Why bone broth is the best deal of the year. Get yours today at Black Friday discounts

Every culture has their version of chicken soup. It is indeed good for the soul. After Thanksgiving, the best thing you can do is to take the Turkey carcass and bones, put it in a crock pot (or an instapot), add onions, garlic, carrots, parsley or cilantro, an ounce of apple cider vinegar, and water and let simmer for 24 hours (or 2 hours in an instapot). For those on a paleo diet, you are well aware that we used to eat the whole animal. If you are eating the standard American diet (SAD) of boneless, skinless chicken. Boy are you missing out!

Yesterday, my daughters cooked a 26 pound organic free range turkey yesterday, enough for 2 crockpots of bones for bone broth soup. This morning everyone was clamoring for a mug of bone broth soup. This is especially important during the holiday season.

Do you ever wonder why so many athletes in one family may have joint issues? The first question I would ask, are they eating enough collagen and bone broth? Bone broth contains collagen which provides amino acids, the building block of proteins.  Is is also rich in iron (for energy), vitamins A and K (so important for the gastrointestinal lining), zinc and selenium which are imperative for the thyroid gland and hormone regulation, and other minerals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorous and manganese as well as very absorbable trace minerals.

According to Medical News Today, a 2017 review suggests that gelatin supplementation increases collagen in the tissues which may help protect joints from unnecessary stress. In addition to being highly nutritious it may:

• Reduce inflammation and heal the gut.
• Help fight osteoarthritis
• Support sleep as it’s a good source of glycine
• Support weight loss and add more protein to the diet

So making bone broth seems overwhelming? No worries. TODAY through December 2^nd you can order it online for up to 30% off.  Plus Kettle & Fire has different varieties to give you diversity. 

As you’ve heard me say, diversity in the diet is a number one thing you can do for cancer prevention and optimal health. Bone broth is also a great healthy aging strategy as it is GREAT for the skin too!

Bon Appetite!

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."

The Forced Joy Project

This is something beautiful, created by my daughter, who has had a nightmare of a year, losing her best friend, her lover, and her husband.

This morning, I'm in my 6am yoga class and directed to choose a word to embody for the practice. I came to the mat not feeling well. Fighting a cold, body aching. The first words that popped into my head were peace and joy. Always my words. I want more peace. I want joy.

Feeling less than joyful, I realized what a struggle it can be to feel joy when you are not well. When you feel incongruent. When you feel estranged from your loved ones. When your loved ones are struggling. Or when you are unable to soothe or support them.

How do you find joy in these moments? Do you "fake it till you make it?" How do you find forced joy? Or as my daughter has eloquently portrayed, sometimes you just choose to feel it.  You accept and feel your pain, your angst. You do so, without judgment, resisting the need to beat yourself up. You do so with compassion. You do so, with love.

This morning, I recognize how I hold "my issues in my tissues". How my attempts to meet all of my demands, to be strong and stoic and supportive of family, friends, and all of my clients can sometimes weigh on me. I recognize how important my yoga practice is to me. If not, I hold these emotions in my physical body, particularly in the hips.

So this morning, amidst a challenging workout, I just tried to focus on my breath to stay centered and focused, even though I didn't feel like it.  When we finished our hip opening exercises (where we hold most of our emotional energy). I just let it go and had to weep. A sudden release of tears flowed. Weeping for my daughter, weeping for myself. Letting go of what no longer serves me. Guilt, shame, fear, worry.

Can we find joy among the messiness of our lives? Can we laugh and cry together in challenging times? Isn't that the essence of life? Isn't that what joy is all about?

Do you ever give yourself time and space to fully feel without judgment? To move your body in new ways? To open up stuck patterns in your body? Do you ever take time to open up your mind? If so, you might discover a little pocket of joy.

To learn more about the forced joy project, click here

Carpe Diem,

Lisa

Lisa is a yoga teacher, author, speaker, and a functional medicine coach with a mission to inspire others to feel and look their best at any age.

Lisa's book 

Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think and Thrive outlines her seven-step system towards optimal health that is fun and transformational.

