fresh ground health

from wikipedia.org

I sometimes think of the start of a new year as being on a mountain top – where I can look back at the trails I took to get here in the previous year and also look ahead to the paths I need to take to reach my next mountain peak, and the next.  Sometimes, when we’re in the trenches of the trail itself, it can be easy to loose sight of the very summit we are trying to get to, much less see the ones we hope to get to next.

In the first half of last year, I was in the trenches of my climb, focused heavily on forging my way past every obstacle in my path.  While I kept the image of my goal in my head, I lacked the perspective to see if I was actually getting any closer to the mountain top.  Until I stopped.  I took a break around late June/early July and took a step back from all the weeds I’d been whacking and rocks I’d been jumping (or stumbling) over.  I checked my location.  I looked again at my desired destination and looked back at the trail I’d cut through the rough over the past several months.  While I could certainly see the effort – I didn’t see the progress I’d been hoping for.

So, I decided to make a change.  I checked the temperature and the wind.  Which is to say, I checked in with the world around me and asked myself – what do people really need from me most?  And how am I most equipped to deliver it?  While private coaching is extremely effective and enjoyable, I’ve known deep down that it just isn’t accessible to much of the world who needs it the most.  And reading the current trends in both the economy and in healthcare, I was reassured that the goal I seek – to have a great impact on the way Americans connect their food with their health – was the right one, right now – if I can just make it accessible to more people. This brought me back to my book and an online video series that can deliver my message to more people in more places regardless of their economic resources.

And so, I spent the next 6 months scaling back my coaching practice to just a few (lucky)  clients and focusing on my writing and on finishing my book.  Although I set out to complete a short and simple book in just a few short months back in November of 2011, I’m ultimately thankful that I ended up taking more time with it because I can see all the ways the book has become more rich and satisfying – just like a great meal should be!

And now, as I look ahead from my mountain top – with a COMPLETE draft of my book!! – I can more clearly see the steps that lay ahead, with editing, reviews, publishing and the supporting video series.  And the great news for all my loyal and patient readers – Thank You! – is that one step includes releasing sneak preview excerpts from the book through this blog and/or my newsletter! Woo-Hoo!  So, stay tuned!

And, as I connect back to my coaching roots, I’d like to point out how this might apply to your own health goals for losing weight or improving your “numbers” or even just making more time to cook your meals.  Sometimes, when we’re really caught up in our efforts or in our attempts to do better, eat better or be better – we very well could be missing the forest for the trees.  If you really are making an honest effort and not getting results, taking a break to get some fresh perspective can make all the difference in the world.  And second, that once I took stock of my methods and progress and decided to make a change – the biggest change (and the hardest to make) was in my thinking. After that, the actions I took in the new direction felt easy and natural.

Happy New Year! Here’s to creating our Best Year Yet!

Andrew Harvey

I had the powerful experience of hearing Andrew Harvey speak live at a Mindful Metropolis event last month and it is still haunting me. My intent was to network and build relationships that could help grow my business.  What I got, was an experience that helped grow my soul.

Here was a man, I’d heard of a dozen times and never really explored. And now that I know what he’s all about, perhaps that’s because on some level, I wasn’t ready for what he had to say.  His manner was charming, sophisticated, and witty. His message was rooted in the Sheer Power of Divine Love. This is where the lecture began. Within minutes, I was locked in, along with every other being in the room, I think.

But from this nurturing beginning came the hard truths, the reminders not just of the world’s reality, but of our responsibility to contribute our gifts to the world and our complicity in it’s destruction if we do not. Just because Divine Love is unconditional, doesn’t mean it’s not Tough when it needs to be.

Yes, it’s great that we take the time to look within, to question and reflect, to evolve in our understanding of self and other, light and shadow.  But if we do not take that step of action, it is all for nothing.  Marianne Williamson said it, when she said, “Your playing small doesn’t serve the world” and on this night, taking in the message pouring through Mr. Harvey, it struck me deeper than ever before.  Because this time, there was urgency attached.

