Do It Now : Personal Growth

Health plan - day 30: I love lemons

OK Day 30, and I'm recovering from a bad cold that I finally caught from all the sick people around me. Frankly, all I've wanted to eat this past week is soup...cooked soup...and lots of hot water with lemon juice and honey. 

Lemons are wonderful things. They are lovely hanging on my little lemon tree, little packages of love that the little tree has produced just for me. Aside from their marvellous clean bite, they are like mini-storehouses of good health. Just the aroma of lemons has been shown to lift our spirits and increase our energy.

The juice is excellent for helping to cleanse the lymphatic system, that second circulatory system that is responsible, among other things, for moving toxins out of  our bodies.

Lemon juice also helps to balance the body pH by making it more alkaline: too acid, and our bodies become breeding grounds for infection. (Our modern diet, junk food, sugar, stress and toxins tend to acidify our pH, setting the stage for infections, cancer and other diseases that thrive in an acidic environment). 

Lemon juice in water also helps cut cravings for junk food. Just don't use the bottled kind. Get your juice straight from the lovely lemon itself.

Yesterday I enjoyed my first salad in a week...Lots of rocket, spinach leaves, chopped up broccoli, a little fetta cheese, marinated artichoke hearts (yum), raw walnuts, a sesame seed mixture called Gamaiso, and for added protein, a little cut up cold chicken, all dressed in a mix of lemon juice, olive oil, flaxseed oil, tamari sauce and cracked pepper.

As for exercise, this last week, my body has been so stiff and uncooperative that I had to force it through the morning stretches and yoga, in between long bouts of coughing. I walked, well sort of ambled along the beach with the grandchildren a couple of times, more concerned about keeping my throat covered from the chilly wind than in exercising my aching body.

But the sun's shining today, and I feel invigorated despite a stuffy nose and that 'breathing in water' feeling that are the last traces of my cold.

In the interests of health and wellbeing, I have given away my television because it keeps me tied to the sofa doing nothing. If I am going to do nothing (and we all should, from time to time), I want to to be out in the fresh air, or admiring the sunlight as it streams through my window.

Now that I don't have the tv, I have rediscovered the joys of reading fiction (now on Patrick White's Nobel Prize winner, Voss), and the delights of just sitting in silence. Life just feels so much more peaceful!

Health plan - Day 27: Raw Food a Step at a Time

As you know, I set myself the goal this month of including more raw foods into my diet.

At the risk of boring you, let me remind you why.

- Cooking foods destroys or damages many of the nutrients found in our foods that we don't get the full nutritional benefits from our food. As a result, we can develop nutrient deficiencies, which can weaken our immune systems, and lead to many other health problems.

- Cooking destroys the enzymes that occur naturally in plant foods. Our bodies need these particular enzymes to properly digest our food, but our bodies do not produce them. Rather, we rely on plant foods for our supply of these enzymes. Even the enzymes that our bodies do produce are only produced in a limited quantity, so if we eat a lot of certain kinds of foods, our supply of the enzymes needed to digest those foods can become exhausted. Then the body relies on the plant foods you eat to supply the enzymes we need.

- Because cooking destroys precious enzymes, cooked food is often harder to digest, which means it moves more slowly through our system. Food that stays in the gut too long starts to ferment, and this can cause inflammation in the delicate gut tissues. This can lead to stomach pains, indigestion, reflux, irritable bowel etc. Inflammation can eventually damage the gut lining so that food particles and pathogens can escape into the blood stream, leading to hot beds of infection in different parts of the body, allergies and other immune disorders as the immune system comes under increasing stress.

- A lot of our cooked food is processed food that has been chemically treated and contains food additives. These chemicals are toxic, and have been shown to cause many adverse health effects.

- This one's for me. I simply feel better when I eat mainly raw vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts. I feel lighter, more energetic, and don't get that after-meal slump while my digestive system struggles to cope with foods that lack digestive enzymes. That's why I could kick myself when I start eating more cooked food again just because I'm socializing a lot that week.

(Pineapple, by the way, is chockablock with enzymes and also with antiflammatories. Eat raw pineapple while it's in season. It IS worth the effort, and if you cut off the top with some pineapple on it and stick it in a pot of soil, you'll get another pineapple in two years. Sounds like a big wait, but mine was the sweetest little pineapple I have EVER eaten, and all I ever gave it was water now and then!)

