Monthly Newsletters Archives
7 Strategies for Keeping Healthy This Season
Posted on December 1, 2009 | 1 Comment | No TrackBacks
1. 50% off! Downsize your portions by half, including drinks. Fully enjoy your meals, but say no to mindless grazing and family style serving by fixing a plate for each meal with pre-determined quantities of what you want to eat. And watch how many alcoholic drinks you tip back. Remember, the average glass of wine is 110-120 calories; one cocktail, 200 calories; and a glass of regular beer, 150 calories.
2. Never leave home hungry. A lot of people restrict what they eat during the day and then overindulge when they hit the party. My pre-party favorite is a Shaklee Cinch Shake. Two scoops mixed with water delivers 16 grams of protein and fills you up enough to help you make good eating decisions when you're about to face the gourmet buffet.
3. Skip mundane foods. Forgo the foods you eat all year. This is a special time to savor and enjoy the tastes and aromas of the season.
4. Eat dinner early. Ayurvedic expert Dr. John Douillard recommends eating the bulk of your calories mid-day and enjoying a light dinner by 6 pm. It gives your body enough time during the evening to digest and for the liver to detoxify.
5. Breathe. A few minutes of calm, deep inhales and exhales can make all the difference in your day. If you're under stress or tension from the holiday bustle, more than likely your breathing is shallow. Deep breathing makes the respiratory system more efficient and activates calming nerve receptors. Bonus: the body burns fat when it is calm, and sugar when it is stressed.
6. Move your body for just 15 minutes every day. One of the first things that goes right out the window in December is exercise. You don't need to spend hours at the gym, just ten to 15 minutes will reap good benefits. Take a quick brisk walk or take the stairs.
7. Boost your immunity by simply contemplating generosity. A recent study showed that when participants watched a film about Mother Teresa, the number of antibodies in their saliva surged; when the students were asked to focus on times when they'd been loved by or loving to others, their antibody levels stayed elevated for an hour. Think good thoughts and fight off the flu!
Sink into your senses and enjoy autumn!
Posted on October 6, 2009 | No Comments | No TrackBacks
As the arrival of autumn brings shorter days and colder nights, you may notice the urge to nest and nurture. Embrace it and go with it! In Chinese medicine, fall represents a return to the roots, a time of restoring and building your qi (pronounced "chee") for next spring. It's not a time for growth, but for consolidation.
Autumn is time to clear away the completed projects and open up to the inner wisdom that you can experience in activities such as contemplation, writing, reading and nurturing your family as part of your preparation for the depths of winter.
If you tend to race through the season, oblivious to its glorious colors, sounds and tastes, catch yourself now, before it's too late. Stop what you're doing and sink into your senses.
One of the most common challenges many of my clients face is how to live in the moment. Always on the go, our heads are either re-living the past by re-hashing the "shoulda's, coulda's or woulda's" or focused on the future and planning our next set of activities.
One of the easiest ways to learn how to enjoy each moment as it unfolds, is to get out of your head and invigorate your five senses. Take some time this month to:
- Sight: Soak in the vibrant colors, the leaves and the landscape turning to red, dark brown and golden hues.
- Smell: Even the air smells better this time of year! Enjoy the crispness of the atmosphere, apple pies baking or a freshly carved pumpkin.
- Sounds: Notice the rustling leaves, the last lawn mower runs of the season or the crickets and birds preparing for the cold weather.
- Touch: Break out the down comforter or your favorite blankets to get warm.
- Taste: Apples, cider, squash. Go for locally grown favorites and savor the tastes.
This is the season of the harvest, the fruition of all growth of spring and summer. Receive all the benefits from your work during the last six months. The seeds we have sown, now shall we reap.
Savor each moment of the season!
Healthy summer reading -- top wellness books
Posted on August 2, 2009 | No Comments | No TrackBacks
I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired of listening to all of the talk about "reforming our healthcare system" in the news. "Is it good for you," "what will change," "how much will it cost" and "who is going to pay for it?" And more importantly, will it ever pass or will the "talk" just eat up space on TV and in the papers for another year?
Don't get me wrong, reform is important - we all know that our healthcare system is a mess and we pay too much for care. But I think we need to balance the air time with information on how we can take control of our own health and keep ourselves healthy, happy, and out of the hospital.
How about a good book to empower you? I've read a couple of amazing books this summer and wanted to share the list. They're not exactly beach romance novels, but they each offer a different perspective about our body's natural healing intelligence.
Check out these titles from your library or local bookstore:
CLEAN by Alejandro Junger, M.D.
You may have heard about "detox diets" and other drastic measures to cleanse (juice cleanses, fasts, detox pills, etc.). This book provides one of the most balanced and reasonable approaches to cleansing that I have seen, and it mirrors advice from my holistic doctor. Dr. Junger discusses how most of our common ailments - colds, viruses, allergies, extra weight, restless nights, indigestion, itchy skin, acne, depression and anxiety - are a direct result of toxic buildup in our system. Our current diets of sugar, fast food, processed food and alcohol as well as our chemically-filled environment are creating the toxic build-up, weakening our body's natural detoxification process. The book does a great job of explaining how the build-up occurs and how we can reactivate the natural process to get rid of it. He provides a 7-day, 14-day or 21-day cleanse menu with great recipes, if you're thinking a detox might be for you.
