Showing posts with label Thanksgiving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thanksgiving. Show all posts

Monday, November 30, 2015

Wasted Roller Blades + #MotivatingMonday Link-Up

Thanksgiving was a huge success! That is my assessment, overall, of the holiday that is filled with food, fun, family, and fraught with indulgences, inordinate weight gain and innocuous conversation (we hope so anyway). The turkey was moist, the mashed potatoes creamy (except for the crumbled bacon and herbs throughout), the punch bowl cake tasty and sweet, and the pies plentiful! It was so much fun to watch the guys play a friendly after-dinner game of Risk!

Of course, I could always go on about how we thawed a frozen 20-lb. turkey for 10 straight hours via the sink method, because we didn't get it until Tuesday from our supplier (my son), then determined that said turkey didn't have a giblets pack because we didn't see any sign of it. I told everyone within earshot that I felt that the turkey people had finally figured out that no one uses the giblets anymore and have dispensed with the disgusting practice of putting packaged pieces of the turkey inside the bird. How wrong that statement was I later found out, when I pulled the huge buttered bird out of the oven and started preparing to carve it. Lo and behold, the missing pack of giblets! Apparently we hadn't dug around deep enough to find what I now saw plain and clear. I quickly tossed the evidence in the trash and went on like nothing happened. I received accolades from our guests about how moist and flavorful the turkey was. I don't imagine myself going on a cooking show anytime soon, but if I do, I will do a full demonstration of how to cook a moist and tasty turkey using the giblet packet method! 

In other news, the Christmas shows are now in full swing and I have already got Home Alone 1 and Home Alone 2 under my belt! Bless you Macaulay Culkin, there will always be a place in heaven for you because of those movies! For me, those movies are as much a part of Christmas as stockings over the fireplace! 

This year I loved the dialogue between Kevin and the eccentric Pigeon Lady. She says, "I'm just afraid if I do trust someone, I'll get my heart broken." Kevin then talks about his roller blades and how he was afraid to ruin them so he never used them, but then he outgrew them and he couldn't use them anyway. Essentially, he wasted his roller blades. He tells her, "If you won't use your heart, who cares if it gets broken? If you just keep it to yourself, maybe it'll be like my rollerblades. When you do decide to try it, it won't be any good. You should take a chance. Got nothing to lose."  How did this kid get so much wisdom? 

It's not wise to do as the pigeon lady did. There are so many people who need to be loved, so many people who need our best humanity. This is a great time to exercise our hearts and I'm not talking cardio here. Have you been hurt in the past? Put it to rest and move on. You'll be better off for it! Don't wait until your heart is healed. Giving love is the way to heal your heart!
Image by Paul Marto
Today is Motivating Monday!  We all need a little motivation!  I, for one, love to explore other sites for motivating, non-sponsored posts, tips, pictures and videos! Sponsored posts are great and I appreciate the information from well-written and authentic sponsored posts, but I also love non-sponsored posts because they are all about the person and less about a specific brand! If I happen to find a great non-sponsored post, I'll link it up and share it with you here and on Twitter via the #MotivatingMonday hashtag!  It's like being featured!  I can miss some amazing posts, but I don't want to!  So, in addition, if you'd like to link up yourself, you can do that too!  I'll visit your site, comment, promote and publicize! Remember, any link to your posts helps your blog numbers increase! (Affiliate links OK)

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Energy!.....But Are Those Drinks Worth It?

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving this year!  I am trying to diet a little so I can get down to some point where I won't be so shocked after I eat on Thursday.   But I need to talk about something that has been on my mind lately.  It's about energy and the different ways we get it.  Some of us like to burn the candle at both ends.  We love life so much that we don't want to sleep.  We want to grab life and live it to the fullest.  But even the most energetic of us need sleep to have energy.  In the absence of sleep, what is it that we can do to keep us going for a little while more before we crash?   
 
I am amazed at how many people drink energy drinks.  News flash:  They aren't even remotely good for you!  And especially, not good for young people.  At a time in their lives when they can run circles around adults who can possibly justify their need for some kind of pick-me-up, whether natural or artificial, here they are, drinking Red Bull, Full Throttle, Monster, 5-Hour Energy and Rock Star like the new Pepsi or Diet Coke, known in and of themselves for hits of caffeine. But nothing like these drinks.  These make Pepsi and Coke seem like water in comparison.

I do understand the occasional adult need for a quick boost in their energy.  For instance, moms who watch their kids all day and then feel that they need their own time at night or moms who stay up all night with a child and need to stay up during the day.  I remember feeling that way.  I really did want my own time, but I couldn't physically do it unless I had some kind of jolt.  Because if I didn't, I was out along with the kiddo.  

The adult who is driving a long way to a long-distance destination needs energy.  My husband drinks energy drinks on long road trips.  I'm not OK with it, but since he refuses to stop and just keeps on driving, I guess I'd rather he do that than fall asleep at the wheel and put us all in danger!  I'd much rather we stop and take a break somewhere until we are ready to go again.   

What about the all-night shift workers who have to stay up for their jobs?  I know that this is necessary for their living so I have to say that they have to do what they have to do.  My brother works at Rio Tinto Copper Mine in Utah and he works all kinds of crazy shifts.  He never has the same shift back to back, it seems.  He's given up all kinds of health to keep that job, which has benefits and retirement.  Does he do energy drinks?  You bet.  

But just to let you know, there is a cost to drinking energy drinks more than just occasionally.  First they cause a steep rise and fall to insulin levels, triggering inflamation (the initial cause of most health issues), potential hormonal imbalances, and moodiness.   The temporary boost is followed by plummeting blood sugar--which will have you either immobilized and groggy or reaching for another lift.  
 The 72 to 200 mg of caffeine per serving of one of these drinks can trigger heart palpitations, the jitters, and insomnia.  Also one popular brand has 62 g of sugar--the same as nearly two candy bars!  And then there is the added risk when you start mixing these drinks with substances like alcohol, medications, or drugs. 

Some alternatives to reaching for the energy drink is to take a brisk walk during the day; reach for a complex carb with protein snack such as whole grain crackers and cheese, whole wheat bread with almond butter; do some meditation to clear your mind of energy-draining thoughts and keep yourself surrounded by positive people because negativity will decrease energy.   

Doing these and other alternative energy boosting and energy saving activities will definitely help you stay away from those high sugar/high caffeine energy drinks and will help you keep your health and well-being!  

I'm just looking out for you and hoping that you will have a great Thanksgiving and if that means you need to get out and shop till you drop, then do it!  Just stay away from the energy drinks, k?


Notice:  This was written solely by myself.  All opinions are my own.  This work is owned by A GAL NEEDS...