Monday Gets the Flu…or not??!!

Posted on January 13, 2013 by ShugsPottery

I feel like I am being stalked around each corner by that big, bad germ a/k/a “THE FLU”!! It seems people are literally throwing it in my path…….mainly because some people have not learned how to cover their face when they sneeze or cough!! I see the “tsunami” coming down the aisle towards me and I do everything I can to get out of the way….including hitting a display or two in the escape. But, there’s not just one or two or three of those frightening germ waves, there’s hundreds of thousands of them everywhere!!! There is no safe haven to avoid their invasion.

I want to become a bear and just hibernate until it is safe to come out. Unfortunately, it is not possible to find a cozy cave somewhere and the reality of life must prevail. And as the battle of the big, bad bug forges on, I have decided to tackle it head on and remain positive that I will win the war!

Monday Gets the Flu…..or Not?!!

There are so many strategies and defenses to incorporate and I am trying to select the one that works best for me. The number one suggestion by the medical world is to have the flu vaccine. Although I know it is a good thing for some, I don’t think I am one of them. The more I read about the statistics of its effectiveness, etc., the less I think I want to have one. Since we are already into the middle of the season, my odds of getting the flu are hopefully diminishing….hopefully!! I have upped my dosage of vitamins and added D3 to the regiment, drinking lots of water and herbal tea and brought out the ole Nettie Pot!! It is NOT my favorite thing to use, but it sure clears out your sinus passages quickly.

I think the foods we take in are important too; so cooked up a big crockpot full of chicken and vegetable soup. Since the court system has proven it to be medicinal and effective, then got to buy into it that it will do me some good. It’s always nice to make extra too, so you can share with family or neighbors. If you keep those around you healthy, then it’s bound to increase your odds of being exposed, right?!! Hmmm…if we see lemonade stands in summer, wonder why we don’t see chicken soup stands in winter??!! Any entrepreneurs out there?? I’d sure stop for a cup.

Don’t you think it would be great if all offices during the flu season, encouraged nap time during the day? Rest is so important and if we could just take a little 20-minute snooze during the day, I think we would all benefit from it.

Nap time!!

Perhaps, by “ergonomically correct” standards, all desk chairs would be required to recline and offer a foot rest. I would gladly furnish my own blanket and pillow. Want to join me in lobbying for a new design to your office chair?

Preventative medicine is always the best rule, so sure hope it is the one that gets me “to the top of the hill” and away from this evil Flu monster.

I hope you are all taking good care of yourselves too.

I am sure that many of you are also taking care of children or spouses or maybe your parents are requiring your help right now.

Be sure to NOT neglect yourself and include Number 1 on

the list to care for and pamper.

Got any good remedies that you want to share?

Hope you stay healthy and start your year NOT having the flu!!

Today is Monday.

Meet you here next week to see how you’re feeling.

Good Luck.

Smiles,

Nancy

Monday Gets on the Scale

Posted on October 8, 2012 by ShugsPottery

OK….I have a question. If you have a driver’s license that lists your weight and height, are they accurate? If not, are they off by 10%, 20%, Yikes! 30% or more??? If so, join the club. Supposedly, most women lie about their weight and men lie about their height. Not all states require the weight part, but I wonder why we have such an important document that we feel the need to avoid the truth?!! Do you think that when other people look at our license that they check the weight or height and then snicker to themselves? Obviously, it’s not important to DMV because I’ve never had to “weigh in” for them. Have you? Oh the horror, right?!!

What I find interesting about the weight part is that we know we need to lose weight, but feel the need to avoid dealing with it even when it comes to being a responsible and honest, license-carrying citizen. I wonder if we had to weigh in at the DMV when we renewed our license if we would even avoid renewing it….kind of like we do when we need to go to the doctor. How many of you have tried to make great effort to lose a pound or more the week or two before your doctor’s appointment? I’m raising my hand because I’ve sure been there. I even try to find the very lightest weight clothing sometimes….no heavy jeans or boots are on my body when I step on that scale!! Let’s get honest…..

