Life is Good!

I'm all for protecting the environment and saving money at the same time. Most of all, I am for protecting my health and the health of my family and pets. Since switching to an environmentally friendly company, my home is safer and our family's budget profile has improved.

I remember going into the grocery store on an average of 4 times per week...just for the perishable items that I had run out of. And then, of course, I would have to pick up some snacks and other unplanned items. My spending was running high every week and each month as my husband and I looked at our spending, we couldn't figure out what was happening.

Then, I found some healthy alternatives that even improved the health of our budget.
Here's how I did it --

1) I joined a food co-op where I got more fresh produce and breads that last longer and have more vitamin content. This stretched over two weeks instead of one. The produce would last longer because of its freshness and the cost of the produce was less.

2) I joined a company that produces more green products for cleaning. These products are very concentrated so they last longer. So, we hit two birds with one stone. Healthier, more green products that are concentrated and a healthier budget. Life is good!

Abortion

I believe that when an abortion goes close to or actual full-term that the baby has the right as a human being to be placed up for adoption. I believe that when a baby is born, that baby has rights to life. Here is a video that I hope will get you thinking about what we as Americans are allowing to happen. You may say that we are not allowing it, but I believe that if we remain silent on this matter, we are enablers. Now, here is the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYRpIf2F9NA&feature=related

Postpartum Blues

Hi, Everyone! This is Pat Packer. I just finished teaching another Women's Health Seminar last night and enjoyed the response very much!

It seems there is much care given to the mother and baby before the birth but after the birth everything seems to be up to the Mom. Her well-being can either be a smooth process or it can be a disaster.

Here's what happens: Before a woman is pregnant, she normally produces 20 mg of progesterone a day. By the third trimester of pregnancy, her placenta is producing 300-400 mg a day. So what happens when the baby is delivered? All that progesterone leaves, sometimes hormonally "crashing" the new mom.

The Women's Health Seminar deals with women's issues that deal with the forgotten hormone progesterone. I invite you to schedule your own presentation with your friends. You can see how progesterone is more than it is cracked up to be.

Now back to the crashing postpartum moms. Natural progesterone supplementation can help balance all the unchecked estrogens and make that hormonal change a more pleasant event.
Aren't we glad we have naturally derived progesterone? To learn more, feel free to call me
at 208-356-6535 Love, Pat Packer

Drinking Water: True Benefits

I've always known that drinking water is good for you especially if you are exercising regularly. But I couldn't really testify that it helps in weight loss until I put it to the test. After I had my twins, (probably like a year after or so) I still had a few extra pounds to lose. I started drinking a lot of water. In fact, I drank double the amount that you are supposed to drink in a day. I bought a huge mug at Walmart (my husband made fun of how big it was) and drank two of them a day. To my surprise I lost five pounds in a week. I think my body wasn't getting enough liquid because I was running so much and wasn't staying hydrated. So now I can vouch that water does help in weight loss. Also, when I'm really tired and feel like taking a nap, I drink water first and have noticed that by replenishing my cells I'm not as tired. Water is the cure to all things. I found this article online that might be helpful:

