Healthful Pursuit Cookie Giveaway

I don't know if anyone looks at my blog roll very frequently, but there is a blog on there called The Healthful Pursuit. It's a great resource for healthy living. They're offering a free cookie giveaway, so I'm linking it here.

New posts will be coming soon, I promise!

The Parallels between Health and Spirituality

The journey to getting your body healthy can be compared to a spiritual journey. When you first commit yourself to becoming healthy, just like when you commit yourself to God, you have to clear out your life of all the junk. It's possibly the hardest part of the journey. You have to let go of those things that tie you down; those things you've been so used to having in your life for so long. You have to accept the fact that they are poison to your body, your mind, and your soul. You have to throw them away with no mercy.

Then, once you've cleared out the junk you must develop a plan of action to make sure that stuff doesn't come creeping back in. Before you become adjusted to not indulging anymore, temptation will be everywhere and will seem irresistible. Those sights, sounds and smells will drive you to the brink of insanity. Sometimes you will need to avoid it altogether in order to stay strong. This might mean not going out with your friends or being ridiculed for your decisions. You may be challenged by people you used to think understood you. One small action such as saying "no thank you" to a doughnut (or any other temptation) will invite spiteful words from "well-meaning" friends and family.

Another step you must take is to learn where to get the things your body or soul needs. In your spiritual journey, you look to the Bible and people of faith, putting out the effort to research the things you need to know. In the same way, during your health journey you must step outside your comfort zones and do the legwork to find out what you should and shouldn't eat; and where you should and shouldn't shop. You need to venture into areas of the grocery store you've never seen. You visit shops and produce stands you've never heard of. In the long run, all that effort pays off and you end up having all kinds of exciting adventures.

Again, a parallel step between the two journeys is to find a mentor. Having someone who has gone through what you're going through and who can advise you as you go is invaluable. In your spiritual walk, you look to someone older and wiser and who has had similar experiences in their journey. In your health journey, it simply needs to be someone who has been at it longer than you have. It also helps if they live in your area and can tell you where to find good food products. This step is one of the most important. When you feel lost or stuck, this person can often point you in the right direction and give you a gentle shove towards it.

Another very important step is exercise. For your body, you simply get your heart rate up for at least 30 minutes, 3-5 times a week. As you progress, however, exercise becomes longer and more intense. In the same way, as you grow spiritually, you accept more responsibility for yourself as well as for others. Just as you push your body in order to see good changes, you push your mind to read more every day and study and become grounded. Pushing yourself is hard and challenging and others may think you're crazy for it, but you know the changes that are happening inside so it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.

Whatever journey you're on now, be it physical, spiritual, or both, make sure that you are taking the steps to progress. It may seem daunting and impossible and you may be receiving criticism from people around you, but you will see results from pushing on. Do your research, find an accountability partner, and never give up. You're not missing out on anything by saying "no" to temptation. In fact, you're becoming a better person for it and eventually the people who are trying to tear you down will see the difference in you and want to know your secret. Don't hesitate to share it with them, even if they're the ones that made you miserable when you first made the changes. The amount of growth you will experience is worth every moment.

Hip Hop Abs

Well I'm currently in week 3 of the Hip Hop Abs program by Beachbody. It's a lot of fun, easy to do, and very effective. I thought I was done losing weight, but since I've been using Hip Hop Abs I've lost about another four or five pounds. I can see my abs toning up too. After tomorrow, I'll only have a week left of it. A good friend of mine is doing it with me, which has helped motivate me to do it every day (it's six days a week for four weeks).

Once I'm done with Hip Hop Abs I plan on starting TurboFire. It's a very intense interval training 90-day program. It uses the same system as Insanity, (high intensity interval training) but it isn't quite as hard as Insanity. I'm really looking forward to it though. Now that I'm at my target weight and in good shape, I think I'll be able to tone up quite nicely. I'll also finish it right before my trip to California, so I'll definitely be ready for the beach!

Sorry for the short blog today; I need to get back into the blogging habit.

Sorry, Folks

Yes, I have been quite behind on my blogging lately. I've been a little caught up in some stuff. I apologize. I'm not going to vow to start writing every day again. I'm still in the middle of a lot of things. I'll update you as soon as everything comes together.

Thanks for your patience with me.

Coffee: Good or Bad?

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Per request, today's blog topic will be the health benefits/concerns of coffee as they are known to me. As you all know, I do drink coffee, though I try to stick to one or two cups per day. I believe that drinking this amount balances out what may be good or bad about it.

First off I will begin by saying that research is a bit inconclusive about how bad or good coffee is for your health. One study suggests that regular coffee consumption can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver, and gout. Also, people who regularly drink coffee during their midlife are less likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer's disease in their late life. However, coffee can also increase the risk of acid reflux and related diseases.

The main health benefit of coffee that I'm familiar with is the antioxidants it contains. Antioxidants aid in protecting cells from damage by free radicals in the environment. Coffee also contains polyphenals which interfere with iron absorption. So, if you are prone to anemia, this could be an adverse affect for you. However, since iron is considered a carcinogen to the liver, coffee can be associated with decreasing risk for liver cancer.

The most negative thing about coffee is caffeine. For a more in-depth look at caffeine, see my blog post on it. Caffeine draws moisture out of your body, so to avoid risk of dehydration make sure to drink at least one glass of water per cup of coffee. Caffeine is linked to decreasing headaches, yet those who consume it regularly can then develop headaches from lack of it (during withdrawal). Caffeine is also considered an antidepressant. It can block inhibitory affects of adenosine on dopamine nerves in the brain.

This is about all I know about coffee right now. I drink it every day in moderation. You can take this information and make your own decision about how much coffee you want to drink.

Fast Food is Plague upon America

Fast food is a plague upon our nation. Here is an excerpt of an article by Leanne Ely, the "dinner diva":

"One of the biggest issues is eating fast food. You know I'm down of fast food for anyone, but it's especially harmful for children's growing bodies. Think about it; you're giving the lowest quality food to a growing body. This isn't exactly quality material for the body to develop and build from! We wouldn't put a known, poor quality gasoline in our cars, nor would we build our houses with sub-par building supplies, yet we rationalize throwing absolute garbage food down our children's throats in the name of fast and easy."

With all of the information on the evils of fast food now available, you'd think that people would start to realize that it's literally killing them and their children. Research says that this is the first generation of children not expected to outlive their parents. Does that not bother anyone else? We need to get back to eating real food. This problem has to be fixed from the roots up. We're not going to make food companies stop selling crap. We just have to stop buying it.

Creating a Newsletter is Harder than it Looks

Well, I started creating my nutrition newsletter. There are so many ideas rolling around in my head, it's hard to figure out where to start. I know I want to talk about fast food and meat. Those are the main issues that have been on my mind lately. I know I also want to include a good, healthy recipe. Possibly two. One of them will be kid-friendly. At least one article in each newsletter will be catered toward child nutrition. Also, I'll probably include one exercise in each newsletter. I have a few people I'm thinking of hitting up to see if they want to put a piece in it. Well...enough brain-storming. I need to get back to it.