Monday Gets on the Scale

I went through years of professing my weight (the one of my choosing) to DMV or anyone else that asked, knowing that it was a huge exaggeration. I knew I needed to lose weight and get healthy, but I continued to live in the fiction world. Why did I wait so long to do anything about it?? I still can’t answer that question. I guess we all have to “hit that wall” that makes us “look in the mirror” to make changes in our lives. I am very thankful that I found info about the Paleo lifestyle this year. I can say honestly that I am finally at the weight that I have proclaimed for years and less than I have weighed in at least 15 years or more. What ‘clicked’ I wonder? What makes us throw those bad habits out the window?

It is really intriguing to me to see someone seem to change, literally, overnight. They do all the things that are wrong for them and then suddenly, one day, all the “lessons” they have been given miraculously make sense. I wonder if it is something cosmic-like…..if all the stars are aligned in a certain manner and we “receive” information…that info suddenly will get absorbed??!! Any scientist out there that can answer that question? I have a bunch of other issues to work on too, so maybe I could start planning for that cosmic-alignment moment now.

What would you like to change about yourself?

How close are you to your DMV weight?

And, yes, what do you have on your “list” that you have not ever checked off?

I wonder what is going to have to happen in your life to get you to “look in the mirror” and see the reality.

Are you ready to change?

Well, whatever you would like to happen, be sure to stop saying: “Oh, I could never give that up”, or “I just don’t have time” or even “I’ll work on that next year.”

How about changing your mantra to “I Matter” or “I care about myself” or even “I love myself”. It is amazing to me to talk to people who are not able to say this to themselves…..AND they don’t know that others care about them either.

So today…..I’m saying it for you. I’m going to tell you the truth because I care.

YOU MATTER…..YOU ARE A GOOD PERSON…..YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY BEING THE BEST PERSON YOU CAN BE!!

Did you hear me???!!

Are you ready to start? Repeat after me….

I Matter. I Matter. I Matter.

Now, take the next step and make changes. What do you see in the mirror?

Pretend the planets are in alignment and you can

do anything you want to do…..starting today…now!!

You can do it.

Smiles,

Nancy

Monday Gets Paleo-lithic

Posted on August 20, 2012 by ShugsPottery

About four months ago, I came across a blog post that was written by a doctor in Louisiana (http://paleolithicmd.com/) and he was talking about a way of eating and cooking that I had never heard about before. It’s called a Paleo diet, derived from the Paleolithic era that ended about 10,000 years ago (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic). I was curious of what it included and was drawn in by his vivid pictures of what he was cooking for his family for that day. Yummy! for sure. As I read more, I became more intrigued (particularly since he was a medical doctor) about information he was sharing about some of his patients that he had encouraged to try the Paleo way of eating. The main draw was that these patients were drastically reducing their cholesterol levels, but eating many of the things that my own doctor had just told me to avoid because of my elevated levels. He was also telling me NOT to eat foods that I had been encouraged to eat.

I, personally, have ALWAYS had high cholesterol and despite eating very low-fat diets, the numbers just didn’t change much. In fact, my own doctor told me that it was unlikely that I could decrease the numbers significantly without the help of medication. I have always been consoled by the fact that my grandmother who lived to be 96 also had very high cholesterol and it didn’t seem to shorten or interfere with her active lifestyle. She defied doctors and ate eggs and sausage or bacon almost every morning of her life. At one point, her cholesterol levels neared 400!! ….but never seemed to affect her….or slow her down!!

When I started this Blog, I had planned that I wouldn’t make this space about highlighting any particular thing that could read like an advertisement, but this is something that has really changed my life and I would like to share because I just got some facts that prove that I am on the right path of good health….so >>>>>

Monday Gets Paleo-lithic

The Paleo diet is often referred to as the cave man(woman) diet. It comes from a society of hunter-gatherers whose diet consisted of mostly vegetables and berries and subsidized by any game they were able to capture. It does not include any grains, dairy, legumes or sugar and any meat or fish consumed should be cream of the crop, grass-fed, free range and lean but…included in every meal. No canned or processed foods at all if possible and organic vegetables are preferred. You’re already “putting on the brakes”, right? I have to admit that I kind of had the same resistance, but once I started the process, I found that I just didn’t miss some of the things I had to eliminate from my daily fare. But….let me give you these facts first, so you can perhaps have some motivation to try it….

