Last week we talked about having a post for people to share their struggles and successes in pursuit of fasting, sacrifices, and healthy living. I had originally intended a weekly post which would be for discussions from both a religious and secular point of view.
After reading comments, as well as reflecting on past feedback from our Treepers, I think that may not be the way to go. We have readers who love to share their religious posts, and mostly do that on the OT, every day. I do think there may be opportunities for those who want to dig deeper into things like fasting and contemplative prayer, or theological discussions, and sacrificial living.
That being said, this is an opportunity for sharing. I am not attempting to guide the Treehouse on a more religious path, or veer away from what it has become. The post will not be a place for arguments or attacks on another denomination. If it goes in that direction I will simply discontinue the posts. There are good sites where one can follow apologetics from many perspectives. Go there for that.
We have also gotten a lot of feedback over the years from people who want a place for discussions other than politics that is not overwhelmingly a faith based discussion. We will try that out also, and I will remind posters to respect the intent of each post, and the audience who may want to contribute.
For now, I tentatively plan to post on alternate weeks, one post, probably on Fridays, for faith discussions, and living it out sacrifically and practically. The next week a post intended for those who’d like to discuss diets, exercise, healthy eating, motivation, share recipes, that sort of thing. I’ll probably post this on Saturday or Sunday with the idea of preparing and being motivated for the week ahead.
This may be confusing, especially at first. Maybe if there is interest we will do it weekly, and that might cut down on confusion. The days might change. Suggestions on my post last week favored every day of the week except Tuesday and Thursday. So, we will attempt something new, and see if it bears fruit.
Now, on to the title I’ve chosen for the first post to share ideas on healthy eating, exercising, health management, maybe even tips on how you manage the aches and pains of aging or injury. For example, my fellow admins had a discussion a month or two ago on B complex vitamins. Their suggestions really helped me with some lingering mild neuropathy from my ankle injury.
Two and a half years ago I fractured my ankle, all three bones, and suffered some ligament damage also. In a few months, hopefully I’ll get an ankle replacement and regain a lot of the mobility I’ve lost, as well as perhaps decrease the pain. For a lot of those two years, I have not handled the new circumstances the injury left me with. I’m sorry (really) to say that I’ve spent a lot of time looking back, a lot of time mourning what I lost, even resenting it, and hating what I cannot do. Of course, that got me exactly nowhere. And was a huge failure in picking up my cross.
Finally, this past December, I decided to forget about how many miles I used to walk daily. The other physical activities I could do. I decided to walk only five minutes, if that was all I could do. To use dumbbells and do one set of low impact exercises, if one set is all I can do. To do chair squats to improve my leg strength. To do the physical therapy exercises again. And to do what I can do throughout the day instead of trying in vain to accomplish things that are no longer in my reach, and will not be, at least for now.
And I’ve gotten stronger. I walked 3/4 of a mile the other day, on some slight hills. I can be on my feet a little longer with less pain. I feel better, and have a better outlook. Because I can see accomplishments physically, I am more motivated to eat healthier foods and stick with my intermediate fasting.
It’s still a hard thing to deal with, that my actions produce incremental progress that might never be what I want it to be. That I have to accept less than what I had, and what I want. But it is better than not trying at all, and I am far from determining what my successes might be.
I recommend the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. It’s a great book on ways to introduce small changes that can lead you to big results.
If you can pass on some tips or experiences to help us eat better, get stronger, stay motivated, and deal with adversity and injury, please share. It might be a keto recipe, a story of how you lost weight and kept it off, or tips on vitamins and supplements like the B complex story above.
Please keep your comments to a moderate length. People stated on the original post, and in emails, that they really don’t want to have to skim past long, long posts, as they simply won’t read them. If you have a big story, share it it segments each week, or sum up what’s most important, or zero in on one important aspect or detail to share.
Second, there are many ways to health and fitness. Many people are eating low carb, or fasting. Some are strictly calorie watchers. Others follow a low fat, no sugar diet. Some are vegetarian. Offer your tips but do not push your thoughts on others. I hope we will get a wide variety of good ideas for people to choose from, no matter what choices they make. Our readers are intelligent enough to make their own choices. Let them.
