Archives: the healthy mix

I couldn’t resist – she’s SO cute!

Do you get enough rest? This is a question I’ve been asking myself a lot lately. With the change of seasons, I’ve found my body wants to hibernate as much as possible – especially with the last few days being rainy and gloomy.

The trick is though; you have to give in when your body is tired. I learned this when I had mono back in high school. That was a really interesting time… All I wanted to do was sleep and I was allowed to do it! Doctor’s orders were to sleep! AMAZING!

Sometimes in my life now I get this guilty feeling when I have free time in my afternoon that I should be doing something very productive and not wasting my time sleeping.

Oh man… you therapists out there will probably have a field day with this – BUT when one works for him or herself this gets to be a problem.

How can we get rid of the guilt, allow our bodies to rest and feel refreshed?

I know many of you struggle with this, even those who work in corporate office environments.

The challenge is this: can you listen to your body, know when it’s tired and be OKAY with that? Give in already… healing happens when we sleep – really!

Sleep more, rest more and feel great! If you have a problem sleeping here are a few tips to help.

– Try taking 5-6 drops of valerian root before bed. It comes in a liquid form at the health food store

– Try taking melatonin before bed, get the sublingual kind – it melts in your mouth so it absorbs faster

– Try 1 tablespoon kuzu root mixed with warm or cold apple juice. Stir well and drink about ½ a cup of the juice before bed.

I’ve used kuzu root and valarian in the same night to ensure a great sleep. Give it a try!

With all of these remedies don’t be dependent on them for too long. Try it for 2 weeks then stop and see how you are naturally. If you’re having sleep deprivation for too long then make sure to see a doctor and get it checked out.

Sleep is sacred – treat it as such!

Playful Kali

Kali Posing for the Camera

Almost 3 years ago we adopted a cat. I grew up with a cat my whole life and when she died I thought I could never love another cat again. I knew Chad and I both really wanted a pet but the demands of a dog didn’t seem to jive with our schedule and he said he was “allergic” to cats.

Well… for some reason I decided to challenge his allergies and we agreed to foster a cat on my birthday 3 years ago! Well… we never gave her back – and Chad’s allergies are totally fine!

We fell in love with this animal who brings us more love each day then we ever could have imagined.

Here are several things that I’ve learned from my 4-legged furry friend.

She’s never afraid to ask for what she wants – a.k.a. stepping on my computer to get my attention so I can give her attention!

She takes time out of her day to stretch.

Her cleanliness is impeccable and she wouldn’t have it any other way!

When she needs something she’s vocal and let’s us know immediately without holding it in.

She’s playful

She knows how to get what she wants almost all the time – a trait I am trying to figure out how to master!

She is one big ball of love and isn’t afraid to share it with everyone who crosses her path.

Do you have a pet? What are some things you have learned from your pet?

If you don’t have a pet, you might want to think about adopting one. There are tons of kitty shelters like The American Street Cat who capture and save cats who are loving and friendly.

Cherish your pet everyday. They live off of your love.

Last week was the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur. It completes the annual high holy days in the Jewish tradition and is a day where Jews everywhere repent and reflect upon the days past and the days to come.

Chad and I are traditionally Jewish and find that we continually take the holidays into our own hands bringing our own meaning to them.

Chad and I decided to do a juice fast instead of a full fast for Yom Kippur. I made all the juices on Tuesday night, put them in jars and had them all prepared when we woke up on Wednesday morning. When I drove Chad to work – just as he got out of the car he said: “thanks for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner!” This small act of appreciation made me stop and get excited that we were actually going through with our cleanse and that we were in it together!

It’s a great idea to cleanse with another person. Then you have the ability to call the other person up, complain that it’s challenging and then you push each other to keep going and hold off until you can drink the next juice!

I have to say that through this cleanse I didn’t get a headache once. My blood sugar was raised enough all day so that I didn’t have a serious crash. When I did feel like I was about to crash I started drinking my next juice slowly and it helped immensely!

If you’re planning on completing a cleanse, try doing it with someone else!

Cheers to an easy fast!

Shira

For the past few weeks I’ve been dealing with a shoulder injury. Yes, it really sucks! As a yoga instructor it’s been a challenge for me not to use my arms AT ALL during the classes that I teach. I haven’t done any demos in class and it’s very frustrating to say the least.

The Dr. says I have bicep tendonitis. How did I get it ? No clue! He said it’s from over use, Oh man – over use?! How can I NOT use my arm?

