This is a test..is anyone reading this anymore? I have not seen any comments lately LOL! I will post on Sparkpeople instead if not.
Thanks for your attention!
HUGS! Love ya all!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Tuesday 4/6/10
WOW! It is another gorgeous day here! God has really blessed us this month with nice weather! Last night we had some pretty hefty thunderstorms and even some hail but today the sun is shining and the birds are singing! My flowering pear trees in front are almost ready to bloom and I have been picking daffodils and hyacinths and putting them in vases to make the house smell good! Of course with Spring comes the ants LOL! They are driving me nuts! I am going to make up some ant poison later today! If they would just stay outside! LOL!
Yesterday we walked at Batelle Darby after dinner. David and I had a nice walk of about 2 miles. Saw some spring wild flowers again and took pictures which I will post. Today I am going to swim as my exercise.
Food-wise I have still been sticking to mostly fresh things. Got some Morning Star sausage crumbles the other week to throw in my omelets. They really are not bad and if you haven't given them a try I would say get some! Haven't sprung them on David yet though LOL! My nephew said he uses them in tacos (the hamburger kind) ...so that may be something I will do. I also have been eating fresh asparagus and really like it! I cooked some for Easter at Dad's and most people ate it and loved it! My sugar free cheesecake did not go well. But it had to compete with Roger's Cherry Delight (grandma's recipe!) so I was not upset! HA HA! I did not know he was coming or I would have made something different. Think I will stick to fruit salad next time.
This is going to be a short post this morning. I will blog more later. OH! Jillian Michaels is on Dr. Phil the next couple days..at least today! Check your schedules to see when it will be on!
HUGS!
Yesterday we walked at Batelle Darby after dinner. David and I had a nice walk of about 2 miles. Saw some spring wild flowers again and took pictures which I will post. Today I am going to swim as my exercise.
Food-wise I have still been sticking to mostly fresh things. Got some Morning Star sausage crumbles the other week to throw in my omelets. They really are not bad and if you haven't given them a try I would say get some! Haven't sprung them on David yet though LOL! My nephew said he uses them in tacos (the hamburger kind) ...so that may be something I will do. I also have been eating fresh asparagus and really like it! I cooked some for Easter at Dad's and most people ate it and loved it! My sugar free cheesecake did not go well. But it had to compete with Roger's Cherry Delight (grandma's recipe!) so I was not upset! HA HA! I did not know he was coming or I would have made something different. Think I will stick to fruit salad next time.
This is going to be a short post this morning. I will blog more later. OH! Jillian Michaels is on Dr. Phil the next couple days..at least today! Check your schedules to see when it will be on!
HUGS!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Get Started Walking!
This Weds is National Start Walking Day! Sponsered by the American Heart Association. So get out an WALK! Here is a link to the webpage but I will be re-posting tidbits here and there on the blog. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3053117
Get Ready!
It’s simple to start a walking program!
All you need are comfortable clothes and supportive shoes.
Layer loose clothing, keeping in mind that brisk exercise elevates the body’s temperature.
Shoes specifically
designed for walking or running are best.
Make sure you have a little wiggle room (½") between your longest
toe and the end of your shoe.
Avoid cotton socks since they retain moisture and can promote blisters.
Technique
• Begin with short distances. Start with a stroll that feels comfortable (perhaps 5–10 minutes) and gradually
increase your time or distance each week by 10–20 percent (add just a few minutes or blocks). If it’s easier on your joints and your schedule to take a couple of shorter walks (10–20 minutes) instead of one long walk (30–40 minutes) each day, do it!
• Focus on posture. Keep your head lifted, tummy pulled in and shoulders relaxed. Swing your arms naturally. Avoid carrying hand weights; they put excessive stress on the elbows and shoulders. Don’t overstride. Select a comfortable, natural step length. If you want to move faster, pull your back leg through more quickly.
• Breathe deeply. If you can’t talk or catch your breath while walking, slow down. Speed isn’t important at first — just establish the walking habit.
Get Ready!
It’s simple to start a walking program!
All you need are comfortable clothes and supportive shoes.
Layer loose clothing, keeping in mind that brisk exercise elevates the body’s temperature.
Shoes specifically
designed for walking or running are best.
Make sure you have a little wiggle room (½") between your longest
toe and the end of your shoe.
Avoid cotton socks since they retain moisture and can promote blisters.
Technique
• Begin with short distances. Start with a stroll that feels comfortable (perhaps 5–10 minutes) and gradually
increase your time or distance each week by 10–20 percent (add just a few minutes or blocks). If it’s easier on your joints and your schedule to take a couple of shorter walks (10–20 minutes) instead of one long walk (30–40 minutes) each day, do it!
