Paleo Pals - Health, Weight Loss & Support

Good Mornin' Cave Chicks!

Get ready y'all, 'cause its...……..

TWO CENT TUESDAY!! - Men are from Mars....Women are from Helen Reddy

Waaaaaay back in 1971 Ms. Helen Reddy wrote and recorded a tune you might (or might not) be familiar with…'I am Woman'. This song came on the heels of the late1960s bra burning crew…ladies sick and tired of double standards, endeavouring to break through every aspect of a male dominated world. From the smoke of the smouldering bras the Women's Liberation Movement (WLM) was born. 'I am Woman' became one of its anthems. Sadly, good ol' Helen's song later became a wee bit of a joke, parodied by comedians, and sometimes snickered at….even by women! Thing is, if you really listen carefully to this lady's beautiful voice & lyrics, these feelings still reverberate within women in some form or other.

Now, this isn't meant to be a puff piece on women's lib or retaliation against the opposite sex. I truly like men and admire/respect the men in my life…… I know many women that I can't say the same about. Both sexes can equally suck large. We've come a long way baby, and the changes in attitude towards women in the last quarter century has def advanced, but it seems we still have some ground to cover.

I drove over that ground lately. My car, *sigh*, my beloved car. She's been whining for months whenever I turn the wheel left or right. Being 'strong & invincible' as Helen Reddy sang, I did my homework. The two gaskets/seals on the power steering pump are as old as dust….and probably just as dry. I've done the rounds of no less than FIVE shops asking to have the seals replaced before investing in a new power steering pump. My requests have been met with 1 pair of rolled eyeballs, 2 "pppppffffft yeah ok", and 2 "nothing wrong with the pump, replace the lines"…..which I did…..and asked for the seals to be replaced at the same time. They only replaced the lines. On my SIXTH return because of the continued (and louder) whining, I begged the mechanic and service advisor for seal replacement….they FINALLY, but grudgingly agreed to replace the seals. You know what's coming don't you? FIXED FIXED FIXED!!!! No more whine!!

While paying a measly 23 bucks for the seal replacement I had a long convo with the service advisor. He suddenly seemed to have grown a new respect, and admitted that they were very sceptical of my repair opinions. Apparently they were surprised at the simplicity of the fix. On previous visits he had been talking directly to my Cavedude, not even looking my way….now suddenly he spoke directly to me….and my Cavedude was the one in the backseat now. I can't say it didn't irk me that I had to 'prove' myself to get his attention. Why hadn't any of them taken my concerns into consideration earlier? My Cavedude is convinced it's because generally a woman's word isn't as valid in the automotive world. That the stigma of 'woman driver' still hangs over our heads.

You can imagine the Cheshire Cat grin that was stamped across my face while we strolled out of the shop to take my baby home. I couldn't help but break into a loud (and VERY badly) sung "I am woman hear me roar" right there in the parking lot (did a nice lil' happy dance too!). Anyone within earshot didn't appreciate my cracking voice, but my Cavedude's laughter said that at least he did. A quick high 5 and my darling car was homebound….quietly!

My two cents says we have miles to go, but the strength gained from so many other Helens fighting the 'battle' long before my time, has paved the way for us....I'm grateful. My small victory over the mechanical issue is a drop in the bucket, but it's still in there!. If by some miracle Helen Reddy is reading this post, I take my hat off to her and her immortal words "If I have to, I can do anything"…..matter o' fact Helen, I'm considering a course in auto repair….and the only thing holding me back is what might happen to my manicure….oy vey! Geeze! Meh, I'm not perfect, but "I am womannnnnnnnn!" )))))

Halloween or not, it's still………

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY!! – Right to the core!

Dedicated to our lovely JunieBee and her amazing pooch Kirby!!

Injured? Bone & joint issues? Just plain tired? Strengthening your core is vital to lessen the misery our bones gives us, whatever the reason. I'm always harping on about it, but it's SO vital to START SLOW AND BUILD…like snail slow!

Scope out these two vids…..excellent and GENTLE way to start building your core…

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Built some strength and feel like pushing it further? Check this out….(Although I don't recommend doing this on a sidewalk, I was waiting to see if a kid on a bike would come along and run right over him ….sheesh ))))))!!)

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Or go hardcore (this one is awesome!)

Inna (godda davida) & Ksuze - Thank you!! He's fine......got through fast, 3 (for a total of 4) more staples all holding....lets just hope he doesn't have to go through airport security any time soon! )) Poor kid....feel for him. All good though! Hugs!!

So here it is...…..

TUTORIAL THURSDAY – Don't take the brown acid or vitamin man!!!

Wise words from the announcer at Woodstock so many moons back…."Don't take the brown acid man!!!" ))))). There has been a lot of talk about supplements in our community lately and throughout BCO. We see, hear and read about supplements….and how they SHOULD be swallowed every day. Bullpuckies!!! We've grown into a society of preventative pill poppers. Supplements are some of the most over used OTC drugs period. I'm not saying that they don't have their place…..some are very necessary for many different health issues. If you're fit, sassy, n' healthy however, why take them? Why self medicate? Why not get them from a wide variety of foods….the BEST way to supplement. Why not get a blood test done before running to the pharmacy in search of a 'cure'?

Here is my bare bones take on what just about anyone can take safely and effectively….anything else requires a medical consult IMHO…..

