Healthy Snacks

Living at the creek I can find natural snacks just taking a walk. I have wild strawberries that have been ripe for weeks now. They're not the tastiest treat, but they're a great source of vitamin C and other nutrients. I grab a handful on the way to the mailbox and back some mornings. The ones in the picture are in me now :)

I'll have wild raspberries and blackberries in a few weeks, and my cultivated berry patch will have some red raspberries soon. I ate my first red raspberry yesterday, but it was an overachiever. You can see there are a few early ones, but most are still green. The netting is to keep the birds from beating me to the berries.

Mulberries, wild cherries, and wild grapes will be coming along later this summer. This fall I'll have pawpaws and some mayapples if I can get to them before the possums. If you know what to look for there plenty of healthy snacks for free at the creek.

Herbalife makes some delicious protein bars if you want something a little different. They're easy to stick in my bag or grab as I go out the door. I like the citrus lemon flavor but the vanilla almond are a close second. Herbalife protein bars provide 10g of healthy protein and other vitamins and mineral in only 140 calories of great taste. They help take the edge off between meals in a healthy nutritious way.

Beat the Heat at the Creek

It was heat wave hot today. It was 97° when I decided to head to the creek and soak for a while. It's handy having a creek in the back yard. You can see the recliner I sink in the current and sit in to cool off. You just have to find the right sized rock to sit on your lap so you don’t float away. The cool water, the massaging current, and the minnows nibbling on your toes are very relaxing. Some people are put off by the minnows though :)

When it's as hot as it was today you want to stay hydrated and get back the electrolytes you’re losing. Herbalife H3O Fitness Drink is perfect for that. It comes in two flavors and tastes great. I use the H3O Fitness Drink sticks. I just dump one in my water bottle, add some water and a couple of ice cubes, and shake it up. Icy, refreshing, and it replaces what your body loses in this kind of heat.

The one hazard of relaxing in the creek is my two dogs get bored and start wandering on their own. Today Lucky decided to get into something, I have no idea what. She's normally a nice clean white little Jack Russel terrier mix. Today she came back home looking like she’d been wallowing with some pigs. That meant we went back to the creek again and she got a good bath. Getting a bath isn't something she looks forward to, but the temptation to wallow overrides her caution sometimes :)

Do your best to stay cool in this heat, and remember to stay healthy.

Healthy Eating - Fish

The fishing has been great here lately. I caught a pan full of panfish last night. Half a dozen pumpkin seeds and a couple of popeyes. I've got them all cleaned, soaking in salt water, and ready to grill for supper tonight. I'll just wrap them in tin foil with some olive oil, garlic salt, and pepper, and throw then on the grill for a few minutes on each side. I've got some mustard potato salad to go with them. I'm looking forward to it.

I caught a bunch of little channel cats that weren't quite big enough to bother with and one nice smallmouth that went about 13 inches. I kept the bass until I had enough other fish to make a meal, then I turned it loose so it can make some more bass and maybe I can catch it again. This is not a very big creek when it's not flooding and you can overfish if you're not careful.

Besides eating healthy fresh food I take Herbalife's Formula 2 Multivitamin Mineral Complex every day. It's one of herbalife's core products. Herbalife has lots of other targeted nutrition products to help keep you healthy and active, two things that you need to be when you're living at the creek.

Relax for Health's Sake

Sometimes you just need to relax and restore your energy level. According to the Mayo Clinic, constant stress puts your health at risk. So for your health's sake, take some time every day to relax and enjoy what's happening in the now.

I like to relax with a glass of iced tea. Herbalife herbal tea concentrate makes it simple to mix up a delicious hot or cold drink in minutes. Tonight I had a mug of iced herbal tea while I sat in my back yard and watched the creek go by. As you'll notice, have a cracker jack back yard.

Herbalife herbal tea concentrate comes in a bunch of flavors and gives you that boost you need. At about 5 calories per serving it's much better than a soda or some sugary coffee drink. I like the original flavor. Hot or cold Herbalife herbal tea concentrate does the job.

Remember to relax and restore.

Busy and Healthy

It's been a busy week here at the creek. There are lots of storms rolling through this time of year. Keeping up with the mowing and trimming can be a challenge. Working outside is a great source of healthy exercise, but it can also be tough on the back, especially chores like weeding the berry patch. I'm going to have some dandy berries this year if the blossoms are any indication.

There are two things I do to keep going strong when I'm working outside. The first is yoga. I was a yoga instructor for 11 years and have been practicing for almost 15 years.  There's a simple flow of yoga poses  I use every day to keep my back healthy and flexible. It loosens the tightness and eases the tension you get from lots of bending and lifting, and also from sitting in front of a computer for hours at a time. It's called the standing warmup flow.

This flow doesn't require a mat or even taking off your shoes. It works the spine in every direction and uses all the major muscles and joints. Use this flow to wake up, warm up, relieve stress, relax, or simply to become centered by focusing on your breath. Repeat the flow as many times as you choose. Move into each pose while inhaling or exhaling as indicated. Always move with your breath:

• Mountain Pose — exhale
• Standing Stretch — inhale
• Forward Fold — exhale
• Standing Stretch — inhale

• Right Side Lateral Stretch — exhale
• Standing Stretch — inhale
• Left Side Lateral Stretch — exhale
• Standing Stretch — inhale
• Mountain Pose — exhale
• Front Archer Pose — inhale
• Right Archer Pose — exhale
• Front Archer Pose — inhale
• Left Archer Pose — exhale
• Front Archer Pose — inhale
• Chair Pose — exhale
• Back Bend Pose — inhale
• Mountain Pose — exhale

I recommend the Yoga Journal index of poses for help with the individual poses in this flow. It's a great reference on poses and how to perform them safely.

The second thing I do to keep going strong is fill my water bottle with Liftoff from Herbalife. Whether I'm riding on the tractor, pushing the mower, or pulling weeds, Liftoff hydrates and gives me a boost of energy at the same time.

If you have any questions about the standing warmup flow or Liftoff, let me know.

Namaste