LIBERATED THROUGH CLEANING SCHEDULE

Sure, this might sound like an oxymoron, but stick with me here and you will find freedom in a cleaning schedule. Have you ever looked around your house and felt tension over how much you needed to do to get it clean? Where to start? When to give up and hide under your bed covers? After reading this article, you will be armed with a strategy that will beat back those dust bunnies while keeping your cool.


So what exactly is a cleaning schedule? It’s a list of things that YOU create to do daily, weekly, bi-monthly, monthly, or quarterly. You then put them in a chart that directs you when to do what. This is something that is tailored to your schedule. For example, I’ll be combining a few of my chores into the days my son is in pre-school. You could choose to complete your list all in one day, what I use to do when I only had one child, or spread it out during the week so you’re really only doing one or two things a day. Currently, I do a combination of both.

If you’re still reading this… hang on. I did say this blog was about making your life healthier and less stressed. This one is a double whammy. Once you have this schedule in place, you no longer have to keep replaying the thought in your head, “Boy, I really need to clean that.” Instead, you know that it will get done on its scheduled day. This allows you to LET IT GO! No need to think twice about it because you know it will get done. This schedule will also end up saving you time. Since your house will be kept up frequently, the amount of time it actually takes to clean it will be reduced. Let the liberation begin!

To get started, take a piece of paper and make a list of all the “chores” that you can think of. Everything from dusting to cleaning your coffee pot.  Create your monthly chart by making seven columns across and five columns down.  On the top of the chart insert days of the week and on the left side of chart insert "week one", "week two", etc. until you have four weeks.  Then start to insert the tasks into the days you want to do them and how frequently you’d like them done.  I like to keep mine on a clipboard in the kitchen. I also put another column entitled "Projects" for my random "To-Do" list.  If I don't get those done by the end of the month I just put them on my list for next month.

Like any good thing, you can always use it for evil. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT treat this list as something you HAVE to do in order to keep a good house. Make it your assistant rather than becoming a slave to it. If you have gotten to the end of the week and nothing was done because your family was in town, cross off that week and start fresh on Monday. If you don’t get something done on a Monday, it’s ok to do it on Wednesday and cross it off then.
Depending on what shape your house is currently in, you may have to do a clean sweep. This is something I do twice a year regardless of what shape my house is in. Begin by going room to room and take out the clutter. Make your garage or a side room a staging area. One area needs to be for donations/garage sale and another for recycling/garbage. Start with an easy room and work your way up. If it’s a big project, only do one room a week. You will be amazed by how much stuff you have acquired. The less stuff you own means less stuff to clean. This will not only make your house look cleaner, even if it’s not, it will also put money back in your pocket via garage sale or tax write-off.

A distinction needs to be made on “clean” versus “picked up.” Sometimes my house is clean but not picked-up. Other times it’s picked-up but not clean. Both can come with a sense of satisfaction depending on how you view it. A clean carpet with toys spread across it is a good thing. A picked-up floor that is covered in dog fur and random bits of food the kids smuggled in is not. For those of you who have kids, go ahead and give up on having your house picked-up all the time. Now a clean house however, that is something you CAN have control over. We don’t want to stifle the creativity of our little ones in the name of a picked-up house. What I try to do is make sure at the end of the night everything goes back to where it belongs. This allows me to wake up feeling that my house/life is in order. Well, at least for the next 30 minutes until the kids wake up.

Now for a bit of strategy… I have found this three step method to save me the most amount of time.

Step One: Pick up and put away one room at a time. This allows you to be in a “pick-up mode” and can make the whole process go faster. Also, do each room in the same order each time. This might sound silly, but it really does save you time. I always start in my dinning room (usually because it’s the least used room in the house) and then work clockwise from room to room. Since I do it the same way every week, it becomes like second nature. I’m not sitting around thinking, ok, now what do I clean?

Step Two: Clean one room at a time and in the same order you did the picking up. Once you are finished cleaning one room move on to the next. This will save you from running from room to room. One exception should be made. I clean my bathrooms at the same time. We live in a small house so the bathrooms are pretty close to each other. I clean both windows, then both sinks, then counters, etc. This allows me to use the same rag and cleaning product which makes it go faster. However, if your bathrooms are not close together this wouldn’t work for you so go back to the original plan.

Step Three: Don’t look back! DO NOT clean something if it’s not scheduled to be clean. Sure, there might be a little dust on the table that you could get to on Wednesday…but if it’s not scheduled to be done until Friday, let it go. Sit down and read a magazine, or my blog, instead.

GOT MOTIVATION? If not, no worries, let me share some motivational ideas that worked for me.

