Sharing an excerpt from my book as a Birthday Wish to You

This is a love story. It is written and given with love to those I love

in hopes all of us will learn to have the biggest, most passionate

and life-affirming love affair of our lives with…ourselves. I hope to

demonstrate that the most important person in your life must first

be you. When you are operating on all cylinders, you feel whole, balanced

and happy, more joyful and at peace. My hope is this book will

be your guidebook and together through love, we can change the

world; one healthy, happy individual at a time.

This includes my story about love, fear, courage, and the power

to heal from within. I am a retired registered nurse, certified health

coach and mother of children affected by chronic illness. When my

daughter, at twenty-eight, was diagnosed with cancer, it shook me to

the core as a wake-up call to rethink everything—everything including

how and what I eat, what I think, and what actions I take in my

daily life to obtain optimal health. This is a guidebook for feeling

and looking your best, and it will show you how to move from being

overwhelmed to empowered. It breaks through common marketing

myths that keep you stuck, with the goal to create a shift from disease

management to true wellness.

I will show you how you can feel and look your best at any age and

how to become the leader of your life by taking charge of your own

health and wellbeing.

I titled this book Savvy Secrets because people are always asking

me two questions:

1. “What’s your secret?” (Meaning, “Give me some solutions.”)

2. “Why doesn’t everybody know what you are telling me?”

Savvy means wise and knowing. I feel and look better now in my

fifties than I did in my thirties and forties. And so can you!

The Savvy Secret truth is that your body is innately designed

to be self-regulating and self-repairing.

I now look at chronic illness very differently than I did as a practicing

registered nurse. I’ve discovered that much of what I learned

about treatment for chronic illness as a registered nurse is now being

refuted. We will discuss some of these misconceptions about food and

how they affect your personal wellness goals. We will address common

myths like “cholesterol is bad,” “fat makes us fat,” or that certain

diseases are to be expected in old age.

Just because chronic disease is now common 

does not mean it is normal.

Often mistakes are made by well-meaning health practitioners who do not know any better. The truth is that no one has all of the answers. The good news is that your body knows what’s best. Discover how to listen and take the right action. 

"Ask not what is wrong with me, but what is right with me."

My mission is to inspire, educate, and promote true wellness, not

merely the absence of illness. It is to teach others the power to heal from within and to recognize that “dis-ease” is the body’s only way to communicate; so it is time we learned how to listen.

This book will summarize the seven-step process I’ve created for my private coaching practice so you can begin your own self-discovery. 

I do not believe in the “no pain, no gain” mentality that goes along with diets and deprivation. In fact, we are constantly moving towards one of two states—living or dying. The good news is that your daily choices determine which one.

Here's wishing you a weekend of love, laughter and life-affirming actions!

Carpe Diem,

Lisa

PS

This Sunday consider joining The Center for Wireless Safety's

Documentary screening & TED Talk @

Virginia Hospital Center's Auditorium

September 18th, 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CYT, RYT-500

Lisa is an author, inspirational speaker, and coach with a mission to inspire and empower others to feel 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 & Thrive  outlines seven steps that are fun and transformational. Lisa 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 at every opportunity. 

Guest Blogger-Vincent Renner of Tasty 6 Love the Beets!

This week I invited the founder of Tasty 6 to our nutrition support group to give us a tasting and am so impressed with his company that we have included a refrigerator of his USDA Certified, FDA approved raw fresh juices for our patients. I also asked him to write a blog on some of the benefits. I've been drinking his beet juice to keep my BP down and was not aware of the studies showing cytotoxic effects for breast and prostate cancers while protecting healthy tissues from chemotherapy. Yes, LOVE the Beets! Here's what else Vincent has to say (read to the end for a special offer):

Feel the Beets – Become a Staminator

Amazing Benefits of Raw Beet Juice

While the initial reaction I get from people who try our beet juice STAMINATOR is that they either love or hate Beets, the scientifically researched health benefits are truly amazing. And hence make it important that we all try to show the Beets some LOVE! And while many love it and for others yet it is an acquired taste, it is a further amazing how speedy and easy it is to unlock the benefits once you integrate beets into your diet.

