Tag: #cleaneating

My Current Situation Part XIV

It’s Hotter than July in the smallish state of Connecticut and right now the  residents are inhaling smoke from the Canadian and Minnesota wildfires.  Chief Meteorologist Gil Simmons from News Channel 8 in New Haven, CT has been delivering the “Smoke Index” all this week so folks will take the dimmed sunlight seriously.   When I’m outside my eyes feel like I am wearing yellow rose colored glasses (smile).  But seriously I would much rather be in this position where we are only mildly affected by the smoke as opposed to living in a part of a state or country that’s quite literally on fire…yikes!

 

Are these sunglasses really yellow rose colored?!?

 

The other strange phenomenon this month is that suddenly eating lettuce, some fresh produce, vegetables and herbs has become risky business.  Wait, what?!?

 

I live for my once-a-week salad with protein (smile)

 

By consuming these foods you may come down with Cyclosporiasis which is caused by a parasite that is found in the above mentioned foods.   To combat catching Cyclosporiasis, we are being asked to wash our fruits and vegetables thoroughly or cook our vegetables at high levels of heat to kill the parasite.  Otherwise we may wind up on the toilet for an inexplicable amount of time (smile).

 

My iPhone goes with me everywhere (smile)

 

Gas in Connecticut is a tiny bit below $4.00 a gallon which is not saying much considering it averaged just $3.15 a gallon this time last year.  The  job market is dependent on what industry you are in.  Healthcare is booming but in the media industry jobs continue to fall by the wayside due to mergers and acquisitions.   I am so thankful and blessed that I have been working in the media industry now for almost 40 years so things for me are starting to wind down…

 

 

Health wise I just found out from my new APRN (no more Primary Care doctors now, just APRNs as apparently they are more plentiful in Connecticut) that I have high blood pressure so she prescribed Amlodipine (5mg a day for 30 days) at the end of which we will see whether I can stop taking the pills altogether or continue on for an indefinite period of time.  This diagnosis came out of an Echocardiogram test that I received as part of my full physical a month and a half ago.  It showed that I may have leaky heart valves.  Keep in mind that this is no doubt a family medical history diagnosis as this girl works out 5 days a week at Orangetheory Fitness Center in Hamden, CT, she quit drinking wine 6 years ago, she doesn’t indulge in drugs, she quit smoking cigarettes 30+ years ago and she eats clean most days (smile).

 

My heart feels fine to me (smile)

 

Here’s where I’m at hobby wise:  In my last blog post I mentioned that I had taken up reading non-fiction books for the Summer and after reading Elin Hildebrand’s Paradise series I promptly booked a trip to St. Thomas, USVI with my partner in love (smile).   So now I just finished reading Kennedy Ryan’s Hollywood Renaissance series and I could not, for the life of me, put these books down!  Ryan’s writing is so relatable and I learn so much about a new health issue every time I read one of her books.   She is truly an award-winning author!

 

Reading is still my jam!

 

Other than that I am living my life, trying not to take myself too seriously and keeping in touch with my loved ones as no one is promised anything, most of all time.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL

My Current Situation XIII

November 2025 was the last blog post I entered in this Current Situation series.  What’s been happening since then?  Here’s the update – it’s April of 2026 and gas prices have spiked through the roof, home heating oil prices are extremely high, my 401K is up and down and up and down and the job market in general is sketchy.

 

 

On the flip side I am still gainfully employed as a Media Sales Professional by News Channel 8 (ABC) in New Haven, CT and I’m nearing retirement.  By the way, the Media Industry as a whole looks starkly different then what it looked like almost 40 years ago when I started my career so I consider myself blessed to be in the position I am in.

 

These boots were made for walking…

 

As I mentioned before it’s mid-April in the state of Connecticut and this New England changeable weather has recently taken a turn for the worse.  Last week I was wearing sundresses and sunglasses, this coming week I’m pulling out long sleeves and heavy stockings.  Winter is back – Waaaah!

