Those with auto-immune issues should really check this out and take it seriously. I think I'm pretty close to being gluten free - am going to really make sure not to consume any for the next couple weeks to see if my symptoms continue to improve. Overall I feel pretty good as long as I continue to get adjustments weekly and eat a raw healthy diet.
Check it out, and I would love to hear from anyone who IS gluten free and finds that it makes a difference in their symptoms.
10 signs you are Gluten intolerant from Healthy Holistic Living
As always, to your health!! Take care of the body you live in - if you don't, who will?
Gerri
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Interesting article about Gluten....
This is a quick post to share this article with everyone - more and more people are going "gluten free" - this article share some interesting information about gluten sensitivities including several autoimmune diseases:
Gluten connected to 55 diseases
Gluten connected to 55 diseases
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
I'm still here!! So much going on, so much happening and the best part of it all..........
I'm feeling GREAT!!
I have a new position at the school I work at that has me very busy - I'm in the literacy department and just love it!
Outside of that, I'm still maintaining my weekly chiropractic appointments to maintain myself and to keep my body in optimal health. I firmly believe that with the weekly adjustments my body has put my FMS down and has helped me stay feeling good. I still get minor aches and pains in the same areas (hips and shoulders) but nothing even close to what I use to experience. When I feel overly tired, I go to bed. I've learned through all of this that listening to my body is the most important thing I can do. And when I feel tired, I make sure to handle it instead of ignoring it.
Over the past 3 months I did a weight loss challenge with 3 of my friends using a program called Body By Vi (Vi is short for Visalus). It's a 90 day challenge and it's simply, amazing. Since getting sick back in 2010 I have gained 55+lbs - I finally got sick of the weight, sick of putting on my clothes that were too tight and finally just had it when I had to purchase a size that I swore I would never be in again (after losing weight in the past) Depression was setting in again and I knew I had to take a stand before things got worse.
The 90 day challenge consists of replacing 2 meals a day with a healthy protein shake meal replacement. It's packed with vitamins, has less than a gram sugar and tastes like cake mix - NO JOKE! A lot of people say "once you start eating again you are going to gain the weight back" to which I have to laugh. Don't think I'm not eating - in fact, I'm eating quite well. I have a shake for breakfast, and every two hours another small meal consisting of a protein and vegetable - I eat all day to the point that I'm stuffed when it's time to eat again! It's not a "fad diet" - it's a way of life - re-training yourself to keep your body fueled so it burns fat while maintaining lean muscle mass. It takes a little getting use to but now, it's just the way I do things - I eat small meals every 2 hours. Think portions too - portion control is where it's at. Once you get use to measuring out your portions you get pretty good at knowing how much you can have at any given time. I think a huge part of America's problem with Obesity is the fact that our portions are double and triple what they should be all the time - that means we are taking in double and triple the calories we should be on a daily basis - which in turn is going to be weight gain. It's pretty simple really.
Exercise is suggested but not something you have to do too strenuously or even at all if you don't want to. As we all know, exercise is another thing that those of us with FMS need to do so it should be incorporated anyway.
So after 3 months I am down 26 lbs and over 27 inches!! I feel great, am wearing my clothes much better and am actually going to be entering to win the team challenge on a national level!! Between myself and my team mates we have lost over 200lbs combined! It's inspiring really.
Currently I'm doing another challenge to drop the rest of the weight I gained. It's really just a way of life, eating clean and making smart choices. Through all the struggles over the past few years, my weight shouldn't be a reason I'm feeling sick. I've slowly come around full circle and can honestly say that I'm feeling like myself again - feeling healthy, happy and full of life again! I never thought I would be able to say that! I really thought my life would be full of pain and suffering and never again be the same. It's been 3 yrs and while the road has been a tough one, it's taught me so much about myself and others.
I hope my journey so far has made an impact on others and I hope my continued journey will as well - I am living proof that you can go from literally wanting to die to enjoying life again! Please, if you have anyone in your life who is like me, share my blog with them, encourage them to follow me, encourage them to NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER GIVE IN and do what it takes to find the right mixture that will help them get back into the game of life! Remember back when I first started this journey to find my health? I was a research freak - researching and researching until I was blue in the face - but it was all worth it - I have found what works for me, what makes me feel good and what keeps me going - you too can find it if you haven't yet - just keep on looking! I promise it's out there!
