Start Your Engines

There are so many messages.

The latest fad diets can send you down unhealthy rabbit trails.

If it sounds too good to be true, I will click on it.

Self-help gurus are everywhere.

Ted Talks. Too Much.

This is what I know, for sure (about dieting, anyway). Don’t do it. A “diet” takes away food … and therefore nutrition.

We need to add nutrition to lose weight and stay healthy. So, in keeping with my “Three Little Words” mantra:

1. Protein is key.

2. Carbs are fuel.

3. Drink more water.

4. Fruits and Vegetables.

5. Oils are essential.

6. Serving size matters.

7. Walk it out.

8. Pace your race.

9. I can help.

I could go on and on, and I will, but for today give these TLW’s top priority. Start your engines.

Get started somewhere. I encourage you to up your protein. Did you know you should have 20-40 grams of protein every 3 to 4 hours … all day. I listened to this podcast yesterday and sketched out a protein pacing regime which is actually quite simple and doable. Start packing in the protein!

I’m such a fan of simple … it’s why I LOVE my Isagenix. I feel better…mind, body, and soul. I let Isagenix do the heavy lifting and the research. Ya gotta trust some things to the experts. What has sold me is the mental clarity, convenience, and weight loss! In that order! Knowing and sticking to the plan has freed my time to concentrate on my soul goals.

I’m not going to stalk you or turn every conversation to weight loss, but wanted to share this part of my story today. Take it and do with it what you will.

Ladies and gentlemen … start your engines.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12 ~ The New Testament

Moving Right Along

I was hoping to jump on here on September 1 and do my traditional "Happy New Year" post. (As a mom, I felt September 1 vs. January 1 was the first of the year) but instead, I went on a 15-day Monument Valley, Disneyland, Wedding, and National Park vacation.

We hiked almost 75 miles. We danced at a wedding. We saw glorious sunsets and quiet sunrises. We rode roller coasters and virtually soared across the world at Disneyland. We stayed at mostly Airbnb's and dined at "Mom & Pop" restaurants.  We drank in the indescribable scenery. And we slept on the Navajo Indian Reservation. I will eventually post photos but for now, enjoy this "Forrest Gump Point" photo from Monument Valley and let these "Three Little Words" guide your footsteps today.

Move right along when the negative thoughts overwhelm you.

Move right along out of the kitchen.

Move right along and link arms with family and friends.

Moving right along causes momentum. 

Move right along and you'll get to where you want to go.

Move right along there's so much to see.

Move right along, because the journey IS the destination. 

Moving right along into the next season.

Move right along and live your dreams.

Moving right along, until we meet again.

Plain And Simple

Gonna shoot straight with you today and let the potato chips fall where they may.

Plain and simple ~ If not now, when?

Plain and simple ~ Take care of yourself.

Plain and simple ~ Stop emotional eating.

Plain and simple ~ Enough is enough.

Plain and simple ~ One can hardly get needed nutrition in today's grocery stores.

Plain and simple ~ You are what you eat.

Plain and simple ~ Practice The Golden Rule.

Plain and simple ~ Change is inevitable.

Plain and simple ~ Put down the phone.

Plain and simple ~ Become your own best friend.

Plain and simple ~ Tend to your soul.

Plain and simple ~ Have a nice day.

It's Go Time

You can say these Three Little Words

You can say them here

You can say them there

You can say them anywhere.

But there's more. You can't just "say" these words. You have to live them. You live them here, you live them there, you live them anywhere.

You can live them in a tent

You can live them with a friend... 

Ok, enough of my Dr. Suessness ...☺️

But seriously, it's go time. Where do you want to be on Sept 1? 

Last year, around this time, I had the responsibility of helping my parents move from their farm to a small house in town (including one final event in the party shed...more on that in another post). This was not your normal move. It consisted of 2 families, 2 houses, 2 garages, 2 attics, 4 barns, 3 acres of accumulation, hundreds of heirlooms, and thousands of memories.

It was go time from April to November. Sometimes I would tell myself, "Just do one thing today!"

Somedays, I walked around in a daze, trying to feel the feels, organize, pack, and reminisce all at once. Trust me, I'm not a multitasker.

Somedays, the weight of everything involved overwhelmed me.

But most days, I pushed on. It was go time. 

Again, I ask you...

Don't like your situation? Go do something, even one thing, to change your circumstances.

Want to move? Pack a box.

Wanna travel? Make a reservation.

Tired of being tired? Go to bed earlier and/or take a nap. Give yourself a break and stop racing rats.

Need some new friends in your life? Reach out.

Stressed? Go for a walk.

Unhealthy? Change your diet.

•  Time to go.
• Get up and go.
• Make a decision and go with it.
• Keep going.
• Go for it.
• Go after your dream.
• Go the extra mile.
• Go.

