Tornado Anniversary

 

 

Almost 30 years ago today my family farm was destroyed by a massive tornado.  Several barns, a farmhouse, once towering trees, many precious animals all perished. 

 

My parents survived.  The 2 farm dogs, knowing what was to come, herded my mother into the pantry.  The pantry that was without windows.  They herded her in moments before the big crash when the 'eye' of the storm smashed into the farm. 

 

 

She heard only the crash which seemed to go on forever.  Minutes later when it was all over, she came out into the kitchen which was now without doors, windows and a partial roof. 

 

My father had been in one of the barns and when my mother found him, he was mangled as someone in a massive car wreck.

 

 

He survived although almost didn't make it through the night.  A number of operations later and a several week stay in the hospital, he returned to the farm & began a slow process back to health. 

 

 

Throughout the years, they slowly rebuilt the farm. 

 

 

As I write this, I still feel the pain of it all.  The trauma that people go through in times like this, the loss & the pain is insurmountable. 

 

 

Many people the day after the tornado came to help.  They brought construction equipment & food.  They came to help clean.  They came to offer condolences.  Some, unfortunately, came to rob us.  Some stole farm tools.  A few men approached us to purchase the farm at 20 cents on the dollar. 

 

I also remember the smell.  No one talks about the smell after a devastation like this.  It had a screaming, ammonia smell.  A bad smell. 

 

Today no matter where I am if I see dark clouds & feel heavy winds, I panic & run to shelter.   Some of my other family members have said the same.

 

To the Oklahoma people & everyone else that has gone through this, I "feel" for you.  It's a trying time.  It's also a time when you will need others to help.  Be open to it.  I know my family found it difficult to receive the help.

 

I said it at the time and now again I want to thank anyone who came that day to help clean & offer support.  I believe I went into shock and I have only certain experiences that I recall.  So much of it is still a haze.  But I know you were there and I thank you!    

Bowels & The Lymphatic System

Smoothies and now bowels & lymphatics??  Yes, they do all go hand in hand. 

In my post about sweating, I spoke a great deal about the lymphatic system.  It runs through your whole body and runs along side your circulatory system.  The lymphatic systems has within it a gooey substance called lymph and it is the carrier fluid that transports the toxins & other unwanted, unnecessary substances.  It takes out the garbage from your body.  To be healthy, you need a clean, well functioning lymphatic system.

What I didn't mention in my sweating post is that a large portion of your lymphatic system is centred at your bowels where your digestive system is.  So if you are not releasing out of your body those substances that are now harmful to you, you will impair your lymphatic system. 

The lymphatic system, by the way, IS YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM as well.  Yes, your immune system.  You know what that means.  When your immune system shuts down, you are dying. 

Now about smoothies.  You need to clear out your lymphatic system that is interconnected with your digestive system.  In order to do that, you need to go through a several day or several week detox and smoothies are part of that.

Smoothies act as both a scrub, a cleaner of your bowels as a way of reintroducing friendly bacteria.  Because it is a liquid, you also give your digestive system a break.  Your digestive system does not require as much energy to process the ingredients from the smoothie.  This allows your body and digestive system to use that energy to heal itself if it is sluggish & intoxicated.

Making Smoothies At Work

 

You can make a smoothie at home in the morning, drink it on the way to work & feel energized all morning.

 

 

But what if you also want to make smoothies at work.

 

This is what you do.  Do you have an office kitchen & office fridge?  If you do, you're in luck.  Store your smoothie ingredients in a air tight container in the fridge. 

 

If your office kitchen is a sufficient distance from the staff, you may also bring in a blender so you can blend your ingredients.  Clean up the blender, store away the remaining ingredients and enjoy your lunch smoothie. 

 

I've done this many times.  The extra time I had freed me up to go for a long walk at lunch or spend time running errands.

Preparing A Smoothie For Work

Making smoothies takes preparation but the fuss is worth it. 

 

I like to drink them in the morning on my way to work.  I don't like being rushed in the morning so I make sure I prepare well in advance so I can make the best drinks possible for both my health & for the taste. 

 

 

Many of the smoothie recipes have purely vegetables, fruits & water.

 

Another way to make smoothies is by incorporating the following ingredients.  Great taste, gives you lots of energy and you'll lose weight over time.  The ingredients are:

 

1.     Water

2.     Yogurt

3.     Banana

4.     Pysillium Husk

 

 

The first  key ingredient is water.  Make sure you have pure, clean, non-chlorine water available.  I drink distilled or filtered water.  Both are inexpensive and have a good taste.

 

The second ingredient is yogurt.  You can have fat, little fat or no fat.  Your choice.  Yogurt is excellent for providing 'friendly bacteria' into your digestive system.  The older a person is, the fewer friendly bacteria are produced by your body.  These bacteria are necessary to help your body break down the food you ingest so your body can absorb the nutrients you need and release the rest.

