Green and Healing

Tony Robbins - and Keeping Holiday Depression At Bay

Instead of listening to the radio, which bombards me with millions of ads for things I cannot afford and leaves me feeling empty - I have been listening again to my Tony Robbins "Get the Edge" CD set.  I find myself arriving at work more focused and relaxed than ever before, and being able to roll with the punches a lot better - without letting the economic ups and downs get to me.

I plan to start Tony's recommended 10% savings program right after Christmas, and am already losing weight by drinking green drinks (while my husband and daughter turn up their noses). 

I highly recommend this CD set for anyone who wants to get their life back on track - turn off the radio and get out of the rat race!

If everyone did this, I would predict that holiday depression rates would decrease over 100%!!!   We get depressed as we just can't afford all the crazy stuff  being pushed at us every minute by the media.

What to Do for Achy Joints

Winter is here, and those of us who suffer from arthritis are feeling the bite of the cold air in our bones and joints.  There is relief to be had, and through research and trial and error - I have found a combination that works. The three best supplements to take are MSM, Glucosamine, and Chondroitin.  I find that when I take all three, I feel the best.   These supplements can take up to six months before you will notice the change, but they help provide the elements and nutrients your body needs to create healthy cartiledge and connective tissue. 

It also helps a great deal to alkalize your body, as we tend to eat overly acidic foods and acids will attack your joints and wear them away.  Drinking green juice or eating more greens will help.

One great product that combines all three of the beneficial supplements into one is called Joint Advance.   As our body also converts quite a bit of what we eat into acidic ash, this product includes a joint health diet plan as well. 

As traditional NSAIDs can deplete our bodies of sulfur, which is needed for the creation of healthy joint tissue, I would suggest NOT taking them.  Joint Advance includes White Willow bark which is a natural pain killer.  If this doesn't have enough White Willow in it for you, you can always go to your health food store and get more. 

Survive the Holidays Through Cleansing

 

Tis the season to pollute our bodies, gain weight, and get sick, but this year, I have decided that I REFUSE to suffer these indignities.  Instead, I plan to indulge only enough to enjoy the season, and to cleanse my body as soon as I do so that I don't end up pudgy, run down, and overweight. 

Here is my holiday survival guide:

1) I plan on drinking 8-12 glasses of water per day. This will help push the sugar cookies I am sure I will break the Provida diet with out and through.

2) Keep my body alkaline through drinking as much green juice as I can stand

3) Using an herbal cleansing supplement, such as Dual Action Cleanse which is a system with both a fiber formula (based on a proprietary mix of 22 different fibers and herbs), and a body purifier with herbs that target specific parts of the body, like the liver.  

4) Exercising daily in some form or another.  

My gift to myself this season will be the gift of wellness.   

The Liberating Power of Yoga

 

My youngest daughter is in the midst of a difficult transition - this is her first year of middle school.  We require her to take part in one activity, usually it has been music, but this year, she asked for yoga.  After inquiring at my local club, they allowed her to attend the adult class only if I would attend with her.

I was a bit nervous at first, I walk almost daily and lift weights to help improve my bone mass - but at my age I was concerned about whether or not my body would still bend into some of those difficult poses. 

Today, after my second class with my daughter, I am thrilled that we have undertaken this journey together.  Not only is my body slowly rising to the challenge and bending and moving much better than I had even hoped, but we have formed a wonderful way to bond together as mother and daughter. 

In today's class, I felt the stress melt from my shoulders and neck and my body relax in ways I haven't felt for many years.  Although I am a bit sore, I feel more flexible and capable - and younger in many ways.  I feel like issues such as judgement of myself and others, self-criticism, and anger are melting away in the peaceful movements as I go from asana to asana. 

I can hardly wait until next week's class!

[Photo Credit:  www.yogadestin.com]

Creative Ways to Limit Sodium in Your Diet

In today's world - healthy eating often mean expensive eating.  Due to my husband's illness AND the Provida diet I am trying hard to stick with - sodium is restricted, in his case, to 2,000 mg per day.   I had never limited sodium before, so imagine my surprise when I started to read the labels of common grocery store items.  Even the lowered sodium preprepared products have 600mg or more of sodium per can, and given the way we were eating, we were probably getting up to 10k mg per day or more.  Excess sodium has been found to cause anything from calcium deficiencies to high blood pressure to water retention, so it is really surprising our FDA allows this to continue! 

Soy sauce and all the oriental sauces, all preprepared soups and meals, pickles  or anything pickled, prewrapped and sliced cheeses, bacon, all sausage products, pizza, and/or beef broths all will take a healthy chunk out of your daily sodium budget so they have to be consumed sparingly.

Ways we have found to restrict sodium include: