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Breast Cancer Care Package

In an unfortunate turn of events, two of my dear friends are undergoing treatments for breast cancer at the exact same time. From an outsider’s point of view, it is difficult to know what to say, offer, or do in times like this. Some friends drop off the planet because they don’t know how to approach a sick person. I strive to not be one of those “friends”. I want to offer as much support as I can from my position. I’ve done some research and soul-searching and come up with a few ideas for care packages that I thought would come in handy for someone going through a double mastectomy or even any medical treatment:

1. Lipstick, perhaps along with a copy of “Why I Wore Lipstick to my Mastectomy.” I remember reading a clip from this book in a magazine, celebrating femininity and encouraging a sense of hope in anyone fighting this disease. Once a woman begins wearing lipstick again, she’s on the road to recovery.

2. Nail polish, neck scarf or bold jewelry. Same principles as above apply. A woman is a woman no matter if her breasts are attached or not. She can still celebrate her inner and outer beauty in other ways. Let your loved one know that her beauty and value as a woman is most definitely not attached to her chest.

3. Form pillow. Women going through painful treatments can use as much creature comforts and padding as you can give them.

4. Cashmere socks (or socks infused with aloe like I found). Keeps her extremities warm and pampered at the same time.

5. Handheld games, magazines, and other reading material. This sort of thing helps pass the time and entertain her when she’s in another waiting room or receiving treatments.

6. I found a book called something to the effect of “200 Foods That Will Save Your Life.” You have to be careful with this one. You don’t want to insult your dear friend or violate any diets her health care provider has recommended. But if she’s talking about overhauling her diet and lifestyle, something to help her along in the process is always appreciated. This book explained each superfood’s health benefits and provided a recipe for each.

7. Journal. Whether she wants to vent, hope, or write letters to her children, a journal provides a woman with a wonderful creative outlet.

8. Daily devotion book. You have to be careful with this one too because of varying religious beliefs, but if you know your friend’s beliefs, this sort of spiritual reassurance can help heal her soul and instill her with a sense of peace.

9. Comedic relief. A comic book, funny movie, or handcrafted book of goofy pictures helps revive joy in an otherwise morose circumstance. Laughter truly is medicine. I’ve even read studies about laughter and how it reduces pain and helps the healing process.

10. Hot/cold pack. I found a nice pack that can be both heated up and frozen for whatever sort of relief she needs.

11. If she’s up for it and you can manage it, one of the best things you can do is just to be there for her. Provide moral support during treatments, lighten her load, provide her and her family with dinner, or stop by and hold her hand for awhile. It’s always reassuring to know you have people who love you and want to take care of you.

12. A cancer buddy/weapon/curer. Find a trinket that reminds you of your friend. Maybe a healing stone, a plush stuffed lion or a fake sword that she can bring with her to the hospital. There should be some significance attached to the object of course, such as a “cancer weapon” sword, so that your friend is not only reminded of the love of her friends each time she sees it but also gives her courage in her fight.

13. False eyelashes and nails. Chemo treatments can leave a woman without eyelashes and healthy fingernails, and a woman always loves to feel gussied up and pampered.

14. Do a 5k in her name. Find a race in your area that benefits cancer research and scout out donations. Progressing the search for a cure has to be one of the most productive ways you can help your friend (and the rest of humanity that faces cancer risk).

Not All Opposites Attract

Here’s a little insight into the differences between someone who is healthy and someone who is not. Some of them might be overgeneralizations, but really, the habits between the two groups are significantly different. And in no way am I trying to be insulting, because I myself have been on both sides of the equation and know all too well the upsides and downsides of both. Here’s my experience with healthy vs. not-so-healthy.

1. Enthusiastic about each opportunity to walk instead of drive/Moan at the thought of having to cross a parking lot to reach a neighboring store.

2. Find little ways to incorporate activity into everything, even lunch/Barely leave their desk and would rather not even take the stairs.

3. Find time, no matter what the circumstances or how many kids they have, to work out several times each week/Offer an extensive list of excuses as to why exercise just isn’t feasible.

4. Take pride in trying out new fruits and vegetables and have a recipe collection for common favorites/Most fruits are ingested in juice form.

5. Knows what most fruits and vegetables look like/Not sure where to find an eggplant.

6. Pantries and fridges are full of healthy fare from the perimeter of the grocery store/Boxed meals and prepackaged goods usually make the cut.

7. Maintain a healthy lifestyle long-term/diet on and off; regularly sign up for different weight loss programs and quit after a short time.