• Focus on posture. Keep your head lifted, tummy pulled in and shoulders relaxed. Swing your arms naturally. Avoid carrying hand weights; they put excessive stress on the elbows and shoulders. Don’t overstride. Select a comfortable, natural step length. If you want to move faster, pull your back leg through more quickly.
• Breathe deeply. If you can’t talk or catch your breath while walking, slow down. Speed isn’t important at first — just establish the walking habit.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution
I commented on Facebook that I should blog about this and so I shall. LOL! I really liked the show, but it is sad. Sad in the fact that it shows how little today's kids know about food and where it comes from, sad that the schools feed such crap--I thought it was bad when I was in school! And sad that parents have no clue what kids are eating. First graders did not know what tomatoes were, or that fries came from potatoes! You can look the show up on YouTube. When I was a kid I had to weed and pick vegetables so I knew what a tomato looked like! And these were NOT city kids! They lived in Huntington WVa! You'd think that parents and grandparents would have gardens there!
As for my personal journey. I have been neglecting my workouts and even good food choices lately. I have been making chocolate bunnies for David to sell and even though I have not eaten much chocolate myself....I have also not been cooking good meals! We also spent every night at the church at the drama they were putting on. It was excellent! And if "Eternity" comes to a place in your town you MUST see it!
Bt today I DID swim for an hour. Wore me out! And tomorrow we are headed to my Dad's for Easter. This will be a challenge too. I am waiting for his remarks on my weight..which is sad. I should not let his perspective of my weight and health rule my emotions. My nephew Brandon and his wife Shannon are moving into their first home too so I can get a workout that way. :-)
Everyone have a Joyous Easter!
Monday, March 22, 2010
More ERRRGGHH! LOL!
Ok, another week and it started off great! I did have problems sleeping last night but finally got rest ..I think. LOL! So did some cleaning and sorting and then went swimming for an hour. It was pretty nice to get in the water and glide my body along and stretch my limbs! Came back home and had a turkey sandwich on whole wheat pita and some lettuce (Spring mix no Iceburg!) Anyways, called about the Flaxseed Oil liquid I bought yesterday from Sundown Naturals. I had opened it and it had a fishy smell...not good! From everything I had read online--Flaxseed Oil+ Fishy smell= rancid flaxseed. So I called the company instead of Meijers where I bought it. The girl insisted I leave the cap off the bottle to 'air it out" and that the fishy smell was quite normal. When I tried to tell her "No, it is not" she kept talking over me, until finally I said 'WILL YOU JUST LET ME FINISH WHAT I AM SAYING????!!" And she said well of course Ma'am. And when I started to say something again--she cut me off so I asked to speak to someone else and she said hold on...I waited and waited and then it cut me off. So now I am really steamed! LOL! I e-mailed corporate to complain. So then I decided I would call Meijers. Quite a different response! In fact the manager I spoke to said she takes Flaxseed Oil and NO--it is not supposed to smell like that! Bring in the bottle and receipt and we will refund your money. Shoulda called them in the first place! :-) A half hour later my doctor's office calls again (see Friday's post!) Same girl..this time she has details. OK--so here are my numbers:
Total cholesterol : 181
LDL:99
HDL: 51
Triglycerides: 153
A1C 6.2
Now the conversation continues: Doc has a note here that she wants to take you off the Pravastatin and put you on Lipitor. Me: That is not acceptable! In fact I insist on not going on Lipitor! I will make an appointment to come in and talk this over with her. So that is what I did. I started to tell the nurse how I have been taking fish oil capsules and that I read recently where it can "appear" to raise your LDL. But decided I would just talk it over with the doc instead. :-) Here is a link on what I found:
http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/c/7986/16181/fish-oil-raise/
I also took Deb's advice and "Asked Dr. Oz" so I hope he answers me! I try so hard to get healthy and it seems I get kicked back down somedays! But if you look...these were my numbers from last August:
Total: 171
LDL 85
HDL: 47
Trig: 194
A1C: 5.8
So, looking at this and comparing last week's...total is up yes, LDL is up, yes, HDL is up YAY! You WANT that! (fish oil does do that) and Triglycerides are DOWN YAYYYY!! again! So she didn't comment on that! what's up with that??? A1C is up too but I have been through the Holidays and Winter too so I kinda expected that to happen. I will discuss all this with her when I see her in April. I gave myself time to research more and print off things for her to read! There is also the weight loss to mention! She is generally good about listening to what I have to say so I am confident it will go well. But any and all prayers will be appreciated!
