Learn to Meditate and Easy Tools to Teach Children

♥ Love this site ♥ 
With age appropriate tools for teaching children as young as 3 (although I assume would also work with younger children) to meditate and deal positively with strong emotions... and also helpful tools for adults who need new ways to deal with stress... this is great!

http://www.heartmath.org/free-services/tools-for-well-being/tools-for-well-being-home.html

Cravings, Unexpected Flares ... Seeking Answers

A couple of months ago I was feeling so strong. Really strong. I was juicing, RAW, happy...
And then a string of events not within my control created chaos in my body.
-A few days after my birthday a car accident caused repercussions through my body that caused joint pain and huge fatigue for months.
-Huge life changes for two of my daughters, and while those changes directly caused chaos in their lives, indirectly they affected me because, ya know, mom's worry. Worry. And my guts flared on top of all that joint pain and fatigue...

I don't know about you... but when I feel like crap... I reach for comfort food. And lets face it... comfort food is BAD! I not only fell off the raw wagon, I nosed dived straight into a pizza binge that lasted weeks. That's right... wheat.... dairy... mortal enemies to all that ailed me... and worse, led to a state of depression that really made me not care.

I'm not sure how or what or why I woke up one day and realized I was killing myself with food... not just making my symptoms worse... but killing myself. KILLING MY DREAMS.
Motorcycle lessons and ownership put on hold... indefinitely.
Belly dance... out of the question.
Hiking, rock climbing... not gonna happen.
The much dreamed about vacation to New Orleans...cancelled.
My summer had gone from bright, beautiful, and exciting... to dead. I was stuck on the couch and moving nowhere...again.
AGAIN!

Damn me, I am my own worse enemy.
BUT I AM ALSO MY OWN SAVIOR... because I WOKE UP.
I started listening to my body and looking for signs... and the expectation led to signs... guideposts.

And I started over again...
AGAIN!
Juice, tonics, sunbathing, and meditation.

The real turn around came about because I faced that I am an addict. I have an addictive personality. I am addicted to food... and I needed answers.Luckily I saw a random post about sun gazing ... on of all places... Facebook... but it triggered a memory.

I'd studied sun gazing in college twenty years earlier and dallied... a little... it was a good reason to skip class and head for the beach for a "clear view" if I remember my mindset at that time...

Sun gazing can stop addiction. Sun gazing can interrupt and cure bouts of depression. Sun gazing can HEAL.
And sun gazing controls appetite. How had I forgotten this important piece of the puzzle?

So, a few weeks ago I started sun gazing again...
(safe guidelines that must be adhered to in order to not damage your eyes)
I didn't expect much that first week... wow, was I wrong.
Every morning I woke up EARLY and ready to go.
I started meditating again...
I juiced for the first time in almost two months...
By day four I was dragging out my yoga mat...
And by day ten ... I feel amazing.

I'm raw again ... and I want to be ... I don't feel like I'm sacrificing anything.
I crave orange juice especially... and salad... I can't get enough salad... and bananas...
After believing I never wanted to see another banana again ... I'm loving them now.

Maybe it's a placebo effect ... I don't care.
I just want it to last.

49 and Feeling Great

I haven't photo updated for awhile, and although I did not begin this journey for weight loss... I've lost a significant amount of weight :) Not too bad for a "side effect"...

As far as my health goes... Joint pain and inflammation minimal and usually following hard work or a physically challenging activity... jogging, cycling, rock climbing, belly dance... I know, who would have ever dreamed my life would be "normal again? Certainly not my (now ex)RA doctor... or my DO...

As far as my current diet:

I've been maintaining 75% or more raw... and choosing foods from the low-fodmap list.

If I could maintain 100% raw all winter, I'd be 95% raw, but living in Ohio with ice, sleet, snow, and blustery winds... I add some grains as my intestines allow (oatmeal, rice, and an occasional gluten-free spaghetti) which has led me to just say "I'm 75% raw year round" because it simplifies the time explaining and if I want a beer on a hot summer day, I'm covered ...

And as far as the occasional pain and inflammation?

The tonics are the answer. Guaranteed. Better than any pain med or NSAID and no ugly side effects!

(I'll try to update the tonic info later for anyone who wants recipes:)

FRUIT POO aka fluffy fruity floaters for a flat stomach

Continuing Lessons Along the Fruitarian Adventure

I posted at the beginning of the month that I was still having huge problems with my guts... even though raw has relieved my joint pain 95%+ ... and had decided to try Fruitarian for awhile with the 30 Bananas A Day Diet Framework, basically 90-5-5 as far as a carb/protein/fat ratio goes... A step beyond the 80-10-10 Diet I've been trying to maintain for the last few years...

I loved eating bananas and oranges and apples all day...
It's probably the easiest dietary change I've made to date...
I had loads of energy and zero joint problems!
And it was the best experiment I've ever tried to relieve my gut issues for the simple reason that after two weeks I had to face facts that I was exasperating the problem instead of improving it.

EEK!
Back to SQUARE ONE! Right?
Nope.

About a month ago I was on an IBS Forum and there was a lot of chat going on about a Low-Fod-Map diet and how everyone (hundreds) were experiencing some level of success... So, curious and ever happy to try ANYTHING, I printed out the easy to follow list of approved vs discouraged foods...
And promptly said "No F-ing way! All my fave foods are on the Do Not Eat List...
I filed it under "NOT UNTIL I AM DESPERATE OR DYING"

So yep, two weeks ago I pulled it out and compared what I'd been living on for close to two weeks:
Bananas, Oranges, Mangoes, Avocados, Watermelon, Blueberries, and Apples...
All but the Bananas and Blueberries were on the "Do Not Eat" list...

I decided to try a week of following the Low-Fodmap List 100% while staying within the 80-5-5 framework...but adding in some grains (oatmeal or rice not in excess of one cup per day)... and staying completely vegan...

I didn't have to wait a week. After less than 24 hours I had relief from excruciating stomach pain. By the 48 hour mark, my intestines had stopped spasming... and I was convinced but waited the full week to have the ah-ha moment... My bowels were voiding in my best guess estimate of what "normal might be like" NORMALLY... I have never, in my lifetime, had a "normal" "reliable" daily bowel movement...

Yes, I miss my fav foods! Especially Apples, Avocados, and Watermelon...
But I am Gastro-intestinally Pain-Free and Symptom-free for the first time in 48 years...

The LOW-FODMAP LIST and Info I rely on most comes from the University of Arizona's Campus Health Dept... there are others, but I feel like this one is the easiest to read, understand, and use when trying to eliminate and test adding foods back in successfully...

My story

THE REAL V8 JUICE!