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The much dreaded E word. We all know we need it, but we would all like to avoid it. There are hundreds of studies that show it is of tremendous benefit to us, but we would like to run away from it as much as possible. And if we can run away from it while sitting on the couch, munching on chips, or in my case, chocolate, the better! I’m talking about...(key in the violins playing several high notes for suspense)... exercise! There, I said it! Nooooooooo!! Not exercise!
I would venture to say that the majority of people in the world do not exercise. Maybe they would like to exercise, but most of us just don’t do it and have no motivation to do it. And even those who do exercise, don’t seem to be enjoying themselves that much. Who’s ever seen someone jogging or bicycling by the side of the road with a big smile on their faces? Most of those people just look plain miserable! Sweat coming down their faces, the muscles of their bodies all contorted in agony. Who wants to join in that?
Well, actually...me! Me! Pick me! The benefits of exercise are too incredible to pass on. Don't be deceived by the look
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of the person exercising. That apparent misery is what determination looks like. And exercise can be enjoyable and fun. Ok, maybe not at first, but as you notice the effects it is having in your life, I believe you’ll want to keep doing it! Let me share with you some of the benefits of exercise. Are you ready? This is pretty cool. Here we go:
- Lower risk of early death. Pretty cool, don’t you think? Who wants to die early?
- Lower risk of heart disease. Heart disease can be a prison!
- Lower risk of diabetes. Talk about prison!
- Lower risk of certain cancers including breast and colon cancers.
- Prevention of weight gain. I personally like this one quite a bit!
- Reduced depression, which is becoming very prevalent in our society, especially among women.
- Improved
sleep. I used to think I needed to sleep better in order to feel like
exercising, but I’m learning that exercise makes me sleep better, which
is great in Alaska where the sun in the summer keeps shining pretty much
all day long.
These are just some of the benefits listed on the
new book I bought, which by the way is called Celebrations: Living Life
to the Fullest. I would like to add better mood, a clearer mind, and
increase level of energy to that list. People who exercise may not be
laughing while doing it, but have a better mood and outlook in life
overall. Exercise also acts like insulin. People who have diabetes and
who go for a brisk walk right after a meal, have improved blood sugar
levels possibly reducing the need for medication. Exercise is a
powerful healing tool in the hands of those who have certain medical
conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, depression, and obesity.
Isn’t
this awesome? Don’t you think the benefits of exercise are just too good
to pass? Who doesn’t want to live a healthy and abundant life? Most of
us do, so let’s work on it! The best form of exercise is walking, which
is something
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most of us can do. So grab your shoes and head outside to explore
your neighborhood, or city parks, or the mall, or any other place where
you can walk. When my son was younger, I used to walk around our house after putting him in bed for the night! If you can get
someone to join you in the fun great, but if not, use that time to
listen to some good music, or audio books. You could use that time to
meditate or think of ways to solve the world’s problems! You could even
call a friend and work on your social relationships. The time used in
exercising can be great to work on your mental health too.
Yesterday,
as I was reading about exercise on my new book, I decided that I needed
to head outside and put into practice what I was reading. I got on my
bike and rode around exploring the area, checking out new neighborhoods,
and admiring the big mountains that
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surround this part of the country.
The sun was shining and the temperature was perfect. It was a good time
to think about things that have been on my mind and to process my
thoughts. This morning, while everyone was asleep, I put on my shoes and went for a 15 minute walk. It rained last night so everything is so fresh and green. Clouds were peacefully resting on top of the mountains. What a wonderful way to begin my day.
Before
starting a new exercise program, and especially if you have health
issues, check with your doctor just to make sure you get a good start,
but do start. A healthy life is totally worth it! We'll talk more about
exercise soon!
