Myrrh

Like Frankincense, Myrrh oil (Commiphora myrrha) is extracted from resin that oozes from very tough bark. It has a sharp, strong, woody scent. Ancient Greek soldiers used to carry Myrrh oil into battle for psychic protection, as well as first aid. Now we all tend to link it with Frankincense and stables and newborn babies.

Myrrh is the #1 essential oil for strengthening your nails. Nail technicians like to use it regularly on their clients to strengthen their fingernails to help stop splitting and cracking. It also helps strengthen dry skin. As a skin oil, Myrrh helps tone and rejuvenate the skin, which makes it particularly useful during the winter.

Toothpaste DIY

I love the idea of all things home made, but in reality sometimes it is soo easy to just run to the store and purchase whatever it is you need.  I also love knowing how to make it just in case I can't run to the store.  I am really excited about this one though.  It is a simple toothpaste recipe.  You can eliminate the sweetener if you would like (I don't mind eliminating it). and then I use my peppermint essential oil (I add a drop or two at a time until it has the right intensity for me), or you can use the extract.  If you try this one out let me know.  Coconut oil is known for so many great things, but one of those is helping to kill the bad germs, also I have read it is great for helping to whiten teeth.  I can't wait to hear what your experience is on this.If you need peppermint essential oil check out my doTERRA shop

I love this coconut oil too.

One step at a Time

Jim Rohn is one of my favorite motivational/personal development speakers/authors.  He is a great inspiration to me.  One of my most recent favorites of his is
 
He is so inspiring and so motivational to listen to or to read.  But to the point.   With anything in life it is making the little steps over and over again that build us to where we want to be.  For instance if you are wanting to loose a few lbs, you start with incorporating some exercise into your routine and you do that day after day, then you add in a few veggies and fruits to your diet, keep at it day after day, and pretty soon you are making progress toward your goal of loosing a few lbs.  Or if your goal is to learn something new, you find 10-15 min each day to read about what it is you want to learn, or enroll in a class, and little by little you get to where you want to be.  It isn't always easy to do the little things over and over, but I promise it will pay off.  Keep at your little steps!

Coconut Oil Hair Mask

I love coconut oil for so many things!!! Food, health, beauty and so many ways to use it.  If you google it I would dare bet you could come up with at least 40+ unique ways to use coconut oil.  But for today let's test it out on our hair.  I can't wait to hear back from you how this works!!!  This is one of the coconut oils I have tried and liked.
 

I dare you to give this a try and then come back and leave me a comment and let me know if you liked it or not?  I loved it.

Lunges:

Lunges are a great way to boost your booty!  I love the way this lays everything out and helps to keep you in proper form!  How many can you do with out stopping?  I dare you to go give it a go and come post in the comments.

Bibooks

Ever want to do something with all your awesome race bibs but don't know what....  Well here is your solution, go check out Kiesha's awesome new venture and she will hook you up with a beautiful book to keep all the bibs in so you can keep them all in a safe place.  Wahoo! Bibooks shop is officially open @https://www.etsy.com/shop/RunzAround?ref=si_shop Go take a gander! A little link love or word spreadage would be gratefully awesome. Happy running!

Guest Post: You mean I am supposed to feel? by Kathy Heinsohn

While I’m a big believer in the positive thinking movement, one of the first misconceptions I work with clients on is that you can’t just positively think, or will certain thoughts or feelings away.  There gets to be an honoring and accepting where you are in order to let go of what you don’t want.  Only then can you allow what you do want to come into your space.  The thought or emotion must be felt and validated in order for it to flow out of you.  And while what once was a beautiful ability to forge ahead into unknown territory, and what ultimately led our early pioneers to settle this American soil, learning to feel was definitely unknown territory that left much to be desired.  Processing emotions is not something that is well practiced or really accepted here in the West. 

From a very young age, how many of us were told “You’re ok”, “Suck it up”, “You are just fine”, “Don’t cry”, or a myriad of ways that stated what we were feeling was totally unacceptable?  And yet when we embrace the child that has an owie and is hurting, and who just wants to be acknowledged with a hug, a validation of their hurt, and possibly a band-aid, they are off running around again before you know it, their owie completely forgotten. 

I truly know there is power in validation and allowing feelings and thoughts to be expressed without judgment.  Who are we to say that what anyone else is thinking or feeling is not ok, let alone ourselves?  It’s what is thought/felt, so regardless, it is what it is.  Why not embrace it rather than deny, shove down, bury, hide, ignore, or detach from it? 

What we don’t realize that by burying or denying our thoughts and emotions, we are shoving them down further into the abyss of our very beings, giving them a place to reside and grow until one day, it has no other option but to come out.  Whether it manifests through a host of dis-eases, old stories and battle wounds that we carry around with us as justification to be angry, hurt, or with-held forgiveness, or some other awful drama or trauma, those feelings/thought will eventually find a way out.  The question is, wouldn’t you rather allow it to leave sooner than later without all the trauma/drama, giving you a much more fulfilling and vibrant quality of life?

