Reposting from the Liberation Wellness Blog, January 2010. I need this as motivation once again as I am working towards losing, for a second time, half of the 56+ pounds I had lost just a few short years ago. An injury kept me from exercising for about 6 months, which led to the re-gain. I have recently resumed exercising, though not as much as I would like. Also, I have made the commitment to intermittent fasting by not eating after 4 pm, and have stopped using honey or other sweetener in my tea. Small changes made a big difference before, and will again!

For several years I knew I needed to stop the upward swing of the scale, but also realized this would necessarily involve that most terrible of activities, exercise.  Arrgh-how I hated the thought of it!  ”Walk around the property”, my husband would say.  ”Yes, sure, that would be fun,” I would think to myself.  On a pretty spring day a walk around the pastures and through the woods is pleasant.  But on a blistery hot day?  Or a blustery cold one?  No thanks!

Besides, I was burdened with children of all sizes, chained to the kitchen, tied to the laundry, obligated to reading lessons and math instruction; how could I ever find the time for something so despised?

Many times I had walked the 8/10ths of a mile round trip of our country lane-boring! And many times  I had said I would do this daily in spite of my great disdain, only to give up as soon as the weather turned hot, the rains came, the wind blew or the clouds covered the sun.  Obviously, this was not working!

A gym membership was a nice thought, but totally impractical for our situation.  Bike riding is great, but our road is too dangerous.  I tried T-Tapp, but found it difficult to remember to hold this, line up that, while moving the other.  I love rowing machines, but they are expensive and you have to put  them somewhere.

Can you see where I am going with this?  Excuses, plain and simple.  At each possibility my husband would present, there was always a reason why it would not work.  I did not like being over weight.  I did not want to be over weight.  But I did not seem to have what it took to change what was happening to my body, and I grew more discouraged by the pound.

When we married, I was actually under weight.  At six feet tall, I was a slim and trim, statuesque young woman of-gasp!-150 pounds!  That may sound like a lot to you, but I can guarantee you it was not enough for my tall frame.  Slowly over the years I gained a little here and there, but once I was well into having and raising babies, the pounds really started to pile on.

It was consoling for awhile that my husband would tell me he preferred my extra softness to the skin and bones I was when we met.  But as the scale continued up, I felt his disapproval in spite of his reassuring words and kindness.  This came to a climax when one morning last winter he looked especially down.  Understand, my husband carries the weight of the world on his shoulders as he bears the burden of providing for our large brood, and so  I assumed his long face and drooping shoulders related to the cares of the day.  But I was quite shocked and dismayed when he tearfully admitted his great concern and disappointment in me, his bride, who was becoming so overweight that he was no longer finding me very attractive, and he worried for my health.

Wow-what a wake-up call!  I love my husband very much and only want to bring him joy, not be a source of pain.  And certainly I want him to enjoy me in every way.  I knew something needed to be done.

So I started running up and down the stairs to fetch things, rather than sending the children.  I put my lap top on a raised surface so that when using it I would be standing, rather than sitting.  I danced and played a little more with the children. As spring time broke, I began walking that long country lane once again.  And remarkably, I started to actually enjoy the trip!

By the time I heard Kevin Brown speak at our annual spring Weston A Price Foundation local gathering, my mind was set:  one way or another, I was going to lose some weight!  And after hearing his motivating and encouraging words, I really felt that I could do this thing!

Our diet was already excellent, so I only needed to do some tweaking to my personal dietary and eating habits. Things like fasting every day from late afternoon until into the next morning, consuming more cream, butter & coconut oil, and realizing just how many carbohydrates I was reallytaking in, when I thought my intake was rather low.  Also, we gave up the occasional late night, “Date Night”, Ben & Jerry’s or Scharffen Berger Chocolate Bars. George can handle those things (he could stand to gain a few pounds); I can’t.  Now we just stick to good movies and Josh Groban-we don’t need the edible treats!

