I am at a loss regarding what water is a healthy choice to drink so I read everything available. To see what Dr. Mercola has to say about the topic click on Mercola.com

by Joanna Lindenbaum, Woman Wisdom Success Coach

Autumn is the perfect time to clean out and let go of what no longer serves you in your life.

Look around and notice that the days are getting shorter and the leaves are falling from the trees. Soon, there will be less bounty and abundance being offered from the flowers and plants. Nature is letting go of excess and stripping down to the essentials – to what is really necessary to get through the long, dark winter. These cues from nature are beautiful invitations to help you in identifying, releasing, and letting go of the excess, of the things that are perhaps weighing you down in your life.

It’s important to “clean house” on an inner level every now and again, and take stock of what you’re holding onto.

So often, you hold on to old fears, resentments, habits, patterns, limiting beliefs and ways of being because they FEEL comfortable since you’ve been clenching on to them for so long. However, when you take a closer look, you can begin to see that these things no longer serve you, and in fact are standing in your way of moving forward.

The tree metaphor applies here: imagine what might happen if trees never shed their leafs? Yes, they might not ever look bare, and there is comfort in always looking full and abundant. However, if the trees never shed their leafs, they would never have space or opportunity to grow new leafs – new ideas, new projects, new beliefs, new opportunities. See where I’m going with this?

I’ve created a simple and special Autumn ritual for you to be able to identify and let go of the things in your life that are ready to be released:

First, carve out some special time for yourself. Go to an outdoor place that feels sacred to you: a park, a stream, a path in the woods. Any place that feels safe and supportive for you. You’ll want to bring paper and a pen.

Once you’ve arrived at your sacred outdoor space, sit down in a comfortable place and first connect with nature. Feel your seat on the ground, and take a couple of nice, deep breathes in – taking in the Autumn air and the energy of releasing and letting go. Next, use your paper and pen and answer the following questions. Take some time to really feel into these questions:

What in your life or work currently feels like a burden to you?
What habits or patterns leave you feeling tired, overwhelmed, or bored?
What is currently wasting your time?
What are you most scared of right now?
Review your answers, and create a list of 3 things that you know you are really ready to let go of. This list should be things that you know in your heart are no longer serving you, even though they might feel comfortable for you.

Next, find 3 rocks or pebbles. Each of these rocks will represent one thing that you are ready to release, surrender, and let go of. Be clear for yourself what each rock represents. Take a moment as you pick up each rock or pebble from the ground, close your eyes, feel the rock in your hand and say to yourself, “This rock represents my fear of success” or “This rock represents my addiction to sugar” or “This rock represents my relationship with my boyfriend”. Really allow each rock to take on the energy of each thing you want to release.

Then, go on a mindful walk with your three rocks. On this walk, make note of all the ways that each of your “rocks” have gotten in your way of happiness and success. Then, as you are ready, let each rock go, one by one. Drop them to the ground, really feeling that you are symbolically letting go of each. If you are near water, you can throw each rock into the water, listening to the splash each rock makes as it hits the surface and sinks down. Then take a moment to notice how it feels in your body to commit to releasing each of these things.

The last piece is to write down a next action step for each of your items. For example, if one of your items is your addiction to sugar, a next action step might be to cut sugar out after 9pm. Bring your action sheet home, and keep it somewhere that you’ll be reminded of it often.

This Autumn ritual is a great way to partner your inner and outer energy to create change in your life!

Your Soulful Coaching Call to Action

If you sense that it would be powerful for you to get support in taking the next steps to fully releasing whatever is no longer serving you in your life, your business, your career, or any other soul-centered project, I invite you to get in touch with me at joanna@soulfulcoach.com to set up a complimentary time to connect and see if coaching is right for you.

Joanna Lindenbaum, is founder of the Soulful Coaching for Creative Leaders Success System, the proven step-by-step program to help you tap into your deepest wisdom in order to succeed at your BIG projects and your life with JOY! To sign up for her freebie how-to articles and no-charge teleclasses http://www.soulfulcoach.com.

by Darin L. Steen | September 14 2010

In working with well over 500 clients that have graduated from the Fat loss LifeStyle 12 Week Body Transformation System I have learned a lot about what motivates people to make lasting change.

