“If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”  Harry S. Truman

What was the occasion of the last time you found the heat surrounding a position you took (or value you held) required you to either quit or stand firm on your beliefs?

They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit.  (Jer. 17:8; NLT)

This is without a doubt the most exciting and fun time to be alive ever!  I’m so grateful to be witnessing the literal upheaval that is taking place in our society.  Some interesting examples — auto manufacturers, for a multitude of reasons, allowed the price of cars to get so high that the consumer rebelled and Uncle Sam had to step in to save an industry.  Financial institutions allowed the prices of houses to get so high that mortgages far beyond people’s ability to pay them back had to be written, and then the bubble burst.  Again, Uncle Sam to the rescue.

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“Thought has been the father of every advance since time began. ‘I didn’t think’ has cost the world millions of dollars.” Thomas J. Watson

When is the last time you really thought something through?

There is more hope for fools than for people who think they are wise.  (Prov. 26:12; NLT)

Last week, I heard a catch phrase that really resonated with me. I wish I could remember who said it to give them credit, but I’m sure it was not original with them either. Anyway, the phrase was simply, “Solutions sell better than prevention.”

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“There are a few drawbacks to the holiday season; days of endless shopping, relentless partying, and voracious overeating. To all of that, add stress and winter weather; it is the perfect equation for winter illness.”  Cyndi Brandon

What are you personally doing to stay well over the holidays?

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. (Ps. 19:7;NLT)

Last week I wrote tips on attending holiday parties so that we don’t enter 2010 needing a larger clothing size. Articles abound on how to have the most festive season complete with food feasts and gifts galore. How many people though go through the holiday season not feeling well, ending up with a cold virus, flu symptoms, or a sinus infection?

Today’s post is some practical tips for staying well throughout the holidays.

• Cut Your Fingernails. What? I know this isn’t the first thing you think of during the holidays or when wanting to stay healthy. However, bacteria lurk under the nails. I also know that women love their long, pretty fingernails. If they were ever to have a microscopic look at the bacteria thriving in the dark, warm environment under their nails, they wouldn’t hesitate to reach for the fingernail clippers. Having short nails also makes it much easier to follow through with the basic hygiene principle of frequent hand washing. Make it a habit to wash your hands frequently.
• Get enough rest. Even though we’re busy, adequate rest is NOT an option during this stressful time. When we’re feeling stressed and overloaded, we need to stop and examine whether we really need to run ONE more errand, bake any more cookies, or buy another gift. Be ruthless with yourself about getting to bed by 10:00 each night. The body will more quickly succumb to viruses and disease bacteria when fatigued. Early to bed, and early to rise will help to keep you healthy, well, and wise.
• Avoid the Whites. White sugar and white flour are holiday killers. I know people love their cookies and their holiday desserts. But are you willing to pay the price of becoming ill for some…cookies? White sugar destroys the bacteria-fighting ability of white bloods cells to attack and destroy bacteria and viruses for up to five hours after intake. White flour also robs the body of vital vitamins and minerals needed to fight off disease. You can still enjoy treats…just make wise decisions, eat treats sparingly (as a TREAT), and use healthy, natural ingredients.
• Don’t Skip Breakfast. Start all your days with high quality protein, not just during busy holidays. However, when people feel extra busy or stressed their tempted to forego breakfast or grab a donut! DON’T do it! Nothing will go right during your day if you’re not feeding your body healthy fuel to get going. Eggs, organic turkey bacon and a tangerine would be a great way to begin your day. Organic, whole milk, plain yogurt or kefir with berries and nuts is also an acceptable alternative if you can’t do eggs.
• Use coconut oil, vitamin D, garlic, and vitamin C. Coconut oil helps to build up the body’s own natural defenses against viral infections and disease. Use it in cooking, baking and in smoothies. Vitamin D is a “hot” topic in the news. Research has proven that the vast majority are very deficient in vitamin D. Jerry and I both supplement with extra vitamin D. Feel free to contact me if you would like to know what I recommend. Garlic is another natural immune booster. I use it lavishly in cooking. Introduce it to your friends and family….then no one will be offended if you have garlic breath. Extra Vitamin C is also helpful during this time of year as an added anti-oxidant.

Enjoy your holidays but stay WELL!

Prayer Power
Father, we are so grateful for Your hand of protection on us and we thank You for Your wisdom which You give to us so freely.

Link of the Day
Best “Stay Well” Advice For The Holidays

Blessings on you as you purpose to stay well during the holidays.

Photo by Svenstorm

“Wellness coaching is a powerful relationship between a client and coach which explores the client’s greatest health concerns and goals, the obstacles to achieving those goals, and strategies to overcome the obstacles.”  Ellen Goldman

What do you think it would be like to work with a Wellness Coach?

