Music is food for the soul.

I've had a friend in the hospital for the past several weeks. He's older, had a heart attack and discovered he also has cancer and needs chemotherapy. It's very sad that he's been in and out of ICU and unresponsive for several weeks including when I last visited him.

Last week, I made him two cd's for my friend to bring him over the weekend. She played them for him and voila, he opened his eyes and started moving his hands to the music. Reports are that he's 1000% better so I'm going to visit him tonight and bring some more music for him.

#15. Today I'm grateful for music's power to heal the body and soul.

Every time you buy food, you're voting for the world you want.

"Every time you buy food, you're voting for the world you want. When you choose corporate processed foods, you're paying for a food system gone awry, including the massive environmental cleanup of runoff from industrial farms. When you buy good Grub, you're supporting the production of food that doesn't poison our farm workers or the environment, but preserves biodiversity, rural communities, and food security. Every time we choose Grub, we're making the healthy choice, not just for our bodies, but for the planet as well." ~Anna Lappe

#14. Today I'm grateful for the healthy, organic food choices that nourish, heal, restore and regenerate my body daily.

Where does your garden grow?

Spent a few hours on Sunday gardening at my friend Ron Finley's house. He has turned his lawn into a beautiful edible food garden. I learned a lot about composting and planting with the hopes of applying even a bit of his knowledge to my own garden. I would ultimately like to create a sustainable food garden of my own. It's physically challenging and artistic and creative and therapeutic all at the same time. The most important lesson being that the best way to learn how to grow food is to just do it and see what happens through trial & error. I think that lesson applies to most of life actually.

#7. Today I'm grateful for the blessing of friends who are willing to do, teach, learn & share their kknowledge... From dirt to dirt. :)

Health and Fitness Goals

After setting my new health and fitness goals and losing 2 pounds last week, I'm on a mission to lose 10-12 more pounds in the next 6 weeks, which would put me back to my ideal healthy weight. I read recently that posting my goals online is one good way to keep myself accountable and focused so here we are. :)

A few great sources of fitness information, I've been doing the cardio workouts from the Self Drop 10 Challenge and using Calorie Counter to track the calories of recipes I create. Although, I do read the recipe recommendations of both sites and have tried a few of their recipes with modifications, I tend to cook using my own recipes given I have strict personal dietary requirements/restrictions that their recipes don't always accommodate for. Also, after the last five years of practicing, I've actually become great at creating and making healthy recipes that taste amazing! :)

As part of the process, I created a Health and Fitness page on Pinterest. I've been especially enjoying the workouts labeled Monday - Friday (pictured below) & am pleased with the results so far. I have yet to find/make time each week to do five 1-hour workouts. I am getting in four good 1-hour workouts each week and lengthening the cardio beyond 20 minutes at least twice a week to get more miles in.

Before I started this new routine, I was hiking Runyon Canyon regularly but wasn't weight training and had hit a plateau, not seeing any weight loss results and actually gained a few pounds over the winter. Although I was eating healthy & exercising regularly, I wasn't counting my calorie intake. So as I was discussing this frustration with my lack of results with my good friend (who's in fabulous shape BTW), he suggested added interval running for 20 minutes a day, 5 days per week and weight training to my routine. I agreed to try and see what happened.

When I decided to start incorporating running into my workout routine, I began with interval "jogging" on the treadmill for 20 minutes. I decided to improve and increase my speed each week to build strength without causing self-injury or strain from over-doing it. It has been years since I've been a "runner" and I wasn't sure how my body would react to be honest. I'm now interval jogging/walking between a 20 min mile pace and 11.2 min mile pace for 20 - 30 minutes + doing the weight training routines below and ending with a 10 - 15 minute stretch & yoga session. Last week, I cut my daily calorie intake to 1600 per day and am finally seeing results on the scale. 5.5 weeks to go...

The only thing standing between you and your goal

I'm going to post this picture in my bathroom, 
right over the toilet next to the mirror as a "note to self". 

A bit of history on the picture, friends were visiting me while I was living in Ireland in '07 and during our tour of the Ring of Kerry I took this shot right after my car overheated and the engine blew stranding us for several hours. Talk about getting stuck at a crossroads... my car had lost power steering going downhill towards a cliff and this is the spot we safely managed to land. But what started as a mishap ended up being one of the greatest adventures of our trip. The rest of the story can be read on my travel blog.

