Marquardt Health Coaching

Taking Care of Our Skin

2012-02-11T10:17:00.000-08:00

I must admit. When it comes to skin care I battle with the costs of the more natural products. As a busy mom on a budget, when a choice needs to made on what goes in us as opposed to what goes on us, I will always choose the first. Over at Vintage Remedies, they have just come out with a new program. Natural Skin Care Development. A complete course on all aspects of skin care. Finally, an opportunity to incorporate personalized all natural skin care into our family's daily lives.

Building your Puzzle

2012-02-05T22:17:00.000-08:00

A few years back, at the worst of my illness, it dawned on me that like is like a giant jigsaw puzzle. We spend our lives building our puzzle piece by piece. Finding the right job, getting married, having children. Each piece forming who we are, locking in to the piece next to it. As we get older the picture gets clearer and clearer until it all comes together in to this beautiful and wonderful life. We are content and happy. Life is good. Then one day, someone comes along and bumps the table and the pieces we have spent so long putting together go scattering in all directions. It is different for all of us. Job loss, death, divorce, disease. I'm sure you can put your own name to the situation. In my case it was Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. I spent a lot of time trying to pick up the pieces and put them back together again, to recreate that wonderful picture. But as we all know with any good puzzle, when we go back to rebuild there is usually a piece or two missing. Some days I look at that picture and see the beauty in it, missing pieces and all. I see how far I have come to putting it all back together. Some days I realize that sometimes we just need to set aside the old puzzle and start a new one. I know that someday, as I work on each piece and they come together, it will be a beautiful and whole picture. Different from the first but just as or maybe more beautiful than the first. When I look at it this way, the bad days don't seem so overwhelming. Some pieces just take more time to find where they fit. I wish you many joyful days of putting your puzzle together, may it be as beautiful as you expected.

Good Day for a Walk

2012-02-02T12:08:00.000-08:00

Well I must admit it, of all the areas in health and wellness, I come up short in the exercise department. I just can not seem to get a good, consistent practice going. I can make some really good excuses too. I am a working mother holding down two jobs while going to school part time. I have tried work out videos of every variety, work out equipment has come and gone through my doors. My intentions are good, but it is always the first to go. A few months ago I decided to try something a little different. 6 minutes. I trip around the block before bed. It started out because I really wanted to do something, anything that I could call exercise. The first night I came home invigorated. How is it that something as simple as a 6 minute walk around the block could have such an effect. It is a combination of things for me. The fresh open air, the movement, the meditation and relaxation. I can accomplish so much in those few minutes. I think many of us think in terms of trying to get those 30 minutes in 3 days a week. If we can't do that we must be failures and so do nothing at all. If you are in this group, like me, why not throw all the rules out the window and give it a try. See what happens. It's a start and who knows, maybe it will lead to two trips around and then three. It all starts with 6 minutes.

What a Difference a Year Makes

2012-01-31T21:37:00.000-08:00

Last year at this time a was packing a bag and getting ready to head to the Mayo Clinic. It was freezing and we were just a few days a way from the biggest snow storm to hit the area in years. This year I have made great strides in my health and it is 57 degrees out. What a difference a year makes. In a few weeks I will be graduating from a one year distance learning program as a health coach. At my worst, when all else had failed, I turned to this school in hopes of answers to my rapidly declining health. I got those answers and so much more. I will forever be greatful for what this school has given me. For the next few days this school is giving me the opportunity to give one person a $1000.00 scholarship. If you are interested in learning more, please leave a comment below. This will only be available through Friday.

Chocolate Walnut Butter

2012-01-27T11:02:00.000-08:00

Okay, I girl has got to have chocolate. My go to recipe for a chocolate fix? Chocolate Walnut Butter. It satisfies all the elements of comfort food for me in a healthy, guilt free way. It also is a great snack for the kids. Combine 1/2 cup of walnuts with 1 Tablespoon of raw cacao powder and 2 tsp. of honey or maple syrup. Process in a food processor for a few minutes, scraping down the sides as needed until you get a smooth nut butter consistency. Oh, Yum!! Great eaten with sliced fruit or anywhere you would use peanut butter. I image it could be refrigerated and rolled into balls coated in cinnamon or more cacao, but it goes way to fast for that in this house. A powerhouse of nutrients and good fats and protien to keep you going. So the next time you are looking for something to satisfy your chocolate craving, give it a try.

