Health Archives - Stephanie DelTorchio

Is Your Brain Burning Calories?

brain burning calories/befat.net/Stephanie DelTorchio/10.12.2016 Fun fact: Your total calorie burn for the day is 2,000 and approximately 400 of those calories burned are from brain activity — 20%*.

And the harder your brain works, the more your brain consumes in calories. Shoot, after 40 minutes on the spin cycle I burn a disappointing 150. If I do nothing but think harder about…my favorite gelato flavors…that might mean in no time I should think my way into a bikini without breaking a sweat.

BE F*CKING AWESOME TODAY!

*This information is from actual scientific data written by real science people. I’ll be they burn more than 2,000 calories a day. That’s a lot of ice-cream.

Original graphic and quote: Stephanie DelTorchio

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Be Smart. Be Safe. Keep Your Head On.

Be Smart. Be Safe. Keep Your Head On/inspirational quote/parenting quote/Stephanie DelTorchio/befat.net I‘ve uttered these three little sentences countless times. Mostly to teenagers. Or younger work colleagues on Fridays at five o’clock. Occasionally as fair warning to a wayward comrade. Often to myself.

It’s an amazingly simple request from a parent to child as they run out the door and into a car full of other equally clueless classmates. Of course they are smart. Ask them. Be safe I say to eye-rolling. Keep your head on is met with: Where else would I put it?

You really want to know?

But when you get the call at midnight or hear about the party the next day you wonder…did you hear me? I know you did. But did you listen?

Then I’m reminded that giving advice, even loving, caring, all-knowing, all-seeing parental advice, drifts off almost as soon as it’s said.

“Wise men don’t need it and fools don’t heed it,” goes a paraphrased quote from Benjamin Franklin.

Be Smart. Be Safe. Keep Your Head On.

It’s going to be printed on a t-shirt. Or tattooed to someone’s forehead. Do you hear me?

Original graphic and quote: Stephanie DelTorchio

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Show Me Yours and I’ll Show You Mine

personal struggle/inspirational quote/Stephanie DelTorchio/befat.net

“No matter your battle, no matter your scars — visible or invisible — there were times when you were in a worse place and survived. Enjoy this day.”

I started this blog as a survivor’s celebration. One man. One woman. One family.

The purpose here is to share with you how to find the awesome in every day. Like I know, right?

But this is big news. The other day marked a huge anniversary of receiving a life saving bone marrow transplant — 17 years. This is stupidly remarkable.

The day we learned of the cancer prognosis was the worse day of our lives. If we were betting people we’d not have taken a two dollar bet to survive one month. Yet here we are. And a good reason why we don’t gamble.

Rewind a moment. Almost immediately we dug our heels in deep and vowed to fight like hell. “Finding the awesome” was a noble idea, a head fake to mask the truth when the world as we knew it felt twisted and rung dry.

That silver lining, the one everybody says to look for? Yeah, I didn’t find it most days. In real time my life imploded by the minute.

Here’s what I learned: A change in attitude is possible if you try really, really hard. But it ain’t easy when you feel bombarded and confused and out of your element. When everything you believed was your future and everyone you trusted to support you, suddenly folded up their tents and moved the circus out of town.

You hurt and bleed, and in time, regroup and carry on. As many times as necessary. But the scars are deep, and on days when they still itch I wear long sleeves.

Time heals all wounds? Whoever the f*ck said that has never even had a paper cut. Time may mask all wounds. Time may crust over all wounds. But the scar tissue remains deep under the surface. What you see on the outside fades to thin silvery white streaks barely noticeable to the normal eye. But you know. You carry them with you forever.

I totally forgot about this scar on my kneecap until the other day. Weird I thought. Where’d I get that? Then the day came back vividly. Hovey School playground. Third grade. I was wearing brand new red tartan cotton pants — just had to wear them after school because they were new. The boys and I raced around the schoolyard on bikes. I slid on a patch of gravel and hit the pavement hard, knee first, dragging my leg few feet under the bike. Ripped pants, lots of blood and a flap of skin.

The silver lining? The bike was okay. The boys made sure I was okay. I held it together as I walked the bike home, my leg killing me but not wanting them to see me cry.

I had totally forgotten about it but when I rubbed my knee, just like that the memory came back.

The other night in bed, watching the eleven o’clock news, my husband just drifting off to sleep I remembered something. I leaned over and gently shook him: “Happy Birthday,” I said. “Seventeen years.”

It took him a minute to open his eyes and smile.

