Kathryn Lafond

Monday’s Diet Journal, Old Dilemmas, 2/15/10

What was I thinking? Who was I waiting for to walk the walk to match the talk?  Within each day lies an opportunity to express fully the vision that lies within my heart and yet I get caught in such notorious dilemmas. One of my old dilemmas is whether I actually have time to exercise and to take my health into consideration or stay buried in the chores of the day. All of us know that the chores of the day lay waiting for us whether or not we do them now or tomorrow.  They are always going to be there.  The catch is how to bring balance to each individual day so that body, mind, and spirit all have their needs met.

Notice I stated this as “one of my old dilemmas.”  I’m hoping that means I’m putting it into my past.  I don’t know about you but I can get caught doing all sorts of healthy routines regarding my dietary needs such as eating really healthy foods and adding necessary supplements, yet I can be miserably lacking in energy when it comes to stretching the muscles of my body or doing something aerobic like walking a mile or three. For the past three weeks I have actually been achieving my goal of including exercise into my weekly, if not daily routine.  I’m now hopeful that I am conquering the old excuses as I see my mini-routines picking up.

One tactic I’m finding invaluable is eliminating the story that to exercise I need to set aside a large lump of time.  I can get up in the morning; spend 20 minutes in centering prayer or meditation and then 15-20 minutes doing yoga.  I used to think including yoga meant that I wouldn’t have time for prayer.  That was unacceptable to me.  But now that I’ve let go of the thought that yoga has to take 40 minutes to an hour I see I can include both.  Previously I thought my walks had to be a good long hour or so to make a difference.  Now I am allowing 15-30 minutes and doing it more often.  Sometimes even twice in a day!

I’m now finding it so much easier to get the exercise I need by adding short 5-minute routines as well.  One great little cardio strengthening routine is to simply stand with my feet shoulder length apart and begin to swing my arms back and forth.  I can do this for 5 to 10 minutes or I can add some foot work for variation and a heartier workout; such as come up on my heels for a time and then when ready I can begin jumping off the ground with the momentum of my swinging arms.  I’m telling you this simple little movement really gives the lungs a work out too not to mention moving the lymph system.

What’s working for you?  How are you managing this part of the diet dilemma?

“Strengthens the heart, sedates the spirit, improves circulation, purifies the blood, benefits the liver, moistens the intestines, and promotes menstruation…”¹. Who am I but the amazing Beet!                                  Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pritchard

Many of us were never exposed to the grandeur of beets.  However, since their development in the Middle Ages by German gardeners they have been considered an important food for all manner of healing.  Rich in iron, copper, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, carotene, B-complex, and Vit. C, beets are known to reestablish numerous functions of the body.  We can also use beets to insure adequate vitamins and minerals on a regular basis and that’s what I’m hoping to do.  From a Chinese medicine point of view, beets treat liver stagnancy, promote the flow of bile, cleanse the blood, and treat nervousness and congestions of the vascular system.  “Beets, both roots and tops, have the property of cleansing the liver and the blood, and are often prescribed in cases of cancer..,” according to Pritchard. Other reasons beets are beneficial to cancer patients is their ability to lubricate the intestines to avoid constipation problems.

In Hanna Kroeger’s, Heal Your Life with Home Remedies and Herbs, she suggests eating beets as a remedy for Leukemia, and to heal Kidney or Bladder stones.  In the later case, she recommends boiling 5 whole beets in 3 quarts of water for 1 hour and then drinking 7 ounces of this water 3 times daily.  I think if I was in a battle with Leukemia I could down most anything as long as I knew it supported my healing.

The question for many of us is just how to go about adding beets to the diet when we have never acquired a taste for them.  Fortunately I’ve discovered a wide range of recipes that have served me well.  When I was extremely ill several years ago with heavy metal poisoning (among other things), I juiced beets regularly with a variety of vegetables such as carrot, cucumber, celery, parsley, and ginger in order to cleanse toxins from my system.  Granted I never learned to absolutely love the taste but it was extremely helpful in my recovery. And now that I want to boost my metabolism, soothe my nerves, and take corrective action to ward off a middle bread basket, I’m returning to some of the tactics that worked earlier.

I’ve also discovered that I could get the whole family to eat beets by grating them raw into salads.  The younger the kids the easier it is to add this bright red vegetable.  Pickled beets are also an excellent way to bring beets into the menu. They were a common sight at my Grandmother’s table and I’m certain she knew why!  Beets are one of the easier vegetables to grow and can last well into the cold months while still in the garden plot.  So what do I hope to gain from falling for these blood-red beauties?  A slimmer me!

Mondays Diet Journal –The Plan 1/25/10

It’s odd how the “plan” works.  Last Monday I had planned to be juicing all week and to blog about how great that works.  The truth is I went from juicing in previous weeks to negating it completely.  This wasn’t due to any reason other than my own laziness around purchasing the extra vegetables I needed.  I guess I now have a greater understanding of how quickly we can let go of good intentions.

Where did I go with the diet plan this week?  What wonders did I bring into my life that enhanced my health?  Yoga!  The DVD arrived and it is fantastic.  Whereas the one I received for Christmas stated it was for beginners and just about killed me with its speed into really tough positions; this one is all of what it portends to be and more.  I highly recommend: Yoga Journal’s Complete Beginner’s Guide, a 2-disc set by Jason Crandell. (To order, visit www.shopyj.com).

The days I couldn’t fit in a Yoga workout I stretched or walked and/or used the trampoline.  All of which gave me great energy toward succeeding in the increased demands I was making of myself.  One important discovery was to see how easy it has been to forget the myriad of benefits we give up when sedentary.  Like feeling ALIVE!  Truly there is a sense of aliveness that permeates the cells.  It feels like the cells of my body are having a gab-fest and enjoying the heck out of each other. I’m also growing greater clarity around my energy levels.  By this I mean I’ve discovered I often eat because I’m tired rather than for any other reason.  The quandary is I’m needing rest but have work to do. My pattern has been to choose food as the wake-me-up rather than take time to stretch out and get the blood flowing; or step outside and breathe deeply to oxygenate myself.  Even taking a brief walk outside can re-energize offering another hour or two of work whereas the snack to stay awake extends to an endless chain of snacking. Of course this eventually leads to self-disgust and who needs to add that to the package!  The need for rest is not necessarily due to lack of sleep at night.  I get 7-8 hours generally. However I think that it says a lot more about the stuffiness or messiness of a room or the lack of movement while working at the keyboard.

Consequently, the NEW PLAN is to get up and move my body more.  From morning to night, I intend to bring greater ‘awareness’ to how I’m sitting, moving, stretching the muscles and of course for how long.  In meditation I am consistently guided to – breathe, so I shall add conscious breathing to the plan as well and of course hope to share information on the benefits of juicing soon.