Jack LaLanne

A health icon has died, at the age of 96.

A great role model for a lot of Americans, and the creator of one of our favorite juicers (for citrus juices) Jack LaLanne died after a short illness.  Full of life until the very end.  What a great example of Living Life.

Edited: to add a Natural News link honoring the man.

My Morning Routine

Ok, 'routine' might not be completely accurate as with still having littles at my feet can make it difficult to get everything I hope to do for myself accomplished in an orderly manner consistently first thing in the morning.  But 'routine' is the best word I can think to use that is, well, understandable.

(Sorry, Beatrix, that its taken so long to get around to posting my 'routine', but better late than never, huh?)

~I get out of bed anywhere from 5:30-7am.  I think it should be more consistent, but because we still have Littles my sleep is often disturbed so I allow myself the freedom to stay in bed longer some mornings when the Littles also allow it.  My sleep & quality is really random at this stage in life, and I have to Go With The Flow.  Some mornings, like today, I can successfully sneak out of  bed about 4:30am and go unnoticed by Laars, but many mornings I lay awake in bed meditating/praying so not to disturb sleeping boys. 

~ Potty Break!  Some mornings I do an enema to help my body eliminate from the nights cleansing.  This isn't on any kind of 'schedule'.  I do it as I feel (intuitively) that my body wants/needs it, and as time permits

~Body Scrub (the T-Tapp way) to help with elimination, and improve circulation to skin

~Brush hair with firm brush (or  you could use a wooden comb) to get tangles out, then scrub scalp & clean hair with a Boar Bristle Brush to improve circulation and distribute natural oils for healthy hair.  This needs to be done in small sections, methodically working over my skull.  I have found I can't use the Boar Bristle Brush alone as it would take infinity to work out the knots in my thick hair.  That's why I start with a stiff brush.

~Scrub Face (with a softer brush than a body brush) vigorously to improve circulation, gently exfoliate.  At same time I do some face squints and stretches for toning.

~Spray body, face and hair with homemade blend of essential oils in water.  I just put water in a small spray bottle and add EO's as I like, but usually some blend including  (or even solely) cinnamon as I like a spicy smell versus  flowery.  I often use lavender, or geranium, but never leave out my cinnamon.  Endless possibilities.

~Apply jojoba oil to my face and neck for moisture and sun-protection (SPF 4)

~Do Hoe-Downs

~Drink at least 1 glass (if not 2 glasses) of filtered water

~Putter in the kitchen and help littles with their own morning 'routines'

~Drink a glass of fresh juice (if Chelle or Everette make it), or make myself a glass of water with 1 oz aloe vera gel, juice of one lemon, a tsp or so of unpasteurized honey, maybe a pinch of cayenne pepper

~If I'm feeling ravenous (which isn't often, especially when I've drank enough fluids), I will eat an apple (or Laars' leftover apple cores with lots of flesh still on them) OR our version of Muesli.....  I soak about 1/2 cup of organic rolled oats with hot water, add a couple chopped dates, some goji berries and a few shakes of unsweetened coconut.

~Then its usually time for cuddles with little ones and maybe do some reading with them, or sit & have a discussion with Everette or read aloud with him.  This is our Connection Time, if the littles allow it ;)  or we fit it in some other time of the day.




I'll try and post an Evening Routine later.

Before & After Photos

About Dec 6th, 2009 I started eating according to The Daylight Diet (by Paul Nison).  It mostly entailed eating only during daylight hours, which in the depth of winter required me to adjust gradually to not eating after 3pm.  I started by not eating anything at all after 6pm.  I found that easy, so I moved it to 5 pm.  And rapidly I wasn't eating (most days) after 2 or 3pm.  I was truly amazed that I could do that, and feel good about it.  I honestly had to start embracing the rumblings in my belly, and recognize that they were signs of a healthy digestive system and aiding in elimination.  It was a good thing, not something to throw food at to stop it.

The weight started to come off right away, and Everette and I boosted it with a 5-day Juice Feast .  Since that time, we have predominantly eaten healthy other than when we traveled and when we stay with people.  Actually, the traveling part went fairly well for us as we stayed mostly High-Raw.  But staying with people makes it more difficult, that's for sure.  And 'living' with people who eat the comfort-foods that easily entrap us....that's hard.

Anyways, here are pictures of me at my starting weight of 184 lbs, the beginning of Dec 2009.

 

My weight now is 147 lbs.  Actually I've been at this weight roughly 2 months (give or take a pound or two) while we traveled the country and been staying with people.  I am confident that as I continue to eat healthy and incorporate other health practices, the weight will melt off and I will level out at a healthy weight for my body.  I don't actually have a target weight.  I believe my body will know what is ideal if I give it healthy fuel and help it eliminate the harmful stuff.

So, here's pictures taken just yesterday morning.

To see in closer proximity so as to compare......

I was slacking off for awhile from doing my Hoe-Downs, but this week I've gotten back to doing them and I feel better for that.  I feel that they have been helpful in getting my tummy in better shape while losing the weight.  I still have more work to do, but its been a fun and easy way for me to incorporate abdominal and buttocks exercise into my day (most days).  I love the T-Tapp philosophy and highly recommend the exercises (free on YouTube or purchase thru their site.  I'm happy with my purchases.)