 

 

On the bright side health wise I am doing extraordinarily well.  My pap smear was normal, my vision was normal and I was recently told at my annual physical  exam by a new Primary Care Doctor (a young woman in her 30s) that I should continue doing whatever it is I am doing because all of my labs were great.  Not to be funny but I was not that surprised because I gave up alcohol 6 years ago, totally cleaned up my diet, and as for drugs, I don’t indulge (smile).   For exercise I work out 5 mornings a week at Orangetheory Fitness Center in Hamden, hydrate a lot and strive to get at least 7 hours of sleep a night.

 

Working out is my form of physical therapy

 

Family wise my almost 93 year old father,  Jonie B. Hollis, was recently (through the collective efforts of my sister Casandra who lives in Nashville, TN, myself in Connecticut and my brother Michael also in Connecticut) presented with a Quilt of Honor (citation and actual quilt) for his 30 years of service in the U.S. Navy.  It was a total surprise to Jonie B. — the ceremony as well as my brother Michael’s  heartfelt tribute left him teary eyed and proud.  The Old Saybrook Nursing home where he resides showed up and out – it was a beautiful affair and one for the record books.

 

Jonie B., his son Michael, daughter Lajeune and the 2 lovely women who hosted the program

 

Other Blessings:  Two babies were born into the Hollis family tree this year – my nephew Jacob who lives in Florida had a baby boy in January of 2026 and my nephew Jasper who lives in Arizona had a baby boy in February of 2026.

 

Happy Great Aunt

 

One of my New Year’s goals for 2026 was to take up something I left behind years ago.  Reading.  And reading is my jam!  I am currently reading the trilogy of Paradise stories by Elin Hilderbrand that I am loving so much I cannot put the books down.  She’s an awesome writer and puts the reader right into the thick of her stories –  I’m on the last book in her trilogy series now – it’s called “Troubles in Paradise” and it inspired me today to book a return trip to St. Thomas for our upcoming June vacation (smile).

 

 

Reading is not foreign to me.  As a matter of fact back in the early 1990s I was hosting an African American Book Review radio show with my co-host LaMonda Williams called ‘The L & L Book Review’ on AM1340 WNHC Radio while simultaneously hosting an African American monthly book club in person at Barnes and Noble bookstore in North Haven, CT.    As luck would have it, I made connections with publishing houses in New York City that started sending me hardcovers in the mail for free in the hopes that I would include their books in my reviews!  I also interviewed African American authors at the radio station as well as in person at Barnes and Noble  bookstore.   It was most definitely a labor of love for I was not getting paid to do either of these gigs (smile).

 

Feeling real good about reading at night because it exercises my brain (smile)

 

And that’s all I have to share for now – until next time.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL

Don’t Call Me A Senior!

We are roughly one month away from the end of the year – another year flying by way too quickly.  And, as it turns out, my birthday (Valentine’s Day which falls on the second holiday of the New year) is quickly approaching.  So I will turn 64 years old on February 14th, 2026 God willing.  Which brings me to my dilemma.  I don’t consider myself a Senior Citizen.  And I say it with a straight face (smile).

 

 

Technically speaking  I am not yet a Senior Citizen since the state of Connecticut defines a Senior Citizen as a state resident who is 65 years or older in terms of program eligibility like Social Security, Property Tax Relief, Medicare and other state aid.

 

Don’t call me a Senior!

 

There are, however, some programs and/or services in the state of Connecticut which consider 55 as the starting age.  As a matter of fact 13 years ago when I turned 50, AARP had the nerve to send me an unsolicited membership card!   I tossed it in the trash (smile).  Clearly they had confused me with my next door neighbor who, at that time in my life, was most certainly a Senior Citizen (smile).

