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Bring All Your Senses to the Table

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Tempting sweets

Have you ever walked past a glorious display of irresistible desserts in a restaurant window and been compelled to go inside and order one? I have. What about salivating at the aromas coming from a nearby bakery or pizzeria? Or can you recall the feeling of dipping your fingers into a bucket of buttery popcorn and hearing the satisfying crunch as you chomp it down?

When it comes to food, you might think that taste is the most important sense to consider. And while it definitely is important, it is by no means the only one that counts toward our satisfaction.

Close your eyes and think back to the kitchen of your childhood. What were your favorite kitchen aromas when you were growing up? You might say homemade bread, cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip cookies, or banana bread. Maybe it was beef stew or spaghetti sauce, or really anything with onions or garlic. I would guess the smell of pizza is appreciated nearly universally.

And when it comes to scents, who can resist the smell of coffee beans or fresh basil? Interestingly, Italian women would tuck a sprig of basil into their bodice as an aphrodisiac. And in ancient cultures, basil was regarded as a food of enlightenment. Mmmm. Maybe why I love it – but I digress.

The family cook – usually our mothers or grandmothers – would use food as a way to express their love. The tastes, smells, and textures of our childhood kitchen left indelible imprints on what we find soul-satisfying. Even if we have long ago left those preferences behind, we can be instantly transported back to those experiences when we catch a whiff of certain scents.

Yet scent is, again, just one sense that comes into play when we interact with our food.

In order for food to be fully nutritive, it should nourish all of our senses: taste, texture, visual appeal, mind, body, and soul – in addition to smell. It sounds like a tall order, but it’s something that we will want to pay attention to.

There are at least three ways that our senses serve our spiritual and physical health in regard to food.

  1. During food preparation.
  2. In the digestive process.
  3. In fulfillment of pleasure.

Food preparation is intimidating for many folks. Yes, it definitely helps to have basic cooking skills such as proper use of a knife, executing common techniques, and menu planning. When you bring all your senses to the effort, it can be immensely creative and joyful.

It’s important to notice freshness, color, aroma, and so on when you’re selecting your ingredients. Be familiar with taste profiles and how to combine the various flavors of sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and savory or umami, to create a satisfying meal.

While chopping, be present with the task at hand instead of rushing through or letting your mind wander. Use your eyes and sense of touch to determine the size of the pieces you need. You can slow down and notice the textures and colors, imbuing the elements of the final dish with love.

As the dish is cooking, you’ll want to use all your senses to evaluate as you go – feeling, looking, smelling, tasting, and sometimes even listening. This is how you will know when the food is done cooking and ready to eat. Besides, it increases your reward in the process.

Feel the texture of the kale leaves as you massage them for your salad. Listen for the pop and sizzle of the mustard seeds as you prepare the curry. Observe the bubbles on top of the pancake when it’s ready to turn. And don’t forget to taste the soup or the stew or the spaghetti sauce as you go. Sometimes it’s acceptable to even sample the cookie dough…. 😉

The digestive process occurs in physiological phases, beginning with what’s called the cephalic phase. That means the sight, sound, smell, and thought of food serve to arouse the digestion and prepare the stomach for the breakdown of proteins.

Along with the five senses, it’s also important to pay attention to our sense of safety and calm. It’s why many traditions prescribe saying a prayer before a meal – to focus, calm, and bring in an emotion of gratitude. These, too, are all-important to the effectiveness of our digestive tract.

Neglecting this important phase makes it much more difficult for your body to do its proper job of assimilating the nutrients from the food you eat. Once again, our senses serve us in delightful and pragmatic ways.

Lastly, for the purposes of this article, our senses are the stars in the category of satisfaction, pleasure, and joy of eating. Eating mindfully is the best way to find true pleasure in our food.

Slowing down as we eat to truly savor the feast before us with our eyes, nose, and taste buds will reward us with true pleasure and joy. We’ll get more nourishment from the food we consume. We’ll be satisfied with less and will assimilate the maximum amount of nutrients from what we eat.

 

In celebration of all our senses, may I present an eye-pleasing dish rich in flavor, aroma, and enjoyment, inspired by the traditional dishes of India.

Chana Masala

Chana Masala

Chickpeas in spicy tomato sauce….

