Hello, and Happy Saturday! I haven’t had a Saturday off in months. So, today is a rare treat.
Did you know there have been lots of other Epidemics and Pandemics in history? Some of them were pretty scary too, being that modern medicine is what it is. Even basic cleanliness and having soap was scarce for some of these historical illnesses. Imagine not being able to wash your hands, bleh! Without gloves, face masks, social distancing or even the knowledge to know to do these things, lead to a lot of deaths.
Be sure and watch the short video below to learn about some of these very scary times in History. Don’t lose any sleep over it though.
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Happy Memory Care Monday! I hope everyone had an amazing weekend. I worked all weekend, and I am still deciding if these 12 hour shifts are going to work well for me.
The video below is very interesting, and explains how our brains make memories. It is not that long, about 10 minutes, so give yourself some new knowledge, and let me know if you remember the name at the beginning of the video.
If you have a goal of improving your memory skills, and would like to work with me to reach that goal, use the contact form below to message me.
Welcome back to another Mindful Eating Monday. There are parts to Mindful Eating, but an important part is knowing exactly what you are putting into your body. Today, I am going to discuss a drink that I was intrigued with when I saw it on a Youtube video. So, what do you think, is this a healthy drink? This post may contain affiliate links.
Since I do not care for a lot of the flavored seltzer waters, and a lot of the flavored waters have things in them I don’t care to consume, I decided to try Zevia. These are not the ones I saw on Youtube, but I was in Target and I saw these ones that are obviously geared towards kids. It says Zevia for kids right on the can, and it has Mickey Mouse on it. It says it is naturally Gluten Free, Vegan, and non GMO. If you look at the ingredients they look pretty good, carbonated water, citric acid, organic Stevia leaf extract, and natural flavors. Now you might think that is awesome! But, one thing that makes me think is that it says they use organic Stevia but there is no certified organic label on the can. Why does that matter? If you read this article, explaining natural flavors, there is a big difference between natural flavors of processed foods labeled organic, or not labeled organic. This can is 7.5 ounces, and for 4 cans it was almost $5. This little can of fizzy heaven had good flavor, and fizz. There are no sugars and no caffeine. You can see all of the nutrition info in the images below. The full size cans are much more affordable, though still pricey.
I think if you can tolerate Stevia and the natural flavors does not spook you away, this could be considered a Healthy Drink. It is obviously better than soda, or fruit juice. If you absolutely can not drink plain water this could be a good choice. I find it kind of sweet so I would add maybe half the can to my ice water to give it some lovely flavor.
Tell me what you think in the comments. Have you tried Zevia? Join my Mailchimp mailing list to receive my weekly newsletter on Wednesdays, with a smoothie popsicle recipe for free.
If you would like to learn more about how Mindfulness can help you reach your Health goals, use the contact form at the end of the post to send me an email.
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Hello, and welcome back! Today is the first day of my June Health Challenge. The challenge is a zero point/very low fat food challenge. Below I will lay out the rules, and how I will share each day of my eating. This challenge is based off of the WW Zero Point Food list. I am not on WW, and the list is adapted to how I choose to run my challenge. You may see affiliate links in this post.
So, I found these WW zero point food challenges quite by accident on Youtube. I watched a few videos and was intrigued. So, of course I started to research the list, and how people are implementing it. First let me start by saying WW does not promote you eating just Zero Point Foods. Why? Because, it means you are consuming basically no fat and we do actually need fat, believe it or not. The list is meant to help you keep within your points balance of the plan you choose.
For this challenge the rules will be as follows.
I need fat, and so do you. I take Vitamin D every day for my kidneys and it will not absorb properly without fat. That goes for Vitamins A, E, and K as well. So we all need fat. So, after researching some of the zero point foods on the list, such as peanut butter, and eggs for my challenge a zero point food will be considered as any food item that has 3.5 grams of fat, or less per serving. Plus, I live very rural and trust me finding low fat cheese here was not an easy task, except for mozzarella. Zero fat foods taste disgusting and I don’t know why anyone would eat them. Daily goal of 20 grams of fat or less per day, but no more than 30 grams per day. I also follow a low protein diet that maintains my kidneys in good health. I will not be increasing my protein intake for this challenge.