To your health and until next time!
I have a new position at the school I work at that has me very busy - I'm in the literacy department and just love it!
Outside of that, I'm still maintaining my weekly chiropractic appointments to maintain myself and to keep my body in optimal health. I firmly believe that with the weekly adjustments my body has put my FMS down and has helped me stay feeling good. I still get minor aches and pains in the same areas (hips and shoulders) but nothing even close to what I use to experience. When I feel overly tired, I go to bed. I've learned through all of this that listening to my body is the most important thing I can do. And when I feel tired, I make sure to handle it instead of ignoring it.
Over the past 3 months I did a weight loss challenge with 3 of my friends using a program called Body By Vi (Vi is short for Visalus). It's a 90 day challenge and it's simply, amazing. Since getting sick back in 2010 I have gained 55+lbs - I finally got sick of the weight, sick of putting on my clothes that were too tight and finally just had it when I had to purchase a size that I swore I would never be in again (after losing weight in the past) Depression was setting in again and I knew I had to take a stand before things got worse.
The 90 day challenge consists of replacing 2 meals a day with a healthy protein shake meal replacement. It's packed with vitamins, has less than a gram sugar and tastes like cake mix - NO JOKE! A lot of people say "once you start eating again you are going to gain the weight back" to which I have to laugh. Don't think I'm not eating - in fact, I'm eating quite well. I have a shake for breakfast, and every two hours another small meal consisting of a protein and vegetable - I eat all day to the point that I'm stuffed when it's time to eat again! It's not a "fad diet" - it's a way of life - re-training yourself to keep your body fueled so it burns fat while maintaining lean muscle mass. It takes a little getting use to but now, it's just the way I do things - I eat small meals every 2 hours. Think portions too - portion control is where it's at. Once you get use to measuring out your portions you get pretty good at knowing how much you can have at any given time. I think a huge part of America's problem with Obesity is the fact that our portions are double and triple what they should be all the time - that means we are taking in double and triple the calories we should be on a daily basis - which in turn is going to be weight gain. It's pretty simple really.
Exercise is suggested but not something you have to do too strenuously or even at all if you don't want to. As we all know, exercise is another thing that those of us with FMS need to do so it should be incorporated anyway.
So after 3 months I am down 26 lbs and over 27 inches!! I feel great, am wearing my clothes much better and am actually going to be entering to win the team challenge on a national level!! Between myself and my team mates we have lost over 200lbs combined! It's inspiring really.
Currently I'm doing another challenge to drop the rest of the weight I gained. It's really just a way of life, eating clean and making smart choices. Through all the struggles over the past few years, my weight shouldn't be a reason I'm feeling sick. I've slowly come around full circle and can honestly say that I'm feeling like myself again - feeling healthy, happy and full of life again! I never thought I would be able to say that! I really thought my life would be full of pain and suffering and never again be the same. It's been 3 yrs and while the road has been a tough one, it's taught me so much about myself and others.
I hope my journey so far has made an impact on others and I hope my continued journey will as well - I am living proof that you can go from literally wanting to die to enjoying life again! Please, if you have anyone in your life who is like me, share my blog with them, encourage them to follow me, encourage them to NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER GIVE IN and do what it takes to find the right mixture that will help them get back into the game of life! Remember back when I first started this journey to find my health? I was a research freak - researching and researching until I was blue in the face - but it was all worth it - I have found what works for me, what makes me feel good and what keeps me going - you too can find it if you haven't yet - just keep on looking! I promise it's out there!
To your health and until next time!
Monday, February 11, 2013
Abundant Nutrition = Abundant Healthy life!
I wanted to share my new find with you all in hopes that you too will find it, get it and use it!
You may have heard of this "Nutribullet" - it's an offshoot of the MagicBullet. This machine is a godsend! It's like a juicer, blender, chopper, dicer all in one compact little machine! You can make soup with it, you can dice veggies with it, you can purify with it - I'm not sure what it can't do! It basically extracts the nutrients from what you put into it so you get more of them in a digestible form. You can also add nuts and seeds to get even more powerful nutrients into your body.