 

2 Tb. ghee

1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)

1 serrano or jalapeno pepper, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1” fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1 t. salt

1 t. garam masala

¾ t. coriander

¾ t. cumin                                                                  

¼ t. turmeric

¼ t. cayenne or to taste

Pinch of cardamom seeds (optional)

1 Tb. tomato paste

1 c. diced canned or fresh tomatoes

1 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained

½ c water

 

fresh squeezed lemon

chopped cilantro (fresh coriander leaf)

 

Heat a large, non-reactive skillet over medium heat. Add ghee and allow to melt, Add onions and cook a few minutes to soften. Add serrano, garlic, and salt, and cook another minute.

Push the onion mixture toward the edges of the pan, and add all the spices to the center along with a small amount of water to create a paste. Sautée the paste for another minute or two until fragrant, then mix the spices in thoroughly with the vegetables. Add tomato paste and chopped tomatoes and allow to cook for about 10 minutes.

Purée sauce in a blender or food processor. Add spicy tomato sauce back to the skillet and add the drained garbanzos and half cup of water. Continue cooking, allowing flavors to blend, about another 10 minutes.

 Serve over rice with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and garnish with chopped cilantro. Approximately 4 servings

Why Are Processed Foods Bad For You?

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Andrea Nakayama, Functional Medicine Nutritionist and my Functional Nutrition teacher, likes to say that the four most important factors in our diet are quality, quantity, diversity, and timing.

Focusing on quality for a moment, think of it as real food vs. the ultra processed food that is a staple of the American diet.

It’s not just that there’s a big difference in quality when you compare processed foods with organic foods, animal products raised on pasture or in the wild, and whole foods — even so-called “healthy” processed options, i.e., sugar-free, gluten-free, low-fat, or organic, don’t stack up to real food.

But why are processed foods so bad for your health?

Listening to an interview with microbiome expert Tim Spector the other day, I learned why processed foods are so detrimental. It’s because of how they affect our gut microbes.

Our gut is home to trillions of microbes, known as the gut microbiota. The exact number of microbes can vary depending on a variety of factors, including diet, lifestyle, and genetics, but it is estimated that there are around 100 trillion microbial cells in the human gut.

The gut microbiota plays a critical role in our health, with functions ranging from aiding in digestion and nutrient absorption to modulating the immune system and protecting against pathogens. Some specific roles of the gut microbiota include:

  1. Digestion: The gut microbiota helps break down complex carbohydrates, fiber, and other components of our diet that our own enzymes cannot digest.
  2. Nutrient production: Certain gut microbes produce vitamins and other nutrients that our bodies need, such as vitamin K, biotin, and folate.
  3. Immune modulation: The gut microbiota helps regulate the immune system, preventing it from overreacting to harmless substances and triggering inflammation.
  4. Barrier function: The gut microbiota helps maintain the integrity of the intestinal lining, preventing harmful substances from passing into the bloodstream.
  5. Pathogen defense: The gut microbiota helps protect against pathogenic bacteria and other harmful microorganisms by competing for resources and producing antimicrobial substances.

Since the gut microbiome plays such a crucial role in human health, what’s bad for our bugs is bad for us! Disruptions to its composition or function have been linked to a range of diseases, including obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, and even neurological conditions like depression and anxiety.

Which brings us back to food quality. It turns out that processed foods are detrimental in multiple ways:

    • They are absorbed more quickly, so our brain doesn’t register fullness as quickly and we tend to overeat them.
    • The refining process triggers bigger spikes in blood sugar (think increased body fat, energy crashes, and diabetes).
    • There is little fiber remaining in these products, which means they don’t nourish our microbes with their favorite food.
    • There are many chemicals added for taste and texture. Things such as glues, emulsifiers, and gums are unnatural and tend to stick the microbes together.
    • Our microbes don’t know what to do with artificial sweeteners, which are derived from paraffin and the petroleum industry. Our microbes in turn produce weird substances trying to break these things down. They are not inert or harmless!

In the interview, Mr. Spector concluded that quality is the most important factor when it comes to food.

So eat real food, avoid the processed stuff, and you’ll be well on your way to a younger-feeling, healthier you.

The Perfect Diet

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Photo by Total Shape on Unsplash

I don’t know about you personally, but I do know that much of the talk around the New Year involves resolutions for losing weight.

