Here in the Southwest, the weather has been crazy windy for what seems like the entire spring season. We live in a canyon, so it is windier than the town that we live outside of, but it has been ridiculous!
I spoke to someone in Texas on Monday and she said it has been really windy there too, so who knows what the summer season will bring? Today oddly enough it is a bit calmer so I am actually sitting in the sun as I write this, I usually at this point at least have a farmer's tan but due to the wind, I am really behind ;)
As the Summer season approaches and many people focus on what they will look like in a swimsuit, my thoughts wander to why this is done? Are we all that concerned about what others will think about how we will look from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and if so, why aren't we more conscious about what we do all year long?
Memorial Day has long been the official kick-off to the summer with watermelons and barbeques, food on the grill and longer hours enjoyed outside, although it is a national holiday and it is marked on every calendar, some people act like it snuck up on them and then they start frantically trying to diet or starve themselves for that bathing suit they should have gotten just a bit larger.
Why?
Because that is what society seems to put an emphasis on, the outside, not the inside that actually controlls the outside, peculiar I think!
You know from previous posts that I think food is at the core of everything we do as it nourishes us. Think of yourself as an incredibly expensive auto, do you go to the gas station and put regular cheap gas in the tank that may or may not get you down the road, or do you put in premium for the best performance? We need to make those efforts in the way we take care of ourselves and that starts with the food we choose to eat.
As you know, I believe that most of our diseases and physical problems stem from the low-grade foods we stick in our mouths! Some people are in such a hurry they don't have time to eat properly, or some don't want to or even know how to cook. I hear you and I understand what you are saying.
Cooking can be a chore, I understand, do you have a day that you could grill several servings of meat for instance and put it in containers in the refrigerator or freezer for the upcoming week? I freeze leftover meat and pull it out and reheat it with some fresh veggies for a quick meal when I get stuck sometimes. If you really have no time but money, I have seen several items in places like Trader Joes and a store called Sprouts in Arizona that has organic prepackaged things that take little to no time to get on the table.
Organic or at the very least Non-GMO foods will be less harmful to your system. Non-GMO foods are readily available at most stores and you will be healthier for it.
When I was younger we didn't have Organic or Non-GMO products because things were processed much differently than they are today. I had a great metobolizim and could and did eat everything and if it was sweet all the better! I was a self-described "Sugar Face" I ate it all the time, I even had candy while cooking dinner and now at some point, I may have to pay for it. Here is something that I learned about six years ago, while in school to become a Board Certified Health Coach, that I am really wondering about now, and how it will affect me.
Cholesterol increases in women after menopause.
Alright men, before you shriek in disgust and leave this blog, remember you may have a mother, grandmother, sister, niece, wife or even daughter who could be affected by this at some point.
Men's risks stay pretty much the same all throughout their lives, yet women are very different.
First off Menopause is described as not having a period for 12 months. Sometimes this time frame is achieved and then the darn thing shows up AGAIN, if that happens the 12-month time frame starts over, BUMMER RIGHT!
First off Menopause is described as not having a period for 12 months. Sometimes this time frame is achieved and then the darn thing shows up AGAIN, if that happens the 12-month time frame starts over, BUMMER RIGHT!
Many women have menopause completed by their forties or even earlier (and some of us who have been told are "Incredibly Healthy" by our doctors still have not achieved this) At that point it is unclear, but some studies have shown a correlation between estrogen levels dropping and cholesterol levels increasing.
There is also a thing called Metabolic Syndrome which is a set of symptoms like lipid profiles being out of control, high blood pressure, obesity, abnormal glucose readings.
Wonder why I went down this road? As most of you know from one of my last posts, my husband Wayne had a heart attack. He had two stents put in through his wrist and has been given the all clear by the doctors. The doctors said that this was a hereditary situation and that nothing could have been done. *Cholesterol is in your body and the bad or sticky type starts to build in your early twenties. The fluffy cholesterol is the type that passes through your body with no problem. Do you know what feeds the sticky cholesterol? SUGAR! BREAD, RICE, PASTA, CEREAL, COOKIES, CANDY, ANY BAKED GOODS WITH FLOUR, IF IT IS PROCESSED IT IS IN IT!!
We are eating fast fun food and in the end not only causing ourselves to not have the summer bodies we want to have but in the long term, we are actually hurting our hearts!
In Closing, Let's be kind to ourselves and others about the whole summer body thing if you need to go a size up do it, no one ever comes up to you and asks what size your suit is, find one that fits and enjoy your summer. Second and more importantly start making better choices for your body and heart if you need too. I am not the food police and I am not about to tell you what to eat, it's your body and your choice, remember though what you put in your mouth may come out in ways you don't want it to later on.
Have a Great June,
~Toni~
I get asked almost weekly how it is that I am a baker and not overweight? Short story: I don't eat sugary foods all the time, even though I test everything I bake for quality control, I have things as an occasional treat. Long Story: I work my butt off! Shop for the best we can afford, prepare it, eat it, sleep, drink lots of water, exercise, etc.
Wonder why I went down this road? As most of you know from one of my last posts, my husband Wayne had a heart attack. He had two stents put in through his wrist and has been given the all clear by the doctors. The doctors said that this was a hereditary situation and that nothing could have been done. *Cholesterol is in your body and the bad or sticky type starts to build in your early twenties. The fluffy cholesterol is the type that passes through your body with no problem. Do you know what feeds the sticky cholesterol? SUGAR! BREAD, RICE, PASTA, CEREAL, COOKIES, CANDY, ANY BAKED GOODS WITH FLOUR, IF IT IS PROCESSED IT IS IN IT!!
We are eating fast fun food and in the end not only causing ourselves to not have the summer bodies we want to have but in the long term, we are actually hurting our hearts!
In Closing, Let's be kind to ourselves and others about the whole summer body thing if you need to go a size up do it, no one ever comes up to you and asks what size your suit is, find one that fits and enjoy your summer. Second and more importantly start making better choices for your body and heart if you need too. I am not the food police and I am not about to tell you what to eat, it's your body and your choice, remember though what you put in your mouth may come out in ways you don't want it to later on.
Have a Great June,
~Toni~
I get asked almost weekly how it is that I am a baker and not overweight? Short story: I don't eat sugary foods all the time, even though I test everything I bake for quality control, I have things as an occasional treat. Long Story: I work my butt off! Shop for the best we can afford, prepare it, eat it, sleep, drink lots of water, exercise, etc.
