your questions.  And healthy gardening!

Never too cold to exercise (at least inside)

When it is cold and snowy outside, you may want to hibernate.  But don't!  Get moving inside.

• Pull out your old step aerobics bench and video from 15 years ago.
• Straighten your house, making as many trips up and down the stairs as you can.
• Go walk the mall.  Without stopping to shop.
• Turn on your favorite dance tunes, close the blinds, and pretend you are on Dancing with the Stars.
• Turn on your kids' favorite dance tunes and have a dance-off.
• Those podcasts you've been meaning to listen to?  Turn one on and alternate push-ups, crunches, planks, and other strengthening exercises.
• What do you do to keep moving when it is cold outside?

Depression Clouds? Try the Start app and Exercise

If you or someone you know has a cloud of depression obscuring the joy of life, you often wonder...what is the remedy?  Is there an answer?

According to Thomas Goetz, the inventor of a mobile app called Start (which I'll describe in a moment), antidepressants are the most often prescribed medication for adults under 45.  Over 30 million Americans take antidepressants, even though there is a 50% failure rate.

A first step?  Exercise has been shown to be at least as effective for mild to moderate depression as the drugs.  So, go for a walk.  Or take an exercise class or go for a swim.  Find a way to move your body daily.

A second step?  If someone is taking an antidepressant, one way to test if the drug is effective is through the mobile app, Start.  The app is designed to create a "feedback loop between the medication and the symptoms, giving people a path through the fog ... to a better place as fast as possible." (Quote from Thomas Goetz)

Perhaps the same concept could apply to exercise.  For example, tracking your exercise (what you did, time of day, length of time, and intensity) and tracking your symptoms for the next 24 hours.  Through this, you may discover that a long brisk walk at lunch is most effective for you ... or that 3 shorter walks each day helps you more.

Keep your physician "in the loop" on what you are doing and about your symptoms.  Also, remember to seek counsel from a pastor and to talk with God about your struggle.  God does have an answer for you!

(Don't forget, the book Go Forward: 28 Days to Eat, Move, and Enjoy Life God's Way, available on Amazon, leads you through scriptures about health topics, including mental health.)

Life doesn't come with a syllabus...

The book is done.  The Kindle version uploaded and "published" last night.  Now that it is done, I think, "Oh, that wasn't so difficult."

But then as I am looking back over my 2015 planner and journal, I am reminded of the struggles.  

• Not knowing anything about publishing vs. self-publishing.  Not knowing where to even start researching it.
• How to find an editor (An editor was the only role I knew I needed.  But, who?)
• Not knowing what steps needed to happen.  And the more I read on the internet, the more I realized how much I did not know.  

I won't tire you with the details (as interesting as they are to me).  I will use the experience to encourage you. 

When you are faced with a situation about which you have zero or near-zero knowledge...nor do you know anyone who has dealt with it...here are the questions that helped me:

• Who do I know who might know someone with experience or answers?   (For me, I remembered someone who might know an editor.  Eventually, that editor introduced me to a formatter, a role I didn't know I needed.)
• What have I done in the past when I was clueless and had no direction?  (Recently for me was starting a garden.)  Mimic those ideas.
• What are the commonalities I read on the internet?  (There are always "themes" that surface in an area.  Pursue those first.)
• Trust.  Faith.  That one is difficult for those of us who need a plan.  I don't have to know all of the steps upfront.  (Though I really really want to know.)  Life doesn't come with a syllabus.  Once I have a few answers and a few people-connections, just start.  Those actions will then lead me to the next "right questions and people."  Be all right that I will take actions that turn out "not perfect."  If I can't change them this time, I will next time.  Even with those less-than-perfect outcomes, I at least have an outcome.  In this case, a book that will help so many folks in their health journey.

Next for me is a DVD and audio and YouTube.  I'll ask myself those questions again.  What is next for you?

Stressed Out? Not in 2016!

Back in October 2015 I wrote about tips for stress management, including getting help vs. trying to "do it all alone."  Stress is such a major issue, that I want to help you to manage your stress in 2016.

How big of an issue is stress? Stress is a major factor in most lifestyle diseases.  According to The American Institute of Stress, 77% of people regularly suffer physical problems caused by stress.  Stress costs American industry more than $300 billion annually, through health care and missed work.

What are your major stress points?  Both life's "big issues" as well as the day-to-day frustrations?  Comment on this blog or send an email about your stressed-out questions.  

I am pulling together some experts in stress management so that we can get answers to your issues in 2016!

Setting (and keeping) New Year's Resolutions

If you have set resolutions - or goals - in years past and have had challenges keeping them, read on.  You can achieve your dreams this year!

Goals need to be specific.  For example, if you want to eat more vegetables, how many servings do you want to average?  If you desire to sleep more, how many hours of rest will you get each night?  If you need to exercise more, how far will you walk each week?  One important goal I encourage you to make is to read the Bible each day.  Knowing God’s Word will encourage you and give you the right perspective as you become healthier.  To help you determine the details of your goals, choose both “outcome” goals and “behavior” goals.