Ok, so I've given you the WHY to eat more raw foods. Now for the HOW.

Everyone's different and has different requirements, so there is no golden rule for eating more raw food. But from experience, I can tell you that you should take it step by step.

One reason is that you don't want to feel like you're sacrificing foods you love. If you really like baked potatoes or lamb ragout, for heaven's sake, don't deprive yourself because you'll start resenting the changes, and eventually just give up.

Step 1: Start simply by eating a bowl or dish of raw fruits as a mini-meal (either for breakfast or an hour or two before dinner, not after). Eat the fruit by itself.

Then be ready for your body to start detoxifying. Raw foods are also cleansing foods: nothing will naturally detoxify you more efficiently and faster that raw fruits. They provide an abundance of nutrients, fibre, roughage, antioxidants and water to get toxins and waste out of your system fast and safely. This is great for your body, but it can cause some unexpected effects because those toxins are being pushed out more effectively than before.

You might, for instance, get some cold sores, or a skin rash, or get a cold because your body's releasing accumulated toxins through your outer tissues or excess mucus. You may feel more tired for a day or two, or feel achey, or just notice that a different body odour. These symptoms are all signs that your body is starting to cleanse itself of toxins, and they usually go away quickly.  The more toxic your body, the stronger the effects of detoxing will be. That's why I suggest taking it a step at a time.

Step 2: The next week, in addition to the fruit, then begin your meal with a big raw salad of dark leafy greens, grated or chopped raw vegetables (include brightly coloured ones, not just cucumber), nuts and seeds. I often dress my salad with a mix of fresh lemon juice, olive oil, pepper, a little powdered cumin and dash of tamari sauce.  If you're still hungry, eat what you normally eat. You'll want less and less of it.

If you get more detox symptoms, don't worry. They will fade quickly. Some people hardly notice them. I do. I feel like a have the flu. Two days later, I start feeling better than before...more energy, brighter eyes, more mentally alert!

Let me know when you're happily on step two and I'll get onto the next step. Meanwhile, give yourself a cheer for even starting to eat more as nature intended.

Health plan - day 25: Exercise for the Kid in Me

Can you imagine me bouncing on a trampoline? Well, I have a mini rebounder and while I don't do high jumps or somersaults on it, I find it excellent for revving up my metabolism and shaking off the slumps and stubborn fat.

True, I bounce considerably more than I want to because I have yet to find a good sports bra in my size, but I love the buzz I get from rebounding.

That buzz tells me that my blood is moving faster around my body carrying essential nutrients and oxygen to all my cells;

my lymph is being pushed through the lymphatic system, carrying with it the toxins and waste that would otherwise move more slowly so that bits settle into my body fat and tissues;

I am breathing deeper so my lungs are being flushed of irritants and toxins and sending oxygen deeper into my body;

my organs are being gently but firmly massaged as I jump and bounce,

and my brain is getting all the nutrients it needs, as well as endorphins that are making me feel better.

All of this from an exercise that even kids love!

Rebounding is also an excellent weight-bearing exercise. After all, as I bounce, the pressure on my bones and muscles alternately increases and decreases without the jarring they'd get on solid ground. Did you know that weight-bearing exercise builds strength and cardiac health better than aerobic exercise?

What's more, with my little rebounder, I can exercise in my own home and be as silly as I like.  

Do you remember those energy crossover exercises in my previous post - Caring for the energy body? Try doing them on the tampoline or rebounder.

If you're timid, just do the warm up shuffle. You know, bounce gently from foot to foot, then do more as you gain more confidence.

Come on. Have a bit of fun! If exercise doesn't put a smile on your face, you're doing the wrong thing for you.

The Low Down on Electric Blankets

Don't get me wrong. I am not a doom and gloom person, and I am generally optimistic about the human species and our future. However, I am also a realist, and want to know what's affecting my and my world so that I can make informed choices. And invariably, I find those choices bringing me in greater harmony with nature.

One choice that I made years ago was to avoid microwave ovens. I know the newer appliances are somewhat safer than the old versions, but I still believe that they affect the quality and nutritional value of food. (I showed you photos of plants watered with microwaved water...cooled down, of course...compared to plants watered with normal water in my post, 'Zapping your food to death'). To me, it's not worth the risk.

Another choice I made years ago was to not use an electric blanket.

My interest in the energy body led me to many scientific investigations into the effects of electromagnetic fields on the human body, and I learned that EMFs are a double-edged sword.

