Feelin' Stronger Everyday

I love these words as they state such a humble truth. Our physical body is always moving towards health and healing despite the unhealthy and unkind things we do to it. Then one day...

It (meaning health) just all seems to fall apart, crumble at your feet, come cascading down from one ill symptom to the next. Does this sound familiar?

I hear these words often: "When I was 20 I ate whatever I wanted and nothing bothered my stomach or digestive tract. I drank like crazy, did drugs, ate junk food, and was still healthy as a horse." (I am not exactly certain how the horse got involved here!) I take such good care of me now... Why is this happening to me? 

My reply always resembles something like this: When you are young your body cells are in tip top shape. Our habits, good and bad, either build our body cells for better health or wear them down into degenerative cells. This is a slow and insidious process which is exactly why we do not consciously connect it to the "stuff" we did to ourselves in our younger years.  

I wrote about this in: 

• Garbage Disposal Syndrome
• Healing Begins At Home
• and so many other blog posts. I hope I am encouraging you and not sounding like a broken record!   : )

Back to the body knows what to do and the mind getting in the way thing. This is just one issue in the struggle to maintain healthy habits. Our body knows how to heal, knows how to ask for what it needs (fresh, real food), and functions at optimal levels when we care for it. The struggle comes with the mind:

1. wanting what we see advertised by food manufacturers because it is so enticing and the ads mesmerize us;
2. not wanting to work hard to avoid that which we know is not cell enhancing food or lifestyle habits;
3. having addictions to refined sugar, refined sodium, and flavor enhancing chemicals that tantalize our taste buds, release endorphins, and various other interruptions in normal physiological processes; and
4. being disconnected from our mind and spirit. This here my friends is a great space to start working on to get passed the 3 issues above.

I am inviting you to incorporate some mind-body-spirit activities into your life. This will help you bridge the disconnect we have as a culture and bring harmony back to mind, body, and spirit. You will function as a peaceful, whole human being that no longer struggles to avoid the things that you know are not best for your whole body health. Instead, you will feel at ease, comfy, in your own skin making the choices that create vibrant health. All without feeling deprived. (I promise!)

1. Deep breathe (deep belly breathe not that shallow chest stuff most people do),
2. Yoga,
3. Tae Kwon Do,
4. Tai Chi,
5. Qigong,
6. Meditate,
7. Pray,
8. Walk in the woods,
9. Laugh,
10. Have great sex,
11. Nurture your ties with beloved family & friends,
12. Ground yourself everyday,  (grounding exercise at the link back there),
13. AND then you will be....www.Feelin' Stronger Everyday.com, Chicago!

Whole Body Health BEGINS In Your Gut (your digestive tract, gastro-intestinaI Tract)

Discover how to heal your gut health and restore vibrant vitality to your whole being...

How you ask?

By delving into digestive tract health: Healing Your Gut For Lifetime Vitality online eCourse.

1. Click the link: http://www.paulayoumellrn.com/healyourgutecourse/,
2. Check out how this course will help you create vibrant health & vitality,
3. Invest in healing your gut health (your whole body health),
4. Watch the videos, read the PDF, do the gut healing work that I will lay out for you in simple terms and steps, and feel better than you have in years!

AND, you have lifetime access to this information!

RACK-ing Up Great Health!

I recently created the above image and idea I am calling R-A-C-K-ing up Health to remind people how easy the return to vibrant health is. When we follow life's plan, the natural laws of the earth and universe, our health flows freely.

I was thinking about this very concept as I was picking black raspberries at my Mom & Dad's home on Saturday morning. I began picking them planning to take them to my home and share the bounty. My kids were gone for the weekend so instead the hand to mouth experience began.

By the time I left my parent's home I bet I had picked and eaten, sharing with my good buddy Basil of course, a quart of these juicy delicacies. That is some powerful and colorful nutrition based upon the stains on my hands, face, tongue, lips, and teeth!  (The picture below is Basil and I on a little north country Hornbeck canoeing excursion.)

The thoughts of vibrant, live food kept passing through my mind and how much nutrition and life force energy our bodies receive when we pick and eat food immediately. Ah yes, the grace of local food, raised by ourselves or a conscious thinking farmer, brought to our tables within a short time frame to fill our body cells with nutrition and our entire being with chi energy.

When we pick plant based food from its life source, its source of life force energy, that plant based food begins to die.  The longer the time span between plucking or pulling the food from its source, the less nutrition and life force energy remain available to nourish your body. Grow, pick, and buy local for the most cell enhancing nutrition and life force energy infusion you can gift your body with.