This image reminds me of a time frame where I continuously pushed and challenged myself and those around me to grow in ways that many questioned as impossible "because it had never been done before". But what kind of excuse is that anyways? So while the naysayers were busy neighing, we gathered the right people (ones that were willing to say yes and just do it), set goals and deadlines, and pushed ahead in leaps and bounds accomplishing things daily that had never been done before. 


What is most great is it's not just true of those experiences but a lesson to be reminded of repeatedly anytime I stop myself from staying on track as it speaks loudly to me, "Nothing is impossible. If I can accomplish "that"-- ie. taking the first step and moving to Ireland alone for 2 years, learning to cross the street by looking right first instead of left and then learning to drive  in the opposite side of the car on the opposite side of the road, eventually stopping that car from driving us off a cliff all while meeting new people, learning a new culture, successfully relocating a company abroad, and most important maintaining a sense of humor and a sense of adventure through all it was & wasn't according to my expectations at step 1 (moving to Ireland) -- I can accomplish anything."

Coconut Water (Superfood) Not All It's Cracked Up To Be.

In my quest to be informed about the value or non-value of what I'm ingesting and digesting, I spend significant amounts of time researching all types of food, their nutritional value and other benefits, especially the ability of a food to heal. This process has ranged greatly to include learning what foods will help me heal quickly when ill, which foods to avoid, how to prepare a meal to receive the maximum health benefits without losing its taste, proper proportions per meal and per day, food combining for maximum efficiency, and more. I have experienced real benefits of food healing as part of my strategy to live well.

After hearing many ramblings around Los Angeles from various sources about the incredible benefits of coconut water, being handed a glass of it by a friend last weekend, and then seeing it on sale at my local supermarket, I purchased 4 boxes of Vita Coco coconut water this week and figured I'd give it a try. Their ad states it is "all-natural, super-hydrating, fat-free, cholesterol-free, nutrient-packed, potassium-stacked, mega-electrolyte coconut super water". I drank a half a glass of it this morning and had an immediate auto-reflex reaction response to vomit. My next response was... "What?!?!?" Things that are good for me usually don't trigger such immediate negative responses so I immediately ran to the computer and started googling the benefits of coconut water.

I was quickly surprised to discover that the first 20 items on my search were not linked to valid sources of food or scientific information. I found mostly blogs and a few health articles and read through a few, quickly discovering that amongst the many health benefit claims made about coconut water, the only information I could validate is that it is a good source of potassium, 600mg per 8 oz. serving vs. 537mg per cup of raw banana according to the USDA National Nutrient Database. There has been little other evidence to support any of the other claims about it's benefits, which varied from being a good cure for a hangover, a post-workout replacement drink for sports drinks and the most drastic and wild claim was that it eliminates intestinal worms. That is quite a claim to make with no evidence to support it!

Of the research I did, I found this article the most interesting and worth sharing: Sometimes you feel like a nut: Coconut water as a health elixir

My final analysis of the day being that while coconut water is a good source of potassium, may have other unsubstantiated benefits, and some may truly enjoy the taste, it is decidedly a superfood. That may sound good at first, but the word superfood has no legal definition and is commonly used as a misleading marketing tactic which has been banned in the E.U. "unless it is accompanied by a specific authorised health claim that explains to consumers why the product is good for their health."

All things considered, I think I'll stick with bananas! They're much easier to crack into.

LA Take Steps Be Heard For Crohn's & Colitis

My friend Ashley challenged me to join her on the LA Take Steps Be Heard For Crohn's & Colitis 5 days before the event which took place at Griffith Park on June 13, 2010. When I questioned the timing of 5 days, she kindly responded, "Don't worry about raising the money. We'll split the $250 goal. Just come and walk with me." Always up to the challenge of supporting a good cause, and especially because Ashley & I share the bliss of having chronic gastro-intestinal related conditions, I signed up on Wednesday for a Sunday walk at Griffith Park, added the link to my Facebook and twitter page and emailed my friends and family to spread the word.

