Staying Healthy: Seasonal Tips

10 Tips for Spring Cleaning
10 Tips for Spring Cleansing & Spiritual Renewal
10 Tips for Staying Healthy in Summer
10 Tips on Staying Healthy with Autumn
10 Tips for Winter Health
10 Tips on Your Heat and Your Health
10 Tips on Staying Healthy Through the Holidays
10 Health Affirmations/Resolutions for The New Year

10 Tips for Spring Cleaning

Become Current in your Life in this inspiring season. Embrace yourself honestly as you look at all of your habits and areas of your own life. Even with all the worldly concerns, care for yourself and your loved ones. Assess the various aspects of your life to see where stresses or weaknesses exist—your diet, exercise program, work or relationships as examples—and focus on the ones that need improvement.
Look at your personal relationships and see how they affect you and how you affect them. Include your significant other, friends, or relatives to go along with you in a Spring Cleansing diet for their own good and for your support. For my cleanse groups, I find that personal support is extremely valuable for many people to achieve the success they want.
Choose three habits that inhabit and likely undermine your health and life. How and when did they begin, and are you done with any? Which ones are most important for you to change or incorporate to create a healthier you? Do you need help or can you do this on your own? Mine are to eat more lightly at night so that I can digest more fully to be less full, to take more time for stretching and yoga, and to create with some other experts a nutritional plan to reverse some calcium plaque I have in my coronary arteries. It's easier to give stuff up if you start something new, like breathing more often, walking, dancing, romancing, and overall, making more time for health.
Clean and organize your home—tis the season of Nature’s new year in clearing out the old and bringing in the new. I love this feeling of looking at my desk, my closet, and every nook and cranny around my house and office, and wanting to freshen it all. And it’s a good way to stay out of the kitchen (which also gets cleaner along with my frig) and look at other areas of my life. Of course, after all my years of accumulating and with all the communication and journals I receive, it’s harder to handle everything in my existence as it was in my earlier years of cleansing. Yet, I do what I can and sometimes have my support team keep moving things forward and recycling what we can. Then, my life feels and looks cleaner and lighter at the end of my Spring Cleaning, and has space for the new to land.
Get outdoors and exercise—move your Body! Stay Fit and Stay Healthy. Friluftsliv is a Norwegian term for healing and de-stressing by going outdoors and exercising in the free and fresh air. Hike and explore your neighborhood and extended community or find a place you’ve heard about and wanted to visit. I love the lightness and easiness I feel when I am cleansing, and my body feels more flexible and able to do my aerobic exercise. A yoga class is a good experience to expand our flexibility. Breathe and relax as well. Play flute, dance, and make time for romance. Remember, it’s Spring!
Look at your dietary choices. What do you choose to put in that mouth of yours? And what do you fuel your other “mouths” with—those areas of energy intake, like your eyes, ears, skin, and heart? Write down a few days of your typical diet, then assess it and write a new plan based on your knowledge of what’s right for your body. You may also wish to take a break from the TV, news, violent movies, and stressful people while you are purifying your life. It’s good to have a reference by taking a break, even with substances like caffeine and sugar (See The New Detox Diet book), to see how you feel and what level your dependence is on your favorite substances. I can assure you that it feels good to release yourself from those habits.
Next look at your Emotional and Spiritual aspects. How do you feel usually? Are you low or depressed? Or more positive and energetic? Ideally, we can feel a wide range of emotions based on our daily life experience and not dwell on one particular emotion, which is the real problem. Embrace the whys of moods and energy levels with greater honesty of your true feelings—that’s the beginning of healing feelings. And I can tell you that many factors ranging from your diet and digestive health to your early childhood learned behavior patterns influence your mood, energy level, and emotions, and thus your Spiritual Well-Being.
Do some Cleansing or Detox Program for 1-3 weeks this Spring. This could include juice cleansing, the New Detox Diet, or a period off sugar, chocolate, sodas, milk products, wheat, or whatever you believe undermines your health. To do this successfully, it helps to write out a plan and focus on what you will do and will eat, and not what you are leaving out. Make a list of your good foods, shop for them, and have them available whenever you are hungry. And drink lots of good water.
Now let’s look at your Nutritional Supplements. What’s the best ones to use during a detoxification diet? I suggest, with a food-based Detox Program, a simple age- and gender-appropriate multivitamin/mineral along with additional antioxidants that include Vitamins C and E (mixed natural tocopherols), and selenium as the basic supplement plan. Also helpful for most people are herbs that stimulate bowel function, and blue green algae (like Chlorella or spirulina) for energy and Detox support. I also suggest drinking plenty of water and herbal teas. Calcium and magnesium before bed can help with relaxation and sleep or a buffered vitamin C formula with those minerals plus potassium help to alkalinize and cleanse the body.
Make your Overall Plan and Commitments. Begin by looking at the key areas of life—Health and personal habits, Love and relationships, and Career or work. And if LOVE moves into all those areas, that’s all the better as you’ll care for yourself and your life, plus your relationships in a positive way. Human love is temporal for many, yet love in the Spirit is everlasting. We are all blessed to share this garden, this Earth, which needs our Love and Protection. We must take the time to Nurture Nature, in order to Nourish and Flourish.

