Live Long Naturally ©2012

Is there really such a thing? Can we look and feel younger and avoid the dangers of the quick fixes like a shot of Botox or cosmetic procedure? I believe so! Of course the earlier we start, the better the results. However… it’s NEVER TOO LATE. Following one of my cleanses (detox), I was told by many I looked 10 years younger, which was not at all bad for less than a shot of Botox!

If we are not liking what we see in the mirror, we have the power to change it. Perhaps it’s time to rethink your meals? Eating healthy can be fast, easy and very affordable, it just takes some creativity (though not much)!

Other possible ways to turn back the hands of time include:

• Be grateful for e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g
• Getting a great haircut
• A new outfit
• Spirituality
• Meditation
• Exercise/Yoga/5 Tibetan Rites
• Volunteer
• Do what makes your heart sing
• Find your purpose
• Know your passion
• Avoid smoking
• Drink plenty of water
• Limit sugar, white flour, and animal protein (for starters)
• Avoid packaged foods
• Eat real food and find ways to use it on your skin – avoid harsh expensive “beauty potions”
• Poop daily (no joke!)
• Put your body on the same schedule as your vehicle (CLEAN IT OUT) – both will run smoother and last longer.

No doubt my list can go on and on. I love learning new natural ways to add “face value” and improve the quality and quantity of my life. More than that, I like sharing it. If you find you don’t have reason to do the same, perhaps you are not living on purpose. What are you truly passionate about? You can Age Less, On Purpose! Isn’t it time you took action?

Nature gives you the face you have at 20, life shapes the face you have at 30… But at 50, you get the face you deserve. Coco Chanel

Don’t be fooled by “Fat Free” or any other attempt at a food label trying to look and sound healthy. Certain logos stamped across products can actually be purchased, whether true or not.  The cost of cheap and/or convenient food is your health.

Fat free products may not have “fat” in them, but quite often they still include sugar – sugar turns to fat in the blood, feeds infection, and parasites love it!

Getting more wrinkles than you would like? Many facial wrinkles can be avoided by eating real food, food providing optimal nutrition. If you are waking up to puffy eyes, face, hands, toes, or anything in between… over time wrinkles appear. One night of eating sweets can puff me up – what’s worse is when the puffiness subsides… wrinkles appear. This yo-yo of inflammation and deflation stretches our skin.

Sure there are other reasons for wrinkles (sun, drugs, alcohol, smoking, etc), but diet is huge. Losing weight does not have to be a mystery. Simply eat healthy most days of the week and hours of the day. What is eating healthy consist of? Mostly food without labels, local food, foods that are in season. Top that with ample amounts of water and “diet” can be a thing of the past. Water can be anywhere from drinking half your weight in ounces to drinking one ounce per pound of body weight.

Anybody can lose weight on fewer calories, why pay someone to tell you that?

This can be as easy as changing your diet – the following simple and slight changes will benefit you greatly. Just know it is a slower process than if you were to add detoxing to it…

• cutting back on or eliminate white flour, sugar, and pasta.
• aim to eat healthy most hours of the day/days of the week.
• drink at least half your weight in ounces of water
• aim to eat dinner no later than 6PM
• aim to include half raw foods (fruits, veggies, salads, nuts, seeds, etc).
• eat only when hungry – eat to satisfaction, not to fullness.
• make your meals colorful – the more color, the more vitamins.
• avoid frying foods – eat raw, steam, boil, saute, bake instead.
• eat organic when possible – buying direct from farm is fresh and costs less:

http://scfcoop.southcentralfarmers.com OR www.localharvest.org

When in doubt… ask yourself, for better or worse? Will the food or drink you are about to have leave you looking and feeling better or worse? Your mirror and energy level do not lie.

“Most of us are unwitting students of the Breakfast Cereal School of Nutrition.” Patrick Holford, Founder of The Institute for Optimum Nutrition

don’t settle for being average…

Ended my Master Cleanse… easing my way back to eating. Summer is a great time to do an extended fast because we tend to eat less.

This last Master Cleanse was a very powerful cleanse. Mind and spirit were renewed beyond any other cleanse I’ve done, and I’ve done a lot! Attending 2 funerals this week also had me “thinking” a lot.

Not sure how much weight I lost, don’t own a scale, don’t care, and don’t need to lose weight. I’ve helped clients who base their progress entirely on their scale. If you eat healthy most hours of the day and days of the week, weight will never be an issue.

Don’t let your vanity lead to insanity!

Cooking less to weigh less is not a diet… Read the rest of this entry »

I saw few die of hunger – of eating a hundred thousand. Benjamin Franklin

There are different types of fasts and cleanses and all should begin and end with caution. You should not expect to go from eating a regular meal one day to fasting or cleansing the next. You can – BUT expect to be hungry and have unpleasant side effects.

What you’ve eaten days before will play a huge role (good or bad) in your experience and results IF YOU DON’T PREPARE. Therefore, the best way to avoid unpleasant side effects is to wean yourself off “regular” food for three days prior to a cleanse or fast by doing the following:

• Day 3 – if you eat animal products, eliminate those on this day.

• Day 2 – try to avoid all cooked food, and…

• Day 1 – eat only raw foods. This includes fruits, vegetables, soaked raw nuts and seeds, fresh young coconuts, juices, smoothies, salads, sprouts, etc.

You are now ready to begin your fast and have liquids only. If you are doing a cleanse that does NOT require fasting, you can do a two-day countdown.

Read the rest of this entry »