1. Relaxation
Take a nap in a hammock and enjoy the smell of freshly cut grass. Go to the park and meditate or read under a favorite tree. One of the greatest places to rest in the summertime is by the water. There is something magical and restorative in water, and you naturally crave to be near it, by it or in it. Heading to the water, whether it is the beach, a lake or a kiddy pool, can be relaxing and rejuvenating.
2. Exercise
Your body loves to move. Think for a moment of what type of movement you would consider fun as opposed to torturous. The summer offers so many choices - it's simply up to you to choose which style of movement excites you. Your heart will thank you, your soul will be gratified, your limbs will be more fluid and you'll sleep better at night.
Whether you are relaxing, exercising or both, notice that being outside in nature has a profound way of quieting your mind and reconnecting you. Often this relaxation and peace of mind is what your body craves the most. So while summer is here, strap on your sandals and enjoy the rich elements of sun, wind and water and the nourishment that they bring.
3. Water
What about quality? Some people like bottled water, while others prefer filtered water. The key is to like the taste of the water you are drinking, and the water should agree with your body. If the taste of plain water is unappealing, experiment to see how you can make it tasty and drinkable. Try adding a few mint leaves, a wedge of lemon, a sprig of parsley, slices of cucumber, a twist of lime or a squeeze of orange to make water more tempting, or to jazz up your routine. Also, drinking tea or juice and eating raw fruits and vegetables contribute to the hydration process. So, splash in the waves, swim in the sun, drink plenty of water and enjoy the summer fun!
Email: sheila@lifeelemental.com
Web: www.lifeelemental.com
Follow me on Twitter: @lifeelemental
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Life Elemental helps you live a happier, healthier and more balanced life through food, relationships, time management, money and career.
Monday, July 23, 2012
3 Healthy Tips to Ease You into August
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Deconstructing Cravings - Part 3 Juicing & Weight Loss
The Problem:
In October 2011, I developed a cough that was hanging around for 2 1/2 weeks. I wasn't too concerned because I was able to keep up my daily routine. It was more of an annoyance every few minutes than anything.
The Solution, or so I thought:
A week later, I decided to go to my doctor (call #1). She thought it was an allergy, prescribed Claritin and Nasonex and let me go. A week later, I was no better. In fact, I was worse. I called my doctor (call #2) and explained that I was wheezing, very short of breath and starting to have panic attacks. I was eating less, sleeping more, had no energy and a cough that was deeper, more congested and like nothing I had experienced before in my life. I was worried I'd break a rib. She prescribed a Z-Pack that I should take for 7 days and wanted to see me the next day. WARNING, BRACE YOURSELF HERE: On my way to the train, I coughed up things I had never seen before...but it felt good because while the pain of being bent over and holding my ribs in place was debilitating, it left what I felt to be a welcomed millimeter of breathing room. I arrive at the office and I'm asked to be weighed. I turned to the assistant and said, "Really? I've been here 3 times in the last 6 weeks." She replied, "it is a state policy that we weigh you each time you come in." I later discovered I had lost 10 pounds. Let me say that again, I LOST 10 pounds. My doctor was not thrilled, but I was. WOW. I didn't think I needed to lose 10 pounds, but I'll take it, or should I say leave it? She asked me if I was eating and then schooled me on protein, carbs, fruits and vegetables. The new diagnosis was that I had pneumonia.
Now to my point.
The REAL Healer: Earth's Healing Cafe -- Infection Healer Neem, Cat's Claw, Ginger, Lemon & African Cayenne. I credit Earth's Healing Cafe for the Infection Healer and their delicious green juices for my road to recovery. I purchased 2 healers and 2 drinks at a time as I didn't live nearby. I drank an infection healer and a green juice a day. At this time, my body was craving nutrients. 2 months later, I bought a juicer and having been juicing everyday ever since.
Once again, the benefits of adding in the good will crowd out the bad and you will see dramatic results if you stick with it. I've been able to maintain my weight loss almost a year later.
Earth's Healing Cafe is located at 1942 W Montrose Ave, Chicago, IL 60613
EarthsHealingCafe.com
In October 2011, I developed a cough that was hanging around for 2 1/2 weeks. I wasn't too concerned because I was able to keep up my daily routine. It was more of an annoyance every few minutes than anything.
