Day 18: Food

Food Food Food… we could spend 2 months on food.

Food can be fuel.  Or food can be depleted of any nutritional value.  When you choose high-fuel food, you have energy, stamina and get-up-and-go for hours.  With depleted food, you’ll feel tired, weak, lethargic and cranky.

The irony is that the more depleted you are, the more you crave high calorie foods (foods that have high calories but have little or no nutrition).  It becomes a vicious cycle – junk food creates more junk food cravings.

I also find that many food cravings are created by allergies.  You may think that if you are allergic to a certain food, you would not want that food.  However, the opposite is often true.  When you have a food allergy, it is very likely that you will crave that food.  In the end, you’ll end up feeling sick and extremely weak but will want more of the same food that originally caused the reaction.

(www.DropYourAllergies.com)

What do you do if you think you may have a reaction to a specific food?  Glad you asked!

The best way to test for an allergy is to remove all wheat/grain, sugar, high starch veggies (specifically corn, potatoes and carrots), fruit dairy and red meat from your diet for a minimum of 2 weeks – 30 days would be optimum.  Then, one at a time, add one type of food back into your eating plan. Give it a week to see if you have a reaction.  If you get a headache, stomachache, feel tired/achy or have a rash type of reaction, you’ll know you are allergic to that food.

There are ways to clean up your system in hopes to remove your allergy.  That is a process I recommend working on with a person individually as every person’s needs are different.  For our purposes here, if you are allergic to a specific food, remove it from your diet permanently.  Wait a couple of days after you’ve stopped eating that food before introducing something else new back into your diet (let your body cleanse itself of the previous problematic food before trying something else).

What foods should you eliminate?  Another great question!

Remove white flour foods permanently.  The flour has been bleached, ground to the point there is no nutritional value and quickly converts to sugar in the blood stream.  Choose multi-grain options or other types of flour (i.e. spelt, rice, etc).  These flours will have more nutrients and will not cause as many blood sugar issues.

Read labels and avoid any foods with MSG (Monosodium Glutamate), a food additive added to MANY foods to cheaply add flavor to otherwise low-quality food.  It is shocking to see how many foods have MSG added.  MSG can lead to headaches, tightness in the chest, and pain in back of the neck and/or forearms.

Eat food that looks like it did when it was grown.  I’ve never seen a licorice tree – especially a licorice tree that produces licorice in a plastic bin or bag.  If it has been chemically produced or altered, it’s not what you want to put into your body.  The more natural foods you can eat, the better.  I recommend you eat 50% (or more) of your diet in raw fruits and vegetables.  They retain the highest level of nutrition and are closest to their natural state.  If raw, fresh vegetables and fruits aren’t available, your next best option is frozen.  The food hasn’t been processed as much and will have more vitamins and minerals still intact.

One other key to fruits and vegetables.  They have a label, too!  That little sticker with the item code on it will give you information as to how the items was grown.  If the code starts with a “4″, it was grown without any special treatment (with pesticides and chemicals).  An “8″ at the beginning of the code means the food was genetically modified (meaning you DON’T want to eat it).  The best option is a “9″, which means the item is organic and has been grown free from harmful pesticides and fertilizers.

That’s a great start for today!  If you can master these items, you are well on your way to eating healthier and feeling better.

Until tomorrow friends,

Tara

Day 17: Quick Check In

Good morning!   I’m know we’re all busy today challenging ourselves but I wanted to take a quick moment to see how it’s going.  Have you come up with a challenge for the weekend?  I’m looking forward to hearing how it goes.

I’m off to the store to get my ingredients for my mom’s cinnamon rolls.  I’ll keep you posted on Monday.  In the meantime, I want to leave you with one quick thought:

“It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.” –Alan Cohen

Whether your challenge is large or small, embrace it with all your heart!  Make today a memorable day.

Until Monday Friends,

Tara

Day 16: Stretch Your Limits

Today’s lesson is part of a two-exercise.  It’s time to build your self-confidence and there is NO better way to feel better about yourself than to do something you’ve never done before or didn’t think you could do.  When you push yourself to a new limit, your courage grows and your self-esteem increases.

It doesn’t matter WHAT you do, as long as it has meaning to you.  For instance… my mother used to make delicious cinnamon rolls.  They were warm and melted in your mouth.  Cinnamon rolls were one of my favorite treats that my mom made.  I attempted them once and it was somewhat disastrous.   The tradition died with me!  Since then, I have convinced myself that I can’t make my mom’s cinnamon rolls and that’s just the way it is.

But that’s all changing tomorrow.  I am stretching beyond what my belief level is and I’m going to make cinnamon rolls.  And they will be great!  I will continue making them until I master them.  I may not sleep for four days, but I will master these cinnamon rolls!  I will be known as the cinnamon roll queen.

