Daily Loaf

Fall is the time of the year when we begin to prepare for Winter and the many holidays to come over the next several months. Take time for yourself this fall and step up your fitness program in preparation for the upcoming holiday season.  Whether you are beginning your fitness program or stepping up your program, additional calorie burn and muscle toning will keep you in check this holiday season.  Exercise assists us in keeping our weight and body fat in balance as well as our stress levels.

With the fall weather finally here, it is a great time to get outside. Enjoy the weather by running or walking along the beach or the water.  Being by the water and on the sand is beneficial in many ways. The sand on the beach adds more difficulty which adds to your calorie burn. The change of scenery sure beats the view from the treadmill and makes your run much more enjoyable. Exercise is such a great release mentally, so achieving this experience in the presence of the elements assists you in the release leaving you feeling balanced and grounded. 
Read the rest of this entry »

The study of yoga was first brought to the Western world by Paramahansa Yogananda as a way of spreading enlightenment.  He popularized yoga and meditation through his autobiography, Autobiography of a Yogi which was first published in 1946.  This ancient tradition offers many esoteric and physical benefits with regular practice. 

Some of the physical benefits include increased toning, flexibility, improved posture, improved lung capacity, as well as lowered blood pressure.  Yoga can also assist with many chronic conditions such as back pain, arthritis, asthma and insomnia.  Yoga also brings in a state of calm which reflects stress build up in one’s life.  We all know that stress effects your entire being, especially your physical health, as the emotional and mental create the physical health.
Read the rest of this entry »

This is the time to take in the new energy arriving from our universe to assist in making the necessary changes needed in our lives at this time.  Many are in a great state of turmoil – the economy is soaring downward quickly and environmental disaster is looming.  So what can we do?  Give in to the changes that are arriving.  This is time to let go of all that needs to be released in our lives.  Things are bubbling up and getting worse because it is time for change.  Look to new opportunities and new creative ideas to move us into joy.

Being in joy is the purest emotional state where all feels good.  Use this as a determinate on what to participate in and what to put your time and energy toward.  What feels good and brings a state of joy is the answer.  This technique can be used to make minor and major decisions in our lives from what to wear in the morning, what nutrition to put into our bodies, to which way to vote. 
Read the rest of this entry »

I have always been someone who has felt connected to the Earth and environmental conservation. In high school, many years ago, I was wearing the “reduce, reuse, recycle” t-shirts at a time where this practice was not commonplace. Recently though, I have found myself with a new emotional connection to the Earth.  This connection has me paying attention to the details of my day to day life, and seeing the plants and animals around me in a new light. 

When I am outside I look at the plants and animals in a new way – I listen for what they have to say, look at what they are doing and what their day to day is like. When I am around plants I listen for messages within as they hold many ancient secrets of the universal ways. Imagine what they have seen in this span of time!
Read the rest of this entry »

Living in such a busy world these days overloaded with technology such as television, the iPhone, Facebook and Twitter leaves little time to get back to the basics and connect with the planet we live on. Our day-to-day environment has changed so much from the way people used to live centuries ago. The key is to take the modern advantages of today and combined the ancient wisdom to create that which coincides with the new world of tomorrow. 

The Earth is such an amazing place filled with breathtaking beauty and miracles abound. Nature’s beauty can be found everywhere from the plains of Utah to Central Park in New York City. Open your eyes to the miracles that nature offers you in your environment. You can connect simply to the grass in your yard, a tree outside of your workplace or spending time on the Gulf beaches this weekend.  
Read the rest of this entry »

There are many types of addictions that people face daily - from food to alcohol and drugs, to sex, shopping and gambling. Especially in difficult times, people tend to lean towards these behavior to comfort them through their perceived life challenges. Alternative methods such as energetic healing, visualizations and affirmations can be used to not only cope with such addictions, but also to understand the reason behind the addiction and let it go for good. These methods are a great addition to other standard methods such as AA (Alcoholic’s Anonymous) and counseling or alone depending on each individual’s needs.
Read the rest of this entry »

As I went out along the beach this morning for my morning walk, I was quickly reminded why I avoided the beach yesterday. Many people who do not regularly visit this stretch of beach came to visit for the day or the holiday weekend. Instead of giving back in celebration of their freedom they decided to light off fireworks, leaving a mass amount of debris in the water and on the beach, in addition to cigarette butts and cups that were holding their celebration beverages. 