Lisa is part of the New Self Health Movement and the Wellness Inspired Network. When she is not coaching, speaking or writing, you can find her practicing yoga and joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance.

Please Join us Saturday for Befriending Cancer: the Transformative Power of Yoga and Nourishment

Please register ASAP if you are interested in attending one or all of the workshops this Saturday. My session is from 1:00-3:30pm and I would love to see you there. 

You must sign up under the session(s) you wish to attend HERE

"The study of epigenetics has clearly proven that we are not bound by our genes. The fact is that the role of genes in the development of cancer is only 5-10%. Diet and lifestyles are also "inherited" and these environmental roles determine 90-95% of our outcomes. We can change the expression of our genes with our daily choices."

Saturday, June 17th 1137 Walker Road, Great Falls, VA 22066 Each session $45 adv/$55 door. Full Day $111 Join us for a day long series of talks and practices to get educated, inspired and empowered. Whether you are a yoga teacher, a person going through the sacred journey of cancer, a friend of family of someone who is on the journey or perhaps a medical professional with an interest in Yoga and cancer, this is an ideal place to begin! In approaching cancer, we believe it requires a multi-modality approach. Our science is based on the poly-vagal theory and the study of the Vagus nerve in the regulation of our systems. The power of Yoga is that now Science is able to explain why YOGA is not only effective, it is also essential to awaken the transformative power of cancer by empowering the individual to have tools of Self-Care! Loving Compassion and Nourishment Led by Anu Kaur, MS, RDN, RYT-500  9:00 - 11:30 am Transforming Fear and Overwhelm into Empowerment Using Small Simple Steps  Led by Lisa Jackson, RN, 500 hr RYT, FDN, CHC 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm It's Essential! Fierce Self-Care with Yoga Led by Maryam Ovissi, 500 hr eRYT 4:00 - 6:30 pm You must sign up under the session(s) you wish to attend HERE About Lisa: Former Executive Director of the Integrative Wellness Program for the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, a retired Registered Nurse, Yoga Teacher and Certified Health Coach and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition and functional medicine practitioner  Lisa's passion is to inspire educate and empower clients to health from within to achieve optimal health.

Bringing Light into the Darkness

I said in my dedication in my book, "My hope is that some of these words will shine light into the darkness."

What I am beginning to understand is the value of the darkness. 

The cultural norm is to want us all "to be happy" Don't get me wrong. I love the light. I crave the light. However, it is in the darkness where healing happens. It is the pain that breaks us open. It is in acknowledging our wounds, licking the wound, loving the wounded, that allows healing to occur.

Using the analogies of my previous post, Moving from Tragedy to Transformation, reminds me that you cannot rush the process.

A diamond is formed from a lump of coal under extreme pressure. 

A caterpillar literally burns itself up to become a butterfly.

The discomfort of labor brings forth an amazing joyful miracle.

A diamond will not form without time and pressure. The caterpillar must go through the process. It takes a full nine months of gestation and then often hours for the birth of a baby. We cannot rush this without consequence.

We must love, honor and cherish all that life gives us. It is because of the darkness that we can appreciate the light.

So often, because of our own discomfort, we want to rush the process. Especially if you consider yourself a healer. We want to "fix" the problem. We want to make the pain go away. Our entire healthcare system is set up for the "quick fix." For every human condition, we have a new ICD 10 code, a diagnosis and a label. Doctors can then correlate that list of symptoms with a pharmaceutical drug to "fix" the condition. You see this when you turn on the television or the New York Times or any magazine that gets revenue from the largest lobby on Capitol Hill. We are brainwashed to think that we have to seek outside "expert" opinions to heal ourselves. It's true, we feel better just making the call to the Doctor. This is because we have conditioned ourselves to do so. I also wrote about this and the power of the placebo and nocebo in my book. We are constantly seeking the truth outside of ourselves.

The difference in a Thriver and a Survivor is that Thrivers learn to trust their intuition. Thrivers discover how to heal from within.