For someone else, making cinnamon rolls may not be difficult at all.  It may not even be important to most people.  That’s not the point.  The point is – being able to make these cinnamon rolls will give me a tremendous amount of confidence in my cooking skills, especially since these treats are considered almost impossible now.  It will give me the opportunity to share something I love with others in the future, while keeping part of my mom with me.  To me, this is a HUGE win.

The challenge I issue you is to choose something you have been wanting to do but haven’t done for whatever reason.  Now, determine that by Monday morning you will accomplish this new skill.  It can be as big or little as you want.  I’m not worried about WHAT it is… just as long as it has meaning to you and requires you to stretch.  I can’t wait to hear how it goes!

Good luck!  I’m sending high vibration thoughts your way!

Until tomorrow friends,

Tara

Day 15: Reach Out to a Friend

Do you sometimes feel alone or disconnected from people you love?  Do you wish you still had contact with people you grew up with?  Are there family members or people love that you haven’t talked to for far too long?

Today is a special day!

Today is the day you get to reconnect with someone special in your life.

It happens to all of us – we have people we love or have fond memories of but we lose track of them.  Life gets too busy or we enter a different phase in our life and our connection to someone special to us gets lost.  Who is someone in your life that you miss?  Think of a special friend or family member that you would love to catch up with.

This is a project I have been working on personally for the past several months and it is so much fun to talk to someone that I haven’t spoken to for 10 years or more.  It’s special to recall memories, laugh over funny experiences and rebuild a special bond.  It has been surprising to see how different every person’s path is over time and how interesting their life story is.

You may feel a little nervous at first.  That’s okay – it’s not unusual.  You’ll find it’s fun and entertaining.  In fact, you may want to call a few more people on your list!

Today’s challenge is to think about 3 or 4 people you would love to associate with again.  Now go to work to find them.  You may have to do a little research to get their phone number or email address, but it’s worth it!

If you are worried that the conversation may be awkward, write down a few thoughts before getting on the phone.  Write down some questions you would like to ask and some memories you can talk about.  Add things about yourself – what you’ve been doing since you last spoke, where you’ve been and a few funny memories.  Write down a few notes about common friends and latest news about them.  That way, when you find a lull in the conversation, you’ll have a new topic to talk about.

We are not meant to feel lonely, disconnected and in our own bubble.  We have connections all around us – sometimes we just need to reach out to re-activate those relationships.  It will be a very growing (and hopefully FUN) experience.  Please let me know how it goes!

Until tomorrow friends,

Tara

Day 14: Stress

With the fast-paced, high-pressure lives that many of us lead, it’s no wonder that we sometimes feel stressed to the limit and out of control of our lives.  Emotional stress… worry… tension… Whatever we call it, the effects are the same.  While stress starts as a mental reaction to a situation, over time, stress can take a toll on your physical health.  We’ve all experienced moments of stress – sometimes we impose it on ourselves, other times it is imposed on us.

Death in the family

Work

Divorce

Financial problems

Health issues

Hectic schedules

Having a baby

Winning the lottery

Starting a new job

Going on vacation

A 1996 survey in Prevention magazine found that 75% of the population feels like they have “great stress” at least one day a week.  It has also been estimated that 75-90% of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress-related health problems.

We all have to live with stress, but if not reined in, it can profoundly affect both mind and body.  Everyone experiences stress at different levels.  Friend who doesn’t handle stress at all…  Fortunately, you can gain control of your life, slow things down, and curb stress.

Stress isn’t all bad. If we are in a life-threatening situation, stress creates a physical response that demand quick reactions in response to threats.  However, we expect our body to come to our aid day after day, many times during the day… to handle stress that is not life-threatening.  Our body’s responses are triggered on a regular basis, even when our lives are not in danger.  Chronic stress causes hormones to be released and can damage our body.

Here are some immediate things you can do to counteract stress in your life:

1.  Breathe – just take a moment to relax and take in some long breaths.

2.  Analyze your immediate situation – Is it really as bad as you’re making it out to be?  How can you react differently?  — This is when the skills from previous days come in to play.  We’ve talked about this… you can do it!

3.  Stop worrying and start solving – Worry takes all of your problem solving energy and wastes it!  Instead of worrying, focus on what you can do to make the problem better.

4.  Develop an attitude of gratitude – Sometimes this shift in thought will shift our entire mood.  It’s so easy to get wrapped up in what you don’t have, what someone else has done to you or how bad things are.  But stopping yourself and making yourself think of something positive changes not only your emotional state but also your physical state.

5.  Eat well – Your body needs sound nutrition all the time, but even more so when you are stressed.  We will discuss nutrition more soon, but for the time being, eat foods that have fuel.  Brownies, candy, soda, etc. do not have fuel – they have empty calories.  You can tell how you feel when you eat empty calories:  tired, anxious, depressed, weak, depleted, etc.  That’s not what you need when you’re stressed.  Eat foods that give you energy, help you feel better, and give you strength.