10 Tips for Spring Cleansing & Spiritual Renewal

Feel the power of Nature all around you and within you. Know that this awesome force is available to you, and allow it to influence the course of your life and health. Identify the areas of your life that need some work and plan specific improvements that incorporate the changing seasons. Allow yourself to visualize your Perfect Life, and nourish that vision through your cleansing and renewal process.
Spring is the time for renewing your life - letting go of what you don't need (physical, mental, and emotional habits that undermine your health) and bringing in what you need anew (accepting positive health habits that will satisfy your soul). Take a break from the TV to be more creative, or read by candlelight without the electrical vibrations at night, or just sit quiet to meditate and listen.
Get more outside exercise and spend more time in Nature. Take hikes, plant a garden, or work in a community garden. Create a balanced fitness program or modify the one you are already following that will support your healthy, body/mind happiness. Working up a sweat helps you dump toxins; this will improve your health and lead to fewer doctor's visits. Also add some reflective practices such as stretching, yoga, or chi gong; these help support renewal by giving your body time to gently de-stress and deepen the changes you are making in your life.
Consider a special and specific detoxification program. This could include substance avoidance (off sugar and caffeine, for example), The New Detox Diet, or a Juice Cleanse (with the warming of the weather), such as the Master Cleanser (lemonade diet), all discussed in my books and in several Articles on my website. Herbal remedies for detoxification can also be helpful.
Renew all aspects of your Life. Go through your piles of papers, your clothes, and the corners of rooms in areas that haven't seen light for years. Don't be afraid to let go and let things flow. Give things away, have a garage sale, and recycle or re-circulate what you can. "Being simple, simply being." (Argisle-izm)
Begin to gently, yet seriously, re-evaluate the key areas of your life - work (career), relationships, and health. Again, look at what undermines your potential in these worlds and allow clear guidance, suggestions, and actions to arise in your being. Try to be more aware of the subtle areas of life and the effects of foods. How does the food you eat make you feel. Increased vitality and improved health will change how you view your life and how much energy you have to create positive change for yourself.
It is your healthy body that lets your Spirit fly more freely. Nutritional supplements (as the raw materials--vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids) nourish and support your body and mind, and this in turn enhances your higher dimensions. The cleansing process de-stresses your body and lets your energy rise and awaken your psyche. Freshly squeezed juices and herbal teas are vitalizing, high-vibration nourishment. Sprouts from seeds and grains are live, vital food. Aromatherapy and smelling the beautiful sweetness of the spring flowers will soother your soul as well.
Be Earth-aware and Earth-friendly. Be conscious of where things come from and where they go - and the real cost of products you use - such as plastics and chemical products. Re-use and Re-cycle. Support more earth-conscious businesses and products. How do you vote with your dollar?
Cleansing habits to incorporate include deep and relaxed breathing, yoga-type stretching, dry skin brushing, and wonderful walks in Nature. When was the last time you de-stressed, downloaded and digested your life experiences to catch up to the present? After my detox groups, people are usually more attuned and more aware of their habits, and have made long-term positive changes. It is crucial for most people in our busy society to take occasional food fasts (instead of fast foods), substance breaks, and even appliance (electromagnetic) and news/TV vacations.
Do something that uplifts your Spirit, such as caring for a loved one or an elderly neighbor. Trust your heart and feed it joyful experiences. Put your Spirit on the line for what you believe. Doing for another is key to completing the circle of life, called Love. Building community is a positive change for Earth as well as for our Spirit.