Stay on topic. I don’t care how much you think political events are relevant to this post, don’t hijack this (or future) posts with political discussions.
I am not sure whether I will start the Fasting Abstinence, and Sacrifices posts during Lent on Fridays, or wait until after Easter. We’ll see how that works out.
I personally would rather not see any faith based area bc it’s gonna overflow to everywhere. I’ll be straight, I’m an atheist who debates Mormons all day on Quora. My main concern is their treatment and shunning of lgbt which I find to be an antiquated patriarchal leftover that is no longer accepted. It is wrong to tell others what they should do with their lives or who they can marry. It is even more wrong to shun others who your beliefs disagree with – as we’ve seen Utah lead the us in suicides for decades. I’m an ally and hope I don’t have to defend anyone here.
Hmmmm so much free space so little time.
First thanks, all of you!
First off, religion and government are equals, control is the point. Gods is freedom, with all thine heart seek a relationship, search every nook and cranny but…test all with his word.
Health issues, I have found great rewards in juicing. Many times the issues are ‘we cannot absorb nutrients in a processed state’ juicing solves that. Diets all fall into place IMHO when you juice religiously (sarc).
Most people have no connection to their own body so they never listen to its needs or limits, it matters. Growing old I notice parts of my awareness leave me. I assume our efficiency decreases and our body ‘budget cuts’ ?
I was a scientist all my life, and by profession. I dealt in hard sciences, tangible things, and hypotheses that could be tested and measured. When my mother passed, I saw her silhouette in the clouds for 3 days, then never again. It was so clear and unmistakable that it had a profound effect on me. Was my grief making me delusional? No, I have always been stoic, emotions well in check. Then it occurred to me that just because we cannot test and measure something doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist. Perhaps we’ve simply not yet discovered it. We KNOW dark matter is present, yet we cannot measure it. At one time, people were sure that the world was flat and later, that the sun revolved around the world. We’ve since learned otherwise.
So, I have taken a renewed look at spirituality and have started– STARTED– learning the Bible. My atheism is diminishing and I marvel at the immense beauty all around us. Go to a park in the spring and marvel at the flora and fauna and the beauty that surrounds us. The feeling is very spiritual, even though I can come up with “explanations” as to why I might feel so. We don’t know everything so it may be wise to not take rigid positions but to be more open-minded as to possibilities that we cannot yet prove.
A few hundred years ago we were unaware of infrared or ultraviolet, yet now we have cameras that can see them. We use X-rays to penetrate the flesh and see inside our bodies. Who knows what tomorrow may bring– A camera to see dark energy? The spiritual world? It may be wise to be open to the possibilities rather than take an absolute stance. Just sayin’.
A few years ago, I lost 25lbs simply by giving up some carbs. I was eating at least 2 carbs with every meal. I hate diets and denying myself for too long. For instance, instead of spaghetti and meatballs AND garlic bread, I gave up the bread. Instead of a hamburger AND French fries I gave up either the bun or the fries. And when I walked, I would walk 4 minutes and jog 1 minute. I’m not a runner. You get the point. The weight went off fast, like 2.5 months. Dessert once a week instead of every day. Also, a few exercises here and there. It worked for me. God bless!
All the rage used to be eat 5 small meals a day, now it is fasting. I have to agree, do what works best for yourself. I find focusing so hard keeping tabs is a distraction. I no longer go out to eat out w/this person, but I had a friend that would ask for her salad dressing on the side and then literally measure out her dressing for the salad.
Intermittent fasting is all the rage these days, with some people using complicated formulas for when to eat and when to fast. I got it down to a simplicity that works for me because I live and work alone and don’t have to coordinate my meal times with anyone else.
It is simply this: I eat when I’m hungry, and if I’m not hungry I don’t eat. Sometimes it works out to only one meal in a day. Which is easy when you’re not hungry!
