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Tag Archives | healthy habits

10 Keys to BEING seriously healthy

Keys to BEING Seriously Healthy part 1

Healthy lifestyleWe all want to be healthy, but we might not know what to actually do. In this 3 part series, I give you the 10 keys to being seriously healthy. I help you to gain a deep understanding of the foundations in truly BEING a healthy person. I have been practicing Ayurvedic Medicine for about 25 years, and I constantly learn, so I can bring you the best, most time-tested truths, based on volumes of research.

Join me on this journey through the 10 keys, so you can BE seriously healthy!

I’m going to go through each of the 10 keys, and explain them in detail. You can watch the videos and I will also go into more depth in a series of 3 blogs. As you hear each of the keys, you will probably intuitively know that these points are true. We’re just taking this time together to review, asses and refine where you are at with each key, and which areas you need to improve upon. Then, you will take this knowledge and turn it into wisdom by empowering yourself to make some life-altering changes.

Because ‘action’ is the thing that turns knowledge into wisdom.

Listening to our body

The first important point is to listen to our body. We sometimes get so caught up in life that we forget to listen. When we get sick, have aches and pains or an illness, it is our body’s way of communicating and asking for your participation and cooperation.  When we listen and cooperate with our body, we can learn how to restore balance and improve our health.

By honoring these messages,  we can turn an illness into a constructive time of restoration, healing, and revitalization.

Get a pen and paper ready, because, in each key, I want you to honestly rate yourself on a scale of 0-10.
If you are really being honest and true to yourself, where are you? I want you to be rigorously honest with yourself here.

Here is the video, but I flesh more out in this blog post.

Key #1 Healthy diet

Our bodies respond quickly to nourishing healthy foods. A healthy diet includes the highest quality foods. These are the best for the body and brain and include healthy un-saturated fats. We’re talking about 100% organically grown foods, grass-fed/pasture raised meats, neuroprotective fats which all protect our brain, body and nervous system. Coconut or olive oil & avocados are a great example of healthy neuroprotective un-saturated fats. Other healthy choices include wild salmon, eggs and dark leafy vegetables. Another category is the anti-aging free radical scavenger, potent antioxidant polyphenol foods, such as blueberries, turmeric, green tea.

Healthy oils

According to AARP, 93 percent of Americans are concerned with their brain health, but few understand how to protect it. Have you been deceived into thinking that canola oil is healthy? Or that coconut oil is not healthy!? If you want to have a healthy diet, you need to be able to identify healthy oils. Here are a few tips to do just that!

  • Rapeseed oil AKA Canola oil is NOT healthy oil, it is genetically modified not one, but twice! Once to lower the acid level so it doesn’t kill from heart disease, then a second time to make it roundup ready!
  • Check the ingredients in your salad dressings (even at the health food stores) and everything in supermarkets, you will find canola is in everything!
  • Studies have shown that rats fed canola oil get fat and Altzheimer’s.
  • Healthy fats for a healthy body and brain are, coconut oil, Avocado, ghee, olive oil, even duck fat are all good oils.

Farm raised Salmon facts

  • healthy oilsFarm raised salmon are given supplements made from petrochemicals, to enhance its color.
  • They are full of harmful toxic contaminants.
  • Fish farms cause environmental damage.
  • Dr. David Katz, director of Yale prevention research says that farmed salmon contains antibiotics, toxins, pollutants, and calories.
  • Farm raised salmon contains harmful, inflammatory fats that harm your health.

Drugs in our meat

The meat industry does not publicize its use of antibiotics and other drugs.  There is an increasing amount of evidence suggesting that the use of antibiotics in foods pose grave health risks in humans.  For instance, animals develop antibiotic resistance over time, which is passed to humans who eat them.  The New England Journal of Medicine found that people who developed Cipro- resistant bacteria had acquired that from eating pork contaminated with salmonella. Do you know that farm raised meats to contain antibiotics and growth hormones which creates antibiotic resistance & increase in growth tumors?

Sugar is as addictive as cocaine

Remember, there are some foods (substances and people) that look, smell and feel good in some way, but the net effect can be harmful to our health. Take sugar for example, do you know that studies show that sugar is more addictive, and causes more deaths than cocaine! Sugar has the same effect as some hard drugs. Such as heroin and cocaine, in that it strongly spikes dopamine.

When sugar is fed to lab rats, they consistently consumed larger and larger portions upon scheduled reintroduction.  When the sugar was taken away, the rats were restless, showed signs of anxiety, lowered dopamine and were unwilling to move about in their environment.

