HiHoRosie's Place

Today's challenge is micro-blogging. Write a story in six sentences. Here's mine. My Health Focus: In a Nutshell I started talking a lot about wanting to make changes in my health and diet but when faced with obvious opportunity and support, I sat on the couch and complained some more. But, then I agreed to make some small changes so I didn’t feel like I was getting jipped or feel like I was giving up my life for boringness. Changes are hard but many times necessary and worth it. Those little changes led to bigger changes and ones that I decided on without any encouragement because I was ready and wanting to make them. Little did I know at the time what favors I was doing my body; my body saying THANK YOU! I may still struggle with some changes nowadays but I know what the payoff is like and I am willing and ready to do what it takes to get there…for me.

Prior to exploring a healthy journey, I was overweight (big surprise! /sarcasm). Not obese but definitely way out of shape. Huff n’ puff. I didn’t suffer from many health problems as a result. I was lucky. However, I did have one ailment:   plantar fasciitis . image I’d wake up each morning with one and eventually, both feet, aching until I was able to stretch them for awhile or put pressure on them, but even then they’d still be tender. I’d feel it in my heels all the time. I couldn’t figure it out until I mentioned it to my doctor. She thought plantar fasciitis but referred me to a specialist. The foot doctor confirmed her thought. Now, a perfectly fit person, most often a runner, can develop plantar fasciitis because of the abuse their feet take. Well, we all know I was in no way running (ha!) or exercising much so that wasn’t the reason I was experiencing it. It was all due to weight and probably cheap flip flops. My poor aching feet! It was worse ...

Day 16 of HAWMC/WEGO Health . Today’s exercise or challenge is to create a pinboard for my health focus and pin three things. Easy! Except, I pinned four things because I’m a rebel that way. The first image I think is self-explanatory. I was blessed with a healthy body. It’s not perfect and it never will be but I have a responsibility to myself and my family to take care of it best I can. I don’t want to wake up one day and say, “I wish I did…” Walking: this is my current form of exercise. Not bad at all I say! I don’t have to be a marathon runner or be able to lift 350 pounds to be considered healthy and/or fit. Walking is enjoyable and something I don’t have to think about as exercise. Plus, it's free and eco-friendly. Going to a gym to workout isn’t my idea of a good time -- not to say I wouldn’t ever go or it doesn’t have its many benefits, it’s just not as fun to me as going for a walk in the great outdoors, granted the weather cooperates. Ha! Anyway, seeing this ...

Ekphrasis , a commentary on a visual piece of art. Day 5: Write a post inspired by an image from flickr.com/explore on how it relates to your health focus. photo credit: leisakay3 This beautiful butterfly, the common buckeye, is a great image that relates to my health focus of getting and staying healthy. As long as I am alive, I’m constantly transforming myself in some way. My intention however, is to make those transformations positive and healthy. So day by day, bit by bit, I am becoming a healthier version of me. Again, my focus is not being skinny but being healthy. I also associate the butterfly with beauty, patience, endurance, and uniqueness.    ๑ Beauty – I’m not referring to outside beauty when it comes to my transformation but filling my soul with positivity and love for myself, for others.    ๑ Patience – a must have when working towards a goal. Transformations don’t happen overnight but take time. And I must have patience if I wa...

 …well, actually, I don’t write about my health much. I am very blessed to have overall good health so there’s not much to complain/write about. I get summer allergies, the occasional cold, and once in a great, great while get something nasty . I’ve mentioned before I’m adopted so family history is pretty much unknown. I’m in contact with my birthmother so I know a little bit but greater details I don’t. I have good teeth, I know that! So while my overall health is good, I have more “curves” than I should, carrying a little too much weight (I don't obsess about being skinny just healthy). The thing is, I have the knowledge to resolve these things; I know what I need to do but sometimes lack the motivation. I made a conscious decision awhile back to do less raw food for a time but feel I have moved too far from it for too long and am working my way back to high-raw again; it's the best for me. I completely and 100% agree with the power of raw foo...

image source Happy Friday the 13th! I'm not superstitious so bring it on. :) Confession: I used to drink Mountain Dew. Note the words used to . It’s been at least four+ years since I last had a sip, but I used to drink more than my fair share (I ain’t kiddin’ folks). Where some drink lots o’beer or Gatorade or Red Bull or Dr. Pepper or Coke or whatever, I drank Mountain Dew. That was my vice but since I didn't drink alcohol, what's the harm in a daily shot of MD? I’d go to Costco and buy cases or stop at the store and pick up a pack if it was on sale, “it’s a good deal!” I’d say. Many of my friends were dew-heads and we’d party-harty downing the dew and chasing it with tons of Smarties then filling up my fireplace with the empty cans (crazy kids). You know, pyramid style or whatever fancied our creativity (like that tree). Just silly mayhem, really. I didn’t think much of it then. Silly young me. What shit that was! Excuse my language but it was and still is. Chec...