Everyone keeps telling me that this injury will be one of the biggest teachers in my life – since it will show me how to get out of my comfort zone and find a new way to still be a great teacher. Well, it’s been a rough few weeks but I’m finally starting to see the light. I definitely had my down and depressed days where I was so upset that it was hard for me to do much, but I’ve since figured out how to move on and be okay about where I’m at now.

I’ve learned to take it step-by-step, day by day and not get too caught up in the frustration of it all. Patience is key in this life and boy have I been given a fine teaching of that.

Here are 2 natural anti-inflammatory supplements that I’ve added into my daily regimen and found to be very helpful.

New Chapter’s  Zyflamend

Liquid Turmeric in a tincture.

Cheers to our health!

I’ve never been a science wiz – but when it comes to food and understanding how to make myself feel better, that’s where my wiz-ness comes handy.

I’ve officially up’d my fermented foods intake. Why you may ask? Well, the fermentation process creates loads of probiotics, which are the healthy bacteria that our gut needs to digest foods properly.

You can eat as many nutrients as you want, but if your body is not digesting them properly then there really is no point. Fermentation helps replenish your healthy bacteria. To me, it’s like eating/drinking tums or something else to help make the food settle easier.

Here’s what I like to eat almost everyday:

-Lactose free kefir

-Raw miso that I’ve bought at the store to make soup (not from the Japanese       restaurant)

-Raw kombucha, G.T.’s brand with the least sugar is best

-Raw sauerkraut

-Tempeh (fermented soybeans)

-Organic yogurt

-Swedish Bitters

Sure I can easily take a probiotic vitamin, but who knows how much of that gets absorbed into my system. With eating these naturally fermented foods, I am sure that the nutrients are getting absorbed directly into my system, which in turn helps me to digest and makes me feel better all around.

Try adding in one fermented food product into your daily diet. I think kefir is a great option, it tastes like plain yogurt and it’s a drink. I usually drink 1 cup/day. Just make sure to read the label to see if there is any un-healthy ingredients. Buy organic. I like Green Valley Organics.

Fermented foods may help with:

IBD (crohns, colitis)

IBS

Acid reflux

Constipation

Have fun exploring this new diet addition. There are lots of options!
Stay healthy 🙂

For the past 2 weeks Chad has been on an interesting diet to trim down a bit. Being a health coach, I am a bit wary of him cutting out ALL carbs, sugar of all kinds and healthy fats. BUT I understand that it’s only for 2 weeks and then phase 2 starts, which I can’t wait to hear about from his trainer – right now it’s a mystery. I’ll let you know as soon as I do.

Since it’s been interesting finding creative ways to spice up chicken, white fish (which I’ve never cooked before until now) and other meats, I thought I’d share some recipe ideas that I’ve come up with.

Last week I made a delicious Halibut. Here is the recipe:

Halibut with tomatoes & basil:

Serves 2

½ pound wild halibut fillets

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lime

½ lemon

½ cup fresh basil, chopped

1 organic tomato, sliced in large rounds

1 yellow onion, sliced

½ pound cremini mushrooms, sliced

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Wash the fish with water, place in a baking pan and drizzle with olive oil, juice from lemon & lime. Coat each side lightly with salt & pepper. Cover fish with basil and tomatoes. Put onions and mushrooms all around the pan, surrounding the fish. Bake for approximately 20 minutes. Check to make sure the fish is tender and cooked through. Enjoy!

Today as I was woken up at 8:30 A.M. on a Sunday from doors slamming outside my hotel room in Washington, D.C., I decided the only thing to help me get out some aggression at that very moment would be to run on the treadmill – that’s exactly what I did.

As I was in mid-run I came to the conclusion, which I have many times before, that I should be running A LOT more.

Then as I was mid sentence (in my head) I talked to myself about this word should and how every time I say I should do something…. It doesn’t happen.

Last week I was working on not rushing around in my life – so I thought this week would be a nice challenge to work on the shoulds in my life.

Here is everything I should be doing:

I should be working out more

I should meditate every single day

I should practice my sadhana everyday (let’s be honest, I’m human and definitely skip days!)

I should watch my sweet intake – as I KNOW it causes mucus!

I should write more blog posts

I should leave myself more time so I’m NOT rushing

I should make dinner every weeknight

The list goes on…

The reason I’ve become so aware of this word should is because this past year I worked with a life coach named Christine Faucher-Kelley. She brought to my attention that saying should does not mean I am fully committing. What I’ve figured out is that should is a pretty dull statement and to get things done, I must fully commit to my tasks by saying the right words to myself & others. Thank you Christine! I am learning that this is true and I’m on it. A change is in effect starting now.

