SISTER WISDOM : build a better life

Maybe these will be helpful. If you know of other good ones, please share in the comments... or just be selfish and keep it all to yourself, that's fine too...

Inner Growth

Bible Reading Plans: Choose from 13 different Bible reading plans, sign up in one click, and get your daily reading mailed to you. I just started the "Read the New Testament Letters 3 Times in a Year" plan.
Blue Letter Bible: A great resource for Bible reading and study. You can click on words and phrases within the passage to read their definitions from Strong's, read commentaries, or do searches. Lots of translations.
Bible Study Tools: A flashier version of Blue Letter Bible, same basic stuff. I prefer the simpler Blue Letter site for basic study, but Bible Study Tools also has a large library of related books.

Health

The Green Smoothie Challenge: A former editor of mine started this site; you can join the world-wide challenge beginning on January 5th, 2010, or conduct your own challenge. It's a great way to kick start a diet or lose a few holiday pounds.
The Rosedale Diet: Joe and I are starting this diet on Monday, January 4th. It's not ground-breaking, persay, in the eating plan: cut out carbs and sugars, eat lean meat, eat a lot of vegetables. A twist is his take on fat; Dr. Rosedale recommends eating more good fat, snacking on nuts and the like, in order to reset your metabolism to burn fat instead of sugar. More on the diet and our experience with it later. For now, here are some links if you're interested:

• Articles by Dr. Rosedale
• The book: "The Rosedale Diet" from Amazon.com
• Dr. Rosedale's official Website
• Review of Rosedale's book from CurledUp
• Aside: I could not find a good source of Rosedale Diet-compatible recipes online. Maybe I will start posting some... The book itself has a hefty recipe section in the back, but some of them are a bit out of my food budget (Lobster Salad, oh dear Lobster Salad).

About.com's Walking Site List of Walking Programs: I generally find About.com sites to be thorough, well-stocked, and good for related recommendations. This list is of walking challenges and programs online that can serve as a guide for your walking.
2010 Fitness Challenge with MommyMandy: I'm all about group participation, accountability, encouragement, and challenges. Mom blogger Amanda Acuna is kicking of a 2010 Fitness Challenge with weekly updates, giveaways, and more. I'm in.

Writing/Blogging

Roy Peter Clark's Writing Tools: one of the best books on writing I've ever read also resides (in summarized form) on a website as quick posts or listens (2-minute podcast). Every writer should go through this series.
National Blog Posting Month: NaBloPoMo is actually every month now; you can sign up for the current month and get on the list of participants. It's also a great way to find new blogs to stalk... (not that I would do that).

There Is Always More

Resources, especially the online type, are infinite. I still think the best is the simplest, though: just brag up your resolution and then let your own sense of shame and fear of embarrassment keep you from goofing. Hey, if we can't quite get over our need to impress people we might as well use it to improve our lives.

After a sabbatical from menu planning, I'm back... and with a few changes in our family's food lifestyle. I am so ready to lose this baby weight and get back in shape. Joe's been wonderful; he's wanting to lose a few pounds too (though I don't see why. My husband is HOT) so we've been going on family walks in the evening when he gets home from work. And we've been going down to the Soulard Farmer's Market every week or so, stocking up on fruits and vegetables. All the fresh good produce helps me stick to one of our new food changes: a big green salad and fresh fruit or vegetables with dinner every night.

Deprive Yourself of Deprivation

See, I'm not good with deprivation. If I just focus on cutting out bad stuff (ice cream, say, or double stuff oreos, or pasta with cream sauce...) then I'll just feel deprived. I will last for about a week. I love food. I don't like feeling deprived of it. So instead of letting that be a weakness, I'm making it a strength: I love stuff that's bad for me, yes, but I also love stuff that's good for me. Fresh fruit: pineapple, raspberries, grapes, kiwi, apples, plums... (I'm addicted to frozen grapes right now. Amazing.) Fresh vegetables: mushrooms, spinach, crunchy carrots, artichokes, cauliflower.

Instead of focusing on cutting bad stuff out, I'm just focusing on getting more good stuff into what we eat. I don't feel deprived; quite the opposite, in fact. I love having a refrigerator full of good stuff to munch on or cook with. And if I want something that's "bad," well, I have some. Just some. I figure if the bulk of what I eat is fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and other good stuff, then my body can handle that other stuff. Maybe that's simplistic, but I like simple.

The 16-Week No Soda Challenge

One exception: I'm joining my mother-in-law on a 16-week "NO SODA" pledge. Starts May 10... Ah, soda, goodbye... You've been no good for me. Anyone up for joining in the challenge? Pop in a comment below and we can start keeping each other accountable. I need it. I drink water, mostly, but I sure like a cold dr. pepper now and then... I'm thinking the first few weeks will be the most difficult.

In keeping with our new food/fitness goals, this is our week's menu:

Visit the host of Menu Plan Monday!

