My Top 10 Posts For 2021!

December 30, 2021 / healthbuddymelissa / Leave a comment

Well, the year is almost over. Another year is gone and a new one is set to begin. How was your 2021?

2021 was a stressful year for me. I had so much family drama, work drama, and just plain society drama. I hate drama. It drains me. That doesn’t mean I don’t deal with it. I am not a stick my head in the sand kind of lady. But, that doesn’t mean I enjoy it. I had good times too, with lots of laughs, and fun. I was able to get back to stage 2 CKD, maintain a 20-pound weight loss for over a year, met some awesome fitness goals, and I have started some new classes to start my profession in a different direction. I have been an LPN for my whole life since I was 17, which is almost 36 years. I love bedside nursing, with a passion. But, I am almost 53 years old and with about 10 more years to retirement my body is tired. Lifting, pulling, pushing, standing on my feet 12 hours a day, and that is just the physical stress of being a nurse. My body is tired, and I had a shoulder injury over the summer that took 7 months to fully heal, and now I have strained a neck muscle in that same arm from pulling on a very heavy patient. I just am not going to continue to do this to my body. So, two weeks ago I started a medical billing and coding certification class. Yes, this will be a desk job which I am not sure I will really enjoy, but I do know it is what I need to do to stay in the health care field. Once I am certified, which I hope won’t take more than 3 months, I will actively search for work in that field. So, things may change here on the blog. They may not, either. Just stay tuned. I also sit on the Board of Directors of a local dog rescue and will become the Secretary in the new year. This is a new adventure for me, as I have never been a secretary of anything, lol. I am learning to write grants for them. My last child will graduate high school in 2022 which means my homeschooling career will end. I am not sure how I feel about that. But, I do know change is good, and it is necessary. I am ready for whatever 2022 brings, I hope, lol! I still will be offering my coaching plans, so be sure and ask about them if you are interested in some Health Coaching.

I think I am going to stick with the monthly topic themes. They keep me on a good blogging path. Also, starting in the new year I will be sharing the slides from the Kidney Coach program that I have not been able to do live since Covid. I will do one to two slides a week. Each slide will have a written explanation with links to the topic with further information. I am an American Kidney Fund Kidney Coach and I have been given permission to do this here on the blog to reach and educate as many people as possible. A lot of these topics I have already discussed on this blog, but not from the AKF program. I hope people will find this helpful. I really would like to do these in video or voice-over form to be uploaded to Youtube. We will see if I can figure that out, lol. I also would like to do some basic cooking videos and how I adapt them to CKD. That probably won’t happen until my husband no longer works from home sometime in 2022. So, for now, you will just have to read about it. One topic that has really intrigued me over the past month is a pantry or shelf-stable cooking. I think this would be near to impossible on a long-term basis for someone with CKD, but I will be doing some food posts about this. I generally avoid these types of foods and feel that is why I have had such good success with improving my kidney function. But, maybe there are some better options.

So, back to the topic at hand. What were my top 10 blog posts for 2021? Be sure and check out the very end where I share the most popular post of all time on this blog. They are not in any particular order.

The number one post on this blog since I wrote the post, is this one about which cheese is best for CKD. It actually should be a top 10, but I didn’t write it in 2021 so I didn’t include it. This tells me that people are searching for info on food and CKD.

That is my year in review! Here’s to 2022 and hopefully no more Covid! I am so over Covid and everything that goes with it. Leave me a comment wishing me a Happy New Year and I will reciprocate.

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change is good, and change is coming!

May 30, 2021July 23, 2021 / healthbuddymelissa / 1 Comment

Hello, and happy Memorial Day weekend! I would like to take a moment and thank all of those who serve and protect this great country. I have to work tomorrow so we don’t have any great plans. We had a small family cookout yesterday, and some pool fun today. I was actually able to safely get in the pool now that my shoulder is getting stronger again. Hooray!

So, what about all this talk of change? I am a true believer in self reflection, observing, learning, and then changing if needed. I have had the domain name healthbuddymelissa.coach for a year now. I do not really see any benefit at all to having it. So, change #1 I am probably going to let that expire and this blog will go back to being called healthbuddymelissa.wordpress.com I am good with that. I am keeping the blog name Health Buddy Melissa.

Possible change #2- letting go of my paid gmail account. I have not yet decided on this and I am actually leaning towards keeping it. It is secure and perfect for business purposes.

Change #3- Do I want to keep the premium paid option of WordPress, or just go back to the free version? The only two benefits to the paid version that I have is paid ads, which honestly I have only made a fraction of what I paid for the upgrade, and that I can add a Paypal button. I really don’t need to have that option either, as it is required to have a meet and greet before purchasing anything from me anyways. The only thing I can not find a definite answer to is whether I can still add my mailchimp newsletter signup on the free version, which of course I want. I am just not sure it is worth 96 dollars.

