The Houses of Jane

This is a short story I wrote about learning to find meaning in life.

Jane was born on a wealthy estate with two homes and a large garden. She was raised in the first house called the House of Emotion. She felt alive and impulsive during here childhood years. As she grew older, her feelings would sometimes turn dark and moody. She would cry from sorrow or scream from anger if she felt victimized. It was a house that became filled with much drama. When she was finally tired of living in the House of Emotion. She decided to move to another house on the estate.

Up the hill was the House of Thought. There Jane educated herself on all the knowledge of the world. In this house she used logic to manage her estate. Jane now knew she could have more control over her life. She made smart decisions that brought her more wealth, gave her confidence and helped her to understand the world in which she lived. Jane thought she was now all grown up now. Yet she still felt incomplete. Although she was now very smart, she found herself now constantly thinking and felt threatened when others questioned her ideas. The noise of her own thoughts became so overwhelming that it gave her endless worry and stress. Jane kept questioning her choices. She was never sure if what she decided on was the right choice. She wasn't happy living in the House of Emotion anymore and now the House of Thought was making her life feel numb to her very existence. This made Jane very unhappy.

One day Jane decided to leave the House of Thought and visit her garden. She walked for a long time and found  the Garden of Stillness. She sat for a while in the peace of gentle wind and the smell of the flowers.  Jane suddenly felt a joyful feeling come over her. In the garden she felt no worry of thought or emotion. Her thoughts and feelings became clear and there was no more drama or worry. She saw them only as challenges that made life an amazing adventure. Jane, for the first time, she knew her true self. It lived in the stillness. Jane's confidence returned and life was good.

And, on her estate, she finally knew she was home.

Healthy Pie Crust Recipe

Most store-bought pie crusts have so many artificial ingredients and trans fats so I decided to make my own. It was so much easier than I thought. So far I have made an apple pie and a strawberry pie with this crust recipe. I'll never buy a pie crust again.

Healthy Pie Crust Recipe
2 cups of flour
1 tsp salt
.5 cup olive oil
2 tbl of milk

Sift the flour and salt into a big bowl. Mix the milk and oil in a measuring cup. Pour the oil mixture into the bowl. Stir. It turns into dough. Use your fingers to press the dough into a glass pie pan and bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.

Healthy Date Cookie Cake Recipe

This is cake/muffin dessert that is sweet, moist and satisfying. It's easy to modify by adding chocolate, nuts or fruit. It's one of my favorites when I want cake but don't want all that fat. The only fats in it are natural, mostly unsaturated compared to any store bought cake or box cake mix.

2.25 cups of flour
1 banana
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
.5 cup brown sugar
.5 cup sugar
1 egg
.25 cup egg white
.5 cup olive oil
.5 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
.5 cup chopped dates

Blend the flour, salt, & baking soda together in a medium bowl.
Blend all the other ingredients, except the dates, in a large bowl.
Gradually blend flour mixture into the large bowl.
Stir in dates.
Pour into large pan greased with non-stick cooking spray.
Put in oven pre-heated to 375 for 20 minutes.

The Endless Road To Fitness

So I started back on the road to fitness back in July of 2011. Since that time I have changed my diet from eating fast food like pizza, hamburgers, fries, ice cream, donuts and such to salads, frozen yogurt, oatmeal, chicken breast, fish, vegetables, fruit and nuts. It was very hard at first but after the first 3 months I really lost the strong urges for junk food. I went from exercising 2-3 times a week to everyday. I work with my dumbbells and then get on my elliptical machine for an hour. I listen to music or watch tv while I exercise and make it a special time to be by myself and work on me. I lost about 25 pounds in this process and have lost most of the belly weight that I always hated. So this is the point where most of us celebrate and just feel that sense of crossing an imaginary finish line. But the truth is that there is no finish line. It is an endless road that we must travel. It could all so easily come back and we all know it only gets harder each time we slide back to that same overweight body. It is incredibly discouraging when it happens and we almost don't even want to try again. So realize you will have to watch what you eat and exercise regularly for your lifetime. Make it something you enjoy. Make it a time that is special and is about you and you alone.

What am I supposed to Eat?

It can be so frustrating when you decide you are going to eat a healthier diet. What can I eat? Is is going to taste like leaves and grass? I can't do this. These were my initial thoughts when I changed my eating habits. I discovered it wasn't about bland. It was about eating food that wasn't made in laboratories. The food I ate had natural ingredients grown from the soil that our ancestors ate for thousands of years. I learned that saturated fat needed to be minimized not eliminated. I bought extra lean meats and ate smaller portions of that meat. I ended up baking my own cookies where I could control the amounts of fat, sugar and salt. I was now the scientist making the food that was best for me and not some corporation just looking for profits. I made my own chili, cakes, tacos, sandwiches and just about all the other things I ate before. The didn't taste the same but my taste buds adapted to the change and now the old frankenfood tasted too greasy and salty. The best part was that my stomach was telling me I was full and I wasn't constantly eating until I couldn't breathe. The weight all came off, the mood swings were gone and now I have so much energy. Give it a try!

5 Steps To Prevent A Heart Attack

The number one killer of American's is not being murdered, it's not sitting on a dirty toilet and it's not radiation from the microwave. Yet we spend more time worrying about dying from these types of rare death situations than the most likely cause of our deaths, a heart attack. If anything is going to kill you it will most likely be a heart attack or/and a stroke. Let's face it. We all our guilty of our love affair with junk food. It is the most widely accepted form of abusive behavior in our society. We wouldn't give our children alcohol to drink but we will feed them food made out of fatty deep fried lard and trans fats with enough sugar to get them hooked for life. Stop the madness now and follow these 5 steps to preventing a heart attack.

1. Don't smoke.
2. Exercise everyday.
3. Avoid Trans Fats and eat a diet low in Saturated Fat.
4. Maintain a healthy weight. Use a BMI Calculator to find your healthy weight range based on your height.
5. Check your cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes risk every year.

Exercise Routine - Weights and Elliptical Machine

I have a very consistent exercise routine. So far I have lost over 20 pounds in the past 4 months and have achieved my goal weight. I make it a point to never stray from daily exercise. I start my routine with a short walk with my dog for about 15 minutes. It's a great way to get some fresh air, see the outdoors and bond with my dog. The real exercise comes either in the afternoon or evening. I lay back on my declined weight bench and lift basic 15 lbs. dumbbells for 10 repetitions for 3 sets. Then I use the same weights doing butterfly curls for 10 reps for 3 sets. Next is sits ups and leg lifts for 20 reps for each position. So all that takes about 15 minutes to complete. Then it's 1 hour on the elliptical machine. I don't worry about intensity on the elliptical. Its about the walking and moving for an hour that raises my heartbeat level and gets my metabolism up. The decline bench helps to stretch my spine and improve blood flow. So that is my daily routine. Everyone has different needs so find a routine that works for your needs and make it a daily thing so you can keep your body strong.