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."

My Daughters Personal and Courageous Story

I started this blogpost when my Daughter Dana started sharing her story on her first blogpost. We were together in Arizona while Dana was undergoing an integrative cancer treatment program.  I titled it Healing From Within, not because I knew it was possible, but because I so wanted to believe it. As a Registered Nurse, I wasn't taught nutrition, nor really any of the tools to build health that I offer today. Drugs, surgery and radiation were the only tools in the conventional backpack. It took a lot of courage to question her doctor and to step outside of conventional medicine. It takes courage to be your own healthcare advocate.

Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is facing the fear and taking action in spite of the fear. 

Please take a few minutes to listen to my daughters courageous story. I am so very proud of her courage, compassion and commitment to connect with others. 

What is your story? Will you choose the courage and compassion to share it?

For more information or to follow Dana and her associated non profit work:

Forced Joy Project & Living Courageously

Cassie Hines Shoes Cancer Foundation & Base 2 Summit

True North Treks

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. 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."

Love & Compassion

I started my day with a gift to me. I gave myself love by going to a morning yoga practice, led by Nicole Lytle at Beloved Yoga studio. The intention of the class was compassion and she ended the class with the following poem:

You are a mirror

 If you continue to starve yourself of love

you'll only meet people who'll starve you too

 If you soak yourself in love

the universe will hand you those

 who'll love you too. 

-a simple math 

Rupi Kaur 

Please take time to read that again as it is so powerful.

You've heard me say before that optimal health is not complicated. Do these three things: Maximize, Minimize and Prioritize what you're unique body needs.

Yet the most difficult for many is to prioritize self-love, self-care and compassion.  This for many, is a challenge and a practice.

I'd like to challenge you for today and for the next 7 days. Can you soak yourself in love? What small (or large) act can you give yourself every day? Maybe it's a 5 minute meditation. Maybe a foot massage with essential oil. An epsom salt bath, a yoga practice. A cup of herbal tea and time with self. A journal entry. A walk in the woods. A meaningful conversation. A nourishing meal. Snuggling with a pet or loved one.  Dancing to music. Playing with children and Grandbabies.

Will you help foster this sense of love, and please post on my Carpe Diem Facebook page an act of self love each day? Just maybe this will inspire us all to give each other permission to prioritize self. I need reminders like this, especially in the dreary rainy month of February. I need to remember that self love isn't selfish but it's the most loving thing we can do for family, friends and community.

Please Post Here, what loving thing will you do for yourself today?

Happy Valentines Day to all the very special women and men that I'm graced to know. I'm so grateful for all who I'm connected with, even those that challenge me. Sending you love.

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."

Growing Up

I just got home from a long weekend visiting my Daughter and celebrating my Granddaughter's first birthday.  I'm struck by how very fast our children grow and how our daily habits and customs form the women and men we are to become. Makes me think about what I would like to pass along to my grandchildren.

I'm currently reading, When things fall apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times, by Pema Chodron.  Pema Chodron is an American Buddhist Nun. I'm going to give you a taste of the book here with some excerpts from her chapter, Growing up.

"In all kinds of situations, we can find out what is true simply by studying ourselves in every nook and cranny, in every black hole and bright spot, whether it's murky, creepy, grisly, splendid, spooky, frightening, joyful, inspiring, peaceful or wrathful. We can just look at the whole thing. There's a lot of encouragement to do this, and mediation gives us the method...   

How we regard what rises in meditation is training for how we regard whatever arises in the rest of our lives... 

Learning how to be kind to ourselves, learning how to respect ourselves, is important....when we look into our own hearts and begin to discover what is confused and what is brilliant, what is bitter and what is sweet, it isn't just ourselves that we're discovering. We're discovering the universe........We're not just talking about our individual liberation, but how to help the community we live in, how to help our families, our country, and the whole continent, not to mention the world.... 

...There's an interesting transition that occurs naturally and spontaneously. We begin to find that, to the degree that there is bravery in ourselves--the willingness to look, to point directly at our own hearts--and to the degree that there is kindness toward ourselves, there is confidence that we can actually forget ourselves and open to the world.
The only reason that we don't open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don't feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with. To the degree that we look clearly and compassionately at ourselves, we feel confident and fearless about looking into someone else's eyes.  

Then this experience of opening to the world begins to benefit ourselves and others simultaneously. The more we relate with others, the more quickly we discover where we are blocked, where we are unkind, afraid, shut down. Seeing this is helpful, but it is also painful. Often the only way we know how to react is to use it as ammunition against ourselves. We aren't kind. We aren't honest. We aren't brave, and we might as well give up right now. But, when we apply the instruction to be soft and nonjudgmental to whatever we see right at that very moment, then this embarrassing reflection in the mirror becomes our friend. Seeing that reflection becomes motivation to soften further and lighten up more, because we know it's the only way we can continue to work with others and be of any benefit to the world. 

That's the beginning of growing up. As long as we don't want to be honest and kind with ourselves, then we are always going to be infants. When we begin just to try to accept ourselves, the ancient burden of self-importance lightens up considerably. Finally there's room for genuine inquisitiveness, and we find we have an appetite for what's out there. 

May we all strive to face each day with the honesty of children and the compassion of wise women and men.