10 Tips for Staying Healthy in Summer

Stay cool and hydrated. Drink water, at least two to four cups (16-32 ounces) upon rising, and similar amounts if you are going out for activities and exercise. Carry water with you in a hard plastic container (more stable polycarbonate rather than polyethylene that leaches plastic into the water). You may also use a traveling water filter. Check your local water stores or www.realgoods.com. Most people need two to three quarts of liquid per day, and more in hot weather or with sweating and exercise. Review Chapter 1 of Staying Healthy with Nutrition or Chapter 7 of The Staying Healthy Shopper's Guide for further information on Water.
While enjoying the sun and outdoors, protect yourself from overexposure to sunlight by wearing a hat and using natural sunscreens without excessive chemicals. Carry Aloe Vera gel for overexposure and have an aloe plant growing in your home for any kind of burn. The cooling and healing gel inside the leaves will soothe any sunburn. It works great.
Keep up or begin an exercise program. Aerobic activity is important for keeping the heart strong and healthy. If you only work out in a health club, take some time to do outdoor refreshing activities -- hiking, biking, swimming, or tennis. Reconnecting with these activities will help keep your body and mind aligned.
Enjoy Nature's bounty – fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables at their organic best. Consuming foods that are cooling and light -- fresh fruits, vegetable juices, raw vital salads, and lots of water -- will nourish your body for summertime activities. Include some protein with one or two meals. There are a number of light, nourishing proteins that don't require cooking. Most of these complement fruits and vegetables nicely-- nuts, seeds, sprouted beans, soy products, yogurt, kefir, and cottage cheese. Fish and poultry can also be eaten.
Take some special summer time activities with your family, kids, and friends who share the enjoyment of outdoors. Plan a fun trip if you're able and motivated for a day or longer -- hiking in the wild, camping, playing at the river, or a few days resting at the ocean. Rekindling our Earth connection has benefits that last beyond this season, continuing to enrich the whole of your life.
Relax and breathe. You've been working hard. This is the season to slow the pace a bit and absorb the light that stimulates your hormonal message center. Leave your cell phone at home or take a week off from TV. In many European countries, most of the population has a month off during the summer.
Sun teas are wonderful. Use flowers and leaves (or tea bags) in a clear half- or one-gallon glass jar filled with spring water. Hibiscus or red clover flowers, peppermint, chamomile, or lemon grass are all good choices, or use your local herbs and flowers that you learn are safe, flavorful, and even medicinal. Leave in the sun for two hours or up to a whole day. Moon teas can also be made to enhance your lunar, dreamy side by letting your herbs steep in the cooling, mystical moonlight. Add a little orange or lemon peel, or a sprig of rosemary and a few jasmine flowers.
Nutritional supplements can support you with a greater amount of physical energy, enhancing your summer activities. The B-complex vitamins are calming to the nervous system and helpful for cellular energy production, while vitamin C and the other antioxidants protect your body from stress, chemical pollutants, and the biochemical by-products of exercise. Helpful summer herbs are Siberian ginseng as an energy tonic and stress protector, dong quai is a tonic for women, hawthorn berry is good for the heart, and licorice root will help energy balance and digestion.
Use the summer months to deepen the spiritual awakening begun in the spring. Begin by checking your local bookstore or the web for ideas that interest you. Plan a vacation that incorporates these new interests and provides you time to read, relax, contemplate, and breathe.
Above all, give yourself the time to truly experience Nature. This can happen, even in a city park, if you relax and let in your surroundings. When traveling, take activities for the family and your first aid kit for bites, bee stings, and injuries. Check for ticks after your hikes. Watch for overexposure, take time in the shade, and drink your water.