8. Thoughts of the deep-frying process make you a bit nauseous/Thoughts of keeping down Brussels sprouts makes you turn up your nose.

9. Take charge, research and implement healthy living strategies/Wait for some miracle cure, supplement or equation to take all the guesswork out and require the least work possible.

10. Comfortable being uncomfortable for healthful gains/Huffing and puffing are avoided at all costs.

11. Have at least a basic idea of how to read nutrition labels and eyeball a serving size/Likely eat much more than one serving and think labels are way too scientific to even bother with.

12. Barely watch television and sometimes work out during commercials/Have at least 2 or more shows each weeknight that they catch on a regular basis.

13. Work at healthful habits one step and small goal at a time/Use an all-or-nothing approach and go all-out only to come crashing to a halt days later.

14. Small setbacks don’t completely derail the healthy lifestyle/A minor slip-up might completely sabotage willpower.

15. Enjoy small indulgences every once in awhile/Try to completely eliminate certain foods, label foods good and bad, and/or go overboard on portion size.

Impulsive Behavior at the Dinner Table

You know you’ve eaten too much during Easter when:

1. You’re seriously considering a crazy detox diet. Ok, I don’t really believe in this, but I keep joking about it because of all I’ve eaten. And really, the only thing that looks good in the fridge is the fresh produce. That could be a good thing.

2. You have absolutely no cravings left in your system. Maybe this is a good thing too. There’s no way I could have any vitamin deficiency as of right now!

3. You eat breakfast the day after Easter and feel really really full. Even though it’s the same type of breakfast you ate before Easter and it barely left you fulfilled until lunch.

4. The sound of your favorite food ever (cake! beef tips!) makes you feel a little queasy. Gosh, I wish this lasted for longer. I know by the end of the week, cake will tempt once again.

5. Your fridge will be full of leftovers for a good week. Yes, there really was that much food at our dinner table even after seconds and thirds.

6. You had Easter brunch at 11:00am and your normally healthy appetite still isn’t asking for anything at 8:00 at night.

7. You fear the wrath of the little dentist devil sitting on your shoulder.

8. You spent just as much *gasp* on one meal as you have been spending for entire weeks’ worth of groceries.

We had quite a few far-reaching family members at home for the last three days. After the Chinese buffet, two family potluck dinners and other out-to-eat meals in between, I think it’s safe to say I am FULL! I think these splurges are important every once in awhile and that it’s important not to feel one morsel of guilt for it, though I don’t recommend this for three days straight. The important thing is to get back on track Monday morning or the very next day, or the very next meal for that matter. One weekend won’t ruin everything unless you let that lapse continue. So, I’m licking the remnants from my lips and starting today fresh.

Breaking out the Bento

So, I’ve read about Bento boxes at least twice in the last few weeks. I wonder if they could be making headway into mainstream American society if the momentum keeps building.

The concept makes a whole lot of sense. You have a lunchbox that is partitioned into several different compartments. You fill the compartments with your lunch. You have built-in portion control, you incorporate a variety of food groups/colors into your meals, and it’s all in one spot–there’s only one dish to pack/clean. Instead of trying to eyeball or remember how much of your plate should be full of veggies and protein and so on, you need only let the Bento do it for you. Not only that, but brown-bagging it is an environmentally- and wallet-friendly way to do lunch.

Me likey.

I was thinking that without having to go out and buy a new lunchbox, I could easily incorporate the principles of the Bento box into my own lunch-making. I could just grab my measuring cups and find out exactly how much food fits into my most-used Tupperware dishes. Then, I could determine what portions of fruits, veggies, carbs, protein, etc I need for lunch and plan accordingly. If I already know which dish holds the standard 1/2-cup of cottage cheese, I won’t have to play any nutritional guessing games when I’m rushing around in the morning.

Diets Diets Everywhere

It’s kind of funny. Since I’ve climbed up the health hill, I’m much more apt to become annoyed when I hear people talk about diets. It seems almost silly, and I can tell when, like clockwork, they’ll totally ditch the plan in favor of all their previous indulgences. It’s really a tiresome process for everyone involved I think. I will be the first to applaud anyone’s weight loss and health goals, but it frustrates me when the “diet” (fad) followed isn’t sustainable, healthy, or taken very seriously.

Whenever a celeb or person we know loses weight, we all want to know what plan they followed. Then, we jump on the bandwagon only to fall off two weeks down the road. I think it helps to look at the big picture. Every infallible diet plan is based on some of the same basic diet principles. There’s no wand-waving, no juice or pill that will make everything better. And what does make everything better takes a whole lot of work. And it must be practiced for an entire lifetime.

