Food is Medicine - Body Heal Thyself

The Body's Ability to Heal Itself

Food is medicine.  Many prescription drugs are based on plants and herbs.  There are countless stories or people curing ailments and chronic diseases through nutrition. 

Many times we are so quick to ask the doctor for a pill to cure what ails us, but when we have a little patience and change our eating habits we can avoid the harsh side affects of drugs and let our bodies work their magic. 

With over 60,000 miles of veins, arteries, and capillaries in the human body, enough to circle the earth two times, the body is a modern miracle.  When we fill our human "Ferraris" with processed food, sugar, and salt we clog the engine and the body begins to break down. 

Changes in our nutrition are hard for many people, 80% of food on supermarket shelves is processed. Start with simple changes such as eliminating all sodas, try to eat some more fruit and vegetables, drink lemon or lime water everyday. Think green foods, try and eat the colors of the rainbow reds apples, strawberries, orange peppers, carrots, and oranges, purple blueberries and blackberries, yellow lemons and squash. 

Try good nutrition first, give your body a chance to heal itself, it may be the

Best medicine you ever take. 

With Love,

Tom Kaufmann

Coach K

Food is Number One

Food is #1

My father-in-law Freddy is a smart man.   He immigrated to the the US from Italy when he was 10 years old.  When I first sat down at his dinner table, he gave me a valuable lesson about food.

He said, "Tom, Americans are very interesting they drive around in nice cars filled with premium gas, wear nice clothes, and then go to McDonald's for dinner.  I smiled and nodded in agreement.  He said, of all the things you do everyday, food is number one, food is the most important.  He's right. The family eats fresh ingredients, cooked lovingly, rarely eats takeout except for the occasional pizza.

Growing up the children rarely went to McDonald's or other fast food restaurants, compared to the food they ate for dinner every night, the fast food looked like dog food.  If you are going to spend your money, invest in good, healthy food.  The benefits far outweigh the costs.

Many experts think that our health issues from chronic diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, and other can be traced to the food we eat. Other serious conditions such as heart disease and cancer are certainly linked to our nutrition.

We all have times where we lapse and don't eat in a healthy manner, but let that be the exception. Commit to eating better and living better.  While you improve your nutrition, pay attention to your mood change, energy level, and overall sense of well being.  Simple changes like eliminating soda or high fructose corn syrup, or eating one or more servings of fruits and vegetables can make a dramatic improvement.  First, target a change that is easiest for you to do and then build from there. For some it's chips, or ice cream, or candy, chocolate, or soda

As you improve your nutrition, watch the need for medications fall by the wayside.

Your food will become your medicine.

We have many things to spend our time and money on let

FOOD BE NUMBER ONE.

With Love,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K

Restore Your Health - The Road to Wellness

You Deserve Good Health

The human body was designed to be healthy to be full of vitality and full of life.  The human body has the amazing capacity to heal itself and to restore our wellness and vibrancy.

Our modern life at times detracts from that good health with processed foods, drugs, alcohol, and sedentary lifestyles where we sit at the television, phone, and computer for hours at a time without any real movement.   Another factor impacting our health is stress.  We need to find good outlets for relieving the stress that builds up from everyday living. 

We see these modern day fitness programs such as P90x and others that ask for 25 minutes a day for an outstanding body.  That's fine for those can do those programs.  For the rest of us, there is an easier and simpler way to restore our health. 

And it begins with these simple steps

1.  Nutrition.  Start incorporating more fruits and vegetables into you daily eating.  Drink more water. Try and eat food in it's natural state without it being modified.  An apple, an orange, a tomato, nuts, beans, carrots and many other foods can be eaten without any processing.  Simply eating better will enable the body to begin healing itself from within. You don't have to become a vegetarian just begin incorporating better eating habits into your everyday life.

2 Movement.  Exercise is a fancy word for movement.  The body was designed to move that's why we have legs and feet.  One of my favorite exercises is the jump rope, it's convenient, easy to do, and requires no special gear or skill.  A simple jumping jack, walk, knee bends, or just rotating the arms will get the body moving again and begin to help clear the sediment or rust that has accumulated over the years.  Restoring our blood flow is a great way to renew our energy.  Again, you don't have to become a marathon runner.  Try moving 10 minutes per day and build from there.  You can simply walk in place while watching your favorite show.

3. Fresh air and sunshine.  Try and get outside in the sun and breathe in the fresh air for at least 20 minutes per day. This frigid winter has left many of us in a hibernated state.  Make an effort to go outside even if you have to do in 2 minute increments.  The cold air in the lungs is invigorating.  Let the sunshine splash on your face and take in some of that natural vitamin E.