There are 10 times more sugar related deaths in the US then cocaine-related deaths. Sometimes I hear people talking about ‘rewarding’ themselves with some sugar, candy or a smoke. Is it really rewarding to create harm to your body? Is that a reward?  Do you want to eat antibiotics with your food?

I encourage you to do some research into this on your own. Given these facts, you may want to consider really being mindful and more selective about what you put in your body.

If you are rigorously honest, rate yourself on the area of healthy diet on a scale from 0-10?

Key #2 Self  Talk

We feed our bodies with healthy food, what are we feeding our minds with? Do we choose, 100% organic, healthy and kind words? Or do we just take in any junk thoughts because that’s what’s there? We have been taking a look and refining our food choices, but have you ever stopped to question the quality of your self-talk? Think about it, the words that we say to ourselves can be nourishing and contribute to our health too!

I eliminated sugar from my diet 3 years ago, but I am not hard on myself if every six months or so I have something with sugar in it. I take some supplements to counteract it and move on. The other day, I ate some Strauss strawberry ice cream. It definitely has sugar in it, and it was delicious! But the next day, I literally felt depressed, for the first couple of hours, I didn’t realize what was happening. I’m not the ‘depressed’ or melancholic type, so I quickly realized what happened. I have detoxed my body completely of refined sugar, so I can really feel it when I do take some in. So my immune system was negatively affected and I could feel it.

Remember, when our body is affected, our mind is too. They say that sugar suppresses the immune system. I said some kind things to myself acknowledging and accepting my mistake, gave myself a hug, and I moved on to do my day, which turned out to be a great day! Have you ever made a mistake with your diet, lifestyle choices? How did you treat yourself? Read more about studies on being kind to yourself here.

Pithy questions to contemplate

If you constantly say that you are getting old, or are stupid, or if you make a mistake if you can’t remember something, is that an example of healthy self-talk? Does how you think about yourself make a difference? Do you treat yourself well or poorly? What do you affirm about yourself? Do you realize that when you say something to yourself over and over, you believe it?

How our body looks and feels is a byproduct of how we treat ourselves.

Our cells eavesdrop on everything we say!

Ikea conducted anti-bullying experiments in some schools recently. They brought two plants into the school, and play a recorded loop of compliments and, words of praise and appreciation to one group, and unkind, toxic phrases to the other group. The children could hear and see the plants.

The plants that received kind words looked all green and full, they thrived! While the other group of plants were significantly smaller, shriveled and literally looked sad. It’s the same with humans, our cells hear everything we say.

Are you kind to yourself without exception?
Or, are you only kind when you are doing good?
When you make a mistake do you berate yourself?
Do you create inner toxicity?

Please rate yourself, an honest self-evaluation from 0-10 what is your self-talk like?

Key #3 Exercise

The next key is Exercise This includes all forms of movement. Exercise stimulates feel-good hormones such as serotonin, increases neuroplasticity, neurogenesis, stimulates venous and lymphatic circulation, brain-derived neurotrophic factors which are responsible for making new connections in the brain. As a culture, we HAVE to move. In our culture, we spend so much time sitting, they coined a new disease ‘sitting is the new smoking’. There are studies that show active people are depressed and have less anxiety less than inactive people. In a recent blog entry, I talked a lot about this important Key to being Seriously Healthy.

Try these ideas, and let me know what you are doing to get moving!

  1. Find more ways to incorporate activity in your day.
  2. Set a timer, at the top of each hour, get up and move.
  3. Take a call standing and have a meeting while walking.
  4. Do this minute desk workout with me!
  5. Activate/flex the muscles of your quads, hamstrings, and abs at your desk, or on your commute.
  6. Walk to lunch.
  7. Sit up straight.
  8. Rock your baby and do lunges.
  9. Go for a walk instead of watching tv after dinner.
  10. Have a simple exercise routine that you can do on a call or webinar (they won’t even know). Push-ups, lunges, triceps extensions on your chair.
  11. Halftime at a sports event or-or Intermission of the school play is a great time to take a power walk for 5-10 minutes.

Exercise creates healthy brain- body connections

Our children need to put down the devices and go out and play, barefoot!
So they make as many brain-body connections early on as they can. The same is true with us, we need to go outside and enjoy nature and soak in the sunshine!

Take frequent movement breaks, do this 5-minute desk workout with me!

Do you get enough exercise? Rate yourself from 0-10.