One facet of most people’s fitness and fat loss programs that usually gets overlooked is goal setting. It is a fact that only 3 percent of the population has a goal that lasts past the second week in January. But you need to have something to shoot for. You also need a way to track your progress.

Below is a simple, usable goal-setting strategy that you can personalize for yourself.

Please know that if you do not work out with weights, focusing only on cardio, this technique will not work for you – even if you eat better.
Leverage is Key

What is leverage? It is something that gives you more strength or power than you would normally have.

In order to have leverage when you set a fitness goal you must have a precise goal, an exact deadline, and you must have emotions attached to the completion of the goal.

The goal is the “what,” and your emotions are the “why.”

When you have a what and a why, you have leverage. You have more power to consistently get your work-outs in. And you have more incentive to eat small healthy meals often.
You Must Get Emotional

Plugging in your emotional reasons for wanting to peak your fitness and fat loss is crucial. It is the why to the what. It does not matter what they are. Just make sure that they are real for you. Pick the top two or three emotional reasons why you must become healthier, leaner, stronger, and more energetic.
Preciseness is Paramount

You’ll want to make sure you have a very precise goal. An example of an ineffective goal would be “I want to lose some weight” or “I want to feel better”.

A better goal would be “I am going to lose 2 inches off my waist by such and such a date (some date six weeks into the future).
The Scale Does Not Work

Most people make the mistake of only using the scale to see if their fat loss program is working. The scale does not tell you the whole story. It will not tell you if you are replacing fat with muscle. It will not tell you if you are losing valuable water, muscle, or fat.

Ideally you should use a one site skin fold caliper kit. It is very quick, easy, and consistently accurate. Within one minute you will know your overall body fat percentage, fat weight, and lean body mass. Armed with this information you will be able to really tell if your fitness program is working.

If you are reluctant to use a skin fold caliper kit, at least use a tape measure and a scale.

A measurement around your waistline and a scale weight can let you know more than just using the scale. If the scale stays the same, but your waistline is less, then you know that you have gained muscle and lost fat. It’s not as precise as a skin fold caliper kit, but it is much better than just using a scale.
Commitment Sheet

Below is an example of our goal setting tool that we use with our clients. It is called a commitment sheet. It is a commitment that you make to yourself, that ties everything together.

The commitment sheet above can be used by you. Just put in your own emotional elements. The goals are very doable by most fat loss clients.

As you can see, the commitment sheet is written in the present tense, as if you’ve already accomplished your goals.

Your homework now is to read the commitment sheet out loud, with a positive tone in your voice, three times, right before bed. Also read your commitment sheet right upon waking in the morning. There is power in the spoken word. So stand up tall, with good posture, and say it like you mean it.

At these times of the day you are in an alpha sleep state. This is a prime time for you to be more susceptible to auto suggestion or self hypnosis. Your mind will go over 12-15 times what you were thinking about at these two times as it “cleans the files” while you sleep.

If you really want to boost your goal setting power, focus on seeing your goal as if it has already been accomplished, and feel the emotion of accomplishment, having reached your goal. So one key is to see it, and feel it, like you have already accomplished it.

I highly suggest that you cut out the physique of a lean, muscular person out of a magazine or print one off of the computer. Cut out the silhouette of the body you want and put your head on it. It is important for you to see this often throughout the day.

I did this 15 years ago, and within 2 years I took my physique to a level that I never dreamt of, and became a drug-free-for-life competitive bodybuilder in the WNBF. It works.

What you are doing is working on your “faith muscle”, so that you can peak your fitness and health, and therefore peak in all the areas of your life at any age. This is a great mental and emotional exercise. Because what I have found for myself, my trainers, and my clients, is that once you believe something, with a sense of certainty deep down in your core, it will almost always become true.

That is what this commitment sheet can do for you. It is very powerful. I have seen well over 100 personal clients radically change their waistline, their lifestyle, and their lives by using this goal setting / visualization tool.

