What to Eat to Maintain a Healthy pH

April 16, 2013 //
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Lately I’ve found how important it is for the body to maintain a healthy pH in the bloodstream. When your body’s pH is balanced, you literally increase your health, energy and vitality. I found this handy chart from the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts via my friend Maya Paul, Wellness and Nutrition Coach.

The best fuel for your body is a custom mix of foods, with more alkaline than acid. Our body ends up storing the acidic waste it can’t get rid of and eventually the build up can be so great that cells deteriorate, energy depletes and leaves the body prone to disease. The choices you make in what you eat will determine how much of this acidic waste gets stored in your body. The more alkaline your food choices are the less of this waste will be accumulated in your body, tipping the balance in the favor of good health.

The old adage “you are what you eat” is absolutely true. By limiting your intake of acidic foods and increasing your intake of alkaline food you will increase your stamina, endurance and the overall performance of your body.

I’ve been drinking a glass of water with lemon juice every morning when I wake up to give it a boost of alkaline to start the day. What foods from this chart have you tried, and what do you notice happens in your body after you eat it?

How to Accept “What Is” in 4 Simple Steps

January 24, 2013 //
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It’s my first day of vacation in Roatan, Honduras and it’s raining. This is not what I envisioned two weeks ago when I booked my trip from my cold apartment in San Francisco.

I’m eating fresh red snapper overlooking the Caribbean Sea and guests around me are complaining.

I want more food; this isn’t enough!
There was no visibility during my scuba dive.
This weather sucks.

I have two choices: join them or ignore them. I choose to ignore them and accept what is. Here’s how.

1. Breathe. Conscious breathing allows you to become aware of what’s happening in the present moment.

2. Acknowledge any negative thoughts and emotions. It’s important to acknowledge your feelings of disappointment, frustration or anger. You can’t force feelings away, so “invite them in for tea,” as Eckhart Tolle says. This simple act of acknowledgement reduces the power of negative emotions over you.

3. Realize the only thing you can control is yourself. It’s easy to let other people influence you, either positively or negatively. You get to choose how others’ words and actions affect your thoughts and actions moving forward. This realization puts you back in control.

4. Practice gratitude. Once you’ve allowed some space for your negative emotions, find something to be grateful for. Become aware of how much you have and the beauty of life that surrounds you. Gratitude shifts your focus from what your life lacks to the abundance that is already present.

Accepting and being at peace with what is isn’t easy, but it’s a necessary part of happiness. It creates a space for healing. Honoring every thought and emotion allows you to rest and renew. From that relaxed and receptive space, you gain the clarity and strength needed to create a blueprint for a happy, healthy life.

Hopefully the weather is better tomorrow. Meanwhile, I am grateful for delicious fresh fish, a cabana on a stormy beach and a wi-fi connection so I can share this story with you.

3-Minute Seated Meditation Podcast

November 8, 2012 //
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Last week I ran a meditation workshop for the marketing team of a well-known Bay Area biotechnology company. The group is so dedicated and passionate about what they do that they hardly have any physical energy or mental capacity left at the end of the day for their families, let alone themselves. There is no doubt that this is an all-too-common problem in our demanding workplaces today.

The team leader recognized this fact and knew meditation to be a viable solution. She wanted her team to become educated about the tangible health benefits of meditation, as well as literally have her team experience different modalities of short meditation exercises so each person could decide what resonated the most.

One of the major challenges the team agreed they all face is stress, and how to get centered and grounded during the middle of a hectic day when there is not much time. So, for one of the exercises I led a 3-minute guided meditation that could be done sitting in their desk chair. At the end of the workshop, the majority of the team reported that this particular exercise was the most beneficial for them. They expressed that it allowed them to “drop in” the most and truly felt an energetic shift inside their bodies that brought about a feeling of calm and well-being. So I made it available as a podcast for them, as well as now for you.

This short guided meditation is ideal to listen to at work while you are sitting in your desk chair and need a short break. It will guide you to a sense of inner peace by consciously working with your breath and simply noticing and accepting what is currently happening in your body.

When “I” is Replaced by “We” even “Illness” Becomes “Wellness”

October 7, 2012 //
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It’s an interesting thing. The more days pass and life goes on, the more I realize that we shouldn’t have to do anything alone. In fact, we literally need each other as support in all aspects of our lives. Sometimes our inner critic pops in and makes us feel like we have to do things alone or risk becoming vulnerable. But that’s just it — we are all in this crazy thing called life together.

I believe that the more we can think about wellness in terms of “we” then we can find our individual place in life. We’re all here together, each playing our unique part. Coming together is wellness. Doing it on our own sometimes can drive us to illness. What do you think?

Coaching, Consulting, Counseling: What is the Difference?

August 24, 2012 //
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As a wellness coach and digital media marketing consultant, I’ve discovered there is a lot of confusion around the difference between coaching, consulting and counseling. Here is a breakdown that will hopefully give some insight. Read the rest of this entry »

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