If you've been reading my blog, then you know I love to make fresh juice - over the course of time I have gotten away from juicing due to the sheer hassle of it when you are really busy. From the prep to the clean up I found it was a lot of work and slowly got away from doing it. Unfortunately this means that I was no longer feeding my body with the amazing nutrients that are found in drinking freshly made juices. This also means I am not getting the powerhouse of nutrients that are essential in maintaining my health and keeping my FMS and CFS under control. Through all the research I've done regarding these two conditions, I am beginning to really see the link between nutrition and a healthy body overall. I think with proper nutrition, meaning nutrients in your cells, you can overcome a lot of problems. This isn't to say that all illness is caused by lack of nutrition but I would say that a good majority of problems, especially those that Dr's seem to be unable to pin point a reason for, are due to lack of the right things in your body over a long period of time as well as other factors person to person.
With the Nutribullet there is no major food prep other than the normal cutting, no major clean up as it doesn't leave behind ANY PULP and it takes a max of 10 minutes from start to finish to make a super nutritious smoothie or juice. I'm really excited about this as it allows me to get back on the juices without the time as well as no waste so I feel that I'm getting even more of the goodness that those fruits and veggies provide. I struggled for a long time with all the waste I was throwing away after making juice. I tried to figure out how I could use it but never did - all that vegetable and fruit material just down the trash.
I think juicing is great, please don't get me wrong - and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in it. The NutriBullet I believe is the new generation of juicers. It allows you to make a tasty nutrient rich drink in minutes. It also allows you to consume a lot more vegetables and fruits than you would normally consume in a day. This alone will increase your health with the added benefits. One thing I have found with juicing is that it does make your blood sugar spike from the natural sugars in the items you juice - with this nutribullet you are also getting all the fruit and vegetable materials that will help even out your blood sugar, fill you up and keep you level.
I can't say enough about this compact yet powerful kitchen machine. It's $100 at Bed Bath and Beyond, use the 20% coupon you probably get in the mail and it is even cheaper! It's worth every penny!
I have read some reviews on it that say the machine stops working after about 3 months - so be sure to keep your packaging and receipt handy just in case this happens, then you can return it as faulty and get yourself a new one!
It's been one week now since I've been using this machine, my husband makes himself drinks as do my kids! It is so worth it just to know they are getting good things into their bodies without the hassle of "eat your vegetables" or "make sure you get your fruits in" and whatever else us moms tend to say to our kids to keep them healthy. With the Nutri-Bullet they WANT a smoothie! Maybe not a GREEN one but anything is better than nothing!
For instance, my son LOVES bananas so I make him a smoothie that consists of 1 banana, 8oz milk or soy milk, 1 TBSP banana cream flavor pudding mix and 1 container of banana yogurt - all blended into a rich thick smoothie. You could also use banana flavor extract.
My daughter on the other hand loves Strawberries - so hers is Strawberries, milk and a container of strawberry yogurt and a vitamin rich protein powder if I can get it in there. The yogurt provides the protein and the strawberries are a great source of antioxidants and are actually considered a superfood. They also act as an anti-inflamatory, help fight the onset of Cancer, prevents age related eye problems, full of vitamin C, 1 cup provides 21% Manganese which also helps with bone support.
I'm telling you, if you want to feel great and get your daily dose of vegetables and fruit in your diet, get this machine and give it a shot. You won't be sorry!
If you do get it, please let me know!! I would love to hear from you about it! OR anything else for that matter!
Until next time, stay healthy and happy!
Gerri
You may have heard of this "Nutribullet" - it's an offshoot of the MagicBullet. This machine is a godsend! It's like a juicer, blender, chopper, dicer all in one compact little machine! You can make soup with it, you can dice veggies with it, you can purify with it - I'm not sure what it can't do! It basically extracts the nutrients from what you put into it so you get more of them in a digestible form. You can also add nuts and seeds to get even more powerful nutrients into your body.
