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by jjohnsPosted on Posted in Mindset, Side Effects — No Comments ↓

Does most everyone like Good Hot SEX??

Get ready for WAR then…WHAT!! Yes, get ready for war.  If you do not like the way your HEALTH is going, you are the only person who can change it. Have a meeting with YOU, make the words you speak, the future…instead of just being unwise and witless in your day to day complaining of how you feel…go to WAR!!     I did and won!!

So, where does the sex come in you ask?  Further into the blog I will tell you, but first I need to tell you what the greatest WAR was I started.  My biggest fight was with ME and the excuses I created:

My Top Three:

  1. I was to busy to take the time.
  2. My Free Will.
  3. My Prudence.

I was just to busy with LIFE…work, kids, my boss was cranky and demanding, traffic stressed me out, where did I put my shoes, walk the dog, pick up dog crap every day…HONEY, it’s your turn today, not happening she said, and of course about 5000 other excuses each day of the why not.

I thought I had free will…NO!!  that Snicker bar did not change me back to Superman, but the SUGAR kept me hooked.  Mid-day donuts for snack with a can of Coke will hold me till LUNCH!! Not happening either…sugar and carbs took that away.

I’m hungry now, 2 cheeseburgers on the way home will hold me till I eat dinner. I get a call…damn, I have to stop and get groceries NOW.  Ahhhhhh, just a small bag of chips, yummy to eat on the way home too.  The sugar, empty carbs, processed foods and salt, FREE WILL…HELL NO, I was addicted by all the wicked stuff, empty calories, poor nutrition.  My body was always hungry and CRAVED the sweetness  and taste of a losing battle with processed foods, the other WAR I faced against my HEALTH, one bit at a time…

Prudence…I made poor judgments, meaningless choices.  I was witless and unwise.  I lived to eat, ate more too!!  Stress of a busy life became triggers for me to eat.  I was comfortable with food.  THEN, what the hell…I was gaining weight, I puffed out in my face, felt bloated all the time.  Damn it, I had to buy 46 inch jeans and it was harder to hold my gut in, I was getting bigger around than I was tall!!!  Walking a little or playing with the kids got me winded.

When I started getting dizzy, light headed and headaches I went to the Doc.  I had high, high blood pressure, the scale topped at 261 pounds with a gut to prove it.  I felt that I was not far off from a “heart attack” and a tombstone marker that read…”At Least John Ate Good”…

Good Hot Sex!!  I got my health back, one step at a time.  I was prudent (good choices) in my lifestyle of how I ate.  I reversed my health issues by the lifestyle choices and changers I  made.

Good Hot Sex!!  I lost weight on purpose, my couch was not home base any longer, on purpose.  I was active on purpose.  My blood pressure dropped and my pills were discontinued (by the Doc).  I got better sleep on purpose.  I have good blood work again on purpose.  I regained my energy and regained my sex drive on purpose, NATURALLY!!  Instead of living to eat…I was eating to live, I had my FREE WILL back on purpose.

Have you figured out yet what Good Hot SEX is ??

I will say it this way.  I could have continued being witless and unwise, accepting where my life was, with poor health, where it was going.  The getting older, health shifting to poorer, then bad.  The Poly Pharmaceutical stage of more pills from the Doc…

I wacked myself with a clean 2X4 of life…instead of taking off 10 years of life by continued eating the processed foods, high sugar intake, I reversed it and added 10 years of life…

I wanted the Good Hot SEX of life again!!  I got it back.  I am living again with good health, FREE WILL and on PURPOSE!!  I like that.

Later…                            John

by jjohnsPosted on Posted in Gut Health and Immune System, Mindset, Side Effects, Uncategorized — No Comments ↓

WOW!!!

So many articles are popping up bout our “antibiotics” use today in the real world…the alarming factor of it is that the concern is more about creating a “PILL”….very scary!!

I will step on toes here, because another alarming factor is that a lot of people want a pill, it’s easier than making lifestyle changes for health, it’s instant results to a health need or sickness. Besides, people will think I’m crazy to make lifestyle changes to better my health. All are excuses, and that’s ok…some people just are not ready.  Frankly, this is a whole other blog!!

