Our health is something we should all take seriously. I know I have had to take a much closer look at my own health. After I gave birth to Matthias I put on a lot of weight due to bed rest and medications for the problems that occurred during his delivery. The steroids and hormone medications gave me 20 pounds to deal with on top of the pregnancy weight gain. I was miserable.

About six months ago, I visited my doctor and a nutritionist. I began taking supplements to correct some of my issues and I changed the way I was eating. I’m proud to say that I am now 31 pounds lighter. I have lost more than half of what I need to lose to get back to my average size.

Here are some printables I used to aid in the process. I hope you find them useful!

NOTE: Fonts used are Lainie Day and Courier New. Install them on your computer before downloading printables.  All files in .doc files can be edited using the free program Open Office or the premium program Microsoft Word.

Download Printables:

• Weight Loss Food Journal Printable

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To read the other posts in this series visit: 31 Days of Free Printables

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I like to cook tasty meals and fresh is best but I hate paying a hefty price for fresh herbs. I grow my own so I don’t have to. I use these cutesie little plant name labels herb garden signs to clue me in as to what is planted where.

These are customizable so you can put the name of any plant, vegetable or herb that you want. Print them, cut them out, laminate if desired, fold them over, and glue to a small wooden stake. It’s as simple as that!

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All printables are in .doc files and can be edited using Microsoft Word or the free open source software called Open Office.

Download Printables:

• Garden Printables

Many more printables to come! Subscribe by RSS reader so you don’t miss any!

To read the other posts in this series visit: 31 Days of Free Printables

Are you a 31 Dayer? If so leave me a comment and let me know. If you want to be a 31 Dayer link up with Nester, Darcy, Jen, Jessica, Melissa, Sandy, Emily and Emily.

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First, since you will inevitably ask, the juicer that I own and recommend is the Jack LaLanne. I have had mine for years and never had problems with it. It is easy to clean and doesn’t leave as much pulp as other juicers I have tried. I don’t like pulp.

For this juice recipe you will need the following:

• cucumber
• several baby carrots or 1 regular sized carrot
• apple
• 2 cups kale
• 1 cup spinach
• 2 celery stalks
• half a pinch of salt

Juice the fruits and veggies in the order shown above. Add the half a pinch of salt and stir. The salt just brings out the flavors.

If you are like me and the site of green juice grosses you out then try putting it in a fancy glass. That seems to make everything taste better, right?

What are your favorite juices?

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I had no problem losing weight after my other boys. I am finding it difficult now especially since I had a C-section. Okay, and the fact that I am a bit older. I’m really going to have to work at it this time. I just don’t know how to lose the weight after this baby. I mean, I know how but it seems that it is taking so much more effort.

Can I tell you that I’m still wearing my maternity clothes?

Encourage me, mmm kay?

I must say though that I can think of lots and lots of ways to get rid of the muffin top when I am awake at 1 am. The problem is getting off my behind and exercising. So far the most I am able to do (for lack of energy) is go walking a few times a week. I must say that I do enjoy it. I just have to make myself do it. The family likes it too!

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I am so tired of seeing this “Sweet Surprise.com” commercial in defense of high fructose corn syrup. It is a bit sugar coated. Yeah, the irony. Their big argument is that it is “fine in moderation.” Ha! So is salt but manufacturers of mass produced pre-prepared food are killing us with that too. The problem here is not with the high fructose corn syrup in an occasional treat. The problem is that they put the stuff in everything. Even savory freezer meals contain high fructose corn syrup. In order for us to have it “only in moderation” would mean purchasing much, much less of products that contain it. The truth is that they are hoping we are too dumb to figure this out for ourselves.

And I don’t buy the whole gimmick that these pre-prepared foods, snacks, and drinks only contain a bit of high fructose. It is typically within the first three ingredients listed. That means it is loaded with the stuff. Why can’t they just be honest and say that the high fructose corn syrup earns them more money in the long run and they aren’t willing to risk their lifestyles for our health?

Yeah. I am a bit irritated by this. What do you think?

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Now, unfortunately, this is not my first go round with this condition so I am all too familiar with the routine. It is still the same as it was ten years ago when I went through it. I’ll have to do hormone therapy for a couple of cycles and then have a laparoscopy. After that I’ll start taking Clomid. Lord willing, I will get pregnant after that.

In the meantime, I have to get healthy again. My goal is not to lose weight – although I do hope to drop 20 pounds – but I really just want to be healthy again. After all of my children were born I used the same routine to get back into shape. I stopped it at some point a couple of years ago but I am ready to implement it again. This routine always helped me get past the emotional mumbo jumbo, gave me clarity and an abundance of energy, and it helped me to maintain my average weight. At 5″3′ that would be about 130 lbs. I just want to be as healthy as possible going into the therapy and then surgery, and of course, prayerfully have a healthy and safe place to carry our baby.