 

 

The third ingredient is banana.  Take either a whole banana or a 1/2 banana.  Bananas offer both the sweet flavour and very importantly, they add a thickness to the base of the smoothie.  Without it, I often find the drinks are too watery regardless of what other fruits or vegetables I put in.

 

 

The final base ingredient is a thickener like psyllium husk.  You can find this in health food stores.  For about a 16 oz bag, expect to pay about $10.  This will last months.

 

This ingredient has the texture of a grain.  You'll need about 1 tablespoon.  Add it to the smoothie mixture.  It thickens the drink but most importantly, it acts as a scrub throughout your intestines, cleaning them and releases other unwanted & trapped substances. 

 

 

These are the main ingredients for any smoothie.  Then you add all the other fruits, vegetables, spices, whatever your recipe calls for.  You'll find that you'll have favourites and will develop your own smoothie recipes over time.  You may also want to add a protein powder to give you extra energy.  If you have a hectic day at work, extra protein will serve you well.

 

 

As I began to say earlier, I prepare myself by making sure I have all the base ingredients on hand in my fridge at all times.  I shop once or twice a week to get these ingredients.  Then every evening I prepare what I need for the next day like chopping the fruits or vegetables.

 

 

In the morning, I mix everything in a minute, blend it for 10 seconds or so.  I'm out the door quickly and I drink it on my way to work.  Easy, simple, fun, healthy, nourishing!  Every morning I'll do this and it's great.  The result is lots of energy throughout the morning. 

Detox Drink

Here's another smoothie you'll enjoy.  I refer to it as a detox drink.  It purifies & cleanses you.  Complement with 8 glasses of purified water everyday. 

1 Lemon                       

1 Orange                     

1 tablespoon Maple syrup  

2 tablespoons Olive oil    

1/2 inch, chopped Ginger root     

1 clove, chopped Garlic      

1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon, ground Cloves

1/4 teaspoon, chopped Parsley    

Makes enough to drink for whole day.

Peel lemon, cut into chunks.  Put rest of ingredients into blender w lemon & orange.  Blend for 10 minutes.  Mixture s/b thick.  Dilute mixture w water to make 1 quart.  Store in fridge.

This drink is thick, nourishing, filled w vitamins but not a meal replacement.  Drink one glass every 2 hours.  Spend the day quietly. 

Smoothies, A Great Way To Lose Weight

 

 

1 ½ cups Lettuce

2 cups Water

1 Pear

1 Apple

1 Zucchini (small)

2 tbsp Lucuma

Chop lettuce, mix with water.  Cut pear, apple, zucchini into pieces.  Add to water mix.  Blend again.  Add lucuma & dilute with water for desired consistency.

What’s lucuma?  Can be found in a natural health store in the food section.  It’s delicious.  It is a superfood containing high levels of Vitamin B3 & iron.  Iron's very needed for women but also for men. 

Lucuma has a creamy, caramel taste.  Try it!   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Sweating - A Great Way To Stay In Shape

 

 

In my previous post, I noted a lengthy list of why people get and stay fat.  It's a long, comprehensive list and volumes of books are written about each of the points. 

 

Some points are also debatable.  I put them in because to me they make sense and while research has not fully confirmed these points, I have noticed in my practice that the points have value.  The points I'm specifically speaking about are the GMO foods and the excito toxins, like Aspartame, MSG.

 

One area of agreement among most health care professionals is that a person should exercise to stay healthy.  And when exercising, in my opinion, the most important outcome is to SWEAT.

 

Sweating is a great way to stay in shape.  Yes, sweating.  When you sweat you release what your body doesn't want or need. 

 

Let me step back a minute.  Before you sweat, you eat, you drink.  Your body takes the nutrients from your food & beverages and wants, in fact, needs to dispel the rest of it. 

 

Your body will usher the unwanted substances through your lymphatic system.  The lymphatic system, a body system we don't often speak about, is a sister and complementary system to your circulatory system. 

 

It's main job is to take the unwanted substances that your body has ingested and throw them back out.  It processes your body's garbage.

 

One way to do this is through sweating.  We sweat when we exert ourselves.  When we walk briskly or run or lift weights.  

 

If we don't sweat out the unwanted substances, they stay in our body & fester.  They begin to clump up with other unwanted substances creating blockages.  The blockages slow down or even stop our circulation.

 

When this occurs, our body organs, blood, bones are less equipped to do their job.  They then may fall ill. 

 

So as you can see, it's good to sweat.

 

Be mindful that you must monitor the level of exertion you undertake so as to not hurt yourself.  Everyone is different and has a different level of health. 

