Spring is here!
…well, almost. The first day of spring is March 20th, this Sunday. And although you can grow vegetables all year long in this part of the world, March is when things really start getting fun.
Organic vegetable gardening is great in so many ways. Here is a few, to start:
- Food grown in your own organic garden is ripe, fresh, and more delicious than store-bought produce
- Organic, fresh produce is packed full of nutrients that conventional produce lack
- You save money
- Gardening is wonderful exercise
- Kids love to experiment and eat from the garden
- Reduce trips to the grocery store
- Who needs a whole box of rosemary? If you grow your own herbs, you can snip as little as you like, right when you need it
- Watching plants grow is soothing and it allows you to appreciate nature.
- Growing your own food is rewarding – it gives you a huge sense of accomplishment
- Vegetable gardens are beautiful!
According to my favorite gardening book, The Maritime Northwest Garden Guide (produced by Seattle Tilth), you can start sow seeds for these veggies and herbs in March:
- Green onions
- Cilantro
- Fennel
- Parsley
- Arugula
- Cress
- Radishes
- Turnips
- Spinach
- Swiss Chard
- Snap Peas
- Snow Peas
- Shelling Peas
- Garbanzo Beans
- Flax
- Miner’s Lettuce
- Artichokes (late March)
- Potatoes (late March)
Wow! And there is also list of veggies and herbs you can sow under a cloche (plastic covering to keep the soil warm).
Many vegetables and herbs can be planted in pots, and do well in a small space. I encourage everyone to give it a try!
Happy Gardening,
- LiveWell USA Team
Happy Healthy Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day – it’s a holiday that celebrates love! So, why all the sugar, additives, and refined flours? Celebrating love doesn’t have to mean giving up health. In fact, the idea of celebrating love itself is a very healthy idea indeed! Here is a wake-up call to how much sugar we consume as a society [1]:
- In 1700, the average person consumed about 4 pounds of sugar per year.
- In 1800, the average person consumed about 18 pounds of sugar per year.
- In 1900, individual consumption had risen to 90 pounds of sugar per year.
- In 2009, more than 50 percent of all Americans consume one-half pound of sugar PER DAY—translating to a whopping 180 pounds of sugar per year!
Sugar contributes to obesity, compromised immune systems, hyperactivity, depression, anxiety, premature aging, diabetes, and many other conditions.
So let’s get back to the basics of Valentine’s Day, and spread the love! Here are some ideas:
- Write a love letter. Love letters and love notes are straight from the heart.
- Shape it. Heart-shaped cookie cutters can turn apple and turkey slices into tokens of affection.
- Spend time together. Go on a bike ride, a hike, or a romantic stroll through the park.
- Make a Valentine’s Day card or a Valentine craft. Kids are especially eager to express their creativity on Valentine’s Day. Here are some great craft ideas on Kaboose.com.
- Cook a romantic dinner. Here are some healthy Valentine’s Day menu ideas from EatingWell.com.
- Say “I love you.” Sometimes simple is better.
Remember that feeling love, whether you give or receive it, is also doing wonders for your health. That positive emotion and feeling of well-being allow our cells to thrive, and halts the stress response. That has a direct effect on your biochemistry and physiology, and ultimately, your health!
Happy and healthy Valentine’s Day to you!
- The LiveWell USA Team
[1]Johnson RJ and Gower T. (2009) The Sugar Fix: The High-Fructose Fallout That is Making You Sick and Fat, Pocket, 416 ppLiveWell 101 workshop at Warrior Fitness, Jan. 20th 7:30pm
LiveWell USA and Warrior Fitness have partnered to help you eat well, move well, and think well!
Warrior Fitness will be hosing a free LiveWell 101 workshop in their studio in Sammamish.
- Learn what we eat, how we move, and what we think affect the health of our cells, and ultimately, your health.
- Eye-opening research from genetics, nutrition, and exercise are combined with the science of empowering personal change.
- This info has changed thousands of lives – and it’s FREE with no obligation.
- Wed. Jan. 12th, 6:30pm
- Sat. Jan. 22nd, 10am
- Sat. Jan. 8th, 10am
- Sun. Jan. 23rd, 10am
- Sat. Jan. 29th, 10am
Contact us to secure your spot. See you there!
- LiveWell USA Team
Measuring Your Health Through Wellness Assessments
Our Eat-Well Move-Well Think-Well Innate Lifestyle Program participants gathered last Saturday morning to complete their progress assessment. For them, the progress assessment is given every 3 months, and the resulting 11-page customized report draws data from an in-depth questionnaire, a physical assessment, and data from their daily Success Journal.
It was great to see everyone out there, knowing that they are taking their health to the next level. The support they give to each other, and their great energy is truly inspiring!
We encourage EVERYONE in our community to come and get a wellness assessment! There is no obligation to enroll, and the customized report will be yours to keep. The assessment dates are listed in the right column of this website.
The assessment provides you with information on how you eat well, move well, and think well, as well as giving you an accurate picture of your health, and your potential.
For more photos from the progress assessment, visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/livewellusa.
We hope to see you at one of our events soon!
Amazing Stats for our June Pod!
Every month, we are all amazed and inspired at how small steps add up. Small, comfortable choices the participants have made on a daily basis have accumulated to impressive numbers. With life-long health, slow and easy is the only way to go – crash diets and boot camps only impact the short-term, and don’t work with our genetic make-up to reach our health potential.