I'm not dissing the experts. I believe that it does indeed take a village and that we were not meant to be on this earth alone. I believe in seeking support to enrich all areas of our lives.

What I am saying is that sometimes, instead of putting on a bandaid and taking drugs to mask symptoms, we need to pick up the wounded child and embrace her....unconditionally, without judgment.

We need to love and embrace the darkness.

I cannot tell you how many people have asked me about my recently widowed daughter. "How is she doing?" and "How can she afford to take this 100 day journey?" I sense they are implying that this is impractical and irresponsible. Shouldn't she be worried about how she is going to pay her bills now? (Yes, without a doubt she is worrying about this)

This is my response. Sometimes we need to slow down to heal. Sometimes we need to look beyond the physical, beyond the bank account, take a leap of faith and learn to trust our own intuition. We need to embrace all of our emotions and feelings. Time to allow ourselves to feel the pain and the anger. Time for self reflection; to recognize the denial, the doubt and the fear. Time to love and accept all the emotions, so we can release them. As I said last week in my Carpe Diem Dance class,

"Emotions are merely energy in motion. Witnessing them, as we witness our thoughts in meditation, is a way of clearing the mind, the body and the soul."

My friends who have known me through my own personal tragedies, have witnessed when I've been "closed for renovation."  When I couldn't uphold my nickname, "The energizer bunny." When I've had to question everything and focus on self health. When I've discovered acceptance and surrender, inside the cocoon of darkness. When we hit rock bottom, we have no choice if we want to transform. This is the gift and the beauty of rock bottom.

Most recently, to heal my own adrenal fatigue (or now more accurately called HPA axis dysfunction), I've had to practice my own unconditional self love.

If your health journey has led to a dead end, if you would like guidance on ways to heal from within, or if you would like a safe space to explore all of yourself, consider the gift and investment of health coaching.

Wishing you unconditional self love,

Lisa

ABOUT LISA JACKSON, RN, CHC, RYT-500, FDN

Lisa is an author, inspirational speaker and a coach with a mission to inspire others to feel and look their best at any age.

She is the former Executive Director of the Integrative Wellness Program for the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.

Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think and Thrive outlines her seven-step process towards optimal health that is fun and transformational.

Lisa is part of the New Self Health Movement and the Wellness Inspired Network. When she is not coaching, speaking or writing, you can find her practicing yoga and joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance.

Year end Giving Request. Defending your Life

My mission is to inspire wellness and empower you with education so you can trust and believe in the power to heal from within. Yesterday I completed my certification in Functional Diagnostic Nutrition. This is a complete program to teach you how to identify hidden stressors while building health through fundamental principles. We don't treat, diagnose or cure you. In fact, no one can cure you. Your body cures itself, if you follow fundamental principles of building health.

We merely help you identify and remove the roadblocks.

One big roadblock to optimal health is fear. There is nothing so fearful in our society today than a cancer diagnosis. I know this intimately well. I started this blogpost after my daughter was diagnosed with lymphoma over 5 years ago. My goal is to help turn fear and overwhelm into empowerment.

Now her husband, Brad at 35 years old, has been diagnosed with stage IV kidney cancer with metastasis to the lung, liver and the spine. It is very hard not to be in fear mode. I'm told that I can't possibly know this fear. What I do know is to find peace and joy, you have to overcome fear. To heal and repair, you have to move from "fight or flight" to "rest and repair." (See previous post)

Brad and Dana have started a website that includes a podcast that was originally started to discuss fear that interferes with the goal of fully living an authentic life. It was based on the movie. "Defending your Life"

Little did they know that Brad would indeed be defending his life. www.defendingyourlife.us

Every moment of every day we have choices on how to live our life. We can react out of fear or respond out of love. There can be tough choices that feel scary. There are so many conflicting thoughts and opinions. In the conventional world there are three tools, surgery, radiation and pharmaceutical drugs. The alternative world preaches radical changes in nutrition, detoxification, meditation and self-healing modalities. My goal is to bridge the gap.