If you've been reading my blog, then you know I love to make fresh juice - over the course of time I have gotten away from juicing due to the sheer hassle of it when you are really busy. From the prep to the clean up I found it was a lot of work and slowly got away from doing it. Unfortunately this means that I was no longer feeding my body with the amazing nutrients that are found in drinking freshly made juices. This also means I am not getting the powerhouse of nutrients that are essential in maintaining my health and keeping my FMS and CFS under control. Through all the research I've done regarding these two conditions, I am beginning to really see the link between nutrition and a healthy body overall. I think with proper nutrition, meaning nutrients in your cells, you can overcome a lot of problems. This isn't to say that all illness is caused by lack of nutrition but I would say that a good majority of problems, especially those that Dr's seem to be unable to pin point a reason for, are due to lack of the right things in your body over a long period of time as well as other factors person to person.
With the Nutribullet there is no major food prep other than the normal cutting, no major clean up as it doesn't leave behind ANY PULP and it takes a max of 10 minutes from start to finish to make a super nutritious smoothie or juice. I'm really excited about this as it allows me to get back on the juices without the time as well as no waste so I feel that I'm getting even more of the goodness that those fruits and veggies provide. I struggled for a long time with all the waste I was throwing away after making juice. I tried to figure out how I could use it but never did - all that vegetable and fruit material just down the trash.
I think juicing is great, please don't get me wrong - and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in it. The NutriBullet I believe is the new generation of juicers. It allows you to make a tasty nutrient rich drink in minutes. It also allows you to consume a lot more vegetables and fruits than you would normally consume in a day. This alone will increase your health with the added benefits. One thing I have found with juicing is that it does make your blood sugar spike from the natural sugars in the items you juice - with this nutribullet you are also getting all the fruit and vegetable materials that will help even out your blood sugar, fill you up and keep you level.
I can't say enough about this compact yet powerful kitchen machine. It's $100 at Bed Bath and Beyond, use the 20% coupon you probably get in the mail and it is even cheaper! It's worth every penny!
I have read some reviews on it that say the machine stops working after about 3 months - so be sure to keep your packaging and receipt handy just in case this happens, then you can return it as faulty and get yourself a new one!
It's been one week now since I've been using this machine, my husband makes himself drinks as do my kids! It is so worth it just to know they are getting good things into their bodies without the hassle of "eat your vegetables" or "make sure you get your fruits in" and whatever else us moms tend to say to our kids to keep them healthy. With the Nutri-Bullet they WANT a smoothie! Maybe not a GREEN one but anything is better than nothing!
For instance, my son LOVES bananas so I make him a smoothie that consists of 1 banana, 8oz milk or soy milk, 1 TBSP banana cream flavor pudding mix and 1 container of banana yogurt - all blended into a rich thick smoothie. You could also use banana flavor extract.
My daughter on the other hand loves Strawberries - so hers is Strawberries, milk and a container of strawberry yogurt and a vitamin rich protein powder if I can get it in there. The yogurt provides the protein and the strawberries are a great source of antioxidants and are actually considered a superfood. They also act as an anti-inflamatory, help fight the onset of Cancer, prevents age related eye problems, full of vitamin C, 1 cup provides 21% Manganese which also helps with bone support.
I'm telling you, if you want to feel great and get your daily dose of vegetables and fruit in your diet, get this machine and give it a shot. You won't be sorry!
If you do get it, please let me know!! I would love to hear from you about it! OR anything else for that matter!
Until next time, stay healthy and happy!
Gerri
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
It's been 5 months - so much has happened
I know I have kind of just neglected my updates and I do apologize. Life has been a bit on the crazy side to say the least.
Since my last update we moved to a new place in the same town we were in before. Between that and working now I've just not found the time to get an update posted.
I'm sick with some kind of nasty cold virus right now so I figured it would be a good time to spend a few minutes updating. On the bright side, my CFS and FMS have continued to be relatively mild all around. I have my days just like the rest of you but by keeping up on my regimine of weekly chiropractic visits, supplements and plenty of rest I seem to be keeping my body in a state of calm and pain free. If that's what it takes then my chiropractor will have a weekly visit from me for life!
During the holidays I did go for about 5 wks without going to see my chiropractor and I paid for it dearly. I could tell after the 3rd week that I needed to go in but between running my kids around and shopping and preparing for Christmas it just didn't happen. Nothing too bad came of it other than my hip pain, lower back pain and a general feeling of not well. As soon as I got back in to see him I felt better!