“Really? I totally forgot.”

“You did?”

“No, I think about it everyday…I just forgot it was today. Unbelievable, huh?”

“Yeah.”

BE F*CKING AWESOME TODAY!

Original graphic and quote: Stephanie DelTorchio

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I Know Derek

Derek and his friend Jane.

SPOTLIGHT: As often as possible I want to shine a light on some person, place or organization who epitomizes the Be F.A.T. way of life. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Derek.

Of all the joints…

On a recent summer evening I met Derek, and his beautiful friend, Jane, at a Jimmy Buffett concert. For Parrotheads, (followers of Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band), making new friends is Cheeseburger in Paradise nirvana. We know every song by heart, dance with complete strangers and for the better part of the day, congregate in a tropical, if not quite, religious experience.

Turns out Derek, from Canada, is a traveling Parrothead. This concert was Derek’s ninety-seventh, he said, as in 9-7. I was impressed, and then quick to point out that if he’d put the money spent following J.B. and the band in the bank — tickets, travel, lodging, food — assuming a conservative compound interest rate, a sizeable nest-egg would finance his new sailboat. In cash.

Be Aggressively Hopeful

Learn from yesterday, Live for today, Hope for tomorrow. Albert Einstein/befat.net/positive quotes

The lowest point in my husband’s cancer diagnosis is what we called “the double handshake”.

It’s when someone you’ve just met stands in front of you, shakes your hand and says, “good luck” and then places their other hand on top and says, “God bless”.

Everything that happened the day or week or year before didn’t seem to matter.

We were living in the today moment for sure. And it didn’t feel very good at all.

Thoughts of tomorrow felt out of reach, a pipe dream.

But very quickly you rely on the lessons and experiences of yesterday. You put on your big boy/girl pants. Make a decision to live in the present moment and deal with that, however ugly and scary it looks. Then wag a finger in the air and shout “fuck you!” and fight like hell for the hope of tomorrow.

BE F-G AWESOME TODAY!

Original graphic and quote: Stephanie DelTorchio

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Don’t wish away another day

Before you wish away another day | birthday quote | befat.net | finding the awesome in every day

Before you make a wish for something frivolous or outrageous think about the consequences of what you’re willing to give up or give away SHOULD your wish come true.

BE F-G AWESOME TODAY!

Original graphic and quote: Stephanie DelTorchio

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Stay with me

Don't quit on people who need you / befat.net / inspirational quote / #befat

Don’t quit on people who matter.

They may need to be loved only in our hearts. A safe distance away. To keep them from messing with our heads and getting on our nerves or under our skin.

We know they are hurting and we know we should be the bigger person.

Close our mouths when we have SO much to say. Unfurl our fists when it seems the way out of frustration is to punch the living shit out of something.

But you are the kinder and saner soul in this relationship. That’s why they irk you and they don’t know it (or maybe they do?). That’s why you pray for them. Send them light and rainbows. And draw the hard lines in order to protect yourself.

You’re not a bad person for keeping them away. It’s how you survive and maintain your sanity and live out the day in front of you.

But you can’t give up completely on the people who matter. Even after they’ve taken you down so many times. You find a way to get back up and tangle with them again and again. Because when all the anger, bitterness and contempt is peeled away, you care. Because that hurting person is part of your story.

BE F-G AWESOME TODAY!

Original graphic and quote: Stephanie DelTorchio

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If you keep it up you’ll need a chiropractor

The Past is behind you | funny quote

We’ve all heard the quote: Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Long distance, well-paced to the end. Running forward, only turning back long enough to be sure you’re not being chased by something, or someone, who wants to run you down. You’ll want to give up many times, but don’t.

Have you ever run or watched a marathon race? It’s 26.2 often grueling miles of variable terrain — hills, steep hills, really steep hills, up and down — not to mention that sometimes the weather sucks. Yet, people by the thousands voluntarily run marathons. (Not this gal)

Their life is constant training — running, weight training, clean eating plans. They love to run in spite of the blisters, muscle strains, cramps, shin splints. For some it’s a passion. For others, an obsession. For the rest of us we say: “Is there a less painful way to get from here to there?”

On race day, look at the front of the pack. The elite runners of the world.

