Zumba!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not an exercise person.

I'm not really a dancing person, either.

I do have Latina blood in me. (My mom is Peruvian, and MAN can she dance!)

But, surprisingly ... I have no rhythm.

I dance like a crazy white woman.

Which is why it is so surprising that about a month ago, I ordered... ZUMBA!

In my words, Zumba is a combination of Latin dance, aerobics, and hip-hop groovy moves. Which I am NOT known for.

Here's what their website says about Zumba: Zumba® Fitness was created in the mid-90's by Colombian native Alberto "Beto" Perez, a celebrity fitness trainer and choreographer for International pop superstars. Inspired by the traditional cumbia, salsa, samba and merengue music he grew up with, Beto paired his favorite pulsating Latin rhythms with the red-hot international dance steps his clients loved and Zumba® Fitness (Spanish slang for “to move fast and have fun”) was born!

Oh, OKAY.... so, "Pulsating" and "GiBee" are not two words people would commonly put together. But, I thought I'd give it a try... because even though this klutzy white girl can't dance, she sure has the call of the Latin rhythm in her (or whatever that means).

And it arrived last night. But apparently, there was a bit of confusion, because Hunter was all a flutter because HE received a package in the mail, and HE wanted to open it. So I took him up to my bedroom and let him open it. He was all excited. Especially over the Fitness Toning Sticks. He immediately began to play the drums with them.

So, excitedly, I popped the 20-minute Express Workout DVD in. It started. I started. They moved. I moved.

I thought to myself... "HEY! I can DO THIS!"

Then they got faster. I got faster.

And still, I was continuing to keep up. I can REALLY DO THIS.

And I was excited. And happy. For ten whole minutes.

And that's when Hunter turned the TV off and declared, "I don't like this game, Mommy."

The end.

More to come later.

Peace out.

Ch-ch-ch-CHANGES...

In diet and lifestyle ...

Yes, a "healthier us" is in progress. Please excuse me while I blab about it on my blog.

We've (and by "we" I mean "he") started Step 1 (lowering cholesterol and high blood pressure) towards a healthier husband. But there is so much more... so I present you with Step 2...

Step 2 towards a healthier us: Reducing on meal per week to a meat-less meal. Ugh. I can't tell you how hard this will be for me. I am totally all about beef. And now, I need to be totally about ... lentils, beans, legumes, tofu.... UGH. Fortunately, it is only for one or two meals a week.

Actually, in all fairness, I can mix pasta in with all that healthy meatless stuff... so I'm okay with that. Anything with Pasta is okay with me!!! And Parmesan cheese, of course, which is a hard cheese, therefore better for the diet!

Much to my husband's "joy," I'll be making a ratatouille over spaghetti this Sunday, and I'm hoping it will blow our socks off. Really, really hoping.

Next weekend, I'll be trying my hand at a really delectable vegetarian spaghetti sauce with lentils. No ground chicken. Just ... lentils. Joy. But, HEY! It's HEALTHY! And that's what my husband (and really, ALL of us) need.

In retrospect, we eat fairly healthy meals at home, but that's not always the case when we go out. It is hard to control the sodium levels in restaurants (hence the SuperShots), and all the delicious sauces are tempting at best. Another thing I'll really have to curb is baking. I love to bake, and while I do bake a lot with Splenda for baking, not all things turn out as tasty with applesauce or Splenda as they do with real sugar and real oil. And sadly, I have a sweet tooth... something I'll have to come to terms with on my own.

So ... Anyone out there have any healthy meat-less dishes they like (outside of chili, of course!)?

WFMW: Lower Cholesterol AND High Blood Pressure

Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer hosts the weekly "Works For Me Wednesday... go check her out and all the other awesome tips!

This is totally the easiest way to take a step toward healthier living in 2009! As many of you may have read in a previous post of mine, we had a heart scare with my husband. He is now under strict orders to change.his.life.asap.

So... change his life we shall! One step at a time. We eat fairly healthy anyway (well, at least in the home), but there are some extra changes we need to make, and one came in a fairly easy form.

Promise Healthy Heart (the Promise butter spread people) offers several heart-friendly products that actually help lower cholesterol and high blood pressure without major or drastic changes in your diet. Actually, ALL of their products are heart-friendly. One of the products is called "SuperShots" -- which is a "drink" that tastes like a weak yogurt, and while yogurt is a very BAD option for you if you have high cholesterol, this drink has NO cholesterol content.

Each Cholesterol reducing drink contains enough plant sterols to help remove cholesterol from your body (so do all their spreads!).

They also have a SuperShots for reducing high blood pressure, loaded with potassium which flushes sodium (causes high blood pressure) from the body (because "salt happens")!

So -- How easy is it? You drink one of each per day. ONE. That's it! They cost around $4.50 for a pack of 4 (WalMart carries them, as do most grocery stores). I'm willing to pay $30-40 a month for a healthy alternative to prescription drugs!!!

Why do I say this works? Because my brother-in-law started taking the Cholesterol reducing SuperShot, and his cholesterol went down 30-some points in one month. He continues to drink them and has maintained low cholesterol readings. I think he said something like... "it's the easiest way to change your lifestyle, reduce your cholesterol, without really doing a lot of "changing" and hard work" (of course there are other healthy changes you need to make, and he has too... but this is a great and easy start!).

As for the high-blood pressure SuperShot, my husband started taking them on Christmas Eve. On January 2, he had a 4 hour stress test, and at the beginning of the test (a resting state) his BP was 110 over 80. That's GREAT in comparison to what it had been!!!

Next step: Have one meat-free meal per week, working towards two.

This totally works for us!!!

A moment of sadness...

I had a fleeting moment of sadness today.

It happened when I went to Costco at lunch time, and ran into a friend of mine. She asked if I was on vacation, and I told her "no, just gone for the weekend." Then, I asked her if she had been on vacation, because I had noticed that she hasn't been around for a while (she often takes weekend jaunts to visit her mom).

She got all teary-eyed, and was finding it difficult to put her words together. She told me that she had gone to visit her mom, and had left her kids with her while she checked herself into a hospital for depression. She said that she felt like she was disconnected with her life, her husband, her kids. She said she felt alone. She said she was so sad and overwhelmed by everything. She said she felt like she had no one to turn to that would understand. She said she felt ashamed. She said she didn't know why she felt like she did, which made her feel worse.

It broke my heart to hear those words coming out of her mouth. I could totally relate, mind you, having experienced the same feelings a time or two. And, while I was relieved to know that she would start taking a medication to help her, I was deeply saddened that she did not feel like she had anyone to turn to. I assured her that she could call me any time she felt the need to ... or just knock on my door if she didn't feel the need. But I felt like I had let the Lord down.

Over the past few weeks, she and her family had been randomly popping into my husband and my conversations, and looking back now, I can only relate that to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Had I taken the time to really listen, I would have acted on my initial thoughts of stopping by her home and visiting with her. I know I'm not a doctor. I know I can't cure her. But I can offer support. Friendship. Love and acceptance. Encouragement. I can show her how to reach out to God so she can find that inner peace that I can see she is desperately seeking.

A lot of times, we don't know who to turn to when looking for that peace! Money can't give us that peace; "things" can't give us that peace. And many times, when we don't turn to Christ for the inner peace we're looking for, we end up turning to "things", trying desperately to find that inner peace in our hearts -- purchasing things, overeating, drinking (alcohol), or drugs. Sadly, sometimes these things do give peace. But it is a temporary and fleeting peace that you will find.

We can only find that inner peace in our hearts when we turn to our Lord, Jesus. And, not in a regimented, "schooled" way, either, praying written prayers, or practiced words. It must be in a personal, deep, and longing moment where we totally abandon ourselves to the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

God wants us to experience that inner peace, but the enemy does not. He wants to take us down ... one, by one, by one. He will throw lies our way; he will try to fill us with the feeling of defeat and hopelessness; he will try to condemn us; he will pull us limb from limb while performing psychological warfare in our minds.

But God looks down on his children, and hears us when we cry out to him. Even if it is a weak, quite, and soft whisper or whimper. Nothing ... nothing ... can separate us from his love unless we allow it. Isn't that a beautiful and calming thought?