I Need Less

In keeping with my keep-these-three-little-words-front-and-center-today blog update guidelines, I will use "I" as my personal pronoun today instead of "you".

But you do need less, too.

Ok, let's use "we."

We need less in our lives. Less is more. 

I'm starting to shop and pack for our trip out west in less than a month. I do not want to buy or take one thing I don't use. I'm scouring Pinterest for packing ideas.

I'm mixin' and matching clothes to wear to a wedding, national parks, Disneyland, hiking, and swimming.

We'll be staying in Airbnb's, some mom and pop motels, and a teepee, so I'll need to have along my shakes, a coffee press, and minibar sized wines. 

Our itinerary is jam-packed, but I don't want to have to sit on my suitcase to get it shut.

So I've been obsessing over these three little words, not just with packing, but in a few other areas of my life. 

I need less empty calories.

I need less Amazon, Facebook, Instagram, Netflix, and TJMaxx.

I need less of me and more of others.

I need less busyness.

I need less fake and bad news.

I need less tchotchkes, and mind clutter.

I need less negativity.

I need less misunderstanding.

I need less information about celebrities.

Let these "three little words" stay in the forefront of your thinking today. 

What do you need less of?

Create A Legacy

Time to stop and smell the flowers/coffee/wine! It's almost middle summer. It is! I heard the cicadas singing already, the stars are ready to play baseball, and the dogs are having their days.

Keep eating healthy food, plan a trip, exercise, stay in school, and drink your milk/water! But make sure you're making lasting memories along the way.

I'm fixin' to start Instagram Stories, but I've been telling stories for years over at www.greybarnstories.blogspot.com

See you soon, with more Three Little Words posts.

Walk With Me

June 12  Daily Reading in Sarah Young's "Jesus Calling"

"Let Me help you get through this day. There are many possible paths to travel between your getting up in the morning  and your lying down at night. Stay alert to the many choice-points along the way, being continually aware of My Presence. You will get through this day one way or the other. One way is to man and groan, stumbling along with shuffling feet. This will get you to the end of the day eventually, but there is a better way. You can choose to walk with Me along the path of Peace, leaning on Me as much as you need. There will still be difficulties along the way, but you can face them confidently in My strength. Thank Me for each problem you encounter, and watch to see how I transform trials into blessings."

Give it a go.

Walk with Him.

Plan A Trip

Do you believe the telemarketer call which begins, "I'm not trying to sell you anything?" Yup, me neither.

I AM trying to sell you something. There, I said it. I'm passionate about health and travel, and I'm fixin' to sell you on this idea, as well.  I want to be your go-to gal for these 3 little words. "Plan A Trip" Here are some destinations I can help with:

• Walt Disney World Resort

• All Disney World Resort hotels & good neighbor hotels

• Disneyland Resort

• Disneyland Resort hotels & good neighbor hotels

• Disney Cruise Line

• Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa

• Adventures by Disney on six continents

• Universal Studios (Orlando & Hollywood)

• Sandals & Beaches Resorts

• Royal Caribbean Cruise Line

• Princess Cruise Line

• All Inclusive Caribbean Vacations

• European River Cruises

My services are free. 

You can plan as far out as October 2019 or spontaneously book a Disney trip, yet this summer...with or without kids or grandkids.

These 3 little words can help you achieve your health goals, too! Get a cruise (or any trip) on the books and then let's get started getting healthier, dropping some lbs, and packing on some muscle.

I help generational families experience the wonderful world of Disney travel and I'm passionate about mentoring parents and grandparents in the art of travel and healthy aging.

Join me on facebook at Grandmas Getting Healthy and now at Grandma Does Disney

And over on Instagram at Grandmas Getting Healthy and now at Grandma Does Disney

Kid At Heart

Lessons learned from Lucy.

Finally got my granddaughter down for a nap after a wonderful morning of make-believe, playing house, singing, dancing and basically anything she asked me to do ... (Lucy says, "Grandma, you be her, and I'll be her" when she wants to play with Anna & Elsa).

Don't take yourself too seriously.

Get down on the floor and play.

Go outside. Everday.

Have a couple of animal crackers.

Plan a trip to Disney.

Watch Toy Story.

Donate to "Make A Wish"

Move like a toddler... I dare you to try this for 1 hour. Check with your doctor first.

Eat dinner like a picky child. 

Don't just 'get in' the pool...do a cannonball.

Build something out of legos.

Be a kid again.

You be her.

Stretch To Grow

"Stretching leads to growth. Growth is frequently painful. But growth is the only evidence of life." ~ John Henry Newman

While reading about the physical therapy a young boy went thru after being burned over 100% of his body, I literally became overwhelmed physically. As he described his own pain/tears and the pain/tears of his therapists I became overwhelmed emotionally.

