Be True to You this Holiday Season

Be True to You this Holiday Season

What if the holidays could be more about what you do want and less about what you don’t? The holidays can (and should) be a time of love, life, togetherness, reminiscing, and gratitude. But all too often we get caught up in the planning, shopping, spending, wrapping, cleaning, prepping, cooking, and other associated guilts that we forget who we are and what is important to us. Meaning we never actually enjoy the season or our families.

I am a firm believer that you need to fill your life in all areas on a regular basis to feel whole as a person. So, here are my TOP 12 FAVORITE ideas for staying focused on what is truly important to you this holiday season so that you can make it your best one yet!

1. Creativity. It is so easy to get caught up in our to-do lists this time of year that we forget (or refuse) to take time to enjoy the season. Sing! Make your own greeting cards. Plan your next vacation. Decorate you yard, mantel, table or all of the above! And if you must “do,” then find a way to make it fun.
2.  Finances. The best way to prevent overspending on gifts is to plan ahead and shop online. Make a list of everyone you plan to buy for and then make a list of ideas. Don’t be afraid to shop for deals and remember it really is the thought that counts!
3. Career. Out with the old and in with the new, right? This time of year we can feel a bit stale, overworked, and underappreciated. Before jumping ship or getting depressed, reevaluate and set a new intention. You may or may not have the best job for you. Maybe it is time for a fresh start, or maybe it is time to give a fresh look at your current position!
4.  Education. As humans it is imperative that we are always learning and growing. This time of year though we often don’t have time to take a class or read a book. But we will have occasion to cook and can always use an inexpensive gift idea! Take this opportunity to learn a new recipe for an upcoming event or learn how to can/preserve or make homemade body care products that you can then creatively wrap and give as gifts!
5. Health. Do yourself a favor this holiday season and forget dieting. Be realistic – this is not the time of year to set an ambition weight-loss goal. Instead set an intention to maintain. Make healthful choices 90% of the time and savor your indulgences.
6. Fitness. Whether you are a regular gym rat or a regular couch potato, the holidays are sure to mess with your regular routine. Use the holidays as an opportunity to shake things up a bit. Grab your family or some friends and go sledding, ice skating, skiing, or simply for a stroll after dinner.
7. Home Cooking. Simple home cooking is always preferable to processed or decadent dishes when it comes to health but that doesn’t mean you can’t eat out or visit friends without being a food snob. That said, don’t be afraid to eat before you go, scout the buffet first, eat slowly and savor your meal, choose whole food options, etc. And if you are cooking, remember the less processed the better – no need to make fancy casseroles and such when a simple dish will do.
8. Home Environment. Chances are you have shut your window, turned on the furnace and begun cleaning for company. Please make sure you are still getting fresh air daily, your furnace filters are clean (as are your ducts) and those trusty cleaning supplies are toxin free!
9. Relationships. Finding time to connect with loved ones on a deeper level is super important during the holidays. Even simple signs of affection, like hand holding, are know to reduce stress hormones and blood pressure and create calm.
10. Social Life. A night out with the girls is exactly the prescription you need to reduce stress and anxiety. Couple it with some light fitness, laughing, singing, healthy foods, or creativity and you have an amazing recipe for a stress-free, happy holiday season.
11. Joy. Whether you enjoy high impact fitness, snuggling with your dog, window shopping, reading a good book, a night on the town, or a relaxing facial, be sure to make regular time for you. Do at least 1 small thing just for you every day and at least 1 big thing weekly. Do it guilt-free and with a genuine smile on your face or it doesn’t count!
12. Spirituality. Even if you aren’t religious, this time of year is a great time to focus on your spirituality. If religion is something you’ve been thinking about, try it out. If not, learn to meditate or spend some time in nature…stargaze, cut down your own Christmas tree, or take a walk after dinner.

And, as always, never be afraid to be selfish or set limits, and always plan ahead.

For specific recipe ideas or if you need help implementing any of these suggestions, contact Beth at Second Nature Health Coaching (303-956-8063 or beth@secondnaturehealthcoaching.com).

Pumpkin Seeds

Fall is my absolute favorite season and Halloween is my favorite holiday. Tonight we had a blast pulling out the pumpkin "brains" and carving/decorating our treasured pumpkins. Now my pumpkin seeds are toasting in the oven and smell delicious! Here's my favorite recipe along with some other options. 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Rinse seeds.
3. Toss seeds in a bowl with 1-2T oil or melted butter and a pinch of sea salt. 
4. Spread the seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown; stir occasionally.

Before cooking, you can also mix in a bit of any combination of the following for a fun treat:

• brown sugar
• cinnamon
• taco seasoning 
• hot pepper powder or cayenne pepper
• garlic salt or powder
• onion salts or powder
• cacoa powder
• ginger
• pumpkin pie spice
• worcestershire 

How do you like your pumpkin seeds?

Mini Detox Preview

I am so excited to bring my Renew You: 11 Day Detox Program to you! This program is designed to help you beat the bloat, lose weight, kickstart your metabolism, destress, reduce inflammation and much, much more. All without depriving yourself! 

To show my appreciate for your support to date and to give you a little sneak peak of the full 11 day program, I have made a sample freebie version available to my newsletter subscribers. Sign up here --> (in the right margin) today to receive your copy!

I have also been working through the program on my own over the last few days and would love to give you a little taste of what I have been up to! Enjoy!

Day 1 

Breakfast

I love my morning smoothies, so to stick with a bit of the familiar, I opted to use the Breakfast Smoothie recipes over the Breakfast Juice recipes for this 3 day sampler but both offer great benefits. (Stay tuned to my blog for a future posting on the pros and cons of juicing and blending.) I'm not a huge fan of protein powder or tahini (I only used 1T of tahini) but this recipe  was much better than I expected and kept me full all morning long. I didn't even need the morning snack. 

