Dr. King's Dream

Today is Dr. King's birthday. I wanted to blog about it but still make it relative to Health, Healing and Spirituality. I was thinking about his "I Have A Dream" speech and really his whole crusade for equality. He was passionate about his work. So much so that he went to jail for his belief and ultimately died for what he believed in. I was watching The Soloist with Jamie Fox and Robert Downing Jr. Robert's character says to his ex-wife referring to Jamie Fox's character, "He has such passion for his music.He believes in the music so much. I have never had that much passion for anything in my life." I could relate. I could relate. I have passion for what I do. My love for holistic health and healing but is it enough? I have passion for a lot of things but am I willing to go to jail for it? Would I go to jail because the government is trying to turn purchasing vitamins into requiring you need a prescription for them? I have often heard people quote "Do what you love and the money will come."  When I did my first Green Goddess Party, I had so much fun. I LOVED what I was doing and it showed as my audience responded. That quote is something I have come to believe in. My New Year Goal, is to step up my passion.

WHAT ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT?

Need help finding your passion?

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Vegan/Vegetarian Speed Dating

I was talking to someone about getting back into the dating scene. I said I was ready to do this for real this time but that I was interested in someone who was on the same path that I am on. For me, I think that its best that I date someone who understands my weirdness. Not that being a vegetarian or vegan is weird but most people, who are, understand the energetic of being a vegan or vegetarian. Not all, but most. Any way, she suggested speed dating. Not necessarily vegan/vegetarian but speed dating in general. I thought, I wonder if they have a vegan/vegetarian speed dating out there. Hmmmm, I thought I give it a try. I did a search on Google (I love Google; you can find ANYTHING on there!!) I found an online meeting place that was hosting a vegan/vegetarian dating in the area!! WHOOO HOOO. I was in luck. So I signed up and eagerly awaited the date. The day had arrived. I walked in my closets and could not find a thing to wear. What do you wear to these things? So, an outfit was picked out and my best face paint was laid on and off I went. I arrived about ten good minutes early. Just enough time to eat an appetizer. Now WHY would you pick a restaurant that is NOT vegan/vegetarian friendly? I do eat fish but what was on the menu was NOT an appetizer or under ten bucks! So I scouted around to see who might float my boat and really didn’t see anyone. I thought maybe I was early. This shing dig was supposed to start @ 7:30 and it was almost that time. I heard the lady say she was gathering all of us together. Ladies and the booths and the men would be the ones to move from seat to seat. KOOL. I don’t have to do any work.  So the night began. You got LITERALLY 5 minutes with each guy. I had some questions prepared and all of these things I thought I would be able to get out in that 5 minutes. Didn’t happen. Most of the questions were; “Are you are vegan or vegetarian and how long?’ By the time you answered that and they answered that, DING, it was time for the guy to switch. While there was no love connection with any of the guys I met, it was definitely interesting to know that there are others out there who are looking for a mate who has similar eating and life styles. Avoids some of the drama later.

Dating can be intimidating. Just got divorced? Been out of the dating scene for awhile or having issues with relationships? A relationship coach could be just right for you.

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To workout or Not workout.... That is the question.

All of the gyms are packed. This is the time of the year where the gyms make their quotas the most. One of the gyms I applied for to be a personal trainer contacted ME for a free day at the gym and to join their gym. Seeing how there was a change in management, I didn't hold it against him.

I have journeyed to several of the gyms in my little town and what I have found in common is that most of them do not offer a holistic workout package. A holistic workout program should offer information on diet & nutrition, herbal supplements, the workout itself and all the means necessary to lose weight and or maintain the weight that you are at if you are comfortable with it.

A lot of people want to lose weight and eat right but don't know where to start. As I have observed many people in gyms, a lot of people don't know what they are doing. Wouldn't it be nice to have someone trained in the art of health and wellness to assist you? Get you started? The gym can be a scary place and intimidating to see others LOOKING like they know what they are doing and enjoying it. You can be one of those people. That’s where I come in. As a holistic health practitioner, I can offer a complete package. A full consultation will determine which program is right for you.

Want help with losing weight and keeping it off?

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New Year Resolutions

 Every year since I can remember, I would make new year resolutions. I would write a list of things what I want to do and or get done. I never had long lists but the things on the lists were extensive. It wasn't until I became a certified career coach and life coach that I learned what I was doing wrong or why my resolutions never lasted past a month or two.


Most people are task oriented. They need deadlines and only a few things to accomplish at a time. However, when it comes to health and wellness, some people need guidance. If people could lose weight or change their eating habits on their own, a lot more people would be doing it.