Since 1950 to our present time  of 2016 a major over-use of antibiotics has NOW reached an all time high, it’s GLOBAL!!  This use of antibiotics has resulted in different kinds of “drug resistant” bacteria or superbugs (as they are called) that are  now at the top of our food chain, resistant to the antibiotics!!

WHAT THE HELL…these damn pan-resistant bacteria can kill everything in your body (your own immune fighting bacteria) from the MICROBES in your gut, immune system and even your brain…and doctor’s still prescribe antibiotics anyway, go figure, right!!

Doctors, scientists, drug manufactures are scrambling to find new options, A NEW SUPER PILL!!  Now, are we not lucky or what??  Take a breath for now, they just can not find it yet or make it I guess.

INTERESTING enough…30% of antibiotic prescriptions in the U.S. are unnecessary, do not work anyway, and this part will blow your mind…80% of antibiotic drugs sold in the U.S. are used on animals, our FOOD CHAIN!!     Now, I am not a “rocket scientists” or anything close, but I am concerned about my own health…so, in our food (some cases it is) these new bacteria are present, again knocking off our immune system, knocking down our health.

Ask your doctor to explain this away…makes you want to drive right over and get a new prescription for antibiotics, right!!

What I just said is scary as hell!! Makes ya think…what chance do we have here??

INTERESTING enough again…I said “NO” to using Antibiotics years ago. I use natural foods and herbs on a daily basis that help guard and protect my body, gut health, immunity and brain health from infections and diseases.  INTERESTING FACT, nutrition used to be a prescription for better health back in the 1950’s and before, a FYI for ya!!

It’s amazing that foods and herbs that worked 100’s of years ago still work today.  Instead off waiting to get sick, I keep my immunity built up on a daily basis…really a NO BRAINER in my lifestyle change!!  The new superbugs can not become immune to the foods and herbs because it’s NATURAL and my IMMUNITY is stronger than ever!!

I totally believe in the fact that “Let my food be my medicine and my medicine be my food“.  For me, this is more true than ever before. I use all the natural antibiotics I have listed below and they work:

NATURAL ANTIBIOTICS:

  1.  Garlic and onions.
  2. Honey.
  3. cabbage, Broccoli and Kale.
  4. Apple Cider Vinegar.
  5. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil  (I think one of the best to eat by the spoonful, cook with, use as butter at times…and its good for the brain, I like it)
  6. Fermented foods like Sauerkraut, raw pickles, apple cider vinegar, which all are natural Probiotics for gut health.
  7. Oil of Oregano and other herbs and oils.

I am going to make you research them. You can discover what they do for your health, how to use it, cook with it…and it’s all natural.  Some sites that are good:    curejoy.com    drmercola.com    and/or just search the health benefits of each I listed.

The great thing about those items…is that most of them are in your kitchen right now, as they are in mine or you can buy them at a fraction of the cost for a prescription and a doctor bill.  PLEASE, PLEASE understand that I am not telling you to NOT SEE your doctor…but what I am saying is that you can question things, do natural things that can make your HEALTH greater for YOU!!

YOU DECIDE…I already did, I know what it does for me. I like how I feel. I don’t get sick and I am so much healthier because of my own decision!!

Later…                                John

by jjohnsPosted on Posted in Eating Healthy, Mindset — No Comments ↓

Self Sabotage…

Some times when a weekend comes, it can be very dangerous…or any time for that matter.  My neighbor’s had planned some stuff, HOBO’s over the fire pit, wine and sweets, for a get together.

I left the house with good intentions…once there, I saw it coming, good food, major SWEETS platter, beer, wine, good friends, guys drinkin beer, gal’s drinkin wine, food over the fire pit.

I sabotaged myself…a couple of beers, I did keep my water glass full and drank it, eat a couple treats from the sweets platter and of course I did well with my own food over the fire pit. All in all it was not as bad as it could have been…BUT

I did feel bloated, full, half snap’d from beer and wine, and of course I felt GUILT from eating the sugar sweets, and even some of the extra food brought in. My mind kicked in, “Johnston” you dumb shit, way to set yourself back into old habits…”it tasted good” I said to myself. I even answered “YES IT DID”.

