See it, Smell it, and Taste it!! Your Healthy Life Awaits YOU!!
March 3, 2010 by cheryl
Filed under Body, • Headline
“Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don’t wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it’s at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored.”
— Earl Nightingale
The senses are something to be grateful for… image not being able to taste your food. Use all of your senses to enjoy the good food that God or Mother Nature gave us AND use common sense to choose your food. (Note that as we age our senses may dull, but with good nutrition all experience an improvement! Incredible!)
Times have changed from 100 years ago, and on a timeline of thousands of years it is only a speck.
A growing number of toxins and chemicals, nutrient depleted soils, artificial foods (such as sweeteners), genetically modified foods (GMO), processed vegetable oils, synthetic supplements, increased cancers rates, increased diseases period, and more. Changes? Yes, I believe so. Happening more and faster. All of these put a stress on our health and on our immune system.
I personally do not buy into “we can diagnose diseases now more than ever, so that is why the numbers are higher“, (for example, ADHD… labeling is not always a jolly good idea either). True, this is part of it, but only to an extent. I have a strong desire to help others so that the numbers come down because health and healing is ours to have. Take control of our health should be a theme. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Benjamin Franklin, Very Smart Man!
Senses include seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and feeling, and I will include common sense. All are used in the kitchen, and in consuming foods. For improving our healthy lifestyle, first you need to ask yourself a question. Do you wish to a live a life of good health? If YES, read on.
Food Safety
Food safety is important, because it can add to the burden of other toxins and chemicals. For the most part, we are in control of this area…bacteria can grow and cause serious problems or stress on the body (such as E coli). The stronger our immune system the better it is for us.
Let’s use the senses in food safety. In order to determine if food is bad, we first look to detect bad spots (such as brown spots on lettuce or bruises on apples), or molds (such as the green stuff on breads). Smelling foods for odours is not my favourite thing, but we all have done it. Common sense is used for throwing out foods that have been left in the refrigerator or freezer too long. A good way to keep track is to label bottles with an open date or date put into freezer. One other area around common sense is food preparation…review information on food safety annually. Check out the internet for more information. Be sure to check out holistic cleaners and ways too. Here is a Canadian government site (every country should have one.)
Food Safety Tips http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/concen/tipcone.shtml
We have enough toxins and chemicals in our environment so incorporate good food safety for prevention.
Food Choices
Picking our foods, and cooking or preparing our foods uses our senses too. This is a broad area but what I want to point out is that we have been conditioned to look for the brightest coloured food, the perfect shape, the bigger ones, and more. What we see is not necessarily good…many foods have been grown to appeal to you but my experience tells me that the taste and quality may not be present. For example, many people will tell me they prefer the organic fruits to the non-organic fruits because they taste better…yes they may not look as pretty. I do believe that food should look appealing…I surely would not purchase an organic apple that was soft and bruised and nor should you.
Smell and Taste
These senses make any meal a delight! The aroma and oh the wonderful taste that can come from a variety of prepared foods, recipes, spices, and more. Once again, we have to me mindful of the tricks…sugar will make anything taste better because we enjoy the sweet taste (not all of us, some like salty). Also, be mindful of the sodiums and vegetable oils/fats in processed foods as they add flavour to our foods, but they also change our brain chemistry so we can become addicted to these foods. Many struggle with discipline but they truly may be addicted (ask me to send you a very good article on this). These sugars, sodiums, and oils/fats are very problematic to our health. Common sense, awareness and knowledge will guide you to use fresh organic whole foods or as I heard from a friend yesterday…use foods that have one ingredient on the food label (however these foods usually do not have labels…AH HA)!!
The one good reason we want to use our senses…inflammation. Inflammation is part of every disease and can be found in every part of our body. Using our senses will not increase the burden on our health. Every disease, ache, or pain has an inflammatory component, so if you have any of this then understand that you should consider consuming healthy essential fatty acids or omegas to bring down inflammation. Check out my website www.healthybalance4you.com on omegas as I do not recommend fish oils. Vitally important!
Be safe, be well and be smiling!!
Make it a healthy day!
VividLife.me Contributor
Cheryl Millett biography:
Cheryl Millett BSc RNCP CCIr has a degree in Holistic Nutrition and a diploma in Iridology with a specialty interest in digestion. For over 19 years, Cheryl worked for one of Canada’s largest grocery retailers in finance & risk management with experience in agricultural commodities and therefore the food processing area, so she has seen first hand the sugar refinery process, flour milling, and oil refining. For the past two years, Cheryl has practiced nutritional consulting with a belief in raw foods, omega 3s, enzymes, nutritional cleansing and minerals for optimum health. Her goals are to give her clients and others the education and tools to create a better quality of life. Recommendations are personalize based on the person’s level of motivation and current lifestyle in order to achieve optimum results. Cheryl has successfully coached hundreds to improve their health.