I’ve lost about 50 pounds in a little over 6 months.
Carol, I have been doing that for over30 years and have stayed thin. When I am hungry I eat whatever I want. Also the trick is to stop eating when you are no longer hungry instead of stopping until your full. It has worked for me for years.
Sundance: a point of grammar – “that being said” or “having said that” I think is improper grammar. I think the phrase should be “nevertheless”
I’ve tried just about everything out there to lose weight and live more healthfully, while combating weight gain from the overwhelming urge to live contrary to my best intentions over my 58 years.
I joined the Y in ‘09 It was the thing that has worked best for me, having a gym membership. I’ve gained and lost weight while simultaneously working out with varying regularity, but never returning to my previous state of poor health.
My latest jam is CrossFit, which I’ve been doing at the Y, there’s an affiliate on site at my location. It’s been a great experience with staggering positive results from vastly improved blood work, better fitting clothes, to a real sense that I’m reaching another level of fitness that I didn’t think possible.
I swim at the YMCA a few times a week. Even if you are not a great swimmer it is exercise that keeps you flexible, helps your heart and breath capacity and does not put stress on bones or joints.I’ve taken to the Y because they keep the water fairly warm. The shock of jumping in cold water on a winter day is a hurdle I don’t want to face.
I’ve eyed the pool since I started coming into the gym at 5:30 am, at that time it’s not crowded at all but so far I haven’t taken the plunge. Maybe some day…
Plus you don’t get sweaty from exercising in a pool!
Learn about good nutrition (not the poorly named “Healthy Plate” guidelines) and eat real, whole foods instead of things with paragraphs of ingredients that you can’t pronounce. Make sure you get enough protein: as we age, our protein needs increase. Get your protein from animal sources, and recognize that “plant based” foods are often highly processed and the protein content claimed is less bio- available than proteins from meat, fish, eggs, and poultry.
If your A1c is above 5.7 you need to act to get it back to normal: because you are a diabetic. Yes, even 5.8 is too high! Type 2 diabetes can be reversed if you correct your diet. I did it within 4 months, and you can too. Type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease but it is curable without drugs.
Great advice!
I think fresh air and sunshine are so important in everyone’s life. Even if you are unable to exercise, if you can just open a door or window and enjoy both, you will begin to feel so much better!
I take 400 mg of echinacea every day to prevent colds, flu, etc. I discovered this supplement while I was overseas working in 3rd world countries. These places are not always healthy places and when flying on airlines from place to place there was always someone with a bad cold or the flu on board. I took one 400mg pill every day and if I knew I was going to fly I took two a day for 2 weeks before and after the trip. I had a TCN engineer that worked for me and every time he went home to the Philippines he came back sick. The next time he went home I bought him a bottle of echinacea and gave it to him a couple of weeks before he left. This time a came back healthy. My mother -in-law who is in her late 80’s took it to try and prevent COVID before the vaccine came out and has continued to take it ever since and reported far fewer colds and flu. (she didn’t get COVID either).
Apparently it works by enhancing your immune system so you can fight of bacteria and viruses better. Most expats I knew took it overseas, however I don’t think it is that well know in the states. I have never heard of anyone that had side effects from it. I have bad allergies and I never had a problem with it.. It is available in the vitamin section of most drug stores and health food stores. I am not a doctor so I can only report my personal experience, so consider the source.
About 20 years ago our niece had leukemia and spent a year at St. Jude. Before she came home, the doctor’s at St. Jude put her parents and siblings on echinacea to try to reduce the likelihood one of them would get sick and be a risk to her. We figured if the doctor’s at St. Jude recommended it, it was a good thing.
Sambuccol works great too, elderberry, as a preventative and a time reduction if you do get sick.
