In 3 months, you'll be glad you did!

I apologize for my absence.  Computer problems, of course!

Today's message is about GETTING STARTED. 

If you need to lose pounds, start exercising, quit drinking, smoking (tobacco or anything else). or any other change you need to make in your life, ... DO IT NOW.  There is no time like today. Don't wait for a birthday, a new year, next week.  DO IT NOW. 

If you start now, you can look back in 3 months and see how far you've come.  If you lose a pound a week, you can drop one dress size in 3 months.  If you need to start exercising, you will not only lose pounds, you will see a difference in your shape, your muscle definition, your stamina.  If you need to quit smoking, see how much your breathing has improved in three months and how much money you have NOT spent on cigarettes. 

Yes, you will have slip ups, especially with changing how you eat or your exercise routine.  Get back on that wagon immediately.  Just because you fouled up with one meal or snack, don't trash the entire day.  Get right back to you program immediately. 

You CAN do the things you need to be healthier.  Actually, for most of us, we are the only ones who can bring about the changes we need to make.  Put reminder notes around the house or on your desk at work.  Get the junk food out of the house and don't bring any more in because "Throw it in or throw it out, it's GARBAGE, and YOU do not need to be a garbage can."  Throw away those cigarettes.  Put them in a baggie with icky coffee grounds so you won't be tempted to raid the trash. Seriously! 

DO IT NOW, and in 3 months you will be so very glad you did! 

Within one's limitations; pushing one's limits.

I am back among the living!  Still no lifting and no core exercises, but I'm back on the recumbent exercise bike, getting in long walks with Ziva and Kreecher, and doing mild range of motion types of exercises. 

The important thing is -- I'm MOVING.  Health and fitness require some form of exercise, daily if at all possible.  Our bodies were meant to move.  Ask any MD or chiropractor about dealing with Fibromyalgia, and they will tell you -- exercise!  It's the same with arthritis.  If we quit moving those joints, they seize up. 

If you are starting an exercise program, consult your doctor first.  If necessary, get a referral to a physical therapist for exercises specifically for your body.  Working with a fitness coach for a few sessions might be helpful, but your health insurance won't pay for that.  With physical limitations, there are wonderful chair exercises.  Get that heart pumping and those joints, muscles and connective tissues moving.  You WILL see gradual progress.  It won't happen overnight.  We don't get out of shape overnight.  It happened one day at a time.  Getting fit will also happen one day at a time. 

Once you have established what you can do at the beginning point, set reasonable goals.  Do you want to eventually be able to walk a mile or several miles, raise your arms over your head, swim a lap of the pool without stopping?  Set those goals, and when you reach them, set new goals.  Keep pushing your limits, but do it with good sense. 

In my Zumba class, when we are doing "punches," Jode will say, "No lazy arms!  Give me strong arms!"  You will get out of your exercise exactly what you put into it. 

For some people, exercising alone is most comfortable.  For me, I enjoy my classes at the local Senior Citizens Center.  Being in the group motivates me.  It's not a competition, it's a sense that we are all trying to improve our own personal best.  Then in the evenings, I do my physical therapy exercises at home.  Our Tai Chi class only meets once a week, so doing Tai Chi at home is important.  Perhaps getting some exercise DVDs from the library would work for you.  If you like them, look online to find them for purchase.  Another great exercise is "belly dance."  When I was doing that, I had awesome abs.  Maybe someday this old lady will get back to it. 

Remember: Healthy choices in the type and amount of food you eat, drink water all day long, and MOVE.  You are being good to yourself. 

Segregating Disabled Persons with Service Animals

Did you know that under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a person with a Service Dog CANNOT be told to be in a separate area?

I just file a second complaint against a person who has already harassed me about the presence of my Service Dog.  Today, she wanted me to be at the far end of the room.  That's "separate but equal," which would have actually put me OUT of feeling like a participant in the class. 

If a person has a Service Animal and goes to a restaurant, they cannot be told they must sit in a certain area.  Any place in the restaurant is open to the disabled person as long as it does not interfere with the essential services of the place of public accommodation. 