When they are in harmony with natural energy fields, including our body's own energy frequencies, EMFs have demonstrated remarkable healing powers. But artificially produced EMFs that do not harmonise with human energy frequencies, such as those radiating from powerlines, radar, microwave ovens, satellites, radios, and even electric blankets, are harming us.

Dr. Robert Becker, twice nominated for the Nobel prize for his work on bone regeneration using EMFs and considered a world expert in their effects, warns against using electric blankets. If you have to use one, unplug it before you get into bed. Just turning it off does not stop the blanket from radiating harmful EMFs. Apparently, there are more birth defects in babies of women who use electric blankets.

By now, you have probably read that even ultra conservative cancer councils and doctors are warning the mobile phone and cell phones can cause cancer, especially in children. Well, more and more researchers are reporting that we are awash in EMFs that are causing increases in cancer, birth defects, depression, learning disabilities, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Alzheimer's Disease, AIDS, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

I have a copy of Dr. Becker's book, Cross Currents: The Promise of Electromedicine, the Perils of Electropollution. It's over over 15 years old, and still relevant, fascinating reading. If Dr. Becker says electric blankets are harmful, I'm convinced.

Can't possibly endure winter without your electric blanket? What's wrong with a good old-fashioned waterbottle or two? Or better yet, get some warm body to heat up your bed for you!

Health plan - day 23: Best exercise for lazy folk like me

I admire those strong-minded people like my sister-in-law Beth who walk 10 kms a day, or spend 2-3 hours in the gym. I just don't have that kind of endurance...in fact, I never did. Even as a schoolgirl, I was OK as a sprinter but hopeless at any kind of long distance effort.

At one swim event, I was asked to replace a girl who dropped out of the 300 m race, and I accepted with the understanding that I only had to finish. Finish I did, but I was so physically and mentally exhausted that I had to be pulled out of the pool and had no idea what was happening.

(Now that I think of it, it could have been the little pills someone on the swim team handed me just before the race. I had no idea what drugs were in those days. My mother never even gave me aspirin!)

But even a low endurance, fundamentally unfit person like me can get enough exercise to make a difference, and not spend hours in recovery. I've been practicing it over the past few weeks, and I think I finally have developed a very tolerable pattern.

So for all you lazies or short-muscled people out there, here are the rules of my basic, better-than-nothing fitness program:

Stretch well every morning, several times through the day, and before getting ready for bed. Easy, stretches so that every limb, muscle and fiber of my being feels awakened, invigorated and when I finish, relaxed.

Qi gong slapping exercise. Starting at the inside of my legs, I firmly and quickly slap my body all the way up the inner legs, then the outer legs, then my lower arms then the upper arms, my back (as far as I can go), my front, my shoulders, my face, my head. Good to do 2-3 times, but 1 is ok. This is really good for waking up my system and getting energized after hours sitting down.

If I have time in the morning, I go for a 30 minute walk, alternating brisk with higher energy walking. Some days,  I walk briskly down the steep hill from my place for about a big block, then back up the hill, alternative between slower and very fast walking. That's still a big challenge for me, but it only takes 15 minutes all told.

I am a very messy person and have grandchildren over often, so my house can always do with a clean. I do about 15 minutes of intense housework (no vacuuming...hate it. I sweep my rugs and carpets with a stiff outdoor broom!) every day.                       

I have stairs in my unit, and I go up and down them as vigorously as I can. I make a point of keeping only one phone so that I have to run up or down stairs to answer it (depending on where I leave it.).

See? Nothing to it, really. Because I intensely dislike exercise for its own sake, I try to fit it into my daily routine. I always tell myself I won't take the car to the local market anymore but...maybe next week. It's part of my 'prepare for a sustainable future' plan.

That's it for now. Hope you're doing a bit better than me. If not, then we can slowly develop more self-discipline together.

Facing a sustainable future

'What would happen if the world were to start running out of oil? Conventional wisdom says we’ve got 30 years, but there’s a growing fear amongst petroleum experts it’s happening much sooner than we thought – that we are hitting the beginning of the end of oil now. So how soon will the oil run out, and can we stop our economy collapsing when it does? How prepared are we for the real oil crisis?' (from the television science show, Catalyst. http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s1515141.htm)

'The transition will be difficult, and for some, catastrophic, but at the end of the day, it may be a better and more sustainable place...I hope that, having thought about it, you will make some provisions to protect yourself as well as you can'. (from 'Oil Crisis' by Colin J Campbell)


Just a thought. How well will you live when oil supplies run out, or you pay $5 a gallon for petrol?

