KALE CHIPS!!

Here is my issue with personal trainers getting up in peoples business on the floor. They don’t know the person, their past, their physical issues, injuries, yet they feel it is their duty to “help” someone if they think they are doing it wrong. Sometimes…………you just need to mind your own business and leave people alone. Especially if they don’t want your help. And boyeeeeeee……..to approach the persons trainer and tell them they are wrong? I am pretty sure that is crossing the line. Nuff said on that.

I have an addiction. I am addicted to Kale Chips! A friend at my gym, Raphael told me his favorite thing to make for watching a movie is Kale Chips. So I tried it and wow are they good! Here is how I make them;

First, you can use green or purple kale (I use both), clean and dry them thoroughly. Place them in a large bowl. I usually use walnut oil for this, so I take about a tablespoon of walnut oil and with my hands, I toss and toss and toss the kale until every single piece is shiny with the oil. Then I add some “Redmonds” mineral salt, and toss some more until the salt is all over the kale. Now, for flavor (if you wish), so far I have used a masala spice mix, chili powder, and a Greek spice mix. Sprinkle and toss like the salt. Now I take my dehydrator. I have one with varied temperatures, so I put mine on 185. Place the kale evenly over the grates and turn it on for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. When they are done they are crispy and sooooooo delicious. For myself, this is the best snack I have ever had.

Now, I know there are people out there that are salt sensitive, and if this is the case just eliminate the salt. I like the “Redmonds” mineral salt because it actually has minerals in it. I imagine you could use the “Mrs. Dash” spices. In fact I think I’ll try that.

Winter months are sooooooo hard for most people, and this is the time when most people put on weight, even though New Years resolutions are most always “loose some weight”. But hey, it is mid winter. This is the time when comfort food is mostly desired. So we need to look at alternatives to the nostalgic comfort foods to stay on track. It sure aint easy, but keep your head up, stay strong, and don’t fall for weakness.

I haven’t posted Kahlil Gibran quotes for a while, so let me see if I can find some good ones…..

“The strong grows in solitude where the weak withers away”

“Courage, which is the sixth sense, finds the shortest way to triumph”

“I never met a conceited man whom I did not find inwardly embarrassed”"

“Some who are too scrupulous to steal your possessions nevertheless see no wrong in tampering with your thoughts”

“Your confidence in the people, and your doubt about them, are closely related to your self-confidence and your self doubt”……………….OUCH

So tonight I picked “Buck” It turns out it is a documentary about the Horse Whisperer, Buck Brannaman. I am sure anyone that is into horses knows of this man. Robert Redford played him in the movie Horse Whisperer. He endured a horrible childhood, and now, he has such a blessed life. Horses were a large part of why. They taught him patience most of all. As I am watching this program, I could so relate to it, for I have learned to be more patient because of my horses. They truly are a reflection of the handler. I try not to say “owner” because I like to think of them as thier own. I only help them have a better existence. And for that they give me the pleasure of love, and then the honor of them allowing me on their backs.

When I am with my horses I learn more about myself then with humans, for the horses do not hide thier feelings. If I show anger, they respond with aggresion. If I feel scared, they show fear. And, when I have calmness and love, oh how they show love, and most of all trust.

Anyway, I just felt inspired to put that in words.

Interestingly, when it comes to thier diet, they each have different needs just like humans. My mothers horse is a Quarter Horse. They are like sprinters on a track field. Stocky and fast. He does just fine on some alfalfa hay, ground flax, and some multi vitamin grain. I have two horses. My Percheron is a gigantic Draft Horse. He is around 2000 lbs. He has a very slow metabolism though. So he eats as much alfalfa as the Quarter horse, ground flax, some multivitamin grain, but he gets a strong hoof supplement. He has gigantic hooves that hold up that 2000 lbs. My Thoughrobred is a race horse. They have an extremely high metabolism, so even at the age of 24, he eats twice the amount of alfalfa, twice the amount of multivitamin grain and flax, joint and tendon supplement, AND a lot of olive oil.

I am not obsessed with the feeding, its just that from knowing my horses, I see how they perform and how they look and with the diets I have them on they seem to be fine. The one thing they never get, ……….sugar. Horses can get Cushing’s disease, which is sort of the equivalent to type two diabetes. I know this because I had a beautiful Arabian that got it…….lack of exercise and too much sugar in her diet. I felt aweful, for my ignorance sent her to her grave. From that I learned a huge lesson.

