Here’s a potpourri of useful suggestions!

Want to halt a headache in its tracks?

Eat a handful of almonds. The painkiller in aspirin is salicylates. Almonds contain them as well! Almonds also have high levels of magnesium. Magnesium reduces muscle tension, which is usually present when you have a headache.

Need a healthy pick-me-up?

Next time you wash your hands, put some energy into rubbing your hands together while holding them under the water. A friend of mine who’s a long time Qigong practitioner told me that flowing water releases negative ions. Negative ions are charged particles that will send your energy levels soaring. Rubbing your hands together unblocks the flow of chi (energy) to absorb that abundance of energy from the negative ions.

Looking to improve your mood?

For a mood boosting yoga pose, try this. Sit on the floor with your legs crossed. Take five deep breaths in and out through your nose. After the last breath in, exhale quickly through your nose in 10 short bursts. This is a form of Kapalabhati. It will help you expel negative thoughts and leave you with a burst of energy.

Do you think you have an iron deficiency?

Iron deficiency will sap your energy and alertness. It shortchanges your thyroid from getting the iron it needs, leaving you feeling tired and like you’re in a brain fog. Try drinking chicory-root tea. It contains inulin which nourishes cells in the intestines that are responsible for iron uptake. Chicory-root tea tastes like coffee but lacks the iron-blocking caffeine found in coffee. Try drinking two cups daily and see how you feel.

shelli

Got ankle pain, or do you perceive that you have weak ankles?

One of the many things I do as a coach is helping my clients recover from injuries and help them regain mobility and strength. I use a system called Z Health Performance Solutions.

Lately I’ve been noticing that many active people are asking me questions about recurring ankle sprains, so here’s some important information and a balancing exercise for you to practice.

The discomfort from an ankle sprain does subside, but there still can be issues with the ligament’s neural receptors.

These receptors convey ankle and foot positioning to your brain. When a sprain impairs receptor function, the brain’s sense of body positioning is thrown off. Your sense of balance is impaired, leaving you unstable and prone to injury.

Once your ankle pain has abated, try this exercise. It can help speed the repair of neural receptors to ensure a complete recovery.

Exercise: Grasp a chair for support. Keeping good posture the whole time, stand on the leg with the injured ankle and balance for 60 seconds. Repeat three times a day for four weeks. As this gets easier, try doing it without holding onto a chair and with your arms folded across your chest.

When you have areas in your body that are getting chronically injured, please have them checked out. There are solutions!

And while we’re on the topic of feet, I recently read a startling statistic.

The soles of shoes carry an average of 421,000 germs, some of which can be very virulent. So, to decrease your risk of contaminating your floors and body by 61%, take off your footwear at the front door!

I’ve been doing this since 1980 when I made my first trip to Japan. I loved the Japanese custom of switching to slippers when they enter a house. I prefer to go barefoot, but whatever your choice, do leave those shoes at the door!

shelli

Wouldn’t you love to have energy on demand?

Particularly in winter time when we often lack both physical and mental energy?

Here are four energy-on-demand tips that will work in only a few minutes.

1. Yawning.

Yawning activates neurochemicals such as acetylcholine and oxytocin. They increase mental alertness and calm stress. When you practice this, yawn in sequence. Yawn 10-15 times with a short pause between each yawn.

2. Rhythmic activity.

Moving your body to a steady tempo, as it does while you’re walking, swimming, or dancing, results in calm energy. These forms of movement cause us to unconsciously breathe in a way that puts the brain in a meditative state. Ten minutes a day will do it.

3. Tap these acupressure points.

Tapping can instantly free up Qi (mental energy). Use the tips of your index, middle and ring fingers. Firmly tap each of the following points for 30 seconds: the inner edge of your left eyebrow, the semicircle under your left eye and the spot just below the inner tip of your left collarbone.

4. Enjoy this smiling meditation.

The act of smiling, even if your heart’s not in it, reinforces the brain circuits that keep your outlook positive. First thing in the morning, in bed, try smiling and see how that feels. The idea is to create a “feel good” setting that your brain can revisit.

Try these tips and let me know what you think!

shelli

A few interesting beverage tidbits this week!

1. We know that green tea helps boost your metabolism, but when your body adjusts to the active ingredients, the boosting effect stops.

What can you do?

Try cycling your green tea intake. Drink it for two weeks and then stop for a week and start again. Or change the time of day when you drink it.

In general, for the metabolism boosting effect, drink two to four cups daily.

A study at Purdue University found that by adding citrus (lemon, lime, orange) to your green tea, thereby increasing the vitamin C levels of your beverage, absorption of green tea’s EGCG (which is what slims you down) increased by 56-75 percent.

2. We’re all aware that our ground water, and therefore our tap water, can be filled with harmful bacteria. How can you build up immunity to such bacteria?

One way you might not know about is by adding coconut milk or coconut oil to your diet.

Coconut is a rich source of lauric acid, which your body converts into monolaurin, a compound with the ability to kill illness-causing bacteria and viruses.

