Healthy Me

Monday is my beginning to a workout that I hope will get rid of the flab and give me a body I haven't seen in years! I am starting Insanity by Beachbody and Shaun T on Monday - and it's April Fools Day.  It's not a joke either!

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer...

Just getting in the Christmas spirit.  The holidays are either really good or they're really dysfunctional. Sometimes, they're even both.  I just finished all my shopping and have decided to not care too much about dysfunctional people so I'm going to enjoy it.

I was looking for Cheap Hats but then I found this great Restless Girl Women's Straw Cowboy Hat for a little more than cheap and think that should go on my Christmas list too.  So maybe hubby isn't done shopping yet.

The "healthy eating diet" must start after the New Year.  It must.  I need to get back into a routine where I eat healthy and remember to take my thyroid meds several times a day.  I still forget.  Not good.

I hope everybody has a great holiday!

I am turning 40 in October.  I can't believe that.  When I was a kid, 40 seemed so OLD.  It's not SOOOO old to me now but still, it's the point where people can start saying I am "over the hill" right? Somebody told me last week that they thought I was only 34.  That was cool.  I didn't mind that at all.

A friend of mine wants to celebrate my 40th birthday like it's 1999 (she said) but I'd have to take a cash advance out pay for it. With school starting, we're financially depleted and the outlook over the next few months doesn't look any better - homecoming, sports, band trip.  I plan to cry on my 40th anyway so why spend a lot of money to sob at a party when I can do it at home for free, right?

I first heard about this fruit, acai, a few years ago and became interested in it due to my quest to lose weight and for its antioxidant activity due to years of not eating the best of foods.  I wanted to get healthy, feel good, put up a little bit of a fight with the aging process, and get active again.  If you've not heard of acai, let me tell you a little about it.

• The acai fruit grows in Central and South America.  It is a red/purple color found on the beautiful Acai Palm trees. 
• Acai contains both anthocyanins and flavonoids.  Anthocyanins (meaning "blue" and "plant") and flavonoids are both antioxidants which gets rid of free radicals in the body (free radicals contribute to the aging process).
• Acai has been called a superfood, containing essential fatty acids, minerals, vitamins, and phytosterols (phytosterols are known for their cholesterol-lowering qualities).
• It is also found in cosmetics for its antioxidant qualities.
• This fruit, long used by the Amazons for years, has become popular in Europe and the United States.

Products containing acai can be found at www.hollandandbarrett.com/.  You can purchase supplements in capsule form like these acai capsules from Holland and Barrett in 500 mg, 1000 mg, or 1500 mg doses:

Acai Capsules

They also offer acai juice, acai powder, and coconut water with acai and pomegranate:

Coconut Water with Acai & Pomegranate

If you are interested in trying the acai fruit, whether for it's anti-aging properties, as an antioxidant, or to help with weight loss, check out Holland & Barrett's acai products.  Holland & Barrett will ship within the United Kingdom as well as international shipping (to European countries including the Republic of Ireland and Channel Islands).  Ordering is easy - by phone, online, or via post! 

My 13-year-old daughter is going thru a heck of a time with cramps right now.  She's taking both Tylenol and Motrin just to make the pain manageable.  I remember being her age and having those cramps that badly.  I wish I could do more for her.  I know she wanted to stay home from school today but I can't let her get into that habit.  Having your period does mean the world stops for you and I don't want her to get into that habit or mindset.  I felt a bit like an ogre this morning sending her to school.

My pre-teen son is freaking out a bit.  He's wanting to know how long puberty lasts.  "Don't worry, you won't be getting those cramps.  You'll just start to squeak and announce to the world you're going to puberty every time you open your mouth."

He can just keep looking for ATV Accessories and not worry about what his sister is going through right now or what is yet to come for him. Just wait until his other two sisters join the puberty crew!  Wow will he be outnumbered by PMS'ing girls! Poor kid.