Did you know a teaspoon of cinnamon can...?

I live with fibromyalgia and have been searching the net for things to help out.  I have found that a tsp of cinnamon a day can help with the pain.  It also can help with some other diseases.  I started drinking a cup of hot water in the morning with my teaspoon of cinnamon.  Here is an article I found to describe it better.  Always speak to your doctor before changing your diet.

http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/10-health-benefits-of-cinnamon.html

Studies have shown that just 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon per day can lower LDL cholesterol.

Several studies suggest that cinnamon may have a regulatory effect on blood sugar, making it especially beneficial for people with Type 2 diabetes.

In some studies, cinnamon has shown an amazing ability to stop medication-resistant yeast infections.

In a study published by researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Maryland, cinnamon reduced the proliferation of leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells.

It has an anti-clotting effect on the blood.

In a study at Copenhagen University, patients given half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder combined with one tablespoon of honey every morning before breakfast had significant relief inarthritis pain after one week and could walk without pain within one month.

When added to food, it inhibits bacterial growth and food spoilage, making it a natural food preservative.

One study found that smelling cinnamon boosts cognitive function and memory.

Researchers at Kansas State University found that cinnamon fights the E. coli bacteria in unpasteurized juices.

It is a great source of manganese, fiber, iron, and calcium.

Before taking cinnamon, make sure to see our Side Effects of Cinnamon article for side effects and contraindications.

A long time...no blog

Well, for those of you reading this...I am back, and ready to blog again.
It has been an interesting few years.  I lost weight I gained it...I could tell you all the reasons why...but that doesn't matter. It really doesn't.  The facts are the facts.

I have started again, kicked into gear by an upcoming trip to the Caribbean.  I will be in a swimsuit.  So we will see how I do.

I have a different approach this time. I am not going to put number expectations on myself.  Last time I was like I wanna weight XX by XX.  This time, I wanna feel good.

I started Weight Watchers and it is easy, and it works.  I am looking forward to weigh ins.

I'll be weighing in soon enough, and will not be posting weight until I feel like it.

Happy Reading, Happy Eating!

I look forward to being skinny and it is my destination!

Day 28: Short term goal...

I have an idea...I am going to focus on my short term goals.  I always think 60 lbs by November/December.  When I don't set the short term goals, I can't celebrate the battle victories, and then it makes it harder to win the war.  So my short term goal number 1 is to be back in the 100's by May 9th.  I will then set a new goal when I reach my next goal.
I have been enjoying my time at the gym.  The kids enjoy playing with friends and I enjoy my time alone.

:o)

Day 24: Awesome cardio and feeling amazing

Today I woke up and felt like just kicking my butt!  I did 80 minutes of cardio and burned 1100 calories!  I felt so good!  Got 5 miles of 3 day training done in that time too.

I just feel so good about it!  Now I feel like cleaning my house.  It is so true what they say about how exercise makes you happier.  For me it makes me productive too!

That is all for todays post!

Day 20: Above the age of 35.

About 2 years ago my friend was trying to find out how old I was (I can easily say he was tipsy) and trying not to offend me with the question he asked "Are you above or below the age of 35?"  The question was hilarious to me!  We all got a kick out of it and still use this joke!

Well, now I am above the age of 35 and life is going along well.  My birthday was very nice.  I enjoyed a girls night out with some of my favorite girls.  One of my friends got us a hotel room in dt mpls.  It was fun!  We had some laughs, wine and then braved the wind for a quick walk to dinner, we enjoyed dinner, good conversation and more laughs.  We went back to the hotel room, put on our pjs and chatted a bit.  It was an early to bed night, relaxing and wonderful.

I came home in the morning to find a huge bouquet of flowers, a water bottle and some awesome cards from my man and kids!  It is a blessing to be celebrated.  I took a nap with the kids and we ended the night watching Mary Poppins in bed.  :o)

I am ready for a good year!  Filled with new adventures, new laughs and new memories!

Day 17: A busy life, 35 years of it.

Well, it is Friday.  It is a difficult one at that.  Parenting can be so hard!  I am sleep deprived last night due to it.

On to other things...I get to celebrate another year of life this week.  Yup, another trip around the sun.  I will be celebrating with a few of my favorite people quietly, and then a day of fun with my family.  It sounds like a good time to me.  I feel like I deserve it!

The weight loss is moving along quiet nicely.  I know what to do, and what not to do.  The warm weather makes for easy weight loss, but this resurgence of cold, windy and even wintery weather is NOT MY FAVORITE, and makes for staying indoors.

I can however, hear birds singing, even if it is in the 30s and we are expecting snow this week.  That gives me hope.

