I'm here...moving forward.

Whoaaaaa!
It's been a while. For those who know me - know, I have had MULTIPLE computer problems. Honestly - between those technical problems, my procrastination, and the holidays - I was unable to resolve the problems in a timely fashion! I can totally beat myself up about my part, in the procrastination, but...really - who does that hurt? I'm not looking back. New day. Join me in moving forward.

Be good to your body - make a goal.

Making a goal is a great way to boost motivation and start moving forward. If you are in a rut, ask yourself if you have made any goals lately(?).

Wait... don't read further - have you asked yourself about your goals??

>tapping foot, waiting for your answer<

uh huh... you have no goals, do you? I thought not!

It is easy to get sucked into the pitty party of your life but don't stop there. Be self-aware enough to realize what has put you into your personal situation.

So, dust off your old vision board or hang a new one up. Make a list of goals... ones for right now and ones you would like to reach in the future.

My current goal is Half Dome. A few of my friends accomplished it and I have been kicking myself for not joining in the fun. Better late than never though... so I will be going to the TOP in September.

UPDATE: It was brutal. haha

We ended up hiking right up to the base of half-dome. The clouds swirled in (it was originally a 75 degree day) and out of the blue came bolts of lightning and rain. I was tired and it didn't take much for me to look at that 'as a sign' to turn back.

I hope to try it again sometime.

The key to lasting change

Areas where hypnotherapy has helped someone - this month...
Self-Confidence, Motivation, Self-Image, Stress, Anger, Frustration, Worry, Guilt, Forgiveness, Anxiety, Assertiveness, Change Habits, Exam Anxiety, Relationship enhancement, Performance Anxiety, Perfectionism, Lack of Initiative, Self-Expression, Fears, Phobias, Insomnia, Pain Management, Assist Healing, Sexual Problems, Relaxation, Bed Wetting, Inhibition, Fear of Flying, Self-Defeating behaviors, Self-Criticism, Self-Awareness, Aggression, Self-Esteem, Lack of Direction, Exercise, Fear of Failure, Self-Hypnosis, Relaxation, Breathing, and my favorite... the finding of misplaced keys.
We all have something we would like to work on. What would you like to change in your life?

Interesting, even if hard to grasp!

I was watching a seminar today and came across a bit of interesting information. Needed information - for I was frustrated with the behavior of someone that I know. What this lady said in this seminar was this: ALL behavior comes from good intentions. What? I was like... that is rediculous, how can that be? But, the more I roll it around and think about it - it does make sense. People do things that solve something for themselves. From the nicest kind gesture to that of a terrorist. So, when I look back on the behavior of this person who is behaving badly - it is good to remember that what they are doing is solving something for themselves. My question now is: What? What are they solving? When I say solving... it may be a bit more in depth like 'it releaves a need in them'. From their own paradigm - a need to escape, a need to be noticed, wanted, loved, or a belief they have. It is all very interesting and it makes me understand other people better (even if I do not agree with them).

Behavior revisited

ANYTHING that is reinforced, is likely to occur again.
This is true for all sane behavior. Be it human or animal.
Lets us get better acquainted with reinforcement. What is reinforcement? A reinforcer is a stimulus that follows a behavior. Now there are two kinds of reinforcement - positive and negative. Positive reinforcement is when something (a stimulus) happens after a behavior - causing that behavior to strengthen.
Negative reinforcement is when something (a stimulus) is removed - causing the behavior to strengthen.
Yes... you read that right. BOTH cause the behavior to strengthen.
For example:
Positive reinforcement - if a person gives a dog a treat every time he lays down - he will start to throw that behavior to them. He will lay down more and more... if they continue to positively reinforce his behavior.
Negative reinforcement (escape) - if a mouse is being shocked and realizes that pushing a lever makes the shock go away... the mouse will push the lever.
Negative reinforcement (avoidance) - if a person knows that when the buzzer goes off, he has ten seconds to push a button before a loud annoying sound plays over loud speakers - the person will push the button to avoid the sound.
One more example of both positive and negative reinforcement is a parent and child at the store. On the child's side of things if they give out a negative reinforcer such as screaming; in order to avoid the child's 'fit' a parent will hand the child something from the store (candy, toy, games), increasing the chances that the next visit to the store...the child will apply the negative reinforcer. On the parents side of things if they positively reinforce negative behavior (a screaming fit) with something the child wants - it increases the chances that they get exactly what they are reinforcing... a screaming fit. This is what you call a double whammy!!

