Essential tips to start growing some of your own healthy food

When we started gardening a few years ago, I wish I knew the tips and had the resources which Mike Nocks introduces in this interview.  I want to save you the struggle we had.  

It's worth the effort to grow some of your own food.  But I might as well make it easier for you, right?  

After you watch the video, let me know what you are planning to start growing this year.  A favorite herb?  A tomato plant in a container?  A 4X4 bed of greens?

(Oh, I did buy the Vegetable Gardener's Handbook and the Medicinal Herbs book.  They've been very helpful.)

A Powerful Plate

Want more power in your life?  Start with two essentials:  sleep and what you put on your plate.  On your plate, it is not as much specific foods for energy, as it is categories of food in certain ratios.

Let me know what your favorites are for your Powerful Plate!

Here's the dirt on some dirt

I do not claim to understand the intricacies of soil building (nutrients, pH, microbes, and so on).  There are books written about dirt.  I just want to grow my food in healthy soil and I want a convenient way to get the "dirt" to my house.

Enter "The Big Yellow Bag."  I compared their prices per cubic yard (enough to fill a raised bed or 30-40 pots for container gardening) and it is a good value.  Healthy soil.  Delivered to my house.  And if I don't use it all, I can seal up the bag for later.  

What brand(s) of soil do you use in your gardening?  What do you like or not like about it?

Best 5 Herbs to start your window garden

Spring is around the corner!  (We have had a warm winter in TN, but I am still excited about spring.)  In the next few weeks we will be planting outside.  But if you are ready to start now ...

Listen to this interview with Colonial Creek Farms from Georgia to plant some healthy herbs near your kitchen window.

• Hint: Make sure they get enough sunlight
• Remember to plant the tall choices in the back
• Keep like herbs with like herbs

Let me know what herbs you decide to plant.  And, of course, your favorite recipe cooking with them!

Break the diet mentality and eat the way you were designed

Intuitive Eating is how you were designed to eat.  If you have ever watched a toddler eat, you know that they eat what they want, when they want it, and you can't force-fed them when they are not hungry.

Watch this to learn (or re-learn) how to eat like your body was created to.

Learn the four keys of Intuitive Eating

Do you need a good laugh? Or tips to keep your resolutions?

Your Best 2017: Spirit, Mind, and Body workshop is on its way to Nashville.  First, though, laugh along with the workshop speakers in our spoof "Resolution Forgetters Anonymous."

It is important to laugh as you move toward your goals in 2017.

If you live in the Middle Tennessee area, join us for our February 4th workshop...and laugh with us.

Register by going to Middle Tennessee Health and Wellness Events on Facebook...or just email to me.

A new kind of stress-eating...that is actually beneficial

If you ever eat-out-of-stress, you are not alone.  Almost everyone has.  However, there are actually beneficial ways to eat when you are stressed that help you to manage it.

If managing your stress is a goal for this year, watch this video and implement the principles...this weekend, even.

I've included some recipes and meal ideas for you.

Let me know what you try and what you enjoy the most.

Did you know you can get healthy in 2017 by taking your breaks?

Too often we've heard "no pain, no gain."  But to improve your health, your exercise doesn't have to be painful.  You do not have to exercise at high intensity.  Nor do you need to exercise for hours at a time.

Watch this "Stepping Out" video to learn the research behind how being active a little here and there can decrease your risk of disease.

How do you add physical activity throughout your day?  Post in the comments below.

Worried you might not keep your New Year's Resolutions? 3 Tricks

You aren't alone.  But there are tricks to keeping your resolutions...here are three.

1.  Get an accountability partner.  Not someone who will nag you (or be a watchdog), but someone who will encourage you.  And who will show a little tough-love when needed.  Who can keep you on track?  How can they help you?

2.  Reminders.  Whether sticky notes on your pantry door or your walking shoes by the front door, we need visual cues when we are making new habits.

3.  Focus only on one new habit each week.  I was talking with someone last week who is changing their diet and exercise to lower their cholesterol.  "Wow, that's a lot to remember and do" was her response after we talked about the changes needed.

"No worries.  Take each of the ideas you want to do and focus on one for a week or two before adding the next.  You don't have to change everything immediately."  The lifestyle change became much more do-able.

Happy and Healthy New Year!

How you end ... is how you begin

What does that mean for us now?  

How do you want to end 2016?  I want to end mine with letting go of the junk, celebrating the wins, and preparing to run (maybe not literally) in 2017.

Here are some questions based on my book, Go Forward, to help you end 2016 and begin 2017:

• Is there any person or event or emotion you need to let go from 2016?
• If it is too intense or too recent to completely process, what is the "piece" of it that you can let go?  And what is the first step in 2017 you will take next in healing?   Who do you need to forgive?
• What were your biggest 3 successes in 2016?  Why did you achieve them and what can you learn from them to carry into 2017?
• Goals need to have a reason why.  If you want to get stronger in 2017, ask yourself why.  What are the benefits to your life once you are stronger?  (Or more energetic or have less pain or...?)
• You need both Outcome and Behavior Goals.  Outcome:  Be able to walk 4 miles in 65 minutes by June 1st.  Behavior:  Get on a regular walking plan, increasing by 10% each week.  What are 3 outcome and behavior goals to get you started in 2017?

