Dusty Dusty Dusty

I know I have not been around much .. busy traveling and working.. getting a little quiet time now.. all is well.. life is good.. and so it goes.. rough day today at work and needed the weekend.. hoping for a peaceful fun one..

CRAZY DAYS LONG NIGHTS

SO much too telll ...

Was in NYC last weekend for Passover.. lost about 4.2 pounds in 4 days.. walked my ass off .. choosey about what I ate.... but got to enjoy a taste of New York on a food tour... yes I indulged  but I also walked my ass off literally ... thursday after waking at 4 to catch a 530 flight.. we arrived in NYC .. with a serious walking day ahead of us.. walking 7 blocks to ride the subway ( my first time) ... from the Upper East side.. to  the Village.. what a cool area.. with an amazing history... spent 2 hours on the food tour ... then hung out with some folks from England we met on the tour... rode the subway again  got off at the wrong stop... walked the rest of the way to the Paul Simon theatre.. saw JC Supterstar... OUSTANDING... wlaked about 10 blocks... could not catch a cab back to the place we were staying so I had the idea lets go  to a nearby nice hotel .. have to bell dude hale us a cab and it worked..  got back to our place... got up early the next morning more walking.. a little breakfast .. more walking.. and touring... then our first seder in Long Island... then home...  sleep ... walking breakfast... preping for second seder... second seder.. sleep .. walking breakfast.. touring ... walking... packing heading back HOME...  2 days later repacked and driving to NOLA for business.. the Thibidaux... then back home... what a week... we found out on Monday that our oldest lab has a rare form of cancer... its blood vessel and skin driven in paw... very agressive too and not many treatement options for a 12 year old pup...  so we have him on a  partial chemo protical for now.. could be months maybe a year.. who knows... very sad...
So .. its been crazy... Next week is Chattanooga  Food show... probably staying here to run the office... hope so... back to my regular eating and exercise routine... Life is sweet.. and you can eat and splurge a little on vacation just keep track of what you do..and get out and MOVE... it can be done...

ALL IS WELL

just working hard.... and crazy busy not much time for long posts....  all is well .. life is good...

HAPPY TUESDAY... LET'S TALK SLEEP

THAT NAGGING INSOMNIA MONSTER CAN BE A REAL BITCH....  so let's quiet the monster down with a few more natural ideas ...




There is proof that eating certain things with in a couple hours of bedtime can help increase your chance of a deep full nights sleep...
The only thing I have tried is the instant oatmeal..  call me Bonkers but it does work.. eveytime I eat packet of low sugar oatmeal before bed ( about an hour or so)... I sleep solid at least for 6 hours which is awesome for me...  Check out the ideas I found online that might also be of help.. some are a little different and some are easier to find... found on Men's health and Dr. Oz.

  SLEEP  HELP:

NONFAT POPCORN
Pop a bag half an hour before bedtime: The carbs will induce your body to create serotonin, a neurochemical that makes you feel relaxed. Skipping the butter-fat will slow the process of boosting those feel-good chemicals, and, as mentioned above, will also slow digestion in general.

OATMEAL WITH SLICED BANANASleep is inspired by the hormone melatonin, but stress or excitement can disrupt melatonin's release. Bring your brain back down to earth by whipping up a bowl of instant oatmeal and topping it with a sliced banana, which is rich in melatonin.

1 CUP OF PLAIN YOGURT WITH 2 TABLESPOONS MIXED NUTSScientists in Slovakia gave people either 3 grams each of two amino acids (lysine and arginine) or a placebo and asked them to deliver a speech. Blood measurements of stress hormones revealed that the amino acid-fortified speakers were half as anxious during and after the speech as those who took the placebo. Yogurt is one of the best food sources of lysine; nuts pack tons of arginine. Because both contain alertness-inducing protein, you're best off eating this combo a few hours before bed (or even at midday, before a big, stressful presentation at work). It'll reduce the residual stress you feel later in the evening, meaning you won't replay your day over and over again in your head as you try to fall asleep.

A PILE OF SESAME SEEDS
Sesame seeds are one of the best natural sources of tryptophan, the sleep-inducing amino acidresponsible for all of those post-Thanksgiving turkey comas. Hold off on the turkey sammies, though-the protein in the turkey might offset the tryptophan's benefit.

A HANDFUL OF PRETZELSPretzels are a low-calorie, low-fat source of carbohydrates, which will make you feel sleepy, but won't pack on the pounds or give you belly-aching indigestion.

Related: Check out which pretzel made it onto our list of the 125 Healthiest Supermarket Foods in America. 

1 GLASS OF WINE
It's called a "nightcap" for a reason--a glass of wine really does take the edge off. University of Toronto researchers discovered that one alcoholic drink caused people's blood vessels to relax--but two began to reverse the effects, so limit your intake. Relaxed blood vessels means lower blood pressure, slower heart rate, and greater ability to relax in general.