So how do you honor your thoughts and emotions?  This question often comes up, especially when clients don’t want to condone and foster more of the thoughts and emotions they don’t like.  There are a couple of beliefs with this.  One, “if I accept where I am, I will never get to where I want.” Two, “If I accept this feeling/thought, then it means I condone it.”  And lastly, “By allowing this feeling/thought to be accepted by me, I will be dwelling in it.”  These are completely untrue!  The truth is that anything we resisting will persist (sound familiar?)  It’s why diets don’t work, and addictions are addicting.  When we focus on all the things we are deprived of or “shouldn’t do”, it isn’t any wonder why we bounce back into binging on all of the “forbidden” foods, or go running back to the addiction we so hate.  

There is SO much more I could write on this topic!  However, my intention is to keep it simple and share some solutions that bring quick results. In order to honor your thoughts and emotions, you can do several things.  I recommend trying them all out and going with what works for you.  Some may work better at different times in your life.  Don’t write them off immediately because they seem too simple or strange.  You never know what will be the key to your finding success in processing emotions and learning how to live a more rewarding life:

·         When faced with an unwanted emotion/thought, simply say, “Thank you” to it.  Your subconscious is reacting the way it is for a reason, and it is often out of protection.  By thanking the emotion/thought, you are telling the subconscious that you got the gift and it doesn’t have to keep protecting you.

·         Often times we can’t validate what we’re feeling because we’re so far removed from feeling.  In this case, I recommend searching on the internet for a list of feelings.  It can be basic or more detailed.  Just having a list of emotions was huge for me to reference and actually identify what I was feeling.  By simply noticing and owning what you’re feeling/thinking also honors that emotion/thought and allows it to move through you.

·         Write down what you’re thinking/feeling.  Write completely unhindered, getting everything you feel/think out on the paper.  Take all the self-critic and whatever else comes out on the paper to a metal trash can and match and burn it afterwards (ripping it into tiny shreds also does wonders).  It gives the subconscious something tangible to see that what was felt and wrote about is now able to leave.

·         Tap on your thymus (2” down from the middle of where the colar bone meets in the center) and say, “I’m ok that I feel/think __________.”  Or “I’m ok that I don’t like feeling/thinking __________”. This is tapping on an acupressure point that also sends a message to your subconscious.  It is greatly validating and allows the emotion/thought to easily flow through.  There is much information on the internet about the benefits of tapping, along with the other sequential points to tap on.  However, I’ve found tapping on the thymus to be just as effective as going through all the other points.

·         Deep breathe with the thought/emotion for at least 5 deep breaths.  Feel the emotion in the heart area, and allow the thoughts to gel for a few breaths.  Focusing on breathing makes it a conscious act, allowing the focus to be intentional.  When you allow the emotion/thought to be felt/thought while consciously breathing, it heightens the ability to flow the emotion/thought through.

·         Simply allow the feeling/thought to exist without judgment.  Just let it be.  Once validated, then you can choose what you would like to replace it with.  An example is to sit with discouragement for a while. Once it is allowed to have a voice and speak up, acknowledge it, thank it, and decide what you would like to feel instead.

·         Meditate on the thought/emotion for a while.  This works great with the deep breathing.

·         Forgive the emotion/thought that is unwanted.  Quite often, we resent that we feel/think a certain way.  When we have such rejection for a part of us, the message gets out to the rest of us and we find all kinds of limiting beliefs and ways that we hold ourselves back, all the while justifying our undeserving-ness because of the things we feel/think about ourselves.  It’s a cycle that can be broken by simply forgiving an emotion/thought for existing within us for a moment.

·         Realize that the emotion/thought exists only for a moment.  Allow it to be in that moment.  It’s when we judge that emotion/thought, or hate it, or reject it, or bury it that it becomes a whole lifetime of emotions/thoughts that are unwanted.  The patterns really can change, but first we must accept and embrace where we are at in the present before we can let go of the past, or move forward to where we want to be.

Quite often, after an emotion has been honored, answers to long-standing challenges are able to surface and a new door opens.  New insight about yourself and how you see yourself in the world are discovered.  Dreams seem to become a reality rather than impossibility.  And one of my personal favorites, peace becomes a common friend in your life. 

I hope this has been helpful!  I LOVE sharing information I have learned and look forward to sharing with you again!  Please contact me if you have any more questions and I would be happy to answer them.

Much Love, Light, and Courage in facing your own emotions/thoughts along this beautiful Earthly journey. 

Kathy Heinsohn

www.myhouseofhealth.blogspot.com

myhouseofhealth.gmail.com

My Marathon

Wow year end gets crazier and crazier with each kiddo being in school.  What a wonderful time of year, but man is it busy.  Sorry I didn't get this posted sooner, but here is how my marathon journey went start to finish!