Here's a quote from his book about the motivation and lessons learned from physical therapy:

The therapists knew that stretching is never easy. It's unwanted. It's painful. It's hard on all parties involved and in all facets of life. It's not pleasant to be stretched and it's not pleasurable to stretch others. Yet the pain of today unveils the possibility of tomorrow.

Highly recommend another "one sitting" book = "On Fire" by John O'Leary.

Stretch yourself today. Repeat these 🍏Three Little Words🍏 all day ... while eating, while resting, while talking, while listening, while exercising and while doing nothing and everything.

Stretch your muscles and your mind.

Stretch your limits.

Stretch your heart.

Stretch out your walk.

Stretch your soul and your smile.

It's the only way to grow.

Peace, Be Still

Simple thoughts on living a peaceful life.

• Breathe
• Walk away from drama
• Rise up and take someone with you
• Eliminate mind, house, and stuff clutter
• Take mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual breaks

Go in peace

Peace be with you

And also with you

Grandma's Starting Over

It's ok to begin again.  I've lost over 30 lbs and 30 inches since beginning my "Grandmas Getting Healthy" journey in 2016. Then I stalled, got frustrated with myself and pretty much rode on my laurels for longer than I want to admit. I did work hard for every pound and every inch, only to realize it's pretty much a mind game. I need to get my head back in the game.

I've identified a couple of food situations that I CAN control.

a. too much wine

b. not enough water

Hmmmmmmm. Both "Three Little Words" I coulda used to name this post. But I can not lay all the blame on happy hour.

I've also figured out I have a couple of mind issues I need to deal with, as well.

a. stop looking back

b. think positive thoughts

And then there is my soul. Once again, 'three little words' and a couple of areas which need my attention.

a. search my soul

b. feed it daily

I recommit to begin again. Grandmas getting healthy, for the love of mind, body, and soul.

Grandma's starting over.

Care to join me?

Meant To Be

Some things are meant to be. If that's true, then we must conclude, some things are not meant to be?

I met a delightful new friend, yesterday. I simply meandered down the road and noticed a gal out looking at a trailer for sale. I introduced myself and did a 30-second commercial on our trailer park. 

We talked for over an hour, exchanged numbers, and vowed to stay connected whether or not she buys in our park.

I believe our encounter was meant to be.

I read a study recently (can't remember where but I swear I'm not making this up) that went something like this;

It was a 20 year study on how long these groups of 60-80 year old people lived and the study compared the following components (there were more healthy living components but these were the key ones)

• Never smoked
• Exercised regularly
• Ate well-balanced nutritious meals
• Strongly connected with family & friends

You can guess where I'm going with this. The group that stayed STRONGLY connected with family and friends lived the longest.

I encourage you to find your "meant to be" moment(s) today. 

We were meant for community.

We were meant to be connected with others.

We were meant to be.

Rock 'N Roll

Life surely does not go always as expected. You can take that to the bank. 

We've had quite a January. We've been sick, we've been inside, we've been party planners, we've been taxi drivers, we've been Airbnb property managers and cleaning services, we've been iChatting, we've been walking, we've been eating healthy and taking names.

We've not been going to the pool or beach, we've not been reading or relaxing, we've not been sitting at the beach sipping margaritas. But we're hoping to fix that here shortly.

It's tempting to look at tickets to some of our favorites:. 

James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt coming this summer to Grand Rapids.

The Eagles with Vince Gill in Orlando this spring. 

I think we'll download some tunes or turn on Pandora... pour a nice glass of red ... and sit on the porch as much as we can for the month of February. 

Figure It Out

Remember the vintage Atari video game called Pong? I was terrible at that game. I could never figure out where to position my rectangle to hit the dang circle.

Same goes with ping pong. Or as Grandpa calls it Table Tennis... did you know it's an olympic sport? If I could just figure out where that little white ball was going to go, I'd maybe ... on a good day ... be able to score against Grandpa!  

Today we'll watch the NHL All-Star game. It's being played at Amelie Arena in Tampa and we thought about it, but then we thought again. We'll have better seats at Palm Village.

Hockey is another sport where you have to figure out ahead of time where the puck is going and when to get there.

I am of the persuasion that one can lose weight on any program ... but you have to figure it out.  Some are harder than others. Some are healthier than others. Some are a mind game. Some are  spiritual. Some depend on community

Honestly, I believe you can lose weight abiding by "Three Little Words" hence my blog title. I've posted over 75 "Three Word" posts and yesterday, I realized I duplicated "Take A Break" so I changed it to "Rest And Relaxation" and then I realized I had already duplicated "R & R" earlier.  

I guess a day of rest is pretty important!  

Use today to figure it out. Plan and prepare for the week. Pinterest some healthy recipes for next Sunday (Super Bowl). Get your mind in the game.

You've got this.

