"This Is Life. Right Now"

I was sitting in my car today enjoying the twenty minutes  before working on a client. The warm sun felt so good as I hydrated my body with the filtered water I had brought along with me. Nothing feels better than this! I was truly in the moment, taking deep breaths in and out, centering my body.

How many of us do this? This is simply called Mindfulness. Being Mindful is an awareness that is important especially today with the demands on our time and energy. Instead of trying to control all aspects of things in our lives, we need to learn to let go and accept those situations that we cannot change.

Without the proper stress management techniques we are unable to protect our body and mind from the harmful effects of stress. Learning how to be mindful is a technique we all can learn to use on a daily basis.

Here is a guided sitting/breathing meditation !

This is your life, right here and right now.  

During Times Of Stress!

Staying well naturally can be a challenge for most of us, especially during times of stress. Poor nutrition combined with too much stress can weaken the immune system, making you more prone to bacterial, fungal, viral and parasitic pathogens. When your body is stressed it produces cortisol, a stress hormone that contributes to the worsening of inflammatory conditions and auto immune disorders. Cortisol pulls calcium from the bones, when long-term production occurs.  Reducing stress can stop cortisol production allowing the body to return to a balanced state.

Here are some important tips to improve your health:
Improve Sleep
Rest
Stay Active
Create or Maintain Friendships
Express Yourself (Write, Paint, Dance, Create)
Play

Nutritional Suggestions:

1. Eat at least five servings of fresh locally grown, organic, tree or vine ripened fruits and vegetables each day. 
2. Eat from each of the food groups every day :
   
3. Eat food that is in it's natural state or as close to its natural state as possible.
4. Reduce and minimize contact with toxins such as viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungi, pesticides, smoke, herbicides, exhaust, industrial wastes and hormones.
5. Avoid excess salt, sugar, fat, caffeine and alcohol.
6. Drink at least one ounce per two pounds of your body weight of filtered water daily. Add lemon juice for taste.
7. If you are experiencing a health challenge, increase your consumption of the most important foods and supplements.
8. Contact an informed health professional when using concentrated herbs and dietary supplements to correct health problems.

Remember that the effects of nutrition from food or supplements are time-dependent. Improving your nutrition can take at least 24 hours and up to 18 months to significantly affect body tissues depending on your body's cellular turnover rate.

Many of these factors are based on our values, decisions and choices. You can take control of your health if you choose to. It's never too late to start; don't give up and think positively.

~Deana Hodell, LMT
Healthy Lifestyle Products For The Energetically Aware!

The Importance Of Alternative Therapies!

What are some of the "alternative treatments" available to us all and why are they important.
Here is my list of the most important therapies:

1. Nutrition
2. Health Education
3. Lifestyle Modifications
4. Massage Therapy
5. Biofeedback
6. Relaxation techniques
7. Acupuncture
8. Homeopathy
9. Chiropractic

The first four treatments have been around for a thousand years. These treatments are the primary basis for health in every culture in the world. Yet we have somehow set many of these treatments on the outskirts of the mainstream practice.

The importance of these therapies is to treat the body as a whole, rather than parts.  When looking at your health, you really need to consider body, mind, emotions, and spirit. All of these parts function together as one. This philosophy is based on Holism.

Once we become strong in our health we then experience true wellness. How do we do this? Simply by increasing our awareness, purpose, and the kind of life that deserves quality and the knowledge to make better choices.

Adding all the alternatives to our daily living can give us the Synergy we need to interact with the world and with others we surround ourselves with.

So what is the first step? Reclaim your health! Consider healthy lifestyle products for the energetically aware.

 In the end , wellness is all about experiencing yourself as a Wonderful Person! You are that wonderful person! Enjoy your day and thanks for reading.

~Deana Hodell
Licensed Massage Therapist

Increase Energy and Reduce Stress!

This morning I was thinking about what it is that makes me happy. It all came down to my health.
Some of the things I try to do when I feel like my energy is drained is to stop and pay attention to what it is my body is telling me. Am I stressed? Am I eating properly? Did I have a good night of sleep? Do I get enough exercise? ...

Just as your car needs gas to run, we also need to give our body the power it needs to run efficiently. Here is a list of some foods rich in B vitamins:

Grass Fed Beef
Egg Yolks
Green Leafy Veggies
Brown Rice
Organic Liver 

Try to avoid processed foods and sugar sweets as much as possible.

Also, make sure you are drinking enough water. Did you know that water cushions and protects joints , tissues and organs? Just try sipping it throughout the day and you will replenish your body with oxygen and nutrients as it is carried to our cells.

After all is said and done, I then look at what may be missing from my diet and the foods that I eat.
Eating a diet rich in whole foods is the best way to get the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients your body needs to maintain health. However, busy lifestyles, eroded soil, over-processed foods, and the standard American diet can leave us lacking many important nutrients. I recommend taking an organic whole food supplement such as a daily multivitamin. 

 A good night's rest gives your body more energy and a clear head, which will protect you from stress. Remember if you are not getting eight hours of sleep per night then you are depriving your body.

"Our choices shift and change the course of our lives." It is never too late to start anything in life, especially when the choice involves your health. I would love to hear from you: Contact Me!