Hello!
It's pretty early for me to be here. But it's been what? 8 years? 

Why is this blog here anyway? I am still a health conscious writer with training and education in health, wellness, and foods and nutrition. It is my life purpose to live healthy and be of love.

I went for a run the other day. Insights from running are astounding: 

My life purpose is to love. Is that enough? I've put so many people whom I love ahead of myself. It's kind of weird. I'm an empath - meaning I can too easily pick up on other people's energy, feelings, or just something. It is not always conscious. And I have decided to guard against it.

It's kind of annoying. I can sense things before I have any conscious proof. And when that happens, if I say something it might be perceived as invasive or assumptive...but if I say nothing to respect their boundaries, I usually find out soon enough. 

Anyway, this writer is ready for change. Serious change. So the insights hare well worth documenting:

My life purpose is love.
    Love myself first now and then love others. Not in a narcissistic way, but I must pour all that love I had     for my husband into me. I'll die if I don't. Loving myself most and first.

I am Stanley's Daughter. I don't give up!
    Dad taught me to be a fighter. An independent woman, a fighter, a person who never gives up. Get back     that horse and ride. Well, yeah. This came out of nowhere, but dammit. I am Stanley's daughter!

Freedom feels so strange. VULNERABLE. Well, soon I'll turn vulnerable into EMPOWERED.
People keep saying they see something happier about me. Well, its more about being less burdened by what was a huge weight of despair, darkness, and foreboding.

Insight: Without chronic illness and depression along with other issues surrounding my every breath, the dark and heavy weight lifted, I feel happier. I feel lighter. I feel like my success can come through renewed energy. I feel like that dark cloud lifted off of me was permeating me like a vapor.

And without alcohol numbing me, these awareness's are coming faster and more clearly.

 

Is anybody out there?

Hey everybody!

Are you still here?

I miss you!

It's been rather busy in the past year.  I've been overwhelmed with school, graduation, building 3 businesses, and caring for my husband while I try to figure out how to heal my feet. 

And that's the deal -- my freakin feet keep me from keeping on trucking. 

NO MORE. 

If found some cool yoga for the feet and it's all about balls and stretching. 

I'm seriously thinking that just perhaps -- just like I did nearly 20 years ago -- I can cure these bad boys and get back to a routine daily practice. 

How am I going to do it? 

HEAT WRAPS

Yoga Balls

Plantar Fascitis balls

Yoga 

And some extra stuff that I made up based on what worked, feels good, and adds flexibility. 

How much will it cost me? No more than $35 and that's only if I buy a DVD that I saw online plus sticky balls that would add to my plastic slippery balls.  

I'm here blogging because I want to know if anyone is reading this blog. I've been over at www.ramblinlambwellness.com for most of the year, and I'd forgotten this existed.  

But I'm fixing to offer some help to a friend who doesn't know how easy it is to set these up. So here I am, looking for the easy solution.  

I'll let ya know how that flies. For now, keep thinking Happy Feet and let me know if you are interested in my Yoga for Feet program.  

See ya later, guys. 

Love

Nance

From Soup to Nuts

There are some things we've learned that make life easy.  My husband, the engineering Chef, loves to say: "The right tool for the job."

Knives are supposed to be sharp!

We buy quality knifes and we keep them sharp. Ours are being professionally sharpened as I type this. We bought that popular knife sharpener but over the years it failed to perform.  We find that buying quality pays off handsomely, and taking proper care of your kitchen tools is essential.  Cooking is such a pleasure when knifes slice through food like butter, when pots heat evenly and non stick remains non stick. We recently upgraded our pots and pans to the newer All Clad Non Stick product line.  It's so much fun to cook a frittata and watch it slide right out of the pan.  The Right Tool makes all the difference. And the right juice maker is essential to your new focus on health.

Juicers, Blenders -- what's the fuss?  Well -- 

We aren't all about cooking. Some days I could care less. A big glass of fresh green juice and my body just says: Ahhh....that's what I needed. 

Certain items are must haves for your healthy kitchen pantry.  If it were up to me, I'd say throw away the deep fryer. But I know some people take great pride in their fried chicken.  Ok -- but save it for one or two special days a year. Yes a YEAR.

The rest of the time --- eat as raw, fresh, and local as possible.

My favorite items? The kitchen tools that make it possible to prepare fresh, healthy food quickly and year round.