(1) http://confessionsofatowngirl.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/scared.jpg
(2) http://www.divavillage.com/images/Oct05/adventure_1008.jpg
(3) https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hdiuwkT1WRpgMi0_Gjk4cPIfBl4GwiY0ibaw1iJvAsKVsdV3_13yRqiOMdstm9EODfs61d2On9nKX42CiEdItg0CUH_Zlyxccxq0ksLNfFx-pMsh88wD4QGa8CPW42rJ5PSogCQ3WxM/s400/Elderly+Man+Jogging.jpg
(4) https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9GjTx5gB2_-GbSaytZMm0LZOu1uKhyKK56a-VUtxB8chCgcw3y5Neei2uM41H2ha6mzSPIhdBOkV8m2wscmHcumRkhh-XuXbIYIDVWCyq-XOae8tjyPN1h6buqZ0denC4NfHo4orxYhlk/s640/_MG_6193.jpg
Have you ever got something stuck in your mind that wasn’t that healthy, but you couldn’t think about anything else? Like chocolate between meals for example? And between
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meals I’m meaning, all day long! Once in a while, specially if I’m feeling stressed or bored, I start thinking about chocolate. And then there’s this internal struggle for a long time that only goes away when I finally make up my mind not to give in to temptation, or until I satisfy that unhealthy craving and munch on chocolate throughout the day. And then, of course, feel guilty about it.
Well, that happened to me today. In fact, for the past 2 days something sweet has been on my mind a lot! I’ve been good enough to just eat some pieces of chocolate at meal time, but today I was ready to get home and eat all the chocolate I had at one sitting and didn’t even think if it was meal time or not. Chocolate, here I come!!
On my way home I stopped at a book store. While browsing the books I came across the health section. Health will always interest me and as I checked the cookbooks and books on healthy lifestyle, I decided to purchase one called Celebrations. I don’t know much about the book, but it’s filled with colorful pictures and the idea behind it seemed very interesting, so I bought it. I sat down to read just a little bit and right away got motivated to take better care of myself. I went home and drank a big glass of water instead of eating chocolate like I had been planing. All of a sudden, in fact, I didn’t feel like chocolate anymore. :)
You know, the path for healthy living is not always upwards. It is, in fact, made of ups and downs. And you know what? That’s ok! That’s how we learn and grow. There’s a phrase
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in the Bible that says something like this: “God who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.” You can find it in Philippians 1:6. I think it describes very well what I’m trying to say. We start on this path and we will overcome in the end, but it’s a process.
So! If you, like me, are trying to live a better life, don’t be discouraged if you feel tempted to backslide, to forget everything and go back to your old lifestyle. Don’t feel discouraged even if you do backslide! Just pick up where you are and move on. Sometimes we need a little re-motivating. For me it was seeing the beautiful pictures of my new book, but it could be reading this blog, talking with a friend about your struggles, seeing that number on the scale or even an illness.
Whatever it is, do not give up! Just because we fail a few times, it doesn't mean we fail for good! The ultimate goal is a better life and I know we will achieve the goal!
So there! I'm up again!
1 - http://www.geekosystem.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/chocolate.png
2 - http://javatoolbox.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/roller-coaster.jpg
After a much needed rain last night, I went to check on the garden this morning and was amazed at how quickly things can grow when they're watered by the clouds vs when they are watered by me! It's as if the plants decided to double their size overnight. Well, when I noticed the big collard greens I decided soup was on the menu today!
After enjoying a nice big bowl of a traditional Portuguese soup called Caldo Verde, with a little personal touch, I decided to check on the nutritional properties of these green veggies and I'm impressed. Collard greens are quite the food! They are among the richest in nutritive elements, filled with vitamin C, potassium, fiber, calcium, and folate. It's a power food! Now I wish I had planted more in the garden!
I thought in sharing with you this recipe that is so simple and so delicious! Now just so you know, I like to use my creativity in the kitchen, more than I like to follow a recipe. This version doesn't have any sausage and I didn't add any olive oil because I think it takes away from the wonderful flavors of the soup as is. So here it is, Caldo Verde a la Moi for 2 people.
2 potatoes
3 cloves of garlic.
Bunch of collard greens cut in Julienne (thin strips)
Water
Salt
Boil the water and salt. Add the potatoes and garlic and cook until very tender. Puree all with a hand blender and return to the stove. Add the collard greens and cook until they are done, being careful to stir the soup once in a while.
And voila! Caldo Verde a la Moi. Very, very good, and packed with rich nutrition.
We added alphabet letters to make it a little more fun (kid friendly), and ate the soup while saying the name of birds with each letter we found.
Enjoy!
For a complete report on the nutritional value of collard greens you can check here.
