Apple Juice Kidney Cleanse

Have you ever had a problem with your kidneys? Strong, lower back pain that doesn't go away?

An Apple a Day Keeps the Dr. Away

Two weeks ago I started having lower back pain on my right side. My first thought was just my body is getting older and I need to exercise. I thought about what muscle straining activities I had done to cause this type of pain and I couldn't think of anything I'd done. Most of my time is spent sitting or walking around. Nothing strenuous.

As the pain began to increase I was able to isolate the point of pain to my mid right back area. It was most tender under the rib cage and I started to think about kidney problems. I had suffered with a bladder infection the week prior and so I thought it was bound to be the kidneys infected. So we scheduled a doctors appointment.

After being examined, urine test and a blood test, I was told that there was no positive proof of a kidney infection. No blood in the urine, no infections found meant there was a possible problem with stones, but not enough to show up in the tests. The blood test was for prostrate problems. I haven't heard about the results of that yet. They did give me a course of steroids and some pain pills. The one pain pill I took knocked me out after about 1/2 hour.

By the way, not to change the subject, pain pills, or any pills you get, come with warning labels and interactions information to help you ascertain possible reactions to the medication you are going to be taking. It's good to read these and be aware of the possibilities. Some medications are potent enough to put you into a mind altering state of depression and cause you to have suicidal thoughts. A bad thing to say the least.

Square Watermelons?

So I got on the internet and started researching kidney stones and other kidney related maladies. There were several sites that spoke of a cleanse. Believe it or not, I know some of you may say I was just looking for this one, Watermelon is one of the cleanses I found. Who would have known. Now if popcorn was on there I would have been delighted beyond reason, but it wasn't.

What I found was a cleanse that consists of apple juice and distilled water. This checked out in the company of several people around us, that have done this cleanse, with great results. So, I am thinking that I am in pain and I need to try something. My insurance will not pay for greater investigation of kidney stones without some type of evidence of blood or infection.

So here are some of the places I looked.

Cleansing or Surgery - This one I found to be most interesting and sensible. Biblical references and natural remedies.

Just Cleansing - This has the Apple Juice Kidney Flush I am on. A good site for general cleansing techniques of all types. Colon, Kidney, Fat flush, etc.

WebMD - This site has lots of medical information to help you figure out what is going on with your body and gives you medical and natural remedies.

Cure Zone - Another good site for cleanses, dietary plans and remedies.

As with all diets, cleanses, cures and natural remedies you need to use caution and be in contact with someone who can help monitor your activities and check with a physician to make sure you are not going to cause problems with other medications or treatments. Check to make sure you are not allergic to the items you may be using.

Well, if you read about my watermelon diet in an earlier blog post, you know that I am fond of this remedy. Unfortunately, watermelon is not in season right now but when it is I will be back to consuming it for dietary assistance and heat relief. For the meantime, I am on the three day apple juice cleanse, I'm told that at the end of the third day, right before bedtime, I can drink 1/2 cup cold pressed oil and 1/2 cup fresh squeezed grapefruit juice to help cleanse the gall bladder along with the kidney's. Not sure how that is going to taste but I might as well try that, too. What do I have to lose? Just a few kidney stones and gall stones I think.

Aerobic House Cleaning

Believe it or not, there is something I have not posted on this blog yet!

You might ask me, "What could that possibly be? "

Well, that is information concerning all the benefits we can realize from everyday house cleaning.

We generally look at this as a chore we have to drudge through but, I want to suggest that we can transform that drudgery into an aerobic workout.

Why not? Let's think of the benefits of all that work and make it into an activity we can enjoy.

I am going to show you four different aerobic exercises you can do as a part of your regular house cleaning. Maybe you already do these but don't realize it.


Aerobic Floor Moping

Many of you may have floors that you have to sweep and mop. Sweeping and mopping are two very good aerobic exercises. You might try using additional ankle weights and a workout suit to do this in. It will increase the intensity of the exercise and help burn more calories in the process. Remember you want to increase your heart rate during these exercises for a period of at least 5 minutes to get the real value out of it. Vigorous sweeping and moping in intervals of 5 minutes with a 2 minute slow down for a total of 20 minutes will give you a decent beginning to your aerobic house cleaning session.