4.  Quiet.  With the daily news broadcasting the latest bad news drama and our busy hectic schedules, we can easily become overwhelmed with stress.  We've become like birds on a wire, heads bobbing in every direction. Stress and anxiety dampen and impede the immune system.  One of the simple choices we can make is to turn down the noise of everyday life.  Instead of tuning into the latest catastrophe, we can choose to turn it off and retreat in peace and quiet.  Limiting our exposure to bad news, violence, and constant stimulation, gives our body time to rejuvenate and restore our natural glows.  Try sitting in a quiet place for 10 minutes a day, you can pray, meditate, or just enjoy the silence.

5. Prescription drugs.  There are many drugs that benefit a person who is in pain or has some other medical need, but for many of us it is just a convenient solution to mask the symptoms of our unhealthy lifestyles.  And while there are some benefits, the side affects can be just as debilitating and unhealthy as the problem the medication was supposed to fix.  

When we begin living a healthier lifestyle with better food, fresh water, and exercise we enable our bodies to heal themselves to restore our natural state of wellbeing.  We can live with energy and vitality. We have the ability to live a simple healthy life without the need for drugs and medical procedures.  The body was designed for optimal health, let's give it a chance to restore the natural state of well being with these 5 simple steps.

All we need is a little help from ourselves.

With Love,

Coach K

History at Haverford High - A Little Patience

A Little Patience

The Haverford high school basketball team beat the Wissahickon basketball team last night in a district playoff game to advance to the PA state playoffs for the first time since 1970, 44 years ago.

After the win, the stunned student body rushed the court and a ladder was brought out for the team to cut down the net.  The team did not win a championship but the celebration was on and 44 years of frustration was unleashed.

The students who don't have much experience in cheering now have team that is bound for the state playoffs.  The celebration was jubilant, it was a great time to be in the building, to share the moment, to bask in the joy.

The saying goes that infinite patience brings immediate results.  Maybe.

44 years is a long time to wait.

Thankfully, the wait is over.

Go Fords!

With Love,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K

The Wild Winter - Exercise

Here in Pennsylvania we've seen the most snow in recent history.  The neighbors snow blowers have been going non stop with over 60 inches of snow this winter.  One of the modern conveniences that I've resisted is a snow blower.

With the cold and snow, it's easy to hunker down and hibernate, so I use the snow as an excuse to go outside, get some fresh air and do a little exercise shoveling the snow.  Shoveling heavy snow can be a health risk, but when you take the necessary breaks, and take it slow it's a great way to get the blood flowing.

The cold fresh air is invigorating and shoveling the snow works the back, arms, and legs.  Today we have every modern convenience that limits our exercise, especially the TV.  So a little shoveling is a perfect opportunity to get outside, take in nature, admire the beautiful snow, and get that exercise.

A word of caution. Shoveling heavy snow can be strain on the heart, so please be sure to check with your doctor to make sure your fit enough to shovel.

Enjoy the snow.

Spring is around the corner.

With Love,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K

The Silent Snow Poem

The snow falls
without a sound
I walk the road
in silence

flakes gently
brushing strokes of winter white

the world is quiet
if just for
a moment

time ceases

listen
this is what
bliss feels like

snow purifies

snow transforms

snow is

solace

Phil Robertson and Duck Dynasty

Duck Dynasty is the most popular cable show on the A&E cable network.  The rags to riches story of a "redneck" family depicts the men as long bearded duck hunters that love the woods and outdoors.

Phil Robertson started building duck calls by hand and selling them to Walmart just when the company only had a few stores in the south.  Phil was a starting quarterback for Louisiana Tech where Terry Bradshaw, of Pittsburgh Steeler fame, was his backup.

Phil had an opportunity to play in the NFL but decided to forgo football to begin his life as an outdoorsman.  Phil married Miss Kay at a young age and went on to have four sons. Phil is such an avid duck hunter that he actually missed the birth of his son Jase.  Funny how Jase now shares his father's same love of duck hunting.

Phil like many of us had his personal struggles.  He overcame those struggles in part by following the teachings of Jesus and the bible.  He recently commented that certain lifestyles were sinful which caused a public uproar and led the network to suspend him.

Our need to judge others, I think it's one of the major weaknesses of human nature.  Phil felt the need to judge the lifestyle of others, and now of course everyone feels the need to judge Phil.

One of the great stories of the bible, is when they are getting ready to stone a woman for adultery, Jesus steps in and says, "those of you without sin cast the first stone." The crowd dispersed and the woman was left unharmed.

Instead of throwing stones, maybe we should just try to improve ourselves, have compassion and understanding, and leaving the judgement to God.

With Love,

Tom Kaufmann
Coach K