Previous HDL Level: 49 Previous LDL Calculated: 186

Current Level: 65 Current Level: 91

Previous Total Cholesterol: 290 Previous Triglycerides: 369

Current Level: 182 Current Level: 131

Previous average blood pressure: 148/82

Current average: 122/65

And….drum roll please…..I have lost 10+ pounds….all of this accomplished in less than four months. I was shocked to find out my recent results and the nurse probably thought I was crazy because I kept asking her to repeat the results again and again….and again. I even asked “Are you sure you’re looking at the right chart?”

This diet lifestyle is not for everyone and I couldn’t be certain that it is the best choice for you based on your own health issues and circumstances. I just know it REALLY worked for me. The part I have enjoyed most is that I have lost weight easily and I feel so much better. Giving up the grains often eliminates any inflammation including arthritis symptoms. People with fibromyalgia also experience great results with this way of eating. It really balances the glycemic levels and keeps me from craving the sweets. Diabetics that have tried it, either no longer need insulin or drastically reduce their dosage. I don’t count calories or portion sizes. I do keep my meat portions under 8 oz and remove as much of the fat as possible, but I probably eat close to 2000 calories a day!!

I was surprised to learn that Nell Stephenson (paleoista.com) who wrote the book “The Paleoista” and co-authored “The Paleo Diet Cookbook” with Dr. Loren Cordain, lives here in Los Angeles. I would LOVE to have some one-on-one time with her to fully understand how this diet works…and why it works or maybe participate in some of the classes she offers!! She offers great recipes and they are really easy and quick to prepare too. I know this is Hollywood and there is a new diet trend just about every week, but this one is more of a lifestyle choice than a diet. And more than that I have the facts to prove its benefits AND I feel really good.

So today is a little different kind of Monday….not my usual motivational time for sure; but hope you enjoyed it just the same.

I want to be as healthy as I can so I can assure myself a life that allows

me to do all the things I want to do.

I hope you try to take good care of yourself too.

There’s always room for improvement when it comes to your health.

But more important than anything.

Please believe that you are worth it!!

You Matter! Lots and Lots!

Have a very Healthy and Happy Monday!

And thank you Dr. Garcia and Nell Stephenson, you have changed my life.

Smiles,

Nancy

Monday Gets Lazy

Posted on August 6, 2012 by ShugsPottery

Some days, no matter how hard we push ourselves, it seems that our body is just not willing to go any faster or work to its fullest and most efficient capacity. We question the cause….are we getting older? did we eat or drink the wrong thing? do we need more sleep? are we getting sick? Are we overly stressed? Sometimes the question is ‘yes’ to at least one of the questions; but sometimes, there just isn’t any clue to what might solve the puzzle. My Dad was a very wise man and I think he had the best diagnosis for this un-studied disease …. “The Can’t HelpIts” ….You just can’t help feeling like you do….no cause and only one known cure. By the way, I doubt if you will find the disease OR the cure listed in the Merck Manual; but it is definitely something real and the directions for curing it always works. Today, I have the “Can’t HelpIts” and I am going to work on curing my illness!! If you are experiencing the same disease today, please join me in the race to feel better—So, here’s the cure that has been passed down through the generations….

Monday Gets Lazy

That’s right…sometimes, it’s okay to just be lazy. We push ourselves every day to get things done. We race against the clock to try to finish everything within our daily schedule parameters. Gotta check off the items on our lists!! We eat, drink and exercise within the guidelines of the medical communities insistence of what is good for us. And, with an abundance of confusion, often what was good for us yesterday is today declared to be laden with carcinogens and the worst possible thing to be doing. We search for some kind of medically approved and consistent balance in the path we follow to wellness. Doctors don’t often prescribe “Do nothing today”. I wonder if they’re afraid they would be sued for malpractice and the insurance companies would be obligated to cover the cost of us enjoying a day off. Wouldn’t that be great to submit costs of what we did on our day of playing “hooky” from our normal crazy and stressful day? However…..It would, in fact, probably be far less expensive than the medicines or therapies our doctor prescribes!!

So, here’s your list of today’s activities:

Do nothing.
Do nothing.
Do nothing.
Take a nap.
Do more nothing.

