Take Charge Of Your Life: 3 Choices on Purpose

There is a part of you that is completely unchangeable, untouched by circumstance that is silently observing your life as it unfolds; the awareness of awareness. This part of you is what I call the choice maker. Once you find this core center within you, you awaken your “personal power”. So often we go through life feeling that it is particularly happening to us without our say. To a degree this is true, we don’t have too much control over the weather or perhaps the life span of others along with their choices.

However, to often we feel victimized by our own lifes wondering “how did this happen to me?” This disempowering focus leads to a life without meaning; from the spectrum of losing our keys to the death of a loved one and every where in between. These “Acts of God” can make us certain that there we are a small part of a much larger creation. This is partially true; the choice maker within you understands these unknowns and is aware of the unknowable much greater than your mind alone will.

I’m not here to enlighten you; rather, share my experience of how I woke up this silent power within myself, in hopes to help you do the same. To do so I want to get to know you, so you can get to know you. First and foremost, why are you here? Can you think about the purpose that drove you to this blog today? If so, you will start to make contact with the exact essence I am speaking of. You see, a part of you chose to woke up today, to eat, to get dressed and to read this blog. Behind all these actions; even reading this, lies a reason. I’d imagine that reason has something to do with growth, health, and living out your highest potential.

Can you recall now, the purpose driving your choices? The reason you have forgotten is because you simply put these decisions off in your subconscious mind where they have become habit. This is good and bad news. On one hand, you can accomplish many things at once; where on the other, if you fail to “update” or have consciously chosen which happens stay or go, you could very well be at the command of your mind; its servant.

To put you back in the driver’s seat of your life is to put the mind in its rightful place as servant. To do this is a simple task but requires incredible will in itself. To really take charge of your mind is to take charge of your life. If you want to have a meaningful life, you have to create a life of meaning. So my question is this…have you thought about the meaning of your life, or does that question alone trigger stress for you? If making this decision seems difficult let’s first remove some blocks by taking a look at a few different “mind-types”.

There are three types of people  that I am aware of:

• The “go with the flow-er”- These are individuals that are so afraid of deciding that they don’t  decide at all. Their mode of fraction is the “no plan” plan. Which is hands down the worst plan there is. In one way, you may feel a sense of carefreeness without having a plan but deep down what’s directing your behavior is that you   believe control and purpose is outside of yourself. The major down fall is you have essentially given away all of your power; life is happening to you, separately from you. Usually these individuals are stimulant response creatures, where they are constantly reacting to life rather than responding, they are in complete survival mode. I’ve functioned here fora little while in my life only to feel that when a challenged arisen, I felt I had no choice and or power to better a situation.
  
• The Controller- On the other end of the pectrum we have the controlling types. They associate themselves as “I” which is equated with a singular sense of ego and also; separateness. The controller is also afraid. They are so afraid that the other and life is against him, that he forces nearly everything to completion. In short, this person isn’t nearly in control of his life as much as he thinks. When fear makes your choices you can guarantee they will produce more results in which you will have to react to.
  
• The Choice Maker– Then there is the fearless man; the choice maker. This individual differs in one very simple, core aspect; his choices are made consciously from love, from freedom. They understand that they are powerful beyond measure so they have no difficulty making a choice; detached from the outcome. They are already complete and immune to criticism so they have no need to force life to become good enough. The choice maker then, decides what to focus on, what the meaning events and circumstances will be and how to then match reality to his meaning.
  

What mind-type are you?

If you find yourself anywhere other than in the driver’s seat of your life then you may too often be the victim of your mind, emotions and “life”. No worries though, I’ve broken down how to become a conscious choice maker into three simple parts. These are three choices you can immediately make in each moment that will awaken your personal power and help you add meaning to your life.

1. Decide What To Focus On- Whenever you catch yourself feeling trapped, stuck, or emotionally unwound ask yourself “what am I focused on?” This is no easy task when you really become entrenched in thought and worry. The truth is whenever you are upset you have simply chosen to focus on something unpleasant. You cannot be upset when you are completely focused on the good in your life. The more you buy into your thoughts the worse your mood and the worse life is. Though feeling emotion is completely rea and authentic, it’s easy to stay stuck there. To move out of this  thought pattern first become aware of what it is. Did waking up late spiral thoughts of negativity for you that lead to more thoughts of how you’re not good enough, always making mistakes and then became lost in the story of your every mistake? Once you’ve acknowledge your focus, change it. What is good? what are you grateful for? What’s awesome? Or above all, what would you rather focus on?
2. Decide What “It” Means- Here in lies the greatest secret of life. Despite what anyone has ever convinced you of, the one thing no one can ever convince you of, is what you will be connvinced of. In other words, no one can think your toughts for you; therefore, noone can give meaning ot event but you. It’s that simple. If you woke up late for work again, before you let your boss, family or society convince you that you are a lazy piece of crap, decide for yourself. Maybe you’ve been killing yourself at work just needed the rest. Perhaps this is a little foresight that it’s time to change your job to one that wakes you up with excitement. Or at least, by sleeping in you avoided some chance car accident. It doesn’t matter what you choose at this point because you don’t really know what it means anyway. Just decide the better feeling and from here create the better reality.
3. Decide What To Do- The final choice is that of inspired action. Once you have decided the meaning of your circumstances or life, it’s time to act. Here’s a trick. See your life for what it is – not worse than it is – then decide to see it better than it is. Finally, make it better than it is. All you’re doing is creating a life of purpose. Sticking to our theme for congruency; if you woke up late and had decided the meaning was “it’s time for a new job” then take a step towards it if it feels right. Get into work and make the most of it knowing you’ll soon be gone. Then after, get on the internet and explore some new jobs. Create a Linked-In account, put out flyers for your services, start a YouTube channel, website, hire a coach, or drop into that new boutique you would rather work at, even if the pay is less at first. You don’t have o change everything in one huge overhaul. One small inspired act will create a domino effect.

I’m offering Transformational Coaching online these days for anyone interested in learning more about becoming their true potential. Click here to learn more about how to unlock your potentional with the power of your mind and healthy living!

If you liked this post give it a like! I love knowing what you find valuable or useful so I can create more of it.

Love,
Nick

Goodbye Hair Problems; Hello Beautiful Hair!

I was born with a nice, thick mop of hair. Looking back at photos of my bowl cuts and mullets I can say I was proud to rock those ridiculous hair cuts. My hair had an unquestionable healthy luster! Right around the age of 14 though I noticed my hair quality fall apart. It was nothing drastic, it started with a simple shift in color. It had seemed to lose its vibrance and pigment. A few years after I noticed it shedding a lot; right around the time I decided to become vegan.

To save space for solutions to beautiful hair I will fast-forward my story for you. Veganism didn’t work to get rid of the new random acne I had developed or my noticeably lack-luster hair. It took many years for em to realize that my digestion had not ben working for years. Growing up, I witnessed a lot of “stress” that seemed to pass its way into my mind no matter how much I focused my thoughts toward good. I can say for certain that the almost ‘osmosis-learned’ mental stress had triggered a huge disruption in my adrenal function, which lead to an impaired digestive system.

I remember for a while being very concerned for my hair and overall health. Doctor visits called it genetics…what a joke. The point of this short story is o tell you that I know from experience; health is largely – if not completely – due to lifestyle factors. The book ‘The Genie In Your Genes‘ and ‘Epigenetics” have Nobel winning material to prove the Epigenetic phenomenon. Basically, what you might believe to be a “genetic health issue” is controllably by your lifestyle choices. That means for men and women who have accepted their hair for anything less than luscious locks, its time you unlock the hidden potential in your genetic expression. You can rewrite your genetics by the way you think about yourself, the way you look at yourself, feel about yourself and care for yourself. Overall, the secret to truly health hair is to choose wisely about what you put in your body; food, supplements, products, air, water, and thoughts.