Life is a Love Affair
Life is meant to be a love affair, an actual love affair. Life, as it truly is, is in fact, a love affair. Now you can choose whether or not to experience life as such, whether or not to join in the dance. But no matter what, life itself always remains a true love affair, an intimate dance in each and every moment.
Every desire for love, every desire to love, is simply the longing within you to experience the reality of life, the truth of what you are. Your longing for love is your longing to know and experience yourself as the love that you are in reality.
Each and every human experience of love is designed for the sole purpose of showing you what you truly are; it is designed to illumine the nature of you true beauty.
The mistake that people make is thinking that love comes from some particular experience and is dependent on a particular experience. The human mind creates the illusion that love comes from an experience or an interaction with a particular object.
In reality, love is inherent in every experience. Love is what is actually happening in every experience. Most people miss this because they think of love as a feeling; they think of love as something that comes and goes. But true love is the very ground of existence. It cannot come and go because it simply IS. Love is what is in every experience. Whether your experience is pleasurable or painful, good or bad, friendly or unfriendly, what is happening is still love.
This may sound like a tall claim, an extreme claim, even an impossible claim. But if you think about it, even for a moment, you will discover that it can be no other way.
You do not exist as a separate individual but exist only in communion with the entire cosmos. You are appearing as what you perceive of as “you”, as a particular body-mind. But in essence, “you” has no independent existence at all. You are the same as the flowers, as the dirt, as the air, as your friends, as your lover, as your cat, as your dog. You are the same essence.
As you realize and experience this, every interaction becomes a kiss; every interaction becomes intimate. When you are open, when you are available, every experience is a kiss from the divine in its myriad forms.
- When you walk through the park, notice the trees, the flowers, the ocean – they all stop to smile, wave, and embrace you, if given half the chance.
- Instead of judging your body for its perceived flaws and imperfections, practice dropping into it and fully experiencing it. Your body is always alive with love.
- In every interaction, whether with pleasant or unpleasant, let yourself experience the love that is underneath the pleasure or the pain.
Love is what is happening all the time. Simply let life love you. That is what it is designed to do, if given half the chance.
So instead of thinking that love comes from a particular experience, use every experience where you feel love to remind yourself of what is already and always the case.
When you experience a moment of love, a hug from a friend, an embrace with your lover, a smile on a child’s face, let that remind you of the love that is always there, always available, all the time. Use that experience to remind you that life is love happening, and you are an intrinsic, indispensable, an exquisitely beautiful part of the cosmic love affair.
VividLife.me Contributor
Sarah Maria, author of Love Your Body, Love Your Life, outlines her 5-step process for helping you feel great in and about your body. Her work embraces the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, for true, lasting healing. Purchase your copy and begin to love your body today. Visit: www.sarahmaria.com or for more about Sarah Maria’s work, please visit: www.breakfreebeauty.com.
Balance comes from the ROOT
Working with people all over the world, it becomes more and more obvious that the Chakra energy system relates to everyone. I have used this as a tool for assessing the people I work with and helping them overcome their life challenges. I also use other tools, but I really want to discuss the Chakra system because it seems increasingly important for people in our society to know more about it.
There are 7 main Chakras and many systems that work with them. Below is information about each, in order from bottom to top.
First Chakra “Root” – Located between the genitals and anus. The colour associated with this Chakra is RED. This Chakra is the growth stage of standing up for yourself between of the ages of 0 and 7 years old.
Second Chakra “Sacral” – Located at the lower abdomen, between navel and genitals. The colour associated with this Chakra is ORANGE. This Chakra is the growth stage of challenging motivations based on social conditioning between of the ages of 7 and 14 years old.
Third Chakra “Solar Plexus” – Located between the navel and base of the sternum. The colour associated with this Chakra is YELLOW. This Chakra is the growth stage of self-esteem/self-confidence between of the ages of 14 and 21 years old.
Fourth Chakra “Heart” – Located at the centre of the chest. The colour associated with this Chakra is GREEN. This Chakra is the growth stage of forgiveness and compassion between of the ages of 21 and 28 years old.
