Concepts in Wellness

Wellness coaching

My wellness coaching career is starting to take off!  I am starting to do seminars to get the word out and of course my networking skills are coming in handy! 

My focus on my own wellness has been sharpened...healer heal thyself!  I had a breast cancer scare at the end of the summer that really made me even more aware of how important it is to not take anything for granted.  Luckily I don't have breast cancer and have a ton of admiration for survivors.  I feel very lucky that I am healthy and want to give back to those who have to face the fight.  I have run 2 marathons raising money for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  I have given many massage gift certificates to breast cancer fundraisers, did a fashion show for local breast cancer support, and committed last year to grow my hair long at least one more time so I can donate it to Locks of Love.  (although if I had cancer, lost my hair due to chemo, I would have been Howey Mandel for Halloween...I am glad I am going to be a witch instead of Howey!)

Summer vacation

Been gone for a few days on a beautiful camping trip with the family.  We rented a luxurious RV and now are very spoiled!  We went to a nice spot called Sardine Lakes...we are definitely going back! 

Back to reality and time to repair all the damage done by "camp food".  I always have to resolve to get back on track when I come home from camping.  There are no rules when you camp...smores every night, hot dogs, chips, wine coolers...the list goes on and on.  That is ok...it is fun to let loose a little bit once in a while.

Great news...got my certificate for wellness coaching!  I have been putting the word out there and have been adding more to my website.

Hope you all are having a great summer!

an epidemic

One of my long time great friends shot me an e-mail today telling me that she found out she was pre-diabetic.  It truly is an epidemic...not only for people in my generation...I mean the over 40's but for our young teens as well.  How did we get away from eating wholesome foods?  I know it is easier to eat the convenience foods but really...how hard is it to steam up some brocolli, put some brown rice in a rice cooker, and bake up some chicken or fish.  We just seem to grab for the empty calorie foods, drink soda and forget about water, and watch too much tv instead of going outside. 

This friend of mine...I have known her since I was 10 years old.  When we were kids, the neighborhood where we lived was alive with child play.  What happened to those days?  My daughter is 6 and we have to schedule "play dates"  I don't ever remember this a child.  We just asked our parents if we could go over to someone's house...see if they were home and could they come out and play.  It is sad to me to think about those days being gone.  I don't dare let my little girl play in our own front yard without supervision.  In my childhood days we rode our bikes, roller skated all over town, built forts, and tried to sneak in one more game of tag before our parents called us in for the night.  Now the only stimulus is electronic. 

We really have to get back to basics...More whole foods and more activity outdoors!

Need a DJ for your summer wedding in Reno?

Some of you know that my husband has a Mobile DJ business.  He is a real estate agent as his main career but has been in the DJ business for over 19 years.  He loves the business because he is such a people person.  If you know anyone in the Reno, NV area who is getting married...check out his website at www.joemrenodj.com 

He is really great...I am not just saying that because I love him! 

summer time

Well, summer is in full swing.  Check out my article at www.familiesonlinemagazine.com/nutrition 

I love summer in Reno.  We have a beatiful river running throught the center of town, one of the most gorgeous lakes...Lake Tahoe, the mountains with tons of hiking, and lots of great camping.  My daughter is having a blast with all the activities.  Get your kids outside!  It is the perfect time to be active!  There is all kinds of opportunities to get outside and have fun. 

Hope you are having a great summer!

My new website is up and running!

I have my new Wellness coaching website up and running.  It has some editing and lots of stuff to add but I got it out there!  go to www.conceptsinwellness.com to check it out!

Keep checking on it as I will be adding links to articles and other cool websites!

Publishing Contest

Wish me luck...at the end of June I should hear whether or not any of my stories are in the top 10 of a publishing contest I entered back in February.  If I make the top 10 then it will be turned over to an internet vote for the winning story.  The vote will take place in September so I will keep you informed if I make it.  I could use all the votes I can get...because I plan on winning this contest.  The winner gets a publishing contract! 

Wellness Coaching

Well, it has been quite a while since I posted anything...shame on me.  I am back though with some exciting news.  I am currently getting certified as a Wellness Coach!  What exactly is a wellness coach?  I will be helping people find their motivation, design goals, and get them back on the road to wellness.  This will involve looking at different aspects of their whole self and help them figure out where their blocks are, where they are out of balance, and how they can overcome these blocks.  I can help with their nutritional goals as well as finding tools to deal with stress.  I should be up and running in about a month and will have a website to refer to. 

How to shop for your family

I was shopping today and was amazed at what families had in their shopping carts!  There is a healthy way to shop for your family and the rules are easy to follow.  First...stay out of the middle aisle as much as possible.  The outside of the store has the most nutritious foods...fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, dairy, and eggs.  If you have ever noticed the middle lanes, they have all the processed foods for the most part.  They have a whole aisle devoted to just cereal and most of it is loaded with sugar.  There is a whole aisle devoted to soda!  And yet another to just snack foods.  The only things I go down the center aisles for are bread...whole grains of course, cooking oil (Olive oil is the best), tea, pasta, and condiments (careful to not get those that are loaded with sugar).  It is also a lot cheaper to buy lots of fruits and vegetables.  You don't necessarily have to go all organic to be healthy...just stay away from the processed foods.

I will share how to cook all these wonderful things, how to keep it interesting, and what you should include in your families diets for a healthy start...stay tuned!

Your child's nutrition

Looking out my front window I watch as the local Jr. High student walk home from school.  Are you as shocked as I am?  It seems that half of them have a weight problem.  If you look at current trends it is predicted that 30-40% of all our children will end up with Type 2 diabetes and this is showing up in their formative years.  We are on the verge of a pandemic and we as responsible and concerned parents have the tools to stop this.

How do we stop it?  First and formost...Stop giving our children soda!  Our bodies are not equipped to deal the the amount of high fructose corn syrup we consume.  A new syndrome has been coined the "metabolic syndrome".  This syndrome is characterized by a group of metabolic risk factors including abdominal obesity, high triglycerides, low HDL (good cholesterol), high LDL (bad cholestol), high blood pressure, insulin resistance, and inflammation.  These risk factors can lead to hear disease and Type 2 diabetes.

Teenagers get about 13% of their daily calories from soft drinks.  This is equivalent to 10-15 teaspoons of refined sugar/day!

Diet soda is not much better.  There is research showing that artificial sweetners can lead to weight gain because they make you more hungry not to mention cancer!  The only thing you are saving by drinking diet soda is the calories which you probably make up for in added snacks.

Consumption of soft drinks can also lead to osteoporosis and tooth decay.  This is due to a high concentration of phosphoric acid.  Adding phosporic acid into our system leads to calcium being pulled out of our bones to balance the acid.  The calcium can then be deposited into the kidneys potentially leading to kidney stones. 

The excess acid raises the acidity of all the cells in your body.  Our cells don't function well in an acidic environment.  This can lead to lethargy and an inability to fight off illness.  Bacteria and viruses thrive in an acid environment.

So, if you do one thing towards the health and well being of your family...give up soda!  Send your children to school with a healthy lunch and deter them from buying soda on campus.  Just the idea that the schools even provide soda to the students is a major concern.  How do they even expect the students to concentrate in class if they don't provide proper nutrition.

Keep an eye on my blog...I will share with you how to provide your families with proper nutrition to establish a life time habit of health!!

For one on one couseling, e-mail me at conceptsinwellness@sbcglobal.net