I want to share with you 5 lifestyle tips that changed the quality of my hair health and appearance dramatically and also a very special herb I’ve used with incredible success over years of trial and error.

5 Tips for Beautiful Hair

1. Get Your Blood Flowing- Getting good circulation in the body is step one for building that hair beauty. Though the topic of healthy blood is far less talked about or appealing as healthy hair, it’s a foundational aspect. The blood carries nutrients throughout the body; therefore, no blood flow means no nutrients to the scalp and hair shaft, which means hair loss or weak/brittle hair. The best way to get circulation flowing is to get moving. Exercise promotes circulation better than anything else. Movement is essential to our vitality, without it, our bodies would become like a stagnant body of water. This doesn’t mean; however, you have to go sign-up for Zumba or take the P90X challenge. Getting proper movement can be as simple as a few yoga poses each day, a daily walk, doing some vigorous cleaning, or even dancing! Ideally, you would break a moderate sweat each day to promote detoxication – leading to even cleaner blood – but simply staying busy; bending, lifting, pulling and twisting will keep your body circulating. As we age circulation becomes weaker as we tend to move less, the trick is to simply keep moving! We don’t stop moving because we get old, we get old because we stop moving. Exercise may change over the years from athletic sports to yoga with integrated weight-lifting to best suit your body, staying true to what works best with you takes a healthy relationship with your body. Yoga is a great mind/body practices for all ages and a few simple inversion poses will really promote circulation of the head and hair shaft. Some of my favorites are variations of handstands, headstands, and legs up the wall. Most inversions are more appropriate in the day as they strengthen and turn-on the nervous system. Legs up the wall; however, is great before bed and will still help bring new circulation into the body. Follow this pose up with a few cat and cow’s and you’ll have yourself a simple night-time routine for increased circulation. Some other great tools for promoting circulation – especially to the scalp – are inversion tables and deep tissue massages (especially around the neck), scalp massages, herbs like ginger, cayenne and gotu kula.If you are intimidated by the idea of an exercise routine there are tons of home workout videos on YouTube – I’ll be launching my channel tomorrow! – or you could also make the investment on yourself and get a personal coach. I offer online health coaching with customized workout plans [done in a gym or at home] meal plans and personal support.

2. Care For Your Kidneys- According to Chinese Medicine, the kidneys play a vital role in the quality of your hair. To keep this topic short and sweet I’ll cover a few basics. The first theory is that the kidneys store our “Jing Essence”. This is also known as our core energy. The kidneys also circulate Chi energy, the energy which we acquire through lifestyle; food, supplements, air, water, sleep and so on. When we drain these energies, we become drained, that is because health is energy. Without good energy stores our bodies could not function or grow hair. The adrenals are two small glands that rest on each one of the kidneys that govern this energy. They are apart of the endocrine and hormonal system which govern hormonal output. When we’re stressed they release stress hormones which helps us in the short-term but over extended periods of stress can shut down our digestive system, immune system which will lead to hair problems down the line. The other theory is that because the kidneys create reproductive fluid, which is made up largely of hair nutrients – trace minerals like zinc and amino acids – that weak kidneys results in low reproductive fluid and therefor a shortage in these nutrients.To care for your kidneys is simple:

   -Restrict ejaculation: [Your Age-7/4] and this is how many times a month you should ejaculate
   – Avoid or reduce stimulants/caffeine: Coffee, chocolate and black tea
   – Get roughly 8 hours of sleep daily [bed by 10 pm]
   – Decompress/Destress daily: Meditate, walk, baths, laughter, or simply making it your duty to enjoy yourself daily.
   – Get daily sunshine
   – Sip on warm water throughout the day, opposed to chugging water
   – Reduce animal protein [20% of meal, one time daily]
   – Avoid sugar and minimize fruit sugar and other natural sweeteners
   – Take Jing Herbs
   – Drink/eat Probiotic Foods; these are powerful kidney cleansers

3. Fix Your Digestion- Without a healthy digestive system all efforts for healthy hair will fail. The digestive stem is what    breaks down and turns what you eat into nourishment that is then sent to the blood to deliver to the hair. If your digestive system isn’t working then no amount of nutrients will make it to the blood, or the hair shaft. Digestive problems are amongst n all time high today and thought the digestive system is complex, it’s rather a simple game to play. Things that destroy the digestive system include; TOO much stress, food, alcohol, any amount of processed junk food, poor food combinations, medications – particularly antibiotics – dehydration and lack of sleep and exercise. The best way to promote healthy digestion is to eat nutrient dense, real food, eat only when relaxed, drink water between meals, practice food combining, eat right for your metabolic type, exercise daily, eat until your 80% full and take enzymes and probiotics to restore bacterial balance. If you fee you could use guidance in restoring your digestive health I recommend highly The Body Ecology Diet or you could enroll in my Home Study eCourse “Perfect Digestion” and get one-on-one help, exercises, menu ideas, healing recipes, shopping lists, supplement guides and simplified insights and solutions.
4. Eat The Right Foods- Once you’ve considered and cared for the foundational aspects of your body which produce healthy hair it’s time to consider how you precisely feed your hair. Pasture-raised eggs, liver and to a lesser extent, avocado and salmon are a rich source of Biotin. This B complex also known as B7 is essential to hair growth. A deficiency in this vitamin is linked strongly to hair loss. You really only need a small amount of these foods each week. If you have a healthy gut-flora you will produce adequate amounts of Biotin and other B vitamin. This is because probiotics actually produce their own B vitamins in the intestines. B vitamins, omega 3’s, amino acids, and minerals like zinc, selenium and iodine are essential hair nutrients.The best foods/supplements for your hair will be:
   – Pastured Egg Yolks
   – Grass-fed Liver
   – Coconut Kefir
   – Raw Sauerkraut
   – Wild-Caught Salmon, Sardines, Mackerel
   – Oysters
   – Seaweed
   – Brazil Nuts
   – Pumpkin Seeds
   – Leafy Greens
   – Avocados
   – Chia Seeds
   – Fulvic/Humic Minerals
   – Grass-fed Gelatin and Collagen
   – Hu Shou Wu
   – Fermented Cod Liver Oil
   – Fermented Spirulina
   
5. Wash Hair Less/Use DIY Hair Care Products- I know some of you might think that washing your hair frequently is good for you but it’s truly not. Washing frequently – especially with harsh chemical products containing SLS – strips the hair of essential oils. If  you are concerned that your hair will become dirty, greasy or unpleasant know that it will take time for your hair to adjust to its new regime. In time, and with a healthy digestive system  and diet your hair will maintain a natural sheen to it and be less prone to greasiness. The effect will also be a healthier scalp and fuller, softer hair shafts. After years of this practice I can go literally weeks without washing my hair and maintain manageable, full hair. With a few DIY recipes you can treat your hair from the root and really make your hair glow. The rule of thumb is if you wouldn’t eat it, don’t put it on your skin or scalp. Chemical products will go right into the blood stream making your body toxic and eventually giving you unhealthy hair in the long run. Here are a few DIY recipes I use with great success for thickening, softening, and growing hair, increasing circulation, and treating damaged hair:
   – Hair Thickener: 1 egg, 1 tsp of grass-fed gelatin, 1 inch of fresh aloe gel. Mix together and apply to scalp and hair for 15 minutes, lightly rinse and voila!
   – Hair Thickener/Conditioner: 1 avocado, 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar. Mash together and apply to scalp and hair for 15 minutes, lightly rinse.
   – Hair conditioner: 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp. aluminum-free baking soda, 1/2 cup water. Rinse hair after any treatment for a super soft maine, and clean scalp.
   – Hair growth: 2 tbsp cold-pressed olive oil, 1 tsp camu camu, 1 tsp, cayenne pepper. Mix together and apply to scalp for an hour. This will bring blood flow to the scalp and open up the hair follicles to get nourishment. Olive oil is also capable of pulling DHT build up from scalp making it great for anyone with Patterned Baldness.
   – Hair treatment: 2 tbsp coconut oil, 1 overly ripe banana, 1 tsp raw honey, 1 tsp raw aloe gel. Mix and mash then apply to scalp. This will condition and treat dead hair and bring it back to life.