Perhaps that’s what frustrates me most, when people think that they shouldn’t have to do much to watch the weight fall off. Or when they use every excuse ever devised. Anyone who has lost a significant amount of weight the natural way and kept it off knows that it takes a damn lot of work! And when someone thinks it’s supposed to be easy, it’s rather insulting to the hours of planning and sweat we have worked through over the years. Us losers take pride in the accomplishments we have achieved and the raw effort it took to get here. And yes, some of us have kids, full-time jobs, hobbies, homes in need of attention, and so much more that we have to work against every day in order to be healthy.

Anyhow, enough ranting. I truly do wish everyone the best in their healthful endeavors. I just wish that we weren’t so hardwired to get caught in all of the hype. I even fall victim to that every once in awhile.

Red Red Wine, Stay Close to Me

Well, speaking of red wine a few post’s ago, I just read about another study touting the benefits of my favorite poison. Not only did the Realage site mention that drinking 4-oz of wine with a meal increases HDL (good) cholesterol, a Reuters article suggests that there’s a strong correlation between women who drink red wine and a slimmer waistline.

Now this is a weight loss plan I wouldn’t mind trying. Cheers!

I am 26, but feel like I’m 20.3

Take the RealAge(r) test at the Realage website to see how old your body is in terms of how you take care of it, how healthy you are, and other contributing factors. I am happy to say, I am feeling 6 years younger today.

After you take the test, you can find out what’s making you younger and older. There are Health, Habits, Relationships, Diet and Fitness recommendations you can follow to help improve your score. It’s amazing what flossing, drinking red wine with dinner, and owning a dog can do for your body! But it also told me to buy that silver SUV we’ve been looking at (larger vehicles provide more protection and apparently silver vehicles are 50% less likely to be involved in serious accidents. Who knew?) I don’t know if we can swing that since unemployment checks don’t fly as income.

Here’s something else I had a sneaky suspicion about. The quiz results say I work out TOO MUCH. It says, “In fact, your workout is at the level of an athlete” and then offers strategies to slow down a little bit. I’ve programmed myself to find exercise opportunities in all those extra daily minutes, like one segment of the 10-minute Solution DVD before work, then walk to work, walk briskly with a friend at lunch, walk home, and fit in a more intense workout and strength sessions MWF, and then sneak in a few more walks and workouts on the weekend. I loathe sitting around, what can I say?

But it seemed like after I had my baby, breastfed, and walked slowly with him, weight fell off my body faster than it ever did before. Perhaps less is more.

It’s kind of funny, because after a health assessment at work one time, the nurse insisted that I get more exercise. I repeated how much I worked out several times and she kept saying I needed to do more. I just rolled my eyes. I always knew it was the food holding me back, not the exercise.

I also learned from the quiz that my target heart rate for working out is about 194 (220-age). I think I’ll try to keep track of this tomorrow and request a heart rate monitor for Christmas:)

Will Eat for Free!

I’ve identified more dangerous triggers that cause me to eat when I don’t need to. It all comes down to the value of the dollar.

The first trigger is free food. When I see a spread of fruit, dips, and other indulgences, I see something I could never afford to have all at once at home. I see dollar signs in the drink mixes and shiny gold glazing on the meat slabs and it’s hard to resist the temptation when posed against the lackluster frozen meals at our house. Along the same vein is the value of my time. The free homemade cake offered at work, that I don’t have to slave over, is doubly tempting. (And I will NEVER pass up a slice of cake!) I figure as long as it’s only one indulgence every other week or so, maybe I throw a few bites away, and I only take a partial serving, I should just enjoy the frosting, guilt-free. And there can’t be much harm in filling my plate with mostly fruits and vegetables first.

The second downfall is the incredulous idea of wasted food. Knowing how much our weekly grocery budget has grown makes me want to sip, soak up, suck on, swallow, and chew every last penny’s worth that I can. The downfall of this is that those extra bites end up taking up residence in my fat cells, which is worse than living in the garbage can. I guess the easy solution to this is to buy less calorie-laden foods and serve smaller portions. Also limiting the indulgences would help, so that when I eat every last bite, it’s more likely to be broccoli and brown rice than greasy prepackaged burritos.

My third downfall is when food is offered that I wasn’t prepared for. Identifying the cost and amount of time and love spent by mommy making a double batch of cookies makes it impossible to refuse. The gooey heaven is laden with guilt from many different angles. Next time, I’ll ask for my treat to-go, fully enjoy just a few bites, and get rid of the rest or share the bounty with others. Mommy will never know.

