Ancient Wisdom

Discover the Formula for Great Skin! (and 2 bonuses at the end!)

Pillar 1 of my S.I.M.P.L.E. Method-Sensory Input

 

Want the magic formula for great skin? (Your ideal morning routine is at the end… )

Imagine this: you see friends after long hiatus, and they say you age in reverse. You know some of this is genetics—but your heritage only affects 5% of your traits.

Luckily, the 95% that you control is what matters the most… your lifestyle! Forget about “genetics,” since that’s out of your control (and that wee 5% doesn’t affect much of anything).  🤷‍♀️

Your glow comes from multiple things you do throughout the day—it’s not luck or good genes. Change your habits, diet, and lifestyle based on what you know about your body, and what we’ve learned through studying Ancient Wisdom (like Ayurveda). You can have this dream, even if it seems impossible right now…

 

If you want to understand how crucial sensory input is (and why it’s the 1st pillar of my S.I.M.P.L.E. method), I explain it in a link below. Believe me, you don’t want to skip this, especially if you’re suffering in any way.

 

Our external health is partly internal habits, partly external ones. Eat well, demand sleep for a minimum of 7 hours, drink lots of water, get LOTS of sunshine, and use organic skincare.

 

You and I know these things intuitively, but the very last part comes with a caveat: organic skincare doesn’t mean soap. I’ll explain why with a brief story of how I accidentally stumbled on this concept.

[read more…]

Will a Snake Oil Charmer Kill You?

For now, let’s refute the dangerous essential oil trend

This is where I ruffle some feathers…

 

During a recent offering of Transformation 101, a student asked me about the safety of essential oils to relieve her digestive issues because it was recommended to her. An MLM rep suggested she take doTerra’s enyzme formula, along with dropping an oil blend from her lower abdomen to her stomach area.

I cringed…  🤦‍♀️

There are multiple issues with this:

  1. A doTerra rep is NOT a nutritionist, nor a dietician. Only dietician’s or doctors/naturopaths should offer prescriptive advice for healing a medical issue—this is why I give you blueprints and formulas vs. telling you to eat specific amounts of nutrients (e.g. 25 IU VitaminD).
  2. My student is on medication, which can react with other remedies, natual OR pharmacalogical. This is why my clients also have physicians and if they’re on medications, they are instructed to have regular visits, tell their doctor they’re working with me, and can pass along my info to speak with their doctor as needed. It’s important to monitor health and medications closely.
  3. My student wasn’t diagnosed with a specific condition, yet an untrained individual gave her medical suggestions on how to relieve it. This is just an essential oil rep—please ask for someone’s background before taking ANY medical advice!
  4. doTerra now understand digestion and is involved in the additionally unregulated area of supplements. Enough said…
  5. Essential oils can be dangerous and potentially LETHAL when ingested undiluted. Do most people die from ingesting them? Certainly not… but some do and why risk being the one who does?
  6. Dropping essential oils in the insane “raindrop therapy” does nothing for your health. (“Raindrop therapy” is dropping oils on your body as if they were raindrops, as natural and unadulterated as the rain. Insert eye roll…) While the placebo effect is arguably a positive factor and helps with multiple health concerns, placing undilted oils on your skin can also cause harm. doTerra even states this on their own website, though reps rarely mention this. Photosensitivity, allergic reaction, irritations are just 3 problems with this little gimmick…

This kind of advice lines the pockets of some well-meaning reps and higher-on-the-chain (maybe NOT so well-meaning) shareholders. The less you dilute, the more you use. It’s a basic sales tactic, cleverly disguised as a healing protocol.

I’ve spent YEARS teaching essential oil safety and making organic skincare products (pssst, those major brands are expensive and not organic… why!? What are you paying for, if it’s not even organic!? Read that last paragraph again, if you’re curious.). It enrages me to hear irresponsible information like this handed down to people. You can kill someone!