Weight Loss: Do you know how many calories you can burn by cleaning your house? Apparently mine is 143 an hour according to this website. http://www.fitday.com/webfit/exerciseinfopage.html
Enter your own information and see how much you could be burning. You can also make it into a cardio routine. This was something I did pre-kids. I would turn the music up and follow steps One and Two as fast as I could go. Think of it as speed cleaning instead of speed walking. Trust me, you’ll be sweating by the end.

Entertaining:  You could schedule all of your cleaning on one day, say Saturday, and have someone over for dinner that night. Having guests can really motivate you to get your house in order. I remember one friend of mine who hadn’t entertained in a really long time because of the shape her house was in. She applied my advice and began entertaining more frequently. It’s a win-win for you and your friends.

Starbucks:  Good ol’ coffee. I use to do all of my cleaning on a Friday morning which would usually take me 1½ hrs to do. I would reward myself, before the cleaning started, with my favorite Starbucks drink. Coffee is always a motivator to me.

I’m not sure what motivates you, but find something. Keeping a clean house comes with health benefits and a peace of mind. You truly can be liberated by a cleaning schedule from the guilt we can place on ourselves for not keeping better house. For those of you who, after reading this blog, will never invite me over to your house in fear of judgment… fear not. The fact that you just read my long article on cleaning makes you a true friend, and true friends don’t care what shape your house is in.

MAKING THE SWITCH: Ten Simple Changes That Can Make A Big Impact on Your Health

Many of you have shared with me that you wanted to adopt a healthier way of eating but didn’t know where to start. It’s not a change that needs to be done overnight. Just change one simple thing at a time. This article will list ten truly simple things you can do to be healthier and not even taste the difference!


(1) ASPARTAME --> STEVIA OR SUGAR IN THE RAW
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that is known as NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure. I’m really sorry to break this to you, but pretty much anything that says “sugar free” has bad stuff in it. This means no more Crystal Light, sugar free gum, and diet soda. Side note on Soda, make this 1.5… you really shouldn’t drink soda because not only does it contain aspartame but also high fructose corn syrup. For those of you who don’t know what soda is, it’s also known as pop. If you’re in the South it’s called Coke. (There’s a joke there but only the Southerners will get it.) The only time you’ll see me drink pop is if it has rum in it…but I digress.

Aspartame is made up of three chemicals: Aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives! These adverse reactions have included seizures and death. There are 88 other symptoms also listed by the Department of Health and Human Services. Here are a few: Headaches/migraines, dizziness, nausea, muscle spasms, weight gain, depression, fatigue, irritability, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, memory loss, and joint pain. I think I’ve made my point. Next time you’re out and about, grab the sugar in the raw or Stevia. Stevia is derived from the leafy green foliage of the stevia plant. It’s a natural sweetener and non-synthetic, so it’s a better choice. When at home, I use Agave Nectar to sweeten my drinks.

(2) REFINED SUGAR --> AGAVE NECTOR OR EVAPORATED CANE JUICE
Refined sugar undergoes high levels of chemical processing. Need I say more on why you shouldn’t use it? Instead, use agave sweetener or evaporated cane juice. Agave is a natural sweetener that comes from the agave plant. This plant is also a main ingredient in tequila so it must be good. It is slowly absorbed into the body preventing spikes in blood sugar and is 25% sweeter than sugar so you can use less of it. The makers of this product claim that it has been used by ancient civilizations for over 5,000 years. Another replacement for refined sugar is evaporated cane juice. I get the organic kind from Costco. This switch is one you will never notice.

(3) REFINED/ENRICHED WHITE FLOUR --> WHOLE GRAINS
Avoid any flour, or product made with flour, that is refined or enriched. White flour occurs when the bran and germ have been removed and then is bleached using potassium bromated or chlorine dioxide gas! This process removes all the vitamins and bleaches your food. Basically, you’re left with nothing but pure starch. Pure starch = fat. Fat = big butt/gut. According to Wikipedia, “By the time the United States joined World War I, the lack of vitamin content had led to an increase in the proportion of failures on basic entrance physical exam for draftees and military recruits. In response to this, the United States, by law, directed that white flour must be enriched with vitamins, replacing most of the major vitamins removed by bleaching…” Common sense will tell you, taking vitamins out and then putting “most” of them back in but in a different form, is not a good idea. Exchange your white rice for brown rice, white pasta with brown rice pasta or whole grain pasta, white bread to whole wheat that has not been processed or enriched.