I bring this up because we humans have the same problem, on a larger scale. But we are responsible for ourselves, so when it happens to us humans…..well……only person to blame is? And all of us are different. Different genetics, childhoods, and lifestyles, so no ONE diet can work for everyone. We must be mindful of that. And most of all, I wish “trainers” would be more mindful of that. But since most of them are not, it is up to the individual to evaluate themselves and be sure to let a trainer know if its not working for you. Don’t ever let them make you feel badly if you feel a diet they gave you is not working. Ask them for something different. If they don’t want to help, move on.

This past year, I have rebooted myself, and finally figured out how I was before I was tainted by mass opinions, diet advise, training advise, competition advise, etc……. Since 01, I allowed all kinds of people to tell me what is wrong with me, what supplements I should take, how I should eat, that it is okay to eat crap like diet soda’s, artificial sweetners, synthetic supplements, ….my mind was so filled with bullshit I honeslty got lost in the Tron world of life.

Here is what is good for ME….. I believe in logical training. I have been doing it since 1976–ish. I practice resistance training with the same logic as brushing my teeth. I train ALL muscle groups equally for what they are, based on the size of the muscle bellies and how they are affected on my daily physical lifestyle. I stretch daily, do cardio daily, and yes, I always do some sort of resistance training daily. I don’t train so freaking hard that I have to give myself a break. I am a “large” as I want to be. I am completely content with my symmetry and strength. And….I do consider myself a bodybuilder when I choose to compete.

For 3 solid decades I have been around people in many, many gyms, and health clubs that train “HARD”, “LIKE AN ANIMAL”, lifting heavy, with the the aspiration to lift even heavier the week after, and God bless them for achieving thier goals. However……me being an old gal, still practicing the art of resistance training, in my redundant, boring way (like brushing my teeth), only will see less than 5% of the people I saw in the gym years ago. I can say that they love the dedication, and the diligence, and I cannot say anything negative about it, but, most of them are not in the gym anymore. If they are, they cannot train anywhere close to they way they did before. I guess I am just plane ignorant when it comes to this subject. My theory behind training is, I practice resistance training so when I am on one of my horses, hauling ass down a trail, and the inevitable happens, …flying off …..I get up with no injuries, wipe my ass off, get back on and carry on, thankful that I train diligently for injury prevention. Other things like, falling off a ladder cleaning gutters, running in the woods tripping on a log in the dark twisting an ankle (able to continue running) Splitting wood and not being sore the next day. My theory behind lifting weights is for longevity, not sport. I train for sport. I just don’t understand, in my thick head, what is so cool about getting injured lifting barbells and plates in a gym? I feel I can say this, for after all, I am just a crazy old lady.

Nutrition…………..I am DEAD SET on NOT making a “cheat” meal involve stupid crap like ice cream, fast food hamburgers and fries, packaged, cakes and cookies. Prepping for contest, I let people encourge me to drink diet soda’s and use chemical sweeteners “to curb my appetite?”. Then after 12 weeks of diligent training, they would say “Go treat yourself to an ice cream, pizza, or cheescake” and boyeeee, would I! Ten years ago, when I wanted to pig out, I would make a whey protein shake with frozen bananas, and throw home made granola (lots) on top, OR, make my own damn cookies. Dieting for competition I just plain DID NOT EAT ANYTHING SWEET! The more artificial crap I did of ANY kind, the worse I felt and the worse I got. It has taken me almost FIVE years to remember who I am. It has been just like a suspence/mystery movie.

I am not going to judge anyone, for I do not have any right. But for myself, I will continue my practice of health in nutrition in my own way. If you come up to me in the gym and complain about an injury, and it was created in the gym……..be prepared to have an ass chewing. Or, maybe, I will just smile and walk away.

It has been a long, long, time since I have posted anything on my blog, but this is mainly because I have been so overloaded with information, peoples stubborn and miss informed opinions (or, could be over informed) I am being encouraged to prove my belief in specific nutritional values, therefore I find myself not just looking up the first website I find info, but three to six. For the most part, all will come to the same conclusion. And I must say, I do find some things that perk me up, for I did not know. That is always exciting. And I am definitely happy to be humble, for if I am not I will not learn anymore.

I have finally got myself physically, and MOST important, mentally back to the place I was a decade ago. I have relieved my body of all chemical additives, artificial sweeteners, even down to my protein powder source ( www.proteinfactory.com ) Whey protein is great. It is the easiest assimilated protein out there. However, you must pay attention when you aquire whey protein, what additives are in them. The website I mention here allows you to create your OWN protein. I highly recommend this, for YOU are in control.

