REST

Your mind and body needs rest.  Your quality of life is closely related to your quality of sleep.


Rest and take breaks from stress, work, toxins, etc...


With the invention of the lightbulb and technology we can run 24/7!!  But our bodies are meant to rise with the sun and set soon after the sun does.

So many things happen to our bodies when we push ourselves to stay up or burn the candle on both ends.

At about 9:00 pm we need to be laying down and letting our adrenals flush.

You need to hit a restorative DELTA sleep that cannot be achieved with sleeping pills, it's only from good deep natural uninterrupted sleep.  Growth hormone is released that heal and repair micro tears in our muscles and important hormones like serotonin are released.

Read in bed instead of using your phone, laptop or tv.  Try not to view electronics 2 hours before bed.

Get rid of flashing and beeping devices, keep the room dark to signal the body to release melatonin.

Studies have shown those trying to break bad habits, addictions or lose weight should always go to bed before 9:00 pm.  After 9:00 is when your cravings start to intensify and you will power slackens.


"Retire early to your beds and rise early that your mind may be invigorated"


If you have trouble sleeping be sure you are rising with the sun.  Get up a couple hours before you have to head out the door.  Plan, organize, meditate, exercise, and set goals for the day.

It helps to be on a regular schedule.  If you can try to get to bed at the same time each night, but even if you get to bed late, wake up at 5:30 or some set time and train your body to wake early.  In the evening your body will be tired and naturally go to bed earlier.  Plan your day so that you will be able to get to bed a a reasonable time.



 

H.E.L.P. Y.O.U. H.E.A.L.

HELP YOURSELF TO FABULOUS HEALTH

H=High Fiber
E=Enzymes
L=Leafy Greens
P=Protein & Probiotics

Y= You Time (Rest & Rejuvenate)
O=Omega 3 Oils
U=Unplug

H=Hormonal Balance (Appenectin, Leptin)
E=Emotional Energy Balance
A=Attitude
L=Love & Laughter



We need fiber to keep things moving in the body.  High fiber foods are things like flax meal or chia seeds.  Psyllium or other fiber supplements can actually rot in your gut and cause more inflammation and digestive issues.

Enzymes are important for digestion and breakdown of foods we eat.  Fresh raw fruits and vegetables contain enzymes.  Most have been sitting too long or have been flash pasteurized and lose their enzyme potency so it is a good idea to take enzyme supplements from time to time.


Leafy Greens!!  You can't get enough greens.  They are a great fiber and enzyme and vitamin source!  Iron, calcium, B vitamins,  A, C, & E.  Everything we need to thrive.  Sea vegetables like sea weed/kelp are full of iodine which helps strengthen a weak thyroid.


Protein and Probiotics.  Proteins are what we need for muscles and brain function. 
Probiotics are needed for reintroducing healthy bacteria into our digestive tract and helping to fight the constant barrage of toxins and microbes attacking our immune system.   Avoid antibiotics if possible and be sure to integrate extra probiotic between doses if you have to be on an antibiotic regimen.  Yogurt, Kefir, Kombucha, Kevita, fermented vegetables and high quality refrigerated supplements are a great source of probiotic.   You can google great recipes for homemade pickles and saur kraut.  A teaspoon of the probiotic vegetables each day will reduce inflammation and keep digestion and immune system strong!  (Bubbies is a good brand if you want commercially produced fermentation)

You Time!  Rest and Relaxation.  Read the post on sleep. Take time for you.  You deserve it. "Quality of Sleep is directly linked to quality of life"  

Throughout the day take little rests from stressful or continual tasks and do something different.  walk outside, read a book, chat with a friend, take a nap, clean out a cupboard, organize your closet, play online, get a massage, go workout,  bake a treat for a friend, whatever rests your mind and body and rejuvenates you.  Get your "SIPS OF OXYGEN" throughout the day, even if it is just a slow cleansing deep breath every once in a while.  My sips may not rejuvenate you and yours me, but find what your body needs and respect it.  I use a whole day to unplug on Sunday.  I rest from my typical tasks and focus on family and spiritual activities.  It really fills my cup for the week.


