Tag Archives: Health

Food Is Fuel and Medicine

This man inspires me.

He is extrodinary.

He lives life with passion and determination to overcome.

Check out this short video, you will be inspired too, by this man’s passion to live life to the fullest no matter his physical and mental challenges.

He also eats whole food nutrition to help fuel his body for athletic competition that seems impossible for a person to do, and completely crazy for a man in his condition to do.

I believe that you never know what you are capable of doing until you give it your best, do it with passion, use wisdom that comes from the Lord, and never give up.

Truly inspiring!

3 John 1:2 “dear friend, and I pray that all goes well for you. I hope that you are as strong in body, as I know you are in spirit.”

I am so happy that I listened to wisdom and became a part of this movement towards better health too.  I want to live extrodinary.   I have lived with determination to overcome great obstacles, and I have lived with passion, doing my best at everything I put my energy into while sharing and caring for others needs, but I also want to live with wisdom and purpose.

You can do this too!  You can over come health challenges and live an extrodinary life.  No matter how big or small, with whole food nutrition to fuel your body and help it recover, there is you can push the limits of what you think you can do and you can overcome.

God created our bodies, an engineering marvel, that science and pharmacuticals can not duplicate or fix.    Pharmacuticals can only mask the symptoms, but it doesn’t fix the problem. Who can fix our bodies then?  If science can’t do it, and doctors with meds can’t do it, who can help us heal? God can.  How?  He created the perfect fuel (whole food) to energize our body, and the perfect medicine (whole food (fruits, leaves, spices, seeds, honey, etc) and oils (olive oil, and fragrant essential oils) to heal it, as well as prayer, praise, faith, joy, forgiveness, and acceptance of the cuts and bruises Jesus suffered for our healing.  He desires for us to live in health and has made a way for us to do so.

Gods ways are not man’s ways. Science is only beginning to look at whole food’s ability to heal and they are finding is that whole foods contain micro-nutrients that are stronger and more effective than any pharmacutical.  No kidding!  And not only that, to work effectively the micro nutrients need the other micro nutrients in that plant to do the job.  So you can’t just remove vitamin C for example, and have it work as effectively in large quantities, as it can in smaller quantities if left in tact with it’s other nutrient co-factors in that food.  Things like blueberries, lemons, apples, pomagrannats, turmeric, raw honey, raw milk, grapes, clove oil, garlic,  frankensense oil, rosemary oil, cilantro, oregano oil, etc, are more bio available and stronger than any chemo drug or antibiotic that man has created. Why don’t doctors, hospitals, dieticians, pharmacuticals, etc tell you about this?  Because they can not patten and make money from selling you God’s creation, nature, natural, organic, symbiotic.  Pharmacutical companies can only make their billions from man’s creations, synthisized  nutrients and pharmacuticals that they can take credit for and prevent others from copying. Who knows your body better? Of course your creator, the guy who built it, the architect, the engineer, He knows best how to take care of it.

Listen to what God says about healing:
Revelation 22:2 “… On each side of the river are trees that grow a different kind of fruit each month of the year. The fruit gives life, and the leaves are used as medicine to heal the nations.”
AND
Ezekiel 47:12 “Fruit trees will grow all along this river and produce fresh fruit every month. The leaves will never dry out, because they will always have water from the stream that flows from the temple, and they will be used for healing people.”
AND
Psalm 104:15 “wine to cheer us up, olive oil for our skin, and grain for our health.”
AND
Psalm 107:20 “By the power of his own word, he healed you and saved you from destruction.”
AND
1 Peter 2:24 “Christ carried the burden of our sins. He was nailed to the cross, so that we would stop sinning and start living right. By his cuts and bruises you are healed.”
AND
Mark 5:34  Jesus said to the woman, “You are now well because of your faith. May God give you peace! You are healed, and you will no longer be in pain.”
AND
Malachi 4:2 “But for you that honor my name, victory will shine like the sun with healing in its rays, and you will jump around like calves at play.”

I believe that if a person follows God’s plan for health, no matter what health challenges / crisis may arise in their life, they can recover from injuries and illness, overcome chronic disease and debilitaion, and be the best that they can be no matter how old they are.  Acknowledging God’s authority in our life, and reverencing him, honoring him, and obeying him is truly wise and will lead us all to better health and wellness.

Be blessed!

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World Naked Gardening Day

Are you saving some time to work in your birthday suit in the garden today? Ok, ok, I really don’t want to know!  Feel free to keep it between yourself and the neighbors if you choose to join in.  The point is there are some health benefits (as well as a few potential risks) to celebrating this strange world wide holiday.

I need to locate the shovel…and a loin cloth…and get outside…look out world…my garden is getting a bare naked makeover!

On second thought…I don’t own a loin cloth.

Garden Naked Holiday

Did you know the first Saturday in May is WORLD Naked Gardening Day?

I sure didn’t.

Did you know that “gardening naked has its risks”? I hadn’t thought of that either.

Looks like there will be a whole lot of people across the world in their birthday suits planting their gardens today.

Better get out the all natural sunscreen, your going to need a lot of it!

You can check it out for yourself, and feel free to celebrate it in your own back yard,  READ THE FULL STORY and see for yourself, this holiday is happening today.

 

Real news and too funny!!!

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Week 14 Update: Yes We Can!

Update! It’s week 14 and I have lost a total of 21 lbs so far! If I can do this anyone can!

Weight loss as of April 18 2015

I have always been a healthy eater, and live an active live, but I still gained weight over the years.  I have always been interested in natural health and nutrition too.  But it took me time to understand how my body responds to various foods and nutritional supplements.

Life has a way of getting in the way (moving, pregnancy, raising kids, coop, relationships, jobs, etc).  Many times I had to put my desire to work on myself on the back burner to focus on daily life.

But I was shooting myself in the foot so to speak because when I had a health crisis, I found it really hard to get back on my feet.  It took too long to recover and I knew something was missing, but I wasn’t sure what it was.

I began to make my health a real priority in January. I just told myself it has to be now. I can’t wait any longer.

I am really glad I did because in addition to the weight loss, my skin is healthier, I have more energy, my immune system is stronger, and I lost 4 inches around my waist.  I have achieved a monumental goal already this year, and I feel healthier than I have in a long time.

I will keep going in my journey to better health. My body is healing. There is balance.  This method uses plants that God created, and it is natural and nourishing.  It works with my body the way it was designed by my creator.

I am going to continue on this journey to better health, and I want to take you with me.  I want to help my family, friends and extended family achieve their goals and live a healthier, stronger, vibrant life.

Will you join me on this journey?  We CAN do this!

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Keep Trying!

I fail.

I try,

and try,

and keep trying.

Sometimes I succeed.

I have a lot of dreams.

I have made a lot of mistakes.

I have a lot of hope for the future.

One of my biggest struggles is my health.  One of my biggest accomplishments is also my health.  I am 45 years old, and I am trying to get healthy after challenging health issues of infertility, thyroid issues, adrenal fatigue, 9 pregnancies between ages 30 to 45, surgery, anemia, weight gain, allergies, and auto-immune issues.   WHEW!  It has been a challenge!  Learning about my body, and what works and doesn’t work for me has been a lifelong journey.

It’s not easy.

For a long time, I kept falling further behind.   Even though I tried, I wasn’t going forward to reach a better level of health.  But there are successes and I do go forward, even if I also take a step back or sideways from time to time.  I will get there, I will reach my goals.

Sometimes I don’t even know where to begin.

So I pray.

What else can I do?

God has the answers and solutions to my situation.

He has the answers for yours too.

I’m on a journey.

I am getting better.

I am healing.

I am working toward a healthier me.

I keep trying.

I saw this video today. I was inspired to go further as I watched these two women encourage each other to keep trying.

I hope you will keep trying too!

 

“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”                                                   3 John 1:2

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Digital Science Online Review

We are enjoying our subscription to Digital Science Online by Visual Learning Systems.

Visual Learning Systems

Digital Science Online

We received a one year subscription to Digital Science Online: Elementary Edition (Grades K-5) and Digital Science Online: Secondary Edition (Grades 6-12) .  Each edition retails for $99 a year, and can be used by up to 8 students in the same home.  It can be accessed 24/7.  These programs can also be licensed for classroom use (price determined by classroom size), see the web site for more information.