An outcome goal is the result you want.  A behavior goal is an action you take to achieve the result.  For example, an outcome goal would be to lower your blood pressure to below 120/80.  A behavior goal would be to walk three miles each day.  You are in direct control of your behavior goals.  You are not in direct control of your outcome goals, especially the exact timeframe in which you accomplish them.  However, reaching for a challenging outcome makes changing behaviors more exciting!

Goals need to have a reason why.  Think about the purpose of your goals.  If you want to get stronger, ask yourself why?  What are the benefits to your life once you are stronger?  If you want to have more energy, ask yourself why?  What are the benefits to your life once you are more energetic?

Need more ideas for keeping your healthy goals?  Read Go Forward: 28 Days to Eat, Move, and Enjoy Life God's Way.  Order it here  https://www.createspace.com/5927179

One Thing at a Time

Are you as impatient as I am to accomplish goals?  Do you want to have all of your New Year's Resolutions achieved now?  We've all learned (the hard way) that focusing on one or two at a time accomplishes them faster, in the long-run.  Scripture teaches us that, too.  Today's excerpt from my book Go Forward: 28 Days to Eat, Move, and Enjoy Life God's Way introduces how to make changes that last.

If you would like to read the full chapter, just follow this link to purchase Go Forward.  2016 will be a strong and healthy year for you!

Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.  1 Timothy 4:15(NKJV)

“Meditate on these things.”  In order to successfully move forward on your health journey, you will need to remove different obstacles.  One hindrance is unhelpful thoughts such as, “I don’t know if I can do this.”  Rather than thinking negative thoughts, meditate on what the Bible says, particularly in regard to your health. 

Another hindrance is that we all live our current patterns by reflex and without thought.  To change to a new manner of living, you must consciously choose your actions each moment, until the new way of living is automatic.  How do you break an engrained pattern and start a new one?  Think constantly on the new habit you want to form or the lifestyle you want to live.  (For "how to" ideas, refer to the list in Go Forward.)

“Give yourself entirely to them.”  Decrease or eliminate what distracts you from your goal.   Do not have so many new goals that they distract from each other.  Choose one or two new habits that reinforce each other to focus on at a time.  For example: I will drink two cups of water after my mid-day walk.  “Entirely” means one hundred percent.  If you try to form several new healthy habits at once, you will not be able to give all of your attention to each.  After a week (or a month) of practicing one habit, add another.  What if you have a setback?  No worries.  Turn lapses into lessons.  Do not judge yourself, but learn from your experiences.  This time next year the “new habits” will be a lifestyle.  

It's almost out!

Go Forward: 28 Days to Eat, Move, and Enjoy Life God's Way will be available in the next day or two on Amazon.  Thanks to everyone who has made this book possible!

• Confused by conflicting exercise and nutrition “information?” 
• Frustrated by too many sizes in your closet? 
• Determined to “not quit this time” – but not sure how?

Go Forward: 28 Days to Eat, Move, and Enjoy Life God’s Way will help you understand what God’s Word teaches about exercise, nutrition, stress management, sleep, and numerous other health topics.  But understanding what to do is only the first step.  Through this book you will also begin the second step: practicing how to make a habit for a lifetime.

• Broken into topical sections
• Learn at your own pace and areas of interest  
• Scripture references and ample space is provided to write what God teaches you.

Whether you are starting your health journey for the first time or the fiftieth time, you will find your footing here.  If you are ready for the health and energy you need to accomplish your dreams, if you want to find your unique path and fulfill your potential, then it is time to Go Forward!

Be Joyful

Since we are in the Christmas Season ... a joy-filled season which sometimes stresses us out, I decided to share an excerpt from my book, Go Forward, about Joy-Filled and Peace-Filled Meals. 

Go, eat your bread with joy, And drink your wine with a merry heart;
For God has already accepted your works.  Ecclesiastes 9:7 (NKJV)

Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a fatted calf with hatred. Proverbs 15:17 (NKJV)

Let’s go back to your high school biology class.  (I know: moan, groan.)  Remember the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems?  Only one of these systems can be dominant at a time.  When you are agitated, excited, upset, in crisis, angry, or stressed the sympathetic nervous system is kicking into gear.  This means that the parasympathetic system is not able to function well.  You may recall that the parasympathetic system controls your digestive system.

Uh, oh.  We have a situation.  The exciting movie you are watching with dinner (re-read Day 18: It’s Time to Set the Table), the argument you just had with your teenager, the mulling over what your coworker did, the worrying about whether someone accepts you, or the report that is due at work tomorrow each keep you from digesting your food well.

God knows what He is talking about when He instructs us to:

• Cast our cares on Him (1 Peter 5:7)
• Not worry (Matthew 6:25-34)
• Forgive and walk in love (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 and Ephesians 4:32)
• Think on things that are excellent and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:6-8)
• Receive the acceptance Jesus bought for us (Ecclesiastes 9:7; Ephesians 1:6 and 2:8; and Philippians 1:6). 

Living in peace and joy is important anytime, but especially at mealtime!  God wants you to be healthy.  He knows that for you to digest your food well, which allows you to absorb the nutrients to “renew your youth,” you need to be joyful and peaceful when you eat.