Just a few more years until our world, our establishments, our economy, our lives as we now know them, are pushed to the brink; no longer asking, but demanding that we Evolve or Die.  That really is the question, dear Hamlet.  For just “To Be” is passive; more similar to Death than it’s opposite. Evolution. Change. Growth.  Those are the real opposites of Death.  And so, to float through life “just being” or just doing our own thing, or just keeping to ourselves, we do NOTHING to contribute to the Evolution of the world.  In this game, there is no fence to sit on, no sidelines to watch from; we are ALL players, every day.

Is it alarmist to say we’ve only got a few years left?  The question for me isn’t to argue over how long we have until the shit hits the fan, but over what statement it will take to spur us, finally, into solid action?  Why do we need to wait for that diagnosis and our life expectancy sentence from the doctor to finally see the importance of, not just living more healthfully, but really soaking up the robust experience of life itself?

Perhaps some of us have wished for such a pronouncement because we perceive the shift that can happen through an imposed ‘death deadline.’ Life becomes richer and more meaningful and fear, amazingly, loses its grip.  Maybe the thing that keeps us all so stuck in fear and doubt and the status quo, is the act of trying to convince ourselves that our time here isn’t limited.  What if, by embracing the immediacy of our mortality, the fragility of all human existence, we could reconnect to what makes life so worth living.

For me, it’s my relationships. It’s making a difference in anyone’s life whether I know them or not. Smiles and laughters shared. Moments of connection and meaning.  Anytime I discover that I have more strength and courage in me than I thought I had. Helping others to wake up to the untapped power in themselves to live out loud and make a difference.

Andrew Harvey left us with a statement that has changed everything for me.  He said that it isn’t about ‘following your bliss’ but about ‘following your heartbreak.’  Find the thing that breaks your heart about the world and give everything you’ve got to healing that wound in the world.

My heart breaks when I see the epidemic of disease in our world that is crippling and killing our children,  our mothers and fathers, our friends and grandparents, and knowing that 90 percent of those diseases are preventable.  My heart breaks at the misinformation and manipulation perpetuated by greed and corruption.  My heart breaks when I learn that our food system has been Polluted, Poisoned and Pimped all in the name of Profits.

It’s time for Tough Love, y’all.  Mother Nature is giving us the cues.  This Corporate Colonization of our Planet has got to go.  And it ain’t going down without a fight.

as the days for the New and Improved Spring Detox Program are just around the corner, I’ve been getting so much inspiration into the real reasons and benefits for doing (and teaching) this type of health and wellness skill.  I’m feeling myself waking up with new commitment, refreshed connection to my mission to help others take ownership of their health.

Yes, living healthfully in this day and age is a set of particular skills.  It’s also, many days, a riddle.  When I see healthy lifestyles rewarded with cancer and misinformation pumped into the masses not just through advertising, but foundations, schools and training facilities, one might be tempted to deem the whole health quest thing a lost cause, a pointless expenditure of time, energy and money.

But the truth, is busting up through the cracks in this horribly broken system we call healthcare like weeds in a sidewalk.  – Did you know that weeds are very nutritious? -

• Living healthfully doesn’t involve eating foods with ‘healthy’ written on the label.  It means eating foods that don’t come with labels (and knowing what to do with them to make them taste good to you and your family).
• And once you learn that our real food has been weakened by depleted soil, polluted water, and stupid chemicals, you now must learn to become an activist
• Eating healthy probably means NOT following some experts health advice.
• And to live a healthy life, requires the ability to make those decisions and the faith and confidence to trust yourself when you make them.

And so, for me, in the face of any struggles or barriers I may perceive to running a business or reaching the right people, there really is no other choice than put myself out there and be available to help others learn the skills to improve their health.  It’s what I was put here to do.

Learning the skill of a seasonal detox is important now, but it will become necessity as the effects of our polluted world start to beat us over the head.  For many people in the world, this is already happening.

To take part in a dietary cleanse is to open oneself up for growth and evolution in a very profound way.  We tap into that part of us that is able to transcend the body with the power of spirit, even as we deeply honor and respect the perfection embedded in every cell of our body.  Over the course of a detox program like this one, we have the opportunity to more fully arrive in our lives by stripping away the mindless activities that keep us detached from the business of living.

And the food.  The food is the cornerstone.  Energy in its most earthly form.  If you have the resources to select quality whole foods, you have a chance to infuse your body with the purest form of energy.  And by doing so, you help to sustain it’s production when it has otherwise become an endangered species (aka – a form of activism through consumerism).

