I learned about T-Tapp about 8 years ago. I did it faithfully for a year so I learned it well. I then recorded the audio off the DVD onto my phone and that is what I use now.
There are periods that I slack off on exercise. I begin to feel it…my knees begin hurting and I start to get tired and lethargic.
So…I get back on the Exercise Wagon!
Right now I am doing T-Tapp 2 days out of the week and treadmilling for 20 minutes on the other days. It makes such a difference!
I bought this DVD in April 2017, along with the book. It took me a while to get through the book because the workouts were explained in it, and I’m a visual person so it was hard to read about the steps and trying to implement them. Reading the science behind the T-Tapp program helped me understand the moves better once I watched the instructional workout.
I started learning the Basic Workout on 9/3/17. Within a week of starting my foot pain went away. In a month, I lost a total of 23.75” from my body, and my triglycerides went from 249mg/DL to 89mg/DL. I didn’t change my diet at all.
I did the instructional workout (about 20 mins long) for two weeks everyday. After that I did the 15 min workout daily for a long time. I hate exercising, I’ll be honest. I’m also a mom. But I can absolutely spare 15 mins a day to focus on ME and my health.
There is a learning curve. Yes, you will be sore. Yes, you will sweat PROFUSELY in 15 mins. But keep going, and REALLY focus on doing the moves correctly and you will see awesome results.
And a note from Elizabeth, one of our readers:
There is an issue with Teresa Tapp’s will and the workout DVDs are now very difficult to obtain. I had only the fifteen minute one, and I wanted to purchase more. I was able to obtain them via a homeschool swap list, and I think there are some on eBay, but they are going to be tough to get. Hopefully the legal issues will eventually be resolved and we will be able to get them again. Meanwhile, I did find some of her workout videos on YouTube which may be useful for those who cannot get the DVDs. I like them for variety. https://www.youtube.com/c/TTappInc
And here is my older post about T-Tapp….
Toning With T-Tapp
So many mothers struggle with their weight. Wouldn’t it be great to find something doable for busy mothers?
I heard about T-Tapp and how great it was some time ago. I didn’t pay too much attention but then my mom handed me the book Fit and Fabulous, Lose 2 Sizes in 4 Weeks by Theresa Tapp. OK, now I was interested!!
Anyway, it held true to its promise. I lost 2 sizes in 4 weeks and felt so much better. My posture was better which certainly was a plus. Years of nursing babies takes its toll on your carriage!
What I like about this workout is that it only takes 15 minutes, you can do it in the privacy of your home…and it works!
Listen and watch Charlotte Siems, a mother of 12 who went from a size 22 to a size 6! It’s quite encouraging!
You can get the book Fit and Fabulous in 15 Minutes
and/or the DVD. The DVD is very helpful! I have got to the point to where I have memorized all the moves and recorded the audio of the DVD onto my phone. It is all I need to do my T-Tapp workout! T-Tapp Basic Workout Plus
Happy Exercising!
New! The Lenten Way of the Cross Picturesque and Prayer-Filled Coiled Flip Cards!
Help make Lent more meaningful for you and your family with the Lenten Way of the Cross Cards!
Follow along with your family and prepare your hearts for the Passion and Resurrection of Our Lord each year at Lent and Easter using these special picturesque and prayer-filled cards to help keep your mind and heart focused each day There are 41 cards in total.
Keep the cards in a visible spot in your home as a reminder to you and your children.
You can look up more details on the Lenten Way of the Cross here.
A big thank you (and a prayer) to Mary Ann Scheeler for this lovely Lenten Activity and for sharing it with all of us!
Package Special (Flip Cards and the Lenten Journal) available here.
Everything we do each day, we do for our families and ultimately for the love of God. Our daily duties are a springboard towards heaven and will be the way in which we gain our own salvation and bring blessings upon our family. -Finer Femininity, Painting by Jeffrey T. Larson
The rosary, scapulars, formal prayers and blessings, holy water, incense, altar candles. . . . The sacramentals of the Holy Catholic Church express the supreme beauty and goodness of Almighty God. The words and language of the blessings are beautiful; the form and art of statues and pictures inspire the best in us. The sacramentals of themselves do not save souls, but they are the means for securing heavenly help for those who use them properly. A sacramental is anything set apart or blessed by the Church to excite good thoughts and to help devotion, and thus secure grace and take away venial sin or the temporal punishment due to sin. This beautiful compendium of Catholic sacramentals contains more than 60,000 words and over 50 full color illustrations that make the time-tested sacramental traditions of the Church – many of which have been forgotten since Vatican II – readily available to every believer.
“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Published 80 years ago, this Catholic classic focuses on the Christian family and uses as its foundation the1929 encyclical “On Christian Education of Youth” coupled with the “sense of Faith.” Addressing family topics and issues that remain as timely now as they were when the guide was first published, “The Christian Home” succinctly offers sound priestly reminders and advice in six major areas…
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This book, The Catholic Teacher’s Companion, has been a real gem! It was written for teaching sisters and this excerpt touches on the mental state of a person and how it affects one’s physical health….
From The Catholic Teacher’s Companion, 1924
In his helpful book Health through Will Power, Dr. James J. Walsh has drawn attention to the surprising power of the will for preserving or recovering one’s health.
The author draws on his wide reading and long experience to prove that the simple exercise of natural will-power is all that is required to cure half the ills of life. All the “dreads” can be cured by scientifically strengthening the will, and recovery from such diseases as pneumonia and tuberculosis depends largely on the patient’s vigor of will.
He counsels the use of the saints’ ascesis, in hours of stress and strain, instead of the “good cry,” which, in his opinion, only weakens the character.
The teacher has a double duty to perform in this respect, one toward herself and another toward her pupils.
Professor La Rue therefore demands justly in his book Psychology for Teachers, that the teacher live a life of mental health in the presence of her pupils; she must daily show them a living example of a big, strong, purposeful, well-poised, good-humored, sympathetic soul.
