Category: Diet/Exercise

Healthy eating habits, tips for exercise and healthy living.

Clean Eating: Almond Butter-Banana Smoothie

I have embraced a “clean eating” philosophy, to keep my fibromyalgia symptoms at bay.

When I was a kid, my father used to come home from work and snack on a handful of nuts or a spoonful of peanut butter, to hold him over until dinner. The protein and fiber helped curb that hunger just enough. I always loved peanut butter growing up, too. Peanut butter with jelly, ice cream, chocolate, and bananas! PB&B may have been Elvis’ favorite sandwich, but this combination makes a great smoothie too!

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Why We Need Dirt Therapy

“I grow plants for many reasons…but mostly for the joy in seeing them grow.”

There’s something to be said for getting outside and having your face in the sunshine, and your feet and hands touch the grass and the earth. It grounds us to Mother Earth and connects us to all of her energies. Tending to our flower gardens or vegetable gardens also has so many benefits that will enrich our mental and physical health.

“The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.”

— Alfred Austin

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30 Day Challenge – Week 4 – Final Results

We shouldn’t put off until tomorrow that which we can start today.

This is the final post in a series. Read the initial post, Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3.

30 day challenge - week 2 results (2)

It is said to take anywhere from  21 – 66 days to build a new habit, with the time really varying from person to person. I started this 30 day journey as a way to get back on track with some of my daily habits that had slipped lately and refocus my priorities. I wanted to concentrate on the following:

  • Gratitude: I had lapsed from writing daily gratitudes
  • Mindful eating: I wasn’t logging my food
  • Fitness: I had added some extra pounds I wanted to lose
  • Mindset: I wanted to see if yoga would be more beneficial for all of my ailments than my typical mindless treadmill walking
  • Rest: I wanted to get my sleep habits back on track

So here is my final check-in of my 30 day personal challenge for the month of April.

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30 Day Challenge – Week 3

This is the fourth in a series. Read the initial post, Week 1 Progress, and Week 2 Progress.

30 day challenge - week 2 results (1)

A set-back is defined as a reversal in your progress. This past week I experienced a bit of a set back, that I wrote about in my post on The Challenge of Slowing Down. I hurt my back, came down with strep and inflamed vocal chords, and was ordered to go home and rest my voice. Then came the fibromyalgia flare. And then word that one of my cousins, who is just a few years older than me, died unexpectedly. Talk about some stress on the body.

This is what happens when you ignore the little voices in your head telling you to take it easy. Take a day off. Get some rest. If I had rested sooner, maybe I wouldn’t have developed strep and lost my voice, maybe I wouldn’t have gone into full fibro flare mode.

“Temporary set backs are overshadowed by persistence.” ~Quentin L. Cook

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