Here's a fun topic that I've been thinking about for quite some time.

The Breakfast set up…

Let's talk about how the following scenario:

Alarm goes off. Time to start yet another day. Maybe you rush. Maybe you workout. Maybe you even take 30 minutes for yourself before you fly out the door for work, school, play, life.

Breakfast is simple: what you grab on the go, have always eaten or are currently trying to eat in order to lose a few pounds or just feel healthier.

Maybe breakfast is a bowl of cereal with fruit, maybe it's yogurt with granola. Or call it a fancy day if you have an egg with a slice of toast and juice.

But breakfast is not exactly a large or "full" meal. Maybe a few hundred calories if we're talking numbers?

Your day has begun.

Fast forward to lunch time and you have your meal. Sure, you're hungry but aren't you always? Or maybe you're too busy to even notice hunger.

Lunch has passed. Time to move on to the second half of our work, school, play day.

3 pm hits, 4 pm hits and you are…famished

Hunger pains, foggy head, fatigue, low energy. The "I could eat just about anything in sight right now" famished that hits you out of the blue.

Immediately you know that there you are going to make it to 5:30, 6:30 or 7pm dinner. I need to eat now!

Eat the first thing you see: chocolate, granola bar, fries, candy, cereal, ice cream, chips, oreos, the breakroom cookies. You name it, you grab it.

Tasty? Of course. Everything is right now.

Is one cookie enough? No way. It takes at least 3, 4 or even 5 for that hunger to finally disappear and your energy (aka blood sugar) to return to "normal." It still feels like you could eat an entire room full of food.

Result? Feel like crap, feel guilty. Realization that your snack wasn't what you would call "healthy" or ideal.

Next thought: I'm going to workout harder, run an extra mile, skimp on dinner, skip dinner as a whole. Aka punish myself for eating a crap snack.

Or maybe now you are just going to continue the tradition of eating "unhealthy" items for the rest of the day since you already messed up that "diet" so you grab yourself some french fries, a large milk shake and a burger from the drive through on the way home.

Or maybe you will just end your day wondering why in the world it is that you start your day off "great" with eating well and always end up over eating or picking the things that don't nourish your body and help move your goals forward.

Anything sounding familiar?

So, let's talk about the one thing you can do today, right now to change the above scenario.

You've heard it before and you will hear it again: eat a larger breakfast.

I know. "They" have been telling us this for years. I'm not going to give you any scientific reason behind it or claim that if you eat more your metabolism will function at warp speed. Any claim such as that is likely based on something that isn't necessarily a reality.

What I can tell you is this…

Breakfast can be the meal that sets you up for a satisfying, energy producing day

OR

Breakfast can be the meal that sets you up for an unsatisfying, energy zapping day

The choice is yours and the solution is simple: feed your body first thing. Give it a full, well rounded and nutrient rich collection of foods to get your body going and provide you with the energy to make the decisions that better your health rather than prevent it from thriving.

It doesn't have to be complicated friends. I promise.

Here's how you can begin:

1. Start small.

Continue to eat what you are already eating and just increase the portion just a tad. Then check in with yourself an hour, two hours and then three hours after the meal. Are those foods keeping you satisfied? Are you noticing the same energy zapping, hunger producing afternoon? If so, move on to step two.

2. Add in some new foods and variety.

Explore other foods that you enjoy in the morning and start adding one or two in at a time in small amounts. Just call it a breakfast experiment. Play around with new foods, new recipes and easy choices. See what happens!

3. Continue to modify portion size.

Consider this idea: what if your body needs more food than you actually think it does at breakfast time? Could the answer to this question be yes? If you are nodding your head or at least willing to find out then try to play around with amounts. Like numbers and calories? If you are eating less than 300 calories at breakfast I can almost 100% guarantee you that you need more food in the morning. Try 400. Then 500 and maybe even go crazy and try 600.

Then…at each step see how your body feels. Only YOU can decide what it needs and how much.

Have fun with this! Give your body the chance to really be fueled and energized first thing in the morning. I cannot tell you how many of my wonderful and incredible clients are in this exact position. I used to be guilty of it. Many of us are still guilty of it. It is a powerful shift to make.