My VITAMIX takes charge.  I love this machine. It whips food into a blenderized state fast and easily. I needed to replace a worn out juicer and saw someone at a health fair touting the famous VitaMix.  That was 10 years ago. I upgraded to the newer 5200 about a year ago.Its even better and it is BPH Free, has 2 smaller containers, and it just works. Price = worth every penny and its guaranteed for 7 years. Every lower end blender I've purchased died within a year. You do the math! But more importantly, it always works and I trust it. I trust the name. I trust the product.

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Success: Happiness from helping and making a good living

It's such a simple concept. Figure out what you love and then figure out how to make a living with it.
But I grew up in an era where women were barely accepted in the work force. That meant being a teacher or a nurse were kind of old fashioned. As women fought to contribute, use their strengths, and make a difference, they also fought to climb their way to the top.

Thirty two years after I graduated from a top level school for Hotel Administration, I'm still baffled at how I got so hung up on climbing a ladder I'd never really wanted to climb. How could it be possible?  I listened to the guidance of my most important ally -- my Dad.  And Dad knew the world, knew me, and surely he wouldn't steer me wrong.

He didn't. He tried to steer me to where he thought I'd make the most difference. He taught me about money management, accounting, and finance in his own way.  He taught me sales and marketing. And most of all, he taught me to keep on fighting even when there was no end in sight. He taught me to never give up.

What Dad missed was a clear way for me to use my natural talent and my business mindset. Neither of us knew that 30 years later our passion for fitness and holistic health would answer the cries for help. Neither of us realized that the country would be in desperate need.

As I built skills in business, I pursued my happy factor in outdoor recreation, fitness, and healthy living.

Today, it fits. The more I write about health, the more I love what I'm doing now.

Thank you Dad! See, had I not done all the other things, I'd never appreciate the passion I feel today. It would be a job, a focus, and I'd do well, but I would never have the humility, gratitude, and joy I feel today.

Here's the thing: We can do stuff well and hate it. We can love other things and be average. But when it all falls together, we can master a craft, continue to love it, nurture it, and build on it -- and enjoy a great living all at the same time.

Today --- I am there. I am at the place that I've dreamed of for decades. I recall saying to Dad some 25 years ago: Look, you love your career. You would not dream of doing anything else. It's as good for you, Dad, as you are for it.  That is the love I want to find in my work. Why should I have to settle when you never did?

Dad's answer:  Well, sure, but you need a job.  Get a job!

Well, that's how I came to be searching at 55 for a lifeline. The jobs came and went. Some were great, some not so hot. But always, there lurked around the corner a better place. A better me.

So when I tell you can "BE The BETTER YOU" I know what I'm talking about.

I've found it!  And I am here to lead others to their Happy Factor!  ;)

Healthy or Hasty? Living in the zone

My studies are going great. I'm often amazed at how easy it is to keep up with the courses. If I didn't enjoy this, I wouldn't do it, right?
But reality bites me where it counts.
We can not always eat at home. We can not always control this.

I spent 10 years caring for seriously ill people who could not care for themselves. What I found for sustenance at the hospital was caramel machiato's.   What is that? It's a wonderful blend of coffee, small amount of milk and a dash of caramel syrup.  It soothed my stomach, but gave me a slight lift.  And the caramel was just the touch of decadence that made me smile.

Food at the hospital was questionable. Sure they made hot meals and served them from a steam tray. But what the heck was in it and who the heck was serving it with what attitude? Most of the time, I went to a close by grocery store and ate from their deli. Still  -- the amount of salt in these institutional foods is always triple or higher what I normally consume. The foods at my favored deli were better than most, and they convinced me it was fresh from their store.  But it just food. It wasn't food loved with good energy.

Then there were the days when home care created food challenges.  At one point, I asked friends to do some shopping for me since they were coming over anyway.  I couldn't leave my husband alone and this was the best option. We ate what they brought: Boxed Mac and Cheese -- a higher caliber than Kraft, but still laden with salt and long syllable chemically sounding words. Other things that grew in boxes and frozen packaging.

What I learned at that moment was that we needed our friends more than we needed anything else. The people who offered to help, and then did so were supplying us with a needed energy. Call it Primary Food, if you like, but that emotional sustenance brought us back to reality.  We weren't alone.
It was awesome to have such great friends help us out.

Of course we covered their cost.

I reached out and asked for help. I learned that some people rise to help while others judge. And some offer help with no intention of lifting a finger. They just offer and are relieved when they hear: "Thanks, but your friendship is all we need."

