Searching for Well-Being? Life or health challenges?

Searching for Well-Being? Life or health challenges?

http://portlandwellnesscoach.com/MOH

Living a Natural Lifestyle with Entrepreneur Angela Russell

Online Self Help Radio at Blog Talk Radio with TheWellnessCoach on BlogTalkRadio


Check out Angela Here as Well!  Yum!

ttp://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/23254695/meatless-monday-ginger-cashew-tempeh-stirfry  

Healing with Darren Littlejohn: Buddhism & Addiction

Check Out Self Help Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with TheWellnessCoach on BlogTalkRadio

Littlejohn is a recovering addict, yoga teacher and Buddhist. He shared his success and program in his book, The 12-Step Buddhist (Atria\Beyond Words 2009). This integrated approach spans nearly three decades of successes, failures, and finally, answers. Darren's books enlighten the inner spirit, educate, open the mind, and fill the heart. The spirituality gained from combining 12-Step ideas, Buddhism, yoga, and meditation will help everyone heal, no matter what his or her afflictions may be.
http://darrenlittlejohn.com

The new book, The Power of Vow:
http://thepowerofvow.com
Articles, Podcasts, etc.
http://the12stepbuddhist.com
Twitter: @12stepbuddhist
Amazon Author Page http://www.amazon.com/Darren-Littlejohn/e/B002BRGIN8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Facebook http://facebook.com/darren.littlejohn
 

Get More Energy! Free Yoga Video

http://landing.portlandwellnesscoach.com/getmoreenergyfreeyogavideo

Stills from my yoga videos:

Get More Energy!  Free Yoga Video

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GetMoreEnergywithYoga

Get access to my bonus video with more yoga for energy and a meditation!  All for becoming a free member of my community!

“I met Edie in the last year. She is so caring and helpful with information. She has been through a lot herself, which makes her all the more credible, empathetic, and educated on products and practices which work from experience. I would highly recommend her!” 

~ Sonia

The SuperPower of Yoga

The SuperPower of Yoga – my article on MindBodyGreen.com



http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4591/Yogas-Superpowers-SuperFlex-vs-RockBrain.html

Stress & The Holiday Season

The following information is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose, treat, or prescribe any kind of disease or illness. It is a good idea to seek the professional advice of a qualified health care practitioner (remember Naturopaths are doctors too) before making any major changes in your self health care.



Winter is upon us. It can be a beautiful time of year but stressful for many as well. Unfortunately stress can be extremely damaging to your body and soul, much more than any of us realize. It is imperative to find ways to stay calm and focused no matter how crazy your life gets, or how crazy your relatives might seem.

Stress is talked about much but understood little, at least by most of us. Our doctors are always telling us to keep our stress levels down, but they rarely say why. Constant stress in your life is not only unnatural (however common it may be), but is a precursor to far more serious ailments, chronic illness, and disease: we’re talking heartburn, upset stomach, chronic fatigue, weight gain, bad skin, adrenal burnout, depression, anxiety, chronic inflammation, heart disease, and even cancer.


There are many factors involved in what makes stress just so damaging to the body. When we get “stressed out” what’s really happening is our fight or flight mechanism is being activated. In short, your adrenals begin pumping out adrenaline in order to give you the short term energy you need to deal with the “emergency” at hand. This is fine for the short term, especially if you are being chased by a saber-tooth tiger, real or imagined.


But a prolonged, on-going stress response to life’s situations is a recipe for disaster. If you get stressed out on the commute to work every day, get anxious every single time you have to talk to your boss, spouse, or neighbor, your adrenals are working overtime. What should be an occasional situation – facing down the saber-tooth-holiday-in-law — is now a chronic, daily, maybe even hourly occurrence. Chronic elevated adrenaline levels can lead to raised cortisol levels in your body, which then leads to fatigue when your cortisol levels “crash” again. This is when most of us reach for coffee, chocolate, sugar, carbs, or all four. And this is where your body begins to break down.


Stimulants unfortunately only make the problem worse. They actually create an energy “debt” in the body because they stimulate the adrenals to produce even more adrenaline. This is artificial energy, since you are asking the adrenals to do something they would not normally do, i.e. produce extra energy you don’t have. So many of us are in “debt” not only monetarily, but energy-wise as well. Just remember, if you take out a loan on your energy, you are going to have to repay it through sleep and good nutrition.


Another source of stress is unresolved emotions, especially anger and regret. Emotions “float” around in our bodies (we have neurotransmitters everywhere in us, not just in our “heads.” Our bodies and minds - read emotions - are intertwined. So if we are harboring rage, hate, anger, or sadness, we are doing unwitting damage to ourselves. These emotions tend to come more around this time of year when many of us spend time with people from our past.

Unfortunately they tend to remind us, consciously or not, of unresolved issues. Counseling can help to clear up these emotions, especially EMDR therapy. Bodywork, physical activity such as yoga, walking, dance or martial arts, even art or music therapy can help to release toxic emotions as well. Our bodies were designed to keep energy (and emotions) flowing. Find what works for you and try to do it regularly.

