You are what you eat. Think about the demands you put on your body each day, and now imagine the fuel you put in your body to meet these demands. The healthier the fuel, the better able your body will be to meet your expectations of it. I want my fuel to be nutritious, delicious, and fulfilling – both physically and mentally.

Keeping a healthy eating journal is a great way to keep yourself on track with healthy eating choices. Here are some ideas to include in your journal:

• Record what you eat on any given day. Looking at what you eat, when you eat it, and how much you eat of it can be useful in tracking your choices.
• Write down reasons why healthy eating is important to you. Let these reasons inspire you to stay on track.
• Make note of how you feel. Chances are that with the healthy eating choices you make, your body is going to feel good. Remind yourself of this by writing it down – words are powerful motivators.
  Keep reminders of Farmers’ Markets dates. The local Farmers’ Markets will be opening again in May, and these provide an excellent source of local, healthy eating options.
• Make note of how many live foods you can incorporate into your eating plan., and strive for more. Seeing the colorful palette of fruits and vegetables on your plate is sure to inspire you.
• Maintain a list of new, healthy recipes. Whether you write the recipes or you note where to find them online or in your recipe books, this list will inspire your eating choices. A picture of a new, healthy dish can be great inspiration.
• Write a list of motivational quotes or personal aspirations to keep you going when the going gets tough. Revisit these inspirational thoughts to help you on your way.

As you continue on your path of healthy eating, remember that what you put in your body determines what you get out of it. Contact me for more ideas to help you in your healthy eating choices.

Many people work hard to eat healthy!
Keep up the good work!
Keep feeling better!
You know what works for you!
And don't let ANYONE convince you to do something different!

Sometimes it is hard work to eat healthily. We are presented with many unhealthy options in our daily, fast-paced lives, but it is up to you to choose the best options for yourself. This can be hard to do, especially if you are around people who don’t always choose the most positive options. Just remember: it is your life, your body, and your choice! Healthy eating results in healthy living. Can you be the one whistling while you accomplish your job?

Hold yourself accountable for your healthy eating choices. Be tolerant and forgiving of your imperfections and realize that one unwise choice does not mean you need to give up on your goals. But, at the same time, don’t allow yourself to justify too many unhealthy choices. Demand more from yourself, and you will be impressed with the results you get.

The more often you make healthy choices, the sooner these choices become habits. You know how healthy choices make you feel. Healthy eating promotes a healthy body and healthy perspective. Go ahead, amaze yourself with the positive choices you can make & the positive results you will reap. Keep up the good work! And, you just may find yourself whistling while you do it.

Actions speak louder than words. This is very true. The actions you take in your daily life express who you are.

How do your actions express your beliefs and goals for your health? Do you make your health a priority? Only you can answer this question, and as you become more aware of your actions, you will realize they can tell you a lot.

It is easy to think or believe one thing, but act another if we are not constantly self-aware. Without the awareness, we may get enticed into taking action on something we don’t believe. Actions attract more similar actions, and quickly our beliefs and actions can be misaligned.

Here are a couple examples of ways in which our actions and beliefs or intentions do not align:

You intend to eat healthily and lose weight, however you eat dessert after a meal.

You intend to release all judgment of others, but then a co-worker begins to gossip about another co-worker and you join in without thinking.

Let your actions be in alliance with your beliefs and intentions. When you set an intention, it is necessary for you to act in congruence with the intention in order for you to manifest your desires. Be aware of how your actions support or negate your intentions and beliefs. With this awareness, you will have better results and you will feel better at the end of the day!

Daylight savings time has arrived! I celebrate this time of year when we can welcome more sunlight into our lives. Unfortunately the grey days & snow-covered ground don’t exactly make it feel like spring yet. It is undoubtedly on the way, though. I encourage you to let the benefits of sunlight – especially on our sunny days – work for you. Enjoy the sunlight outdoors as much as possible. Soak up the sunshine while walking, hiking, bicycling, or even reading a book outside.

Here are four benefits of sunlight, quickly summarized from various studies published in professional journals…

1) Sunlight reduces pain in joints, muscles, and in many other areas in the body.

2) Sunlight burns fat. The sun’s UV light results in increased subcutaneous fat metabolism. Research shows that a deficiency in vitamin D is associated with greater abdominal fat and is linked to obesity. Burn fat the natural way by exercising outside when the UV light is the highest so as to produce more vitamin D. UV light is the highest 2 hours before and after 12:00 noon. Why not take a walk outside over your lunch hour?