So now, go out and with an animal or a person you interact with daily - list a behavior that you find annoying. Then take a look at yourself and at the situation and try to figure out WHAT you could be doing to reinforce it.
You might see what is reinforcing the behavior - if you do... you can simply stop reinforcing it. You might have a hard time finding what is reinforcing the behavior - if this happens... list an opposite behavior. Ask yourself, "What behavior would I like to have in its place?" When you know what it is... start reinforcing it. For example: when taking a child to the store you can simply stop reinforcing the child and let them cry. At the same time you can have a bag of raisins or a deck of Old Maid cards in your purse and when she is quiet (even for a second) you can say..."oh thank you for being a good shopper" as you hand over ONE raisin or ONE card. Reinforcing her quiet behavior - reinforce as many times as you can as you walk through the store.
Just note: 'reinforcing good behavior' as many times as possible should happen a few times. After that...we switch to the 'variable reinforcement schedule' (yes...go ahead and look that up!)
The unwanted behavior would become extinct if they didn't get a reinforcement out of it and/or a more wanted behavior can be reinforced; time to become a detective!

Lemonade for a hot day!

I do not know what the temperature is in your neck of the woods - but over here in North Cali. it is 104 degrees on my deck! So.... I thought I would share with you a great drink for those hot days as well as a great way to get rid of nasty toxins in your body (so drink these on the not so hot days as well!).

Juice one lemon (in Juicer)

A squeeze of raw honey

Water to taste.

Other things I like to throw in the juicer with the lemon (pick one or use any combination - heck...use them all for added benefit!):

a slim slice of ginger

a carton of raspberries

an entire cantalope (peeled)

slices of watermelon (peeled)

a carton of blueberries

Ban Food Colorings

I was reading this article today and I hope all of you write to the FDA about it.

In one part of the article is reads "'Based on these findings, there is no need for consumers to alter their purchasing and eating habits,' Brackett said. 'They and their children can safely enjoy food products containing these food colors'."

I believe WE ALL know that chemical food colors are NOT good for our children or ourselves. Their blatant disregard and lying about the safety of these food colors SMACKS of the cigarette companies saying Nicotine is not addictive. You know and I know...and everyone else knows - it can't be good for you. The problem isn't in the knowledge of it - the problem is in human behavior. They should do society a favor. They should do the right thing. BAN artificial colors (and while their at it, BAN artificial flavors as well!).Big business doesn't really help a person sleep at night - However, I suppose they all justifying by having so many departments that they can blame the next guy. Who's in charge there? LOL

I encourage anyone who cares about what they are eating (yes, YOU) or what they are giving to their children (yes, YOU AGAIN >grin<) - write to the FDA and tell them that it should be banned for the safety of those who do not have the strength of mind to avoid it (ME, YOU, and EVERYONE in between, it is a hard thing to avoid!)!!

As a side note, there are all natural food colorings that they could use.

The Article:
http://apnews.excite.com/article/20080603/D912TJP80.html

The FDA comment link:
http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/qa-top.html

Almond Milk!!

Earlier I posted about Soy milk and my eminent switch to Almond milk. It has been a month now and I am pleased to say - I can feel the difference. It is great! Also, almond milk does not have that goop that is sometimes at the end of the soy milk carton. Which, is gross to say the least. Normally, I only use these liquids in my smoothies and on the occasional cereal in the morning (crumble and raw oatmeal) and although vanilla or plain almond milk are not to my liking yet, they will be. I decided to start with Chocolate Unsweetened almond milk. The beauty of this is that I can not taste the chocolate, it doesn't really taste like anything. I do not see a significant taste change from the vanilla or original soy milk to the choc. unsweetened almond milk and that is why I decided to use choc almond milk. I didn't really want to suffer the taste change; who does?

