Coming Back to YOU!

BONUS DAY!

This is a paragraph excerpted from the current book I am reading that I found to profound:

"When we walk the labyrinth of our soul out from the center and back into the world, the key is to slow down and observe our minds, observe every single one of our decisions, observe what we say yes to and what we say no to, observe what we give our energy to. It is by slowing down that we become aware of how deep certain patterns have run and are able to steer our course in accordance with our newly established beliefs, with what we have come to know about ourselves. By slowing down we can build our inner clarity and strength to find our way out, leaving the shattered remains of our discarded path behind us."  From Heart of the Labyrinth by Nicole Schwab, WomanCraft Publishing.

I share this here as we move into the holiday season. Why you ask? Because so many of us give in to the indulgences of the holidays, the constant buffets of not so healthy foods, excess sweet treats, and alcohol flowing freely. We set out with good intentions; plans to feed our body cells for health and healing, but something seems to get in the way.

When we open to soul, our inner light, grabbing at every treat offered no longer pulls at our reserves. When we align with spirit, our spirit, making choices based upon our wellness needs becomes second nature. No guilt, no feelings of deprivation, just blissful peace.

Question to ask yourself to bring peace when making holiday food & drink choices:

"Is this best for my wellness, will this best feed my body cells for health and healing?"

I wish you peace on your journey.

PS Don't forget about the FREE Holiday, Pamper Yourself Gifts!

This year I'm delighted to extend a personal invitation to you to join me and several healer women colleagues from around the globe, offering our most special and treasured tools, programs, and supports to help you stay feeling nourished, grounded, and energized throughout the holiday season.

The Happy Healthy Holiday Hamper is your very own store for everything you could possibly desire to support you this December. And the best part is, all of the programs, recordings, e-books, and workbooks we've collected are yours for free.

Receive all of your free holiday hamper gifts here: www.tinyurl.com/holidayhamper

Ice Cream's Purpose

To Every Thing (turn, turn) there is a season (turn, turn)...

To everything there is a purpose!

So you are asking me, what real purpose could ice cream possibly have?  Ready for a story? Sit down, let me tell you a story. Stories are the fibers that weave us together as community!

The recent Indian Summer has been a joy. I love warm fall days with bright blue skies. 75 degrees is about as perfect as it gets. This is still good swimming weather!

The sudden Autumn heat made me think some ice cream would be a good idea. Now I confess, I am not a big ice cream eater, maybe once or twice a summer. Ice cream was just appealing to me. My sister was visiting during this fine summery fall weather. After a hike in Stone Valley, I threw out a "Hey, let's get some ice cream" to her and my kids.

Mistake #1, I opened my big mouth before I thought about it and they (my 2 boys and my sister) were not going to let me off the hook on this one.

So, off to the Potsdam Food Coop a shopping we will go! (I had my way and organic, quality ice cream was on the shopping list!)

I suggested we try a pint of The Three Twin's Dad's Cardamom flavor ice cream. Somehow we left with that, the Sea Salt Caramel, AND the 3 pint container of the Alden's Organic Vanilla ice cream. My sister wanted to get the Three Twins Milk Coffee ice cream as well.

Someone had to be the voice of reason... 5 pints of ice cream for 4 people? Seriously? They listened, we skipped the coffee ice cream!

So, are you wondering about the whole "ice cream's purpose" thing here? Let me just say this:

Ice cream in your freezer is like the canary in the coal mine. It is the perfect way to gauge the correct temperature setting of your freezer. Ice cream too hard to eat? The freezer needs to be turned down, meaning the temperature inside the freezer needs to be raised a bit. Ice cream too mushy and runny? Time to set the temperature in your freezer a tad bit lower.

I recommend any freezer temperature changes be carried out in tiny, little increments and tested frequently. It is totally acceptable to leave a spoon right on top of the freezer, you know, just in case an emergency check is required.

Caution: Do not ever hide the spoon inside the freezer. Way too cold in the mouth!

Action to take:  Head on over to the Potsdam Coop or your local natural food store that carries quality, organic ice cream and get some now... before the Indian Summer escapes us!

PS  By the way, I do recommend the Milk Coffee ice cream. It is divine! The cardamom was exquisite! Vanilla is simply scrumptious and the Sea Salted Caramel is a must try. You decide!

Tell me your ice cream story!

PPS Remember to join the Local Living Venture and I as we rock your world (no, not with ice cream) with vibrant health and healing messages!  Whole Health & Healing Academy continues this Thursday evening with Natural Foods Know How. See you there!

Divine Weight Loss Tip #5

This is a biggy.  This tip* has the power to heal every cell in your body, balance your hormones, balance your blood sugar, and create a body weight that is optimal for you.

Tip #5

Whole foods.

I know, I say this over and over, like a broken record. But this tip comes from deep inside my heart and soul. (From deep inside every one of my healthy 'lil body cells... if you have attended one of my Whole Food Healing workshops, you know how I encourage you to feed your body cells with 100% whole foods.