To find local farmers here in Northern NY State: www.gardenshare.org

To find local farmers wherever you are: www.localharvest.org

Jump down below those gorgeous berries for a bit more life enhancing advice and a yummy, iced coffee recipe.

Eating fresh food is but one way we can enhance our life force energy and cellular health. Try these natural habits for increasing your vibrancy:

• deep breathing in a relaxed and peaceful way
• yoga
• meditation
• walks in the woods and time spent in nature (remember, you are nature)
• laugh
• acupuncture and energy healing methods
• take a swim in an Adirondack lake
• love with your whole heart

Added July 16th...

• Fun Loving Spontaneity increases Life Force Energy. See the words of wisdom, below, from Shelby Connelly, Five Elements Living, Colton, NY

Ingredients for spontaneity:

• The ability to let go:  Take a deep breath and jump. The chores and routine will await your return.
• Knowing life is short:  No one ever lays on their death bed wishing they had worked more.
• A friend to push you off the edge:   Every women needs a "Thelma" to her "Louise". Oh girls just wanna have fuu-un! (Cindy Lauper is my hero.)

Namaste'

Traditional Foods, Traditional Movement

Eating whole foods, real foods, the foods that are traditional to one's area of living and thriving on this planet is one key to healing personal (and global) health. I praise the cell enhancing and body healing benefits of a 100% whole food diet all the time.

I now want to introduce you to traditional movement, the act of simply moving your body in flexing and strengthening ways, the time honored ways people on this planet have always moved their bodies. This is moving the body in the simple acts of daily living tasks that involve using the body not auto door openers and mechanized, labor saving devices. 

The farmers of Birdsfoot Farm, Canton, NY going about their daily tasks: moving, flexing, and strengthening their bodies all while creating something tangible... whole foods! Explore Birdsfoot Farm's website to see what they are up to and what they have to offer towards your healing plan!

We are a culture that simply needs to move more. Movement creates all sorts of healing effects in the body and creates an upward spiraling ripple effect to entice us to make other healing changes in our lives. When we move and then feel better... we naturally want to make even more changes to feel even "More Better!" (My kids used to use this grammatically incorrect more better making the term very endearing to me.)

We are told by the media, scientific sources, and all sorts of exercise specialists that we need to get our butts in gear, dramatically increase our heart rates for at least 20 minutes daily, lift weights to keep our muscles and bones strong, etc., etc., etc. I am not going to tell you to not engage in such activities if you are so inclined to do so. What I am going to tell you (if you are not one inclined towards hard core, butt hauling, sweat inducing, heart pumping, serious shit at the gym exercise...) is that simply getting up and moving your body, several times daily, has huge benefits for your whole body, and yes for your each and every beloved body cell!

As I grow older, I like to think common sense and wisdom is growing with me. I am one who has run miles daily (getting those miles in at 6 1/2 minutes or less was imperative), rode my bike for long and hard miles, lifted my body weight in all sorts of ways (bench presses, squats, lunges, etc.), and swam laps across rivers and lakes... I think you get the picture. In comes the wisdom (I am glad I did those things as I have always had too much energy that I needed to burn but my wisdom also tells me that some of it wore hard on my body parts)... all 4 of my grandparents lived to be just months shy of 89 years old. Not one of them ever did hard core, sweat inducing running, biking, weight lifting, swimming, etc. They simply worked hard in their tasks of daily living, moving their bodies constantly throughout the day to take care of farm animals, gardens, orchards, wood for winter fires, hay for winter feed, etc. Their exercise and weight lifting was part of life and survival from year to year. 

Lifestyle Hints: walk away from the computers (Yup, me too) go for walks, even short ones, several times daily. Walk up the stairs to use your upstairs bathroom every time you need to go (Or do laps about the house, even outside, if you only have a down stairs bathroom). Drop and do some push-ups before peeing, drop and do some crunches or V-seats (boat pose) when you are finished on the pot. Stack wood (I have 4 more cords needing stacking if anyone is interested in assisting with some free movement, no gym membership fee required and I might even make you lunch!) Walk more, do work by hand instead of using machinery, i.e.: push that lawn mower instead of sitting on it (do push-ups and pull-ups before and after mowing), split wood by hand, hoe-rake-shovel-weed, do everything you need to by hand using those glorious muscles and save the drive, and membership fee, to the gym.

I am off now to do some muscle flexing-strengthening-balancing yoga, push-ups, and a walk in the woods with my dog. I will contemplate the wood stacking and lawn mowing!

Create some Movement Magic in your own life!

Sean Corn, Yoga Teacher. Image from Yoga Journal August 2015, page 23, Rainbow Light Nutritional Supplements ad.