10 Tips on Staying Healthy with Autumn

Open up to the harvest of your year and be willing to work hard and discipline yourself as you head into a new season. If you’re a student (we are all students of life), get back to your studies. Yes, it’s time to shift from the frivolity and laziness of Summer. Nature is so giving, and it helps to be receptive to her and what the Earth has to offer. What do we have to give to life for all the energy, love, and beauty I hope we all receive?
Relationships are important to all of us. This is a good time to deepen and clarify our love and family connections. This helps us discover more about our own needs and those of others close to us, as well as learn to listen to them (both the needs and the people). Also, learn to be alone and listen to your inner guidance and truth. Some folks focus relationships on their computers and TV's, cars or other electronics. Can you still your mind chatter, and let your body breathe deeply to your soul? Give it a try and your spirit will be calmed and can also fly free of the burdens of time.
Open to the creative Spirit. We can receive new ideas and actions necessary to fulfill our purpose and move us forward in our life. This can help to improve motivation with new energy and excitement for life. This could be writing about past experiences or our future goals, working on a book or personal story, reading a self-help book and applying it to improve our life, or taking up a new exercise. In other words, start a program now that you can develop and work on in the colder, darker months.
The foundation and fortification with our foods and diet is an important focus now. Again, this is Harvest time and there are a great many foods—apples and walnuts, sunflower seeds, zucchini and other squash, cabbages, peppers and tomatoes, plus many grains and beans. Learn some new recipes and enjoy good foods. Most of us need more protein and heat generating foods in the colder months, even the energizing spicy peppers such as cayenne and chilis. This will keep our blood and energy moving.
Exercise activity is crucial now as in any season. As the weather cools, stretching is even more important, as is having indoor exercises we can do. Yoga and other flexibility-enhancing movements are helpful at keeping us youthful. “We are as young as our spine is flexible.” Our weight work and aerobic activities are vital to staying fit and toned, and strong to support our immune function and circulation. A vital body rarely gets sick.
Nutritional supplements are often useful this time of year. Many of my patients add some nutrients that support immune function so as not to pick up “what’s going around.” Taking some Echinacea now is helpful as is the Chinese herb, astragalus. Maintaining daily vitamins C and E along with selenium and zinc is also immune protective and clears our body of certain toxins. Roots are helpful at tonifying our body at this time. Ginseng is quite good for building strength and endurance. Burdock root is good for the skin. See the Autumn section of Staying Healthy with the Seasons for further information.
Detoxification is the word for early Autumn. I am doing a whole month myself and have a 3-week group starting in mid-month (See Upcoming Appearances). Doing an effective Detox Diet or avoiding sugar, wheat and dairy for a couple weeks (as I write about in The False Fat Diet) is often quite revealing and helps us to feel better—lighter and more youthful with greater energy. Since it’s getting cooler, we’ll need to exercise and sauna or steam as a means to sweat to clear toxins. Regular sweating is important to health and longevity.
Prepare for the cold season. Gather your fuel and food, breathe, and exercise, as you should. In Chinese medicine, the fall season focuses on the lungs and large intestine. Overdoing it can lead to congestion and toxicity, as well as constipation and the clogging of the nose and sinuses. This leads then to upper respiratory infections as the germs grow in the mucus and then inflame the membranes. Staying clean and clear this season along with a healthy immune system will help keep you well. Try a facial steam and breathe in the herbal mist (you can use mints, rosemary, chamomile, lemon verbena, and other herbs) to help clear the sinuses.
Should you get any colds or flus, it’s best to jump on those immediately. I start with hourly vitamin C of about 1000 mg, increased doses of vitamin A (not beta-carotene) 25,000-30,000 IUs 3 times daily for just 3-4 days and then lower that dosage to 10-20,000 IUs twice daily for about a week (then take a break since excess vitamin A can be toxic if taken too long). I also use fresh garlic as several cloves at a time dipped in honey and chew them; I may repeat this several times the first day. That’s a spicy and aromatic natural antibiotic and immune defender; you can alternately use the odorless garlic caps, several 3 times daily if you don’t want to smell, but they’re not quite as effective. Echinacea and goldenseal alcohol extract can also be used to support immunity and cleanse the membranes. Some help may be achieved with olive leaf extract as a mild anti-viral herb. Of course, drink lots of water, herbal teas, and hot soup. You can press several cloves of garlic into your bowl of soup before you eat, instead of eating the garlic straight.
Take a rest now because the demanding holiday season is just around the corner. Don’t burn your batteries out before November. Kindle your inner flame and firepower, which is protective from the invasion of harsh climates and germs. The Winter blues comes partly from a loss of this fire energy. Shifting and balancing with the Seasons is vital to Staying Healthy.