Right now, I am training and dieting for a bodybuilding competition, so I have literally NO sugar of any sort in my diet. However, when the competition is over I am, of course, going to want some sweets, especially since it is going to be the holiday season. So here is where I get to the research topic. Through searching, somehow I found out about coconut flower nectar. It is a very sweet sugar that is only 35 on the glycemic index.

There are many people in my life with such a diverse outlook on food, nutrition, diet, whatever the hell you want to call it, and quite frankly, I am NOBODY’S mentor. I do listen more than I give advise, and now I keep to myself more than ever. Sign of the times, with sensationalism becoming so vast, I just give up. I choose to listen and pretty much keep my opinions to myself. I believe in taking responsiblity for my own health and fitness, however, it really is NOT my business to push it onto anyone else. If my loved ones want the sugar, have at it. In fact I simply love making nostalgic baked goods.

So what frustrates me the most, and here I go,………I have been convinced to look up everything from types of oils, to vitamins and minerals. Once site will tell you if you take this supplement, you cannot take that one. One will say this vegetable is good for you, but it must be cooked or you won’t receive the benefits. One will say saturated fats must be taken with specific amounts of omega’s. I mean, you have these half fit wit people spouting off their righteous, specific ways you should consume to the point where it is not that it is hard to keep up with, but they make you feel like an idiot because your not following every single rule. I see no difference in nutritional religion than Biblical religion. Biblical religious people will pick THEIR favorite part of the bible and preach without taking in the whole book! I am positive that anyone that reads this will think I have lost my mind, but,,,,,,,,,I have!! The Atkins diet, is out of style. Now, we have the “Paleo” diet. What is the difference? Am I that dunce?

And I must just put it out there. Fitness and Nutrition is a HUGE money making business. We know that the industry thrives on people with no will power. We know that pretty much anyone can get a certification, find a gimmick, convince people that their way is the right way, and if marketed properly make a TON of money. I get flack for simply challenging people to prove me wrong. And believe me, I LOVE being proved wrong…………….for again……….I am learning.

We have become such an overwhelmed and paranoid society. Everyone is so worried about themselves for reasons unknown. The world is spinning faster. The weather is becoming more dramatic. Politics are back to the medieval times. The word “hater” is cool.

So, since I have succumbed to facebook, with the zillions of “QUOTES” we are imposed. This one stopped me in my tracks…………..ironically by the Dalai Lama;

When asked what surprised him most about humanity, he answered…”Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. and then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”

The human bodies digestive journey

Even someone dutifully involved in sports and nutrition, doesn’t truly intimately know how the magical breakdown happens inside us. For if they did, they would not eat so fast and so much at a time. If they needed the calories they would find a more simplified way through research, so as to not confuse the digestive system. I don’t have my books in front of me, but if I remember right, for a body to perfectly digest and utilize nutrients, we are suppose to only eat around 8 oz of food at a time. DON’T jump down my throat if I am not exact, but it IS a pretty darned small amount.

So, that being said, if you were to take the time and go to the dreaded wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digestive_enzyme , this explains, and you might have to read some of it over a couple of times, but it explains exactly what happens from the time you chew your food, until it goes out the other end to the toilet.

If you go to http://www.innvista.com/health/nutrition/diet/absorb.htm , this page will explain how the food is apsorbed. Both of these pages, IF read thoroughly, will explain what your poor body has to go through to make the food consumed useful.

I know a lot of people that diet for physique competitions that have very strict diets, in portion, and detail of substance. But a lot of times they are putting the foods together fast, throwing them in tupperware, eating on the run, and quite frankly, I KNOW they are not chewing the food to the bodies desired chime, therefore the enzymes that are suppose to be added from the mouth don’t make it to the next level, therefore immediately causing a glitch in the mechanical factor.

Then you have your overload, super power athletes, that “Train to Gain”. They are devouring food like there is no tomorrow, taking in as many calories as they can, scarfing it down because they trained so damned hard and need to EAT! Well, yes, your body is hungry, but for peets sake, you just beat the crap out of the bones, muscles, tendon/ligaments, lungs, heart, so you might as well just top it off with beating up the digestive tract as well. This usually ends in a long nap, and this is to let your body rest,…….right? Guess what? That poor body of yours just shut down so it can go to work and digest food.

And, well, here I go getting a bit out of line, but, has it ever occurred to you that every natural thing you put in your body had to die so you can live? It is a heavy topic, but it is something that I am sure not many people even take into consideration, for we are all guilty of being self absorbed.

If you were to read the two links I suggest above after this blog you will need at least an hour to absorb all of this. And then, if you already know this stuff, then hats off to you! I imagine you are in great condition and your skin, eyes, hair and nails show it! Know that you truly are a rare one!

