Twitch No More...or at least very little.

I'm happy to report that my constant, annoying leg twitches have drastically been reduced and I think the culprit was too much sugar...especially at night. It's been 7 days since I began eating "cleaner". I've eliminated white sugar and all processed foods. No more grazing between meals.
My new eating plan is based on the Ayurvedic lifestyle. I'm not following it exactly but I have eliminated the following from my diet:

• No fried foods
• No white sugar
• No snaking between meals
• Eating more colorful veggies
• Sip on warm liquids throughout the day
• Make lunch my biggest meal
• Eat a light dinner 
• Avoid cold liquids especially at night

An Ayurvedic lifestyle can be overwhelming initially so I'm only following a few concepts at a time.

I figure some changes are better than none at all. 

My next goal will be to reduce my meat consumption to near nothing.

I'm excited about trying a natural substance called Shilajit. It's relatively unknown to Americans. 

Shilajit promotes the movement of minerals into muscle, tissue and bone. Some of the translations of this Aryuvedic mineral-herb translate as the "conqueror of mountains and destroyer of weakness." It was thought to be able to conquer any sickness and disease process with the proper dosages at the proper times. It is considered an adptogenic substance that helps people adapt to environmental stressors more effectively.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/042670_shilajit_health_benefits_ayurvedic_medicine.html#ixzz3FZLuLSw6

Oh...discovered the wonderful taste of Padron peppers this week! Yummmm.

Thankful For Ruts

I recently was talking with my bff about life. We both have aging parents and we both are in our early 50's. I think it's normal to be taking stock of your life. I can honestly say that I'm pretty damn happy with my life. There's not much I would change. But what if you're not very happy with your life? You don't like your job. Maybe your current relationships are not fulfilling. You're not living the life you want. Yet some will say..."Be happy/thankful for what you have." So, you try to be happy for having your crappy job and empty relationships. But, come on, that's not really the answer.
You can be thankful for realizing you want a better life for yourself. That's the first step. Get a journal and write down 1 or 2 goals to a better life. Give yourself 6 months to reach those goals. Then you'll be thankful for 3 things: 1) Knowing you need to make a change. 2) Achieving goal #1 3) Achieving goal #2
Your goals can be as big or small as you want. Make them reasonable to achieve.
Making life changes can be scary. It's easy to just sit back and accept what you already have.
You've got to make change happen if that's what you truly want.
Be thankful for life's ruts....they can be a source of motivation for change.
I've finished my first week of eating "clean"....no sugar, processed foods, fried foods. I have to admit I don't feel so sluggish, I'm sleeping much better, no heartburn and my leg twitches have drastically been reduced.
Now, I've been down this healthy road before and had the same positive results. By writing this blog I hope to stay focused on my goal of giving up crappy foods once and for all. Onward and upward!

(I apologize for any glaring grammer, punctuation or spelling mistakes…this is a blog…not English class.

I can’t say that I’ve always had a weight problem. For many years I could eat pretty much whatever I wanted. If I gained a few pounds, I would just cut back for a few days and the extra pounds would come right off.

Then I started to notice that whenever I was in a relationship  I would put on extra pounds….lots of eating out…lots of desserts…lots of just plain eating! Then came the breakup and off came the weight.

Now I’m in my early fifties and the weight has taken up permanent residence. I spend a month taking off 5 pounds and one weekend putting it all back on….back and forth…back and forth.

Not only can I no longer take off weight effortlessly but I no longer can eat a growing list of my favorite junk food without experiencing insomia, acid reflux  and well, my waste management system stops running smoothly…if you know what I mean.

So, enough is enough. First, I’m getting rid of my scale…I’ve never liked numbers anyway. This is a lifestyle change not a numbers game. I’m not pressuring myself to become a Vegan…though I’m seriously considering it. For now I want to concentrate on eating “clean” with more veggies and less meat. I have to say goodbye to processed sugar, red meat and some dairy.

I love to cook so trying new, healthy recipes is kinda exciting and fun.  I’m also going to throw in some exercise a few days a week…bike riding, maybe treadmill. But if I don’t feel like exercising on any given day that’s perfectly ok. The main goal here is to change my eating habits for life and stop eating like a 20yr. old.