Lunch

This salad was delicious. I only used half of the dressing and it was plenty for my preference. If the ACV is too much for you, you can always leave it out, but it does have tons of tremendous health benefits so try to incorporate it somewhere!

Dinner

The superfood berry baby salad definitely looked as good as it tasted. I had never had raw cranberries before so I was excited to try them. THey were much less tart than I was expecting. 

Overall

Overall this was a great first day! I did have a very mild headache at the end of the day but for jumping in the deep end (no pre-detox phase), I'd consider it a tremendous success! 

Day 2

Breakfast

This smoothie was so good! I am used to drinking green smoothies in the morning so this was a pleasant treat! It was plenty filling and again, I didn't feel the need for the morning snack. 

Lunch

Again, great dish! It would have suited me better to leave the tahini out (and I did reduce it by half) but it was nice and creamy and provided a different texture than a traditional green salad.

Dinner

I was so bummed that I forgot to purchase the KimChi. I have been eager to try this "ingredient" and was so excited to have an excuse to purchase it! Oh well, the lettuce wraps were amazing anyway. I did add a touch of the cayenne but they would have been great either way.

Overall

This really has been much easier than I was expecting. The recipes are so yummy and filling. I didn't finish my lunch and did find that I needed both of the daily snacks in the afternoon. I also know that I need lots of protein in my diet and was feeling it by evening. Live and learn! How exciting to discover, explore and learn about me on a new level!

Day 3 

Breakfast

I was hesitant about the tahini again but went for it and had no problems. Again, a delicious treat. Almost felt like dessert for breakfast! As you can see from the photo, I was so excited to eat it that I forgot to photograph it before I dove in! Oh well!

Lunch

This salad was so good! I was actually fairly bummed when it was gone and contemplated making seconds! I think my body was craving the nutrients in the salt and honey a bit and this salad hit the spot. De-lish! I did add some extra beans since I was running someone's Bars after lunch and wanted to be sure I had plenty of nourishment but it probably wasn't needed.

Dinner

It has been a long time since I've had beets and I don't know that I've ever eaten them raw. They were so good! So glad I stepped out of my box and tried something new! What a great day!

Overall

I'm so excited to be on this journey and am thinking I may just keep going! I hope you will join me!

Other

While I did not feel the need to blog about the morning lemon water, snacks, or evening tea they were all very much appreciated, enjoyed, and they should not be left out. The figs with almond butter and cinnamon were my favorite! 

Summary

I hope you enjoyed following my mini detox experience as much as I enjoyed participating and capturing it! I know 11 days can seem like an enternity to some but anything is better than nothing! And my Renew You program is designed to easy you into the process - no cold turkey, no deprivation, no stress! It is all about you and discovering what your body needs to thrive! 

Welcome

Welcome to Second Nature Health Coaching!

I hope with this blog I can expose you to new things in small manageable bite size pieces that are easy to read/view, digest, and apply to your beautiful life!

Please contact me anytime with comments, questions, or suggestions for blog posts. I'd love to hear the topics you want to hear most.

Pesticide in Produce

People always ask me which produce items I buy organic. The truth is, I shop the organic section first and buy anything we eat a lot of like apples and carrots, regardless of the price. Then I will get any items I need that are considered highly toxic (see list below). Lastly, I will add in a few additional items that I know we will eat and are good deals. Anything I need that isn't available organically, I will purchase in the regular produce department. 

The following list is based on information and studies by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Consumer Reports, and the Environmental Working Group. (Copied from about.com)

1. Nectarines – 97.3% of nectarines sampled were found to contain pesticides.
2. Celery – 94.5% of celery sampled were found to contain pesticides.
3. Pears – 94.4% of pears sampled were found to contain pesticides.
4. Peaches – 93.7% of peaches sampled were found to contain pesticides.
5. Apples – 91% of apples sampled were found to contain pesticides.
6. Cherries – 91% of cherries sampled were found to contain pesticides.
7. Strawberries – 90% of strawberries sampled were found to contain pesticides.
8. Imported Grapes – 86% of imported grapes (i.e. Chile) sampled were found to contain pesticides.
9. Spinach – 83.4% of spinach sampled were found to contain pesticides.
10. Potatoes – 79.3% of potatoes sampled were found to contain pesticides.
11. Bell Peppers – 68% of bell peppers sampled were found to contain pesticides.
12. Red Raspberries – 59% of red raspberries sampled were found to contain pesticides.

Here is a list of fruits and vegetables found to contain the least amount of pesticides. Notice that many of these have thick, inedible skins which protect the fruit.

• Asparagus
• Avocados
• Bananas
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Corn (However, almost all corn is genetically modified)
• Kiwi
• Mangoes
• Onions
• Papaya
• Pineapples
• Sweet Peas

Cosmetics Cheat Sheet

Unfortunately it still isn't very easy to search the Skin Deep Database via your phone. When I first started searching for safer products, I took this Cheat Sheet with me to the store (made by the amazing folks at Gorgeously Green). They have an interesting but very practical system - they also have sorted products by degree of hazardousness but instead of giving everything a number, everything is sorted into three groups (Red, Orange or Green). The most toxic ingredients are listed with a reason and list of aliases.

• Green means GO - These ingredients are some of the safest you will find. 
• Orange means CAUTION - Meaning these ingredients are pretty bad but it should be ok for you to finish the bottle. Just promise not to buy it again!
• Red means STOP - As in stop using products with these ingredients immediately!

Fatal Attraction: Cosmetics and Chemicals

This is the most concise and informative flyer I have found so far.