Category: Choose Health

Are You Science Phobic?

I graduated from SUNY Binghamton back in 1988 with an Undergraduate degree in Sociology and a Concentration in Human Services. Somehow, I managed to complete 4 years of higher learning without ever taking a science course. Several years later, my interest in healthy eating was growing and I decided to take “Introduction to Nutrition” at UMASS Boston. No one told me a nutrition class was not about health but about the science behind our food. I was in science phobia mode for much of the semester and don’t really remember learning anything about living a healthy life.

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I’m Not Sorry For This Rant

Until March 2020, I worked as an occupational therapist at a small local nursing home. I opted to not work when the pandemic hit to ensure my safety and the safety of Mother Fran. This nursing home is now inundated with COVID-19. Both residents and staff are infected and it continues to spread. Three Four residents have died and I can only imagine the difficulty ensuring adequate staffing for those that are sick and those that are not sick. This virus has invaded my personal bubble, it is hitting closer and closer to home… hence todays rant. My thoughts are with my friends at the nursing home who are sick and those that are trying desperately to keep themselves and our residents safe.

This Covid outbreak is responsible for todays rant. Sorry in advance.

I feel bad about this! Image by Tommy Takacs from Pixabay
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My Wake Up Call

I turned 54 in May of this year and that makes me more than half a century old. When I hit 40, my vision started to change and I traded my driving glasses in for readers. Shortly after that, menopause took place and I no longer had to be prepared for life’s little emergencies. Then again, hot flashes started and I thought I was dying at least twice a month! I have a funny heart beat that my doctor wants me to check out again as it hasn’t been checked in over a decade. I have a tricky knee that needs to be babied and occasionally aches and hurts. Overall, I have learned to embrace the grey of middle age!

Other than this, I am in pretty good health. I have no serious health complaints, and no medical diagnosis to worry about. I take no prescription medication and rarely take anything over the counter. I do take a few supplements to aid in digestion and am considering others to support overall health.

Feeling pretty good about my life… then I got a wake up call! Image by Sabine van Erp from Pixabay
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Travel Update!

I safely arrived at Mother Fran’s yesterday morning at 10:30AM! The ride was uneventful and I exercised extreme caution on my three day drive. My initial plan as I shared in my last post, In The Cautious Category, I had planned to stop at my sisters for a quick COVID style visit. You know the type – where you wear a mask, keep 6 feet apart and stay outdoors as much as possible. A couple of days prior to hopping in the car, I had doubts and ended up cancelling this part of the trip. My final destinations was my Mom’s house and I was determined to not take any chances that could risk bringing the virus to her.

Image by badafest from Pixabay
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In the Cautious Category?

Remember back in February when everyone advised each other to stay at home, wear a mask, wash your hands to avoid spreading the virus? I don’t know about where you live but things here had improved quite a bit and the number of daily cases was quite low.

In New York State, the numbers are rising again and I don’t hear the same concern from people. We are hitting over 5000 new cases per day across the state – up from around 1000 in August.

You don’t need a crystal ball to see what is going to happen in the coming weeks with Thanksgiving and Christmas approaching. I am no fortune teller but I absolutely expect a big spike and a lot of unhappy post holiday isolations and quarantines.

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay
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It Takes a Village!

Back in February and early March, Mother Fran was in the hospital with cardiac issues. I wrote about it in a post titled “It Takes 9”. Currently Mother Fran is at the lake and my sister (Child #7) is living with her. The rest of us have been taking turns staying with them to help out. Mom is 93 and has always taken good care of her health. Between those stays at the hospital and COVID19, it has been a difficult year. Even though her mind remains sharp and she can physically get around, she now needs 24 hour care. I am blessed to have a large family that loves her with a fierce tenderness that can’t really be explained. I can’t fathom how some people do this on their own.

Don’t go it alone! Image by Rolanas Valionis from Pixabay
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Don’t Suffer the Consequences

The small things you do daily matter. They either push you towards health, wealth and happiness or they push you away. If you believe this (as I do), than you understand that creating daily habits that push you in the right direction is critical to staying on the path. The small things either create a more resilient you or they don’t.

People who are resilient weather the bad days more easily than people who are not. They get back up when life circumstances or the playground bully knocks them down. They goof up on day three of a 10 day challenge and start over. They wake up in the morning and are ready to face the day. They don’t throw in the towel until the game is over.

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My Racing Mind

If there was an Indy 500 for minds, I bet I would be a contender. My mind likes to race, to get a thought and run with it. It doesn’t have to be a good thought, just a thought. In the past, I suffered from anxiety and panic attacks and my racing mind contributed to the problem, hell, it might have caused the problem. I haven’t had a panic attack in about 5 years, but they aren’t really gone. I have learned to identify what triggers them, what mitigates them, how to deal with and how to avoid them.

Does your mind race? Image by skeeze from Pixabay
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Feeding the Dragon

Do you have cravings? Cravings for sugar, sweet things, dessert? Cravings for chocolate, brownies, ice cream? Does the wine call you from the kitchen? The beer fridge beg you to visit? Do the chips mandate dipping?

When I eat Whole30 healthy which means no processed foods, no added sugar (of any kind), no alcohol, no gluten, no grains and no dairy; I have pretty much NO cravings of any kind. I eat a healthy breakfast, lunch, dinner and munch on a piece of fruit or a handful of nuts during the day. It is like the junk food forgets all about me.

Image by Anja🤗#helpinghands#stayathome #solidarity#stays healthy🙏 from Pixabay
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The Rubik’s Cube Effect

I was talking to a co-worker recently and the topic turned to childhood games. We spent several minutes reminiscing about Pong, Space Invader’s and the Rubik’s Cube. He said the best he ever did in terms of solving the cube was to get one side all of the same color. He would haphazardly turn the sections attempting to do better but could never get more than one side done. In desperation, he peeled off all of the stickers and put them back on where he wanted them. I have actually solved it multiple times (without cheating) but never fully understood what I did to make that happen.

So hard! Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
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