After several years of researching health and trying to improve my own, I think i have finally found the missing clue to why im so tired, lethargic and lacking in energy all the time (not including the shift work). Syndrome X, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance syndrome, pre-diabetes syndrome, all different names all the same thing.
My mother has type II diabetes melitus which makes me genetically predisposed towards it, but environment is more of a factor. High glycemic foods and sugary foods are the main culprit. I'm still in the middle of Dr Ray Strands book, Releasing fat, which is more about eliminating sugar and foods that your body uses to make glucose, which then lowers the insulin (fat storing hormone) in your bloodstream allowing the glucagon (fat burning hormone) to take over.
He talks about all different diets, why they don't work and how they put your body into fat starvation mode so that when you quit you put weight back on even faster. Its one of the biggest revelation books i've come across amongst all the books i've seen. Apparently alot of the worlds obesity problems come down to this underlying problem of insulin resistance, suffered unknowingly by 25% of the population in america.
TBC...
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
The Light of Example
Christmas has come and gone, busy but happy time of being together at the end of a long year. I sneaked home in between two long shifts, taking the back road which is now my preferred means of travel, from auckland at least, went viewing christmas house lights on christmas eve, had lunch with the family and headed back for work that night.
Yesterdays sunday school class with my 6-8yr olds was about good examples. Being helpful, kind and obedient to those around us. Made me think of my sisters christmas tradition of giving. Every year they put together a big christmas food hamper and ponder on who it should be given to.
Last year they gave it to a homeless man camped out on a vacant lot in frankton which lead to him being reunited with some of his kids who had no idea where he had vanished to.
This year my sister had someone in mind, a single mother, who she had seen around but didn't really know her too well. Since i was over visiting, she decided i should be the one to hand it over, as the lady wouldn't recognize me. I was really nervous on the way over there, i don't know why, remnants of childhood stranger danger perhaps?
I went and knocked on the door and a tired looking middle aged woman with a bewildered expression on her face answered. "Is this the *** family?" i asked her. She frowned. "Yes."
"Ok i was asked to deliver something for you for christmas."
Then i went back to the car to get it for her.
Her eyes widened as I reapproached her. "This is for you." (afterthought, "Merry Christmas!")
"Woah... Thank you" she said. She looked stunned and nearly speechless. I felt kind of uncomfortable, since i was getting thanks for something i didn't deserve credit for. "Merry christmas" was all i could think of to say. Then i hurried back to the car.
I felt quite good even though i had nothing to do with the idea or the execution of the christmas gift, but it made me want to follow their example, and do something good for someone next christmas, or maybe even throughout the year. Just like the lights of christmas draw people to see them, so do peoples good examples around me draw me to want to follow them too. Thank you Jesus, for sending angels to earth to remind me of what you would do if you were here.
Yesterdays sunday school class with my 6-8yr olds was about good examples. Being helpful, kind and obedient to those around us. Made me think of my sisters christmas tradition of giving. Every year they put together a big christmas food hamper and ponder on who it should be given to.
Last year they gave it to a homeless man camped out on a vacant lot in frankton which lead to him being reunited with some of his kids who had no idea where he had vanished to.
This year my sister had someone in mind, a single mother, who she had seen around but didn't really know her too well. Since i was over visiting, she decided i should be the one to hand it over, as the lady wouldn't recognize me. I was really nervous on the way over there, i don't know why, remnants of childhood stranger danger perhaps?
I went and knocked on the door and a tired looking middle aged woman with a bewildered expression on her face answered. "Is this the *** family?" i asked her. She frowned. "Yes."
"Ok i was asked to deliver something for you for christmas."
Then i went back to the car to get it for her.
Her eyes widened as I reapproached her. "This is for you." (afterthought, "Merry Christmas!")
"Woah... Thank you" she said. She looked stunned and nearly speechless. I felt kind of uncomfortable, since i was getting thanks for something i didn't deserve credit for. "Merry christmas" was all i could think of to say. Then i hurried back to the car.
I felt quite good even though i had nothing to do with the idea or the execution of the christmas gift, but it made me want to follow their example, and do something good for someone next christmas, or maybe even throughout the year. Just like the lights of christmas draw people to see them, so do peoples good examples around me draw me to want to follow them too. Thank you Jesus, for sending angels to earth to remind me of what you would do if you were here.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
30
Tomorrow I turn 30. I'm not sure how i should feel about it. Part of me is quite pleased and the other part isn't. Its just another day really. But kind of a milestone. On the good side, at least i don't have work this week, its quite nice being able to do nothing all day if i feel like it.