Choose real food.  Choose slowing down.  Choose meaning.  Choose depth.  Just Choose it now.

The Spring Detox Workshop begins this Saturday at 10:30am in Chicago.  The Online class begins next Wednesday night.  Let’s do this together.

The frequency of illness this year has continued to haunt me. So many otherwise healthy, hearty people, becoming susceptible to colds, infections, and strange feelings of fatigue and brain fog.  Then, yesterday, I saw this article in the Trib that gave be pause.

I think we have all known for a while that our world has been getting increasingly more toxic, animal & plant species have been dying off at alarming rates. But, I have to admit I was lured into a delusion that the effects of our toxic world wouldn’t be hitting so close to home for quite some time. That we still had time to reverse this trajectory before it began affecting human lives.  — let me correct that. Before it began affecting the lives of humans I know.

The thing is, I’m an optimist.  I believe in my heart that people are good and that everything will work out eventually.  I have been looking around at the rising ‘green movement’ in the States, and how we now see tips for conservation and living mindfully in mainstream magazines, and thinking that, while it’s not ideal, it is a step in the right direction, however tentative and slow it may be.

But I’ve also been around long enough to know that sometimes our most important opportunities for growth and evolution come during times of pain, disaster and despair.  That part of me sees the posturing and greed behind a watered-down shadow of eco-consciousness turned into a marketing tactic.  Even though there is some sincerity to this green movement, most of us are still too attached to our stuff and our comforts to really comprehend the reality that is hiding behind them.  And I am as guilty of this as anyone.   The fact remains, we just aren’t changing fast enough.

Perhaps the only way for the human race to take the next leap forward is for more of us, or every single one of us, to feel that affect of our toxic world at home. Not just on the news, or in a movie like Erin Brockovich, but see those effects hit our friends, our family, our children and ourselves and realize that we really do have the power to change.

In the meantime, Chicago, 2029 is not an acceptable completion date for the deep tunnel.  You have to do better.  WE have to do better.  And, I’d like to add that Chicago isn’t the only offender.  The article sites nine other cities in the Midwest alone who have settled with the EPA on similar issues.  And, finally, I must add that the only reason the EPA has time to go after American municipalities on pollution infringements is because they’ve been paid NOT to go after the worst offenders hiding in plain sight in Corporate America.

All that said, I began a dietary cleanse on Wednesday March 9th that involves vegan, wheat-free foods that have not been processed or packaged. I’m also abstaining from alcohol and caffeine.  I am feeling much stronger and resilient as a result.  The way I see things going, the world is at a tipping point where there will soon be many more people in need of help than there are people capable of helping.  I am committed to being one of the helpers for as long as I can in this life, so I see taking special care of myself a crucial step to fulfilling that commitment.

If you’d like to read the full article, here it is:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-met-0320-deep-tunnel-problems-20110319,0,1283119.story

And I would love to read your comments.

My son says Happy Day-Day for Happy Birthday and the great thing is that while we only get to celebrate our Happy Birthday once a year – it is Happy Day-Day EVERY day!  Hope you enjoy my little home-made Green Smoothie How-To Video

There is a natural slowing down that happens in winter-time. Whether it’s the weather that slows our travel plans or the shorter days that call us to additional minutes (or hours) of snuggling under the covers, there is an overall mood of slow motion. We can picture the cartoon hero who slows in his tracks in the freezing wind to finally stop… frozen… like a statue.

And yet, life goes on. The bills have to be paid; we have commitments and responsibilities to meet. In fact, you may find yourself with MORE than your usual share of work for any number of reasons, from the economy to a bothersome illness that put you behind schedule. So, with a climate that asks us to slow down and snuggle up, it’s no wonder it feels like pushing a bolder uphill just to get ourselves to work in the morning, much less put in extra hours. Energetically, the landscape is not exactly in our favor here! And while the friction of a fast-paced life can help to warm us up against the winter’s cold blast, the energy it takes to maintain that pace leaves a deficit that’s difficult to replenish.  As a result, I’ve witnessed more illness this winter (in myself and others) than I’ve seen in a long time!

