What you Eat, Think and Do... Matters!

My mission is to inspire, educate and empower you to feel and look your best at any age. When you feel good, there is a ripple effect to your loved ones and community. It's contagious.  I also believe that it takes a village. This is why I love collaboration and partnerships; from collaborating with you on your personal health, to supporting people that bring positive change to the world. So over the next several days, I'm going to be sharing with you just a few of my favorite people, products and services that may help you thrive through the holidays.

People. I'm partnering with Susan Brady, Physical Therapist, Doctor of Integrative Medicine and Certified Nutritionist to bring you an exclusive online membership program. (You will get a separate invitation soon.) You've already heard about the Healthy Aging Summit that she's spent the last year creating for you. You still have two days left to listen to it for free. My interview was the first day but I also interviewed Dr. Lindsey Berkson which you can hear tomorrow on Sunday if you register today. She's the author of 22 books of which I have three of them and they've been transformational for me and my husband. Please don't miss out on getting inspired and educated this weekend!

Susan and I also put together a video on our favorite holiday recipes. Email me if you don't have them or want them.

Products. If you've worked with me for any health issues from gut issues to autoimmune disease or cancer you know about the healing power of bone broth soup. I often say, "Good, Better, Best" as a goal.

Drinking bone broth soup is good to heal the gut and nourish your mind and body. Better is to buy organic bone broth from grass fed and finished beef. Best is to make (or have it made for you) with love infused. Kettle and Fire has the best organic grass fed bone broth that can be shipped to your home and a good price and it is on sale for the next several days. Stock up for your holiday soups and see all the wonderful flavors they have for you! Sip it like a tea 2-4 times a day to heal the gut and nourish your emotions through the season. I may do a whole post for you on the benefits of bone broth. If you or a loved one are going through chemotherapy then for sure drink bone broth to protect and rebuild the gut lining. Bone broth is great for joint pain or autoimmune issues too.

What good is it to drink bone broth soup, take supplements, and heal from within, if you are still putting crap on your skin? If you've taken my KickStart to Wellness Program, you know my mantra to Maximize, Minimize and Prioritize for optimal health.

If you listened to my interview on the Healthy Aging Summit, I said to think of the skin as a large mouth. What you put on your skin matters!

This summer while I was working on videos for our upcoming members and our daughters wedding, I realized that I needed some makeup and I found a line of hair care, skin care and makeup that I've fallen in love with. The company is a B corp. That means it puts people and the planet first, before profit in every decision it makes. The founder is passionate about changing the beauty industry to only including non toxic ingredients. Imagine that! Do you know that the word fragrance alone can have up to 3,000 chemicals included?

Many ingredients in the most expensive beauty products are carcinogenic or include heavy metals.

Lead is a common ingredient in lipstick. Who needs to be eating this? As I said in my talk for the Healthy Aging Summit, your skin care should be clean enough to eat.  So I'm super excited to tell you that starting this weekend, you can get BIG discounts to looking and feeling your best! These make amazing thoughtful gifts too! I am absolutely in love with their lipstick. It feels and looks good too. I bought the entire line so I can share with you at my Open House on December 2nd from 7-9 pm. But don't wait for then to order because this is a Clean Friday special only good until December 1st. They may offer a Cyber Monday deal but I'm not privy to that.  The company has committed to omitting  over 1500 toxic chemicals that are commonly found in beauty products. This is a company I want to support. Here's a link for more information and to shop. If you are local and want to stop by and see products, let me know that too. Or if you want me to come speak to a group about healthy living and the importance of what you eat, think and do I would love that too.

Services: Dianne Rhodes, Certified Hypnotist of Inner Horizons is offering  a Holiday Stress Buster Program which includes a hypnotherapy session (can be done online via Zoom) plus a digital recording. Email her dreamyourinnerhorizons@gmail.com

Rise Well-Being Center offers meditation, yoga, movement to music classes and workshops. This is a fantastic place to explore the inner world within you. They also have hosted some amazing workshops. Good to get on their mailing list. I will be teaching only 2 more Wednesday 7:30 am yoga for improvement classes in December and two more 10 am movement to music classes. First class is free to check it out.