If you are trying on clothing, the Service Animal CAN go with you into the fitting room. 

One of the purposes of the Americans with Disabilities Act is to enable persons with disabilities to participate within our general society to the best of their ability. That is the spirit of the law. 

Healthy Choices

I'm attending a seminar tonight and tomorrow on healthy eating choices which will, of course, be centered on plant-based consumption. 

Eating a plant-based diet for life has always been a healthy option, but in these days of factory farming which hormones and antibiotics are fed to animals meant for human consumption and the methods are cruel (including the slaughter process), it's time for people to take time to think about what exactly they are consuming!  Also, as Frances Moore Lappe' told us in the 1960s in DIET FOR A SMALL PLANET, a meat-based food chain is highly inefficient.  Why raise food to feed to animals so we can eat the animals?  (And certainly, why raise food so we can feed fur-bearing animals so we can butcher them for their pelts?  Talk about selfish!) 

Western societies need to stop raising animals for consumption.  It's just that simple.  Factory farms are serious environmental hazards too.  And pigs, for instance, are highly intelligent.  When you eat pork products, you are essentially eating a third grade child.  Animals have thoughts and emotions, they even dream.  Chickens learn their names and other words.  If you have access to free range, cruelty free chickens who are allowed to live into old age, by all means, eat eggs.  But if you know anything about commercial egg production, you'd know that eating those eggs is not only cruel, it's a threat to one's general health. 

It is important to use good sense when making choices in a plant-based diet.  Don't load up on bread products made with "white enriched flour."  That stuff is pure garbage.  Go for whole grains.  Look up the protein and fiber contents on the grains you consume. Amaranth tastes better than quinoa, I think, and it has 12 to 14 % protein!  It has a rich, nutty flavor.  Pinterest has many amaranth recipes. 

A piece of whole grain bread with peanut butter is a far better choice than a doughnut.  Will eating that doughnut actually make you happy?  It might taste good for the moment, but think about how you feel with you pass up those doughnuts time and again, then you get on the scale and see the results of your effort.  THAT will make you happy!  How about running into a friend who tells you, "You look so healthy!"  THAT will make you happy!  How about going to the doctor and being told, "Your A1c is 5.5 once again, so I can take you off your diabetes medication."  THAT WILL MAKE YOU REALLY HAPPY!

If you use an app like My Fitness Pal, you can not only record everything you eat and check your nutrition by the day and by the week, you can check the nutrient content and calories on a food BEFORE you eat it.  That can be a huge help in making healthy choices.  This is a great help in kicking sugar addiction. 

Also, I find it a great help to keep apples, walnuts and protein shakes with me in my tote bag.  If I get very hungry when I am out and about, I have healthy choices with me.  This keeps me from being in the position of buying over-priced food that isn't even healthy!  I started carrying my snacks whenever I leave the house last summer, and it has really paid off -- 45 lbs later! 

Today is Friday, and it's going to be HOT today, tomorrow and Sunday.  Remember to stay hydrated.  Drink water the first thing in the morning to get your metabolism going, and keep drinking water all day long.  Toss some lemon and cucumber slices or smush up some berries in your water if you want some flavor.  The important thing is to STAY HYDRATED.  85 % of American are walking around in some state of dehydration.  This puts a dreadful strain on your kidneys and liver and it slows your metabolism and even your cognitive processes.  Older people showing signs of dementia are at times merely suffering from dehydration!  So keep drinking water all day long, especially a few minutes before each meal or snack. 

Have a great weekend, y'all! 

Being Consistent!

Consistency in both healthy food choices and regular exercise is THE MOST IMPORTANT COMPONENT of weight loss and preventing re-gaining lost weight.  The National Weight Loss Registry studies successful stories of people who have lost weight and kept it off, and being consistent is the most important thing you can do. 

Also, remember that your wellness is a continual journey.  Strive for progress; don't worry about perfection. 

Emotional Eating

Well, bummers.  According to my weight management doctor's scale, I have only lost 2 pounds in the last month.  Oddly enough I have lost centimeters on neck, waist and hips according to my measurements in my monthly visit. 

