Stop the Head-spinning Diet Plan Confusion!

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As we all know pretty clearly, there are thousands of books and programs on losing weight, eating better, and detoxing your body and we’re so desperate that we buy them up until we look at our bookcase or e-reader and feel overwhelmed.

My suggestion is stop. Sit back, catch your breath and decide what you want to do, why you want to do it and what your first step will be. Each author of their book or diet plan feels deeply that their plan is the only one that works; that statement is untrue. One plan might work for some people but not everyone. Each of us is different and unique and our diet plan and approach should be different and unique as well.

My approach with my clients is to start where they’re at and build from there based on their daily habits, personal concerns and lifestyle. For now, stop the book buying madness, consider where you’re at, where you want to be and what steps you’re willing to take to get there. Find out who you truly are from deep inside. Take a deep, cleansing breath and relax. Begin your journey to wellness steadily with the basics and support that can guide you in the right direction for you specifically. Find the common theme in which food affects you or helps you and grow with it and stick with it.

If you’re interested in taking the next step toward working with a personal health coach, I’m here for you. Email me and let’s get you started on your way to feeling better inside and outside! Reach me at Dawn@initiatewellness.com

Chin up, smile on and always keep a foot forward!

Dawn ~ Your personal health coach

 

Cool Your Joints!

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We’ve all heard someone say at one time or another “cool your jets” but what I’ve heard quite often lately is “cool your joints”. Yes, all the joints in your body that ache can be alleviated simply by healthy eating. Some folks have food triggers that lead to stomach aches, backache, headaches and even sore, inflamed joints. If you’re one of those with joint pain, consider the foods you eat. Many folks don’t want to hear the words “eat your fruits and veggies”, but they are the foods that will help the most. You don’t have to become a vegetarian but you should eat between eight and thirteen servings per day. It’s not as hard as it sounds. We’ve learned to over-estimate serving sizes, we’ve become gluttons and we eat more food than our bodies need; except when it comes to fruits and vegetables.

So, the foods that will benefit us in more ways than alleviating joint pain, such as keeping us safe from cancers and diabetes are whole grains like brown rice and quinoa, cherries, cranberries, pears and prunes (dried as well as fresh), a variety of fresh lightly cooked/steamed vegetables-green, yellow and orange veggies: artichokes, broccoli, chard, collards, lettuce, spinach, green beans, squashes and sweet potatoes, condiments in moderation such as salt, pure maple syrup, vanilla extract are helpful, and…yes, water. Water keeps the joints lubricated.

If you have chronic pain whether mild or strong, consider adding food to your diet, just make sure the food is in the form of fruits and veggies and eat all you want!

 

Set Daily Intentions ~ Don’t Give Up

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One of my best tips is to set your intention daily. If you set your intention saying it out loud and/or writing it, first thing in the morning every day, you’re more likely to follow through.

You start out setting your intention, feeling positive about it and ready to end old bad habits and begin new good habits. An hour or two pass by and you find yourself heading for the snack table, the smoking area, playing around on social media or whatever thing fits your intention sabotage(r). You feel like you’ve failed early on and you give up until tomorrow. You feel like you can’t do it, you label yourself as a failure and you feel slightly self-loathing. Stop. All of that negativity is unnecessary.

When you set your intention and fail to follow through perfectly it only means that you’re human. Phew! No worries and no giving up. When you give in, you haven’t yet succeeded but you haven’t yet failed either. Pick yourself up, brush yourself off, look yourself straight in the eye (in a mirror or other reflection of course) and say, “nice try, now let’s try again”!

Set an intention every morning, say it, write it, believe it and work on it all day long. If you trip, begin again. Forgive yourself for slipping up, remind yourself of your intention, and take a redo. As long as you keep working toward your goal – working on things you want to change and never give up, you can succeed.

Whatever your intentions might be, they are important enough to work on achieving success with them.

Never give up on yourself.

Tips & Tidbits

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Nuts eaten 5 days or more per week can lower the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Nuts also improve the health of the lining of your arteries. Choose almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia, peanuts, pine nuts and pecans for the highest benefits. The proper amount of nuts per day is a small handful or 1.5 ounces.