My recent motivation for all of this is my husband. He, in less that three months, has managed to drop over 25 lbs. He is just looking real yummy right about now (sorry hubby’s work people but a girl’s gotta be honest). In any case, I’m not feeling so yummy so I’m making some changes. Besides that, Lysa TerKeurst and Ms. Chickadee have been blogging about their journey towards greater health and it has definitely inspired me.

I’m posting my routine here because this blog is therapeutic for me and for some strange reason telling all of you about my plans and vision holds me accountable. I am in no way advocating that anyone else should adopt these practices without speaking with their personal physician. I am not a doctor. I only know what has always worked for me. With that in mind, if you do have questions please feel free to ask them in the comments section.

I have discovered a couple of books over the years that really spoke to me about good health maintenance. One of the first was the Fat Flush Plan by Louise Gittleman followed by The Maker’s Diet and Perfect Weight America by Jordan Rubin. A Couple of years ago I found Holy Cow by Hope Egan and this year got completely motivated while reading Beauty by God by Shelly Ballestero. I took from each of those books what worked for me or what I needed and combined them to create my perfect plan of action and maintenance. There is no one diet or lifestyle formula that fits everyone. You have to customize to find what is best for you.

By the way, they have plenty of copies of most of those books over at Paperback Swap (if you sign up for Paperback Swaps free service please put my name down as your referral so I get credits for more books .

I have also found a health site that has some great tools that I can use: SparkPeople.com. It is a totally free site and if you sign up over there be sure to befriend me so we can support each other. I’m also looking for accountability buddies.

Here is my plan for every day:

Morning routine:

• Drink 1 tablespoon of lemon with warm water (assists kidneys and liver)
• Mix 1 tablespoon of psyllium husks with water and drink (aids in elimination and balances hormones)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon flavored Cod Liver Oil (omega 3s help way too many things to list them here)
• 1 teaspoon of flax seed oil (more omega 3 and studies show it aids in regulating insulin)
• Take vitamins and supplements (I take fucothin, vitamin B multi, )
• Drink 6-8 cups of cranberry water ( eliminates water retention, cleanses accumulated wastes from the lymphatic system, and also helps to clean up cellulite – so they say)

I buy most of my products from the Whole Foods store. I get my pure lemon juice there (it has no preservatives like other well known brands) and the cranberry juice for my cranberry water. It has to be real cranberry juice with nothing else added – not the “no sugar added” cranberry juice like you get at regular supermarkets. I also get my oils, vitamins, and supplements there.

This seems like a lot but when you consider all of the over processed food we eat then you can realize why we might have to do this to get balanced. I’m sure if we were back in the Garden of Eden we wouldn’t have to worry about supplementing because everything we need to thrive would be within reach but… we live in a fallen world.

I already exercise but I could do more. I typically walk for at least 30 minutes each morning while praying. What can I say? I’m a multi-tasker! I also get up with my husband three mornings each week for circuit training. I’m going to add some cardio to that though, at least 30 minutes worth. If I had Jillian Michaels here to scream at me until I puked then I could probably go a bit longer but, until she hops her happy lil self on a plane and heads to Louisiana to torture me I’m only doing thirty more minutes worth. Got that, Jill?

I’m also doing a semi fast to reboot my body and reprogram my brain. I won’t be having any sugar, grains or starches for the first couple of weeks. Can you say headache? Oh well, I’ll make it. I need to stop eating so much of that stuff anyway. You start to not appreciate it after a while.

By the way, I do have the 30 Day Shred by Jillian Michaels, somewhere. I’ve heard it’s great but until I find that sucker I can’t confirm that. I have no idea what I did with it. Could you please pray that I find it? (or maybe not!) We’ll let the Lord decide if I should do it. hehe!

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Buying organic is as close to the way God created it as it gets. There are some things that just aren’t meant to be ingested.

But why? Isn’t the regular produce okay to eat?

The answer is, “not always.”

Most foods are grown with the use of harmful pesticides and dairy and meat products are infused with hormones that were given to the animals to speed up and bulk up their growth. These added chemicals are harmful to us. No one would dare ingest cyanide yet, it is found in some pesticides. It makes me thankful that I wasn’t a big vegetable and fruit eater until recently.

