5 HABITS FOR LIFE

(picture: spaghetti squash in recipe at end)

How refreshing, although tragic, to see the headline news today on Fox…“The Ultimate Sacrifice of Father, Soldier, Hero”,  the report of a US soldier sweeping up a young Afghan child from the path of 16 ton armored vehicle but ultimately dying of his injuries from the incident.  He leaves behind three small children here in the States.  Was this wise? Doesn’t matter either way. At this point the only thing to think about is what motivated him to make that split second decision. Our thoughts, ideals, truths, and beliefs are ultimately played out in our life choices, and its the split second decisions which show them most honestly.  “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) I surmise that his actions must have been motived by an unconditional love for human beings, a conviction rooted in the belief that human life has an exalted value above most everything else. It’s not often that any of us are called to do much beyond the mundane, but when the call does comes we can’t help but stop and react. When it comes to someone we have been privileged to observe, we would be foolish to miss the chance to reflect on this window into the soul of another. Would we do the same?  Do we share the same conviction(s)? Are the roots of our core values more or less deeply entrenched in the soil of our character?

Forgive me for moving on to nutrition. In no way to I means to trivialize this man’s sacrifice.  Sharing his story is simply where my mind is because I am in that place of reflection, and it happens to be time to get this out this week. How we treat our bodies will influence how we live. If you eat randomly, there are most likely few convictions holding you back from thoughtless consumption. If you have become a bit more informed, you may have made a few changes in what you are eating. And then there are those who are 100% dedicated to the concept of “clean” and healthy eating. Let me tell you, in my humble opinion it has never been more complicated, but that is exactly why I love the article I am going to share below.

The author “Dr. Christian Renna is a nationally recognized expert in the field of contemporary preventive medicine and the founder of LifeSpan Medicine clinics.” (1)  “Preventive” is the word I love here because my enduring belief and deeply rooted conviction about eating is that we are what we eat. Consuming chemically laced and nutritionally stripped food leaves us…chemically loaded and nutrient starved. It’s that simple. But life is complex, so here are 5 very easy to understand steps we can all take to move towards a healthier today and tomorrow.

Dr. Renna acknowledges that our health needs are all unique, but suggests that the following habits will bring greater energy and vitality to all.  Huffington Post. Her advice is to master each task for two full weeks before adding on the next one.

1- SLEEP 8 HOURS A NIGHTT. (!!!! I think I did this once this year, but I am putting in an extra 10-15 minutes as I go and hoping to work back up to 8 hours.)

2- ELIMINATE THE “WHITE FOODS”...WHITE FLOUR…( I’ve got that one down pretty well, but now working on gluten because age has brought less tolerance for it, and so much research ties low grade allergic reactions to food to internal inflammation!)

3- ...MILK ( Ditto here, although I have been paying extraordinary prices for raw milk and making it available to the kids, plus calcium supplements and lots of dark greens for all.)

4- ...SUGAR (Don’t know that I will ever accomplish this one, but making some changes; liquid stevia to sweeten drinks, honey, molasses or sucanat for baking,  less chocolate chips and more raisins or craisans in cookies, telling myself “no not now but later” and stretching the time between eating sugar, consuming much smaller amounts in one sitting, to name of a few of the ways I parent myself.)

5- EXERCISE REGULARLY- Start with 15 minutes daily and add minutes until you are up to 45 minutes of walking. ( I go to an exercise class one a week and get pushed to strengthen muscles much harder than I would ever push myself. I make exercise a social event by walking with friends 1-2 times a week on a fairly strenuous trail, and then do some running once a week on my own.  I could do more, but this makes me feel good for now and fits into my schedule for now.)

I like the simplicity of it, and really, if you were to master each one of these 5 habits, I would bet you almost anything that you would be really happy with how you felt!

I’ve really enjoyed the menu this week that I am now sharing with you.  I was especially pleased to be eating spaghetti squash in Super Spaghetti because I don’t think I’ve cooked it since I had this recipe last year at this time. I suggest tossing it with olive oil, salt and pepper and then mixing it with regular noodles if you are not sure about replacing pasta with squash, but this year I did just that and they liked it!  You also don’t get much healthier or easier than Acorn Lentil Soup, so get out your crock pot and make one last warm soup before the weather really warms up!

I’ve shared you with a snippet of my journey to greater health, but I would love to hear about your journey too, and maybe in tackling any one of the 5 points above. So shoot me an email if you think about it and I would love to hear from you!  .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Molly

(1) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/30/gwyneth-paltrows-advice-f_n_139301.html