The thing that is really making a difference for me now is this exercise thing; I have found it to be so enjoyable I actually look forward to it every day!  Before the weather became really frigid, I was thoroughly enjoying my daily run.  That’s right, run!  Where only a few short months ago that driveway was tiring just to walk, I am now running it, zig-zagging back and forth to add more distance, and even running up hill for a piece on our road!  Also, I found that I can toss my bike into our van early in the morning, before the Wee Ones rise, to ride at a nearby park which has wonderful trails.  In line skates are next on my list, and an IPod to propel me forward.

Now that winter has set in I have purchased hand weights and have discovered that it is easy, and fun!, to exercise to up-beat, happy music.  My kids tease me, but I don’t care; techno-music gets me moving, and with the addition of hand and ankle weights I can get a super workout in 30 several days a week!

So here I am now, 45# lighter than this time last year, and loving life.  I am excited, motivated, encouraged, and happy!  And you know what, my husband shares in my excitement, and is taking more pleasure than ever in his wife!  Can you believe it?  What a change from just a year ago, and I am not done yet!  Now I know that I can look great again.  My youthfulness and zest for life have returned!  I feel like a million bucks, and I look forward to a bright future!  All because of that dreaded “E” word, a little motivation, and change in habits I am trulyliberated!!!

…and going and going… Yes, it has been a very busy few weeks, but things will be quieting down after this weekend.  I have been involved with 3 conferences in recent weeks, traveling and teaching.  The final one is the PASA conference in State College, Pa. which will happen Thursday through Saturday.  Come see me if you happen to be there:  http://www.pasafarming.org/

My family and I also had the pleasure of enjoying a lovely country estate in Virginia this past week.  We had a wonderful time!

But all of this traveling and hectic schedule would for most mean fast food, take-out Chinese, pizza deliveries, and microwaved meals from boxes or cans.  But none of this will do for my family or I as we understand the importance of good food, even when we feel that we are too busy to keep up with other things. So what do we do?  Well, mainly we plan ahead.

Because I tend to make every meal worth 3 or 4, I was able to have many meals in the freezer far ahead of time, ready to be pulled out when we are super busy or I am away (as was the case last weekend and will be again this week).  For our trip to Virginia I also had several meals prepared and frozen, and so I only had to do a little cooking each day, mostly for fun.

For fun?  Well, a friend blessed us with about 3 pounds of home grown shiitake mushrooms, so I pulled a chicken from the freezer to make a good batch of stock for a base, and then added the mushrooms, sautéed with lots of garlic in plenty of butter and olive oil, a butternut squash (cubed), and seasonings (allspice is great for this)After pureeing everything together with my handy-dandy KitchenAid stick blender, I added about a quart of fresh, raw cream.  This was one of the best soups I have ever produced, and it made enough to give as gifts to two favorite friends, besides feeding all of us!  See what I mean by fun?!

Today was birthday day for 2 of our kids, so we had roast beef, creamed cauliflower, kraut, salad, and my special Belgian Chocolate Cake (gluten free, by the way).  There were no leftovers, but I already have salsa fermenting in the kitchen for a quick Mexican-style meal tomorrow, which won’t take more than 15 minutes to prepare.  I have also made fermented ketchup and chutney these past few days, and have a gallon of yogurt culturing even as we speak.  There is even a big pot of chicken stock simmering on the stove from which will be made several meals of soup.  Then I’m off again for the rest of the week, but there are more meals in the freezer to feed everyone while I’m away.

Next week it is time to start again.  The laundry will need to be done, school work checked, projects worked on, and more meals must be prepared. But by week’s end we should have at least 1 or 2 meals in the freezer again, for another busy time to come!

I do not relay all of this to boast about my fantastic, super-woman abilities-to the contrary!  I simply wish to share with you the simplicity and ease of planning ahead, preparing everything in quantity, and making life bearable and healthy, no matter how busy the schedule.  If I can do it, I know you can too!