Tools for change

Recently I was invited to a class on nutrition and health. I walked away frustrated and had to share it. The class was okay in the sense that it talked about what people should do (eat more fruits and veggies) and should not do (avoid starches, sugars, processed) but when it came to the area of how to apply it to ones life...that is where it fell short. They didn't give one example of what to do once the people left the class. In one ear - out the other. How can people learn if they do not apply it to their lives, even in small doses? One tool could have been - start making smoothies in the morning. One more tool could have been - start bringing almonds and pumpkin seeds to work for a snack in the day. Anything that would change your bad habits to good - is a tool that could be used. Write a sticky note that says "I want to be healthy" and place them around so that you can start to repeat it and believe it and work toward that goal. Sticky note reminders are tools.

The next time you go to a class - look for the tools that you can take home with you - if you do not see any, ask the instructor for some. It will help you and all the other people who are also in that class looking for tools.

We all need tools to help us fix those unwanted behaviors.

Ceasar Wrap

1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
1 cup chopped spinach
1 to 2 teaspoons (you decided) of Marie's Ceasar Dressing
a sprinkle of parmesian cheese.
Mix

Place on top of a heated tortilla shell
(optional)
sprinkle some grilled salmon on top
sprinkle some fresh salsa on top

Roll up and eat.

Not raw... but on the healthy side of cooked.

No, No, Soy?

It has come to my attention that soy isn't all that it is 'advertised' to be. It is an interesting turn of events for me, since... I switched my entire family from nasty milk products (a few years back) to soy.

Findings: Soy - is the top mucus producer of any plant.
That alone is huge. There are millions of people who suffer from allergies who do not NEED or WANT extra mucus. So, if we can eliminate it - why wouldn't we?
I am researching it like crazy and my research is not showing glowing reports on soy.
All the good press on "those healthy Japanese who live on soy" - they don't eat nearly the amount that is being reported. From what I can tell they are not eating any of the soy products the Americans consume in bucket loads. No. They eat soy in its natural, unprocessed state called edamame pods and very small amounts of tofu and miso soup.
This finding is not the end of the world - but it does change a few things in my life. Starting with my fruit smoothie in the morning (of which I like to put soy milk in).
My plan is to do an experiment; remove soy from my diet for 30 days - and since I do have the occasional allergies and they are hitting right now as everything is blooming - it should be easy to see if the removal of soy decreases the amount of mucus allergies cause. I do not do dairy (the TOP mucus maker) nor do I do a great deal of wheat (I tend to avoid bread except for the occasional tortilla shell). I will let you know of any more soy findings (good or bad) and later I will talk about my findings on this experiment.
I would love to hear from anyone who may or may not know more about this topic.

UPDATE: It has come to my attention that a certain amount of soy can decrease prostate cancer risk for men. Seek more information.

Friends for health!

A person really can not put a price tag on how much a friend is worth. It is always amazing when I spend time with my friends. It gives me a great deal of satisfaction listening to the things that have happened to them - funny stories from past and present, listening to information about their lives, and just basking in their crazy personalities. I love each and every one of them and it is a constant reminder on how important it is to go out and make friends. It is good for your mental health. It calms the spirit and soothes the soul. AND if you have a few CRAZY ones - all the better - because then you have laughter as well.
Today, my friends came over and pulled me out the door so that we could go to the coffee and smoothie cafe in town and chat over our favorite drinks. It still boggles my mind that they can be so loving and not once did they comment on how dark the circles are under my eyes or the fact that I hadn't even jumped in the shower! Because of fast paced events in my life - I haven't been getting any sleep (I don't recommend it) and life in general has been in chaos at my house. They may or may not have known it... but, I needed the break. It came at a good time.
It wouldn't have come at all... had I not had friends.

Pain Reduction - a plan that works!

Here are some articles that talk about how hypnosis really works for pain reduction.

In an article for Kaiser Permanente: "Hypnosis is suitable for patients with the following medical conditions: chronic headache, chronic back pain, psychogenic weakness or paralysis, chronic constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, panic attacks and phobias." http://xnet.kp.org/permanentejournal/Fall01/hypnosis.html



http://health.discovery.com/centers/althealth/pain/painmgt.html

http://www.hypnosisseattle.com/acute_pain.htm

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/03/050326100346.htm

One bite of chocolate cake, please?