You cannot create war on yourself and war on the body without rebuilding health as the foundation. (see previous post). My daughters oncologist said, "Getting rid of cancer is the easy part, keeping it gone and rebuilding health, is the challenge."  This is why we must change the terrain that allows cancer to grow. We must detoxify the body, heal the gut and build up the immune system.

This is not about diet or deprivation. We must overcome this "no pain, no gain" mentality. Optimal health can and must be decadent and delicious or we will not stick with it. In today's fast pace world, we need support to "rest and digest."

Optimal Health is not complicated

How do you prioritize time for your own self healing?  This is difficult when you are busy fighting in the war on cancer. Our pharmaceutical healthcare system is not set up to support rebuilding health. It does not pay for functional medicine testing, for health coaching, supplements, yoga or meditation. It does not yet recognize these vital fundamental principles to support a strong foundation for healing.

When Dana was diagnosed, we took a leap of faith and went to Arizona to an integrative program.  My fear was that she would not survive chemotherapy in the winter in Detroit at 5'10" and 110 pounds. I believe we were right. Dana radically changed her diet and underwent multiple therapies including a few weeks of low dose chemotherapy. She got a clean Pet scan in 10 weeks. The proof is in the pudding. Unfortunately, none of it was covered by her insurance. We paid $70,000 out of pocket. We were fortunate to have this available.

Every cancer patient has the same dilemma. They can do everything in their power with conventional medicine to kill the cancer, but how to rebuild health? Unfortunately, our healthcare system is only based on killing cancer through surgery, radiation and drugs. 

Health building strategies are not covered. Supplements, organic juices and food, bodywork, yoga, meditation, infrared, hyperbaric oxygen, nutritional IV therapy, detoxification methods, are all considered "value add" "nice to have" and not covered by insurance. I pray for the day when we have freedom of choice on how we spend our healthcare dollars.

In the meantime, my twin sister has started a new business and she and her partner are donating a percentage of their profits to helping others. Next Friday we are having a celebration to her business and fundraiser for Brad. As a reader, I invite you to join us, (but please RSVP!). 

I've never asked for something from my followers. But it's the end of the year, if you are looking to give a personal gift please consider one for Brad. http://www.defendingyourlife.us/contribute.html

Here's a quote from Thich Nhat Hanh's book, 

Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm

Without fear, we are able to see more clearly our connections to others. 

Without fear, we have more room for understanding and communication.

Without fear, we are truly free. 

Here's to courageous warriors who can take the Road Less Traveled.

Namaste. With Love & Gratitude,

Lisa

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

Lisa is an author, inspirational speaker and coach with a mission to inspire others to feel and look their best at any age. 

She is also the Executive Director of the Integrative Wellness Program for the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders. Lisa's book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think and Thrive outlines her seven step process towards optimal health that is fun and transformational. 

Lisa is part of the New Self Health Movement and the Wellness Inspired Network. When she is not coaching, speaking or writing, you can find her practicing yoga and joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance.

Shhhhh! Savvy Secret’s to Survive Holiday Stress

In my book, Savvy Secrets I explain the nervous system, particularly the autonomic nervous system which basically acts like a light switch.  We are in either one or two states, “fight or flight” or rest and (and digest) repair. Why is this important?  Because we cannot meet any of our health goals if we are constantly in the ON switch for Fight or Flight. 

Rather than give you an anatomy and physiology lesson, suffice it to say that most of us are in overdrive stimulating our sympathetic nervous system (SNS) responsible for fight or flight and need some support in stimulating the para sympathetic nervous system (PNS) in order to rest, digest, repair, rejuvenate and even to procreate.  Having trouble getting pregnant? Have high blood pressure? A serious chronic illness? Want to know the secret to slow down aging? Read on please…

Here’s seven success tips on how to stimulate the PNS:

#1 BREATHE…Just Breathe.  Deeply into the lower belly with a longer exhale.  Put your hand on you lower belly and breath into the chest, the side rib cage and then into the lower belly to the count of 4. Hold your breath for the count of five and then slowly exhale to the count of 7.  Repeat 4 times.  You can do this in the car, on a plane or at your desk.  Do this before meals then think of something you are grateful for.  You are now ready to assimilate and digest your food.