"A good hockey player plays where the puck is ... a great hockey player skates to where the puck is going to be!!" ~ Wayne Gretzy

Rest And Relaxation

It's "Choose Your Chair Day" at Grandmas Getting Healthy 🌴❄️

It's Saturday! We've made it through the week.

We've talked about, thought about it, talked about it, thought about it and talked about it some more.

Time to take a break.

Give it a rest.

Shut your mind off for a day. It's ok. I'm ok. You're ok. 

I mean, don't go crazy ... just relax in the work you've already done to get healthy. Mind, body, and soul.

Take in a movie and have the popcorn. 

Go out to dinner and share the dessert.

Put down the self-help book and pick up the novel.

Scroll instagram all day, if you want.

Create your own retreat and put some cream in your coffee.

Go for a walk or to the gym and strike up a conversation.

Get your R & R & R. Rest & Relaxation, & Retreat!

Set Yourself Free

"A ship in the harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are built for." ~ John A. Shedd

Set your sail, unhook from the dock that holds you captive.

Our bodies are capable of anything ... it's our minds we have to convince.

Break free from your negative self talk. 

Things won't change unless something changes.

It's a mind game, and you can win it..

Stop saying ~ 

• I can't
• I'm so frustrated
• I'll try
• It's so hard
• I'm stressed out
• I'm overwhelmed

Set yourself free!.

Who's the captain, now?

Plan And Prepare

We (Grandpa and I) are planning a late August-late September month long National Parks tour out west.  We took a 30' motor home and the three kids down Rt. 66 in 2005, but we didn't get to see any other National Parks except the Grand Canyon. 

We are in the beginning stages of planning this once-in-a-lifetime trip. We're researching train routes, Airbnb's, boon docking, and yes ... maybe even RV'ing again. We're loading up our road trip playlists and kindles. We're scouring you tube for hints, ideas, recipes, and scenic drives. It takes time to plan and prepare a trip such as this. But the work must be done ahead of time to make for a successful vacation.

Same goes for getting healthy. (Everyday AND on vacation)

You may not have a gourmet bone in your body. Or you may be a foodie. You might lean towards international meals. You might like food prep days or once-a-month cooking. Maybe you're a meat and potatoes kinda gal/guy. It takes all kinds and this is where we all must agree ~ If you're trying to lose weight and get healthy you need to plan and prepare. 

This is my daily food schedule and remember I'm into simple, whole, convenient and cleanse days.

Nutritious protein shake with some kale or spinach thrown in for breakfast. 8am

Snack - Apple with peanut butter, OR hard boiled egg, OR raisin cake  about 10am

Nutritious protein shake with 1/2 banana or peanut butter thrown in for lunch. Noon.

Snack - Grapes & cheese OR celery & almond butter OR almonds & applesauce OR veggies & dip

I make 3 Blue Apron meals a week OR I fix a dinner according to the photo below (out to eat, too)

I do have a small glass of wine about every other evening and 3-4 cups of popcorn once a week.
Once every other week I do a 24-36 hr cleanse/fast day.

Think about these three little words,  ... Plan And Prepare!

Barring any unforseen mac trucks, I'm on a mission. A mission to see the USA with Grandpa, keep up with those grandkids, help as many people as I can (including me) get healthy and stay healthy. 

Get busy livin' or get busy dying' ~ Shawshank Redemption

It's About Time

Time is a funny thing.

I wrote, a few posts back, about how the day starts and the day ends.

Every day. 

Every morning, the sun comes up and every evening it sets. It's comforting and frightening.

We do not have all the time in the world, but we do have today. But that is all we have. And we all have it.

I don't mean to get all morbid on you today, but it's about time to give some thought to how we spend our time, because that is how we spend our days, and therefore our lives.

It's about time to;

• Dump the junk
• Plan and prepare
• Count the cost
• Forgive and forget
• Smile and wave
• Meet a friend
• Help someone out
• Make that call
• Hope for the best
• Change a bad habit
• Live your best life

2018 is almost 1/12th over. 

Time is a funny thing.

Follow My Heart

I don't always know how to word these Three Little Words blog post titles.  I want you (and me) to let them simmer and soak into our lives all day long.   Repeating "Follow YOUR Heart" as you navigate thru your day doesn't have the PUNCH ~ so this one is getting the personal pronoun MY.

Let me encourage you and me to follow our hearts today. Your heart will not do you wrong. Your heart does not have anything to do with stress eating (that's your mind). Your heart will not encourage you to gossip, complain, or argue. Let your heart guide you in making decisions today. Give your heart permission to speak today. 

Grandmas Getting Healthy ~ For the love of mind, body, and soul!

What is your heart telling you today?

Is your heart asking you to change? slow down? forgive? 

Who is on your heart?

Where is your heart leading you?

Can you hear your heart? Maybe it is whispering?

I will follow my heart today. 

Guard your heart above all else,

for it determines the course of your life.

Proverbs 4:23