10 Tips for Winter Health

Take time for reflection. The introspective nature of winter provides an excellent opportunity for greater reflection and self-assessment. Take an honest look at where you are. At the same time, be gentle with yourself. If you are somewhat depleted, you may also feel more vulnerable and more susceptible to illness. Your emotions may be high, or you may be more sensitive than usual. See if you are able to accept yourself more fully in as many areas of your life as possible.
Reduce stress. That will help you conserve energy and slow down unnecessary drains on your energy. Assess the type of stress you are experiencing - is it physical or emotional? Are you feeling stress from your environment, an illness, your work, or your relationships? Write down a few tips to help with your stress.
Get quality sleep. Sleep involves both your state-of-mind and body chemistry. If you go to bed feeling stressed or laden with worries, even if you don't normally have insomnia, your sleep may not have the quality it does when your mind is relaxed. On the other hand, I have patients who report that they sleep more deeply and more easily if they supplement with certain nutrients, such as calcium and magnesium.
Increase the relaxation in your life. Learn some relaxation exercises or practice yoga, Tai chi, Qigong, or Pilates exercises. These gentle practices can be done almost anywhere, regardless of the weather.
Nourish yourself. In this still cold time of winter, provide your body with the extra raw materials it needs. Emphasize warming foods - more concentrated sources of fuel and nutrients, including whole grains and beans, nuts and seeds, seaweed, and quality proteins. In cold or damp weather, you also require a few more calories and spices such as ginger, garlic, and cayenne to heat your body.
Be sure you're getting enough Essential Nutrients. You also need some nutrient enhancement to protect you from the stresses of cold, wind, dampness, and the decrease in sunlight. [This is the reason cod liver oil, containing vitamins A, D, and good fatty acids, was a staple in healthy families in the 19th century.] The antioxidants are important, especially vitamins A, E, and C. Nutrients that address stress include the B complex vitamins (with B5 and B12), as well as the range of "smart supplements" now available such as alpha lipoic acid, phosphatidyl serine, and others.
Make sure you get enough friendly fats and oils - the essential fatty acids you all need to operate the nervous system, rebuild and protect your cells, and assure good brain function. Remember that these fats do not make us fat - in fact, you're more likely to gain weight if you don't have them, because the lack may increase your food cravings.
Avoid over-indulgence. If you feel like you're "running on empty," it makes sense to give yourself a little extra nurturing. But don't confuse self-care with self-indulgence. Continue to minimize sweets and simple starches and avoid the empty calories of junk food. Portion sizes may also be a factor. Provide yourself with quality nutrition and supplements rather than constantly jump-starting yourself with caffeine.
Have fun. Laugh. Hang out with your most fun-loving and light-hearted friends, including animal friends. Simple pleasures are stress reducing and very healing.
Make time for love. Touch and intimacy are also good for your health. If you're not in an intimate relationship, get a massage, renew an old friendship, or make time for some close emotional interchanges with a trusted friend or family member.
Nourish others. Notice how very deeply that nourishes you in return. Build giving into your life. Another important aspect of giving is remembering to keep reasonable limits or boundaries, so you don't feel swallowed up or depleted by your generosity. That brings us full circle to the idea of conserving energy at the end of winter, in preparation for the rebirth of spring.