Normally I don’t think much about that subject personally, as I’ve always had a pretty good metabolism (hate me, go ahead). However, this year after experiencing several years of intense chronic pain and a bout of the infamous virus in August, my metabolism seems to have gone off the rails.

So the topic of diet seems like a good one to start the year off with.

First of all, let’s get clear. There is no “best” diet out there! You will always find an expert who is more than willing to vilify carbs, fats, too much or too little protein, or to recommend fasting for this or that amount of time or instead to eat every 2-3 hours. It can be crazy-making.

The fact is everyone is unique, everything in your personal history is connected, and all the things that make up your environment, habits, mindset, and spiritual life matter very much.

How do you begin to unravel all this?

There are some principles I want to highlight that I’ve learned in my functional nutrition training. When it comes to food and nutrition, you need to focus on quantity, quality, diversity, and timing. I would add to that: attention, attitude, and intent.

Here’s what I mean.

Most diets assume you must restrict calories – or quantity – to achieve any weight loss goal. In functional nutrition the goal is to consume the right mix of calories at the right pace in order to feel satisfied and to furnish the nutrition the body needs. Not overindulgence, but not denial either.

What is meant by “quality”? This must be the very best quality of foodstuffs you can afford (or grow). These are preferably organic, pasture-raised, wild-caught, unprocessed, and fresh or frozen. It’s also preferable if the resulting meals are home-cooked and prepared with love.

By “diversity” I’m referring to the microbiome-supportive choice to include as many different types of foods, especially plant foods, in all the colors of the rainbow. These include not only vegetables and fruits, but nuts, seeds, legumes, grains, and animal protein. It’s important to also make sure to include fat, fiber, and protein at every meal and snack. And let’s not forget prebiotic and probiotic foods.

“Timing” refers to the timing that suits your own situation. Intermittent fasting of varying windows of time is often recommended these days, which works fine if you are already healthy, not struggling with trying to heal your body, not pregnant, nursing, or otherwise hormonally compromised. For general digestive health, it is recommended to have an overnight fast of about 12 hours and to leave 4-6 hours between meals. This allows time for the body to send in the “janitors” (aka the Migrating Motor Complex) to sweep out the digestive tract and make way for the next round.

There’s also the situation, however, when blood sugar has been unstable for some time, that eating smaller meals closer together might be advantageous. Everybody is different!

To those four bedrock principles – quantity, quality, diversity, and timing – I add attention, attitude, and intent.

Most people are surprised to learn that digestion actually begins in the brain. It’s a physiological process called the cephalic phase, where the sight, sound, smell, and thought of food begins to prepare the body for digestion. The smells and sounds of cooking begin to turn our attention to the meal to come and are some of the great benefits of preparing food at home.

You can also devote some extra attention to your meal by being seated at a table and pausing, perhaps with your hands held over the food itself, taking it in with your eyes and blessing it with your energy.

By “attitude” I mean having an attitude of gratitude and appreciation for the meal before you. Thinking about all the fellow humans who had a hand in bringing that food to your table, to the earth itself for her bounty, and to the great designer of the whole delightful idea of eating for sustenance and pleasure.

I also include “intent” in this lineup of ideal diet tips. It’s important to chew with intent – intent to savor, to slow down enough to allow the food to break down and make it easier on the digestive system, and to release growth hormone into the saliva.

The Perfect Diet, then, factors in not only the quality, quantity, diversity, and timing of meals, but also the attitude, attention, and intention you bring to them.

Of course, there’s so much more to this subject than just nutrition and the when, what, and how. There’s personal non-negotiables, mindset, habits, relaxation, sleep, elimination, body image, cravings – in other words, it’s a lot to unravel.

If you would like to learn more, schedule a complimentary 30-minute Feel Younger Now Discovery Session, so I can understand your particular health challenges and suggest a customized plan to help you reach your goals.

Agelessness: It’s a Matter of Trust

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The definition of “aging” from the medical dictionary is sort of grim. It says it’s “[t]he gradual deterioration of a mature organism resulting from time-dependent, irreversible changes in structure that are intrinsic to the particular species, and eventually lead to decreased ability to cope with the stresses of the environment, thereby increasing the probability of death.”

