I exercised for the first time in months yesterday and this time I am trying to be smarter about the intensity and duration I begin with.  Of course, I want to be able to walk the four miles I was doing when I had to stop and I want to do it today! 

So far - OK I admit it has only been two days - I am doing good.  Yesterday I walked for 15 minutes and today I walked for 30 minutes.  Tomorrow I begin physical therapy on my shoulder (I broke my clavicle on March 1, 2018 which required a plate, screws and a couple of bone grafts. 

The plate, screws and bone grafts are permanent.  I also have a small partial tear of the rotator cuff and a biceps tendon strain that my orthopedic surgeon explains can be resolved with therapy.  I really hope that is the case because I have two complete rotator cuff tears in my other shoulder that can't be helped with therapy. 

More on my exercise progress later.......

Did You Know? 12 May 2018

Did you know that Peppermint Oil is effective in treating irritable bowel syndrome?  Dr. Rosario Ligresti, M.D. explains that menthol, the oils main constituent, has a very relaxing effect on the GI tract.  Dr. Ligresti is the Director of the Pancreas Center at the Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. 

In the May 2018 AARP Bulletin an article on Health FADS, FAILS and FIXES addressed several issues impacting health today.  The article addressed heart, stomach, skin and pain concerns.

In this post I will share what the article had to say about the heart for those of you who do not get the bulletin. 

FAD - Coconut Oil While some "experts" swear by it Dr. Steven E. Nissen a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation cautions that there are no known benefits of coconut oil. In fact the oil is 82 percent saturated fat - 30 percent more than butter! The American Heart Association says to avoid coconut oil. 

Included in the list of FAILS for a stronger heart are: Antioxidant supplements, High fiber junk foods, fish oil tablets and home blood-pressure monitors.  In the interest in keeping this post as short as possible I will just state the main reason for each item. 

Antioxidant Supplements: By eating fresh fruits and vegetables you can slash your risk of a heart attack by 30 percent however in pill form no heart benefits exist.

High Fiber Junk Food:  While fiber does help control cholesterol and lower diabetes risk when it is packed into snack bars and other sweets the sugar does more damage than the fiber does good. Pay attention to the sugar levels when deciding which food to buy. 

Fish Oil Tablets:These supplements do not lower heart attack risks at all according to a large Oxford University study involving over 77,000 people.  Because these supplements are not regulated you have no idea what you are actually getting. 

Home Blood-Pressure Monitors: According to a University of Alberta study in 2017 70% of home devices were off by at least 5 points.  Take your home monitor to a doctor's appointment and compare the results once a year. You might just need a bigger cuff. 

FIXES: A small handful of nuts can help cut heart attack risk by 30 percent. A Spanish study saw these results when people eating an already healthy Mediterranean-style diet added a small handful of nuts a day.Be careful with the amount because nuts are high in calories and too many can lead to weight gain.

SLOW-FAST WORKOUTS: AARP reported that couch potatoes in their 50's rebuilt heart strength and function with a doable exercise routine made up mostly of walking.  A UT Southwestern medical study looks like this:

1-2 days: a 30-minute moderate intensity exercise like a brisk walk
1 day: 60-minute session of the same
1 day: 30 minutes of interval training like several four-minute bursts of high-speed walking broken up by a slower pace to recover
1-2 days: strength training sessions using weights or exercise machines

My Good Life jar until I have my writing hand out of the sling. 

• Food - eat only four meals this week that contain processed food
• Fun - meet with our travel agent to discuss the 2020 world cruise
• Beauty - get my hair cut this week
• Sleep - go to bed when I am tired instead of waiting for a time
• Love - buy something special for Toby's 15th birthday
• Growth - read the book Joshua gave us 
• Connection - call Julie in Spokane and visit

Challenge: remove one step from the jar each day this week (May 7 - 14) and notice the impact it has had on your overall mood and well-being.  

The Beginning

It is never to late to learn, right?  At 63 I am embarking on a new quest to reclaim my health.  I was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2015 and since that time my life has not been my own.  Years of treatments, surgeries, hospitalization, doctors visits and medications have had control and I want it back!

I have just begun a one-year program at Integrative Nutrition and as part of our first learning module we have been encouraged to write in a journal, create a blog, keeps lists and other options the purpose of which is to summarize our thought process as we work our way through the program.  We were also asked to write our intention statement complete with a time frame.

I decided to create this blog to track my thoughts, successes and failures as I work though the program.  It is much easier for me to type than to write so this should work fine.

"I will become healthy enough to get off of 90% of my current medications by the end of the program in order to get control of my life back."