Friday, May 18, 2012

Days 15 & 16



Day 15- reduce stress. I'm laughing out loud at that. Yesterday was my day 15. The books for my book launch did not arrive. Only about a dozen people showed up. I had two new book pre-paid orders and one poetry book sold. Stress....none in my life. LOL

In all seriousness, high stress=high blood sugars. I know this to be true. I have learned when I am truly frustrated by things out of my control, I crochet. I am almost done with a baby layette that needs to be in the mail by Monday. Stress also triggers bad habits. It's easy to binge eat when stressed. I know that, too.

Here are the stress factors you can control. Start by making a list of the things that stress you out. You hate lists or don't have time. NOW is the time to MAKE time. Working through the list might help you learn what triggers your stress. Be honest no one else has to see this list.

Stop watching all the news shows. Pick one to watch at one time during the day and forget the rest. Things on the news that are out of our control cause stress.

Sort it out. Once you have your list work through them, what can you eliminate? Can you walk the last five blocks home and relieve some stress? Have your kids set the table and load or unload the dishwasher. It helps them have an organized life. It relieves your stress. One less thing for you to do.

Limit your drive time. Share a ride. Bundle your errands and do them in one day or one trip. Plan appointments, car repairs, grocery shopping so there are days in between so you don't feel like you're rushing all the time.

Unclutter your life. Sort your mail into three piles: Must Do Now, Do later, and Forget it. Recycle the forget it items immediately. Organize your do later pile. So you know when it you have to do it. Take care of the do now pile. Procrastination creates stress.  Clutter creates stress, because you don't know where to start.

Learn to say NO. Don't take on too many extras. You are not required to do it all. Besides if your sick you can do them anyway.

Make "me" time. You need a time out once in awhile too. Take time to cook and eat well. Take time to get enough exercise and rest. Take time to do nothing.

Find ways to destress so you can be healthy.

Day 16-Add vitamins. Quality is the key. How do you know which ones are good? Look for the GMP seal (Good Manufacturing Practices). Other things to look for are USP-DSVP (US Pharmacopoeia Dietary Supplement Verification Program), NSF(An international dietary supplement certification program) These should be on the bottles.  Go for a good multi-vitamin. Dr. Ripich does not recommend the one-a-day multis that are based on Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) which are nutritional guidelines used by the USDA and FDA. These are minimal levels. You want the best for your money.

Are the ingredients absorbable? This is a big thing. Most of your major brands the ingredients go right through you and you really aren't getting vitamins.

The one pill myth-Natural, absorbable forms of vitamins and minerals take up lots of space inside a pill. So don't be surprised if the label says "Six capsules provide." The one the doctor takes he takes three in the morning and three at night. You could take it two in the morning, two at lunch and two at night.

Get good advice on which one to take. Educate yourself before shopping. Most store clerks are heading for the big pharma products.

Avoid gimmicks like the liquid vitamins or "whole" foods vitamins. The "whole" foods is a scam. Beware of supplements sold in your doctor's office. Your doctor should not be in the business of selling.

Dr. Ripich takes and recommends Nutrient 950. If you are over 50 he suggests UltraNutrient. You need extra Vitamin D. Especially if you are diabetic. This is known as the "sunshine" vitamin.  Vitamin D actually improves your diabetes. It can prevent or delay early onset diabetes. It also lessens the complications of diabetes.

Top 10 foods with Vitamin D

  • Liver and other organ meats
  • Wild salmon-not farm raised.
  • Shrimp
  • Cod
  • Anchovies
  • Fish oil
  • Eggs
  • Milk-fortified
  • Red, yellow, and orange fruits and vegetables
  • Dark green, leafy vegetables. 
Become a sun worshiper. Ten to fifteen minutes in the sun daily is good for your health. Minimize exposure during peak times of sun. Walk in the early morning or early evening.

The ideal form of Vitamin D is Vitamin D3(cholecalciferal). Avoid  Vitamin D2(ergoclaciferol) it is inferior and potentially dangerous.

Take the right dose. A minimum of 1,000 to 2,000 IU on days when you cannot expose yourself to sunshine.

Attention, seniors your body's ability to produce Vitamin D decreases with age. Seniors should take 2,000 to 3,000 IUs daily.

Children need it too. Giving children Vitamin D reduces their risk of developing Type 1 diabetes.

All that being said. Take nothing without consulting your personal physician. I am NOT a doctor. I only know what I am reading. 

I do know that I crave sunshine. I am looking to sell my home and move to a climate that offers more sun. I have long since given up the days of lying in the sun pretending to be a beach bunny. But I do know the days I walked on the beach on January and February afternoons I felt better.  I also am very aware that the grey days of winter get me down. A few cloudy days don't bother me, but months of cloudy skies are not good for me. It goes back to knowing your own body. No one knows it better than you do. You live in it daily.
TTFN

PS. I succumbed to a cupcake today. While it tasted good, not good enough to have screwed up the work of the past 15 days. I gave a dozen to my new neighbor. My welcome to the neighborhood.

2 comments:

  1. The very best one is to learn to say 'no.' Good luck with de-stressing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. you always share good stuff--including your cupcakes!

    ReplyDelete

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