It has only been in recent decades that scientific research has focused on the health benefits of BEETS as a “functional food”, and the benefits are mindboggling ^{(1), (2), (3)}:

·      Improves blood flow, increases stamina and balances oxygen;

·      Very high in antioxidants and nitrates;

·      Good for cardiovascular health, as it lowers blood pressure significantly and manages hypertension;

·      Lowers oxidative stress and inflammation;

Significantly improves Blood Flow – increased Stamina, allows for better use of Oxygen, improves Brain functioning and reduces Blood Pressure

Beets contain high amounts of nitrates, a compound which improves blood flow throughout the whole body, including muscles, the heart and brain. It has been shown that “…dietary nitrate may be useful in improving regional brain [blood delivery] in older adults in critical brain areas known to be involved in executive functioning” ⁽⁶⁾.

Increasing nitric oxide in the blood vessels allows blood vessels to open up further and thereby enhances uptake of oxygen. Beet juice “…improves muscle efficiency and endurance exercise” and “…improves performance during intense intermittent exercise” ⁽³⁾, and also “… beetroot juice supplementation [is] associated with a significant reduction in systolic Blood Pressure” ^(2),

Beet Juice as a high source of Antioxidants and Anti-Inflammatory Agents

Beetroot is a rich source of “phytochemical compounds, that includes ascorbic acid, carotenoids, phenolic acids and flavonoids”⁽¹⁾, and one of the few sources of the betalains, which are strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capabilities and are being investigated for “…helping with reduction in oxidative stress, chronic inflammation such as liver disease and arthritis and cancer ⁽⁴⁾⁽⁵⁾”.

Just 5 oz of Raw Beet Juice a day needed to get the necessary benefits

Research shows that with just 3 to 5 oz of Raw Beet Juice not large quantities are needed to obtain the beneficial effects to beetroots, but rather 3 to 5 oz of raw beet root juice a day ⁽⁷⁾. 

While often it is best to eat the whole fruit or vegetable to get all the nutrients and fiber, beets when cooked or fermented may loose some of the vitamins and anti-oxidants. Drinking raw beet juice may allow for maximum nutrient availability and easy absorption.

Are There Any Side Effects to Drinking Beet Juice?

People who have naturally low blood pressure should use caution when drinking beet juice, as it may lead to an unsafe drop in blood pressure and make them feel lightheaded ⁽⁷⁾.  Also, the red betalain pigmentation of beet juice color your urine and bowel movement red, which is harmless.

The nitrates found in Beets are naturally occurring and convert to safe nitrites in your body, and have nothing to do with the unhealthy nitrites used in preserving meats.

Conclusion:  LOVE the BEETS – be a STAMINATOR

Raw Beet Juice is a useful and very healthy addition to your diet and for a healthy lifestyle. Tasty6 offers a powerful Raw Beet Juice, called STAMINATOR [https://tasty6.com/products/staminator-beets-supreme ]. It was designed to bring close to 7 oz of raw Red Beet juice, plus the power of Italian Parsley, Cucumber, Lemon and Apple and Himalayan Salt. 

*Editor’s Note: The information in this article is intended for your educational use only; it is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition and before undertaking any diet, supplement, fitness, or other health program.

Sources:

(1) “The Potential Benefits of Red Beetroot Supplementation in Health and Disease”, Nutrients. 2015 Apr; 7(4): 2801–2822. Published online 2015 Apr 14. doi:  10.3390/nu7042801PMCID: PMC4425174 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4425174/

(2) “Blood pressure-lowering effects of beetroot juice and novel beetroot-enriched bread products in normotensive male subjects.” Br J Nutr. 2012 Dec 14;108(11):2066-74. doi:10.1017/S0007114512000190. Epub 2012 Mar 14.Hobbs DA¹, Kaffa N, George TW, Methven L, Lovegrove JA.