In September I got a job at a local middle school in the Special Education department. I work with 6th and 8th grade students who have anything from mild ADHD to severe mental health issues. Many years ago I use to work in Autism so this line of work is like an old hat. I have been enjoying it for the most part although it's been rough going back to the work world after 11yrs of not working for anyone but myself. The new routine of 5:30 am wake up and out the door at 7am really isn't my idea of great, but since I have been finding it difficult to do the parties for my business I will have to endure. It's really not that bad, but I've never been a morning person so I hate it no matter how I slice it. I have to get up with my kids anyway so either way I can't avoid getting up in the early mornings. My husband has to be out of the house by 6:15 am to get to work so I can't even have him get the kids going. No matter how I look at it, I have to deal with the early mornings.
My daughter is now playing competitive volleyball which is keeping us very busy through May. She has practice 2x a week, 1 night of conditioning and weekly tournaments or games on Saturdays. To say we are busy with that is an understatement. Volleyball is her love so we don't mind at all! She has goals to play for college so this level of play now is very important for her future.
Last week we went to the high school orientation - HIGH SCHOOL! I can't believe my baby girl is about to go into high school 2013/2014 - where has time gone. I still see her as my baby girl, and I know I always will. I remember when my parents use to say I would always be their baby - and only now do I "get it".
All in all things are good here. I hope this update finds you all well and finding the things that make you feel good. I know for each of us remedies will be different but I really think nutrient levels have a lot to do with how your FMS treats you. Remember, it took me a good 6 months before I noticed the nutrients I was taking actually doing anything. Keeping those levels in the normal range is really important!
Hopefully I'll find more time to keep this updated at least on a monthly basis - I would like to update more often but I know that might not happen. So until next time!
Since my last update we moved to a new place in the same town we were in before. Between that and working now I've just not found the time to get an update posted.
I'm sick with some kind of nasty cold virus right now so I figured it would be a good time to spend a few minutes updating. On the bright side, my CFS and FMS have continued to be relatively mild all around. I have my days just like the rest of you but by keeping up on my regimine of weekly chiropractic visits, supplements and plenty of rest I seem to be keeping my body in a state of calm and pain free. If that's what it takes then my chiropractor will have a weekly visit from me for life!
During the holidays I did go for about 5 wks without going to see my chiropractor and I paid for it dearly. I could tell after the 3rd week that I needed to go in but between running my kids around and shopping and preparing for Christmas it just didn't happen. Nothing too bad came of it other than my hip pain, lower back pain and a general feeling of not well. As soon as I got back in to see him I felt better!
In September I got a job at a local middle school in the Special Education department. I work with 6th and 8th grade students who have anything from mild ADHD to severe mental health issues. Many years ago I use to work in Autism so this line of work is like an old hat. I have been enjoying it for the most part although it's been rough going back to the work world after 11yrs of not working for anyone but myself. The new routine of 5:30 am wake up and out the door at 7am really isn't my idea of great, but since I have been finding it difficult to do the parties for my business I will have to endure. It's really not that bad, but I've never been a morning person so I hate it no matter how I slice it. I have to get up with my kids anyway so either way I can't avoid getting up in the early mornings. My husband has to be out of the house by 6:15 am to get to work so I can't even have him get the kids going. No matter how I look at it, I have to deal with the early mornings.
My daughter is now playing competitive volleyball which is keeping us very busy through May. She has practice 2x a week, 1 night of conditioning and weekly tournaments or games on Saturdays. To say we are busy with that is an understatement. Volleyball is her love so we don't mind at all! She has goals to play for college so this level of play now is very important for her future.
Last week we went to the high school orientation - HIGH SCHOOL! I can't believe my baby girl is about to go into high school 2013/2014 - where has time gone. I still see her as my baby girl, and I know I always will. I remember when my parents use to say I would always be their baby - and only now do I "get it".
All in all things are good here. I hope this update finds you all well and finding the things that make you feel good. I know for each of us remedies will be different but I really think nutrient levels have a lot to do with how your FMS treats you. Remember, it took me a good 6 months before I noticed the nutrients I was taking actually doing anything. Keeping those levels in the normal range is really important!
Hopefully I'll find more time to keep this updated at least on a monthly basis - I would like to update more often but I know that might not happen. So until next time!
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