What will you do to prepare? What CAN you do?

Health plan - day 22: Deadly Sugar

The weather has suddenly turned cold and a heavy grey rain has been sleeting down. I think I'm already suffering from lack of sunshine.

On the way home from work, I bought a container of Sara Lee Ultra Chocolate icecream and went through half of it after dinner while watching a dvd on the looming oil crisis, which knocked me out for a good hour (the sugar, not the crisis). Of course, I had bad dreams and a restless sleep.

I don't stew over lapses in self control. That's just sending in negative thoughts that can only make things worse, and it was good quality icecream so all I've really done is overloaded on sugar and fat. (Are you starting to see how I gained weight in the first place?)

What's that? Did I suggest that overloading on sugar is a minor problem? What a fib!  Excess sugar (which is any processed sugar at all) seriously disrupts the body chemistry.It adds nothing to the body's health - no vitamins, minerals, fiber, essential fatty acids, protein...nothing.

That energy burst that some people (not me) get from sugar is the result of a large spike in blood sugar levels which triggers the release of too much insulin. This insulin then disperses into the bloodstream not only the sugar we just ate but other glucose that the body needs to produce energy.

In other words, the glucose that your cells need to produce energy is rambling about in the blood instead of getting to the cells. Hence, the post-spike energy slump. (Hmm. I must investigate why I go straight into the slump....catatonia, more like it)

Too much insulin can cause the insulin receptors in every cell to become less receptive to insulin, resulting in a condition called 'insulin resistance'. This means that the cells' receptors take in less of the glucose from good foods that they need to run properly, so too much glucose remains in the bloodstream.

(I'm trying to hurry through this and not bore you). Now, the pancreas tries to compensate for all that free ranging glucose by producing more and more insulin.This can lead to one of two potential problems:
diabetes - when the pancreas becomes exhausted and unable to produce even normal insulin levels, or
hyperinsulism - when insulin levels in the blood remain too high, which can lead to heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure and some cancers.

And the dangers of sugar don't stop there.

Too much sugar can lead to osteoporosis. All those sugar buns, muffins, cookies and cakes your granny ate over a lifetime alter the body's pH level, making it much too acidic. This prevents proper calcium absorption, so the body starts leaching calcium from the bones to compensate = osteoporosis.

Also, to neutralize all that sugar the body draws on its supplies of sodium, magnesium, potassium and calcium. Again, this means taking calcium from your bones....osteoporosis.

Sugary soft drinks deplete the water in your body, as do as well as beer, coffee, and manufactured fruit juices. Since water is vital to your cellular health, including your brain cells, which require lots of water, your body tries to reduce water loss by producing histamines to close off capillaries in your lungs. That's because we naturally lose moisture through our lungs every time we breathe. This of course leads to respiratory problems.

Finally   and I'll stop after this one   the minerals that the body needs to process the sugar and try to stabilize the body's pH are taken from the same supply that your body needs to carry out other essential functions, such as neutralizing toxins and the waste from normal metabolic reactions. Without enough of these minerals in the body, these wastes and toxins accumulate in the blood, tissues, body fat, killing cells all through your body, including your brain.

So the point is that yesterday was not just about 'breaking a diet'. Rather, it was about sabotaging my own good health and my body's ability to maintain it.

Don't beat yourself up over the sugar you eat. Just recognize that you're bringing a thief into the house that will steal what your body needs to keep healthy...The thief may appear charming and delightful, but it is a thief nonetheless, and you will be the less for letting it in. 

Best wishes on developing self control, Tosca. Meanwhile, I will do my best to counteract whatever damage I caused by eating lots of icecream.

Today, I am drinking lots of pure water (to flush out the sugar faster, and keep my cells well hydrated), some with fresh squeezed lemon juice (which you remember helps balance my pH). I ate a lot of raw broccoli (to help push the fats out faster), and tonight, I have made broccoli, spinach and potato soup for dinner (to provide more water and those precious vitamins and minerals).

I also gave myself a good talking to as I visualized my system being washed with healing, cleansing light, and determined that yes, I do cherish my good health and want to live a long, active life.