(3) “Dietary nitrate supplementation improves team sport-specific intense intermittent exercise performance”. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2013 Jul;113(7):1673-84. doi: 10.1007/s00421-013-2589-8. Epub 2013 Feb 1. Wylie LJ¹, Mohr M, Krustrup P, Jackman SR, Ermιdis G, Kelly J, Black MI, Bailey SJ, Vanhatalo A, Jones AM.

(4) “Cytotoxic effect of the red beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) extract compared to doxorubicin (Adriamycin) in the human prostate (PC-3) and breast (MCF-7) cancer cell lines” .Kapadia G.J., Azuine M.A., Rao G.S., Arai T., Iida A., Tokuda H. Anti -Cancer Agent Med. Chem. 2011;11:280–284. doi: 10.2174/187152011795347504. [PubMed] [Cross Ref]

(5) “Beet root juice promotes apoptosis in oncogenic MDA-MB-231 cells while protecting cardiomyocytes under doxorubicin treatment. “Das S., Williams D.S., Das A., Kukreja R.C. J. Exp. Second. Sci. 2013;2:1–6.

(6) “Acute effect of a high nitrate diet on brain perfusion in older adults.” Nitric Oxide. 2011 Jan 1;24(1):34-42. doi: 10.1016/j.niox.2010.10.002. Epub 2010 Oct 15.Presley TD¹, Morgan AR, Bechtold E, Clodfelter W, Dove RW, Jennings JM, Kraft RA, King SB, Laurienti PJ, Rejeski WJ, Burdette JH, Kim-Shapiro DB, Miller GD.

(7) “One Week of Daily Dosing With Beetroot Juice Improves Submaximal Endurance and Blood Pressure in Older Patients With Heart Failure and Preserved Ejection Fraction.” JACC Heart Fail. 2016 Jun;4(6):428-37. doi: 10.1016/j.jchf.2015.12.013. Epub 2016 Feb 10. Eggebeen J¹, Kim-Shapiro DB², Haykowsky M³, Morgan TM⁴, Basu S⁵, Brubaker P⁶, Rejeski J⁶, Kitzman DW⁷.

Enter WIN2016 for a $20 discount on a 3-Day Rebalance cleanse package

We are the first and only cold-pressed juice company in DC, MD and northern VA that is USDA Organic Certified!

Carpe Diem,

Lisa

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CYT, RYT-500

Lisa is an author, inspirational speaker, and coach with a mission to inspire and empower others to feel 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 & Thrive  outlines seven steps that are fun and transformational. Lisa 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 at every opportunity. 

The first Niyama is Saucha, or purity.

September is National Yoga Month. Let's celebrate by looking at the Niyamas, which are the internal disciplines taught as part of the 8 limbs of yoga. I call them rules to live by for optimal health.  The first Niyama is Saucha, translated to purity.

Saucha is such an important part of self care and it can be practiced in so many ways. You may choose to eat pure clean foods, do a weekly or quarterly juice feast or clean the clutter in your mind, home and workspace.

Purification simply means ridding yourself of excess waste. The results are more energy, feeling lighter and having more clarity .

We can utilize the previous Yama’s (tools), like truthfulness, non-excess, and non-possessiveness to practice purification. We might choose to only speak truthfully. Non-possessiveness prepares us to let go of what no longer serves us, from clearing out our closets, our pantries and refrigerator to the paper on our desks.

I am always amazed at how much motivation and energy I feel after my quarterly Kick Start Program. Normally, before the cleanse, I view the mundane task of spring-cleaning to be quite painful. I procrastinate starting or finishing projects. I make excuses that it just isn’t a priority for me.

It is interesting to notice the stories we tell ourselves to support our habits and the resultant stress. I am the person who habitually runs late. I try to accomplish one more thing before leaving the house with the myth that I might make up lost time on the road…WRONG! I live in the Washington DC metro area, one of the worst traffic cities in the country.  I still find myself lying as to how long it really takes to get anywhere.