What a challenge to my own mindset game I could have fallen TRAP to. I know what could have happened, I know also, that my lifestyle feels so good that I would not slip back into my old ways. HEALTHY FOOD is MEDICINE for my body. I know how bad choices had affected my health.

I have made such good changes and know what feels good, how it feels to eat clean, to avoid processed foods.  My lifestyle changes also changed my mindset and I liked that.  A neighbor hood get together is ok, a one time event like this is not going to reverse things…it was easy to stay in the lifestyles I had made.

The emotional growth, the confidence I have is my “self-check” to keep the new ME and I like that. My inventory of self is such:

  1.  Keep the new lifestyle: eat clean, fruits, veggies, avoid fast foods, processed foods, dairy free, no pop or soda drinks, and so forth.
  2. Make changes:  I always look for ways to stay challenged and change myself and my lifestyle.
  3. Keep learning:  I read about healthy ways, make changes, even if they are small ones to add to what I already do.
  4. Examine my past:  I always look back and understand those triggers that made me eat bad, or health issues that started showing up in my life, which are changed NOW.
  5. Look to the future:  I keep goals set for my health gains, maintain weight, illness prevention and fight cancer. Keep an active lifestyle.
  6. Accept myself:  I like the new me…keep the old me out!! I will please me, not others. Most of all I want my health to be an example to others.

I like staying healthy, it feels good. it requires me to care about “me” from my mind to my toes, from inside to outside. I like to be in tune and listen to what my body is telling me.  The message I get is HEALTHY food is my first choice, it’s my drug and it feels good. I eat to live, NOT live to eat…like I used to.

SABOTAGE by an occasional get together can be a challenge if I would let it, I remember how it was when I first made lifestyle changes. I kept telling myself, NO Johnston, follow the norm of others, health is overrated and every other excuse…NOW, after the lifestyle changes, I DO NOT want to go back, good health is not overrated, it is a necessity of a good life and a “feel good” attitude, I like that a lot!!

Later…                      John

by jjohnsPosted on Posted in Mindset, Uncategorized, Wellness — No Comments ↓

WELL…I had some time off, life changes, evaluations, and of course “A New Season” for me. It’s been good. One thing that did not change was my lifestyle of eating, eating clean to stay healthy, exercise and staying active.  That is good.

“A New Season” you ask, guess what? I ask that too. I am in the process of building a new life or season as I have called it. it involves a new career, new job, new location, Albuquerque, NM.

At my youth of 69 (OCT 21), I get to re-define the word “Retirement” as it is used in my season of change. I have started a new job. I am a Case Manager. I will be working with Intelligently challenged Developmentally Disabled persons. I will coordinate services accordingly to need of an individual.

My challenge is not so much the retirement, I can kick back some, still enjoy life, but still continue to enjoy what I like to do, working in the field that I do. It is such a reward…BUT

Another reward and just as great a passion for me is my “BadAssHealth” and keeping my voice out there, showing folks by my blogs, that YOU can change your health, enjoy the later years of your “season” in the new changes you make.

My stuff is not a “magic wand” but it is information that YOU can use to take your “health” back, have a voice, and best of all SEE how the lifestyle changes you make affect how you feel in mind, body and spirit.

So, again, hang on, get off your butt, cook instead of “zap’n” it in a microwave, park further down so ya gotta “walk” a little and all the other little things that will change your lifestyle, and that I will touch on, share with you, most of all “Challenge You”!!

Develop “Character” in an “Image Driven” society!! A great challenge today…are you in??

John Johnston

 

by jjohnsPosted on Posted in Eating Healthy — No Comments ↓

Merry Christmas!!  Happy New Year!!

It is the  holiday season. I find myself, like many others getting caught up in the hustle and business of shopping, sending Christmas cards, catching up with friends I may not have seen, and the “oh” so good foods. It’s all a good thing, so full of excitement and good feelings…but, I do have to stay aware!!