3) Daytime sunlight exposure improves evening alertness for people exposed to 6 hours of daylight. On the other hand, people who were exposed to artificial light became sleepier in the evening.

4) We may convert sunlight to metabolic energy much in the same way plants do. Our skin may contain the equivalent of melanin “solar-panels,” so we may convert energy, as plants do, directly from the sun. This is another way to increase your energy level!

Use the sunshine to help you feel better. Make sure to avoid overdoing the exposure, though, to protect your skin from the negative side effects of tanning and burning. For more information on the benefits of sunlight, make an appointment with me.

Twelve years ago, in 2001, I was a student in a 3-day course called Access Intuition 101. What I learned in this class amazed me, and I have used the skills ever since. The skills continually make my life easier. Who would not want to flow through life with ease?!

I was so excited about this course, in fact, that I became a trainer for Inner Access 101 (Canadian education company) in order to teach this course, and be able to share it with everyone here in the U.S. After completing my training to teach this course, I have taught it annually in the Midwest and California.

I am thrilled to announce that I am teaching this 3-day course again in the spring! The class will be held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and will be hosted by Hands in Harmony Massage Clinic!

Everyone can expand their intuitive abilities and gain new skills to make life easier. Wouldn’t you like to feel at ease making better decisions? When you are able to access intuition and genuine wisdom on a daily basis, you are able to do this!

Here are some tools you will gain as you expand your intuitive abilities…

Avoid confusing your intuitive guidance with your thoughts or instincts.

Find your own style of tuning-in to refine your skills.

Find your own personal style for receiving information. Learn how to connect to your higher wisdom.

Learn to track and listen to your body. You will become acquainted with your own body in a more powerful way, and the body can tell you a lot!

Learn applicable uses for these tools.

Learn to understand energy, trust, and so much more!

I am thrilled to be able to bring this class to you. It is a 3-day course that is not to miss! The course will be held April 12, 13, and 14, 2013, and the location will be at the Baymont Inn & Suites, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

For the flyer information on my website click here!

So many people are concerned with memory loss. I am pleased to say I found a book that helps explain how the brain works, and it has reduced any concerns I have about memory loss. I am so excited to share this book with you!

Memory loss is often quickly associated with Alzheimer’s and dementia. This is not an accurate association in many cases, and this book explains why. Super Brain is by Rudolph E. Tanzi, one of the world’s foremost experts on Alzheimer’s, and Deepak Chopra. The two authors merge their unique expertise to offer a new understanding of the brain, or the “three pound universe” as they name it, and the untapped potential it houses.

Here are just a few significant highlights from the book:

If you cannot find your car keys, but then subsequently find them, this is not Alzheimer’s. If you lose your keys, subsequently find them, but don’t know what they are, this is Alzheimer’s.

Before you blame your brain for not remembering something, examine the stress you have. Being busy, being tired from lack of sleep, being overtaxed from multi-tasking all add to our stress levels.

Life is full of unexpected challenges. Three strengths to managing life’s challenges are 1) letting go, 2) being flexible, and 3) hanging loose. Three common obstacles to meeting the challenges are 1) habits, 2) conditioning, and 3) stuckness.

Brain wellness begins and ends with awareness. We must remember that energy flows where awareness goes. When energy stops flowing, stuckness occurs. Stuckness is an illusion, but it feels very real.

Use your brain, and don’t let your brain use you. You can make your own reality by being aware of your emotions and where they initiate.

Our brains are our sources of power. Learn to better understand how your brain works in order to make it work for you. The possibilities presented in this book are excited and empowering. Pick up this book to learn more insights from the authors, and begin applying them to open up the power of your own Super Brain!

Chances are that none of us will reflect back on our lives and wish we would have eaten more carbs!

There is much emphasis on not overdoing carb intake in our food plans. I feel this is important, but we also need healthy carbs to balance our food plans. I could not pass up this time at the beginning of the year without telling you about this recipe for Almond Bread. Almond bread is a healthy way to reduce your carb and grain intake. This recipe uses almonds to make a low carb bread. I found this to be simple, very tasty, and easy to make. This bread is also a good source of nut protein. I think you will find this is a healthy addition to your food plan. It is great for an occasional change of pace. Try it!