Beloved Yoga Studio is where I received my 300 hour training and certification and where I continue to practice. There are classes for everyone here and a wide variety of offerings. It's called a sanctuary for all for a reason. View their video for more information.

Mom's Organic Market and Great Falls Farmers Market are two of my favorite places to shop for local organic food for my table.

I'm off to yoga now and then to do shopping for Thanksgiving dinner. Please know how grateful I am to have you on my email list and I hope to get to know you better in the New Year through our online membership program where you will have access to support from Susan and I as well as discounts on healthy products and services. More to follow...

Carpe Diem,

Lisa

PS
If you enjoy any of these resources, please feel free to share and pass along to friends and family!

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CHC, RYT-500, FDN-P, AFMC

Lisa is an author, functional nutrition and functional medicine trained health coach, yoga teacher, and retired Registered Nurse with the mission to "Inspire, Educate and Empower" individuals and corporations to achieve optimal health.

Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think & Thrive is a self-health book offering her Seven Steps to Optimal Health.

When she is not coaching, or speaking, you can find Lisa joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance or playing with her two grandchildren. She is the mother of four adult children and believes, "Optimal health should not be a secret."

What's my Secret? Yoga

A week ago Friday, was International Yoga Day. I was too busy living my yoga to write about it then. Last Sunday I was a sub teacher for a yin yoga class at 5pm at Beloved Yoga Studio in Reston, Va and thought I would share a few thoughts.

Yoga is a philosophy. It's a roadmap for healthy living that includes rules for living, exercises to enable a closer relationship with self, and prepare you for meditation. I often share with my clients how the body follows the mind and the mind follows the breath. Due to early conditioning, most of us don't know how to fully breathe to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, (PNS). Through deep belly breathing, we can teach our bodies that it is safe to rest and repair, rest and digest, and mate and ovulate. This is the yin within the yin and the yang.

There is a yoga for everyone. You are never too sick or never too old to learn, or to begin. Even if you've been practicing on and off for decades as I have, it's important to always have a beginners mind. I believe this is true in business and in life too. In keeping a beginners mind, you cultivate discernment. You can practice moving from fear to curiosity. Notice when you feel challenged, breathe into the pose and relax. Notice any automatic negative thoughts or self limiting beliefs arising. Practice compassion and self love for your current limitations. Notice where you are holding tension. Visualize and breathe healing oxygen into the space.  With practice your body will begin to change. Your mind, your body and your spirit will open up.  One of my students in my Wednesday morning Carpe Diem Dance class (movement to music with yoga and breathwork) told me this week that before coming to the class she hadn't raised her hands over her head for decades! She risked stretching her comfort zone and is pleased with her results.

Speaking of stretching...It's easy to overstretch muscles and to pull a tendon or a ligament when moving mindlessly or too fast. The more you try to force a stretch, the tighter your ligaments and tendons work to protect you. This is an innate, self loving response. Remember the body is self loving, self healing, and self repairing. The way to stretch and nourish tendons and ligaments is through deep relaxation. Yin is a way to move into a pose just to the point of resistance and then to practice relaxing and letting go. This may seem counter intuitive. For those of us who are action oriented, this can be a challenge. Practice quieting your mind when it starts to breed old negative thoughts that no longer serve you.

This practice is not about what you look like or how far you can go into the pose. It's about connecting to how you feel. In this respect, it is a more advanced practice. It's a practice in discernment over effort and ease. It's a practice in self care. How challenging you make it is up to you. You choose whether you want to practice yin or relaxation, within every pose. Discover how each moment allows you the opportunity for choice and discernment.

This is how we cultivate the ability to find calm in the midst of chaos. 

You can easily see the value of taking these lessons off the mat and into your consciousness.
Modern living stress our nervous system. It's easy to stay stuck in the sympathetic nervous system. Yoga can teach you to use your breath, your body, and your mind to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system necessary for optimal health.

Currently, I am teaching a beginners yoga 7:30am Wednesday mornings at Rise Wellbeing Center in Reston. If that is too early for you, then join us at 10am for a yoga dance class @ Rise.