The fourth downfall is how going out to eat has become a “treat.” My husband and I are at odds over this. My family of 5 used to go out to eat on $20 total, a rare treat. We’d share meals; scour flyers, newspapers and circulars for coupons; skip extras like drinks (only water), dessert, sides and appetizers; and memorize where the deals were. (We once had lunch at a furniture store because they were giving out free hot dogs). My husband’s family set no limits on food or cost and ate out as a convenience, versus a rare splurge. So as we combine our families, we have a habit of going out for a “rare treat” sometimes twice a week or more. Not good. I’ve bought a few quick healthy recipe books that will hopefully deflate this ballooning eating-out budget. We are in need of some variety and much more enjoyable bites at home so we don’t crave going out. After all, I’d much rather save for memorable vacations than watch money drain away on food, with nothing left to show for it.

Who knew money was so inextricably linked to diet?

This Will Make You Uncomfortable

Don’t worry, I’m not going to divulge some gory details about myself or anything. I’m just going to tout the benefits of breaking out of your comfort zone.

It’s easy to go home, cuddle under a blanket and watch television for the evening, perhaps even in a different room than your significant other because you have significantly different tastes in entertainment. If you’re only aspiring to get nowhere, this plan is fine. But if you’re sitting there looking at the TV thinking you could make up the next invention for the Shark Tank or sweat as much as the next contestant on Biggest Loser, you’re cheating yourself by falling into these comfortable patterns.

Losing weight and making a healthy lifestyle change are going to be uncomfortable for a time. I’m sorry to break it to you, but there’s no magic involved. No fairy dust you can buy on an infomercial. If you plan for a little blood, sweat and tears, you’ll be much more prepared to plunge through it. You’ll begin to create your own little first aid kit to clean up the damage. But don’t worry, it’s not that scary either, especially when you make small changes one at a time.

You’ll feel a little out of breath doing cardio, you’ll feel that “good burn” the day (or two) following strength routines, you’ll try fitness classes that make you move in ways you never have before, you’ll feel out of place in the gym, you’ll want to stop halfway through some days, you’ll indulge in guilty treats once in awhile. But I promise you, if you’re a little bit uncomfortable, you’ll turn your nondescript life or body into something extraordinary.

By the time you’ve established a healthy lifestyle, you’ll notice a big change. Now you’ll be uncomfortable when you see a stack of deep-fried onion rings being served to the table next to you at the restaurant, because you sure as heck didn’t order heart damage. You’ll be the one that’s uncomfortable watching the overweight woman holding her thighs trying to make it up the stairwell, because you’ll know all too well the deep dissatisfaction this feeling caused you in the past. Most importantly, you’ll be uncomfortable just sitting still.

This really applies to many things in life, including your relationships, work life, hobby pursuits or anything you can think of. Showing up in a room where you don’t know anyone, approaching your partner with a subject you’ve never broached before, or taking on a work project you feel unqualified to do will leave you a little on edge. But the rewards you will reap for your uncomfortable-ness will be beyond compare. You’ll be glad you stepped out of your bubble. You’ll rejoice when you cross those finish lines you never imagined you’d be crossing.

After all, would you rather be a little uncomfortable and working towards achievement, or comfortable and stagnant, receiving nothing in return for nothing? Prepare to be uncomfortable!

Flabby Abs Beware

I just read a great tip that I thought I’d pass along. The article I read was sort of about keeping New Year’s resolutions, but it really deals with forming healthy habits any time of year.

They key is to become emotionally attached to your goal. Don’t just say “I’m going to lose 20 lbs.” Think about how you’ll feel when you’re you’re that much lighter. Think about what you’ll be able to do or do better when that load is lifted, such as run up the stairs, fit into a beautiful dress, touch your toes, prevent a disease, run a 5K, enjoy people’s company without giving any thought to how you look, etc.

When you do work out or eat healthfully, think about how great you feel afterwards. How your lungs expand to capacity and your muscles push out against your skin. You enjoy a greater awareness of your body’s capabilities. Think of how your skin pinkens and your blood pumps like brand new.

Take this tip to another level with active visualization. I’ve been reading a lot lately about how the world’s highest achievers, including Olympic athletes, have a visualization habit in common. Before competitions, they visualize participating and completing their sport with a flawless, victorious ending. Create a vision board, write a letter to yourself, or create an “achievement” journal. Every one of these things connects you emotionally to your body and goals. It becomes increasingly difficult to quit when you’ve become emotionally attached to your goals.