{Step right in.
The kettle is on.
Grab a seat at
the counter so
I can pour out
my heart to you
while the water
boils....}
Okay.
So it happens to
everyone, eventually,
right?
You are running
along, juggling many
balls in the air....
Those balls might
be
your
job
children's activities
the house
the groceries
the yard
volunteer work
the overdue oil change
the dentist appointment
the never-ending to-do list
your blog : )
big decisions
small decisions
Life.
And you get on the
scale one day
and there you
have it. You've
let one of those balls
slip and it's hit the
ground with a big
old thud.
Your health.
You took your eye
off the ball and
now that insidious number
on the scale has crept up
a bit. And the old energy
isn't what it used to be, either.
Well, that's where I am.
Luckily for me, I've cultivated
some pretty healthy habits
along the way, so I am
hoping to throw that ball
labeled feeling-my-best
back into the air, quickly.
Today I'm on Day Two of a
raw diet detox. You can
read more about that, here.
I'll share how it goes later,
once I've finished the whole
experience. I'm hoping that
it will re-ignite an old
passion for cooking and eating
great, healthy food.
In the meantime, may I
pour you a cup of
herbal tea?
Yep, that's my only beverage
from Monday through Wednesday
besides the smoothies that are
part of the detox menu.
Herbal tea and good old H2O.
Mint?
Orange and Spice?
Vanilla Roobios?
Since we are on the topic
of health, I thought I'd
share some of the healthy
things that I love and see
if you love them, too.
First, my Polar FT-4 watch.
It monitors my heart rate
when I am exercising so
that I know if I'm in the
right zone for my age and
fitness level. Big bonus
is that it also measures how
many calories that I've burned
in an exercise session, based
on my age, weight and heart
rate during the workout.
Out of curiosity, I wore my
Polar to bed the other night
to see what seven hours of
sleep would earn me.
401 calories.
Boo.
{Gotta love
that extra one
calorie, though!}
Researchers say that people
often tend to underestimate
their calorie intake and over-
estimate their calorie expenditures,
aka exercise, so the Polar is good
for an accurate reading of the latter.
May I cover your bottom?
{I'm talking tea cup, here!}
Hot water, coming up.
Okay, now that we've discussed
exercise, let's get down to a
more appealing conversation.
Food.
Let me pull out a few things
that have been tops
in my book, lately.....
First up is non-fat plain Greek
yogurt, which we buy in the jumbo
containers at Costco. 130 cals
for one cup and it contains 23 grams
of protein. I just read a great
article in Nutrition Action recently
about how important eating protein
is as we age; the older you are,
the more you need in order to
continue producing new muscle
cells for good mobility and balance.
I'll drink to that.
Let's clink tea cups with
our orange and spice.
Okay, back to the love list.
Next, I'm loving Trader Joe's Organic
Reduced Sugar Raspberry Preserves.
A little of this stirred into the Greek yogurt
amps the whole thing up....way, way
up! And the reduced sugar comes
from the ingredient Stevia in the
jam, which is a natural sweetener
that comes from the leaf of the
Stevia plant.
Here's something else that's
really good: Almond milk. It
is lower in calories than skim
milk, has no saturated fat,
cholesterol or sodium and is
really tasty on cereal and in
smoothies.
Two more food shout-outs
and then I'll stop, as I'm making
myself hungry.
{Cue angel harps, here.}
The Whirly Pop.
Be still, my heart.
Got it when our electric popcorn
popper was wearing out. It was
$20 and makes great popcorn
super-fast on the stove....and you
can use as little as one teaspoon of
oil per batch!
Last but so not least ~
sprouted grain bread.
I like the Ezekial 4:9 brand.
Because the grains that go
into the bread are already
partially sprouted, you
don't get the same sugar spike
in the body that more refined
carbohydrates can produce.
Which means you stay fuller,
longer....and full is good.
And, it makes the best toast.
Sometimes my daughter has
it after school with that heavenly
jam that I showed you, earlier.
As I refill our cups
one
more
time,
we move to the
front steps and sit
in the sunshine.
The birdsong that
fills the air and the
soft primavera {in
Italian this means
first green} of the
grass and trees is
intoxicating. We
breathe deeply,
feeding
our souls, if not
our stomachs!
We stand and stretch
and hug good-bye.
Make it a good day.
Make it a good week.
Thanks for sharing
a cuppa and letting
me bend your ear
about my resolve for
a healthier reality.
I'd love to know
what healthy things
that you are loving
right
now!
xx
Suzanne
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