There are many styles of yoga now being offered. Explore this rich diversity and find a class that speaks to you. Better yet, see if you can add some diversity in your exercise routine for balance.  Better balance equates to overall peace.

Carpe Diem,

Lisa

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CHC, RYT-500, FDN-P, AFMC

Lisa is an author, functional nutrition and functional medicine trained health coach, yoga teacher, and retired Registered Nurse with the mission to "Inspire, Educate and Empower" individuals and corporations to achieve optimal health.

Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think & Thrive is a self-health book offering her Seven Steps to Optimal Health.

When she is not coaching, or speaking, you can find Lisa joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance or playing with her two grandchildren. She is the mother of four adult children and believes, "Optimal health should not be a secret."

Empowerment Series: Beauty from Within, A Functional Medicine Approach tomorrow night.

I spent the weekend with my two very beautiful daughters and granddaughter and family and friends in upper Michigan. As we sat around the fire pit watching the sun go down over my daughters lake we shared how none of us felt beautiful growing up. To others this may sound very strange as my daughters are drop dead gorgeous. My hope is that my granddaughter will always know and celebrate her beauty from her infant bald head to every beautiful roll in her body.

This year I will be sixty years old and feel and look better than I did in younger years. People often ask me what's my secret? I so hope you will join us tomorrow evening while I share the functional medicine wisdom that has allowed me to regain an optimal level of health, wellbeing and beauty from the inside out. We will discuss how to slow or even reverse what we attribute to aging.  This is good for both men and women!  This will be a small intimate discussion at Rise Well-Being Center in Reston, Virginia. You might be surprised with what you will discover!

If you have not been to Rise Well-Being Center it is well worth the visit. I teach yoga here 7:30am Wednesday mornings and Carpe Diem Dance at 10:00am. There are many great teachers and offerings from different movement classes, QiGong, Tai Chi and meditation to spiritual development and wonderful body work and holistic therapies all in a very beautiful consciously green setting.

Check out all the Empowerment Series Here and please consider coming tomorrow evening, Thursday, May 30th from 7-8pm .

Please sign up Here.

Carpe Diem,

Lisa

PS
Save the date for June 9th for Love Your Body Day at Reston Town Center. I will be giving a short talk on Intermittent Fasting and will be sharing a booth with Tasty6 where you can sample part of our IF Kick-Start happening in June! Rise Well-Being Center will also have a booth there and there is free yoga all day in the pavilion.  This is one of my favorite events!

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CHC, RYT-500, FDN-P, AFMC

Lisa is an author, functional nutrition and functional medicine trained health coach, yoga teacher, and retired Registered Nurse with the mission to "Inspire, Educate and Empower" individuals and corporations to achieve optimal health.

Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think & Thrive is a self-health book offering her Seven Steps to Optimal Health.

When she is not coaching, or speaking, you can find Lisa joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance or playing with her two grandchildren. She is the mother of four adult children and believes, "Optimal health should not be a secret."

Beauty from Within; Join me live next week to discuss

This summer I am participating in a Healthy Aging Summit hosted by my good friend Susan Brady, MS, PT, Nutritionist. Thursday evening May 30th, I will be presenting for Rise Wellbeing Center's Empowerment Series: on Beauty from The Inside Out. This will give you a live peek preview of the upcoming summit. This will be a fact-filled session from a functional medicine approach. We will be addressing the following:

1. Can you really stop or reverse the aging process?
2. What causes the skin to age and the hair to thin?
3. How to protect yourself from the sun (its not what you may think)
4. Diet, Supplements and how to create an anti-aging, healthy living skin care plan

Cost is $10.00  Please RSVP HERE

I hope to see you there!

To your health and beauty,

Lisa

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CHC, RYT-500, AFMC

Lisa is an author, functional nutrition and functional medicine trained health coach, yoga teacher, and retired Registered Nurse with the mission to "Inspire, Educate and Empower" individuals and corporations to achieve optimal health.

Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think & Thrive is a self-health book offering her Seven Steps to Optimal Health.

When she is not coaching, or speaking, you can find Lisa joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance or playing with her two grandchildren. She is the mother of four adult children and believes, "Optimal health should not be a secret."