(4) SHORTENING --> COCONUT OIL
I am not going to go into detail here on how great coconut oil is. Please refer back to my article, “Nutz Over Coconut.” Instead, I will share with you why NOT to use shortening. Shortening is fat or lard from an animal or vegetable. It’s a partially hydrogenated oil that contains Trans fat. Can you say coronary heart disease? Anything that calls for shortening can be substituted with coconut oil. I even use it in my homemade pie crusts.

(5) PEANUT BUTTER --> NATURAL PEANUT BUTTER
“Choosy Moms Choose JIF.” Really? Because this choosy mom avoids JIF like the plague. Ingredients: Roasted peanuts, sugar, molasses, fully hydrogenated vegetable oils (Rapeseed and Soybean), mono and diglycerides, salt. On my count, six out of seven ingredients aren’t the best for you. Instead, use the ground roasted peanuts you find at the store. Ingredients: Roasted Peanuts! They are ground right in front of your very own eyes. My husband, the ultimate peanut butter connoisseur, put his stamp of approval on it. I actually think it tastes better without the lard in it. I usually rotate fresh peanut butter with almond butter, also a healthy alternative.

(6) COFFEE CREAMER --> HOMEMADE CREAMER
I have to admit this was THE very last thing I gave up. I loved my Coffeemate creamer! But sticking to my lifestyle of checking ingredients in my food, I had to admit this was truly one of the worst things I was putting into my body. (INGREDIENTS: Water, soymilk, partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed oil, sugar, dipotassium phosphate, sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium stearoyl lactylate, pollysorbate 50, gellan gum, sodium citrate, natural and artificial flavor, beta-carotene color.) I don’t think I need to explain to anyone that these are terrible ingredients. I now make my own coffee creamer by taking a salad dressing jar and putting half-n-half and 2 tsp. of vanilla extract in it. When making my coffee, I put a little agave nector in my cup, add cream, and then coffee. (I will sometimes put coconut oil in there. See article “Nutz Over Coconut.”) I don’t know why I didn’t make the switch years ago since I really don’t miss the dipotassium phosphate.

(7) BEEF --> BUFFALO
I am not going to talk about how disgusting and depressing the practices of corporations/ “farmers” are. I will, however, recommend that you eat meat that is grass fed, is raised on pastured farms, and has no growth hormones or antibiotics. The simple solution is to switch to buffalo. It “meats” all of the standards above, is healthier, and tastes better. It has 70% to 90% less fat compared to beef, and on average it has 50% less cholesterol. It also is higher in protein, iron, and all the omega and amino acids. Buffalo, or Bison, is becoming so popular that you can find it in most of your local grocery stores. (I know Fred Myer sells it.) The other option would be to research online the nearest place you can order beef that meets the qualifications listed and have it shipped to you. This will probably be more expensive and labor intensive. It’s also a good idea to cut down on the amount of beef you have. We try to eat buffalo twice a month, chicken once a week, and fish once a week. The rest of the days are vegetarian meals. This change will make you healthier and actually save you money in the long run by reducing your beef intake.

(8) FISH --> BETTER FISH
Did you know that some farm raised fish are fed CORN! I’m pretty sure they don’t eat that in the ocean or lakes. One study I found said farm raised salmon were more contaminated than wild salmon because of what they were fed. Farm fish are fattier, provide less omega 3 fats, are doused with antibiotics, and are given salmon colored dye in their feed so their flesh won’t be grey when you eat it! But wait, there’s more. The Food and Drug Administration published the following statistics: The fat content of farmed salmon is excessively high--30-35% by weight; Wild salmon have a 20% higher protein content and a 20% lower fat content than farm-raised salmon; Farm-raised fish contain much higher amounts of pro-inflammatory omega 6 fats than wild fish.

It’s also a good idea to be choosy about the type of fish you buy. My marine biologist friend won’t be happy with this layman’s term but, “bottom feeding fish” should be avoided. There’s a reason they tell pregnant women not to eat bottom feeding fish during their pregnancy, it’s not healthy. Contaminants tend to build up in predators and bottom feeding fish. Examples include: halibut, flounder, sole, cod, carp, snapper, catfish, and shark. Oh, and let’s not forget the shellfish. Many cultures consider shellfish “unclean” and for good reason. They eat other rotting fish from the sea. There are so many other delicious choices of fish out there… go catch one of those.

(9) NON-ORGANIC --> ORGANIC
This is something that is getting easier and easier to do these days. A couple of years ago I would have to go to four different stores to get everything on my grocery list. Now I’m down to two and the second store is usually for 3-4 items. The large chains are waking up to the demand for organic and here’s why. It is healthier for you and better for the environment. I once read that you would have to eat three large non-organic apples to equal the same nutrients in one small organic apple. I will be going into much more detail in the upcoming weeks, on why it’s so important to go organic. Looks like you'll have that stimulating article to look forward to.