Yesterday was a very busy day:  out the door by 7 with all the kiddoes, an early appointment followed by a quick meet-up and shopping at Trader Joe’s,  next off to the natural foods store & a preferred farm, then home for 45 minutes to unload and again out the door for bible study.  We were home late, to bed later, and to sleep even later still.  So what was my morning like today?

I awoke feeling vibrant and energized.  After my morning cup of tea (a delightful ritual I vow never to do without!), it was time to prepare the family’s breakfast. With all the good food  we had chosen the day before, the only difficult part was trying to decide what not to have!

Breakfast for most people consists of a box of cold cereal or a doughnut, a cup of coffee, a glass of juice.  This high-carb menu simply will not do for me!  I regard the start of each new day with vigor and excitement, viewing every meal as an opportunity to experience exciting, vibrant foods from God’s pantry.  So in spite of the rather tiring and long day before, today’s breakfast was another foray into the world of healthy, tasty, nourishing food!

First I grabbed a pack of Smoked Apple and Chardonnay Chicken Sausages from Trader Joe’s.  These were thinly sliced and tossed into a generous amount of bacon fat in a hot cast iron skillet, my most trusted kitchen tool.  While these were browning I whipped up 10 farm-fresh eggs with a great dollop of cream (off the top of a new gallon of milk).  The slightly crispy sausages were set aside in a bowl, and the egg mixture poured into the hot skillet with a bit more bacon fat & a pat of butter.  This was allowed to cook on medium heat with an occasional tilt of the pan and gentle lifting of the edge to allow the uncooked egg to settle underneath.  When all looked “set”, the sausage was scattered across the surface and a large handful of Trader Joe’s Quattro Formaggio was spread over top of all.  Once this delicious cheese blend was melted, breakfast was ready to serve!

The Young Ones gathered eagerly around the table to partake in this fragrant fare.  The aromas from the kitchen had filled the house and their appetites were ripe!  A generous slice was served to all, along with a glass of that fresh, raw milk, and all were filled.  Servings of  homemade still-raw yogurt, topped with frozen blackberries from our orchard, complete this nourishing and delicious meal.  Mmm.

We are satisfied, we are filled, we are nurtured, we are energized, and we are grateful.  Grateful for the bounty of wholesome foods which God has provided, and the health which we enjoy because of them.  And we are ready to take on the day!