It might just change your life!

Come on over to my new site as well to view blog posts! Click below:

Intuitive Nourishment & Health Blog

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It's been too long.

My apologies for being swept into the craziness of life. I have so many wonderful things happening and my coaching practice is growing at an unexpectedly fast rate!

I have also been taking some time away from technology to delicately find that thing we are always chasing- balance!

Oh balance is such a mysterious concept!

Over the past few months my personal time had started to blend with work and with my computer/phone. I became the girl who was glued to her iphone while crossing the street and checking out at the grocery store. I swear my fingers function differently now that I spend most days either typing on my laptop or using the touch screen. I'm evolving!

Needless to say it was time to step away and reassess.

I was also putting a great deal of energy towards my coaching practice and my studies at IIN.

This is a most incredible time for me and I can feel the energy and how things are starting to happen!

This week I spent most days working on my new Holistic Health Coaching website. I would be honored if you would stop by and check it out!

With that new website came my new business name: Intuitive Nourishment & Health

Oh my I love that name! Here's why…

Intuitive

My journey with health has brought me to an incredible place. A place where I have come to hear, understand and learn from my intuitive wisdom. The inner voice. The real me!

That intuitive voice can guide us to a beautiful place of health. I am getting closer and closer every day and that is what I want to bring to every individual I have the chance to work with!

Nourishment

Nourishment is everything that fuels us! Food, care, love, time, balance, rest. Nourishment of all forms. The best part of health coaching is helping someone discover how powerful nourishment can be in every area of our life. Food alone won't heal us. Exercise alone won't heal us. But in combination with self care and love- that is where we find that place of health, balance and vitality!

So…

I am taking a slight break from regular blogging over here. My goal is to fully integrate my new website with this blog. Everything blended perfectly together!

I hope that you will continue to follow me once I make the full move over to Intuitive Nourishment & Health. You have all helped me grow so much this past year and a half.

Till next time!

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Did you get someone good today? I have a very brief prank going on over at Facebook today. A few friends believed I was actually on a plane with my husband to open a spa in St. Maarten.

Don't get me wrong…I would leave in an hour if you told me I could! Just watch me

For your musing this lovely Friday here is what I have been eating, dreaming and thinking about all day long in my kitchen!

Hummus Wrap

You've probably seen this before, made one before but I am having an affair everyday with this wrap since my mom made me one in Texas. The specifics: Ezekiel wrap, roasted pine nut hummus stuffed with romaine lettuce, lots of it! So perfect and filling! I've been having this every single day after a spin workout. SO YUMMY!

Greek Yogurt

Currently a staple. I'm buying stock in this stuff I love it so much. And yes, I have been caught digging a spoon elbow deep in my 24 ounce container.

Oats in a Jar

I have been slowly eating this beautiful jar of peanut butter for the past three months. My spoon finally reached the bottom of the container so I knew it was time…

Layered with warm oats, banana, and a few cocao nibs. Heaven!

Evening Sweet

Banana Soft Serve with frozen berries thrown in with a dark chocolate square on top. Holy yum!

Protein Packed Pancakes

I love pancakes. Enough said.

Popped Amaranth

Fun to make, more fun to eat and awesome nutrients. Get it. Make it. Try it.

Blood Oranges

Who knew this fruit was so beautiful and so tasty? I made a mango and blood orange juice in my mom's VitaMix and have been eating these oranges ever since!

Homemade Hummus

It's always in the fridge.

Multicolor Potatoes

More fun to cook when you have white, red and PURPLE potatoes to cook. Had then roasted with rosemary 3 nights this week. Ummm….LOVE.

Savory Oats

It's back on this snowy April Fools!

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Glorious, glorious green kale.  I have fallen in love with this veggie. It's the prettiest lettuce I've ever seen and it also happens to have some of the most stellar nutrients known to man.

Allow me to share some of the benefits of this green leaf.

Why we love Kale

Kale is a cruciferous vegetable (belonging to the cabbage family), a group of vegetables with some of the highest cancer fighting properties.