Let me know how you apply these ideas!  By the way...next week in Facebook I plan to post a "day of healthy habits" - following throughout the day what I do for health.  I challenge you to do the same.  I'd love to see your ideas!

Why I'm excited about a counter-culture Christmas

What "cultures" - or "habits" - are around Christmas?  Well, there's the spend spend spend culture.  I'm not into that one.  (Yes, we do give gifts...but it is never about amount but about the personal thought and care.)

There's the eat eat eat until you are stuffed and miserable habit.  I'm definitely not into that.  (Even though at a Christmas party Tuesday night I had a piece of Joy Lamberson's Key Lime Pie and had a sugar rush for hours.  And, thank you, Marc Cotton, for giving the recipe to her.)

But there is also the diet-culture.  With all of the Christmas parties and family events, people who diet get scared.  

• "Oh, I can't have that."  
• "I wonder how many calories this has."  
• "I'd better stay in the living room, because if I go to the buffet table, I know I'll over eat."
• "Well, I had two cookies.  I might as well have the pie and cake, too.  I'll do good tomorrow."
• "Well, I gained a pound.  I might as well just forget it.  I'll start again on January 2nd."

Does this sound familiar?  It does to me, because I dieted for many years and I dreaded Christmas parties.  But now I get excited because I'm an Intuitive Eater.  What does that mean for Christmas?  

• Eat what you really want.  (Not just because it is there.  And not depriving yourself.)
• Savor the food.  You don't have to hide from yourself that you are eating it.
• Stop when you are satisfied.  Easy when you know you can have it again the other 364 days of the year if you want it.

If you want to learn more about Intuitive Eating, check out my video/audio Nourish Your Life HERE and the book Intuitive Eating by Tribole. 

Christmas Joy!

Christmas is a time to celebrate the Gift of Jesus and all that He gives us.

Here are some top-of-mind blessings:

• Friends and family.  For whom are you grateful this year?
• The ability to improve our health.  How are you healthier this year?  What are your health goals for next year?
• A mind that can grow.  What would you like to learn next year?
• A roof over our heads and food on our tables.
• His Word to us so we can get closer to Him.

What are your top-of-mind blessings this Christmas?

Ribbon Cutting Video...a New Phase for ViREO Life

Thank you for allowing me (and my colleagues) to share in your journey.  Keep letting me know how we can help.

If you missed being there, here's the video of the Ribbon Cutting!  So excited to have these resources ready for you.

Behind the Scenes of Cooking with Jack

Getting ready to launch my YouTube channel with Jack Scalfani...on his Cooking with Jack show.  

Click here for the link to the episode.  And enjoy some behind the scenes pictures below...

Jack setting up his camera (stating the obvious, huh?)

Checking the lighting (on my channel I'm not quite that sophisticated yet)

Filming is in progress.  Notice his great lamp in the back!!!

Great action shot!  (Actually I'm tossing away a wrapper into the trash.)

We're having fun!

The end result is YUMMY!

What are your favorite family memories?

It is Family Health Month.  So, I'd thought I'd take us down memory lane.

What are your favorite family memories...specific to exercise and nutrition?  Mine are the afternoon and weekend walks with my mother. Our farm was on a dirt/gravel road with very little traffic, so we'd often walk together and talk about whatever my young girl's heart wanted to talk about.  (Maybe it was the talking I enjoyed the most, but it is still a great memory.)

We had my "troublesome teenage years" discussions while walking.  In fact, I remember exactly where we were walking when she helped me dream about all of the great times to come in college (vs. the usual high school struggles).

Other favorite family memories around health relate to food.  Birthday parties with the cousins, where my grandmother would make the birthday dinner of favorite foods (mine were sweet potatoes, turnip greens, and her homemade cornbread).  Freezing and preserving the garden harvest.  (That memory is sweet in retrospect.  The work itself was not so wonderful.)  And the memory that makes me laugh now is dinners of "liver and greens."  Liver is full of nutrients, so we ate it; I actually liked the taste; but in school when I learned the function of the liver ... well, let's just say I find other ways to get those nutrients in as an adult.

Now it is your turn.  What are your family memories about health?  And more important, what healthy memories are you creating for your children and grand-children?  Please share in the comments your answers.

Age Well...Habits for Life

Recently I spoke at the Sertoma Club of Hendersonville, TN.  My topic was Making Healthy Habits for Life.  If you want to age well, then you'll want to incorporate healthy habits for life, right?  But how do you make new habits stick?