6.  Have some fun – Laugh, exert yourself physically, have sex if it’s appropriate… do something to get your mind off the worry and focus on something enjoyable.

7.  Serve others – There is no greater antidote for focusing on worry than focusing on helping others.  It’s a miraculous thing.  As you serve and love others, your personal cares take on a different perspective.  Your problems can diminish in complexity when your awareness of what others are working through increases.  You may actually gain a greater gratitude for what you are encountering.  It will help you see the meaning in your struggles when you can see how another person is working through their challenges.

Today’s assignment:  write down the top 10 things that are stressing you.  If you can’t think of 10, that’s great!  Write what you can.  If you have more than 10, write down the 10 biggest items.

Look at your list – determine which things you can control and which you can’t.  If you can’t control something, commit to stop worrying about it.  There’s nothing you can do and giving your emotional energy will drain you.  Control what you can – your response.

If you can do something about your stressor, figure out what needs to be done and go to work.  Stress is paralyzing.  Often the fear and anxiety are much worse than the actual problem.  If you need to call creditors, pick up the phone right now.   If you’re dreading a conversation with someone, schedule a time to talk and get it over with.  If you need to make a decision, do it now.  It won’t be easier later and the energy you exert in worrying could be going to something positive.

The main thing I want you to get here is that you do not have to live in a state of stress.  You have the choice.  You can take steps to eliminate the stress, if possible.  But even if you can’t, you control how you react.  You control your emotions.  It is no longer acceptable to let your emotions and situations control you.

It’s a lot to take in…  hang in there!  You’re doing great.

Until tomorrow friends,

Tara

Day 13: Vibrations of Emotions

For as long as I can remember, I have been sensitive to emotions.  Not only my own, but I felt others emotions.  In fact, I often absorbed or took on their emotions without realizing what was happening.  It made me very sensitive and tired.  It wasn’t until I read Power vs. Force that I started to understand why I had such a physical reaction to emotional situations.

Before I share what I learned in Power vs. Force, let’s create a foundation for understanding how vibrations work and how those vibrations are associated with emotions:

Emotions have unique vibrations just like colors and physical objects do. These emotional vibrations also go from higher/faster to lower/slower. When you are laughing and having fun, your body’s vibrations are lighter (higher and faster). When you are tired and sick your vibrations are heavier (slower and lower). You know how when you are in love, you feel “energized”, “high”,  like you’re “walking on a cloud?” That’s because your emotions are literally adding voltage and power,  lightening your body. And when you’re negative and depressed, you feel sluggish, “feeling low,” “heavy”. “I’m down today.”  Your emotional vibrations are giving your body a slower, lower vibration. This is not speaking metaphorically. This is scientifically measurable.”  (Phyllis Kirk, The Magic of Quantum, http://www.themagicofquantum.com/review.php).

Knowing that emotions have a measurable frequency or vibration, it becomes even more critical that we learn to manage our emotions.  If we let our emotions manage us, we will be in a low-vibration state.

So now, back to Power vs. Force.  In David Hawkins’ research, he measured the vibration of different emotions.  This is illustrated in this chart:

On the left are the range of emotions we can experience, the measurement of the emotions are at the right.  You will see that shame has the lowest vibration – 20.  Enlightenment (being in communication with Heaven) has the highest vibration at 1000.  Vibrations under 200 are considered to be destructive to our well-being.  Isn’t it interesting that look at the emotions and states of being associated with vibrations under 200:

Shame, humiliation, guilt, blame, apathy, despair, grief, regret, fear, anxiety, desire, craving, anger, hate, pride and scorn.

Here’s the real kicker:  it is estimated that between 85-90% of the population live in the emotion states that vibrate under 200 (quite honestly, it is probably under 50).  Is it any wonder that we have epidemic obesity, depression, suicide, anxiety, stress, divorce rates…  We are living in a continual state of low vibration.  We are just surviving.  Barely.

Today’s lesson in our quest for transformation is the critical need to elevate your emotions.  You are the only person who can decide what frequency you will live at.  It takes effort.  It takes constant evaluation of your feelings.  It takes determination.

My mother was a fabulous example of a woman who had decided she was going to be happy no matter what.  Regardless of what challenges life threw at her, she was determined she would move forward in faith, knowing God would protect her and provide for her needs.  She worked hard to be a high-vibration person.  She lived at a vibration of 500 or higher most of her life.  Why?  Because she made the conscious decision that she was going to be happy and never deviated from her commitment.

Have you made that decision?  If not, today is your day!  Decide in this moment that you live at 200 or higher, no matter what!  The key to success here is breaking the habit of negative thoughts.  You must watch how you react to every situation and hold yourself accountable.  You will be amazed at how your higher vibration lifts others.  In time, those around you will also be vibrating at a higher frequency because that’s just how it works.