Really!? Is there any hope for those of us who want to stay energetic, fit, and attractive as the birthdays pile up?

I’m here to say that I believe you can feel great, full of youthful energy, and confident in your appearance for the rest of your life. And that it’s not a matter of having great genes. 

Science tells us that genes can do only so much. They can be involved in cases of extreme longevity, but they are only somewhat involved in the typical aging process. That means…

How you take care of yourself is what makes the most difference.

And it’s not just about how you eat, sleep, and exercise. There’s a very important component that I want to point out—and this is a theme that runs through all of my offerings. We are spirit beings having a human, material existence. There is a consciousness, a Universal Intelligence, at work in every cell of your body. 

Your physical vessel is a beautiful temple of the Divine, an absolute sacred space. It deserves to be treated with the utmost love, respect, and care. In the words of Wayne Dyer, “If you don’t take care of your body, you don’t have anyplace else to live.”

It was Albert Einstein who said, “The most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or hostile universe.” What if you trusted that the Source of energy, the Intelligence that made and sustains your body, is friendly? 

If you believe that the Universe is friendly, then whatever shows up in your experience is asking for your attention and will ultimately benefit you.

What if you believe that your body wants you to be a vibrant, sexy goddess with the energy to make an impact on whatever you touch? That your body is a vessel for the ultimate expansion of human consciousness? And that caring for it is a sacred responsibility?

If it doesn’t feel that way for you right now, I invite you to consider that learning to trust the Intelligence of the body holds the keys to health, vibrancy, and beauty.

Trust (dictionary.com)

n. reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc. of a person or thing; confidence; confident expectation of something; hope.

When it comes to your body—or your mind or thoughts or emotions—you might have found your confidence slipping, especially if you’re gong through menopause or even beyond it. Is there a way to develop enough trust to be able to rely on your physical vessel, to have an expectation that you really can age very, very well?

Here’s a helpful framework I have found to cultivate more trust. I call it—well—T.R.U.S.T., which stands for…

        • Tune In
        • Release It
        • Upgrade
        • Slow Down
        • Transform

So how does it work?

Let’s look at the first step, which is Tune In. What do I mean by that? 

Tuning in is a way to honor yourself and your body’s intelligence and gain valuable insight. It’s presence. It’s awareness. It’s learning to listen.

It’s about being conscious of the sensations occurring in your physical body and being willing to feel them. This knowledge will help you make informed decisions about what you eat, how you exercise, how you handle your emotions, how you interact in relationships, and what you choose to do when you have a health challenge. 

How to tune in?

You can start by doing a simple body scan, noticing what’s there without analyzing or judging. Where in your body is something feeling out of whack? What about locating positive sensations like love, appreciation, or kindness, and taking some time to simply be with the energies that are present?

Do you have a meditation practice? It doesn’t have to take a lot of time in a day, but a regular meditation practice can be life-changing. I once heard Eckhart Tolle say that meditation is simply becoming aware of the inner energy field of the body. It’s a simple way to touch the sacred every day.

Another very accessible meditation style is known as HeartMath. It’s basically about breathing into the heart space and activating a positive, renewing feeling to bring about coherence in the system. There is a free course available at https://experience.heartmath.com. 

Some people prefer to use journaling to access their inner being. Journaling is very beneficial for the mind and spirit. There are many different ways to incorporate this practice into everyday life, but one of the most accessible is called stream of consciousness writing. This is where you just start writing and let it flow for a set amount of time. It’s a great way to uncover useful insights.

Many people have found that prayer is particularly supportive in getting in touch with their values, their reason for being, and their vision for their future. Prayer is a way to be in direct spiritual communion with Source energy.

And the last one I’ll mention—this one is a favorite—is bodywork. Biodynamic cranial therapy is particularly useful for tuning in to what is going on inside of you. All traumas, big and small, lodge in the tissues of your body and affect the natural rhythms of the body. The human body strives for health, and the presence of a good therapist brings presence and safety that helps your body’s intelligence emerge to balance those natural rhythms.

In the next post, I’ll explore what I mean by the “R” step: Release It. For now, remember…

By tuning into your body’s messages, you can begin to trust in your body and its Intelligence. That can help you make healthy living a habit, and that will make the ageless future you want to create a reality for you.