Digital Science

Digital Science Online: Elementary Edition (Grades K-5)

We chose to focus on the Digital Science Online: Elementary Edition (Grades K-5) for the purpose of this review. My children really enjoyed learning a variety of science topics with this program.  The Elementary Edition includes two levels of learning: Primary K-2 (Physical Science, Earth Science, Life Science, Health) and Elementary 3-5 (Physical Science, Earth Science, Life Science).  Units / Topics covered in each level are listed below.

Digital Science Online is divided into 5 easy to use parts in each edition: Video, Animations, Images, Student Content (Printable Activities,Worksheets), Teachers Content (Lesson Plans, Video Script, Materials Needed for experiments and hands on investigations, Quiz /Worksheet/Test Answer Keys, Teachers Tips).

areas

Basically this is an easy to use guided classroom all wrapped up in one convenient online package. All you need is a computer and printer to use, and gather the supplies recommended for the hands on activities. Though older students may be able to work independently, younger students will need the parent / teacher’s help.

How We Used Digital Science Online:

We chose a few unit/topics from the Elementary Edition (Grades K-5) that we wanted to cover during the review (see list below).  You can go through the subject however best fits your needs, but we went through each topic with this plan for our lessons:

  1. Pre-video Quiz given by me (the parent/teacher) to learn what the kids already know about a science topic,

  2. Then they watched a video or video clips that reinforced the topic.

  3. Next they answered Video Review questions during the video or video clip as they are discussed.

  4. Then they took a Post-video Quiz,

  5. Next my kids completed several optional activities to explore the topic in a hands on way (observations (some observations were done outside), experiments, review the online animations and images quick guides, and complete several printable worksheets that reinforce the topic),

  6. Finally my kids took a Topic Assessment Test.

what are plants

The videos and video clips of the various topics are observed online.  You can choose the topic you want to study and watch the entire video, or select a few short video clips to watch and stop to discuss or write down answers as you come to them.

Learning about 3 types of worms from the Simple Animals unit.

Learning about 3 types of worms from the Simple Animals unit.

Some of the topics have a hands on experiments and activities to do, and some topics only have worksheets as the hands on component.  Sometimes we substituted some of the materials for an activity based on what we had on hand.  All of the worksheets are cross-curricular and promote skills in science, but also language arts, English, math, public speaking if done in groups, etc.  All of the quizzes, tests, and worksheets are downloadable printables for the student to complete.

hole punched worksheet

I printed off the worksheets, quizzes, and tests for each unit/topic we were learning about.  I used a three hole punch to put holes in the printables, and made a folder for each of my kids to put their completed worksheets in.

How to Measure Length Unit.

How to Measure Length Unit.

There is a huge list of approximately 136+ science units/topics available in both English and Spanish in the Digital Science Online: Elementary Edition (Grades K-5), and another 125+ science units/topics in the Secondary Edition (Grades 6-12), so this program can last your classroom through out their school years.   It can be used as the curriculum, or used as a supplement for other curriculum.  I have only listed the unit/topics from the Elementary Edition below.  You can choose to do them in any order you choose.  We loved the freedom of being able to move around and choose the topics we wanted to learn about.

Topics in Digital Science Online: Elementary Edition (Grades K-5)

      • Units of study: Grades K-2 collection
        activities of plants, adaptations, animal behavior, biodiversity, blood and circulation, cells, changes on earth, changing climate, chemical changes, classifying living things, complex animals, cycles in living things, day and night, describing matter, describing matter and its properties, describing problems, designing solutions, earth and you, earth’s nearest neighbors, earth’s rotation and revolution, ecology, fundamentals, electrical circuits, electricity, environmental problems and solutions, everyday simple machines, exploring desert biomes, exploring earth, sun, and moon, exploring energy, exploring energy and heat, exploring forest biomes, exploring fossils, exploring freshwater biomes, exploring grassland biomes, exploring landforms, environmental problems and solutions, everyday simple machines, explorando el sonido (exploring sound), explorando la energía y el calor (exploring energy and heat), explorando sólidos, líquidos y gases (exploring solids, liquids, and gases), exploring desert biomes, exploring earth, sun, and moon, exploring energy, exploring energy and heat, exploring forest biomes, exploring fossils, exploring freshwater biomes, exploring grassland biomes, exploring landforms, exploring marine biomes, exploring solids, liquids, and gases, exploring sound,
        exploring the building blocks of matter, fall, fascinating fossils, food and digestion, food chains, forces in fluids, forming bonds, fósiles fascinantes (fascinating fossils), gravedad (gravity), gravity, grouping living things
        hábitos saludables (healthy habits ), healthy habits, heat and energy
        helping us work, how to measure length, how to measure volume,
Using a ruler to measure worksheet.

Using a ruler to measure worksheet.

      • Units of study: Grades 3-5 collection
        ALL OF THE ABOVE PLUS:
        impacto en la tierra (impacts on earth), impacts on earth, interacciones de los seres vivos (interactions of living things), interactions of living things, investigando la herencia (investigating heredity), investigating chemical reactions, investigating earth’s natural resources, investigating heredity, investigating mixtures, solutions, elements, and compounds,  investigating water, investigations and data, invierno (winter), keeping earth healthy, landforms, language in science, life cycles, light, listening and speaking in science, los ciclos de los seres vivos (cycles in living things), magnets and electromagnetism, making observations, measuring, microscopic life, migración e hibernación (migration and hibernation), migration and hibernation, minerals,  moving muscles and bones, moving things, natural resources, needs of living things, nuestra preciosa tierra (our precious earth), nutrition,  objetos en movimiento (moving things), observando el clima (observing weather), observing weather, otoño (fall), our distant neighbors, our precious earth, particles and matter, physical changes, planetas (planets), planets, plant life cycles, plant parts, plantas (plants), plants, plants with flowers, plate tectonics in action, primavera (spring), reading in science,  reading maps, recursos naturales (natural resources), rocks, scientific method, seguridad climática (weather safety), simple animals, soil and rocks, solutions at work, spring, stars and galaxies, starting with questions, suelo y rocas (soil and rocks), summer, sun and stars, the air around us, the changing phases of matter, the nature of waves, the rock cycle, the water cycle, things in motion, traits and heredity, trees, tu cuerpo ( your body ), tu dieta ( your diet ), usando la electricidad (using electricity), using electricity, using the scientific method, using tools in science, uso del método científico ( using the scientific method), verano (summer), vibrations and waves, water, water, everywhere, weather around us, weather on the move, weather safety, weathering and erosion, weighing things, what are magnets?, what are plants?, what do living things need?, what is a bird?, what is a fish?, what is a mammal?, what is a reptile?, what is an amphibian?, what is an insect?, what is light?, what is science?, what is sound?, what is the water cycle?,  why do we measure?, winter, working with data, writing in science, your body, your diet, ¿qué es el ciclo del agua? (what is the water cycle?), ¿qué es la luz? (what is light?), ¿qué es un anfibio? (what is an amphibian?),  ¿qué es un ave? (what is a bird?), ¿qué es un insecto? (what is an insect?), ¿qué es un mamífero? (what is a mammal?), ¿qué es un pez? (what is a fish?), ¿qué es un reptil? (what is a reptile?), ¿qué necesitan los seres vivos? (what do living things need?), ¿qué son los imanes? (what are magnets?),
Build a pulley system for Simple Machine's unit.

Build a pulley system for Simple Machine’s unit.

So as you can see there are several years worth of fun learning units/topics to do, and you can do them in any order you chose.  My advice would be to put a “short list” together of the units/topics you want to cover for a school year, or semester, or even for just a month at a time, and then spend a week +/- on each topic.  Some students may want to go faster or slower, but you have the freedom to go at any pace that fits your family 24/7.

about worms

A science curriculum program like this is a real asset to families.  Whether you are a homeschool family or not, if you want to teach science to your kids or if you are looking for an after school science program to help boost your child’s knowledge, give Digital Science Online a try.

You can download a FREE sample lesson to try before you buy. Just click on each square for the sample video, animation, student content and teacher content separately.  You can also watch a tutorial for how to use the Digital Science Online resource program. This is a great way to see if you and your student will like using this program.  You can also sign up for a FREE 10 Day Trial subscription.

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Week 6 Update On The 90 Day Challenge

Well I don’t have big changes to report this week. The past two weeks feel like they flew by, and I am sure I didn’t accomplish as much as I could have. I can’t believe I am half way through the 90 Day Challenge to better my health and wellness in 2015. But thankfully I didn’t lose ground in the past two weeks in the progress I have made so far since the start of the year.