Drink to Your Health . . . With Water!Mother Nature's Healthy "Cocktail"
Some nutritionists insist that 80% of the country is walking around dehydrated. We drink too much coffee, tea, and sodas containing caffeine, which prompts the body to lose water. More troubling is that fact that when we are dehydrated, we don't know what to drink.The answer is simple: drink water!Water is pure liquid refreshment and accounts for a large percentage of what makes each of us "human." The average 150 lb. adult body contains 40 to 50 quarts of water. Almost 2/3rds of our body weight is "water weight":
Blood is 83% water
Muscles are 75% water
The brain is 74% water
Bone is 22% water
The Fountain of Youth, Health, and Everything Else that's Good Water is necessary for your body to digest and absorb vitamins and nutrients. It also detoxifies the liver and kidneys, and carries away waste from the body. And when it comes to digestion . . . it's just not happening without water. Fiber alone cannot aid proper digestive function by itself. In fact, without water as its partner, good fiber goes bad, causing constipation and extreme discomfort.If you're dehydrated, your blood is literally thicker, and your body has to work much harder to cause it to circulate. As a result, the brain becomes less active, it's hard to concentrate, your body feels fatigued, and you just "poop out." Water - The Miracle Worker Simple water -- when it's pure and free of contaminants -- is truly a "wonder drug." Without chemicals, additives, or anything unnatural, a steady dose of 8 glasses of water a day (ideally ½ your body weight in ounces of water) will:
Improve Your Energy
Increase Your Mental and Physical Performance
Remove Toxins & Waste Products from your body
Keep Skin Healthy and Glowing
Help You Lose Weight
Reduce Headaches and Dizziness
Allow for proper Digestion
Help to keep you more Alkaline
Drinking Water is Heart-Healthy The findings of a six-year study of more than 20,000 healthy men and women aged 38-100 in the May 1, 2002 American Journal of Epidemiology found that women who drank more than five glasses of water a day were 41% less likely to die from a heart attack during the study period than those who drank less than two glasses. The protective effect of water was even greater in men.Drinking Water and Weight LossWater is a natural appetite suppressant, so developing a good water drinking habit can be a long-term aid in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Doctor F. Batmanghelidj MD, author of "Your Body's Many Cries For Water" says most times your “hunger” is your body asking for water – not food. It's also important to remember that when the body is dehydrated, fat cells get "rubbery" and cannot be easily metabolized. This means that it's harder to lose when you don't drink your water. Who Can Benefit From A Water Regimen? Everyone . . . including YOU! Water is especially important for pregnant women and nursing mothers. For athletes and work-out fanatics, drinking water reduces cardiovascular stress and improves performance. And, since water reduces body temperature, it makes the whole exercise process safer and more effective.Water is also an important "healing tool" for people with a history of kidney stones. Since water dissolves calcium in the urine, downing at least 8 glasses daily reduces the risk of stone formation. Drinking water is also valuable in preventing urinary tract infections in both men and for women, flushing impurities out of the system.Even mild dehydration makes you more susceptible to viruses. For someone like me, with an immune system compromised from my battle with terminal cancer, water is a powerful weapon in my war on colds and other illnesses. I've also found that water helps me recover more quickly.When your body is hydrated, drainage from allergies and colds doesn't stick and collect in your throat and lungs, and your cough is more "productive". Even cold sores that appear on the lips are minimized by drinking water because those eruptions tend to favor dry areas on the body.Tips for Drinking Water I know how hard it can be to remember to drink enough water every day, but I also know how hard it can be to bounce back from the effects of being even mildly dehydrated. So I'd like to share a few easy tips to help you reach your "water mark" every day:
You are naturally thirsty i.e. “dehydrated” in the morning . . . help your body flush out the toxins it has been processing all night and take advantage of this thirst to get a “leg up” on your daily water requirements by drinking a glass of water first thing.
If you are cold drink warm water instead of dehydrating coffee & tea.
Don't wait until you're thirsty to have a drink – you are already dehydrated if you feel thirsty.
Set a timer to remind yourself to establish a habit of drinking water and keep a bottle of water with you at all times.
Compensate for diuretics . . . thieves that steal water from your body. If you drink coffee, tea, or sodas with caffeine, you'll need to drink a few extra glasses of water to make up for the water that these diuretic beverages "leech" from your system.

Drink Up!

Starting an Exercise Program

Hey ladies! I just had a baby as most of you know and am at my six week mark where I get to start exercising again! Yipee! This was a long awaited time. There are so many benefits to exercising, but my favorite is that it just makes you feel good. So I thought I might add some tips on what I have done in the past as far as exercise programs go. I have lost 30 to 40 pounds after each baby and have gotten down to a size 4 before. I thought I looked better than in high school. So hopefully you can get some ideas from me and then respond to this post so that you can tell me what has worked for you.
The Firm- I started doing the firm post high school. They are dvds that incorporate step aerobics and weight training so that you get lean faster and feel stronger sooner. I first heard of this from the lady that I was a nanny for. If done properly it can really kick some booty. You should start slow at first. The Firm has a lot of dvd's now, you can even find them at Wal-mart. I bought a Firm system from an infomercial after I had my twins and did the Firm three times a week.

