Living with Joy & Vitality!

Thanks to my friends and family, I truly celebrated this big birthday.  If you read my last newsletter, you learned I was NOT happy to turn 50.  Uffda, that was a tough one.  I made a choice for this birthday to celebrate and appreciate my good health.  

 

When you face a challenge, and we all do, I encourage you to find the joy and peace in the situation.  A dear friend had a cake with 60 candles on her birthday cake and I LOVED that idea!  Add some panache’ and do it your way, with your own style and flair.  Embrace it and let go of worrying about what everyone else thinks.  Get up and dance or clap your hands with zest!  Squeal with delight like a child and just feel how much peace there is in your heart.

 

Here are 5 simple tips when you face a challenge:

1. Take a breath and face the challenge.  Give it a name or a face.  Acknowledge it’s existence and then think of the worst case scenario.  Now the best outcome possible.  Focus on the best and feel gratitude.  My example:  I am grateful I have made good choices for my health on and off the plate.  
2. Give your digestion a chance.  Chew slowly, breath deeply, and choose whole foods to nourish your body.  I heard a comment today that what comes through the window isn’t really food.  Great concept.  Skip the fast food and add a vegetable and a fruit to your diet each day.  Your digestive system will be happy with the extra fiber and wonderful nutrients.
3. Take a walk.  Early morning is great, add a jaunt during your lunch break, take your grandchild for a walk (or run).  A simple walk is free, takes very little time, and can be done virtually anywhere.
4. Are you eating the same and gaining weight?  There are many possibilities for this, but let’s consider one for now.  “Stressed out” is a term I hear frequently when working with clients.  What does that mean inside our bodies?  Acute stress will cause the body to increase production of the hormone cortisol.  Cortisol briefly gives us more energy and focus.  Chronic stress and chronic elevated cortisol have negative side effects on our body.  Mood swings, lack of restful sleep, high blood pressure, depression, diabetes, and oh yes belly fat.  The increase in cortisol hangs on to our weight.  Amazing!  Fat cells in the belly have 4 times more cortisol receptors than anywhere else in the body.
5. What is the perfect diet?  Is it the same for you and me?  Or you and your spouse?  How about the same diet in your teens, 30’s, 50’s, and 70’s?  I believe in “bio-individuality” which means the perfect diet for me may not be the same for you.  Or at various times in our lives.  One of my favorite topics is “what do I eat”?  A good place to start is the food and mood journal where you write what you eat, when and how you feel. This helps you become more aware of how your body responds to what and when you eat.  Another biggie for me is the “90/10 Diet”.  90% of the times eat your healthy diet that is optimum for you.  10% of the time you allow yourself to indulge in favorite foods that don’t fall into your healthy diet. (like birthday cake)  Experiment with this.  Do you like to plan and anticipate your indulgence?  Or, just save that 10% for times when you aren’t able to eat your optimum diet?  Have fun with this, take the pressure off yourself, and enjoy.  Just a little bit.

 

I encourage you to sign up for my Letting Go with Peace – Fall Detox Program now.  The fun begins on November 10.  You will feel learn what foods nourish your body and how to let go of the what doesn’t.

 

I have the program that’s going to make a big difference in your life.  Join me for the fun!