With my family we get involved in some long distance travel as a lot of us live 1000 plus miles apart. This year my daughter and granddaughter drove up to see me; her youngest sister’s family living up here also and of course the many friends she likes to get in touch with while here. It’s a fun time filled with laughter, renewed birthday’s, visiting, watching classic Christmas movies till wee hours of the morning and of course having a glass of wine or two and cookies, food and all!!

Since I do continue to find myself being very aware of maintaining my healthy ways, watching what I eat, getting enough sleep; getting enough liquids, H2o type, I make sure that the enjoyment of sweets, wine and foods that are not as good for me is done in moderation.

The empty calories, poor nutrition quality, sugar, high carbs just make me want to eat more and more to the point I get bloated and stuffed and then I crave more in less than an hour of eating. I do not like that feeling and worst yet…I know what it does to the metabolic process in my body, it screws it up pretty bad.

With moderation, applying the 90/10 rule I use at holidays I can keep my 90% healthy ways and use the 10% to still enjoy the things of “old”. I like this and it is a great balance for me during the holidays. It keeps my cravings in check, the best feeling ever!!

Everyone keep health, enjoy the holidays!!   Thanks

 

by jjohnsPosted on Posted in Fitness, Lose Weight Naturally — No Comments ↓

Something to think about…

Some of the “buzz” stuff I have read about lately in the fight against or for weight loss, however you want to put, is using weight-loss supplements. It’s like a trendy thing and it comes with all the hype that is associated with it also. These supplements are hyped up as practically the “cure” for weight problems. These supplements are supposed to act as, or supposedly suppress your appetite.

I guess if these supplements are so great, why are there still millions of people suffering from excessive weight? Hmm, the first thought that comes to my mind is this…if these supplements are used to suppress one’s appetite, what’s really happening? I get a red flag on this, and that is this…

A supplement for suppressing one’s appetite will not work or stop a person from overeating if they are “overeating” for emotional reasons. Many people continue to eat well past the point of satisfaction…making the supplement worthless, even if it did work!!

One thing that I discovered in my lifestyle choices that I changed, eating plant based veggies and fruit, lean protein, the right fats, have given me a greater balance of nutrition…plus the high fiber intake suppressed my appetite naturally. I have lost weight naturally and have kept it off. I also keep active by walking, I run some and do a kettle bell routine.

The only time I really feel hungry is when I wake up in the morning, so I have a good breakfast. I can remember trying a variety of diets in my earlier years and the one thing I could not change is that once I got hungry…ALL BETS OF DIET WERE OFF!!

Three things I leave you with. 1. Never Let Yourself get Hungry!! 2. Research Emotional Eating. 3. Research Plant-based eating or diet. These three things will give you something to think about…

Oh yes…when I open up my locker (the inside of my site)…get my subscription going, you will have the chance to access even more information I will share.                                    Thanks.

 

by jjohnsPosted on Posted in Eating Healthy, Mindset — No Comments ↓

Unhealthy Cravings…

I loved Pizza…the more stuff on it the better. By the way, I could polish off a medium to large pizza, thin crust in one sitting. 30 minutes later I could work on a bag of chips and more Coke.

I did not grow up on processed food, so to speak.  I grew up on a farm, worked it, lived it.  Ma taught me to cook. I helped cook regular “sit down” meals, drank fresh raw milk, meat butchered on the farm, veggies from the garden, home made pies…we ate good. We had to feed the farm hands that worked on the farm also and of course many others who were around for the harvest…because Ma’s meals were known to be good.

Later years, high school forward, processed foods slowly and quietly sabotaged my palate, hijacked my sense of taste for good foods. The chips, Doritos, mac and cheese, pop, pizza, fast food burgers, French fries, salt and all sent my biological brain stuff off course by the constant bombing of synthetically flavored processed food.

I tried to satisfy my cravings for sugars, fats, and sodium with the hyper flavored convenience foods that totally failed to meet my health or nutrition needs…I kept craving more and more and I ate and drank more and more too. I watched the scale go from a trim 175 in High School to 255, my max weight. I sensed my own overall health failing…it felt weird, most of all scary!!

