A Healthy Way of Life

ByTammy

When I was 21, my father had a massive heart attack.  We were told it was a miracle he survived and thank goodness someone was there at the time to get him to the ER.  I was also a few months pregnant and getting larger and larger by the second.  As time went by and hearing that heart disease runs in the family and gaining over 50 pounds while being pregnant, I took action.  It was time to start moving this body and eating better.

The first step was to figure out what types of workouts I wanted to do and not get bored or quit after a couple of weeks.   Since I lived way out in the middle of no-where and didn’t have anywhere to go and join classes, I ordered tapes and used them 3 times a week at home.  I started doing this after my son was born and a few months later, I was feeling so much better and losing all that baby weight.

A Healthy Way of Life

Over the years, I have pretty much stuck with my work out aerobics program, watching my cholesterol and only changed up a few things.  Doing the workouts allowed me to still enjoy the occasional hamburger or pizza without worry.  Adding hand weights became a really large part of my workout to keep those bones dense.  Life was good.

Then as 20+ years flew by and the new century rolled around, I noticed a few healthy changes. My research and a few doctor visits pointed out that I was going through peri-menopause. WHAT? I was only in my mid-40’s!!  As my 50’s rolled around, my body started changing, it was getting harder and harder for me to do the same intense step aerobics and bike riding I used to.  And, I had put on about 20 pounds.  Wow.  My cholesterol and blood pressure was still good, I just had to deal with my body changes and move on.

I started walking more, doing videos which pertained to walking in the home (those are fun), using my hand weights and my favorite is walking in the community pool.  There is no stress to knees or joints while doing this and who cares that its 90 degrees outside.  The pool is refreshing.  My workouts really keep my body and my mind in motion in my 55+ years.

A Healthy Way of Life

I also needed to get a lot of calcium in my body.  Vitamins weren’t an option because they didn’t sit well with my stomach.   The best way is by food.  So, when peri-menopause started, I learned about Silk milk.  All the calcium I needed and they have a light chocolate milk version that is so delicious.  There is 50% more calcium than dairy milk, zero cholesterol and about 90 calories per serving.  I was sold after the first sip and enjoy a cup every day.

My favorite thing to use with the original flavor is to make smoothies. So good after a hard work out.  I also cook with the original too.

A Healthy Way of Life

Easy Fruity Smoothie

  • 1 cup yogurt
  • 1 cup frozen fruit (anything you like or a mixture)
  • 1/2 cup of original Silk
  • 1 tbsp honey or to taste
  1. Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth or to your desire. Depending on the size of the fruit, you may have to cut into chunks before adding to the blender. I always check the sweetness to make sure I don’t need to add any more honey.
  2. If you don’t use frozen fruit, you might have to add a few ice cubes to get that cold slushy consistency.

Life changes are for me, for life.  Workouts, eating right and enjoying Silk milk will help me keep my life changes in check.

Have you made in life health changes?

Loving my life,

Tammy

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