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.  (Prov. 27:17;NIV)

Most of you who have followed our posts for any length of time know that I am passionate about educating and empowering others about wellness.  Since my own health was nearly destroyed, I have a tremendous appreciation for being well.  And I want others to be “well” along with me.  If I can prevent anyone from walking through what I did, I’ll teach and preach wellness as long as I have breath.

Perhaps you’ve wondered, “What does Sharon really do?  How does having a wellness coach work?  How could she help me?”  Many people know what they need to do to walk in better health.  They know they need to exercise more, eat less fast food, and drink more water.  But, they don’t do it!  They might make a declaration of “No more fast food!”  The first week they do well at avoiding the golden arches.  They actually make a few meals from scratch and eat at home several nights.  The next week finds their schedule even busier than the week before and their SUV automatically swerves into the “drive-through” for a burger and fries.  “Supersize that while you’re at it!”  Before long they’re lured back into the habitual use of fast food.   They feel defeated and discouraged but they really don’t know how to make lasting change.

A wellness coach rides in on a white horse to the rescue.  Well, that’s a stretch but it sure sounds good.   Seriously, working with a wellness coach can prevent that kind of self-sabotaging behavior.  Having encouragement, support, and accountability provides what the client needs to walk out their plan.  When I work with a client, we look at their desired goals and outcomes they would like to reach.  Some people are ready to dig in and attack it all…their eating, their exercise, their stress levels, etc.  Other clients want and need to take it a little slower…even one thing at a time.

Initially I do an assessment with the client to determine where they are with their current level of health and wellness.  How well are they sleeping?  What are their energy levels like each day?  How satisfied are they with their current weight?  How much water are they really drinking each day?  As I ask specific questions, the client begins to really ponder where they are in relation to their health and how far away they are from the mark.  Then we begin setting simple, realistic and reachable goals or action items.  We set up an accountability structure as a safeguard for the client…not as a tool to clobber them over the head. They get excited at the thought that they can make lasting change. If someone is drinking four diet sodas a day, we’ll explore this.  What is this doing for them?  What will it take for them to stop doing this?  I do a lot of educating when I work with a client.  I not only tell them why something isn’t good for them, I offer replacements of healthier options and I offer resources for them to do their own research to substantiate what I’ve told them.

We talk together for about an hour, two to three times per month depending on their need.  They can send emails to me with questions in between calls.  We work on everything from how much water they really need to be drinking to what time they’re going to bed each night.  (I once worked with a client for three months on her getting to bed before midnight.)  Even though someone says they want to make changes, there are many aspects involved with making the lasting change.  A coach can and does bring much needed help and support so the client can become and stay WELL.

Prayer Power
Father, we are so grateful that our bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made.  Thank You for giving us wisdom on how to care for them.

Link of the Day
The Christian Coaching Center – Wellness Coaching

Blessings on you as you ponder what it would be like to work with a wellness coach.

Photo by Dominique Sanchez

“Despite the economy, three out of ten American families buy more organic foods now than they did a year ago.”  Roon Frost

What one thing could you do to use more organically grown food?

They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.  (Ps. 73:4; NIV)

As I was reading through the September, 2009 issue of “Taste For Life” magazine, there were a number of comments in several articles that just “jumped” off the page to me.

October is Organic Harvest Month.  This is a month to celebrate the many reasons buying organic makes sense, both for personal health and for the health of the environment.

Studies show that nearly half of a child’s exposure to toxic pesticides comes from the consumption of conventionally grown fruits and veggies and the juices made from them.  Bearing that in mind, it’s no surprise that 30% of Americans are buying more organic food than they did last year, despite the economy.  Families will often trim their budgets elsewhere before putting their organic food budget on the chopping block.

NPD Group, a leading market research company says that, “Better for you foods, including organic and low-calorie foods and beverages may be among the fastest growing food trends over the next decade.”  It predicts that sales of organic foods will increase the most, even up to 41%.

Shoppers aged 18 to 34 are showing more interest in organic foods compared to the total population, according to a University of Oklahoma study.  Nearly 58% of these young consumers purchased organic foods within the past year.  In spite of the economic downturn, this trend rose over the last three years.

I’ve chatted with and helped many young families make the shift toward buying more organically grown foods and other home-friendly products.  Young mothers want to provide the very best for their children and they’re becoming educated consumers.  They’ll quickly do research on the web to find out what’s in a certain food product or how a certain substance could be a potential toxin for their child.

Young mothers are realizing that their diets play a major role in determining the health of their child.  They greatly desire to birth a healthy child so they’ll invest in eating a healthy diet for the sake of their child, even if it means spending more food dollars on foods grown without pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides.  The health of you and your family continues to be one of the very best investments you can make.

