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Encouragement: Ending September with a Hurricane!

9/28/2018

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No matter where you live, that place may have something that you may not like. For example, if you live in the midwest portion of the United States - it's tornadoes; if you live in northern California - it's wild fires; if you live in the south portion of the United States - it is mostly flooding with hurricanes. It's the same here on the east coast - hurricanes.

As I am writing this, those living along the east coast (and ourselves who live inland) are bracing for a coming hurricane - Florence. She is supposed to be a rough one, already a category 4 with potential to become a category 5. That's bad, really bad.

They have already started evacuating
the Charleston and surrounding areas. What a way to end the summer.

Have you ever been faced with a frightening situation
like a tornado, hurricane, monsoon, wild fire, etc.?
How did you feel?
Afraid?

I have been there and let me tell you I have feld differently at different ages.
When I was a young person, we were faced with a category 4 tornado tearing up our town and I was afraid. I depended on my parents to protect me and take me to safety.

When that same thing happened when I was an adult, I had a whole different perspective on the situation. I was not afraid, I felt that I could only do what I could do and that God was in control of the rest. I knew that I was supposed to be ready to die at any moment, so my life should be in order. I feared for my children and their safety, but not for myself.

As we age, we see things differently with every year that passes. We realize that we are mortal beings, the reality sets in and we face it head on. If we are wise, we are spiritually ready for that time. So, when a life threatening event occurs in our life, we can stay calmer that we did as a child.

That's one of the advantages of aging, we lose our fear. We know our time is limited and if we are wise, we will use it right up to the end and not be afraid. As we age, we realize that we are not in control of when we die (unless we commit suicide) and that we shouldn't dwell on it, but just live each day as it was our last - in pure enjoyment and thankfulness.

Live Fearless! Live Fully!
Live Free! Trust God!


Do you find that you are braver with each passing year? Do you find that you are wiser with each birthday that passes? Are you ready to face whatever comes your way and you are not going to live in fear? What are your thoughts about getting older and facing your possible death?
(BTW - on the day this blog articles posts, we will be on our way home from a beach vacation on the east coast right after the hurricane passes through - hope there's something left! lol)
​

XOXO
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Product Review: Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers - Beef Merlot

9/21/2018

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Another long day and dinner alone. I don't like cooking when it's just me, but I want to eat healthy.

Most prepared, frozen meals have a lot of sodium and other unhealthy ingredients. Most have few nutrients and average flavor.

When I find a good fast frozen meal I like to let you know.

Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers - Beef Merlot is a pretty good choice for a fast frozen meal. It has more pluses than minuses.

DESCRIPTION ON BOX: Tender beef strips with red potatoes and a vegetable medley in a rich Merlot wine sauce.

The biggest minus is 600mg of sodium.

The pluses are:
  1. 15g Protein
  2. 4g Sugar
  3. 1.5 g Saturated Fat
  4. No Artificial Flavors
  5. 180 Calories per meal
  6. 4-5 minutes from frozen to eating
  7. 720mg Potassium
  8. Lots of Vitamins: A (45%), Calcium (6%), Thiamine (8%), B12 (20%), Magnesium (10%), C (4%), Iron (8%), Riboflavin (6%), Folic Acid (8%), Phosphorus (20%), Zinc (15%), and Maganese (15%).
  9. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being Extremely Delicious and 1 being Catfood Tastes Better, this is an 8. Pretty good for a frozen meal.

This is a good choice in a pinch meal and won't eat up your daily caloric allotment.

Do you find it hard to motivate yourself to cook when you are home alone? What quick fix do you turn to most often? Do you have any recommendations for the rest of us?
​

XOXO
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Book Review: The Clean 20 by Ian K. Smith, M.D., - My Short Review

9/14/2018

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On the front cover it says "20 Foods, 20 Days, Total Transformation!" Right off the bat, I am skeptical. Total Transformation? Really in on 20 Days?

I am someone who has spent the last two and half years getting healthy, losing a lot of weight (I will write about at a later date), going through some transformations of my own. It is not easy, it is not quick, it didn't happen in 20 days.

However, having said all that, I am not going to say this book is not worth the read. I won't discount the information in this book, because I think it has some merit. It is worth reading.

If you try it and you are totally transformed in 20 days - bravo! But don't be discouraged if you are not totally transformed in 20 days, if you follow the guidelines of this book, you will see some changes.

Here is a short review of what you will find in this book:

A.   Dr. Smith promotes "clean eating'. Clean eating is a diet of natural, unprocessed foods. Also, to get your food from producers who do not use chemicals of any kind on their crops or on the pasture that animals eat from. If you can eat it raw, that is the optimum form. However, some foods must be cooked before consuming, such as chicken, turkey, and eggs.

B.   This is not a vegetarian diet. Dr. Smith says that dairy is good, cheese is included, chicken and turkey are included, as well as eggs, seafood, and yogurt. Dr. Smith makes suggestions on how to select your 20 foods.