This weekend i'm going out of town to my mates place where a whole group of us are going to converge for two days of togetherness. I'm more of a "one or two people at a time, in small doses" than a "the more the merrier" type of girl. Maybe i should take my car down, just in case i feel the need to escape.
This weekend i'm going out of town to my mates place where a whole group of us are going to converge for two days of togetherness. I'm more of a "one or two people at a time, in small doses" than a "the more the merrier" type of girl. Maybe i should take my car down, just in case i feel the need to escape.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Parito Coastal Yoga Retreat
So before I went on this retreat, my idea of yoga was something for mystic people in out of the way places in India, contortionists who could move their bodies in impossible ways, charming snakes and chanting constantly while meditating 5 ft in the air.
Of course what I found was completely different.
Parito means "New Beginnings" in maori and started off as a house built for a couple who wanted a simple life. They found it, not far from the west coast town of Raglan about 8 years ago when they started opening their home to practitioners of yoga.
How did I end up there? Well thats a whole other story. Each morning we were awakened by pretty chimes, then started off with 1 1/2hrs of yoga meditation, relaxation and exercises. After a delicious healthy breakfast we undertook some chanting, followed by karma yoga (service to each other) morning tea and more classes, lunch and more classes, afternoon tea and more classes, dinner, meditation and relaxation following which complete silence was undertaken until the following morning after breakfast. All the food was amazingly delicious, organic vegetarian and mostly prepared from ingredients grown on the property.
There were no tvs, radios, no cell phone coverage, just the sound of birds, insects, the occasional car and the ocean. It was the most beautifully peaceful place I have ever been.
I found out a lot of things about yoga while i was there, some applied specifically to questions I personally had and others were more general. It seems to me that yoga is about learning to focus oneself and ones mind in the present, to be more aware of what is going on around you as you are carrying out the events of your day, and to be in a relaxed state rather than one of constant tension (where very little can be accomplished.) It was a shock to me, that i could do exercises and stretches so much more effectively while relaxed and peaceful rather than the "must do must do" usually parading through my head.
The dreams I had while there were some of the most vivid of my life, and i remembered the whole thing when I woke up (and quickly wrote them down so I could hold on to them).
I'm very grateful to our hosts who made our time there such an enjoyable and stress free one, and to my sister who talked me into going with her, though truthfully, I didn't take much convincing, I tend to like new experiences.
Of course what I found was completely different.
Parito means "New Beginnings" in maori and started off as a house built for a couple who wanted a simple life. They found it, not far from the west coast town of Raglan about 8 years ago when they started opening their home to practitioners of yoga.
How did I end up there? Well thats a whole other story. Each morning we were awakened by pretty chimes, then started off with 1 1/2hrs of yoga meditation, relaxation and exercises. After a delicious healthy breakfast we undertook some chanting, followed by karma yoga (service to each other) morning tea and more classes, lunch and more classes, afternoon tea and more classes, dinner, meditation and relaxation following which complete silence was undertaken until the following morning after breakfast. All the food was amazingly delicious, organic vegetarian and mostly prepared from ingredients grown on the property.
There were no tvs, radios, no cell phone coverage, just the sound of birds, insects, the occasional car and the ocean. It was the most beautifully peaceful place I have ever been.
I found out a lot of things about yoga while i was there, some applied specifically to questions I personally had and others were more general. It seems to me that yoga is about learning to focus oneself and ones mind in the present, to be more aware of what is going on around you as you are carrying out the events of your day, and to be in a relaxed state rather than one of constant tension (where very little can be accomplished.) It was a shock to me, that i could do exercises and stretches so much more effectively while relaxed and peaceful rather than the "must do must do" usually parading through my head.
The dreams I had while there were some of the most vivid of my life, and i remembered the whole thing when I woke up (and quickly wrote them down so I could hold on to them).