To this end he gives the following rules of mental hygiene:
1. Look at life in the large. Take a big view of things.
2. Pursue a great purpose. Whoever seeks his own selfish will is traveling toward zero; but he who seeks to serve mankind and her God in the children, is facing toward infinity.
3. Practice mental hardening. Children should be taught to meet and conquer all their ordinary worries and troubles, and not to shun them.
4. Keep your poise. Many people fail because of over-anxiety lest they fail.
5. Form good mental habits:
I. Habits of the intellect:
(1) Planning: there should be an ideal for life, a plan for the year, a program for the day.
“The difficulty,” says Judd, speaking of over-worked teachers, in Genetic Psychology for Teachers, “is not so much in the fact that teachers have to think and plan, as that they come to their work in a state of mental confusion and excitement which renders any task difficult.”
(2) Concentration, unit-mindedness, the one-thing-at-a-time attitude, distinguishes the master mind. Work when you work and play when you play. One must concentrate on recreation as well as on work.
Don’t spoil your game or your walk by carrying all through it a load of anxious thought.
And on going to bed, learn to turn off consciousness as you do your electric light.
Observe that the child in school is prevented from planning the larger features of his work, and that school conditions often favor distraction rather than concentration.
It is sad to think how many children are probably contracting bad mental habits in school.
II. Emotional health requires that we kill off the feelings that are bad for us and practice those that are good for us.
There is reason to believe that a large proportion, if not the major portion, of those who lose their positions do not lack either intellect or skill, but emotional control.
Many are egocentric, paranoid, have too much self-feeling; others are emotionally unstable; and still others, emotionally weak.
One’s prevailing mental state should be that of happiness and humor. It is surprising to find how much can be accomplished by just setting the mind to be happy whatever the circumstances.
Humor is like an application of mental massage which flushes out fatigue poisons and limbers one up all through. It lets loose the tensity of mental currents. The mind seems to relax, straighten up from its work, and take a long, fresh breath.
III. Quiet but effective determination must keep the mental machine running smoothly, rousing us to kill off some thoughts and feelings and promote others.
God’s grace coupled with natural will-power can accomplish wonders with a frail body.
Almost every Religious Order has cases similar to that of the Master General of the Dominicans, Father Cormier, who being professed as a preparation for death, outlived all his fellow-novices, and having joined the Order to efface himself, was from the beginning put upon the candlestick to be a light for his brethren.
But even the confirmed invalid has a real mission to perform in the Religious Community.
Canon Sheehan contended that there should be an invalid and an incurable one in every Religious Community, if only to bring God nearer to the Brothers or Sisters in His great love.
“Every effort we make to forget self, to leave self behind us, and to devote ourselves to the labor of making every person with whom we are bound to live, happy, is rewarded by interior satisfaction and joy. The supreme effort of goodness is,—not alone to do good to others; that is its first and lower effect,—but to make others good.” Rev. Bernard O’Reilly The Mirror of True Womanhood, 1893 https://amzn.to/2o35uN3 (afflink)
Lecture on protecting your family from the neo-pagan society that we live in today. How to do that? Music, books, stories, liturgy, etc. are answers…..
Beautiful Brass Wire Wrapped Rosaries! Wire wrapping is one of the oldest techniques for making jewelry or rosaries by hand. Frequently, in this approach, a wire is bent into a loop or other decorative shape and then the wire is wrapped around itself to finish the wire component making that loop or decorative shape permanent. Not only is it quite beautiful but it makes the rosaries sturdy and durable.Available here.
Women historically have been denigrated as lower than men or viewed as privileged. Dr. Alice von Hildebrand characterizes the difference between such views as based on whether man’s vision is secularistic or steeped in the supernatural. She shows that feminism’s attempts to gain equality with men by imitation of men is unnatural, foolish, destructive, and self-defeating. The Blessed Mother’s role in the Incarnation points to the true privilege of being a woman. Both virginity and maternity meet in Mary who exhibits the feminine gifts of purity, receptivity to God’s word, and life-giving nurturance at their highest.
You’ll learn how to grow in wisdom and in love as you encounter the unglamorous, everyday problems that threaten all marriages. As the author says: If someone were to give me many short bits of wool, most likely I would throw them away. A carpet weaver thinks differently. He knows the marvels we can achieve by using small things artfully and lovingly. Like the carpet weaver, the good wife must be an artist of love. She must remember her mission and never waste the little deeds that fill her day the precious bits of wool she s been given to weave the majestic tapestry of married love.
This remarkable book will show you how to start weaving love into the tapestry of your marriage today, as it leads you more deeply into the joys of love.
This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support.
Here’s the “Vanity” part of the post. Scroll down for the Cucumbers! :D.
Makeup and adornment can be a touchy subject among serious Catholics. Prudence, good taste and intention are important when it comes to these things.
I like this excerpt from the wonderful book “Christ in the Home” written in the 1950’s by Father Raoul Plus, S.J.
“She (a woman) has a genius for adornment. She must please. And that is right. No one need reproach her for striving to do so. ‘The pheasants are preening their feathers,’ Saint Francis de Sales humorously commented in answer to Saint Jane Frances de Chantal’s letter expressing worry over her daughters’ newly evidenced concern about their dress. ‘It is excess that is blameworthy…..’
Another quote from Christ in the Home:
PRAISEWORTHY VANITY
A HUSBAND who is a man of sense as well as a good Catholic proposes this question: Ought concern for their appearance be something foreign to Christian wives?
He answers the question himself: ‘That would be simply ridiculous. I confess that I feel thoroughly enraged when I see women who act as if they were being very virtuous by their slovenly appearance and poor taste in dress.
First of all, they commit a fault against beauty and grace which are God’s gifts. But their fault is graver still: Have these noble souls taken care to consult their husbands and to assure themselves that he approves of this treatment? Let them not be surprised then if their husbands look elsewhere for satisfaction.