I was in the middle of a battle with depression and my sweet friend Teramie was calling me about every day to check in on me and try to boost my spirits.  She had called one day and said, hey girl let's sign up for a marathon!  My immediate reaction was no! As would any normal person would react.  But she persisted... she said the peer pressure things like Come on, we need a challenge, anyone can do a half but how many people ever run a marathon.... so I said I would think about it... I then called my friend Kiesha who is my running guru and knows all things running.  I asked her if she thought I was capable of doing one, and if she thought so what advice she had for me... She said yes of course as long as you have the time to train properly.  Her advice was to look at a marathon training schedule and see if I thought I had the time I needed to do it.  Then find a race that fit into that time frame... so after much debate between which race we should do Teramie and I decided on the Ogden Marathon...  So the training began, after consulting a few running groups to find out how they trained I decided to follow Hal Higdon's training plan for beginners.  And I began to run, as I started I was shocked how slow I was compared to what I had been last summer when I was in much better shape, but I kept at it and I slowly watched my pace begin to come down and my miles begin to add up.  I copied down the training plan so I could cross off each run after I had completed it, if I missed a run I would circle it so I knew that one hadn't gotten done.  I went back and looked I completed 56 training runs and only missed about 5 but never my long run.  With each run I began to enjoy it more and look forward to the next.... finally I was at 15 miles and this was officially the farthest I have ever ran.  It was exhilarating to beat my mileage each week after that and have a new PR!  I also found a running buddy down in our new area or at least closer to me than Logan.  We would run usually once run during the week together and most of my long runs together.  It felt good to run with someone and to have a friend to spend all those hours with.  My husband was a huge support in helping with the kids and kicking me out the door (sometimes literally) when I didn't feel like going for a run.  I worked on my music play list (which helps me a lot)  nothing like a good song to push you when you don't want to go anymore.  I did strength training and core work several times a week and tried to get in some bike time too.  I was really good with all of this until I hit about my 15 mile mark, then I started to notice how sore I was to run and I felt it was inhibiting me from doing well.  So I stopped and just focused on running (looking back this was a huge mistake).  I focused on my food and how to eat and fuel for my runs (I am still not sure I have this figured out) but I  am finding it much better than when I started.  I started working on my hydration and making sure I was getting plenty of water.  In the process I also gained about 6lbs... this was not part of my plan but apparently it is pretty common.  And here I was thinking I was going to shed some lbs. with all this running.  I tried to incorporate different runs, up hill, down hill (these were favored), intervals, fartleks, and tempo runs.  I put in 17 long weeks of training and at my furthest ran 20 miles in preparation for this big event.  Well the day came and we stayed in Ogden so we could get our rest (this didn't happen), but it was I nice thought.

Here is what I wrote right after my marathon:

Candace, Teramie and Myself waiting at the start

I had trained really hard for this, for 17 weeks, and I spent almost every Saturday/Sunday running a long run that took hours to finish in all kinds of weather from down pour to blizzard to wind and a few sunny days but nothing super hot. I have had a ton of support especially from my awesome hubby. I had runs that were awesome, I had runs that were not awesome, I had so many PR's in distance and even a few in speed on some shorter runs. It has been an amazing emotion filled journey to today. I woke up at a crazy hour to go run the furthest distance I have ever ran before. We stood in the cold morning air around a fire for a couple hours until it was race time. They started with the national anthem which I LOVE!!! I started out awesome, was running at a nice 9:45 pace for my first 3 miles then I slowed a bit reserving some of my energy remembering I still had 23.2 miles left to run I felt awesome and I was doing great until about mile 7 my knee started to hurt a bit... thankfully my friend Karlee had come up to pace with me and met me at mile 8 with some Ibuprofen... I kept on after that doing pretty good and steady until about mile 14... for some reason this is where my pain began to get worse and I slowed quite a bit... so we did some walk run and played leap frog with the 5 hour pacer (my goal was 5 hours) so I really didn't want to see him pass me. But finally at mile 16 there was no pacer in site for me to leap frog... and I may have shed a few angry tears but I kept on keeping on walk then run, walk then run... I was grateful to have someone there to keep pushing me. There were several moments where I felt really strong, and then several where I wanted to quit... I even found a nice cave at mile 21 that I had decided I wanted to just go lay down in and quit... but of course I didn't... I had people at the finish line waiting for me. So I pushed and kept on... So many emotions that flooded my thoughts on a full spectrum of good and bad. I saw my first "fans" at mile 23 and I was sooo glad to see my husband and boys and in-laws cheering me on. I may have shed a few tears of gratitude over the overwhelming feeling of support. So I kept on, still with the walk then run, but it was a lot more walk than I wanted. I did this until the finish line where I got to cross with my two oldest kiddos. My heart was so full from the support of my friends and family. Thank you so much to everyone who stayed in the heat to watch me finish, and who helped me in my journey by either your kind words of encouragement, being a running buddy, helping arrange hotel rooms, helping me with my stuff after, just being there. I had a bit of sting to my finish as I obviously didn't meet my goal of 5 hours and that hurt... but I finished a marathon!!! 
Mile 1 awesome I got this 
Mile 2 awesome I got this 
Mile 3 ummm... I need a pit stop 
Mile 4 awesome I got this... I think I might be able to make up my time 
Mile 5 Yup I am gaining back that pit stop time 
Mile 6 hmmm I still have 20 miles to go maybe I ought to slow it a bit 
Mile 7 man my knee is hurting a little but I can push through this 
Mile 8 Karlee please bring me some pain killers 
Mile 9 I got this. 
Mile 10 this is so beautiful, I can do this 
Mile 11 this is getting harder but I got this 
Mile 12 man I am hurting, and i need another pit stop 
Mile 13 is that the 5 hour pacer behind us... ok I gotta pick it up I can't let him pass me 
Mile 14 what the hill!!! ok I am not going to kill all my energy on this hill... take it slow 
Mile 15 man my knee is still not cooperating 
Mile 16 uh oh there goes the 5 hour pacer... this sucks 
Mile 17 ummm I don't love this why isn't my body cooperating 
MIle 18 FUUUU I hate this and it is hot... why did I do this 
Mile 19 I want to chop of my legs (and maybe Teramie's legs for talking me into this), this sucks and I am hurting in places I have never hurt before 
MIle 20 zone out (don't really remember this mile) 
Mile 21 Ok walk run, I got this but there is cave... maybe I can just crawl in there it looks cool... I will just stay there and possibly die... guess not. Are we there yet. 
Mile 22 Out of the canyon...I HATE THIS! I am in pain... but I got this... I am going to finish 
Mile 23 MY FAMILY!!! Oh that was refreshing.... Ok I can do this 
Mile 24 ummm... I may crawl across the finish line... my knee, my hammy, my hips, my everything hurts... 
Mile 25 Karlee leaves and I get to finish on my own... just go almost there.. random stranger physically pushes me when I stop to walk... and leaves me with an encouraging you got this finish strong! I love runners!!! 