My weight has barely changed over the past two weeks and this was a little discouraging as one of my main goals in this challenge is to reach a healthier weight for my body. I lost and re-gained the same pound or two nearly every other day and I’ve definitely been at a stale mate with my weight loss goals over these two weeks. It has been frustrating going up and back down a pound on the scale and not seeing any real progress in my weight loss goals. Yes, I wish I would have lost more, but I choose to remain positive and see the little the scale did move as a good sign that I didn’t go backwards. My total weight loss as of week 6 on my 90 day get healthy challenge is 15 lbs so far! YEAH! I truly hope I can continue to achieve at least this much more or do even better with weight loss as I complete the second half of the 90 days.

Weight Loss as of February 8

I’m maintaining the healthy changes I have made since the start of the year, including positive dietary changes in my meal plans inspired by FMD (Fast Metabolism Diet) and THM (Trim Healthy Mama), I’m drinking more water, choosing nutrient dense foods including daily sources of low glycemic foods like greens and fresh vegetables, fruits, fermented foods (raw apple cider vinegar, kombucha, Kevita, etc.), coconut oil, eggs, sprouted bread, broth, lean meats, etc. I try to get the most nutrition I can from my food sources, but I also see the need for vitamins and superfood supplements too, so I try to take supplements daily to support my nutrition.

I try to remember to take my vitamins and superfood supplements each day, but some days I forget to take them. Some days I just don’t want to take them. I don’t like swallowing pills. I don’t like things getting stuck in my throat which tablets sometimes do. They have a rough edge and it bothers me if it turns the wrong way. I don’t have any problem swallowing capsules, as they are smooth, I just don’t like taking tablets. I compromise sometimes by using nutrient dense smoothies to boost nutrition. I also sometimes take half a dose of some of my vitamins and supplements, especially the tablets and also the more expensive ones. For example, if a whole dose of Spirulina is 6 tablets, I usually only take 3. Cutting back like this allows my body to use as much as it can from the whole foods I eat first, and then it hopefully gets what else it needs from the supplements and hopefully also avoids flushing the ones not used down the toilet. It also helps to stretch the dollar in the budget, because lets face it, vitamin supplements are expensive.

Daily Vitamins and Supplements

I am trying to heal Thyroid and Adrenal fatigue, and heal my reproductive organs after multiple pregnancies, in addition to supporting my daily nutritional needs while I lose weight. It is a huge task! I’m 45 years old, and I have had 9 pregnancies in 14 years since the age of 30, which resulted in 6 live births all of which I nursed, and 3 miscarriages around the 4th month of pregnancy. Though a woman’s body is designed for this amazing task of childbirth, I got started late, and my body is tired. In addition, the last birth was an emergency C-section and that has also taken its toll. I have had some trouble with my energy level in the afternoons since that surgery, and notice my lack of energy is worse if I skip my supplements. But the past few weeks, I have been extra tired, perhaps from surviving the flu last month, and also because of the ongoing lack of sunshine during this long Indiana winter. What ever the reason, the low energy level is taking its toll on me.

Modern farming practices and food manufacturing, have resulted in foods that are deficient of the right balance of nutrition the human body needs. That is why superfood supplements can be an important factor in our overall health, recovery from illness, prevention of disease, etc and bridge the gap left by nutrient deficient modern foods. I hope that by combining nutrient dense foods and superfood supplements, and eating healthy, I can achieve the healing balance my body needs. This week after talking with a knowledgable natural health guru, I decided to put Mito 2 Max and Zendocrine supplements on my wish list, a few additional essential oils on my wish list, implement using some essential oils that I have on hand to boost energy levels, and then I also changed up my supplements by increasing my Vitamin D3 and also added several of doTerra’s vitamin supplement products.

doTerra Supplements

I hope to add doTerra’s MITO2 MAX and Zendocrine as soon as I can to promote cellular health and oxygen to the cells and further support my Thyroid and Adrenal glands. There are some simple remedies I want to implement to help support the adrenal glands too. One remedy is adding lemon to drinking water, and another is rubbing basil essential oil on the skin around the area of the adrenal glands. I don’t have basil oil yet, so that is going on my wish list. Another suggestion was to diffuse specific essential oils in the house that help promote energy. Hopefully adding these changes to my routine will resolve my thyroid and adrenal fatigue in the afternoons.

My current vitamins and superfood supplements include: Water mixed with Vitamin C powder, Vitamin D3, Vitamin K2, Kelp, Spirulina, chlorophyl, acidophilus, TerraZyme (multi-enzyme blend by doTerra), Microplex VMz (multivitamin plus superfood supplement by doTerra), xEO MEGA (Omega Oils plus Essentail Oils by doTerra), 3 B’s (bee pollen, bee propolis, royal jelly), bilberry extract, red wine complex, turmeric, fiber. I have used a psylium fiber capsule at night a few times a week since starting this challenge, but plan to add a glucomonnan fiber capsule daily earlier in the day. Glucomonnan fiber has a lot of health benefits, including helping to regulate blood sugar, but it is not recommended to take it at night. Many times I forget to take my supplements until night-time, and then I can’t take this one. But I want to change that, and set a new goal to get my supplements taken in the morning.

IMG_5307

A wonderful improvement in my life over the past three months has been doTerra Essential Oils. I was blessed with an amazing kit of oils and superfood supplements, a wholesale membership, and an opportunity to learn and teach others about using essential oils by an incredibly generous person. She is a natural health expert, and so are her three sisters as well as one is a naturopathic doctor too. She has an amazing background of knowledge and has taken me under her wing to teach me. She will never know the true impact this blessing has had on my life. I used to sell essential oils in my healthy foods store for several years. During that time, I had several customers who diligently used them in their personal health care and often had me special order special ones in addition to a shelf I kept stocked all the time. Several customers also used them as a raw ingredient in their own brand of soap and lotion making that they turned around and re-sold the finished products at local markets. I occasionally used a few of the oils myself for crafts and baths, and body massage. But I did not take the time to educate myself on their many healthy uses in everyday life to keep my family healthy. I don’t know why I let that opportunity pass me by. BUT now I am studying! I am applying every opportunity I can to learn and implement using essential oils in my life. This has far-reaching effects in every area of my health and wellness.

My Essential Oil Tool Chest.  An essential oil tool chest is a "must have" in every home.

My Essential Oil Tool Chest. An essential oil tool chest is a “must have” in every home.

For example, to boost my energy level, I was encouraged to diffuse Peppermint and Wild Orange throughout the house, and also to rub it between my hands and inhale as needed. I put Wild Orange on my wish list as it is not one that I had on hand yet. So I improvised and used the oil I had on hand called Citrus Bliss in which Wild Orange is the first ingredient as well has a few other citrus fruits and vanilla. It smells so good. I combined Citrus Bliss with Peppermint every day for week six and I have been amazed at the improvement in how I feel, and how much more alert I am, but also in how my children are feeling too. They are more alert and motivated to complete their school work. I also noticed my husband seems more alert and less tired when he returns from work in the evening. He doesn’t know about the oil in the diffuser, he is just reaping the benefits. I am so grateful to have started using this as a daily remedy for the whole family. This is an amazing energizing combination!

doTerra Essential Oil

I am drinking more water, but still not enough. I find it a challenge to stay hydrated as I don’t like the taste and smell of our iron rich well water. I can unintentionally go most of the day without drinking water if I don’t constantly remind myself to drink something. I just don’t notice that I am thirsty until the end of the day. That is a very bad habit that I have tried to change during this challenge. To help with intentionally hydrating myself, I make a fancy strawberry lemonade called Good Girl Moon Shine that was inspired by the THM (Trim Healthy Mama) diet plan.