Fifth Chakra “Throat” – Located centrally, at the base of the throat. The colour associated with this Chakra is Blue. This Chakra is the growth stage of personal expression between of the ages of 28 and 35 years old
Sixth Chakra “Third Eye” – Located above and between the eyebrows. The colour associated with this Chakra is Indigo. This Chakra is the growth stage of emotional intelligence above the age of 35.
Seventh Chakra “Crown” – Located on the top of the head. The colour associated with this Chaka is violet, gold, white. This Chakra is the growth stage of selflessness above the age of 35.
want to give you this so you get a base of knowledge of what the chakras represent. If you are having a challenge in life, you can see if it relates to a chakra. If it does, it could be manifesting itself physically, causing pain in that area. For example, if you’re having pain in the neck or shoulder area, it could be related to communication issues, be it at work, family, relationship, etc. Knowing the cause can help you to start working towards a solution.
There are different ways to balance out the Chakras (depending on what the challenge is): crystals, incense, oils, exercises or drills. Whatever area you are trying to balance out in your life, take your time and enjoy the process. Each person’s situation is different, and what works for one person might not work for another. Try a few different ways to balance out yourself and your Chakras. If you don’t feel a difference, I would be more than happy to answer any questions you might have. E-mail me at info@knssconsulting.com with your questions and I will personally answer them.
Balancing out your Chakras/lifestyle is extremely beneficial. By having your nutrition, relationships, finances, exercise and spirituality in harmony, you can enjoy the journey of life by living your legacy each and every day.
VividLife.me Contributor
Brandon Krieger H.L.C 2, C.M.T.A
3-months I healed my back without surgery & even the doctors were asking me what kind of crack I was on. Now I coach people how to do the same
http://www.twitter.com/Brandon_krieger
http:/www.youtube.com/knssconsulting
10 Steps to building a Stronger Immune System
March 3, 2010 by Craig
Filed under Beauty, Body, • Headline
1. Lemon Juice Intake.
Lemon juice is an electrolyte that restores the acid-alkali balance of the body. Adding a squeeze of lemon, into your drinking water, tea, salad dressings, dips and sauces, is a good way to fight bacteria and viruses and keeps the skin healthy. Lemons are rich in Vitamin A, C and P (bioflavonoid). It has a powerful antibacterial property that helps treat cholera, malaria, influenza, common colds and typhoid fever. Lemon is also considered as a diuretic, which means it is good for people with urinary tract infection and high levels of uric acid, which are the main causes of rheumatism and arthritis.
2. Herbal Healing Habits.
There is a particular herb for a particular illness. Nature offers plenty of medicinal plants that can help your body cope with allergies or even sickness. Garlic and ginger for example, can be chewed or boiled into a concoction, to prevent colds and normalize your blood pressure level. To relieve stress, one may take a hot bath with chamomile, calendula, rosemary and lavender. Plants make wonders too!
3. Sleeping Sufficiently.
Our body takes more time repairing its cells and tissues when we are sound asleep. Sleep boosts endocrinal health and balances the hormones that regulate our bodily functions. Because sleep calms our adrenal glands, it regulates the cortisol levels in our body making our heart rate normal, making our mind and muscles relaxed and stress-free. Sleep contributes a lot in keeping weight down, in having clear thinking and reasoning, in improving mood and emotional conditions, and in having a vibrant, healthy skin.
4. Protein Policy.
Protein is the building block of our tissues. A high-protein and low-carb diet is more recommendable, which promotes bone and muscle growth rather than fat and lipid deposits in our body. Protein also makes the body more active and strong, which is advisable for people who goes to the gym or loves outdoor activities.
5. Water Is Life.
Headaches and stress are common signs of dehydration. Our body is 60-80% made out of water, thus lacking it could lead to cellular malfunction. The best way to enjoy water is before and after an activity. Eight glasses or more is the advisable quantity to cleanse you. Without water, the body is not able to fully absorb nutrients and correct balance of your acid-alkali level. The healthiest type of water is alkaline water, which helps the body combat free radicals, toxins and anti-bodies.
6. Avoiding Coffee and Chocolate.
Caffeine is the worst thing in chocolate and coffee that gradually dehydrates the body as opposed to water. Coffee and chocolate may corrupt your body of essential nutrients and minerals, as it becomes acidic when processed in the body. Since, coffee and chocolate are usually coupled with sugar; the body is disabled from sending out natural hormonal signals that make us sleepy when we are tired. Summarily, coffee and chocolate is the biggest adversary of water and sleep, which is not healthy.