He Shou Wu: A Powerful Herb for Hair Growth

This herb is so very special for hair growth. I posted a video to better inform you of it’s many benefits; as I could go on for another post for this herb alone. In short, this herb is holistic in treating hair growth. It’s a blood builder, kidney tonic, Jing tonic, promotes healthy digestion and energy, and contains hair minerals zinc and copper. Not to mention is a powerful anti-oxidant which keeps you young on a cellular level. If you follow these 5 steps and include He Shou Wu into your diet I know you will experience a shift in the quality of your hair. This herb is pure magic and I am forever grateful for it’s beautifying properties!

Pistachio Maca Fudge Cookies: Herbal Alchemy Treats

Lately I’ve been spending my time in Michigan. It is such a beautiful place to be during the changing of seasons. The trees fill the sky with an array of orange, greens, reds and purples as their leaves slowly remind us of the bitter-sweet truth that while all good things come to an end, the process can be beautiful.

Today, along with the past few days, this fall season has been reflecting my own shift. It may very well be the lack of sunshine and habitual absence of quality time in nature that has me feeling quit emotional; however, I wasn’t going toilet the weather determine my mood.

The first step to changing anything though is becoming aware that there’s a problem. Okay, so the weather is gloomy, now what to do about it? Well, when life hands you sadness, accept it, befriend it, then make some cookies! I’ve learned well enough that when life gets you emotional the best way to come out of it, is to go through it.

Your mind will feed you lies, depending on the way you focus on things. When were focused on what’s wrong; like the lack of sunshine, energy or ambition, you will create emotions based on that view. Taking action when you’re feeling down and uninspired can feel like a forced, unauthentic act but thats not the case.

In my experiene, we become so entrenched in our mind-stuff that we forget what’s authentic or not. It’s during times like this when we can take a physical action to then shift our minds. Alan Watts says “A person who thinks all the time has nothing to think about except thoughts. So he loses touch with reality, and lives in a world of illusion.”

Thoughts are things, they will materialize our perception, but to stay stuck in our own perception is not wise. You dont’ learn from thinking  what you already know, you learn from doing what you’ve never done. For me, learning something new and getting out of the entrenchment of my own thoughts was a new cookie recipe!

Sometimes all it takes is a simple act to create a domino effect in our live; sweeping the floor, taking a bath, giving a compliment, standing up straight, smiling, screaming, hitting a punching bag or making cookies for example.

Why make regular cookies when you can make superfood cookies?

My suggestion is that whatever you do, d it 110%. Do whatever it is so good and so fully and complete that you don’t have to redo it. When your mad, be completely mad, when you’re making cookies make them the best damn cookies in town. When we live experiences fully we become engaged in the moment, utilize our full potential  and recognize the ultimate reality; not just our perception of it.

When I make cookies…I make cookies! These particular ones showcase two Jing Herbs; He Shou Wu and Chaga.

He Shou Wu is powerfully effective for soothing the nervous system, building essence, blood and fertility. They are restorative Jing herbs that bring new energy to our root of the skeletal system. It is traditionally renowned as an anti-aging tonic, believed to restore an aging person back to youth. This is because most aging is due to a lack of vital Jing essence or constitutional energy. A simple way to think of the way Jing Herbs work is similar to the way deep rest, meditation or a walk in the forest restores your energy.

Chaga is delicious, plain and simple. It has natural occurring vanilinin, an anti-oxidant compound found in vanilla bean. It exhibits high levels of anti-viral properties which make it a great health and longevity tonic. Viruses and bacteria not only effect people’s immune systems during the fall and winter months attributing to colds and flu, also attribute to gut-brain associated mood imbalances. By keeping a healthy balance of good bacteria you are more likely to keep a stable mood. When my mood starts slipping the first thing I do is care for the gut. Probiotics, enzymes and chaga are great was to do this!

Pistachio Maca Fudge Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 Scoops Chocolate Classic Sunwarrior
• 1/2 cup sprouted almonds
• 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
• Small handful raw pistashios
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 2 tablespoons shredded coconut
• 2 tablespoons maca
• 1 teaspoon he shou wu
• 1 teaspoon chaga
• Dash of cinnamon
• 1 pasture-raised egg
• 2 “squirts” Body Ecology Stevia
• 1 teaspoon grade B maple syrup **omit if you have sugar issues

Preparation:

• In a food processor; blend nuts and seeds — except chia seeds — until they form a mealy texture.
  
• In a separate small dish add liquid ingredients and let sit while mixing dry ingredients [egg, chia, maple syrup, stevia] The chia will form a gel.
  
• In a large glass mixing bowl combine all dry ingredient [Sunwarrior, maca, he shu wu, chaga, cinnamon]
  
• Fold the nut/seed meal into the dry ingredients
• Add the liquid ingredients and mix until a fudge, cookie-dough consistency
• Form into cookies and place on glass dish greased with coconut oil
  
• Put in refrigerator for 30 minutes then enjoy!

Ultimate Kidney Care In 5 Steps

The kidneys are marvelous organs that many of us take for granted with excessive behavoral patterns. We over work, under sleep, over eat and are practically hooked up to an IV of coffee and other stimulants. We’re we are going so quickly im not sure? Anyway, the kidneys main job is to manage our water intake, filter sexual fluids, blood, sweat, urine and proteins. We are 3/4 this “watery-stuff” and the kidneys job is to handle all of this! The kidneys then are responsible for regulating our heart beat, digestive fluids, sexual and reproductive function, brain, emotions, energy and a lot more. One of the most important functions of the kidneys is their duty to keep our blood clean. The blood is our life force, without it, no nourishment would reach our cells. If we don’t care for our kidneys — and related counter parts the adrenals and bladder — we put a major road block up in our bodies. Every single organ of our body is affected by the other, and the kidneys are one of the king organs. Everything rides on the ability of our kidneys function and therefore; our willingness to love them!