The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite by David Kessler, M.D.:
Dr. Kessler, the former Food and Drug Commissioner under Presidents Bush and Clinton, provides a fascinating read about how our bodies and minds change when we consume foods high in sugar, fat and salt. He explains how food manufacturers - including those that supply chain restaurants - create products by manipulating these ingredients to stimulate our appetites and drive us to keep craving the foods. I always thought eating grilled chicken at a chain restaurant was healthy - but manufacturers actually inject the meat with added sugar and oil. The thought of it makes me cringe. This book was my impetus to try Dr. Junger's 21-day cleanse to try to banish my cravings for sugar and fat! The book will change the way you look at food forever.
The UltraMind Solution by Mark Hyman, M.D.:
If you know anyone suffering from depression, anxiety, memory loss or attention problems, this book provides an in-depth look at the diseases of the mind and offers alternative healing solutions. Dr. Hyman believes that the "truth is that these 'diagnoses' are all the result of a few basic problems with our biology, and if we pinpoint the biological problems, fix them, and allow the body's naturally healing intelligence to take over, we can repair our brains." The book explores what we do to our bodies that has a profound effect on the brain. He discusses nutrients, foods and lifestyle practices to keep our brains healthy.
Happy and healthy reading!
Dump the diets: make your health a habit!
Posted on June 1, 2009 | No Comments | No TrackBacks
As a society, where did we ever get this notion that if we don't follow a diet or exercise regimen to the "T", we've failed and there is something wrong with us? In our Biggest Loser culture if you don't win, you're really a big loser. Even celebrities perpetuate the loser mentality by sharing their humiliation with us when they fail. Oprah told us in the January issue of her magazine that she was "embarrassed" and "mad at herself" because she tipped the scales at 200 lbs. While Kirstie Alley - who lost 75 pounds on Jenny Craig only to gain it all back - declared herself "hideous" after viewing a recent tabloid picture. And if these two women - who have all of the resources in the world to get healthy - beat themselves up when they slip, would you expect anything less from the rest of us? Not exactly the role models you need for a healthy mindset when you're riding a weight loss roller coaster.
It's time to end the "all or nothing" mentality when it comes to eating healthy, losing weight or getting in shape. Drop the stringent rules, the strict diet meal plans and fitness routines that were created by someone else. Do they know your body or your lifestyle? You know the dogmas - eat this specific brand of this specific food at this second on Day 3, and do 500 crunches before you go to bed. If they are not working for you, drop them. Or tweak them to make them your own. And most importantly, drop the harsh attitude towards yourself. If you groan at the idea of having to lose weight or eat better, the first step is to change your attitude. It doesn't have to be hard.
Your health and wellness and how well you take care of yourself is a natural part of who you are, your actions and how you live your life. If you're not happy with how you feel right now and you know you need to improve, take heart...it doesn't have to be a dreaded chore. Healthy living is not about deprivation, starvation or killing yourself on a treadmill. It's about making small changes, one at a time, to improve your life and your health.
Yes, you can succeed and improve your health by starting small and incorporating one healthy habit at a time into your daily routine. Try these tips to slowly integrate health back into your lifestyle.
Take Action Challenge
1. Set a healthy intention. We tend to set goals such as, "I want to lose 10 pounds" or "I want to drop 2 sizes." If you set these types of goals and beat yourself up when you don't reach the number, try setting a healthier intention such as, "Every action I take today is a choice, and I'm going to chose at least one healthier option," or "I'm choosing to nourish myself with whole foods today."
2. Pick 3 healthy habits that you know you can easily incorporate into your day and that will boost your energy, your mood and your health. The key word is easy; set yourself up for success. Here are some suggestions for crowding out bad habits with good routines:
- Drink more water; choose a glass of water over soda or other sweetened drink during your next meal. The average can of cola has more than 10 teaspoons of sugar! Besides the sugar spike, it will also wreak havoc on your teeth.
- Opt for herbal tea or decaf instead of the morning cup of coffee.
- Enjoy 15 minutes of sunshine each day; get out of the office (or house) once during the workday.
- Take a walk instead of parking yourself in front of the television.
- Replace your junk food snack binges with fresh berries or a piece of fruit; strawberries are now in season in most regions!
- Include at least one vegetable in your lunch menu
- Try a green veggie in every dinner this week; experiment with spinach, kale, arugula, swiss chard or bok choy.
- Add a couple of servings of whole grains (barley, millet, oats, quinoa) into your meals.
- If you're a fan of white bread - opt for whole wheat, rye or whole grain the next time.
- Eating out too often? Adopt the rule of 3 - pick only 3 items from the menu, including beverages. (e.g., if you want a glass of wine and bread with your pasta dish, that's it - no appetizer, no dessert.)
- Have a bad habit of scarfing down your meals? Make an intention that you won't eat on the run or in the car. Sit down for each meal and if you can, set the table or at least a place setting. Take an attitude of gratitude and say a blessing or grace before you take a bite. Try chewing your food 25 times before swallowing. You'll slow down and ease the digestion process for your body. The more you chew the more you allow the digestive enzymes in your mouth to break down the food.
3. Repeat your 3 healthy habits every day for the next 30 days. If you skip one or two (or all three), don't stress over it. Smile and appreciate yourself for what you did accomplish during the day. You are a glorious healthy being! And try again tomorrow.
Repetition will help you turn healthy actions into a seamless part of your daily rhythm and routine. So next month, it'll become more natural for you and you can move on to adopting 3 new habits!