Vibrations attract similar vibrations – you will automatically improve their mental state by improving yours. You will have more positive impact on others by raising your frequency than anything else you can do.  It’s powerful!

Here’s to a 200+ day!

Meet you back here tomorrow friends,

Tara

Day 12: Insomnia

Today I would like to share an article by Judith Cobb, a health consultant that I respect and admire:

Almost everyone has been bothered by insomnia at one time or another. Insomnia takes on a couple of different shapes. First, there is the most obvious one of just not being able to fall asleep. The second most common type is waking frequently during what should be a restful period. (I call this ‘cat-napping’.)

The most common causes of insomnia are mal- or mis-nutrition, allergies, and stress. Having dealt with allergies in a previous article and trusting that most people will be able to recognize elevated or upsetting stress levels (maybe I should write about stress one of these times) I will focus on the nutritional aspects of insomnia here.

It is important to remember that each individual has need of a different amount of sleep. It has been documented that older people need less sleep than younger people.

Two of the most common nutritional causes of insomnia are the lacks of calcium and magnesium in the diet. Dr. Lendon Smith recommends 1000 mg of calcium, 1000 mg of vitamin c (to aid the digestion of the calcium), and 500 mg of magnesium (to keep the calcium in solution and help prevent the formation of kidney stones) all taken about one hour before going to bed. Calcium seems to help people relax to fall asleep, while the magnesium acts to produce a peaceful, uninterrupted sleep. (The vitamin C doesn’t really help grown-ups to sleep, but it does aid in the digestion and assimilation of the minerals and thereby is an important factor in this sleep program.)

A simple way to boost the magnesium intake even further is to drink chlorophyll in some water when taking the other supplements. Chlorophyll is high in magnesium and several people have reported to me that they sleep much better when they take chlorophyll (up to one tablespoon in a glass of water) twenty minutes to one-half hour before retiring.

Valerian root is the most common herb recommended for insomnia. Remember to use caution when using plain valerian root. It has been shown to cause depression when used in too large of doses or taken for too long of a time. I much prefer using it in combination to minimize the possibility of any negative side effects. Some of the more popular valerian containing formulae include HVP, RE-X and Combination Eight. Any one of these may prove helpful.

Hops tea and licorice root tea may also be helpful. Taking the hops one step further, dried hops flowers may be put into a small sachet and placed under the pillow on one’s bed. I have seen this turn difficult sleepers of all ages into sound and peaceful sleepers.

Other herbs that may be helpful include catnip (great for babies) and lady’s slipper. Both of these are general nervines.

Sometimes, insomnia is the result of an over-active mind…you know, the times when you just can’t shut your brain off. At times like this, some relaxation and mind focusing activities may be helpful. A warm bubble-bath with some relaxing music is one of my favourite relaxation techniques. Breath counting works well for some people, too. To do this simply count (silently) your exhalations as numbers and your inhalations as ‘ands’. It would sound like this if you were counting out loud: and (inhale) one (exhale) and (inhale) two (exhale) and (inhale) exhale (three)….

I also enjoy listening to music to help clear my mind. I feel it is important to use music that does not have words. This allows one the opportunity of focusing on the sounds. Steve Halpern’s composition called Dawn and the tape called Musical Massage which is distributed by Relaxation Co. Inc. are two of favourite ‘go-to-sleep’ relaxation tapes. Progressive relaxation, often aided by cassette tapes) can also be helpful. This is the technique whereby the individual is guided through systematically and progressively tensing and relaxing each part of his/her body.

It is important to avoid sleeping medications if at all possible. Many of these drugs produce a ‘dopey’ kind of sleep which leaves one feeling groggy and unrested in the morning. Doctors will often prescribe these medications saying ‘If we can just get you into the habit of sleeping again you’ll be just fine.’ As Dr. Lendon Smith says “The only habit the doctor gets going is the addiction to sedatives.”

Insomnia need not be a disturbing problem. It happens to almost everyone occasionally. If it appears to be happening more frequently to the point where you are getting concerned, you now have some natural remedies to help you through the challenge of letting go and getting back to sleep.

If you would like to learn more from Judith, please click here to visit her website.

A few other suggestions I would like to add:

Have a nightly routine.  Create a consistent plan for relaxing every night before going to bed.  My nightly routine includes taking a warm back, turning off all the lights but a small lamp by my bed and reading for 15-20 minutes before going to sleep.  Once I’m in bed and ready to go to sleep, I turn on a hypnosis program that helps me relax and unwind as I fall asleep.  What rituals can you create at night that will train your mind and body to relax and get ready to sleep?

Tire yourself out.  If you’re not physically and emotionally tired at night, it will be difficult to sleep.  Make sure you exercise everyday so your body will need to relax and rejuvenate at night.  As well, work out your mind by reading, conversing, writing, doing puzzles, etc.