 

Best to speak to your physician or health care professional before being a exercise routine whereby you'll sweat a great deal.

 

Another important cautionary mention is that you should NOT and I emphasize, SHOULD NOT, sweat too much.

 

If you do, you may imbalance yourself, become dizzy and ill.  Over time your muscles will diminish as well. 

 

When you exercise, walk briskly or run, always drink more water than what you normally drink.

 

To have a healthy, well functioning body, you should drink about 8 glasses of purified, non-chlorinated water everyday.  I don't believe herbal non-caffeinated teas can substitute for water.  Or waters with fruit flavouring.  Pure, clear water. 

 

 

When you exercise, add in an additional 1 to 2 glasses of water specifically after your exercise regimen. 

 

 

What you'll likely find over several weeks of drinking lots of water and habitually sweating everyday - what you'll find is that your body will crave both.  When you miss a day or two or a week of this, your body will tell you.

 

 

How?  You'll feel sleepy when you shouldn't like in the afternoon.  You'll want more sleep than normal.  You'll feel fatigued even when you've had lots of sleep.  You'll feel moodier.  You'll feel heavier, denser, not light like a feather as you do when your body is constantly renewing itself by the simple act of sweating.

 

So try it!  Go out & sweat!  It's Spring & this is the time of renewal. 

Why Do We Gain Weight?

1. Genetics.
2. Clogged liver – Caused by prescription/non-prescription drugs, trans fats, Candida, hydrogenated oils. 
3. Candida yeast overgrowth – usually caused when good bacteria is low supply in intestines.  Candida clogs colon/large intestine which makes metabolism slow, creates gas, large stomach/bloating, food cravings for white foods.  Over time Candida turns into a fungus & spreads through whole body.   
4. Clogged colon – one should have 3 bowel movements a day.   
5. Lack of enzymes – processed foods (cans, jars) is pasteurized/heated over 180 degrees/30+ minutes killing all enzymes in food.  Commercially grown fruits/vegetables are soaked in chlorinated water and given irradiation – also killing enzymes. 
6. Underactive thyroid – results in underactive thyroid. 
7. Inefficient Pancreas – insulin tolerance imbalance. 
8. Hormonal imbalance – hormones regulate metabolism.   
9. Artificial sweeteners – all man made sweeteners lower metabolism i.e aspartame, nutrasweet, splenda. 
10. MSG – excitotoxin.  Man made chemical.  Listed on food labels as ‘spices’, ‘flavours’.  Does not always have to be listed. 
11. Lack of water – a person doesn’t always know if they are dehydrated.   
12. Diet & carbonated drinks – block calcium absorption and nutritional deficiencies. 
13. Lack of sleep – leads to obesity if one gets less than 7 hours a night. 
14. Cold water drinks – slows metabolism. 
15. Lack of sun – sun stimulates metabolism.  Alleviates stress & depression. 
16. Nutritional deficiencies – body needs proper nutrition to have normal metabolism.  Most common deficiencies are calcium, zinc, magnesium, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, amino acids, cofactors, CLA, chromium. 
17. Heavy metal toxicity – most people have lots of metal in them clogging liver, colon and affects circulation. 
18. Poor circulation – caused by trans fats, chlorine in water, nutritional deficiencies, lack of walking and exercise. 
19. Lack of oxygen – most people have lower oxygen levels in their blood & cells than they need.  Caused by poor breathing, lack of exercise, poor nutrition. 
20. Allergies – caused by Candida overgrowth, clogged liver/colon, poor circulation and parasites.
21. Parasites – all overweight people have parasites.  Candida, clogged liver/colon are main causes. 
22. Yoyo dieting – every time a person goes on a diet, loses weight, they reset their body’s thermostat and internal body weight set point.  Metabolism is also lowered. 
23. Lack of sweating – lack of sweating leads to clogged lymphatic system and poor metabolism. 
24. Low muscle mass – body needs normal amount of muscle or metabolism will be low.  Increasing muscle mass leads to higher metabolism. Air conditioning – lowers metabolism. 
25. Breakfast – skipping breakfast lowers metabolism. 
26. EMS – electromagnetic frequencies are generated from wireless devices – phones, laptops; TV’s and computer screens.  They have an adverse effect on every cell in the body also lowering metabolism. 
27. Eating before bed – eating especially white food before bed lowers metabolism. 
28. GMO food – North American has mostly if not all been genetically modified.  This is guaranteed to make a person fat. 
29. Food additives – foods today have strong amounts of herbicides, pesticides, chemical fertilizers, antibiotics and over 15k man made chemicals.  Guaranteed to make a person fat. 
30. Lack of walking – body is designed to walk.  Lack of physical movement results in low metabolism.