The Solution, or so I thought:
A week later, I decided to go to my doctor (call #1). She thought it was an allergy, prescribed Claritin and Nasonex and let me go. A week later, I was no better. In fact, I was worse. I called my doctor (call #2) and explained that I was wheezing, very short of breath and starting to have panic attacks. I was eating less, sleeping more, had no energy and a cough that was deeper, more congested and like nothing I had experienced before in my life. I was worried I'd break a rib. She prescribed a Z-Pack that I should take for 7 days and wanted to see me the next day. WARNING, BRACE YOURSELF HERE: On my way to the train, I coughed up things I had never seen before...but it felt good because while the pain of being bent over and holding my ribs in place was debilitating, it left what I felt to be a welcomed millimeter of breathing room. I arrive at the office and I'm asked to be weighed. I turned to the assistant and said, "Really? I've been here 3 times in the last 6 weeks." She replied, "it is a state policy that we weigh you each time you come in." I later discovered I had lost 10 pounds. Let me say that again, I LOST 10 pounds. My doctor was not thrilled, but I was. WOW. I didn't think I needed to lose 10 pounds, but I'll take it, or should I say leave it? She asked me if I was eating and then schooled me on protein, carbs, fruits and vegetables. The new diagnosis was that I had pneumonia.
Now to my point.
The REAL Healer: Earth's Healing Cafe -- Infection Healer Neem, Cat's Claw, Ginger, Lemon & African Cayenne. I credit Earth's Healing Cafe for the Infection Healer and their delicious green juices for my road to recovery. I purchased 2 healers and 2 drinks at a time as I didn't live nearby. I drank an infection healer and a green juice a day. At this time, my body was craving nutrients. 2 months later, I bought a juicer and having been juicing everyday ever since.
Once again, the benefits of adding in the good will crowd out the bad and you will see dramatic results if you stick with it. I've been able to maintain my weight loss almost a year later.
Earth's Healing Cafe is located at 1942 W Montrose Ave, Chicago, IL 60613
EarthsHealingCafe.com
Sheila Petersen
Health Coach, CHC, AADP
Email: sheila@lifeelemental.com
Web: www.lifeelemental.com
Follow me on Twitter @lifeelemental
Friday, July 6, 2012
Deconstructing Cravings - Part 2 Cheese and Chocolate
All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt. -- Lucy Van Pelt from Peanuts Comic by Charles M. Schulz
As I mentioned in my previous post, it really doesn't matter what you crave as long as you understand why you crave it. After my battle with pneumonia in October last year (I won), I continued to notice a big shift in my palette.
Like clockwork after lunch and after dinner I craved chocolate!
During this time in my life, I was adding in a lot of fresh berries - blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. I also added in veggies like you would not believe. I often thought, how can one possibly eat all of the recommended fruits and vegetables in one day? I now began to realize IT IS possible. Certain vegetables have a deep, sweet flavor like carrots, sweet potatoes, beets and squash. Eating a lot of sweet fruits and vegetables naturally satisfied my cravings for sweet foods and it reduced my cravings for sugary, processed junk food.
As I said, I was craving chocolate. Was I eating the best, most healthy chocolate around? If I was going to consume chocolate twice a day I had to ensure it was the best for me. I was on a mission.
I don't believe that all chocolate is bad for you. In fact, some of the best chocolate in the world is cacao. I pursued and consumed chocolate with the highest percent of cacao I could get my hands on.
Listen and Read more about the benefits of cacao by David Wolfe: http://www.thebestdayever.com/news/podcast/podcast-74-the-real-deal-on-cacao/
Once I began to understand the ingredients of the food that I was putting into my body, EVERYTHING changed.
That brings me to my next love, cheese. I used to indulge on a glass or two of wine accompanied by a delicious piece of cheese. The thought of a slice of Manchego or Goat Gouda had my mouth watering. Wine and cheese was my go to snack after a long work day. It was a treat to myself to unwind and settle into the evening. Once I learned more about the effects of dairy and harm it can do to our bodies, I knew it was time for another change. Have you heard of casein? It's the protein found in milk. Did you know that casein accounts for 87% of the protein found in milk? Did you also know that casein CAUSES cancer to grow?
Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casein
I no longer have chocolate cravings. My cravings for dairy have also subsided. Must be all of that healthy goodness I have allowed.
Read my next blog - Deconstructing Cravings - Part 3 Juicing.
As I mentioned in my previous post, it really doesn't matter what you crave as long as you understand why you crave it. After my battle with pneumonia in October last year (I won), I continued to notice a big shift in my palette.
Like clockwork after lunch and after dinner I craved chocolate!