Causes of Kidney Disorders

• Processed Carbs: bread, cereal, crackers, cookies, pastries, etc.
• Too Much Protein
• Caffeine
• Alcohol
• STRESS
• Refined Salt/Too much salt
• SUGAR
• Not enough water

Signs of Kidney Problems

• Regular low back pain
• Low energy
• Adrenal/Thyroid problems
• Water retention
• Issues with the eyes; wrinkles, puffiness, swelling or poor vision
• Low sex drive
• Dark urine
• Gout
• Stones

What To Do: 5 Steps

1. Stress & Fear- This is the root cause of most disease; however, stress has it’s roots somewhere else too. To simply say “stop stressing!” is way too vague. You have to identify the source of your stress. You may be really surprised what comes up if you started journaling about what stresses you out. First you think it’s your personality, then find out it’s your job, to find out it’s really the fear of pursuing your dream job, and find out the source was your parents telling you that you weren’t good enough to pursue you dream job, to then find out the real source is you feel inadeqauteas a human to even be able to enjoy life. It’s a lot to think about I know, but this is your work! Do you want to spend your life living in fear and covering it up with denial and cancer causing comfort foods? Distracting your self will not fix it. Free yourself! The thing is, it’s really simple. When out start “de-stressing” for real, you’ll eventually see all your fears were fed to you by the survival mind, through others opinions and the media. It’s all a big joke, life isn’t scary people. The problem, is that everyone is scared, no that there is really much so be scared of.

   Action step: keep a journal of what stresses you out, once you start getting to he root causes, create very simple actions to eliminate them. If you hate your job, then quit. You can get another source of income. If your excuse is money; then ask yourself, would you rather have a house for your family where you’re so dead and miserable  you or they cant enjoy it, or take a possible short-term pay cut, have less but be filled with so much love daily? Can’t enjoy much of your false security when you’re on  dialysis machine. Okay, so don’t up and quit work today if it’s causing you more stress. Acknowledge this secret stress to your family and loved ons and ell them you want to start going for walks together, or decide that you’re going to buy that paint set you always wanted and work on your dream again instead of drink beer and watch TV. Just getting started will spark new life in you. The goal is to realize, it is not wrong for you o be happy. Joy is the most suppressed emotion in the wold. You’re not a hero or heroin for over working yourself. Let your self dance! For a more comprehensive guide on balancing stress, try this article I wrote.

2. Eat A Sugar Free Diet- Eating sugar is very destructive to our kidneys, refined sugar especially. Other hidden forms of sugar include sweet carbohydrates, flour foods like bread, cereal, crackers, pies, cookies, etc. When we eat these foods they turn into sugar quickly in the body and burden our kidneys. This sugar overload turns into crystaline acid that the kidneys have to remove quickly or we die! This is why sugar addicts quickly become hypoglycemic then diabetic and then dead. Looking back at how stress damages our kidneys, it also triggers many to eat these food to cope, making people psychologically addicted to sugar too! Sugar is a highly addictive drug as it is, combining it with poor emotional states is a destructive combo! This is why a holistic approach is important. When we consume sugar the body shuts down the immune system and tries to protect us by creating fat and mucus which eventually damage the kidneys further. It’s this build up of acid crystals that creates kidney stones. Sugar creates glycation which is a hardening of tissues. Sugar acids bind with proteins and gives us wrinkles, cysts, vision problems and a million other issues. Throw in a buildup of lactic and uric acid once the kidneys start failing to filter them and you have yourself some nice kidney stones!

   Action Step: I highly recommend Body Ecology. This book/diet is a comprehensive and extensive guide to eating a delicious, sugar-free diet. It’s not only sugar free, but teaches you food-combining, effortless cleansing, the power of 80/20 [80% non-starchy vegetables 20% Animal protein] and the kidney healing miracle that is coconut kefir. These are all important to know about because too much animal protein, build up of toxicity physically and emotionally, and a poor gut bio-dome all cause kidney problems. At the end of this article I will give a few kidney healing recipes too, but for your action step, buy the book and start learning how to heal your body with delicious food and probiotics.
   

3. Sleep Like A Baby- Following a natural sleep cycle — otherwise known as your circadian rhythm — is a necessity for god health especially the kidneys and adrenals. If you view the chart below you will see how a disrupted CR causes elevated stress-hormone cortisol to be released. Add that to the emotional and dietary stress and say hello to chronic fatigue, depression and a major lack of health and vitality. Attention workaholics of the world! I will say this again; it is not a virtue to overwork yourself, no one thinks you’re special because you work harder than them. All you’re  doing is destroying your kidneys health and beauty. All truly successful people know this; even the Presidents of the world don’t overwork, they play sports, meditate and practice optimal wellness because they know is enhances performance tenfold. This is a subtle mind shift change from more is better, less is more where needed. In this case, more sleep, less work. In result, a healthier body will give you a more effective work capability.

   Action Step: Now science has done a lot research on optimal sleep and in my opinion it’s a waste of time. The truth is always beatiful and simple. To learn how to sleep take a look at nature. Animals have no issue with resting, lounging and also exerting energy climbing, jumping and running daily. They sleep deep and long and unless nocternal, go to bed when the sun sets and wake up when it rises. We too should obey mother nature if we except her to nourish us. For those who I sound too taboo for, i’ll put it into American. Go to bed when the sun is not out, thats sometime around your craving for a pick-me up and some stimulating television. Wake up when you’re rested and the sun has peaked it’s way into your presence. If you forgot what rested feels like, it’s that feeling when you’re not depressed, obsessed and the only sensation you have is a burning psychological craving for coffee. Go back to bed and don’t get up until you hear birds chirping, the aliveness of your heartbeat and the warmth of your heart beating blood into your relaxed muscles. This may take  few days to really achieve again, expect it to be difficult as your body resets it’s hormonal rhythm but hang in there, soon enough you’ll remember what life feels like again! For the numbers people, a healthy individual can thrive off about 8.5 hours of sleep or less. Falling asleep around 10 p.m. and waking by 7 a.m. naturally without an alarm clock. This may differ depending on the season and your location. Best to go by your bodies needs, so tune back in!
   

4. Corrective Exercise- Excessive exercise can create a lot of lactic acid for the kidneys t have to filter. Additionally, over-exercising puts a large demand on the adrenals and can weaken the thyroid. If you already have kidney problems then it’s time to trade in the miles on the treadmill for some meditation, yoga or tai chi. A lot of people  are working out very incorrectly. This again is an issue of balance. More isnt’ better when it comes to exercise people! Smarter is better, and smarter entails balance; in and out. Overworking yourself physically drains your energy [kidneys produce energy] and most of us don’t replace it! We stress our bodies with crossfit, long distance running, bodybuilding, and other extreme variations of exercise for what? To prove some egotistical point? If you truly loved your body, you would nourish it and any slightly aware individual in the modern world knows we are an imbalance of output verses input. We need to replenish ourselves before we extend ourselves. We are drained from unreasonable work schedules, stimulants on every corner [TV, media, movies, porn, caffeine, sugar, sports, alcohol, etc] and then add poor diet and an exercise program that leaves us feeling dead after the gym. Enough days of “going hard” and you’ll be finding yourself sick too often; going hard on the tissue box and antibiotics from your weakened immune system. But its okay,you’re awesome now and everyone knows from your fancy workout gear and unproportioned physique.

   Action Step: From here out we view exercise in a list of priorities as follows; sleep, proper nutrition, energy building exercise, exertion exercise. If you have not slept well forget about the gym and eating your pre-work out meal, you won’t digest it first of all and the exercise will drain you and your kidneys even more so. In short, if your kidneys are not in good shape then most exercise is out of the question. Replace what you would consider exercise with energy building exercise such as; walking , slow flow traditional yoga [not hot yoga or most modern yoga that are at best an aerobic workout] tai chi, qi gong, dancing and gardening! This doesn’t mean you can never exercise until your exhausted again or go for a run, I am helping you become  conscious of your body’s needs. In short, work in before you work out. For more on this, I recommend Paul Chek’s How To Eat, Move and Be Healthy.