And I can help you with this! To book a free 30-minute consultation click here.

5 Good Reasons I Don’t Do Keto

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Why Balanced Nutrition Wins Out Every Time

 

It may be all the rage right now, but it turns out the ketogenic diet is quite controversial. While its adherents claim great benefits in terms of weight loss and it’s sometimes recommended for neurological disorders and insulin-related conditions, apparently the research is far from settled.

 

In case you aren’t familiar with the diet though, it’s basically a very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet that puts the body in a metabolic state called ketosis. It changes the way the body uses fuel and is something that exists in people during starvation.

 

Instead of the usual fuel sources – glycogen and triglycerides, which are stored in the liver – the body is forced to burn ketones. Ketones don’t cause weight loss, though. They are signs that the body is unable to burn its triglycerides. If that sounds like it’s messing with Mother Nature, well, it is.

 

Here are five reasons why I don’t do keto and why I find it questionable.

 

  1. It eliminates an entire macronutrient.

    Our cells are made up of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Mostly eliminating carbohydrates means limiting fruits, legumes, grains, and even herbs. In the typical keto formula, carbs must make up no more than 5-10% of the total food consumed. Yet, even dried herbs can add 1-2 grams of carbs – yikes!

  2. It has unpleasant side effects.

While keto enthusiasts tout health benefits such as fewer cravings, improved digestion and gut health, and reduced inflammation, other experts suggest otherwise. A European study showed that folks on the lowest-carb diets had the highest risks of death from cancer, cardiovascular disease, and early death from all other causes.

The keto diet can cause low blood pressure, kidney stones, nutrient deficiencies, constipation and an actual increase in incidence of heart disease. It’s not safe for people with pancreas, liver, thyroid, or gallbladder issues. It can also contribute to disordered eating or worsen an existing unhealthy relationship with food because of its strict requirements.

  1. It’s unsustainable.

Because it restricts fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, it’s missing many vital plant compounds. Diversity in the diet is important for getting the fiber, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and antioxidants we need for a healthy gut and metabolism.

  1. It messes with your metabolic rate.

When you go off the diet, you gain the weight back but with less lean muscle mass to burn calories. That means you could have a diminished metabolism and more weight woes long-term. Oftentimes, any weight lost comes back with a little extra besides.

  1. It takes the enjoyment out of food.

    For one thing, it makes cooking really difficult. Even protein has to be limited to no more than 20-25% of total calories. This involves too much measuring and calculating in order to truly maintain a state of ketosis.And eliminating all grains, legumes, and most fruits just doesn’t work for me. I strongly advocate for the Mediterranean Diet, which is consistently ranked No. 1 for helping to improve longevity and ward off chronic disease. It emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein along with very tasty herbs and spices, making it delicious and enjoyable.

 

When the U.S. News panel of experts rank various diets, they look at how following the diet can influence longevity, ward off chronic disease, and how easy it is to follow. The Mediterranean Diet is top-ranked year after year. In contrast, the Keto Diet is ultimately not realistic or sustainable. In restricting almost all of an essential macronutrient, it doesn’t measure up on any of those criteria.

 

For clients of mine who want to eat clean and follow a diet that’s tailored to their needs, I’ll recommend a balanced, nutritious diet with as much variety and diversity as they can handle. It turns out to be the best diet for overall health that there is.

 

I’d love to know what your experience with the Keto Diet has been. You can let me know here.

 

If you like this article, be sure to sign up here for my free ebook: Feed Me Healthy Right Now: My Top Tips for Eating Healthy When You’re in a Hurry. You’ll also receive my newsletter for notifications when there’s a new blog post up.

 

 

 

 

A Healthy Body Is the Sexiest Thing You Can Wear

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That quote was shared by my client RoseAnn after she found real solutions for the nagging health problems that had been plaguing her for years before we worked together.

A healthy body, especially as you get older, is not just a result of winning the genetic lottery. It’s a celebration of your body’s intelligence and capabilities. It’s an honoring of its continual ability to heal itself and to deal with toxins, oxidation, and inflammation.

The media glamorizes celebrities who have access to the best physical trainers, nutritionists, and plastic surgeons. But looking good – or “sexy” – is not the same as thriving n a truly healthy body.