All of these habits build up and create stress.

The practice of Saucha allows me to recognize this. This is the first step to do something about it.

The second step is to identify what it is I really want, and then to prioritize my day and actions accordingly. 

The third step is to feel and visualize completion, and then commit to the task at hand.

Last but not least, is to remind myself that there is enough time and that I am the keeper of my own time and actions. Ultimately I have control over what I accept to do or not. Only I can set necessary boundaries to protect my time, space and energy.

Purity encompasses everything that goes into our body, mind and soul as well as what we choose to excrete and share with the world.

What is the ultimate benefit of Saucha?  Again, it is the practice that keeps us grounded in the here and now. It allows us to Carpe Diem, to seize the day to enrich all of our moments and relationships.

This week can you take an honest personal assessment and notice what may be draining your energy? What food, thoughts, clutter or actions are not serving you?

Can you take one small step by choosing pure, clean, energizing, nutrient rich food to sustain you?  My favorite are sautéed greens and green energy shake.

Cheers, here's to a safe and Happy Holiday. May we give thanks to all those who work to make the world a better place.

Carpe Diem,

Lisa

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CYT, RYT-500

Lisa is an author, inspirational speaker, and coach with a mission to inspire and empower others to feel 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 & Thrive  outlines seven steps that are fun and transformational. Lisa 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 at every opportunity. 

What's Your Gut Telling You?

Yesterday, I had the privilege of being interviewed for the New Self Health Movement's Power Half Hour series on "What's Your Gut Telling You? You can view the 1/2 hour show here but I wanted to share a few highlights.

We mentioned the importance of vitamin D to prevent leaky gut and autoimmune disease. Did you know that optimal Vitamin D levels can also reduce cancer by 50% and decrease mortality from all disease? 

This week, I also had the honor of providing an in-service to the medical and clinical staff at The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders on autoimmunity and the gastrointestinal tract. I asked Dr. Delara Tavakoli, an integrative OB/GYN to speak. She said, 

"We are no longer in the era of scurvy and rickets; 

we are in the era of preventative medicine".

The RDA (or really dumb advice) for vitamin D is 400 international units per day. This is the minimum you need not to get rickets. Most of us need 10 times this amount for optimal health.  Normal lab ranges are between 30-100 ng/ml but if 50% of the population has cancer, I certainly don't want to be normal. I want to know what optimal is! Optimal is 60-80ng/ml in healthy individuals, or higher if you have cancer or autoimmune disease, according to Dr. Tavakoli.

Epigeneticis, the study of the expression of genes proves we are not bound by our genes. We know that, "All Health Begins in the Gut" I don't care what your diagnosis, nutrition can make a drastic difference in your quality of life and often the outcome and prognosis.  I know this for sure. As a health coach, I have the honor of being a witness to patients and clients innate ability to heal.

I've shared this online course before on Radical Remissions, created from a Harvard trained Ph.D researcher who has interviewed over 6,000 cases of radical remissions. 

Lori, a co-host of the Power Half Hour Series and author of The Gift of Disease is also proof of the power to heal first the gut, then the body. She is now thriving, symptom free and medication free, after a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. Authors who are part of the New Self Health Movement will share powerful inspirational stories of self healing in future episodes of the Power Half Hour Series.

I shared in this interview a patient with Crohn's, another autoimmune disease. He experienced dramatic improvement in just 3 weeks by following my Kick Start Program and anti-inflammatory diet. 

How to prevent and heal from chronic illness and autoimmune dis-ease? Enlist the 5 R's of functional Medicine:

1. Remove inflammatory food (sugar, gluten, dairy and processed and GMO foods and trans fats)
2.  Replace processed foods with whole foods and nutrients and effective supplements. (Get micronutrient testing and ensure vitamin D is optimal not just within normal lab results)
3. Restore probiotics and prebiotics through supplementation and fermented foods
4. Repair the gastrointestinal tract using healthful foods and proven supplements
5. Rest and digest. Rebalance using stress management, yoga, meditation, exerciseand movement to improve sleep. Change negative attitudes and address negative thoughts.