This chilly, wet weather on June 28th has me looking for something to do in my oven. With a hankering for yummy granola and my local yogurt, the timing seems perfect to whip up a batch of...

Gratifying Granola

Please feel free to assume that all ingredients are whole (unrefined), organic, non-GMO, pasture raised animal products, and as local as I can get.

• 2 1/4 cup oats
• 1/2 cup spelt or amaranth flour
• 1/2 cup corn meal
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup water or milk of choice
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• pinch of unrefined sea salt
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 250 F.
2. Blend dry ingredients together in large mixing bowl.
3. Beat eggs in a separate bowl.
4. Add other wet ingredients to beaten eggs and mix well. If batter is seemingly too "wet" add tiny amounts of flour and meal to create a damp batter.
5. Drizzle wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir to blend well.
6. Spread granola batter in a thin even layer in baking pan(s).
7. Bake for 2 hours at 250 F. Set a timer for every 20 to 30 minutes and stir granola well and redistribute into a thin layer on the pan(s).
8. When granola seems crunchy and well baked (not burned) remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan.
9. Transfer cooled granola to air tight containers. I prefer wide mouth quart canning jars with the 2 piece metal lids.
10. Enjoy in any and every way you enjoy granola!

Get Mesmerized by the Marvels of Your Body

I am inviting you to embrace the miracle of your body. 

I am always looking for ways to inspire and motivate clients and students in my classes to want to make healing changes in their lives, healing changes that will last a lifetime. I want you to realize that you can change any lifestyle habit into a powerful healthy and healing choice if you truly desire to do so.

I love explaining to people the impact food and lifestyle habits have on cellular health. When we realize the intrinsic effects we have on our own health we often are more inclined to do things differently, more healthful choices.

The miracle of the human body has always fascinated me. I remember watching my first birth as a nursing student. I was awestruck and in love with everything about it. 32 years later I still feel that way about the creative power of living beings. We have an egg that gets fertilized by a sperm creating a 1 cell being. This one cell goes on to split and divide millions and millions of times to create:

• every cell, tissue, organ, and organ system in this new human life,

• the placenta,

• the amniotic sac and fluid, and

• the umbilical cord!

Sometimes that one cell does a completely crazy thing and splits in half in the early process and creates 2 human beings and all of the above extras (yes, identical twins!). This can happen, in very rare instances, to create identical quadruplets and more!

This whole process is amazing, miraculous, a true breath taking and awe inspiring feat of biology. Relax and close your eyes. I want you to immerse yourself in the magnificence of this. Now I want you to think about all the other processes your marvelous body does every day:

• digestion and elimination

• immune responses 24-7

• sensory input and  neuro- analyzation so you can feel, smell, hear, see, and taste

• detoxification of everything that comes into your body

• movement of nutrients, innate chemicals, lymph fluid, oxygen and gasses throughout your body

• filtering the blood to create urinary waste

• manufacturing and delivering feel good hormones to the brain

• movement of your body about your life

• manufacturing and delivering hundreds and hundreds of enzymes, hormones, and other biological chemicals to every cell of your body (when and where needed)

Truly, this list could go on forever. What I want to impress upon you is the amazingness, awesomeness, the marvel of your entire being.

Circulatory System

Digestive Tract, Gut!

Skeletal System

The Heart

When we are truly mesmerized at the extraordinary  being we humans are (all beings on this planet are extraordinary but I want to focus on humans to turn you onto caring for you!) we are more inclined to want to better care for ourselves and make the commitment to lifestyle changes that will prevent and heal disease.

Knowing what a miracle each and every bodily process is... don't you just want to take whole food and whole health care of you? Your body will shape shift into this healthy, vibrant being... I promise!

Mind, Body, Spirit

Please share your thoughts and feelings on the Marvel of the Human Body, the Marvel of You and how this inspires you to take better care... the best care of you!

Weight Loss is in Your Hands

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, adds fiber to roto-root the intestinal tract, provides pectin for weight loss, and is an all-around awesome whole food for many healing and nourishing purposes. Truly speaking (or writing I should say): nourishing the body, healing, and lifetime body weight balancing all go hand in hand!

I have written several posts on sustainable weight loss over the past few years. This link will take you to them if you wish to peruse through them and see what catches your attention and feeds your personal needs.

Weight loss is a goal many of my clients put on their health history as one of their top 3 health goals they are looking to achieve. 

Weight loss can be achieved quickly through the many, many, many get skinny quick diet plans. Problem is: what will you learn and have you learned about healthy eating from these get skinny quickly plans that you can use over the long haul of your life? When you stop the latest get skinny quick plan and go back to the old habits... voila, back comes all of the weight you lost.

