tuesday chit-chat :)

heeeeeeeeeeey :)



how ya'll doin?? gosh, i cant believe i havent written in a few weeks! the time has gone fast--a lot has happened around here in that short bit of time. its been a crazy busy summer so far, and its not letting up anytime soon. i really cant complain, tho...being busy is much better for me right now than just lying around on my bum! hehe!



so well first, i have to say that things are goin perty durned good on the food and exercise front here. in fact, i have broken a few of my own records!! normally a good food or exercise habit for me absolutely never lasts more than 2 weeks, and if it even gets to 2 weeks that's a miracle.



BUT...*DRUMROLL* i have been going to yoga for almost 2 months now! YAY! AND...i am on my 3rd week of pretty good eating!! (not perfect, but pretty good! and hey, that's pretty good! LOL! ) my "The World's Healthiest Foods" book and website are providing a lot of motivation for me and showing me how easy it is to prepare healthier meals.



yeah, some days are hard, and i have a lonnnnggg way to go, but i am feeling super good about it! we have done sooo much traveling lately, and i've been trying to take fruit and nuts for snacks, and choose better at fast food places. just yesterday at wendy's i got their black forest ham frescatta, a side caesar salad and small frosty. its not perfect, but its much better than the baconator, fries and pop!! baby steps!!



ive also been reading the book "What Your Doctor May NOT Tell You About Premenopause: Balancing Your Hormones and Your Life from Thirty to Fifty" by John R. Lee, MD. my naturopath had recommended it to me, so i snagged a used copy for a few bucks off amazon. and it has been very eye-opening!



much like the book i had read about healing endometriosis thru nutrition, this book has helped me to better understand how my body works and how the choices i have made to better my health are really going to benefit me. it's also reminded me that it TAKES TIME...that i wont see immediate changes...and even tho i know this, the reminder is good cause dang, some days just suck and are tough to get thru (as you may see from some of my more recent posts LOL).



the author is also a big advocate of natural progesterone cream, which i have been using (Arbonne Phyto Prolief, green label, to be exact!), and there is a lot of information in the book about it. it has helped ease some of my concerns about using it and has actually encouraged and comforted me in many ways!



obviously im not in premenopause yet, but this book is PERFECT for any woman in her 30s, 40s, or 50s who has not yet gone thru menopause. you may find by reading this book that some of the changes/weird symptoms you are experiencing are hormonal, and there are drug-free and inexpensive ways to balance it all out. i highly recommend reading it!!! heck, even the men who are with these women could read it and it may help you understand what we girls go thru :D hehe!



okay so enuff girly stuff!



i went to my uncle's funeral yesterday. he was 60.



im not sure if i had mentioned it before, but he struggled with lung cancer for the 3rd time in a decade. he was such a neat person, leaving behind a wife in her 50s and two sons in their 30s, and a few grandkids. i am convinced had he stopped smoking after his first bout with cancer that he'd still be here today.



it makes me so sad, and angers me, too, that people are so selfish that they cant make choices in their lives so they stay around longer for their families. i myself do not smoke, have never even tried a cigarette. sometimes i find myself really mad at my parents and my sister for not being able to kick the habit themselves.



but lately i have realized that i have to stop and think about my attitude toward them--even tho smoking is obviously horrible for your health (and unfortunately those around you), many other habits debilitate us as well--like my own issues with food!



we all have our vices, the things that contribute to our ill-health, and eating junk food is no better than smoking cigarettes in the long run if you look at it from a broad perspective. i need to stop judging them and being so critical and look at my own choices as far as my health goes.



they arent going to change until they are ready--i was at that point in other areas of my life not too long ago myself until my health issues convinced me otherwise. but still, its a choice every day.



one hope i have is that one day soon i can be a better example for my family, that they might see how beneficial it will be to choose a more gentle, healthier lifestyle that includes quitting smoking, eating less fast food and getting a little more active.


maybe that's selfish of me...because i want them to stick around longer...but i also dont want to see them suffer thru cancer like my uncle did. my aunt was there for him almost 24/7 for the last several months and i cant imagine the toll its taken on her. he was in so much pain for so long, and no one deserves to die like that. now my aunt is a widow, only in her 50's.



one of my grandmas and aunts died of lung cancer as well, so it just drives me that much more to want to avoid cancer altogether!! i just love my family so much and want them to live good quality lives, not short, painful ones. (one piece of good news, tho...my dad hasnt had a cigarette for over a week now...i am so happy for him...even tho he is super grumpy he is toughing it out!!)



welllllllp, i guess i should go for now!! i have a lot on my mind today, but overall things are good :) i will check back in soon!



enjoy the day!



~jos~