When people suffer, there’s a perfect chance to take advantage of them. There’s a fine line between offering services to help people and just selling them a clever gimmick. [read more…]

Unexpected Importance of Food Tracking

Recently, a client gave me unexpected feedback about the food journal I have them use each week. While I understand there are difficulties with tracking1 (unreliable food data entered, challenging in social situations, time constraint), the pros often outweigh the cons.

 

If I don’t know what a client is eating, I can’t help them with their nutrition or lifestyle goals. It’s certainly impossible to see which foods are problematic, especially if there’s a digestive issue at hand… quite often, symptoms don’t appear immediately, unless it’s a food allergy (less common than many would believe).

 

A current client suffers from a couple health conditions, is on multiple medications, and wants to lose fat. We’ve worked on these issues in that order, by their request. (My clients decide 100% what they wish to work on, and in what order.)

 

While I know the multiple positives of a food journal, I never considered this aspect: uncovering a relationship between symptoms and medication. [read more…]

Paul McCartney performs on stage on the Paul McCartney World Tour, Ahoy, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 11th November 1989. He is playing a Wal 5 string bass guitar. (Photo by Rob Verhorst/Redferns)

5-Minutes, 30 Years Later…

5-minutes can change the path of your life forever. 30 YEARS AGO TODAY (May 1, 1993), this man changed mine… and the lives of hundreds or thousands I’ve taught over the last decade. When Paul opened his concert with a 5-minute clip about the brutality of slaughter houses, furriers, etc., I watched, horrified.

My values, my identity, habits, EVERYTHING changed in an instant—I haven’t touched meat since. I immediately went back to college in a small rural town of NC with no idea “how to do this veggie thing.” I at least had skills of being scrappy from a rough upbringing, so making cheap meals was pretty easy. How to make them meatless back in 1993 took some brainstorming. (Kinda like walking uphill both ways in the snow, like your grandparents did. 🤣) A HUGE thank you to Janet, for being the best roomie and figuring it out with me… Hamburger Helper, anyone!?🧡

I recently touched on this story in one of my cooking classes before moving on to the recipes While I don’t believe it’s the video he showed in ’93, I mention “Glass Walls” in a few different classes… I didn’t realize the effect it would have on one of my students, but she explained it during a different class I taught. Give it a quick listen here: https://youtu.be/tdmH_o_kIxE.

Her feedback re “Glass Walls”: “It didn’t feel good at all… I know it’s not all like that, but that was something that just stuck with me this week—it’s not really good for me, anyway. So, as hard as that was to watch, thank you for sharing that with me. It was really a big influencer.” She then swapped her usual weekly fare of grab-n-go ham sandwiches for a sweet potato topped with kale salad and chickpeas.

How to Recognize and Change Habits

If she wants treats, food, fresh water, attention, or wants to be covered with a blanket, she lets us know. This cat communicates better than most humans, I tell ya…

When we’re busy and miss or ignore her cues, she gets louder and louder. Eventually, you can’t ignore the “I want it MEOW!” And that’s when it hit me…

In nutrition school, we recently studied neurotransmitters, the nervous system, and how stress and environment affect health and obesity. We learned how food cues are how our brain processes images, sounds, smells—using memory and emotion to “tag” foods for pleasure. This is a VERY basic description of a complicated process-I outline it further in point #4 below. It’s also extremely fascinating and necessary to understand if you want to help yourself or others permanently achieve health or other lifestyle goals.

As I stared at Doodles bitching for her latest treat, I told her, “no, you’re too fat!” She didn’t care, literally huffed at me, and continued to beg. “ah yes, of course this rationalizing won’t work! You don’t care and you don’t have the complex part of the brain we have, where we make decisions and work through complicated problems.”

March Into Mindfulness

Give me 31 days and I’ll show you a happier, more mindful life

 

I’m sure you can agree we humans are less and less connected… disconnected more now than ever.

For a highly social species that relies on others, this is horrible. I declare March as a month for Mindfulness, and I challenge you to March Into Mindfulness! 😊

Tomorrow, I’m teaching one of my favorite classes, Mindfulness 101. The story behind this class is amusing, but I’ll save that for when you take the class—just know I it’s not something I thought I was qualified to do, despite years of teaching about sensory awareness, mindful eating, the importance of mindset, so on.

