A Dying Wish to Bless Another

Every now and then, we all need a little uplifting.  Work and life and responsibilities get in the way.  We get stressed and discouraged and lose sight of a bigger picture.  I'm blessed in so many ways to have an amazing  husband, family, and friends to encourage me when I feel like I'm losing my grip, to strengthen me when I'm weak, and to heal me when I break.  Strangers can even have just as much of an impact with a single act of kindness.  It can be a nice word or action...something tying us together in a moment of selflessness that touches both our lives and lifts our spirits more than we think possible.

Some of you may have heard this story already.  I'm a listener of The Kane Show here in DC and heard this on my way to work one morning.  As a former waitress it particularly touched me because I remember how special it was to receive a large tip from a customer out of blue.  In this case, one family's tragedy became a blessing that will keep on giving.  Earlier this month, a young man named Aaron Collins passed away.  His dying wish in his will was to have his family enjoy pizza and tip their waitress $500.  What an amazing person he must have been...

And the second person to be blessed...

After spending a couple months on an oncology (cancer) rotation for school at Walter Reed, I promised myself that whenever I thought life was getting too hard, to remember those soldiers fighting to live each day.  Lately, I've forgotten that.  I've forgotten that my challenges are small in comparison to others.  What I face will only make me stronger.  I have my health and the love of others to get me through each day.  What I need to remember though, is that as long as I am alive, there is always time to bless someone whether I know them or not.  

*The family of Aaron Collins have created a website and are collecting donations.  As long as they continue to receive funds, they will continue to give to others.  For details visit aaroncollins.org

Melatonin, Magnesium, and Sleep

Sleep.  Sometimes a good night's sleep is the best thing in the world.  But what happens when you constantly suffer from tossing and turning?  Well, how old is your mattress?  My Love and I splurged and upgraded our mattress a few years ago to a Tempur-pedic.  Best. Decision. Ever.

Today, my thoughts on sleep are a little different.  This was inspired by a question from my uncle.  Normally I wouldn't broadcast my health question answers to the public, but whoever reads this blog will soon become something similar to family.  I suppose some individuals will become something akin to a web-family.  Please know that anything health-related has been researched before-hand, but is not inclusive of all research available.  There would simply be too much to fit into a short blog if everything about a topic was covered.  I will do the best I can to attach sources to assist you in personal research if the subject catches your attention.

Okay, so onto the subject of sleep again. My uncle recently heard on a radio talk show that taking magnesium along with melatonin helps you sleep better at night.  Now, melatonin is a chemical that naturally occurs in the brain to regulate our sleep cycles.  I generally recommend it for individuals who expect a lot of jet lag while traveling or if someone has insomnia (problems falling asleep).  The new part to this equation is magnesium.

There was a study published in January 2011 that has sparked a lot of conversation around taking magnesium with melatonin to assist individuals with sleep.  The study seen here took place in a long-term care facility in Italy.  There were two groups; one group received 5mg melatonin, 225mg magnesium, and 11.25mg zinc an hour before bedtime, and the other group received a placebo.  The results of the study showed "statistically significant" differences between the two groups.  In the science community that means there was measurable and meaningful difference between the results of both groups.  The group that took the magnesium, melatonin, and zinc had an easier time falling asleep, an over-all better night's sleep, less of a "hangover" feeling when they woke up, and were more alert the following morning.

Based on this study, I would have no problem recommending that a patient try adding magnesium to melatonin to help assist falling asleep.  It is important to recognize though, this study does not compare melatonin and magnesium against melatonin by itself.  If the study compared those two groups together, we'd have a better idea if magnesium truly offers a substantial benefit to sleep.  Whatever the case, if you suffer from problems falling alseep, adding on magnesium may offer some help.