Prayer Power
Father, we are so blessed by Your goodness and Your provision for us.

Link of the Day
17 tips for buying organic food on the cheap

Blessings on you as you ponder eating more organically grown food.

Photo by Ned Raggett

“Don’t hesitate to acknowledge that these vegetables in conjunction with the cliché statement, “Eat Your Vegetables,” have some actual, disease prevention, medicinal purposes and meaning behind them.”  Brooke Bulatek

How are you getting your children to eat vegetables?

So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the rich foods and wines.  (Dan. 1:16; NLT)

Remember when your mother told you to eat your vegetables?  Well, now they’re finding some pretty good reasons why mom was right.

I bet you didn’t know that there’s a specific category of veggies that contain very specific phytonutrients that actually assist in the fight against belly fat.  (Don’t feel bad, mom probably didn’t know either.)  Allow me to elaborate…

If you’ve been reading our DG’s for any length of time, you probably already know that there are certain chemicals in our food supply and in our environment, such as pesticides, herbicides, and certain petrochemicals from household cleaners, cosmetics, etc., that can act as xenoestrogens.

Xenoestrogens are chemicals that have an estrogenic effect on the body.  Excessive exposure can cause hormonal imbalance in both men and women. Bottom line, xenoestrogens can wreak havoc in the body irregardless of gender.

These estrogenic chemicals that we’re exposed to on a daily basis will cause your body to store abdominal fat, as well as create several other significant problems.

So here’s where this specific category of phytonutrient-rich vegetables become important…

Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage, et al. contain specific and unique phytonutrients such as indole-3-carbinol (I3C) that help to fight against these estrogenic compounds.  By fighting against these abdominal fat stimulating estrogenic chemicals, this can help you in the battle against belly  fat!

So there you go — just one more excuse to do what mom always told you to do and eat more broccoli!  I’ve really learned to like cauliflower in the last several years too — melt a little grass-fed cheese and some organic butter on it and it’s great!

We’ve found a new resource that describes at least a dozen other specific foods, teas, spices, etc that help to combat the xenoestrogens, and can therefore help you to burn that belly fat faster.

Check out today’s Link of the Day and be sure to make sure to get your copy before the price doubles later this week.

Prayer Power
Father, we thank You again that You have provided food choices that give our bodies what they need to function according to design.

Link of the Day
Fat Burning Foods or…Fat-Storing Foods?

Blessings on you as you increase the number of servings of cruciferous vegetables you eat this week.

Photo by Calc-tufa

Sharon was the guest on a teleseminar this last Thursday afternoon hosted by Lynne Lee, a well-known life coach in the UK. Their topic was health and wellness and was appropriately titled, “How To Live A Healthy Life.”

The teleseminar was especially well done and if you missed it, this is to give you a link to allow you to hear that interview as well as some of the other times Sharon has had the opportunity to share her story on the Internet to a broad audience.  Listen to the latest teleseminar on The Coaching Pair/Sharon on the Media.

By the way, for this event and for a limited time, we are making the 7-hour audio series that Sharon, Dr. Randy Peck, and I recorded earlier this year available at half off the regular price.  Remember, this half-off offer ends at the end September.  Up until then go to http://lynnelee.com/wellnessaudiobook and use the half-price coupon code of CLCC0909.

Here is what one of Lynne listeners had to say about the audio series: “…the audio series is a great tool – although I’ve just listened to the first 2 sessions I’m following the advice given.  The great thing is with the audio  series you can listen again and glean something different.”

We pray you’re having a great weekend!!!

This is just a very quick note to let you know that Sharon will be the guest on a teleseminar this coming Thursday afternoon hosted by Lynne Lee, a well-known life coach in the UK.  Their topic will be health and wellness and is appropriately titled, “How To Live A Healthy Life.”

There is no charge to attend the teleseminar — all you need do is register by clicking:
http://www.christianlifecoaching.co.uk/how-to-live-a-healthy-life.html

The teleseminar is at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, 9/24.  Three o’clock in the afternoon here is 8:00 p.m. in the UK.  But if you’re not available at that time, by simply registering for the teleseminar, you will automatically be sent a link to the replay.  So you can listen at your convenience.

Some of the topics they will be covering include:

• Simple keys to becoming healthy
• The steps to creating a healthy lifestyle
• Why pursuing health is worth the time and effort
• How I am becoming well
• Exactly what you can do to become healthier

Don’t fail to register for this incredible teleseminar.  Simply click:
http://www.christianlifecoaching.co.uk/how-to-live-a-healthy-life.html

See you there!

PS — Coach Lynne Lee wrote a great article titled “God says – Don’t give up now!” that bears on the teleseminar she and Sharon will be doing on Thursday.  I’ve included it as today’s link.  Enjoy!

