Getting Closer

There is something very exciting about getting closer. There is an expectation of a wonderful occurrence about to transpire. This seems to be true to many areas of our lives.

One area that is special to my heart is my wife. We have been married over 15 years now and I feel closer to my wife today than we have ever been before. Each day brings about a greater expectation than the next. I meet each day with the joy of seeing her and loving her more today than yesterday.

I'm not saying this to make myself look good. I really feel that way. I want to please her and get closer to her in our marriage, finding new ways of expressing my love to her.

Another area of my life I am keenly aware of, in the area of getting closer, is our near, future trip to Africa. We are closing in on the departure date and we are excited about meeting our Christian brothers and sisters there for the first time. There is an excitement, but a somewhat unsettling feeling of being thousands of miles across the ocean, in a place we have never been before. There is an exhilaration and a nervousness, both at the same time.

Sometimes when we approach an event in our life we begin to formulate numerous questions and develop many apprehensions about doing that thing. It may be the easiest thing to do mechanically but emotionally we just cannot see ourselves doing it.

It may be that way with you and your eating program, or exercise, or breaking a habit. Instead of embracing the event we avoid it and spend massive amounts of time doing everything but that thing we need to do. Emotionally we are a wreck over it and we can become ill over it as well. So, what to do?

Look at it with a renewed sense of reality. Come to understand what is true and don't be afraid to look deeply within. Confront that thing in you that is holding you back and deal with it. Stop making excuses for that part of you which is holding you back.

Go for what is good and find clarity in the matter. A heavy weight of worry and doubt will fall off you. Your perspective of life will be light and you will be free to smile, joke and laugh again. Life here on this earth is only for a short time so don't waste it with worry or regret. Go do whatever is in your heart to do and do it with gusto.

By the way, if you are having a hard time with starting that exercise program or eating plan, visit the website and get some help. You will be glad you did. www.over-40-fitness-tips.com

The Cleanse - Day 3 - Delayed Takeoff

I remember watching the news when I was younger and seeing NASA shoot rockets into outer space. Mercury One was the first and there were many delays. There was an expectation that we were going to propel all that steel into the sky and orbit around the earth. There were delays. More than one delay would stop the countdown of that flight and then there were flights that were aborted, Flights that sadly ended in destruction as well.

We have learned a valuable lesson this year. One we want to share with you.

This one hasn't ended in destruction but, it could have if we were to give up. What we do about the delays in our life determines the total outcome of the flight we embark upon. This one has not ended but has been delayed. Why? just some simple lack of planning. Something which was assumed and found to be a wrong assumption.

What was the wrong assumption? It was this. When you are using the Cleanse capsules you need 21 per day or 7 three times a day.  When there are two of you that equates to 42 capsules per day. A bottle of capsules contains 150 each. 150 divided by 7 equals 21 doses with 3 capsules left over. Two people would require 3 1/2 days worth of capsules. We wanted to cleanse for 21 days which equals 882 capsules. That means we would need 6 bottles. We only had one. (See the Over 40 Fitness Tips site for details of the Cleanse Program)

So, after beginning the cleanse, on day three we notice we are 5 bottles short and off to the store we go. "SIGH", no more stock. None due in for a couple weeks. Now What?! We look for other stores that might have stock and we find one that will drop ship a supply. Great. However the stock has not shown up yet. This is now day 9 of the cleanse. So what to do???

I'm a computer nerd so this was appropriate.

Well, there really isn't a whole lot more you can do but to wait. Right?

No, we are not giving up that easy. We may have to wait on the supply of Cleanse capsules but we are going forward with the food regiment. Veggies, 3-4 ounces of protein per meal and the shakes twice a day are still in force. Even without the Cleanse capsules I have managed to lose 5 pounds. And when the capsules come in, I will start over with the Cleanse portion of herbs to help clean out the insides.

Delayed, but not aborted. We are determined to do this right the next time and we are looking forward to the time the shipment comes in. We have learned a valuable lesson about being prepared and we will be making sure we have the supplies we need before starting again soon. Which is hopefully this week.

Keep working towards a better and healthier lifestyle one day at a time. You won't regret it.
(See the Over 40 Fitness Tips site to start your better and healthier lifestyle)

The Cleanse - Day 2

When I started blogging about the cleanse we are embarking on, I had intended to log what we were eating and list the herbs we were taking. I have however, listed the herbs and portions on the website (Click Here) and I will let that suffice for now. The food items we are eating will be listed as we go forward but for the most part they are listed on the website as well. (Click Here)

Day one involved a dose of the Cleanse and Gastro-Fiber capsules (7 to 3) three times a day on an empty stomach. One hour after before eating or two hours after eating. We had two of the fruit shakes with one scoop of Juassic Green and two scoops Complete powder per 1 pint serving. One in the morning and one in the evening. We ate the shake and two eggs for breakfast, a tossed salad for lunch and two small fish portions and sweet potato fries for supper.

