Health Food

In bygone years I have been a health foodie as well as a junk foodie! For the first 13 years of our married life I did not eat any meat for five and then only white meat for the next seven. We also did not eat sugar. No refined sugar, zip, nada nothing. After I had my sixth baby something went haywire and I started eating everything in sight. I mean everything in sight.

The problem with this is of course I started getting fat. So I started working out like a crazy person. I mean I worked out about three hours a day. I was doing triathlons and I almost broke even. I still could not get my weight where I wanted it. Of course the fact that I was stuck in eating for two mode did not help. My excuse is I ate for two for fifteen years due to nursing and being pg. so I just kept it up, not good.

After all these years I have figured out the formula for staying at my ideal weight and I don't even have to work out three hours a day. I do work out one hour a day. I also practice portion control! When I first began trying this out I would take my regular helping and then put half of it back. That worked out well and now I have a good idea of what a portion actually is.

When I became a certified personal trainer it also helped because we had to see what a portion was. Boy oh boy was I way off. In fact I was not eating for two, I was actually eating for three or four people.

I have come full circle and am back to being a health foodie. That mostly because junk food is too expensive in Costa Rica, and just because I feel better when I eat healthy. Maybe by the time I am fifty I will realize my goal of being comfortable enough to work out in my jog bra and running shorts, not quite there yet.

THANKS

I decided that before I got into the Christmas Holidays I would finish up with Thanksgiving. That has been our tradition for years. We always try and give thanks before asking for more stuff.

We had the girls help us write a list of 100 things we were thankful for. It was quite easy and we just went on and on. I think they were surprised by how many things they had to be thankful for. Maleah began by saying Jesus and then she just started looking around the room naming everything she saw.

Today I am very thankful for my health. Last year at this time I was suffering from asthma from a bronchial infection that lasted for about 5 months. I learned a lot about asthma, inhalers, prednisone, and asthma control.

This year I have been symptom free and am anxiously training for some 5k's this summer, which is winter to all of you Northerners. And I will be training for the marathon coming up in June.

So here is saluds!

PURA VIDA

Life is Good! That is pretty much the same as saying pura vida. I still cannot say it like they do here in Costa Rica, but I am working on it. I think I am saying it the same, but alas it just does not come out the right way. My mouth does not speak spanish very well.

At any rate I was thinking today about how good my life is and feeling pretty darned grateful for it. Maleah and I were able to stroll to the health food store for some calcium and magnesium for mom, and a treat for her. So far we are batting zero on health food store treats. She really just is not into them.

Days like this remind me why I traded in my past life for the pura vida life. We were both working the grind, with all of our might and we were like the hamsters on the wheel, just going around as quickly as you please and not getting anywhere.

As I have said we had our economic melt down way before the rest of the world. But we did have it and it was time to decide.

I don't know if my daughters will ever appreciate how tranquil their lives are here, but I do believe they will reap the rewards of living in such a stress free enviroment. I know it has helped me.