Have you ever asked yourself, “Why am I so consumed with the thoughts of food?”
When you go on a diet, do you realize that the biggest difference isn’t what you are eating…but what you are thinking? It is as if the word ‘diet’ is the key word that triggers your mind to think of food 5 times more than you normally would; and your normal amount of thinking about food was already on overload.

You go on a diet and you tell yourself, “that chocolate cake is bad for me”, “I want to lose weight so I need to avoid that cake”, etc. Your unconscious mind is saying, “What is the harm? Define bad? It hasn’t hurt me before…and one bite isn’t what is making me overweight. I can have just one bite!”
Here is a good rule of thumb in psychology; “ANYTHING that is reinforced is likely to occur again.” This little rule, although very powerful and can be a great thing for changing behavior…it also works against us and we have to be diligent to notice when those times are.
Let us think about this. If every time we have taken a bite of chocolate cake, it gives us pleasure, isn’t that a reinforcement? YES. What is the rule for reinforcements? ANYTHING that is reinforced is likely to occur again.
You have had a lifetime of reinforcing bad eating habits.
Fortunately, we can change those eating patterns; replace them with healthy ones by accessing the area of mind where these habits have been stored. Hypnosis is a powerful tool for change. By using hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming – self-sabotage and bad eating habits can start being replaced with a healthy outlook on life, an increased desire for exercise and a boost in self-esteem and confidence. While in hypnosis you can reinforce healthy life choices and what is the rule? Anything that is reinforced is likely to occur again.
With your determination and commitment, hypnosis makes it easier to reach your goals.

2 steps toward change - can start today.

One: If you notice that your internal dialog is speaking in the negative – start to notice this and change it to the positive.
EXAMPLE: If you say, “I want to lose weight” or “I want to lower my cholesterol” this needs to be changed to “I want to be healthy” (which is a positive statement).
The reason for changing how we word our thoughts and how we talk to others, is because our mind does not take in negative suggestions. A great example of this is, if I were to tell you – “Do NOT think of a purple elephant.”
>okay I am giving you a second to NOT think of that<
What did you do? I told you not to do it and yet… you did. So, by telling yourself “I want to lose weight” your focus is on your weight – where it should not be. Your focus should be on the positive ways to make you healthy. IE: start reading books that promote health (check favorites list), start adding one or two new staple foods to your diet (check list), drink enough water, etc.
Two: Start writing 21 affirmations at night, in cursive, right before you go to bed. An affirmation is something you would like to see for yourself in the future, something you want to see as already true. Do this for 21 days. Tell me about your progress!
If it is a weight or health issue – a good affirmation is “I love myself and I make time everyday to explore how to be good to my body with healthy food decisions.”

Direction of your motivation

There are two directions of motivation. Either toward what we want in our life or away from what we do not want. Which direction your motivation runs can greatly affect your life. Both directions can be useful as well as hazardous – depending on the situation.
We can all understand the importance of moving away from something when it is dangerous or negative. OR when we notice all those great places we could go or the nice people we could meet or be around, it is understandable how wanting these things could motivate us to make it happen.
In a sense, we are either motivated away from pain and failure or we are motivated toward our own images of pleasure and success. What is your motivation direction?
Are you feeling sick – and you are motivated to make healthier choices so that you do not get worse? OR…did you notice the next door neighbor who looks great and you are motivated to look as good or better? Can you imagine yourself looking great? Could this motivate you to clean out your cupboards of all sugars and toxins?
Many times if you are only using one form of motivational direction it can hinder your success. One example is when people are motivated to eat healthy because they are sick, and then tend to slide back into old habits when they feel better. If they KNOW they are motivated to eat healthy because they are moving away from sickness they can then consciously start utilizing the motivational direction of moving toward being healthy because it looks and feels good.
Think about it and try to find out what motivates you. I will talk more about this topic later.

Imagination Motivation!