Change #4- I will be moving away from the Health Coaching part of this blog. This means the 30 day coaching plan will become inactive. My available plans page will be revamped and updated. While I still have my Health Coaching certificate it really is not serving me all that well. The market is saturated with Health Coaches as it is. I will be moving more towards my Wellness Certificates in Reiki, Guided Imagery, Herbs, and Essential Oils. I will be creating new graphics and plans all during the month of June. I will also be continuing with my monthly Wellness Challenges, and creating new paid content with updated paid content as well. These are Meals with Melissa, Lose Weight with Melissa, and Crafting with Melissa. These will all be revamped. You will see a newly updated disclaimer as well.

Change #5- Some new topics to target. Since I am still targeting the Middle Ages, 40-65, retirement, brain health, safety, mobility, diet, exercise, making money and relationships will be some of my targeted topics. You can’t be well if you can’t find a job. I will also be doing affiliate links, and possible paid reviews. I used to do these years ago on my Homeschool blog, which I really should get back to. Now that I will have a Senior next year, and then that is it, I can target Homeschool Consulting as a way to share my knowledge. I will only do affiliate links for products I would use myself, and honest reviews of any item I would review. If you would like to join the affiliate link website I joined, click here.

I probably will change the color scheme and logo as well. You will start to see these changes rolling out on June 1. I still have time to decide on the upgrades.

For the month of June I will be doing three different weeks of targeted topics.

June 1-7 will be Hurricane Preparedness. I will be expanding on the one post I did on this topic last year. It will cover a lot of things we did not think of until we actually had to evacuate for one.

June 8-21 This will be my two week Zero Point Food Challenge. You may have seen some people do these and it is based on a zero point food list from Weight Watchers. There will be a small catch, so be sure and follow along. I will share what I eat everyday. You do not have to be a member of my mailing list to see how I do. I will post right here on the blog.

June 22-30 This will be all about Brain Health.

So, June is going to be a very busy month with a lot going on here on the blog.

I would love to have you join my mailing list. Each week I share content not shared here on the blog and right now you still get a smoothie recipe for free.

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$25 dollar food Challenge for 3 people!

October 15, 2020September 30, 2021 / healthbuddymelissa / Leave a comment

This is my first food challenge. It will be for 3 people, 2 adults and one teenager. Now, I must say a few things before I lay out the rules.

1- I am low carb eating. That does not mean Keto. I am not Keto. I have CKD and Keto can be very dangerous. Low carb is any amount of carbs under 150 carbs per day. I consume 100 or less per day. Cheaper food such as rice, potatoes, pasta and beans are very high in carbs. That does not mean we will not be eating those things. I will just need to adjust my portions to stay less than 100 carbs per day.

2- My teenager is a picky eater. Part of this challenge is to teach her how blessed we are to be able to afford foods that she prefers over more affordable foods. It is also to teach her about budgets and to stick to it, plus she will need to make mostly healthy food options when shopping.

3- Meat is very expensive. I prefer organic grass fed meat. It tastes better and that is the truth. However, we will have to see if that is even available at the store we will be shopping at. I can eat small amounts of black beans, pork and beans, or baked beans. My daughter will eat none of these, and my husband does not prefer them. So, that will limit protein options for all 3 of us. I won’t have the luxury to adapt meals for preferences of 3 people.

4- I will try super hard to make this as healthy as possible. I actually think it is very doable.

5- This will not be a live video challenge. Also, I have watched several 5 dollar Dollar Tree challenges. While it has been shown that you can actually buy and create meals with 5 dollars at Dollar Tree, I have never actually seen anyone eat any of these meals. This makes me suspicious if the challenge does not include actually eating the prepared meal. We may try one of those challenges, but honestly I am not going to be happy with food I buy there. It is all highly processed, and we have worked very hard to move away from those types of foods.

6- I use Misfits Markets, biweekly, to provide me with organic fresh produce. I freeze a lot of it, because organic foods do go bad faster. The challenges will be on the opposite weeks of my Misfits delivery and we will evaluate everything we already have on hand before shopping. I can not stress enough, that if you live in a food desert try Misfits Market. It is 22 dollars for the small box, with 5 dollar shipping. It is worth it! I must also add here, the best gift anyone ever gave us was a chest freezer. This allows me to freeze food that is on sale, or ready to expire, without having to use it immediately. If you can buy one, or know someone that wants to get rid of one, they are worth every dime!