Christian women must know once for all that to dress with taste and even with distinction is not a fault; that to use cosmetics is no fault either unless the results are esthetically to be regretted; that adornment as such is one of those questions of convention which is purely accidental and remains completely foreign to the moral order.
Virtue owes it to itself to be attractive and even strongly attractive. The only thing that must be avoided is excess. There is excess when a Christian woman devotes all the powers of her mind to becoming as exact a copy as possible of the models in Vogue or Charm to the point of neglecting her duty.
A woman who for love of dress would ruin her husband, neglect her children or even refuse to have them for fear of spoiling her figure would fail by excess.’
This viewpoint is full of wisdom; it defends right use and at the same time condemns abuse.”
The following are simple recipes for cleansing and nourishing your skin by the famous health guru Paavo Airola in the old book “Swedish Beauty Secrets”. If I were feeling inclined to give myself a little “freshening up” these are the types of concoctions I would make and use. I thought they were worth sharing!
CUCUMBER ASTRINGENT
1 cup fresh cucumber juice (make your own juice extractor, or grate very fine and press through a cloth).
1/4 tsp. honey
Pour ingredients in an empty bottle and shake well. Apply with a cotton pad on your face and neck and let it dry. Leave it on overnight, if desired, or use as a base under makeup. Store in refrigerator. After a few day make a fresh batch.
Cucumbers contain natural vegetable hormones which are very beneficial for your skin. Cucumber is also a natural, harmless skin tightener, or astringent. It will do wonders to your wrinkles and lines. Cucumber is used extensively in Sweden and Germany as an active ingredient in commercially manufactured cosmetics. Even some American manufacturers are beginning to use cucumber in their cosmetics.
CUCUMBER BEAUTY MASK
1 small cucumber
1/4 cup skim milk
1/2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. crushed ice
Cut cucumber to about 1 inch pieces and mix in an electric mixer with skim milk, honey, and ice to a consistency of porridge. Don’t let the blender run too long so the formula becomes too liquid – only approximately three to five seconds at low speed.
Apply generously all over face, neck and hands. Lie down for ten or fifteen minutes, then wash off with cold water.
HONEY LOTION
Dissolve 1 tablespoon of honey in a cup of cold water. Add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.
Apply with a cotton pad freely to you face, neck and arms, especially after a bath, if soap or shampoo was used. Leave it on and let it dry. It will moisturize and soften and help to restore natural acid to the skin. Honey is a a natural humectant, or skin softener. Beauty-conscious Swedish women have used honey as their cosmetic for centuries.
HONEY-EGG MASK
White of 1 egg
1/2 tsp. of honey
Beat the egg white with honey and apply to your face and neck liberally. Leave it on for about 10 to 15 minutes, then wash off with cold water without soap. You may save what is left over for the next day if you keep it tightly closed in the refrigerator.
This simple beauty mask will startle you with the most amazing results. Albumin of egg white is a natural astringent. It will “draw” your skin together and tighten it. Honey is a wonderful moisturizer and a softener. Together they work miracles on your skin.
SWEDISH FACIAL SAUNA
Swedish facial sauna is a very effective treatment for blackheads, pimples, acne, and other complexion blemishes, and for the thorough cleansing of your face.
Take a tablespoon of your favorite herbs – peppermint, anise, chamomile, or, as do the Swedish women, use pine needles or birch leaves. Put in a pot of water and bring to a roaring boil. Lower your head over the pot, cover it with a big bath towel, and steam your face for about 3 to 5 minutes. Turn your face so that every part of it, as well as your neck will receive the benefit of this aromatic facial bath.
The herbal steam of distilled water and your own perspiration will clean your face thoroughly, open pores, and loosen old, stale makeup, blackheads and dirt, and make your complexion soft and beautifully clean.
After facial sauna, dry your face and gently apply Cucumber Astringent. Lie on your back and rest 10 to 15 minutes. Then look in your mirror and see the miraculous transformation which has taken place!
And, of course, we are reminded, “A desire to be beautiful is not unwomanly. A woman who is not beautiful cannot properly fill her place. But, mark you, true beauty is not of the face, but of the soul. There is a beauty so deep and lasting that it will shine out of the homeliest face and make it comely. This is the beauty to be first sought and admired. It is a quality of the mind and heart and is manifested in word and deed. A happy heart, a smiling face, loving words and deeds, and a desire to be of service, will make any woman beautiful.” – Mable Hale, Beautiful Girlhood
Much of our lifetime is spent in a food related atmosphere. If you are a woman forty-five years or older, you’ve already spent over fifty thousand hours in the kitchen and eaten over fifty thousand meals!
Since we spend so much of our lives eating, preparing to eat, and cleaning up after ourselves, shouldn’t we put some effort and attention into making mealtimes some of the most pleasurable and memorable parts of our lives?
What makes a memorable meal?
The recipe for such a time involves four ingredients:
The Setting
The attractive way you set the table sets the tone for a meal and can convey affection, warmth, and caring. The simple way the napkin is fluffed up in the glass, folded to make a flower, or creatively arranged in a napkin ring can speak your love and concern. The garnish of parsley on the platter of roast chicken or a wedge of lemon in the glass of water say, “I care enough to do the little bit it takes to be above average.” A floral sheet made into a unique tablecloth with matching napkins can be creative and inexpensive.
Centerpieces are great for establishing a mood. But a centerpiece can be so much more than a case of chrysanthemums plopped in the middle of a table. An autumn table lined down the middle with apples, pears, grapes, winter squash and Indian corn smiles a beautiful welcome. A swatch of pine twinkling with tiny white lights and festive with tiny wooden toys sets a Christmassy mood. Individual vases holding single blooms can freshen up individual place settings. And candles are always wonderful. Use them liberally to create the spirit of warmth at mealtime.