Is Life Getting in the Way of Living?

2012-01-25T11:06:00.000-08:00

I love those rare moments when everything just seems to come together. It all started with a new arrival at the library that I just had to check out. In the flurry of activity around my house, the book sat in the corner. I would reminded myself to pick it up before it needed to be returned, but there it sat. Then along comes the new issue of Where Women Cook and there it is, front and center. So I finally opened the book and what an amazing book it is. With in the first few pages I realized what had been niggling in the back of my mind lately. Sometimes we get so caught up in the details of life that we forget to live. There are those days that I zero in so much on WHAT I am feeding my family that I forget that it is more about HOW I feed my family. I would like to encourage you to take a moment and so what areas in your life may just be getting in the way of truly living. What we serve is important, but don't forget to include how we serve it. The winter season of Where Women Cook also featured an article by Clean Food author Terry Walters and raw chef Sarma Melngailis, among others. I am feeling inspired.

You as an Individual

2012-01-21T20:58:00.000-08:00

Have you ever felt so overwhelmed by the amount of information out there that you dread eating, let alone shopping for the food you are going to feed your family. Well take a deep breath and relax. You don't need to listen to what every diet and health expert out there is saying. Just listen to you. Your body knows what it needs and when it needs it. Take the time to learn what your body is telling you and you will feel so much better. You will no longer need to dread dinner time.

Setting the Stage with a Morning Routine

2012-01-15T20:05:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, I have not always been a morning person, but like so many generations of mothers before us, I have found my way to the mourning routine. As mothers, we wear many hats, and our days are filled with a flurry of activity. I have found that it is those few minutes in the morning that set the stage for how our day will run. It can run smoothly or leave us feeling frazzled and tired. Each of us will have our own way of centering ourselves for the day. Journaling, meditation, yoga, coffee and a sunrise, I few quick paragraphs from our favorite book. I have tried them all at some point. I have found for myself that I feel best when I use this time to do the house cleaning run through.

In about an hour's time I can do a top to bottom clean up that leaves me feeling centered and organized before we all head out for the day. With this done, I know that whatever the day brings that our home will be a welcome place to reconnect. It's those few moments of quiet each morning, however we use them, that allows us to face the day as the wonderful mother's we are meant to be. I encourage you today to start a morning routine that will set the stage for a wonderful day, no matter what life may bring your way.

The Sourdough Pot

2012-01-14T21:07:00.000-08:00

In my house when we make baked goods it usually starts with a good sourdough starter. There are many benefits to sourdough. The fermenting process breaks down the phytic acid in the flour making it more digestible and it also adds many good bacteria. I have several different types of sourdough starters around my house. The one pictured above is of a friendship sourdough. This one seems to be my most active and most used pot. If you have not delved into sourdough, I would encourage you to give it a try.

Taking Stock

2012-01-11T07:59:00.000-08:00

As the new year gets into full swing, I've been taking some down time. I do not make new year's resolutions, but every few months I do take a step back and take stock of what is serving me. Life is every changing and with so many things always going on around us I find it helpful to really look at what is working and what is not. Like an inventory of sorts. This needs to be taken off the menu, this needs to stay, and this needs to be added. By doing this several times a year, I can stay on top of things as they come instead of feeling overwhelmed by trying to take on several new ideas that I am not prepared for once a year. With that said, I have spent the past week doing a reevaluation on the homefront. Picking up some routines that have fallen by the wayside in the flurry of activity surrounding the holidays. Tossing out old items and ideas to make room for new items and ideas. This works wonderfully for me. I have taken this opportunity to add some new and exciting avenues to both my personal and professional agendas. Over the next few weeks I'll give you a more detailed look at how taking stock can really be beneficial to keeping things running smoothly.

What to do When your Daughter goes Vegan?

