Think Green When You Eat & Live

These are the words today...Think Green.

We are making more efficient cars, trying new ways to save energy and keep our world green and healthy. We should also be doing this for our bodies. Following the food guidelines are great and very important especially as we grow and change. Eat the proper amount of fruit, vegetables, protein, and carbohydrates.

But research has shown that adding more veggies and fruits to you diet helps people life longer and healthier. Among some of the benefits of a plant based diet is that plants contain chemicals termed phytonuitrients the retard aging, inhibit inflammation and prevent cancer. The indigestible fiber present in fruits and vegetables support healthy digestion as well. This same fiber also binds cholesterol as well as the body's toxic waste products for elimination from the body.

As a post menopause woman I have learned that we need more green. This is true for all women but especially as we enter pre-menopause, throughout menopause and post menopause. Estrogen dominance one of the key symptoms during the stages of menopause. Greens help us stay in hormonal balance by the natural cleansing of estrogen back up.

So consider adding more greens to your diets. I will help by publishing some great green recipes in future blogs.

Holiday Eating - How Do You Keep Control

How do you make Thanksgiving easy on yourself this year?

So many people eat so much food during this one day of the year they feel sick. Why, is what I want to know. When you can eat any of the foods you love best any time you want; what is it that makes Thanksgiving the time to overeat?

The Intuitive Eating Hunger Scale is a great tool to use during this day. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being empty and 10 being overfull. Usually hunger begins when you are at a 2 on the hungerscale and fullness at a 7. It then takes about 3 to 4 hours to feel hunger again. Get out for a walk after dinner, do the dishes, dance around the house and you will be ready for more in no time at all.

So bottom line you can have that Thanksgiving dinner all over again, just make sure you save some leftovers!

Helping A Friend

I was walking the dog this morning and a woman was behind me most of the way talking on the phone. I have no idea who was on the other end of the phone or what this persons situation was like but I could hear one side of this conversation.

It gave me some thought for this week's blog. When you see a friend in need of some changes to improve their life, how do you approach it? Do you tell them what they should do? Do you tell them how to do it? What kind of language do you use when talking to them?

For example, the conversation I ease dropped on was this woman telling her friend that she should be exercising and stretching and them told her how to do all of this. I was taking offence just walking near her. The tone was authoritative, the message was clear I know better than you and you should be doing what I say.

People only change if they want to and will only make changes when they are ready. Telling someone how to lose weight, or how to start exercising is futile. Wellcoaching teaches us to ask the right questions and I would like to share some of those with you now so that you might help a friend in need in a better way.

For example you could say, What would you like to do to improve the quality of your life? What are some things that you can do now? What kind of help would you like to make these things happen. Start gentle and let people figure out their own way. Success if much more likely.

Groaning & Moaning

Every once in a while a client will moan when I give them a task. This past week my husband broke three ribs..ouch! He has been doing a lot of moaning.

What does a groan or a moan do for you? Does it make you feel better or worse? Does it help bring attention to you? Is this the intent?

I have been thinking since my husband's vocal moans this past weekend about what the moaning did for him. I asked him if it made him feel better but he could not answer me. I suggested he try to not concentrate on the pain by adding to it with a moan. I don't know if that worked but he did stop groaning and moaning so much!

I am going to start pointing out groans and moans to clients and see what they have to say. In the meantime, if you want attention by all means groan and moan. But it might add to the unpleasantness of the situation you are not happy about.

Just a thought!