There are those people who prove their friendship isn't exactly what I'd call mutual or supportive or even friendly.  After it was  all over, I was visiting a friend who underwent a lengthy illness. I'd said to her that her husband and I had similar challenges.  For whatever reason, this person told me that her husband handled it better than I did.

Why? Because I asked for help? Because I shared with our friends and coworkers what was going on? I regret never saying this to her. I regret not calling her out on such a rude comment. That comment pretty much ended the friendship. I've no clue why she said what she did. It was the third slam in 2 days and I was done.  Live and learn.

I think this post has become more about primary foods while caregiving. We must fill ourselves with the love, support, and nurturing that is essential to living. Isolation while caregiving is as deadly as toxic oysters. Hurtful comments by people you consider friends are as poisonous as canned foods gone bad.

People must play a difficult balancing act when suddenly forced to be a caregiver. One must guard against toxic people as much as one must guard against spoiled foods, chemical foods, and unsanitary kitchens.  Just because it is there doesn't mean it supports your needs.

The Energy of Foods

Energy of food? Who ever came up with that went far beyond the nutrients.
As I study, I'm totally drawn to this concept. Consider this:
When you eat greens you feel happier and more energetic.  You can see it in others.
Meat and potato lovers often look kind of pasty and blah.
Veggie lovers always have a bit of a glow and a brightness.

The foods that we eat affect us more than most people know. Reach for an apple and you feel happier. It's a happy fruit. It grows on a tree. It grows upward! It reaches towards the sun.

One of our lectures was all about the Energy of Foods. i bought a book which I'll post later.  It's so fascinating.

Ok -- so this is a huge learning process. The best way to grow is to continually stretch out of our comfort zones. I've been somewhat isolated while running a home based business.  For me, the stretching will be continually reaching out to others, and talking with health businesses.  I know my mission. I know my vision.  To get where I see my future, I must take strides to move away from the past. Continuous effort, even if it's little steps every day.

So -- while at the writer's conference, I have an opportunity to share with hundreds of others!  It's going to be a multi purpose conference for me and my goal is to return home with 10 - 20 initial consultations scheduled or completed.  Some I might be able to do during breaks at the conference.

Cool to have fresh goals that are totally aligned with our lifestyles.

In the right place

This is the best thing I've ever done! All signs are a go. I talk with people and they say things like my friend Linda just did. As evidence, a doctor, a surgeon, and even family members have said: We need you to do this.

I don't personally know of a health coach in my home town of Snoqualmie, but there are many fitness instructors. And sure there are personal trainers, executive business coaches, life coaches and all that. But the world needs integrative health coaches in a huge way.

Why? People want to take control of their health more now than ever. And they are not getting the help they need. Not until now. There is a ripple effect moving through the world.

Insurance companies are dictating what doctors prescribe. Even when they don't, their time constraints do.

Doctors are trained to diagnose and prescribe medicine, and they are rarely trained in foods and nutrition. My doctor claims that a high protein diet is the way to go. He can quote scientific studies for all of his theories, but I can dig up opposing theories for every one.
And in some cases, I know by my own experience that his theories are just wrong.

Case in point: "Eat what you want" he told my husband as they discussed a recurrence of diverticulitis. A month later, we made a healthy snack bar loaded with health foods including nuts and seedS. Regardless of the doctor's insistence that there was nothing proven about nuts or seeds, my dear husband suddenly had severe attack.

Uh, yeah. That is the 4th time this doctor quoted some scientific research that we proved wrong within a couple weeks.

Same doc told my hubby that he may need a pacemaker to resolve problems with nausea, wooziness, and extreme fatigue because "perhaps your blood pressure is dropping too low". My intuition chimed like a loud gong! I suggested that perhaps if it's his blood pressure, maybe he didn't need medication for high blood pressure. Cured after 4 years of guessing games! All it took was thinking about the connections.

I am not writing to trash the medical profession. They do what they are supposed to do. I am writing to encourage people of all ages to tune into their own needs. The human body is intelligent. Listen to it. Ask yourself what the body needs to feel satisfied. It might be a bit of warm relationship and not that hot apple pie.

Docs are human too. They have great training in their specialty. But when it comes to healthy living, we need specialized training. Go to your doc when you are sick, sure.

Come to me when you want to live well. With over thirty years practical experience, university training in foods and nutrition, and now professional training in health coaching, I can help!