ANTIOXIDANT BOOSTER

Don't let the antioxidant craze fool you…..all those ads for 'CONTAINS ANTIOXIDANTS' are shoved in our faces daily and makes for huge profits. Our brilliantly engineered bodies have 3 main 'built in systems' that take care of oxidants. (catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione). Where they fall short is when we are under stress (mental, physical). When you're stressed, so are those systems (along with every other system in your bod). In times of physical or mental stress a multivitamin with an antioxidant booster can be a wise temporary choice. The first line should be from food intake (leafy greens/berries), but in times of stress you may find that….

"Unfortunately, many of our historically healthy sources of dietary antioxidants have gone extinct or have been rendered impotent by today's aggressive factory farming techniques."

So buy local, organic, GMO free whenever possible, and on an ongoing basis. Supplement when needed.

PROBIOTICS

Cave chicks ate dirt….all the time! Back in the paleo day hand washing wasn't a priority. The result was a daily consumption of soil based organisms (good bacteria and yeast) that take up squatters rights in the intestines….gut flora….extremely important stuff. Any bad bacteria a cave chick got in the mix usually had a 'hit' put out on it by the good bacteria….yeah, the body is amazing! We wash and sanitize everything today, so we're missing out on some of nature's best healthy gut producing ingredients. My mother had a saying "you have to eat a bushel of dirt before you die". Perhaps somewhere in those words there were wise food choices along with the 'ya' gotta take your lumps in life' thing. Now I'm not suggesting you dine on dirt, but you can take probiotic capsules…again under times of stress or illness. Regular consumption really only needs to happen when GI issues are present…but even then it doesn't have to be every day if you're eating a healthy diet. Once good flora is introduced it tends to reproduce at rabbit rates. I had/have ulcerative colitis….total remission since going paleo. I supplement a probiotic on the rare needed occasion. Once again, food is the first choice…specifically fermented foods…think sauerkraut, yogurt if dairy isn't an issue, Kombucha (paleo soda), Kimchi (YUM!).Keep wheat/grain/legumes out of the diet….they tear at your guts and leave behind a nasty trail of inflammation…..goes for your joints too.

VITAMIN D3

This one is a no brainer. There is a def correlation between low vitamin d levels and cancer. We practically live indoors compared to paleo peeps. D comes naturally from the sun, so it's not surprising that many lack this essential vitamin. The farther your cave is situated from the equator, the more a good vitamin D supplement is needed. Best in gel caps, but if you take a solid pill make sure to include a healthy fat along with it…..helps the vitamin d adsorb better. Get outside! Sunscreen your lovely face by all means, but let the rest of your skin soak up some rays for at least 10 minutes before lathering on the Coppertone.

MAGNESIUM

48% of folks are mag deficient. See my post on page 35 for all the details. I highly recommend if you're showing the deficiency symptoms…..and make mag rich foods your first choice.

COLLAGEN

Another no brainer, and full details on page 39 of this thread. Same goes….foods first, supplement when needed. Those on hormone blockers would benefit from a tablespoon of powder daily….your va-jay jay will thank you ))))Take with Vitamin C (or eat a Clementine)…..helps adsorption!

"Most modern people eat only the muscle meat, and this is significant. Muscle meat has a totally different amino acid profile than collagen. Meat is rich in methionine. Collagen is rich in glycine. Methionine metabolism requires and depletes glycine."

So if you're not eating the caps off your chicken bones, making and slurping down bone broth (stock) and gelatin, and only eating muscle meat, you can see why a collagen supplement is a wise choice.

IMPORTANT LAST THOUGHTS

• Get blood work done if you suspect deficiency BEFORE popping pills. Self medicating can be dangerous…and foolish to assume that the latest 'health craze' is something your body even needs!
• Advise your healthcare team of all supplements you are taking….get the stamp of approval before breaking the seal on a bottle o' health.
• FOOD, can't say it enough, find vitamin & mineral rich foods and use this as your front line in health defence. Supplement as needed, and only constantly if there is a confirmed issue/deficiency.

JKL, that is beyond cute!! Your lil' owl is such a sweetie pie, and your evening must have been a joy!! Yes the innocence *sigh*, all I ever say is "the nasty tax man stole half of my money!!" )))) Bless her lil'' heart! My son is fine, thank you for asking! His scalp is back together again, whew!! Reading your story made me cringe....poor DD!! I think I'll recover by the time it heals....as long as I don't get flashbacks ugggggg.

The calcium, well, in your shoes I'd def be interested. My gut tells me that if I make the switch over to an AL I would take a daily dose as a preventative to bone loss. One of those 'certain issues require' that I wrote about earlier. Keep us posted on your blood work!

Nice job in the gym Ms. Lifer.....made my heart happy to see a fellow hip add and ab machine user. Methinks you're not alone.....I lift 30-40 lbs less on the hip add machine compared to ab. Makes perfect sense....the adduction machine primarily uses the longus & magnus adductor muscles, where the ab machine gets the full bore of all the glutes (min. med and maxiums) along with a portion of your obliques and lat muscles (and a few more I can't spell So it's not an equally weighted match. I once tried to do the same weight on both machines...emphasis on ONCE....pain...wow! Meh, we lift n' learn )))

Can't wait to hear about the water aerobics....sounds peachy!! I'm so jealous....no pool in my gym