Friday, June 17, 2011

Gift Ideas for Father's Day

Does Dad really need another T-shirt or tie?  This year, let's show him how much we care about his health and well being.  After all, we want him around for a long, long time!

Gift Ideas for a Healthy Father's Day:

1.  Sports Equipment - golf balls or golf gift certificates, tennis rackets, basketballs or footballs, etc.

2.  Exercise Equipment - free weights, weight bench, treadmill, stationary bike, etc.

3.  Bicycle

4.  Buy dinner or lunch at a health conscious restaurant

5.  Make a healthful meal for Dad - This is one of my favorites, and just might be his too!

6.  Gift certificate for a massage, acupuncture or chiropractic session

7.  Music CD's, concert tickets or a musical instrument - music is healing for mind, body and spirit!

8.  Stainless steel water bottles or in home water filtration system

9.  A home made card or craft - this will warm his heart, and make you feel great too!

10.  A Personalized Wellness Coaching Membership - http://www.onewellness.weebly.com/


Any other ideas?  Post them as comments.  I would love to hear from you!

Monday, June 6, 2011

A Green Lawn

We moved to a house in town last fall and decided to downgrade to a small push style lawn mower.  I surfed craigslist to find something affordable, when I stumbled upon an ad for a vintage manual mower.  I have always wanted to try one of these motorless mowers, and so I was immediately interested. 

The gentleman who was selling the manual mower said it had belonged to his wife's grandfather who had maintained it well.  He was kind enough to give me a demonstration of how the mower worked. 

I was sold as soon as I saw how beautiful the grass looked after being cut with this "old" mower.  It was a short and even cut with no clumps of grass or mowing lines.  I gave the mower a try, and realized using it would also be great exercise.  So I bought it on the spot and was excited to start cutting my overgrown lawn.

I realized right away that I needed to adjust the blades because the grass was so long.  But I was amazed to see that even the thickest parts of my lawn looked great.  I also had to rake some twigs out of the back yard before I mowed it so the blades wouldn't jam.  Even so, I still finished the entire corner lot in about an hour.  Not much longer than a motor push mower would have done.  By the time I was finished, I was sweating and felt like I had really accomplished something. 

I did not have to pay for any fuel or lug around smelly gas cans.  And I got a great cardio workout without a trip to the gym.  My yard looks awesome, and I know that next week my grass will take even less time to maintain, and won't cost me a thing!

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Friday, June 3, 2011

The Whole Life Wellness Cleanse

One Wellness had created a detox program which will cleanse your body of unwanted toxins and toxicants, without starving, fasting or fad diets.  You can easily work the cleanse into your daily routine, and it is adaptable to fit into a one week or three day cleanse, as described below.  As with any detox program, consult a doctor, nutritionist or wellness coach before attempting the cleanse. 

Contact One Wellness at onewellness@live.com for more information.

 
Preparation – Week One
Remove processed foods including processed or cured meats, complex carbs and sugars from your diet. Also remove caffeine and alcohol. Green tea may be used occasionally in this stage. Reduce red meat, dairy products and processed grains such as bread and bagels. Drink plenty of water. This step may be skipped if the individual is already consuming a whole foods diet.

Whole Foods – Week Two
Remove all meat and dairy products, in addition to avoiding processed foods and sugars, caffeine and alcohol. Drink plenty of water and herbal teas. Soak whole grains and legumes at least one hour and over night for optimal digestion. Diet consists of soaked whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

Raw Foods – Week Three
Eat only fresh, raw fruits and vegetables and unsweetened fruit and vegetable juice. Drink water and herbal tea liberally. Dried fruit such as cranberries may be eaten in small amounts. Add coconut oil to your herbal tea to combat hunger cravings and flax oil may also be taken in salad dressings. Use cayenne pepper to help combat chills and add variety to salads and raw soups.

Rejuvenation – Week Four
Soaked whole grains, fish and steamed or roasted vegetables may be re-introduced to the diet. Continue to stay hydrated with water, juice and herbal teas. Green tea in small amounts may be tolerated if desired. This is the phase of the cleanse that you will experience the most healing. You may feel energized, experience mental clarity and feel at peace. Be sure to get plenty of rest, and you may enjoy meditative practices or gentle internal exercise like stretching or Tai Chi.


THE ONE WEEK CLEANSE
If you don't feel you can commit to a full month of cleansing, a shorter detox may be right for you. You can adapt the four phases of the diet to fit in your lifestyle. Extend the rejuvenation, if desired.

Day 1 & 2 – Preparation

Day 3 & 4 – Whole Foods

Day 5 & 6 – Raw Foods

Day 7 - Rejuvenation


THE THREE DAY CLEANSE
This is the quick cycle that may be right if you are pinched for time, unsure if you want to commit to a longer cleanse, or want to cleanse on a monthly basis. Extend the rejuvenation for maximum benefit.

