Our decisions, good or bad – decide our life and where we end up. Small decisions daily naturally lead to our dreams and goals Or take us further away from them over time.
Breaking Bad Habits & Making Better Choices
Our Lives Changed Forever
POSSIBLE TRIGGER REGARDING DEATH
Sixteen years ago today not just mine but my family’s lives also changed forever. It was one of the hardest saddest times in my life. March 8, 2005, at 4:32 pm my dad who I love with all my heart passed away at home. I pray it was peaceful. It is still very hard to write about this and I do so with a huge sadness in my heart and soul still to this day. Tears are rolling down my cheeks but it’s a story I need to tell So hopefully no one else will ever take their time with their parents for granted.
The Diagnosis Congestive heart failure
Dad’s diagnosis was congestive heart failure. Dad had to take early retirement, he went through multiple surgeries, and nearly died several times. Dad had a pacemaker so he was in and out of the hospital, and had to take a lot of medications. He was no longer able to do a lot of the things he enjoyed doing before.
Dad didn’t tell us he was nearing the end of his life. My mom found out when she walked in on the doctors talking to him about it. He was about to have his pacemaker turned off. Which meant that the next time his heart failed it was going to be the last and he would be gone from this life.
Dad finally had to tell mom what was going on and what was going to happen. He came home from the hospital on February 26, 2005, I will never forget he called the family together and told us he was going to die. He talked to us about acceptance, because the next time his heart failed he was going to die.
Honestly, I don’t know who that conversation was harder for Dad or us It was very emotional and it still is to this day. There are some things that just don’t get better with time.
Not Much Time Left
Thinking back about all the things he was doing for us and especially for mom we should have known. He bought mom a brand new car, he had a new house build for her in a brand new safe neighborhood. Dad bought mom a beautiful new set of rings. He was doing special things with all of us individually. Spending time with us and laughing and having fun. We each have some good memories with him
Dad was giving us things, I had always loved to do gardens so I got a lot of gardening items. Most of all he gave us love a lot of love .
From the time he told us he was going to die to the time he did was less than 2 weeks. I am so grateful to have had that time with him to say somethings, to say I’m sorry. To tell him how much I love him, to say thank you for everything, and to ask him to come and help me to the other side when it is my time, so I wouldn’t be afraid when it was my time to go. He said yes but it better not be for a long, long time.
The Funeral
On March 15, 2005, we buried Dad. He looked so handsome and he looked at peace. The swelling from water retention was gone, and all the pain was gone. Dad had a beautiful funeral he was a United States Army veteran, so he had full military honors at his funeral.
Dad is the glue that has held our family together.
Chaffel
Have you ever heard of Chaffles? I had not either. I was scrolling through Facebook and was watching a video of a lady who was putting together these amazing little cheese-based waffle-looking yummies.
The Chaffel look like waffles and you cook them like waffles in a waffle maker.
Chaffels are part of the keto community and are low on carbs. The basic chaffel consists of 1 egg and 1/2 cup of shredded cheese of your choice. Add salt and pepper. Whisk all ingriendiants togther and then spoon mixture onto a hot waffle iron. Cooked for about 4-5 minutes. Remove the chaffel carefully from the waffle iron and let it cool down and then serve. The serving size is 2 Chaffels for 202 calories and 3 carbs. thelowcarblife.com
You can also add shredded meats and/or vegetables, into the chaffel. For a sweeter option add cinnamon, stevia, or monk fruit,
Keep in mind that the more ingredients you include in the chaffel the higher the calorie count, the carb count, also other counts.
Always read the Nutritional Facts.
https://www.facebook.com/ketofriendlyrecipes/ is a wonderful Facebook group to learn more about chaffels, and other low carb or keto foods if your interested
Electrifying Electrolytes
ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE BEGINNING ANY EXERCISE OR FITNESS ROUTINE OR IF YOUR NOT FEELING WELL.
Recently I have been doing a lot more exercise than normal. I had heard about electrolytes but really never paid attention to what they were or what their purpose is regarding the body. So I decided I would do some investing to see what I could come up with. Here is what I found.
Electrolytes are chemicals in your bloodstream that regulate important functions of our bodies. These chemicals also conduct electricity when mixed with water.
Electrolytes can change in the body due to water level. Electrolytes can be lost due to sweating, diarrhea or vomiting, or simply by not drinking enough water.
Electrolytes can be replenished by drinking sports drink, taking supplements or by eating foods that contain them such as :
Milk or Yogurt for calcium, Banana’s for Potassium, Coconut Water has potassium and sodium, Watermelon is loaded with nutrients and natural sugars, and potassium, it is also a great snack. Avocados contain potassium and also healthy fats opt for one forth avocado post-workout to refuel and rehydrate.
Additionally, Sodium can be found in Dill Pickles, tomato juice, sauces, and soups, as well as table salt. Chloride can be found in tomato juices, sauces, soups, lettuce olives, and table salt. Potassium can be found in potato skins, plain yogurt, and bananas. Magnesium can be found in Halibut, pumpkin seeds, and spinach. Calcium can be found in Yogurt, Milk, Ricotta, Collard greens, Spinach, Kale, and Sardines.
It’s interesting to know that our muscles need calcium, sodium, and potassium to contract. and our heart muscles and nerve cells use electrolytes to carry impulses to other cells in our body.
The most common imbalance is sodium and potassium . Symptoms are different depending on which electrolytes are out of balance.
ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE BEGINNING ANY EXERCISE OR FITNESS ROUTINE OR IF YOUR NOT FEELING WELL.