Day two we had eggs for breakfast, salad and leftover fish for lunch. We dined out at a Chinese restaurant. I had a large tossed salad and the broccoli chicken stir-fry with brown rice. My wife ate sushi and vegetable fried rice with a veggie medley. The kids ate all the rich and fatty stuff, but they burn it off before they get up from the table. Seriously, they were telling us they were still hungry shortly after we got in the van to go to Walmart.


As we love Chinese food and there is a large selection available to us that fits with out eating plan, we will be coming back on occasion to give us a break from the things we prepare at home. There are plenty of other restaurants that serve healthy food items and they fit in our plan as well. We will suggest some of those as we go along the next few weeks.

After arriving home and relaxing we had some of our favorite snack food while watching a movie. If you don't know by now, my all time favorite snack food is popcorn. We prepare it with the approved eating plan oils and a touch of real butter as a topping. There are lots of alternates though. Check out the Popcorn snack recopies on the website. (Click Here)

So ends day 2 and my log for the day. More to come later as we enter day three.

The Cleanse - Day One

Starting the new year with determination to make change is a really good thing to do. You must put feet to those intentions though.

Remember being a teenager and revving the engine of your hot rod car? (Maybe it was your fathers "three on the tree" DeSoto) revving the engine made a lot of noise and it was impressive to the bystanders. The proof of what you had under the engine was what happened after you popped the clutch and raced down the road. Winning the race was what mattered.

So it is with a new years plan for healthier living. A new eating plan and exercise plan is only as good as your follow through. You must "pop the clutch" and start moving. Then you must finish the race.

We have put our plan together and collected our herbs, fruits and veggies. We have out route mapped out and we have studied the course. We are ready, set to go. We have revved our engines and we are off like a dirty shirt.

If you are interested in following our progress keep coming back for updates. If you are interested in starting the race to good health yourself, visit our website.

On you mark - Get set - Go!

Procrastination Leads to a Little Extra Work

This past year has been a great year in which to begin the Over 40 Fitness Tips web site and get the process of getting into shape started. As the year begins we are looking at where we are and what we need to do to further this adventure in healthy living.

Have you taken the Survey from the end of December? How did you score?

If you scored like me, you need to get some treadmill time under your belt, instead of an extra slice of bread or that extra helping of potatoes. Even though that slice of pizza looks tempting there is a better way of curbing your appetite than indulging in the obviously "not so good" foods we tend to lean towards for comfort.

Try drinking an extra glass of water or eat a pickle. Get up out of your seat. Take one step at a time and get your body moving forward. Keep that up for 15 minutes and do that three times a week to begin with. Next thing you know, you will be high stepping with the exercise pros.

There is a really good section on the website for motivation. That is the hardest part for me. It's just too warm and comfy at 6am in the morning to really be motivated to get out of bead and start working on those extra pounds that need to be shed.

Don't lose hope. There is a way out of all that holiday indulgence. Personally it's been a year since I did my cleanse and I am preparing to do another to get rid of those coffee, sugar and processed food toxins that have built up over the past year. In the cleanse, I will have a change in my eating and exercise habits that have been in a slump. Getting a regular diet of veggies and fruits plus cleaning out my system with the herbs and cleansers will help to put me on the track to performance and healthy habits.

As my wife and I embark on our cleanse we will keep you posted with the results. You can join us if you wish. Just send me an email and I will include you in on the updates and share any tips we have with you. It always nice to have someone else to share the struggles and victories with.

And The Survey Says?

Eating Plan Survey 2010

OK, Thanksgiving is over. Christmas is over. New Years is almost here. Let's see how you are doing on keeping up with your eating plan. (Notice I didn't say "diet"?) Here is a survey for you to take. Have fun with this one.

1. If you did not stray from the eating plan you are on, give yourself 5 points.

    If you strayed 1 time give your self 3 points. 

    If you strayed 2 times give your self 1 point.

    If you strayed 3 time give your self -2 points.

    If you strayed more than 3 times give your self -4 points.

2. If you used 1 of the Holiday Recipes we posted on the Over 40 Fitness Tips site, give yourself 1 points.

    If you used 2 of the Holiday Recipes give your self 3 points. 

    If you used 3 or more of the Holiday Recipes give your self 5 points.

    If you didn't used any of the Holiday Recipes give your self -1 points.