Self Care During the Holidays

How to we practice self care, especially over the holidays? How do we show up for ourselves when you want to show up for everyone else? How do I walk the walk?

Typically, the holidays revolve around my family. This Thanksgiving however, my husband and I decided to spend the holiday alone instead of with our family. We had the choice to drive 12 hours in the snow to Northern Michigan to visit my two daughters and grandchildren or go to sunny Cancun. We decided the latter. We were exhausted, my husband has had unprecedented stress with his business, and we realized we needed time for ourselves and each other.

But this decision didn’t come easily. It felt sacrilegious and selfish. I felt guilty at the idea of missing out on quality time with my quickly growing grandchildren. But one thing I’ve learned is the more we give, the more self care we need. You cannot give from an empty bucket and my bucket was close to empty.
So we chose Cancun.

Each day my daughters sent messages of what I was missing: Zydeco dancing with a live band! Making mini snowmen with my grandson! Hiking, cooking together, holiday music! This was a lot to miss.

But by choosing to miss out on these beautiful family memories, I was able to take the time for myself to recharge. To bask in the sun and do yoga on the beach. To reconnect with my husband, I even did a little Christmas shopping online. Now refreshed, I can truly enjoy the holidays without the stress and migraines I routinely had this time of the year.

By choosing my own self care, I am now ready to fully engage and be present with my family this Christmas and New Year’s. By showing up for myself and honoring my own needs, I can now show up for everyone else.

How are you showing up for yourself this holiday season? What small acts of self care can you give yourself?

For more self care, come see me Wednesday mornings at the Rise Well-Being Center, or stay tuned and plan to join us for our newest Intermittent Fasting Kickstart in January.

Carpe Diem and Happy Holidays!

With Love & Gratitude,

Lisa

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CHC, RYT-500, AFMC

Lisa is an author, functional nutrition, and functional medicine trained health coach, yoga teacher, and retired Registered Nurse with the mission to "Inspire, Educate and Empower" individuals and corporations to achieve optimal health.

Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think & Thrive is a self-health book offering her Seven Steps to Optimal Health.

When she is not coaching, or speaking, you can find Lisa joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance or playing with her two grandchildren. She is the mother of four adult children and believes, "Optimal health should not be a secret."

The Power of Love

Yesterday was my daughter, Margo's 32nd birthday. As I was preparing for my morning yoga classes I ran across this letter from Albert Einstein to his daughter on the power of love. When I first read this I remember feeling somewhat angry and judgmental that Einstein wasn't there for his daughter, as my father was absent for nearly all of my young life.

This morning, I reread his letter in another, more human, light. We all make mistakes. To err is human. This is how we learn our biggest lessons. Margo is now a young Mother. She too will make mistakes, as I did. We can remain angry and bitter or we can choose to forgive ourselves and each other. 

In my case, I need to forgive both of us. I still grieve my father's death, because I never fully forgave him when he was alive. I missed precious time with him. I need to forgive him for my own heart health.

Here's Albert Einstein's letter:

“When I proposed the theory of relativity, very few understood me, and what I will reveal now to transmit to mankind will also collide with the misunderstanding and prejudice in the world.

I ask you to guard the letters as long as necessary, years, decades, until society is advanced enough to accept what I will explain below.

There is an extremely powerful force that, so far, science has not found a formal explanation to. It is a force that includes and governs all others, and is even behind any phenomenon operating in the universe and has not yet been identified by us. This universal force is LOVE.

When scientists looked for a unified theory of the universe they forgot the most powerful unseen force. Love is Light, that enlightens those who give and receive it. Love is gravity, because it makes some people feel attracted to others. Love is power, because it multiplies the best we have, and allows humanity not to be extinguished in their blind selfishness. Love unfolds and reveals. For love we live and die. Love is God and God is Love.

This force explains everything and gives meaning to life. This is the variable that we have ignored for too long, maybe because we are afraid of love because it is the only energy in the universe that man has not learned to drive at will.

To give visibility to love, I made a simple substitution in my most famous equation. If instead of E = mc2, we accept that the energy to heal the world can be obtained through love multiplied by the speed of light squared, we arrive at the conclusion that love is the most powerful force there is, because it has no limits.