The nutrient richness in kale is best noted in three areas.

1. Anti-inflammatory benefits

Kale has a terrific amount of omega 3 fatty acid, in particular alpha-linolenic acid or ALA. ALA is fatty acid that is similar to the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil. ALA fatty acids been shown to reduce inflammation and may help prevent chronic diseases, such as heart disease and arthritis and many others.

In combination with a few other omega 3 sources (flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, canola oil, soybeans and soybean oil, pumpkin seeds and pumpkin seed oil, perilla seed oil, tofu, walnuts, and walnut oil), adding kale to your fridge will give your body some serious fatty acid power!

2. Antioxidant and Cancer-Preventive Benefits

This is where the really good stuff comes in with kale! Kale has an unusual concentration of two types of antioxidants, carotenoids and flavonoids. Here's the skinny on antioxidants: Without sufficient intake of antioxidants, our oxygen metabolism can become compromised and we can experience something called "oxidative stress."

Kale directly raises the level of carotenoid antioxidants (specifically beta carotein and luein) in our body, which are key players in the protection of our body from oxidative stress. AKA: cancer fighting properties!

Flavonoids, also found in high amounts in kale, are an amazing array of over 6,000 different substances found in virtually all plants and are what give plants their dazzling shades of colors. Similar to carotenoid, flavonoids provide the body with stellar antioxidant fighting power and protection.

So, the gist is this: kale has two of the best players we have found in nature to fight illness: carotenoids and flavonoids. One of the many things you have the CHOICE and FREEDOM to put in your body that freely fight against illness.

3. Cardiovascular Support

Ahhh…what greens are intended to do! Support our cardiovascular system. With the high fiber, nutrient and vitamin content, kale directly aids our cardiovascular system by lowering cholesterol and lends a hand to our intestine during digestion and nutrient assimilation. Check this out: when you compare the efficiency of kale in our body against a prescribed cholesterol lowering medication, kale delivers better performance! Oh yeah baby!

Okay, so there's a bit of info on kale for ya. Now let's talk recipes.

With a 5 lb bag of kale in my fridge I knew I needed to get creative! So here is what I made:

Simple Avocado + Kale Salad

simplicity, simplicity

Serves 1

• handfuls of kale
• 1/2 avocado
• Tahini dressing- recipe below

1. Fill salad bowl with your gorgeous kale greens. Mix dressing and pour on top of leaves.

2. Time to "massage" the kale- a quick process that helps mix the dressing throughout and soften the kale leaves just a bit. Trust me it's delicious. To massage, take your beautiful hands and work the dressing over the leaves. You will notice your kale soften just a tad and the dressing mixes with ease.

3. Add avocado on top and enjoy!

Of course this salad can be jazzed up even more depending on your taste: tomatoes, sliced bell pepper, beans of choice, some shredded cheese or nutritional yeast. You name it, it will taste great!

Tahini Dressing:

• 1 tbsp tahini butter
• 1+ tbsp soy sauce
• splash of water

Mix these three ingredients and enjoy!

Maple Bean Kale Saute

I had all intentions on making homemade baked beans this week.

But it didn't happen.

But I still wanted to mix my kale with maple baked beans! It just sounded so tasty!

So I improvised.

Serves 2 large portions

• 1/4 onion minced
• 1 can maple flavored baked beans, not drained (I used Trader Joes!)
• 3 large handfuls of kale

1. Saute onion in skillet for 5 minutes to soften.

2. Add full can of baked beans and kale to skillet. Stir frequently to mix kale with onion and bean.

3. Heat thoroughly. Enjoy!

Easy? Yep. Simple? Uh huh. Tasty as ever I almost ate the whole thing myself? You bet!

Kale Chips

This final recipe I have made before and shared with you before back HERE.

These were too good not to make again!

So go get ya some!

Have a fabulous day!

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Hello friends!

I am so excited to be sharing with you about an upcoming event. I will be offering a workshop in the Boston area on Mindful Eating, something that I am most passionate about!

The awesome health coach, personal trainer, yoga instructor, spinning guru and spa owner Jenn Menzer has opened her doors at Saldare Spa for this workshop. Oh it's going to be luxurious, fun, and welcoming! I hope that all of my locals in and outside of Boston will come!

