Homemade Cough Syrup

Well, we are sick in this household.  Ken has an awful cough and I have an earache, soar throat, sinus congestion, and general achiness.  I'm actually going to post this and crawl back into bed.  One of the nice things about working part time is that you can stay in bed when you're sick.

Anyways, I am a big fan of Pinterest.   It can turn out to be a huge time suck for me.  Especially when I pin things with good intentions to actually do them.  I have done a few things and will continue to do them.  I thought I would post about my successes and failures on Pinterest in a little series called Pinned It! Did It!


I'm a big fan of home remedies.  Since I try to keep chemicals out of my cleaning products and food, it makes sense to keep them out of my body when I'm sick.   I had horrible sinus congestion about a month back and decided to look for something to help my aching head.

I came across this glorious concoction on Pinterest a couple months ago courtesy of good food matters.  I knew I had to pin it with cold and flu season coming up.

I modified the recipe a bit so it looks like this.

Homemade Cough Syrup
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne
1/4 teaspoon ground Ginger
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder
1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar (use one that has the mother in it, ex.  Bragg's Organic)
1 Tablespoon Honey

Put in a small container and mix well.  It will make a suspension type liquid  that you have to mix well before each use.  Take one Tablespoon as needed.
 

The Finished Product

 I'm sure you are all wondering how it tastes.  It tastes like a salad dressing with a little kick.  It's not hot and actually tastes pretty good.  It helps clear up sinuses and knocked out my sore throat within a half hour.  I can't tell you how it works on a cough because Ken refuses to take any kind of medicine, especially my "snake oil".  

I keep mine in an old honey jar.  I removed the water from the original recipe to keep it shelf stable.  The dose I took this morning has been sitting for a month and was still good.  I added garlic and onion because I believe those ingredients are just good for you when you are sick.

Now for the necessary disclaimer:  I do not claim to have  expertise in any medical or pharmacological field.  Any home remedy I recommend is based on my own use.  Try at your own risk.

30DS: Day 1

Okay, I sucked at it.  It wasn't too bad though.  I had a lot of trouble with the push ups and I was doing the modified ones.  I could do one for every two they did.  I guess what matters is that I am trying.  It probably didn't help that I don't have a yoga mat and that I was just on a towel on our hardwood floors.

Honestly though, the most difficult thing for me to do was the jumping jacks and jump rope.  I don't have a proper sports bra because I just never got to buying one.  It's hard to find one that holds my girls down.  So, I would pause for a second or two during these exercises because my chest was getting so sore. 

I admit, I wasn't working to my full potential.  I keep thinking I should be very sore or something.  I'm hoping to see some results after this is all said and done.


So time for some before stats and pictures.

Chest           52"
Bicep           13 1/2"
Waist           50 1/2"
Hips             46"
Thigh           27 1/4"

Weight        232

As you can see by my measurements and pictures, I definitely have an apple shape.  I'm embarrassed that my belly is only 1 1/2 inches smaller than my boobs.  (I measured that around my belly button where I am thickest, not at my natural waist.  My natural waist measurement is 42 1/2".  I measure where I do because I wear my pants just below my belly button.) 

As for my weight, it has gone down since August.   I was surprised that I went from 247 to 232.  I did not expect a weight loss of 15 pounds.  Hopefully I can lose another 20 by the end of next month.

I'd say wish me luck but luck has nothing to do with this.  It's going to take hard work and motivation.

Ready to Shred?

Okay, I know.  I am a horrible blogger.  Honestly, I just wish I were better at stuff like this.  New goal.  I am going to post twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays.  Why those days?  Because I don't work on those days. 

So one of the things I am ashamed of is my weight.  Many women are.  I have a million excuses for why I let myself get over 200 pounds.  My hormones are out of whack from polycystic ovarian syndrome.  I hurt my back and couldn't do much exercise.  Yada yada yada.

When I'm honest with myself, I admit I'm overweight.  That's not even being honest.  I'm obese.  There, I said it.  The "o" word.  OBESE!  I'm not big-boned and don't have extra padding.  I'm not fluffy.  This isn't the result of bad genes from my overweight parents. The last time I was weighed at the doctor, the scale registered a whopping 247 pounds.   I don't know what my weight is today.  I think it may be less but not that much less.  Maybe a few pounds.  I don't own a scale and I don't want to own one.  I would step on it everyday.  If I want to weigh myself, I boot up our dusty Wii and use that.

Why am I obese?  I eat too much and move too little.  I love food.  I love food so much I overeat.  A very bad habit that I need to break.  I don't get up and exercise enough.  Sure, I walk the 3/4 mile to the library but I only go to the library once a week.  That is not enough movement to keep my muscles, bones, and heart strong.

I need to get healthy.  I am insulin resistant, which means I'm a short trip away from diabetes.   I also suffer from depression and I know regular exercise helps with the symptoms.  My joints hurt from carrying an extra 80 pounds.  I can't carry around a 40 pound child for longer than five minutes and yet I have the equivalent of two toddlers in extra weight. 

So, I think to kill motivate myself, I am going to jump into this headfirst.  No testing out the waters with a little toe for this girl. 

I'm going to start Jillian Micheal's 30 Day Shred tomorrow. 

Better yet, I'm going to stick with it.  It might end up being a 29 day shred just because I won't want to work out on Christmas morning.  I think I can be forgiven for that.  I'm going to use this blog as motivation.  What better way to keep going than to publicly record my results?  I don't want to admit that I gave up or only lost a few pounds.  I am going to do this.  I am going to succeed.

I will post my weight, measurements, and before pictures this week.  Monday or Thursday. 

Wish me luck!