Strawberry Good Girl Moon Shine

I need to implement the GGMS everyday again as I did in the summer, but it is a cold drink and I am in a cold farmhouse house in the cold Indiana winter and sometimes I just want to drink hot mocha lattes all day instead. I was drinking a smoothie everyday, but again, I get so cold. One smoothie I love as a snack on FMD is a recipe I created called the Mango Orange Julius. OH YUM, it is soooo good! I have also been using the GREENS by It Works in my Berry Green Smoothies some times at breakfast on Phase 3 days. The It Works Greens are not exactly on plan for the FMD, because of the protein source, but it is full of amazing nutrients that really give you a boost and I like it in this smoothie. I have whey protein powder at home, but it is not approved for the FMD either, but is approved on THM. The only protein powders approved on the FMD are either egg white protein or pea protein. I created a Cinnamon Chocolate Frosty treat I can use on Phase 2 days and I can up the nutrients if I purchase an approved egg white protein powder, so that powder will go on my wish list too. There is also another drink called the Singing Canary by THM you can make at home that is very high in Vitamin C and supports the adrenal glands. I love making bulletproof coffee lattes and also occasionally a special protein shake THM style. I know I still need to drink more fluids though, and it would be a good goal for me to drink a quart each of GGMS and Singing Canary everyday (some women drink two quarts of each of these a day, as well as a special THM tea and additional water too. Their bladders must work overtime, but I can’t handle that much liquid in a day). I will try to get re-organized and make more of these drinks this week.

THE BAD NEWS

I am NOT YET getting regular exercise worked into my routine since I started the challenge. I need to establish a daily exercise routine, but I honestly lack motivation right now to do it. Is it laziness? Is it winter blah’s? Is it related to Thyroid issues? Is it due to recovering from another lost pregnancy? I don’t know! We have been in a winter lockdown here, as it is too cold to do anything out side. The kids and I have spent most of the winter finding fun ways to play inside after our school work is done. We all long to get back outside on a daily basis. The overall lack of sunshine this winter just makes me feel BLAH! I have access to a few indoor exercise videos as well as YouTube on the computer where lots of these things are posted for free too. Two years ago, I used Ttapp DVD videos that really helped me and want to start doing them again. I also went to a zumba class at the Y, but that is not really an option now, so I need to try the Ttapp and free online videos and make a plan for daily use of some physical activity. The Fast Metabolism Diet suggestions for the week include an aerobic activity during Phase 1 (Monday or Tuesday), a strength training activity during Phase 2 (Wednesday or Thursday), and a relaxing activity during Phase 3 (Friday, Saturday, or Sunday). I just need motivation to get started and energy to carry it through.

One thing NOT WORKING in my favor to help me with exercise, physical activity, and weight loss is the time I spend SITTING at the computer. And I am about to get even busier with the computer writing more product reviews again. I have been on “break” for two months from writing reviews, but the new season has begun and it’s time to start writing curriculum reviews for the 2015 Schoolhouse Review Crew year. I think this will be my fifth or maybe sixth year writing for them.

We started several new curriculum products over the past several weeks. I feel busier than ever as we have adjusted our schedule and are trying out these new items to tell our readers about in the upcoming weeks. I feel like my to do list is growing instead of getting smaller. I’m getting organized and have my calendars hanging on the board, notes, and drafts, etc. But when I evaluate why I may have lost less weight the past two weeks compared to what I was loosing before, I realize it is partly because I am adding too many other priorities to my daily routine. Suddenly it feels like my hopes to work on weight loss and a healthier me are taking a back seat to my other really important goals and responsibilities like raising my family, building my marriage, and writing reviews and working at the computer. I am thankful for the opportunity to write reviews. It is a wonderful opportunity to receive amazing curriculums to try out with my kids, but I need to find a good balance between all of my goals including: healthy physical activity, spiritual activity, family activity, friendships too, homesteading, ministry, writing, etc. to have a balanced life. Otherwise the increased time it takes to sit and write at the computer could potentially take a negative toll on my health. I really need to be diligent and not allow that to happen.

GOALS NEXT WEEK

My steps for reaching my smaller goals for the upcoming week as I continue to work on my 90 Day Challenge to better health and wellness:

-Set aside time daily to take my vitamin supplements, even though I dread swallowing pills.
-Set aside time daily to sing and praise the Lord.
-Set aside time daily to study my bible and pray.
-Set aside time daily to build relationships with my husband and kids.
-Set aside time daily to journal and update my daily planner.
-Work with the kids daily on school work.
-Continue to make healthy foods from scratch following my meal plan strategy posted before. Post pictures of foods to Instagram and or Facebook to help others on the 90 Day Challenge with meal ideas.
-Log foods consumed, vitamins and supplements, physical activities, weight changes, etc. onto My Fitness Pal account to help me reach my weight loss goals and monitor where I need to make changes.
-Continue to drink a lot of water and other fluids. Make several quarts of GGMS and a quart of Singing Canary this week.
-Start exercising according to the FMD plan with the different phases listed. My goal is to Ttapp once or twice a week (high intensity on Monday and low intensity on Friday). I would like to strength train once a week (simple repetitive lifting of items I have around the house on Wednesday). I’m not sure yet what other activities to add, but if I can do 20 to 30 minutes in these areas, this will be a good enough place to start this coming week, I just need to get motivated.
-Get to bed by 11:30pm
-BIG GOAL AND BIG CHANGE: Set aside “office hours” time each day when I can write blog stories and product reviews, and then officially close my office at a decent hour rather than stay up late and harm my health by lack of sleep. I want to get the younger kids to bed by 8:30, then write from 8:30 to 11:00. Then get my teenage son to bed (he never goes to bed before 11), get husband’s lunch ready for the following day for work. Update my to do list for the next day and have breakfast planned for the kids. Then hopefully I can get to bed by 11:30.
-Maintain Balance

I hope you have a blessed week!

What are you doing to reach your goals on your 90 Day Challenge to better health?

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Meal Planning for 90 Day Challenge

I have listed my 15 Goals for 2015. I am doing a 90 Day Challenge to help me jumpstart reaching my goals this year. One of those goals is to eat healthy nutrient dense foods to live. I will be posting my meal plans / food journals during my 90 Day Challenge for better health and wellness to give you an idea of what I am eating and where I am at on my journey. Sometimes I will include nutritional data if I have had time to calculate it, and I will post some of the delicious recipes I use too.

I am using recipes from several different “camps”. Some are common recipes I will re-make into a healthier version. Nearly all recipes will comply with the Weston A Price Foundation and Nourishing Traditions foods, FMD, and THM. Some recipes are gluten-free, sugar-free, some are grain-free, dairy-free free, some are low histamine, and many are found in the FMD, THM, Lowcarb, Paleo, Raw Food, etc. strategy camps that go along well together. My main focus will be a merged FMD and THM strategy.

I have learned a lot about healthy foods and natural remedies over the years. But even though I ate healthy, and avoided many of the common cultural pitfalls of medications and used natural methods, the pounds still continued to add on each year. Though I was generally healthy, I could not stop gaining weight. I didn’t know there was a strategy to seperate fuels in meals to promote a healthy weight. But over the past two years, I learned from both the FMD and THM camps that I don’t have to deprive nutrients to get achieve weight-loss, I just have to know what foods to combine and when to use them. This knowledge is completely liberating. There is the light at the end of a long tunnel, it is a hope for a better tomorrow, and a basic truth that everyone can achieve a healthier version of themself if they have and apply this knowledge.

How FMD and THM diets are similar:
Both of the Fast Metabolism Diet (FMD) and THM diets encourage eating a lot of food. You are not eating small portions. You are reving up your metabolism by eating a lot of healthy foods, and burning the fuels. Both stratgies recommend gluten-free meals, soy free meals, sugar-free meals, and promote eating healthy meals and snacks throughout the day. Both diets encourage eating and discourage focussing on calorie counting. Both also encourage protein at each meal. Finally, both programs encourage you to either focus on protein and carbs, or protein and fats for each meal, and to eat meals at least 3 hours apart to be sure your digestive tract has emptied of the previous meal, and helps to keep the body’s focus on using one type of fuel at a time. Otherwise, when consuming a high amount of both carbs and fats together in the same meals, your body will use one fuel and store the other fuel creating a vicious cycle of weight gain. Both programs also encourage you to consume half your body weight number in ounces of fluid to stay hydrated and promote detoxification, healing, and weight loss. Both programs encourage mild exercise, every other day with days of rest built-in, but also state that exercise is not a requirement to weight-loss and that you can cause a stall in your weight-loss if you exercise too much every day.

Book Cover

THM suggests alternating between different meals and snacks (S, E, and F) every 3 hours:
S Meals (protein and fats)
E Meals (protein and carbs)
Fuel Pull Meals (low carb and low-fat).
There are also some crossover meal options for maintenance.