These are the first 3 of the 10 keys to being Seriously Healthy. Let’s make some positive changes together! Take a look at how you rated yourself and choose some areas to refine and up-level your practices. I really, really, really want to know what you are letting go of and what you are refining!

 

Clear your head, Reduce brain fog!

Have you ever had brain fog when your
sinuses and nose are congested?

  Jala Neti is an ancient Ayurvedic (and yogic) self-care practice of washing the sinuses with warm salt water. This cleanses & flushes out mucus and debris from the nose and sinuses.

Neti is one of the ways that we cleanse the sense organs,
so that we may percieve the world around us with more clarity.

At first, it may seem a little different, but after you get used to it you will feel the benefits, especially if you have suffered from; colds, flu, respiratory disorders, sinus problems, stuffy nose or allergies. Doing neti will definitely improve your sinus health and your overall health too!
neti

When to Neti:

  • First thing in the morning
  • After cleaning out a moldy, musty or dusty closet.  
  • Before and after air travel.
  • Daily if you are in an area dense with pollution, or dust.
  • Daily during spring
  • Before, during and after a cold or flu.
  • After dental work

How to Neti 

  1. fill up your neti pot with warm water and add 3/4 tsp of good quality salt
  2. put the nozzle into one nostril
  3. tilt your head forward and chin down over the sink
  4. for beginners, it helps if you gently exhale a little bit through your nose to start the flow
  5. You will breathe gently from your mouth 
  6. cleanse the next nostril
  7. gently blow out from both nostrils to clear all the salt water when you are finished.

Avoid Neti:

  • Immediately before or after a meal
  • Not during your menstrual cycle   

You may also enjoy:

  1. Cleansing Through Breathing Video
  2. An Ayurveda Consultation with me, HealthConsultant808@gmail.com

Prevent Disease, 4 steps to prepare for fall

diseases arise at the junctions of the seasons
Rtusandhishu vyadhayoh jayante

In my last article, Promptly Eliminate the heat of Summer, so it doesn’t cause damage, I touched on the topic of how the time between seasons is a sensitive time. We are still there, in this delicate time, in that, the fall has just begun, the energy is just beginning to cool and contract. With the warmth of summer, our interior channels expand and dilate, and with the cold of fall and winter, these channels contract. 

Similarly, as we are part of nature,
our internal channels are beginning to contract…

Our internal mana/prana/life force is beginning to recede from the surface as it descends deeper into our bodies until the springtime when that sweet incubated vitality emerges into the new life, new growth. By the way, we use this exact, deep wisdom-action of nature, to; dilate, lubricate and expand the tissues, (so that we can then pluck toxins out) in Ayurveda’s cornerstone cleansing and rejuvenation programs called Pancha Karma.

We want to be mindful of this energetic shift because
“If we are not properly prepared our bodies will not be able to
adequately adapt, which can lead to internal disharmony”

~ Dr. Robert Svoboda

Just like it helps us to eliminate the excess from the previous season, Ayurveda helps us to prepare for the transition of the seasons with suggested Dina-charya or daily routines, in this way we are cyclically (daily & seasonally) aligning our internal prana with the earth’s prana. Daily routines provide us with immediate value by calming our nervous system and mind, cleansing of impurities, and nourishing the body. In this way, we can grow in health, and Ayurveda shows us how!

If our goal is to be Seriously Healthy and prevent disease, Dina-charya or daily routines,
help us ease into transitions.

If our goal is to be Seriously Healthy, Dinacharya suggests we begin the day with certain practices.
The whole reason we do daily routine is to clean, lubricate & hydrate our sense organs so they can perceive clearly and that our life force circulates well within our organism. Then, and only then, we can interact clearly with nature and be able to adapt. When our 5 pranas are balanced, we have good digestion and the wastes are eliminated … Only when we are in balance can we be truly healthy.

4 practices that ‘clean’ the sense organs, prevent disease & help us perceive better.

Dinacharya to clean the sense organs:

  1. brush teeth, clean the tongue and do neti
  2. drink a glass of warm or hot water & have your morning bowel movement
  3. do an oil massage, the short version is: apply a small amount of oil to the skin.
  4. then sit, meditate for 5-30 minutes and regulate your breath/prana, here is a practice to help do just that.

The morning is also the best time to do exercise, yoga practice etc.

Attitude is everything

While you do these practices, see how you can do them with kindness and reverence toward yourself, and pay attention… pay loving attention to yourself, listen to your organism, that’s the point. (the point is the process of loving and nourishing yourself with the correct activities) To help you listen to your true nature. What is your organism saying?