Encourage Yourself!

I am thrilled that my first book, Go Forward: 28 Days to Eat, Move, and Enjoy Life God's Way, will be out later in December.  (When I have the exact date, I'll let you know.)  It is a 28 devotional guide on what the Bible says about health. 

Over the next few weeks, I'll share a few excerpts for you to enjoy ... and help you fulfill your potential.  Here is a bit from Day 3: Encourage Yourself.

David was greatly distressed, for the men spoke of stoning him because the souls of them all were bitterly grieved, each man for his sons and daughters. But David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God.  1 Samuel 30:6 (AMP)

What an amazing and challenging story!  David and his men have just come back from battle; these warriors are exhausted and hungry (never a good combination).  They are ready to see their families, yet arrive home to find their loved ones gone and their houses destroyed.  David, in the middle of his own grief, also finds out his men are ready to kill him!  In his trouble what does David do?  Hide?  Run away?  No.  He encourages himself in the Lord.

By God’s grace, may we never face the level of distress that David and his men experienced.  But from how David handled his trials we can glean a lesson for our own struggles. 

As much as I wish it weren’t so, I need to warn you that as you begin a new healthy lifestyle, there will be challenging days (sometimes weeks).  Many factors can make choosing healthy habits difficult.  People.  Family.  Work.  Crises.  Familiar habit triggers.  Life.  To help combat tough moments, it is critical that you know ahead of time what …

• Encourages you
• Helps you to stick to your new habits
• Gets you back on track if you take a side step, which everyone does.

Your Challenge:  Make a list of what encourages you in other areas of life.  How can you apply that list to sticking with your new habits?

For illustration, if listening to praise songs helps you, decide on a go-to song; when you recognize discouragement, start singing that song.  If a particular book lifts you up, stash a copy at your desk and by your bed.  If certain scriptures, quotes, or affirmations inspire you in tough times, write them on cards and keep them with you.  You don’t have to wait until discouragement attacks.  You can sing and meditate now to stay ahead of the tough days.

A Testament to Living Gratefully

I am indebted to my friend, Fred Oakley, for sharing his story of gratitude.  Fred, you remind us all to live in thankfulness.

In context of November's Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, here is Fred's story:  Fred had melanoma, which spread to be a melanoma tumor on his pancreas.  While not technically pancreatic cancer, this was as equally as dangerous, he was told.  Fred is still here today, after several years. 

He is grateful.  In his words, "The first thing I have learned is to fully appreciate life and God who gives it. To me, every day is a free day. I was told by my oncologist at Vanderbilt in June 2000 that there was nothing more that could be done for me. I was sent home with no hope. That's when I decided to call my doctor at John Wayne Cancer Institute and was given another chance for survival. It took me almost 1.5 years to win the battle completely after having major surgery and 1 year 4 months of experimental chemo. That was my 6th recurrence in 7 years. 

I appreciate The Lord for healing me, not in the way that I wanted, but healed me nonetheless. While I was going through the surgeries and treatments, I wondered where The Lord was. I felt like He was distant. But looking back at that time in my life now, I see that He was there all along.

I am also very appreciative of all my family members and friends. Relationship are more precious to me now.

A few tidbits about pancreatic cancer and melanoma which Fred shared with me:

• Pancreatic cancer is the fourth-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S.  It is the only major cancer in the U.S. with a five-year survival rate in the single digits at an alarming 7 percent.

• About 48,960 people (24,840 men and 24,120 women) will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  About 40,560 people (20,710 men and 19,850 women) will die of pancreatic cancer.

• To help prevent pancreatic cancer, enjoy a well-balanced diet including a lot of vegetables and low in sugar.

• To help prevent melanoma, not only limit sun exposure, but also exposure to certain chemicals that can cause melanoma.  And do a monthly skin exam, as melanoma is one of the easiest cancers to prevent by catching it in early stages.

Fred, thank you for how you add to so many lives.  Thank you living your life as a gift!  (And, just so you know ... Fred is a great general contractor, in case you need a little re-modeling of your house!)

Healthy for the Holidays...Part Three

We are one week from Thanksgiving!  So, let's talk about the turkey (and mashed potatoes and sweet potato casserole and stuffing and ... ).  How do you enjoy your favorites and not regret it later?

1. Pick your favorites and leave the rest
2. Make it a one day feast ... one day of celebrating isn't an issue.  It is the leftovers and overeating at multiple parties that add up
3. Or ... enjoy celebrating several times, but not a "feast" at any of them
4. Increase your water.  This helps to avoid false hunger and limits wasted liquid calories.
5. Increase your protein and limit your sugar.  This helps to regulate your appetite.
6. Don't eat just veggies to "be good" - you may feel deprived and overeat later
7. Don't eat mindlessly, "just because it is there"
8. Focus on the first 3 bites - after that the pleasure of any food decreases
9. Modify recipes to increase the vegetable ingredients (for instance, add 1/3 more onions and celery into your stuffing)
10. Tempted to overeat something you enjoy?  Get the recipe.  It is not now or never.  You can make it again in January (and February and March ... ).

Whatever you do, make sure to enjoy and savor every bite!