It is sad that they decided to leave the beauty which refreshed them in such condition. Instead of enjoying a long walk, I spent the entire walk picking up garbage as others walked or ran right by the mess left for someone else to pick up. It was also interesting to see how people responded to my picking up trash; some were thankful and responded positively while others were angry that I was in their running path.

Read the rest of this entry »

The current state of the world has brought many of us into fear over a variety of life’s challenges, fear of terrorist attacks, natural disasters, losing our jobs, etc. Everyone has a story and has had a variety of challenges throughout their lives. These are a part of life. Without life’s polarities we would not continue to learn, grow and develop. How can we move beyond fear and into acceptance of life’s polarities? 

There are many techniques to assist us in looking at the positive in life instead of focusing on what appears to be negative and accepting these “negatives” for what they really are. Meditation has been around for thousands of years as a spiritual practice to assist in clearing the mind and connecting with the divine. Meditation brings peace and harmony to your whole being while offering additional benefits such as relaxation, reduction of stress and anxiety, increase of clarity and concentration, ability to release though patterns and improve physical, mental, and emotional health. 
Read the rest of this entry »

With the increase of demand over organic food products in the last ten years, you would think that a wide range of these products would be easily accessible to most Americans, but this unfortunately is not the case yet. Many of the large companies are beginning to see the need for organic products and are beginning to expand their offerings in an effort to appease these needs. In the mean time, until organics are widely available at an affordable price, what are we to do? I am writing to offer some advice on purchasing healthy organic food in this region without breaking your budget.
Read the rest of this entry »

Life is for learning and growing. As we go through the many lessons that are presented to us daily we grow or expand multi-dimensionally. Sometimes we take the easiest road, while other paths take us up above and over the most challenging mountain peaks imaginable. Considering what growing and expanding brings us in the long run, let’s focus on stretching our comfort zones in all we do. You can stretch your zone in baby steps or take giant leaps by trying new foods or activities or facing your fears head on.

Have you ever reached a point during a diet or exercise program where your progress ceases completely? This is a natural progression that occurs when your body has reached a maintenance point where you are able to stay at your current weight doing exactly what you have been doing. It can be very challenging to work through these plateaus especially when you have a long way to go to reach your ultimate goal. How can you get through a plateau?  Stretch your comfort zone! Read the rest of this entry »

Staying on track with your diet can be challenging enough during the busy work week, but it is especially challenging when you are out of your normal routine.  We travel for many reasons, for business, relaxation and the occasional visit to friends and family in need.  All occasions many times can be reasons to let your diet slide, but there is no need to!  By letting your diet slide you run the risk of gaining 5 even 10 pounds, which sets you back tremendously on your accomplishments and can be damaging to your will and self-esteem.   In lieu of starting over with your diet accomplishments follow these simple tips and return home feeling positive about your meal choices. Read the rest of this entry »

As promised I am writing to update you on my process through the Master Cleanse.  It was one of the most challenging experiences of my life and I will absolutely do it again!  You can do anything if you stick your mind to it and I owned this journey and stuck with it for 8 days.  There are many benefits physically to allowing your body to cleanse of old toxic matter and resting your digestive tract for a few days.  Once you get into the process you see how much your body holds onto and you feel more empowered to control what you allow into your temple each day.  You realize even more the importance of eating healthy, organic food. Read the rest of this entry »

Spring is a time to clean house, the garage, the kitchen junk drawer, that closet of unknown items that has not been touched since last spring. Along with my many trips to Good Will in my effort to reduce my unneeded goods, I have decided to clean my physical and mental self. Just as we clear the energy in our temples for the new, we too must clean out our physical temples in preparation for the new. I have set out on an adventure called the Master Cleanse along with many personalized remedies to coincide with this eight day journey through the old in order to reemerge new, refreshed and ready for what is coming my way. Read the rest of this entry »