Hey, we all need someone to point out our blind spots, right!? We all have shit to work on…

In honor of that class, I wanted to share 5 insights not covered. In conversations with friends and other business owners lately, there’s a common theme appearing… we’re less and less connected than ever—meaning less aware and mindful of each other.

2 disclaimers:

  1. Be gentle with yourself, if any of these sound familiar. We’re all beautiful BEings that need help in improving ourselves. It’s why we take classes, read books, and hire therapists, coaches or mentors.
  2. These aren’t “pet peeves,” though it may appear that way. They are observations others shared with me. I pass along potential solutions so we can improve our lives and the world.

As you read this, consider if you have anything to add to these. If so, send them over or comment below—we have different ideas about how to make the world a better place. I’d love to share your thoughts!

Most important, you don’t have to be a Tibetan monk to experience the benefits of mindfulness. These are 5 basic practices that improve your connections with others in ways you may not have considered.

How to Lose a 6th Grader

A 12-year-old boy weighs about 87 pounds on average. When Rob and I analyzed how our bathtime feels different, something struck me… we’ve lost a combined weight of 112 pounds total, in the last year. It’s the equivalent of a 14-year-old child. Remove that from a bathtub, and it’s bound to feel different.

He’s lost 87 pounds to date, with about 10 to go. He’s no longer diabetic, doesn’t get hangry if he misses a regular meal time occasionally, and no longer desires “those” foods. He’s lost the equivalent to a 6th grade child. He was carrying around another human, 24-hours a day. In hindsight, that’s mind-boggling.

He reflects on the journey a lot, as I recommend anyone doing, when they’ve accomplished something amazing.

“When I think about it, it comes down to 3 things:

  1. The knowledge of what to eat (that’s where you come into the picture as my wife and expert),
  2. Willpower, because the 1st 3 months are a detox from all those foods, and
  3. It took me 20 years to put on all that weight, but only a year to lose it.”

I’m going to emphasize his 3rd point again: “It only took a year to lose it.”

That’s a tremendous shift in mindset.

So often, we hear people complain about how difficult it is to lose weight (been there, so I get it!). But that’s simply not true. We gain, on average, 10 pounds a year, unconsciously. Yet we LOSE 25 in a year, when we’re conscious. 

 


The difference is simply where we’re focused… we rarely focus on the scale when we’re gaining, yet obsess over it when we want to lose.


It’s not that it’s harder to lose weight than it is to gain it, despite what EVERYONE says. It’s just that we’re focused on losing weight, so it APPEARS to be harder. Where’s your attention/intention? Because as my Transformational coach says, “You are where your attention is.” If you’re focused on the scale, the clock ticks away. When you’re focused on everything BUT the scale (or you have a Dr. who tells you the scale is a useless tool), time flies by.

 

Anyone ever looked in the mirror and said, “how’d I get here?” If so, you understand that your attention wasn’t on fat loss.

 

Why is no one discussing this, especially when the mental aspect of health is critical to success? It’s SIMPLE to be healthy… but it’s not easy. Until you get your brainset right…

 

Here’s an example of the deep programming we live with:

The Hawk Told Me to Leave My Job

It was late July when I finally identified the Coopers Hawk in the woods behind our apartment. Through the subtle messages Nature gives, I ended up nurturing 21 Swallowtails. The backstory is here: How Nature Guides – Pandorable Wellness (pandorasproducts.net).

 

That was just the beginning of the journey, which I knew immediately…

 

As I said there, “My friends, THESE are the gifts Nature gives you daily. Words, images, and insights, if we’re only open to receiving… this is Ancient Wisdom.

 

Sometimes the answer isn’t a straight path and requires questions and patience. And especially silence. Who knew a hawk would lead me to butterflies!?”