7. Don’t Be Too Sweet.
For someone with a sweet tooth, sugary foods are plainly irresistible. However, sugar counts for a lot of sickness and deadly diseases, one of which is diabetes. When we consume food with carbohydrates, sugar readily becomes a bi-product after digestion. The body needs sugar to form energy but too much of it is really dangerous.
8. Get Addicted To Fruits and Vegetables.
If there is something in this world that you should get addicted too, that is eating fruits and vegetables. Aside from vitamins and minerals that are present in fruits and vegetables, antioxidants, fiber, enzymes and rare forms of protein are found in them. Having this diet also supplies your body with potent Vitamin C, which is best in protecting the cells from viruses.
9. Get Physical, Go Outdoors.
If you’re the type who doesn’t like the four corners of the gym and loves nature, the most enjoyable way to sweat it out is doing outdoor activities such as hiking, mountain biking, jogging, rock climbing and many more. The body needs to excrete salt deposits and lipids through sweating and the constant cycle of dehydration and rehydration. Viewing the scenic beauty of nature is also proven to relieve stress and psychological imbalance. If you can’t get outdoors and need something gentle but very affective, think about investing in a vibration exercise machine. Or maybe your life is hectic and don’t have time? This investment can give you the benefit of a 1 hour workout in 10 minutes.
10. Enjoy Quality Time.
Modern science has pointed out that stress is a major culprit in contracting diseases. Emotional and mental problems are equated to ‘system failure’ like in your computer. The body needs time to breathe, which is lacking when we are full of activities or pre-occupied and anxious. Breathing deeply helps the body get the right amount of oxygen it needs. Take yoga sessions to improve breathing or learn a self-taught meditation exercise. Talk to friends. Talking your worries out frees you from anxiety and mental or emotional stress. Be happy and laugh more regularly, as they say it is the best medicine!
VividLife.me Contributor
Whether you are trying to live a healthier lifestyle or overcome an illness, Craig Jacobs & Healthier Living 4 You, offers you educational health information and wonderful health products. After Craig’s mother (Beverly Jacobs) was healed from their 3 in 1 FIT – Detox Foot Bath in 2003 from an overloaded body full of heavy metals which caused her chronic fatigue, depression and very painful joints, Healthier Living 4 You was born. There are 4 simple things you can do to live a healthy life very easily. First, start eating a healthy alkaline diet, drink good clean alkaline water, detox your body on a regular basis and exercise daily. Learn more on their products by going to www.healthierliving4you.com these are products every household needs! For some great health tips visit their blog at www.hl4y.com. Or for a great report on Your Toxic Truth visit: www.yourtoxictruth.com. Call us toll free – 1-866-745-5743
Living on the RAW Side!
“An open mind creates the avenue to learn and not to judge, to listen so that you can hear something that you haven’t heard before. Each of us has choices to make in this adventure called life…it is only yours to make.”
— Cheryl Millett
Recently I dined with Shayne Travis, the Founder of VividLife, and he posed a very good question, a question worth writing an article on. What is a raw food diet?
Raw foods come in many different forms but the other question to ponder is why eat raw food. Let me address both these questions.
Raw food in the meaning of becoming a raw foodist is much more varied than you think. I consume much of my diet from raw foods. Most people can guess that fruits and vegetables are on the list but so are seeds and nuts, warmed dishes, dehydrated foods (such as crackers, breads), juices, smoothies, dips, desserts, eggs, dairy, seal oil and more. The trick to varying up the menu is to learn how to prepare raw food dishes. You could learn how to prepare green smoothies. One can dry/dehydrate the food (kale chips…so yummy), heat to a low temperature (miso soup…many variations to create), and soak various foods like nuts to prepare the yummiest desserts (Black Forest Cake…one of my favourites). You just need to experience a raw food restaurant to see how gourmet the raw foods can be prepared. I am fortunate to have the LIVE restaurant only a 10 minute walk from my house.
More raw food restaurants are popping up…not quite as popular as the fast food restaurants BUT they are here to stay and will be growing in popularity. You just know you are eating well because you feel wonderful after the raw food fare.
Now most of us are not chefs so becoming a raw “gourmet” foodist is not going to work for most and not most of the time! The best way to begin is to continue to add healthy raw foods to your diet one step at a time (recommend: Eating for Beauty by David Wolfe) so you do not feel deprived until you begin to naturally desire a raw healthful way of eating. Maybe 50-70% raw foods or such will be your formula for a couple of years? Take your sweet time.
Here is a list of foods to sustain my raw food taste buds (please do make sure that ingredients are of good quality, organic and fresh…the source and quality matters for our vitality):
Various salads and homemade dressings….I have created very yummy ones.