The Fast Metabolism Diet book

FMD suggests alternating meals and snacks (in phases 1, 2, 3) every 3 to 4 hours:
Phase 1 2 days a week (Monday and Tuesday)
High Carb-Lean Protein (grains / legumes, lean proteins, veggies, high and low glycemic fruits);
Phase 2– 2 days a week (Wednesday and Thursday)
Low Carb/Low Fat-Lean Protein (lean proteins, non starchy veggies);
Phase 3 3 days a week (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday)
Medium Carb/Healthy Fat/ Protein (grains / legumes, proteins, veggies, low glycemic fruits, and fats including nuts, oils, avocados, fatty proteins and fatty cuts of meat, etc).

How FMD and THM diets are different:
FMD focusses on switching fuels from Carbs to Low-Carb/low-fat to Fats every two to three days. It also eliminates all dairy, caffeine, and alcohol. THM focusses on switching fuels any day or any meal you want to as long as you have had a 3 hour break in-between each meal. So you don’t have to wait days and days to get your fats or your carbs, as long as you have spaced them out, you could have them both in the same day. Ahhh…that is so much more refreshing to me than waiting 5 days to get in my fats for 3 days on rotation. I really struggled with this before, and I feel it is a little bit too strict for me. THM allows certain dairy products like yogurt, kefir, real cream, butter, cheese, and allows coffee, etc. too. They both use different low-carb / low-fat / high-carb / high-fat versions of foods to comply with their specific meal type S,E, or F and Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3. So, for this dairy loving gal, I enjoyed many of the recipes in THM and felt much more emotionally satisfied with my meals after eating the THM way.

THM was developed by two very smart sisters who have self trained themselves in the science of food, health, and wellbeing. Through their collaborative efforts and years of experimenting and studying the work of various doctors and specialists, they developed a strategy of seperating carbs from fats, and a long list of recipes that clearly made a difference in helping themselves and their friends be at a healthy vibrant weight while carrying for the needs of their families. Since they published their book, they have successfully helped thousands of women loose weight and acheive a level of health they could not reach on their own. But there are clear advantages to following FMD too. FMD is more restrictive than THM by excluding dairy and caffeine, but it works quicker, and it is a proven healthy lifestyle that was developed by a certified clinical nutritionist who specializes in healing the thyroid especially, and also include healing adrenal glands, the heart, and brain while getting to a healthy weight. The author of FMD has had tremendous success in her long career with four nutritional clinics, a long long list of lives that have been changed, as a practitioner of healing the body through nutritional foods.

Most of the foods I plan to choose for the next 90 days will comply with the 3 meal types and phases of both the Fast Metabolism Diet (FMD) and the Trim Healthy Mama (THM) programs of eating 3 to 4 hours apart, eating within a half hour of waking, separating carbs and fats in my meals, etc. However, looking ahead, I do plan to cheat from the FMD program occasionally by using some of the dairy recipes from the THM deserts which may contain dairy or peanut flour (not allowed on FMD), but are still sugar-free and gluten-free, and highly nutritious. I hope to work one or two of these delicious treats a week during Phase 1 when higher carbs are allowed, and during Phase 3 when higher fats are allowed. I think it is better to start out acknowledging a plan for healthy treats / cheats built-in.

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For example, I love THM (S) shakes and THM (E and F) GGMS (Good Girl Moon Shine: glorified ginger lemonade recipes that change based on what fruit you add or leave out).

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The GGMS has made a huge difference in my ability to stay hydrated as I do not like the taste of plain tap or well water.

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The THM style (S) Shakes taste just like the real milk shakes I grew up with, but they are a much healthier version. They are high in protein, and moderate in healthy fats, and sugar-free.

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I also enjoy coffee with cream or bulletproof coffee with butter and coconut oil, so I may work in at least one, and maybe a few of these coffee treats a week. Coffee is not conducive to healing the adrenal glands, that is why FMD has removed it from the diet, so it needs to be used wisely. But I read recently an article in the Weston A Price Foundation that said one cup a day or even a few cups of bulletproof style coffee a week can be a healthy choice if not used as a breakfast replacement and also if paired with a protein. That is good news, as I love a creamy frothy coffee and could drink it all day long, but that would be a bad idea. But I am not ready to give up dairy and coffee completely because I believe there is great health to be acheived in using them correctly. So even though FMD does not encourage use of dairy, or coffee, I plan to use them from time to time in the similar appropriate phase (fats). I do not want to sabotage my progress, so I will have to re-evaluate this plan as I go along and be careful not to over indulge, and be sure that I am achieving the results I am hoping for.

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I have tried both of these strategies in the past, and I am confident they both work.
On the FMD program, I was able to achieve a weight loss of about 18 lbs a month, or about 4.5l bs a week, or about .6 lb a day. That is incredible! I slept well too. I started FMD in April and by mid May I saw a huge change in myself. I felt energized and I was truly excited about this way of eating Friday through Tuesday, but felt out of energy by the evening of Wednesday and all of Thursday I was completely exhausted. I do not do well on two days of low-carb/low-fat eating. It was devastating to me to give up my farm fresh milk, kefir, yogurt, cottage cheese and butter I loved. We moved across country the end of May 2013 and I was not able to successfully repeat the program in our new location. When we first moved, I didn’t have a stove or dishes until mid July (about 6 weeks). Then my husband was without work for several months and I could not afford the ingredients. So I felt defeated. By December 2013 I had gained back the weight I lost on FMD. A supportive friend kept telling me about her success with THM and that it was more affordable. She suggested I give it a try. I found out I was pregnant in January and I started THM in February 2014. I miscarried the baby in April 2014, but kept going with the THM diet. With the THM program, I was able to enjoy my dairy, and achieve a weight loss of about 22 lbs in four months which equals about 5.5 lbs a month, 1.4 lbs a week, or .18 pounds a day. However, by the third month on THM, my weight loss had slowed to .8 lb a week and then stalled for many weeks on end before losing the next .8 lb and during that struggle to get it moving again, I lost my desire to continue after following it successfully for four months. I felt desperate to find a way to jump-start my weight-loss again, even though I loved and continued many of the recipes, and I then switched to a low-carb focus, and lost a few more pounds and then maintained the weight I lost for three months, but again I seen maintaining as a long stall, and then went off dieting altogether. I should have jumped right back on either THM or FMD when that jump start happened, but I didn’t have the foresight to see it. Over time, I slowly re-gained the weight and was back to where I started by December. So from February of 2014 to December 2014 I lost 22 lbs, lost an additional 3 lbs, and then gained it all back by the year-end. Talk about a yo-yo, HOW AWEFUL!

Why Try Again?
I had my 45th birthday in December 2014. I had decided once again that I don’t want to be this heavy and I must do something about it. I want to be a healthier version of me for 2015. I am tired of the constant ups and downs of my weight. The only way I know to achieve this healthier me, is to implement the FMD and THM strategies again, with some much-needed modifications to keep my energy and my desire to persevere while on them. If you take away all the joy of my creamy shakes and treats, or the hydrating wonder power of GGMS, or my love to enjoy the whole egg, not just the whites, then I would not make it long on FMD. But I still want to use the FMD plan to organize my days, and see a quicker results for my efforts.

Both programs are great, but in my opinion, the FMD helps the weight come off faster and focusses on healing the thyroid, which for most of us, especially me, is so important on our journey to better health. I definitely feel my thyroid needs healing. THM is great too, and helps address the needs of the adrenal glands and is calming because it provides lots of comfort foods, deserts, and emotional and spiritual support in your Christian faith, support in your duties as a wife and mother, and helps to heal the emotional side of why people over eat and are malnourished. THM even has a an awesome Trim Healthy Mama Pregnant and Nursing support group to help you along your journey. I wish someone would combine both of these amazing programs, FMD and THM, in a proven weight-loss strategy, because they are both great and both seem to contain an amazing key of wisdom to helping people lose weight. But I don’t know of any combined approach out there. So I am going to experiment with somewhat merging these programs for 90 Days, and see if I can achieve a healthy well nourished body that includes weight loss, healthier skin, healthier hair, more energy, and a more normal size for my 5’2″ frame.

For 90 days I am following a merged plan of both the FMD and THM strategies, and using great recipes from both. You can follow my pictures on Instagram for the most current photos of my meals. It is easier for me to wrap my brain around the FMD method, with my days organized with the same phase meals, but I love the freedom in eating desserts and treats that are allowed on the THM too. So I will evaluate some of the THM recipes and fit them into the FMD plan on the appropriate phases as much as I can. I will also be supplementing my diet with a few herbs, superfood supplements, and essential oils which I will post in my food journal.

