Alice's Bucket List - You Need to Follow This Blog

Alice is 15 years old and dying from cancer, and it's not a fake story or something from LifetimeTV. 

It's real, it's happening, and to read the posts from this optimistic, courageous, and wonderful child is something from which we can all benefit.

And her mom is pretty darn impressive, too. 

Alice's Bucket List. 

The Dangers of Sitting Too Much - It Can Kill You

This graphic demonstrates the dangers of sitting at your desk too much and too long.

I've started using a standing desk for a least a part of my work day, and I really enjoy it.  A friend told me that Ernest Hemingway always used as standing desk and I found this photo of Hemingway posing next to his standing desk (here) - cool, right? 

Me, I wasn't influenced by Ernest Hemingway.  It was much more basic:  I got the standing desk because I didn't like sitting at the keyboard for long periods of time (in the words of author Robin Lee Hatcher, I was getting "numb butt"). 

I also appreciate the warnings that are now coming out like this one at Boing Boing:  sitting without getting up for breaks is bad for your body. As in, sitting for many hours at a time, as a routine practice, is extremely bad for you and causes all sorts of problems with your gastrointestinal system, your heart, and other things.  Beware.

So, standing desk or not, get up if you're at a computer right now and move - or at least, stand. 

Juicing for Health: Carrot Beet Apple Spinach Juice Tastes Good. Really.

I've had a great juicer for years - high powered motor, easy to clean - but I had stored it in a cabinet awhile back and just forgotten about it. And juicing.

Then, I was surfing around and there was this discussion about the nutrients that are available in raw vegetables and fruits, things that get lost by the time they get into bottles or cartons or cans or bags. That's right, I remembered: I own a really nice juicer - why aren't I using that thing? (Slap of forehead.)

So, this week I pulled that puppy out and went to the store and bought organic beets, carrots, Fuji apples, and baby spinach. Some cilantro, too - but I also made pico de gallo, and the cilantro escaped the juice machine.

Today, I'm back in a routine of juicing daily and I feel the better for it. I've posted on this before (Food as Medicine: Juicing) and you can find links for lots of detailed information there. Right now, I just want to share how easy and fun this is, and here's my recipe (and a couple of tips):

Reba's Daily Raw Carrot Apple Beet Spinach Juice

8 small carrots or 6 regular/medium size
2 big handfuls of baby spinach leaves (don't skimp)
2 medium sized Fuji apples
1 medium sized beet (about the same size as one of the apples)

Wrap the spinach around the carrots to juice, it works better (the leaves can be hard to juice). Keep your working area clear and clean as you go: that beet juice will stain stuff (including your tee shirt).

I drink this over ice and with a straw. It's a pretty purple color.

For more on what this provides, read the links given with the ingredients above.