***Melatonin, magnesium, and zinc supplements are not for everyone.  They should not be taken if you have certain medical conditions or currently take specific medications.  Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting any new medication or supplement.***


Sources
J Am Geriatr Soc. 2011 Jan;59(1):82-90. doi 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2010.03232.x.
"Melatonin." MedlinePlus. 18 July 2012. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/940.html
"Magnesium in Diet." MedlinePlus. 18 July 2012. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002423.htm

A cold summer drink

Today I had the motivation to go out for a run with the doggy.  Lately it's been hard to get into the habit of it especially with the hot muggy heat.  I know that once I step outside the house, the sweat will quickly start.  Then, once I get on the trail I know my red-furried friend will start pulling me along instead of keeping pace with me.  To my surprise though, the heat or dehydration or lack of endurance (most likely the latter) got to her and me a lot quicker than expected.  My hopes for a 3 mile run quickly became a 2.5 mile jog, most of which I feel like I walked. But the effort was there, right?  So on my walk back home in the hot sun, I took the dog off the leash in an open field and watched her run over to the distant shady trees only to immediately plop to the ground in exhaustion.  Then I started thinking, "If I wanted refreshment, like the shade, what would I want?"  Well, at a time like that there's nothing better than an ice cold glass of water.  Even better than that though, is knowing that I'm going home to filled pitcher of filtered refreshment.

Yes, it's good to get out and exercise, but what are you putting back into your body?  If you use Brita® then their filters only remove around 6 heavy metals and chemicals, Pur® filters remove over 20, but my carbon-filter? Wait for it....56 industrial pollutants, environmental pollutants and heavy metals, including 99% of lead!!  Click here for an abbreviated version of the proof.  And yes, I did call Brita® and confirm this sadness.  So, what amazing brand is this you might ask?  Well, you're not going to find it in stores.  My water filters come from the nation's leading natural nutrition company, Shaklee.  The filters are made with sustainable coconut shell carbon and have the capacity to filter almost double the amount of water as most competitor filters (80 gallons vs. 40 gallons.)  Shaklee's Get Clean® water pitchers give me more satisfaction knowing that the glass of water I pour after an attempt at exercise is much cleaner than what it was before coming out of the faucet.  

What if you already have a Brita® or Pur® water filter system?  No problem!  Shaklee's Get Clean® water filters are made to be compatible with Brita® and Pur® pitchers.  If you'd like to have cleaner water too, all you need to do is purchase the replacement carbon-filters from Shaklee and be on your way to enjoying a better filtered glass of water at the end of your workout. 


For more information about these wonderful pitchers and filters, see the product bulletin.


What about ordering?  If you'd like to see more, visit my personal Shaklee website. 

Fresh Pizza

I've been growing a mini herb garden and attempted to use it for the first time tonight.  I have a little planter that I started parsley, cilantro, and basil in, thinking that I'd use the fresh little plants more than I have.  Tonight was the beginning.  We created freshly made pizzas with my basil.  From the help of my hubby, DJ (former Dominoes pizza-maker extraordinaire), we crafted two homemade pizzas that I'd be thrilled to try again and share with friends.  We purchased raw pizza dough from our local Harris Teeter and baked it before topping with our ingredients.  

1st pizza:

Pesto sauce

grilled chicken with Cajun seasoning

sun-dried tomatoes (on half)

fresh tomatoes, chopped

fresh mozzarella cheese

spinach

fresh basil, chopped

2nd pizza:

Marinara sauce

grilled chicken with Cajun seasoning

pepperoni (on half)

green pepper, grilled

sun-dried tomatoes (on half)

fresh tomatoes, chopped

fresh smoked mozzarella

Smoked Mozzarella

Prepping the dough

Both were so delicious that for seconds we always had to get a piece of each!

So it begins

Growing up, surprises both good and bad were always followed by "oh for Pete's safe," "oh my stars," "for goodness gracious."  My husband never grew up with these sayings, so to him they're funny sounding.  To me, it's a constant reminder of where I came from.  Now, the latter of the phrases is actually one by which I try to live.  Goodness - it can mean so many things! Kindness, forgiving, wholesome, nutritious, sweet, eye-catching, etc....  Gracious -hospitality, putting others first, gift-giving, whole-heartedness, etc...  Not sure if the last is an actual word according to spell check, but you get my drift.  So, thus begins my exploration to find additional pictures, recipes, blogs, phrases, ideas, and reports related to exploring goodness and graciousness.  Let's see what we find!