A fitness / fat loss lifestyle is the only true fountain of youth that exists. You DO have the power to change!!

This is a simple process to help you ask your Authentic Self for guidance, and know when you receive the answer.

1. First you have to feel really good. You can’t get a clear answer if your energy is low. To get what you’re asking for, get your vibrations clear by feeling really, really good. The easiest way to do this is to think of something that makes you happy. Remember a time in the past where you were fully engaged and joyful. Hold that place in your mind for a few moments.
You can’t skip this step and expect to be successful. Anything you receive from asking in a low-energy point, will be skewed.
2. Ask a clear question. You want to know exactly what you’re asking. Vague questions get vague answers. Ask your Authentic Self something specific, preferably focusing on a solution rather than a problem.
Instead of asking, “What do I do about ( problem ),” ask, “What is the next logical step to creating ( desired outcome ).” In asking for a solution, you get a solution. Remember that the Law of Attraction gives you more of what you put your attention to, so if you ask for help on a problem, you will get more problems.
You want to spend a significant amount of time formulating your question. (As much time as you need to, in order to feel comfortable asking it.)
3. 3. Clear your mind. The Authentic Self is quiet. It won’t fight the ego, so the trick is to quiet the ego in the first place. Once you are feeling great, and know the question you want to ask, clear your mind of all thought with meditation.
Many people hate meditation, but this is the quickest way to clear the mind. The other alternative is to flood your mind with positive thought, and when you’re struggling that can be very difficult. Eliminating all thought is much easier than eliminating only negative thoughts, so I highly recommend meditation.
4. 4. Trust what comes. If you follow the above steps, you will find your answer. Trust what it says and follow up with action. Keep in mind that you aren’t necessarily going to receive the exact answer that you predict. Like the saying, “The Lord works in mysterious ways” states, sometimes you get an answer that doesn’t make any sense to you at the time. Follow it anyway and when you receive exactly what you’re asking for, you can look back and see why it needed to happen the way it did.

You will receive what you are asking for via “the path of least resistance,” according to the non-physical beings Abraham (Hicks) and sometimes it doesn’t show up like you want it to. Let go of the how and trust what your Authentic Self tells you.

Need help with any of those steps? Contact me to talk about VIP Coaching or an eCoaching package!

Like this? For more articles, free tips, tools, audios and more! Go to http://www.kimberlyenglot.com

Kimberly Englot is the Authentic-Life Coach, & CEO of Authentic Self Personal Development. Her VIP Coaching and group programs teach you to discover your authentic self and be free to change careers, find relationships, lose weight and pursue greatness! Clear away 6 years of “baggage” in 6 weeks with The Master LIFE Cleanse.

Relaxing takes a Conscious Effort!

Many people are living their lives in a stressful state. Our culture rewards this typical Type A personality with admiration and advancement. A free test can be taken on Eli Bay’s website to see how your Type A traits add up: http://www.elibay.com/typeatest.html

If we do not get our heads around how to address this detrimental state of being, we are setting ourselves up for illness, if not life-threatening health issues. First we have to notice when we are personally stressed in order to consciously counteract it (self-analysis test http://www.elibay.com/stresssystemstest.html). The Relaxation Response shuts down the Flight or Fight Response, and goes further to establish decreased muscle tension, lowered heart rate and blood pressure, deeper breathing, calming of the belly, and a peaceful, pleasant mood. The easiest way to bring about the relaxation response is to sit on the beach listening to and watching the ocean. Obviously, beach vacations in our self-created, hectic lifestyles make this natural elicitation a rare event. A purposeful practice is necessary! Unfortunately, such an activity goes against what our day and age considers acceptable behaviour, because it essentially looks and feels like 15 – 20 minutes of doing nothing! How unproductive is that?

