Positive, long-lasting change can not exist without adequate self love, for it is self love that is at the heart of all growth.  It is our love for ourselves that inspires a desire for a better experience of our bodies and our lives.  It is love of self that has us take responsibility for ourselves, motivates change and fortifies our commitment to our dreams, resiliency and joy.  It is love of self that whispers to us to move beyond our self-sabotaging patterns and limiting beliefs and to choose instead the route that is in the best interest of everyone involved.  It is self love that serves as the spring-board towards shedding our old identity and EMBODYING our new one.  What are 10 things you LOVE about yourself and your body?  What is 1 way you can demonstrate self love today?

What we have our focus on determines how we experience life.  As Ralph Waldo Emerson put it: "Life consists of what a person is thinking about all day.".  Are you engaging in "stinkin' thinkin'" or choosing to focus on what IS working, what IS fulfilling and what IS possible at this very moment?  Becoming aware of our inner dialogue and choosing to see the glass half full can have a dramatic impact on how quickly and seamlessly we heal or generate the life of our dreams.  Possess an "attitude of gratitude" and see what doors open for you.  

"It is not the food in your life, but the life in your food." - Hippocrates.  Hands down, proper nutrition is the most important factor in creating a long-lasting, solid foundation for vibrant health.  This means eating a diet rich in whole, organic, nutrient dense, REAL FOODS from the earth, including organic fruits and vegetables, pasture-raised (grass-fed) proteins and eggs, raw diary, wild seafood and healthy sources of fat.  As a general rule of thumb, if it wasn't around 10,000 years ago, don't eat it!  If it comes in a box, bag or can, don't eat it!  Such processed foods as well as genetically modified foods like soy and corn, hormone-injected proteins and dairy from those sources are essentially poisonous to our bodies.  Our bodies cannot assimilate these items and most of them have been so processed that they are void of nutrients.  More energy is used up by our bodies to break them down and spit them out than we receive from the item itself.  By eating "clean", we give our body a break so it can naturally repair and balance itself.  By creating a clean body, we reduce cravings and create mental clarity allowing us to make overall better, more aligned choices for ourselves.  Proper nutrtion serves as the basis for all holistic healing of digestive disorders, adrenal fatigue, skin problems such as excema and psoriasis, candida overgrowth, liver stagnation, inflammatory diseases, food sensitivities and mood disorders.  The benefits of eating clean include increased energy, improved digestion, improved mental clarity, better skin, enhanced libido, better sleep quality and improved mood.  

While each body is different and my healing programs are highly individualized to suit each person's specific needs, below are some general suggestions for improving your nutrition.  What change in your diet are you willing to make that will help you build a long-lasting foundation for health?

* Replace hydrogenated oils and trans fats such as canola oil and vegetable oil with healthy saturated fats such as coconut oil and raw butter.  Coconut oil is anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-fungal and will not become toxic when cooked in high heat.  
* Switch from table salt which is stripped of all nutrients to Celtic or Himalayan Sea Salts. Celtic sea salt is packed with minerals, will help balance fluid levels and energy in your cells, will down-regulate the release of adrenaline and help prevent dehydration.
* Eat organic fruits and vegetables and sustainably raised proteins, preferably from a local source.  Shop at your local farmer's market!  Local produce takes less time to reach us, therefore possessing a higher level of freshness and nutrient content, giving you the energy you need to heal.  

Did you know that ailments such as acid reflux, arthritis, diverticulitis, insomnia, constipation and fatigue can be significantly improved simply by hydrating properly?  Proper hydration helps the body flush out toxins, restore cellular energy and reduce inflammatory markers of pain.  It is extremely important to drink high quality, filtered or natural spring water, as tap water is loaded with chlorine, flouride, antibiotics, heavy-metals, bacteria and other toxins.  You can also purchase a shower filter so that you do not shower (or bathe) in chlorinated water, especially since the hot water opens your pores to absorb any toxins you are exposed to from the water itself.  

It is recommended to drink half your body weight in ounces of water daily.  For example, if you weigh 120 lbs, half of that would be 60.  So, drink 60 ounces of water daily.  There are 8 ounces in one cup, so that would be 5 1/2 glasses of water per day.  You may add a pinch of Celtic Sea Salt to your water in order to prevent frequent urination and to replenish minerals that are lost in the filtration process.  Upon rising, drink 1-2 glasses of water with a pinch of sea salt to restore the de-hydration that occurs over night.  It is important to brush your teeth prior to doing this to elimate the bacteria that has accumulated in your mouth overnight, otherwise, you will drink them down.  To avoid urination at night, emphasize your water intake during day-light hours. Try not to drink with your meals as this inhibits the release of important digestive enzymes, leading to digestive issues including promotion of bacterial over-growth in the gut.  It is best to drink 15 minutes prior to a meal to stimulate digestion and to wait 30 minutes after a meal before consuming any water to allow food to properly digest without diluting digestive enzymes.

Caffeinated beverages, sports drinks and alcohol actually dehydrate us.  If you do consume these beverages, increase your clean water intake that day.