Well, off I go to make it through another day, with a smile on my face and joy in my heart.

Hugs.

Day 13: Crying kids, sunny days and ice cream cake

Good Monday morning!
I love a sunny day more than so many things!  However, right now in the background my son is crying, he has been for a few minutes. He is just a crab in the morning sometimes.  But i love him just the same.  The sunshine outside makes a morning a good morning!  I am delighted by it.  This past weekend we celebrated my birthday early with my family.  We had ice cream cake from DQ.  I love ice cream cake from DQ.  My mom suggested I cut it in half and then cut it in strips so the pieces aren't so big.  It was a great idea.  I had my slice of cake it was just the right size, not too big!  It was great, I tasted all I needed to taste and then I was satisfied.
I did it again with having a bite of something wasn't healthy, but wasn't horrible.  I had a bite of a hamburger.  It tasted great, but that was all I needed.  It is so simple but it made sense.

I remember my youth and young adulthood.  Food was something I ate and I did it because I needed food, not what I am dealing with now.  Here is my story:

I grew up the skinny girl.  When I graduated high school I was one of the skinny girls.  I always thought I’d stay that way.  When I went to college I gained a few pounds but remained the skinny girl.  I then joined the Army.  Stayed an incredibly fit skinny girl.  I could run two miles in 15 minutes, I could do 72 pushups in 2 minutes and I could do 100 sit ups in 2 minutes.  I loved exercising and running for fun.  I never thought much about food, I just ate when I was hungry, and never really thought much about it.  My husband and I got married and four days later I got out of the Army, just the same week that America went to war against Iraq. 

My life changed…I was recalled to go back in the Army, and off to war I went.  My husband left for war the same day.  However, he went to the south and I went to the north about 800 miles of Iraq separated us.  It was so hard.  We hadn’t even lived together yet.  The weight slowly came on.  Slow enough that I didn’t even really notice it.  By the 14^th month of marriage, and separation, my husband came home to me and I was 30 lbs heavier.  Then we moved to Minnesota and tried to have a baby, but I was told since I had a disorder (PCOS) that I’d have a low chance of getting pregnant.  During this hard time, more weight was gained about 10 pounds.  We adopted my amazing daughter and within two weeks of getting her…I found out I was 3 months pregnant!  We were overjoyed and amazed at God’s goodness!  Needless to say more weight was added to my already overweight body.  My daughter was 7 months old when my son was born.  I tipped the scales at 230 pounds the week before my son was born.  I only managed to lose 10 of those pounds and I am pretty sure that was all because my son no longer lived inside of me. 

So here I am… I am a mom of two amazing kids; Hava who is 4 and Gabe who is 3.  I started blogging at the very end of 2009 about my weight loss, my goal was to lose 60 pounds in one year.  By month 9 I had lost 30 pounds.  I was so proud of myself, I felt great and loved all the compliments I was getting.  I was even able to shop in a department store without going to the “Womens” section. 

My sister and her kiddos moved in with our family this past fall and for some reason I stopped exercising and stopped eating right and started my weight gain journey.  In 3 short months I managed to put all 30 of those pounds back on my body.  I blame myself and only myself.  I am an emotional eater, and when I get down and out I turn to food and start to hide away. So here I am, ready to start it again, armed with the knowledge that I can do this and it is a life change.  I now know that weight gain is much easier than weight loss, so I will be ready to do this knowing I can't “diet” and then when I get to a good place throw in the towel.  I need to continue my new healthy lifestyle of eating right and exercise for life.  I know when life gets hard, or times get tough that I need to remain healthy.  I will get through the hard times a lot easier when I have exercise as an outlet and food isn’t a weapon to use against my feelings. 

I want to do this for my kids, I need to show them what a healthy lifestyle looks like before bad habits in their life are formed.  I want to do it for my husband who married an athletic 135 pound woman.  Most importantly, I want to do this for myself.  I deserve good health, I deserve to feel good about myself and I deserve to feel good walking 60 miles in 3 days while I do the Breast Cancer 3 day again (for the 3rd year in a row).  Walking is hard with all this weight.  I weigh 211 pounds today.  I weighed 217 pounds 10 days ago.  I have changed my eating habits to include a healthy well balanced diet with proper portions and I started working out again.  I understand every week I will not lose such big numbers but as long as I do it right and do it for life, I too can do lose weight and keep it off. 

I stay home with my kids and work part time a few nights a week.  I live in a wonderful place with my husband and kids.  My niece lives with us now as well.  She is 13 years old.  I work out in the mornings so I can remind myself how hard it is to burn the calories I eat so I don’t make bad choices.