Dr. Rose said not to panic.  Our bodies rebel as we try to find a lower, healthier set point weight.  All those crazy hormones that are involved in digestion and metabolizing our intake get out of whack as we lose weight.  She told me to keep doing all the things I have been doing. 

The biggest change in the last year has been surrendering the lifelong habit of EMOTIONAL EATING.  I never had to quit smoking, but I suspect it's a similar process.  Behaviorists tell us it takes 6 weeks to break a mammalian habit.  Whew.  For overcoming 60 years worth of habit of emotional eating, 6 weeks was a mere drop in the bucket.  I was 11 months into this when I had a very stressful experience.  THIS TIME though, I recognized the motivation, and I said, I'm NOT going to do that.  Eating solves nothing.  Even though I had no junk food in the house, pigging out on healthy food is still pigging out!  Consuming more food than what we need causes weight gain. 

What did I do instead?  I had printed out some of those adult coloring pages -- very detailed florals and mandalas.  The colored pencils went to work.  Yes, it was a great way to de-stress, and it took my mind off of food. 

Now that I clearly recognize the impulse when it hits, I have a list of alternative activities.  The dogs always enjoy a long walk, I'm still editing my young adult historical novel so that I can e-publish it, books are always around for reading, and yes, pulling out my colored pencils and coloring sheets is still a strategy. 

Have a great weekend, get some exercise, and eat healthy food! 

You CAN do this!!!

Today's nutrition class (a big THANK YOU to the undergraduate and graduate students in the University of Kentucky Human Nutrition program) was on leafy green vegetables and berries. 

Apparently new research indicates that for those taking blood thinning medication, you CAN have leafy green vegetables that are high in Vitamin K IF you eat a CONSISTENT AMOUNT daily.  In this way your medication can be adjusted to compensate for the ingestion of Vitamin K.  This means DAILY ingestion of these vegetables, not occasional.  If you take blood thinning medications and you want to put these vegetables back in your diet, TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR.  (Personally, I would go bonkers without my greens and broccoli!)

We had a berry salsa to try as well.  I'm a berry freak -- any kind of berries.  In June when the blueberries were coming in and were very affordable, I stashed some in my freezer.  Now, for dessert, I add them to my Fage 0% Fat Greek Yogurt with one packet of stevia.  Good stuff!  Terribly healthy as well. 

Between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015, I lost 42 lbs., and I am still losing.  I'm not losing weight just for the sake of losing.  I am on a mission to improve my health.  Making sensible, healthy choices for food and daily exercises are two key ingredients in this pursuit.  Will eating that doughnut make you happy, I mean REALLY happy?  Probably not.  But will feeling healthier and dropping a few pounds make you feel happy?  For most Americans, you bet it would. 

Body, mind and spirit all work together, like a three-legged stool.  Remove one leg, and that stool will fall over.  Find the ways that make YOUR body, mind and spirit as healthy as they possibly.  Even with chronic, serious health concerns, you CAN pursue health to the best of your ability. 

There is no excuse for not trying to find what works for YOU.  If you have problems getting physical exercise, have your doctor refer you for a physical therapy consultation to find appropriate exercises.  County health departments often have nutritionists or diabetes educators who can help you learn to make better food choices, but it's up to YOU to give up the junk, the sugar, the additives.  Take time for silence every day.  Find ways to be in nature. Discover your bliss. 

YOU CAN DO THIS! 

Having survived the "war zone" of the July 4 celebrants, I stayed home all day yesterday.  The dogs got multiple walks, which they enjoyed.  It was a day to chill out an recharge my inner battery.  We all need that "down time" occasionally.  Listen to your body, mind and soul.  If you are feeling wrung out, take time for yourself, by yourself.  And don't forget to BREATHE.

Stand or sit tall, and slowly inhale through your nose.  Hold it for a few seconds, and then exhale through your mouth, taking more time to exhale than you did to inhale.  Hold again, and repeat. This is cleansing breathing. 

Do this three times a day, ten breaths for each session.  You won't believe the difference it will make.  If you are feeling anxious in traffic, do your breathing.  Waiting for a doctor's appointment? Do your breathing. 