After the failure of humanity in the use and control of the other forces of the universe that have turned against us, it is urgent that we nourish ourselves with another kind of energy…

If we want our species to survive, if we are to find meaning in life, if we want to save the world and every sentient being that inhabits it, love is the one and only answer.

Perhaps we are not yet ready to make a bomb of love, a device powerful enough to entirely destroy the hate, selfishness and greed that devastate the planet.

However, each individual carries within them a small but powerful generator of love whose energy is waiting to be released.

When we learn to give and receive this universal energy, dear Lieserl, we will have affirmed that love conquers all, is able to transcend everything and anything, because love is the quintessence of life.

I deeply regret not having been able to express what is in my heart, which has quietly beaten for you all my life. Maybe it’s too late to apologize, but as time is relative, I need to tell you that I love you and thanks to you I have reached the ultimate answer! “.

Your father,

Albert Einstein

One thing I know for sure is the power of love. It wasn't until I gave birth to Margo and her siblings that I fully understood this. I agree with Einstein that it is urgent that we nourish ourselves with this powerful healing energy. What negativity do you need to release in order to be able to receive this love? To receive nourishment? Is there someone you need to forgive in order to do so? Perhaps even yourself for past mistakes? Please remember and know that no one comes into this life without baggage. We can continue to be weighed down by it, or we can choose to let it go. We can carry past generational burdens with us or we can choose to break the chain. 

How do you do this? As with everything, it starts with your willingness and commitment to do so. Begin the conversation with self and others. Make amends with important people in your life. Most of all, start exploring ways to feel and act in self loving ways. There are so many wonderful tools to help you. If you suffer from a disease, know that your body is self healing and self repairing. Do not fall into the "war on ....(cancer, diabetes, etc)" mentality. Instead ask what is the message your loving body is trying to tell you through the dis-ease? What needs to change for you in order to heal? How can you maximize what your unique body needs, minimize toxicity and inflammation, and prioritize self care? 

Wednesday mornings I teach at Rise Wellbeing Center in Reston, whose soul mission is to cultivate wholeness. I feel loved the minute I walk in the door. Six days a week there is a wonderful variety of classes and teachers. Please consider joining us! Here's my new schedule at Rise on Wednesday mornings:

7:30-8:30am: Carpe Diem Dance, a fun combination of movement to music that anyone can do. 

8:45-9:45am: Yin Yang Yoga, a practice for anyone to find flexibility and equilibrium (the calm within chaos) 

10:00-11:00am: Meditation for Beginners. I am a student, this is Rise's gift to me to practice self-care

11:15-11:45am: Street Clothes Stretch. Come on your lunch hour and then have lunch in the beautiful garden space or attend one of the monthly lunch and learns. 

May we all learn to give and receive this universal energy of love. 

Carpe Diem,

Lisa

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CHC, RYT-500, AFMC

Lisa is an author, functional nutrition, and functional medicine trained, health coach, yoga teacher, and retired Registered Nurse with the mission to inspire, educate and empower individuals and corporations to achieve optimal health.

Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think & Thrive is a self-health book offering her Seven Steps to Optimal Health.

When she is not coaching, or speaking, you can find Lisa joyfully sharing yoga and Carpe Diem Dance or playing with her two grandchildren. She is the mother of four adult children and believes, "Optimal health should not be a secret."

Love Your Body

Wow, what a week of powerful messages it has been for me. Tuesday was my oldest nephew's graduation from Lake Braddock HS.

Eddie with my proud Mother & Grandmother

I loved the speeches. First from a student,

"As one of 5,000 students, each of us with a unique experience...know that you are uniquely you. Go create something you are happy to share with the world."

Next, from Sarah Fraser, s successful media personality.  She was 5'3" and 190 pounds in college and wanted to become the white Oprah. She was told, "they don't put fat girls on television. She moved to DC and has been on TV every week since. Here's her advice:

1. Listen to the feeling in your gut, your inner voice. 

1. Get your mental house in order. We all have baggage. Put your oxygen mask on first. What you resist, persists. I (Sarah) lost my father when I was in HS and this emotional trauma kept showing up in drinking too much. Addiction is a big problem in the USA and robs people of everything. Be vulnerable and own that. When you get honest, then doors open up.