Almond Bread

1 lb. almonds, raw
2 eggs, beaten
1 ½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
¾ cup carbonated water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend almonds (a small amount at a time) in a food processor or blender to a fine texture. Place in a bowl and add salt and baking soda. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and add olive oil & carbonated water; stir. Add egg mixture to almond mixture & mix well. Pour mixture into olive-oiled bread pan and bake 1 hour.

This bread can stay fresh for over a week in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Use this for sandwiches or as a snack with olive oil garlic butter, hummus, or avocado. It’s fabulous right out of the oven or toasted!

For vegans: 2 ½ Tbsp flax seed mixed with 3 Tbsp water is the equivalent to 1 egg.

Enjoy!

As I welcome in the new year of 2013, I am excited about the ‘new’ part of what this year holds for all of us. The Mayan calendar did end, but the world did not. The word ‘cliff’ became a daily word in the world languages, but we are still on solid ground. Let go of the negativity, and embrace the possibilities of the year to come!

Think of 2013 as the year of coming together – spending more time with community, friends, and family. It will be a time of gathering with like-minded people. Let it also be a time to become more conscious, more aware. What does this mean? To become more conscious is to be more aware of your surroundings, your thoughts, your actions and behaviors, and the ways life shows up in your world. The awareness you create will bring more flow with life. This can mean not doing life in the same old way. By paying attention and creating new responses and actions in your daily life, you can simplify your life in order to bring ease to yourself and happiness to your day.

The awareness you create only comes from going within to tap into the stillness inside yourself. This does not come by doing more, but by doing less. Spend more quiet time, and embrace the stillness. This can be a big shift for some people. You will realize that by being still, you are better able to sense life more clearly and create the happiness you deserve.

Who doesn’t want more happiness? You can create it!

Try this short stillness exercise from my Holistic Nurse friend, Carol:

When you leave work and get into your vehicle, stop and take several slow, easy breaths, letting go of your day of work. Rub your hands together creating warmth, then place over your closed eyes. Continue to breathe several slow, easy breaths. Slowly bring your hands down your face, so your fingertips are the last to leave your eyes. Slowly open your eyes to a fresh, new perspective as you prepare to drive home. AHHHHH, how refreshing, the stillness.

Since I am anticipating the start of 2013, I could not help but begin looking for new, healthy recipes, especially ones that will be easy to store and have on hand for the week. Two clients shared this recipe with me. I tried this Detox Salad, and I loved it with the recommended dressing.

This salad contains a powerhouse of nutrients. I could not begin to figure out all the nutrients this salad contains in just one cup/serving. Of course, I recommend using all organic ingredients for the highest nutritional concentration of good, clean food. It does take a little work to prepare, and having a food processor makes it much easier than doing all the chopping by hand. This delicious, nutritious salad is definitely worth the work!

Initially, I made ½ the recipe, and I ate a cup each day for a week. Try it for yourself!

Detox Salad (adapted from Oh She Glows Detox Salad). Makes about 12 cups.

1 Bunch Carrots (approximately ¾ pound of carrots after the greens are removed)
2 Bunches Broccoli
1 Head Cauliflower
3-4 Leaves Kale
Approximately ½ cup fresh parsley (more if you prefer)
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup raisins
1 cup currants (Raisins may be substituted if necessary)

Chop all ingredients and combine in a bowl. Or, use a food processor, if you prefer.

Tahini Dressing: mixes well in the food processor
2/3 cup Tahini nut butter
2/3 cup filtered water
½ cup freshly squeezed lemons
1-1.5 teaspoons salt

Enjoy these recipes together on a daily basis, and begin detoxing anytime.


Photo: courtesy doughingrogue.com

This year I have been very organized for the holidays. I am looking forward to the family celebrations, but I am looking forward to the dawning of 2013. Even if we avoid falling off the fiscal cliff and other disasters, the world will be different in 2013. I feel that the new year will bring a more balanced and less chaotic world. By starting – or continuing – to strive for health in our physical bodies, there are always options to consider for improvement.

When you start, increase, or adjust your exercise program in January, most people will experience some initial muscle soreness. I have found numerous benefits to physical exercise and working with a trainer. The trainers I work with are always finding ways to work different muscles, and my muscles seem to speak to me when I begin moving in a new way. Muscle soreness or pain can easily – and naturally – be relieved without drugs. One way is to use ginger.