I'm very grateful to our hosts who made our time there such an enjoyable and stress free one, and to my sister who talked me into going with her, though truthfully, I didn't take much convincing, I tend to like new experiences.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Energy
I was ironing one of my work shirts the other day, which for some reason is when I get moments of insight and inspiration, when I’m doing mundane routine chores like washing the dishes or hanging out washing, when I was hit with a thought. Everything is energy. Everything is tied into energy. I spent several minutes running through a list in my head. Music, anything audio-related, is just sound waves pinging through space, which of course is energy, as is stuff on the tv, dvds, radio, microwaves, electronics, whiteware and so on and so forth.
Electricity is energy, running through wires to power such things as the laptop I am currently typing this information on. People are energy based systems, we eat food and drink liquids to sustain us, we need light and movement and fresh air to keep us going. We give and take energy from each other on a constant basis, whether by nurturing, power tripping, intimidating, being victims, attention seeking behaviours. Cars need fuel which gives them energy to run, as to all mechanical objects. The weather is a huge system of energy transferal, wind and water moving around the planet. The planet is an energy source, coal and gas deposits buried in the earth waiting to be accessed by man and technology. Theres lots of other things too, but going into them all would be overkill.
Possibly this train of thought was influenced by a recent book I picked up at the library called “Who stole my energy” which talks about the food we eat and how it depletes or aids our energy stores, as well as how kindness can give us energy and negativity can dissipate it.
Ages ago, I bought a dvd of a book that I really liked, The Celestine Prophecy, which talks about energy and how we try to steal it from one another, as well as limitless sources of energy we could tap into if we knew about it, and how mutual giving of energy can elevate two parties to a higher sense of wellbeing.
Electricity is energy, running through wires to power such things as the laptop I am currently typing this information on. People are energy based systems, we eat food and drink liquids to sustain us, we need light and movement and fresh air to keep us going. We give and take energy from each other on a constant basis, whether by nurturing, power tripping, intimidating, being victims, attention seeking behaviours. Cars need fuel which gives them energy to run, as to all mechanical objects. The weather is a huge system of energy transferal, wind and water moving around the planet. The planet is an energy source, coal and gas deposits buried in the earth waiting to be accessed by man and technology. Theres lots of other things too, but going into them all would be overkill.
Possibly this train of thought was influenced by a recent book I picked up at the library called “Who stole my energy” which talks about the food we eat and how it depletes or aids our energy stores, as well as how kindness can give us energy and negativity can dissipate it.
Ages ago, I bought a dvd of a book that I really liked, The Celestine Prophecy, which talks about energy and how we try to steal it from one another, as well as limitless sources of energy we could tap into if we knew about it, and how mutual giving of energy can elevate two parties to a higher sense of wellbeing.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Travelling and Joy
So i wanted to go to rarotonga this month but i looked at how much i spent in nelson and sydney recently and decided i better wait and save up before embarking on any more overseas travel. Such a pity because summer really is the best time to go anywhere and enjoy the sun. My sister thinks i should use my money and get a better laptop. I said i don't need a better laptop because i hardly ever use it anyway.
If i was going to buy something it would be a thermomix, which is $1940 australian but totally worth it in my mind. Its like the ultimate food processor. It comes from Switzerland, the home of the best things, it can weigh food, process food, grind wheat, blend anything, operates at 50000rpm (as good as a vitamix blender i would say, which is what i've been lusting after ever since i found out about them) and it can pressure cook food. Like rice risotto. Unfortunately they don't sell them in NZ i would have to go back to Oz to get one.
But really, i think life is about experiences, and learning from the things that you do. For me my favourite experiences so far in my life involve going places, meeting people, and doing things. Doing these 3 things on a regular basis are what makes me happy, and thats where i would want to put my money.
If i was going to buy something it would be a thermomix, which is $1940 australian but totally worth it in my mind. Its like the ultimate food processor. It comes from Switzerland, the home of the best things, it can weigh food, process food, grind wheat, blend anything, operates at 50000rpm (as good as a vitamix blender i would say, which is what i've been lusting after ever since i found out about them) and it can pressure cook food. Like rice risotto. Unfortunately they don't sell them in NZ i would have to go back to Oz to get one.
But really, i think life is about experiences, and learning from the things that you do. For me my favourite experiences so far in my life involve going places, meeting people, and doing things. Doing these 3 things on a regular basis are what makes me happy, and thats where i would want to put my money.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Homemade Fruit Leather
I bought a dehydrator last year on a whim. It’s a really good big one, “Excalibur”, with square easy to clean shelves and a door that comes right off the front to make checking on food simple.