The Food
Obviously, food takes the starring role at any meal. The warm, caring spirit of the kitchen extends to providing food that is both delicious and healthful. The old adage, “You are what you eat” is really true. When we eat right, we look better and feel better. Our mental and physical health improves. We have more energy and endurance to carry out the task of loving others.
Given the fact that healthy eating is so important, isn’t it great that healthy meals can also taste wonderful? Many of the most healthy foods – fruits and vegetables, especially – are also the most pleasing to the eye. Learning to eat a wholesome variety of foods can be a delicious adventure that adds another exciting dimension to the spirit of the kitchen.
When you are planning your meals, doing your shopping, or just puttering in the kitchen, don’t forget to take your nose into account! Aromas are memory triggers; they invoke recollections of the past happiness. You can build those kinds of memories through the wonderful aromas of the kitchen. The smell of garlic, curry, cinnamon, fresh bread, or coffee can combine with wonderful tastes and warm feelings to instill the spirit of the kitchen deep in the souls of your family, your guests, and you.
The Fellowship
Mealtime is traditionally a time for family and guests to gather and share their lives. But hectic schedules make home-made family meals a thing of the past for many families. It’s worth the effort to buck this trend and share a family meal. Turn off the TV, unplug the phone and sit down together for a time of fellowship and food.
Expect some resistance if your family is out of practice at fellowship. You might want to stimulate conversation with some questions such as “What is the best thing that happened to you today?” Be prepared to share, and be prepared to listen.
Mealtime is not the only opportunity for “kitchen style” fellowship, of course. Some of my most reassured conversations have happened while two of us were cooking or cleaning up together. Afterschool snacks, afternoon tea, and late-night popcorn sessions all provide safe, comfortable opportunities for sharing lives as well as sharing the spirit of the kitchen.
Some of the richest kind of kitchen fellowship comes when we extend the spirit of the kitchen to those outside our homes and families. Surely this is part of what Jesus meant when he said, “I was hungry and you fed me.” People who volunteer to cook at a soup kitchen, deliver meals on wheels, or help with an emergency food drive discover that they are richly blessed by the opportunity to share the spirit of the kitchen with someone in need.
A Peaceful Ambience
“Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting with strife” (Proverbs 17:1). That was true in Solomon’s day, and it’s especially true in today’s high-stress, stomach-churning society. Peaceful mealtimes aid both the digestion and the disposition; they are well worth the effort they take.
How can mealtimes be more related? Careful panning helps, so that dishes are ready at the same time and you don’t have to keep running to the kitchen. Food should be simple and wholesome and tailored to the needs of family and guests. (Serving spicy or difficult-to-handle food to small children, for example, just invites tension and frustration.)
Conversation can be lively and even provocative, but it’s good to postpone weighty or emotional issues for another time. Beautiful, soothing music in the background helps everyone to calm down and enjoy the meal.
Perhaps the most meaningful and effective way to bring an air of peace and grace to mealtime is to make a habit of inciting God to be present. Even a mumbled and hurried “Bless us O Lord…” helps turn our hearts in the direction of gratitude and peace. But how much better to really stop, take a quiet moment, and ask the Lord’s blessing on the meal and those gathered around the table.
May these walls be filled with laughter,
May it reach from floor to rafter.
May the roof keep out the rain,
May sunshine warm each windowpane.
And may the door be open wide
To let the Good Lord’s love inside.
-Irish Blessing
************************************************
“What a majestic figure is that of the mother in the home as she fulfills her destiny at the cradle side, the nurse and teacher of her little ones! Hers is truly a task full of labor, and we should be tempted to deem her unequal to it were it not for the grace of God which is ever at hand to enlighten, direct, and sustain her in her daily anxieties and toil.” – Pope Pius XII
A lot of what we touch on here is spiritual and concerns the attitude. This is, of course, very, very important.
Our physical life is very important, too! It definitely affects our attitude AND our spiritual life.
You will see that I have a tab up at the top of the site called Toning With T-Tapp. It is up there because feeling well physically is important and I know how much better I feel when I am MOVING!
“When you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain. Endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in the body.” -www.webmd.com
If I do some exercises during the day (T-Tapp is only 15 minutes) then I feel better physically, I feel better about myself in general and have more “get-up-and-go” to make positive choices when it comes to my health.
“Let’s be honest with ourselves, as mothers, when we look and feel healthy and trim, it is easier to be a happier Mama in the home. None of us are trying to be perfect Barbie dolls… we are just wanting to be the best ‘us’ we can be. Perhaps it sounds old-fashioned, but the fact is… as a mother, our body is not just our own. We surrendered it to another when we grew life inside us. But that continues after birth. We are our children’s role models and our husband’s investments. Attaining a healthier body is not just a gift to ourselves… it sets a legacy for our children to follow. Generations can be changed because of your choices today!” – Trim Healthy Mama
Since the weather is nice, you may want to diversify when it comes to exercising and to get outside in the sunshine!! (And even in the rain!)
Right now we are taking walks. The walks are only a half hour long but it is up a hill and since I have watched Teresa Tapp’s Stepping Away the Inches, I know how I can make those steps count twice as much as if you were just power walking.
Rosie and our dogs, Rio, Cookie and Ginger heading up the hill:
Even if it’s muddy:
Back Home:
I realize that you may not have the same country roads that we do to take a walk, but one can walk anywhere! Don’t let living in town discourage you!
Below is a short video from Youtube on how you can walk and get much more out of your steps to burn away the inches.
Now, you may think Teresa Tapp (the trainer in the video) doesn’t know what she’s talking about, but I challenge you to try her workouts. She has done much for so many people….not just losing weight, but actual physical therapy, healing backs, rotator cuffs, overcoming arthritis, etc.. There are lots of reviews here at Amazon. You can also read this great review at Wellness Mama.
