A Word about Being Healthy

I've been trying a couple of things I thought I'd tell you about.

When I was visiting in Indy, I had the pleasure of having coffee with my old friend Schmael. Schmael talked me into marrying my husband, and was always my run-off-and-have-fun friend during my college-ish years. He's a drug rep for GSK, so we affectionately refer to him as a Drug Dealer.

Schmael's wife is one of my good friends, and she has chronic migraines. So she's into all this health food stuff. She is my health food guru source. Also my homeschooling source.

So I was talking to Schmael at Starbuck's, and he told me that a long time ago he got rid of a chronic sinus infection with yarrow. Yarrow is a natural antibiotic, and has cleansing properties and is good for mucous membranes.

Apparently sinus infections are things you can have for years. Like, 20 years. Like, forever! Further reading on my part reveals that the Mayo Clinic now thinks that some of them are caused by fungus! But I digress.

So I got some yarrow capsules and am trying them. The bottle says to take something like 2 a day -- I'm taking about 5 three times per day. It will probably take several months, since I have had sinus problems since I was in my teens, and I am now 49. But I am going to keep at it.

The other thing I've been doing is taking Black Cohosh. I am just starting into that phase of life where unpleasant and uncomfortable things happen -- all assorted with that particular phase of life -- and Black Cohosh helps. I have some other things contributing to the symptoms I have. But the Black Cohosh capsules really seem to make a difference. They don't totally alleviate the symptoms, but I have to say that I'm noticing a marked difference in their frequency when I take the capsules on a regular basis.

All of these things I deal with work against me with regard to weight. I've had 5 kids, and I am the heaviest I've ever been -- I weigh more now than I did right after had my youngest child. You can say all you want about age putting weight on you. Folks, it all boils down to this: you gotta eat less and move more. And eat healthier. I weigh this much because I'm older, and not as active, and because I choose to eat the way I like to eat -- and not make the fitness of my body my main priority in life.

Plus I hate to exercise.

I bought Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook "Deceptively Delicious" mainly because I am the chief picky eater in my household. I eat all sorts of things that gross other people out -- like broccoli, and brussel sprouts, and beets. But I hate lima beans and peas. And I love bread and sugar. I am hopeful that I will get myself and everyone else in this household eating healthier food with Mrs. Seinfeld's ingenius method of putting veggie purees into regular foods.

And this last thing will have you all laughing your heads off at me. I remember my grandparents having this stuff in the house, and everyone hating it, and me trying it and finding it not so bad.

I bought prune juice.

I actually like this stuff, and my digestive system is thanking me. I've always had trouble with digesting food because I like so much bready-sugary stuff. But the prune juice is a good things all the way around. So nuff said there.

I am desperately trying for this post not to be TMI, but rather helpful. So if you have any of this stuff, by all means don't go trying things without checking with a reliable medical source first to see if it will be ok for you to do.

Let me know if you try any of this stuff, and if it works for you. What else do you all do or take that benefits your healthy lifestyle? Do tell!