OMEGA 3's!!!  I cannot say enough about the necessity of Omega oils.  These are not only for physical prowess, but mental and emotional health too!  Fish oils are a great source of omega3.  Take supplements if you are worried about eating too much fish.  Also flax, hemp and chia are great sources of Omega 3 too!

UNPLUG.  Ok we all love technology.  If you are reading this online you are savvy and connected.  We can virtually do, see or learn anything we desire.  We multitask and can call, ping, post, text, email, work, be passively entertained, be educated and uplifted or waste time with brain melting nonsense, we can contact and be contacted 24/7!!  But there needs to be a time period during the day that we allow ourselves  to unplug.  Either enjoy the quiet and do old school activities like reading and gardening or house cleaning or exercising or physically connect with others.   Talk face to face, tough hug, play, interact... in real life!  Be present.

We have an UNPLUG FAMILY HOUR.  It starts at dinner and on a school night it lasts through the night.  We started this for our teens to connect with the humans they live with and to get organized for the next day, but we figured as the emulating parents we had better honor it too.  IT WAS VERY HARD to do this, but the time we spent with the kids and eachother and getting to things we "never have time to get to" made it worthwhile.  After we get kids in bed sometimes he will get on and shoot some emails for work and I may research and post, but we are both trying to be sure we carve out DOWN TIME for our phsyche and eachother (most nights.)

It improves sleep, immune health, and relationships.


Hormonal Balance.  Ok this is the key to the universe and it is affected by genetics, eating habits, exercise, sleep, environment, thoughts, feelings and moon cycles!!  If you have ever had a hormonal imbalance you know what it does to your mind body and spirit... fatigued, agitated, weight gain, memory loss, fogginess, attention deficit, anxiety, emotional roller coasters, increase or decrease of appetite and motivation, depression, etc...

There are certain mental spiritual and physical activities that can naturally help balance these but the good old fashioned nutrition, sleep and moderate exercise are frequently the answer.  In the area of nutrition there are many natural ways to figure out if you are low on progesterone, Appenectin, Leptin, Seratonin, etc...  There are great natural foods and supplements that can encourage the production or suppression of these hormones that you can try BEFORE you resort to life long dependency on Western Medicine prescriptions that typically bandaid a symptom wihout addressing the root cause and more often than not cause other complications and side effects.


EMOTIONAL ENERGY BALANCE
This is also a topic that can take volumes, but for now I will suggest getting in tune and listening to yourself.  Your thoughts and self talk.  Analyze it.  Notice patterns.  Question what you are really feelling and reacting to and why it may affect you the way it does.  There are great books on INTROSPECTION to guide you on a self exploration. 
Also google and watch podcasts on BRADLEY NELSON's the BODY CODE or EMOTION CODE.  There are many modalities that use this same principle of energy work and emotional trauma release, but I like the comprehensive and easily self taught approach of Dr. Nelson's technique.

Body Code
Emotion Code
TAT
NAET
Ask & Receive
TAP


ATTITUDE
If you have ever watched the "SECRET"  "MESSAGES FROM WATER" or "WHAT THE BLEEP DO WE KNOW" & "DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE" you already know that most thoughts have a vibration.  You emit healing positive energy or negative energy with every thought and feeling you give attention to.

SMILE
Imagine things will turn out OK. 
Try to see the eternal perspective of current issues
Shield Yourself
Champion Your Inner Self
Picture and Expect Successful outcomes

the spiritual idea or creation precedes the physical creation
We create our own realities


LOVE & LAUGHTER
LOVE is the highest vibration or healing frequency.  We can't live without it.  Studies in third world hospitals with less technology had higher success with infant survival than the sterile high tech western hospitals.  When they incorporated human touch the infant mortality rate dropped significantly. 

When we feel love for and from others we are recharging our life source and sending healing energy into the universe.

Laughter is imperative.  We can't take everything in life so seriously.  Laugh a yourself.  Laugh with others.  I call my sisters or a good friend and have a good laughing session.