If you are having problems with chronic pain, imagine exhaling pain on every exhale.  Trust me, it helps! 

Now, dive into the week, and don't forget to BREATHE!

Let's talk about INTEGRITY.  Integrity is one of the Quaker Testimonies, meaning that this is one of the major values held by Quakers. It means honesty, dependability, and fair dealings. 

I have a garden plot at the Senior Citizens' Center.  I have yet to harvest any squash or tomatoes because people keep stealing.  Most recently they also damaged a thriving squash plant in their pursuit of my summer squash. 

I really am trying not to get too angry. Maybe the thieves really need the food, but then, so do I!  Are they out there planting, weeding, watering and mulching in the heat and humidity?  Nope. 

The behavior of the thieves lacks integrity.  I can't give them integrity; I can't force them to behave with integrity.  But if I'm going to keep my own emotions on an even keel, perhaps trying to use a mindful approach will help preserve my own shreds of integrity. 

However, no matter how you cut it, stealing is just wrong.  Just plain wrong. 

Let's talk about Disability Service Dogs.

If you want to know what the FEDERAL LAW says, search for the Americans with Disabilities Act, and there is about one page that covers Service Animals in Title III of the ADA.  This is on the U.S. Department of Justice website. 

At this point in time, only dogs and miniature horses can LEGALLY be used per FEDERAL LAW.  Remember, federal law takes precedence over state laws, and state laws take precedence over local regulations.  Your duck may be legally recognized as a Service Animal in your state, but don't count on it elsewhere.  Federal law is the final word. 

Disability Service Animals are different from Emotional Support Animals.  A DSA must be able to perform three specific tasks for their human partner, per the federal court's interpretation of the ADA.  However, someone cannot ask the human partner to demonstrate this.  (It's kind of difficult to signal a seizure if none is immanent.) 

A business may ask a person if the animal is a DSA, but they cannot ask what one's disability is or how the dog "works."  To do so not only violates the ADA, it also violates the medical privacy act, HIPPA. One's medical information is between the patient and the doctor, and random third parties are not entitled to that information. 

Please do not pet, talk to, or otherwise distract a DSA.  Ignore the animal!  Let the animal do the work it was trained to do. 

And absolutely do not feed the DSA. 

All DSAs have equal "free access" under the ADA.  No one kind has more access than others.  A restaurant cannot seat the person with a DSA in a segregated area, a hotel cannot deny a room or charge an extra fee, and the federal courts have ruled that allergies are not a reason to deny access.  Besides, the only allergens are the dander from the skin and saliva.  DSAs are bathed regularly, given flea treatments, etc., and they aren't licking random third parties, so allergies just are not an issue. 

Churches and religious institutions are exempt from the ADA under the First Amendment, however, most churches allow not only DSAs but also DSAs in training. 

Using a DSA is not only a right of a person with a disability, it is also a responsibility.  The disabled person KNOWS already that they are supposed to clean up after their dog, that their dog is not to run lose, etc.  It is insulting to make these suggestions to persons with disabilities.  They are usually highly responsible individuals who have been trained in how to care for their animal.

Miniature horses are proving to be highly accomplished guide animals for the blind, and yes, they are house-trained.  They are sometimes used for wheel chair assistance. 

A federal court in Oregon ruled that breed restrictions are unconstitutional because they are not based on fact.  Yes, there are pit bull terriers trained for DSA work.  A small dog can perform DSA tasks, especially for persons with seizure disorders, diabetes, deafness and PTSD.  I have seen a video of a Jack Russell Terrier who is positively amazing.  This little guy even brings in the mail, then returns to the mail box to close it. 

If you want to know more, go to the Department of Justice's website and look up the Service Animal section of the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

Hump Day already!  Where is the week going?  I spent part of the morning working in my vegetable garden.  This afternoon, despite the meanie who teaches, I'm thinking of trying Beginning Line Dancing.  It's not that she's mean to just me; she's mean to everyone.  Equal opportunity meanness. 

Which brings me to today's subject.  Kindness.  It's just not that hard to be kind! 