Leonard Holmes, former About.com Guide, wrote in his article, “Managing Stress: The Relaxation Response”: If you do incorporate this or any relaxation technique into your life you may notice at least the following four benefits: http://mentalhealth.about.com/cs/stressmanagement/a/relresp.htm

• You will gain increased awareness of whether you are tense or relaxed. You will be more “in touch” with your body.
• You will be better able to relax when you become stressed-out.
• You may even reduce the resting level of your autonomic nervous system – walking around more relaxed all the time.
• Your concentration may improve. By repeatedly bringing yourself back to the meditation, you are strengthening the part of your mind that decides what to think about.

Also:

• According to nurse practitioner Peg Baim, MS, clinical director of the Center for Training in Mind/Body Medicine, and a researcher at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine:

When you practice the Relaxation Response, you are actually activating the areas of the brain that have been positively conditioned, rather than those that have been negatively conditioned. “You tend to feel compassion, forgiveness and oneness as opposed to the stress response, where you feel hatred, resentment and [separation]. It is as if we have two different brains.”

http://www.integratedmeditation.com/docs/mind%20body%20in%20modern%20medicine.pdf

There are several ways to achieve the Relaxation Response. Choose what you are comfortable with, so the odds are better for developing it into a valuable habit.  A few techniques are described by the Canadian Mental Health Association:
The Relaxation Response, Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Deep Breathing, Visualization, Meditation, Nature

ALSO:

Body scanning: tuning into body sensations and awareness

Mindfulness: bringing your attention onto the details of the present moment

Repetitive exercise: nurse practitioner Peg Baim, MS, clinical director of the Center for Training in Mind/Body Medicine and a researcher at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine states:

“Exercise is in and of itself an antioxidant, and stress is an oxidant. Stress is wearing and tearing the body down with more inflammatory molecules, and exercise is actually allowing the body to release molecules that will deactivate that inflammation.”

Repetitive prayer: focusing your attention to slow down the thoughts and activity

Yoga, Tai Chi, Qigong: slow motion movement with body/mind awareness, stretching, muscle toning, focused attention, deep breathing, and visualization

*Releasing emotional issues: quiet time free, from the distraction of endless activity, has the tendency to expose personal trauma or self-evaluation. Gently sort through the discontent, or seek help of practitioners to completely purify your energy of negativity and stress.

You may have noticed that few of these beneficial practices will be typically prescribed by your medical practitioner, which means you are responsible for incorporating these life enhancing habits yourself. The authentic affect is not dispensed from bottles. You need to slot space into your daily life for intentional self-care – the RELAXATION RESPONSE!

I am fascinated with this topic, as I am with all information about how amazingly our bodies function. I can’t imagine anyone not being aware of this topic but it is written with those people in mind; a complete but over-simplified version of what is taking place in our bodies regarding the F&F Response. You really need to be aware of this response if you want to be in control of your health.

Evolution of the human body has brought us a long way, but there is one primitive, built-in, automatic function that has remained operational – the Fight or Flight Response (you can also add Freeze). When a problem shows up, real or imagined (because the mind/body connection does not know the difference), an avalanche of processes are triggered to stimulate the body into a state of preparedness. Obviously, coming face to face with a Tyrannosaurus rex or Sabre-toothed tiger would tend to trigger that, but a life-threatening situation is no longer needed to trigger our fight or flight response. Stress does it! Unfortunately, it seems to take less and less to stress people out.

Many of us harbour anxiety and worry about world problems, personal relationships, job performance, job security, money, social commitments, responsibilities, exams, deadlines, and so on. We feel stress about things that happened in the past (including traumatic experiences of abuse and neglect), or that haven’t happened yet, may never happen, and certainly don’t require the physical readiness that stress hormones were designed to create.

Stress hormones (cortisol, Growth H, norepinephrine, and more) are released into the circulatory system following instructions originating from stimulation of the hypothalamus, a region in the middle of the base of the brain. Among other effects, these hormones engage the sympathetic nervous system, affecting many bodily functions. To keep this post short, you can check out how the body responds to catecholamines hormones for yourself at, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight-or-flight_response.