New Year Resolutions should be more like New Year Goals. When setting goals, a few things must be in order. Goals made must be achievable and attainable. Most people set goals that sound good but are not something they can achieve, whether it is within the time frame or the goal is just too much. I didn't have a support system set up to encourage and inspire me to keep going. That is another reason why women would list working out as their goal, fail. When you set achievable, attainable goals with deadlines, its easier to achieve the results.

Looking to start the year off right?

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A Hairy Situation

I've had a chemical relaxer since I was a kid. In fact, my mom was a hair stylist and I probably had every new chemical relaxer or product that came out back in those days. I am surprised that I had the head of hair that I had. As I got older, I started doing my own hair. Putting in my own chemical relaxers and hair dyes. I just knew then I would be bald for sure!

When you embark on your spiritual journey, your life changes. You never know where life will bring you. In 2006 I stated that I was going to cut off all my hair and let it grow out naturally without any chemicals. WOW!! I don't know where that came from since I had grown particularly fond of my long hair. My hair had grown to lengths I had never seen before and now I was going to cut it all off? I wasn't sure why I was making such a bold move but I knew a change was in the wind.
I had already cut off all of my hair when I started diving deeper into holistic nutrition, diseases and health. I learned that skin was the largest organ of the human body and that everything that you put on to the skin gets absorbed into the blood stream and filters through the body. Then it dawned on me the relatively dangerous effects that the chemicals I was using could have on my skin and scalp. We put a tremendous amount of chemicals on our scalp. "Chemical processing over time is fatal for all types of hair. The consistent 6 week process that is done over and over again is crucial over time and results to unhealthy hair. Throughout the years as many women complained about gradual hair loss, excessive shedding, unexplained breakage, and stunting hair growth."

Aside from the chemical relaxer, there are a number of chemicals people use everyday in the hair and body care products that are harmful.

• Isopropyl Alcohol: Isopropyl alcohol is found in hair color rinses, body rubs, hand lotions, after-shave lotions, fragrances and many other cosmetics. This petroleum-derived substance is also used in antifreeze and as a solvent in shellac.
• Fragrances: Fragrance is present in most deodorants, shampoos, sunscreens, skin care, body care and baby care products. Many of the compounds in fragrances are carcinogenic or otherwise toxic. "Fragrance on a label can indicate the presence of up to 4,000 separate ingredients. Most or all of them are synthetic.
• MIT is a chemical that contributes to cancer, liver disorders and neurological diseases.

AS a holistic health practitioner, I create chemical free products for my NUBODI customers. All products are made using organic ingredients, fresh herbs and a 100% pure essential oils.

Want chemical FREE essential products?

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Shooo flu....don't bother me!!

Are you ready for the flu season? I am. Bring it on!! I was in the pharmacy store getting a couple of bottles of water, when the cashier says "We have flu shots available, would you like to get one?" I said "oh no thank you." She went on to say how prepared I needed to be for the winter season and blah blah blah. So what you are telling me, is because I said no to your flu shot, that makes me not prepared? Let me see if I am understanding her correctly. To prevent myself from catching the flu, she wants me to get injected WITH the flu? The very thought of someone giving me the very thing I am trying to avoid getting is strange to me. She continued on and again I said no thank you. This lady was relentless with this flu shot thing. OMG! So, I finally said to her "sweety, I am a holistic health practitioner, I will NEVER get the flu shot. But thanks for asking." I politely gave her my card and existed the building before she continued.

One of the reasons why most people get sick during the winter months is because they hibernate. As it gets colder, people tend to stay in doors more and not get much sunshine. "People who are exposed to normal quantities of sunlight do not need vitamin D supplements because sunlight promotes sufficient vitamin D synthesis in the skin. A human requires ten to fifteen minutes of sun exposure at least twice a week on the face, arms, hands, or back without sunscreen with a greater than 3 UV index for adequate amounts of vitamin D_3.It is an immune system regulator. It may be an important way to arm the immune system against disorders like the common cold, say scientists from the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Children's Hospital Boston."

Another reason why people get sick during the winter months is because they are less active. "Exercising and being active can help protect you from heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, back pain, osteoporosis, and help manage stress." By not being active for those months, you can weaken the immune system. "A breakdown in any part of the system leaves the whole body susceptible to infection and illness." There are many ways to boost the immune system during these months. "The immune system is precisely that — a system, not a single entity. To function well, it requires balance and harmony."