 I had a suspicion there was more, based on my experience with Nature and leaning into the power of Ancient Wisdom. (Part of Ancient Wisdom is working with Nature and Her messages.)

 

With each new brood of larvae, each shift in the metamorphosis process, or the culmination towards their escape from the safe cocoon, something also shifted in my life. It became clear with each stage of transformation that I was going through my own. As the hawk had told me, “what am I not seeing? How do I use my abilities? Do I have power I’m not using? Magic imbues the Power to overcome currently stressful or difficult situations.”

 

Like my job. A now stressful and difficult situation.

 

I saw what I hadn’t wanted to admit—

I’m Going Back to School!

For the next year, I’ll be knee-deep in research, biology, and nutrition at a deeper, functional level. Though I’ve studied nutrition for 2+ decades, I now get to read the research papers IN all of the books I’ve read, and guarantee the information is accurate. <hard swallow> We’ll see if I have to retract any of my past/present teachings! 🤣

 

There’s no longer a middle wo/man to distort the information I pass along to you. I already have access to specific fat loss tools to coach you at a deeper level! I’ll have new skills to help you through specific behaviors, skills, habits, etc. that keep you stuck (in whatever way you’re stuck… it’s not always about nutrition, is it!?).

 

So, please bear with me if I miss a week here and there with these newsletters. I am still coaching 1-on-1 (at a discounted intro rate until January 1!), and will offer group coaching soon. I’m still teaching via the beautiful partners I have, and plan on launching the 8-week S.O.S. of Nourishment Group Coaching in a few months. I still offer private meals for folks on Long Island, and am getting coached on writing professionally.

 

While it seems like a lot, I manage my time well (and teach you to do the same in Transformation 101!). I also know when to take a step back from something that no longer serves me. But this certification is important—it will serve all of you so much. As I go along, I’ll share the journey and of course, what I’m learning.

The Truth of the Dangerous Legume and Bean

For thousands of years, cultures everywhere have enjoyed beans. When they emigrated to the U.S., they brought bean recipes with them: Hoppin’ John, Cuban black beans, red beans and rice, kidney & lentil dal, so on.

Bean crops, especially chickpeas/garbanzo beans, heal the soil by putting nitrogen back in it. They’re often called “nitrogen fixers” in the permaculture community.

Yet suddenly, according to many fad DIEts and doctors, beans are dangerous. They contain lectins that harm your gut, lead to leaky gut, and upset your stomach. They also contain oligosaccharides—sugars that cause digestive issues. Never mind that they’re high in carbs, leading to weight gain.

This is simply not 100% true, though I understand the confusion around beans. Let’s look at the truth behind the previous claims:

  • They do increase flatulence in most people—they’re high in fiber, which many in the SAD lifestyle aren’t used to having. And even when you are used to the fiber, gas may occur. I don’t believe gas is a sign of serious health trouble—animals fart.There’s a lot of money in inducing fear, even if it’s targeted towards a normal body function.

     

  • Reduce or remove lectins by soaking, rinsing, and pressure cooking your beans. I don’t subscribe to the aquafaba trend, by the way. Rinse that stuff off your beans, and don’t worry about whatever “it replaces” in your diet.Have the spritz of oil… make meringue out of ethically sourced eggs.

     

  • Oligosaccharides cause digestive issues in a small fraction of the population. But they also feed gut bacteria, so you need them for a healthy digestive system.Removing food after food only increases food issues—it doesn’t remove them.

     

  • Beans are high in protein and fiber, which slows their digestion, keeps you full longer, and moves food out of your colon.No one, and I mean NO ONE has died of an illness because they ate too many lentils and sweet potatoes.

In my upcoming Transformation 101 class, I mention something worth repeating:

“… it is popular to isolate and sell functional components of foods as dietary supplements and many supplements are marketed for their ‘antioxidant’ properties. However, functional ingredients may not produce the same effects when delivered outside a whole food matrix.”

So let’s look at the truth behind the stories around beans, and how to purchase, cook, and enjoy them with the most nutrition possible…

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