Staying Warm

Here's a very simple way to help homeless folks stay warm this winter.  You'll be rewarded, too ~ 20% off any new coat purchase from Lands End through November 30....and a really, really good feeling in your heart.

What Lies Within

"What lies before us and what lies behind us is nothing compared to what lies within us." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

As you know if you've been around here for very long, hubs and I are working on eating better.  Several weeks ago we launched an all-out effort to eat clean.  All I can say right now is that it's a good thing we are looking at this as a P - R - O - C - E - S - S.  We've always tried to eat fresh instead of canned or boxed, and shop mostly around the perimeter of the grocery store.  Still, I think we are both feeling a bit deprived.

True Confessions
I hate admitting all of this to the world, but really, I don't think we are alone in how we think and behave around food.  We soooo want to nourish our bodies with whole, fresh and local food but sometimes it feels like we have to become hermits in order to do it.  For example, we love eating out with friends on the spur of the moment or sometimes giving into our cravings for something not on the home-cooked menu.  We love those wings and the occasional bowl of ice cream. 

Bottom line, we enjoy food.  So, we're still trying to figure this all out, and exactly how we can be good to ourselves and make it all add up.  The PROCESS continues.

There's More To It
This is where what the brilliant Ralph Waldo Emerson said comes in...getting in touch with what lies within us.  I mean that both in the sense of determination, and not just throwing in the towel...keep working at it, and keep forgiving ourselves for not being perfect.  But, we're thinking it's also good to remember that we are more than the sum of our health score.

Don't get me wrong, health is supremely important to us, especially as the years continue to add up.  But, what lies within us....that desire for fulfilling, healthy relationships, for meaning and purpose, for significant work, for lives growing in faith and love....are not these inward passions important and not to be sacrificed for an obsession with food?

Balance ~ Weigh In Please!
Somewhere along the way there is a balance to be struck...and I'd love to hear what you guys do to find that balance...the balance between eating food to nourish your body and living life to the fullest.  How exactly do YOU do it?  Please share your ideas/comments in the comments section.

This post is a part of Prevention Not Prescriptions Tuesday, and Food Renegade Fight Back Fridays.

Be well,
Cheryl

Taking A Day Off

I've been working my way through the book Sacred  Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton over the last couple of weeks, and have lingered over the chapter that talks about taking a day to just be, to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, to engage in absolutely NO work.

So, in the interest of not making this book just another notch on my belt of amazing books that I've read, I'm working on applying it.  As is true with so many things, making changes is easier and way more fun if we have others joining in.  So, I would absolutely love it if you guys would join me in taking a day to just soak in love, peace and joy.  Or, at least think about it.

Think you can't afford the time to do this?  Think again.  Read through the following descriptions of the beauty to be discovered by taking just one day a week, 1/7th of our time to JUST BE.  It will blow your mind.  Somehow we just have to work times like this* into our routines:

• When we move slow...when we walk rather than run, allowing our bodies to settle into each step.
• When we sit and gaze admiringly at loved ones rather than race through an agenda.
• When we receive food and drink with gratitude and humility rather than gulping it down on our way to do something "more important".
• When hugs linger and kisses are real.
• When we read for the sheer pelasure of it, marveling at the beauty of words and endless creativity in the putting of them together.
• When we sink into the comforts of home and become human again rather than using home as a hotel or a fast-food restaurant.
• When we light a candle and find that place inside ourselves that loves...and then connect with God out of that place.
• When we let ourselves feel what we feel, when we let tears come rather than blinking them back because we just don't have time to cry.
• When we are being the creature--softer, move vulnerable and more human--rather than always being tough, defensive and in control.
• When we sit with gratitude for the good gifts in our lives that so often get forgotten in the rush.
• When we celebrate, play, roll down hills, splash in water and spread paint on paper or walls or each other.
• When we sit and wait for the fullness of God that replenishes our bodies, minds and souls, if can even stand to be so full.
• When we have time for the fullness of time lest time becomes meaningless.

Does that sound AMAZING to anyone else?  I think this kind of time, when taken regularly, will make the rest of our week more energized, more centered and even more productive.  That's what I think....what do you think?