5. Ditch The Stimulants- Somethings are completely detrimental to our health; hard drugs, refined sugar, processed foods, because these are all very concentrated forms of stress. Coffee, green tea, cacao and other natural food sources of caffeine re not deadly. In many cases, the poison is in the dose; hence why refined sugar is so deadly. It’s not that   sugar kills, fruit sugar and vegetable sugars can be healthy, it’s when they are turned into high-fructose sweeteners when they kill us. The same rings true for caffeine and other stimulants. Most people drink black coffee and lots of it, on op of a low-fat, high-sugar diet. This high stimulant diet and lifestyle is the culprit. In general, stimulants such as the ones I just mentioned raise stress-hormones, deplete the kidneys of vital life force and leave them exhausted; leading to issues like adrenal fatigue and kidneys unable to filter.

   Action Step: For now, as you heal, ditch all stimulants; coffee, chocolate, green teas, alcohol and cigarettes. These all raise cortisol and deplete Kidney Essence. Instead, drink more high-quality water! Dehydration is one of the main causes of fatigue. Most often I find clients getting off coffee easily with a simple shift to a morning liter of mineral rich springer water. I suggest San Pellegrino, Gerolsteiner, Mountain Valley or local spring water. These are all very high in dissolved mineral solids which — in simple terms — make the water much more bio-available for hydration. You can find these water at most markets and grocery stores. Vegetable juices such a celery, cucumber and lemon, raw coconut water and coconut kefir, and lemon water are all much more hydrating than regular water alone. If you don’t juice, I would advise adding a high-quality mineral supplement to your water along with fresh lemon juice for a healthy kidney tonic and hydrating liquid. If this doesn’t give you enough energy alone, I use and recommend adaptogenic Jing Herbs — He Shou Wu, Astragalus, Reishi — with great success. I will put a list of supplements at the bottom of this post.

Supplements & Specific Foods

• He Shou Wu
• Astragalus
• Rhodiola
• Ashwaganda
• Lycium
• Vitality Super Greens
• Ancient Earth Minerals
• Probiotic Liquids
• Cultured Veggies
• Chanca Piedra
• Cranberries (fresh, juiced, added to probiotic liquids)
• Cucumbers
• Miso
• Cinnamon
• Ginger
• Citrus Fruits
• Burdock Root
• Dandelion
• Uva Ursi
• Gotu Kola
• Licorice
• Triphala
• Pygeum
• Seaweed
• Apple Cider Vinegar

Recipes

Kidney Green Juice: Juice 4 stalks celery, 1 medium cucumber, 1/2 granny smith apple, 1 lemon, 1 lime and add 1 scoop of Vitality Geens. Drink in morning on empty stomach.

Probiotic Kidney Cleanser: 8 oz coconut kefir, 2 oz of fresh cranberry juice, 2 caps of Ancient Earth Minerals. Drink first thing in the a.m.

Stone-Crushing Tonic: Boil 2 tbs of Chanca Piedra leaves, 2 tbs of licorice root in 2 cups of spring water. Strain and put liquid in blender with 1 tsb of He Shou Wu, Ashwaganda, and organic ginger and cinnamon powder. Blend and sip.

Other Tips

Remember, if your kidneys are weak, so is your digestive tract. Before you attempt some kidney cleanse or these herbs you must fix your gut! Otherwise, the waste from dissolved kidney stones or any other toxins won’t leave the body. For more stubborn kid stones, drink Chanca Piedra tea 3x a day, and take Stone-Free. Be sure to eat a fiber and probiotic-rich, Body Ecology diet to help dispell any stones. If the digestive system isn’t working nothing else will work! For a more complete-guide on healing your digestive system with probiotic foods visit here. LOVE, Nick

3 Anti-Aging Tips That Are Totally FREE!

When it comes to health I say it often; it’s a simple game. All of our dis-ease is nothing more than imbalance. We have a tendency to over do things a bit here in life…We form complex thoughts with even more complex judgements. We sleep too little and eat too much, breathe too shallow and sit too long. What really mixes us up is when we try to solve a problem at the level of the problem. I don’t know what genius dermatologist and his team of “scientist” thought that a cream of 9,000 ingredients was the solution to acne? The bottom line is the simplest of things give us nourishment; sunlight, oxygen, and sleep are perhaps the most powerful remedies to any imbalance. These life-granted gifts we were given at birth are therapies that recognize and honor the essentials to life. Somewhere down the road that acne was nothing more than an imbalance of one or all of these core pieces. As Einstein so cleverly put; in order to solve a problem you must focus at the level of the solution. Utilizing Air, Water and Sleep Whatever stage of your journey to health you are at rest assured that daily sun-exposure, deep breathing and rest will be your best tools for restoring your youth and vitality.

1. Sunlight & Vitamin D: I know from personal experimentation that sunlight is more important than food; I kid you not. Today is a perfect example. I unfortunately got only a few hours of sleep today. In result; my digestion is about half way working, my eyes are burning and I feel like I’m battling a mild case of diabetes. High quality water helps with energy — as sleep deprivation in the slightest leads to dehydration — which often is the major source of fatigue. Herbs and the right food can help stabilize blood sugar and keep the adrenals from overworking. However, considering digestive function falls short when you’re exhausted, all of these things together will not fix lack of sleep. Of course the only solution is sleep but a close second is sun light. The best choice would be to combine the two like I did! Within only 20 minutes of sun exposure meets rest and I felt like a plant, eating up sunlight for fuel! Other than being the vital life force that nourishes all living things and keeps us warm, sun light helps us make vitamin D, a potent anti-aging hormone — rather than vitamin — that offers countless health benefits. Some of these benefits include but at not excluded to; strengthen our natural immunity, building muscle mass, repairing skin tissue, preventing heart disease and even attributing to ideal weight management. Vitamin D regulates up to 200 genes that control cell growth and cellular differentiation. Considering the genetic theory of aging, maintaining adequate Vitamin D levels is pervasive for the proliferation of healthy, vibrant cells which will reduce the signs of genetic-related aging.Some; especially middle-aged women, are avoiding the sun like the pelage and making a huge mistake. In short, the endless benefits of sunlight far exceed any potential threat of UV exposure. It’s even been theorized that skin cancer is nothing more than the degeneration of skin cells and their defense due to internal toxicity. Ditch the sunblock and get a minimum of 15 minutes of direct sunlight a day. To avoid burning — if you’re sensitive — apply a natural sun block made of coconut oil, fresh aloe gel and zinc oxide powder. I also advise seeking Vitamin D rich foods daily. These foods would include; raw grass-fed butter and ghee, wild-caught salmon, pasture-raised eggs, and fermented cod-liver oil. If you have an issue digesting fats at all this could be due to a congested gallbladder or liver. No worries, you can supplement with a pancreatic enzyme and probiotic rich foods to increase fat digestion and cleanse and heal these precious organs, which are so vital to staying young. You can also supplement with Vitamin D, seek a naturopath, function medicine doctor or C.H.E.K Practitioner to learn more about your levels. Your best bet for optimal Vitamin D levels is of course, still sunlight! The best time to sunbath would be midday when the sun is at it’s peak. You only need a few minutes of direct light on your skin to reap the many anti-aging benefits of sun.
2. Breath work: Breath is life! Think about it, one missed breath is the difference between life and death. Because air is so abundant and breathing occurs unconsciously we easily take our very life force for granted! Most of us use only a fraction of our full breathing capacity- it’s no wonder we only use such a small portion of our brains as well! Without adequate oxygen our brain function is greatly decreased along with every other cellular function. When we stress we shorten our breath dramatically. Instead of proper full-disparagement breaths we take shallow chest breaths. Right now I want you to pay attention to your breath. Are you filling your belly and lower lungs with oxygen? Or is it hardly existent?  If you’re breathing shallow take a big breath filling your belly slow to the count of 4, pause for 4 then exhale slowly for 4. This is called 4×4 breathing and when practiced consistently will soften your skin, add luster to your hair, and give you incredibly energy. It seems daunting at first to think you have to learn to breathe; however, with practice and simply reminders it become a relearned second nature. When we properly breathe from our abdominals we welcome new life into our bodies. Life = health! The more filled of life you are the more energetic and vibrant you will be. Oxygen uptake increases with “belly breathing” which also balanes our blood Ph. There’s loads of hype around alkalinity and acidity and its correlation to disease. Yes, particular foods in excess can alter your urine pH, but shallow breathing is the number one cause of an over acidic body and also the best remedy to alkalizing the body! Aside from 4×4 breathing, you can start turning back the clocks with breathe work by taking up slow flow yoga, Thai Chi, Qi Gong, or if you’re in shape give HIIT Training or Spring 8’s a go. If you’re older and less likely to start sprinting and have the resources; Hyperbaric Oxygen Chambers are one of the best kept secrets of the rich and famous for staying young!
   