 

I am not my next door neighbor

 

Another thing.   My name Le Jeune means ‘The Young’ in French so that might have something to do with my age obsession (smile).   True story:  While reading Jet magazine, my late mother Jean found my name attached to a very popular African American model who had just won an award in Cannes, France.  The model’s name was Le Jeune Hundley and, as it turned out, she traveled to France because it was easier for a black woman from the United States to find modeling work in France then it was in the U.S.  At any rate my mother loved the name, but changed the first E to an A, dropped the capital in J, closed the letters together and Voila! named me (her 5th daughter) after this model.  Here is a picture of Le Jeune Hundley on the cover of Jet magazine:

 

By the way her name was misspelled here by Jet Magazine…

 

Another concern of mine is that scientists have identified the 5 stages of the human brain and 66 (or the mid-60s) is when the so-called Early Aging phase begins.  This is the phase when people face increased risk for a variety of health conditions that can affect the brain, such as hypertension.  Hence why I wake up 5 days a week at the crack of dawn (430am) to work out from 5am to 6am at  Orangetheory Fitness in Hamden.  I’m usually one of the oldest members in my class but I can still keep up with everyone (smile).

 

I am truly an Early Bird

 

And also why I (as of the Covid Pandemic of 2020) completely cut alcohol (in my case – Wine) out of my life and continue to work very hard to eat clean and nutritious meals.  It can be harsh (especially around the holidays) so I allow myself to cheat from time to time. Like the other day when I went with my girlfriends Sherry and Thais to see Wicked 2 at the Cinemark movie theater and  treated myself to a Medium popcorn with extra movie theater butter (smile).

 

 

I truly believe life is for living and I have reiterated it as much in more than one of my previously written blog posts.  I will continue to not act my age and just enjoy life to the fullest.  So unless I am getting a serious Senior Citizen discount, you will not know when I am in fact a Senior Citizen.

 

I will be a selective Senior Citizen (smile)

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL

 

 

My Clean Living Life Part VII

It’s been a minute since I blogged in TVFL about anything – 10 months to be exact – call it the ‘Pandemic Blues’ but I’ve been feeling pretty unmotivated when it comes to writing about my life.

 

 

It could also be because I’ve been having GI issues of late which are more annoying than painful.  Between doctor’s appointments, getting my Vitals checked, eliminating certain foods from my diet, it’s not been a fun start to the New Year…

 

 

One thing’s for sure, the issue is not related to alcohol since I stopped drinking anything but Mocktails at the onset of the Pandemic.

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The silver lining is that my GI office is real close to figuring out what’s wrong with me so that they can prescribe the correct course of action.

 

 

And I can try and get back to a more normal way of living which includes a positive mindset and healthier version of clean eating.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL

My Top 3 Goals in the New Year

Good or bad it is officially the holiday season.  Thanksgiving is a not so distant memory, Christmas Day is looming and the New Year is right around the corner.

So today I thought to myself why not start early on my top 3 goals in the New Year before I get too caught up in the frenziness of the holidays…

 

Goal 1:

Make Clean Eating a regular part of my lifestyle

I’ve fallen off from clean eating more often than not this past year so in 2019, I resolve to do the following:

  • To not give in so much to temptation (mainly unhealthy eating)
  • To try harder to eat unprocessed, locally sourced foods that I (preferably) cook myself
  • To snack less and instead eat several small meals during the day
  • To drink more water in between meals
  • To eat more whole grains, veggies and fresh produce

 

 

 

Goal 2:

Work out smarter

It is a fact that I currently work out 5 weekday mornings a week but to tell you the truth I could be working out smarter as opposed to harder.  Here’s what I plan on doing in the New Year:  hydrating during my workouts, using heavier more challenging hand weights while working out and doing cardio after my team training, not before.

 

 

Goal 3:

Step up my retirement savings plan

I am 56 years old and not too far away from the legal retirement age so I resolve in 2019 to start putting away more money towards my retirement as it’s looming and will be here before you know it.

 

 

On that note, Cheers to the Holiday Season!

 

 

Sincerely,

 

TVFL