So, when it comes to solving this riddle, perhaps there’s another option. One of my favorite things about winter is getting to enjoy a fire in a fireplace. The heat that radiates like the warmth of the sun, the flickering light that draws our gaze while our minds ride the flames to distant places, the crackle and sizzle that sing of the transformation from wood to ash and the smell of the smoke, that essence of life from the old tree, that clings to our hair and our clothes even as it returns to air and sky.

If running in circles with our endless obligations is failing to keep us truly warm and fed, then perhaps through rekindling the fire inside, our passion for life, is the way to go.  All too often we get caught up in the busy-ness (business) of life and lose our connection to that spark inside of us.  And sadly, it is possible to go not just months, but years, decades and lifetimes with no real connection to one’s passion for life.

When we connect to our passion – that which gives purpose and meaning to our lives – we add depth to our vision and transform a To Do List into a Treasure Map.  Passion is the difference between the daily grind and a career that deeply nourishes the spirit. Passion can keep you warm and dry in the midst of a storm in the world around you.  Rather than continuing to fight the uphill battle of working harder and longer, take the invitation of Winter’s darkness and coldness, to light, feed or reignite your fire.

• If your job is not an expression of your passion right now, how can it be a necessary stepping stone to one that is?
• If you are searching for work, how can you embrace this search as the harrowing journey that will lead you to the perfect expression of your life’s passion?
• If you are blessed with work that IS an expression of your passion – how can reconnecting to your fire or its source help to bring your gifts to more people who need them?
• If your children are your passion, how can you spend more time (or better safeguard the time you have) with them? How can you encourage them to discover and follow their passion in life?
• If you’ve yet to discover your passion, the most powerful thing you can do is Ask the Question. And keep asking until you find your answer. Only you will know it, because it is uniquely yours and yours alone.
• Find a role model (in life or in a biography) that lives or lived with passion and purpose. Pay special attention to the struggles that preceded their successes. EVERYONE has been an underdog at some time.

Working by Firelight is still work, of course, but the heavy burden is more easily carried with warm muscles; the details more efficiently handled with hands that aren’t shaking; the body made stronger by its warmth; a sense of resolve to persevere can arise from seeing the universal gifts of the work itself illuminated, as their shadows dance on the walls in the flickering light.

So, inspired by a recent article in the Chicago Tribune about the wondrous, warming qualities of porridge and the great varieties of cultures that have a signature porridge, I recently took my old bag of Millet into the test kitchen to see what I could crank out.

I had about a cup or so of dried Millet, to which I added the same about of water. Brought to a boil, then covered and simmered on low until the liquid was absorbed (about 45 minutes or so). Although the millet looked fluffy, it was still chalky and I quickly realized it needed more liquid and more cooking time. I added 1 can of coconut milk for creaminess and cooked another 30 or 40 minutes. At this point, my millet had ‘grown’ significantly, so I split the batch into two dishes. One would be my sweet test dish and the other my savory test dish.

For the sweet porridge test recipe, I heated up the reserved cooked millet with an additional cup of water the next morning. To this, I added 1 peeled, grated apple, some raisins and spices: fresh grated nutmeg, cloves and allspice, and sweetened with a touch of honey. I think I continued to ‘play’ with this one, continuing to add liquid and flavorings, but it just became an over-spiced mess. Boo. Sweet test: Failed.

For the savory porridge test recipe, I was using what I had on hand. I added another cup of water to the cooked porridge and allowed it to slowly simmer while I prepared the addition in a separate saucepan. Minced: red bell pepper (1/4 cup), purple onion (1/4 cup), garlic (1 clove), 1/2 jalapeno; added to hot olive oil and sauteed gently. Add ground cumin, coriander and HOT smoked paprika, stirring to incorporate. Slowly stirred in cooked millet and seasoned with salt and pepper, then back into the larger pot. This produced a great Tex-Mex leaning porridge… and a LOT of it (Texas portions!) So, now the question is what would be the best way to serve it? Here are some I’ve tried so far:
Top with grated cheddar cheese and bake until melty -mmm.
Top with leftover vegetarian chili – yum (according to husband)
I’m thinking it could be a good base for a riff on enchilada pie or some sort of layered dish. Or a maize-esque filling for a homemade tamale.

Overall; I’m very pleased with how it turned out (my husband even said he could imagine eating vegetarian with dishes like this!) Now I just have to try and recreate it and write it down this time!