Anyway, I left Costco feeling sad, not because my friend had checked into a hospital for depression. I left feeling sad, because I felt as though I had failed in reaching out to her. It really isn't a matter of whether she does or doesn't have "enough faith," or whether there is "sin hidden in her life," or whether she is praying hard enough or not. And, I acknowledge that I am certainly not the one who can "bring her back on track" or "relieve her of all her sadness and pain" ... only Christ can do that.

I firmly believe that depression is a real illness/disease with physical symptoms; meaning that I feel that depression is not due solely to spiritual problems. Many times, a person battling depression needs medication. And finding the underlying causes of depression can help you develop a plan of action for mental well being. Hence, the need for doctors, which I know God gave the knowledge to for just that purpose. And healthy living is also vital to the health and well being of our mind.

But leaning on God's word, breathing in his presence, surrounding us with his love and joy, and allowing the Holy Spirit to move in your life are all critical to working your way out of depression. Vital, in fact.

If you are struggling with and battling depression (or if you have a friend or relative that might be), know that God loves you. He loves you more than anything and more than anyone in this world possibly can. He can comfort you, and bring peace into your heart. Reach out to someone you know cares for you. Let them into your heart and allow them to minister to you, support you, and encourage you.

I know I'll be reaching out to my friend!

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27

Go Red In February ... It's For Your Heart Health!

There are many blogs out there that highlight women's health issues ... and for that, I applaud them.

For instance, my friend HolyMama! hosts the HolyMama's Club 17 -- where each month, on the 17th, she encourages women to take a moment to check in and report that they have done a Breast-Self-Exam (BSE) sometime since the last check in from the previous month's 17th. She brings awareness to a deadly battle women face to the forefront, and encourages women to be proactive. I encourage each one of you to go check out the links HolyMama! has provided for us so that we can become more aware, and yes, more empowered. MEN ... that means you, too, because men -- you LOVE your woman, right??? And you need to encourage her to do her monthly BSE.

Thank you, HolyMama!, for your crusade to bring awareness to each of us, and to encourage us and empower us to DO SOMETHING against this awful disease ... one breast at a time.

Moving on...

February is Heart Awareness Month. Yup ... All month long. And while many women think that breast cancer is the number one killer among women ... it is not. Heart Disease is, and ONE in EVERY THREE women get heart disease. ONE! in every THREE! Look around you ladies ... it could be you. It could be me. But it won't be, if we take action.

The American Heart Association has a website called GO RED FOR WOMEN! I encourage you to go to this website and snoop around. They have so much information specifically for women, and I can't fit it all in this one, lone post ... but I will post this ... the one, most important thing you can know and do to raise your awareness level up to "RED" when it comes to having a healthier heart: "Know Your Numbers" (the numbers that you need to know and understand the most when it comes to a healthy heart are listed at the end of this post for your convenience).

As women, we have a tremendous responsibility that rests on our shoulders... being there for our loved ones: husband; children; parents; brothers; sisters; friends; pets; co-workers. People depend on us to be a support to them, to help them, to encourage them, to BE there for them ... so, do yourself a favor, and become AWARE. Become EMPOWERED. Become HEART HEALTHY. And ... don't stop with yourself, but pass the gift along to your family, as well. Cook healthy for them and encourage healthy choices in snacks and exercise. You are the role model they are all looking up to.

So ladies ... to paraphrase the "Go Red" website: "...appreciate your health, your life and your loved ones. If women make and keep a promise to be heart-healthy, we can wipe out heart disease."

Factor What Your Goal Should Be

Blood Pressure: Normal - less than 120 over less than 80 (120/80)
Total Cholesterol: Less than 200 mg/dl
LDL ("Bad") Cholesterol: Less than 100 mg/dL - Optimal; 100 to 129 mg/dL - Near Optimal/Above Optimal; 130 to 159 mg/dL - Borderline High; 160 to 189 mg/dL - High
190 mg/dL and above - Very High
HDL (“Good”) Cholesterol: 50 mg/dL or higher
Fasting Glucose: under 100 mg/dL
Body Mass Index (BMI): under 25
Waist Circumference: under 35
Exercise: Minimum of 30 minutes most days, if not all days of the week

As we approach Valentine's Day ...

Won't you join me and ... start now?