One month down.... Happy Chinese New Year! 2014

Greetings and Salutations!

Well, that's it.  The first month of the New Year is gone.  How have you done with New Year changes, commitments, health and wellness?   Have you taken more time for you?  Have you given more time to your family?  How are those Ukulele lessons coming along?  Whatever you decided to improve, how is it going?

Really?  Well right on!  Well done and Kudos to ya!  If not so good, don't worry!  It's the Chinese New Year - 2014 - The year of the Horse.  You can always start again  February 1st, 2014!  Yay!  You Beauty!

A little on Chinese New Year and The Year of the Horse:

The galloping horse is a flighty unpredictable beast!  Apparently the year of the horse holds the same unpredictability!  Struggle and Strife!  Non-negotiating and stubborn!  The year of the horse could predict turmoil!  Ack!  Power Through I say! ;)

People born in the year of the horse - are witty, intelligent and very energetic!  They are very quick to learn Independence!  A new born foal will be up and running almost minutes after birth!

According to Chinese superstition.  If your birth animal and the new year are the same you will have bad luck for the whole year!  It is important to wear something red, that someone has given you.  Lucky colours are green, red and purple for year of the horse.  Lucky flowers are Taro and Jasmine.

info from:

•  http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jan/31/eight-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-year-of-horse
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/chinese-new-year-2014/

Taro plant

Have you tried Taro Bubble tea?  Yum Yum!

Namaste~

A little bit on Milk Kefir...

Hello!

Okay, so a client of mine gave me some milk kefir grains!  I've been buying Lifeway Organic milk kefir for awhile now to have in my smoothies, but dang...... it's so easy to make it yourself with milk kefir grains!  Sip sip sip, as I drink my breakfast smoothie with milk kefir I made yesterday.  

Blended smoothie with milk kefir

It's so easy!  I took the grains about 1 Tbs of them and put into a clean Ball jar with some fresh organic whole milk and 24 hours later I had that lovely probiotic milk kefir to add to my smoothie!

There is lots of information on the net about what milk kefir is and how to create some amazing food with this living culture.  You can use it like yogurt, and even replace yogurt in recipes with this stuff.  You can even make a boursin type cheese with it and flavour it with fruit or herbs!  That's next on my list of things to make.

Milk Kefir Recipe Central

What's it good for?  Benefits of Milk Kefir:

Can help with...

• alleviate intestinal disorders
• Promotes bowel movement
• Protects the prostate
• Regulates metabolism through improved digestion
• Regulates blood pressure
• Improves blood circulation
• Eliminates “bad” bacteria
• Has antifungal properties to promote healing of various dermatological issues
• Regulates bile to improve liver and gallbladder functions
• Increases energy
• Flushes our pathogens
• Boosts the immune system

Not a lot of research has been done for about 100 years, but Kefir is starting to make news in health circles.  I can only mention the benefits I've notice since I've been drinking it.  

• I'm not hungry all the time
• My eczema has improved
• I definitely have more energy
• I can be rather 'gassy' at times, and this seems to have improved immensely!

I like caring for the grains, they are like little pets to me now.  Making yogurty goodness for me.

I am trying to get them to multiply now so I can share them with friends.  Still doing research on the little things.  

I would say find someone who can share grains with you and give it a go.

Have fun and Cook with Reckless Abandon.

Namaste~ Hope

Alcohol and Massage: Not a good combo

Hi everyone!

How's the new year treating you?  How are those 'get healthy' plans and activities going?  I'm staying with the vegetable/cabbage soup through the month of January.  I'm eating more veggies and fruit this month than I did the whole of Nov and Dec combined!  Good stuff.

But I digress.......  Alcohol and Massage - what are the risks?
As a massage therapist our biggest rule is:  DO NO HARM.

But let's say you jut spent the day at the Broncos game and you're feeling full of beer and stadium food and the Broncos won!  Whoo hooo, 'I feel great!', you say to yourself.  ' Let's go get a massage. '

Not a good idea.