You can add coconut milk to a smoothie, spread coconut oil on bread, use it to replace butter in your baked goods, or use the oil to grill fish, chicken and vegetables. Choose unrefined coconut oil and whole (not light or fat-free) coconut milk. These varieties provide the benefits.

Also, if you’ve never opened up a young coconut and enjoyed real coconut water and eaten the fresh coconut meat, it’s one of my all time favorite treats!

Are you reaching your goals?

You have all these things you want to accomplish, right?

Lose weight.

Quit smoking.

Eat better or exercise more.

Do something about all the stress you feel.

You have so many things on the list that you can’t start them ALL right away.

So you decide to wait until next month to really take action.

Then something comes up and you put it off
until next month.

You know how it goes.

So at the end of the year you have not accomplished
your goals.

Are you ready to change that?

Are you ready to actually ACHIEVE your goals this time?

Here’s what I’d like you to do:

1) Start a new Word document on your computer.

2) Title it “Goals for the (month, year, week, whatever……you fill in the blank!)

3) Write down your top 10 goals.

4) Then reorder them according to importance.

5) Then take the last 8 off the list.

6) Then write a list of EXACTLY what you need to do to
achieve each of those TWO goals.

7) Write down EXACTLY how much time per week you
are willing to commit to achieving your goal.

Write down EXACTLY how much money per month
you are willing to invest to achieve your goal.

Include both the money you are willing to invest materially, meaning to
actually do the goal, and the money you are willing to invest
in training.

For example, if your goal is to lose 50 pounds, you probably can’t do it all by yourself. You’ll likely need a coach or a support group. So write down the money you
are willing to invest per month for a coach or a support group.

9) Write down EXACTLY what it will mean for you personally if
you achieve this goal.

Staying with the previous example of losing 50 pounds, what will that really mean if you lose the 50 pounds? Would it mean you’d fit into your clothes better,
be more attractive, feel better about yourself?

10) Then write a list of anything you don’t know how to do
or what you think is holding you back from achieving that goal.

11) Then commit to begin NOW, starting today to focus on your goal.

12) If you have completed #11 and are ready to start focusing NOW, send your Word document to me. I will probably get about 100 or more, so it may take me a few days to comment on them, but comment I will!

I look forward to hearing from you……so get started on step #1 RIGHT NOW!

shelli

If your brain is too excited, you’ll likely have trouble falling asleep.

One of the things that may be happening is that your brain is excited from TOXINS.

This may also be the case if you have trouble staying asleep.

One culprit may be the additives in your food.

Aspartame, MSG, artificial coloring, nitrates, and even soy contain “excitotoxins.” These chemicals can alter brain chemistry and lead to insomnia.

Stay away from foods with these additives. You’ll get a better night’s sleep, and you’ll lower the risk of damaging your brain’s sensitive nerves.

Read labels carefully. Notice how the quality of your sleep changes when you’re more vigilant about eliminating toxic food additives.

And that’s not the only reason to avoid these toxins. They can cause many health problems, including obesity, migraines, memory loss, and hearing loss.

Without a good night’s sleep it’s very difficult to function well during the day. We all know this.

So, if you’re having sleep issues look to your food as a possible disruptive source.

shelli

I’m always looking for EASY protein recipes. Here are two recipes I’d like to share with you.

Coconut Baked Chicken

Ingredients:

1 whole baking chicken
Italian spices like oregano, thyme, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper
Extra virgin coconut oil

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Place 1-2 heaping tablespoons of coconut oil in a small pan and melt over low heat until it becomes liquid
3. In a bowl, mix 1-2 tsps of each of the spices
4. Pour the melted coconut oil into the bowl with the spices and mix well
5. Let the coconut oil/spice mixture cool down
6. Rub the mixture under the skin of the chicken and coat it thoroughly
7. Place the chicken, breast side down, in a glass baking pan
8. Bake in the oven for 2-3 hours. Time is determined by the size of the chicken.

Using the coconut oil idea, you can also turn this into an Asian flavored chicken by changing the spices you select. If I go with the Italian spices, I like to include my famous caesar salad as a side dish. If I choose an Asian spiced chicken I prefer some Asian greens as my side dish.

Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:

6 eggs
Extra virgin olive oil
Dijon mustard
Sea salt and pepper
Fresh dill

Directions
1. Hard boil the eggs
2. Cut each egg in half and place all the yolks into a separate bowl
3. Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard and mix well
4. Add more olive oil and/or Dijon mustard, based on taste
5. Add salt and pepper to taste
6. Mix in 1 tablespoon of fresh dill

Deviled Eggs seem to be one of those foods that everyone has their own to-die-for recipe. Try this one and see what you think!

shelli

Do you think you see the world through your eyes or through your brain?

Most people might answer through your eyes, but that’s not correct.

You don’t see the world through your eyes. You see it through your brain.

What does that mean?

It means that despite the possibilities you SEE in front of you, your brain can sap your confidence and “psych” you out of taking action.

Being psyched out of taking action is one of the biggest challenges we all have in creating the lives we want to lead.