Here are all of the details:

Delicious Mindful Eating

Do you sometimes eat so fast that you can barely remember the taste of your food? Are you too focused on what you should and shouldn’t eat that you have forgotten how to savor or even enjoy a meal? It is time to create a more satisfying and healthy relationship with food! Come learn the art of savoring and appreciating food at this edible and interactive workshop on mindful eating. Light snacks will be served. Come away with all you need in hand to continue your mindful journey!

Join Jennifer Campoli, Health Coach

 

Date/Time: TBD!

Saldare Bodywork and Wellness Spa

No. 12 Clarendon Street Boston, MA

 

Early signup special before April 11: $15

 

Regular rate after 11 or at door: $20

Bring a friend and you both pay only $10!

Email livewellfit09 at gmail OR click HERE to contact me for more details!

I would be honored and thrilled to have you there!

 

 

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This wonderful story was passed on to me this morning by my most incredible sister in law. She is a woman that I love, admire and learn so much from.

Please take a moment and be inspired by this!

The Daffodil Principle

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must come and see the daffodils before they are over." I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead. Going and coming took most of a day – and I honestly did not have a free day until the following week.

"I will come next Tuesday," I promised, a little reluctantly, on her third call. Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove the length of Route 91, continued on I-215, and finally turned onto Route 18 and began to drive up themountain highway. The tops of the mountains were sheathed in clouds, and I had gone only a few miles when the road was completely covered with a wet, gray blanket of fog. I slowed to a crawl, my heart pounding. The road becomes narrow and winding toward the top of the mountain.

As I executed the hazardous turns at a snail's pace, I was praying to reach the turnoff at Blue Jay that would signify I had arrived. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren I said, "Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in the clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these darling children that I want to see bad enough to drive another inch!"

My daughter smiled calmly, "We drive in this all the time, Mother."

"Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears – and then I'm heading for home!" I assured her.

"I was hoping you'd take me over to the garage to pick up my car. The mechanic just called, and they've finished repairing the engine," she answered.

"How far will we have to drive?" I asked cautiously.

"Just a few blocks,"Carolyn said cheerfully.

So we buckled up the children and went out to my car. "I'll drive," Carolyn offered. "I'm used to this." We got into the car, and she began driving.

In a few minutes I was aware that we were back on the Rim-of-the-World Road heading over the top of the mountain. "Where are we going?" I exclaimed, distressed to be back on the mountain road in the fog. "This isn't the way to the garage!"

"We're going to my garage the long way," Carolyn smiled, "by way of the daffodils."

"Carolyn, I said sternly, trying to sound as if I was still the mother and in charge of the situation, "please turn around. There is nothing in the world that I want to see enough to drive on this road in this weather."

"It's all right, Mother," She replied with a knowing grin. "I know what I'm doing. I promise, you will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience."

And so my sweet, darling daughter who had never given me a minute of difficulty in her whole life was suddenly in charge – and she was kidnapping me! I couldn't believe it. Like it or not, I was on the way to see some ridiculous daffodils – driving through the thick, gray silence of the mist-wrapped mountaintop at what I thought was risk to life and limb.

I muttered all the way. After about twenty minutes we turned onto a small gravel road that branched down into an oak-filled hollow on the side of the mountain. The fog had lifted a little, but the sky was lowering, gray and heavy with clouds.

We parked in a small parking lot adjoining a little stone church. From our vantage point at the top of the mountain we could see beyond us, in the mist, the crests of the San Bernardino range like the dark, humped backs of a herd of elephants. Far below us the fog-shrouded valleys, hills, and flatlands stretched away to the desert.

On the far side of the church I saw a pine-needle-covered path, with towering evergreens and manzanita bushes and an inconspicuous, lettered sign "Daffodil Garden."

We each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path as it wound through the trees. The mountain sloped away from the side of the path in irregular dips, folds, and valleys, like a deeply creased skirt.