Green smoothies…simpler than you think. And there are recipe books just on this.
Warm soups…miso soups and they can be prepared many different ways.
Dehydrated crackers and Dips…so many yummy dips to try.
Sprouted grain breads…the Essene bread topped with raw almond butter and pea shoots.
Fats/oils such as coconut oil, and seal oil.
Dairy…there is a cheese from raw milk available in the health food stores from L’Ancetre and others are popping up. So yummy!
Have I mentioned raw animal products? In my research travels, I have learned from Dr. Stanley Bass and others. Check out a video interview by Paul Nison on another long time raw vegan foodist is no longer.
Why a raw diet? Simply, cooked food has lost nutrition, its enzymes and the food is denatured and dead. Let me put it this way, food for thought. Cooked food cooked body. Live food live body.
Incorporate more raw food into your diet to reap the healthy benefits. Live on the raw side!!
For more information on the whole raw formulation of omegas with natural vitamin D oil go to www.AuumOmegas.com or contact me for more RAW information or to assist you with going RAW.
VividLife.me Contributor
Cheryl Millett biography:
Cheryl Millett BSc RNCP CCIr has a degree in Holistic Nutrition and a diploma in Iridology with a specialty interest in digestion. For over 19 years, Cheryl worked for one of Canada’s largest grocery retailers in finance & risk management with experience in agricultural commodities and therefore the food processing area, so she has seen first hand the sugar refinery process, flour milling, and oil refining. For the past two years, Cheryl has practiced nutritional consulting with a belief in raw foods, omega 3s, enzymes, nutritional cleansing and minerals for optimum health. Her goals are to give her clients and others the education and tools to create a better quality of life. Recommendations are personalize based on the person’s level of motivation and current lifestyle in order to achieve optimum results. Cheryl has successfully coached hundreds to improve their health.
Live the Mystery
How willing are you to live in the mystery? How willing are you to live the mystery? Or another way to ask this question is how willing are you to allow the mystery to live you?
You see, you live in mystery. Or, better said, you are a living mystery.
Very few people are ready and willing to accept this mystery. The mind wants to figure the mystery out, seeking to grasp and hold onto the mystery. The mind asks:
• What about this?
• How do I?
• But what if?
• How does it work?
• What will happen when?
And there is nothing wrong with these questions. Yet the deepest longing of your heart and soul, the deep yearning for truth, cannot be grasped and understood – it can only be experienced.
I heard a story once that a great scientist (I think Einstein) said: “God doesn’t play dice with the universe”. With the advent of quantum physics, another leading scientist reveled: “God not only plays dice, but he throws the dice where no one can find them.”
This is simply a way of saying that we are part of a mystery that cannot be explained, that cannot be understood, that cannot be grasped. But it can be experienced. The mystery can be revealed; you can literally experience a revelation; you can experience the revelation of the mystery.
In my experience, the fastest way to experience this mystery, to live this mystery, is through the heart. When you live from the heart, you transcend the mind. For many people, the mind serves as a barrier to the experience of truth. Not because the mind is bad, not because the mind is wrong, but simply because the mind has been conditioned, trained, away from truth.
The mind has been conditioned to have all sorts of beliefs, ideas, attitudes, and assumptions. And none of these beliefs can show you the mystery of reality, the mystery of life, because this mystery can only be experienced directly. It can be experienced not through thinking, feeling, or doing, but rather through surrendering.
It is natural, almost inevitable, to be afraid of living the mystery because living the mystery means seeing that you are not in control. For those of us who like to think we control life, or at the very least control ourselves, surrendering to the mystery can seem daunting, overwhelming, even unbearable.
Yet the truth of the matter remains – we are part and parcel of an incredible mystery. And we do not control the mystery. It is when you are willing to surrender to this mystery we call life that true beauty can begin to reveal itself.
So take some time this week to reside in the heart. Reside in your heart and see if you can let the mystery guide you to an experience of your exquisite nature.
VividLife.me Contributor
Sarah Maria, author of Love Your Body, Love Your Life, outlines her 5-step process for helping you feel great in and about your body. Her work embraces the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, for true, lasting healing. Purchase your copy http://www.amazon.com/dp/1605501530/?tag=brefrebea-20, begin to love your body today. Visit: www.sarahmaria.com, www.breakfreebeauty.com.
How To Detox Your Body
February 17, 2010 by Craig
Filed under Body, • Headline
Why Detoxify?