When we look at people who’ve had success in life in the ways we’d like to be successful, we often think that they are so far ahead of us that we’ll never get there.

We often psych ourselves out and don’t even get started.

It’s true that there are some amazing people out there who have done amazing things in the world. But they are no better than you.

Their success is not just due to the strategies they have or the time they’ve spent learning those strategies. Those things are important. And you should model them.

But the thing that really sets them apart is how they see the world.

They have programmed their minds differently.

The good news is that you too can reprogram your mind. You can change the way you think about your capabilities.

Instead of thinking that success is not possible for you and that successful people are somehow different, create an extraordinary vision of yourself.

Think of yourself as a screenwriter, scripting your life with you as the leading character.

Then act on it.

As you create new thoughts and take new actions, you create new connections in your brain. The more you practice and get out of your comfort zone, the faster the process becomes.

There’s so much new information out there about how our brains are wired and how we make changes. Read books like The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge and start learning what’s possible.

At first, seeing through your brain and not your eyes will feel awkward, or even a little weird.

Noticing that your perceptions are directed by your thinking is the first step. It will get easier with practice and eventually you will program yourself to see opportunities that you couldn’t see before and take actions that you couldn’t take before.

If you have any other book suggestions in this new neurological frontier of brain power, let me know. I’ll be happy to pass them along!

shelli

If you are falling asleep around 2:00 p.m. each day, you are not alone.

Many, if not most of us, go through a period of post-lunch listlessness.

When that happens, don’t try to push yourself to keep going. If you’ve tried this, you know it’s often a waste of time. You just end up spinning your wheels.

It’s often more effective to perk yourself up by taking a short nap, when you can, or going outside and getting some exercise.

Here are five things you can do to avoid the afternoon doldrums and keep your energy high all day:

1. Once in a while try skipping lunch, or at least skip the carbohydrates, and see how you feel. Eating lighter at lunch, and certainly keeping your starchy carbohydrate intake during lunch to a minimum, will make a difference in your energy level.

2. If you go out for lunch, keep it light, both in terms of total calories and starchy carbohydrates. Usually, that means eating a mixed salad with a portion of protein.

3. Make sure you’re not dehydrated. Dehydration will zap your energy. And, if it’s appropriate for you, try some caffeine around noon. A glass of iced tea or a shot of espresso does nicely.

4. Exercise helps. Many people exercise just before or after lunch. Fresh air will work wonders for your energy level, so even a short walk will help. Stretching, yoga or tai chi are good options too as they will naturally energize you.

5. Take a nap. Think of it as a mini siesta. Ten or 15 minutes is often enough to wake you up and get you going again.

Remember, there are many choices, so it’s about finding what works for you!

shelli

Think of two words that strike fear into women everywhere and you’re likely to come up with breast cancer.

And there’s a good reason for that.

In 2008, according to the National Cancer Institute, an estimated 182,460 women were diagnosed with and 40,480 women died of breast cancer.

With these alarming statistics, it’s tragic that most women just wait until a self-exam or mammogram shows an unusual lump in their breast. Often, by that point, the cancer has taken hold and it becomes a life and death challenge.

So there’s something I want to share with you.

Most breast cancer is determined by how estrogen is metabolized in the body and whether it is balanced by adequate levels of progesterone.

Here’s what you need to know and do and pass on to your mother, your sisters, and your friends so they’ll do it too.

1. Have your estradiol, estrogen metabolites, and progesterone levels tested. If you have a progesterone deficiency, you are at least four times more likely to develop breast cancer. If testing shows you are deficient in this hormone, there are several progesterone creams available without a prescription. Ask your healthcare professionals for a recommendation.

2. Estrogen testing will tell you whether your body is breaking down estradiol, your primary estrogen, into safe or dangerous metabolites. For instance, 2OH (one of the metabolites of estradiol) actually inhibits breast cancer. But 4OH and 16OH increase your risks, so you don’t want those levels elevated.

3. The good news is that you can encourage your body to make more good estrogen while getting rid of the bad stuff simply by maintaining healthy gut flora and modifying your diet to include more antioxidant-rich and omega-3 foods and fewer carbs. The insulin resistance and inflammation caused by carbs significantly increase your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and breast cancer.

4. You might not be aware that your thyroid plays a role in breast health too. If you have an underactive thyroid or thyroid antibodies (autoimmune thyroiditis), your body may not be making enough NK (natural killer) cells. These are the immune cells that search out cancer cells and destroy them. That’s why it’s vitally important to have your thyroid checked regularly.

5. Did you realize that it is in your power to dramatically reduce your risk of breast cancer by balancing your hormones and eating a nutritious diet?

Many believe it’s fate or genetics that determine whether or not they’re faced with breast cancer.

Whether you answer yes or no, you now know it is in your power to reduce your risk.

And if you thought a yearly mammogram was the most you could do to protect yourself from breast cancer, think again. Make hormone and thyroid testing a part of your yearly checkup.

It’s important that women are properly educated about real breast cancer prevention.

Carry this message to women everywhere, and together we can reverse those statistics.

shelli