Healthy Living Strategies and Love Your Senior Day

Tomorrow at Beloved Yoga Studio is the 1st Annual Love Your Senior Day to celebrate wise seniors. There will be free classes, self care giveaways, raffles and wisdom talks. I will be there with a handout on healthy aging.

I suppose at 59 I am considered a senior. I titled my book, Savvy Secrets; savvy meaning "old and wise".  Did you know that there are some fabulous discounts once you hit 55? Some department stores have discounts on special days, movie discounts and more.

Hopefully as we age, comes wisdom. I've learned to be more mindful. When my eyesight starts to blur, or my night vision gets worse, I increase my intake of antioxidant rich food and support my detoxification. I consciously choose not to eat processed foods laden in sugar, chemicals. I've been able to reverse chronic disease previously labeled as incurable in myself and my clients. The body has the miraculous ability to heal from within; if we can stop self sabotaging ourselves!

As we age, we become more mindful with our bodies. I used to have scoliosis and a hiatal hernia. When I have a consistent yoga practice my scoliosis doesn't bother me. My hiatal hernia is imperceptible. I doubt that it still exists. Arm balancing poses keep the flabby arms at bay. Weight bearing exercises promote muscle, which burns fat for fuel. It's important to burn fat for fuel as this is optimal fuel for the brain. Discover the optimal diet for your unique metabolic type. Some people need more fat than others to thrive and to release unhealthy fat.

Here's one of my healthy aging strategies:

Work with a functional practitioner to understand if the diet you are choosing is optimal for your unique body. Address insulin resistance. Millions of people have subclinical insulin resistance and don't even know it. (Subclinical means before it shows up on standard lab tests). That's a BIG problem! This is the precursor to all chronic disease from diabetes to cardiovascular disease to cancers. As an RN, I didn't even know that sugar feeds cancer until after my daughter was diagnosed. The PET scan utilizes radioactive glucose (sugar) to diagnose cancer. This is because cancer cells have more glucose receptors. They thrive in an environment high in sugar and without oxygen. Like the process of pickling and fermentation. We can either choose to feed them and ferment or to starve cancer cells with our daily choices. 

Come see us tomorrow to discover more! Contact me if you would like a personalized prevention plan based on your unique body and functional testing.

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. Her mission is 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 that "Optimal health should not be a secret."

Grow Hope

I continue to be graced with awe and hope. Last night I was at a women's Goddess Gathering hosted by my good friend Rosalie Grazzini where she shared wisdom from her recent trip to the Himalayan Institute. She shared,

The main sources of motivation are  "Power, Pleasure, and Survival" all constitutes of the mind.  

In order to hear the healing motivations from the heart and soul, we have to quiet the mind and find a tranquil state. "The voice of the Divine, comes to us in a whisper." The tools of yoga and meditation, allow us time and space to hear this inner voice of wisdom.

Most of us spend so much time consumed with seeking personal power, pleasure and survival that we are disconnected from this powerful source of healing energy.

This week I sat down with Deanna Won who shared her journey from being a hospice patient with 1 month to live, to being a vibrant healthy and sought after speaker and health coach. When she was in her deepest moment, she prayed and then listened. She heard, "Ask to see the cytology report".  She didn't even know what a cytology report was. This wisdom, ended up giving her an opportunity to save her life.

Dr. Eben Alexander,  a highly trained neurosurgeon explained his own experience of meeting the Divine when he was in a coma. He explained it as feeling like he was stuck deep in the mud and then seeing and following the light.

This is similar to a baby in the womb, or the seed for this beautiful daffodil, and the lotus flower. All need time to incubate. All of us have the seed within us to become the full expression of ourselves.

This can be the gift of disease. This can be a wake up call and an opportunity to slow down. Like a snow day. A totally unexpectant deep wet blanket reminding us of the power of nature. One of my clients said, "Snow days make me feel like I'm in a safe cocoon."

We have a choice every minute of every day on how we not only spend our time, but how we react to the stressors presented.

Deanna also shared with me how, as a scientist, she looked at her diagnosis with curiosity. Why did she contract ovarian cancer? This is so important for two major reasons. First, it turns fear into curiosity. Fear keeps us stuck in "fight or flight" the sympathetic nervous system which is counterproductive to healing.

Second, it allows you to be the witness (and realize that you are not just your physical body) and to take personal responsibility for your healing. This is empowering! 

How do you get to this point? Here's a three part strategy:

1. Take time everyday for simple movement to music. Breathe and move into any areas of tension felt in the body. Emotions are just energy in motion and easily get stuck in the body. Do you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders? Could this contribute to your headaches or digestive issues? Get in touch with the deep wisdom within your body. Start with your feet and work your way up.
2. After you've removed physical tension, sit quietly and develop a relationship with self. Start with a simple 5 minute meditation focusing on the breath. You may want to download a 20 minute guided meditation.
3. For 3 days, spend 20 minutes writing a narrative journal written in the third person. Describe the beginning of the dis-ease, the middle and the end. This is important for you to write, commit and visualize where you want to go. Otherwise, it's too easy to stay stuck in the mud. As an example, I might write about life for Lisa before hypertension and autoimmune disease, what it's like in the middle of the scariest times where Lisa realizes how close to a stroke or heart attack she was and what that would mean, then committing to and prioritizing self, and how Lisa becomes a stronger, healthier version.

To commit to yourself takes practice and it takes courage. 

Most of all, you must have hope. Hope and belief that you have the innate ability to heal from within.  Daffodils and Springtime is a great reminder of the cycle of life. When we forget that we are one with each other and with nature, we suffer.

Also this week, a dear friend and loved one described the passing of her soulmate, best friend and husband. As painful as it was for her, the ability to sit and be with him through his passing was both "beautiful and magical".  We all suffer, we all have pain. Remember and trust that beyond the pain is a light that is also beautiful and magical. The pain allows us to fully appreciate the love and joy that also surrounds us. 

May you find connection to self and others, nourishment, peace, joy, and love this holiday season. 

With Love,

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."

Calling All California Girls (and Boys)!

One week from tomorrow, Saturday, July 18^th, I will be in San Clemente, California doing one of my favorite things, offering a Carpe Diem Dance workshop at Asana Fit  http://www.asanafit.com/#!workshops/c1lt6 

After we experience a totally rejuvenating workout, we will feast on one of my favorite decadent recipes and discuss the Seven Steps to Optimal Health from my book, Savvy Secrets 

Have you got Saturday Night Fever?

Then you definitely need to join us!  

I will also be doing a book signing and discussion at Nourish, which was deemed by Trip Advisor as the Best Juice Bar in SoCal and maybe anywhere! http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g33012-d7183932-r236822063-Nourish-San_Clemente_California.html

My favorite is their board of juice shots! Plus the backyard patio is an oasis to sit and sip these life-affirming shots. Now that is a luscious way to practice Healing from Within!

Carpe Diem!

With Love & Gratitude,

Lisa

PS

Come join us for our Self-Health Retreat September 25-28th in California at Asilomar in Monterey, California. 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. Discover 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 special 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!