Shabbat Family Fun in the Snow

Beautiful Scenery from the hill top.

Yours Truly Adventured out in the Cold

With the family (except Rauchelle who was still fast asleep)

Daddy did the photography because he wanted to keep his butt dry!!

Winning Smile

                                                                                      Ended with a snowball fight, attack on mama. 

Variety of online Videos

Everette somehow came across some incredible videos yesterday. We are talking INCREDIBLE TALENT and unusual. Some of them moved me to tears. This one is of aerieal bombings over Kiev during WW II. Lots of tears in the audience.





Thanks to Coralyn for letting me know about this video about Mandatory Flu Shots for Health Workers. Coralyn has tonnes of information on her site about Holistic Health,Natural Remedies,Global Consciousness. Be sure to check Coralyn out.



Also on the health topic, I really enjoy much of what Paul Nison has to say, and lots of information is passed on through all his videos. Today's interview was with some Jewish dance teachers who are now eating a raw diet and loving it. You can see their love for Yeshua and for life itself. Enjoy!

T-Tapp

I've got to tell you about a fitness program called T-Tapp that Everette and I just started doing 2+ weeks ago, and we are so excited about the quick results. I read testimony after testimony at the T-Tapp site but now we have our own testimony.

You know how you read all these online testimonies or hear them on TV, but you don't know if it's all lies. They could be paid to say what they say.

Well, those of you who know Everette and I will know our situation and we trust that you'll know we aren't lying. This is our true "story".

We started T-Tapping about 2.5 weeks ago but didn't take our initial measurements until August 31/09 when I was 20 weeks pregnant. Of course we are expecting body parts to be 'enlarging' on my pregnant body, and my friends know I can get pretty big in pregnancy. By now I usually look more than 6 months pregnant, and by 6 months I look full-term. I'm confident it'll be different with this pregnancy, and I think that T-Tapp will be an integral part of that.

Ok, so here's some basic numbers for Everette, changes made in just 2 weeks of losing FAT!! We haven't changed anything else, just T-Tapping a few times a week. Honest!!
He's lost 1/2 inch in chest, 7/8 inch in waist, 3/4 inch in the hips. I think that's awesome!!! So, that's 2 1/8 inches overall in 2 weeks!! He's fitting in some of his favorite (Tilley) pants he bought over 7 years ago when we lived in Campbell River. And he's down a couple holes in his belt.

And now for preggo Karen. We'd expect at least my waist and bust to be going up in size, although many of us are putting pregnancy pounds on all around. But here's my numbers after 2 weeks of T-Tapping.

I've actually gone down 5/8 inch in the bust, down 5/8 inch in the hips, only gone up 1/4 inch in waist, down 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch in my thighs, and even down 1/4 inch in my calves. Total inch loss (excluding the growing belly)for me in 2 weeks then is 2 1/2 inches. (Everette hasn't kept track of all the same body parts as I have)



We started with the Basic Workout Plus (presently on sale), listening to the 90 minute seminar to understand the foundation of Teresa's philosophy, which that in itself was amazing and significantly different than any fitness program I've heard of. She doesn't just talk about how to do a move, but why to do it like that. The How & the Whys. I like that.

One of the main things that interested me was when Teresa Tapp (the founder/inventor of the program)was saying that with this program, the more fit you become the less time you actually have to invest at doing the exercises. Have you ever heard anything like that? That's always been one thing I never could understand when hearing about working out at the gym and getting fit--- that it took more and longer workouts to even maintain over the years. So, if somebody is already spending an hour a day 6 times a week at the gym to stay fit, how much will they have to be spending there in 5 years from now just to maintain? They have to work harder and longer to see the same benefits. Who has time like that to spend on fitness??? As far as I'm concerned, I don't even want to spend that amount of time, because I don't enjoy it in the first place.

I can't even start to explain Teresa Tapp's program, but it really isn't about losing weight (we don't have a scale so we don't know those numbers, but that doesn't matter because we're more interested in losing the inches anyways) but about total body alignment, getting all your systems in the proper place and pumping & flowing. Like your nervous system, the lymphatic system, your skeletal system, and your digestive system.

So, we followed the instructional video for 4 days in a row, feeling muscles we forgot even existed (like back of the neck where fat gathers). Then we've basically been doing the Basic Workout Plus 3 times a week. It's less than 15 mins a day. Occasionally we've done the Walk Away the Inches instead, or another day of the week in addition. We aren't doing any other fitness program, and haven't even been fitting in our regular walk to the post office because Rauchelle hasn't been around to babysit. We credit the inch loss solely to T-Tapping. It's amazing.



Teresa really supports dry skin brushing which I've used off and on over the years but after listening to her educational DVD I've starting doing it daily like a good girl ;) and I like the feeling of it. I know I'm doing my body good, and taking care of baby at the same time.

Question for You: Do you have an exercise program you are thrilled with?