Here are the amazing statistics for our June pod:
- Steps Logged: 11,896,042 (4,213 miles)
- Cups of Water: 16,375
- Innate Meals/Snacks: 5,961
- Servings of Fruits & Veggies: 16,084
- Aerobic Activity – Total Minutes: 51,018
- Plank – Total Minutes: 770
- Sit-ups: 12,372
- Push-ups: 12,088
- Squats: 22,558
Way to go!
Launch into a Healthy 2011!
Yes, it’s still December, but before we know it, all of the parties will be over, the presents opened, and we’ll be itching to start anew in 2011.
Take the opportunity to think about your health!
- Are you living the life full of vitality that you are genetically programmed to live?
- How healthy are you now, and how healthy will you be in 20 years if you continue making the same lifestyle choices?
- Why are we, as a society, so sick, and how do we get and stay well?
LiveWell USA’s mission is to improve the health of the community by giving the answers to these questions, and inspiring, empowering, and guiding towards positive change.
- Achieve ideal body weight and fitness
- Maximize your health and healing capacity
- Maximize your ability to prevent illness
- Maximize your energy and vitality
- Maximize your self control and self esteem
- Maximize your happiness, contentment, and confidence
- Live a longer, healthier, happier life
Secure a spot in our free, eye-opening LiveWell 101 workshops today. It could change your life.
LiveWell 101 dates:
- Wednesday, Jan. 12, 6:30pm
- Thursday, Jan. 20, 6:30pm
- Saturday, Jan. 22, 10am
We are also offering comprehensive wellness assessments, which include a 9-page personalized report, for FREE through the month of January ($50 value).
Assessment dates:
- Saturday, Jan. 8, 10am
- Sunday, Jan. 23, 10am
- Saturday, Jan. 29, 10am
Nothing is more important than your health and the health of your loved ones. Learn how to live a longer, better life by taking steps that are easy and comfortable. Now is the time.
No More Guilt!
Submitted by Yohko Kelley
Next Thursday is Thanksgiving. It’s coming up so fast! Already, preparations have started. For many of us lucky ones, Thanksgiving involves spending the day with loved ones and enjoying an amazing feast.
But Thanksgiving, along with the rest of the holiday season, is associated with guilt for many. And as our participants are learning, acting out of guilt, or feeling guilty after a choice, is really counterproductive to your health.
So, here are just some tips for doing away with guilt on Thanksgiving. All of the tips below focus on ADDING good choices, rather than deprivation.
- Add fresh fiber. Consider having a smoothie, a piece of fruit, or vegetables before the festivities. Nuts are also a great snack.
- Add movement. In the morning, go for a walk or jog, or do some of your favorite exercises/movement routines.
- Visualize the perfect day. Before the festivities begin, take some time to think about what it is that you truly enjoy about Thanksgiving. Is it time with family? The decor? Your mother’s pumpkin pie? Imagine the perfect Thanksgiving that will leave you feeling satisfied and NOT guilty.
- Eat mindfully. If you love your mother’s pumpkin pie, and you choose to enjoy a slice, savor every morsel. Take small bites, eat slowly, and pay attention. Think of how it looks, smells, and feels in your mouth. Detect all of the subtle flavors. You’ll be amazed how much more satisfying it will be. Eating mindlessly leaves you wanting more.
- Take time to enjoy the people and surroundings. Let that be the centerpiece of the day, not the food.
- Let go of guilt. If you find yourself feeling guilty, remember that guilt puts stress on your body that is as harmful as eating something toxic. Try thinking of something you are grateful for, or appreciate, and you may find that your guilt melts away.
- Congratulate yourself. Take every opportunity to make good lifestyle choices that are easy for you, and congratulate yourself on those choices. You took your Omega-3 supplements this morning, did your stretches, and have been drinking water. Awesome! Every good choice is a rock out of your “backpack.”
- Relax and have fun. Enjoying yourself feels great, but it’s also great for your health! So relax, and relish every moment.
We are so grateful to have the opportunity to exchange ideas with you. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Yohko & Dr. Joe
Giving Thanks
Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away, and as we start planning our turkey menus and figuring out the guest lists, it’s great to remember that this holiday is about expressing thankfulness and gratitude for all we have in our lives.
Gratitude and appreciation are magical. It is one of the biggest tools we talk about in our
Think Well workshops, because it can change your stressful state in an instant. Something can happen in your life that flings you into a vortex of worry, fear, and anxiety, but a moment of gratitude can pull you right back out.
Our bodies are wired to respond perfectly to stress. Physiologically, it has an amazing choreography it launches into when we are say…being attacked by a bear. Immediately, without our conscious instruction, our body boosts certain systems to help us deal with, and survive this stress (e.g. increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, increased cholesterol), at the same time suppressing other systems that are not necessary (e.g. digestion, memory, sex drive, immune system).
Although our bodies are well-equipped to deal with bursts of high stress, it is not wired for chronic stress. In our society, it has become common to deal with chronic stress, day in and day out, year after year. And it’s not without consequences…studies have shown that emotional stress is directly linked to every chronic illness in our society.
What can you do? The biggest tool at your disposal is gratitude and appreciation. Take a moment to appreciate something you love in your life. This could be a person, a thing, a situation, a memory. You might appreciate your loved ones. You might appreciate the beauty of the fall colors. You might appreciate the opportunity to live another day.
Does appreciation and gratitude give you a sense of… relief? Perhaps even joy? I bet you can actually feel your body responding to this change in emotion. Science has proven the link between mind and body, and we can also feel it for ourselves.
So, as we think about Thanksgiving, let it remind you to take a moment to give thanks. To be grateful. To appreciate. Not only does it feel good, it does wonders for your health.
