Harmony for the Holidays

'It's the most wonderful time of the year', at least that's what the song says.

Why not? It is a time of giving with a focus on children and family. Happy sounding songs fill our radio stations, and we hear the sounds of bells, even at the mall!

Unfortunately too many women dread these months. I was listening to friends stress about the stress even back in October. May it not be so, especially when it comes to food.

Why not stand back and create the possibility of a fully conscious, empowered, joyful holiday season?

Join us as we create a community of positive, focused individuals ready to embrace the next 6 weeks with gusto. Here's how:

• Subscribe to this blog, for quick tips, recipes and strategies for managing your growing to-do lists.
• Pop over to Embrace Health Today and click the link for Harmony for the Holidays. From there you can sign up for a free 30 minute coaching conversation to help you navigate the tempations and mind games, holiday fare stirs up!
• Share what works for you right here or on our Facebook  fan page

Together we will see wonderful results!

Best One Yet

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead

Do not let the not-so-attractive title fool you. I have seen a lot of scare 'em straight food movies, but nothing beats this. Joe Cross does an amazingly realistic and entertaining job reeling the audience into his quest and his pain. Along the way he artistically educates us about the connection of what we eat and our health. He is a successful, big spending Australian who embodies exactly what the title says. He is a radical type of guy at the end of his rope. Here is the trailer.

He comes to America and meeets with Dr. Joel Fuhrman. As you may recall Dr. Fuhrman coined one of my favorite phrases - 'nutrient density'. He is the author of Eat to Live and a nationally known nutrition expert. Under Dr. Fuhrman's care, Joe goes on a 2 month fresh juice fast to clean himself up. He does this while traveling the USA interviewing and trying to inspire people along the way.

The film documents his own, at times very painful, journey.  Just when you think it is over you will meet an unlikely character that is sure to inspire you.

Here is the link to watch it free online: http://www.hulu.com/watch/289122/fat-sick-and-nearly-dead.  I hope you will invest the hour and a half. It is well worth it.

NEED MOTIVATION?

Need a little push towards the 28 Day Challenge???

Education and awareness are powerful motivators. Learn about your body. Pay attention to what you put into it.
This video will help in a very short time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNCGkprGW_o

Remember our 28 Day Holiday Warm-Up Challenge is as addition to your usual diet.
Sure it may crowd out some or all of your typical daily intake, simply because there is so much food. See how you feel in just a few days. You may just get hooked!

Do your best. Find a partner. Give it a try.

We can help. Follow us here or on Facebook or Twitter. Share your questions and your progress. We are happy to help!

Have a happy healthy weekend!

Patti

Let the 28 Days Begin

Start the 28 day challenge this week!


We started yesterday. Remember it is all about adding nutrient dense foods to your menu everyday.


1 large salad
1/2 cup beans - hummus, soup, in sides etc.
3 pieces of fresh fruit - no dried or juice
1 oz. of raw nuts
2 large servings of greens - all leafy greens, broccoli, brussel sprouts etc. steamed or raw.


Eat these everyday along with what you normally eat. Let the 'old' food be crowded out by these nutrient dense wonders.


Here was my day yesterday:


Green smoothie - kale, banana, organic apple, soymilk, water and ice
A large salad and bowl of black bean soup for lunch
1/4 cup raw walnuts and sunflower seeds
A huge plate of sauteed turnip greens with garlic, sun dried tomatoes, and a few strands (literally) of left over pasta for dinner.

I was full, energized and finding I was not in the mood for one more fruit. already am noticing a real sensitivity toward sweet foods. They just are not as attractive.


Sunday night we had a store bought pizza crust piled HIGH with steamed kale, onions, garlic and artichokes and a big salad of spinach, arugula, and mizuna...delish!

Take a moment and share a typical day for you. What are you observing about yourself as you put this into practice?

BRING ON THE HOLIDAYS!

28 Days to a Wellness...just in time!

It is only October and I have already heard the proverbial woes about the approaching holidays. "How will I handle Halloween?" cried my dear friend at our latest Wellness group meeting.

What? Are those Snickers, Twizzlers and Pretzel M&M's that powerful? You bet your life (and the candy industry's billions) they are!

As the slippery slope begins October 31st, rounds the corner at Thanksgiving glides ever-so innocently through December's parties and crashes violently into the Christmas-Hanukkah-New Years crescendo, many of us will fall victim yet again. When the scales are tipped toward nutrient poor, calorie laden choices our bodies are not satisfied. We are not really 'fed'. Our cravings and hunger persists as our bodies keep looking for real food.

Can this year be any different?...Absolutely YES! You can form a life-changing habit in just 4 weeks.

Now is the time to add to our diets nutrient dense foods. These are the foods most rich in phyto-nutrients, enzymes, minerals,vitamins and plant proteins - the very building blocks of healthy cells, blood and tissues. Nutrient dense foods are super low in calories compared to the amazing power they possess.

Try this 4 week challenge:

Simply eat each of the 5 sets of foods on this list everyday and watch what happens:

1 large fresh raw salad
1/2 cup beans
3 fresh fruits - whole fruits not juice
1 ounce raw nuts or seeds
2 large servings of raw or steamed greens - spinach, kale, collards, broccoli, brussel sprouts etc.