Aerobic Floor Drying


Once you have swept and mopped your floor you can really put a kick into the session by doing an aerobic floor drying exercise. This can be done in several ways. The first is using a floor towel and your feet to do a series of left and right sweeping motions with your legs. This really can be a good warm up for those hips and legs that may be getting a little flabby. Make sure you get your heart rate up there for the 5 minute period and follow with the two minute slow down. Then repeat this at least one more time.
(See pictures below)

Aerobic Floor Drying - (Alternate Style)


Next you can do the alternate aerobic waist bend and really work out those abs for a more intense workout. Once again put some kick into your session by bending and stretching those abs. Start by stretching out and pulling back then moving from side to side. A good workout should again, raise your heart rate for about 5 minutes and then a 2 minute slower period followed by another 5 minute period of workout. Repeat that exercise and then move on to the last session. This last session will help you through the cool down stage but still be targeting the abs, arms and leg muscles.




Aerobic Clothes Ironing

This last exercise will target some key areas you may be neglecting in your daily workout. We want to begin our cool down period but not so fast that all your muscles seized up and cause you to go into convulsions. We just want to keep that heart rate up a bit and let our body progress into a graduated rest. Ironing is one of the best ways of accomplishing that. It helps to keep us in the motion of exercise but allows that gradual slowing down into the end of the exercise session.

Think about the previous steps in this aerobic exercise process and try to evaluate if there are any areas you may have missed during the workout. Make the necessary adjustments in your mind for the next time. Then give yourself a treat to a large glass of water and proceed into the last of your aerobic work out.


Aerobic Dog-Tired Resting

By this time you should have worked out every major muscle group in your body and you should be really feeling the burn. This last period of cooling down may put you into a horizontal position that we call Aerobic Dog-Tired Resting. Some of you may have gotten into this position earlier without finishing the workout and that is OK. We want to try to step it up a bit the next time. So if you did not finish your total workout today then make the mental adjustment to do so tomorrow. You may want to work into the complete program slowly. This is especially important if you have not been working out or you are not in shape because of previous injury or lack of initiative. We understand that starting an aerobic exercise program is not always the easiest thing to do. So, get up and get started cleaning the house and before you know it you will be expanding your program with your own aerobic twists.

I have some additional aerobic exercises I will share at another time. I'm thinking about things like aerobic bed making and aerobic car washing but, we will look at those another day.

Aerobic House Cleaning Benefits

There are many benefits we can realize from all the workouts you have now performed.

• The first and foremost is that your house will be a lot cleaner than before you started. You may have to get into some of those long forgotten areas like: behind the refrigerator and stove, underneath the cabinets along the kick-boards and behind the doors. 
• All of your clothes will be finely pressed and creased in all the right places. No more wrinkled socks, shirts, pants or underwear. Your Tee Shirts will benefit from this as well and look neat and proper when you wear them. People will be jealous of how good your clothes look on you.
• Another benefit is that you will find all sorts of change, toys and cooking utensils that have slipped unnoticed into those spaces between the stove and cabinet walls. Who said exercise couldn't be monetarily profitable?
• Remember Huck Finn? Well you can get your neighbors, friends or house mates involved in this program and help them realize the benefits of aerobic house cleaning. You might even start aerobic house cleaning parties in your neighborhood and be the most popular person on your block!
• If you are married, just think of the praise and admiration your spouse will give you when they see the dazzling difference in the appearance of the house. Not to mention the new look you will have from the slimming down and toning up results of the exercises you are doing.
• As with all exercise programs you will find that you feel better about yourself and just plain feel better all around after you have used this program for a few weeks. You will sleep better and have more energy.
• Your health will also improve greatly. Unwanted pounds will be melting off you and your whole internal organ system will improve with the pumping up sessions you are putting it through. Your doctor will be happy as well that he or she doesn't have to treat you for unneeded procedures. It saves him time and worry.
• Your vision for other aerobic cleaning areas will expand as you tire from seeing the same areas cleaned over and over again. You will venture out into unexplored areas like the grill, the car, the garage, the garden and those rose bushes that have gotten out of control. Imagination will flourish and you will be mentally more fit to do the other things of life you have been neglecting.