Tae-Bo- I did this workout when it was first popular, after my first baby. I found that the best one was the Tae-bo advanced workout because it was an hour long. I noticed that my arms were the most sore and was surprised that you could firm up just by doing simple punches. I love Billy Blanks, but don't really enjoy looking at him in tights.hehe.

TurboJam- this is my newest workout system that I saw on an infomercial and 2 in the morning. I was totally hooked just from watching the ad but then heard that my sister bought it. So after hearing her testimonial I just bought it as well. It is by Beachbody and they have a lot of other systems as well that seem to work for people. Turbojam is aerobic with different dance and martial arts movements put together with awesome music to get you moving. I just did my first workout today and it was totally fun! It comes with a ten day detox program which gaurentees you to lose 10 pounds from 10 workouts in 10 days. It has a really strict diet program that you follow step by step as well. I can't do this right now though cuz I'm nursing, but I will do it when I'm done.

Running- this is the most effective and most beneficial exercise program, and it's free! Although I bought a treadmill for the winter, so that was a little bit of money. But I started running after my second baby and have run the trails all over Utah county. My favorite trail is the Provo river trail which goes from the top of Provo Canyon all the way down to Utah lake. I have run many different races as well and I think that my favorite one is the 10 mile run down Provo canyon. I broke my foot by running a half marathon and figured later that I had an extra bone in my foot that was really hindering running. So now that I have that taken care of, I am looking forward to running a marathon in a couple years. You can check out the post that Liz did about running. You may say, "my knees are too bad to run." My husband and I just saw a health report on tv about how running has actually proven to make your knees stronger, so try it and you will see!
I always remember to drink tons of water while doing my exercise programs. At one time I was drinking about three times the amount of water that you should have in a day and I lost five pounds. So could that count as an exercise program too? JK
Good luck with finding your own program and please let me know what has worked for you as well.

Exercise is Good For You!!

Very Mean Beginning Runner
"Leave me alone! I am going as fast as I can!!"

It's not every one's best friend, well, not mine anyway, but I know that when I do get myself out of bed for my early morning jog, I am happy that I did. I feel the results all day. I have more energy, am more attentive, and am able to control my food intake.

I thought I would post a little something about some good ideas for beginning runners. I am no professional, but I do enjoy it and have been running since I can remember. It is my choice of exercise.

When you first start to run, my advice would be to time yourself. Start with running for 1 minute and walking for 1 minute. If that seems too easy you can adjust the time. Then you can add on to your running time. Try run for 3 minutes and walk for one until eventually you will be able to run the whole time with no walking. I still walk once in the middle of a long run. I like to run on a trail by my house and when I turn to come back home, that it when I walk for a few minutes. It seems to help me a lot.

I found a few good tips online about listening to your body:

"Of course, when you run you are bound to get tired and experience muscle pains afterwards. That’s fine. To a certain extent. However, when you, during or after your run, feel dizzy, or when you experience pain in your chest area, your back or your legs, beware ! Take it real easy:

*Immediately stop running and rest or walk for a bit until you feel better.
*Cut back on your training load or stop it until the pain has ceased.
*Check with your physician if you keep on experiencing pain or if you are feeling unsure about anything.

*Take care of yourself. You only have one body and one life. Running is a great healthy activity, but in your enthusiasm (too much too soon) you can harm yourself. Follow one of my beginner’s training schedules to avoid injuries. Even then, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY !Learn to listen to your body and you will be your own best coach who can tell you to keep on going or to stop." http://www.best-running-tips.com/beginner-running-tips.html


Maybe running isn't your exercise of choice. Find what you like and go for it. I know that if you get into a routine of exercise, your body and spirit will benefit from it immensely.