If you want clear, glowing skin, better sleep, and the strength and energy to happily go about your day, it is possible for you. Even if you have chronic health complaints now, creating new habits will bring amazing transformation in the way you look and feel.

There’s nothing sexier than being in a body that delights in all the ways it means to be well.

 

How I Resist the Power of Junk Food in the Throes of COVID-19

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Most of us are social-distancing and staying home, myself included. Yet I find myself mildly amused – and quite concerned actually – by all the memes and social media comments alluding to the fact that lots of folks are taking this as an excuse to load up on junk food.

I’ll admit that at times when the Nibble Monster arrives, I will succumb to some gluten-free crackers dipped in hummus or spread with almond butter. And because they are a packaged food – engineered to tickle the tastebuds and encourage gorging – I will eat a few too many of them.

What about you? Do you have trouble resisting the Cheetos or the chips? The ice cream or the Oreos? You might be someone who believes you deserve to treat yourself to those temptations because they’re somehow comforting. But you know deep down that those types of foods or beverages will ultimately tear your body down.

You’ve likely heard it said, “We are what we eat.” Accepting the truth of what that French philosopher, Brillat Savarin, once said, you realize it’s very important to pay attention to what you choose to put into your mouth. What you eat becomes the cells that make up your body!

How do you set yourself up for success, though, when the walls are closing in and your tummy seems to be rumbling?

First of all, you must decide on some guidelines – a framework – and decide to follow it. Quality food is essential to a healthy body.

Educate yourself about healthy alternatives to your favorite snack foods, and stock your pantry and fridge with whole, fresh foods. These include proteins, fats, and fiber-rich carbohydrates like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.

Know what your trigger foods are, and don’t buy them in the first place and/or remove them from your environment.

Get excited about preparing your own meals and snacks. Research recipes online and block out some time in your day or week to put them together so that they’re available when the Nibble Monster bites.

A short break of physical activity such as walking or doing a few yoga poses can also interrupt a food craving. Physical effort helps your body metabolize stress hormones like cortisol and convinces your system that you’re safe.

The best solution I know of to not have cravings in the first place? Eat enough high-quality food at regular mealtimes. Know what foods work for your body to keep your blood sugar stable. Drink plenty of water and herb tea in between meals. And if you still find yourself searching for a snack, make sure it includes some healthy fat, fiber, and protein.

Here’s a recipe I made recently that fills that bill nicely…. 

Crunchy, Spicy Chickpeas

  • 3 15-oz. cans organic chickpeas (or 4 ½ cups cooked chickpeas)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 ½ teaspoons good quality salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 ½ teaspoons garlic granules

Preheat oven to 400º. Drain and rinse chickpeas and dry thoroughly on paper towels.

Spread chickpeas on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake them for 10-15 minutes to dry then out even further and make them crisper once they’re seasoned. Remove from oven.

In a separate bowl, mix all of the spices into the oil and mix well. Add the chickpeas and make sure they are all coated.

Spread them back out on the prepared baking sheet and roast for another 30-40 minutes or until crunchy. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Happy snacking!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The First Thing to Think About When You Have a Headache

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Have you ever had a headache seemingly out of nowhere?

You haven’t had any extra stress in your life. You haven’t been doing any heavy lifting. You haven’t even wanted to punch anybody’s lights out recently.  Where is it coming from? Well, being as it’s summer here and temperatures are warmer than they’ve been, it’s a good idea to listen to your body and to see, perhaps, if it’s a call for more water.

Now, you may not like water (I hear that a lot), but there are ways that you can make it appealing – even tasty. For instance, if you just add a pinch or two of really good salt – Himalayan or Celtic salt – to your water, that can make it taste better (and add important electrolytes!). And if you keep a pitcher of water in the fridge, you can add all kinds of fruit to it. You can add sliced strawberries, other berries, kiwi, pears, or slices of lemon, orange, or lime, leaves of fresh mint, even cucumbers and herbs like rosemary or basil.   Of course, you are filtering your water, aren’t you?

Experiment and make your water taste good to you, so you drink plenty of it. The general recommendation is that you drink half your body weight in ounces every day.  That means for every 60 pounds of body weight you drink a liter of water.

Adequate hydration is one of the pillars of functional lifestyle medicine. Do think of water first the next time you have a headache coming on, and see if you don’t feel just a bit better right away.  And remember, prevention is always the best strategy!