I’ve been fat all my life, not from eating junk food, but from good food, primarily because I am too sedentary. I have taken to walking, like Sundance, and rebuilding lost muscles– muscles which burn calories even while sitting. I get Sundance’s comments loud and clear. To that end, if anyone struggles with obesity, I recommend a tablespoon full of YACON syrup and hour before meals, as described in Dr. Eades, The Arrow #103, about halfway down his blog. (https://michaeleades.substack.com/p/the-arrow-103). It will make you fart like there’s no tomorrow, but it helps stabilize blood sugar and curbs appetite.
As for vitamins, I cannot emphasize vitamin D enough. We take 20,000 IU daily to get our blood levels to the optimum 60-80ng/ml range. https://www.theepochtimes.com/health/high-dose-vitamin-d-may-treat-incurable-diseases-experts_5077108.html
As we age, the importance of taking care of our bodies increases, and I dare a guess that many (most?) of us here are Baby Boomers. My father expressed it well: “We spend half of our lives ruining our bodies, then the other half trying to undo the damage”. Very true. Just because we’ve gotten away with bad habits doesn’t mean that continuing them will be inconsequential.
We take 500mg quercetin, 25mg zinc, 2000mg vitamin C, 20,000 IU vitamin D and remain Covid-free, without masks, without vaccines, without social distancing, despite people all around us succumbing to the man-made disease. Most medical doctors only take one class in nutrition during their medical training, all the while they are indoctrinated with which pill to push for what. Many, MANY illness can be treated through dietary supplements, one of the most important being vitamin D. The normal range is 30-130ng/ml, but optimum is 60-80 ng/ml. The next time your doctor orders blood work to be taken, ask for a vitamin D test and see what your level is. Adjust your intake accordingly.
BTW, it is my belief that the supplement regimen I take will keep me covid, cold (RSV), and flu free for the rest of my life. Vaccines cannot protect us against respiratory viruses, per Fauci and CDC’s recent admissions, because these viruses multiply in the mucosa. The quercetin and zinc, combined, result in a hostile environment for viral multiplication and are more effective than any vaccine.
Thanks, Menagerie! This is a great thread, so much helpful info.
I didn’t see any mention of cissus quadrangularis, which has been used for centuries for a wide variety of conditions. I first learned about it while looking for supplements that would help bones heal quickly.
A relative who uses crutches to walk fractured his sternum. The PA
looked at the x-ray and insisted it wasn’t a fracture, just a bruise, so he walked on it for 4 months in a lot of pain. Since it was in frequent motion the fracture never healed and decided to function as a joint. He finally pushed for a CT scan but by then the fracture had worsened and surgical repair was the only option.
The repair required a titanium plate and 7 screws. He started on the CQ (used Cissus Pro-1000) after the surgery and when he went to the ortho surgeon a month later for a checkup the bone had grown over the plate and screws. The surgeon hadn’t heard of CQ before but was so impressed by the results he said he would recommend it to other patients.
I’ve since given bottles of CQ to others, one with an ankle fracture and one with a fractured foot. They both had great results with it. I also gave a bottle to another relative who had shoulder surgery since it good for tendons, ligaments and joint pain (it’s a favorite of gym rats and pro athletes).
There are a lot more benefits, here is a link:
https://community.bulksupplements.com/cissus-quadrangularis/?ad_id=645347016407&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6I2fjInX_QIVYgytBh3xcQRHEAAYAiAAEgI_1fD_BwE
Note that supplements should be discontinued 2 weeks before a surgical procedure.
I saw one mention of trace minerals on thisnthread and I wanted to note that with reverse osmosis and bottled water trace minerals are missing from the water most of us drink. Buying water with minerals like Perrier is expensive, so adding trace mineral drops (ConcenTrace Trace Minerals) is a good alternative. It’s really helpful when fasting too since water with trace minerals hydrates better than water without.
Menagerie, I seem to recall you mentioned having well water, which contains minerals. Adding trace mineral drops makes the water taste like it used to, namely well water.
Caution: don’t try the concentrated drops alone, they taste awful. It takes a bit of experimentation to decide on how much to add to your water. You can add by the glass, the pitcher, in coffee, oatmeal, etc. and is also great to add to your pet’s water dish.
This is so interesting ! Thanks Lanna