It is a lot of food. It may crowd out some of your less healthy choices. Good! Let it happen. Make these building blocks the priorities in daily food choices. Observe, explore and become aware of changes in your energy, health and taste.

Sign up for this blog feed and stay tuned here for updates, comments and support. Watch for posts with shopping lists, menu ideas, recipes as well as articles turning you on to the benefits of these amazing foods.

Take the plunge...feed yourself real food. In no time your thriving body will tell you what it really wants.

Feel the power as you kiss those junk food 'haunts' good-bye!

Am I hungry?

My husband called me two weeks ago and with an odd combination of sadness and conviction in his tone, "You are going to be buying a lot less food. This is going to transform everything."

Although I have been trying out Geneen Roth's eating guidelines from her book Women, Food and God for several months now, Tom was just getting a 'taste' of it. Her first and I believe over riding guideline is simply 'Eat when you are hungry' and 'Stop when you are satisfied'. Although this sounds easy, just below the surface lies a whole world of unexplored behaviors. The practice brings you into amazing and often unwanted awareness.

Step one is to create a hunger scale:

Many of us are not in touch with ourselves enough to know when our bodies are hungry - not our eyes, or mind (emotions), but our real live stomachs.

To create a scale, start by not eating breakfast one morning or skipping lunch one day. In other words let yourself get really hungry. Keep drinking water though, so you do not mistake thirst for hunger.

 When you are completely empty and almost weak with hunger take time to really observe what this feels like.

 Where do you feel the sensations? What does your stomach feel like, your throat, your legs, your arms, your head?

On the 1-10 scale we are creating this is considered a 1. It is empty on the gas tank, bottomed out, very hungry.

From there try to understand what a 2, 3, or 4 might be. You can certainly experiment with this process again and again to create a real accurate awareness.

 Consider 5 satisfied, 6 very satisfied, and anything over that approaching stuffed. A 10 is Thanksgiving when you were completely off the rails.

Once you have this down, try it. Only eat when your body is hungry. If you eat when it is not, simply observe, try not to judge and simply be curious as to what you are feeling and why. Is it boredom, loneliness, avoidance? Keep practicing. See what comes up. Be sure to stay aware.

Next, stop when you have had enough. Observe again. There will be a lot here too. Watch and see the social and emotional things that keep us eating. Try separating yourself and the food at this point. It is very hard. Just breath and observe.

Try this practice for a few days and let us know what you see.

Cheers.

Powerful Testimony at 50 Years Old

There is nothing more inspiring that an ordinary person putting simple things into practice and having startling results.

Nadine Templer is a women of faith  I have admired for years. She works for HOPEworldwide in New Delhi, India. She just adopted her fifth child, is very active with the poor, with her church and with her family. She is also turning 50 this year.

In the video Nadine explains her desire simply to get healthy. Nadine explains how, like many of us, she has not really given her own health the attention she should over the years, and how she was beginning to pay a price.

You will see that a simple awareness of the Holy Spirit's work (Gal.5:25) in her life, and her own body's signs of hunger and satisfaction, lead to tremendous weight loss and increased energy over the past 7 months. The principle "eat when you are hungry" and "stop when you're not" create an inner inquiry that can lead to all sorts of victories.

In our Wellness Groups women are seeing all kinds of things from this same practice. Becoming present to our bodies especially when we are about to eat something can be a caveat to a whole new word of awareness. Why am I eating now? Is my stomach, mouth or mind hungry? How much is enough? Is there a need to finish my plate? Am I bored? Frustrated? Tired? or Lonely? Is this what my body really wants? 

This is not easy or natural work. It takes practice. Observing ourselves and exploring what is happening in our mind takes time. The results are transforming and lead to habits that will make a huge difference in both or spirital and physical lives. In our ten week series we explore many practices together and individually. Like Nadine, we have seen wonderful results!

Great week of "Foodie" shows on Fresh Air

This was one of those weeks I found myself listening to Fresh Air more than usual.

Terri Gross had compelling interviews each day with various characters and heroes of the food world. Yesterday it was Ruth Reichl, former   editor of Gourmet Magazine whose mother was a horrible cook. Her stories were frighteningly hilarious. On Monday she interviewed, world renowned chef Geoff Achtaz. His artistic works can be seen at his restaurants website Alina. Later this week it will be an archived Julia Child interview and on Thursday Harold McGee author of my second Bible "On Food and Cooking" a guide to anything and everything you could ever think to eat or cook with. His scientific approach is fascinating.

Whether is the tragic history of the banana or how to cook the perfect steak, there is something here for everyone.

Thanks NPR.

Cheers.

What's a Shebaldi?

Ricket's Glenn PA, 12 kids, 6 parents, some drizzle, the hand of God and lots of blueberries.

That's part of us. Take a look.

One thing you will quickly notice is how much healthier people are this year! Collectively we have lost over 100 pounds of unwanted, unbecoming weight.
The trick seemed to be pure desire motivated by unwelcoming doctors findings and just plain discomfort. A few people did not intend to lose weight, but found it through adding vegetables - yes VEGGIES, and whole grains to their diets in earnest.
When we add the real food, our bodies shy away from the bad. Our eyes and tastebuds crave pure, light, nutrient rich foods. We learn to move away from heavy, sweet, salty, fake alternatives. The benefits are felt immediately. Bellies don't hurt, our energy remains steady and our minds stay alert.
Congratulations!