Guess you get to stretch your neck... I cannot for the life of me get this to post correctly :/

Mile 26 MY FAMILY!!! MY FRIENDS!!! MY KIDS!!!! Ok just .2 to go Finally I am there, later and more pain filled than I wanted but I DID IT!!!

All in all I am really proud of this accomplishment!  And I found a little more of myself in this journey!

7 Day Challenge: Fruits and Veggies

Okay first I apologize for the delay in this post and not having it all ready to roll on Monday.  The holiday weekend was crazy, as I am sure it was for all of you.  So our challenge for this week is to get at least one serving of fruits or veggies with every meal!   For those of you following on our Facebook challenge group I did announce this on Monday so I have been doing it for the last day and half with some of you.  I have eaten a lot of apples as they are so simple an easy to keep with me but I am hoping to expand into a few other fruits and veggies during the week.  Variety is the best way to go here!  Eat the rainbow!

Why do we do this?

Well fruits and veggies are a great source of fiber and we should be consuming a minimum of 25 grams per day.  So with all that fiber they help you to be more regular (I know soo gross that we are talking about poop, but everyone does it), in the book Beauty Detox Foods the author Kimberly Snyder talks about how much of our health shows in how regular our bowel movements are.  A quote from the intro of her book " Contracting viruses and getting seriously ill on two separate occasions in Nepal and India, I ended up under the care of doctors in both countries = and both experiences made me seriously consider different approaches to health care than what we have in the United states.  These doctors asked me something no Western doctor had ever brought up.  To be blunt, in both cases their first question was about my poop.  At first I was confused, then slightly embarrassed, then confused again as to why they were talking about "toxins" rather than just jamming pills at me like the doctors back home. They gave me a suppository and advised me that I would not heal until toxins were forced to exit my body.  In India , a common saying is that "Constipation is the mother of all disease."  Indians stress the importance of correcting the root cause, while int he United States, we focus on a pill-popping strategy after troubles arise, and then spend more money on digestive aids (antacids, laxatives and the like) than on any other over-the-counter medication."   They are also full of vitamins and antioxidants that help our bodies to  repair damage and oxidation, and also to help us age more gracefully.  Beauty Detox Foods also states that in her program "You are going to be eating an abundance and array of plant foods, which contain a plentiful supply of complex phytonutrients, including vitamins, minerals, fiber and enzymes that nature creates in perfect ratios.  It will feel right to you, as you continue along the path because deep down, Beauty Detox principles and foods resonate with your intuitive connection with nature.  As you go back to your natural way of eating, you'll become more naturally beautiful."  This is an excellent book as well with lots of great information on what certain fruits and veggies do to help your body.   I cannot remember where I read this, but one study showed that one of the only things we can do as prevention to help to prevent cancer of any type is to eat more fruits and vegetables!!! 