This is what I can tell you about permanent, lifetime weight control:

1. Healing the body, this includes arriving at and maintaining a healthy body weight for your gorgeous shape and body structure, is achieved through a lifetime of eating natural (whole) foods and living as in sync with the rules of nature as possible. 

2. Weight loss is not the first effect you will notice when changing your lifestyle and eating habits, so hang in there. The wait will be well worth it.

3. Healthy food repairs cellular metabolism (All the exciting things that go on inside each and every body cell every second of your breathing life. Your body cells are the building blocks of your body and your health!). When we repair the cells we in turn repair the tissues, organs, organ systems, and you... the organism! All those nasty ill-health symptoms become a thing of the past, a distant not so great memory!

4. When your eating habits are built around whole food and amounts needed to sculpt your awesome body back into its natural size and shape... this is what will happen.

5. Ditch the scales and get skinny quick schemes. Fill your home with whole foods and whole health habits and your personal health will soar as your body weight sinks!

This is my bottom line friends: get real with yourself, your food choices, and your lifestyle choices. Health will slip gently into place if you are patient and allow your body to heal.

Cheers!

Natural Skin Care for Prevention and Healing Sun Damage

Last week I wrote some quick tips for caring for your skin within a whole food - whole health lifestyle: http://www.paulayoumellrn.com/blog/2015/5/17/holistic-skin-care   (yes, go back and read it if you missed it. Skin care begins on the inside my friends!)

This week: Natural Sun Screen & After Sun Skin Repair Recipe

I avoid commercial sunscreens as they are loaded with chemicals; the chemicals in the base lotion as well as the chemicals used for the sun screen affects. Any chemical put onto the skin that can alter cellular function in a way to stop sun burning... hmm, sounds like a chemical I do not want on my skin changing the way my skin cells function.

Natural sunscreens with zinc and titanium dioxide you ask? Nah, I will pass on them as well. First of all the base lotions, again, are loaded with chemicals I do not want on my skin. The zinc and titanium are sticky and white filmy on the skin. Yes, they make nano particle zinc and titanium sunscreens but I will pass on them as well.  Read on for my sun protective recipe.

My Natural Sunscreen Recipe

To make a natural sunscreen I start with an *organic, unscented lotion (no chemicals in this base lotion) and fill a 4 oz glass cosmetic jar almost to top... leaving room for:

1/2 - 1 tsp. organic instant coffee powder and 1/2 - 1 tsp. organic cocoa powder. Mix both into lotion very well. 
And essential oils, see below.

*Check massage supply websites for organic, unscented base lotions. You can buy them in 8, 16, 32, and 64 oz sizes. Read labels carefully to make certain you are comfortable with the ingredients going on your skin and therefore into your body.

And...

1 tsp. Wild Pansy extract powder and 2 droppers of wild pansy extract tincture. Again, mix in well. 

I use this sun protective lotion on my face, neck, and hands. I am very aware that I can not slather this on, head to toe, and think for a second that I can spend all day in the sun and not burn my skin. Life and sun exposure just does not work that way. This is my preventative for any more sun damage to my face and neck. I figure my teen years, living in the sun all day, have done enough damage. Now I do damage control.

I also try to do these things most of the time:

1. limit my sun exposure during the high, hot time of the sun 11 AM to 2-3 PM

2. Wear a wide brim hat when I am out in the sun

3. slather my face with my aging and sun damaged skin lotions.

Aging & Sun Damaged Skin Lotion

Summer Base: Aubrey Organic Aloe gel

Winter Base: Aloe plus 1-2 tsp. organic, unrefined, extra virgin olive oil (if you can make a comfrey infused olive oil... even better)

Using a 4 oz. glass cosmetic jar, fill it up leaving head space for olive oil in winter and drops of essential oils.

Anti-aging essential oils to add 6-8 drops of each (as per the Male Herbal by James Green)

• Lavender

• Frankincense

• Carrot Seed

• Immortelle (Helichrysum italicum)

I also add a Rosemary essential oil, 6 drops

The Anti-Aging Team of essential oils

Use on your face and neck after washing with water only in AM & PM. Apply a little extra around eye area to crows feet.

The aging skin remedy can also be made by adding the drops of essential oils to 4 oz. of the above mentioned unscented, organic lotion.

I sometimes add essential oils of rosemary or oregano as they all increase circulation to the skin. Increased circulation means more oxygen and nutrients to skin cells and better removal of cellular wastes.
Peppermint, in very small amounts, also aids circulation. Peppermint does cause / exacerbate reflux and it will bother reflux in your face lotion. If reflux is an issue, skip using peppermint.

The finished sunscreen and sun repair remedy.