Food items with 6 grams of sugars per serving, or that have no added sugar will be considered a zero point food.
Grains do not have to be whole grains to be zero point foods on my challenge. Why? Whole grains have more phosphorus and I generally avoid them. Since how smart points are tallied has nothing to do with how much fiber is in a food it seems pointless to me anyway.
What am I trying to achieve by doing this challenge?
Fat loss would be the most obvious. While weight loss is great, and I hope will occur, fat loss is my ultimate goal.
Even though my Cholesterol has gone back to normal, as have my Triglycerides, my HDL and LDL are still lopsided.
This diet will be very low sodium which will only benefit my kidneys and BP.
It’s a challenge but I hope after the two weeks that I will have formed habits I wish to keep.
Each day, or the day after, I will share what I ate each day of the challenge. I use a food tracker that tells me my macro and micro nutrients each day. I will share them. I hope to do some videos, but I couldn’t pull it off today. Some days, like when I work, I will share what I eat before work, and what I plan to eat that night at work. If I cheat I will be honest and say so. At the end of the challenge I will say if I lost weight, gained weight, and if I lost any body fat and how I calculate it. I will share any other stats I think of like if my BP improves significantly, etc. I do not count drinks. I don’t do that when I count carbs and I won’t do it now either. If you see my hurricane post from last week on drinks, you will see why. I did purchase fat free creamer for my morning coffee. I will use a lot of the same condiments. I will not post a new picture every day of already used condiments. I will just refer to previous posts.
This week I am starting to target my Wellness Plans. If you follow me on social media be sure to watch for them. You can follow me by clicking the links below.
Today is day one and I have already had my breakfast and lunch. I will still post dinner. I may have a snack later, but it will be pretzels that have no fat.
Breakfast: One small banana
Lunch: 3 oz of extra lean pork tenderloin, romaine lettuce, vidalia onion, 1/2 orange pepper, grape tomatoes and Kraft Raspberry Vinaigrette 2 tbsp which has only 1 gram of fat per that serving size.
Snack: 4 large strawberries, sprinkle of cinnamon sugar which has zero grams of sugar and fat, and 1 tbsp of Cool Whip which has 1 gram of fat in a tbsp.
Dinner will be: 56 grams of Barilla penne pasta, with 1 tbsp of light Hellman’s mayonnaise, see pics below for nutrition. I will add onion, carrots, cucumbers, and tomatoes and make it a macaroni salad. I will sprinkle on some Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning mix as it adds nice flavor and only a little sodium. I will also have 3 ounces of boneless skinless chicken breast.
Nutrition Stats for the day: Remember I don’t count drinks. I also take a half of a multivitamin every other day.
Calories: 689
Total Fat: 12 grams
Saturated Fat: 3 grams
Cholesterol: 110 mg
Sodium: 622 mg
Total Carbs: 102 grams
Fiber: 15 grams
Protein: 48 grams
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Welcome to Thinking on Thursday! I just finished the video below on the Spanish Flu and I was struck by the similarities in the two pandemics. The statement, History repeats itself, came to my mind. Watch the video and see what you think. Pay particular attention to the politics of the Pandemic, how various states, and cities all responded differently, and in particular how society in general reacted to guidelines for mitigating the spread of the virus. I also found it quite interesting as the rhetoric that ended up with the name Spanish Flu. It is not too unfamiliar with what some Americans choose to call the Wuhan Flu. With all the knowledge, Science, and modern technology available at the start of Covid 19 you would think this Pandemic would have been much different. But, alas even after a 100 years humans still have similar, even selfish responses to a Pandemic. It is kind of sad, really, that History, even in a modern world, will most certainly repeat itself. What about in another 100 years. Will humanity have learned nothing from the past?
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Happy Self Care Saturday! Today is also International Earth Day. There is an old Chinese Proverb about being happy. I have adapted parts of it to suit my self care needs. Below are 10 ways you can be happy for an hour. Happiness is key to Self Care though everyone may have their own definition of what it means to be happy and whether it is achievable. To me happiness is a state of feeling free of stress, burdens, worry, strife, work, demands, etc.
I think lots of people will agree with this. If you want to be happy for an hour, take a nap. I am not a good napper, especially for only an hour, but just lying quietly with my eyes closed and resting is wonderful. I don’t have to actually fall asleep. That generally just makes me feel icky.