Jim and Pam's organic garden

I am in a place in my life now where I feel inspired to share, what I have learned, and if anyone would like to ask further they are more than welcome.

The topic we were discussing yesterday was the GMO problem. It is a huge problem that is so out of control that it will never be fixed. That is a fact. At this point there is enough contamination it can never be cleaned up. Politically, it can never end. We just need to take a deep breath. Instead of panicking about 12-12-20012, (which is our latest supposed armageddon) you should be doing what you are afraid of now. I hope I worded that right.

Not knowing exactly where your food comes from IS a troubling thing. We have been learned to not even remotely consider something that stupid. Everyone goes into the grocery store with a list, and once that list is checked off, you check out and go home. There are WAAAAAY too many things to worry about besides what the hell is in our food we put into our bodies that make us do what we do in the first place.

People in my life look at me like I am a fool, thinking I am obsessed with my nutritional needs. The fact is, I don’t want to feel like shit like most of my friends and family do. I like being happy even if it is pouring down rain outside, if I have too much yardwork, too many orders to fill, or better yet, smiling at someone that flips you off on the highway. I pay close attention to how my physical computer works so it functions at its ultimate speed and clarity.

I have some friends down the road, she is 68, and he is 70. They grow the greens I eat. Their whole lifestyle is based on growing thier own greens, paying attention to having full control over what they consume. Taking full responsibility/accountability for themselves. I am VERY lucky to have them in my life. Did you know that FRESH out of the ground celery makes your tongue numb like chewing on a clove? Nope? Imagine how old that celery must already be when purchased at the store.

Even someone who lives in Manhattan can find whole foods if they search. With the internet, I am sure you can do some research and find a farmers market if not in the city, right outside, either upstate, Long Island, or even Jersey.

So, http://www.islandseafoods.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61&Itemid=58 …this is a URL for wild Alaska Salmon, something we talked about on the show yesterday and a woman emailed asking about how to get this, since most stores sell Atlantic Salmon, which is farmed Salmon.

When you purchase ANY greens, whether it is in a plastic bag, (usually the worse), or out on the produce shelves, you MUST WASH THEM!! Not rinse, WASH. There are many ways to wash your greens. You can purchase a vegetable wash usually sells in the produce area. I have not seen any that are not organic. They are all for the same purpose so don’t worry about that. Or, you can take a bit of baking soda, a bit of white vinegar, and a teeny bit of citrus oil. But, it is easier to buy the wash. Every single green you bring home from a supermarket should be soaked in cold water with the wash for approx 15 to 20 minutes, then you rinse, rinse rinse. Salad spinners are great because they dry them off well. Put them in your vegie drawer with a paper towel.

That is the best I can suggest. Please be aware of the greens you are eating. The greens are extremely important. In my opinion, greens and protein are the most essential source you can put in your system for a clean, clear, and top fuel performing body.

I hope that all makes sense, for I don’t want to be wasting my time………..xoxo

Ooooooo...I love my birthday gloves!!!

It is amazing how much you learn about people on facebook. It is definitely an eye opening experience. I would say, for me, about 1/4 of the info I see on my wall is truly inspiring, and I just post on my wall to share. I still have fear to say anything because, well, frankly, I don’t want to look stupid. I very well could be, but I am not going to expose myself to the social network. He, all I really want to do is show off my horse and that can be reduntant. He’s my best best friend and I just love him to death. (Sorry Shannon and Wilz)

I don’t know why, but I was thinking this morning about a time when my paternal Grandmother fell off of a table in a hospital room because she had no one in there with her to help or watch. My Grandparents were adament not to sue the hospital. Many would have surely done so, but they did not see the point. So after Grandmother died, her oldest daughter and husband tried to take me to court to make me take and pay for my Grandmothers dolls, as stated in her will. Somehow that was put in her will. Anyway, I just thought it was odd. Some people will really do anything for a buck. And I never did fall for the whole BS deal. It happened years ago, but for some reason when I was thinking about how stupid people can be, that came into my head.

I’m participating a bit in the mornings with a friend of mine that hosts a radio show called “Fit You” on FTNS.CO radio. The FIRST all fitness radio station on the internet and you can get an app for it on your I-Phone. Kelly Dubois is an awesome friend that came back into my life thanks to “Facebook”. I found HER. So her show is all about logical, achievable, nutrition and strenght training. I absolutely love being a part of it because it is “Wholesome”.