My daily food intake goal is to eat 3 nourishing meals and 2 nourishing snacks, 3 to 4 hours apart:
Phase 1 (FMD) and E (THM) Meals: Monday and Tuesday
Phase 2 (FMD) and F (THM) Meals: Wednesday and Thursday (if I can last the full two days)
Phase 3 (FMD) and S (THM) Meals: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

I will start posting my meal plans and food journal soon, and keep you informed of my progress on this journey to health and wellness during the 90 Day Challenge.

I realize my plan to combine these approaches may offend the purists, those who only believe THM works, or those who believe only FMD works, or those who believe on Paleo or LowCarb diets work. I have known many of these folks who can only believe in the one diet that has benefitted them, and I don’t have any desire to convince anyone to choose one over the other, or to even try this combined approach. Not everything works 100% for every person, as I found out when I did these different programs by themselves. I realize why all of these programs work, and why each of these programs have shortcomings for people with various different needs. My journey is different from someone else’s journey. I am on a journey to find out what works best for me. I hope my readers, and everyone desiring a better healthier 2015 can find what works for them too.

Be blessed!

I pray that God, who gives peace, will make you completely holy. And may your spirit, soul, and body be kept healthy and faultless until our Lord Jesus Christ returns. 1 Thessalonians 5:23

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Boost Your Health With Essential Oils & Giveaway

There are many simple tasks we can implement to boost our health year around. During the cold and flu season it is especially important to pay attention to the choices we are making and intentionally strengthen our immune system.

doTerra

Even the most basic changes in our daily habits of how we sleep, drink, eat, move, use essential oils, detox, and use superfood supplements can be life changing.  If you find yourself frequently fighting infections, and feeling “under the weather”, daily use of essential oils combined with these simple steps can boost your immune system.

OilSingles

Essential Oils To Boost Your Health:

Essential oils by doTerra can be an easy and affordable component in building a balanced immune system and keeping it working strong. As a matter of fact, essential oils can be a human’s best friend in nearly every area of life 24 hours a day. They can be used in self-care, whole family care (from birth to old age), pet care, home care, education, gardening, farming, therapy, disease protocol.  Even if you choose not to use them 24/7, then at least use them in your immune system tool kit.

My Essential Oil Tool Chest.  I still have room to add more oils.  An essential oil tool chest is a "must have" in every home.

My Essential Oil Tool Chest. I still have room to add more. An essential oil tool chest is a “must have” in every home.

Specific oils can be weapons of mass destruction and shields of protection against nearly everything that comes against the human immune system, and many have already been scientifically proven to be more effective than most pharmaceuticals on the market today. When your body goes into the repair shop, it could use a few specific tools. Essential oils are the tools that can assist you in boosting your immune system.

Sleep:
It is so easy to forget how important sleep is for protecting our immune system. Since we do it everyday, most of us just take it for granted. For example it is best to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep and to go to bed by 10:30 to get a good nights rest and reach REM sleep in which the brain puts the body into a detoxing and repair mode. Your body literally goes to your own built-in repair shop when you go into REM sleep. If we don’t reach this restful state of sleep, the body gets behind in its repairing process. To help you get to sleep at this healthy hour, be sure to put away anything with a lit screen (TV, Smartphone, Computer, Bright lighted room) at least one hour before bedtime. Instead of TV or computer time, read in soft light, or listen to relaxing music, or even take a relaxing bath to get your body and mind ready to go to bed. Essential oils can assist you in relaxing and getting a good nights sleep. Some can be applied to the feet or massaged into the muscles, neck, etc. Also use a diffuser in the room and use calming oils for you and your children to help you relax and sleep well.

Diffuse essential oils in your home.

Drink:
Another wise choice to boost your immune system, is to drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated throughout the day. All of the body systems need water to run efficiently. When we get dehydrated the body suffers and our immune system is weakened. I recently read that many folks who survived the Ebola infection were the ones who were able to stay hydrated and drink at least 100 oz or more of water. That volume of clean water in their location is hard to come by per person each day, and many are loosing their battle with Ebola because their immune system is weakened. When we are hydrated our immune system can function at its best to protect us.

Add specific essential oils that can be injested to drinking water to boost the body's health.

To boost our immune system there are specific oils that are safe for internal use that we can add to our drinking water that help to kill infections from virus and bacteria and mobilize our defense system. It’s like bringing in the Calvary to the battle.

Eat:
Eating right, getting plenty of rest, moderate activity, and staying hydrated are the basic foundation of a healthy life. Eating right involves eating a variety of nutrient dense foods and avoiding “Franken foods” (man-made foods that have been seriously altered from their natural state or ingredients that were never food in the first place).

Some of the foundational foods we should include in our diet are:
1) Fresh organic fruits and vegetables that provides live enzymes, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, carbohydrates, fiber, and more.
2) Bone broths that provide dissolved and easily assimilated minerals,
3) Healthy fats like cold pressed coconut oil, cold pressed olive oil, grass-fed butter, free range eggs, fresh raw milk with cream, sprouted nuts, etc.
4) Cultured foods like yogurt, sour cream, raw cheese; also fermented foods like pickles, chutney, kimchi, and kraut; and fermented beverages like coconut water kefirs, dairy kefirs, new wines, kombucha, etc. Cultured and fermented foods provide so many amazing nutrients that are ready to digest for easily assimilated vitamins, live probiotics to aid digestion of our other foods, and the healing and protective strategy they provide the digestive tract.
5) Herbs, spices, and essential oils for flavor and their protective qualities.
6) In moderation, animal proteins from Grass-fed and wild caught animals, such as wild salmon, wild deer, or grass-fed beef. It is very important that these animals eat as natural as they would in the wild. This is the best way to ensure the nutrition for them and for you is at the right level and not out of whack. If you don’t have access to this kind of meat, it is better to go without than to try to use factory farmed animal proteins that result in disease for the animals and the humans that consume them.

Beyond these basic areas, not much else is needed for food for the human body’s nutrient needs. A few other enjoyable foods that still contain intensive nutrients are fine in moderation too such as: raw honey, maple syrup, un-sulfered molasses, succanant or rapadura sugar, lohan fruit sugar, coconut sugar, sprouted organic or chemical free grains, sprouted organic legumes, etc. but don’t over eat these as they can raise the blood sugar level, upset the digestive system, etc.

Specific essential oils that are safe for ingesting can be used as remedies but also used to flavor food, wash food, enhance digestion, enhance metabolism, used in home remedies, and to boost the immune system. Many essential oils are anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal. So you get the combined benefit of making your food taste great, and boosting the immune system at the same time.

Avoid eating white sugar, and white flour, and grain alcohol. This is another simple task we can do to stay healthy. White grains and sugars are basically sugar in the blood stream and hard on the body organs. They can weaken the digestive system, neurological system, endocrine system, and the immune system. We are talking about the immune system specifically in this post so it is important for you to know that white sugar interferes with the white blood cell’s ability to fight infections. White sugar is really dangerous to the immune system because it literally immobilizes and weakens the fighter cells to less than 25% of their fighting capability for several hours after consuming white sugar. It stops the conversion of vit. D to vit C and also blocks receptor sites and blocks the white blood cells from accessing the vitamin C and vitamin A rendering them useless in an attack. That is why we get sick so easily when we consume a high sugar diet. Sugar has a long half-life in the blood stream and the white blood cells do not return to their full fighting capacity for several hours, and for some people it can take a day or two to get it their immune system back up to normal, even when we have consumed as little as a few teaspoons of sugar. This is why the Standard American Diet can be so dangerous. Imagine if you consumed this small amount of sugar everyday, which most Americans consume way more. Your immune system would be vulnerable to all kinds of attacks on a constant basis and would not have the ability to efficiently protect you. Adding in anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal essential oils helps a person have more of a chance to fight infections when perhaps their diet isn’t the best.