3. Beauty Sleep: The genius that coined this term knew his stuff! All the science in the world cannot explain the healing phenomenon that goes on during sleep. Scientists have tried to track down hormone regulation and function only to explain a minesqule fraction of what takes place as the body repairs and re-grows during a nights sleep. For me personally, I advise personal experience as the truest knowledge in existence. And I’m not sure about you but as I shared earlier a day deprived of sleep has me obsessed, depressed and feening for chocolate like a crack addict…it’s far from beautiful. While after a night of deep sleep I wake up lookin, feelin, smellin like a million bucks. Insufficient sleep sadly plagues 50-80 million Americans today; especially women. It’s no irony that the number of diseased, cancerous people is so simlar to those with sleep issues; this is the very beginning stage! If we want to maintain our inherent youth that only activates through lifestyle modification we have to make it a point to honor our sleeping space. Though sleep has often become elusive and “uncool” if we want to look and feel our best we have to change this thought pattern immediately. Sleep is not something of little importance like we make it. Take a look around, there isn’t a single animal in nature that doesn’t practice incredible sleep habits. We are not separate from nature, we are dependent upon it. If we ignore it’s simply guidelines we will not only end up looking and feeling very unnatural, we can easily set ourselves up for all types of cognative brain issues, mood imbalances, and dismantle awareness. If sleep is something you’ve put off then I challenge you to get a weeks worth of high quality sleep and share with me the difference. I am willing to bet levels of health you’ve never experienced. Your digestion will sky rocket, your tummy will be flat as a board, your skin softer, free of fine lines, your eyes bright, and best of all your mood and energy will reveal a hidden life enthusiast! I won’t bore you with statistics; instead, I want you to just experience this natural wonder for yourself. The best way to capitalize on sleep for beauty is to follow nature. Your body works to a Circadian Rhythm; the rise and set of the sun. Make it an effort to go to bed when the sun sets and wake up naturally to it’s rise. This will look roughly like bed by 9 sleeping by 9-10 and waking up naturally about 8.5 hours later. Some simple sleep hacks: – Wind down. Spend an hour before bed without electronics and read a book, write in a gratitude journal or do restorative yoga poses. – Black out your room. Get rid of any lights, electronics and put up a dark set of blinds. This will promote the release of melatonin. – Try chamomile tea or apple cider vinegar with a teaspoon of raw honey in warm water. These both induce sleep. – Take 600 mg CALM magnesium powder for bed. Magnesium promotes relaxation and good sleep amongst a million oher functions. CALM is the best magnesium around  for purity and absorption. – Try the Jing Herb formula Peaceful Spirit. These herbs open your heart, calm your pirit and relax your nervous system perparing you for a deep slee. These herbs are powerful extracted powders that treat sadness, anxiety and worrry all which are common sleep-stealing culprits. – For an overactive mind I HIGHLY recommend the herbal formula Bupleurum & Dragon Bone. Talk about a formula that works. I am great with mindful meditation; however, I have a powerful mind that won’t shut off often. This is truly the only supplement I’ve ever taken that actually works. – Make your last meal light and calming. A heavy protein meal with tons of fat can keep your digestive system active and you awake all night. Try instead a Body Ecology style dinner that includes grain-like seeds quinoa, millet, buckwheat or amaranth. These help create serotonin, a precursor to melatonin.

I hope you find these timeless tips useful, effective and easily implementable for you! Let me know in the comments the way you utilize these free tools! Love, Nick

Beauty Benefits of Beet Kvass

If you didn’t already know, food is the most powerful anti-aging stuff around. Before I even get into the specific benefits of this week’s beauty food — if you haven’t’ already — go into your medicine cabinet and throw away any toxic chemical-commercial beauty products you have. I cannot stress enough to you the absolute waste of money they are. Not only are these products highly ineffective, they attribute to toxicity in your body; a leading root cause of skin troubles.

Kindly say good-bye; no need to remorse, thank them with love for serving their purpose and let us step into a new world of true beauty together.

Beets For Beauty

If you’ve yet to experience slicing into a  fresh beet then I suggest you get on it ASAP. While they are in seasons right now, you will find them overflowing in markets everywhere, and there is no better time to get aquatinted with the beauty of beets. While beauty runs deeper than skin; down to the health    of our organs and core of our soul, there are particular foods that are renowned for their anti-aging properties. Beets are one of these foods. Not only are beets delicious soul food but they also aid in beautifying our skin in these three ways:

• Fight wrinkles and skin conditions naturally with folate!
• Prevent age-related macular degeneration with vitamin A and carotenoids!
• Preserve brain function with nitrates that improve blood flow!

Read more: http://undergroundhealthreporter.com/benefits-of-beet-juice/#ixzz3FCcCIMyj

Beets, Digestive Health and Skin

I could fill a short book will the marvelous nutritional benefits of beets. They are overflowing with vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, flavonoids, carotenoids and amino acids all which aid in cellular regeneration that attribute to a healthy, glowing body. However, all these wonderful compounds would be meaningless without a healthy digestive system to absorb them.

Perhaps the greatest quality to beets is that they aid digestion too! Beets cleanse the intestines, stimulate bile flow, which aids in fat digestion. They promote a healthy metabolism, stomach acid production and even strengthen peristalsis — the muscular contraction of the colon — for healthy elimination. When these bad boys are cultured or fermented they become increasingly more potent for nourishing the digestive system, which in result, gives them a probiotic punch. If you don’t know, probiotics are super bacteria that are found are the scene of all unspeakably gorgeous skin! You can learn more about probiotics and skin health here.

Most skin issues are rooted in inflammatory problems. Acne for example, is just inflammation of the pore. Because our skin is so closely connective to the digestive system, being they both work as barrier systems for our body, when one suffers so does the other. In simpler words, skin inflammation is likely digestive or intestinal inflammation reflected outwardly. Beet juice is very anti-inflammatory for the intestines, and therefore treat inflammatory skin conditions as well.

