Mick's Up in a Search

Monday, February 27, 2012

Mick’s Sum up with Toxins

Blah!  Blah!  Blah! 

Is that how you wish you could respond, when you hear people start talking about toxins? 

Me, too!

The problem is, I've learned too much in the last 1 ½ years to allow myself to ignore it.  It's a slow, agonizing death, to plead ignorance. 

Do I want my kidderz to end up like typical Americanssluggish and unmotivated, at best; fighting chronic disease, most likely; or worst-case, suffering and dying from cancerNo way! 

I've found I can do something to try to help them avoid living like that, and so I'm on a mission to do so.

Recently, I overheard someone say, when approached by an Isagenix distributor talking about toxins, that they believe if we eat right, we can avoid toxicity, and so a detox is not a necessity.  Oh, dear!  If they only knew. 

That is what triggered me to write this post.  I want to offer some information, and put some resources in front of you, so you can make an educated decision for yourself.

Yes, eating right is one great way to keep the level of toxicity lower in the body.  However, most of us have already put toxins in our body since a young age, and we're still being bombarded every day with more!  Because of that, our bodies get overwhelmed with toxins, and they do their best, but still end up with challenges.

"With the increase of toxins within the environment and foods we eat, it is not surprising that the majority of people are at a level of toxicity that is past the point that the body's own natural detoxification system can cope with." - ecomall

As I listed out in Mick's up on Toxicity, there is a multitude of challenges you could be facing, due to toxicity.  Inflammation plays a big part.  Plus, our bodies are meant to be in a neutral state, but we tend toward acidic.  Toxins, food choices, etc., increase the acidity, and so nutrition can help with swinging the pendulum more toward alkalineHowever, that is not the topic I'm focusing on at this point.

Not only is it the obvious stuff that causes toxicity in our bodies, but it's the sneaky stuff, too:  candy and sugar, artificial sweeteners, fillings, chemicals, vaccinations, antibiotics and other medicines, grains, processed foods, deoderants, soaps and detergents, cosmeticsThe list goes on and on, but don't get overwhelmed Just start somewhere!

Do you want to go days, weeks, months without a headache?  Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?  Do swollen, achy joints drag you down?  Are you living in a fog?  Does the thought of living with Alzheimer's scare you?  Are you wondering if... when... you will hear the doctor say the word, "cancer!?"

You don't have to sit around and let these things happen to you.  You are not a victim, or at least you don't have to live like one.  Take some precautions, and make some first steps to changing your lifestyle for the better.  I won't lie.  It's not easy... but it can be simple.

Why do I believe you can't just rely on eating the right foods to keep you from being toxic?  "Your fat cells can accumulate numerous types of toxins." - Tom Venuto

"Body fat functions as a storage mechanism not only for things you need -- such as essential vitamins -- but also things you can do without: environmental toxins, for example. A significant loss of body fat sometimes evacuates some of these stored toxins into the blood or tissues. While it's not possible to avoid environmental pollutants, the benefits of body fat loss far outweigh the potential risk of releasing toxins from the fat cells." - Emma Roberts (Livestrong)

"The highly intelligent immune system will not allow the removal of excess fat and water if the level of toxins that is stored in the fat and water may put your life in jeopardy by their release into the bloodstream." - Healing Naturally by Bee

What this is telling us is that the toxins are stored in our body, unless we do something to get rid of them.

So, what is a person to do?  One thing, the person I mentioned above was correct in saying, to watch your food intake, BUT I must also add... detox your body.  Because I know I'm surrounded by toxins, and because I know I splurge now and then (eating sugary foods), I prefer to detox on a daily basis.  I mention some resources in in Mick's Sum-up for the Week (Hint: The picture in today's post has something to do with an ingredient used in most detox protocol.)

I encourage you to look into it.  My hope is that you're not still thinking, "Blah!  Blah!  Blah!"

On a side note, but not at all less important, I must go on to say...
Even though we work hard to live healthy lives, we do eventually die.  (It's worth doing our best to live at our best, so we can pass on the message of the Gospel and build up the kingdom of God.)  So, we must put effort into planning for our eternity, too.  We might suffer here on earth, but we don't have to suffer for eternity.  Make the right choices now.


Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
In his great mercy he has given us new birth
into a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.
This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 
who through faith are shielded by God’s power
until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 
In all this you greatly rejoice,
though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 
These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith
—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—
may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 
Though you have not seen him, you love him;
and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him
and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 
for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.





~

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Mick’s in Some Valentines

What did you end up doing on Valentine’s Day?  Go to my Facebook page to tell me about it.

I got a call from a very tall, dark, and handsome guy, asking me to go on a date!  We enjoyed a splurge dinner out.  It was such a great surprise to run into friends at the restaurant!  The best part, though, was some time alone with my honey.