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Is Your Energy Up to Your Mission?

“People who are open, empathetic, optimistic, flexible, generous, warm, connected, creative and interesting seem to have a much easier time. They’re more able to accomplish their goals, influence others and most of all, hang out with the people they’d like to be with.” ~Seth Godin

“High achievement and extraordinary results require big energy.” ~ The ONE Thing, by Gary Keller

If you want to have an amazing life, you simply can’t be chronically tired or feeling less than your best. It’s bad enough when fatigue hits only occasionally, as in when you’re coming down with a bug or doing a detox. It puts quite the damper on your empathy, optimism, generosity, and creativity when energy is consistently below par.

While lots of people are tempted to keep throwing back cups of coffee or energy drinks to stay powered up through the day, perhaps they don’t realize the damage that does to the delicate systems that keep everything in balance in the body.

Like other symptoms or conditions, lack of energy has root causes. It’s not just something that happens to you because you’re getting older. And it likely doesn’t exist by itself. It probably has friends in the form of digestive difficulties, skin issues, or weight challenges.

You don’t have time for this!

You are up to big things. You’re committed to your mission. You want to make a difference. You know you need all the energy you can have to do all the work you’re here to do, to contribute in the way you want to.

What’s really frustrating is when you’ve tried to change your diet to make more healthy choices. You’re getting regular check-ups and your doc says you’re fine. You do what you can to exercise and take care of yourself, but – you have a lot of other responsibilities you have to care for too, you know?

Never give up hope!

Virginia, like many driven women entrepreneurs, is juggling two businesses and a household. And while she thought she was doing most things right, she struggled with her energy and her weight. That affected her confidence level and held her back from seeking the visibility she knew she needed in order to grow the business she loved. Although she was quite successful in one business, she lacked the energy and focus to work on the mission-driven one.

She really was already doing a lot of the right things. She was careful about avoiding GMOs and chose organic and local foods whenever possible. She got regular massage and performed physical therapy exercises and used a recumbent bicycle. And she was diligent about following her doctors’ advice.

She had tried working with another nutrition coach, but found the program too restrictive, and her inner “Irish girl” rebelled. When we started working together, we focused on making small changes that would move her toward better health overall.

I customized my food recommendations to take into account her preferences and sensitivities. Gradually we incorporated other lifestyle changes that influence things like self-esteem, self-image, sleep patterns, even time management.

And it’s working. Better than anything she has tried in the past! In her words, “I never feel pushed. I feel supported and encouraged. And I feel better, both physically and mentally, now that I’m accomplishing my health goals.”

“Personal energy mismanagement is a silent thief of productivity.” ~ The ONE Thing

Caution: Boundaries Needed

This is another thing that puts a damper on your energy, empathy, optimism, generosity, and creativity – lack of proper boundaries. While that’s an entire blog post (or two) in itself, what I’ll say is that having firm boundaries about the requests of others, how you apportion your time, what you choose to eat, drink, and put on your body, and who you allow into your mental/emotional space WILL have a huge impact on your energy level and personal power.

Discovering your personal boundaries and the effects that stress, use of time, and mixed-up priorities – such as always putting business or other people’s needs first – will give you new insight and motivation to make the lifestyle changes you need to create the moxie you want.

“Doing the most important thing is always the most important thing.” ~The ONE Thing

One Size Does Not Fit All

Here’s the thing. Really successful people and high-earners among entrepreneurs have a radiant vibrancy that’s compellingly different from the average person. That energy is part of their success. It’s the most important thing, in fact.

If you have a big mission in the world, you need your body as a vehicle and a vessel to get that vision out there. You have to have energy. You have to have your health, your focus, and your self-confidence.

Unfortunately, there’s no cookie-cutter plan that will address all of the moving pieces that could be messing with your pizzazz. The best plan is one that teaches you to listen to the wisdom of your body so that you come to trust it, one that will look at the whole of you and find the holes in your self-care routines. Or if you have some stubborn symptoms that haven’t responded even though you’ve put forth lots of effort, it often takes an expert eye to find what may have been overlooked.

Once Virginia was able to truly see herself as successful and to strengthen her personal boundaries, coupled with an eating/exercise/lifestyle plan customized just for her, she started shedding weight consistently. And now that she’s feeling more energized and confident, she’s moving ahead with her most important project – the business she loves.

