Calling book lovers

www.paperbackswap.com

it's a way to get rid of books you no longer need and receive books much cheaper than buying them new. not bad if you don't mind used books.

tip #15: here's an obvious one

don't eat ramen at 10:30 pm before you go to bed.
it tasted so good going down, but now my tummy looks like i'm 4 months pregnant...

tip #15 running

are you running enough? too fast? too slow?

the heart rate monitor is a great addition to have as your running companion. nowadays they have some really affordable ones on the market (nike makes one for $20 that i saw at costco a few months ago).
what is good about it is that you can monitor your heart rate as you run. as you increase your miles, you want to think about running at such a pace that you're working in your zone two. zone two is the zone your fat burning is at it's max. you're not going all out and so your recovery isn't taking as long. you're not going so slow that your don't get a work out.

it also helps you to start listening to your body and how it reacts to various factors (ie. weather, incline, what you ate, etc... )

here's a website to get you started on some additional research:
http://www.marathonguide.com/training/articles/HeartMonitorTraining.cfm

personally, i use the Garmin 305. it's awesome! my running best friend. there's a lot more to this watch then i need/ use. but i like that i can download my runs, analyze my running, keep a historical track of everything, and at the very least, it tells me how long i went and how far.

tip #14 vaccines

ok, i know this is a controversial topic and honestly i have to admit that i'm not definite on my position yet. but one thing that i would strongly encourage is this - let's try to do some research and be educated parents about this, heh?

i know that there are conflicting studies, maybe we need to be reading those studies (and not use the reason, "it's what everyone else does"bit). some studies seem to indicate ADD and autism connections and other studies say it's not conclusive. but shouldn't we read them for ourselves to see what they say and if they have any merit to them? (ie. was the study performed valid? did they have a control group? did they have a skewed result? was their selection comprehensive or was it biased? etc.)

perhaps it's beneficial to read the other sides' reasons. at least that way you know what they're saying and not just dismiss in mass the opponents' views because it's weird.

(ok, i think by now you know where i stand on vaccines...) but i guess my main point is to encourage parents to do their due diligence before they make a decision. it's an important issue that could affect the health of your child.

happy thinking!

tip#13 bug bites

a natural way to take care of bug bites:
make a baking soda paste - 3 tsp BS and 1 tsp h20.
apply to infected area as often as needed.

stay safe!

tip#12: Grass fed cows - is it better?

YES! The meat from grass fed cows is far superior to what they sell you in the stores now. why?

1. grass fed cows are out in pastures more - not cooped up in pens
2. grain fed cows - are generally fed corn. corn's cheap and while it beefs them up, there's not a lot of nutritional value in the meat.
3. grass fed cows do taste gamier - which isn't necessarily a bad thing - probably more of an adjustment. but honestly, isn't that the way it's supposed to taste?
4. grass fed cow meat has less saturated fat
5. grass fed cow meat also has a higher level of Omega 3.

cows ate grass until man introduced the whole grain thing as a cheap substitute.

check out the local butcher in your area. if you don't have one nearby, you can order it too:
http://www.lacensebeef.com/

tip #11: Air freshners

Beware of air fresheners that use alcohol (which most do) as it's not a good thing for your body to be inhaling. consider using natural ways to freshen up your house - boil some orange peels and cinnamon sticks instead. if you're afraid of the stove being on , you can always just put it in a crock pot.

tip #10: cod liver oil

this oil is great for vitamin d, vitamin a, and omega 3. it's a great supplement to incorporate into your diet. when we first started taking this, we got the original flavor. well, years later, they have orange and lemon :)

we use:
http://www.spectrumsupplements.com/en/c323776/index.html?gclid=CNeR4KuRz5MCFQx2GgodyBUQjA

it's definitely not as fishy as the ones we've had in the past. in fact, our jewel loves it so much that she always wants seconds and i have to tell her not until tomorrow :(

give it a try if you can :)

Tip - Don't forget your sunblock

i went for a run yesterday and completely forgot about sunblock. two hours later - came home w/ a burn. paying for it today ;(

tip #9 The beauty of broth

Most of us know that soup is good for us and I know with the summer months coming up, we probably won't have as much soup - but i wanted to share this anyways.

Broth properly made is wonderful for our bodies. It's got the marrow from the bones that will give us the added calcium that we all need.