Culturing Beets for probiotic benefits

The art of culturing or fermentation is one of pure alchemy. By leveraging the naturally occurring healthy bacteria of raw vegetables, we can increase the digestibility and bio-availability of our food ten-fold, while also improving our own gut bio-dome; the mother of our immune system. Beet Kvass is a European staple that According to the amazing Sally Fallon who wrote my favorite nutrition book “Nourishing Traditions” Beet Kvass is one of the best digestive, blood, kidney and liver tonics there is. Given the nutrition components of beets it makes perfect sense that a cultured version of this food would  be classified so highly.

How to make Beet Kvass

You don’t need more than a daily 2 oz. shot of this potent probiotic elixir to see, feel and reap it’s rewards. You will be amazed at how simple and fast it is to make too! Try this seasonal recipe to keep a summer-like glow to your skin this fall:

• Start with two medium, organic beets (ideally local or from a friends of your own garden!)
• Clean and chop into quarters
• Sterilize a large 32 oz. glass mason jar by boiling in hot water
• Once cooled at the cleaned and quartered beets
• Fill the jar with filtered or spring water
• Add 1 tablespoon of Real Sea Salt, raw whey or juice from cultured vegetables
• Add 1 packet of Veggie Starter Culture to ensure proliferation of immune boosting beneficial bacteria (sometimes with a wild ferment, molds and other immune suppressing yeast can grow, this is why I prefer using a starter)
• Seal jar with lid and let stand at room temp for 3-7 days, “burping” the lid to release pressure once a day

Uses:

• Take a shot of this beauty tonic daily to purify your blood, giving your skin a lush, glow.
• Use it in salad dressings.
• Add to raw juices for a digestive, probiotic boost.
• You can even add a small amount to clay masks to reduce dark patches, blemishes and add a radiant tone to your complexion.

[For more on the healthy and beauty benefits of cultured foods like Beet Kvass check out these personal Testimonials from celebrities, actors & actresses.]

I’d love to know what you think about today’s post! What’s your experience with cultured foods, the correlation of healthy and beauty? Let me know in the comments below! If you like this, subscribe to get email updates to new posts and give this post  thumbs up! It’d help me greatly in writing future posts 🙂

With love,
Nick

3 Tips For Beating Seasonal Sickness

Flu season is in full swing here in the US and a lot of us will fall pray to runny noses, congestion and the associated fatigue if we don’t keep up with nature. There’s no need for  scientific explanation here; instead, I always find nature to be the best wisdom, especially when it revolves around health. To keep it brief, health is a state of balance and disease is a state of imbalance. The degree of imbalance is directly proportionate to the degree of over-accumulation or deprivation. Take seasonal sickness for example, we commonly have symptoms of cleansing [coughing, runny noses, breathing problems and teary eye] are all signs of the body trying to eliminate the “sickness“.

Why do we get sick?
Defining sickness as the flu or common cold in this particular scenario; we get sick from mostly an over accumulation. Our bodies have three barrier systems; the lungs/respiratory system, digestive system, and skin. Each of these systems are made up of both healthy and bad bacteria; with a ratio of 8:2 (healthy:bad). Their roles are to decide what gets into the body and what gets out. When we stray from nature we can easily over accumulate and overburden these systems and they can no longer properly decide what stays or what goes. The result is an off-set of the bacterial ratio that leads to leaky gut, respiratory infection and even skin rashes/issues.

Use nature as your guide
Summer is a time to eat light and cleansing foods such as; berries, greens, raw cultured vegetables, hydrating liquids and less heavier foods like; animal protein and fat. Where winter presents us with more heavy, grounding foods like; squash, nuts/seeds, root vegetables like beets, carrots and potatoes, and is an excellent time for hunting wild-game. Fall and spring are transitory periods that offer us a chance to cleanse the old away and embrace the new. If we have been living out of balance with nature, we will accumulate more than needed. Also, if we do not seize the opportunity to cleanse  our besides the same way nature cleanses the leaves of trees during the fall we can easily become backed up and sick throughout the winter.

How to avoid seasonal sickness?
Because we don’t always feel the immediate affects of what we do, we easily continue inappropriate behavior. However, once fall roles around we are reminded of our actions with flu-like symptoms. This is our bodies way of saying; “you’ve had too much, I have to get some of this stuff out of me!”. When the barrier systems are congested, we weaken the immune system by creating bacterial imbalance. These healthy bacteria are the foundation o our health as I always say. The three barrier systems need trillions of healthy bacteria to stay functioning properly. When they are outnumbered we set our selves up to becoming susceptible to worsen sickness. This how a cold can turn into the flu. The answers then to restoring our immunity and beating seasonal sickness are as follows:

1. Eat Seasonally- Check out this info-graphic for eating seasonal foods below!
   
2. Work with Nature– Instead of fighting the seasons, we  could be experiencing higher levels of energy and vitality by cleansing with the seasons. Fall and spring are the perfect times for a detox ourselves because nature will be supporting us throughout the process! Eventually your body is going to attempt to rid you of accumulated toxins, instead of waiting until you are bedridden you could assist your precious body with simply dietary and lifestyle changes. IF you want to boost your immunity and beat any seasonal sickness (cold, flu, respiratory problems, fatigue and seasonal depression) I suggest starting a simplified 2 week cleanse kit HERE.
   
3. Promote your healthy bacteria– As you have learned, your barrier systems keep you protected from “germs” and environmental, food toxins with an army of trillions of healthy bacteria. There are many ways we can support their livelihood; stress management, (following steps 1 and 2), proper rest, laughter, exercise and mainly by     consuming healty bacteria! Fermented/cultured foods such as coconut kefir, raw kefir from cows orgoats milk, sauerkraut, kim-chi and beet kvass are all great probiotic foods that will restore bacterial balance to your barrier systems; aiding in cleansing, immunity and energy. Consuming probiotic foods are a powerful way to never get sck gain. Try making your own fall inspired sauerkraut this fall for the perfect Fall Immune booster. It’s incredibly delicious too!
   

Since I’ve started Body Ecology years ago I have not caught a cold or the flu! The closes I wil get is beginning symptoms if a cold and it’s enough of a sign for me to realign with nature,aid  my body in cleansing and up my intake of probiotics!

Sending you love and inspiration to stay healthy and balanced this fall!

Warmly,
Nick

 

Pore-less Skin: Watermelon Kefir Recipe

You might have read one of my blogs talking about the benefits of coconut water kefir. If not, I’ll catch you up quickly. Coconut kefir is a coconut water drink made by fermenting raw coconut water with healthy bacteria (probiotics). The main benefit of drinking this crazy concoction is for it’s digestive support. A 2 oz shot of this stuff provides over 200 billion CFU’s of healthy bacteria. The health of our intestinal tract is based on the ratio of healthy bacteria to unhealthy bacteria. Because a healthy gut requires up to trillions of cells of bacteria it’s imperative we live, eat and drink in such ways that nourish these bacteria. Otherwise, when these cells are damaged, we become unhealthy. We stop digestion food well, lose energy, become emotionally unstable and because our liver has to filter the undigested food, negative emotions and stress-hormones eventually our skin takes a hit.

Your “Outer Liver”
The skin could be called your “outer liver”. Whatever you consume — food, water, air, cosmetics, shampoos, chemicals, emotional energies, and other experiences — must be processed and and handled by the liver. When the liver is overburdened with too much work, it sends whatever it can’t deal with to the skin. Yep, that simple is a call for help from your liver. If your skin is sending out warning signs often, you might want to reevaluate your relationship with your live– perhaps she needs a vacation or some assistance.