What three things can you do? 

1. Try one new vegetable this week. Begin to crowd out processed acidic food with whole organic alkaline foods found in green leafy vegetables, legumes and some fruit. 
2. Supplement with vitamin D3/k2 until your number is in the optimal range. (watch your vitamin A too and other essential vitamins)
3. Come to our nutrition support group, Join our Thursday Power Half Hour and hire a health coach!

Carpe Diem,

Lisa

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CHC, RYT-500

Lisa is an author, inspirational speaker, and coach with a mission to inspire and empower others to feel their best at any age. She is also Executive Director of the Integrative Wellness Program for the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.  

Her book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think & Thrive outlines seven steps that are fun and transforming. Lisa is part of the New Self Health Movement, the International Health Coach Association 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 at every opportunity.

The Fifth Yama (or external discipline towards optimal health) is called Aparighara- Nonpossessiveness

I once read a book by Gary Zukov titled, Spiritual Partnernship. The message was that having a spiritual partnership means to be so committed to being authentic to who you are, to be so honest with yourself and your partner, that you will risk losing the relationship.

In other words, to be willing to risk disappointing another, by being true to yourself. It’s having faith and trust in the relationship that there is enough respect, unconditional love and acceptance to support one another for who each one of you are, and where each one is in this journey called life.

Yes, this takes courage and a commitment to self.

I’m reminded of the movie, “City Slickers” where Billy Crystal is having a midlife crisis and his wife supports his trip to a dude ranch to find himself.

How do we reduce suffering? We learn to let go of our attachments, to greed, clinging, coveting. In doing so, we find freedom within our self and within our relationships.

When we practice Bramacharya and Aparighara, we discover how to live in the present moment where we nourish our relationships and ourselves. It is learning to accept things the way they are in each moment; to let go of our expectations and criticisms so that we can fully absorb each experience without fear, without judgments.

It is the first part of the serenity prayer: 
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, 
Courage to change the things I can, 
And wisdom to know the difference.” 

How do we create more peace in our lives? We let go of our need to control the outcome. We learn to trust our self and others.

Like the song we sang at my high school graduation:

“Rivers belong where they can ramble, Eagles belong where they can fly. I’ve got to be where my spirit can run, free, Gotta find my corner of the Sky!”

Can you practice letting go of unhealthy attachments and expectations? 

This does not mean not caring; it is just the opposite. This means trusting and loving enough to allow for individual freedom and respect. To seize the day so you can truly be present for any situation.

In both my personal life and in my practice, I’ve learned that I have to let go of my need to “fix others”. First this denotes that they are somehow broken (and this is inaccurate), and second it creates stress for both my family, patients, clients and myself.

Often the more material things we accumulate, the more stress we have in maintaining them. How can we find more peace and balance? We can let go of our attachments to things and practice non-excess and non possessiveness. This is Aparighara.

Notice what gives you pleasure and what feels like bondage. How can you lighten your load to experience the freedom to fly like an eagle?

The Yamas are referred to as external disciplines, giving us guidance on how to communicate with the world around us. The Niyamas are referred to as internal disciplines. Stay tuned for next week when I start to share the 5 Niyamas with you.

Carpe Diem & Namaste,

Lisa

About Lisa Jackson, RN, CHC, RYT-500

Lisa is an author, inspirational speaker, and coach with a mission to inspire and empower others to feel their best at any age. She is also Executive Director of the Integrative Wellness Program for the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.  

Her book, Savvy Secrets: Eat, Think & Thrive outlines seven steps that are fun and transforming. Lisa is part of the New Self Health Movement, the International Health Coach Association 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 at every opportunity.