Sentiments by Denise

Indianapolis Race for the Cure

This morning, right before dawn, Emilee and I headed downtown to participate in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. The weather was a bit dismal - cloudy, cold, and drizzly, but we persevered and made it a fun time!
 
This is my 7th year as a breast cancer survivor - and my 25th year of surviving cancer the first time around (diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease when I was in my 9th month of pregnancy for Emilee!). I have so much to be thankful for and feel so blessed for each day that the Lord gives me. I try not to take LIFE for granted and know that I'm here on this earth for a purpose.

There were over 40,000 participants at the Race today - lots of pink! We saw many humorous t-shirts, lots of families walking, many young men out supporting the women they love, and even some pets...
(a little donkey all decked out in a pink blanket and hat!)

The Race for the Cure has brought a lot of attention to breast cancer awareness over the years and continues to promote self exams, early mammos, etc. I would love to see more attention brought to prevention - there are many things that we can do to prevent breast cancer or lessen it's attack on the lives of women across our country. Prevention in the areas of better nutrition, healthier habits (non smoking and drinking), regular exercise, low stress, good sleep management, and giving of ourselves to help others. I have discovered many of these things over the last few years and they've made a significant impact on my health and well being. Some are just common sense; some take discipline.

 
We need to educate ourselves, our daughters and granddaughters to eradicate cancer in our future.

 
I pray my daughter never has to deal with this disease in a personal way (it's enough to go through it with someone you love). I believe PREVENTION is the key!

It was a good day, spent with my sweet daughter who I love dearly, for a cause that is very near to my heart.

 
I am blessed and grateful for those who stood by me seven years ago as I went through my journey with breast cancer - for my husband Ed, who never waivered from the vows of "in sickness and in health" and loves me so strongly; for my son, Stephen, whose silent strength and support gave me a will to fight; for my daughter, Emilee, whose tenacious spirit drove me to work hard to get healthy and stay that way; and for all my other family and friends who prayed, loved, and gave of themselves so generously. Cancer is a dreadful disease, but I must say that I am a stronger, wiser, more caring person because others showed me their strength, their wisdom, and their giving attitude throughout my journey and continue to bless my life today - I did not allow cancer to steal my joy. God has been faithful in my life and I give Him the glory for all that He has done to lift me up and make me stronger. {Phil 4:13}

One thing cancer has made me realize:  learn what is important, prioritize, and
don't sweat the small stuff!

Motivated to Exercise

I think I've mentioned that last year I really focused more on changing the way I ate - incorporating a more nutritionally balanced diet that, for me, means eating mainly plant-based foods.
This year, along with continuing my healthy eating, I wanted to be more intentional about exercising. I know that regular exercise is what I need to continue my weight loss journey as well as gain strength. It's taken me awhile to really grasp the importance of this in my life. After my diagnosis with breast cancer and the surgeries that followed more than six years ago, it took me a long time to regain a mind-set that exercise was good for me and important in maintaining good health. I struggled with a weak body and mostly used that as an excuse to not bother too much with exercise. I lost so much upper body strength after my surgeries and kinda "milked" that to my advantage of not trying very hard to gain it back.

Well, this year is going to be different!

Last August, Ed & I joined the fitness center that's affiliated with our church and I've enjoyed the benefits of that so much over the last several months. 2011 rolled around and this past month (January) I started exploring different exercise options and what fit best in my schedule. Also, I looked at stretching myself beyond what I thought I was capable of and have looked into trying some new things. But, I'm still taking it at a moderate level, knowing that I can continue to add or change things up as I get stronger.

One of the things that has helped me stay motivated to exercise is creating a schedule - a plan - that is reasonable for me; that fits our daily lives. After experimenting with some classes at the fitness center and setting some goals (short term and long term) throughout January, I sat down with a calendar and wrote out a tentative exercise plan for the month of February:

 
This is probably hard to read, but it's really just for my benefit - if you're wanting to try something like this, you should create your own plan with your strengths and goals in mind.
I hope to add some new things in March - possibly Zumba (or latin dance) class and even a cycling class (our fitness center offers both!).

Since I started working on some strength training in January, I've already noticed that I've graduated to heavier weights when I do my upper body workouts. This is progress, my friends! My chest muscles were unbelievably weak after the surgeries I had and I really want to improve especially in that area!