Take a walk in nature for an hour. Not a sweaty, heavy breathing exercise kind of walk. A peaceful, slow, gentle walk someplace you find beautiful and quiet. This could be anywhere. You also don’t have to walk the whole time. You can sit and appreciate your 5 senses, sight, hearing, smells, touch, and taste. Be sure you are not on your phone, and it is silenced, and that you are either walking with someone who is quiet and not talkative, or take your dog.
Volunteer for an hour. We volunteer once a week at a dog rescue. Helping dogs rescued from shelters that may be kill shelters, or have been abandoned and unloved is so rewarding. If we lived closer I am sure we would do it more often.
If you are more of a sociable person make sure to set aside an hour at least weekly to be with family or friends. If it can’t be in person then do a video chat, or talk on the phone. If you are more of an introvert this may not be your best option.
Get a massage or mani pedi.
Do gardening. If you have not learned the art of gardening and how wonderfully happy it can make you, then you are missing out. Getting your hands dirty and learning to grow your own food or beautiful flowers makes me very happy. Plus today is Earth Day.
Treat yourself to a meal out, order in, or have someone else cook for a meal. You may not do this daily, but at least weekly. Check out Meals With Melissa.
If you can afford this hire a maid for an hour a day, or even an hour a week. I know that would make me happy.
I know this one is weird but I am really quite happy cleaning my pool. Maybe it is because I get the warm sun on my skin, no one is bothering me, no phone, no kids, no husband, just me and the pool. During the Summer months I clean my pool everyday.
Try being crafty. I know people say they are not crafty or artistic, but you may surprise yourself. An hour a week, or daily if you can, may make your very happy. Some things you may not have considered as crafty are: learn to play an instrument, paint, draw, crochet, knit, pottery, photography, writing, learn a new language, learn sign language, computer graphics such as create an app, glass etching, and so many more I may not have thought of.
I am sure there are others that I didn’t include, exercise or going for a motorcycle ride comes to mind. What is your favorite way to be happy for an hour? Share in the comments.
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That is an interesting title, right? Welcome to Wellness Wednesday. Today, is actually my 15th wedding anniversary. The year we got married it was like 95 here in Florida. Today it is a lovely 77. My husband and I have decided that 2021 will be a spend down our debt year, and increase savings. That means no expensive dinner, or gift, for our anniversary. We do have giving money that we set aside each month, but we have other things we want to give to. So, for now our anniversary is a celebration without gifts. I am actually OK with this. I am not a needy, or materialistic person. I am easy going and I feel there are so many other ways to show love to someone than spending money on things. You may have remember me mentioning that on Valentine’s Day as well. I am also not a romantic at heart, but my husband is. So, for today I have been texting him some sweet texts with love and marriage quotes.
Here are 3 of my favorites:
I love you a lottle. It’s like a little but a lot. There was no name to this quote, but I loved it.
Life is better with you in it. I am sure someone said this, but it is just one I remember and use a lot.
Marriages are like fingerprints; each one is different and beautiful. That one is from Maggie Reyes. I really like this one because it speaks to the uniqueness of every marriage, or relationship.
Marriage is hard. You have to work at it to make it awesome. Communication, selflessness, humility, and listening are all necessary in any good relationship. If everything is about just one person it won’t work for long. Not one person in the relationship can give all the time either, while the other takes. It is a give and take of equal requirements.
I have spent this special day working in my garden and yard. It reminds me of how things need to be nurtured and assisted to grow properly. Plus, where do I need to remove weeds, and other impurities to make it better? These activities help keep me grounded in my marriage and all relationships. Is our marriage perfect? Absolutely not! We are still growing in our lives together. If the growth stops then the marriage will stagnate. We encourage each other to keep growing.
A Health Coach can help you learn to have better relationships. If you are interested in learning more use the contact form at the bottom of this post to message me.
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Happy Friday! I did not get much done since Wednesday, because I got the second dose of my Moderna Covid vaccine. They actually wanted to schedule me to have it today, but I requested to do it Wednesday, because I have to work tomorrow. Boy am I glad I did it Wednesday. I am totally relieved to have it done and over with. I get nervous about vaccines because my Immune System seems to go into hyper drive. I have no idea if it is because I have CKD, but I expected a rough 24 hours, at least.