    If you used someones Holiday Recipes give your self -2 points

3. If you went out to eat and didn't stray from your eating plan, give yourself 5 points.

    If you strayed 1 time give your self 3 point. 

    If you strayed 2 times give your self 1 points.

    If you strayed 3 times give your self -2 points.

    If you strayed more than 3 times give your self -4 points

4. If you were offered a holiday treat and politely passed it by, give yourself 5 points.
    If you snatched just one item from the tray give your self 3 points.

    If you grabbed two or three goodies, give your self 1 point.

    If you indulged in more than three items, give your self -2 points.

    If you couldn't control yourself and gobbled treats while no one was looking, give your self -4 points.

5. If you drank eggnog with alcohol on a holiday festive occasion,give yourself -5 points
    If you drank diet eggnog without alcohol, give yourself -3 points.
    IF you drank milk with your cookies, give yourself -1 point.
    If you were a good boy or girl and resisted the milk and the cookies, give yourself 5 points.

6. If you ate talopia or white fish at your holiday meal, give yourself 5 points.
    If you ate lean white chicken or turkey meat at your holiday meal, give yourself 3 points.
    If you ate roast beef or ground beef at your holiday meal, give yourself 1 point.
    If you ate pork chops or ham at your holiday meal, give yourself -2 points.
    If you ate fast food burgers or pizza for your holiday meal, give yourself -5 points.

7. If you went for a short walk after your holiday meal, give yourself 1 point.
    If you played outside with your kids or relatives after your meal, give yourself 3 points.
    If you rode bicycle or ran more than 5 miles after your meal, give yourself 5 points.
    If you sat around and watched football or basketball on TV after your meal, give yourself -3 points.
    If you took a nap or drank alcohol after your meal, give yourself -5 points.

Add up all the points you now have from questions 1-7, subtract the number of pounds you gained and compare the resulting number with the following chart:


35 Points = You are a dedicated and determined participant in your bodies healthy living style. Good job! Keep up the great work.

25-34 Points = You did well for the holidays. You are in the above average group. You strayed a little with temptation but you were not overwhelmed. Good job! Work a little more on avoiding temptations.


15-24 Points = You are on the average with all of those who succumb to temptation and find the socializing effect of food consumption just a bit more than you can handle. You would do well to avoid the parties and crowds next year. Try baking some of those tasty treats that are low calorie and stay away from the sugar and flour. Keep working and get some exercise this next month.


0-14 Points = Well, well, we had a more difficult time of it this year, didn't we? It definitely is a hard time of the year for you and you will need to work extra hard to lose those extra pounds you  packed on this year. Hopefully, you haven't given up but you can get motivated and can spring back into a healthy diet and get back on your exercise program.


-1 and below = I guess there is no explanation for this other than you just didn't try at all. It may have been too much for you this year. Sometimes that happens and we go all out to enjoy ourselves with thoughts of jumping back into the healthy lifestyle afterwards. You may be able to do that and I hope you can, but it will take several months to shed those extra pounds and regain the ground you lost during the holidays. Next year plan on spending your holiday at a fitness resort or hiking in the mountains or surfing in the ocean. A more aggressive lifestyle will help to keep you from idly strolling through the pastries and rich, fatty foods. Time to get to work now. Go to our Over 40 Fitness Tips site and try our free exercise and diet plan.

39 Easy Diet Tips

I recently put up a list of 39 Easy Diet Tips on our new Over 40 Fitness Tips website. I wanted to give you just a sample of some of the great tips there. They have been collected from ladies that are in our community. Just imagine yourself looking for ways to stay on track with your eating and living a busy lifestyle. That's probably not too difficult to think that way, since most of us already do. The hard part is learning and doing the right thing when it comes to staying on the diet. Here are some tips to get you started.

Number 17: Go ahead and get that red bell pepper. It's really the ripe one. Did you know red bells are just ripe green bell peppers? It's true, if you leave them on the vine they turn red. Greens are fine too but I think the color and ripeness of the red ones make them worth buying. Watch for sales. Or better yet grow them! :-)

Number 22: Use fresh kiwi. A kiwi is higher in potassium than a banana. It's a great little green fruit. It makes a breakfast brighter, especially when coupled with some bright red strawberries.

 Number 33: When all else fails, eat a pickle!

These are just a few of the great tips you will find on the web page 39 Easy Diet Tips.

Check out the rest of the website while you are at it. Just click here for a quick link to it. Over 40 Fitness Tips

And did I mention that we have some Holiday Recipes also? You can find that page by clicking here. Holiday Recipes

One last thing. Have a very Merry Christmas. Don't forget to thank God for the greatest gift of all. His son Jesus. It's because of Him that we can be thankful for all other gifts and life itself.