I’m not a vegetarian because I love animals. I’m a vegetarian because I hate plants.
~ A. Whitney Brown

Good Health Habits by the Centers for Disease Control:

1. Avoid close contact: Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick.

2. Stay home when you are sick: If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.

3. Cover your mouth and nose: Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.

4. Clean your hands: Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs.

5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth: Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

6.  Don’t do the following:

Human pregnancy, from conception to birth, lasts about 270 days.

__________

The average person takes 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day, according to the American Podiatric Association.

__________

I was away last week for my mother’s funeral so my work email has stacked up a bit.  While sorting through my email and trying to clean out some old stuff I came across the following story which someone had sent to me some time ago.  It made me think of the beautiful passage of comfort found in John 14 so I share it with you here.

~DEATH~

A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to

Leave the examination room and said,

‘Doctor, I am afraid to die.

Tell me what lies on the other side.’

Very quietly, the doctor said, ‘I don’t know.’

‘You don’t know? You, a Christian man,

Do not know what is on the other side?’

The doctor was holding the handle of the door;

On the other side came a sound of scratching and whining,

And as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room

And leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.

Turning to the patient, the doctor said,

‘Did you notice my dog?

He’s never been in this room before.

He didn’t know what was inside.

He knew nothing except that his master was here,

And when the door opened, he sprang in without fear.

I know little of what is on the other side of death,

But I do know one thing…

I know my Master is there and that is enough.’

I would like to ask that you join my family in praying for Scotte Hodel. I have enjoyed getting to know him a little over the last two years of blogging. He has been fighting the battle against cancer for a number of months now. Those of you who have gone through this struggle yourself, or have loved ones who have, know just how tiring it can become. So, I ask that you pray God will give both him and his family strength, wisdom, encouragement, and healing. You can read Scotte’s blog by clicking here. Swing by there and let him know you are praying for him.

And, here is a YouTube video he made that will further introduce you to him.

I need to lose weight. At least 50 pounds. But, I am as unmotivated as I am fat. Old, fat, and unmotivated… not the most appealing combination of attributes.

I plugged in my age, weight, and activity level over at RealAge.com and they tell me that in order maintain my current weight and fuel my current activity level, I need to take in about 2892 calories a day. In order to lose 50 pounds? Well, according to them I need to reduce my caloric intake to 2487 calories a day, or increase my activity level.

They broke it down like this:

Caloric Breakdown
Fats	25%	69 grams	622 calories
Carbohydrates	60%	373 grams	1492 calories
Proteins	15%	93 grams	373 calories
Total:			2487 calories

Does anyone have any fun suggestions for food food to be part of a 2487 calorie diet?

Here is a recipe that looks good that I found on the same website:

Tangy and Cool Buttermilk and Avocado Smoothie
One cup of this fill-you-up smoothie will make only a 145-calorie dent in your diet. Here’s how you make it:

Ingredients
1 cup organic fat-free cottage cheese, such as Horizon brand

2 cups 1% low-fat buttermilk

1/2 ripe avocado, peeled, seeded, and diced

1 tablespoon organic agave nectar, such as Madhava brand

4 ice cubes or 1/2 cup crushed ice

Preparation
Place the cottage cheese and 1/2 cup of the buttermilk in a blender. Cover and blend until fairly smooth, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the blender; add the avocado. Cover and blend until fairly smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the remaining buttermilk and the agave nectar; cover and blend 10 seconds. Add the ice; cover and blend until the smoothie is thick and the ice has melted.

Nutritional Information (per 1-cup serving; makes 4)
Calories: 145
Saturated fat: 1.5 grams
Unsaturated fat: 3 grams
Carbohydrates: 15 grams
Protein: 11 grams
Fiber: 2 grams
Calcium: 178 milligrams
Sodium: 342 milligrams
Magnesium: 7 milligram

My mother was diagnosed with diabetes this week. According the American Diabetes Association there are more than twenty million Americanw with the disease and than six million Americans who have it but do not realize it.