Summer Adventures

July was sweltering hot but August has been great except for a few very hot days. We love the cooler weather, and thankfully for the most part it has been less rainy. We have been trying to explore a different area each weekend. 

Places we visited:

July 5th Wautoma. Just a little place we had not visited before. Stopped for coffee and explored an antique store.

July 6th Portage and Black River Falls. We only stopped briefly in Portage, along the Wisconsin River. Black River Falls was a cute town. There was massive flooding all over this part of Wisconsin because of excessive rain.

July 13th Lake Geneva. Been here several times, have ever found it that interesting unless you have money to spend.

July 20th Fond Du Lac. We have been here before. We enjoy the park along Lake Winnebago.

July 27th Green Bay, industrial, gritty, stinky. We did find a nice waterfall northeast of town, the closest I've been to Door County. However we did have fun because it was an awesome family outing!

August 3rd Montello and Stevens Point. Montello is a small community with awesome waterfalls in an old quarry. It was too hot that day to explore. We arrive late at Stevens Point because it was not planned. The downtown was dumpy, tattoo parlors and video game places in buildings that are just shadows of their former glory. 

August 10th Wausau, a lovely city with a beautiful and vibrant city center.

August 17th Stoughton, not as interesting as we hoped. They focus on Norwegian heritage but most everything is scattered inside the shops,

August 24th Lime Kiln Park in Grafton, interesting park we had not visited before.

We both really would like to visit Wausau again. The area is beautiful and the city is lovely, not usually something I find often. 

This is all for now. Probably more adventures to come later.

Healing

 I really should give an update on my health since changing the way I eat to low carb, moderate protein and high fat. In a nutshell:

I effortlessly lost about 20 pounds and now am the same weight I was in high school.

My heart palpitations completely disappeared.

My asthma completely disappeared and I no longer need asthma spray.

My high blood pressure completely disappeared and I no longer need medication.

I just had my annual diabetic eye exam and my eye health is excellent. The minor problems have not progressed. 

My glucose is not yet totally controlled so I continue to take medications, but I'm no longer experiencing the highs and crashes that I was before changing how I eat. 

I work on my leg strength to protect my knees. My left knee is still wonky when descending stairs, but it's much better. I can keep up a good pace when walking, and hubby and I walk fairly fast. I am several years his senior so I am quite pleased.

The details about what to eat and not eat would take awhile to explain, so for now I will simply say, there are no essential carbohydrates, but I do consume them in small amounts. Adequate protein is necessary every day, and healthy fats are a source of fuel and the key to not being hungry.

That being said, hydration and electrolytes are super important. Once your body learns to burn fat for fuel, the water weight and pounds will melt away. But your electrolytes will also flush away, so it is very important to replace them, daily. My heart palpitations disappeared once I started taking Magnesium and increasing salt intake. I add salt and Lite Salt (has potassium) to my water daily. This prevents leg cramps and dehydration.

It's getting late. I will write more later. Wishing you all better health!