Monday: Ham, Mushroom, & Swiss Quiche; Salad; Green Beans; Kiwi & Grapes

Tuesday: Chicken Curry; Fresh Pineapple; Salad

Wednesday: (finger foods; we have a picnic-meal on Wednesday nights between work and church) Steak Sandwiches; Baked Corn Chips; Apples

Thursday: Citrus-Marinated Tilapia; Potato Salad; Fresh Spinach Salad

Friday: Chicken Caesar Salad; Lemon Garlic Pasta; whatever fruit we still have!

I don't have any recipes up yet; shoot me an email or leave a comment if there's one you want.

Downloadable version of Food & Fitness Goals

GETTING ACTIVE

Family walk in the evening

Weights at home

Active fun stuff: skate park, soccer, hiking, etc.

NO MORE BAD STUFF

16-week soda fast

Quit buying over-processed, packaged snacks/junky nonfood

GET IN THE GOOD STUFF

Go to the farmer's market weekly

Eat a green salad and fresh fruit/veg with dinner every night

Eat more fish (once a week)

Eat more whole grains (oatmeal, granola, whole grain/wheat bread, bran muffins)

Find local sources for free-range/organic meat

Keep lots of fresh fruit and prepped veggies for snacks

Grow and use more herbs

Make a monthly co-op order

Eat less of the BEST instead of more of not-so-great stuff

Sure, sometimes you need the Infant Tylenol and Mylicon, but sometimes a few herbs will do the trick just as well. Of course, like medicines, herbs should be used with care, especially for babies and small children. The following are a few of my favorite, gentle herbs.

Chamomile

Image by matsuyuki on Flickr.

Chamomile is my favorite for infants, as it is very gentle and great for common infancy issues. I use it when my babies have a cough, sore throat, upset tummy, or just general restlessness. It's easy to grow yourself in the summertime, though I think it's kind of weedy looking so I put it at the back of my herb bed. But it's also easy to find at any grocery store in the herbal tea section. Look for a chamomile tea, but be sure to buy a tea that contains only chamomile. Often you'll find a blend and some of the other herbs included may not be safe for babies. Celestial Seasonings sells a chamomile tea that is only chamomile, and that's the one I normally buy.

How to Use Chamomile

To use it for baby for easing any of the above symptoms, I simply make a strong tea out of 1 or 2 tea bags. If you are using loose dried chamomile, use about 1 to 2 tablespoons per 12 ounces of water. Heat the water almost to boiling and pour it over the herbs or teabags. Let steep for 5 minutes, then strain or remove tea bags. Stir in a spoonful or two of sugar until just sweet to the taste. Let sit until still warm but cool enough for baby to drink or mix with cool water and give to baby in bottle or sippie cup.

I give this tea to my 1 year old when he is fussy, teething, restless, or congested. I give it to my 2 ½ year old when she is coughing, congested, or has a sore throat. If I hear her coughing in the night, I will make up some tea, bring it to her warm in a sippie cup, have her drink a little, then leave it by her bed. It's usually all gone by morning, and I usually don't hear her coughing again during the night.

If you have tea left over, you can refrigerate it and serve it the next day with meals or mixed with juice. After that, discard and make fresh tea.

Fennel

You can buy fennel seeds in any grocery store's spice section, so no special trips to the natural health store

Image by tanakawho on Flickr.

needed. Fennel is a common ingredient in Gripe Water (a homeopathic treatment for click in babies) and some versions of Gripe Water are made exclusively with fennel, which basically means it's just fennel tea. That's what fennel is good for; it's known to relax the muscles of the digestive system, so it helps infants to expel gas in their little tummies. It can also be helpful with indigestion.

How to Use Fennel

To make fennel tea, crush about ½ teaspoon of fennel seeds. Heat 8 ounces of water almost to boiling, pour over the crushed seeds, and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, sweeten with sugar if desired, and give to baby when cool enough to drink.

Caraway

Image by SheriW on Flickr.

Another common grocery store find, caraway seeds are easy to locate and you'll know them best for their presence in rye bread. Caraway seeds are known to help expel gas and relieve bloating in the same way fennel does, by relaxing the the muscle tissue of the digestive tract. It is also considered a very safe herb, so it is ideal for infants with gas, indigestion, or other colicky symptoms.

How to Use Caraway

To make caraway tea, crush about 2 teaspoons of caraway seeds. Heat 8 ounces of water almost to boiling, pour over the crushed seeds, and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, sweeten with sugar if desired, and give to baby when cool enough to drink.

Lemon balm

You probably won't find this in the grocery store, so visit your favorite online herbal supplier or local natural

Image by The County Clerk on Flickr.

health store, or grow some in your backyard this summer. (It's really easy to grow and produces a lot.) It's great crushed in your iced tea this summer for a lemony kick. It's also a great herb for easing gas and cramps; it has the same antispasmodic effect as fennel and caraway. Like chamomile, lemon balm has a very calming, anti-anxiety effect. The calming effect coupled with the antispasmodic properties make it a great herb for infants with colic, who don't feel good and then get upset and tense because they don't feel good. It's has no known side effects other than possible exacerbation of thyroid problems when used for more than a few days in a row.

