Saturday 21 July 2012

Home, ready and excited for the coming year!

I'm not actually ready for the coming year, I need to clean, work, buy school books and stuff like that before but I feel mentally recharged after the trip to America and the inspiration to study has come back. I'm sure I will need all the inspiration I can get as the studies this fall will be much more serious and harder then the last year (especially the spring).

I came home to Sweden today and normally I always feel sad coming home but this time I don't. I'm excited about going back to eating lots and lots of vegetables and fish, going back to the gym, using olive oil in my hair, deodorant without aliminum and toothpaste without flouride, "fighting" to store food in glas and not plastic, making fermented vegetables and smoothies of spinach, not eating gum because of the sweeteners in it (hmm.. I did bring a lot of american gum home though..) and so forth.
It's weird how I can get so excited about stuff like that but it's just so interesting and fun! The first thing I did coming home was going straight to the store to buy vegetables and fish. I'm already excited about tomorrows lunch. And dinner. Maybe I could even do a lentil stew.. WITH CAULIFLOWERS IN IT!!! Okay now I'm just getting to excited :) I also think I will do another longer sugar fast. I've been eating so much sugar the past couple of weeks that I almost want to throw up just looking at something with sugar now.

I have 416,2 km left on my 1000 km running goal but now my knees are starting to hurt too much even when I don't run so I'm going to slow that down a bit for a while now. 

Tomorrow me and my mom are going to a concert with Paul Simon. That is something I have wanting to do since I was 16 years old so you can probably imagine the excitment I feel for that as well!! It's just too much exciting things going on right now :) The trip was so amazing and I the best thing about it all was everything God did in my life. It's hard to explain but maybe I will try later..

Thursday 19 July 2012

Health links

Women and children first? Benefits of cranberry may be better for certain population groups


Consuming cranberry products may reduce the risk of urinary tract infections (UTIs) by about 40%, says a new meta-analysis that also indicates that certain groups may benefit more than others.

Probiotic cheese provides immuno-support after exercise: rat study


Researchers have found probiotic cheese may be a viable alternative to enhance the immune system and prevent infection after physical overexertion.

Chia seeds raise blood ALA and EPA levels for postmenopausal women: Study


Consumption of chia seeds, rich in ALA, may increase blood levels of the long chain omega-3 EPA by 30% for postmenopausal women, says a new study from the Appalachian State University and the University of North Carolina.

Almonds have 20% fewer calories than thought


The calorific value of almonds is 20% less than previously thought, leading to gross overestimations of their energy value, according to new US research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN).

Wild blueberries may protect DNA from damage: Study


Juice made from wild blueberries may reduce oxidative damage to DNA by around 3% and decrease the risk of cardiovascular and degenerative diseases, suggests new data.

Wednesday 18 July 2012

A little about my trip to America

I have now spent a month in America and it has been a really great trip! As you know, I love America/americans deeply and want to be based here in the future. I'm excited to go back to Sweden now though so that I can start working and preparing for the coming school year - I just wish I could do all that here!
Trips here are so great because it reminds me of the love I have for the country and spending time with my friends over here really blesses me in so many ways and God uses that to recharge me for "another swedish winter".
I'm also really excited about going back to healthy eating! I have no one else to blame but myself for eating worse while I'm here but whatever, I'm on vacation right? But it's good because it gives me so much new motivation to continue working out, eating good and to learn more about nutrition and physiology etc.

I haven't taken a lot of pictures, partly because I always forget and partly because my camera is not good.

First I went to Whitley in Oklahoma and got to spend a few nights in their old house before they moved in to a really beautiful french-inspired house. Me and Whitley went to Tulsa a few times, worked out - a lot, ate lots of salads and had a great time! Our friend Jake drove all the way from Colorado to visit us the weekend they moved so that was perfect! It was a lot of fun to see where she lives as she has been living in our house this past year.
I went to Dallas two weeks later and spend two weeks at the Elkins - the family that I've been staying with both times I've been here before. The mom is very pregnant and she is giving birth tomorrow - so unfortunally I will miss it. It was so much fun to spend time with them again and I'm really excited to see their new baby next time I visit :) And now I have spend the last days with one of my very good friends in Denton, TX which has also been so good!


4th of July in Denton, TX


Last frozen yoghurt for this time!
I think the most fun thing this month was when we went to a rodeo. That was crazy.. At one point, they had kids (I'm guessing 4 year olds) hanging on to sheep until they fell off like on bullriding. I'll post pictures of that later.

I have so many health links I want to post so that will be coming very soon!!