• Eat a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and low in saturated fat.
• Exercise regularly.
• Get adequate sleep
• Take herbs such as Echinacea, Ginseng, and vitamins to boost the immune system

While there are some controversy as to whether or not herbs and vitamins actually help, the fact that remains is that it won't hurt. Doing all that you can to prevent the onset of a cold or any disease is the best method. A combination of eating healthy foods, excercise and a positive outlook on life goes a long way.

Interested in a holistic health consultation?

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Pearly whites

I've been using flouride toothpaste since my teeth grew in. Even more so, I've been using whitening tooth paste since I got my braces off.  I really don't think that they are any whiter now then they were before I had the braces on but thats another blog. Back in the day, if you didn't have flouride toothpaste, you weren't cleaning your teeth. There was no such thing as whitening toothpaste. But now, every brand of toothpaste contains some form of whitening and flouride. I am however ashame to say that I don't floss regularly like I should. I get my teeth cleaned twice a year and floss only after the dentist is has yelled at me the entire visit, then it tapers off.

The truth is, oral hygien is important. "Brushing without flossing is like cleaning only 65% of your body." When you only brush once a day, you allow the food and to harden and cause plaque and tartar build up. "Flossing removes the tiny trapped food particles and also the plaque trapped between the teeth which a tooth brush cannot reach." Did you know that bad oral hygien can lead to gum disease which can ultimately lead to other serious illnesses? "Recent studies have indicated flossing reduces the risk of heart attack."

People have used flouride toothpaste for years. Even the dentist gives flouride treatments. The fact is, flouride is a poison. It even says on the label of the toothpaste that you should not ingest, which can cause gastric problems. In addition, flouride toothpaste has now been linked to allergic reactions and peridontal disease. "Fluoride confuses the immune system and causes it to attack the body's own tissues, and increases the tumor growth rate in cancer prone individuals." So how is one to clean their teeth? There are many brands of toothpaste on the market that do not contain flouride. Using natural products to not only clean the teeth but also to clean the body is becoming more and more essential. The more chemicals you put on and in your body, the greater your chances are for disease and illness. By flossing two to three times a day, you can also lessen your chances of bacteria and plaque build up. Baking soda and lemon has been used in the past, and now, to not only clean the teeth but also to whiten. Choose products that are made with natural ingredients. Ingredients that you can eat. If you can't eat them, don't put them on your body.

How would your oral hygien practices stand up?

Interested in a holistic health consultation?

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A diet by any other name

Everytime I go inot the book store, I am bombarded with diet books. Everyone and their granny has a diet book out. Even celebrities are coming out with fitness books or a new diet book. The word diet means a particular selection of food. The way that you eat. However, the way that the word has been thrown around lately, you would think it was a new designer handbag or something that everyone MUST have. The fact is, there ARE different ways to eat healthy.

• Macrobiotic diet: "a dietary regimen which involves eating grains as a staple food supplemented with other foodstuffs such as local vegetables avoiding the use of highly processed or refined foods and most animal products.
• Raw food diet: "is the practice of consuming uncooked, unprocessed, and often organic foods as a large percentage of the diet."
• Vegetarian diet: "encompasses the practice of following plant-based diets (fruits, vegetables, etc.), with or without the inclusion of dairy products or eggs, and with the exclusion of meat (red meat, poultry, and seafood)."

Even within the vegetarian diet, there are different levels to the diet that people follow. There are many other diets and ways to eat. It's not that they are all wrong, they just may not be right for you. Just because diet worked for someone does not mean it will work for you.

I skimmed this book by a particular celebrity, now turned vegan and she had a wonderful story. However, the recipes called for ingredients that my local grocers did not carry. I would have to drive clear across to Virginia just to see if the store carried it and then drive back. Even if they did carry the ingredient, by the time I got home, I would be too tired to cook anything.

Many of the people I have met say they want to change their eating habits but don't know how or where to start. With all of the books and information out there on diets, it could get confusing and discouraging when you don't know where to begin. That is where a holistic health and wellness coach and nutrition consultant comes in. A holistic nutrition consultant educates you on the diet that would best benefit your nutritional needs. While the holistic health and wellness coach, will coach you along your journey to achieve the goals you have set. Starting this journey can be scary and therefore making it easy to put it off or quit when discouraged. Having someone there who knows nutrition and how to motivate you into action, makes it easier.