Live oaks, mountain laurel, shrubs, and bushes clustered in the folds, and in the gray, drizzling air, the green foliage looked dark and monochromatic. I shivered. Then we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight, unexpectedly and completely splendid. It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it down over the mountain peak and slopes where it had run into every crevice and over every rise. Even in the mist-filled air, the mountainside was radiant, clothed in massive drifts and waterfalls of daffodils. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, saffron, and butter yellow.

Each different-colored variety (I learned later that there were more than thirty-five varieties of daffodils in the vast display) was planted as a group so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue.

In the center of this incredible and dazzling display of gold, a great cascade of purple grape hyacinth flowed down like a waterfall of blossoms framed in its own rock-lined basin, weaving through the brilliant daffodils. A charming path wound throughout the garden. There were several resting stations, paved with stone and furnished with Victorian wooden benches and great tubs of coral and carmine tulips. As though this were not magnificent enough, Mother Nature had to add her own grace note – above the daffodils, a bevy of western bluebirds flitted and darted, flashing their brilliance. These charming little birds are the color of sapphires with breasts of magenta red. As they dance in the air, their colors are truly like jewels above the blowing, glowing daffodils. The effect was spectacular.

It did not matter that the sun was not shining. The brilliance of the daffodils was like the glow of the brightest sunlit day. Words, wonderful as they are, simply cannot describe the incredible beauty of that flower-bedecked mountain top.

Five acres of flowers! (This too I discovered later when some of my questions were answered.) "But who has done this?" I asked Carolyn. I was overflowing with gratitude that she brought me – even against my will. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

"Who?" I asked again, almost speechless with wonder, "And how, and why, and when?"

"It's just one woman," Carolyn answered. "She lives on the property. That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory.

We walked up to the house, my mind buzzing with questions. On the patio we saw a poster. "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking" was the headline. The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs," it read. The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman, two hands, two feet, and very little brain." The third answer was, "Began in 1958."

There it was. The Daffodil Principle.

For me that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than thirty-five years before, had begun – one bulb at a time – to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountain top. One bulb at a time.

There was no other way to do it. One bulb at a time. No shortcuts – simply loving the slow process of planting. Loving the work as it unfolded.

Loving an achievement that grew so slowly and that bloomed for only three weeks of each year. Still, just planting one bulb at a time, year after year, had changed the world.

This unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. She had created something of ineffable magnificence, beauty, and inspiration.

The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principle of celebration: learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time – often just one baby-step at a time – learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time.

When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world.

"Carolyn," I said that morning on the top of the mountain as we left the haven of daffodils, our minds and hearts still bathed and bemused by the splendors we had seen, "it's as though that remarkable woman has needle-pointed the earth! Decorated it. Just think of it, she planted every single bulb for more than thirty years. One bulb at a time! And that's the only way this garden could be created. Every individual bulb had to be planted. There was no way of short-circuiting that process. Five acres of blooms. That magnificent cascade of hyacinth! All, just one bulb at a time."

The thought of it filled my mind. I was suddenly overwhelmed with the implications of what I had seen. "It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years. Just think what I might have been able to achieve!"

My wise daughter put the car into gear and summed up the message of the day in her direct way. "Start tomorrow," she said with the same knowing smile she had worn for most of the morning. Oh, profound wisdom!

It is pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson a celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, "How can I put this to use tomorrow?"

Jaroldeen Asplund Edwards

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Remove foods, remove sugar, remove coffee, remove desserts. Remove it all.

Am I right?

Now, before I continue please allow me to say something: I do believe that in order to feel WELL and energized, finding the vitality we all crave, there are many things that you find on the shelves at the grocery store that should not be a mainstay in your diet.

With that said, I think there is a much more gentle, enjoyable and dare I say fun way to approach eating well and improving health.

The concept is so brilliant and so simple. A spin off of what Joshua Rosenthal, the founder of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition shares with his students and clients.

The idea is simply adding IN.

That's right friends. Today I tell you to forget about what every book, person or commercial has told you to remove from your pantry and fridge. I want you to instead focus on adding IN.

Why put yourself through the emotional frustration and overwhelm of removing foods? Let's just come up with a few NEW things that you want to try that have fabulous health properties and see where we end up?