In conclusion, these practices help us to regulate our sense of calm, ergo our prana for the day, and a lifetime, when we are consistent, we will have consistent health.

I care about you, let me know about your process, in your life, and with your daily routine.!
With warm alohas,

You may also enjoy:

  1. DIY Day Spa
  2. Video, clearing the body’s prana
  3. An Ayurveda Consultation with me, HealthConsultant808@gmail.com
  4. Cleansing Toxins Through Breathing Video

Create optimal health during the transition of seasons

Everyone loves summer, with the long days, lots of outdoor time and communing with nature. As we bid farewell to the high heat of summer, we begin to mindfully transition to Autumn. We mentally and emotionally prepare ourselves for the more internal reflective state of mind that the eventual winter will bring with the change of seasons and the gentle turning of the earth.  Ayurveda teaches us how to create optimal health and take special care of our bodies during the transition of the seasons.

The cool fall air was nectar…
~Stephen Connella

This is because these transitions are delicate and unstable times, we are neither here nor there. We are no longer at the place we were, nor are we established in the new situation. This is called sandhi, the junction, the joint/the in-between place. In the same way, the joints of our body are more delicate than the long bones.  If we don’t promptly eliminate the excess that the previous season brought to us, (in this case, excess heat) this excess will cause problems, the root causes of disease…
In this way, Ayurveda teaches us to live in harmony with nature, working hand in hand.

“We have our part in the preservation of our health,
the prevention of disease, we can promote longevity
and Ayurveda shows us how!”

The high heat of the summer subjects us to an accumulation of heat in our bodies (even though we naturally tend to favor cooling foods in the summer, such as watermelon, juices, and salads.) Ayurveda texts teach us how to eliminate these excess ‘doshas’ or heat and stay out of the doctor’s office. Symptoms of excess heat can be; irritability, prickly heat rash is common, loose stools, rashes, irritability, anything with an ‘itis’ indicates inflammation, acid indigestion, and acid reflux to name a few. Which is why the end of each season is the best time eliminate the build-up from the previous season and to receive Pancha Karma if we can. Ultimately we want to promptly eliminate the ‘heat of summer’ so it doesn’t cause damage.

Create optimal health during the transition of seasons…

I will give you two lists, the first list contains a few simple, easy things you can do to eliminate some minor excess heat, the second is more of the warrior path, it’s not for everyone, but those who are really motivated, really need it or are superheroes of their own health and well being.

Simple (armchair want to be healthy) tips to eliminate excess heat, prevent that Summer heat from lodging into your system:

(Do these only for the next 2 weeks during this transition)

  1. Drink celery juice over the course of 3 days, celery juice is extremely anti-inflammation and pulls extra heat out of the liver and intestines. you can mix it with apple which is also cooling, and dilute a bit too.
  2. Add cilantro, or juice it! Cilantro is supercooling to the system!
  3. Have a few raw salads (at lunch) with organic coconut oil, nothing spicy for a few days.

Superhero, warrior, protector of your health, tips:

Do this for 5 days ASAP
Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet or doing the salt water cleanse.

  1. Use the power of routine. The ayurvedic routine is an influential tool in itself – and allows you to harness the power of daily cycles of Nature. Wake up before 6 AM, eat your main meal at midday, go to bed before 10 PM – all are very important points for balancing the three fundamental mind-body principles of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.
  2. Kitchery Mono diet
  3. Daily Abhyanga
  4. On day 4 do a salt water cleanse, email me for instructions.

If you need more specific help or guidance, I have a few spaces available for consultations in the next 2 weeks.

I care about your well being, let me know how this goes for you!
With warm aloha,

 

 

 

You may also enjoy:

  1. Clear your Head! Neti reduces brain fog!
  2. An Ayurveda Consultation with me, HealthConsultant808@gmail.com
  3. Cleansing Toxins Through Breathing Video

DIY Hanalei Day Spa… At your home!

Here’s a way to bring the spa home with you while you exfoliate those
dead skin cells this week with DIY Day Spa at home!
This scrub leaves your skin clean, fresh and moisturized!

Supplies needed:

1/8 – 1/4 cup of salt
1/4 cup of Coconut oil

Optional a few drops of essential oil

It is nice to get a body scrub at the spa, but you can also give yourself one at home!  The purpose of an at-home body scrub is to exfoliate the outermost layers of dead skin cells, revealing softer, younger cells just below.