Once the clog of the race has thinned out the best runners tend to stay very close to each other. They monitor their progress by checking their pace against known rivals. Periodically the lead runner will take a quick look back over his shoulder. It’s a very brief moment. Long enough to make an assessment, judgment and adjustment. Then it’s face forward.

it's a marathon not a sprint quote | befat.net | finding the awesome in every day

Months, probably years, of training and preparation go into a race. They’ve run the course before, as practice, either the actual course or a virtual race. They’ve learned every bend in the road and wind tunnel. Rising hills and thigh crushing descents. Water stops, mile markers and heaviest concentration of cheering fans.

Consider your “job” of enjoying every day as if you are an elite runner on a continuous marathon. Prepare for it. See it in your head. Most of all only turn back for a second to see who or what is behind you. Then keep going and run your own race to the finish line.

BE F-G AWESOME TODAY!

Original graphic and quote: Stephanie DelTorchio

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Privilege Of Growing Up

Privilege of Getting Older | befat.net | quote | image

One of the nicer reasons to celebrate getting older (for me anyway) is that the list of things that matter gets shorter by the day.

And the list is easily divided into two columns: Things that matter, Things that don’t.

Over time many of the things — which include people, social obligations, jobs, housekeeping chores, etc. become less taxing on our life. Why?

The truth is we’re tired. Not quite the go to bed at 7 p.m. and get up at 4 a.m. but there isn’t THAT much wiggle room — speaking for myself only. So the prime time of waking hours is sacred. Choosing one thing over the other, or who to let into our circle, is relative to the time we’re awake. Still, in those hours, again, speaking for myself, I’m a bit fussy on where I focus my energy.

I choose this, not that. Paper not plastic. Burger not Dog. You, not her.

The simplicity of saying “yes” to things that matter and “no” to things that don’t matter, keeps our minds and bodies focused on what’s best for us today.

BE F-G AWESOME TODAY!

Original graphic: Stephanie DelTorchio

Grow Or Die Trying

Grow Old or Die Trying | befat.net

Staying in motion, going forward, even teeny tiny steps will yield big results.

It doesn’t matter if you’re writing a book, raising kids, remodeling the kitchen, starting a small business…your project or goal needs constant attention and action to yield measurable results.

Fair warning: Attempting any goal might kill you, but press on.

Last fall I bought an(other) exercise book. I read it cover to cover. There sure were some pretty pictures of young women in toned bodies, more than half my age, all smiling (at me?).

I got familiar with the exercises, doing them in my head while sitting on the couch. The ones that promised tighter abs got highlighted with a bright yellow marker. Kind of a joke to consider this a possibility since the last time I saw mine Jimmy Carter was still in office.

Part B of the exercise program emphasizes nutrition.

I could practically taste the monotony of the rotating 120 day meal plan. The meals had been aesthetically plated for photographing, but even in full-color one could taste the beige and tan of boiled chicken and brown rice. For variety, the author suggests substituting “green meals”. Basically, KALE, thrown in an expensive blender along with powders and oils and seeds, whirled into a sludge. Think St. Patty’s Day Slurpee with chunks and you get the idea.

I put the book on the coffee table in plain view, but a safe distance from my bowl of Cherry Garcia.

Oh, the guilt.

My motto has always been: Eat Well. Exercise. Die Anyway. But this time, once and for all, I wanted to find out if my arms were indeed long enough to touch my toes. Enjoy a plumbing system with the regularity of spring rain. And zip up my jeans without having to fold fat like an accordion.

Six months after starting the exercise and meal program — SIX months — I felt a strange bump on the back of my upper arm. At first I thought it was a tumor. Turns out it was a muscle. Hello, old friend.

Exercise and eating regiments are nothing new for me. They cycle around every few years like Pyramid schemes, promising big pay-outs for a short upfront investment.

For the most part I’ve stuck with it. There have been days when I sat on the exercise bike and read the newsfeed on my phone. Not pedaling, just reading. Other times I’ve twisted in some weird Yoga position only to Zen out to a Tahitian beach.

But let the record show, I showed up — in my Spandex and sneakers every day. And surprisingly, I’ve grown to appreciate the health benefits of green shakes.

A few months into it and honestly I feel yucky when I skip a day. Again, for the record, I haven’t lost a single pound and my clothes are either loose or tight in different places. The good news: I’ve proved that my arms are long enough to touch my toes. And with a dedicated 45 minutes a day on the bike I’m learning conversational Italian. Molto bene!

Who knows, I might pedal enough miles to make it all the way to Tahiti. I’ve heard it’s very green. Perfect for making healthy Slurpees.

BE F-G AWESOME TODAY!

Original graphic: Stephanie DelTorchio