What did we do during the other hours of that day?  I woke up early to make Grain-free Cinnamon Rolls, Fluffy Gluten-free Pancakes, and Strawberry Sauce.  I wrapped up pictures of my hubby and me, for him to take to his new office, and I presented the kidderz with gifts from their grandparents.  (The grandparents are awesome!  They know we are keeping sugar away from our house, so they made sure not to get sweets for gifts.  Instead, they bought little strawberry planting kits for the kidderz.  How cute!)  Also, I did actually make the Chicken Salad with Cranberries for everyone’s lunches, as well as the Strawberry Cheesecake Bites for the evening’s dessert.  Yummy!

My daughter had fun giving away all our xylitol candies with I hope you had a Happy Valentine's Day!Valentines for her classmates, but when we ran out, she was creative in her choice of Valentines for our neighbor boys.  She made paper airplanes out of Valentine paper, and wrote their names on them.  The boys seemed to love them!

Oh!  I forgot to mention: My Valentine gave me 2 potted miniature rose plants.  They are beautiful!  Not only that, but we also watched a movie at home:  Jane Austen’s novel Sense and Sensibility
adapted for the 1995 filmI love it, every time I watch it!  Even though it was a very mild night outside, we had a fire in the fireplace to enjoy while we snuggled up for the movie.

So, I write this only to encourage you in knowing there are alternatives.  You don’t have to celebrate Valentine’s Day (or any special day) the same old way.  Make life interesting.  Mix it up!  Better yet, Mick’s up Life, and be inspired into wellness!

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children
and walk in the way of love,
just as Christ loved us
and gave himself up for us
as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

~

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Mick’s in Love

I love my sweetheart!  I really do have the best guy in the world as my husband… MY VERY OWN HUSBAND!  Since our dating days, I have referred to him as my Knight in Shining ArmorGod knows, better than I, what I need… and I am THANKFUL!  It makes Valentine’s Day a necessary celebration.Wedding Day 1996

I dedicate this post to my Valentine… Jay.       

So, with Valentine’s Day less than a week away, it’s time to plan ahead for special treats to share with your Valentine.  If we don’t plan ahead, do you know what happens?  We end up buying that $14.99 heart-shaped box of chocolates or that $65 bouquet of long-stemmed red roses.  Those are wonderful splurges, but if your sinuses and wallet are anything like mine, you prefer to have an alternative choice or two that are healthier and cheaper.

What are some of the fun things you plan to do for your Valentine on Tuesday?

I’m thinking our house might be filled with a breakfast menu of Strawberry Smoothies and/or Strawberry Sauce on Fluffy Pancakes (depending on how much time I have in my Tuesday morning schedule)… a lunch menu of Chicken Salad with cranberries mixed in (see below) and Almond Power Bars (for the chocolate)… a dinner out for a splurge with my sweetheart, or a menu something like Chicken Cacciatorre and peas (family’s favorite veggie)… and finish it off with a dessert, such as Strawberry Cheesecake Bites and Chocolate Chip Cookies or Coconut Macaroons or Strawberry Gelato… and heart-shaped Almond Bark (not the peppermint version like this link is for) (Do you see my pattern of hints of pink and red and chocolate?)  We’ll see how well I actually do with that!

Even with all the fun festivities, especially if you have young children still doing the school party thing (or teenagers newly discovering puppy love), let us not forget the truest, purest, biggest Valentine gift ever:  Christ laid down His life for YOU!  Here is a great song about that very thing.  Enjoy!


by
MIKESCHAIR
You might be the wife waiting up at night.
You might be the man struggling to provide,
feeling like it's hopeless.
Maybe you're the son who chose a broken road.
Maybe you're the girl thinking you'll end up alone,
praying, “God, can you hear me?
Oh, God, are you listening?”

“Am I more than flesh and bone?
Am I really something beautiful?
Yeah, I wanna believe.  I wanna believe that
I'm not just some wandering soul
that you don't see and you don't know.
Yeah, I wanna believe.  Jesus, help me believe that I
am someone worth dying for.

I know you've heard the truth that God has set you free,
but you think you're the one that grace could never reach.
So you just keep asking what everybody's asking,

“Am I more than flesh and bone?
Am I really something beautiful?
Yeah, I wanna believe.  I wanna believe that
I'm not just some wandering soul
that you don't see and you don't know
Yeah, I wanna believe.  Jesus, help me believe that I
am someone worth dying for.

You're worth it!  You can't earn it.
Yeah, the Cross has proven  that you're sacred and blameless.
Your life has purpose.

You are more than flesh and bone.
Can't you see you're something beautiful?
Yeah, you gotta believe.  You gotta believe.
He wants you to see.  He wants you to see
that you're not just some wandering soul
that can't be seen and can't be known.
Yeah, you gotta believe.  You gotta believe that you are someone worth dying for.
You're someone worth dying for!
You're someone worth dying for!



But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
 
 ~
Chicken Salad
Mix desired amount of shredded or cubed cooked chicken with desired amount of cottage cheese.  Add extras, such as salt and pepper, sliced almonds, raisins, or dried cranberries (if the ingredients say they are sweetened with apple sauce, that's best, rather than the cranberries dried with sugar) and/or diced cucumbers, etc.
~