OK, for this challenge, my teenager and I will be shopping at Save A Lot. I chose this store because it is a more affordable store in our area. I do have access to an Aldis, about 40 minutes away, but most people especially if they can not drive that far may not have access to that. We will be doing this challenge at various stores in the coming weeks, except Dollar Tree. We have a Family Dollar and Dollar General right here in town. If I choose to do Dollar General I will probably go to the one that is a market about 30 min away. Our local Dollar General does not offer healthy options in my opinion. The Family Dollar, however does, most of the time. We also have two super market type stores, that are very high priced, and both have sold me rotten food. I refuse to shop at either of these places for fresh foods, including meat and dairy.

We will have 25 dollars to spend, for a week of food, for 3 people. If we run out of milk, or bread then we will have to go without. My husband is the only big milk drinker at my house. Coffee, well I hope I have some leftover from this week, lol. We will first go through the freezer and cupboards to see what we already have and then build on that. When things are on sale, I tend to add a few to my cart. This leaves me with a decent supply of stuff on hand. We may have to have a few meatless meals, which is fine for me.

My daughter doesn’t remember, because she was very small, but there was a time when we had very limited money for groceries. We survived, but we did eat a lot of processed foods.

We will share pictures and meal ideas after we shop. I am not sure what day we will shop, but it will be before next Thursday. The challenge will run from next Thursday the 22, thru the 28th,

If you would like to join in this challenge, and you have a Save A Lot near you, please do. Be sure and leave a comment where you will post what you buy and what you can make, so everyone can read your results.

Next week sometime I will share my Low Carb routine, what kind of success I am having, and why I am doing it.

I have decided to start advertising my Coaching Services. If you would like to learn more use the contact form to message me.

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My Top 10 Reasons to Exercise

April 5, 2020November 6, 2021 / healthbuddymelissa / Leave a comment

After having my second child, exercise became almost non-existent. Though I felt we were active as a family, and as homeschoolers, my physical activity was few and far between. After being diagnosed with CKD I knew a total lifestyle change was warranted. Exercise always seemed like a chore, something I had to do, especially in the beginning. Being out of shape I got tired very quickly and ran out of steam. Now exercise is something I do every day because of the benefits to my life. You will not see being skinny, or weight loss as part of my reasons to exercise. I have moved past all that to be the healthiest and happiest I can be.

So, what are my top 10 reasons to exercise?

1- To increase and improve balance. Before I was diagnosed I was very unsteady and would sometimes fall. No one was sure why and I was deemed clumsy. A lot of it had to do with the toxins that had built up in my body, but some of it was due to a lack of exercise and balance training.

2- To increase and or maintain muscle strength. Anyone who has kidney disease knows how exhausting it can be, and muscle wasting is a huge risk especially for dialysis people.

3- To increase and or maintain bone strength. Another risk for kidney patients is the risk of bone fractures. Weight-bearing exercises can play an important role in maintaining bone health.

4- To keep my lungs healthy. Exercising increases oxygen demand and keeps the lungs working efficiently. Especially right now with Coronavirus and the ill effects, it has on the lungs.

5- For heart health. The heart is a muscle and probably the most important muscle in the body. Exercise works your heart muscle making it stronger.

6- To relieve stress. Stress is sometimes called a silent killer. It wears you down, and your body. It causes damage that often is invisible. Exercise is a great stress reliever and setting a time every day to exercise will help you make it a routine in your day.

7- Sweating helps remove toxins from the body. Now mostly it will be sodium, but if you have kidney disease sweat from exercise can help remove excess sodium. Obviously, you have to be wise here. Too low of a sodium level in the body can be just as dangerous as an excess.

8- I like my body changes. My body has changed over the last year and a half when I started exercising on a regular basis. I am firmer, stronger, and leaner. I am never going to be thin, but I can feel more fit and fabulous.

9- Better sleep. I work out in the morning, and some studies say don’t work out before bedtime. But, I say if you can work out and go to sleep then do it, rather than not. I sleep so much better when I have had a good exercise day.

10- Brain health. Just like with the heart, exercise increases blood flow and oxygenation to the brain. This can only be a positive thing. Exercise your brain!

Do you exercise? Why? Share your thoughts in the comments. Read about my new Walking Buddy Plan, newsletter subscribers can save 20% in one month.

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Thinking on Thursday: What is Pettifoggery?

January 24, 2020March 25, 2021 / healthbuddymelissa / Leave a comment

Welcome to Thinking on Thursday. These posts will be aimed at Brain Health and ways to improve it.

