This ever happen to you? You’re having a killer workout then out of nowhere stopped dead in your tracks. Your muscle pulls at you with incredible force seeming to withdraw into its self. You push and massage trying to ease the spasm stretching and twisting, all the time wondering what did I do or maybe, what didn’t you do. In fact it could just be that your body has not been able to utilize the calcium you are giving it. Why? Well are you getting your vitamin D from a good source like the sun or cod liver oil? If not get to it. By getting 15 minutes of sun each day your body will give you that much needed vitamin D to help you use that precious calcium. Ok maybe you’re not too ecstatic about this source but they have great options available now. Cod Liver Oil (don’t gag) with a great lemon oil extract. It’s so good even my kids will take it with a little fresh pressed OJ in the morning.

For natural relaxation and a healthier heart, take a mix of calcium, magnesium, and other essential minerals. Calcium is nature’s sleep aid. Take it just before bedtime. It is absorbed well at that time and will relax you. In addition, calcium regulates your heartbeat and is essential for proper muscle function, bone health, and blood clotting.

Magnesium works in synergy with calcium and has dozens of important jobs of its own to perform in the body, including regulating fluid balance in your cells and acting as a cofactor for many enzyme reactions. One of magnesium’s major roles is to strengthen and regulate the heart muscle. Diets deficient in magnesium can lead to heart spasms. In fact, some physicians are giving their patients magnesium before heart operation. Magnesium also helps relieve most types of muscle spasms.

Also remember to get your sunshine or take codliver oil. I know yuck but they have some great ones out their with lemon oil that go down perfectly with a little juice. My kids love it and if they can do it so can you.

What to take: A multiple mineral mix of 400 to 600 mg calcium (citrate, lactate or gluconate), 200 to 300 mg magnesium (citrate or gluconate), twice daily.

Much Love and Peace
Katy
katyrickman.com

Curried Lentil and Spinach Soup

Serves 4 as a main dish at 536 calories with 279mg calcium 209 mg magnesium and a whopping 38 grams of fiber (watch out if your not used to this much fiber) as well as 34 grams of protein. This is a strongly anti- inflammatory food with folate and beta-carotene. Personally, I like it as a snack on cold days between meals and divide it into 8 serving and freeze them for later.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped peeled carrots
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder (preferably Madras-style)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
9 1/2 cups (or more) water
1 16-ounce bag dried lentils (about 2 1/2 cups)
2 6-ounce bag baby spinach leaves
optional
½ cup chopped cilantro (added with spinach)
½ cup plain nonfat yogurt

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add next 4 ingredients; sauté until golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in curry powder, ginger, cumin, bay leaf, and dried crushed red pepper. Add 9 1/2 cups water and dried lentils; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until lentils are tender, adding more water by 1/2 cupfuls to thin soup, if desired, about 25 minutes. Add spinach; simmer until spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill soup uncovered until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated. Re-warm soup over medium heat, thinning with water if desired before serving.)
Ladle soup into bowls. Top each serving with spoonful of yogurt.

Author's Bio: 

Katy was born in the small town of Greenville Missouri. She attended college for finance but always had a need to help people and wasn’t interested in becoming nurse or doctor “I want to help people before they get sick”. This need was filled when in the early 90's she became an international fitness competitor at the Ms. Galaxy competition, where she was featured in Muscle Media 2000 jumping a hurdle. "This was an amazing feeling being with these woman whose age ranged from 18 to 40+. I decided then after meeting women in their 40's with 4 kids that was what I would do with myself and help other people learn to do for themselves". At this show she decided fitness would become her life and began the quest for health and fitness. Working with the IFPA on her certification was the first step.

Now Katy is on of the top fitness professional is the Redondo Beach area. She trains clients out of the Spectrum Club in Redondo Beach as well as counseling in meal planning and nutrition. "In the next month I will start a program where we create healthy snacks and meals as well as learn about whole foods."

In 2006 Katy wrote a training manual and produced a DVD on Low Level Laser Therapy for smoking cessation and weight management. This has helped doctors, nurses, hypnotherapist and others interested in helping people with these addictions. The concept is based on acupuncture and auricular therapy using the healing power of the low level laser to stimulate the points. “My boyfriend Jeff was a trooper and helped me get this project done. We worked with coldlasertherapy.us to teach people how to safely use the laser and help thousands of people with their addictions.”

When she looks at the people she works with she feels so blessed with her life, family and friends. “I want every person I meet to love their lives as much as I love mine.”