When I began to switch over to an organic lifestyle I also began to notice how bad the price can hurt the checkbook… if you know what I mean. Still I wasn’t willing to give up the healthy aspect of going organic and besides, there is an obvious taste difference when it comes to fresh, natural food. I was looking to stay healthy and not go broke so I researched further and here is what I found out:

1. Not all foods need to be purchased “organic.” A good rule to follow is that if it has to be peeled then you don’t have to buy organic. Some foods also aren’t at high risk for insect infestation so they don’t use pesticides on them. Here is a list of such foods that don’t have to be purchased organic:
   • pineapple
   • bananas
   • coconut
   • asparagus
   • avocado
   • broccoli
   • cabbage
   • mango
   • onions
   • papaya
   • lemons
2. The following foods should always be purchased organic:
   • milk
   • coffee
   • eggs
   • cheese
   • meat (not seafood)
   • peaches
   • apples
   • bellpeppers
   • celery
   • strawberries
   • lettuce
   • grapes
   • potatoes
   • tomatoes

By following the lists above and only buying organic the products that I needed to saved a good bit of money. I also found that using coupons and reward cards helped as well.

Do you have any tips on buying organic that you would like to share?

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It is no fun. We have been there. I thought I’d share a few things that I have learned through it:

1. Warm water with lemon, honey and ginger does work better than cough syrup. Just don’t give it to infants.
2. Soft toilet tissue works just as well as facial tissue and it is much cheaper.
3. Tossing a blanket into the dryer for a few minutes will make your kids all cozy and warm inside. They may even smile.
4. Chicken soup is best with grilled cheese or grilled PB&J. This old timers remedy likely works so well because of the anti-inflammatory and mucus-thinning effects.
5. Watch a funny movie or TV show. See who can tell the funniest joke or story. Laughter really is the best medicine. According to researchers at California’s Loma Linda University, laughter reduces blood levels of cortisol, epinephrine, and other substances, and boosts the immune system by increasing the antibody immunoglobin A and natural killer cells that attack virus and tumor cells, while activating T-cells.
6. Use a Neti Pot. It really does work wonders.
7. Drink lots of water to stay hydrated. Kids love juice pops. This also eases sore throats.

Honey, Lemon and Ginger Tea Recipe

• 1 ginger root, peeled
• 3-5 tablespoons of honey (more if sore throat is involved, less if not)
• 4 tablespoons of lemon juice
• pitcher of warm water

Start by simmering the water. Drop the ginger root into a heat safe pitcher or thermos. Pour the water over it. Add the honey and lemon. Mix well. Strain about a half a cup into a coffee mug and serve. Sip slowly.

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Last year was the first year I experimented with an expanded season. I had read about year round gardening in a book I checked out of the library. Basically it involves using vegetables that flourish in cooler weather, along with removable greenhouses to help make it possible to grow vegetables all year long.

That first year was not a roaring success, but it was definitely different. Weeds were not as much of a hassle and working in the garden did not require me dodging fire ants and yellow jackets – so those traits were nice. But it is hard to remember to water a garden when all you really want to do is curl up by the roaring fire because it is cold outside. It was nice being able to serve my own salad for Christmas dinner though.

Not everything can be grown in the cold weather but there are a number of vegetables and herbs that will flourish with just a little care.

• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Carrots
• Beets
• Globe Onions
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Kohlrabi
• Turnip
• Leek
• Chives
• Radishes

Lengthening the Growing Season

There are a number of different things that can be done for little cost that can make your growing season longer. A little planning and re-arranging of your planting area can help you extend your growing season to the full year.

Windbreaks

Use existing walls to break the wind off your plants and you will help to increase the temperature where your garden sits (sometimes up to 15 degrees) and also reduce the drying out caused by the wind.

Portable Greenhouses

These can consist of a frame with glass or heavy plastic or individual clear plastic containers. They will use the solar energy to warm the ground and the plant. Be sure to remember to remove them or ventilate them on bright sunny (or warm) days.

Cold Frames

Cold frames are permanent structures that are used for planting fall and winter crops. These are better in regions where the growing seasons are the shortest. The cold frames protect against temperatures, winds and even frost. Almost anything can be used to construct a cold frame (old windows or glass doors) or you can purchase kits if you are uncomfortable creating your own design.

Kathryn Lang is a freelance writer, wife of Keith and mother of three active boys. The family recently began the process of starting a flower nursery. She and the boys enjoy hybridizing daylilies and iris and discovering new wildflowers around the property. You can read more about their adventures at Garden Blooms. Kathryn also writes a guide for mothers and women who are struggling to be all that they can be at Proverbs 31 Living .

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Mmmm… I love the smell of fresh herbs and even better than that… I love cooking with them!

Here is what we planted:

• tomatoes
• baby tomatoes
• pak choi
• squash
• peppers
• leeks
• carrots
• garlic
• bell peppers
• onion
• lettuce
• spinach
• peas
• cantaloupe
• rosemary
• chives
• cilantro
• basil
• oregano
• mint
• dill
• parsley
• tarragon

It is all growing really well and I’m pleased so far. I’ve already used many of the herbs and cant’ wait to have some veggies. I’ll be even happier next year when we can expand and I can plant the lettuce and some other veggies at intervals so that it will last for a while.

What do you all do. Leave me a link to some of your gardening posts!

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