How many times have I sat up in the morning with good intentions to be good to my body? One? A hundred? Um… Ten years? 20?
Today I woke up with GREAT intentions. It is now 1:12 p.m. and I still have not exercised. This always happens if I do NOT change my clothes. A great motivator is to change into some work-out clothes. When I get finished posting here…I am changing my clothes!! Nothing motivates me more than when I look in the mirror, with my work-out clothes on, and imagine the body I want to see there. I will get it - it is already mine. It may not match exactly to my imagination…but it will.
The goal this week IS to jump-rope until tired and walk 20 minutes - daily. Along with that - stand about three feet from a nice wall and do 20 push-ups against the wall. If it is too hard…move feet forward, too easy move feet back. It should be hard but not impossible. My goal this year is to do 20 REAL push-ups before summer. Upper body strength is very important. Of course, strong arms with a little muscle has a nice look to it in a swimming suit!
Tonight, at bedtime - I will close my eyes and imagine 3 things I am doing to benefit my health. For example, close my eyes and I can imagine how in the morning and every morning I wake up feeling refreshed and ready for my day. Waking up and working out (with my work-out clothes on). I can imagine how good I feel after the 20 minute walk and how much energy I have after drinking a green smoothy. I can imagine being aware of how much water I am drinking and to make an effort to drink at least 6 eight ounce glasses of water, if not more.
Let us see the goals we want to accomplish.
Let us see (in our minds eye) those goals as if they were already accomplished!

Exciting News… weightloss/health

I have been in talks with a local fitness club and it looks like we may get the ‘green light’ to do a 90 days to health workshop!
What this would entail is having a set amount of people sign up who are willing to use hypnosis to achieve their goals - as well as attend a few classes that will reinforce a new way of thinking about health and talk about the issues that will come up during our 90 days to health.
When I get the complete ‘green’ light - I will document daily and keep track of what is working and what needs to be tweaked. It will be a great amount of fun - so put this on your favorites list and keep checking back.
If you would like to be a part of 90 days to health via this blog - just email me and let me know you are interested. Depending on the response of how many people want to take part via ‘webland’ will give me a heads up on how much information to put on this blog!! For bloggers - I will make available a self-hypnosis guide with step by step instructions.
How EXCITING. I can’t wait. If we can get this up and running by the middle of March - it will be just in time to have healthier bodies for SPRING time weather! That is the best!!

Almost Raw

The best part of change is the journey. As a disclaimer (I am laughing) I must point out that most of my recipes or advice on eating healthy comes from my own paradigm. I have made drastic changes in my life and in my health. If you see a recipe that I post and you notice that it might have one or two things in it that, although healthy, are not raw - just remember - I am ALMOST Raw.>grin<
One might ask… why have I not hypnotized myself to be a raw foodist, since that would help with my transition. There are a few reasons. The first and most important is - I am not completely convinced it IS the way I want to eat. I do know that a ‘mainly’ raw foods diet does eliminate many ailments a person may have. However, I also know that once you give up certain foods your body isn’t keen on allowing them back in (ie: dairy). I personally dislike all dairy (I have researched dairy and I find it to be nasty and the mucus a person gets from eating and drinking dairy simply isn’t worth the trouble) so that isn’t a problem. But it brings to light that if there is one food… there may be more. I simply do not know enough to make an informed decision to be completely ‘raw’ for life. I do know eating a diet that is loaded with fruits and veggies, nuts and seeds - will with no doubt, help a person improve their health. I also know that not only would a person improve their health on a Cooked Vegan/Raw diet they would also improve the environment. I currently enjoy a Cooked Vegan 20/Raw 80 diet.
Bottom line: Until I know more (by researching it and experimentation) I am happy being ALMOST Raw.

Change is not (r)a(w)ll or nothing!

After a few emails, it has come to my attention that some people are grouchy that I am advocating mixing fruit juice into my ‘raw’ green juice. I just want to point out - many people FAIL at eating healthy because they take too big of steps. This isn’t all or nothing. A person does not have to go crazy and switch their eating habits over night. If a person is capable of doing that - great! From my experience, however, many people find it difficult to stick with the healthy plan because they take too big of steps. So, I say…keep the yummy juice in the mix. When a person gets good at drinking a green smoothie every day… by all means, cut back on the amount of juice and try making it as healthy as possible. I am not a raw foodist. I strive to be healthy and advocate making changes that may benefit people. I may, one day, change my diet to be all Raw - I feel good when I do it. At this time, I am mostly vegan with my eye on Raw. Small steps… many times, make the biggest improvements.