Whole foods feed each and every body cell with the right balance of nutrients needed to support your body in every one of its daily functions. A lifetime of whole food eating fortifies the body for longevity (life-gevity) that is vibrant and happy. Living a long life is good; living a long life of vibrant health is awesome!

The nutrients, nourishment, from whole foods penetrate right down to the microscopic organelles in each and every body cell. This process keeps your cellular health fueled and lubed for optimum health.

This diagram displays the microscopic organelles that exist inside your body cells. These precious, little powerhouses are the building blocks of each and every cell. Your cells are in turn, the building blocks of you tissues; tissues compose organs…

This diagram displays the microscopic organelles that exist inside your body cells. These precious, little powerhouses are the building blocks of each and every cell. Your cells are in turn, the building blocks of you tissues; tissues compose organs; organs compose organ systems; organ systems compose YOU. You want all of this healthy, correct?

I am someone who prefers to focus on the positive. I also believe education helps people to be informed and understand the consequences of actions.  Education allows the option of informed decision making. Eating refined foods is like throwing Kool Aid into your car's gas tank. Kool Aid is going to gunk things up and ruin your car's engine. Refined food does this to your body cells; refined food is gunk to your cells. 

On a vanity level: we are aware that certain substances, like cigarettes and alcohol, age the body. This is because both substances add toxins to your body cells, clogging up the mechanisms of metabolic activity (the life activity of your cells), and accelerates the aging of your cells. This is why smokers get premature wrinkles. Refined food also clogs body cells, slows metabolic processes down, ages the body, and contributes to adipose accumulation (body fat).

I dare you, double dare, to eat nothing but 100% whole foods for 2 weeks. You will feel remarkably well. I bet you won't ever want to go back to processed, packaged, refined foods.

Two weeks will fly by. Try it, you just might like it.

After two weeks, if you need convincing, go on a 2 day, refined-junk food, product binge. Then tell me how you feel... I am thinking: food hangovers!

Love your body with whole foods. Your body will love you right back.

 

PS For more information, the details, on whole foods, click one of the blue links above. The links will take you to an article, defining whole foods, that I wrote for Healing the Body Canada magazine.

*Benefits You Gain From Whole Food Eating

  • high, even keel energy all day

  • body weight balances to normal for you

  • sleep better

  • move better

  • age slower... think wrinkle and degenerative disease prevention!

  • happy moods, peaceful feelings that create

  • healthier relationships with loved ones

  • look & feel awesome / younger

  • swap cravings to whole foods

  • better immune activity meaning less colds, flu, etc.

  • better digestive tract function and gut microbial health

  • heal your divine body of ill health symptoms

Do these things speak to you, tantalize your senses, and urge you to make healing changes in your eating habits?  

Divine Weight Loss Tip #4

In Divine Weight Loss Tip #3, I suggested you take self-responsibility for your health, healing, and body weight re-balancing. I am certain some of you, maybe many of you, thought it was a great idea but (here I go with the but again!) you may be asking... "How do I get here, Paula, to this space of self-responsibility and intrinsic motivation around my own health?"

Tip #4

Yoga... I know I have said this before and I am saying it again, yoga helps you return yourself to you. It is that intrinsic motivation thing.

Yoga is an activity of mind, body, and spirit merging, reuniting. Yoga brings you back to yourself. When you work from a space of inner calmness, you will make choices based upon what is best for your health.

A friend of mine from the world of yoga, Charlotte Bradley, wrote an article on her Yoga Flavored Life blog where she stated:    "I believe that my yoga practice can help me become the best person that I can be."  She asked her readers to share with her: "What is your why for practicing yoga?" To which I replied on her blog:

"I LOVE yoga because it makes me feel good, inside and out. Truly a mind, body, soul healer that brings a calmness to everything I do in life (even my melt downs have a calmness, serenity, about them!) Can’t beat that!"

Now I will confess, you can get to this space of inner wholeness, intrinsic motivation, in other ways. There are many mind, body, spirit (M, B, S) activities that work to heal you from the inside out. This is just a partial list from off the top of my head:

  • Tai Chi
  • Qi Gong
  • Tae Kwon Do (If you are in the Potsdam-Canton area of NY State, I recommend Andrea Malik. She teaches classes for both kids and adults and is truly an awesome human being!)
  • Meditation
  • Prayer
  • Breath work
  • Walking meditation

Practicing a mind, body, spirit activity (exercise) helps you to explore your potential and invite the real you to emerge. When you come home to yourself, you will move towards loving yourself. Loving yourself includes the inner, intrinsic desire to take better care of you. You will consciously choose to eat better and make positive lifestyle choices to improve your health. As you feel better, from your healthy lifestyle choices, you will want to feel even better. Healthy choices beget healthy choices. You will create a crazy, fun, snowball effect of health, healing, and the desire to treat yourself in a whole health way.

Will you trust me and give yoga or another M, B, S activity a try? 

 

Namaste, Paula