Broth properly made:
start out w/ really good ingredients - free range (grass fed) beef; or free range chicken. (no hormones, no drugs, no grain fed animals please).

add your veggies (onions, celery, carrots, etc) and herbs.

all of this goes into COLD filtered water. cover and bring to a boil. ok, now once it boils, you want to drop the temperature low and then barely a simmer for at least 24 hours. this is KEY! repeat: low heat over an extended period of time is extremely important to making good broth. i've let it go as long as 36 hours before - a few times even 2 days :) often times i'll do this in a slow-cooker. a sign of good broth is when it's cool, it'll be gelatinous.
i make a huge pot and then freeze it for various recipes that cool for stock.

hope you'll make some stock this week. your body will be grateful :)

Tip #8 Plastic

This week's tip is a cope out.
Cope out because i don't have a lot of time, so i'm going to piggyback off of a Today show segment.

http://www.healthob servatory. org/library. cfm?RefID= 102296

http://www.iatp. org/iatp/ publications. cfm?accountID= 421&refID=102202

Have you ever flipped over the plastic to see what type it is? there's usually a triangle with a number inside it and it basically tells you the type of material that was used in the plastic.

in a nutshell, #1,2,4,and 5 are safe. 3,6, and 7 not so much. The main concern is BPA - bisphenol A. It's a harmful chemical (studies say it can lead to cancer or genetic defects).
check your plastic drawer and see what you've got.

tip #8 sweetners

organic sugar, raw sugar, sugar substitutes, you see them all over the place. but are they really better for you? it is healthy? is organic sugar better than granulated sugar?

it's amazing, you stick the word organic on something and all of a sudden people think it's healthy... but let's be reminded that at the end of the day, it's still processed sugar. oh the wonders of marketing.

remember - the key word in "artificial sweeteners" is artificial. it's man-made. it does havoc on your system because your body doesn't know how to process it. might as well be eating plastic.... (my two cents :)) if you have to choose- its better to go for the regular sugar. at least it has it's roots in nature.

so what kinds of sweeteners should we consider?
honey/ maple syrup:
have you ever considered substituting you sugar in baked goods for maple syrup or honey?
note: maple syrup has different grades. most of what you'll find in the store is grade A. that means it's highly processed. go for grade B. honey - try to get "really raw" honey as it's better than what you'll find in the store.

stevia:
this is a plant extract that they've turned into powder. i've found that it has an aftertaste though that's similar to those artificial sweeteners so i'm not a big fan.

blue agave:
also a plant extract. quite sweet. it has a bit of a molasses flavor to it.

obviously all of the above can turn into something that's just as processed as sugar so you just need to watch for the quality of whatever you're getting. the key is to try and get items as unrefined as possible.

tip #7 More supplements

I've never been one for supplements. I always felt like you should get it from it's original source... well, I find it's hard to do because I would need to eat a LOT of stuff that i don't find appealing! so here's a list of recommended supplements.

Vitamin B-12:
I find that since i've given birth that my memory has gone down hill BIG TIME!
Vitamin B-12 is great for memory improvement.
If you eat liver, than you're probably good - but not high on my shopping list.

Magnesium:
It's helpful for the digestive system. It's also great for the heart and the overall health of cells.
Be careful with this as high doses can give you diarrhea.

CoQ10:
Helps promote heart. If you have heart disease in the family -this is definitely worth considering!
If you eat heart - then you're covered - but again, not high on my shopping list; i'd rather take the supplement.

Cod Liver Oil:
Promotes healthy skin and high levels of Vitamin A,D and omega 3.

Flax Seed:
Has lignans - good for the heart. Also has omega 3.

Strontium:
Good for the bones.
A side tip - good quality broth is excellent for the bones. You want to make sure you have good quality bones and you cook it on low for a really long time to make sure you get the marrow out of the bones. (a good sign of good broth is if it's gelatinous when it's cool).