Increase your serotonin.  Serotonin is converted to melatonin, which helps your brain know when it’s time to quiet down for the night.  If you are low on serotonin, you won’t have enough melotonin to trigger the sleep response.  5-HTP and L-Tryptophan both are helping in increasing these levels.

Hypnosis / Visualizations.  There are a number of wonderful programs that will aid you in being able to relax.  I use programs from Impact Publications.  They have a wide variety of topics to choose from and Barry Konicov is a fabulous hypnotist.  Click here to go to their site.

Remove all lights.  A good friend of mine was having problems sleeping and she removed all lights (even tiny DVD lights) from her bedroom.  She even covered her bedroom windows with dark curtains and blinds to make sure light didn’t seep in from street lamps.  She found it made a tremendous difference when her bedroom was dark.

Avoid “hype you up” foods and drinks.  Make sure you don’t have sugar, caffeine, bread or high carb foods before bed.  They’ll act as stimulants and keep you awake.

Have a snack.  Sometimes being hungry can keep you awake.  Go for a snack with calcium in it (I usually opt for a string cheese).  The calcium will help settle your nerves and help you sleep better.

Turn off the worry.  I read once that up to 75% of adults lose sleep every night because of financial trouble.  Add to that worry about work, kids, health, family, projects, etc. and you may find yourself worrying late into the night.  When you find yourself lying in bed worrying, get up and do something to take your mind off the stress until you are tired enough to fall asleep.  Don’t lay in bed worrying.  You may end up worrying all night.  Distract yourself with worry-free activities until you know you can fall asleep.

Write a to-do list before you go to bed.  Stress over tomorrow’s activities shouldn’t keep you awake tonight.  Make a to-do list and remove the worry of trying to remember everything.  Write it down and then forget it.

Use oils to relax you.  I love diffusing oils to help me relax.  Lavender, Frankincense and Balance are three of my favorites.  I use doTerra (listed in my favorites page).

Replace your mattress and/or pillow.  If your mattress isn’t comfortable or supporting your at night, you may wake with aches and pains during the night.  Sleep is so critical to every aspect of your life – work success, focus, concentration, physical health, emotional wellness, happy relationships, and on and on.  I realize beds are not cheap, but buying a bed that is comfortable and will help you sleep better is worth its weight in gold!  Make the investment in yourself.

Check the temperature.  If it’s too hot or too cold, it’s difficult to sleep.  Set the thermostat to the temperature that is going to be optimum for your sleep.  I like it to be about 69 degrees.  That’s the perfect temperature for me to snuggle up in the blankets and sleep tight!

Check in with your doctor.  Sleep apnea (not breathing consistently in your sleep) may not keep you awake at night, but it will certainly keep you from feeling rested in the morning.  If you think you may be dealing with sleep apnea, check with your doctor.  It’s worth treating!

Earplugs.  Someone snoring in your house, let alone your bed, is not helpful to your sleep!  You may get great results from earplugs!

Getting enough minerals.  I mentioned calcium before, but being low on any minerals will make sleep difficult.  Make sure you’re getting enough minerals in your diet and supplements.

There are tons of tips to help you get a good night’s sleep tonight!  If you have additional ideas, please feel free to post a comment.  I would love to hear your thoughts.

Until tomorrow friends,

Tara

Day 11: Sleep! Glorious Sleep!

Are you tired?  Do you feel drained?  Do you experience drowsiness?  You’re going to love today’s lesson!

When my grandfather moved to Colorado, he had a homestead in the middle of nowhere that he worked and lived on.  There was no electricity, no battery powered lights, no computer to work on late at night.  When night rolled around, he went to bed.  That’s what people did in those days.  They went to bed early and got up early.

But then we got “modern”.  Now we can stay up late cleaning the house, working on projects, reading updates on Facebook, talking to friends, watching TV.  We have become so sophisticated that we don’t go to bed earlier enough and don’t sleep as long as we should.  I was guilty of pushing myself in college.  There were many nights that I didn’t sleep more than 2 or 3 hours (and then drank soda all day to keep going… bad girl!).  I don’t do that anymore.  Understanding how critical sleep is to every aspect of my life, I make it a priority to get a good, sound night’s rest every night.

It makes me cringe when someone tell me, almost braggingly, that they can get by with 3 or 4 hours of sleep every night.  They’re not fooling me.  They may be only sleeping 3-4 hours a night, but they are definitely paying for it by lack of energy, eating food and drinks that are high calories and loaded with stimulants, foggy thinking, less patience, more frustration and lower quality of life.

What are some of the risks of not getting enough sleep?