#2 BREATHE. Place your right thumb over your right nostril to block the breath there and inhale and exhale through the left nostril.  Do this for 5 -10 minutes in bed before sleep and sleep like a baby

#3 While deep breathing, scan your entire body starting with the feet. Tense and release the muscles so that every muscle relaxes. Notice where you are holding your tension. Better yet, do this to music and dance your tension away. (Let me know if you want to attend my next yoga dance workshop).

#4 Be conscious of your thoughts. Recognize the fear that keeps you stuck, Notice the ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) that fill your brain. Practice re-framing them. Concentrate on what you want and where you want to go instead.

#5 Be conscious of what you eat. Food can stimulate your SNS or PNS. Food can give you lasting energy or artificial stimulation that will leave you tired and wired.  Nicknamed “The energizer bunny,” I can definitely help you here. Write down everything you consume for 3 days. Simply doing this will improve your health.

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#6 Discover your hidden stressors. If you are in metabolic chaos, you may benefit from additional functional tests to uncover hidden stressors. Some of us can eat all the right food, exercise and still have hidden toxins and internal imbalances that need correction. Contact me after the new year when I’ve completed my certification in Functional Diagnostic Nutrition, if you are interested in more information.

#7 Do have fun! Find an exercise that is joyful. Some yoga practices stimulate an already overactive SNS and some stimulate the PNS. Many include an opportunity for both. Explore and discover the right program for you that takes in to account your physical limitations as well as your health goals. Try laughter yoga, yin yoga, or dance yoga. Be sure to find one that you enjoy or you will not stick with it.  

Most important is to give yourself the gift of health every day.  Prioritize YOU, become the leader of your life and everything else will flow more smoothly. Rediscover your health by relaxing and having fun.

Carpe Diem, seize the day.  Learning to live in the moment means not ruminating about the past or worrying about the future.  Consistently practice these seven steps to make the most of each day.

3 things to prevent Breast Cancer (that your Doctor may not be aware of to tell you.)

A pharmaceutical representative asked me what I was doing for breast cancer awareness month.  She was wearing her Breast Cancer T shirt and had brought lunch in to the cancer clinic where I am working to build an Integrative wellness center.  It caught me off guard for a Nano second and then I went into my spiel on what we are doing here in the clinic:

1. 1.     Discover Diversity in the Diet; Eat Real Food

First, this week, I made liver pate, homemade chicken and vegetable soup, rainbow kale salad and cauliflower “cheese” garlicky bread sticks, for our nutrition support group.  These are easy to make recipes that are fairly inexpensive.  See my book or free app for recipes.  Diversity in the diet is the largest differentiators of the 20% of women with BRAC 1 and BRAC 2 genes who did NOT get breast cancer. This is data from one of the largest studies done, the Framingham Nurses study, per Victoria Wood, RD, MPH, CNS, and a monthly guest speaker at our Nutrition Support Group.  www.victoriawoodnutrition.com

Rainbow kale salad has the colors of the rainbow which means it is full of protective flavonoids and phytonutrients and includes the “queen” cancer fighting cruciferous vegetable red cabbage, sweet baby kale, sunflower seeds and more. It makes a beautiful presentation on a buffet table. I offer these recipes as part of a package for our patients, families and friends who want to help in healing from within and with cancer prevention.

Why try “cheesy” garlicky bread sticks? Anyone who is on chemotherapy or merely eating the SAD (standard American diet), taking birth control pills, aspirin or NSAIDs, antihistamines, or drinking lots of alcohol has an inflamed gastrointestinal tract.  Do you ever experience gas, bloating, diarrhea, or constipation? If so, this means you. Gluten and dairy are the number one food sensitivities that can lead to and exacerbate a condition called intestinal permeability (aka leaky gut in layman’s terms). These bread sticks are made with cauliflower and Daiya cheese, (the only processed food I include in my recipes for this reason.) Do you have an autoimmune disease? Then you must put gluten free and dairy free as a top priority until you can heal your gut. Do you have brain fog, anxiety or depression? Ditto. 