I also notice on weeks when I am eating more fruit and veggies that I have more energy, and I feel better.  In the book Eat and Run  By Scott Jurek he talks about converting slowly over to a vegan diet and how he felt so much better.  He used food a lot as his medicine and ate things to help his body heal.  It is amazing how much a good clean diet can help you  heal.  I loved this book so much and at the end he actually provided some recipes.

So eat up!!! I would love to hear how this goes for you this week!

Guest Post: Your Ideal Day by Kimberly Cozzens

Your Ideal Day

Hi everyone! My name is Kimberly Cozzens and I want thank Sheena for giving me the opportunity to be a guest blogger today!

My passions are my family, my faith, helping others see the full potential in themselves and then living up to their full potential! My vision is to help people live their ideal day every day!

I’m going to share a bit of my journey and then some tips I have discovered along the way. Before you jump into reading, I want you to imagine that I gave you a magic wand and time and money were of no issue. What would you wish for? What would your day look like? What would your week, year, life look like? Answer that, write it down if you’d like… and now we can get into this post!

Growing up I was “skinny sick.” I looked healthy because I was thin but I was sick a lot and we couldn’t figure out why. My senior year of high school I started getting pudgy & then in college, I not only gained the “freshmen 15,” I gained 20 lbs! It didn’t take my whole freshmen year to gain the weight, I gained it all by Christmas of my first semester! I was sad, worried, and stressed most of the time. I wasn’t very hopeful about my future or even the present. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. I gained more weight after I got married. I guess this time you could say “fat and happy.” I was happier because I had my husband, Corey, to help keep me balanced, but the sadness still crept in and it was a daily struggle.

From 2011 to today, now sticking with this super-food nutritional cleansing program, I am a new person. Yes I’ve lost weight, but I have also gained so much! I’ve gained healthy lean muscle. I now weigh a healthy 124 lbs. and am at a lean 19% body fat! I have also gained so many new friends! I am fit and toned. I gained a LOVE for exercising. I gained a vision and purpose. I see the full potential in myself and others! I gained an abundance of knowledge. I’m excited, hopeful, confident, and very happy!

So when people ask me, “Why do you still do what you’re doing, you’re already at your physical goal?” I answer, “Would you stop doing something that completely changed your life for the better?! I wouldn’t either!”

This video here will show you more about the super-food nutritional cleansing program that I use and coach others on.

(Watch video here).

When you are working towards a worthy goal to be healthy and change your life for the better, as all of you reading this blog are doing, you are going to encounter naysayers and you are going to battle the most difficult battle of them all… the battle between your two ears… your own brain and your own limiting beliefs. I heard this quote today from Marci Shimoff on a podcast and it is, “I believe in having a big tool box!”

To battle the naysayers and the limiting beliefs we all have, here are some tools that have helped me since 2011 when I started my health, personal development, and self-discovery journey. These tools can help you to live your ideal day!

First, Affirmations. I call them “I am statements” and these statements are powerful for many reasons. The phrase “I Am” is powerful in itself because of Jesus Christ who is the Great I Am. Whenever you start a statement with “I am” you are essentially saying it to Jesus, and asking for Him to help you achieve that affirmation. Always say your affirmations in a positive way. “I am happy to be at my ideal weight of ___!” “I am excited that my family is enjoying our trip to Disneyland!” Always say them in the present tense. “Enjoying.” “At my ideal weight.” Your mind doesn’t recognize “wanting,” only “being.” Not all your affirmations need to be written and said in the format of “I am happy/excited/grateful.” Make it how you want, but use “I am” as often as possible. Write and say affirmations for your health, your finances, your relationships, your dreams, your goals, your spirituality, everything!

Second, Positive visuals. I put positive phrases, my affirmations, my goals, my dreams, daily positive actions, and other things all around my house and even in my car! I put them on the mirrors in the bathroom & bedroom, on the closet door, on a dream board next to my bed, framed pictures, the night stand, the fridge, on cupboards, and more. Below are some pictures of some of the phrases and places I have placed my Positive visuals. This is something that has helped me because your mind will constantly be redirected to positive things when it has positive things to look at! When you see your goals often, you will attract your goal to you!

  

Third, my amazing super-food nutritional cleansing program! A huge part of my journey, and the reason I even started this journey was because I joined a network marketing company and their products are full body, cellular, nutritional cleansing products! I seriously have never felt better in my entire life than I have since incorporating these products into my life every day! There are certain things I won’t go without! One product that I take every morning has adaptogens (which are awesome). My mood, energy, mental clarity, happiness, stress-levels, just about everything has improved since incorporating this and other products into my daily routine.

Another amazing product that I rely on EVERY SINGLE DAY is my amazing protein, meal-replacement shake! If any of you use a meal replacement shake you probably agree with me that they are amazing! I found out that I was gluten intolerant in 2011 so this was perfect for me to use to replace 1 or 2 of my meals a day because it is gluten free and it made my life so simple! Depending on which shake I am receiving either 24 or 36 grams of no compromise undenatured (undenatured it so important) whey protein, low-glycemic carbs, and healthy fats that give my body all the essential vitamins and nutrients I need! My shakes help me to burn fat, gain lean muscle, reduce cravings, keep me more full, longer (who doesn’t want that!), have more energy, better recovery after a workout, and it contains no artificial crap! Seriously, these products have changed my life and they are a HUGE part of my journey!