And you know what ends up happening in a very natural, slow and progressive way?

These new foods, these "healthy" foods that fuel your body with such amazing energy, vitamins, minerals, properties, enzymes and nutrients make you feel better than ever, and these new foods end up CROWDING OUT the old foods. Without YOU even noticing.

You may find one day that for lunch, you really could care less about the work lunch room table covered in baked sweets and cookies. Or maybe today 1 cookie is just right for you rather than 8 that you had the other day. Who knows! The results are endless and the process is yours alone to uncover.

Here is the beauty of this idea and why it works:

When we attempt to change behavior our mind starts to play immediate tricks on you. "What do you mean no more sugar? No more Doritos, ice cream, or coffee with half n half? At all? Well if you're going to do that man, then I'm just going to give you a nice freak out tomorrow at lunch and all you will be able to think about is everything you are trying to remove from our life.."

Ever experience that? Change is hard friends. Change takes time, it takes planning and it takes setting realistic goals. And it doesn't happen over night.

So rather than look at your health goals as the next battle against Food-of-all-Kind, let's start by coming up with a list of things to add IN. Don't you worry about what you are currently eating. Just focus on some new additions!

Here is where we can start:

1. Vegetables

I know, I'm preaching to the choir. We have been told since the day we were born that vegetables are the best thing since I don't know what. It's because they are friends. These little guys have nutrient properties that scientists are still trying to understand! The phytonutrients, antioxidants, chlorophyll in greens…all of these wonderful features of vegetables are like free medicine! Did you know that dark leafy greens (aka arugula, kale, chard, spinach, lettuce greens, etc.) have one vital role in your body? To support your circulatory and respiratory system. Think about it- leafy greens are the chlorophyll kings and queens of the earth. They live to breathe in and create oxygen. What do you think they do for YOU? They support the systems that carry and deliver oxygen to YOUR body (respiratory and circulatory system). I could go on…

So start simple with the vegetables.

Pick 2, or 3 or even 5 to try! Go roam the produce area in your store and try something that you haven't before OR try what you know you like. Then get in the kitchen.

2. Fruits

Oh lovely fruit. They are so delicious for your body! Natural sugar, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, to name a few are plentiful attributes in these colorful things. I am finally beginning to see the end of the winter tunnel here in Boston so you must be too! The store is filling up with seasonal fruits slowly but surely so go get ya some!

Remember: start simple. Pick a few. Wash them. Cut them up if you like. Have them ready for you to grab and add IN anytime you want.

3. Whole grains

Let's get this straight. We have been eating whole grains for thousands, upon thousands of years. We have been eating Wonder Bread for, maybe 50? What do you think would be worthwhile to put in that body of yours? Am I saying that you CAN'T or SHOULDN'T have Wonder Bread? Nope, not at all. All I am suggesting is that maybe today we should consider adding IN some of the foods that have been around since before we were here.

Go for WHOLE.

A few weeks ago I went to the bulk aisle at Whole Foods and found me a new grain to play around week: Amaranth. So fun!

But this doesn't have to be rocket science people. Stick with what you know if you like.

Brown rice? Millet? Oat bran? Oats?

Do you like any of those listed? Pick one, cook up 2-3 batches tonight and add it IN a few meals this week. See how you feel.

Eating differently, eating well, eating "healthy" does NOT have to be about what we CANNOT have. It should be about what we enjoy, what we love and adding IN new things that change your body almost immediately. This is what I love about health coaching! I could talk to you guys all day about this stuff!

But I won't.

I promise.

Now go play around with adding IN.

Let me know how it turns out.

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Last week some dear friends experienced a great loss that took me away from the computer, social media, and everything to do with technology. I needed a break. I needed to focus on those in my life that I loved and wanted to be close to. Sometimes the phone should be turned off, the computer should be unplugged and the emails must wait.

I hope you understand and will happily say hello once again!

Today I have a bit of an update on this little career of mine and an opportunity that you must be told about!