Day 1 – Whole Foods

Day 2 – Raw Foods

Day 3 – Rejuvenation

Tips for Removing Toxins

If you would like to attempt a cleanse to remove toxins from your body, please contact me at onewellness@live.com or visit my website at onewellness.weebly.com.

Here is more helpful information that will make your cleanse more successful:

CLEANSING PRACTICES
Try these while cleansing, or on a daily basis:

  • drink water with fresh lemon juice or ginger and lemon tea
  • dry skin brushing
  • meditation
  • writing a journal daily
  • deep breathing
  • chew thoroughly
  • drink 1 tsp raw apple cider vinegar with 1/3 cup room temp. water each morning

CLEANSING FOODS 
Eat these foods regularly, especially while cleansing:

dandelion greens
dark leafy greens such as spinach, kale, bok choy and swiss chard
watercress
beets and beet greens
onions
garlic
broccoli and cauliflower
carrots
cabbage
celery
red bell peppers
artichokes
radishes and turnips
sea veggies like kelp, nori and wakame
ginger
lemon, lime and grapefruit
apples
avocados
berries, especially cranberries and blueberries
figs
sea salt (combined with foods)
raw cider vinegar
raw honey and maple syrup
ghee (clarified butter)
cayenne pepper
flax seeds and flax oil
coconut oil and unsweetened coconut milk
pumpkin seeds
quinoa
lentils
mung and aduki beans

CLEANSING HERBS
Use in herbal teas, salads, or supplements:

garlic
dandelion root and leaves
ginger root
burdock
chlorella
milk thistle
yarrow
licorice root
raspberry leaf
alfalfa
rosemary
sage
chaparral


TOXIC FOODS
Avoid these on a daily basis, and especially while cleansing:

sugar
corn syrup
artificial sweeteners
margarine
corn
deep fried foods
soy and soy products of any kind, including tofu, soy sauce and soy milk
refined and/or bleached flour and grains
processed carbs (bread, bagels, pastries, cereal)
coffee and black tea
alcoholic beverages
soft drinks and sugared juices
pasteurized dairy
processed and cured meats
canned foods (contain BPA)
condiments such as ketchup, barbeque sauce, mayo and most processed salad dressings



Why Detox?


A toxin is a poisonous substance produced by living cells or organisms.  Toxins can be small molecules, peptides, or proteins that are capable of causing disease on contact with or absorption by body tissues.
Although normally grouped together, man made chemicals which cause ill health are technically not considered toxins, and are instead referred to as toxicants to distinguish their non-biological origins. For the sake of simplicity, many sources call all poisonous substances toxins, whether they are biological, chemical or environmental.

Detoxifying your body promotes healing and rejuvenation, and helps combat the effects of aging and disease. Its like giving your body an internal shower, or a tune up. Internal cleansing helps reduce mucus, excess body fat, cellulite, build up in the digestive tract and promotes healthy skin and organs.

How does a cleansing diet work?

Cleansing flushes toxins out of your body through the natural processes your body uses every day to clean and maintain it's systems. A cleansing diet simply gives your body a jump start and allows it to concentrate on cleaning, without being bogged down with more and more added toxins.

How will I feel while I am cleansing?

Ultimately cleansing toxins from you body will create more energy and overall well being. However there are often healing reactions during and after the cleanse that are easily misunderstood. Healing reactions are common and can range from headache, acne, aches and pains, fatigue, chills, body odor, mood swings, gas and intestinal distress. As with any time you clean, the unwanted materials need to be disposed of. These unpleasant symptoms are simply a manifestation that the cleansing process is working to flush the toxins out through the body's many natural cleansing processes. Healing reactions typically last from one to seven days and disappear without treatment once the toxins have been flushed out. After overcoming a healing reaction, your body will feel rejuvenated and energized.

A word on fasting:

Often detox and cleansing programs include a fasting period. Fasting is a powerful detoxifying technique and can be extremely useful in cleansing the digestive tract and jump starting a weight loss program. However, fasting is not for everyone, and not everyone can be successful at it. I don't recommend fasting for those who are new to a cleansing routine, nor for the chronically ill, those with weakened immune systems, anyone underweight or the elderly. One pitfall to watch out for should you choose to incorporate a period of fasting in your cleansing routine is binging. Often the lack of food during a fast can cause one to crave large amounts of food afterward, and whether these are wholesome foods or not, overeating after a fast can be devastating to your digestive tract and internal organs, not to mention your metabolism. Only those who are familiar with routine cleansing should attempt a fast without the direct supervision of a physician, dietician or wellness coach.