Be well,

Cheryl

P.S.  For more simple ideas to staying well instead of getting well, hop on over to this fabulous weekly forum of folks who are committed to health and wellness naturally.

*taken from Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton

Diva Girl's Night Out!

Recently I was invited to my first ever Diva Girl's Night Out . . . just the name makes you wanna go, doesn't it?  The whole thing took place last night at Lillians, a shop in Anoka, MN!  Lillians is one of several, what you call, occasional shops in this quaint little town in the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis which also happens to be the Halloween capital and a great place to go antiquing.

But, back to Lillians...it's a retail shop that features super hip jewelry, bags, sunglasses, scarves and all kinds of other cool things.  It's also occasional, meaning it has very limited hours.  So, how do they make money, you ask?  By allowing you to host your very own  private Diva Girls Night Out for you and your friends!  And, if you're gonna shop, shopping with girlfriends is the best.

The big thing these occasional shops have going for them is a definite party atmosphere....it's sort of like going to a Tupperware party except it's not at someone's home and the stuff you buy is way more exciting than tupperware! 

The host was my friend Pam.  Evidently she's a pretty popular lady because she packed the place out with around 40 very fun, money-waving, ready-to-shop women.  And, gosh did we ever shop!  It definitely wasn't hard to find something I liked from the brand new inventory they had just put out, and from what I hear I wasn't alone.  Pam received 10% of the total sales in store merchandise as a thank you....and I'm thinking she's wrapping herself in all manner of very hip scarves.

There were also a couple of tables set up with outside vendors who came in and volunteered their products/services as a complimentary service for the evening.  I was honored to be one of them, sharing some Vemma samples (the best liquid vitamin on the market), and a drawing for a free 2 week supply!   The lucky recipient will receive the Energy Bundle version of Vemma, which features Verve...we like to call it the insanely healthy energy drink because you get all your vitamins, minerals and antioxidants AND the kick of natural caffeine and no crash that you're looking for! 

So, thanks to Pam and to Lillians and all the fabulous women who showed up last night.  I think we got the Christmas shopping season off to a great start...and it isn't even Thanksgiving yet.

Be well,
Cheryl

New Weight Loss Strategy

New on my refrigerator door:

What Do You Really Want?

This?

Or This?

'nuf said.

Be well,

Cheryl

When We're Behind

Frank A. Clark, a writer probably best known for his one line zingers in Reader's digest, once said that if you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere.  This is good news because I have bumpted into some obstacles in a couple of key pathways I am heading down.  At least I'm heading somewhere, right?

True confession:  I am 3 days, or about 5,000 words behind on the NaNoWriMo project, which is almost as many words as I HAVE written.  That number feels a bit overwhelming.  And, while there are some things that no matter how hard we work at them we simply cannot change, this 'thing' doesn't happen to fall in that category. 

So, here's my plan.  I will catch up, but not all in one day.  To spread this 5,000 word deficit out over the remaining days of November means my daily quota is now 1,894 words a day instead of 1,667.  Not bad.  Only 227 more words. That is totally doable.

But, it's also comforting to remember that the circumstances we cannot change, those things we've somehow learned that are going to be with us, maybe forever....well, those things end up changing us.  This means all is not lost, that there is real value is the struggle itself.

So, how do YOU sort it all out?  What do you do when you set a big goal, you write it down and then either get behind or off track?  And at what point do you determine that what you're trying to change falls into the "not gonna happen" category? 

Please share in the comments.

Be well,
Cheryl

Are You Taking The Right Supplements?

Every day we are bombarded with millions of pieces of mind-bloggling information that we are forced to sort through.  There's alot of hype and claims out there, all crafted by marketing experts that are paid to know how we think and buy.  And, that ends up making it really hard for the average Joe to know who and what to believe and how to get at the truth. 

Just like you, I've been left empty handed after being sold the latest and greatest product or program, and it's left me a bit jaded.  Ok, ALOT jaded.

This is one reason why I never used to take vitamins.  We've all seen commercials promising this or that product as the ticket to good health.  Then, the nightly news comes on and you hear reports of vitamin pills being found in sewage, completely passing through the body in tact!  CRAZY! 