Heyho! How is everyone? I’m trying to get caught up with all the posts I have planned so bear with me if several come at you at once. Not on the same day mind you (the exception being on Thoughtful Thursdays – there might be some overlap) however, over the next week or two. Some are “past their prime” but still want to share. Moving on to the title of this post: Ups and Downs. [ source ] Anyway, recently I was asked about a little thing I so excitedly talked about awhile back. Remember the Climb for Air I was planning on signing up for to get me back into exercising regularly? I wanted to do this as an incentive to get moving (besides it being a great cause). Well... I failed. I dropped the ball. I sat on my butt. [ source ] Oops. This apparently wasn't my start. It'd be so easy to berate myself right here right now but instead I will find a new start. I can begin again. [ source ] [ source ] So while I might have failed to get moving in time to co...

Happy Friday! Ready for the weekend? I am! I’m in training, as in exercise. Okay, don’t laugh. I’m being serious. I have been meaning to get off my duff and exercise more; to work out; to get active. I don’t do nearly as much as I should and it’s obvious. Well, the time is now. My inspiration: This flyer came across my desk and I thought, “I want to do this!” Hmm…let’s think about this. I don’t like to run, climb stairs, or knowing that I’m exercising in general – I like being active but not the act of exercising, if that makes sense. I haven’t been walking daily or as often as I should. I love yoga but again, haven’t done it in eons. I huff and puff because I’m out of shape. I can be competitive – I don't care to beat out anybody on this climb but it has sparked my determination and competitiveness to put my goal of getting fit into action. Gotta start somewhere right? So this is my personal competition to prove to myself I can do it. I’ve got three months to prep and t...

Before I get started on my post, I just wanted to mention that the winner of the $50 gift card to Dick’s Sporting Goods was Emily of Healthy Eating, Naturally  – congrats! Now on with the show! When I was pregnant with YS2, I consumed fair amounts of spirulina and hemp protein (both powder and seeds, I prefer seeds over powder any day though) thanks to my wonderful hubby, who was so diligent in making most of my meals, including daily smoothies. He is after all, what I call, the Smoothie Master . We think those two superfoods are some of the reasons we’re so blessed to have such a caaaalllmmmm baby. I ain’t kiddin folks! No, he wasn’t born with dreadlocks and singing Bob Marley but people always comment how chill and laid back he is. I’ve even been offered to trade kids. Ha ha ha! No. Jump to the present – he still loves this stuff. He’s our spirulina boy . Most of the soft foods we feed him are topped with spirulina. I didn’t realize HOW much he loves it though until rec...

Two weeks ago this day I gave birth to our son, Caleb (here's a pic from when he was a few days old). It wasn't easy getting him here but thankfully Caleb and I are doing great. I am forever grateful to my husband, Yardsnacker , for his love and support - I just wish it wasn't so hellacious on him. Also, thanks to him for donating blood and encouraging others to follow suit. Usually, I'm one who's donating blood - I've never been on the receiving end of those donations before. If you can, donate donate donate! If you didn't see the announcement/stats on Sam's blog here they are: Caleb born Sunday, May 3rd at 6:09 AM, weighed 7 lbs 5 oz and measured 21.5 inches long. And yes, he was born with strawberry blond hair. Everyone is giving me looks wondering how this could be but I'm tellin ya, Sam is the father! LOL! We don't need to go on the Jerry Springer show. Both of our mothers have reddish hair so we ended up passing all of our recessive genes ...

Sorry for the absence dear friends and thank you for your concern as well. I'm truly fine. I don't have much of an excuse for not posting or visiting many of your blogs other than taking it easy. I had full intentions of catching up on all my blog reading over the Thanksgiving weekend but obviously that didn't happen. I've been working a little more these days trying to get all of my work done so I can take lots o'vacation through the holidays but it's challenging at times. My downtime consists of just chillin and not much action. I know I've said I'll be by your blogs and I mean it ; I'm just slow these days. On to the update: My belly is G-R-O-W-I-N-G! It's all good though. I've only gain like 7-8 pounds over these four+ months but I feel at times like I've gained 20! Depending on what I wear can you tell I'm pregnant - just beginning to show really. I did have to invest in a belly band and some maternity clothes because regular p...

I know I'm supposed to be working on a different post - about my trip - but wanted to interrupt that to share something else. ******** People into the raw food lifestyle are familiar with the "glow." Maybe you're one who's been told a time or two that you have the glow. It's noticeable to spot a person who obviously is taking care of themselves by what they do and put into their bodies and especially when on the raw food lifestyle. Eating raw foods allows your body to properly process and digest foods plus all the those living enzymes and minerals means less work your body has to do so the result is a beautiful youthful glow. I have received such comments, which are always great to hear but I have been hearing this more so lately. From people who don't know me to people in the raw food world. When I was at our local raw vegan sto re one of the owners we nt on about how I (and hubby too) have transformed since she first met me; that I do have a healthy glow...