There is a reason why every culture and cuisine has their own version of chicken soup.  Need I say more?

The liver was from Polyface Farms, Joel Salatin’s model sustainable farm in southern Virginia. Polyface offers free range, organic, happy chickens that eat their natural diet without the need for pesticides, growth hormones or antibiotics www.polyfacefarms.com . This is vitally important because, liver like many foods can be a health food, or not. The liver filters toxins from the body; you do not want to eat conventionally grown animal livers that are full of toxins. Liver is an excellent source of bio available vitamin A, D, zinc, iron (and healthy fat for absorption). These are essential vitamins and minerals for a healthy immune system. The immune system is our police force, it is what protects us from bad bacteria, viruses, toxins and foreign bodies, (like GMOs found in our food along with chemicals, pesticides and preservatives).

   2.  Check your vitamin D level. 

I asked the pharmaceutical rep if she knew what her vitamin D level was.  I then explained that vitamin D is a vital pre-hormone that turns on and off the expression of cancer genes at the stem cell. Not even chemotherapy does this. It decreases mortality of all dis-eases. It is essential to close the gaps in the intestine and heal leaky gut and all dis-ease. Normal range for lab tests is between 30 and 100.  It is now predicted that every 2 men and 2.5 women born after 1980 will get cancer.  I certainly do not want to be normal. We need levels to be at least 60 ng/ml to be protective of both cancers and autoimmune dis-ease. Ask your doctor to check yours or better yet, come get a total micronutrient test from Spectracell laboratories at our office on October 19^th and see for yourself if you have any common nutrient insufficiency that need to be corrected. If you are on any medication, then the answer is likely to be yes. 

       3.  Consider Thermography as a breast health-screening tool. 

     I never even heard of this until my daughter’s oncologist in Arizona recommended this to us. Thermography is an FDA approved, safe, non-invasive scan that can be done on the breasts for any “hotspots”.  Get a baseline screening and then compare every year. If positive, follow up with a ultrasound or MRI. No radiation and no excruciating crushing of precious breast tissue. I believe a kinder and gentler, way to go.  I am having mine done this weekend through a member of my Wellness Inspired Network (WIN) group @www.neckbackandbeyond.com

Most of all, my favorite offering this month was teaching Carpe Diem Movement, (movement to music) at our New Self Health Movement, (#NSHM Self Health Retreat at Asilomar Retreat center in Monterey, California), and for the patients at the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders in Bethesda, Maryland.  As I always say (and quote my MIT cellular biologist and functional medicine guru, Tracy Harrison),

   “Optimal Health is NOT complicated. We need to:

1. Maximize Nutrients, 
2. Minimize toxicity and inflammation and 
3. Prioritize self-care.”

As a born Washingtonian, living in a city of type A workaholics, prioritizing self-care is indeed the most challenging of the three.  Find time for fun, rest and relaxation.  Eat real food that is yummy and nourishing. Love your body like you love your baby, your lover and your best friend.  In return, your body will love you back.

Let’s focus on thriving, not just surviving!

Carpe Diem,

Lisa

Finding Freedom From Fear

Finding Freedom.

Our species has faced generations of oppression.  We no longer run from the saber tooth tiger.  We now run from each other.  We have the power and the knowledge to self-destruct.  There’s even a movement to make killing ourselves legal.  In the name of science, we have labeled what we don’t understand to be “quackery” or years earlier, “witchcraft”. We persecute that which we don’t understand or identify with.  This holiday weekend, Washington DC has been laced with the fear of an ISIS attack.  

We also fight our internal demons.  In my book, “Savvy Secrets”, I said that fear was the cancer. Today I want to talk about how to find true freedom.  Freedom from fear and the incapacitating anxiety and addictions that keep us bound and imprisoned in our own minds.

