calm by leslie

Eat Your Fruits and Veggies

Many clients come to me and complain about how awful they feel.  When we broach the topic of diet, it's clear what's contributing to that awful feeling:  What they put in their bodies!  Look, I'm a huge fan of chips, cookies, and ice cream, but we have to take accountability for what we eat.  Garbage in, garbage out, right?  Here's a great piece from Tara Parker-Pope's blog in The New York Times on

The 11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating

Nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden has created several lists of healthful foods people should be eating but aren’t. But some of his favorites, like purslane, guava and goji berries, aren’t always available at regular grocery stores. I asked Dr. Bowden, author of “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth,” to update his list with some favorite foods that are easy to find but don’t always find their way into our shopping carts. Here’s his advice: (click here to read the list)

Move It!

From the New York Times:

Fit, Not Frail: Exercise as a Tonic for Aging

By JANE E. BRODY

Published: June 24, 2008

Fact:  Every hour of every day, 330 Americans turn 60.

Fact:  By 2030, one in five Americans will be older than 65.

Fact: The number of people over 100 doubles every decade.

Fact: As they age, people lose muscle mass and strength, flexibility and bone.

Fact: The resulting frailty leads to a loss of mobility and independence.

The last two facts may sound discouraging. But they can be countered by another. Regular participation in aerobics, strength training and balance and flexibility exercises can delay and may even prevent a life-limiting loss of physical abilities into one’s 90s and beyond...

(click here to read the rest of the article)

If you're a regular reader of this website, you know my mantra:  "Move it and Water it".  It doesn't have to be  super-intensive kickboxing (although that's terrific).  Start where you are.  Walk. Stretch. Bend. Balance. Climb. Move. The results are worth it.

 

The Opposite of Calm

I'm a big fan of coffee.  Living in a big coffee town in Seattle, it's hard not to be.  But I have to be careful about how much I drink.  I'm quite sensitive to caffeine and more than two servings a day has a bad effect on my sleeping patterns.  I also see a lot of clients who have a strong caffeine addiction.  They come to me amped up, anxious, and unable to sleep.  "How much caffeine do you take on an average day?" is one of the first questions I ask. 

I found this article on CNN this morning quite pertinent:

Caffeinated moms drink up to keep up

By  Danielle Dellorto
CNN

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -Double latte in the morning, soda with lunch, energy drink at midday. Sound familiar?

More moms say they're leaning on caffeinated beverages to get through the day.

Americans are consuming caffeinated beverages as never before. In fact, energy drink sales skyrocketed in 2007. The sale of Rockstar, which contains up to 360 mg of caffeine per can, compared with 80 to 150 mg per serving for coffee, rose 38.9 percent in 2007, according to Beverage Digest. Redbull sales rose 19 percent.

All this caffeine consumption has given rise to growing numbers of "caffeinated moms."
(click here to read the rest of the story)

Me again.  One of the things I try to stress with my clients is that we are responsible for our own health.
I am not a nutritionist or a doctor, so I am not allowed to make dietary prescriptions for my clients.  I can, however, share with them the knowledge I have about things like excess caffeine contributing to anxiety, jitters, and insomnia.  "But I can't function without it!" they'll usually say.  But perhaps they can function with less?      

   

Walking with a Purpose

"Move it and Water It" is one of my favorite slogans for telling my clients how to take care of their bodies.  As in exercise and drink a lot of water.  Walking is one of the best forms of "moving it" there is, as it benefits your physical and mental health.  Here's an interesting article from the YOU doctors on setting goals for your walking program and why it's a good idea: 

Never Walk Without a Goal

    Walking shoes -- check. Pedometer -- got it. But do you have a goal?