1. Work hard. Social media is not real. Don't compare yourself. I had to hustle for everything. Work on your magic. Each of us has our own magic, something no one else can do. People want to mimic who is popular. That doesn't work. Work on being you! 

Yesterday, our youngest daughter came over with two dogs and two children that she is nannying for. I'm in my office and hear a dog fight with screaming and crying. When I get outside, Stephanie is covered in mud and blood with deep puncture wounds to her right bicep. After calming down, cleaning her up, and a trip to urgent care, this is what she says:

"I guess the universe is telling me that I can't control everything." 

Steph was trying to protect her dog who was being aggressive when she tried to tend to the larger dog. Instead of blaming the dogs, she took personal responsibility for her part in the incident.  She refused to see herself as a victim and immediately took action to protect herself and her children from further harm. That morning her gut instinct was not to bring both dogs and children to the pool alone but she wanted to please everyone. She could be angry and bitter, but instead chose to hear a loving message. This is a sign of maturity and growth.

This morning, I cancelled my plans to take care of my own needs. Sometimes we just need to say no, risk disappointing others, to put our own oxygen mask on first.

Love Your Body Day @ RTC 2017 w Stephanie

Tomorrow is Love Your Body Day @ Reston Town Center. It is a charity event hosted by Beloved Yoga that draws up to 3,000 people every year. I'm proud to support the event with a booth and information on functional medicine and nutritional testing. We will also offer my book for purchase and signing, our signature chocolate pudding with strawberries, and turmeric tea for tasting. We will be sharing a booth with PtbyMarge and Nurtured Bones.

In addition to all day yoga for children and adults, some see what's being offered at Rise Wellbeing Center and  Neck Back & Beyond, grab the best fresh squeezed raw juice @ Tasty 6 and hear live music from a variety of artists including Woven Green.

What are you doing this weekend that is nourishing for your mind, body and soul?

Carpe Diem,

Lisa

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CHC, RYT-500, AFMC

Lisa is an author, functional nutrition and functional medicine trained health coach, yoga teacher, and retired Registered Nurse with the mission to "Inspire, Educate and Empower" individuals and corporations to achieve optimal health.

Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think & Thrive is a self-health book offering her Seven Steps to Optimal Health.

When she is not coaching, or speaking, you can find Lisa joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance or playing with her two grandchildren. She is the mother of four adult children and believes, "Optimal health should not be a secret."

Resources & Upcoming Events-Please mark your calendars

Starting today, there are many opportunities to improve your health. Today through Monday is the bi-annual Thermography Clinic for women in Northern Virginia @ Neck Back & Beyond in Fairfax, Va.

If you are not familiar with Thermography you can still purchase a video and read about it from the Women's Health Summit library that aired last fall. 

Tuesday, May 8th from 12-1pm, I will be giving a free lunch (yes there is such a thing!) at Rise Wellbeing Center and a discussion on Why All Health Begins in the Gut. If you or a loved one have had a diagnosis of IBS then you will want to attend. You may be surprised how every other diagnosis can be linked back to gut health as well. All month you can come to one of my classes for just $10 drop in Wednesday mornings @ Rise Wellbeing Center

Thursday, May 10th, Deanna Won will be giving a free lecture on 8 Steps to Healing Cancer.

May 12th is Love Your Baby Day @ Beloved Yoga Studio
from 2-5pm. I will not be able to attend but will have literature on testing to ensure you have the necessary nutrition to get pregnant and maintain a healthy pregnancy. Tears came to my eyes when I recently received a text message from a client struggling with infertility that read, "I'm pregnant!" She had identified food sensitivities, nutrient insufficiencies and gut issues and lowered her stress.  Healthy mothers make healthy babies!

May 18th I will be speaking at the Whole Health Integration Summit on a Functional Medicine Approach to Sleep Apnea and Hypertension. If you are a healthcare provider and are interested in attending this two day event, let me know, there are only a couple of seats left.