Doing a body scrub at home is different in that you have all your creature comforts at home, but it might not feel as luxurious (or pampered) as a spa treatment might feel. DIY definitely has it’s benefits though! It is a lot less expensive, and you can give yourself one any time! You can make your own or pick up a body scrub or even use exfoliating mitts!

Personally, I like to use more oil than salt in my body scrub.

How To Give Yourself A DIY Body Scrub At Home

  • It is always nice to soak in a nice hot tub first. Try adding lavender essential oil, ylang-ylang, or geranium-rose to make it more relaxing. Dry off.
  • I sometimes just sit in the tub. Put a little bit of the scrub in your hands then start with long or circular strokes on your lower legs.
  • Spend 5 minutes on your whole body, more than that, you might get irritated.
  • When you stand up to do your backside, make sure you dont slip.
  • With your back reach under your arm to get the mid-back, use the back of your hand to get between shoulder blades, then for the upper shoulder use the opposite hand. A side benefit is that doing this home scrub will keep you flexible too!
  • When you’re done, take a shower, you may want to use a washcloth to pull some extra oil off.

  DIY Scrub Tips

  • Weekly body scrubs are a great way to keep your skin clean and exfoliated.
  • If your skin looks irritated at any point, stop.
  • Smaller grain salt is gentler than the large salt. At Hanalei Day Spa, we finely grind our Hawaiian Sea salt with a vita mix.
  • You can also use the exfoliating mitts.
  • Soothing aromatherapy; lavender, rose, geranium
  • Avoid using on the face, it can be too harsh.

Therapeutic Body Scrub Tips, Ayurveda Kitchen Medicine

  • If you’ve had a cold or flu, you can make your scrub more healing add 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
  • 3 drops of eucalyptus, lemon, or orange oil
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon or 1 tsp coffee grounds to increase circulation
  • add 1/2 tsp charcoal to absorb toxins. (see our serious cleanse body mask for a more effective treatment)

You may also enjoy:

  1. Clear your Head! Neti reduces brain fog!
  2. An Ayurveda Consultation with me, HealthConsultant808@gmail.com
  3. Cleansing Toxins Through Breathing Video

Please take a moment to let me know how I can help you with this brief survey

How to make healing Bone Broth, that tastes great!

Bone Broth, the superfood

 

Bone broth is a nutritional supplement, a superfood packed with potent nutrition!
The way that I make bone broth is quite unique.
I have a long background in Ayurvedic Medicine. In Ayurveda, we prepare herbalized oils, potent medicinal teas, and other medicine. For instance, one way we do this, is to cook cups of herbs in gallons of water for 3 days, strain, then add oil and cook the oil out. This infuses the oil with the potent tea. In this way (and many ways), my Ayurveda background has informed my broth preparation.

Similarly, bone broth also has a rich history in traditional Chinese medicine. It is highly regarded as a helps support the digestive system, is a great tonic, builds the blood, supports the kidneys, offers incredible minerals, which most of us are depleted with,  supports the gut, Bone broth improves skin, bone and joint health and is anti-inflammatory. It can single-highhandedly help someone heal from the leaky gut syndrome.

Above all, these are some of the reasons I love Bone broth.
We drink it in our family and recommend it to the those who need it when they come to me for Ayurveda Consultation.

INGREDIENTS:

3.5-4 gallons of water (depending on the size of your crockpot)
Bones; turkey, chicken, beef or bison
Whole Black peppercorns, fenugreek, ginger, thyme, fresh Rosemary
Apple Cider Vinegar which pulls the minerals out of the bones into the broth.
2 LG Onions, 2 Lg. tomatoes, celery, and 1 lemon

Lemongrass, fenugreek, galangal are a nice addition, especially during cold and flu season.

HOW TO MAKE:

add bones, water, veggies, and herbs, cook on low for 24-48 hours

WHO BENEFITS FROM BONE BROTH:

Athletes, New mothers, anyone who is sick; convalescing, weak, elderly, anyone needing more strength.

OVERVIEW;

Cook for 3 days, daily add veg if you’d like, add more water.
After that, let it cool.
Then strain it and throw bones away. (you can puree vegetables and use as a base of a soup)
Pour bone broth into containers, however make sure to leave ½ inch when freezing PACKAGING IT

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

More information, you might enjoy:

10 Keys to BEING seriously healthy

Exquisite Self-Care, according to Ayurvedic Medicine, and Darci Frankel

Exquisite Self-Care, according to Ayurvedic Medicine, and Darci Frankel

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