(10) BUTTER/VEGETABLE OIL/ OLIVE OIL --> FIRST COLD PRESSED OLIVE OIL
My sister-in-law, once again, shared with me an interesting “tidbit” about first cold pressed olive oil. “Tidbit” by the way, is legalese for interesting fact. OK, maybe not. None-the-less, I discovered that first cold pressed olive oil is better for you than regular olive oil. Cold pressed means that the oil wasn’t heated over a certain temperature and therefore retains more of its nutrients. Instead of cooking with butter, vegetable oil, or olive oil, switch to cold pressed olive oil. For even better health benefits, use it with a dash of balsamic vinegar for your salads instead of those fatty salad dressings.

CONCLUSION
In full disclosure, I have been known to eat a Krispy Kreme donut (Refined sugar) and partake in a Red Robin burger (Not buffalo).  Living a healthy lifestyle is just that, a lifestyle. It doesn’t mean being legalistic about everything you put into your body. Now that you are more knowledgeable on the aforementioned, (couldn’t resist) here’s how to apply what you learned. Try one new thing a month. If you are really inspired try one thing a week. Either way, there’s no need to feel overwhelmed because ANY change is one step in the right direction.

RUNNING AWAY

I considered entitling this article, “When Pigs Fly”, since that is when you’d have seen me running. Even then, the pigs would probably have to of been chasing me. Point is, I was never a runner, nor did I ever desire to be a runner. Before a year ago, I didn’t exercise at all, unless you count the occasional speed walking.

It was an overcast day, June 7th 2009 to be exact, that I had gone with my family to the Race for the Cure Walk/Run. It was a fundraiser for cancer research that my husband’s law firm participated in. We proudly wore our Stender|Zumwalt, PLLC T-shirts while lugging our kids in a double stroller. As we started, there was something in me saying, “You have to run this.” Sure, it would have been better to walk so people could actually read the T-shirt… but being a criminal defense firm, running away made sense too. I ran the entire three miles without stopping. Before that day, I couldn’t run half a block without my lungs burning. People ask me all the time what made me start running. At first, I thought it was the feeling of running away from my kids, house, grocery list, etc. The simple truth is, my heart just said, “You need to do this for yourself and for your family.”

After my race debut, I went to the shoe section at Fred Myer and bought a pair of shoes under the “running” sign. I was going to give this running thing a try. It was around this time that my friend Lisa said something like, “Next thing you know you’ll be doing a half-marathon.” I scoffed out loud at the thought and said, “I would never be able to do something like that.” Well, no one tells me I CAN’T do something, not even myself. Almost a year later, I have completed two 5K races, one 5 mile race, and one half-marathon (Picture shown). My last race was a personal best. I came in 8th place in my age division and ran a pace of 8:50 a mile.

Early on in my training, my knees really started to ache. It was brought to my attention that it may be my running shoes. I decided to go to a real running store and ask for a new pair of running shoes. The salesperson took one look at my shoes and said, “Those aren’t running shoes.” He examined me running and discovered I had a pronating foot. After finding the proper running shoes, there has been nothing in my way ever since. Well, not exactly.

One afternoon while going for a four mile run, my pants kept falling down. By falling down I mean, it took my underwear with it and soon enough I was mooning the cars passing by. I thought about stopping but was too determined to get this run in. My left hand was holding my pants and underware up and my right was being dragged by my dog for the entire run. It was quite a sight.

After running consistently four times a week for eight weeks, I went from a size 8 to a size 4. I have never felt more fit or healthy in my adult life. During one of my recent runs, I was thinking of how I should start doing squats since these buns weren’t getting any younger. As soon as the thought popped in my head, a man in his 20’s yelled out his window, “Nice Ass.” It was then and there that I decided to forgo the squats and pick up a peanut buster parfait for dessert. Running really does pay off.

For those of you who would like to join me on this running adventure, let’s begin with what you’ve learned so far. (1) Get a good pair of running shoes. (2) Buy some proper running clothes and (3) Don’t let anyone, including yourself, tell you that you can’t do this. There are so many free training programs out there, Google training schedules and pick the one that fits you best. Many of the beginning programs have you run a little and then walk a little. I preferred to cut to the chase and start running. One piece of advice I got from Runner’s World Magazine that I’d like to pass on, is that you can never run too slow.

As for my training advice, start out slow and begin running three to four times a week, adding a mile every week or every other week, depending on how it feels.  Keep doing this until you reach your training goal.You should also sign up for a race so you'll have a goal that will force you to get out of bed or off that couch. I’m already so proud of you for even considering taking on this challenge. If I can do it, so can you!