A lot of people have to deal with joint pain on a regular basis.   Seems like that would make it hard to concentrate on a task or hard to enjoy some fun activity.  Having a temporary headache is evidence of that.  We shouldn’t take for granted the days when we feel great.  It is a blessing for that day, and we might not always have an abundance of those types of days.  We should be thankful for each day we feel good!

Well, it’s that time of year for spring cleaning.  We’ve already started a little bit and try to use the best cleaners we can find.  Some people go all out and clean every thing they can think of.   I’m not into that, just the basic cleaning is enough for me.  I won’t be looking for the best colon cleansing out there, for example,  just household cleaners is on my list.

I have often wished we had a treadmill. It would be much easier to fit in exercise time.  Exercise could be done while in pajamas, watching TV, or reading a book.  Weather would have no effect so it wouldn’t matter if it was rainy, windy, snowy, icy, or whatever.   It would be easier to break exercise time down into five minutes here and ten minutes there if time were a factor.  But the truth is that we just don’t have room for a treadmill.  Maybe someday we will.

Have you tried Mrs. Smith’s Blackberry Cobbler?   It is absolutely delicious!  In fact, we had some for dessert tonight, topped with Dreyer’s Vanilla Yogurt Blends (slow churned and creamy).  I don’t need an alli diet pill because we just had moderate servings, and the yogurt is low-fat and low-calorie (plus it even has live active yogurt cultures in it).   The key is eating in moderation and not having seconds and thirds, no matter how tempting it might be!

Have you ever been reading and come across something and wondered, “What is that?”  Well, I came across something called “muscle milk” and decided to go to the site www.musclemilkreview.org to find out what is was. It’s not actually milk but rather something that body builders use. Since I’m not trying to build up bulky muscles or gain weight, this is definitely not on my shopping list. It’s interesting, though, to check out things and find out about them.

I’ve mentioned that I’m trying to eat healthy foods since the holidays, but I’m not obsessed with my diet.  I don’t follow a colon cleanse diet or anything like that. We try to eat more fresh fruits, salads, veggies, and lean protein. Whole grains such as oats and whole wheat or spelt flour are what we eat, and white processed flour is eaten in very limited quantities.  Desserts are not as often and in smaller portions.  Notice that we still have desserts.  I’ve read that people who don’t reward themselves with treats are more likely to binge and eat way too much of the dessert they’re craving.  So, basically we eat healthy foods and in moderation.

I take several vitamins and supplements which really do help the way I feel and help my overall health.   I research supplements, though, and make sure I’m taking something that’s safe and also the right amount for me.  When taking any kind of supplement or pill, it’s good to research for side effects, for example diet pill side effects.  Sometimes the side effects are something most people would want to avoid.

Ezekiel Bread is the main type of bread we eat at our house.  We toast it most of the time when we eat it, even for sandwiches.  And one great thing about it, besides the fact that it’s so healthy, is that it has the low glycemic seal for those of you who are concerned about that.

We buy it in the frozen bread section at Central Market or a health food store.  It’s a little pricey but worth it for the health benefits. Coupons for Ezekiel Bread can be found here if you’re like me and like to use coupons .

Cleaning house is on my agenda since I’m at home most of today.  I need to do one more load of laundry, and I think I’ll finally be caught up.  I’m not planning on using a colon cleanser but am planning on cleaning the bathrooms.  And I need to dust and vacuum.   Hmmm…it will be nice when it’s all done.  It’s nice having a clean house!

We drank a lot of hot chocolate during the holidays, mainly for two reasons:  it was very cold plus I was getting over a respiratory infection and hot drinks helped my congestion a lot.  I found out there are a lot of calories in some hot chocolate mixes which I’m sure helped me to gain weight, although I don’t need weight loss pills.  My husband bought some hot chocolate and I bought some, too, and so I decided to compare the “Nutritional Facts.”  This is what I found:

• Nestle Rich Chocolate – 80 calories, 3 grams fat, 15 g carbs, 12 g sugar
• Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate – 120 calories, 2 g fat, 23 g carbs, 16 g sugar
• Swiss Miss Dark Cholcolate – 150 calories, 3.5 g fat, 26 g carbs, 20 g sugar

It’s easy to see which brand of hot chocolate I’m drinking now that I’m trying to lose the weight I gained during the holidays:  Nestle Rich Chocolate!  (There are sugar-free mixes out there, but my doctor told me to stay away from sugar substitutes as much as possible.)