sweet poison, and my latest cheeky girl

It is so hot today! I refuse to turn the air conditioner on, since we haven't had a real summer for the last 2 years. I am sitting in my tiny little art room, it is so sticky, but I wanted to get my cheeky American girl finished, and varnished. I'm also listening to a great program on Hayhouseradio.com on healing spices. You may as well learn something while you work right?
I was reminded of the benefits of cinammon, so I promptly went to my kitchen, got a large glass of water and added a cinnamon stick to it. Water is another thing I forget to drink, I'm sure I'm not the only one.

There are so many easy things we can do to improve our health, but we have to make the effort. Most of them really don't take that long. I get lazy...but then I hear about another person struggling with illness, and am reminded how fragile this life is. I remember hearing a phrase that said basically make time for your health, or make time for illness. I have blogged before about my addiction to sugar.  I am in the process of cutting back, but it is not easy.  I remember learning that cancer cells need sugar to thrive, so you would think that kind of information would do it, but nope. I still continued. Why is it that caring for ourselves is so difficult?
Or perhaps it is the fact that sugar -especially the High Fructose syrop, is addictive and hard to stop.

I picked up a book out of curiosity from my library called the Belly Fat Cure and skimmed it briefly. His plan is not really a diet, but a change in how you eat, and one of the things he does is tell you to cut your sugar intake to 15 grams per day. When I look at a food label, I normally look to see how many carbs are in it, since all this time I thought that was the problem. Well I was in for a shock, sugar is everywhere! even in so-called healthy 100% bran cereal!! All this time I only considered things like cookies, muffins, and cakes as the things I needed to cut back on, only to find sugar lurking in almost all processed foods.

This was reinforced by another article on the dangers of sugar I read on Mercola.com.  This concerns me because I don't think we realize how dangerous it is, and by blogging about this, I hope some of you do a little research of your own. I don't want any more people to deal with illnesses that can be avoided by eating a more natural diet. I'm just saying know the facts, and make an educated decision when you are buying your groceries.  And if you think drinking diet soda is better, think again, it is poison! .The information is all out there if we want to see it. . Our lives are way too precious to take for granted, it's time to treat our bodies like the temples that they are.

thanks for reading, and stay healthy :-)

Red hot Frida, and random musings....

Here is the rest of the painting from last week's sneak peek. She is not actually called Red Hot Frida, I just can't think of a name for the painting right now...you can't tell in this pic but that is a crow she holds in her hands, and there is an outline of a bird cage in her skirt. I have never used this much red in a painting, and I really love it! I don't know why I was so afraid to go bold, it seems to work nicely in this painting. I just added a print of her in my Etsy shop.

It's late but I actually have some energy right now, so thought I'd update my blog. I'm so happy that some of you have found last week's health tips useful. I am always willing to expand on a topic, or share more details.

I'd like to mention a group of exercises that I've known about for many years called the 5 Tibetans.
I started doing these again last week, and have felt so much more lively, and more positive. I can't be sure these exercises are the cause, but they are the only thing I have done differently.
These exercises are said to work your whole body, help trim your waist, increase your energy, and so much more. They work because they focus on your spine, which is where your kundalini energy resides. I won't bore you with details, but if you click here , there are some animated instructions that show how to do them. Unfortunately they move pretty fast, but at least you get an idea of what each exercise should look like. Please do not do these if you have any health issues until you speak to your doctor. Always start slow, and listen to your body. Click here for more info from google if this is something you are interested in.
Oh, did I mention they can be done in less than 5 minutes?

Last week I said I would share healthy salad recipe with you, so here it is...there is no 'recipe' you need to follow, but here are the basics, and you adjust as you like.

Main ingredients: raw beets, carrots, radicchio(small red lettuce) parsley, and pineapple chunks. Chop everything, and place in a bowl, then you add as many of the following ingredients as you like: dried cranberries, walnuts, pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds,and pumpkin seeds (I love it sweet so I add dried mango) Sprinkle olive oil on top, stir, then add red wine vinegar, or balsamic (I use a bit of both). Add some feta cheese on top, and finish off with ginger powder.

Super easy! and look at some of the ingredients, they are nutritious powerhouses! I try to make this my main meal a couple of times a week...

that's it for now, I don't want to write a novel, lol! Always happy to hear your thoughts :-)

Yet another Frida....and some health tips...

After last week, I felt like doing another Frida painting, and here is a sneak peak for now...I will put up the rest later in the week. I can't seem to get a good scan of it.

I was hoping to finish a folk art painting tonight. A friend asked me to help her walk 3 dogs, and I thought, why not, the exercise will be good for me too, then I can come home energized, and finish my painting. Well, the dogs ended up walking, or running us, lol! I can barely move, but I have to say it felt so exhilarating to move again. I have been a lazy slug the last few months, but I am ready to re-commit to exercise.

I've always wanted to add some health tips to my blog, rather than just talk art. I want people to take control of their health, and not wait for some time in the 'future' to start...So here are a few things to try out...

First thing I do every morning, and have done for over 10 years, is warm up some water in a kettle - do not let boil, and add 1 teaspoon honey and approx 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar for each mug, and enjoy. There are many benefits to this, as ACV is considered a wonder drug...click here to see some articles on google. I love the taste, and never miss a day. (I use Bragg's brand, but any organic brand found in a health food store should do).

-Walk every day, at least 20 minutes, it is for your heart, and lungs, and keeps your body fluid. More is better, but 20 minutes is a great start. You feel refreshed, and after a bit of time, will most likely notice some weight loss.

-drink more water...here is an idea: Add cut strawberries, raspberries and a slice or two of orange in a big pitcher of water. Just let it steep, and drink it throughout the day.

-get more greens in your diet, preferably local, because they don't need to travel long distances to get to your table. The best thing you can do for your health is to eat more fresh produce, especially a big salad daily.

-eat oatmeal for breakfast. I know someone who works with cosmetic surgeons, and she asked them about their eating habits. Every one of them has steel cut oatmeal for breakfast. These are people who care about skin.
-Here are some suggestions: Steel cut oatmeal is the one you want, or Scottish oatmeal. I cook with half an apple, then add almond milk, cinnamon (helps your blood sugar level),a few walnuts, half a banana, and any berries on hand. Delicious!

-avoid wheat and sugar if you are a woman over 40, it helps cause that lovely jelly belly. Try rye bread instead. If you have a sweet craving, like me most days, I read that a spoon full of peanut butter or any protein cuts the craving. It works for me.

-take your vitamin D! lots of research coming out about the benefits, this is the sun vitamin....we don't get enough of it because we have been told to stay out of the sun. Do some research or ask your doctor how much to take.

-consider using the spice 'turmeric', lots of info about the health benefits, click here to see some google search results I found.

-I almost forgot, get more sleep! It seems obvious, but most people do not get enough sleep at night. I read that it's so important especially if you have stress, and who doesn't.

I see that I could go one for many pages, so I better stop now, lol! If I can find my recipe for a super anti-oxidant salad I will share it later.

feel free to share any health tips you have, we need to start looking after ourselves, and this beautiful body that houses our soul.

blessing!