In case you're interested, this is my soup recipe, given by my daughter, Natasha (the only one of my children, by the way, who has wholly adopted my 'natural is better' philosophy of health':

Lightly steamed broccoli (lots, and keep the liquid), about three boiled potatoes (cover while cooking and keep the liquid), a big fried chopped onion, just till golden, with a big handful of raw spinach leaves thrown in for just a few seconds at the last minute. All blended with a little lemon juice and seasoned (Natasha added a little milk and cottage cheese, but I'm avoiding milk right now). 
Good cold or warm. Yummy.

Health Plan day 20: Care of the Energy Body

 I’ve written a lot about nurturing your health --- eating good food, exercising, resting, clearing out toxins, breathing --- to keep you fit, healthy, and full of energy. But if we want to be truly well, we must also nuture the energy body.

Our energy body cannot be seen by standard medical equipment, but its energy and the energy it emits have been picked up by sensitive devices by scientists interested in studying such things. When I speak of the energy body, I am not talking about the physical body of bone, blood and cells, but rather, of the vibrating energy and light of which those physical parts are made, and the electromagnetic light energy that flows in, through and around our physical bodies.The energy body is very real.

Most of us never give a thought to our energy body, if we’ve even heard it, yet it is there that our health or our unwellness first manifest. Whatever goes wrong with the physical body first appears in the energy body.

So today, I want to show you what you can do for YOUR energy body.  Meet the Caduceus , the  little symbol to your right.

Aside from being the symbol for medicine and the sign of the god Hermes, the caduceus also symbolises the way major energy pathways run up and down our bodies.

A central pathway runs straight up and down, and it is crossed by two other energy lines represented by the snakes on the caduceus.

Our energy is meant to cross over in this way. One aspect of this crossover is the way our brain interacts with our body, the left and right hemispheres controlling (to a degree) the opposite sides of our bodies.

Good body - brain coordination depends on this crossing over of energy from left to right sides. It ensures that the left and right hemispheres of the brain can interact effectively with the nerve networks on the right and left sides of the body respectively.

But sometimes, our energy pathways can become blocked or distorted by illness, stress, toxins, poor diet, fatigue and so on, and our energy cannot cross over as it should. When that happens, you can become clumsy, uncoordinated, easily unbalanced...mentally or physically.

Here are a few easy exercises to help restore the natural healthy crossover movement of energy. Do these exercises every day as part of your exercise routine, especially if you’re feeling uncoordinated or having trouble thinking clearly.

1. Bend your legs to lift your knees, first the right then the left, and tap each with the palm of the opposite hand.  Do this 20 times, alternating knees and hands each time.

2.  A bit harder: As you lift alternate knees, touch the knee with the elbow of the opposite arm. Do this 20 times on alternate knees and elbows.

3. Now as you kick alternate feet behind you, touch your palm of  your hand to the sole of the opposite foot. Do 20 times on alternating soles and palm.

For even greater benefit and more fun, do these exercises while bouncing on a trampoline or jumping on the beach.  Have fun, and your energy body will shine bright and beautiful.

The Simple Way to Defy Age

Anti-aging experts have concluded that for most of us, aging equals inactivity.

The most important thing you can do to hold off old age is stay active.

Even if you’ve been a couch potato for years, it’s not too late the reap the benefits of regular exercise. One study  tracked 9,777 men aged 20-82 and found that previously inactive men who exercised and became fit had death rates 44% lower than those who remained unfit.

Wow! Years more of life for a mere 45 minutes a day!

Health plan - day 18: Down to basics

Well, not doing as well as I hoped, and with grandchildren around so much these last weeks, I have had a few days completely off track. Overall, though, I have managed to go sugarless about 5 days a week. The other days, I just cave in to my sweet tooth or craving for cheese, and ignore the teasing from my family.

I'd say I eat about 60% raw these days, but I am having trouble finding time to prepare and sit down to good meals. My other bugaboo is coffee. I still drink one a day most days, and only skip an occasional day...not good for cleansing the liver.

The greatest progress has been in getting more exercise, and building my immunity. I feel stronger, inside and out, despite being surrounded by colds and sore throats.

The moment I feel even a slight scratch in my throat, or begin to feel less than well, I take 2-3 vitamin c tablets, 1 gm each, and 1 more every 4 hours until I get a light diarrhea. That's the signal that I have reached my ideal level of vitamin c. Then, I continue to take 2-3 grams a day until I feel really good again.