Think you can handle it??!! I bet you have a new love for my Monday mandatory list again, right?

And since, I’m always encouraging you to make a difference for others, why not drag a friend or family member along for this journey. Being lazy is fun; but having someone else along on your journey makes it even better. Probably gives you that verification that we sometimes need to be okay with something out of the norm. Drag along a friend and suddenly everything is acceptable.

So, are you ready to start?

Won’t take you much to get revved up for THIS journey! I’d like to leave you with a few words from my favorite author. In the immortal words of Winnie the Pooh, when asked what Lazy means:

“It means just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear….and not bothering!”

Hope you have a great day.

I know I will.

You Matter!

Smiles, Nancy

Disclaimer: If your place of employment is not real happy about your choice of being lazy today, please save this ‘lazy card’ for a day that better suits your needs….just promise me that you won’t let it expire!

Monday Gets Prepared

Posted on July 23, 2012 by ShugsPottery

Most of my life I lived in Florida and….most of my life around this time, we would all start to get a little edgy that the “big one” may hit us this year….I’m talking the nasty “H” word! Hurricanes! Each year we would gather supplies, water, extra gas, check the generator, uncover the hurricane shutters, find copies of insurance policies….the list goes on and on…..as we would “Prepare” for the possibility of being the bulls-eye target for Emma, Katrina, Rachel….or whatever alphabet-given name the fierce winds were given at the time. Most seasons, I just remember a lot of cleanup in the yard of branches that should have been trimmed anyway and major window washing afterwards from all the salt spray that would get brought in, returning tumbled items to neighbor’s yards and playing a lot of board games for entertainment until the power was returned to our area.

The next year, the same ritual would begin….and mostly, it was just a lot of waiting for the infamous Cantore to let us know where he thought (actually it was just a guess because Hurricanes seem to have a mind of their own) the storm would make landfall. What I remember vividly is how I would push myself to “Be Prepared”. Even when I tried to convince myself that I was fully stocked, the uncertainty would creep into my mind and I would find myself rushing out to the local store for more of those non-perishable snack foods, buying one more bag or two of ice and stopping at the gas station on the way home to ‘top off my tank’. My personal compulsive ritual was to make sure everything was filed and put away in my home office and multiple copies were made of my computer back up disc to be locked away in a water-tight safe.

Funny how things get imbedded in your psyche……last week at work, I was compulsively cleaning off my desk and making sure everything was filed away. Has L.A. ever had a hurricane?!! Interesting weather trivia question….anyone know the answer?? Needless to say, there are other disasters that L.A. has experienced. In fact, I probably should make filing an hourly chore just in case the ground starts to….shhhhush! I just can’t repeat that nasty ‘E’ word!

What I keep thinking is why don’t we take other things in life more seriously? Why don’t we “Get Prepared” for good things too? Why does it always have to be about something disastrous? So Today, I’m declaring that….

Monday Gets Prepared

That’s right! We’re going to be prepared for whatever comes our way. But instead of disasters, we’re going to prepare for something good! What is it going to be? Well, that’s your homework! I know what I’m going to do. I believe something really exciting is going to happen in my life. I’m not sure what it is yet, but I believe Life brings us great joy only if we are willing to open our heart to receive the good stuff and to be open to change and opportunities. Some people actually get lots of good stuff showered on them; but they haven’t opened their heart, so they don’t even know what has arrived at their front door! It just passes them by without even an acknowledgement. How sad!

So here’s the ‘how to prepare’ directions that I’m using. I would love for you to join me in this Preparedness Extravaganza.

I’m going to make a list (I know…I know, you’re tired of these….but humor me for now) of things that I would like to accomplish this week, in the next month and then each month after that for the next several months.
I’m going to focus on eating good and healthy food and getting more exercise (my good buddy, Tramp, will love that part) and getting plenty of rest.
I will NOT let ‘roadblocks’ stop me when I feel I just can’t make the next hurdle.
I will do more things that make me happy and make me smile.
I will make difficult choices by listening to what my heart tells me is the right thing to do.
I will truly understand and appreciate the gifts I have been given and use that feeling of gratefulness to be able to live in the moment instead of pushing life along too quickly.
I will continue to do my part to make a difference in this world. I will become a model for the ‘lead by example’ role.
But the most important thing is that I will love and appreciate and be grateful for whatever Life brings me. My heart will be wide open!