Here is an excerpt from Wellness Mama:
“The T-tapp System was created by Theresa Tapp through her work with rehabilitating patients with joint problems, edema, swelling due to medication, and more. Theresa has a back injury herself that she got as a child and that resulted in three fused disks in her back. She found that proper alignment and posture were vital for her to be pain free and her system focuses very strongly on form and posture.
The T-Tapp system is no-impact and truly anyone can do it. I’ve been doing it during pregnancy and it has been both the easiest and most effective pregnancy workout I’ve ever tried.
The basic system truly only takes 15 minutes and while it takes a little while to get the coordination down, it isn’t physically straining, though it does get the heart rate up and stretch muscles!”
Ok and here’s the other challenge I lay before you.
I have this prayer that I was saying a while back about health, temperance, etc.
While I was saying it, I found out about T-Tapp, lost 4 inches, felt much better, etc. No coincidence.
I also had other ladies joining me because we were encouraged knowing that there is power in prayer and even more power where two or more are gathered in His Name.
So why don’t you join me and say this prayer each day for yourself and for all the other ladies who are saying it? What a great way to support one another in what is an important part of our life…..our physical well-being!
By praying this prayer we will be given grace to make wise decisions and to make better choices on a daily basis.
It will be a Movement(no pun intended) that we can start, to lift one another up in prayer.
The prayer touches on other aspects of our lives, not just the physical. I think it is a great way to support one another here!
Here is the Prayer, print it out and join me, if you like:
O Lord, I give myself wholly to You and thank You for all You have done for me. I pray for all that I need to follow You with a sincere heart. Please heal all my relationships and give me the grace to do my part with humility and love. I also ask for the virtue of Temperance that I may take care of my body as the Temple of the Holy Ghost. I pray that You will give me the means and strength to attain health of soul and body so I may follow You with a clear mind and an upright heart. I pray this for myself and for those who are joining in this petition.
Hail Mary, etc….
And if you forget the prayer just say the Hail Mary for the intentions. Let’s watch to see how Our Lord blesses our prayers! I will be saying mine!
“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what’s the first thing you say to yourself?” “What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?” “I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?” said Piglet. Pooh nodded thoughtfully. “It’s the same thing,” he said.
Well, here we are, 2016! Welcome, New Year!! May we work on what means most to us, may we get our priorities straight and may this year bring us many blessings!
Christmas decorations and items are pulled from the shelves in the stores and in many places they are replaced with………EXERCISE MACHINES AND EXERCISE WORKOUTS!!
It IS a good time of the year to reevaluate our eating habits and our exercise plans. Let’s face it, when we are feeling lousy because we have indulged with too much or the wrong kinds of food, it is harder to pay attention to our prayers, harder to be charitable, etc., etc. When we have a hard time bending, doing up our clothes and all the other not-so-good things that come with extra weight gain, it brings our spirit down.
So it is a good thing to pull up our socks and start anew.
I am reposting about this wonderful program that all my family, married children alike, have been excited about and committed to for some time now.
So many mothers struggle with their weight. Wouldn’t it be great to find something doable for busy mothers?
I heard about T-Tapp and how great it was some time ago. I didn’t pay too much attention but then my mom handed me the book Fit and Fabulous, Lose 2 Sizes in 4 Weeks by Theresa Tapp. OK, now I was interested!!
It held true to its promise. I lost 2 sizes in 4 weeks and felt so much better. My posture was better which certainly was a plus. Years of nursing babies takes its toll on your carriage!
What I like about this workout is that it only takes 15 minutes, it takes very little space with no fancy apparatuses and you can do it in the privacy of your home…and it works!
Phooey on the exercise machines! 🙂
Listen and watch Charlotte Siems, a mother of 12 who went from a size 22 to a size 6! It’s quite encouraging!
O Lord, I give myself wholly to You. Thank you for giving me the gift of life and health.
Please give me the grace to take care of my body as the Temple of the Holy Ghost.
Help me to have the self-control to “eat to live” and not “live to eat”.
Help me to choose the foods that will build health. May I restrain myself in order to achieve the weight and health that You want me to have at this time in my life so I may follow You with a clear mind and body.
Hail Mary. etc….
Here’s the “Vanity” part of the post. Scroll down for the Cucumbers! :D.
Makeup and adornment can be a touchy subject among serious Catholics. Prudence, good taste and intention are important when it comes to these things.
I like this excerpt from the wonderful book “Christ in the Home” written in the 1950’s by Father Raoul Plus, S.J.
“She (a woman) has a genius for adornment. She must please. And that is right. No one need reproach her for striving to do so. ‘The pheasants are preening their feathers,’ Saint Francis de Sales humorously commented in answer to Saint Jane Frances de Chantal’s letter expressing worry over her daughters’ newly evidenced concern about their dress. ‘It is excess that is blameworthy…..’
Another quote from Christ in the Home:
PRAISEWORTHY VANITY
A HUSBAND who is a man of sense as well as a good Catholic proposes this question: Ought concern for their appearance be something foreign to Christian wives?
He answers the question himself: ‘That would be simply ridiculous. I confess that I feel thoroughly enraged when I see women who act as if they were being very virtuous by their slovenly appearance and poor taste in dress.
First of all,they commit a fault against beauty and grace which are God’s gifts. But their fault is graver still: Have these noble souls taken care to consult their husbands and to assure themselves that he approves of this treatment? Let them not be surprised then if their husbands look elsewhere for satisfaction.
Christian women must know once for all that to dress with taste and even with distinction is not a fault; that to use cosmetics is no fault either unless the results are esthetically to be regretted; that adornment as such is one of those questions of convention which is purely accidental and remains completely foreign to the moral order.
Virtue owes it to itself to be attractive and even strongly attractive. The only thing that must be avoided is excess. There is excess when a Christian woman devotes all the powers of her mind to becoming as exact a copy as possible of the models in Vogue or Charm to the point of neglecting her duty.