Dieting again is easy, the cardio is not. Not the actual physical part of it, but the time consuming part of it. I try to justify the hours of training instead of chores, working, horse stuff, and family, just to get back on stage and show everyone “I still have it!”. Well, I have been relating it to my car. Yea, I have a license plate on the front of my Camaro SS! “I” know what is under that hood! I don’t have to “Be Too Cool To Have a Front License Plate!” I just keep telling myself that…………If you don’t get what I am saying, forget about it.

Today, I have been in my shop ALL DAY, since 10:00am. Almost 10:pm, still working. Know why? Godfather marathon on AMC. I do not know why, but everytime the Godfather is on, I cannot leave. I have the DVD set. An addiction? YUP! Cannot deny! Good for work though.

I love MBT’s and Sketcher Shape Ups. They really, really do work, at least for me. I love training in them even though they say not to. They have honestly put balance in strength in my stride…Oh…Yea….

Still deadhead on the bikini thing. Cannot get my head wrapped around it. I am sure it has to do with an incident earlier this year with a bikini pro that blindsided me. Didn’t see it coming and a long friendship disolved. Sad………….well, not so much anymore. I pity someone who is so shallow. EVERYONE GETS OLD GIRL!! Everyone gets old, and you will too. So go for it!

Hmmmmmmmm, oh yea, Mercury is now in retrograde until the 26th,…….so,……….better get off the damn computer. Hanker down. Lay low. Don’t go startin nottin. Keep your head clear, and don’t get frustrated when things break down! It always gets better if you get off your ass and make it happen…………

One of the posts on my Facebook said “How you treat me is your karma. How I react is mine.” Whoa, that really made me slow down and think about it. I printed that out and put it in my kitchen so I see it everyday. I need to work on that…………….

Take a VERY good look at this picture....

My husband is looking forward to knee surgery when he gets home. His doctor says he had the exact same knee surgery and is recovering well walking on the treadmill every day. I ran into two 18 year old boys at the gym, one with “3″ shoulder surgery’s, and the other with “8″ knee surgery’s. They are both into motorcross……… I recall an ex friend that was completely adamant that surgery is good. She has had numerous surgery’s, back, shoulder, knee, etc. She would always say to me “Some day you are going to need surgery, you will see”

It will be a cold day in hell that I will need joint surgery.

I just don’t understand why something like resistance training is so abused, missused, missunderstood, and/or negleted when it can prevent so much pain, money, and time in ones future life. As I get older, I get approached with more people complaining about pain. When I tell them how to deal with it they look at me like I am nuts! Okay, so I am nuts. But I will continue my crazy way of life, and I will continue to contribute to that health insurance, so all the sane people can use my share to go get help from those amazing doctors out there. Just taking a joint supplement is not going to cure the problem. You must get those muscles strong enough to hold the joints together! Muscles, tendons, and ligaments hold the joints together. Does that make sense? No????……….OIEY!

My nephew Joseph bonding with Tankus

So……I was convinced that a business page on Facebook is important. So…….my grrrrrrrrl Shannon came over to walk me through this horrifying process. In order to put up a business page you must put up a personal page. BOOM!!! Friends on Facebook!! People that NEVER would send me an email to say hi.

I am so, so, sorry, but I just can’t get out of this stubborn, torque in my head, I cannot give in to this massive worldwide connection, where, quite frankly, I feel is totally out of control. Am I that old fashioned that I dare to send a normal email with pictures I would like to share a specific person without having anyone in the world seeing? So, you have a facebook page, then anyone that you friend (AND MY ‘FRIENDS” DON’T GET ME WRONG) has their friends that see you are a friend of that friend, and so on, and so on. No, no you cannot convince me that this is secure. Why are people so desperate to show people they don’t even really know everything they do and have? I am in awe that people are so desperate to show thier accomplishments, whatever they are, and it just dummy’s down whatever they are doing.

Is there still a such thing as pen pals?

All that ranting being saaaaiidd………………..uh, I DO have a Facebook page for Merry Christine Bodywear. A business page you cannot friend, but you can comment on any of the statements made by me and my grrrrrrrrrl, Shannon, and you can “like this”. So that is fun. You can throw on any of the posts competitions you placed at, send me a picture and I will post it on the Facebook page. And I will also share with you my likes and where to get them. But for crying out loud, if you want to say hi to me, email me and say HI!!

By the way………………go ahead and search for Merry Christine…………….I am NOT unique………..there are literally hundreds of Merry Christine’s. I remember before Facebook, if you did a cyber search for Merry Christine, there was a woman with same name that murdered her husband back in the 60′s or 70′s. ……………Thanks a lot………

So in conclusion, I am trying. Really. But I think I am not going to move on this one.