Sleep regulates release of important hormones – if you don’t get enough sleep, you may not create enough growth hormone which helps controls fat metabolism in adults.  Leptin is also released during sleep.  Leptin affects appetite and weight loss.  There is a delicate balance of hormones in the body and when one hormone is out of balance or inadequate, your body must compensate in others.  An already tired and run-down body must now work harder to try to regulate hormones that should be in range had a person slept enough.

Sleep slows the aging process – not only does getting appropriate sleep help skin to regenerate and help minimize wrinkles, sleeping also helps the internal systems rejuvenate.  When you sleep, you body functions slow down, allowing your organs to rest as well.  Your heart rate drops and breathing is slower, allowing your heart and lungs to rest.  Because you’re not eating, your digestive system can slow down, allowing your stomach and intestines to recuperate.  Your mind can relax and dream, which is vital to your mental health.

Sleep boosts the immune system – according to Dr. Don Colbert, “People who sleep nine hours a night instead of seven hours have greater than normal “natural killer cell” activity.  Natural killer cells destroy viruses, bacteria, and cancer cells.”

Sleep improves brain function – according to a study by the Journal of Sleep Research, short-term sleep deprivation may decrease brain activity related to alertness and cognitive performance.  Essentially, that means that you may not be able to respond as quickly and think as clearly.  I’m sure you have experienced this!  Even just one night of short sleep can affect your ability to focus and concentrate tremendously.

Sleep reduces cortisol levels – Cortisol increases with stress and can disrupt brain function.  The result is irritability, depression, anxiety and insomnia.  Excess cortisol is closely linked to many illnesses and diseases.  When you encounter a stress situation, your adrenals must release cortisol (the “fight or flight” reaction).  Unfortunately, if you adrenals are exhausted (from lack of sleep, caffeine, poor diet, excess stress, etc), it becomes more and more difficult for them to do their job.  In fact, I have met with many people who live in a constant state of adrenal exhaustion.  This is dangerous – you don’t want your adrenals to kick the bucket.

Let me quickly list the seven problems that happen with lack of sleep that Dr. Colbert shared in his book, “The Seven Pillars of Health”.

1.  You increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.  Lack of sleep can negatively affect the body’s ability to process carbohydrates, putting some people into a prediabetic state.

2.  You become clumsy and “sleep drunk”.  Lack of sleep slows reaction time, shortens attention span, impairs memory, alters the decision-making process and overall coordination.

3.  You jeopardize your job.  In fact, it is estimated that sleep deprivation costs an estimated $150 billion a year in the workplace!

4.  You endanger your life and the lives of others.  Sleep deprivation is responsible for over 100,000 crashes each year and 1,500 fatalities.

5.  You reduce your sex drive.  That’s reason enough to go to bed early right there!

6.  You invite disease.  Chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, autoimmune disease, hypertension, obesity, depression, high blood pressure, arthritis, heartburn, headaches and overall pain are related to inadequate sleep.

7.  You jeopardize your marriage.  Studies show higher rates of divorce among people who don’t get adequate sleep.

I can hear it already…  you’re saying, “Sure, I would LOVE to get more sleep.  But I have to wait for the kids to get home. Or, I don’t have any quiet time until everyone goes to bed.  Or, I have so much to do, I have to stay up late to do it.  Or, my favorite show is on late and then I have to get early for work.  Or…”  The excuses can go on and on.

Excuses don’t work anymore.  Remember… we’re transforming here.  Transforming is about being accountable and responsible.  It’s about changing old behaviors and stepping into a new life.  When you’re transforming, the question is “HOW”, not “IF”.  How will you arrange your schedule to get more sleep?  How will you make yourself a priority?

Day 12 is about insomnia and reprogramming yourself for a good night’s sleep.  If insomnia is the reason you’re not sleeping, we will address that thoroughly on Monday.  The challenge until then is to figure out how you will schedule 8 hours every night for sleep.  That’s your assignment.  Rearrange whatever you need to… put the kids to bed earlier, record the TV show, turn off the computer sooner.  Make a plan.  It won’t happen on accident.  Start now to make a plan and start implementing that plan immediately.  You may have to modify the plan until it’s perfect.  That’s okay… it will come together as long as you don’t give up!  And I know you won’t!

Have a wonderful Sunday!  Enjoy your day with no new assignments. 

Until Monday Friends,

Tara

Day 10: You Are What You Drink Part 2

As promised, today we are going to address energy drinks, caffeine and soda.  Put on your seatbelts, friends.  It’s going to be a bumpy ride for those of you who drink soda or energy drinks.

There is a lot to cover, so let’s jump right in.

According to Dr. Mercola:

Soda

“One can of soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories, 30 to 55 mg of caffeine, and is loaded with artificial food colors and sulphites. I can’t think of any good reason to ever have it. The diet varieties are also problematic as they are filled with harmful artificial sweeteners like aspartame.

