No Sugar, oops–Less Sugar

This is an old blog that I had forgotten to post, but for people trying to cut down on sugar, it is still relevant.

My sister Cindy and I tried to quit eating sugar completely.  I never made it.

I asked Cindy to tell me how the sugar deprivation was going, since I had not written anything lately.  I am going to print her letter as my blog entry today!

After my ranting about people not taking me seriously – boo hoo – I realized that I do need to make additional changes.  I want to look at glycemic levels.  But, that being said, I will still eat fruit and the Trio bars for that sweet taste.  I guess “the people” are going to keep me honest.  Things I am still eating/drinking that are sweet: chocolate soy milk, diet coke, protein bars and the Teavana brown sugar crystals in my hot tea.  For some reason I am fine with no sweetener in the iced tea.  Although it is tasty when it is in there.  🙂  Teavana put it in my last iced tea.  Hee hee.  Oh, and the occasional Red Bull, but I found a new energy drink that I have to compare ingredient-wise.

OK – I need reasons to not drink Diet Coke.  Man, it is a monkey on my back.  Maybe your readers can help me with reasons.  Keep in mind that while health is important to me, vanity will always be a powerful influence.  These are the reasons that your daughters and I came up with:

1.) Turns teeth yellow – temporarily??
2.) Bone loss – I will lose height.  (which will KILL me)
3.) Weight gain – even if it is diet it will increase the taste for sweets.
4.) Artificial sweeteners are poison
5.) Caffeine crash
6.) Ruins thirst for water
7.) Bottle return (Michigan annoyance)
8.) Guilt

I think I need to post these at my house and office.

Maybe I should just always have iced tea available.  I can brew it at home by the half gallon.

But, seriously, for a gal who would buy the LARGE Cadbury fruit and nut chocolate bars I am doing pretty damn good.

The Pittsburgh Force

I had a lot of fun meeting the team members of the Pittsburgh Force this past Sunday. This is our Pittsburgh Women’s Football Team. They are a great group of women, and passionate about their desire to play football!

The owner, Kathy Ferrari, worked hard to put the team together and is really excited that the women have the opportunity to play.

The Women’s Small Business Expo, sponsored by the Pittsburgh Force, was held at Robert Morris University in Moon Township, not far from where the team will play their games.

Their home field is Moe Rubenstein Stadium at Ambridge Area High School, 909 Duss Avenue. I am looking forward to seeing them play!

Their first two games will be in Ohio, but they will play their first home game on May 9th, when they plan on defeating Cincinnati.  (They didn’t tell me that, but I assume that’s the plan!)

I am so glad that this group of women, who want to play football, are going to have their chance!  Go Force!

“How to Care for Yourself” Workshop

I spent the afternoon at Janet Furtney’s beautiful new dance studio, Improvement Thru Movement,  in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, teaching a workshop entitled “How to Care for Yourself.”

It was so much fun!  The women who attended were totally ready for the information, and were so interesting to get to know. It is fascinating to me how very different women can be, yet how similar our needs and desires are. We all worry about not doing everything we want to do in a day, we worry about taking care of other people, and we want to do a really good job with everything we do.

And we are tired.  I talked to the women about the need to slow down and how to do it.  We discussed why multi-tasking isn’t always good to do, though we are very good at it!  I love sharing strategies that work in my own life and techniques that have helped me live a calmer, more manageable life.

I love working with women. When I help women see how truly wonderful they are and how amazing they are with all the wonderful things they do—all the many, many things they do successfully, it totally energizes my world!

Women are so important and can achieve so much, but can be so hard on themselves!  I was pleased that the women who attended today wanted to learn how to take better care of themselves and saw the importance of doing so.

Our workshop continues in two weeks and I cannot wait!  I hope they had as much fun as I did!

Does This Economy Make my Butt Look Big?

It might. People beware.  If we had a problem with overweight citizens before, I fear that there will be even more of a problem soon.

You have a couple things  that are going to come into play here.

One, people are freaked out and will want to soothe their anxious souls.  What better way, they may think, then a big bowl of ice cream? I want to feel better NOW!  I am upset, so what’s the difference if I eat a whole bag of potato chips?  I have lost money, I may lose my job–I deserve to have that dessert, snack, beer, etc.

The second thing is this:  The house/food budget will shrink.  People will still want to go out to eat because it’s fast, convenient and a break from routine.  But if you cannot afford the nice restaurant, no problem.  Go fill up with junky fast food, soft drinks and all-you-can-eat buffets!

Stop.  There is a way to feel better that does not involve hurting yourselves more.  And that is exactly what you will be doing if you go down this road.  You will hurt yourself and your family.

Eating badly, eating junk, indulging in too many unhealthy foods will make you feel worse. Your health will suffer when your body cannot keep up the fight against too many preservatives, chemicals and junky stuff in your system.  You will get sick more often and need more medical care.  Can you afford that?  Can you afford the care for diabetes, heart problems and respiratory and digestive problems?  What about your children?  Is this what you want for them?

And emotionally, this is, at best, a temporary fix. Overeating and lying around watching television to escape reality is a short-lived, silly solution.

Get up. start walking, and start using your brain.

When your body moves, it is happy. You will stay healthier and strong.  Your body will be ready and your mind will clear, so that you can come up with solutions for whatever problems you feel you have.  Can you really think about new ways to solve your problems when you are in a sugar daze staring at the television?

Can you really concentrate on healthy food alternatives, when you are filling your mind and body with junk?

Again, STOP.  There are ways to eat healthy without breaking the budget.  You can make your own soups with vegetable, chicken broth and healthy frozen vegetables.  Clip coupons.  Buy canned beans and make rice. Make homemade pizza.  Watch for seasonal fruits for the best price. Get the family involved and learn how to take better care of your health together.

This is an excellent time to pull together as a family.  Instead of everybody in front of the tv,  how about everyone eating dinner at the same time, one that you made together?  How about a walk together, or play some games together?

Don’t get fat because things aren’t exactly how you want them!  Create a healthy world for yourself and your family!  You can do this! Ignore the negative things around you and make happy, healthy choices.  It’s going to turn around, and you will have made it through feeling better than you ever did before!  It’s your choice!