The good people at Integrative Healthcare have put together an article that bullets 'why you shouldn't combine alcohol and masssage'.

http://www.integrativehealthcare.org/mt/archives/2013/02/alcohol-and-massage-a-dangerous-combination.html

To recap and summarize:

• Alcohol is dehydrating: 
•  Muscle tissue needs to be hydrated to function properly.  Interstitial fluids are pushed through your muscle tissues during massage.  Chances are your kidney and liver will be taxed if you've had a skinful of alcohol and then get a massage.  It is possible to become really ill as your body is in detox overdrive.
• Alcohol impairs your ability to give accurate feedback:
• As a massage therapist I depend very heavily on your ability to give feedback.  Is the pressure too much, is that pain referring, how are you feeling, is the table warm enough.... etc.  If you are intoxicated your pain/sensory receptors are not functioning properly and I could inadvertently hurt you.  It is not my intention, but if you can't feel pain, I may be working too deep in an area.

These are the biggest reasons.  There are others but read the article and decide. 

 I don't recommend it and some therapists will even refuse to give a massage if they suspect you are under the influence.  I was 10 min into a massage before I even realised the client had consumed alcohol.  So I switched from his requested DT -' I want it to hurt' to a more flushy Swedish style.  Of course filled my SOAP notes with everything and I just hope he was smart enough to go home and start drinking water.

Document everything and be smart about it.  Don't risk your license or your safety!

nb_.... Don't bring your sick girlfriend in for a massage either.  Talk about a fast track to being really super sick and sharing your sickness with others.  Also not a good idea.

Be safe and be healthy.

Namaste~ Hope

Happy New Year! 2014

Greetings One and All!
HAPPY NEW YEAR ~ 2014!

Well, now that all the festivities are dying down and coming to a close.... well, apparently it's Easter now!  Already seeing that crap in the stores.  Jeesh!  Let's get through Valentine's Day first People!

But I digress.  My blog today is about getting back on track of your health.
I do a major Detox beginning around day 4/5 of the new year.  Depends on how much sugar is still in my house!  I don't overthink it, but want to reset my digestive system.  So I take a week and fill my belly full of good things.

I use the 'cabbage soup diet' as a base.  The soup I make with all kinds of veggies; cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, onions, kale, garlic, veggie stock, whatever I happen to find that looks good in the store.  It's a full on hearty veggie soup (no potatoes, corn or celery - YUCK).  I also add about 2 cups of spicy 100% vegetable juice for flavour.

There really is no tried and true recipe, I just make it up and it somehow always comes out pretty tasty.  Day 1 and 2 I eat as much soup as I want.  No coffee.  I do drink warm green tea and iced Celestial Seasonings Decaf Green teas.  I also up my water intake.  Typically during our dry Colorado winter months, you should be consuming 1/2 your body weight in ounces - plus an additional 20 ounces if you can.  Our winter will wick the moisture away from your body faster than you can say Jack Frost!

You will look like a piece of beef jerky unless you hydrate, hydrate, HYDRATE!

Day 3~ I consume as many raw vegetable as I can stomach along with the soup. I'm quite partial to broccoli, cauliflower and carrots.  I just cut them up and eat 'em.

Day 4~  I consume lots of fruit.  Mostly apples, grapes and some oranges.  I can't stand bananas so I usually give those a miss.  YUCK!  Along with the soup.

Day 5~  I will eat fruits/veggies/soup and I'll add a baked sweet potato or yam with REAL BUTTER.

Day 6~  Back to soup only, a few raw veggies and a piece of boneless/skinless chicken or fish - done on the grill.  I will marinate the chicken in a little Italian dressing - about 1 Tbs.

Day 7~  YOU MADE IT!  This is a day of veggies/fruits/soup and patting yourself on the back.  Well done.
You're body will thank you and you'll get the sugar cravings out of your system.  This has worked for me every year to kick start my body into getting healthy again.  But of course come this time next year I'll be all hopped up on sugar and alcohol until 2015.

I usually do this fast/detox about 4 times a year and sometimes I do it just because I do like the soup!

The idea is to cut caffeine, alcohol, refined sugars, wheat/gluten and dairy out for 1 week.  Eat lean meat once per week and a starch - good starch i.e. the yam, once per week.  Up your fiber and water intake.  Flush your system out.

Cook with Reckless Abandon and eat healthy!  But most of all.... HAVE FUN!

Peace, Light and Love for the New Year!
Hope