A 4-OZ GLASS OF UNSWEETENED CHERRY JUICE
Cherry juice has serotonin-inducing carbohydrates, which will help relax you. Down the cherry juice an hour before bedtime, in case you feel a small jolt of energy from the sugar. There's not enough to keep you up all night or destabilize your blood sugar levels.

RED BELL PEPPERS
Researchers at the University of Alabama fed rats 200 milligrams of vitamin C twice a day and found that it nearly stopped the secretion of cortisol, a hormone released in your body when you're stressed. Calorie for calorie, red bell peppers give you more vitamin C than any other fruit or vegetable.

The following are simple, tasty and nutritious options to help you get the 7-8 hours of sleep that are so critical to your health:

Bananas

Bananas are chockfull of potassium and magnesium, which both help to relax your muscles to give you a peaceful night’s sleep. Bananas also have the added benefit of helping to lower your blood pressure while you sleep.

Popcorn

Popcorn with parmesan cheese provides a delicious combination of carbohydrates and dairy. Dairy has tryptophan in it, which is a precursor to a sleep-inducing hormone, and the carbohydrates in the popcorn help your brain absorb tryptophan better. For simple instructions to make light, homemade popcorn, click here.

Chia Seeds

Top your salads with chia seeds; they contain the sleep-inducing amino acid tryptophan. The tryptophan in chia seeds, like in turkey, raises melatonin and serotonin levels, which promotes stable sleep. With more than twice the tryptophan of turkey, you’ll need just 2 ounces of chia seeds to help you snooze.

Cheese and Crackers

Cheese and 100% whole grain crackers are your best bedtime-snack bet. The whole grains help produce serotonin. Cheese, like other dairy products, contains tryptophan. Together, they make for a winning combination.

Sunflower Seeds

Relax before bed with a sunflower seed snack. Full of the amino acid tryptophan, sunflower seeds can help you manage stress and will stimulate the chemicals in your brain that get you to doze off. 

SWEET DREAMS

* ON THE OATMEAL .. JUST SAW A VIDEO FROM DR. OZ SAYING SCOTTISH OATMEAL IS THE BEST.    .25 A CUP FOR A CHILD AND 1/2 CUP OR 1 CUP FOR AN ADULT.. I ALSO READ ON DR. OZ'S WEBSITE THAT EVEN INSTANT OATMEAL IS A GOOD SLEEP INDUCER AS WELL...

UGH

So I wake up with a whooper headache.... Steve gives me some bread .. and some advil... headaches backs off leaves a headache hangover though... get up .. get dressed ..  starts storming out .. let the dogs in... let the dogs out.. let the dogs in.. Bazzie decides to leave a deposit inside rather than out.. clean that up..  the other two are frightened of the storm... one wraps herself around me while I am trying to sit in my chair...the other shivers at my feet.. stil storming.. finally stops... let dogs out..  starts storming again let dogs in... Giving up on vacuming house.. trying to do laundry and dishes.. need a nap...sigh..

Back Back Back

Finally HOME YAY!  50.00 bucks poorer and some slot machines in Vicksburg Miss. are very happy... boo...
Did fair with my eating ... the food show was a zoo.. and for a historic town there is no place to eat.. no .. seriously  Waffle House  , Sonic.. .KFC  and a few other places and one fancy and I use that term VERY losely place called Rustys ... none with good choices.. GOOD CHOICES BEING MY KITCHEN... so I made due.. not happy but not sad... glad I am home..
Created my own version of a quissadella tonight... used 2 90 calorie Mission Flour Tortilla,  sauted vidalia onions with spinach and tomatos and red pepper.. and 1/4th teaspoon Olive oil for sauteeing veggies... I made a small amount of veggies.  and I used a little light shredded cheddar cheese too.. I put the veggies on a plate once they were done, then I took one of the tortillas and heated it up placed veggies on top of that sprinkled a little cheese on put the second tortilla on top of that.. flipped it made sure the cheese had melted and  there was my dinner.. fast tasty and made in my kitchen...  So glad to be home.. been up since 3 am... just not able to sleep looking forward to a good sleep and a good work out in the gym as well..
Rock on  ~

MY FITNESS PAL

I really like the app there is only one thing I do not like is when you record your exercise it ups your caloric intake and totally confuses me.. So I am not going to record my working out anymore and just use the app and program to record food intake ...  9 pounds down ( technically its 8.6  but the gadget apparently does not get that specific.. and I am also using naked weight now.. since ... welll that's actually what I weigh.. I migh move my Weigh  Ins to once a week now.. and when I go to my class weigh in there for her records every 2 weeks ...   Otherwise life goes on..