2012-01-03T22:14:00.000-08:00

What do you do when your soon to be twelve year old daughter decides to go vegan? Well considering that most children this age are surviving processed food, I think that this can not be any more harmful. I cannot say that I fully agree with her decision at her age, but I also know that this is a time in her life when she needs to start making up her own mind. So I will support her choices and help her to make healthy and safe choices, and make sure that she mantains a balanced diet. With this is mind, the Marquardt Health Coaching blog will be joining Meatless Monday. Stay tuned for Monday posts on our journey into adding vegetarian choices to our meals.

Yoga

2012-01-03T20:13:00.000-08:00

As the new year begins, I have decided to venture in to the study of yoga. When I found out that my body was designed to do best with yoga as my exercise source, I did a little research. Most yoga videos out there just were not doing it for me and my time was limited so a yoga studio was out of the question for now. Then I found Aura Wellness Center . It is a self paced yoga teacher training course. I will be able to learn all the basics of yoga in a way that will work for me, and create a custom yoga workout that fits my lifestyle. Hmm, private yoga lessons, in my personal yoga studio may be in the future? What exercise program best suites you?

The Story, Part 1

2011-12-27T18:50:00.000-08:00

I come from a long line of auto immune diseases. My grandmother got arthritis in her 30's. My mother became a diabetic while pregnant with me at 17. It never went away. At the age of 9 my sister was also diagnosed with diabetes. A few years later she died of undiagnosed Addison's disease. Fast forward a few more years and grandma heads to Mayo Clinic only to find out that she now also has MS. Watching these woman create lives around their illnesses has been amazing. But when it was time for me to have children, I always wondered what they would be up against. So with my first born I took an interest in health. Like most of us at the beginning of journey, a have fumbled my way through many different versions of "health". We do the best we can and hope somewhere along the way things come together.
That was 12 years ago now. I was the lucky one who had somehow managed to escape the ravages of the family line and I was going to make sure that my kids got the best chance for a healthy future.....

Success

2011-12-27T18:23:00.000-08:00

Well our first batch of water kefir was ready on Christmas morning. I strained the kefir and added it to a new batch of sugar water, then added the juice of one lemon to the one that was ready. To be honest, I was a little afraid to try it. Would it taste horrible, would it irritate my sensitive stomach? It took me a few hours to get up the nerve, but when I did. Success!! It tasted just like lemonade. My oldest daughter decided to get in on the fun and ended up drinking to small glasses. Today was time to make up another batch. I decided to upgrade to a half gallon jar. I look forward to the benefits of this new addition to our kitchen. If you have never tried water kefir, I encourage you to give it a try. You won't regret it. It is available at Cultures for Health.

Water Kefir Update

2011-12-23T19:31:00.000-08:00

Well four days has passed since a put the water kefir grains to hydrating. This morning it was time to start my first batch of water kefir. I mixed a 1/4 cup of organic pure cane sugar in a little warm water and filled the rest of the quart jar with cool water and in went the grains. I chose to use the organic sugar versus the rapadura that I used to hydrate it with because the color was throwing me off. Being that this is our first batch, I think maybe lighter and sweeter might be the way to go. We can experiment more down the line. I will let it sit for two days to try and have the kefir use up most of the sugar. Then on to the lemonade. We are not much on soda here, so I am not using this as a soda replacement. I am more looking to have and extra way to get those good bacteria into our systems.

If you are interested in learning more on the benefits of water kefir you can take a look at Cultures for Health, they have an extensive resource of articles on the benefits of water kefir, among other cultured foods. I wish all of you a safe, happy and health holiday.

Healthy, Happy Holidays

2011-12-20T11:23:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for some last minute recipe ideas please take a look at the Healthy Holiday Guide from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Great ideas for keeping your holidays on track this year.

When life gives you lemons... Make water kefir lemonade!

2011-12-20T10:41:00.000-08:00

I've dabbled in homemade cultured foods of all sorts. Buttermilk, yogurt, sourdough, sauerkraut. Mostly for the benefit of the budget. All of these foods are simple and affordable to make at home. Replacing pantry staples that are both healthier and cheaper than their store bought counterparts. But after much thought I decided it was time to venture further into the world of cultured foods. So begins my journey with water kefir. I ordered some water kefir grains last week from Cultures for Health , and it arrived in speedy fashion yesterday. I now have a jar of water kefir grains rehydrating in sugar water. Which me luck. I will keep you posted on how things are going in the next few days.