I know for me, in my 50’s, Brain Health becomes even more important than in my 20’s. I have been following some of the impeachment trials, mostly because we use it for History in our Homeschool classes, but the other night a term I had never heard of before came up. Pettifoggery. Do you know what pettifoggery means? You might be able to figure it out if you look at the two words separately. Pettifoggery means, to bicker or quibble over trifles or unimportant matters. To think that people running an Impeachment Trial were accused of this is funny.

Learning new words and their meanings is a great way to improve Brain Health. I used to do a post on Mondays, called Learn a New Word a Week. Learn a new word each day is even better. Write them down somewhere and study them to remember them.

If you would like to learn more about my Health Coaching Services, use the contact form at the end of this post to message me. Read about my giveaway here.

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Wellness on Wednesday: Cold and Flu Prevention Part 5

December 11, 2019 / healthbuddymelissa / Leave a comment

There are only two more parts to this series, so it will end next Wednesday. I will then move on to other topics. I hope you are finding this series useful.

The 5th link in the Chain of Infection is the Portal of Entry. A portal of entry can be broken skin, incisions, inhaled through the respiratory tract. There are a few others, but since we are discussing cold and flu these are the ones we will discuss.

You may have noticed a pattern by now that good handwashing is included in almost every chain in the link. Good handwashing is the number one way to prevent cold and flu. Barriers such as gloves and respiratory masks are two other ways to break this link. BTW gloves and respiratory masks do not just protect you from getting a cold or flu, but protects others from you should you be the person with the illness. I think sometimes people forget this. Also getting a flu shot if you have been advised to do so can break this link. Basic First Aid and personal hygiene are the last two ways to break this link. If you have overly chapped hands, or small cuts on your hands, that can allow germs to enter be sure and use a hand lotion to help heal the skin. Chapped, dry lips and nose can also allow germs to enter. Use chapstick, and a humidifier at night to add moisture and barrier to protect against germs entering the body. Get at least 7-8 hours of sleep and maintain a healthy diet will also help keep you and your Immune System in good working order.

You can read the other posts in the series in the archives.

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If you would like to receive my weekly newsletter, please use the contact form at the bottom of this post to message me with the newsletter as the topic.

Herbs on Tuesday: Sweet Orange

December 10, 2019December 10, 2019 / healthbuddymelissa / 2 Comments

You may see a lot of adverts for Herbs that can restore or reverse kidney function. While this may not be a lie, it can be confusing because most Herbs have not been studied in randomized studies for people who suffer from chronic illnesses or take lots of medications. So, please be careful in your urgency to find a cure for what ails you as it may make it worse.

Herbs and Essential Oils are complicated and can be very potent. Essential Oils are more potent than the dried herbs they come from, especially in undiluted forms. If you would like to learn more about using herbs or essential oils for certain conditions, use the contact form at the bottom of this post to message me for a free meet and greet.

Sweet Orange is one of my most favorite essential oils. I use it in my diffuser, and dilute it with coconut oil as a lotion for my skin. Soon I will be making into Aromatherapy necklaces to sell in my Etsy shop, and in cleaning products or candles. I love it mixed with Lemon Balm and Eucalyptus. I will be experimenting with other scents as well in the future. If you do decide to use essential oils make sure you are buying from a reputable source. I like Eden’s Garden, Mountain Rose Herbs, Doterra, and Young Living brands.

Sweet Orange is said to be safe for the kidneys, don’t ever ingest as an essential oil without speaking to Aromatherapist Practitioner first, and there are dried forms available of the herb to drink as a tea. It is uplifting, great for skin, cleaning, tissue repair, muscle soreness and much more. Just remember if you buy undiluted oil it must be diluted in a carrier oil before applying to the skin. Always do a skin test on a small area of the body to check for sensitivity, and avoid direct sunlight for 12 hours after applying it to the skin. So, it would be much better, if applying to the skin to apply at night. Do not use on infants or children under 6 years old without consulting a specialist. Same for pregnant women. Always tell your doctor about all OTC medications and herbs you may be taking.

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway. Tomorrow is the next support group chat on my Facebook page at 1 PM Eastern time. I am working on new graphics for each of my available plans. Don’t forget I also offer gift certificates. My special for this month is still on, one on one coaching to keep eating in check for the holidays, only 50 dollars. Message me for more info and details. I have learned so much this year about promoting an online business, and I still have so much more to learn. This blog is growing, and I will be upgrading to a paid plan before the end of the year. Exciting times!

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Cold and Flu Prevention: Break the Chain of Infection Part 4

December 4, 2019 / healthbuddymelissa / Leave a comment

Welcome back to part 4 of my series on Cold and Flu Prevention: Break the Chain of Infection. You can read the rest of the series in the archives under Wellness Wednesday.