Put simply, detoxification is cleansing the body on the inside. As important as bathing or brushing your teeth, it is one of the most important health related functions we can perform during our lives, and is surprisingly easy for us to undertake.
Toxicity is a problem that virtually every person will encounter during their lifetime. Toxins come from our food, air, household cleaners, cosmetics, alcohol and prescription drugs, and a variety of other sources. As more toxins accumulate, our bodies are less effective in naturally eliminating those toxins.
Signs of Toxicity
Toxins in the body contribute to a variety of health issues which may include:
- Obesity
- Low energy
- Mental fog
- Low sex drive
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Digestive problems
- Chronic Pain and arthritis
- Skin problems
- Allergies and sensitivities
- Depression
- Cancer
In today’s toxic environment, tissue acid wastes, chemical and heavy metal residues build up in the body resulting in a greater incidence of allergies, mental, and physical incapacitation. To combat the effects, numerous products and programs are available to support the body in its natural cleansing process. More and more alternative health practitioners are introducing detoxification programs to reduce these symptoms and maintain health.
All healing traditions – Egyptian, Native American, Ayurvedic, Homeopathic, Chinese, and Shamanic – except Western Medicine offer body purification as a means of healing and avoiding disease.
Types of Body Detoxification
To help in your research process, the following is a sampling of some available cleanses:
Herbal Colon Cleanse – herbal remedies available in liquid or pill form, taken in conjunction with a high fibre, nutrient rich diet. Typically taken once per day, the herbs help to release waste and toxins stored in the digestive system.
Colon Hydro-therapies – bathing the colon with purified warm water helps to eliminate the build up of fecal matter in the colon, while also removing excess mucus, bacteria, and parasites present in the waste matter. Hydro-therapies treat acne and other common skin problems, while promoting regular bowel movements without diarrhea or constipation.
3 in 1 FIT Premium – Detox Foot Bath – has 3 modalities in one system. Far Infrared Heat provides a gentle, radiant heat therapy to stimulate circulation and improve your metabolism. FIR has been shown to help treat arthritis, muscle pain and backaches. Ionic Foot Bath Detoxification Accelerates the removal of toxins from the body through the process of osmosis. This reduces toxicity levels to help prevent illness and disease. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (T. E. N. S.) helps relieve joint and muscle pain.
Chelation Therapy – administering chelating agents to eliminate heavy metals from the body. Chelating agents bond with metal ions and together, are excreted by the kidneys and eliminated.
Many products are available, ranging in price and effectiveness. Just remember the only good detox is one you’re going to do!
VividLife.me Contributor
Whether you are trying to live a healthier lifestyle or overcome an illness, Craig Jacobs & Healthier Living 4 You, offers you educational health information and wonderful health products. After Craig’s mother (Beverly Jacobs) was healed from their 3 in 1 FIT – Detox Foot Bath in 2003 from an overloaded body full of heavy metals which caused her chronic fatigue, depression and very painful joints Healthier Living 4 You was born. There are 4 simple things you can do to live a healthy life very easily. First, start eating a healthy alkaline diet, drink good clean alkaline water, detox your body on a regular basis and exercise daily. Learn more à on their products by going to www.healthierliving4you.com these are products every household needs! For some great health tips visit their blog at www.hl4y.com.
5 Ways To Introduce Ayurvedic Principles Into Your Daily Diet
February 4, 2010 by vividlife
Filed under Body, • Headline
by Shreelata Suresh
“You are what you eat.” Right, but only 50% right, according to the ancient healing tradition of Ayurveda. The combination of what you eat and what your body does with what you eat is what actually shapes health and well-being.
According to Ayurveda, you are unique, and your dietary needs are unique too, determined by your body constitution, age, the season, your environment and your needs for balance at any given time. But there are some diet and digestion principles that are universally applicable. Here we present five that you can begin any time – the quick and-simple way to incorporate the Ayurvedic way of eating into your daily diet. Once you start seeing results, you can delve more deeply into doshas – Ayurvedic body types – and tailor a diet and digestion routine that’ best for you.
1. Add some Zest to Your Life with Lemon!
Add the freshly squeezed juice of half a lemon to a large cup of really warm water and drink first thing in the morning. Fresh lemon juice in moderation is good for all doshas. Lemon is a wonderful aid to internal cleansing. Antibacterial and antiseptic, lemon retards the presence of disease-causing bacteria in the digestive tract. It is also a digestion enhancer and helps reduce bloating and flatulence. It kindles a lethargic appetite, getting the digestive juices flowing. And it aids elimination, so your digestive tract is naturally flushed clear every morning. As an antioxidant, lemon helps fight disease-causing free radicals in the body. It helps keep your skin clear and your eyes sparkling.