During this time in my life, I was adding in a lot of fresh berries - blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. I also added in veggies like you would not believe. I often thought, how can one possibly eat all of the recommended fruits and vegetables in one day? I now began to realize IT IS possible. Certain vegetables have a deep, sweet flavor like carrots, sweet potatoes, beets and squash. Eating a lot of sweet fruits and vegetables naturally satisfied my cravings for sweet foods and it reduced my cravings for sugary, processed junk food.
As I said, I was craving chocolate. Was I eating the best, most healthy chocolate around? If I was going to consume chocolate twice a day I had to ensure it was the best for me. I was on a mission.
I don't believe that all chocolate is bad for you. In fact, some of the best chocolate in the world is cacao. I pursued and consumed chocolate with the highest percent of cacao I could get my hands on.
Listen and Read more about the benefits of cacao by David Wolfe: http://www.thebestdayever.com/news/podcast/podcast-74-the-real-deal-on-cacao/
Once I began to understand the ingredients of the food that I was putting into my body, EVERYTHING changed.
That brings me to my next love, cheese. I used to indulge on a glass or two of wine accompanied by a delicious piece of cheese. The thought of a slice of Manchego or Goat Gouda had my mouth watering. Wine and cheese was my go to snack after a long work day. It was a treat to myself to unwind and settle into the evening. Once I learned more about the effects of dairy and harm it can do to our bodies, I knew it was time for another change. Have you heard of casein? It's the protein found in milk. Did you know that casein accounts for 87% of the protein found in milk? Did you also know that casein CAUSES cancer to grow?
Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casein
I no longer have chocolate cravings. My cravings for dairy have also subsided. Must be all of that healthy goodness I have allowed.
Read my next blog - Deconstructing Cravings - Part 3 Juicing.
Sheila Petersen
Health Coach, CHC, AADP
Email: sheila@lifeelemental.com
Web: www.lifeelemental.com
Follow me on Twitter @lifeelemental
Deconstructing Cravings - Part 1 Caffeine
It really doesn't matter what you crave as long as you understand why you crave it. After my battle with pneumonia in October last year (I won), I noticed a big shift in my palette.
Can't live without your morning cup? That's what I thought.
I begin with coffee. I've been drinking coffee for most of my adult life. While I loved the taste of apricot with a dusting of pecan or a chocolate earthiness with undertones of cherry in my cup of joe, I realized I might be drinking my morning cup out of pure habit. I was a 2-3 cupper per day. I only drank coffee in the morning. I dabbled with iced coffee in the afternoon, which did me no favors. The caffeine kept me up all night. Thanks, but no thanks. Not to mention, the calories!
The flavor started to taste like a paper bag. It was no longer enjoyable. And, since I was cutting out unnatural sugar and dairy which I typically added to my coffee, I decided to seek out a different kind of morning beverage. I started to see if I could drop the caffeine crutch too. You know, wake up naturally?
I liked tea, but only drank it when sick or during the winter months when I was cold. I started experimenting with my favorite brand of tea - Yogi tea. I looked forward to each cup with it's inspirational quote at the end of every bag. Some of my favorites are Muscle Recovery Green Tea, Green Tea Kombucha and Chamomile. Next, I started experimenting with honey. A friend recommended Marshall's Farm Honey. Some of my favorites are Star Thistle, Sage and Lavender. Finally, I tried chai. I was never one to add milk to my tea. Wow, was I missing out. This hit the spot on a cold winter morning. The taste of almond milk, added to water and chai with a dollop of honey was just what I was looking for. Masala Chai spices in an herbal rooibos vanilla base. Beautiful clear and bright cup, and crisp, tangy-sweet flavor. Ingredients: rooibos vanilla tea, cinnamon bark, ginger root, orange peels, cloves and cardamom pods, what's not to love?
Where am I today? I survived 7 months with no coffee. I can't say that I went that long without caffeine, because, well, I didn't. However, this gave me great insight into other areas of morning beverages like water, green juices and kombucha.
Read my next blog - Deconstructing Cravings - Part 2 Cheese and Chocolate.
Sheila Petersen
Health Coach, CHC, AADP
Email: sheila@lifeelemental.com
Web: www.lifeelemental.com
Follow me on Twitter @lifeelemental
Thursday, July 5, 2012
My Failures & Successes with Pain Therapy
Are you experiencing pain in your body? You've come to the right place.
As a health coach, I am very picky when it comes to what I put in my body. I will admit, this was not always one of my main concerns. I always believed I was eating fairly healthy. I rarely ate processed or fried foods. I ate high quality proteins and carbs, fruits and vegetables, drank water and exercised and I thought I had a pretty good balance in work, life and sleep.