A Career as a Health Coach

I've been on quite the journey this past year and a half. In November of 2009 I left my full time job in pediatric healthcare to pursue a career in health coaching. My first step was with Well Coaches. I completed a 14 week wellness coach training program and learned an incredible amount of skill in coaching individuals to peak wellness.

But something was missing from what I wanted to do. So I sat for a while and digested. I gave myself some time to find out what I was missing, what I needed, what my clients needed and then I took the next step.

My next step was two fold:

1. I signed up for a workshop with Evelyn Tribole, cocreator of Intuitive Eating to train with her as a Pro Counselor in Intuitive Eating (I am in week 4 now and it has been an incredible experience!)

2. I enrolled in a holistic health and nutrition coach program at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.

I had been looking for a nutrition focused program that filled in a few of the missing pieces so that I could offer my clients what I believe we all deserve: a unique and individualized approach to food, health and wellness, honoring that we are all different and therefore, respond differently to different diets and wellness plans.

The best part of IIN? It is a distance learning course, allowing you to learn in the comfort of your own home and a mere 3 hour time commitment each week. Additionally, you listen to lectures by some of the most respected wellness voices as David Wolfe, Mike Adams, Deepak Chopra, Dr Andrew Weil, Dr Neal Barnard, Dr Joel Fuhrman, Dr Mark Hyman and a ton of others. To take things one step further, IIN offers you what most entrepreneurs are missing: a full marketing, business building program to support you in growing yourself as a health coach every step of the way.

This program won't accredit you to become a dietitian or nutritionist. A health and nutrition coach is a completely separate career, one where you work one-on-one with clients to help them achieve all of their health and wellness goals. There is a major focus on food and nutrition, but the IIN program also places emphasis on the importance of something they have coined as "primary food". These are the elements of our life that nourish us beyond what we put in our mouth– career, relationships, spirituality, exercise etc. These primary foods play an integral role in our health and vitality.

So, interested in becoming a health coach too?
Do you love learning about health and nutrition? Are you helping friends, family members, others in your life with how to eat differently or take better care of their bodies? Well, consider learning about IIN and contact me with questions! I cannot recommend this program more! The cost of the course is about $4995. There payment plans available and you also receive a discount if you pay upfront. Go to www.integrativenutrition.com for more information.

Do you think you need a health coach?
As of June this year I will be qualified to take on more clients, in addition to my wellness coach practice, using everything I am currently soaking up at IIN. Click HERE to contact me and schedule your first free initial consult!

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Here are Robin's 60 tips for living a stunningly great life. You can find these tips amongst many more on his site.

Enjoy!