Forth, and lastly, be AUTHENTIC! Be yourself! Have fun! Stay true to your values! Follow your heart! Follow your gut! Do what makes you happy. Once I gave up trying to be what I thought others wanted me to be, I gave myself the greatest gift which was to be myself and discover my potential and purpose! I spent a lot of years trying to please people. Before I was married I was in a relationship and when I think back to it, I can feel the stress come over me and my lungs tighten and my breathing becomes short. I was trying to tip-toe around a ticking-time bomb and please him and so many others and I forgot to stay true to myself. This has been a huge key to happiness for me! And I hope it is for you too!

I just want to end by giving your some more tools for your journey to living your ideal day every day.

Books

Podcast’s series to listen to:

http://amplifiednetworkmarketing.com/

http://www.thekickasslife.com/

My links to find me and my nutritional cleansing system:

https://www.facebook.com/cleansingcozzens

http://cleansingcozzens.isagenix.com/en-US/Isamovie

I am so grateful for who I am today and I owe it all to this WHOLE journey!

Books:

The Secret

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Total Money Makeover

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind

Finding your Happiness

The 4-hour Chef

7 Day Challenge: Get your Workout On!

pic from www.motiveweight.blogspot.com

I might have a confession... I have been choosing the challenges based around my marathon training, but now that is behind me (look to Thursday's post for the details on that) I am ready to get serious about a lot of my weight-loss and get healthy goals.  I have also been choosing things (except the sugar) that are easy for me to get in.  We started with the food journal, then water, then sugar, then sleep and now we are onto the workout portion.  I will post a workout each day on the Facebook page and the blog, and try to do the workout, if not try to get in a 20 minute workout each day.  There are a several different types of exercise,
aerobic, strength training, stretching/flexibility training, interval training, high intensity interval training (HIIT).  All of these are important and it is important to be constantly changing things so your body never gets used to what your doing.  This keeps your body in a state of muscle confusion which is a good thing.  Most of the books I have read say that it is important to include all different types of training because they all do different things for your body.  So the goal for this week is to get in 7 days of exercise at least 20 minutes.   I am not saying you have to go crazy all 7 days, but maybe do a day of strength, then a day of aerobic, then a day of yoga, a day of HIIT, then another strength day, another HIIT day, and another aerobic day.  And if your day gets crazy just shoot for a walk and some sit ups and push ups.  Really the goal this week is for those who haven't been exercising to get moving and for those who have, to step it up and make sure your including all different types of exercise.
Here is why we exercise:

• Build muscle (which burns more calories) you won't bulk I promise
• Tighten and tone your body
• It releases happy hormones and chemicals in the body and battles depression, anxiety ect.
• It helps us shed fat
• Burn more calories in a day
• It feels good
• Helps your heart and lungs
• Creates healthy habit
• Keeps you young
• Gives you more energy

Here is a workout to try.

With all things it is important to know why you are doing this.  My reason for exercise is that I want to shed some lbs and I want more energy so I can keep up with my kids.  I would love to know your reason for getting more exercise, leave me a comment and let me know.

Here are a few of my favorite books and workout videos (I know you can get a lot on the amazon prime videos or youtube too)

Big Book of Exercises

Banish Fat Boost Metabolism

30 Day Shred (I love this because it is 20 min)

T-25

Yoga

Booty Barre

Brazilian Butt Lift

Good luck this week!!! Also if you do the workout I have posted come back and tell me about it!

Sore muscles... Here is What I do.

After all the running I have put in lately I haven't been super sore after my runs, but after strength training I have been.  Here is what I do to minimize my soreness.

• Protein within 30 minutes of completing my workout.  A few of my go to sources are eggs, (i like them any way you can cook them) a protein shake.  They have one that is peanut butter chocolate flavored!!!  This has been delightful with a banana and some milk or water blended together.  Cottage cheese and fruit, or greek yogurt.
• Stretch while your warm.  My stretching routine always includes about 5 minutes with my handy dandy foam roller buddy.  There are also a few other variations on this... a tennis ball can work wonders on muscles or bottoms of feet.  Or the stick can be portable so you can take it with you anywhere. 
• Same day or next day Yoga, I have a love hate with yoga, but it always helps me minimize soreness.
• Hydrate!  Water and replacing electrolytes is important to keep your body functioning properly and helps keep you from cramping.
• Deep Blue, Peppermint or Aromatouch Essential oils to help with the soreness.
• ICE!!! I can't stress this enough, Ice is so great for helping especially in trouble areas.  I almost always ice my knee after a run or workout.  And if it is a real intense workout I will even do an ice bath.  Make it through the first 2 minutes and it gets better, the initial shock of getting in is not awesome... but the awesome comes.  Check out this link for some tips on Icebaths http://www.runladylike.com/2012/10/11/how-to-take-an-ice-bath/
• L-Glutamine supplements help I take them on a regular basis.