A woman who for love of dress would ruin her husband, neglect her children or even refuse to have them for fear of spoiling her figure would fail by excess.’
This viewpoint is full of wisdom; it defends right use and at the same time condemns abuse.”
The following are simple recipes for cleansing and nourishing your skin by the famous health guru Paavo Airola in the old book “Swedish Beauty Secrets”. If I were feeling inclined to give myself a little “freshening up” these are the types of concoctions I would make and use. I thought they were worth sharing!
CUCUMBER ASTRINGENT
1 cup fresh cucumber juice (make your own juice extractor, or grate very fine and press through a cloth).
1/4 tsp. honey
Pour ingredients in an empty bottle and shake well. Apply with a cotton pad on your face and neck and let it dry. Leave it on overnight, if desired, or use as a base under makeup. Store in refrigerator. After a few day make a fresh batch.
Cucumbers contain natural vegetable hormones which are very beneficial for your skin. Cucumber is also a natural, harmless skin tightener, or astringent. It will do wonders to your wrinkles and lines. Cucumber is used extensively in Sweden and Germany as an active ingredient in commercially manufactured cosmetics. Even some American manufacturers are beginning to use cucumber in their cosmetics.
CUCUMBER BEAUTY MASK
1 small cucumber
1/4 cup skim milk
1/2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. crushed ice
Cut cucumber to about 1 inch pieces and mix in an electric mixer with skim milk, honey, and ice to a consistency of porridge. Don’t let the blender run too long so the formula becomes too liquid – only approximately three to five seconds at low speed.
Apply generously all over face, neck and hands. Lie down for ten or fifteen minutes, then wash off with cold water.
HONEY LOTION
Dissolve 1 tablespoon of honey in a cup of cold water. Add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.
Apply with a cotton pad freely to you face, neck and arms, especially after a bath, if soap or shampoo was used. Leave it on and let it dry. It will moisturize and soften and help to restore natural acid to the skin. Honey is a a natural humectant, or skin softener. Beauty-conscious Swedish women have used honey as their cosmetic for centuries.
HONEY-EGG MASK
White of 1 egg
1/2 tsp. of honey
Beat the egg white with honey and apply to your face and neck liberally. Leave it on for about 10 to 15 minutes, then wash off with cold water without soap. You may save what is left over for the next day if you keep it tightly closed in the refrigerator.
This simple beauty mask will startle you with the most amazing results. Albumin of egg white is a natural astringent. It will “draw” your skin together and tighten it. Honey is a wonderful moisturizer and a softener. Together they work miracles on your skin.
SWEDISH FACIAL SAUNA
Swedish facial sauna is a very effective treatment for blackheads, pimples, acne, and other complexion blemishes, and for the thorough cleansing of your face.
Take a tablespoon of your favorite herbs – peppermint, anise, chamomile, or, as do the Swedish women, use pine needles or birch leaves. Put in a pot of water and bring to a roaring boil. Lower your head over the pot, cover it with a big bath towel, and steam your face for about 3 to 5 minutes. Turn your face so that every part of it, as well as your neck will receive the benefit of this aromatic facial bath.
The herbal steam of distilled water and your own perspiration will clean your face thoroughly, open pores, and loosen old, stale makeup, blackheads and dirt, and make your complexion soft and beautifully clean.
After facial sauna, dry your face and gently apply Cucumber Astringent. Lie on your back and rest 10 to 15 minutes. Then look in your mirror and see the miraculous transformation which has taken place!
And, of course, we are reminded, “A desire to be beautiful is not unwomanly. A woman who is not beautiful cannot properly fill her place. But, mark you, true beauty is not of the face, but of the soul. There is a beauty so deep and lasting that it will shine out of the homeliest face and make it comely. This is the beauty to be first sought and admired. It is a quality of the mind and heart and is manifested in word and deed. A happy heart, a smiling face, loving words and deeds, and a desire to be of service, will make any woman beautiful.” – Mable Hale
I am not a health professional. Just a Concerned Mother with an interest in chemistry. Before using large doses of Vitamin C, please discuss your situation with a qualified health professional.
Would you believe an ad for a new ‘broad spectrum’ drug that claimed “antibiotic, anti fungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, even anti-cancer?”(1) Has virtually no side effects?(2) Is extremely inexpensive and available in every grocery store? Unbelievable?
These qualities are precisely what we have in *therapeutic* doses of our humble old friend, vitamin C. Already, in the first half of the 20th century, pioneering physicians were using massive doses of vitamin C (ascorbic acid and its salt, the ascorbates), to treat everything from kidney stones(2) to polio.(3) Research by Linus Pauling (PhD, 2x Nobel Prize winner), et al, in the 1970s and beyond, confirmed these earlier case studies. Pauling himself, from age 67 to his death at 93, supplemented with massive doses of vitamin C on a daily basis.(2)
Macronutrient?
Vitamin C is one of the most important nutrients. Ascorbic acid (and the ascorbate ion) is essential to many body processes. Even a healthy body benefits from quantities much greater than we can reasonably obtain through diet alone. Furthermore, an ill body needs far more vitamin C than the healthy one to overcome illness.(1) In fact, calling ascorbate a ‘vitamin’ is misleading;(2) it might be more appropriately called the ‘fourth macronutrient’ when during illness the body needs as much ascorbate as protein.
Among other things, Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, repairing oxidative damage to cells, enzymes and other proteins.(2) It also reacts in some circumstances as an *oxidant* to disarm toxins and viruses. In the case of cancer, ascorbate inhibits the ability of cancerous cells to push through to surrounding tissues. Ascorbate is directly involved in the formation of collagen, the cement that holds healthy cells together, like the mortar for bricks.(2) It is even shown that ascorbate, in its prooxidant role, is selectively toxic to tumors, while leaving healthy cells unharmed.(1),(2),(6) So, can’t we get enough ascorbate from food? Why do we need to supplement with vitamin C?
