Give Yourself the Gift of Gratitude

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gratitudeWhat is your focus in these last few days before Thanksgiving? Are your thoughts dominated with a grocery list for the food you will prepare, the arrangements that must be made for guests, the seating arrangements or perhaps the calorie overload that comes with the traditional feast? Or perhaps your primary thought is where you will settle for your post-turkey nap?

All of these demands on your attention are significantly contributing to your stress level, which hinders your digestion, affects your cardiovascular and respiratory function, and makes you susceptible to viral illness.

There is a fairly simple practice that can improve your health, your relationships, your emotions, and your career … all in only 5 minutes a day. Curious?
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Stoke the Fire in Your Gut

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stomach-acidIn prior articles, I have outlined the path that our food takes when we eat a bite. Starting with chewing, and then swallowing to send the food down the esophagus into the stomach, where it meets with stomach acid to aid in the next stages of digestion.

We aren’t aware of the intricate process that our food goes through once we swallow a bite. You may have heard the phrase “you are what you eat,” yet I would say that is not a complete statement. Simply eating doesn’t make the food become a part of you. It must be broken down into its constituent components – proteins into amino acids, carbohydrates into starches and glucose, and fats into fatty acids – in order for your body to absorb them. Read more

Edit Your Digestion – Chew!

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digestion-chartDoes your day revolve around the meals you eat, or is your schedule so tight that you give food little thought? Whatever your situation, you don’t likely put much thought into what happens as you eat.

That bite you take is just the beginning of digestion. Chewing the bite not only breaks up the food but mixes it with digestive juices. Swallowing sends the food down your esophagus into your stomach where it meets highly acidic stomach acid to continue the process of breaking the food down into constituents that can eventually be absorbed. When liquefied, the food (now called chyme) passes into the small intestine where it is joined by digestive enzymes from the pancreas and bile from the gallbladder. The small intestine is where absorption begins, finishing in the colon before excretion of waste. Read more

Edit Your Breathing Pattern

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Breathe InThere are many things in life that we take for granted. That the light will turn on when we flip the switch, that you have the freedom to choose how you will live today, and that the sun will rise each morning, to name just a few.

Many things happen without our having to coordinate them, and that’s a good thing. When you are focused on a very busy day, it’s nice to know that you will continue to breathe without having to think. Yet how effectively are you breathing in that situation?

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Five Ways That Gratitude Nourishes Life

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GratefulThe Thanksgiving holiday is fast approaching and thoughts are turning to how many will gather, what to include in the menu and counting our blessings. I would like to suggest, however, that you not wait for a holiday to practice gratitude, but begin to cultivate it as a daily practice.

Cultivating gratitude doesn’t cost any money and it doesn’t take much time, but the benefits are enormous! Read more

Do Your Thoughts Support Your Dreams?

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henry-ford-quote-whether-you-think-you-canHave you heard of the energy experiments with potted plants, where one plant was spoken to lovingly over a period of time and the other verbally abused with harsh or negative words? The result? You guessed it. The abused plant shriveled while the loved plant flourished.

It’s the same for us. Our self-talk can nourish – or quench – our ability to manifest our dreams. Read more

Arm Yourself Against the Flu

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Arm YourselfCool temperatures herald the beginning of flu season. How will you prepare?

Commercials will encourage you to get a flu shot, but the track record of vaccines is not a good one. Your body’s first line of defense is its immune system, and boosting it is what I believe to be your best defense.

Let’s explore how you can arm yourself ….  Read more

Replenish Healthfully

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No More Sports DrinksWe are all familiar with the soppy, sweaty feeling that comes with mowing your yard in the summer heat or exercising, whether indoors or outdoors. It leaves you feeling drained and looking to replace lost fluids.

Marketing efforts have successfully convinced people that sports drinks are the best way to replenish fluids and electrolytes, but that’s simply not the truth. Most sports drinks contain as much as 2/3 of the sugar of sodas, and also typically contain high-fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors and food coloring, none of which contribute to optimal health. Read more

Your Body Is Talking!

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SignsAre You Receiving the Message?

We readily recognize many types of communication. There are spoken words, non-verbal sounds, song lyrics and many others. With practice, we recognize and comprehend many of these; yet there are other messages that you many not be comprehending.

The proliferation of processed foods in today’s diet causes vitamin deficiency, whether from not eating enough of the right foods or not absorbing them properly due to digestive issues. Read more

Let’s Brush Up to Detox

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Dry BrushWhat methods are you incorporating as you pursue wellness? I would assume that you have changed your eating habits, increased your movement and exercise, and perhaps changed toiletries and household cleaning products in order to reduce chemical exposure.

How ’bout brushing? Not just your hair and your teeth, but also your body. Read more