X marks the Spot!!

Even as Spring 2009 continues to reveal itself to us, I realized that this also means doing some spring cleaning as well. Where do you start? Well, first up, yourself. A few years ago I made the concerted effort to alter some of the old bad habits and renew my interest in being the best person I could be. I underwent a serious round of surgery, a little cosmetic touch, backed it up from the table and this year I'm checking under the mental hood to make sure that I'm firing on all pistons. Come on folks, as we age and we are doing that each and everyday, we must "Keep it real" that letting it all go is no fun and certainly doesn't look when gazing into the mirror. Just as this forum has done makeovers so should we all. From our midweek point until our Friday bow out, we will take up the quest of spring cleaning your body, mind and soul. And on yeah, some of those dusty closets that need purging. Are you ready, then let's get busy...

Food Police: I'm not all about being the food police but, I do take a gander at all those articles relating to what I may or may not be putting in my face. It's imperative that we start paying more attention to everything about what we are consuming on a daily basis. For instance, the recent Peanut salmonella outbreak was just the latest in a long running secession of food alarms that we as consumers have dealt with. I've taken a food safety course from our local extension office and believe me I'm so glad that I did. I've been terribly concerned with the explosion of curbside eateries, barrels, rolling shops and otherwise possibly unregulated ptomaine outlets that are spreaded throughout the city. Have you seen them? As I drove around in the last week, I was surprise to see individuals bellying up to sites selling everything from smoked turkey legs, burritos, ice cream to hot dogs on numerous corners. I'm all for the entrepreneurial spirit especially in these hard fought eco times, but with many mirco organism, antibiotic resistant diseases and other food borne illness abounding, I'm casting a weary eye on all these food outlets offering their products to a unknowing public. I've shared some of my concern with city officials but was sorta passed along to a bureaucrat who showed a low level of interest. My concerns involve seeing some outlets sharing utilities, seeing set ups in abandon parking lots, activities using ice chest and other stops with no visible hand washing means to just name a few. Sounds iffy to me? How about you? I'm not sounding the alarm, but rather a heighten concern that if an serious outbreak took hold, I would hope that the powers that be would be ready to deal with it. Hey folks, remember that adage, "buyer beware" and that goes to where you choose to chow down next time.


Spring Cash Dash: SAVING, has become a new old buzz word that is capturing attention everywhere and I'm not about being left out. Say What? I've been a "saver" all my life, even when I making next to nothing. Somehow, I've learned how to stretch a dime into several dollars whether force too or not. One of my favorite money gurus is family member, Suze O. who hits you right smack in the money belt. Here latest mash up includes, http://www.saveyourself.com/ a site for women to get good advice on dealing with money. I must confess, I've bought some Ms. O's products and been a long time fan of her PBS specials. I've learned much about my money habits and traps. As you continue your spring cleaning, take a look at her offering so you don't clean out your savings. She's got good stuff that's just plane and simple common sense for your wallet. It's all at http://www.suzeorman/. com





Belly Spring Shedding: I get e-blast from Men's Health magazine and they have some good food for thought items for consideration. If you need to work on those abs or that troublesome mid section, heres a few suggestions from an online article.

You sweat buckets and burn major calories when you go to the gym. But wouldn't it be great if you could burn fat simply by sitting down, or even better—while you're sleeping? If you think it sounds too good to be true, guess again: Research has found there are a couple of things you can do to boost your metabolic rate so your body is a more efficient fat-burning machine. 1. Eat breakfast. Waking up to a couple of eggs or whole-grain cereal with skim milk will jump start your metabolism: Giving your mind clarity and your body the energy it needs to burn fat all day.2. Build muscle mass. Strength training builds lean muscle tissue, which burns more calories at work or at rest. Use your own body weight with the Belly Off! No-Gym Workout, or hit the weight racks with Belly Off! Fully Loaded and you'll see a boost in your metabolism after just one week.3. Eat more meat. A British study found those who increased the percentage of
the percentage of protein-based calories in their diets burned 71 more calories a day than those on low-protein diets. On the Belly Off! eating plan, you'll eat a steak every Tuesday to keep your muscles revving all week.

4. Get more sleep! Researchers found that sleep deprivation increases levels of a hunger hormone and decreases levels of a hormone that makes you feel full. The effects may lead to overeating and weight gain, so hit the sack instead of the fridge and feel the benefits in the morning.