June 15th and 16th I'll be joining Woven Green at the Summer Solstice Soul Shine Festival for camping, organic food, music and yoga. These are a few of my favorite things! Bring the whole family for wholesome fun.

Last but not least, join us on Fathers Day, June 17th for Love Your Body Day @ Reston Town Center.  I'll be sharing a booth with members from my Wellness Inspired Network group. Marge Kalfon of PT by Marge and Dr. Susan Brady of Nurtured Bones. Come see so many ways to nourish and heal from within!

Carpe Diem,

Lisa

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CHC, RYT-500, AFMC

Lisa is an author, functional nutrition and function medicine trained health coach, yoga teacher, and retired Registered Nurse with the mission to "Inspire, Educate and Empower" individuals to heal from within.

Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think & Thrive is a self health book offering her Seven Steps to Optimal Health.

When she is not coaching, or speaking, you can find Lisa joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance or playing with her two grandchildren. She is the mother of four adult children and believes, "Optimal health should not be a secret."

Stress Resilience Strategies

I rolled out of bed at 5:15am this morning full of aches and pains. My 6am class with Jafar Alexander at Beloved Yoga Studio, inspired this post. He reminded me that when we stress a muscle, we can gently find the sweet spot. The spot that needs extra attention; the knot that we’ve ignored. When we breathe into that sweet spot, when the muscle feels it’ safe, it relaxes and allows a stretch. Stretching comes only after recognizing the stress, holding and breathing into the stress, until it’s safe to release and let go.

Forcing a stretch will only lead to injury. Stretching comes after recognizing the stress, holding and breathing into the stretch to the point the muscle will relax and release.

How do we take this physical reality as a metaphor to create stress resiliency?

How do you look at stress, not as a negative, but as an opportunity?  An opportunity to stretch, to grow, and ultimately strengthen the body and the mind and spirit?

Isn’t it a lovely thought that to find optimal health does not involve the no pain, no gain” mentality? Rather, it’s about finding your flow. It’s not about swimming upstream or feeling like the waves are crashing all over you due to uncontrolled stress.

A savvy secret is to go with the flow. Find your natural rhythm. Find what your unique body is whispering (or sometimes screaming) to you.

We can gracefully grow and age without feeling the overwhelming effects of uncontrolled stress. We can create stress resilience at any age.

Three Stress Resilience Strategies:

·      Breathe, Relax and Stretch

·      Remember and practice the power of play. Allow yourself the freedom to fall and gain wisdom.

·      Move from ‘fear and overwhelm’ to curiosity. Come to yoga to reconnect with your physical body. Listen to the aches and pains. Ask yourself what message is being given to you. Ask what’s right with the body, not what’s wrong. Cultivate curiosity by breathing and relaxing into the space. This is a simple way to move from overwhelm to empowered. (Also step three from my Seven Steps to Optimal Health.)

Consider joining me Wednesdays @ Rise Wellbeing Center for the following classes:

1.     10am for Carpe Diem Dance, a fun joyful movement to music class where we practice play to stretch you in multiple ways.

2.     Or the 11:30am-12:00 Street Clothes Stretch Class. Come and stretch, then have lunch in the nature garden and feast off organic raw vegan prepared lunch. Rise has raw vegan healthy nutrient dense gluten free and dairy free sandwiches and salads. You can sit and enjoy lunch (Sign up now so you can be sure to have a spot and plenty of food).

3.     OR join me for a 45 minute vinyasa class at 12:15am- 1pm. This is a perfect amount of time for a practice, so you can return to work renewed, relaxed and refreshed. You can practice without sweating or if you like a more vigorous practice there are showers available. And if your body says, “Not today”, then consider a 20-minute nap on an organic bed in the napping room or practice meditation or breath work.

Carpe Diem!

Lisa

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CHC, RYT-500, AFMC

Lisa is an author, functional nutrition and function medicine trained health coach, yoga teacher, and retired Registered Nurse with the mission to "Inspire, Educate and Empower" individuals to heal from within.

Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think & Thrive is a self health book offering her Seven Steps to Optimal Health.

When she is not coaching, or speaking, you can find Lisa joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance or playing with her two grandchildren. She is the mother of four adult children and believes, "Optimal health should not be a secret."