How to Use Lemon Balm

To make lemon balm tea, use 1 heaping tablespoon of dried lemon balm leaves (or 2 tablespoons of fresh). Heat 8 ounces of water almost to boiling, pour over the lemon balm, and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, sweeten with sugar if desired, and give to baby when cool enough to drink.

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Update (Wednesday): 40 minutes cardio (walking); random stretching throughout the day whenever I thought about it.

Wrap-Up: I would call this challenge about a 70% success. I have been successful in the cardio part of the routine, which was more important to me and required more time and effort.

However, on the stretching/toning portion of the challenge, I failed miserably. With the cardio, which mainly involved walking, I had several routes I knew well and enjoyed, I had the kids involved, and I had a specific time to get out and walk. I also had a back-up plan for rainy days.

With stretching/toning, I never put any of those things in place, or at least not firmly enough. I never really stuck with one routine long enough to know it well and feel like I was getting somewhere. I was trying different stretches, different toning exercises, but I needed to just compile a few effective ones into a 10 or 15 minutes routine that I could get comfortable with. I also couldn't figure out how to involve the kids, which isn't completely necessary, but a nice bonus when it is something I can do with them rather than something I need to fit into those naptimes.

The kicker, though, was not having any specific time to do stretching and toning, whether with kids or not. I'm going to continue this exercise challenge, unofficially, for another month because I like the results I have so far. I'd like to get some more of the same!

Here are my recommendations, simplified:

-Have a specific time and place.

-Get yourself some good work out clothes.

-Get any necessary gear (yoga mat, light weights, water bottle).

-Have a plan for cardio work and for toning work. Have a back-up plan if the outdoors isn't cooperative.

-Have some variety but also stick to one thing long enough to feel like you can master it and get the most out of it before moving on.

Happy Exercising!

Image courtesy of mikebaird on Flickr.

Errrr should be said in a kind of harsh, guttural, unhappy way, because I don't really want to commit to exercising for 30 days. So I'm only going to commit to 24. Sundays off, people. There's a reason God commanded us to take a day of rest: we need it.

Exercise Is in the Eye of the Baby Holder

I use the term exercise rather loosely. I have two itty bitty wonderful babies and a busy schedule. There will be no trips to the gym (which would require a membership anyway), no aerobics classes, no training for a marathon. Not any running or jogging or any movement faster than what I could do behind a double stroller.

The Stated Goal: Cardio + Toning

My daily goal is 15 - 30 minutes of cardio: walk, dance, work-out dvd at home; and 10 - 15 minutes of toning: stretching, strength, weights, abs. Minimum, then, is under 30 minutes (15 cardio plus 10 toning), so it's doable even on busy days.

I miss being active. I was getting up early and walking before the babies woke up for a while, but I let the cold winter keep me in. Now that it's getting warmer, I want to get outside and get the kids outside too. We all need to breathe air that hasn't been recirculating through our house all day. Mmm mmm good.

Sexy Abs by Evening?

It's not raining today, so after morning naps and lunch I will load them up and we're off for a nice, brisk little walk. I did some crunches this morning. Joe was walking out the door and I yelled after him, "I'll have sexy abs when you come home tonight!" I am going to have to do quite a few more crunches before that's true. Maybe in 24 days...

While we're out, I'll stop in the library and pick up a couple of exercise dvds. I need something for rainy days, which we're supposed to have more of later this week. I'll also be looking for a good deal on a set of weights (light ones) and a mat. And an exercise ball! And a stretchy rubber work-out band! And sports bras! And new tennis shoes! And a tennis racket! And lipo!

The Rest of the Story

In keeping with this month's challenge - exercise, in case you forgot - I'll do some writing on health, exercise, and nutrition this month. I have at least five books I want to read and review. (Two of them are quite large, so I will break it down and just do sections of each, most likely.)

Back to Eden by Jethro Kloss.

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. This book has the greatest subtitle I've ever heard.

Today's Herbal Health by Louise Tenney, M.H.

Chicken Soup and Other Folk Remedies by Joan Wilen and Lydia Wilen. (Think they're related?)

Alternative Cures by Bill Gottlieb.

I notice as I write this list that they are all on nutrition, herbs, natural medicine and none discussing exercise and fitness. I'll just keep a weather eye out for some good information on that subject. Something besides my own daily adventures, that is.

Help Me

I need, crave, long for, yearn to have the voice of experience here. I didn't play any sports growing up (something I now regret). I've never jogged more than maybe 3 miles at a time, and that nearly killed me. My work-out gear is my pair of blue and green Saucony shoes. I consider climbing trees a viable strength-training routine. I have horrible balance. I fall over during those stretching routines that require you to lift one leg and one arm at the same time. I do frequently drink water out of those squirty-top bottles, so that gives me kind of an edge.

So, any tips, tricks, recommendations, routines, secrets, advice that you healthy, fit, active, sporty people have: share them with me, please!