Another thing to make exercise and gym time fun:

 
A fabulous new gym bag, which holds a lot inside (including a special pocket for my shoes that's separate from everything else!) and a carrier at the bottom for my yoga mat, which I take to my Strength train/Cardio class on Monday nights. I used some of my Christmas money to purchase this. Thinking that it was going to be pricey (I had my eye on a Gaiam bag at Target), I was surprised when I found this on sale at Target for $13.27 (marked down from $25) and it's PINK! - matches my mat! I also bought a resistance band and a pedometer (which, sadly, I'll have to return as it doesn't not work at all!). I'm anxious to work with the resistance band at home, along with my stability ball. There are lots of great exercises to do with just these two simple pieces of equipment.

Walking is another form of exercise that I do purposefully. I want to do a 5k walk this Spring, and possibly a 10k. Setting goals helps me to stay focused and move forward toward getting stronger.

What are some of your fitness goals this year?

Refreshing Green Tea Smoothie

Green tea, next to plain water, has been my preferred drink of choice over the past several years. I drink it by the mugfuls when the weather is cold and I need something to warm me up since I'm not a coffee drinker.

In the warmer months, I prefer to drink it iced - even adding some almond milk and a couple ice cubes to make an iced green tea latte. I actually enjoy my version better than the expensive one that Starbucks sells!

Recently I ran across this great book:

 

Along with so much good nutrition information for cancer survivors (and anyone else, for that matter), it is loaded with some fabulous recipes that compliment the way I've been eating these days. There are quite a few smoothie recipes which gives me lots of new ways to incorporate fruits/vegetables into my diet.

{Side note: recently someone asked me how it was possible to get the 7-9 daily recommended vegetables and fruits into their diet - they were having a hard time with that. For me, it's all about being creative with my food selection. Since I concentrate on a plant-based diet now, I find that's what my body craves most. Making smoothies, stir-frys, colorful loaded salads, roasting a variety of vegetables (like potatoes, squashes, brussel sprouts), and fresh fruit bowls, are some great ways to get all of those wonderful, healthy foods to become a daily habit.}

I found a recipe in the above book for a Green Tea Smoothie, which sounded like something I needed to try. This morning, before church, I made it and also ate a half of a blueberry bran muffin (these are made with lots of natural and organic ingredients: whole wheat flour, fruit juice concentrate - pear/pineapple, blueberries, wheat bran, water, low-fat buttermilk, applesauce, egg whites, leavening, cinnamon, and lemon extract. I get them from Trader Joes and freeze them - great for mornings when I'm in a hurry and want a healthy start to the day), with a touch of almond butter.

Now, that doesn't look scary at all, does it? (I know many of my friends are "put off" by my consumption of the green smoothies I make with spinach). This contains: frozen strawberries (5-6 large), almond milk (3/4 cup), a frozen banana, brewed green tea, chilled (about 1/2 cup), and some POM juice (1/2 cup - cranberry juice can be substituted also).  What a refreshing drink! Next time I'll add some chia seeds (a muscle and tissue builder, which also energizes and hydrates!) just to liven things up a bit more!

If you'd like to read more about the wonderful attributes of green tea, pop over to my new friend, Liz's blog, and enjoy all the great information she gives us for reasons to add green tea into our daily lives!

Let me know if you try this smoothie recipe and what you think!

Six Month Report

It's been six months since I took an intentional path to getting healthy and working my way towards wellness in general. I thought an update might be in order.

I thought I'd let you know what is working and what I still need to work on.

WORKING:

• my diet is now mostly centered on plant based foods. I would even go so far to say that I'm about 95-97% vegetarian in my eating habits.

• a year ago, if you'd have asked me about whole grains, I probably would have told you that I ate brown rice and whole wheat bread. but now I'm discovering so much more in the grain arena: quinoa, wheat berries, barley, millet, oatmeal, and spelt - all great sources of grains. Experimenting with new foods is fun!
• keeping a daily health journal. I started doing this 3 months ago and it has helped me so much in keeping track of things like meals/snacks I eat, daily exercise, tracking blood pressure readings twice a day, noting sleep habits/time

• getting completely off of cholesterol medicine (big YEAH!) and changing my thyroid drug from a synthetic to a natural source. I've been working with my doctor on these changes and have noticed such a difference overall. I really don't like to take meds, but because of continuing health issues with my kidney disease and my hypothyroidism I'm down to just two 'script meds per day.
• weight loss of over 40 pounds to date. All my clothes are super baggy so I've had to do some shopping recently. A fun change!
• growing some of my own food - I have a larger garden this year that includes: green beans, peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, assorted heirloom tomatoes, romaine, spinach, and carrots. Plus I enjoyed red raspberries during most of the month of June from my own bushes.

