The Last Day of School!!!

I have been waiting for this day...impatiently. Today was the last day of school until Aug.22nd. The end of the year is always stressfull and this year was worse with all the changes in staff, classess, rooms, etc. Throw in my arthritis in this humid muggy NE Ohio weather and it all added up to a pretty crappy week. I haven't been following my routine so my entire system is out of whack....eating, exercising, sleeping...everything is a mess.

Tomorrow, June 1st, I am returning to my schedule. I will be posting daily and sharing recipes, exercises, tips, etc. It's always more fun to journey with someone. I hope I pick up a friend or two as the days go by.
Step one is a three mile walk in the morning....am so looking forward to getting up and walking, rather than rushing around to get daily chores done before flying through a shower and out the door to school.

How Does Your Body Know What the Weather Will Be?

90 degrees plus today. And humid. The combination makes my arthritis go nuts. Arthritis is what started me on this journy to begin with. I decided taking a load off my spine might help and it has. Staying active is key to keeping arthritis at bay, but I am limited to what I can do. I purchased a few of Leslie Sansone's walking tapes and I try to do at least 2 miles a day.

Research says walking is one of the best forms of exercise so I have become a groupie! And I take 2 pound weights with me. Two pounds in each hand is really nothing, but until I build some upper arm strength I need to take it a step at a time...no pun intended.

I have to laugh as she talks you through the walk. She says that "arm muscles shape right up' when you start to work them out. God, I hope so!

The List of Rules

It has been 9 months since this journey began. There are days when I would kill for food from my old life, but I try hard to focus on the here and now. I repeat the rules like a mantra in my head:

1) If it is white, don't eat it!
2) If you can eat it raw, then you should eat it.
3) The more fiber in the food the better.
4) Eat a vegetarian life stylr at least 4 days out of the week.
5) Water is your best friend.
6) Graze instead of eating meals.

These rules may sound too hard to live by, however the tradeoff has been worth it. My blood pressure sits at 106 over 70. My cholesterol levels have dropped. I can go up and down stairs without gasping for breath. I feel better all over. And shopping is fun! There is an entire new world at the mall that has opened up for me.

And the journey continues. I have another 45 pounds to go. I can do this.

The Way to Begin is Just to Take the First Step....

I've been wanting to do this for some time now. I figure it is a way to keep me motivated, and moving forward on this new journey. I chose the name as these two items were my first step to a new life: antioxidants and fiber!


I turned 50 in April of 2011. I had a colonoscopy on August 26, 2011. After drinking all that vile disgusting stuff that cleanses and purifies, being put to sleep, and waking up to be told I had a beautiful colon (is there such a thing?)I decided that nothing fattening, greasy, or in any way, shape, or form, unhealthy was going to pass my lips.


Today is May 21, 2012 and I am 54 pounds lighter and I've managed to keep that promise...pretty much. I decided an occasional piece of licorice won't kill me. There have been other changes in my life, as well. I am a true convert. I am a foodie. I now hunt down recipes that are devoid of fat and salt and processed foods.


This is my story. This is my life-change. And this is my attempt at a blog. It's all a learning process...one step at a time. One day at a time.