Those good old amped-up flavors of processed foods held my brain captive, gave me the pleasure and desire to eat more and like it. The good old food factories know this and become more and more creative in the novel flavors that kept me in that pleasure of taste.

Fast forward to the present time. I realized that it was not too late to get my taste buds back on the right track. My brain re-discovered its ability to know real food again, but on a deeper level.

I eat now knowing I’m getting my nutrition and got my health back, got my weight back to 190 with some more to go. I love how real food tastes. The love of cooking is back…it puts me back in touch with my childhood, my mom. It goes back to my inner self. That feels good!!

I wont go back. I consciously have reprogramed my taste buds in the service of my own health. I broke the chains of captivity that processed foods had me in. The total FREEDOM of health, mind, body and spirit is awesome. I love the track I am on again.        Thanks

by jjohnsPosted on Posted in GMO Free — No Comments ↓

Genetically Engineered Salmon…

Here we go…this just happens to be the latest DRUG approved with the blessing of the FDA…now, you don’t even have to bother with the Big Pharma aisle on this one, just go to the fish freezer to get your DRUGS!!

The FDA says of its modifications…that this new variety of Salmon “meets the definition of a drug”. Hey, we got it made right? The Health and Environment “risk”, who cares, surely not the FDA.

OH YES…also mentioned or discovered is that the added genetic material helps the AquAdvantage Salmon GROW twice, that’s 2x’s, faster as ordinary farmed salmon, even though these new GMO Salmon eat 10% less food than farmed salmon.

Do the math  folks….that equates to a win-win for somebody and I honestly don’t believe it’s a win-win for our Health or for our Environment. What do you think?

FRANKENFISH here we come!!  By the way, I wish I could share the “price tag” at the grocery store for you. I would guess that the “profit” margin is pretty good for the food industry and less expensive for us, the consumer than real WILD SALMON, so we are tricked into buying the “new Salmon”, just guessing folks!!

I stick with Wild Salmon when I buy. I don’t have to worry about the molecular genetics of other fish (Ocean Pout Fish) added in what I eat. The other benefit of Wild Salmon is that I do not have to worry about the Omega -3’s I consume being genetically engineered also.

This information made the November 20, 2015 issue of the USA TODAY, page 4 news.  Pretty good huh!!    Thanks.

by jjohnsPosted on Posted in Gut Health and Immune System — No Comments ↓

Kick Ass by Improving your Gut…

I was not sure how to write about my Gut Health and Immune System to identify the first steps I took to improve my gut brain. I say this because it took a lot of healing, trial and error, research on my part to keep a balance of good and bad bacteria in order to heal from the inside out, knock down the inflammation so I could heal.

Here is the scary part. Of the estimated 100 trillion cells in my body, only about 10 percent are human. The rest are bacteria—up to 5 pounds worth with most of them in my belly, amazing huh!!

I have been fighting Psoriasis. It has been on and off, mostly on for a while. For the most part at first I was attempting to eliminate those foods that I thought were keeping me unbalanced.  Sugar, corn syrup, processed foods, dairy, breads, gluten.

I had some success and gained a little, got cocky and added back foods. Guess what…flare up of the Psoriasis, back to starting. I also had the exposure to molds too that seemed to kick in my Psoriasis.

I really got attitude then, pissed off, why ME’s!! I felt that the holistic approach was full of shit, could not take it any more and got some antibiotics, creams, at a huge cost plus doctor bill. (One after the fact finding I have to share is that in my research I realized my gut health also had a huge affect on my overall attitude, WOW!!)

I got worse with the meds…WTF, flare up to 90% of my body!! I threw the damn meds away, went straight to a organic chicken bone broth with organic carrots with the advice of my professional holistic person. After a period of time I  was able to add in foods but still staying away from processed, sugars, etc.

I just kept using simple, effective cures of kicking ass on bad foods, I added the probiotic supplements, Omega 3’s, vitamin A & D and eat 3 teaspoons of Organic Virgin Coconut Oil a day, things I did not do before, and then I kept with the lifestyles changes, sticking with the good diet changes…I have gotten my “Gut Feelings in order” and it feels good again.