My aunt who was in town visiting immediately handed me $20 to encourage me to get started and within 5 days, I'm proud to announce that Ashley & I raised $770 combined for the cause. HUGE WIN!!! Thank you so much to all the supporters & contributors to our cause. The incredible support & generosity of my friends and family encourages and inspires me daily to push forward, live well and make a difference every day with or without Colitis.

Take Steps for Crohn’s & Colitis is CCFA’s national evening walk and celebration of the nation’s largest event dedicated to finding cures for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Over 1.4 million American adults and children are affected by digestive diseases ~ one in every 200 Americans! While many suffer in silence, Take Steps brings together this community and encourages them to make noise and be heard. The money we raised through Take Steps helps support patient programs, education efforts, and furthers crucial research. In the past two years alone, they have been able to bring together over 75,000 people and raise over $13 million to help further our mission.

Here's a pic of us at the LA event... Now let's be heard and find a cure so no one else has to suffer through the daily life disruptions of living with Crohn's or Colitis!

 

Vanessa's Slow Cooker/Crock Pot Turkey Chili Recipe

By popular request, here is the crock pot turkey chili recipe that I threw together recently that received rave reviews from everyone who tried it... and I quote from my father, "This is the best chili I have ever had! I can't believe it's made with turkey and not beef!" Hope you enjoy and please give feedback if you have any additional ingredient suggestions or additional recipes of your own.

Ingredients:
2 pds. Ground Turkey
1 (15 oz.) can black beans
2 (15 oz.) can kidney beans
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (8 oz.) can tomatoes (quartered)
1 Carrol Shelby's Original Texas Brand chili kit
1 red onion chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped
3 (15 oz. cans) water (I filled one of the bean cans 3x and poured into pot)
Optional additions for serving: (shredded cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream, diced tomatoes)

Prep Time (15 min):
brown turkey in large skillet
chop red onion and garlic
add all listed ingredients to crock pot
cook on high for 2 hours
reduce heat to low for 2-3 hours or until ready to serve

Voila! It's easy and delicious and healthy! Enjoy. :D

Inspired to Action ~ Bad Beat on Cancer

All of the cancer-related illness that has surrounded my friends and family has inspired me to action. It's helpless to have friends and family battling for their lives and there is not much you can do besides offer support and love. So I was inspired to action.

I am now in the process of planning a charity poker tournament to raise money for the Bad Beat on Cancer and Prevent Cancer Foundation. I can't share all the details yet, but the event will take place next February and will be a great way to show support and raise money for the cause. I'm really looking forward to it and to being able to share more details here as we go through the process.

So Much More Than This ~ By Vanessa Gibson

I am not defined by any one characteristic.
I am complex. I am human. I am a woman.
I am also a warrior. I battle. I fight.
I lose some. I win more. The fight is good.
It reminds me of how alive I really am.
I am a daughter, a sister, a lover, a friend.
I am a courageous leader, not a victim, nor do my circumstances make me weak.
Through these battles I grow, I prosper, I gain confidence with eyes wide open.
This strengthens my ability to fight the good fight.
Things become clearer every day as I am forced to see things through the eyes of my own mortality.
Through this experience, I have learned to treasure each moment,
to appreciate all the blessings I’ve been granted,
to take life into my own hands and do with it what I wish.
I am not scared. I am strong.
I am not fearful. I believe.
Everything happens in life for a reason.
There are no coincidences.
The path that I am on, the journey I’m taking,
Every person I’ve met along the way, every experience I’ve had,
comes from and for a greater purpose in life.
It’s easy to forget this magnificent fact.
Easy to become distracted by all the external feedback life presents us with.
Easy to lose focus and forget purpose. It happens to each of us every day.
Miracles also happen every day. I am one of them.
Hold me in your arms and feel the warmth of my breath and the softness of my relaxed external shell.
I am human just like you.
I love, I laugh and today especially, I live.
I am a winner of this battle called life.
At some point, in God’s time
We all pack up our battle gear and go home to rest
In a place higher than any of us could ever have imagined.
Today is not that day for me…
Today I battle. Today I win.
Tomorrow is a gift behind a closed door,
That none of us have yet to open.
Each of us has the same chance of making it through.
Each breath is a blessing. Each emotion is real. Each day is a gift from God.
Today I choose life.
Because… I am so much more than this.

Dedicated to all the women we love who are courageously fighting cancer.