A study recently published in The Journal of Pain finds that daily doses of ginger are effective for relieving muscle pain following strenuous exercise:

Researchers from the University of Georgia and Georgia College and State University followed 74 student volunteers who performed 18 assigned exercises for 11 consecutive days while taking ginger supplements. The students were divided into three groups, each of which was given either raw ginger, heated ginger, or a placebo. While the authors expected the heated ginger would be more effective than the raw, the results show both versions similarly beneficial in reducing the level of muscle pain by 23 to 25 percent.

Ginger contains anti-oxidant compounds known as gingerols, which have powerful anti-inflammatory properties. In addition to reducing muscle pain from exercise, they have been shown to reduce pain and swelling, and improve mobility in those suffering from osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Try this delicious and refreshing cold ginger drink to soothe your sore muscles after exercise, as well as to take advantage of ginger’s other healing properties:

Iced Ginger Tea

1 pound fresh ginger root
2 quarts water
Juice of 2 limes
Maple Syrup to taste

Directions: Peel the fresh ginger, grate and mix it with water in a large pot. Bring to a boil & simmer for 5 minutes. Cover and turn off heat. Let steep for 24 hours. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve. Add the lime juice and maple syrup. Stir until dissolved.

Courtesy of Greenmedinfo.com

Why not self-medicate as you enjoy the holidays, whether you are shopping, cooking, working, or entertaining. What did I say? Self-medicate?! Yes. With dark chocolate.

Chocolate is the most enjoyed candy with the most powerful medicinal properties on the planet. The first documented record of chocolate dates back to 1100 B.C. in South America.

Much satisfaction comes from eating chocolate. Remember, though, that healthy chocolate is dark, organic chocolate that has more cocoa than sugar. This means M&M’s, Hershey’s, or other ‘over the counter’ chocolate does not apply.

Chocolate comes from the cacao plant, and many of the health benefits of chocolate are similar to those from dark vegetables. These benefits come from flavonoids, which behave as antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the body from damage caused by free radicals. Organic, dark chocolate contains many different antioxidants.

Here are some benefits you can enjoy from indulging in dark, organic chocolate:

• Lowers blood pressure
• Protects against coronary artery disease
• Reduces stroke and prevents cholesterol oxidation, which causes artery damage
• Increases nitric oxide production that helps to control insulin sensitivity
• Stimulates endorphin production, which causes you to feel happy
• Reduces the production of stress hormones
• Contains serotonin which acts as an anti-depressant
• Contains flavanois that boost brain power for 2-3 hours, increasing cognitive function
• Contains theobromine and caffeine that are natural ‘pick me ups’
• Contains healthy fats that raise good cholesterol levels

So treat yourself to high quality, organic, dark chocolate in moderation. It will help you enjoy a stress-free holiday season. There is no need to feel guilty about eating small amounts of chocolate anymore!

With the switch from daylight savings time to standard time, it always takes me several days to adjust my sleep, eating, and mood. The change causes me to miss the daylight, and I realize that the shorter daylight time means we are on our way into the darkest time of the year. In just a few days, my entire psyche adjusts to the change. Some others do not adjust so quickly, and this may contribute to the winter blues.

If you are depressed, have a low mood most days, or are taking anti-depression meds, you may not be doing all you can to boost your mood. Take this opportunity to make several lifestyle behavioral changes to help improve your mood during the winter months. Let’s begin by examining your food plan.

1) Include plenty of “good” oils high in ethyl-eicosapentaenoic (labeled EPA) in your food plan; these can be consumed as supplements, ocean fish, or both. These oils are necessary for all ages, including children (as studies reported in the British Journal of Psychiatry, Acta Psychiatry Scandinavia, and the American Journal of Psychiatry).

2) Eat 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Reduce your carbohydrates intake.

3) In order to have enough Tyrosine and Tryptophan, which are necessary to produce brain hormones, you must eat enough protein.

4) Avoid vitamin deficiencies, such as in Folic Acid, Niacin, and Vitamin B6, by consuming enough green, leafy vegetables, organic eggs, and local grass fed meats and poultry.

5) Include nuts and seeds as snacks. Be sure to avoid carbohydrates as snacks.

6) Exercise is always a must. Find something you love to do, and make it a habit!

These six lifestyle changes are all essential to support brain chemistry and balance your mood during these days that have shortened daylight. It can be easy to feel better and be in a better mood. Make an appointment with me to discuss more ways to promote well being during the winter months.