The human body and mind need adequate time to rest and repair themselves in order to stay healthy and alert, especially when in a healing process.  The best way to accomplish this task is by getting enough sleep and ensuring high quality sleep.  Our bodies follow a natural, 24-hour circadian rhythm that is regulated by certain hormones (predominantly cortisol and melatonin) that stimulate us to wake up upon exposure to sunlight in the morning and make us sleepy upon exposure to darkness in the evening.  The immune system does most of it's repair work while we sleep.  We undergo physical repair between 10pm-2am and psychological regeneration between 2am-6am.  Every minute of sleep before midnight is worth 2 minutes after midnight!  Creating a habit of getting to sleep no later than 10:30pm will make a dramatic improvement in your energy levels, mental clarity and mood!  Give it a try!  To train yourself to get to bed early, get in bed every night 30 minutes earlier than you do now.  In two weeks time, again get in bed 30 minutes earlier.  Continue this process until you can be asleep by 10 or 10:30pm.  Dimming the lights, turning off the TV and computer at least 1 hour prior to bed will help stimulate melatonin production, thereby making you more tired when bed time arrives.  

In addition to sleep, down-time and de-stressing are essential to creating a healthy, fulfilling life.  Scheduling down-time on your calendar will help you make it a priority.  What day this week can you take 20 minutes to simply "Be"?  How about sitting in the silence of your car for 5 minutes before entering your home after a long day at work?  Meditation is a powerful tool to destress and gain incredible mental, emotional and spiritual clarity.  It can help us connect to our intuitive voice, stay aligned with our highest selves and provide incredible opportunity for physical healing.  Visit my BLOG page for more information on the benefits of meditation as well as where and how to meditate daily.  

Regular exercise is a critical element to having a well-rounded foundation.  Not only does movement have numerous physical health benefits such as stimulating lymphatic drainage, perastalsis (intestinal contractions) in the gut, improving sleep and detoxification of toxins and excess hormones through sweat, it can also have a tremendous positive impact on our emotional/mental well-being.  Physical movement, especially when done outdoors in nature, can bring mental clarity, peace of mind and great joy.  

That said, it is very important that we engage in physical movement that restores our body, not depletes it.  Many forms of exercise today (especially cardiovascular exercise) are catabolic.  They activate the process of gluconeogenesis that breaks down muscle tissue and throws the body into an exhausting stress cycle.  Focus your exercise program on "working in" vs. "working out".  Working in balances the body and re-energizes our systems, aiding in digestive and sleep processes.  For some people in an active healing process, even 20 minutes of walking can be too much.  It is important to honor what your body can truly handle and to create an exercise program that is anabolic, restorative and will help your body and mind thrive, not simply survive.  Visit my BLOG for more information on "working in".

In today's world, we are exposed to numerous toxins in our air, food, water, cleaning and beauty products, plastics and more.  These chemicals, molds and heavy metals wreak havoc on our body's detoxification, elimination, nervous and hormonal systems by creating inflammation in the gut, clogging the liver and triggering the sympathetic nervous system (our "fight-or-flight" response).  They can lead to mental disorders and some of them are carcinogenic.  

Here are a few TIPS to reduce the toxic load on your body.  In addition, you can visit my BLOG for more detailed information.  
* Replace your plastic food storage with glass storage containers.  
* Drink clean, filtered water, such as reverse-osmosis or natural spring water.  For bottled water, purchase water in a glass bottle, such as Evian.
* Purchase a Kleen Kanteen or a reusable glass bottle (Ikea sells them) to refill your water in.
* Switch to organic or natural make-up products.
* Use aluminum-free deoderant or simply use an all-natural essential oil to mask any body odor.
* Cook in stainless steal, ceramic, glass or ceramic coated iron.  Toss your teflon pots and pans!
* Open your windows on a sunny day to let fresh air in and reduce the probability of mold.  Mold grows in damp, dusty environments. 

Spending time in nature also helps to balance the negative effects of urban living by slowing us down, grounding us and providing us with revitalizing oxygen and negative ions.  When was the last time you walked barefoot on the grass or inhaled the fresh air of the ocean?  See if you can schedule some time to indulge in nature's free gifts sometime soon.  

What brings you JOY?  Perhaps it is going for a walk in nature, listening to or making music, taking a cat nap in the sun or giggling with your kids.  Often times in our busy lives we postpone pleasurable activities because "we don't have time", we'll do it after we complete our "to-do" list or we are so focused on taking care of others that we neglect to give to ourselves.  Refueling our "happy tanks" is fundamental to leading a well-balanced, fulfilling and healthy life.  Engaging in pleasure stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system (our body's Rest & Digest mode), reduces cholesterol, can release healing feel-good hormones and boosts our immune system.  Emotionally, it helps restore our capacity to take on the challenges in our lives and it keeps things in perspective. You are deserving of great joy.  Go have yourself a laugh!  What activity can you engage in today that has the sole purpose of refueling your HAPPY TANKS?  

Every choice we make impacts the life we are creating for ourselves.  Life happens THROUGH us, not to us.  While myself and other coaches or healers may educate and guide you on your journey, ultimately, only you can heal and grow yourself.  By beginning to develop a sense of awareness about ourselves, we expand our consciousness and empower ourselves to look inward, to notice how our actions, thoughts and choices indeed create our very situation.  Our poor eating habits and stressful lifestyle create our fatigue and digestive stagnation.  Our fear of upsetting others keeps us from communicating authentically and creating the fulfilling relationships we long for.  

You have the ability to create your best life!  It is with compassion, enthusiasm and belief in YOU that I encourage you to educate and develop yourself.  I invite you to become knowledgeable about how your body functions, to become curious about the motivations behind your habits and actions and to take responsibility for your choices so you may fully spread your wings.  This world needs the gifts that will come from you living your most gloriously healthy, happy life!