Regular exercise has been proven to cut the risk of hip fractures more than milk/dairy intake.

If you can’t get your kids to eat their much-needed vegetables, let them choose how they are prepared or seasoned. Let them dip their veggies in anything they choose; ketchup, dressing, yogurt, even peanut butter or jelly! At least they’re getting the vegetable inside them and all the beneficial nutrients.

If you’re feeling hungry after you’ve eaten, consider if you’ve eaten enough complex carbohydrates such as whole grains and fresh vegetables.

Drink water! Too little will lead to fatigue, hunger, headaches and sugar or carbohydrate cravings.

Lycopene in tomatoes helps give you natural sun protection from within; but not complete protection so use a natural sunscreen with plenty of zinc oxide in it!

Dairy allergy is linked to acne. If you suffer from acne, try to omit dairy for 3-4 weeks to see if your acne improves.

Excess sugar intake increases your chance of developing Type II diabetes by nearly half.

Meditating 2x/day = 47% chance less likely to experience heart attack/stroke resulting in death.

Replace soda with seltzer and fruit juice (with no sugars, natural or artificial)

For athlete’s foot or ‘smelly’ feet use 2 tablespoons salt and 1 pint warm water, soak daily for 10 minutes.

The Nature Gym

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Many people I know go to the gym between 4 and 7 days a week for an hour or up to several hours and they love it. They like having a large variety of equipment to use, seeing the same regulars doing their own circuit, and being able to depend on trainers for help and advice and perhaps for many other reasons I may be missing here.

I also know many people who don’t care for the gym atmosphere and I’m finally confident in myself enough to admit that I am among those who don’t care for it. I don’t dislike it completely, I would never try to sway anyone from going if that is what they enjoy, and I’m not saying I would never go to a gym; it’s just at the bottom of my preference list.

My favorite gym is the Nature Gym. I love the place and it’s everywhere and has been in existence forever; there is no membership required, no fees, no limited hours, no dress code other than the one you choose, there’s no judgement, go alone, with a friend or with a group, and best of all…there are no walls. It’s right outside my window and your window. It begins at your front door or your back door and it’s always open for business, rain or shine. You can use equipment or come just as you are.

Even if you’re a fan of going to the local building that houses your gym, take a short trip out a door near you and try out the Nature Gym. Take a walk, go for a run, ride a bike, take a hike, climb a hill, climb a mountain, go for a swim, lace up your roller blades, ice skates, clip in your skis, your snowboard, ride a horse, play with your dog, play with your kids, fly a kite, throw a ball, throw a frisbee, jump a rope, hula hoop, climb a tree, plant a garden, rake some leaves, discover a trail, sit high atop the summit and meditate before hiking down…find a renewed spirit within you!

The Nature Gym is my favorite place to work out!
Where is your favorite workout? Your local gym? Your home? Outdoors? Let us know, share your why!

Going to the Nature Gym

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Many people I know go to the gym between 4 and 7 days a week for an hour or up to several hours and they love it. They like having a large variety of equipment to use, seeing the same regulars doing their own circuit, and being able to depend on trainers for help and advice and perhaps for many other reasons I may be missing here.

I also know many people who don’t care for the gym atmosphere and I’m finally confident in myself enough to admit that I am among those who don’t care for it. I don’t dislike it completely, I would never try to sway anyone from going if that is what they enjoy, and I’m not saying I would never go to a gym; it’s just at the bottom of my preference list.

My favorite gym is the Nature Gym. I love the place and it’s everywhere and has been in existence forever; there is no membership required, no fees, no limited hours, no dress code other than the one you choose, there’s no judgement, go alone, with a friend or with a group, and best of all…there are no walls. It’s right outside my window and your window. It begins at your front door or your back door and it’s always open for business, rain or shine. You can use equipment or come just as you are.