STILL WORKING ON:

• sleep - trying to get enough each night. I have some habits that I'm finding hard to break. I like to read right before going to sleep, so if I'm enjoying a book it's often hard to put it down and turn the lights out. Also, during the week, I get up at 4am. In order to get at least seven hours of sleep (a minimum goal) I must be in sleep mode by 9pm and that doesn't always happen. Weekends are spent sleeping in (till 6 or 7am) and sometimes napping in the afternoons, so that throws off my schedule too often. My goal is 7-9 hours of sleep each night, but I'm finding this is very hard to attain with my lifestyle right now.
• exercise still is sporadic. I will get up most mornings and exercise for 30 minutes before showering/getting ready for work, but I should be getting a bit more exercise in each day to see the results I'm working toward.
• keeping stress levels down. Most of the time I do well at this, but lately there's been so much on my mind (see last post), busy time at work, Ed's work situation, and other things that I find myself on my knees in prayer a lot these days (which is, by no means, a bad thing!). I'm really working on that "trust" thing - easy to say, harder to do!

There's the update!

I'm still being intentional. Still educating myself in areas of health and wellness. Still learning what works for me.

And that's the thing... these are things that I have purposefully set up in my life to prevent disease and incorporate wellness. It doesn't mean that I am pushing those ideas on others. Often I speak out when asked about some of the choices I've made and I really try not to come across as being someone who "knows it all" (hopefully I'm not seen that way) because I really don't. Everyone has to make their own choices and I must respect that. {someone asked me recently if I thought I was better than them because I chose not to eat a meal high in animal protein like they were eating. I was a bit startled by their reaction to my choices and tried to explain that FOR ME eating mostly vegetarian was helping me with my goal to stay cancer-free and keep my kidney disease under control. I'm finding people often fear what they don't understand}.
I will continue to educate myself and grow from there. I don't have to convert everyone to my way of thinking about food/health/wellness, but I would appreciate their respect in my choices.

I would love to hear what changes you have made recently in the area of your health. Comments are always welcome!

   

A Sweet Gerbera Daisy

Emilee gave me a pretty potted Gerbera daisy for Mother's day and I'm trying my best to nurture it and keep it alive!

 
These are a bright orange color.

 I usually do not have good luck growing plants indoors, but I'm determined not to kill this one! We'll see how it goes - I might put it out in my garden, too, as I know these attract butterflies!

I've been reading and browsing a stack of gardening books over the past few days.

 

So much good information for this novice gardener. I really like the idea of companion gardening - planting fruits/vegetables/herbs next to one another to compliment their growth and root system. (see Carrots Love Tomatoes). The book on herbs is very helpful in giving different ideas on all the uses for particular herbs. I'm already on my way to a larger herb garden this year with rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, chives, mint, basil, and lavender. (see Herb Gardening in the Midwest). Several of these books also are loaded with great recipes for using the fresh produce in daily meal planning.

I'm always looking for more good recipes that incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables into my diet!

Here's another book I'm reading:

This is very personal to me, having survived cancer twice already. I want to continue to do whatever I can to keep this ugly disease from invading my body again.

Most people don't realize that lifestyle factors such as a healthy diet play an important role in preventing cancer. Thirty percent of all cancers (that's approximately one third) are caused by poor dietary habits. This book emphasizes the importance of good foods, primarily vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds in fighting the risk of cancer - mainly a plant-based diet.
A few years ago I practically turned up my nose at that idea, but the more I read, the more I understand, and the more people (loved ones, friends, and strangers) that I see developing cancer the more it just makes sense to me. I can't ignore these facts anymore and I feel empowered to keep my body as healthy as I can.

Eating the way I do now carries a stigma and I often get made fun of or make others around me uncomfortable because of my choices. I really try not to push my ways onto others - everyone makes their own choices. It's hard, though, sometimes.
I certainly wished I had made much healthier choices in my diet when I was younger. Cancer doesn't happen overnight. Often a cancer cell(s) in the body can take years before it affects us negatively (attacks). There's a good possibility that the decision to eat the way I did when I was younger initiated the growth of cancer in my body over the years.

I don't want this post to be a downer...I just wanted to say that having experienced cancer firsthand, and surviving it, has given me more motivation to eat cleaner, live intentionally, pray fervently, and love passionately as I walk this earth day by day.

Just something to think about today.