Juli Ford

The Not-to-Do-List

(Photo from last year's Mother Daughter Yoga Retreat)

"We must make the choices that enable us to fulfill the deepest capacities of our real selves."-Thomas Merton

One of the things I love best about being a health coach is that I am always finding mirrors in my clients that I need to gaze into.  This week-end, as I was working with a wonderful (and busy!) mom of three, I found myself yet again seeing things in someone else that I need to see in myself.  (It is so easy to see things in other people, isn't it?!)

She has a busy few weeks ahead of her and we talked about what it is that she could NOT do in the next few weeks in order to get done what MUST be done and still take good care of herself.  It is a little concept I am calling the "not-to-do-list" and as we talked about her list, I immediately realized I needed to make one of my own.

Shortly after beginning my list, I came across the quote above about making the choices that enable us to fulfill the deepest capacities of our real selves.  It caused me to consider my list in a new way, through a different lens.  Are the items on my to-do-list really the ones that are resonating with my true self?  Which things in my life are NOT in line with my real self?  What would your NOT-to-do-list look like if you only allowed the activities that really support your soul and your purpose onto your to-do-list?  What are you willing to let go?

The New Self Care Checklist

I'm trying out a new concept here.  A different kind of self-care checklist.  It is a work in progress but this is basically how it works...

I've come up with a list of do's (no "don'ts" on this list!) that is all stuff I know either makes me feel good and/or moves me forward towards my goals.  I'm keeping the list on the fridge and it is turning out to be remarkably helpful in reminding me to do some of the things that just get lost in the busy-ness of my days.

A few items from my list...

7 Hours or more sleep per night

Water, Water, and more Water

Conscious Breathing (no kidding, without a reminder, I do think I forget to breath sometimes- perhaps this has something to do with the little people constantly hanging about me, such as the one "typing" on my back right now- "Can you feel that, Mama?  Can you feel me typing on your back, Mama? Can you feel that, Mama? Mama? Mama?")

20 minutes of exercise

15 minutes playing my guitar

15 minutes studying Portuguese

20 minutes studying for school

Greens!!!!

That is a pretty good sample, I think.  The idea is not to be perfect but to grab the moments I can each day to do something good for me.  It helps me feel that these sometimes long mommy-ing days filled with daily STUFF still actually contain some snippets of "me-time" and that I am moving forward in my life instead of standing still.

One very cool thing the list revealed in its first week is that on the days I exercise in the morning, there are a LOT more checks in every other area throughout the day.  That may seem like a no-brainer but to see it there in black and white on my fridge was actually very enlightening.  Wow- look at that.  I worked out and had a really great day.  Huh.  Who knew?

What are you doing for yourself these days to keep you feeling that your life is GOOD in the moment AND moving in the direction you want?

Our family flu prevention strategy

Well, as you might have gathered from the photo, tea is definitely part of our cold weather health strategy around here.  There is so much discussion every where we go these days about the flu season and the flu shots that I mentioned to a friend the other day that we have a family flu prevention strategy that we are implementing in our house.  She suggested I blog about it so... here goes.

Since it is on everyone's mind, I will mention that we do not get flu shots.  For us, it was not a difficult decision.  I just don't believe it is necessary and I also don't think it is a good long-term health strategy.  Given what is happening now with the rush to get these vaccinations to market, I also believe it could be dangerous.  But you need to do your research and make that decision for yourself.  A few resources I like for info about this include: 

Dr Jay Gordon

Dr. Mercola

Natural News

Whatever you decide about the vaccines, I always recommend getting clear with yourself about which choice you can live most comfortably with.  Then you can move forward from there and do all you can to keep your family as healthy as possible.  Our first objective is to not get sick.  But if we do, we will be as healthy as we can to begin with so we will lessen the impact and the duration of the illness.  So here is our family flu prevention strategy for this season:

1.  Reduce sugar, especially the white stuff.  Sugar just wrecks your immune system so avoiding it most of the time is always a good strategy but I think it is even more important during cold and flu season.

2.  Stay hydrated and moist- this includes drinking lots of water and teas but it also includes keeping your whole system from drying out.  Dry nasal passages are breeding grounds for every virus going around so to stay healthy and keep our bodies effectively working we:

    - use cold mist humidifiers in our bedrooms once we turn the heat on

    -use saline nasal drops (just salt water) or a neti pot just about daily

    -use Mullein Garlic ear drops weekly and at the first sign of a sniffle or cough (we use an over-the-counter one called Herb Pharm Mullein Garlic Compound)

    -take a spoonful of raw honey at the first sign of a cough or to soothe a cough anytime

3.  Wash hands frequently.  When we are out and about we like Burts Bees Hand Sanitizer.

4.  At the onset of any symptoms, I like to drink hot tea with raw honey, gargle with salt water, and take an immune support supplement such as Wellness Formula or Activate.  You can also try eating two cloves of raw garlic right away.  Getting more rest, eating very lightly (soups, juices), and reducing stress also helps my body recover more quickly.

For more on cold weather remedies, I also like this article from Dr. Weil.

Wishing everyone a healthy fall and winter.  Please share your personal health strategies here- I would love to hear what you are doing to stay healthy this season!

Official Food, Inc. Movie Site - Hungry For Change?

Official Food, Inc. Movie Site - Hungry For Change? Shared via AddThis

green smoothie

Here is my current favorite.  

Green Smoothie

2 cups cold filtered water
1 banana
a big handful of frozen strawberries
a big handful of frozen mangoes
2 good handfuls of collard greens (just wash and remove stem from middle of leaves)
1 shot frozen wheatgrass
2 rounded tbsp rice protein (I like Nutribiotics Vanilla)
1 tbsp almond butter
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1-3  tsp bee pollen

Blend together until smooth.  You can use a vitamix for this to get a smoother result but I just put it in the blender and I actually like all those little bits of greens in there.  Yum!!

The wheatgrass didn't make it into the photo but it definately makes it into my smoothies.  I am also really enjoying the bee pollen and I miss it if I don't have it.

By the way my vegan experiment is going great (ok- those of you who want to be picky can say the bee pollen isn't vegan but it is ok with me).  It will be a month this week-end and I honestly can't remember the last time I felt this great (of course daily yoga is a huge part of that I am sure).  These green smoothies are really essential for me.  Rod still looks at me like I am crazy but (shhhhh don't tell anyone) he has agreed to go to a raw vegan restaurant in Boston with me this week!  Check back here and I will be sure to let you know how it goes!

Holistic Moms Tonight - Integrative Healthcare Panel

If you're a mom who is interested in living a healthy and more natural life, you may feel right at home at a Holistic Moms Network meeting.  Tonight, the Plymouth/South Shore Chapter is hosting an Integrative Healthcare Provider panel discussion.

Integrative care is an exciting concept and one that has (at last) been making headlines and making it's way to Washington. 

Tonight we will be talking with an Integrative Pediatrician, a Family Chiropractor, and an Acupuncturist and Herbalist about the variety of choices that are available to us when we are making healthcare decisions for our families.  If you are in the Plymouth area, please come by! 

8 weeks of yoga

I love this book.  I've practiced yoga on and off for years.  Sometimes  with a teacher and often at home with DVDs.  But I have never been focused enough about it to follow instruction from a book ...until now.

I am a big fan of Rodney Yee because of the way he makes yoga so accessible and real and this book is making a huge difference for me.

Right now I am on week 2 of the eight week program.  I've got to get myself out of bed every day at 4:45 to have an hour to practice alone before the kids wake up but it is worth it.  I feel amazing and the book is really helping me move towards my goal of creating my own practice at home.  Highly recommended.

Ommmmmmmmm.......