10 Tips on Your Heat and Your Health

First look at your Wardrobe, your clothes. Are they seasonal? When the weather is colder, think layers; be a "seasonal stripper." This helps you adapt to being indoors or out, and makes it easier to warm up during the day or with outdoor activities. Wear a T-shirt (silks are great), another shirt, sweater and jacket. For your lower body, you have leggings or long underwear, and different weight pants. Use natural fibers whenever possible as they allow the skin to breathe, are less irritating, and more balanced electromagnetically. We also go in and out of differently heated environments, and this can affect our inner thermostat and immune system. Even though you may be buried under those layers, make sure you keep your body clean and fresh for better health protection. Also, wash your hands to reduce germ exposure and spread, clean under your nails, and floss your teeth to stay kissing clean.
Feet are the key to keeping your body warm. When they become cold from temperature, stress, or poor circulation, your body won't feel warm. Many years ago I co-created Sole Sox (anatomical reflexology socks, available through The Element Emporium). One of the tips from our sock label is: Put a sprinkle of cayenne pepper in your socks to keep your feet warm. Don't overdo it and be careful with the spice in your eyes. Warm herbal footbaths and foot massage with warm oils is great at this time of year.
There are many Foods to feed your furnace. You basically want to eat foods that are more concentrated in protein and energy, and need more heat to prepare. Cooked whole grains and beans are great. Soups are a must. I like miso soups with seaweed for the extra nourishment. Cooked and spiced vegetables are quite tasty and healthy. Baked hard squashes, such as acorn, butternut, or spaghetti squash are all sweet and warming. Nuts and seeds provide good oil, lots of nutrients, and protection (See next Tip). Animal proteins can be increased over the winter if you eat these foods. Otherwise, you can keep warm with the above foods and the right spices, like the stimulant and warming cayenne and chili peppers, ginger, garlic, and onions (See Tip #5).
I like my Recipe from Staying Healthy with the Seasons that combines equal amounts of brown rice, lentils, and sunflower seeds. Slowly simmer twice the amount of water with one half to one cup each of these foods; so that's 3 to 6 cups of water. It takes about 30-45 minutes to make. Also Kim Chee (Korean spiced cabbage) will warm your innards and help your circulation.
Consume the Good Fats, as natural vegetable oils from nuts and seeds, or from high-quality and fresh cold-pressed (organic) olive oil. These essential fatty acids support healthy cell membranes, which protect us from viruses, and lubricate the inner tissues. They also provide nine calories per gram, which is more fuel; however, you don't want to over-consume them. Bad fats stress the body and clog the blood vessels; they may also alter hormone and immune function. The omega-3 fatty acids from oily fish are cardio-protective and are part of very nutritious foods. Some examples of these fish are sardines and mackerel, salmon, and trout. Eating these fish two or three times weekly has been shown to be beneficial to health in various studies. Remember, Eskimos survive in a frozen climate by eating whale, bear, and walrus fat, but it is not processed and they are one with their igloo and tribe. The right oil foods supply vitamins E, A, D, and K (the fat-soluble vitamins). Get a little sun over the winter to provide vitamin D and support your bones. See Chapter 4 in Staying Healthy with Nutrition for more on Fats and Oils.
Many Herbs help to support body heat. Recipe: Ginger root tea is one of the best. Simmer a few slices of root in two cups of water for about 15 minutes, cool a bit, and serve with a touch of lemon and honey if you wish. You can also pour the mixture over some leaf herbs, such as peppermint. Garlic and onions are warming when used fresh or added to meals. Cayenne and other chili-like hot spices are great to add to dishes. Salsas are also a useful way to get warming and nutritious fresh foods, including garlic, onions, peppers, and more. Black pepper is also warming, but it is also irritating to the GI tract for many people. I don't tolerate it well, and some people are even allergic to black pepper. See Winter in the Seasons book. Maintaining your heat can protect you from colds. If you do start to feel a cold coming on, drink lots of hot liquids, such as herbal teas and soups. Take Echinacea root extract and try olive leaf in capsules as directed on the bottle; both are known as immune boosters.
Exercise is also crucial for good circulation and building body heat. Aerobic activity helps strengthen the heart and improve circulation. Weight training builds muscle, and the more muscle you have, the better the metabolism. This fact is an important one for people trying to lose weight. A regular exercise program helps the body function best, keeps the attitude more upbeat, and maintains health, probably more so than any other lifestyle factor. One of the other benefits of exercise is body purification – the cleansing of the blood and all the body tissues. It also supports deep breathing. If you work out and sweat or go to a gym, be sure to watch your hygiene and shower and cleanse your body appropriately.
Steams and Saunas help heat the body and cleanse it of impurities. This may be temporary, yet is also a very therapeutic process. Skin brushing with a dry brush or loofa sponge is helpful. The skin is a large surface organ, and stimulating it is cleansing and invigorating. Remember that one of the blessings of winter is a nice hot bath. There is also the world of aromatherapy to indulge in for many reasons; put some natural oils in your bath or on your body to relax and invigorate yourself. If you feel you need to cleanse, feel toxic, or have exposure to much electromagnetism at work or with air travel, try the good old seasalt and soda bath. Pour a cup of each into a hot bath and soak. Read a good book; listen to soothing music, with a candle, by yourself or with your very close friend.
Yoga Stretching and deep breathing can help you center and energize. A special form of heat yoga, called Bikram Yoga, has become quite popular. The room is heated up over 100 degrees and the hour or more session opens up the flexibility and the skin pores. It's kind of like doing yoga in a sauna. Yoga is also a great stress reducer. And since stress affects the nervous system, which in turn alters the circulation, it is one of the key causes of cold hands and feet. Relaxation is very helpful at reducing this phenomenon. Yoga is the art and at the heart of creating balance and union with your own body and the universe, both within and without, all at once. It's a good practice to keep the channels open to the great cosmic breath, which feeds us all.
Meditation and Visualization are important internal exercises as well. Keep your spirit channels open to receive your highest guidance. And speaking of channels, be aware that too many electrical appliances and too much TV can interfere vibrationally with what you truly wish and need to give and receive. We need to use our deeper thoughts and feelings to create something new in our health and life. This, in turn, makes our world a better place. Keep a journal, work on organizing creative projects, and apply what you've leaned – project yourself into the next year as a healthful contributor to yourself, your family, and your community. Make your new plan for 2002 this month and see how close you come when you re-evaluate in a year. Look at what outmoded ideas you have, clear out any obstacles, and make way for your new ways of being and practices.
Relationships are a bonus for the colder, damper winter months. If you are lucky enough to have someone to care about and/or care for you, plan some special activities (teatime, in between storm walks, foot massages). Doing simple things together – gather firewood, check out bulbs and root vegetables to plant, create a new recipe and a meal – to build bonds that help us flourish, even in the darkest times. This is the perfect time to give of our selves. For many of us, the gift of personal connection is much more important than receiving material objects. Visit an old friend or elderly person, or anyone you know who might be lonely and could use your good energy and caring to pick up their spirit. Schedule some time to just "hang out" instead of filling every minute with activities. The more we give, the more we have. Who said that?