Even if you’re a fan of going to the local building that houses your gym, take a short trip out a door near you and try out the Nature Gym. Take a walk, go for a run, ride a bike, take a hike, climb a hill, climb a mountain, go for a swim, lace up your roller blades, ice skates, clip in your skis, your snowboard, ride a horse, play with your dog, play with your kids, fly a kite, throw a ball, throw a frisbee, jump a rope, hula hoop, climb a tree, plant a garden, rake some leaves, discover a trail, sit high atop the summit and meditate before hiking down…find a renewed spirit within you!

The Nature Gym is my favorite place to work out.

#9 – My Outside Gym

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I choose to change the way I view a physical workout. I’m not a big fan of going to the gym. I’d rather be outdoors climbing a hill, a mountain or walking anywhere in nature.

I plan to get outside more and use that time for being physically active.

A large number of us are indoors more often that out; I think it’s important to find a renewed sense of being by feeling, seeing, hearing and smelling the great outdoors, the sunshine, the rain and the breeze.

My new habit is to get outside every day!

On Being Disconnected

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I recently watched a short video-poem about turning off the devices and social media to truly live life in person. I thought, ‘yes, this man has a great point’! I think I’ll try it sometime but not today, I need my smart phone, I need to stay connected.

Less than 24 hours my smartphone crashed due to a software update. After trying every suggested fix I resorted to a visit to my wireless carrier whom could not fix it either. Only possible solution; a new replacement phone…in 3 days. THREE days without a cell phone! NO! How can I survive?! I use my phone for work as well as play. What will I do in my spare time?

Day 2 – I had to have my car inspected, while waiting in the appropriate area I found myself fidgeting, I didn’t know what to do. As I look around I see a table with magazines and a local weekly newspaper, read one? Nah, too outdated – it’s a week old! There are two other people there waiting, quietly ignoring each other. I look at my nails, I look at my old registration as if something new will catch my interest, I memorize the maintenance services menu; ugh, how can time pass so slowly? I wonder what is happening in virtual land?

An elderly woman walked in sharing her ‘dilemma’ about someone stealing her car and scraping off her sticker and putting last year’s sticker on in its place. She asked if they could print a copy of her 2014 sticker since she had the paperwork of her most recent inspection. Once the woman behind the desk got her situated and convinced that they can’t print copies she sat beside me and we began talking about refrigerators on the B H & G magazine she was flipping through. We talked, she released her stresses and lo and behold, my time was up! I made it through without a social media distraction and I was social in real life and it felt good!

I’m still without a phone, I have 24 hours to go and I know now that I can do this! I will make it a point to put down the electronic devices at least once a week from here on…for as long as I can stand it anyways; I’m setting intentions but I won’t make any promises.

Challenge yourself to this even if you do it for an hour a day or from 7:00pm on each night.

Try being disconnected from virtual land and reconnect with life!

Nurture Yourself Every Day

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You get so caught up in things you are expected to do that you sometimes lose touch with what you enjoy doing; you can even lose yourself to the thoughts of the day, of the job or of the things that aren’t going right in your life. It’s important to take time to regain yourself back.

When you take time for yourself, you might feel that you’re being selfish even if it’s only ten minutes but it’s not selfish at all, in fact it can make you mentally and emotionally healthier and useful for others and yourself.

At least once a day try this:

When you arrive home from a long day, take ten minutes to sit quietly, reflect on the day, calm your mind’s activity and planning, concentrate on your breathing – Just be still, hear the sounds, smell and feel the air around you. Be calm. Take a few deeper breaths and sit for a few more seconds before ending your peaceful, nurturing appointment with yourself.

Daily self-care, self-love and self-centering can help you gain control in stressful situations and it can better support you in achieving your goals.

Because being positive is just more fun!

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A positive mind leads to a positive life I think I can…I know I will. Positive thinking reduces stress and can improve your health. Thinking positive doesn’t mean that we have to ignore things that aren’t going right for us; it simply means to acknowledge what is wrong and decide what steps we can take to make improvements. According to the Mayo Clinic positive thinking increases life span, lowers rates of depression, lowers levels of distress, gives greater resistance to the common cold, leads us to better psychological and physical well-being, reduces the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, and gives us better coping skills during hardships and times of stress. Self-nurturing time can come in handy to practice the power of positive thinking too.

Who doesn’t want to have fun?