Check it out if you get a chance... but make sure you get good quality supplements.
Quality name brands include: garden of life, Now Foods, are a few that I know.
www.iherb.com

tip #6 MSM

methylsulfonylmethane - basically a sulfur compound used to help improve the joints.

i recently started taking this for my joints.
ever since my pregnancy i've had back pains and my running hasn't helped it. in 4 years i've slept a full night maybe 3-4 times and those times, it was only because i had so much wine w/ my hubby that the alcohol knocked me out for 8 hours! but usually i sleep in 3-4 hour increments, waking up due to back pain.

so i'm hoping that this supplement will help. i mix 1/4tsp into my smoothie each morning. (i think it's supposed to be 2x a day) but i keep forgetting.

this one's a relatively new topic for me so i'm still doing some research, but thought i'd share.

tip #5: the wonders of baking soda

Ok, if you're getting sick of hearing me talk about juicing, then here's a topic for you - the ever versatile white stuff... baking soda. i love this stuff. it's non-toxic, there's no deathly odor, your kid could eat a carton of this stuff and still be alive... but it's enough to clean your laundry, your bathroom tub, your toilets, the stove top, etc.

• i put in a scope full into the washer w/ a scope of oxy clean.
  
• combine baking soda w/ vinegar and you've got a disinfectant cleaner
• mix a TBL of it in a cup of water and stick it in the microwave on high for about 1 min to 1.5 min. then just take a paper towel and wipe off the spattering baking soda/ water mixture.
  
• sometimes, if i'm running behind in my cleaning, i just dump some B.S. into the toilet
  

i know there's other ways you can use this - but the above is what gets me to Costco to get the gallon size.

enjoy!

tip #4: juicing part 2

i wanted to share w/ you a couple of key combinations and why they're so good for you.
while it's something to work up to because i know it's adjustment to the palate, it'll be one healthy choice that you'll reap benefits from for years to come :)

1. carrot/ spinach. (zpprox. 2/1 ratio). the carrot juice is an excellent source of vitamin A. carrot juice is especially beneficial for the nursing mother as it enhances the quality of the milk. spinach juice is excellent for the improvement (both healing and cleansing) of the digestive tract. It's also a good source of Vitamin C and E.

2. beets is particularly beneficial to women as it helps build up your blood. please remember w/ beets though that you should take it in small quantities as it's pretty potent. it's recommended to drink carrot/ beet juice (5-6 carrots to 1 beet).

3. carrot/ dandelion is also excellent. dandelion is a fantastic tonic.

i have also regularly juiced the following combos:

1. carrot/ beet/ spinach
2. carrot/ cucumber/ apple
3. carrot/ celery/ spinach

disclaimer again - not a doctor and not pretending to be. if you have medical issues - please see your physician. this is just my 2 cents on my experiences so please take w/ a grain of salt.

Tip #2C smoothies and beyond...

another follow up to smoothies...

1.traditionally, when you make a smoothie, you wash the ingred, take out the seeds, peel the fruit, etc... right? well, ,w/ the vita mix, i don't do it (depending on the ingred). of course i still wash everything, but i throw in the strawberry leaves, the melon seeds, the pineapple core, etc...
they all have added nutritional value. however, you can't do this w/ a regular household blender. well, you can, but a regular blender isn't going to liquify it like the vitamix will so you'll eat chunks of seeds which i don't really care for.
(keep in mind that there are some things you can't do - ie. i wouldn't do the avocado seed, or the pineapple rind, etc...)

2. what is a superfood?
according to wiki, "A superfood is a type of food believed to have health benefits beyond those of more common foods due to specific phytonutrient content."

what are examples of superfoods?
blueberries, blackberries, avocados, flax seed, hemp oil, coconut

i generally will add one of 4 things into my smoothie to give it a boost:
flax seed (do not get ground flax seed, there's no nutritional value left it in. get the whole and put it into your vitamix), coconut, coconut oil, or spinach.
the great thing about spinach from the store (not farm grown) is that it has very little taste and so it just turns it green but if you put the smoothie in an opaque bottle, no one will be the wiser. i tried to use spinach i got from our CSA farm last summer and it wasn't great because the spinach is soo fresh that i could taste the spinach. (what does that say about the quality of store spinach??).

flax seed give it a nutty flavor,
coconut and pineapple combo give it a pina colada flavor.

i've also added kefir to the smoothie - which is a completely different taste. more to come on kefir, but i would say, make it, don't buy it. what you buy in the store (kefir or yogurt) has TONS of sugar!

Tip #2b Vitamix

The VitaMix is a commerical grade blender.

http://vitamix.com/

but if you check out their website, it's pretty pricey. Costco has a bi-annual promo where they sell the blender for about $350 a pop.