While most animals, and virtually all plants are able to make their own vitamin C as needed from the very similar molecule, glucose, human beings do not. God designed us without this capability. It is possible the human body, created in that perfect environment, the Garden of Eden, did not need more C than Adam and Eve could easily consume in the local fruits. Then sin and its consequences led to their expulsion. Since then, the human race has faced illnesses of all kinds. Personal Experience
In my family we have used therapeutic doses of Vitamin C to cut short a cold,(5) reduce airborne allergy symptoms, treat insect bites, and dissolve worrisome skin growths. I made a salve of glycerine, Vitamin E and Vitamin C to treat a deep finger wound that was healing very slowly. With this treatment, it showed marked improvement overnight, every time. But this pales to my son’s experience.
My eldest son has struggled with cancer over the last 5 years, enduring four months of chemotherapy and two surgeries. A scan this spring revealed at least three sizable new tumors. The initial prognosis, per his oncologist, was very grim. My son immediately applied our recent understanding of nutritional therapy(4) and began supplementing with therapeutic doses of ascorbate.
The US government’s DRI for Vitamin C for males, 19-30 years, is 63 mg/day.+ Karl supplements instead with about 20,000-40,000 mg per day – roughly 500 times the conventional recommendation.
What are the side effects? If he takes too much, he gets mild diarrhea. Most days this does not occur – instead, his only side effects are feeling better and static – even shrinking – tumors. (Please continue to pray for him!)
Therapeutic Dose
What is a therapeutic dose? For vitamin C, this is based on body mass.* The usual recommendation is as follows (converted from kg to lb.): 160-320 mg per lb. of body mass, per day in divided doses.(1),(2),(3),(6) Vitamin C, like the B vitamins, is water soluble. In order to maintain a higher serum level of C, one must spread the dosage out over the day. So, for example, a 140 lb. adult, feeling ill with a cold or flu, might start with about 2500 mg (a rounded *1/2* tsp of ascorbic acid powder) dissolved in water or juice every 2 waking hours during an illness. One might increase the initial dose to 8000 mg(2) to see faster results, and/or increase the frequency to hourly, or the ongoing dosage up to 5000 mg. My family has found we can beat a wintertime head cold in about
one day with this regimen.
Take Enough
The most important thing to remember – take enough!(1),(3) The usual trouble with ascorbate therapy in conventional medical research is insufficient quantity.(6) There seems to be a threshold of effectiveness for benefit, which varies with the individual, the illness and the state of general health. So, if one is not seeing results, then increase the dose! But at what cost?
Cost Comparison
Vitamin C powder costs about $13 a pound on Amazon. A single therapeutic dose for a 140 lb. adult costs about 8 cents, or 64.4 cents to $1.29 per head cold.* The calculation for DayQuil/ NyQuil, which only masks symptoms, and would likely be needed for about 4-5 days for symptomatic relief, comes to at least $18.67 per head cold. And the comparison only gets better.
The price difference between Vitamin C and chemotherapy drugs is unimaginable. Chemotherapy costs thousands of dollars for each infusion. Even with health insurance, co-pays can become enormous. My son’s bill for four rounds of chemo several years ago, not including hospital stays, was over $30,000. In addition, chemo made him too sick to hold a job. Now, Karl’s daily ~40,000 mg of Vitamin C is about a tenth of a pound, or $1.30 per day – and he feels well enough to work. Over approximately 4 months now, his ascorbate therapy adds up to about $156** based on oral consumption of the powder or tablet version.
Forms of C
Vitamin C is available in many forms. Crystals, buffered, chewable, tablets, capsules, liposomal, esterified, and IV are all options, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Fruit flavored 500 mg chewables work well for my grandson, and the various crystals/powdered forms for adultsized doses. The therapeutically active part of Vitamin C is the ascorbate ion (ascorbic acid minus two hydrogen ions.) So, ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate, calcium ascorbate, and even ascorbyl palmitate (Ester-C®) are options. According to one of my sources, ascorbic acid is more powerful than the salts, because it has two electrons available as anti-oxidants, as opposed to one such electron for the salts.(2) All of these options also differ in ease of administration.
Ascorbic acid has a marked vinegary taste, sodium ascorbate is mildly salty, and calcium ascorbate has a bitter taste and does not dissolve easily in cold water. Liposomal C tastes like raw egg yolk – but even my 3 yo grandson will slug it down “like a cowboy drinking whiskey.” The chewables and tablets go down easily, but at high doses one may be consuming too much of the tableting ingredients. Claims for Ester-C® include greater effectiveness than other oral forms, and it is also more expensive. Liposomal C is very effective, and is quite a bit more expensive.(2),# Intravenous (IV) C would normally require the direct services of a doctor or nurse.** The oral (except liposomal) sources will produce an intestinal effect as you approach your body’s maximum absorption. How Much is Enough?
The term “bowel tolerance” is used to describe the body’s vitamin C saturation point for oral intake. This quantity is different for each person and state of health. Bowel tolerance means the beginning of mild diarrhea. Once an individual experiences loose stools, he would cut the vitamin C dose in half, and continue dosing at the sublaxitive level until he is feeling better. There is the possibility of a rebound effect(3) so it’s best to taper off high doses over several days, according to bowel tolerance.
Orthomolecular Medicine
Literature research and personal experience has shown therapeutic use of vitamin C can be an optimal treatment for many illnesses. There are also therapeutic uses for other vitamins. Linus Pauling coined the term “Orthomolecular Medicine”(1) for the use of high doses of vitamin and other nutrients to treat illness. Perhaps, in his mercy, God gives us these natural tools to manage at least some of the physical consequences of original sin. Now you know; knowledge is power. The books listed below greatly expand on the concise information here. Some of the authors are also enthusiastic supporters of macro-evolution, which has never been scientifically observed. It’s possible to be an expert on therapeutic nutrition while being naive about evolution. It may be best to skip these references and just enjoy learning and applying nutritional remedies for your family. Do some investigation of your own, consult your health professional, and consider supplementing with the humble, simple, amazingly powerful Vitamin C!