Knowledge is power and a meditative practice provides us with discovery and knowledge of self.  Whether it's a moving meditation called yoga or a walk or a run on the beach; all enable us to release pent up energy and provide the gifts of self-care, self-discovery, and peace.  Train your mind to let go of the judgment, guilt and the fear that no longer serve you. Learn to listen to what your heart and body are communicating. Learn to love and care for yourself as you would your children, lover and friends.

If you’ve attended any of my workshops, whether it is yoga dance, cooking classes or educational and empowerment series, you know that they include fun and nourishing food and thoughts.  

So this weekend as you celebrate our freedoms, lets celebrate the power we have every second to make personal choices on how we are going to think, feel and react.  We can focus on what’s wrong with the situation, or we can focus on where we want to go and what we want to create.  We can continue to beat ourselves up and be consumed in battle, or we can learn how to relax and enjoy the journey.  We can focus on war, or we can focus on creating love and peace. We can react out of fear or we can respond out of self-love. No matter how dire your circumstances may feel, we always have a choice. This was proven by Dr Viktor Frankl, in a A Search for Meaning, as he writes of finding peace and love in the middle of a Nazi concentration camp.  The beauty is that you get to decide. Which is going to serve you best?

PS

Thank you to all those who've made a commitment to self and signed up to join us on our awesome Self Health Retreat Vacation! Due to the Holiday week, Debbi has generously extended the $600 off the early bird incentive to the end of this weekend.  Read below on why you don’t want to miss out on this! No, it wasn’t a typo, bring a spouse or a friend for an extra $1  Email me if  you have more questions after reading the invitation below.

Come join us for our Self-Health Retreat September 25-28th in California at Asilomar in Monterey, California.  Commit and Book Now as we have a JUNE EARLY BIRD RATE available for all 4-days of classes and events $317 instead of $997. I promise you will leave with simple solutions you can implement at home, plus some new found friends and savvy secrets.

There is also a one day Saturday pass available as well.  Please hurry because the rooms book up fast at Asilomar and I want to be sure my VIPs (Very Important People) are there!  I have partnered with 15 other authors and health coaches to offer a long weekend of knowledge transfer for you. Tara Gesling and her story of going from 5 years in a wheelchair to the healthy woman she is today is amazing and inspirational! So is Emma Galland, CEO of Gogi Fit's recovery from Graves Disease at the age of 30.

Here’s what you will enjoy:

1. Yoga and yoga dance classes offered on the beach and inside.

2. Personalized small health coaching groups to help you walk through obstacles and health challenges

3. I’ll present my Seven Steps to Inspired Wellness in an informative, experiential session where you will leave inspired and empowered to take back your health and understand the process to meet personal goals. We will walk through how to go from “Overwhelmed” to “Empowered”!

4. You can choose workshops from over a dozen authors and health coaches. The conference outline is on our website

5. You will enjoy amazing gourmet food, seafood, California wines and bonfires to music.

6. Saturday night we will witness the lunar eclipse while listening to live music under the stars on the beach.

7. You will enjoy luxury accommodations, with chimneys in the rooms, wooden floors, trees and the beach to help you relax fully and recharge.

Read more and register with our early bird rate HERE.  You can also bring your spouse or a friend who wants to enjoy the refuge by the sea while you partake at the conference for a reduced rate of $1.  There are nearby golf courses, shopping and the quaint towns of Monterey and Carmel by the Sea.

You definitely deserve this and I would LOVE to spend this time with you!

ABOUT LISA JACKSON, RN, CHC, RYT
Lisa is an author, inspirational speaker, retired RN, certified health coach and yoga teacher. Her book, Savvy Secrets: Eat,Think & Thrive; Seven Steps to Optimal Health,is a self health book to enable healing from within.  Her goal is to inspire wellness and to help others look and feel their best at any age. Lisa is part of the New Self Health Movement, the International Health Coach Association and the Wellness Inspired Network. She is the mother of four adult children, soon to be Grandmother, and believes that optimal health should not be a secret! When she is not coaching, speaking and writing, you can find her practicing yoga and joyfully sharing Carpe Diem Dance at every opportunity.