I would love to hear some of your tips for minimizing soreness, please leave me a comment and tell what you do!

7 Day Challenge: SLEEP

Sleep is so important!  The average adult needs anywhere from 6-10 hours of sleep depending on the study you look at. For some you function and feel fine without a lot of sleep.  If I don't get enough sleep I will start to feel like I have the flu.  After oxygen and water your body needs sleep to function at its peak.  Going more than 24 hours without sleep and your body will start to show you exactly how much it requires some sleep.

 I read a study (can you imagine me reading lol) that talked about how your body goes through one cycle of sleep in 90 minutes and that you should try to wake yourself when you are at the end of one of the 90 minute intervals to feel the most rested.  This makes sense to me because sometimes I will wake up at 4 in the morning and feel fully rested (probably waking up at the end of a 90 minute sleep cycle) and then I will lay there til I fall back to sleep and wake up at 7:00 and feel groggy and tired...  So to give you and example try going to bed at 10 and then depending on how much sleep you need, try to wake at the end of one of those cycles so wake at 5:30 or at 7:00 so you don't interrupt that 90 minute cycle.  I do much better when I do this.  I am a 9 hour of sleep kind of gal, but I can still do okay on 7 1/2... but that way I wake during the correct times.

Some more fun things about sleep (okay so this is all day but it is interesting to me and I feel like it correlates with sleep, kind of)  Your body has an internal clock, so each part of the day a different organ is "in charge" where it functions at its hardest or puts in the most work. When I was taking my foot zoning classes we learned about this, and we were taught that if you woke at a certain point during the night every night is was because there was an imbalance with that organ.  Here is an example of the one we had in our books that I found at http://jchlife.com/biological-clock/ with a whole article on the subject that was very interesting.

If you google organ body clock you can find a ton of information on this theory.  

The challenge for this week is to get a minimum of 6 hours of sleep!  Shoot for 7 1/2 if you can.  Things that help me with getting into a good sleep habit:

• Go to bed and wake at the same time every day
• Disconnect from electronics (even the TV) for 2 hours before bed
• I listen to a meditation soundtrack as I fall asleep, here are a few I found on amazon, http://amzn.to/1l46ZAK (this one is free) http://amzn.to/1omrQnT I love this one.
• Cut out the caffeine early in the day so I am not wired
• If I haven't fallen asleep within 30 min of laying down I will take a melatonin but this doesn't happen often.
• Do something relaxing before bed (I like to take a nice hot bath with lavender essential oil)
• Lavender oil spritzed on your pillow 
• A combination of Lavender and orange oil is great for sleep and it smells heavenly.

So shoot for 6-9 hours of sleep each night this week!!!  I have a facebook group for support during the challenges if you interested, it is really nice to have other people participating with you.

Sheena

Guest Post: Placental Encapsulation by Sandy Durtschi

Placental Encapsulation

I had my placenta encapsulated when I had my second baby Hazel.  And yes it is exactly as it sounds, I had my placenta dried and made into pills.  Here is my back story and what lead me to make this choice. 

After I had my first baby Olivia I had postpartum depression (PPD).  I have suffered from depression before I got married and had kids but I didn't realize that this factor actually increased my chances significantly to getting PPD.  After my 6 week check-up my OB/GYN prescribed an antidepressant Lexapro.  It was the same antidepressant I used when I had depression before.  At that time I was really sad, mad, upset and ashamed about taking an antidepressant especially because I was nursing.  I am a huge supporter of natural and alternative medicine but since I have been down this depression road before I was aware of the signs and knew how bad it could get and at some point an antidepressant was the best choice for me and my emotional/mental health.

I was on it for 4-5 months and it really helped me get to a better place and then I weaned myself off.  As a side note:  Never go off an antidepressant cold turkey.  The withdrawals symptoms are terrible.  Fast forward to my second pregnancy with Hazel I was trying to be prepared and was assuming that I would again suffer from PPD.  At that time I was living in Boise, Idaho and I had plans to deliver at a birth center with a midwife and that is when they introduced me to placental encapsulation after I inquired about PPD. 

My husband was super skeptical about me ingesting my own placenta and because it is really weird. I did my research mostly from this website  http://placentabenefits.info/articles.asp and I did more research because I am nerdy like that.  I learned that in other cultures that the placental is actually honored as a sacred organ and have some cultures even have special ceremonies after a birth.  Personally I was very moved by the testimonies of others but my main motivation was I didn't want to take an antidepressant and I worried about it crossing over through my breast milk and the effects it had on me and my baby.