Some experts advocate high doses of vitamin c every day, but I find the occasional 1-2 week boost works very well for me.

Because I believe that we are designed to live as naturally as possible, I don't like taking lots of supplements. But I don't live a natural life. Most of my food is grown elsewhere under heaven knows what conditions. I bathe in chemicalized water and breathe polluted air, and only spend the occasional day or few hours out in the wild, or even close to it. I pay a price for all of life's conveniences, and try to make up for some of what I've lost in nutrients with a few carefully chosen supplements.

In the end, though, my health depends on eating good food.  One study showed that too much variety actually increases our appetite (I could have told them that!), so I usually have only 3-4 ingredients in any one meal. That works well since I eat fairly small meals and snack in between.

No matter what else I do, there are some foods that are a regular part of my diet:

Quinoa - I only discovered the delights of this little grain a few months ago, since I am not big on grains on the whole. Quinoa takes minutes to cook, has a lovely nutty taste and tastes good as a morning cereal (I take mine with a little tamari sauce or just a dab of butter and black pepper), as a side dish, and in place of burgul for a high protein tabbouli or grated veggie salad. It's high in protein, and also a good source of calcium and iron.

Broccoli and brussels sprouts: I love them, and they love me. LIke others in the same family - cabbage and cauliflower - they are high in cancer-fighting glucosinolates, provide lots of vitamin c and calcium, and help scrub away deposits and cholesterol. I eat broccoli raw a lot of the time, but I steam brussel sprouts and eat them with a little olive oil and lemon, sprinkled with sesame seeds or linseed.

Avocados: Not so many now as I want to lose weight, but these lovely fruits are so good for me that I eat them at least once a week, usually in a green smoothie (avocado, frozen banana, lots of rocket, fresh mint, a little pure apple juice, silken tofu and sunflower seeds). They help lower bad cholesterol, help improve heart health, and also help to trap and get rid of toxins (1/2 hr after eating avocado, do some brisk exercise just as jogging, jumping jacks, trampoline jumping to shake the toxins through the lymphatic system).

Swiss chard or silverbeet: These beautiful dark green leaves are so easy to cook or even to add raw to a salad. Chop and add to lightly browned onions, stir for a few moments, then add just a little water, and cover. In a minute or two, serve drizzled with a little olive or flaxseed oil and fresh lemon juice. You'll be soaking up loads of calcium in a highly usable form to prevent osteoporosis. You'll also be protecting against macular degeneration and cancer. Drink the cooking liquid too.

Salmon: Try to find wild salmon, not farmed. It's high in omega 3 fatty acids, known to help prevent heart problems, improve brain function and ward of dementia, and also to strengthen and heal the skin. Omega 3 fatty acids are essential for anyone with eczema, psoriasis or other skin problems, including children, and have been shown to reduce symptoms of autism. (Flaxseed oil is also excellent for these problems as well).  All this from a lovely silver fish. Food for the gods. Just do not overcook it.

Black beans: I eat them with brown rice or quinoa for protein because I eat very little meat, but also because they're good for the heart, high in fibre, and very satisfying. I add mine to vegetable soups, especially borscht (beetroot soup), and mash them with lots of fresh coriander and salsa to make a tasty dip.

Eggs: The much maligned egg is making a comeback as a valuable food. An egg and a smoothie for breakfast, and I have energy to see me happily through to lunch. Most of the time, a plain boiled egg will eliminate my sugar cravings, and it helps restore me after eating sweets. I don't get a sugar high. Instead, sugar makes me dizzy and very sleepy, and a boiled egg gets me on my feet (mentally as well) again.

So those are some of my staples. I should also add the banana - lady finger variety. Whenever I am too busy or too tired to prepare a meal, or can't find anything satisfying in the fridge, I turn to the banana. They used to give me heartburn, but now I only eat lady finger bananas, which don't affect me that way. I always keep a few peeled and frozen in the freezer for my smoothies, and also as a substitute for icecream. Bananas are high in potassium, which is good news for your heart and organs, and it's known in the pacific as a most fortifying food for building up a weak body.

Well, I haven't gone as far as I had intended, but I am still motivated, still working on my mind, and ready to dig up a little more self-discipline. It's back to basics: good wholesome food, lots of exercise, a positive attitude, good nights of sleep, and a little loving care. Don't you agree?