Supplements:
For various reasons, the human body may lack certain needed nutrients to function at its optimal capacity. It could be due to dietary choices we make, but it could also be due to illness, medications, stress, toxins, disease, etc. all of which can have long-term negative effects on the body and suppress its functioning.

doTerra supplements

One way to improve your nutritional intake and jump-start the healing process is to use superfoods and superfood supplements. Superfoods are a concentrated form of all natural nutrients. These are nutrients that naturally exist in nature, and we when eat them in a concentrated form, they can provide the tools we need to repair and renew our bodies. Supperfoods come in various ways, such as liquid, or dried and ground into powder, perhaps the liquids or powders are added to capsules, or left as a powder or liquid to stir into drinks or smoothies.  Some superfoods are made into extracts and oils too.  Some examples of superfood supplements are probiotics like PBAssist +, xEO Mega Essential Oil Complex, Alpha CRS +, MICROPLEX VMz,  TerraGreens, Terrazyme multi enzymes, and more great superfoods like Spirulina, food Extracts like elderberry extract, Herbal Extracts, Spirulina, Fish Oils which provides Omega 3 Fatty Acids, cinnamon oil, oregano oil, and so on.

Detox:
Toxins seem to be something we don’t think much about, but our bodies encounter them daily. The effects of toxins on the body can build up over a short or long amount of time, and be detrimental, leading to a compromised immune system and disease.

Toxins are everywhere including in the air we breath, water, food, soil, personal care products and cleaning products in our homes, where we live and play, and in our workplaces too. It is a wise decision on our part to reduce as much exposure to toxins in our daily life as we can.

I love diffusing my doTerra essential oils!

I love diffusing my doTerra essential oils!

Essential oils can play a major role in helping the body detox. Helping our body detox from environmental, digestive, and immune system toxins is a great way to boost and protect our immune system. Some oils detox the air and help us breath fresher cleaner air, some oils detox our bodies through both internal and external use. Soon I will post more information on specific oils we can use to detox our bodies and boost our immune system. Be sure to check back for more posts about essential oils.

Want to know more about how essential oils can boost your immune system? Check out this Webinar to learn about more ways to use do-Terra Essential Oils to “Power Up Your Immune System”.

GIVEAWAY

Are you ready for a doTerra Essential Oils Giveaway?

I hope after reading this post, and viewing the webinar that you agree that essential oils belong in everyones home and can be incorporated into every area of life, play, and work.

This giveaway is an incredible opportuntiy to win 10 essential oils that boost the immune system for FREE! My mentor is an incredibly generous person. She is a wife and mother and understands the health and wellness needs of families. She and her extended family have been involved in natural health and wellness for at least 20 years or more. She is one of four sisters who are all educators and healers with essential oils. One of her sisters is also a Naturopath Doctor. She has an incredible amount of knowledge about essential oils and natural methods of health and wellness. She wrote the webinar you just watched, and she is offering my readers a free personalized sample of essentail oils to everyone who enters this giveway. Her goal is to put a healer in every home and equip families with the knowledge of how to care for their own families and boost their health through a lifestyle of using essential oils.

Every completed entry in this giveaway is a winner of a free personalized doTerra Essential Oil sample. When you leave your contact information in the entry form, I will contact you and we can discuss the specific essential oil sample that will address your needs the best, and get it shipped to you right away.  Use this sample oil in your home to boost your health and wellness and be encouraged to learn more about essential oils.

family physician kit in box (2)

ONE ENTRY WILL WIN a do-Terra Family Physicians Kit! This kit retails for $166.67 WOW! The doTerra Family Physician Kit contains 10 CPTG Certified Pure Theraputic Grade Essential Oils and Essential Oil Blends in 5ML glass bottles. The bottles can be stored in the case it comes in which includes a summary of how each oils is used. These are the Frankincense, Lavender, Lemon, Peppermint, Melaleuca, Oregano, Deep Blue (soothing blend), Breath (respiratory blend), Digestzen (digestive blend), and On Guard (protective blend). This is an AWESOME kit!  I know you will love it.  My life has been so blessed by learning to use essential oils for better health and I know yours will be too.

Be sure to like my Weiser Natural’s Facebook Page. I will post regular updates on different essential oils and kits there so you don’t want to miss it.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post will be linked up with:
Raising Homemakers
Raising Memories

Disclaimer: Affiliat links are included in this post and through out this web site.  Your purchases through my links, do not cost you any extra, but they do help me in small increments pay for my expences to host this web site.   Thank you for supporting me.

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It Works 90 Day Challenge

Start your new year off right!  Grab your friends and family and join the It Works 90 Day Challenge using It Works products!

ItWorks 90 Day Challenge

It Works 90 Day Challenge

Get a free Wholesale Membership when you sign up to use all natural ItWorks products for 3 months in your 90 Day Challenge.  You will also get Health and Wellness support from me for 90 days as you begin your journey to better health in 2015.

Giveaway:

Upon completion of the It Works 90 Day Challenge, turn in a before and after picture and brief review summary of the product or products you used and how they improved your health and wellness goals. Your name will then be entered into a drawing for giveaway prize package. More information on the prize package will come in a future post.

YOU Choose

You choose the areas of Health and Wellness to focus on:

1) Sign Up

2) What area of your health and wellness do you want to work on?

3) Pick your strategy (A-E below). Pick one product (or more products if desired) at wholesale cost with your membership, to address a specific area (or areas) to focus on for three months.

itWorks Pack

Greens $33 (normalize and balance PH levels, nourish cells, boost immune system, detox)
Vital Core $29 (whole food multi vitamin support)
Regular $27 (detox and normalize)
Thermofit $39 (rev up the metabolism, reduce cravings)
Hair, Skin, and Nails $39 (restore, support, renew, and balance)
Wraps 4/$59 (reduce sagging skin, reduce cellulite, tighten, and firm anywhere on the body)
Defining Gel $45 (tones and firms)
Stretchmark Cream $39 (reduce or eliminate scars anywhere on the body)

You can choose as few or as many products as you like. There is no minimum or maximum. As long as you choose at least one product to address a specific healthy focus goal each month for three months, that is all that is required. The purpose of this 90 day challenge is to introduce you to healthy products than can support you in reaching your healthy living goals.

Here are five different STRATEGY choices for your 90 Day Challenge:

A) Pick one product to use each month for 3 months
Month One: Greens $33
Month Two: Greens $33
Month Three: Greens $33

B) Pick a different product to use each month.
Month One: Greens $33
Month Two: Thermofit $39
Month Three: Wraps $59

C) Pick a baseline product and then build a progressive strategy for transforming your health by adding additional products on each month.
Month One: Greens $33
Month Two: Greens $33 + Thermofit $39
Month Three: Greens $33 + Thermofit $39 + Wraps $59

D) Try the established ItWorks method for weight loss, balancing, detoxing, and tightening
Month One: Greens $33 + Core $29 + Regular $23
Month Two: Greens $33 + Thermofit $39 + Fat Fighter $27
Month Three: Greens $33 + Wraps $59 + Defining Gel $45

Itworks Weight Loss Support

ItWorks Three Month Program

E) Or try the “Whole Enchilada” of nutritional support, detoxing, immune boosting, restoring, balancing, and firming.
Month One: Greens + Core + Minerals + Omega + Regular + Hair Skin Nails
Month Two: Greens + Core + Minerals + Omega + Regular + Hair Skin Nails + Thermofit + Stretchmark Cream
Month Three: Greens + Core + Minerals + Omega + Regular + Hair Skin Nails + Thermofit + Stretchmark Cream + Wraps (+ additional defining gel and facial wraps if you have more skin to tone and tighten as your body adjusts to a slimmer and healthier you).

Creating A Strategy For Success.

What’s your strategy to reach your health and wellness goals for the next 90 days? Creating a strategy is a key step to success in reaching your goals for 2015. Don’t let another momement go by and leave you feeling defeated. Take this challenge! What have you got to loose? Using these great healthy products, the only thing I hope you will loose is your lack of motivation! Oh yeah! That’s right, I am challenging you to a draw! Let’s do this!

Transform your healthy living lifestyle with a strategy to support your various body systems, creating balance while you tighten and tone over the course of 90 days. This is a phenomenal strategy to reach your health and wellness goals. When you evaluate how far you have come and the progress you have made over the 3 month challenge, perhaps you will desire to do it again, repeat the process to nourish, restore, balance, detox, tone, tighten, firm, etc. for the next 90 days.

You are going to be an inspiration for change. I just know it! I am so excited to work with you and about your potential for better living, better health, and reaching your goals in the next 90 days.

Get ahold of me as soon as you decide what area you want to focus on and what product you want to work with. You can see a complete list of products available at It Works.

When viewing products on the web site, you will see the retail prices until you sign up with me for the free membership with commitment to buy your challenge product for 3 months at wholesale costs.