Studies have linked soda to osteoporosis, obesity, tooth decay and heart disease, yet the average American drinks an estimated 56 gallons of soft drinks each year. Plus, drinking all that sugar will likely suppress your appetite for healthy foods, which pave the way for nutrient deficiencies.

Soft drink consumption among children has almost doubled in the United States over the last decade, which is not surprising considering that most school hallways are lined with soda-filled vending machines.

Schools often make marketing deals with leading soft drink companies such as Coca-Cola from which they receive commissions–based on a percentage of sales at each school–and sometimes a lump-sum payment, in exchange for their students’ health. School vending machines can increase the consumption of sweetened beverages by up to 50 or more cans of soda per student per year.

If you routinely drink soda–regular or diet–eliminating it from your diet is one of the simplest and most profound health improvements you can make.”

I can hear you already… “But I love soda.  I can’t give it up.”  Believe me, you can!  I used to be a soda addict.  It was my breakfast, part of my lunch, my afternoon treat, my evening beverage.  It wouldn’t surprised me if I used to drink 1 gallon of Diet Pepsi everyday.  I was also obese, depressed, weak, tired, had exhausted adrenals and was wrecking my digestive system.

It has been 9 years since I lived in soda addiction.  I’ll admit there are moments even now that I think about a soda (especially with Mexican food… don’t ask me why, but when I eat Mexican food, I think about Diet Pepsi).  But I would never go back to drinking soda.  Never.

I have seen the negative effect soda has on others.  It alters behavior, makes people moody, increases cravings, and packs pounds on.  It’s not worth it!

Let’s take a quick look at Energy drinks and visit the negatives of caffeine (we don’t belabor the point because, honestly, the negatives of soda carry on here…).

According to Dr. Edward Group,”The caffeine that is found in energy drinks is dangerous enough on its own. Not only is caffeine addictive, it acts as both a stimulant and a diuretic. As a stimulant, caffeine can make you have anxiety attacks, heart palpitations, and insomnia.”

I recently saw reports on the levels of caffeine in energy drinks.  The shots are especially dangerous.  There is enough caffeine in an energy shot to induce heart failure!  They can have 2 or even 3 times as much caffeine as a serving of soda.

If you are so energy depleted that you need to take a shot to get through your day, it’s time to take a serious look at your health.  The shots wreck your adrenals glands, stress your thyroid, overwhelm your kidneys, and irritate your digestive system.  Over time, you will literally wear out your adrenals (your stress glands).

Katherine Zeratsky, RD, stated, “If you’re consuming energy drinks because you’re frequently tired or run-down, consider a better — and healthier — way to boost your energy. Get adequate sleep, exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet. These strategies not only will increase your energy in the short run, but also will help you maintain your overall physical and mental fitness in the long run.”

Later in our 30-day transformation, we will discuss stress and how to support your body during stressful periods.  I promise you… if you use caffeine and sugar to deal with stress or lack of energy, you will have 10 times the amount of rebuilding to do!  Take it from someone who has been there.

According to TLC Cooking, “Although the manufacturers claim that energy drinks can improve your endurance and performance, many health experts disagree. Any boost you get from drinking them, they say, is solely from the sugar and caffeine.”

Now about caffeine…

Caffeine works by blocking the effects of adenosine, a brain chemical involved in sleep. When caffeine blocks adenosine, it causes neurons in the brain to fire. Thinking the body is in an emergency, the pituitary gland initiates the body’s “fight or flight” response by releasing adrenaline. This hormone makes the heart beat faster and the eyes dilate. It also causes the liver to release extra sugar into the bloodstream for energy. Caffeine affects the levels of dopamine, a chemical in the brain’s pleasure center. All of these physical responses make you feel as though you have more energy.

Here’s the cold hard reality – when you pump your body full of chemicals, your entire system goes on attack.  Not only does it affect your glands, it puts additional stress on your lymph system, eliminative organs, immune system, as well as fills your blood stream with toxins.

I also find that my clients that drink soda and energy drinks typically do not drink enough water.  Water will be discussed in great detail soon.  But for today’s purpose, if you are not drinking enough water and are drinking sodas and/or energy drinks, your brain is paying the price.

So, I hope I have given you a lot to think about.  I also hope (and literally pray) that you will replace soda and energy drinks with water.  It may sounds difficult.  I don’t care.  Do it anyway!  I am begging you! As your friend and coach… trust me on this one.  You’ll be much healthier!

Until tomorrow friends,

Tara

Day 9: You Are What You Drink Part 1

Yes, it is time.  Time to talk about what is going in your mouth.  In fact, this is such an important part of your transformation that it will be part of our lessons for several days.

We need to start with what you are drinking.  There are few physical changes in your life that will impact you as much as changing what you drink because so many manufactured drinks have harmful ingredients.  Let’s break it down.

Coffee

Beyond being a stimulant and addictive, coffee has many negative health affects.