Ideally, vigorous physical activity would make use of the excess stimulation and metabolize those rampart hormones. Aggressiveness, hypervigilance, and being over-reactive, however, are not socially acceptable behaviours. The result is that most people unknowingly exist in a continuous state of mental and physical arousal (F&F) that takes a toll on our bodies.

The evidence is overwhelming that there is a cumulative build up of stress hormones. If not properly metabolized, the result can manifest itself in chronic disorders of our autonomic nervous system (causing headache, irritable bowel syndrome, high blood pressure and the like), and disorders of our hormonal and immune systems (creating susceptibility to infection, chronic fatigue, depression, and autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and allergies).

The first step to recovery is awareness. We need to identify our own signals of being in the F&F Response. Signs of stress may be cognitive, emotional, physical or behavioural.

Do you recognize anything on the following list: poor judgment, a general negative outlook, excessive worry, moodiness, irritability, agitation, inability to relax, feeling lonely, isolated or depressed, aches and pains, diahhrea or constipation, nausea, dizziness, chest pain, rapid heartbeat, eating too much or not enough, sleeping too much or not enough, social withdrawal, procrastination or neglect of responsibilities, increased alcohol, nicotine or drug consumption, and nervous habits such as pacing about or nail-biting, headache, upset stomach, deep sighing or shallow breathing, anxiety, poor concentration, depression, hopelessness, frustration, anger, sadness or fear.

So what do you do when you can now identify yourself operating in the F&F Response Mode? You want to learn what it really means to relax! That is the topic of my next blog. The Relaxation Response.

*Note: refer to my recent post of May 16^th, 2010 “Relaxing Is Not A Given”.

The last ten minutes of relaxation in my yoga classes seems to be the favourite time for everyone. About one third of my yoga participants say a desire to relax is their reason for taking part in the eight-week session. I am pleased to see a pronounced difference in the degree of relaxation attained in the first class compared to what is accomplished in the last class.

It intrigues me when I come across someone who is unable to relax. They do not have the physical ability to let go of their tension, and what’s more, they do not realize it. This sad state of affair will show up on the massage table as well. The ‘wet noodle’ test makes it painfully clear. When a client is relaxed, I should be able to lift their arm or leg and it will heavily dangle, swing, or follow my lead. There are those that maintain their control, trying to anticipate the direction I am headed. My heart goes out to them.

So why is relaxing so difficult, when it is so desired?  The act of control is so well-rooted into the subconscious mind, that we cannot shake the habit without a lot of time and effort.  Regardless of what you consciously say you want, if the subconscious holds a different belief pattern, or conditioned behaviour, then you are at its mercy.

A person living with excessive stress and tension is operating within the fight, flight, or freeze response. Stress hormones are constantly in the bloodstream due to worry, overworking, striving to be better, or other upsetting situations. The effect on your body, mind, emotions, and spirit is adversely overwhelming, and eventually life threatening, due to the early onset of illness and disease.

The relaxation response is necessary to switch off the damaging hormone flow, and discover the “flow” similar to what highly trained athletes strive for in their performance referred to as ‘the zone’. Watching television, taking a vacation, or going out with friends to have a couple of drinks is not what this is about! An intentional, wilful retraining to realize how your mind tunes into your body is required. The release I am talking about is internal in nature.

There are many techniques out there; yoga, breathing exercises, visualization, biofeedback, and meditation, but expect the one you choose to take time. The chances of sticking with it are better when you find a style you enjoy. Health is your responsibility, and relaxation is one of the necessary ingredients of stress reduction.

Ear Candling, sometimes called Auricualar Therapy, is a natural healing art. It’s main purpose is to clean the ears and to bring balance to the ear, nose and throat areas. 100% beeswax candles are placed in the ear and lit. The combustion process produces warmth within the ear causing atmospheric change bringing relief to the sinus cavities and sensation of clearing, release and promotes circulation.

There is controversy within the medical field around the claim that any ear wax at all is being withdrawn during this complementary health procedure. Keep in mind that even if it is proven that there is no wax being removed at the time of the treatment there is a lot more benefit taking place which still makes this a worthwhile therapy.

Get the relief you need by booking a session today!
Judy