Several years ago, something came up for me. At age 34, I had my first of 2 bunion surgeries. During recovery, I began favoring the right side of my body. Ready for the good news? I lost weight. Don't get too excited. Now, the bad news. PAIN. I began experiencing pain in my hip. At first, the pain bothered me when sitting down or standing up. A year later with no relief, the pain took a turn and began bothering me at night. So much for my balanced sleep cycle.
What's a girl to do? I did what most of you would do, I made an appointment to see my doctor.
I visited doctor after doctor only to conclude that nothing prescribed was fixing the issue. I went to a chiropractor, acupuncturist, 2 sports medicine doctors and 3 different physical therapists. I was prescribed anti-inflammatory pills, very expensive anti-inflammatory patches and a handout for at-home exercises. I said yes to not 1, but 2 cortisone shots. What was I thinking? The first shot healed me for exactly 14 days. Day 15, the pain was back. The second shot had no effect. I was told "You have too much salt in your diet" and "You walk too much". I was tested to see if one leg was longer than the other. Terms like over-pronating and greater trochanteric bursitis were tossed around. I went on to purchase a foam roller and a "stick" to massage the IT band. I purchased a brace to keep my IT Band in place. I purchased a memory foam mattress topper. I discovered that sitting on soft surfaces for more than 5 minutes exacerbated the pain. Note to self: Don't sit on soft surfaces.
At this point I was desperate. X-rays showed no breaks, tears or arthritis. I skipped the MRI scrip, which later showed a dry socket near the paraformis resulting in a greater trochanteric bursitis diagnoses. I went on to try the Graston Technique. I am one tough girl and I wasn't throwing in the towel. Read more: http://www.grastontechnique.com/ The Graston Technique did help quite a bit by breaking up the knots that ran along my outer right leg and IT Band. After 20 visits experimenting with the Graston Technique, I called my doctor to report that this method had helped but was not ridding of the pain. He told me there was nothing else he could do. He suggested getting back into a workout routine, to which I was already doing. Was my doctor even listening to me?
Enough is Enough!
At this point, 3 years in, things still didn't add up. There had to be a better way. I decided to take matters into my own hands. It was up to me to build strength within my body and my mind. We have one body and one mind. Most people want an easy fix. Most people resort to pills for the "quick fix". I was part of this mindset.
Adding in healthy goodness leaves no room for the junk!
I began to look closer at my diet and other areas of connectedness in my life. I decided I was going to get healthy and get strong. My plan was to rid of my pain through diet and exercise. Here's the good part: To start, I began working with a personal trainer. I began seeing results in just 2 months. My trainer held me accountable for my actions. I committed to showing up for him and most importantly for me. I put Monday and Wednesday on the calendar as a "to-do". Next, I changed my diet. I rid of ALL dairy, ALL processed food and ALL un-natural sugars. I began adding in tons of vegetables, berries and high quality protein and good carbs. I have experienced more energy, weight loss and clearer skin. I'm sleeping better and guess what? The pain is GONE! The cravings are GONE! It's proven that when you add in healthy goodness, there is no room for the junk!
Find out more by visiting my website - www.lifeelemental.com
Sheila Petersen
Health Coach, CHC, AADP
Email: sheila@lifeelemental.com
Web: www.lifeelemental.com
Follow me on Twitter @lifeelemental
5 Quick Tips to a Healthier Grocery Cart
0g Trans Fat. All Natural. Made with Real Fruit. Fat-free. Sounds healthy, right? Wrong.
Don't leave home without these 5 quick tips to a healthier grocery cart and a healthier YOU!
These are just a few of the health food claims we see on packaged, processed foods. As consumers we are tricked into believing these false ads each time we walk into a supermarket.
How do we as consumers educate ourselves into consuming healthy and trusting products?
Don't leave home without these 5 quick tips to a healthier grocery cart and a healthier YOU!
Rule #1: Never, ever trust health food claims on the front of any box or package.
Rule #2: Always check the ingredients list on the back of any box or package.
Rule #3: There should never be more than 5 ingredients and you should know how to pronounce each one and know what it is.
Rule #4: Purchase foods with no box or package when possible.
Rule #5: When in doubt, go without. Find a healthier substitution or option.
Read more:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/28/six-meaningless-claims-on-food-labels/
Find out more by visiting my website - www.lifeelemental.com
Sheila Petersen
Health Coach, CHC, AADP
Email: sheila@lifeelemental.com
Email: sheila@lifeelemental.com
Web: www.lifeelemental.com
Follow me on Twitter @lifeelemental
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