So, how about you? Want to be a good girl/boy scout and attest to your motto.

I wonder what’s around the corner for you?

I hope you will ‘stock up on supplies’ so you will “Be Prepared”.

But, more importantly, I hope you will have an open heart so you can feel the joy that is bestowed on you.

I hope Monday is the beginning of something exciting in YOUR life.

Be ready for the ‘gifts’ that arrive on your doorstep!

You Matter!

Smiles,

Nancy

Monday Gets Healthy

Posted on July 16, 2012 by ShugsPottery

I have been taking some medical tests in the last month or so to get caught up on some preventative healthcare that I had been putting off. It has not been a pleasant experience some times and it is very time-consuming. I am sick of being questioned and stuck and poked and well….you know the usual routine. I have always hoped that they would some day come up with a process where you could just go through a walk thru or even better a drive thru type set up. All your tests, scans, etc., could be taken care of in less than five minutes and your diagnosis and results would be printed out at an ATM kind of machine. I just really don’t see why that is not a possibility??!! Of course, mentioning to doctors about thoughts like this sets their hair on end….probably thinking of the multiple thousands of dollars they would lose if this ever happen. George Jetson World where are you?

Despite the annoyance and my consumed time, all my test results came back within a pretty normal range and the end of the story is basically that I am pretty healthy. With that knowledge, I am very relieved and thankful for such a good report. I would like to offer some encouragement to others that might be putting off scheduling their routine checkups like I have been doing. So, today……..

Monday Gets Healthy

In such a fast-paced world, we need to do everything we can to counteract some of the stresses that are all around us that are just impossible to avoid…..traffic, financial strains, national news and despair, kids….sometimes I even reach a point of over-abundance of stress that dealing with junk mail is even an annoyance for me. If we moved to a deserted island, we could eliminate the majority of our daily stresses, but that’s not on my option possibilities right now. I am envious if it might be on yours. For those of us who must ‘keep marching on’, I would like to offer some encouraging words for you to take note of your current lifestyle and access what changes you might need to make to be a bit more healthy and balance your daily stresses.

First, I would definitely encourage you to take advantage of any insurance-covered preventative care that might be available to you. Often, catching something in its early stages can make a world of difference for the end results. It’s not the most appealing thing to do; but it is the smartest thing to do for yourself and your family too. If you don’t have healthcare, there are still affordable options out there if you do a little digging that you can take advantage of for yourself and your family.

Next, and I think probably the most important, is to assess your general lifestyle choices. Do you get enough rest and sleep? Do you eat a proper diet? Do you have habits like smoking or over-indulging in alcohol that could be changed or at least reduced? Do you get enough exercise? All of these questions or a personal thing and can only be answered by you……truthfully that is!! You can tell your doctor anything that you would like them to hear; but you need to be accountable for the truth for yourself.

Are you now….Overwhelmed?!! Depressed?!! Frustrated?!! Okay, it’s time for another one of those infamous lists. Make a list starting with what you think is the most important thing to change. For me, it is diet. I have been trying to lose a few pounds and also eat healthier. It’s not easy to change just that little bit; but if you keep making little changes slowly, you will start to see the positive results of your efforts. It feels good too. I have set very small goals for myself and when I meet that goal, I pat myself on the back and then I set another one.

So…..today is a wonderful day to start your new life.

Let me hear it…..what day is it?…..It’s Monday Gets Healthy!!

All you have to do is JUST START WITH MONDAY.

The rest of the week, you just repeat Monday’s efforts.

So….don’t you want to be healthy? Don’t you want to feel better?

And most importantly, don’t you owe that to yourself?

You’re special! You’re important! You Matter!

Many hopes sent your way that you will believe this and realize that it is worth all the effort that you put forth.

Have a great day.

Smiles,

Nancy

juststartwithmonday

Just take one day at a time….

Tag Archives: Getting Healthy

Monday Gets the Flu…or not??!!

Monday Gets on the Scale

Monday Gets Paleo-lithic

Monday Gets Healthy

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