I’ve Changed the phrase to:

I will work out more

I will meditate every day

Etc……

What are the shoulds in your life?

Since you already know (if you read my blog often) that I’m constantly interested in changing up my routine and trying new things to help boost my health. Well the news on my end is that I’m in the middle of reading Kris Carr’s book Crazy Sexy Diet – which by the way is INCREDIBLE – and you should get out there and purchase it because she is a serious healing wellness warrior as she likes to say. Anyway, Kris also made a documentary, Crazy Sexy Cancer, filming her life after being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer that can’t be treated the typical way. I was so intrigued by her book that I ordered the movie on Netflix and watched it the same day it landed in my mailbox 🙂 Thank you Netflix!

After watching the movie I had to watch the extras (which in my opinion are the best part!) and in this particular film, there are lots of fun ones to see.

In one of the sections Kris makes her morning green smoothie, which I have now adapted into my own and am loving it as my breakfast! As she says (and I have always said too) that juicing/smoothies give your digestive system a nice break. For us ulcerative colitis sufferers, it’s best not to bombard the body with hard to digest breakfast foods first things in the morning.

So here’s how I’ve made this smoothie work for me – I use my Vitamix:

1 1/4 cup coconut water

½ organic cucumber (if it’s not organic then peel the skin off, otherwise leave the skin on for the nutrients)

½ organic avocado

1 bunch organic spinach

2 shakes turmeric spice

2-5 shakes ground cinnamon

Tiniest pinch of organic stevia – a very little bit goes a very long way

It’s SO yummy and is quite filling that you won’t need anything more for breakfast. You can even add unsweetened coconut flakes on the top and stir it in for some crunch.

As Kris says, enjoy your liquid sunshine. Don’t forget to check out her book, maybe even see the movie too, it’s definitely up-lifting.

With love,

Shira

I’ve got another incredible home remedy tip for you – get ready to be seriously wowed!

Last week while I was making homemade jam, the boiling water splattered up at me and nicked my pointer finger just above the nail. OUCH!

I immediately let the cold water run over it, got the ice pack and hoped for the best. As it continued to burn, I didn’t have fresh aloe so I bit the bullet and tried Neosporin with a Band Aid. Nope… nothing. I was still in pain.

Then, as I was continuously blowing on my finger I remembered that turmeric is really helpful when it comes to burns!

So I went over to the pantry and got out the turmeric powder. I wiped off the Neosporin, sprinkled the turmeric onto my burn and prayed for some sort of relief. Well my finger was still hurting quite a bit, so I decided to blow on it.

I’m telling you within 5 minutes the burning sensation was gone and I sat there shocked. The next day my burn, which had previously blistered started to de-flate.

Yes, just another incredible find right in your pantry.

Let your pantry be your pharmacy. You’d never know what your spices/herbs can do for you without the research.

Get interested – these remedies are most likely sitting in your house right now!

As the month of March progresses I am optimistic that Spring is slowly inching closer with each day. The best part about Spring is the cleanse that we all know we need after hibernating all Winter long. Well, for me, after a week of my stomach feeling a bit off with the usual bloating, pains and mucus I decided to take my cleanse now.

Why is it that after all I do for myself, I still have these flare-ups? I am constantly asking myself this question, but I’ve come to the conclusion that it is and always will be a work in progress. Today I feel better, but who knows what tomorrow will bring. I won’t worry about tomorrow today though – staying present and in the moment only helps my tummy feel better. Luckily I know the tools to get myself out of the funk and am grateful for that everyday.

As a yoga teacher, I have really stressed this topic of staying in the moment with all of my students. Snap into the now and focus on how your body is feeling right this second. Whatever you’re feeling, just notice it, breathe into it and live it.

I find that when my stomach bothers me, instead of obsessing constantly about why it’s like this, what I ate or stressed about to bring myself into this state – I close my eyes and take at least 2 rounds of a breathing exercise. Here’s the one I love, which always calms my mind/thoughts without fail every time.

It’s a 4-7-8 ratio breath. Breathe in for 4 counts, hold for 7 counts and exhale for 8 counts. Do between 1-5 rounds of this and wow will you feel lighter, more clear and alive all at the same time.

Try it! It can’t hurt.

Happy breathing 🙂