The 20 Foods are:
1. Avocado
2. Berries
3. Cheese
4. Chicken
5. Chickpeas
6. Eggs
7. Kale
8. Lemons
9. Lentils
10. Nuts and Seeds
11. Oatmeal
12. Quinoa
13. Seafood
14. Squash
15. Sweet Potatoes
16. Tomatoes
17. Turkey
18. Whole-Grain Bread
19. Whole-Wheat Pasta
20. Yogurt

C.   There are 14 Rules of the Clean Eating Diet:
1. Dairy is good.
2. No Alcohol
3. No Soda
4. On Freshly Squeezed Juice
5. Unlimited Water - Please!!!!
6. No Sugar Addd
7. No Artificial Sweeteners
8. Fruits and Vegetables are Your Friends
9. No MSG
10. No Frying
11. No White Flour
12. Careful with Condiments
13. Canned and Frozen are permitted
14. Salad Dressings are Allowed with Restrictions

D.    The Plan allows for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Two Snacks

E.   The Exercise Component:

1. Walking

2. Various Stretching, Cardio, etc.

F.  Each Day Has a Different Focus Point to Meditate On
(This is my favorite part of the book!):

1. Reset
2. Expect
3. Believe
4. Prepare
5. Focus
6. Cleanse
7. Visualize
8. Enjoy
9. Balance
10. Organize
11. Push
12. Decelerate
13. Move
14. Relax
15. Experiment
16. Restore
17. Introduce
18. Lead
19. Appreciate
20. Thrive

G.   The book has a large number of recipes.

H.  It includes a list of clean snacks.

I.   Every exercise that he asks you to do can be found in the back of the book.

J.  There is an extensive list of allowed condiments, spices, and details about the clean twenty foods.

Dr. Smith has detailed the food list and exercises for you. He makes it very easy to know what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. My two favorite parts of the book are the daily focus points. These are awesome at helping me stay motivated. The other favorite is the recipes. I am always looking for new things to try.

In my case, counting calories is the only way I have found that works for me. It is the only way I have been able to stay with my weight loss. Over the years I have tried to count points, food exchanges, fad diets where you eat cabbage or eggs or grapefruit, Adkins, Nutrasystem, South Beach, or some other diet.

Of all these diets I have tried, I use the South Beach diet cookbook. I also pull the parts of each of these diets that works for me.
But in the end, I count calories. Dr. Smith does not consider calories in his diet.


I hope this helps you understand "The Clean 20" idea.
Please comment any questions or thoughts you have.


The important thing is, find something that works for you. We are all different and our needs are different. Calorie counting may not work for you, you may need prepared meals or count points. That is what you have to decide. This is an excellent book no matter what diet plan you are using. The recipes, exercises, and daily focal points are worth it just by themselves.

Yes! I recommend this book!

Do you have a meal plan or exercise plan that works for you that you would like to share with others? Please share what you do to maintain or lose weight. This is a huge issue for everyone, but especially women, after the age of 50 because our metabolism and chemistry changes as we age.

XOXO
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Life: Over 50 - New Adventures Await Despite Heart Surgery!

9/7/2018

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This past April, I attended a quilt convention and show. It had a huge attendance, probably (just guessing here) - 25,000 to 30,000 people. There were both men and women, young and old, all ethnics, and levels of interest.

The show and convention was found in every part of the small town of Paducah, Kentucky. Store owners rolled out the red carpet for all the out of town quilters. This annual show always draws a large crowd.


On Friday night, I went to a concert. The performer was an award winning quilter and trained pianist and flutest. The performer was also over 60 years old and male. His name was Ricky Tims.

(You can find out more about Ricky's quilts, you can read about his life and listen to his music at his website here:
https://www.rickytims.com/ )


If you are a quilter, you know who he is. He is one of the best. He has many talents not only in quilting. As he played the first song (he wrote) on the piano, one by one his award winning quilts rose from the ground to hang in various places from the ceiling. It was a spectacular way to open a concert and the concert was awesome.

Something else that was awesome that night was Ricky's attitude toward life. He shared his life story with us between songs. We could all learn a lesson from his life. He is positive, cheerful, funny, and serious. He doesn't take anything for granted now days.

Eighteen years ago Ricky had heart bypass surgery. He was teaching at a quilt event and felt bad, but he carried on anyway. As a dedicated teacher, he ignored his symptoms... for the sake of quilting. He was forty-four years old at the time. After by-pass surgery, he took time off to recover and then returned to designing, making, and teaching quilting. He made great strides in quilting over the next eighteen years, developing new techniques, such as caveman quilting. He also got married and moved from Texas to Colorado.

He also announced during the concert that he is performing in England, Australia, Ireland, and Scotland in the coming months. No, he did not retire after by-pass surgery and he is far from retiring in the near future. He is not letting a history of heart disease slow him down - he didn't give into or up on his crafts. He is a great example of living life over fifty (actually over 60).

You can hear his music here: https://youtu.be/_ExMO3wBkpw

You can purchase his from iTunes https://www.apple.com/itunes/

or
from his website link here: https://www.rickytims.com/



Ricky is On Fire
and Over 50!
​Yah! Go Ricky!


Do you know someone who had heart by-pass surgery, but let it hold them back? Let it cause them to give up their hobbies or career? Do you know someone who never lets life's issues get them down? Do you have a personal experience?


XOXO
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    My mission​

    Sharing thoughts and ideas for the woman over 50 that are helpful, fun, creative, inspiring and interesting. Over 50s who want to remain relevant, happy and loving their life.
    On fire for your own life!
    ❤ Sheryl ❤

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