Mind Body Connection

It has been awhile since I have reflected on the mind body connection. I am still not eating alot of things, and have been at the encouragement of a friend experimenting and trying to add some new foods to my regimen. My menu is limited but in a good way I find for the most part. I certainly do not fall prey to any of these big time traps and I honestly have always likes fruits and veggies and rice. So it is all good.

For the last month or so, I have been feeling a bit out of whack. I feel fine in a general sense, but after learning to listen to my body I very much sense when something is wrong. My body tells me what it needs and it is my job to listen. My personal trainer is a huge fan and vocal advocate for watching for body language. He believes in our power to heal ourselves by being mindful, eating right and developing life long fitness goals.

My natural physician is the same. He believes in supporting our bodies and listening to our bodies. He likes to strive for balance and limit intervention.

So after listening to my body and deciding something was out of balance, I went to visit my doctor today and we talked and at first he was thinking we would just watch and see if my body decided to communicate in a more direct way. Then he did some scanning - which is more or less a conversation - some bio feedback if you will and decided that no my body was communicating clearly and now I am going to take some supplements to see if I cannot quietly support my body as it strives to heal and find balance again.

Ok so now I know most of you are running off screaming that I have lost my mind, but have I? I went to no less than 6 MDs when I was plagued with yeast infects, random rashes, fatigue, crazy upset stomachs and none of them could figure out what was bothering me. They could treat the symptoms with cream that cost an arm and leg and they could vaguely say maybe I was allergic to something and refer me to an allergist with a massive waiting list.

Thru some muscle testing, my homeopathic doctor isolated the foods I was sensitive too and in 2 weeks, I was feeling like a million dollars. Does that mean I think MDs are bad - not at all. My mom is seeing a top shelf endocrinologists who had drastically improved the quality of her life! They are managing her metastatic thyroid disease beautifully, not to mention her diabetes and high blood pressure.

When I have an infection - like ear or throat, I go see my wonderful MD, who does not get the homeopathic stuff but is happy with my commitment to my overall health and well being.

I think MDs are great - especially those who specialize in putting us back together. My goal however is head the big stuff off at the pass. My gene pool sucks frankly and therefore I am dedicated to being as healthy as I can be for as long as I can be. I would rather not in my 60s be visiting the top shelf and rather young endocrinologist! I would rather not be cultivating a relationship with a oncologist. It is a gamble, but not eating pizza is a gamble I am willing to take!

I am the mom who loved to run and play and climb with my kids. I am the mom who runs half marathons and bikes with an extra 100 pounds in the trailer. I am the mom who organizes fantastic outings. I am the mom who is mindful that what she eats impacts her and that her body will tell her exactly what it needs - if only she listens.

I am the woman who is investing in herself, striving for a long and active life, hoping to be strong and vibrant for years to come. The human body is a great invention, which we fail, I think, to give enough time and attention to.

Nutty Flax bars

Well they taste good, I will say that, but they are hard as a rock. I followed the recipe to the letter - so I think next time I am going to up the amount of almond butter and spread them out in a more shallow pan - but I have to say I might be onto something!

Nutty Flax and Nutty Rice

I discovered Perky's Nutty Flax and Nutty Rice while standing in line at Whole Foods. The lady behind me had driven over an hour and had a cart full of the cereal. Now I have all but given up on cereal, since I cannot eat oats, wheat, corn and maybe barley (the jury is out.) So other than crispy rice and Honey and Rice Puffins - the choice is slim and well - I like to make my calories count and those choices are not all that nutritional dense. They also lack fiber!

Nutty Flax is packed with fiber and tastes good. The Nutty Rice has less fiber, but is crunchy and holds up to soy milk just fine. Very tasty with some fruit thrown in.

I just made the Nutty Flax cereal bars and while I have not tasted them yet - they look like an adult version of rice crispy treats and are healthy to book - raisins, almond butter and chocolate chips. I cannot wait to dive in!

Green Mud Rocks

Well, I have to say, I like the results. The gray is gone, color is subtle and multi tonal. I still have the lingering herbal mud smell, but overall I am pleased with my first experience with Henna. It is supposed to last for a few month and gently fade away. So we shall see. My hair grows really really fast so, it may last a bit shorter time frame before I have to remud.

All in all it was worth the effort.

Green Mud

Well that is what it looked like and well it smelled like a mixture of mud and herbs. I am talking about Henna. I decided to try and color my hair - code for hide the gray - using a natural product. I have been having it colored at my salon, and even though they use Aveda products, it is still chemicals and artificial and well, I am not sure I want to continue that process and well I know I am not ready to age gracefully - I am SO not that old yet.

So I went to LUSH and bought a brick of Henna. It looks like a big thick slightly greenish chocolate bar. I used half the bar, based on some research and the sales clerk's recommendations and well, first shot out of the gate I think less is more.

So I chopped, mixed with hot water and "cooked" the Henna over the hot water bath for a few minutes before heading to my towel covered bathroom sink to get started. Paintbrush and hair clips in hand, I started the process of painting it on my hair. Now I must say - I have more hair than the average girl, it is long and it is thick! It has much body and bulk. (I did recently have it trimmed and layered and that helped!) It took me a while, but I got the green mud painted on and then I wrapped my head in saran wrap, a shower cap and then a heated towel.

Then I went to work. Cleaned up the mess, cleaned up the kitchen and wrote 2 articles, all in the hour and 45 minutes I needed to leave the stuff on. I could have left it on for up to three hours - but again - first shot out of the gate - baby steps seemed prudent. (Not to mention it took me forever to get it rinsed out of my hair.)

So far so good. My hair is not screaming red - not yet. I guess it continues to work its magic for a few hours to days after it the Henna is washed out. The green mud smell is lingering, which is fine, it is not unpleasant just strange.

I will keep you updated!