I attempted to do homemade fruit leather last year, but it didn’t work so well, the parchment paper and the leather stuck together and ripped to shreds when I tried to pull it off. Plus I wasn’t sure about the thickness so all the pieces I made were too thin. And the blender I tried to puree my fruit in couldn’t really handle apples and pears so well, so they turned out lumpy. I tried one batch of kiwifruit, plums, apples, blueberries and other berries and other odd mixtures, like banana and mango – actually that one wasn’t too bad. The best one I made was strawberry and banana. It was bright pink (unlike some of them that browned over time – actually I don’t think that’s meant to happen) and delicious, and it disapppeared within a couple of minutes of me pulling it out of the machine.
So one year on, I finally decided to have another go at making homemade fruit leather. Especially since strawberries are so cheap. I love the asian supermarket in New Lynn, they have really cheap fruit, some even better prices than the Sandringham market, my other favourite fruit and veg place. I got 2.5kgs of strawberries for just under $15. Got up this morning, blended it all with a few bananas and a couple of green apples, and spread it out on baking paper in the dehydrator. It takes 5-8 hours to dry, approximately, but the wafting strawberry smell coming out of the machine when I left was so so good.
Can’t wait to try it tonight. Yum!
I attempted to do homemade fruit leather last year, but it didn’t work so well, the parchment paper and the leather stuck together and ripped to shreds when I tried to pull it off. Plus I wasn’t sure about the thickness so all the pieces I made were too thin. And the blender I tried to puree my fruit in couldn’t really handle apples and pears so well, so they turned out lumpy. I tried one batch of kiwifruit, plums, apples, blueberries and other berries and other odd mixtures, like banana and mango – actually that one wasn’t too bad. The best one I made was strawberry and banana. It was bright pink (unlike some of them that browned over time – actually I don’t think that’s meant to happen) and delicious, and it disapppeared within a couple of minutes of me pulling it out of the machine.
So one year on, I finally decided to have another go at making homemade fruit leather. Especially since strawberries are so cheap. I love the asian supermarket in New Lynn, they have really cheap fruit, some even better prices than the Sandringham market, my other favourite fruit and veg place. I got 2.5kgs of strawberries for just under $15. Got up this morning, blended it all with a few bananas and a couple of green apples, and spread it out on baking paper in the dehydrator. It takes 5-8 hours to dry, approximately, but the wafting strawberry smell coming out of the machine when I left was so so good.
Can’t wait to try it tonight. Yum!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Anger Turned Inward
I read something recently about rage being anger turned outward, and depression being anger turned inward. A lot of people around me are depressed at the moment, and I've found myself feeling really down at times lately. Sometimes i think its sun related. Our bodies need sunshine to be able to produce vitamin D, which apparently aids in mood improvement. Some say its an internal chemical thing. One of my friends watched some tv documentary about how high levels of Niacin Vitamin B3 can assist people trapped in depression. It also flushes out your body and pushes blood out to your skin causing a red rashlike reaction. One of my friends experienced this rush when she first tried it. 2000mg of niacin and she thought she was dying. But it worked, and her moods improved and she was able to start coping with life. But i'm sure the answer must be different for everyone.
I went to a psychic the other day with one of my friends, and she let me play with her angel cards, shuffle them, pull a few out and see what they say. They told me i should get fresh air, cleanse and detox my body, engage in service and find joy. Those seemed like really common sense things, so i started looking for ways to do them. Hence the detox. Today is day 7. I feel good.
She also told me where my true path lies (in a field i'd never seriously considered before), told me i need to get my eating right, and told me someone needs to come into my life before the eating right can happen. Kind of spooky since the second one was something i'd been considering quite intensely in the days before i met her. But then decisions in life can always draw people together or apart.
I went to a psychic the other day with one of my friends, and she let me play with her angel cards, shuffle them, pull a few out and see what they say. They told me i should get fresh air, cleanse and detox my body, engage in service and find joy. Those seemed like really common sense things, so i started looking for ways to do them. Hence the detox. Today is day 7. I feel good.
She also told me where my true path lies (in a field i'd never seriously considered before), told me i need to get my eating right, and told me someone needs to come into my life before the eating right can happen. Kind of spooky since the second one was something i'd been considering quite intensely in the days before i met her. But then decisions in life can always draw people together or apart.
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