The 4th link in the Chain of Infection is the Mode of Transmission. This means the way in which the germ is spread. This can be direct via human to human, or indirectly by a vector, ie animal. Since I am talking about Cold and Flu it would be directly by close association with an infected individual. Hugging, kissing, and even handshakes can be considered a close association. Picking up soiled tissues, or touching surfaces infected by dirty hands are good examples, as well as sneezing, coughing and sometimes just talking.

Ways to break this link are good and frequent hand-washing, cleaning and disinfecting daily areas that are prone to become contaminated, isolation- stay home if you have symptoms, get your Flu shot if you are immunocompromised or advised by your doctor, carry hand-sanitizer for when you can’t wash your hands, wash hands immediately after touching contaminated surfaces, use gloves if you can when picking up soiled tissues or use a clean tissue to guard your hands and wash hands immediately after, keep your hands away from your face, be sure you are using good germ etiquette too such as covering mouth when coughing or sneezing.

Also, keep in mind that by keeping yourself as healthy as possible your body may be able to fight off the Cold and Flu. Good sleep, a good diet, avoid added sugar, take Vitamin D or get sunlight, avoid and manage stress, get fresh air- at least 15 minutes a day are all great ways to keep your immune system as healthy as possible. If you would like to learn more about any of these use the contact form below to message me for a free Meet and Greet.

Don’t forget to check out my monthly challenge, and next year’s Walk 2020 starting on January 1st.

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Mindful Monday: What are You Thankful For?

November 25, 2019 / healthbuddymelissa / 1 Comment

I know we should be thankful every day not just the week of Thanksgiving. But, this is always a fun exercise I do with my kids each year, and it is fun to see how their answers change over the years. I am doing it with my daughter this year. She is 15. I gave her until Thanksgiving day to complete it and then I will share both of our answers on Thanksgiving Eve to this blog. If you would like to join in click on the printable template below, print it, answer it, take a picture of it and then share it in the comments to the post that will be created on Thanksgiving Eve. There are no right or wrong answers. If your kids or grandkids join in, save them and compare them as the years go on. It is fun to see how perspectives change with varying age groups.

I did not get to create my podcast last week. We had no internet for a day and a half. I will not be doing one this week, so next week will be the third podcast. Remember you must sign up to receive the podcast until I upgrade this blog. I will try to keep up with my regular posts this week, but with the holiday I am not so sure. I hope everyone has an amazing Thanksgiving, and don’t forget Christmas and New Year’s is coming, and I would love to be your Health Coach. Contact me using the form below for all questions and comments.

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Wellness Wednesday: Cold and Flu Prevention Part 2

November 13, 2019April 21, 2021 / healthbuddymelissa / Leave a comment

Updated 4/21/2021:

Last week I discussed the first chain of infection. This week I will discuss the second link in the Chain of Infection: Reservoirs.

So, let us say the first link was not broken, and the pathogen or germ was able to continue to the next link in the chain. A Reservoir is anywhere that the germ lives. This can be animals, insects, dirty surfaces, dirty equipment, soil, water, and of course humans. Getting rid of the reservoir will break this link in the chain and may prevent getting the Cold or Flu.

Ways to break the Reservoir link:

1- Don’t leave standing water around. If you are like me and you enjoy watching birds, and butterflies make sure you are changing the water frequently so germs do not thrive, and grow. The same can be said for pets or animals who live outside.

2- Disinfect surfaces and equipment daily, if exposed to high levels of germs. Of course, this would be any health-related facility. But, it could also be anywhere that dirty hands can come in contact with surfaces ie stores, restaurants, movie theaters, daycare, school, church, etc. Carry hand sanitizer and wash hands with soap and water as soon as you return home.

3- Control pests around home and business. Pests can include rodents, insects and other possible germ-carrying animals such as possum, skunks, armadillo, etc. Make sure your pets are healthy and have proper vaccines, flea and tick control.

4- Stick to infection prevention such as handwashing, getting vaccines if advised by your doctor, get enough sleep, eat a well-balanced diet, and exercise regularly. Some supplements that may help are Zinc, Vitamin C and Vitamin D. Be sure to learn about how to take properly, and any side effects.

5- Soil testing procedures should be followed as advised by government policies.

It is possible to avoid Cold, and Flus by breaking the chain of infection. It takes being mindful and diligent in good prevention measures. Always remember that the #1 way to prevent Cold and Flu is good handwashing.

If you have any questions or would like to learn about my April freebie, new 30 day coaching plan, or anything else, please use the contact form at the end of the post or email me at melissa@healthbuddymelissa.coach.

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