Nutrition

Food is Fuel

What kind of car would you like to be driving? 

When I first started driving I'd take whatever beater car I could get and run it until it got to the empty side of empty before I'd take the time and money to put the cheapest gas in it.  It limped along for me for a surprising duration of time considering the abuse and maintenance neglect, but eventually it started having expensive problems (which I delayed tending to) until I finally ran it into the ground. 
Nobody likes depending on a clunker.  What we'd like to have a premium car that is comfortable and dependable and it's a plus if it looks super sleek too.  If

If you had an expensive luxury car would you put cheap dirty gas in it?  Would you run it until it was on empty and sucking up all the grunge on the bottom of the gas tank?

NO! You'd put the best fuel in possible and refill when it gets to half a tank and take it in for regular maintenance.  That way it will look and run good for a much longer time.


So what model are you??

Food is not an enemy it is FUEL.   Fad diets, drastically reducing calories, skipping meals, eating refined junk food or artificial diet food is cheap gas.  It may get you where you want to go for awhile, but eventually it will start to show in your looks or performance.

When you eat fresh organic clean whole foods that your body was built to process you feel satiated, you are less likely to binge or overeat and you get sick less often and recover quicker.

Run and not be weary, run and not faint.

The natural blessings of living a clean life are a CLEAN BODY a CLEAR MIND and a SPIRIT IN TUNE.

Every body is different.  Allergies and Intolerances or aversions come and go do to genetics, lifestyle, environment, thought patterns and coping skills.

Find what works for you.  My husband is A blood and does better doing more vegetarian style diet with whole wheat bread that he loves to make, and annual juice fasts.

I'm a type O and his wheat rolls are like my kryptonite!!  I get inflamed even looking at them and if I partake I feel foggy and tired and can't seem to wake up fully.  I do better with a Paleo style diet and feel energized by a lean and green approach. 

Either way or blood type it is important to eat.  Start your day with protein to set your metabolism for the day.  Be sure to snack or eat small meals about every 2 hours or so.  This will keep your metabolism chugging along at a nice pace to burn the fuel for the day.

To get started eating clean cut out processed foods for about a week, cut out caffeine and sugar or any artificial stimulants and then do a 2 week sugar detox so your body can start fresh.

I have a book on TWO WEEK SUGAR DETOX that incorporates Body Mind and Spirit Balance along with toxin flush.


Grow a garden or find a co-op or start a garden swap
Shop the Farmers Market
Eat red meat sparingly, mostly in winter and eat sustainable fish and leaner meats.
(Eat plenty of fresh and raw cilantro to cleanse any heavy metals from the fish you intake)

You will find it actually costs less, produces less garbage and waste and, once you get the hang of it, it won't take long to prepare either.  (Plan Menus and do some prep on weekend for quick on the go meals you can grab and go)  Most of your waste will be able to be recycled in the garden compost or feed the chickens etc... Plus the biggest benefit is how you will feel eating clean unprocessed food you grow and prepare yourself!

Physical Fitness

Move

Break a sweat daily.

Every body is different and some thrive on running long distance marathons and carbing up for the fuel to do so.  That is great for them.  Do what makes you feel good.

For me, I feel our bodies were not built to sustain long fight or flight stress.  Short bursts of high intensity work outs followed by weight lifting seems to be the key for my success and lifestyle.

I don't have time to spend hours in the gym.  I try to incorporate my workout throughout the day with what I'm doing.

For instance:  I wake up and stretch and meditate and pray. 
Sun salutate.
I walk the boys to school and then run home with 1 minute sprints and recovery.


Circuit 2-3 days a week.  Set 1 minute timer do 3 sets of five different circuit activities that alternate upper and lower body.

Push Ups (all different hand positions and variations)
Squats (add barbells to intensify) Sumo Squat Variations and Water Pump
Plank (alternate heights)
Wall sits (add barbells to intensify)
Lift Weights
Pelvic Tilts
Step Ups
Pull Ups (assisted or free)
Leg Lifts
Bar Dips

Alternating days do more cardio and play tennis or other sports or bike or do the elliptical