No goal? Better set one. It doesn’t even matter if you hit the mark. People who put a target on their radar -- like walking 10,000 steps a day -- walk a whole lot more than people who don’t have a goal. Studies prove it...

click here to read the rest of this article

Check out more from the YOU doctors in their informative (and quite funny) book: YOU: The Owner's Manual, Updated and Expanded Edition: An Insider's Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger

Virtual Change Your Mind Day is June 7, 2008

As a health and wellness professional, and as a busy mom, I know how easy it is to get stressed and the effects that stress can have on one's health.  One of the best methods I know of to reduce stress in one's life is to practice meditation.  It doesn't require changing your religion or shaving your head...it merely means taking time every day to stop and just be. 

The good folks at Tricycle magazine have designated tomorrow (Saturday, June 7th, 2008) as a virtual "Change Your Mind Day".  Take some time to meditate, or some time to learn how, and see what it's like to have a clearer, calmer head! 

Change Your Mind Day 2008 (an online experience)

8 Ways to be a Happier Mom

Many of my clients are mothers who are struggling to find the balance between caring for their families and caring for themselves. "Peeling Mom Off the Ceiling" is the title of the book I'm working on.  Here's a great article I found today on CNN.com.  It's a great list.  Of course, I think they need to add massage, reflexology, and aromatherapy!

8 Ways to be a Happier Mom (from CNN.com and Parenting Magazine)
 

I (heart) Nerds!

Had a great time tonight at BodyNerds.  It's always great to be among friends and fellow mavens.  Tonight's BodyNerdsmeeting was all about the abdomen and digestion and featured great chats with:

Marty Ryan, director of massage at The Tummy Temple and director of the Love Your Guts seminars.

Dr. Marnie Frisch ND, naturopathic doctor who works out of the Edmonds Wellness Clinic.

and

Me! 

I spoke about using essential oils for digestion.  All of the talks were well received, and I liked how we shared a common topic.  It allowed us to work off each other a bit, and Marty and Marnie's talks helped lay the groundwork for some things I wanted to touch on.

I recorded my talk on my laptop.  Will fiddle around with it over the next several days and see if I can get it edited down to a manageable, shareable file for this blog.

Thank you Melissa and Teresa for another awesome, nerdy night!

Go Hot! Go Cold!

Saw this article in today's Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and it's a bit of advice I like to pass on to my clients.  Hydrotherapy, specifically hot-cold contrast, is very good for your health:

LIVING WELL:  Turn Up the Heat -- It's Good For You by Bob Condor

If you don't have ready access to saunas or hot tubs, you can use your shower.  Most folks enjoy a nice hot shower, but if you finish the shower on a cold setting, for as long as your can stand (but no more than 2 minutes), you will stimulate that "pumping" action that the article above mentions. It can take some getting used to, and, to be frank, there are days when I just don't have it in my to douse myself with cold water.  But when I do, I feel energized and awakened.  I also know that I've giving my immune system the boost it needs to help keep it in tip-top shape.   Important note:  if you have a heart condition or a constitution that is weakened or depleted please don't try this without a physician's supervision! 

Dry Your Feet!

As a reflexologist, I get to see a lot of people's feet up close.  It's not uncommon to encounter a client who is struggling with a case of tinea pedis, more commonly known as "athlete's foot". 

Athlete's foot is a fungal infection, is quite contagious, and can be tricky to get rid of.  But here's a tip to help manage it, and to possibly prevent it.  Blow-dry your feet!

This fungus loves a warm, moist, dark environment.  When you shower...do you take the time to carefully dry your feet, getting in between the toes so they're nice and dry?  Chances are you don't.  So when it's time to dry your hair:  get your feet, too!  Blow-dry nice hot air in between your toes and all over the sole of your foot.  Don't forget the tops!  That helps make sure your foot is completely dry, and tells the fungus to take a hike. 

Sammamish Yoga

If there were only two things I could get my clients to do regularly, they would be:

1. Drink more water.  Eight 8 oz. glasses a day.
2. Do yoga. 

(See "Move it and Water it", March 2007)

While there are myriad styles of yoga classes available, I have found James Dewar's Amrit Yoga classes to best fit my abilities and needs.  Amrit Yoga is a style of hatha yoga which integrates mind and body to bring about a true sense of relaxation and equanimity.  James is a kind and patient teacher.  Check him out!