So there you have it. My aerobic house cleaning program. Let me know how this works for you. 

CAUTION: Make sure you check with your doctor before starting any exercise program like this. We don't want you to hurt yourself or end up a statistic on some back page newspaper article. 

Good luck and happy house cleaning!

What Does it Take to Lose Weight?

I titled this blog "What Does it Take to Lose Weight" because that seems to be on the mind of every American that considers themselves overweight of out of shape. It seems like an epidemic. Constantly there are new diets, food products and supplements that fill our store shelves. They come in all sizes and shapes but the vast number of products and ways to "lose weight" has overwhelmed us.

Laughter burns calories

You know what I'm talking about if you have seriously looked at this yourself. The real problem is not finding some way to lose weight but finding the right way to lose weight. There is also the question of "What is the right way for me to lose weight?". Not all diets are the same and not all diets are going to produce the results you may think they will. Our bodies differ in construction and the ways we process food intake. It is a real challenge to find what will work for you. There are some real simple ways to do that and it works like magic.

I am in Africa right now and I wonder if it is the climate, the elevation or just the types of food I eat when I am here that changes my weight gain and digestive processes. What ever it is, it is definitely a switch from the American diet I eat there. I just seem to lose weight and feel so much better.

Today I ate bacon and scrambled eggs with a slice of toast for breakfast and lentils and rice for lunch. It is enough for me to eat as I am not feeling hungry between meals and not feeling stuffed after eating. I have no idea what I weigh because I haven't been on a scale for over a month but, I know I have not gained weight and most likely lost some weight. I know this by the size of my intestinal bulge. When I feel bloated and heavy I am uncomfortable and the intestinal bulge is apparent. When I am maintaining or losing weight the bulge subsides and flattens. I am able to bend straight over without any discomfort. Those have been my indicators for weight loss here. Eat lots of veggies. They are good for you!

Other indicators are the number of notches on my belt I have to move up to,  for keeping my trousers on. My jeans are probably a couple sizes too large for me right now. I bought them a little large so as to have room for bulge but the bulge is not there and my pants are literally falling off if I don't wear a belt. Currently I am on the fourth notch with one to go before I run out of fasten-able belt acreage. I would guesstimate I am about a 36 waist right now, maybe smaller.

I can also tell there is weight gain because of how much I can see of my feet. If the bulge is large I cannot see my feet. If not, I can see most of my feet. I can see all of my feet right now. I also have some smaller dress trousers I brought with me that I can fit into comfortably and I know they are a 38 waist. There is room for me to stuff my hand in the waistband without squeezing it in. Plus the way my shirts hang on me. If there is weight gain there is a distinct overlapping of the fabric and if not, it hangs freely without bunching up.

So, what does it take to lose weight?

My conclusion is you don't have to move to Africa but, if you are going to travel, that might be an assistance to the cause. I feel it is much more in the area of what you eat and how much you eat. It usually comes down to that anyway. Certain environments are just a better place to lose weight. Work environment, nighttime environment, activity levels, metal attitudes and so many other things have a way of contributing to the gain or loss of your body weight. Finding the right mix of exercise and diet are always the major factors for health and fitness.

I'm sorry if this blog has disappointed you with not giving you a magic solution for weight loss but I don't want you illusioned in your thinking there is another way. There really is no other way but to control your weight but to curb urges to eat when you should not eat and choosing to eat healthy foods that will keep you fit. That, coupled with enough exercise to burn more calories than you consume will cause weight loss. The only exceptions to that is medical conditions that do not fit into the normal persons physical makeup. If that is the case then your doctor can prescribe a diet and fitness plan that should help. It may even be that certain drugs may be required to control other physical ailments in conjunction with the inability to lose weight.

The swing that Zach built

Stay away from the fad diets and fast weight loss programs. They are killers of your physical and mental well being. I don't recommend drugs and chemicals. I recommend herbs for dietary supplements and a healthy diet of fruits, vegetables, and regulated protein intake along with a good exercise program and the proper amount of water each day. Stay active. Eat sensibly. Drink plenty of water. Get a good nights rest. You will feel healthier and in most cases lose weight.



Remember that you must burn more calories than you consume in order to lose weight. That is the magic potion of weight loss.