Eating Out and Food Allergies/Sensitivities

Oh, the perils of eating out when you have multiple food sensitivities and allergies.  Just got home from eating at a really cool restaurant that usually gets my "special" orders correct.  Not so tonight. Had a hankerin' for my once-a-month helping of red meat, so I ordered an angus burger, no bun (can't have gluten), no cheese (can't have dairy), and no fries (contaminated with gluten), substitute asparagus.  What did I get?  Cheeseburger and fries!!!  A real bummer.  But, the restaurant general manager and our waiter apologized profusely, took it back and returned some time later with the order correct this time.  And it was delicious.  Don't be afraid to special order if you have to - most places will accommodate you if you ask and are specific. I am used to ferreting out what will work for my crazy restrictions - in most cases, salad (no cheese), chicken, fish or turkey, and side order of veggies (no cheese).  Plain rice and baked potatoes work well, too.  If you need help navigating the perils of eating with food sensitivities or allergies, contact me.  I'll be glad to work with you!

Lose Up to 5 LBS. in a Week!

Just saw some great tips from Joy Bauer on the Today Show to lose up to 5 lbs. in a week!  Easy, simple ideas:

5  Eat 5 cups of veggies a day

4  Dance to at least 4 of your favorite songs.  (I just did this for 30 minutes and burned over 200 calories!)

3  Eat 3 protein-packed meals a day

2  Drink 2 glasses of water before each meal

1  Have 1 150-calorie snack a day

Here is the link to the segment of the Today Show with great food examples:

http://www.today.com/video/today/52032289#52032289

Check it out!

Summer Nail Colors

Today I went crazy and tried a new bright nail color for summer - lime green!  I am usually a traditionalist in my nail colors and normally pick a muted peach/browns, orange, pink or coral.  But I have been seeing all kinds of blues, greens and purples around town, so I decided to do something different today.  I do feel a little friskier and summery with this polish on, I have to say.  Here a couple of pages of new, fun nail colors to try for the summer.  Why not go a little crazy, too?

http://www.essie.com/Latest-Collections.aspx

https://www.google.com/search?q=essie+lime+green+nail+polish&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=r_mgUeUOiuLyBI37gfAI&ved=0CFwQsAQ&biw=1097&bih=542

Here is a color similar to what I chose today:

Love it!!

To Self-Tan or not Self-Tan? That is the Question.....

How ridiculous, how vain, to worry about how tan I look in the warmer months!  Years ago, I stopped tanning in the sun, because of all the years I abused my skin growing up in Fort Lauderdale, FL and the fact that little skin cancers were appearing on my aging skin.  So I became a devotee on self-tanners, trying various ones over the years.  For the most part, I found some that did not have that that yucky smell of chemicals or a flowery smell to cover up the yucky smell, like Clinique's version.  But the process is very time-consuming, because it must be applied repeatedly, pretty much every day.  Not to mention the fact that if I went in the pool or had a pedicure, the color would completely disappear and I would have to start over.

This year, I decided that I would try not using self-tanner.  This is extremely difficult for me because I like to look of tan legs.  But, oh, the freedom!  So far it has been great not being a slave to the self-tanning process.  However, it is only Memorial Day weekend and there is a long summer ahead.  I may just get a few minutes outside when I can and see if I can get a little color....

Stories of Fear and Worry

When we were in California, we stopped in a little coastal town called Morro Bay.  Beautiful little fishing town with some small shops and pretty views.  We stopped at one shop called Poppy, where I had spied some cute tops in the window.  My husband browsed and found these amazing cards by Marylou Falstreau called Women and the Hourglass, full of powerful messages for women.  I snatched up bunches of them, because the messages were so real and I could relate to each one.  My husband picked up this one and said we needed to put it in our bedroom, so I could meditate on it.

I hadn't noticed that there was a little girl inside the dress of the woman and it reminded me that I need to let that little girl out with a sense of fun and freedom.  My imagination has been going wild with opportunities for her to play.  Do you have a little girl inside you who wants to come out and play?  What would she do if she wasn't fearful and worried (especially about what other people would think-that's my challenge)?  The day is full of opportunities!

Feeling Overwhelmed? A Recipe for a Flare-Up of CFS, Fibro, Lyme and Fatigue

We are back from a fantastic trip to California, driving down the coast from San Francisco on US 1 to Pismo Beach for a Martha Beck life coaching conference.  We saw beautiful scenery and wildlife and enjoyed some down time just enjoying God's creation.  Feeling very relaxed upon our return. Then...the list of things I "needed" to do kept piling up.  Grocery store, errands, laundry, study and even exercise were making me feel stressed out - gotta do this, gotta do that, in an effort to catch up.  When I get this way, I know I've crossed the line when my eyes start to twitch.  My body is trying to tell me, chill out!  But instead I go over in my head all the things I have to do.  This is a recipe for a flare-up of CFS, fibro, Lyme or just overdoing in general.  Going full-tilt, obsessing, never works for me. 

Cool Trip to Pismo Beach, California

I am heading off to Pismo Beach, California today with my husband to attend a Martha Beck Life Coaching conference.  Pismo Beach is about half-way between San Francisco and Los Angeles.  We will be driving down US1 (Pacific Coast Highway) through Big Sur and Carmel and really looking forward to it.  I have never been in that area before and have heard it's gorgeous.  Hoping to learn some new life/wellness coaching tips at the conference.  We will drive back north on US 101, through the vineyard areas and also going to check out some of the old mission churches along the way.  Back next week.  Here is view of Pismo Beach:

California here I come!