Healthy Holiday Festivities

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

Like most of the Country, here in Indiana the 4th of July is known for barbecuing, drinking, and lighting stuff on fire. Well the lighting stuff on fire is suppose to be, as my kids call them, for the “boomers.”

On Saturday night, we had our 4th of July celebration in Bedford. While the town use to spread-out around the football field and track, the festivities are now centered around the downtown, including the fireworks. Just a few years ago the city spent quite a bit of money revitalizing and moving (yes moving) an old historic train depot to just off the square. Just in front of this building is where the fireworks are fired, giving those on the square optimal viewing. ( I do not go on the square, way too many people.) In the middle of the show it was obvious there was a problem as the fireworks had stopped, and heavy smoke started billowing over the top of the building. Turns out, stuff really did get lit on fire, a bush and a sign went up in flame just in front of the train station. There was no one hurt and the station is fine, just another fun story on this journey of life.

Fireworks are fun to talk about and so is this Journey I am on to get healthier. Yesterday was probably my first true test on how I would handle my change to living a healthier lifestyle. Before we go too much farther lets take a look at what I mean by living healthy. A friend of mine put me in contact with Thomas Malchow through Instagram, prior to my back surgery. Thomas is a Kinesiologist, Golf Fitness Specialist, Corrective Exercise Specialist, and Nutritionist, and operates the Low Back Pain Center, you should check this out. I look forward to working with him on the fitness side, for if I learn as much about fitness as I have about nutrition this Journey is going to get fun.

The first and most important thing that I have done with my nutrition, eliminate as many processed foods from my diet as possible. Part of this is also looking at the oils that are used in a recipe or ingredients from the store. By eliminating processed food I am changing the way my body stores energy and burns fat. When you eliminate processed food you eliminate quite a bit of carbs, especially the bad ones. So, what are some of the foods I am trying to stick with?

• Lean Meat: wild caught salmon and shrimp, organic chicken
• Vegetables: LOTS OF VEGETABLES, salads, but NO potatoes or corn
• Dairy: cheese (grass fed, if possible), cottage cheese, almond milk, and free range non GMO eggs
• Fruit: blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, cantalope
• Avocado
• Spices, herbs, different flours (almond flour), different oils (coconut oil)

There is more but I believe this gives the best picture for now. I am more then happy to discuss though, as I am still learning myself, that’s why this is a Journey. Please feel free to contact me by commenting on this post, through social media, or by email.

The holiday really was the first test I have had. For the main course I had cheeseburgers with no bun, steamed broccoli, and carrots, overall not bad. The cheeseburger was definitely not lean and I ate too much of it. The other thing I had that was not normal was a little piece of angel food cake with some strawberries. Eating something every-once in a while is not bad; however, I am finding that I don’t care for it as much as I use to. Should have just had the strawberries. What I am finding is that broccoli has become my favorite food to lean on, especially since there are so many different ways it can be utilized either raw or cooked. This is much more about getting my gut healthy to get the rest of my body healthy, so while others enjoyed their potato chips and buns I will stick with being full on proteins and fats with as little processed foods as possible.

Until next time, Enjoy!

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