Interested in a holistic health consultation?
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Holistic health care & the economy

The economy is rough right now. Everyone seems to be feeling the crunch. One day the market is up and the next day it is down. Our financial institutions are going to come crumbling down one day. Even though things are bad and times are rough, people are still spending. Spending unnecessarily and frivolously but spending nonetheless. But very few are spending on their health. So many people were in an uproar about the health care reform, saying this and saying that but what are people REALLY doing for their health on their own?

Getting clients for me, means I am constantly in people's faces trying to convince them that holistic health is the way to go. The main gripe that I get from people is that it cost too much to eat healthy. Well for a family of four at a fast food place, it will cost over $25. However, that $25 could buy frozen fruit to make smoothies for the family in the morning. The other chief complaint was that they didn't have the time to incorporate the things they needed to live a healthier life. Jane is an emotional shopper. She buys shoes, handbags and clothes more than three times a month to make her feel better. Instead of shopping that often, Jane could have a Reiki session to help her understand why she shops when she is emotional and to help her deal with that emotion.

Imet a potential client at Starbucks.  I had their fabulous green tea with zero calories, zero sugar, that cost me $1.50 for any size I wanted. She had a venti vanilla latte with 2% milk @ 320 calories and 43 grams of sugar. My potential client gulped down her vanilla latte as she proceeded to tell me why she could not "go alternative" right now.

There are plenty of life style changes that one can make that will not break the bank. Living an holistic life style is a proces and a journey. Start small. Instead of coffee in the morning, try herbal tea. Don't have time during the day, try waking up a half hour ealier to run, walk or meditate before starting the day. You can work with a holistic health and wellness coach or a nutrition consultation to help you prioritize and organize your life to incorporate healthier choices and adjustments.

Interested in a holistic health consultation?

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As usual, thank you for reading and I will see you tomorrow!

Angry Food

I used to manage a program in a high school. There I did talks on eating healthy to teen parents and to a group of my own students. Before I began talking to the students about healthy eating choices, I observed their behavior for quite some time which was one of the reasons that prompted me to do the talks. I saw a disturbing pattern. I noticed every morning the students would run to the convenient store on the corner or McDonald's or both!! They would come in the school with blue juices, red juices, candy, chips, soda and of course shoveling in their breakfast from McDonald's which concerned me.

I had gone to a seminar called "Healing Mental Health Disorders Without Drugs" and the theme of the seminar was diet and nutrition. The seminar was given by a Dr. Charles Gant, who stated that a poor diet can affect behavior. A majority of the students at this school had either some behavioral issues or was classified as mentally disturbed. Most had very low reading levels as well. I knew that there was a correlation between the food that these students were eating, their behavior and their ability to concentrate. Fast food and junk food can be addictive. "Most fast-food meals are high in fat, high in sugar, high in calories, high in starch, high in salt, and low in fiber and nutrients. Because fast food lacks nutrients, after we eat it we’re not satisfied. That makes us hungry for more soon after."

Looking at the students I can tell they are dehydrated even after they have swallowed a 32 ounce Pepsi. They believe that because they are drinking soda, that it will hydrate their body. When I gave my talks, I educated my students on making healthier choices. Most of them responded well. They saw what I ate and knew that I was speaking from example. However, a lot of students complained that the foods that they wanted to eat, was not being provided in the homes. Carry out and fast foods was their way of life. This posed a challenge. However I was up for the task. I showed the students how they could make small changes that would make a big difference. I told them that instead of buying soda, buy bottled water. If they could purchase nothing else, water was going to be their best purchase. The next thing I suggested was fruit. Oh I got a lot of Angry Birds on that one. I told them that fruits and vegetables would help them concentrate more and make them less agitated or aggravated. Some students seemed to be okay with that but I can tell I was in for a fight with the vegetables.

When I told the students that I was an athlete and now personal trainer, that seemed to get sum attention. Most of the athletic students had questions that stemmed from "how can I have more energy to why am I always tired?" Those questions were easy to answer. Change your diet. It sounds easy but when it comes to students who are not buying their own foods, it may seem like moving a mountain. Process foods and junk food are quick and easy and in some cases cheap.  "Processed foods are foods that have been compromised by the addition of hormones, additives, preservatives, unnatural genetic material or other chemical or heat treatments that alter or destroy the natural healthy enzymes, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals." These can and have posed several health issues. Everyone should be educated on the what the fast food industry is doing. While they may have made food convenient, they have not made it healthy. 

As a holistic health and wellness coach, I provide education as well as coaching. There is nothing worse than being shown what to do but not an understanding of why you are doing it.

Interested in a holistic health consultation?

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As usual, thank you for reading and I will see you tomorrow!