IF you're thinking that you're going to have a smoothie at least 3 time a week, then i think it's definitely worth the buy. however, as my man always reminds me, don't get sucked into those infomercials... so just consider it.

let me just tell you a few of the things that i've used the vitamix for:
1. smoothies (obviously)
2. juicing (but honestly, get a juicer - you have to have a certain liquid solid ratio if you're going to try and use this for it).
3. peanut butter/ almond butter. ok, here's my secret (public now, i guess), i sneak in flax seed and almonds into the peanut butter and NO ONE'S the wiser. please remember w/ this though that the oil in the nuts does go rancid, so keep it in the fridge and it won't last months like what you get in the stores.
3. ice cream. it's really yum! i use fresh strawberries and it's been such a nice, healthy treat in the summer time.
4. soup. i think i've only done this a couple of times as i prefer to use a crock pot, but what i do like about this feature is that you can use fresh ingred. (ie carrots) and because they're not heated to the same degree as on the stove, you retain more of the live enzymes than if you cook everything on the stove.
5. salad dressing. you know how when you make dressing, you have to be careful w/ the oil because it needs to emulsify? well, not w/ the vitamix. i just stick everything in - (don't mince up the garlic). and it does everything for you.

oh and clean up? i just put in some hot water, dishwash detergent and then run it on the blender again. it gets to the stuff around the blade. rinse, and then i put it on the rack to dry. done! so simple!!

Tip: running comments

in response to a comment, thought i'd post some suggestions.

running is like life in that you have peaks and valleys, and some times plateaus. honestly, i'm on a plateau right now myself. i can't seem to get past 15 miles. if you notice my earlier posts, it seems every weekend, my goal has been 18 - but it ends up only being 15. why is that? is it psychological? is there a wall in our heads that says don't go past this mile marker because if you do, you will die???

the funny thing is, i've run more than 15 lots of times before -- so why should it be different now? our bodies' are funny things sometimes, huh?

so what are some suggestions i've done in the past or heard of:
1. my BIGGEST help has been running w/ others. i have a running friend who has saved me from countless runs that i wouldn't have done other wise, whether it was running a longer distance or running at all.
2. accidentalpastor's wife
has been reading two books a month and i've been so envious because i just can't seem to carve out any time to read, so i've taken some of her book recommendations and i've gotten them on cd. so i "read" while i run. it's been great!
3. break up the run. do a couple of miles in the morning and a few at night. or for each mile, walk 2 minutes. sometimes, you just need that break inbetween.
4. if your goal is 5 miles, purposely run out 2.5miles so that you have to run back. even if you walk parts of it - it's still a longer distance than you would have done otherwise.
5. if you have family - get your hubby to come out w/ the kids on their bikes -- have them meet you at a 1/2 point. the friendly faces always helps :)
6. i have a friend who has 3 older kids. so the whole family goes out on their bikes (except the runner) and will do 10/15 miles - she'll start her run earlier and meet them at an ice cream shop.
hope these suggestions help.

Tip 3: Reason behind the madness

I started talking about why it doesn't work to just stop cold turkey but i didn't fully explain why you want to add good things.
Ok, there's the obvious, because it's good for you - but the key is that the more healthy things you eat the more:
1. your body actually starts to crave healthy things. you''ll find that over time your taste buds change as does your stomach's cravings.
and
2. your body had the proper nutrition to try and heal it self of the toxins in your system.

The key is accomplishing the two goals above is: juicing.

It's not yuck, it's actually quite tasty and in fact, the more you juice, the more your body wants it.

start w/ something simple. like carrot/ apple juice. a 12 oz glass requires about 5/6 carrots and an apple. aim to juice about 5 out of the 7 days this week. don't be surprised if you actually feel sick and tired after the first couple of days of drinking this. it's your body's way of saying "hey, you're giving me a concentration of some healthy stuff so i'm going to try and do some repair work". what you're feeling is all those toxins that are trying to leave your system. the juice is trying to do some detox on your liver - so it's taking a lot of energy out of your system. also, aim for organic, fresh stuff. if it's bruised, cut that piece out. if you wouldn't chew it, then don't juice it.

disclaimer - i'm not a doctor and i'm not giving health advise under that guise...