10 Tips on Staying Healthy Through the Holidays

Don’t be in a daze these holidays. Be aware and be fair to your body. Most of us can get away with some treats or indiscretions to our usual eating habits. However, if we vary too much and go to extremes, we may suffer the consequences and get sick. Get to know yourself and find a balance.
This is a good time to deepen and clarify your love and family connections. Emotional nurturance offers a satisfaction that may allow less emotional eating and avoid the excesses of the holidays. Be a supportive friend, and ask for support if you need it. Take care of one another. Give it a try and your spirit will be calmed and can also fly free of the burdens of time.
Stay open to your creativity. Do new things to improve your health, such as a treatment like massage or trying some new, healthy foods. The first weeks of November are good to look at some clean-up time. Soon there will be many tempting sweets, baked goods, and alcohol beverages.
Maintain your cornerstones of health. These include a good diet, regular exercise, adequate sleep, and minimal stress, including being able to relate well to family, friends, and co-workers.
Find the basic supportive foods for your diet that provides the energy and nutrients your body needs to stay healthy. In the colder months, it is important to focus on heat generating foods, such as cooked grains and legumes, hard squashes, some nuts and seeds, and protein foods. Also, include some garlic, onion, and ginger, plus the energizing spicy peppers such as cayenne and chili. This will keep your blood and energy moving.
Know what works for you. I have found that my five keys to Staying Healthy are:
• Do not eat too much too late in the day.
• Drink plenty of clean water.
• Exercise regularly.
• Chew my food very well, eating more slowly.
• Focus my diet around vegetables. What are the keys to maintaining your health?
Exercise activity is crucial now as in any season. As the weather cools, stretching is even more important, as is having indoor exercises we can do. Yoga and other flexibility-enhancing movements are helpful at keeping us youthful. “We are as young as our spine is flexible.” Working with weights and doing aerobic exercise are vital to staying fit and strong to support immune function and circulation. A vital body rarely gets sick. Also, meditate and explore your inner world and dreams in your restful recharging sleep.
Nutritional supplements can be used to support our health as well. Immune supportive nutrients can help us prevent common illnesses. Taking some Echinacea now is helpful, as is the Chinese herb, astragalus. Maintaining daily vitamins C and E along with selenium and zinc is also immune protective and helps clear our body of certain toxins. Some people are helped by other herbs or animal gland extracts, such as thymus, spleen, and liver.!
Enjoy safe travels by preparing well and being aware and cautious. Plan your trips. Avoid dehydration and eat well; this may involve bringing water and appropriate food/snacks with you on the plane or in your car. Take a few key supplements with you to ward off all the germ exposures. This includes garlic, vitamin C, and others. Also, review my Summer 2002 Health Tips or my book, The Staying Healthy Shopper’s Guide, for more ideas. Factors that can weaken immunity include stressful emotions, nutritional deficiencies, excess sugar and alcohol, and overwork. Some Immune Supporters include good sleep, a healthy diet, regular exercise, and feelings of love and appreciation. (See the Immune Enhancement section in Chapter 16 of Staying Healthy with Nutrition.)
Prepare for the cold season. Gather your fuel and food, breathe, and exercise as you should. In Chinese medicine, the fall season focuses on the lungs and large intestine. Overdoing it can lead to congestion and toxicity, as well as constipation and the clogging of the nose and sinuses. This leads then to upper respiratory infections as the germs grow in the mucus and then inflame the membranes. Staying clean and clear this season along with a healthy immune system will help keep you well. Try a facial steam and breathe in the herbal mist (you can use mints, rosemary, chamomile, lemon verbena, and other herbs) to help clear the sinuses.
Take a rest now because the demanding holiday season is just around the corner. Don’t burn your batteries out before December. Kindle your inner flame and firepower, which is protective from the invasion of harsh climates and germs. The Winter blues comes partly from a loss of this fire energy. Shifting and balancing with the Seasons is vital to Staying Healthy.