It's all in the label

No, I am not talking about Gucci or Prada but food labels. I see where your mind is... on shopping. Oh, maybe that was just me. I would love a Gucci bag but that is not the focus here. =)   I was in the grocery store, a rather large food chain grocery store, that has a "healthy SECTION". Not an isle or two but a section. Any way, I was looking for some healthy snacks and I saw some rice chips. Light, airy, no unsaturated oils and stuff. I said yes, this will work. I got the rice chips and a few other HEALHTY goodies and moved it along.

I crackes open those rice chips as soon as I got home. I started reading the back of the bag as I was crunching and munching and saw in the ingredients that my rice chips contain Red 40. Red 40... red 40... where have I seen that before? I could NOT think where I knew that ingredient from. Then it hit me. Red 40, or its other name FD & C Red 40, is a red power dye made from petroleum. It used to be manufactured out of coal tar but was later made from the petroleum. Alot of people are allergic to Red 40 and don't know it. Studies have shown links of Red 40 to ADHD and other mental health disorders. In other cases where the food clearly states on the front that it does not have preservatives, but on the back of the food label listed preservatives disguised by long vocabulary.

Now I was half way through the bag before I got this information. In my nutrition certification, we learned to read labels, look up words we did not know and then educate our clients on the importance of reading labels. Reading labels can prevent a lot of problems down the road. If you are on a caloric diet, reading labels before hand can tell you that the 20 ounce soda, of 180 calories that you just had, actually is doubled that. Most bottles are labeled based on per serving. The 20 ounce soda could be a serving and a half if not two servings per bottle. Most people have a smart phone where they can look up the ingredients right on the spot. Some manufactures try to fool you by using the full scientific name of the ingredient such as sodium bicarbonate, which is really just baking soda or using glucose, fructose and all of those other tose, which is another fancy name for sugar.

"You can read the Nutrition Facts label to determine the amounts of such nutrients as fat, sodium and fiber in specific products. Knowing this information can help you decide whether a food or beverage fits in to your eating plan or is appropriate if you have certain health conditions, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol. It also enables you to compare similar products to see which one might be a healthier choice.
The more practice you get reading food labels, the better you can become in using them as a tool to plan your healthy, balanced diet."

Become label savvy and I don't mean Donna Karen label savvy.

Interested in a holistic health consultation?
Email me at info@nu-bodi.com for a FREE 15 minute information
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Coaching to Greatness!

I received my coaching certification from iPec in 2009. Prior to that in 2008 I had received my certification as a career coach to enhance my position for a company I was working for at the time. What I learned through my training was minus the few tweaks here and there to my coaching style and some other important techniques iPec taught me, I felt I had been coaching people for years and didn't know it.

My undergraduate studies was in criminal justice and psychology. I didn't want to be a counselor but did want to understand behavior and why people did the things that they did. There's a vast difference between counseling and coaching. "Psychotherapy is a general term that is used to describe the process of treating psychological disorders and mental distress. Therapy is interpersonal treatment for problems in living. Counseling and therapy help clients get through past issues so that they can be more functional in their lives." That's not what I wanted to do. I wanted to move people forward. If you tell me you want to start a business, I'll help you get there. If you want to lose a few pounds, I will assist you in getting started and motivate you to stay on task. The motto is "We, as coaches, take you from functional to OPTIMAL!"

With your certification from iPec, you can coach anyone on anything. When I graduated, I was OVERLY excited. I had a business card for everything. I wanted to coach everyone. It got confusing as my main business is holistic health. I felt like Eddie Murphy, who had all of those roles in the movie The Klumps. I had to choose a specialty and stick with it. Since my background of 16 years is holistic health, it only made since to me that my coaching focused on that... Holistic Health and Wellness. The topic is broad enough to encompass everything that I do as it relates to holistic health. If you want to eat a little more healthier, as a certified nutrition consultant, I can coach you into better eating habits. If your church was doing a church wide fast, I can coach groups on fasting properly. When you want to start working out and all of those machines seems scary, as a personal trainer, I can write out a daily workout and coach you through the use of the machines.   

"Coaches work with clients to identify what they want personally and professionally and support them in achieving it. Coaches encourage clients to set attainable goals and help them focus on the task to reaching those goals."

I am a holistic health and wellness coach and I want to work with YOU to help create a more balanced and holistic life. Interested in being coached? Email me at info@nu-bodi.com for a FREE 15 minute information session to see if coaching is right for you.

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As usual, thank you for reading and I will see you tomorrow!