Coffee and Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia is the condition when your blood sugar drops and you may experience dizziness, mood swings, heart palpitations, forgetfulness and you may even become irritable.  When you drink or eat caffeine, glycogen is released from the liver.  This triggers hypoglycemia.  When your blood sugar drop, your brain activity can become impaired, leaving you with the host of symptoms previously mentioned.

Coffee and Fertility

According to Dr. Marilyn Glenville, “There is plenty of evidence to show that caffeine, particularly in the form of coffee, decreases fertility. Drinking as little as one cup of coffee a day can halve your chances of conceiving. On study showed that problems with sperm: sperm count, motility and abnormalities, increase with the number of cups of coffee consumed each day. Once again, it’s important to eliminate all caffeine-containing food and drinks for at least three months before trying to conceive. That includes colas, chocolate, black teas and coffee, among other things.”

Coffee and Anxiety Symptoms

“Caffeine can over stimulate the central nervous system. This not only causes anxiety in susceptible individuals, but can also exhaust the adrenal glands over time, decreasing resistance to stress and thus increasing vulnerability to disease pathogens and other health hazards,” according to Jennifer Copley.

Coffee Addiction

As stated on coffeeaddiction.net, “Irritability, gloom and constant fatigue along with sensation of discomfort are the primary symptoms of coffee addiction. The worst part is that when you try dozing off at night, you just can’t, no matter how hard you try, you just aren’t able to fall asleep. That’s not the end, it all goes round and round in a cycle: You wake up the next morning feeling low and stressed out, thirsty and craving for yet another steaming hot cup of coffee. Once you’re tied into this chain of coffee consumption, it becomes too difficult to get yourself out of it.”

Coffee and Stretch Marks

Sharon Bell shared the following in her article, “Coffee Can Make You Prone to Stretch Marks”.  “While the Institute of Medicine does not consider caffeine as a diuretic owing to conflicting reports, caffeine-containing beverages can increase the urinary output of some people, causing them to lose fluids.  Stripped of water, the skin becomes less elastic and dry, making it an easy target for stretch marks.”

Coffee and Weight Gain

Mary Raffetto shared the following research, “How is the advent of gourmet coffee affecting weight? A recent study analyzed the gourmet coffee consumption of 165 women attending Simmons College in Boston, MA. The researchers found that the gourmet coffee drinkers had a 206 calorie increase in a typical day and a 32 gram higher sugar intake than the non-gourmet coffee drinkers. This kind of calorie increase can lead to a gradual weight gain over time averaging about 20 pounds per year. Plus the sugar consumption can lead to blood sugar surges that can cause the body to store more calories as fat. To top that off, the sugar and caffeine combination can end up stimulating your appetite leading to even more calories consumed during a typical day.”

Sodas and Carbonated Drinks:  Diet Beverages

I can hear you already… “But I drink Diet”.  I hear this all the time… as if I’m going to be impressed that someone has traded sugar for an even more toxic chemical sweetener.  Splenda, Truvia, Aspartame, NutraSweet, Equal, and the hundreds of others on the market, are chemically altered sweeteners.  According to Dr. Mercola, “If you’re consuming a food or beverage created in a lab instead of by nature, you can be assured your body doesn’t recognize it. This opens the door to short-term and long-lasting health problems for you and your family.”

Dr. Hugo Rodier, a noted MD, shares the following:  “So, even though diet soda pop has no calories, it still makes us obese and more prone to diabetes. So much for the “calories in = calories out dogma,” which I have addressed elsewhere.’

But, soda pop, diet, regular or “zero” has many other problems as well; neurology issues and even osteoporosis have been associated with it. I will never forget the dental article that recommended drinking pop with a straw, since pop rots our teeth enamel….Great. Why not get a straw long enough that comes out the rear end?’

If you study the history of artificial sweeteners you will get very angry; the producers of these poisons have fudged the data from day one, when aspartame was created. It turns out that in general, artificial sweeteners are derivatives of pesticides and other industrial chemicals: no wonder our cell membranes are TOILing.”

Dr. Rodier also explains that artificial sweeteners, specifically aspartame, turn into formaldehyde when they reach body temperature.

Formaldehyde…

Wait a minute!  Isn’t that the chemical we smelled in high school when we were dissecting frogs?  Yes, friend!  It is.  That’s what is INSIDE you if you are drinking anything with aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal, etc).

So… that’s a lot to “drink in” for today.  The bottom line is… cut the diet drinks!  No more diet soda, diet vitamin drinks, sweet-n-low packets, or the like.  If it says “diet”, run away!

Tomorrow we’ll discuss carbonation, regular soda and energy drinks.  Oh boy!  Get ready for more shocking news!  It will definitely give you something to think about (and hopefully give you motivation to make some life-long changes).

Until tomorrow friends,

Tara