For roughly about half a year my dad has made some amazing changes. He’s been eating more organically, taking herbs and vitamins, and exercising regularly. These new health improvements haven’t been forced on any of us (the children) or the rest of the family. However, watching him set this amazing example, especially since he’s quit smoking for over a year now (leave comments about this amazing feat, and I’ll be sure to steer him toward them), has struck a chord within us (the children) subconsciously, and quite possibly the rest of the neighborhood.

Every single day my dad goes out for half an hour walks, usually lugging our beloved boxer, Max with him. Max has benefitted quite nicely from the walks, most noticeably he’s lost weight and seems happier. If that’s what these walks are doing for the dog, who knows how many benefits my dad’s getting from it. It doesn’t matter if the weather is sunny, snowing, sleeting, or pouring. He walks. And if the weather is too hot, or too cold, or just plain impossible, he walks at the mall (Max seems a bit sad when he’s not included). While taking our new puppy out (whom I believe is the second cutest pup I think we’ve ever had) I noticed people…walking. Walking with dogs, walking with a friend, or walking with their ipod. I was absolutely amazed that there were people walking outside when the sky was dark and grim, it was a pleasant, but still cool 50 degrees, and it was wet from our recent storm. Even when I accompanied my dad at the mall for one of his walks (I sought refuge in the bookstore. Half an hour of exercise is too much for my frail body to handle) I noticed people walking like my dad was.

This is an amazing change. Especially when the US is most notably known for their high obesity rates; it’s so high in fact that they’re calling it an epidemic. I’m sorry, I didn’t know that people could catch obesity — I for one, think it’s utterly stupid to call it an epidemic. It’s not an epidemic. You usually choose the lifestyle that causes you to be obese; it’s not like you choose to have the black plague or something. Not only have I seen more people actually walking, but it seems like gym memberships have gone up since there’s a new gym that opened near me. The chain grocery stores like Kroger and even Walmart are now carrying natural and organic foods. It’s a nice change, and hopefully this “epidemic” will actually catch on.

Speaking of natural foods, I went to visit a doctor that specializes in alternive medicine. He’s probably a holistic doctor, but I’m not honestly sure. I’ll have to check with my dad on that. Anywho, I’ve been suffering from some severe vertigo off and on for the past couple of years now and he did this one test which was actually quite intriguing. It had to do with a lot of the energy levels in your body, so if something wasn’t working right or if something needed to be “fixed” your left arm would be easy to push down versus if something was working right. It’s a bit hard to explain…for example. He touched the base of my skull, which is like…C1 of the spine I believe. When he went to push my left arm down, it went down quite easily versus when he touched my sinuses; my left arm was hard to push down. Through this, we learned my neck needs realigned (which, no doubt was caused by carrying a 50 lb. bookbag for four years, and therefore came as no surprise to me or my dad) and that I had no sinus trouble (yet again, no surprise). The experience was quite interesting since I never mentioned about my back being tense or the fact that I carried such a heavy load for four years. I honestly wouldn’t mind going back there if I find something else wrong with me.

On another note, I’m nearly finished with my new blog layout! Whooo-hoooo! I’m having trouble deciding on how I want my page links (do I want them scrolled on the top like this layout or do I want it in the navigation?) and I’m having a bit of trouble designing the headers. But, I should have it coded and up within the week or two. If I don’t procrastinate. Wish me luck? I even made my special organic peanut butter cookies! I followed the recipe so they taste even better this time around. Whoo-hoo!