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."

Snow Day! Great day for soup!

One of my favorite things about our IFK is that we get freshly prepared organic soups delivered right to our doorsteps! Plus recipes for you to make your own, like Lisa's Lentil Soup. Here's what I made last night that we enjoyed with a big kale, apple, walnut and fennel salad with EVOO and balsamic dressing. Took me less than 30 minutes to prepare, was satisfying, and leftovers are for lunch today.

This is another simple solution that will yield big results. Savvy Secret? Cook once, eat twice. Super simple. Or for the first week, have an expert make it and ship it to you.  Woo Hoo!

Here's the recipe for the soup:
Red Lentil Soup
2 cups of Red Lentils (I used sprouted green, brown and red for this batch)
1 quart of broth of choice (I used beef bone broth)
1 large onion ( I like and used Vidalia or sweet onions)
1 1/2 cup of minced celery (didn't have any so used fennel instead)
2 large carrots chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (great as a garnish too)
1 T of curry powder or turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
Juice of one lemon.

Directions: 
Place all ingredients except lemon and cilantro in a soup pot. bring to a boil. Simmer until lentils done about 20-30 minutes (less if using sprouted). Season with lemon, cilantro, salt and pepper.

I also like to add EVOO on top for extra healthy oleic acid and omega 3, essential fatty acids. Notice how I improvised when I didn't have one of the ingredients. Every meal can be slightly different. Have fun trying new ingredients to the basic soup recipe to boost your health and nutrition. Diversity and variety in food is the #1 cancer prevention strategy.

Salud and Carpe Diem!

Lisa
PS
To join us this Thursday for the IFK, click HERE 
Come tonight to Neck Back & Beyond for a Tasting  
Also Tastings at  Artius Integrative Medicine today and McLean Sport and Health tomorrow.

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."

How long does change take?

A mentor of mine once said, "Everyone thinks that change is hard and takes a long time and a lot of effort. In reality, change only takes as long as you decide."

Think about this. Change only takes as long as you decide. How long does it take to make a commitment? Will you make a commitment to yourself? To your health? In an instant you can make the powerful commitment to change whatever it is you wish. How you do it is variable with infinite possibilities. Only you can decide to choose change when it comes to personal health and wellness.

You can make all kinds of excuses. You can listen to your internal ANTs, automatic negative thoughts. You can be paralyzed by your same old self limiting beliefs.

OR... You can make the bold courageous decision to change. You don't have to know or worry about how. That will come when you've made the commitment. That will come when you open your mind and heart to new possibilities.

Making a commitment changes the way you look at things. When you change the way you look at things,  the things you look at change.

I've said it before. It is worth repeating. 

The body is self healing and self repairing. If you will decide to get out of your own way. 

When will you decide to change that which no longer serves you? When will you make a New Years Resolution that will stick? You know what doesn't work already. Will you open up your mind to new possibilities on what will work? Will you believe that change is possible? Are you willing to take personal responsibility? Or are you more comfortable in the victim role?

I saw one of my colleagues today at a conference on micronutrient testing. She and her husband participated in our Intermittent Fasting KickStart program before the holidays and have been practicing IF for the past month.  Her husband at first complained at the cost. Now he loves it. One has a paleo diet. One has a vegan diet. One is a healthcare practitioner, the other a corporate vice president. Both use the supplemental juices and soups for nutrient dense, convenient prepared organic fuel. Both have more energy and improved moods. This is a good example of how one small step can yield big lasting results.

If your goal is to improve your physical and mental health, then commit to a 14 day program with us. 7 days of preparation and 7 days of supplemental support.

We may just be the one to show you the how.

Want to know why everyone is talking about Intermittent Fasting?  It's not a short term crash diet. It's a sustainable and a simple solution for optimal health.

Commit to joining us this week with a live webinar on January 17th for delivery on January 24th. You may  Register HERE.

Carpe Diem,

Lisa

PS
Neck Back and Beyond scheduled a juice tasting for today, Sunday at 1pm weather permitting. This has been moved to Monday from 6-8pm. Email me to confirm if you are interested in attending.

Intermittent Fasting KickStart

What better way to ring in the new year than to do a 7 day Intermittent Fasting KickStart! I know my body is definitely ready for another KickStart. I absolutely love the organic fresh soups, juices, nut mylks and the turmeric MCT shot with ashwaghanda (an adaptogen for stress hormones) and camu camu (super source of vitamin C) and black pepper for absorption. I love the nutrient dense satisfying food and I love the ease and convenience of having it delivered directly to my home. We can ship anywhere in the US too. 

I also love the support of having a community and the online group support and webinars. We are not meant to be on this earth alone and if we could have met all our goals by ourself, we would have done it already. 

My twin sister participated in the fall IF KickStart to prepare for her wedding.
Here's what she had to say:

"I did the IF KickStart to prepare for the holidays and my upcoming Wedding. I was not overweight and did not have a lot of weight to lose, but I still lost 2 inches in my waist! Most importantly, I slept better and had more mental clarity during the stressful season. I didn't follow the plan exactly as intended, yet still had great results!" 

Lost 2" in the waist and was radiant!

Click Here to learn more and to register by January 17th

May you have more peace and joy this year. Carpe Diem!

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."