Being kind does not mean being a doormat.  You can stand up for yourself without being nasty about it.  Everyone deserves kindness, and in fact, if everyone experienced kindness, perhaps the world could be a very different place.  Not only people deserve our kindness, but animals too!  The very earth needs our kindness.  We are rapidly destroying our own habitat through our greed, which is the opposite of kindness.  Generosity is a subset of kindness, and it includes generosity of spirit, a charity of spirit. 

Children who grow up in families that lack kindness often grow up unable to show kindness to others.  Love and kindness go hand-in-hand.  If you are cruel to a child, there is no way you actually love that child.  Setting limits is appropriate in parenting; cruelty is not. 

If you are cruel to an animal, there is no way you love that animal.  You can teach your dog how to behave without using cruelty. 

I'm not a "Bible thumper," but that Paul fellow said something right when he said, "Love is patient.  Love is kind."  Both of those statements are true.  Be kind to others; respond to unkindness or accidentally uttered hurtful words with kindness.   Stomping off in a huff or getting nasty solves nothing.  Using foul language when addressing another person or in the midst of "giving them what for" only makes you look foolish and ignorant. 

Road rage, even if you stay in your car and just cut loose with the windows up isn't good for you or for your passengers.  Most of the time, the other driver was NOT out to offend you.  We all make errors.  What will you lose by being forgiving?  Roll with the punches.  Why get ruffled? 

Remember, it's just not that hard to be kind. 

It is just about time for Senior Zumba here at the Lexington Senior Citizens' Center.  One of my friends here who is in her 70s attends this Zumba class too.  Her doctor told her it's great weight-bearing exercise for her bones, as she has osteoporosis.  He told her to take it easy. 

We need to listen to our bodies when we exercise.  Talk to your doctor before beginning an exercise program.  If you have any physical problems, perhaps a session with a physical therapist will help you to discover exercises that will be particularly helpful for you. 

My physical therapist and orthopedic doc told me to use an exercise bike to help develop my quads which would relieve the pressure on my arthritic knees.  Wow!  Has this ever helped.  After 9 months of dedicated use of the bike, with the addition of "intervals" (high speed segments) in the last few months, the problems with my knees are greatly relieved.  I'll be able to put off knee replacement surgery for several years.  I have also recently been able to add squats as I'm cooling down, as my body has been warmed up well. 

I hop off the bike and do the first set of 10 squats with my arms in front of me, the second set holding a 5 lb. weight in each hand (arms at my sides), and the third set of 10 is with my hands behind my head.  Then I hop back on the bike for 3 minutes.  I do this 3 times, for a total of 90 squats per workout.  I use this routine three days a week, skipping a day in between to let my muscles recover. 

Remember, this squat routine was added after months of using the bike, attending a Range of Motion class and Senior Zumba.  There is no way I could have done the squat routine a year ago.  I had to prepare my body for it. 

"All things in moderation," and "Slow but steady wins the race."  You won't do yourself any good if you dive in all gung-ho and injure yourself. 

Last July (2014), I finally got my act together regarding my health.  I had already been attending exercise classes at the Lexington Senior Center, but it was time to start passing up the doughnuts that are regularly available, time to cut back on my servings of Thai Peanut Sauce, time to STOP EMOTIONAL EATING habits.  I've lost over 40 lbs. since July 1, 2014.  "Slow but steady wins the race."  My ultimate goal is to NOT REGAIN what I've lost.  I am still losing, albeit slowly (and those plateaus are frustrating as heck!), and am over half way to my ultimate goal.

The reality is, you CAN lose weight after having children (I was back down to 118 lbs. two years after my second child was born 27 years ago), you CAN lose weight after menopause, you CAN lose weight after the age of 60, and you CAN lose weight while taking Cymbalta and Neurontin!  You CAN get your blood glucose level under control.  All those factors make weight loss more difficult, true, but they do not make it impossible.  You have to commit to the long haul.  You have to be willing to make changes that will last for the rest of your life.

I'm going to be sharing what has worked for me in my pursuit of health.  Come along for the ride!