More ways to use fresh lemon:
Add lemon zest to your herbal tea.
Squeeze some fresh lemon juice over your lentils.
Skip the fatty prepared dressing and opt for a squeeze of fresh lemon and a dash of extra-virgin olive oil over your salad.
2. Say “No Ice, Please!”
According to Ayurveda, iced beverages, especially with or right after a meal, can really slow down digestion. Imagine pouring cold water over burning coals set up to cook your food. That’s effectively what you do to your digestive fires when you gulp down iced beverages with your meal. Instead, opt for digestion-enhancing drinks. Warm water infused with fragrant fennel helps enhance digestion, prevents bloating, and freshens your breath naturally. Cumin tea, or ginger-mint tea made with fresh ginger root slices and fresh mint leaves are great alternatives.
Warm herb/spice teas stimulate the digestion, help your body assimilate the nutrients from the foods you eat and help flush toxins from the system.
To make herb or spice teas, bring water to a boil, add the fresh herbs or spices, turn off the heat, and cover. Let steep for 5-7 minutes, strain and enjoy.
3. Invite All your Senses to the Table
Digestion begins much before the first morsel of food goes down your throat. When food is prepared properly and presented beautifully, and your body and mind are receptive, all of your senses can aid digestion. When you eat mindfully, colors, flavors, aromas and textures blend to make the process of eating a delightful and productive experience.
Create an inviting, pleasant environment to aid in the enjoyment of a meal:
- Keep the dining table free of clutter. Only your food should grace the table at mealtimes.
- Diffuse appetizing aromas 30 minutes before your meal – lemon, orange and coriander are wonderful for getting those digestive juices flowing.
- Eat in a silent, serene atmosphere. Keeping your mind free of clutter while you eat will help your body and mind make the best use of what you’re ingesting.
4. Take a Lunch Break!
How many times a week do you grab a quick bite for lunch, use lunch as an excuse for getting business accomplished or skip lunch altogether?
According to Ayurvedic healers, lunch should be THE most important meal of the day. It’s the time of day when your digestion is naturally at its peak, and your body best able to complete the digest-absorb-assimilate cycle.
Yet most of us eat the biggest meal of the day at night, often not long before we go to bed, and the body has to rev up and work hard to digest the food at a time when it should be trying to get into rest mode. Unless you’re among the lucky few with a workhorse for a digestive system, eating heavy at night tends to result in undigested food clogging up your insides. You’ll find it harder to fall asleep, your skin might break out, you’ll gain weight easily, and you’ll not feel as energetic as you should during the day.
So take that lunch break, and eat your most substantial meal of the day around noon. Heavier foods and yogurt should be eaten at lunch rather than dinner for the same reasons.
And when you have five to ten precious extra minutes, take the time to just sit quietly after the meal, savoring the experience, before you resume activity. This will direct your body’s energy towards digestion before you draw it to other activities.
5. Drink to Good Health!
Water, the Ayurvedic beverage of choice, is crucial for digestion and absorption and to help flush toxins out of the body. It helps prevent bloating and constipation, and helps transport nutrients to the cells and tissues. It helps support the metabolism of fat.
Drink room temperature water or warm water through the day. Water spiked with digestion enhancing spices and herbs is even better. Light, clear vegetable broths, prepared fresh each day, are good detoxifiers and offer soothing comfort on cold winter days.
Source: http://www.boloji.com/ayurveda/av034.htm
We Are The Ones We Have Been Waiting For
February 4, 2010 by vividlife
Filed under Body, Growth, • Headline
Whoa. What just happened? Does 2009 at all resemble what we thought we knew twelve months ago?
In the last year, it seems that the world redefined itself. As the stock market fell, heroes like Captain Sully, the Hero of the Hudson, inspired us and new players like Sarah Palin emerged on the scenes. And while headlines told us about the toxicity in our financial system, our food supply and our politicians, comedians kept us laughing when we otherwise might have cried.
Somehow we survived: the downturns, the corporate scandals and the crises. And we survived with our hope, faith and dreams still intact. Because that is who we are.
We are mothers, fathers, creators and nurturers. We are teachers, lawyers, accountants and writers. And the future rests in our resiliently remarkable hands. We are soundly educated, compassionately connected and have been given the tools to affect the change required to restore the world to one worthy of our children’s inheritance.
The opportunity is tremendous. The adventure is ours for the taking, but we must not be daunted by the enormity of the task at hand. Rather, we should collectively engage our passions and our minds and collaborate to develop a blueprint for change.