1. Exercise daily.

2. Get serious about gratitude.

3. See your work as a craft.

4. Expect the best and prepare for the worst.

5. Keep a journal.

6. Read "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin".

7. Plan a schedule for your week.

8. Know the 5 highest priorities of your life.

9. Say no to distractions.

10. Drink a lot of water.

11. Improve your work every single day.

12. Get a mentor.

13. Hire a coach.

14. Get up at 5 am each day.

15. Eat less food.

16. Find more heroes.

17. Be a hero to someone.

18. Smile at strangers.

19. Be the most ethical person you know.

20. Don't settle for anything less than excellence.

21. Savor life's simplest pleasures.

22. Save 10% of your income each month.

23. Spend time at art galleries.

24. Walk in the woods.

25. Write thank you letters to those who've helped you.

26. Forgive those who've wronged you.

27. Remember that leadership is about influence and impact, not title and accolades.

28. Create unforgettable moments with those you love.

29. Have 5 great friends.

30. Become stunningly polite.

31. Unplug your TV.

32. Sell your TV.

33. Read daily.

34. Avoid the news.

35. Be content with what you have.

36. Pursue your dreams.

37. Be authentic.

38. Be passionate.

39. Say sorry when you know you should.

40. Never miss a moment to celebrate another.

41. Have a vision for your life.

42. Know your strengths.

43. Focus your mind on the good versus the lack.

44. Be patient.

45. Don't give up.

46. Clean up your messes.

47. Use impeccable words.

48. Travel more.

49. Read "As You Think".

50. Honour your parents.

51. Tip taxi drivers well.

52. Be a great teammate.

53. Give no energy to critics.

54. Spend time in the mountains.

55. Know your top 5 values.

56. Shift from being busy to achieving results.

57. Innovate and iterate.

58. Speak less. Listen more.

59. Be the best person you know.

60. Make your life matter.

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When I began to learn more in depth about Intuitive Eating and the philosophy behind it, I was introduced to the idea of mindful eating. Similar to IE, mindful eating involves a present, deliberately aware eating experience. Mindfulness in general, is the idea of becoming in tuned both internally and externally to your world/environment and the immediate moment. Consider it being FULLY in the moment of NOW. I use this idea everyday now- with coaching clients, with conversations with friends and family, and now with eating.

According to the Center for Mindful Eating, their defined principles encourage deliberate attention, without judgement to food; promoting balance, choice, wisdom and acceptance of the here and now. Mindful eating encourages you to become aware of how food affects you in the greatest light as you sit down, as you eat, and as you experience the entire meal.

You see, being mindful allows you to become more accepting of the here and now, experiencing every positive benefit from the food you are eating. Without judgement, without demands, without anything but awareness.

So what might this look like during your next meal and how you can start playing with this idea?

I have a simple and most brilliant exercise for you!

And it starts with one idea: to chew.

Let me explain more.

Mindful Eating Exercise

I've recently started to learn quite a bit about the Macrobiotic Diet and Lifestyle. You will find guidelines not only on how to eat and what to eat, but also on a way of living your life, presently and with gratitude.

One of the recommendations is to chew your food.

I know, we all do that every time that we eat but let's think about this…how much do you really chew your food? The typical American meal is quick, often standing, sitting at the computer, or driving in the car on the way to the next activity. It's fast. It's unfocused and it's full of distractions.

So, think about the question again: how much do you actually chew your food? The answer is likely not much at all. I found out that I could barely get 4 chews in before the food is gone and on it's way down my esophagus!

According to the Macrobiotic lifestyle, you are to chew each bite of food 50 times.

Yikes that is A LOT my friends! I'm not going to ask you to do that.

Instead with this exercise I am going to ask you to simply slow down and chew your food at least 10 times per bite. Now, go grab yourself something to experiment with. I recommend something that you enjoy and with some flavor and substance (chocolate, toast with peanut butter, piece of fruit fresh or dried, cracker with slice of cheese).

Step 1: Slice your food into 6-8 bites. Size does not matter.

Step 2: The first bite I want you to only think about chewing the food completely, at least 10 chews. And just notice. Pay attention to how many chews 10 chews really is. Close your eyes. Think about the food in your mouth.

Step 3: For each bite after, focus on ONE element of the food: texture, flavor, consistency, change in taste, how it feels in your mouth. But remember to chew SLOWLY and at least 10 times for each bite.

Step 4: Observe.

What do you notice?

What happens to the flavor when you chew your food slowly? What happens when you chew more of your food?

Are you satisfied after one bite, two, four or all of it? What is satisfaction for you when you slow down?

I'll share with you what this exercise has done to my eating:

I used to shove bite after bite in my mouth. Sure I put my fork down and tried to "rest" in between bites but I was still chewing and swallowing my food in a matter of seconds. When I started to slow down and chew more, the flavor experience was unreal! There was so much more flavor to be enjoyed in every bite! I had been cutting the life of my food short by not really chewing it.

This morning I made oatmeal with drizzled coconut butter and dried apricot slices. Oatmeal is a bit challenging to chew because of how soft it is, but adding apricot slices made it more fun. Every bite that I took with the apricot was absolutely fabulous. The more I chewed that piece of fruit the more the flavor came alive. I couldn't believe how intense the taste was and how incredible the hint of coconut was. When I chewed quickly and without notice, I really didn't "get to" all of the flavor waiting in each bite.

This exercise has given me an entirely new definition of what savoring food is like. Now I'm putting the fork down because I so love the flavor of every bite and I don't want to let go of it yet!

Try this at home friends. Try this at every meal. Slow down. Chew your food MORE. Allow your mind, your body and your mouth to experience the food. Mindful eating can be fantastic!

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