I got the shot at 230 PM on Wednesday. Within 30 minutes I could tell I was going to have a super sore arm, I way more sore than the first one. By bedtime I could barely lift my arm the pain was so bad. If you have ever had a Tetanus booster shot the pain is similar. I also became extremely tired within a few hours to the point where I thought I was going to have to take a nap. I just kind of chilled and stared at the TV, lol. So not me. I was able to finish binge watching Wentworth on Netflix. I so can’t wait for season 9. I went to bed very early and slept in. Again, so not me. Thursday, my arm was not as sore, and I was not as tired, but still no desire to do much of anything. I also got a fever of around 100 degrees that did not go away with Tylenol. By about 10 PM the fever broke. So, about 36 hours of feeling kind of crappy and lazy. I can’t really complain. It was kind of nice to just do nothing for a bit. Today, I am all better and could kick myself for not doing much for 2 days, lol.
Have you had the Covid Vaccine yet? How did you do with it?
I think it takes 36 days to have full efficacy of the second vaccine.
This weekend I have to work so I probably won’t add any new content. I am working on a new logo, and some other things. Next week I will be blogging about the DASH Diet and maybe some St Patty’s rcipes.
Have a great weekend!
Don’t forget to sign up for my mailing list. If you are interested in learning about my Health Coaching Service, use the contact form after the image to message me.
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Welcome back to another episode of Self Care Sunday. I hope everyone is doing well. I have been busy updating old posts, figuring out how to use Mailchimp effectively, creating new content and new Coaching Plans.
How many of you are people pleasers? You just can’t say no. You leave yourself over worked, over stressed, over tired, over loaded, you name it. Saying no is an art, a skill if you will. I have been a nurse since I was 17 years old, and now I am 51. I tell all of my younger coworkers that any company will let you kill yourself working if you let them. But, no doesn’t just apply to work. It can come in to play at home with family, friends, volunteering, church, children, etc.
Obviously you don’t want to just be a No Person, but learning to say no to things that steal your happiness is the key. For example, I do not do well covering call offs. I am not a spur of the moment person and I often make plans on my days off. Even if that is doing some art, or gardening, it is what I enjoy and that is the time I have set aside to enjoy those things. So, I tell my job I will try to fill in holes on the schedule where I can and to please give me plenty of notice of what those needs are. I still am not going to cover them all, but it affords me the ability to pick and choose and not look like I am just being difficult and never helping out.
Part of saying no is knowing your limits and what needs you have. Everybody needs time to reset and recharge. You have to allow yourself that at least once a week. I recommend people set aside at least an hour a day for just self care, or me time. Everyone will be happier in the end because you will be happier and more at ease.
The video below is a short video. Watch and listen to what she says. Try out some of the homework exercises.
If you would like to work with Health Buddy Melissa to learn more about Self Care and taking care of you, then use the contact form at the end of the post to message me. I will send you information on my It’s A New Day, 30 day coaching plan.
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Tomorrow I will share a video for lower carb Superbowl food ideas. I have not made any of them yet, but I will tell you which one I will be making and how I will adapt it to my needs.
But, today I am sharing this Valentine’s Day dessert idea I found on Pinterest. Puff pastry can be higher in sodium and obviously is not low in carbs, but it is better than chocolate. I would say you could drizzle chocolate or caramel over the top of this when it is done baking and that would be splendid. I will actually be making this and I will let you know how it comes out. I don’t have all of the ingredients on hand, and well obviously Valentine’s Day is not until the 14th. The video is self explanatory, though not in English. You can use the translate button for the ingredients and directions to English. You will find the recipe and video, here. Let me know if you make this.
I did not get any of my Health Coaching Plans updated yesterday, but I did get some clutter removed. I was asked to sit on a Board of Directors and learning about that experience took up a lot of my day. Today it is much warmer and I got some gardening done. I have peas, onions, broccoli, lettuce, carrots and basil coming up. I also got the pool partially vacuumed because I can not get in it yet. It has been a very cold winter and that water is 50 degrees right now.
I am considering a freebie or giveaway coming up next month. So, be sure and sign up for my newsletter so you don’t miss that announcement.
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Living Life With CKD 