Green Smoothie

Here is a great addition to my day. I thank myself every time I make it!
1 bunch of Kale - wash, cut, and spin in a salad spinner. Have ready in the refrigerator at all times for a healthy drink!!
In a Vita-mix:One big handful of chopped Kale (the flowery nature of this plant - one big handful should take up about 3/4 of your blender) One handful of chopped spinach (lays on top of the Kale like it is barely there) One ripe banana,

1 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup apple juice (or my favorite; in a separate container I mix up a frozen Dole juice (Orange, peach, mango) and use 1/2 cup of this juice instead - it really cuts the green taste - great for beginners) BLEND until you no longer see dark green flakes. ADD WATER AS NEEDED if you want it to be thin and watery.
If you have a smaller blender - just place the Kale and spinach in first with 1/2 cup water and blend. Blend again (about two 8 oz glasses) Just note - the reason I use Apple or Dole juice is because…getting healthy doesn’t mean we should completely deprive ourselves of good taste. After being on the SAD (standard American Diet) for so long 'good taste' has been altered. We need to slowly alter our taste buds to enjoy the vegetables that no longer taste good to us. This process (of altering taste buds) usually takes about 3 weeks of eating/drinking the food we would prefer to like (such as veggies and vegetable drinks). By using juices when we first start out on this healthy journey, we increase our chances of making this smoothie again tomorrow and again the next day. Let us plan to succeed. Making changes that will promote more good changes tomorrow. Also, a good note: I rinse my blender immediately with hot water. I place my blender in the dishwasher ever now and then, but all it really needs is a good rinse in hot water so it will be clean and ready to use again later. If I do not rinse immediately - then my blender sits next to the sink dirty or in the dishwasher waiting for the next load. What a waste - when I might want another smoothie later in the day. Making things easy for myself has increased my chances of doing it again!

If you need more nutrition information on kale - try this link: http://health.learninginfo.org/nutrition-facts/kale.htm

Crumble Recipe

This is my favorite recipe for starting people out on healthy raw foods.
Crumble
*all raw nuts and seeds do not needed to be soaked and/or sprouted…however, if they are - it turns out great and the recipe will be LOADED with great enzymes!!
Place in food processor¾ cup raw* almonds½ cup oat meal¼ cup raw* cashews¼ cup dried blueberries1/8 cup raw* sunflower seeds¼ cup fresh ground flax seeds (either color)¼ cup pumpkin seeds½ cup all natural grated coconut8 to 10 Medjool Dates (pitted)8 to 10 Apricots ( buy the apricots that are brown– orange ones have added sulfur dioxide NOT GOOD >grin<) Mix ingredients until crumbly in appearance.Place in a Ziploc bag in refrigerator until hungry.Can add any ingredients to this…and it turns out fine. I have made without the blueberries, coconut, pumpkin seed, and sunflower seeds…and it was still good.Main ingredients are :almonds, cashews, dates, and apricots.

Breakfast
Place in a bowl:¼ cup uncooked Quaker oats (or special ordered raw oats)1 sliced ripe banana2 to 4 Tbsp Crumble on top.Add: ½ to 1 cup soymilk

Strawberry Cobbler Crumble
4 or 5 fresh or thawed strawberries – slice and mash in bowlAdd 3 or 4 teaspoons of Crumble on top.

Peanut Butter Balls
Place 6 to 8 teaspoons of Crumble in a bowlAdd a heaping teaspoon of all natural peanut butter.Mix and squish together with a spoon until it all starts to stick together.May add a bit more peanut butter to get it to stick – but don’t add too much.Just enough so you can form balls.May coat balls with crushed cereal of your choice or ground oatmeal.
Yogurt CrumblePlace a serving of any kind of yogurt in a bowlSprinkle Crumble on top.

Applesauce Crumble
Place a serving of applesauce in a bowlSprinkle Crumble on top.

New Year, New You, New Food Plan!

It only makes sense that if I deal with behavior - nutrition is not going to be far from my rantings and ravings. Food alters behavior.
Let’s start out the year by checking ingredients.Ingredients that human bodies should not eat:
Artificial color and flavors - why, because they are toxins to a body and there is a list a mile long on the problems they cause. Too long to list here - look it up!
Sugar (and all of its ‘__tose’ names) - why, because sugar is poison. >did I just say that??<>