Once you are signed up, you will log in to with your own membership number. When you log in as a member, wholesale prices will be visible on the website for you to view along with all the products. You can also make retail purchases from the website without committing to a membership if you wish. A wholesale membership enables you to purchase all the products at wholesale which saves you 25 to 40 percent of retail prices depending on the products you choose.

Combine your all natural ItWorks product strategy choices with eating nutritious meals (3 meals + 2 snacks a day spaced 3 hours apart), drinking plenty of water, and doing mild to moderate exercise 3 times a week (go for a walk one day, stretch one day, and strength train one day a week with a day or two of rest in between) is a strategy for success. You are creating an amazing personal plan to get your nutritional support for various body systems, maximizing your efforts, and your results.

ItWorks

 

This post will be linked up with:
Raising Homemakers
Raising Memories

 

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.  Products purchaced through my links help support my web site and the work that I do.  It does not cost you extra to buy through these links, but I get a small percentage back if you use my links.  Thank you for your support.  I really appreciate all you do!

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Healthy Living Support

Hey Everyone,

I hope you all had an awesome Thanksgiving holiday!

Many of you know my heart in helping people heal and stay healthy naturally. It has been a passion of mine for nearly 20 years. It helped me heal from 9 years of infertility, and so much more. My passion for natural remedies was birthed from watching my Grandmother. She loves herbs, homesteading, and healthy living and even wrote a book many years ago that she handed out at campgrounds and to friends and family.

My desire to help others live a healthy lifestyle also stemmed from working as the social service director first in a health department serving women and children (1991-1992), and then in a nursing facility (1993-1996) for the elderly and also for the mentally disabled and watching folks die from the side effects of being over medicated and downward spiral of medical conditions that were not improved by the dietary and pharmaceutical interventions.

Another huge influence on my journey was made by my husband’s mother. I cared for my mother in-law who had breast cancer for the last year of her life in my home (1996-1997), and with each chemo pill and pain pill she took, I watched the life in her eyes diminish bit by bit until she took her last breath in March of 1997. I was so broken hearted from loosing her and knew deep down there was a better way to deal with illness from some of the “all natural/ green living” friends I was making. Her death was the turning point for me to abandon cultural norms of hospitals and doctor’s offices to heal disease and instead view them as beneficial for trauma centers, but not healthly life centers.

In 1993-1997 I was friends with a 75 year old neighbor who had farmed organically all his life and sold Organic Gardner and Mother Earth News magazines for many years. He was “green” before anyone knew what it was to be green. He owned a campground near Muncie, IN and farmed and sold his produce to a local nursing home and folks who came to his campground and farm. I spent a lot of time learning from him and his wife. They gave me tips on organic gardening, pursuing a “greener” life, and really helped me a lot.

In 1995 I began meeting Amish folks who turned to natural medicine as the cure for most of their healthy living needs. This was life changing for me too. I would spend two or three days aweek in their homes learning. They thought they were just teaching me about making bread, canning, gardening, etc. But in reality, they were teaching me a life of healthy natural living I was dying to know. I did’t agree with the bondage of their Amish Church, instead I have freedom in Jesus, so that was not a draw for me. By watching them, I had made a connection with the knowledge of generations gone by who knew how to make home remedies to handle sickness, and knew how to eat to avoid most sickness. I found answers!

The life of living with locally raised food, home births, kids who were occupied with phycial self directed playtime, and also the productivity of chores instead of sitting with TV, who go to bed at a good hour and rise in the mornings rested, respect for each other, adults who came together as a community to support one another, and who found answers to thier sickness and diseases by using herbs and diet, were able to live a way of life that seldom needed attention from hospitals and regular checkups or sick visits to a clinic. This inspired me.

All Americans should have this knowledge. It is the knowledge all cultures possessed until just two hundred years ago, when western hospitals, doctors, and pharmacies became the focus of our faith. Somehow Americans have turned over their basic health care to the local doctor who is controlled to a high degree by pharmecutical companies selling man made synthetic ingredients to control disease, but never heal disease, and ultimately secondary side effects of those medications develop into knew life threatening disease and so on. When I left my carrer in the nursing facility, on average, each patient was taking 21 different prescription medications. Each medication had a side effect and needed a different medication to counteract it. This is the life today in America. It is no longer just the elderly who are over medicated, it is even our babies and children. Every public school and daycare now tells the parents their children must be vaccinated, and to put many of their kids on medication to make them sit still in a classroom. The numbers of kids on medications is astounding! Over use of medication is an epidemic in our country and it is getting worse. Babies are now vaccinated with over 40 man made toxic medications before the age of 2. Autism, a brain disorder that affects speach, behavior, and the ability to sit still now affect 1 in 48 boys and 1 in68 gilrs, or an average of 1 in 55 children. Do what? America, wake up!

After applying what I learned from the Amish and my organic focussed friends, I made some tough decisions. I stopped taking presecription medications for colds and flus. I stopped taking over the counter medications for headaches and other illnesses too. Instead, I found a natural medication in herbs and foods to deal with each illness that arose. I soon overcame infertility and became pregnant in 1999, and gave birth to our first child in 2000. That was a miricle. I had been married for 9 years with no pregnancy and the doctor diagnosed me as infertile. But I wasn’t infertile, instead I was malnurished and toxic from the American lifestyle. Once I detoxed and ate nourishing foods, my body did what it was designed to do, to heal and reproduce.

As more folks found out that I had been healed by the Lord and using the wisdom of returning to traditional foods (local food, grassfed meats, eggs, and raw milk, fermented foods, etc) and using herbs for tea and remedies for health, others wanted my resources and sales for food and herbs grew into a stronger business. By 2004 I opened a healthy food and herbal remedy store and coop called Weiser Natural Foods, and God has surely used these life experiences and knowledge to bless my life and many others I have shared with.

As you well know, seasons in our life change. The past few years of moving and having birthed 6 kids and 2 miscarriages have brought new challenges and adaptations. But some things never change, and I am still as passionate about healthy living and natural cures and raising natural foods as I have ever been. Though I don’t currently have a store walk in anymore, perhaps I will be able to open a walk in store again someday. For now I am getting resettled on a certified organic homestead in Richmond, Indiana and getting my feet back under me. I have dreams of a solar greenhouse, hydroponics and aquaponics, and educational workshops too. But until that day comes, I will be reaching out and sharing great products with you and teach healthy living tips, and help as many people as I can.

I have affiliate links to help you find the healthy products you need in my sidebar.

I am a distributor a couple of great companies too:

itWorks Body Wraps and healthy products
http://weisernaturalfoods.myitworks.com/

ItWorks

( and also for )

doTerra Essential Oils and more great healthy products
http://www.mydoterra.com/weisernaturalfoods/

doTerra

I would love to help you take care of your healthy living needs with wonderful wholesome products, and also help you get ready for the holidays with thoughtful gifts for yourself and your family and friends.

Both of these companies offer some amazing gift packs and specials for the holidays. These gifts really make a difference in your health and wellbeing. These products will also help boost your immune system and help you stay healthy through the holidays and winter season.

Some of the great features of the itWorks body wraps include helping you tone and tighten areas of your body. It is a botanically based cloth that you can place anywhere on the body that you want to tone and tighten the skin and reduce cellulite. It helps reduce the appearance of cellulite with a great herbal lotion. It can work wonders with your weight loss goals and I am thrilled to include this product in my toolbox of healthy living.

Some of the great features of the doTerra essential oils are purifying the air in your home, pain management, mood management, focus and attention, remedies for common ailments including colds, flu, and ear infections, weight loss support, healing of glands and systems of the body like the thyroid,adrenal glands, lymph system, and immune system, and so much more.

I will post more about these great products in the days and weeks ahead. I would love to talk with you more about them. You can shop from home at the links posted above, or feel free to contact me with questions too. I just wanted to give you a heads up, and if you are interested in following my healthy life journey you can follow along on my website at www.weiseracademy.com

I would love to talk with you more about healthy living support. I am glad to talk online, or by phone, or if you are local to my area we can host workshops at your home, or church, or club with your family and friends too. Just let me know how I can help you.

Please PM me through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/weiseracademy, or email (weiseracademy at aol dot com), or stop in at the product links for information about each of the products I sell, and contact me there with questions too. I can get you set up with everything you need to reach your healthy living goals.

I look forward to working with you.

Be blessed!

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