If we each take action, together we can begin to restore the integrity that is now lacking in our system, our food supply, our banks and our government. And through these small acts, we can create a ripple of hope whose force is more powerful than any one of us could achieve individually.
What steps can we take? Cutting back on a digital cable package in order to pay down debt? Or cutting back on meat in order to buy more fruits and veggies? Reducing the amount of artificial colors and chemicals that have snuck into your child’s diet? Or switching out just one conventional lightbulb for a compact fluorescent lightbulb since they last ten times longer?
As we stand together, can you imagine the collective strength of what we could achieve if we each took just one step forward?
In the borrowed words of poet June Jordan, “We are the ones we have been waiting for.”
And as we look into the eyes of our children, we are the ones that they have been waiting for, too.
Robyn O’Brien
VividLife.me Contributor
According to the New York Times, Robyn O’Brien is “food’s Erin Brockovich”. As the founder of AllergyKids, an organization designed to protect the 1 in 3 American children with autism, allergies, ADHD and asthma, Robyn has appeared on Good Morning America, CBS Evening News with Katie Couric and CNNhighlighting the role that chemicals in our food supply are having on our health. Born and raised in a conservative Texas family on supply side economics and the Wall Street Journal, Robyn earned a Fulbright Fellowship, an MBA and served as an equity analyst on a multibillion dollar fund prior to moving to Boulder, Colorado with her husband and four children. Additional articles can be found on her blog, FOOD POLITICS, at www.allergykids.com
Self-confidence from the Self
In my experience, there is only one real way to increase your self-confidence, and that is through Self-confidence. Self-confidence, with a capital “S”, comes from focusing on the Self, your true Self, your actual Self. Self confidence with a small “s” comes from looking for stability, safety, and security, in that which is inherently unstable, transitory, and fleeting, which is never ultimately effective. Let me explain…
A lack of self-confidence, or low self-esteem, comes from the ideas, beliefs, attitudes, etc. that say you are not quite enough the way you are, that something is lacking. Perhaps you think your body is not thin enough, strong, enough, or healthy enough. Maybe you think you are not smart enough, not fast enough, not loving enough. Maybe you think you are too selfish, or too giving. No matter what your particular story line, no matter what your particular perspective, you think and believe that something is wrong with you, that you are somehow flawed and lacking in some way.
This belief-system, this set of assumptions, is the result of your conditioning and is simply not true.
You can spend your whole life working to build your self-confidence by changing certain things about yourself. And it can feel like it is working, like you have improved your self-confidence.
The problem is that anything, absolutely anything, that you perceive of as an object is transitory and fleeting. So you can improve your health, increase your income, experience beautiful relationships, but all of this is subject to change, and when it does, it can undermine the sense of confidence that you worked so hard to achieve. So consider instead shifting your focus entirely. Shift your focus from the ever-changing person of your imagination, to the Self which is immutable and never-changing. This is the Source of true Self-confidence.
The fact of the matter is that who you are, or rather what you are, is already, has always been, and will always be perfect. Who you are is the eternal Self, the Source of all reality. You cannot not be perfect. Yet in order to see this, you need to continuously shift your reference point. You need to fastidiously shift your focus away from the fleeting and temporary “person” that you think yourself to be and shift it toward that which is eternally perfect.
Instead of constantly looking for ways to improve yourself, give up the idea that you need improvement. Instead of spending your whole life attempting to perfect your “person”, discover that you not a person in need of perfection. Who you are is already perfect.
Life then becomes a practice of letting go of all the false ideas and beliefs that you carry around with you. Just like an overweight suitcase, these false assumptions drain you of your energy, vitality, and beauty. They eclipse the experience of your perfection.
So if you are interested in true Self-confidence, consider this as a practice:
- Accept the premise that who you are, exactly as you are, is already perfect.
- Become aware of every thought, idea, belief, behavior, feeling, and perception that runs contrary, that tells you somehow you are not quite good enough.
- Practice letting go of those perceptions. Let them go, one-by-one, staying focused always on that which is eternal and unchanging.
When you realize that what you are is already perfect, all questions of self-confidence disappear of their own accord and you are left with the ultimate Self-confidence.
VividLife.me Contributor
Sarah Maria, author of Love Your Body, Love Your Life, outlines her 5-step process for helping you feel great in and about your body. Her work embraces the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, for true, lasting healing. Purchase your copy, begin to love your body today. Visit: SarahMaria.com, BreakFreeBeauty.com.