True or not, it does beg the question of how much of what we ingest is actually absorbed into our blood stream.  Even if there is any breakdown of a vitamin pill, you don't have to go that far down the pipe...just glance before you flush.  All those nutrients that are supposed to do wonders for our bodily functions appear to have primarily created a neon light show in the toilet. 

So, for awhile I just opted out of the whole thing, thinking I'd just eat right and get proper nutrition that way.  But what I've learned is that farming just 'aint what it used to be, folks.  Modernizing our farms was a genius idea, no doubt. But, turning them into factories where animals are not allowed their natural rooting instincts, where they spend their pathetic, short existence in extremely limited INDOOR quarters, all of this has dramatically affected the quality of the food we eat. And, the environment in which we live.

The fact that our bodies are not getting what they need is showing up in our medical clinics, in our compromised immune systems, and bringing on the proliferation of virus epidemics, cancer and dozens of other ailments that our bodies used to be able to fend off.  Sounds pretty dismal, doesn't it?  I was discouraged too until I started doing my own research and asking some questions. 

Recognizing my own need for supplemention (if you missed that series, go here to read about it), the first question I asked was "has this product been studied, and if so, by whom?"  It's one thing for a supplement to be studied by the company producing it, and quite another if that study was done by an independant lab. 

The law does not require these studies on supplements, and they are pretty expensive. So most companies don't have them done (this is partly why they are so inexpensive to buy).  But, the ones that do will stand out, they will be heads and shoulders above anything else you can buy, and will be far more effective.

So, what are you taking for supplementation?  There are a lot of claims out there.  Has your supplement been tested?  Has someone other than the maker studied it?  Have there been any blind studies done that conclusively prove the effectiveness?  If not, you might just be wasting your money while your most valuable asset, your health, continues to go unsupported.

Wanting you to be well,

Cheryl

P.S.  The supplement I found, Vemma, HAS been studied and tested by independent labs, and the stats are amazing. What's more, I am living proof that Vemma indeed makes a difference! Email me and I'll get back to you with all the information you need to make an informed decision.

Warranty VS Maintenance

There's so much ranting and raving lately about health care in the US, and while I'm all for everyone getting the health care that they need I just have to wonder if our western mentality around this subject is a little skewed.

Let me explain. I've met so many people who, when diagnosed with a disorder are content to run to the pharmacy for their "cure".  Many doctors rely on the drugs too, majoring on addressing the symptoms and not the root problem.  Now, I'm no genius but it seems to me that if there were some simple things I could do to stay well instead of get well, my life is way better not to mention saving me tons of time, money and worry after the fact.

It's kind of like keeping a house clean. Have you ever noticed that it takes far less time and effort to keep up with daily chores than it does to catch up? Taking care of our health is no different.  You may feel fine today, but unless you are attending to your inner wellness, a day will come when you don't feel fine and then paying the piper will be farm more expensive. 

This is one reason I went looking for a high quality vitamin supplement that would make up for the depleted soil that our food is grown in.

I went looking for something all natural.

I went looking for some kind of supplement that would give my body what it needs, create the right environment so that it can thrive and function the way it's intended to function.

I went looking for wellness insurance. And, I found exactly what I went looking for. Vemma.

I'm wondering how wise it is to depend on health insurance to maintain our bodies. Think about it. We don't rely on a car warranty to keep our cars running ~ we understand that changing the oil regularly is the single best thing you can do to keep your car running for a long time.  Eventually that car warranty is going to expire ~ what kind of shape will your car be in then?  We all get this.  So, why is it that we treat our cars with more care than we do our own bodies?

And if instead of putting all of our eggs in the health insurance basket, why not put at least some of those eggs toward wellness insurance?  Yes, the safety net of health insurance gives some peace of mind, but part of what drives the cost of this safety net up is US.  We just don't do enough OURSELVES to avoid health problems.

I'd love to hear from my readers about what steps you think we can take to keep these houses of ours clean and maintained.  Even with a complete, bioavailable supplement like Vemma, there are so many other things we can be doing for good health.  Please leave your thoughts in the comments section.

As ever, be well.
Cheryl