One of the most promising therapies for clearing out toxic emotion and keeping emotions flowing freely is Mickel Therapy. It teaches you how to express your emotions in a healthy, non-confrontational way. Mickel Therapy believes that our primary emotions (anger, grief, fear, joy, love, and compassion) are actually generated by our bodies. Know those “gut” feelings you have of anger, fear, and of being in love? That is your physical body talking to you. The trick is to be true to your primary emotions and keep expressing them, as tactfully but honestly as possible. Our bodies were designed to keep energy and emotions flowing. Find what works for you and try to do it regularly


Of course the best solution is to not get stressed out in the first place. When you are stuck in traffic, breathe. Breathe in slowly and breathe out slowly. Deep breaths taken from your lower abdomen immediately calm down your sympathetic nervous system. Try it, it works every time. Also, move your focus to what you can focus on without worry, like enjoying the passing scenery or listening to the radio.


Whatever’s causing you stress in your life, nine times out ten it isn’t worth getting all worked up about. Most things have a way of working themselves out, whether or not you are worrying about them. In fact, they tend to work out better if you aren’t worrying. This includes spending the holidays with your partner’s family who, I guarantee, you have absolutely no control over.


be well,


The Holistic Coach

http://www.connektwell.com/

http://www.theholisticoach.com/

Top 5 Fitness Trends for 2010

Fitness is still hot. Though Americans are more overweight than ever, and obesity is on the rise (72 million of us are now considered obese), new ways to stay fit are more diverse than ever as well. Here are the top five trends for 2010:


1.Mind-Body Fitness
Pilates and yoga are here to stay. People are becoming more aware of the mind-body connection and how controlling stress influences health and fitness levels. Some other recent aerobic hybrids include Cy-Yo, a combination of cycling and yoga, YogaFit, a combination of yoga, strength training and core building, and Piloxing, a combination of Pilates and boxing. You can often find yoga at the gym as well as some of these other programs. You may have to pay a nominal additional fee to take something like Pilates, but it’s cheaper than taking it privately. In addition to stress reduction and core training, mind-body programs are great for adding flexibility, adding cardio, and building lean muscle mass depending on the program.


2.Core-Based Training
Strengthening the “core” is a central theme to many mind-body programs like yoga and Pilates, as well as some equipment like kettlebells and the balance ball. Balance balls and kettlebells are relatively cheap at around $30 for basic sets. The core consists of the abdominal, hip, and leg muscles. Having a strong core can help relieve and/or prevent back injuries. Another core-based specialty workout is dance. Dance classes naturally focus on the core, in addition to being a great source of cardio. All the rage right now are Zumba and Bollywood dance. Ballroom dance, Afro-Cuban, and hip-hop are popular as well. Dance classes are relatively cheap at $7 - $10 a class, and are a great overall workout as has been publicized by shows like “Dancing with the Stars.”


3.Activity-Based Video Games
With gaming as popular as it is, it’s no wonder that it has wandered into the realm of fitness as well.
Especially great for motivating kids to take an interest in fitness, technology-based exergames like Dance Dance Revolution and Wii Fit are all the rage. Exergaming is moderately priced from $40 - $200. Wii Fit offers balance and BMI testing, as well as 40 different activities such as strength training, aerobics, and even yoga. Blurring the lines between entertainment and exercise seems like a natural progression in the overall pattern of combining workouts and trends in the fitness industry.

4.Back To Basics
Many people are getting back to the basics and just walking outdoors and lifting free weights at home. People are realizing that fitness can be attained under any circumstances. These “budget-friendly” workouts can be to tied to another trend: functional fitness. The goal behind functional fitness is to prepare your body for real life situations. An example of this “bang for your buck” functional fitness trend again would be kettlebells. Here we have core training, and a whole body workout that covers many of the major muscle groups, and it conditions your body as well. It can be done from the comfort and affordability of your home. Populations like baby boomers are interested in working out more than ever. Although other trends like bootcamp at the gym are still very popular, baby boomers are looking for ways to incorporate fitness that will benefit them the most without breaking the bank. Functional fitness and going back to basics are two just ways that don’t necessarily require a gym membership.


5.Wellness Coaches/Online Personal Trainers
Along the lines of mind/body fitness, hiring a wellness coach is gaining ground. Wellness coaches support people’s efforts in fitness on all fronts including diet information and exercise motivation. Due to tough financial times, some people are opting to just browse online for information from personal trainers or wellness coaches as well. Although nothing beats having someone to talk you through those 6am treadmill runs. Another trend is to hire a group personal trainer to work with several individuals at once and share the cost. Hiring a coach or trainer varies, but the average rate is $50-$75 an hour. With an interest in mind-body workouts on the rise, hiring a wellness professional is a natural progression of connecting the dots between fitness and an overall healthy lifestyle.

be well,

The Holistic Coach