If you’re interested in getting these kinds of results, let’s talk. Email me at [email protected] and we’ll book a time to chat. Let’s make sure your body is up to your next big project!

My Discomfort Zone

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I don’t love to write. I said it! I know I need to write. I’m told I do a fair job of it. But I don’t love it like some people do. I’d rather get my hands on a client’s body and commune with Higher Consciousness in the ethereal realms. Higher Consciousness doesn’t seem to have a wi-fi connection I can hook into for the writing thing.

So, of course, knowing that I need to write and want to write, so I can help all of you with the health challenges you have or are going to have as the years roll by, I decided to take up a challenge that came across my inbox a few weeks ago.

The challenge was proposed by none other than the renowned copywriting expert Stella Orange herself and—here’s the best part—it was free!! I was all over that. I love the way Stella writes. So true to her own voice. Full of stories and spit and vinegar. But I digress.

She was offering to post a daily prompt and a video to get us started. There was a Facebook group if we needed support on a personal level. We could show up or not. The rules were that beating up on yourself was not allowed. You could skip a day or two. You could skip the whole damn thing if all you wanted to do was soak in some Stella.

Why was that appealing again–?

Oh yeah. No pressure. No perfectionism. Just friendly prompts and a time limit of your own choosing. I chose ten minutes. Just ten minutes a day–I could commit to that.

And I did the work. I even posted a few things in the Facebook group. But then, you know. Life happens. I went out of town for several days and had to catch up with the assignments when I got back home. Right there was more than my ten-minute commitment. And then I fell behind again. More life happening.

But I was determined to get it done! I did a marathon catch-up this weekend. And it felt good to actually complete it. Here’s what I learned:

  1. I tend to freeze up when I put my fingers to a keyboard. I think it’s actually easier to write with a pen in hand and a piece of paper. Free-writing for a specific period of time makes it almost painless. It’s like a force other than you (hello, Higher Consciousness!) is sitting on your shoulder whispering things to your fingers and you look down and notice that you wrote something you hadn’t actually thought of before.
  2. I identified what some of my biggest distractions are when it comes to writing. And the solution is to just SHUT UP AND WRITE. Just do it. The routine is the important thing. Not your mood. Not the conversation in your head about how hard it is or how it’s not good enough. And very definitely not the thought that someone else’s opinion or demands on my time are more important than the thing I’ve committed to doing.
  3. I’ve identified how I want my writing to feel to my reader. Mostly I want it to feel authentic. That means I have to show up as myself and not be afraid to say things the way I say them. I don’t have to sound like a professional copywriter or Barbara Kingsolver.
  4. I’ve learned that the thing I’m most passionate about isn’t even mentioned on my website, and I’d like to find a way to bring that subject matter into the world in my own voice.
  5. I learned that my unhealthy relationship with failure has been a huge sticking point. When you’ve been raised to believe that failure in school (getting less than an A!), in your church, and in your childhood home was shameful and—in some cases—could cost you your life, you tend to shy away from anything that might set you up for that.But as I’ve learned in SUAW and from just about every other personal development writer or coach I’ve listened to recently, we need to consider failure a gift! That’s right—a gift! We need to thank each and every one of our failures because they’re bringing us an experience, a lesson, a maturing that we wouldn’t otherwise have had. If you can learn to love failure, you’ll be unstoppable!
  6. In the words of Seth Godin, “Most of us need an external stimulus to do our best work.” It helps a whole lot to have a structure, a commitment, and a measure of accountability to get out of our comfort zone and do the work.

Like any habit we want to create, it does take a bit of all six of these mindsets and/or structures to make it happen.

  • Find a way to make the behavior painless.
  • Ignore your discomfort and just do what you committed to do.
  • Be true to who you are and know what you need to get the desired result.
  • Identify something you’re so passionate about that you’d be willing to get a little uncomfortable to have it.
  • Make friends with failure and even learn to celebrate it!
  • Get some kind of accountability and structure.

It often takes a skillful coach to get you these, and all I can say is, I’m grateful to Stella Orange for these insights. And the thing I most needed to learn? Every time you show up to do the thing you committed to doing, you win BIG TIME!