Reposted from Feb. 2010, Liberation Wellness BlogIf you’ve been reading my blog at all, you probably know that exercise was never one of my favorite activities, aside from biking and hiking.  These activities are still amongst my favorites, but here we are in the middle of winter when biking is out of the question, and hiking can be a bit challenging.  This is the very season when many of us, including myself, put on a few too many pounds.  As a matter of fact, it was about this time last year when I gained back the 10 pounds which had been lost the previous fall.  This time around I knew winter would be the proving ground of the Liberation Diet.  So how’s it going? Well, the holidays were difficult in that I was stagnant in my weight loss for about 6 weeks, even putting on 2 or 3 pounds.  But these pounds were rather quickly lost again, much to the satisfaction of my adoring husband! The things which I have found to be the most important are these:  eat fat, fat, and more fat!  And keep moving. Yes, it is true that the more cream, the more butter, the more lard I eat, the more I lose.  Amazing, isn’t it?!  Delicious, too.  I have even found lately that I can eat a slice of bread (just one), slathered in a thick layer of butter, without gaining an ounce!  And my energy level?  Through the roof! But the movement factor is critical, and so I wanted to share a few tips that I found to be most helpful. First, Moms, wear those babies!  I still carry my 3 yo in my Ergo when working around the house and doing my dance/aerobics.  She loves to be close to Momma, and I enjoy having her with me.  Plus, it is like lifting weights continually.  My little one is a lightweight, but when I add my ankle weights, it is an extra 30# added to the load, and workouts become even more effective! Another very important change which I have made this winter is to put my computer on an elevated surface, so that sitting is not an option.  I have an IMac (best computer ever made, by the way!), which sits comfortably atop my buffet, but will soon have a new home on a tall work space in our bright and sunny great room.  Like a lot of people, I spend more time on the computer than I would like to admit; it is how I run my household and my business, how I keep in touch with friends and family, my main source of learning, and the biggest source of sore (but no longer increasing) back side.  So why stand for it?!  With the computer raised to a comfortable height I can continually move while working!  When writing, like now, I am listening to my favorite Pandora station, and I am managing to move; lunging, stretching, moving my hips.  When reading or using Skype I can actually be jogging in place (Kevin, if I sometimes seem out of breath on a conference call, this is why  .  And I can easily break away to tend to children, help with a math problem, or break out in vigorous movement when a fun song comes on! The other thing which I now do is my fun Dancercize routine.  A sweet son of mine made a cd for me of techno music-Eiffel 65, specifically.  While this is something I never would have chosen to listen to in the past, I find it invigorating and so much fun!  It is hard to keep still when there is a strong beat and happy tone.  Meaningless and silly words, yes, but the music gets me moving!  I strap on my ankle weights and grab 5# in each hand, and off I go for a 30-45 minute workout which leaves me feeling fantastic!  Miss Emma is often on my back as mentioned before, but not usually for the duration; some movements are just a tad bit difficult with a big lump of giggles attached!  You may find some other type of music invigorating, but whatever it may be, let it move you!  I should warn you that this type of activity, while fun, can be very embarrassing when unexpected guests arrive, so make sure to maintain a sense of humour. One last thing; don’t let the cold and snow stop you from taking walks.  Some of my most pleasant walks/runs have been on a crisp, cold winter’s night.  Or day.  We need lots of sunshine, and I find that not only do I feel better, but I lose better when I get plenty of sunshine. As many of you also experienced, we were blessed with about 4′ of snow recently.  Soft, beautiful, heavy snow!  While I don’t mind at all being snowed in, we had a real need to get our trapped eldest daughter onto a flight back home to her husband.  My Man cleared the top of our nearly 1/2 mile long drive, but more needed to be done and I am the one in our household who needs to burn calories, definitely not him!  So after shoveling a path from our porch to reach the snow-blown path to our parking area, then shoveling out the family van (largely hidden in snowdrifts), I took over with snow blowing the rest of the driveway.  The hard part.  The part where the drifts were waist-high (remember, I am tall).  It was slow going, but I enjoyed the work and the sunshine, even the muscle aches which came a few days later (not too bad, actually).  I would not mind at all doing it again… So you see, even though it is winter, I am moving.  And losing weight-another 1 1/2# last week!  I look forward to springtime, but am enjoying the lovely winter and not letting it get me down-literally.  How about you?  Are you lounging around, packing on the pounds, lamenting being confined due to the season?  May I suggest that you get up, start moving, and get your body in shape?  Be creative, and I know you will be pleased with what can happen!

Reposted from the Liberation Wellness Blog Dec. 2009
The other day a frustrating thing occurred-again.  I was sitting around with a group of women from our church when the subject of yet another very sick friend came up.

As usual the course of discussion went something like this:  “Do you think this will affect her for the rest of her life?”  “What kind of medication will she have to take?”  And of course, “What does the doctor say?”

Now bear in mind, the person in question has a years-long history of severe health problems for herself  and her family.  Serious stuff.  And I love her very much!  That counts for something, right?

When this type of discussion comes up I usually keep very quiet, even back out of the room.  After all, I am the health fanatic and nobody wants to hear what I think.   So why not just melt into the background now?

Well, enough is enough!  I could keep silent no more, something had to be said.  I was choked with emotion as I chose my words carefully.