I found a local specialist and she met with me before the birth and we discussed my options and why I chose to do this and my past postpartum experience.  I describe my postpartum experience as after-birth euphoria because after I had my first baby I didn't sleep much those first two weeks and all I wanted to do was hold and cuddle with my baby and I just felt so happy and content.  Basically I didn't take very good care of myself in terms of resting and I was pushing myself too hard.  The specialist told me that was probably a huge factor in my PPD. 

Fast forward to the day I went into labor.  My husband brought our cooler for the placenta and we headed to the birth center with our doula.  In a nutshell Hazel was breech and birth centers aren't allowed to deliver breech babies in Idaho so we headed to the hospital so I could have a c-section. The hospital where I delivered at was super easy to work with but all hospitals have different procedures so you definitely want to do your research so your placenta doesn't get disposed of or have chemicals put on it.  My husband just filled out an organ release form and we were good to go.  The nurses packaged it up and Mike put it in our cooler on ice and took it home and put in in the freezer since I was in the hospital for 3 days.  Depending on your arrangements your specialist can start the process the day the placenta is brought home.

My specialist came to my home and did everything there.  Her process was super sanitary and my placenta never left the home.  She even made a cute little heart with Hazel's umbilical cord.  I paid her a deposit the first time I met with her and the rest after she completed the encapsulation and I remember the costs being very affordable.

I never had PPD with Hazel.  The days I took the pills I really had a super surge of energy and felt amazing.  I can't imagine how fast my recovery would have been if I took them immediately after the birth until they were gone.  Even my husband noticed and wanted to take them.  I think most people take them until they are gone but for my personal situation I only took them when I needed it.  Hazel is almost three and I still have leftover pills and I still take them when I feel stressed and it does help.

I know it sounds weird in this day and age and in our Western culture but I highly recommend placental encapsulation to my pregnant friends just not for PPD but for a faster recovery postpartum.  I had an amazing experience and I know that my specialist was willing to work around her clients budgets.  In the long run it was so much cheaper than an antidepressant, it was safer and healthier for me and my baby and I experience more benefits than just avoiding PPD.  

7 Day Challenge: No Sugar

Okay stick with me... I am sure you read the title and thought no way... I don't want to do that!  This is one area where I struggle the very most!  But first let me tell you all the benefits of going sugar free.  First off I didn't say a year, or a month, it is just one week.  You can do anything for a week!  Just try it and see, take it one day at a time.  You will feel better, you will think more clearly, you will age better, your complexion will look better, you will help your body to lose weight, and if you suffer from headaches, those might disappear too.

Sugar is a terrible food, it has no nutritional value, and it is so addictive.  There have been several studies showing that sugar can be compared to cocaine in it's level of addictive properties.  Also in the book Fat Chance he talks about the chemical reaction on the brain from sugar is similar to that of alcohol.  According to the book Beauty Detox Foods, sugar gives you wrinkles, makes you move more stiffly, makes you fat, steals your beauty nutrients, reduces the function of enzymes, taxes your adrenal glands, hinders your body's cleansing.  She backs each of these up with fact showing why and how this happens.  So to me it sounds like sugar is a good thing to kick.

Here are the sugars we should avoid:

• Agave
• Barley matl syrup
• Brown rice syrup
• corn sweeteners
• corn syrup
• crystalline fructose
• dextrose
• evaporated cane juice
• fructose
• high fructose corn syrup
• invert sugar
• malt
• malt syrup
• maltodextrin
• maltose
• muscovato
• succanat
• sucrose
• turbinado sugar
• Splenda and any other artificial sweeteners

If going off sugar is proving to be difficult here are a few you can have in moderation:

• raw coconut nectar
• dried fruit 
• raw honey
• organic pure maple syrup
• xylitol
• erythritol

The sugar in fruit is okay to eat because it is teamed up with fiber.   Eating fruit is entirely different than consuming refined sugars, not only does it have the fiber but it is full of vitamins and antioxidants.

To do this you are going to have to read labels... they sneak sugar into all kinds of seemingly healthy foods like yogurt, oatmeal and other healthy foods.  If you are really needing a treat don't tell yourself no... just not now..  First have a piece of fruit or a green smoothie, give yourself 20 min or so with that and see if it is enough.  Then go brush your teeth and if you still really need it ask yourself if it can wait until the 7 days is over, if not  then allow for a small piece of whatever you are wanting.  But I think going 7 days would be so awesome!

If you are finding that you really are addicted to sugar here are a few things that help with that sugar addiction.  Eat more healthy fats (coconut oil, avocado, almonds, etc).  You can also take an herbal supplement called gymnema, or a supplement called l-glutamine.  Both help to curb sugar cravings, as does peppermint tea or peppermint oil or the slim and sassy oil or softgels from doTERRA.

Before adding a supplement to curb your sugar cravings, make sure that the cravings for sugar are not tied to an underlying medical condition.  Consult with your physician prior to adding new supplements to your diet.  Be sure to read the lable carefully and follow the proper dosage and directions for taking the supplement.  Be sure your diet is rich in nutrients, supplements alone cannot make for a healthy body.