September is Healthy Aging Month, so I'd thought I'd share three of the tips from this workshop:

1.  Focus on a limited number of new actions.  Why?  Focus strengthens.  Diffusion weakens.  Compare a laser and the sun.  What 1-3 new healthy activities do you want to be part of your life first?  (Remember, as these become easier, you can add in others.)

2.  Make a minimal commitment.  What is a tiny action you can do everyday no matter what?  For example, if your "real" goal is to walk, then your minimal commitment might be to put on your walking shoes and step out the front door every morning.  If you still feel like going back to bed instead of walking, maybe you really do need some extra sleep that day.  A minimal commitment is less daunting when you are tired, frustrated, or pressed for time.   It is easier to get out of bed to put on your shoes than it is to get out of bed to walk 3 miles.  The big benefit?  It keeps your new goal "top of mind."

What is your minimal commitment?

3.  Meditate, think regularly about, the new habits and their benefits.  What reminders can you put in place for your new habit?

Let me know how these tips help you!  Keep aging well.

Relationships...Part 2

Last week I discussed how important relationships are for support, encouragement, and wisdom.  In this post I'll pull some quotes from Dr. Norman B. Anderson's book Emotional Longevity: What Really Determines How Long You Live.

In one study "a number of social relationships were measured, including marital status, church attendance, and participation in volunteer activities.  Women with smaller social networks had a mortality rate nearly double that of those high in social ties...men low in social ties died at two to three times the rate of men with strong social connections."

Other studies Dr. Anderson referenced showed the following:

• Relationships predict heart-disease deaths and heart attack recovery
• Relationships predict against the common cold
• Relationships predict birth outcomes
• Relationships predict hypertension...atherosclerosis...and stress-hormone levels

Bottom line?  Get out there and make some good friends.

Someone who has been there...

Friends:  Sheri Traxler, James Cobb, Jennifer McCoy, Patty Whitehead

Relationships.  We need each other for practical help:  moving, baby sitting, sharing recipes, etc.  We need to bounce ideas around and get wisdom from others.  And, of course, accountability is an important part of relationships.

Today I want to focus on a critical benefit of relationships:  emotional support we receive in crisis.  Finding out that you have "something" going on in your life that you did not expect can throw you.  Strength comes when people come around you saying...

• "You're going to make it."
• "We will find an answer."
• "God is faithful and will not forsake you and will not let you go."
• "I am here with you."
• "All is well."

And then the one that is a living, breathing picture of hope for me personally...

• "I have been there.  I understand.  You are not alone.  I am standing here now and you will stand, too. "  

Knowing someone who has "been there" requires that you build a variety of relationships now, invest your life into others' lives, and then not be timid to ask for support when you need it.

Who will you invest in today?

And, if you need support today, who has been there?  Reach out to them.

Herbal Remedies for the Outdoors

Enjoy mint on your skin to repel insects.

August and September...the last of summer.  Time to be outdoors in the evenings and weekends, enjoying the warmth.  How to help with the bugs and minor scrapes?  Just turn to your herb garden or the herbs already in your kitchen.  Thanks to Lisa Bedner for the advice below:

1.  Rosemary - Is antibacterial for the skin.  Create a strong tea and use as a wash on scrapes.  You can also create a poultice (crushed rosemary in warm - not hot oil) and soothe the scrapes.  Leave on poultice and cover with cloth or bandage.

2.  Mint - Repels insects.  Either rub the fresh leaves directly on your skin or infuse oil with crushed mint for 2 weeks.  Rub your skin with the oil.

3.  Basil - This tip comes from Rosemary Gladstar's book Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide.  Basil, mashed or chewed into a poultice, helps to take out the swelling and itching of an insect bite or sting.

For all of these, use fresh if you have it.  Dried leaves can be somewhat effective, too.

Keep enjoying the outdoors!

Indoor Intervals

Too hot for a hike?  

Can't get outside for a walk early morning when it is cool enough?  If you are exercising later in the day, when the temps are well into the 90's...try Indoor Intervals.

Set out your hand weights, a chair, and turn on your tunes.  Lace up your walking shoes and let's go.

• 1 minute - Cardio Choice (Jumping Jacks, Front Kicks, Knee Ups, Jog in place, Walk up/down your stairs.)
• 1 minute - Chest (Push-ups or Flat Fly on the floor)
• 1 minute - Back (Bent Over Row on your chair, 30 seconds each arm)
• 1 minute - Cardio Choice
• 1 minute - Walking Lunges or Squats
• 1 minute - Bicep Curl (keep moving your legs gently)
• 1 minute - Cardio Choice
• 1 minute - Tricep Overhead Extension (keep moving your legs gently)
• 1 minute - Shoulder Overhead Press (keep moving your legs gently)

Repeat.  If you feel light-headed at anytime, slow it down.  And even though you are exercising inside, remember to stay hydrated.

An 18 minute quick workout when your schedule needs it.

Have a great rest of the summer!