My discourse was short, and not well received.  It was met with downward glances, fidgeting fingers, silence.  One person afterward acknowledged that we rely too heavily on medication.  Another, more friendly towards my opinions, encouraged me to contact the friend in question.  And one other dear friend gave me that knowing smile, and a sense of camaraderie.  But otherwise, in a group of women professing to be seeking and following God’s will for their lives, nothing.

It always upsets me that so many people intent upon following God in every part of their lives ignore this one, crucial area.  After all, if we do not have health we can not fulfill many of the Lord’s desires for us.  We must be helped instead of being helper.

Poor health destroys lives, negates the good deeds that might be done, diminishes the capacities of husbands to provide for their families and of wives to care for their households.  It takes away the joy of children, and brings about heartache and hardship.  It drains resources, and sucks the life (often literally) right out of us.

Dr. Rex Russell put it well in his book, What the Bible Has to Say About Healthy Living:  “If we decide to pay attention to God’s design,  health and blessing will follow, and God will be glorified in our lives.  If we decide to ignore God’s design, the consequences can be dire indeed.”

The Good Book  is full of instructions pertaining to every aspect of our health.  Exodus 15:26 says:  “If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His eyes, if you pay attention to His commands and keep all His decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you.”  His promise to His people then still stands for us today.

From circumcision on the 8th day (the day when the blood-clotting  factor Vit. K builds up to a life time crescendo) to the admonition against eating blood (Gen. 9:4) or unclean animals (Lev. 10:10), the old testament is filled with God’s wise advice for health.  There is instruction in food, farming, sanitation, healing; most of these laws have in modern times been scientifically validated, but largely ignored.

The new testament books also claim their share of health-giving information including, of course, prayer, fasting, “a little wine for the stomach” (1 Tim. 5:3), and the use of healing oils (Mark 6: 13, James 5:14).

So where have we gone wrong?  Well first, let me address a  common perception.

People often incorrectly assume that before the age of modern medicine people just suffered and died, in multitudes, from the same afflictions we do today.  Nothing could be further from the truth!

Yes, there were plagues and pestilence, diseases and death.  Realize of course that people have not always followed God’s design for food, sanitation, and healing. The wealthy have over-indulged.  The poor have been consigned to poor quality and limited food supply.  Cities were built without consideration for proper sanitation.  And hand-washing was not common practice in pre- Pasteur-era hospitals and clinics.  The average life span in early 20th century America was very low not because people did not live long lives, but because conditions were so filthy and food quality so poor in the cities that infant mortality was very high.  But if one were fortunate enough to survive past toddlerhood, he would indeed have a very good chance of living to a ripe old age!

So let’s consider our food.

In Gen. 1:29 God said,  “I give you every seed bearing plant on the face of the earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.  They will be yours for food”.   Also consider that Able raised sheep in those early days; was it just for the wool to cloth them, or was the First Family also drinking milk, God’s most perfect food?

The Promised Land was happily described as, “flowing with milk and honey”.

When Noah and his family left the ark, God told him to eat (clean) meat.

Even the angels ate meat, leavened (fermented) bread, curds (cheese) and whey! (Gen. 18)

All of these things are good, or they would not have been given to us or demonstrated as desirable.

In light of the above, compare modern “food” with that of people throughout  bible times.  In days of old, foods were whole (unprocessed, not devitalized).  It was grown without chemicals of any kind.  Animals were either wild or grazed on naturally rich forage.  All people consumed some of their foods fermented (bread, wine, cheese, olives, etc.), and much of it raw.  Organ meats were prized, and bones made into broth.  Salt was natural and people would not do without it.

So why do we now condemn all of these things which God has said were good?  A better question might even be, why did we change the way in which we raise and prepare these foods which in former times were the fount of health? And why do we now in all of our wisdom declare our processed “food”, stripped of vitality and devoid of nutrients, “healthy” and “good”?

It has always seemed curious to me that in the 6 days of creation, God never made a single food processing plant, grain silo, pharmaceutical, or hospital. Did He not, in all of His wisdom, know that we would require these things to live?  And so it took the infinitely more wise modern man 6000 years to correct our Creator’s oversight!