VB
Total cholesterol : 181
LDL:99
HDL: 51
Triglycerides: 153
A1C 6.2
Now the conversation continues: Doc has a note here that she wants to take you off the Pravastatin and put you on Lipitor. Me: That is not acceptable! In fact I insist on not going on Lipitor! I will make an appointment to come in and talk this over with her. So that is what I did. I started to tell the nurse how I have been taking fish oil capsules and that I read recently where it can "appear" to raise your LDL. But decided I would just talk it over with the doc instead. :-) Here is a link on what I found:
http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/c/7986/16181/fish-oil-raise/
I also took Deb's advice and "Asked Dr. Oz" so I hope he answers me! I try so hard to get healthy and it seems I get kicked back down somedays! But if you look...these were my numbers from last August:
Total: 171
LDL 85
HDL: 47
Trig: 194
A1C: 5.8
So, looking at this and comparing last week's...total is up yes, LDL is up, yes, HDL is up YAY! You WANT that! (fish oil does do that) and Triglycerides are DOWN YAYYYY!! again! So she didn't comment on that! what's up with that??? A1C is up too but I have been through the Holidays and Winter too so I kinda expected that to happen. I will discuss all this with her when I see her in April. I gave myself time to research more and print off things for her to read! There is also the weight loss to mention! She is generally good about listening to what I have to say so I am confident it will go well. But any and all prayers will be appreciated!
VB
Friday, March 19, 2010
ERRRRGGGHHH!!!
OK! Most of you know I have had pain in my feet--mostly at the base of the toes, for quite awhile now--years! So finally I had the doc look into it further then just telling me to get different shoes! Had them x-rayed today and the doc assistant called later in the day to say they were "normal". OK--so what IS the pain from then? My guess..and doc did mention it..is some kind of bundled nerves. OK--so now I will probably see a specialist. The ERRRGGHHH is really about this though: She says to me, "Your cholesterol is high" I said, what is it? "Ummm, she didn't say, let me check...oh---it's 181. She wants you below 180" (I actually WAS the last time it was checked!) Me: what was my HDL, LDL and Triglycerides? Nurse: She didn't say, I don't know. Me: Well, I'll call on Monday or stop by and get a print out of all my bloodwork and tests. Nurse: Your glucose is holding ok. Me: what was my A1C?? Nurse: Ummmmm, hang on.......OH! A1C was 6.2. :-/ Got the picture now? LOL! I LIKE to know my numbers thank you! Oh--the kicker: "Dr. Frazer wants to know if you have been taking your Statins every day!" HUH? YES!!!!! OK--My eating has not been the greatest. I have not been eating oatmeal everyday like I did the last time, and I have had eggs..although sticking mostly to whites only. Taking fish oil...and here lays my thought---one other time when I took fish oil my numbers were higher. I stopped taking them for like 3 months cause we ran out and next test was lower. I start taking them again and numbers go up again! Maybe I will do what my MIL does...when she knows she is due for a Lipids test she cuts out the eggs and butters (yeah right LOL, but that's another rant) for 2-3 weeks. To me this is cheating LOL! Well, maybe not. BUT--it is nuts if you ask me! So for the next 4 months before the next bloodwork is due I will have to trim the menu a bit more....and maybe cut out the fish oil capsules! Hope everyone is having a better Friday!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Dr. Oz's Health Pledge
Today I watch the Oz and he had a health pledge you can print off his webpage and sign...I challenge all of you to make this pledge as well! Here is mine:
My Health is important to me and my family. That's why I, Valerie Brenneman, am making a commitment to take control of my health.
Because I'm responsible for my own health, I pledge to:
Make healthy food choices
Walk 10,000 steps every day.
signed: Valerie Brenneman date: March 16, 2010
I have a printed version but this is my online one. :-)
Today I weighed in at 237--yay! This is helping my mood alot. I went to visit a friend today also who is recovering from foot surgery. She is doing better and hopefully soon we can do some walking together. I'm sure it won't be very fast!
A reminder--go to Komen Columbus website and sign up under 'First SW Walkers & Friends" for the May 15th Race for the Cure!
I also heard great news that someone will be starting Praise Moves class at our church! Some of you already know I went to a class at another church for awhile and loved it! Finances made me stop.
My Health is important to me and my family. That's why I, Valerie Brenneman, am making a commitment to take control of my health.
Because I'm responsible for my own health, I pledge to:
Make healthy food choices
Walk 10,000 steps every day.
signed: Valerie Brenneman date: March 16, 2010
I have a printed version but this is my online one. :-)
Today I weighed in at 237--yay! This is helping my mood alot. I went to visit a friend today also who is recovering from foot surgery. She is doing better and hopefully soon we can do some walking together. I'm sure it won't be very fast!
A reminder--go to Komen Columbus website and sign up under 'First SW Walkers & Friends" for the May 15th Race for the Cure!
I also heard great news that someone will be starting Praise Moves class at our church! Some of you already know I went to a class at another church for awhile and loved it! Finances made me stop.
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