An interesting fact I found out through my Holistic person is that the antibiotics prescribed and took, and most all are that way, is that they tear down not only the good microbiome but also the bad in your gut. The meds only treat the symptoms of Psoriasis, not the inflammation on the inside. In hearing that, plus my research I understood much more why I was at the end of my rope….so to speak!!

I feel that my gut feelings, gut flora, gut health is on a good track to being healed. I know NOW that if I go backwards, if I drop my guard, get cocky and slide my diet back to old ways my body will say “hell no” and remind me!! I keep pretty clean.

Please remember, these are things that are working for me. You are different, you may be seeing a doctor, please continue, but ask questions ok…check things out.

You can also shoot me a question or comments on the Ask me a Question page. I will get back to you.             Thanks

 

by jjohnsPosted on Posted in Eating Healthy, Mindset — No Comments ↓

Under-Prepare and Pig Out!!

I will gladly re-name that to Stress and Stress. I can easily remember, like it was yesterday. First STRESS…I had no less than a week of thawing out a frozen, big ass 22 plus pound turkey. I had to make sure it got thawed out and make sure it did not go rotten doing it but also ready to cook.

With that, the rest of the meal, with arguments, shouts and confrontations had to be planned out. 1.5 days later in that start week the rest of the meal was created, GAME ON!!

D-Day…I’m up at 3am to prepare that great HUGE bird for the final count down. We got the stuffing mixed just right, the special secret recipe and stuff the bird to the MAX with dressing on the side, I end up with 2 pans in the oven and hoped I had enough oven rack to bake my special scalped corn dish, sweet potato or squash and baked green bean dish that was planned too.

I  couched it for a short nap, cuz I had to get up to turn the oven up later and then help prep the rest of the baked dishes for Thanksgiving, I looked at the clock on the wall and mentally juggled the bake time in my head…the big meal was set for 11.

I was only responsible for the main meal stuff. The pies, cakes, candy goodies were baked, prepared and or some brought over by others the day of or the day before. ALL of it a feast of a meal fit for a king.

At 11 o’clock the table was set with the good dishes, glasses and silverware. Food was dished up, turkey sliced by grandpa with the electric knife and of course the folks invited hustled around and got their chair at the table…kids had a card tables to eat on while the adults got the main table, the unspoken rule!!

Second STRESS…game on, fork in hand, big plate in front of me and I could pile it high, gravy drippin and all. I deserved a great meal, I helped prepare it. No way did I consider the high calories, salt, sugar, saturated fat, carbs a-plenty and low nutrients.

I pigged out, left no room for pie but ate a big piece of Pumpkin Pie and a piece of Apple too. Did I mention the munch’n of goodies prior to the meal…WELL I really felt like the fat toad on the pond. I felt tired, bloated, ready for a nap, a little congestion and stomach puffed out to the point I had to undo my pants just to ease the tightness.

I did not know or realize the STRESS I put on my body let alone the heart attack waiting to happen and the pounds gained over Thanksgiving. I also did not realize the STRESS I put myself through just in the prep of the meal, again affecting my body’s health before I even ate anything.

TODAY, especially over the holidays I am much more aware and watch my “food triggers” that cause me to overeat to feel better. The stress, lack of sleep, traveling, so much of everything to eat.

Did you know that just the “lack of sleep” alone causes you to eat 25% more when your tired, you crave more sugar, carbs and things that give that quick energy or fix you think you need and don’t understand!!

I like to Be-Prepared…

I get good rest, set clear intentions for the Thanksgiving weekend like not wanting tight pants after I eat, keep the sugar intake low, I eat a good high fiber breakfast, have a mid morning shake or smoothie or some fruit.  The “big trigger” I watch is that I eat small portions of just my favorite foods and drink water with my meal, take my time eating and chewing so I don’t stuff.

My body sends out the trigger that I am full…I slip away from the table and do not linger around the food…instead I will help with the clean up or visit with folks away from the table just catching up on things.

My being prepared is being good to myself. I choose good foods that help me feel energized, in control, confident and especially symptom free from the side effects of pigging out…this way I know I am Eating Healthy during the Holidays.

Please enjoy your Thanksgiving as I do, YOU will feel better!!