We are as a nation and as a culture, sick.  Just plain sick.  And the answers to our problems are always more drugs, more doctors, more hospitals; with no thought of the food which we put into our bodies (other than to eat more manufactured junk in place of whole, life-giving foods).  Do we not realize that we are, truly, what we eat?!

God has supplied us with everything we need to live an abundant life upon this earth.  We just need to recognize and return to His nourishing and healing ways!  Let’s return to His garden, His pasture.  Let us embrace His healing ways; the herbs, oils, foods, and prayer which are our sources of health and healing. God’s medicine cabinet is full of good things! These medicines are not quackery or the delusions of fanatical, misguided people.  They are God’s ways, and His ways are always good.  Even Hippocrates understood these principles when he declared, “Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food”.

This is my choice for myself and my fam

Republished from the Liberation Wellness Blog April 2010
Iodized Salt.  Sea Salt.  Himalayan Pink Salt.  Celtic Sea Salt.  Real Salt.  Dead Sea Salt.  I could throw in a few more, but for lack of space and time I think I’ll stop there, but you get the point. So many kinds of salt; isn’t salt just salt?

In a word, no.  Not all salt is the same, and it is very important that we understand a few basics so that we can make a well informed choice when purchasing our next bag, box, or bottle of this most necessary nutrient.

The body requires sodium to function, which is why salt trade has always played a vital role throughout  human history!  Virtually every known civilization has records of salt commerce; salt taxes; salt for food preservation, healing and seasoning; even salt held hostage during times of war!

Salt regulates the flow of fluids between every cell in our bodies.  From it hydrochloric acid is produced, a powerful and necessary digestive agent in the stomach.  It also fuels the adrenal glands and aids the central nervous and immune systems.  Also, while this may surprise you, it is of utmost importance to the proper functioning of the heart.  But not just any salt, only unrefined salt!  Salt with all of its associated minerals intact.
Modern Salt Production
So let’s talk about salt processing.  Modern salt is processed in about 7 steps in a factory.  It starts as a brine containing as many as 88 minerals but is refined to a single, solitary mineral-sodium chloride.  To this is added anti-caking and flow agents such as corn starch (a common allergen). While natural sea salt contains trace amounts of iodine, this is removed in processing but added to common table salt.

 The main beneficiaries of modern salt processing are chemical plants, which require pure sodium. Only about 7% of  refined salt makes it into the food chain.

Don't trust the label
It needs to be stated that you can not trust the label when it comes to “Sea Salt”.  This is an intentional mislead by companies that want to sell you a cheap product for big bucks.  After all, isn’t all salt technically “Sea Salt”, whether it comes from deep within the earth, a dried up (salt) lake bed, or the ocean?  Mineral content and color will differ, but all salt deposits originate from the sea, so don’t be fooled by the label!

With it understood that we can not trust the label, how do we know what kind of salt to buy?  As usual, it begins with looking for key words on the label, most important is the word, “unrefined”, but also “hand harvested” and “solar dried”.

There are several salts on the market which come from inland, such as Redmond Real Salt and Himalayan Pink Salt.  These salts come from ancient deposits of sea water which thousands of years ago dried with the help of sun and wind.  Because such deposits were laid millennia before man-made pollutants, they are amongst the purest on earth.

But there are also several good salts available that come from the ocean of today.  My preferred salt is Celtic Sea Salt from the north of France.  This salt, available in fine and course grinds, has a characteristic grey speckled color which makes it easy to recognize.  My family enjoys the fine salty flavor, and we use it liberally.

If you are wishing to purchase truly unrefined, beneficial salt while shopping at your favorite health or gourmet food store, look for the key words mentioned above.  You can also purchase any of these salts on line.  Two of my favorite sources are Selina Naturally, Radiant Life Catalog, and Mountain Rose Herbs.