LInk of the Day
God says – Don’t give up now!

“Olive oil comes from olives; peanut oil comes from peanuts; coconut oil comes from coconuts; so where does canola oil come from?”  Sharon Graham

How informed are you regarding the effects of one of the most commonly used cooking oils today?

This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.  (1 Cor. 2:13; NIV)

I remember years ago when I first started learning about canola oil.  At first many of us thought it was a good alternative to some of the other common oils we had been using.  However, I also wondered where it came from.  This was long before the Internet and Google but I somehow learned that it came from the “rapeseed” plant.  The name was repulsive to me.  I used canola oil for a few years and then finally learned that it was originally an industrial solvent oil used in Canada, thus the name Can-ola.

Fast forward at least fifteen years.  Canola oil is now widely used in many commercial food products.  It’s also seeped into the health food stream as well.  When taking a client grocery shopping recently, I was surprised to see how often canola oil was in the ingredient list of even “organic” food products.  So, what’s my beef?

One of the biggest problems with highly processed and refined vegetable oils such as corn oil, soybean oil, and canola oil, is that the polyunsaturated component of the oil is highly unstable under heat, light, and pressure, and this heavily oxidizes the polyunsaturates which increases free radicals in your body.

And as I’ve written before, free radical damage increases inflammation in the body.  Inflammation in the body contributes to heart disease, weight gain, and other degenerative diseases.  Contrary to organic, extra-virgin olive oil that is cold pressed without the use of heat and solvents to aid extraction, canola oil is extracted and refined using high heat, pressure, and petroleum solvents such as hexane. Most canola oil undergoes a process of caustic refining, degumming, bleaching, and deodorization, all using high heat and questionable chemicals.

Since I eat and promote a diet of whole foods with the least amount of processing, canola oil is not on the list of foods that I recommend consuming.  Again, I recommend using organic, extra-virgin olive oil on salads and in salad dressings but not heating it for cooking.  I recommend using coconut oil for sautéing or stir frying.  Do you and your family a great service and avoid using canola oil.

BTW, the link below may not look germane to the topic of canola oil, but in fact, the ebook described has a very well-done section which discusses how highly processed and refined vegetable oils such as corn oil, soybean oil, and canola oil is deleterious to our health.

Prayer Power
Father, we are so grateful for the wisdom and knowledge that You provide for us.  May we continue to seek and hear Your voice.

Link of the Day
5 Facts You MUST Understand

Blessings on you as you read your food’s ingredients list and avoid canola oil.

Photo by niallharbison

“Obesity experts say the lousy economy threatens to worsen Americans’ already bulging waistlines because bad-for-you food happens to be the cheapest.”  USA Today

In this “lousy economy” (sic), what kind of decisions are you making regarding food choices for you and your family?

People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the LORD.  (Prov. 19:3; NLT)

As you all know, Sharon has been doing a video series on how to shop for groceries.  Tomorrow is the last installment of that series.  She says she’s ready and eager to start writing again.

The focus of her video series was health and nutrition rather than cost.  If you’re like a lot of folks, you just assume that eating healthy means paying more at the checkout counter.  I ran across a blog post yesterday that really helps put that to rest as a myth.  I’ve made that post the link of the day.

As Michelle points out in her post, “It really is not expensive to eat healthy.”  To that Sharon would give a hearty “Amen!”  What’s really expensive is eating unhealthy food.  It would be easy to start to cite the longer term costs associated with not giving your body the fuel it was designed to run on, but that argument has traditionally proven too easy to dismiss — unless you’re already sick and tired of being sick and tired.

To the contrary, Michelle hits the issue head on with pictures of her grocery basket and cash register tape.  She is even bold enough to shop in a store that has the unfortunate reputation of being the haven of upscale yuppies (forgive the redundancy).  I couldn’t resist bringing Michelle’s post to your attention, as it provides a whole different perspective on the coaching that Sharon has been providing through her videos.

But let me assure you that the longer term costs associated with not giving your body the fuel it was designed to run on are very real.  We, as a culture, are now beginning to have to pay those costs, and it’s one of the major factors behind the current out-of-control health care crisis.  One wonders just how much longer we will continue to bury our heads in the sand and blame others for our own foolishness.

Thank you Michelle, for clearly showing us that the primary argument used against eating healthy is nothing more than a facade of convenience.

Prayer Power
Father, forgive us for always taking the “quick and easy” way out rather than counting the true costs and seeking to understand the longer-term ramifications of our choices.

Link of the Day
A peek into my penny-pinching grocery cart

Blessings on you as you honestly evaluate the real cost of not eating healthy.

Photo by Jeffrey Beall