Footnotes & References
Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs): Estimated Average Requirements
Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine, National Academies
* The math:
Vitamin C:
$13.00/lvC x lbC/100.5 tspC x tspC/4500 mgC x 140 lbPrs x 160 mgC/lbPrs x 1/day 64.4 c – $1.28 per day, treatment for one 24 hour day only.
NyQuil/ DayQuil:
$14.00/24 ozNQ X 2 ozNQ/dose X 4 dose/day X 4 days = $18.67 per head cold treatment of 4 days.
** Karl has just recently started receiving IV vitamin C several times a week, which costs more, and requires a prescription.
Approximate cost for IV C, from the University of Kansas Hospital website:
“Vitamin C infusions range in price from $125.00 to $160.“
See more at: http://www.kumed.com/medical-services/integrative-medicine/faq/iv-vitamin-c-faq#sthash.smrzgp8Z.dpuf
# Liposomal Vitamin C can be made inexpensively at home, using lecithin, sodium ascorbate, and an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner. However, I have not yet found any reliable information on the effectiveness of the process, so I can’t confidently recommend home-made liposomal C at this time. However, I do use it myself, in the hopes of the approximately 60-70” encapsulating efficiency claimed in various internet publications. Just last weekend I conducted an experiment, based on Brooks Bradley’s method, and did find a distinct difference in the sonicated version vs. the control solution, in both appearance and reactivity. I plan to repeat the experiment in a couple of weeks, with better equipment, to measure the difference between the two solutions.
The Books
(a few to get you started – all linked directly to amazon.com.)
Each has its own extensive bibliography, including peer-reviewed publications of original research in professional journals.
1. Orthomolecular Medicine for Everyone by Abram Hoffer, MD, PhD, and Andrew Saul, PhD
(2008 – This book is an excellent first resource for therapeutic nutrition in general.)
(Also on kindle.)
2. Vitamin C: The Real Story by Steve Hickey, PhD and Andrew Saul, PhD
(2008 – very informative!)
(Also on kindle.)
4. Cancer and Vitamin C by Linus Pauling, PhD and Ewan Cameron
(1979, 1993)
(Also on kindle.)
5. Vitamin C, the Common Cold, and the Flu by Linus Carl Pauling
(1970 & 1976 paperback & hardcover only)
(I haven’t read this one yet – but I just ordered a used paperback with happy anticipation.)
“Set goals.” “Make a New Year’s Resolution.” “Make your goals huge so you’ll have the passion to aim for them.”
Sound familiar? We’ve all heard the goal-setting gurus proclaim different methods to set goals and reach them but so many of us have failed with their methods that we tend to give up and think, “what’s the use?” I’ve felt that way before, yet I used goals to lose over 100 pounds.
At times I felt almost embarrassed that my goal-setting methods didn’t fit the prescribed form. I knew that if I set a goal of losing 100 pounds I would give up before I started. That took too much emotional energy, especially as a More to Lose person. Deep down I had a dream of losing 100 pounds. But that couldn’t be the star I aimed for when I weighed 258 pounds.
Instead I told myself “the next decade of pounds.” In other words, when I weighed 258, I wanted to get into the 240’s. Next the 230’s. I did that all the way down.
In looking back, I can now see why it worked for me. That’s all the belief I had at the time.
To start out I couldn’t even admit to myself that I wanted to lose 100 pounds. It was too painful, too overwhelming and too shameful (not true, but that’s how I thought). I didn’t even tell anyone outside of my immediate family that I was beginning an exercise program. I felt private about it and didn’t want to share my hopes.
I now believe that helped me stay focused. When we share our excitement and breathlessly outline our plans to other people, we get the same physical, emotional release and good feelings as if we’d already done the thing we’re planning. Our brain can’t tell the difference between us talking about it a lot and doing it.
We lose energy and drive. We can even become addicted to the planning and sharing stage and never move on to the DOING stage.
So here are two keys to help you with your weight loss goals in 2014:
1)Set smaller goals along the way. Set goals that you truly believe you can reach. Make a plan to get to the smaller goal and work the plan. Then move the goal line a little further down the field as you go along.
2)Stay quiet about it. That doesn’t mean you don’t talk about your goals or share what you’re doing. Choose wisely where you share it. Your spouse, a friend or two and the T-Tapp forum are good places to share. Just don’t disperse all of your energy and focus by excitedly talking about what you’re going to do with everyone you meet and go home satisfied.
If you’ve been avoiding the goal-setting scene because it seems pointless or overwhelming, try scaling back. It will remove the overwhelm. And you will feel the exhilaration and rush of reaching a goal over and over instead of just at the end of a long road. Maybe you’ll even get addicted to the rush of success.
Reaching my dream goal of losing over 100 pounds was really the accumulation of reaching lots of smaller goals. Try taking a baby step towards a doable goal, and be sure to celebrate when you reach it. Keep your eye on the closer prize, and before you know it you’ll be in the home stretch to your final goal.
So many mothers struggle with their weight. Wouldn’t it be great to find something doable for busy mothers?
I heard about T-Tapp and how great it was some time ago. I didn’t pay too much attention but then my mom handed me the book Fit and Fabulous, Lose 2 Sizes in 4 Weeks by Theresa Tapp. OK, now I was interested!!
Anyway, it held true to its promise. I lost 2 sizes in 4 weeks and felt so much better. My posture was better which certainly was a plus. Years of nursing babies takes its toll on your carriage!
What I like about this workout is that it only takes 15 minutes, you can do it in the privacy of your home…and it works! 🙂
Listen and watch Charlotte Siems, a mother of 12 who went from a size 22 to a size 6! It’s quite encouraging!