Extra Notes on Colds & Flus
Should you get any colds or flus, it’s best to jump on those immediately. I start with hourly vitamin C of about 1000 mg, increased doses of vitamin A (not beta-carotene) 25,000-30,000 IUs 3 times daily for just 3-4 days and then lower that dosage to 10-20,000 IUs twice daily for about a week (then take a break since excess vitamin A can be toxic if taken too long). I also use fresh garlic as several cloves at a time dipped in honey and chew them; I may repeat this several times the first day. That’s a spicy and aromatic natural antibiotic and immune defender; you can alternately use the odorless garlic caps, several capsules 3 times daily if you don’t want to smell, but they’re not quite as effective. Echinacea and goldenseal alcohol extract can also be used to support immunity and cleanse the membranes. Some help may be achieved with olive leaf extract as a mild anti-viral herb. Of course, drink lots of water, herbal teas, and hot soup. You can press several cloves of garlic into your bowl of soup before you eat, instead of eating the garlic straight. See my article on Preventing Colds & Flus from November 2000.

10 Health Affirmations/Resolutions for The New Year

I make caring for my health a priority in my life. My other top priorities are caring for others in my world and doing a quality job in my work.
I find and do the right exercise program for my body to stay (or get) fit and trim, and stick with it – to promote flexibility, strength, and endurance for life.
I eat a balanced diet of wholesome foods for my weight and body type (to maintain or achieve an optimum level).
I am aware of my food and substance weaknesses and abuses such as sugar, caffeine, or alcohol – and I take steps to avoid them or use them sparingly. From January into the warmer Springtime is an ideal detoxification period, depending on your climate and body warmth. See my book, The New Detox Diet for more information.
Since I personally have struggled with my own weight (because I just love food), here are my five specialized resolutions for keeping my body trim.
• I drink plenty of good, clean water, at least two quarts daily.
• I focus my diet around vegetables, which are nutritious and low in calories.
• I chew my food well. By eating more slowly, I feel more satisfied and nourished with less food and experience better digestion.
• I eat minimally or not at all after nightfall and ideally eat my main nutritious meals at breakfast, at midday, or by 6pm.
• I exercise regularly to burn calories, enhance my circulation and stay positive and fit.
I allow myself enough sleep to rest my body nightly, thus recharging my batteries and supporting my immune strength to protect me from illness.
I take appropriate nutritional/herbal supplements for my body's ideal function and health. See my book Staying Healthy with Nutrition for more information.
I maintain an attitude of health in caring for and loving my body such that I will follow healthy habits year around. My body is my only lifelong possession and I treat it in a loving way.
I pay attention to my emotions and stresses, and continue to develop non-aggressive ways to express my feelings and let go of stress.
I ask others, especially loved ones and co-workers, what they need from me and I do what I can to support them. Likewise, I let them know what I need as appropriate to each life situation. In other words, I care for others and allow them to care for me.

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