Kefir to the Rescue
Kefir is your liver’s best-friend. Your body is so tightly connected; by caring for your gut, you lighten up the load of your livers job. The healthy bacteria, enzymes and mineral content of kefir assists in digestion of your food. The more efficiently you digest your food the less undigested matter your liver has to deal with. In this way, kefir is indirectly “paying it forward” what generous organs we have when they are cared for! When our digestive system is thriving it happily removes toxins, pollutants and other unwelcome guests that wreak havoc on our skin.

Why Watermelon?
Coconut kefir is something special– coconut water’s rich mineral content makes it the perfect electrolyte drink — which aids in supple, soft skin. Yes, coconut kefir water alone has enough nutritional punch to give you a happy digestive tract, clean liver and radiant skin. Yet, you can’t really have to much of a good thing when it comes to good skin! Watermelon juice contains so many other skin benefiting nutrients that it’d be a shame not to combine these two super skin foods. Plus, how delicious is watermelon?! Aside from being another one of nature’s mineral waters, watermelon also:

• Softens the skin
• Reduces appearance of pores
• Supports kidneys which keep blood clean and skin free of age-spots
• Increases circulation/blood flow- result in healthy glow, hair growth and skin repair.
• Cleanses the digestive system
• Is anti-inflammatory, making it great for acne
• Boosts energy by providing vitamin B6, which is used to create magnesium and dopamine (feel good nutrients)
• Is rich in lycopene, citrulline, Vitamin A and Vitamin C – all skin supporting nu

How do I get pore-less?
Okay, so I won’t stretch this out any longer! The Vitamin A content found in watermelon — along with it’s other properties — will reduce the size of pores by minimizing the amount sebaceous oil secreted by the glands (the cause of large pores). The body secretes excess sebaceous oil for few reasons, mainly that the body is filled up with too much and is making an attempt to dump its excess! Watermelon cleansing properties aids healthy elimination and balances  the body back out, resulting in beautiful skin! Remember, skin problems are only a cry for help. If we keep our temple in tip top shape, it will shine for us daily.

Making Watermelon Kefir
Now that you’re well-informed about this beauty food let’s show you how to make it into one of the healthiest drink I know of!

Recipe:

• 1 ripe local — preferably organic, seeded — watermelon
• 1 Thai coconut
• 1 packets of Kefir Starter Culture
• 1 juicer (you can make without juicer as well

Preparation:

1. Clean off the outside of the melon with a spray mixture of spring water and apple cider vinegar — you can skip this if you are not using a juicer for the recipe
2. Cut the melon long ways in half, then do your best to make “strips” that will fit into a juicer — if you are not using a juicer, simply cube the melon and remove any seeds.
3. Juicer watermelon with rind, then strain juicer into 32oz glass mason jar
4. Crack your Thai coconut and strain water into the mason jar — you should have equal parts coconut:watermelon juice. If using a good sized coconut and full-watermelon you can make two jars with additional watermelon juice left over.
5. Add the starter culture, stir with a wooden spoon and let sit for 24 hours on the counter at room temp, covered with a cheese-cloth or paper towel with a rubber band.
6. If not using a juicer you will only get one 32oz jar. Add all the coconut water to the jar, then add the starter culture, followed by as many cubes of watermelon as you can until full. Then continue the end of step 5.
7. After 24 hours is up, it should be bubbly and have a “fizz” to it. This is a result called lacto-fermentation; a by-product of the healthy bacteria eating up the sugar (this is a good thing because sugar; even fruit sugar, can age our skin and tissues). Enjoy it alone, or blend it with some additional beauty herbs like Schisandra and Goji (lycium) for even more liver cleansing, kidney supportive nourishment. Schisandra will make your face glow like a candle in a jack-0-lantern!

The Biggest “Health” Mistake You Can Make

You want to get healthy right?

“What to do?” we say to oureslves…So we eat clean, drink enough water, get enough exercise, sleep on time and even practice positive affirmations. By definition — you’re doing all the right things — so you’re healthy, right? Not so fast!

There is no doubt that these practices, among others, are some of the staples of good health. Practicing proper nutrition, hydration, sleep, movement and a positive mind set all are the right behaviors but it is possible to rehearse the right behavior and not experience the right result. What’s the culprit? What’s standing in the way of us and our health? Ourselves.
The Power of Intention
It might seem a bit bizarre to think that one could take all the right actions and still not get to where they want to be. However, there is a something to be said about the intention of action that is so much more powerful than actions we take. The difference in intention can be seen through the demonstration of nature. A bee and a mosquito are both very busy creatures. They literally fly around through the day doing their work. However, the bee is praised and the mosquito gets swatted. Why is that? It’s a matter of intent! A lot of us are busy but busy doing what is the question? Health conscious people seem to be some of the busiest of all. With gym schedules, meal plans, food prep and so on it might be beneficial to take a look at ones intent. In my experience, “busy-ness” is usually a type of avoidance mechanism. We stay busy in fear of taking a look at the real meaning of our actions. Being a health conscious person I have learned this secret myself and have used it to my own benefit. I would like to share it with you now by asking you a question. Are you busying fighting against disease or are you busy being healthy?

Always be for Health, not against Disease

The fear of ill health is biggest mistake we can make on our journey to health. Being more afraid of sickness than we are joyed by health — we run around doing all the right things and all of these actions are deeply rooted in fear. This is the intention of the “sick healthy person.” To put it simply, a lot of people are working out because they hate their bodies not because they love them. I get it! You’re thinking that’s the whole point, if you don’t like something change it. I agree with that statement to a degree. The problem that can occur is that until you accept, forgive and embrace yourself or a problem, it will never change. You can go on doing one hundred and one things, you can find yourself far away from the problem but the source of the problem will always be carried within you. So I encourage you to question your motives. Why are you doing what you are doing? What is it that has you in such a rush on your way to the gym? Are you running from something? Or are you running toward something? This if the fundamental difference. If you are running from something; such as an overweight body, you will always be suppressing in some form or another. That is because the real problem isn’t your body. Your body is just outward manifestation of your inner self; your thoughts, beliefs and ideas of who you are. If this doesn’t change, it won’t matter what diet you’re on or what gym you find yourself in, you will still be dominated by your fearful intentions.

Finding Self-Love: The Problem isn’t the Problem; You Are

I’m not saying you have a problem or that there is anything wrong with you. What I mean by this is that it is your idea of “you” or, self-image that is creating a problem. Somehow, you have convinced yourself there is something wrong with you. You took action to change it; great, but even if you accomplish your goal you will remain stuck with your problem; you! There is no need to think of your weight problem, your “disease” or any of the externals as a measurement of your self worth. Look inward and think in terms of yourself as your truest self, the part of you that loves everything about you. This isn’t narcissism, I am not saying to love your self-image, what I am saying is to find gratitude for all that has been given to you; your inner ability to choose love over fear. That is a blessing. Knowing your true self also empowers you as a creator. You realize you can recreate yourself by changing your thoughts first. You can drop the whole idea about your problem! The struggle is in your mind. You are struggling to accept your body and therefore the journey to change it has been the worst struggle of all. Accept yourself, because you are beautiful.  Stop throwing the responsibility on the problem, on others, on the world, on your genes, because it is not there! Not only that, but when you do, you give away your power. Without that power you cannot change, you cannot love yourself.

Love is Always the Answer: Finding 100% Responsibility
Today I offer you the gift of taking full responsibility for yourself. Deep down you know it is your responsibility to love yourself and that is inner work. Instead of doing so much outer work, so much working out, I invite you to work in. Take a look at your intentions to your actions in the gym, in the kitchen and throughout your health journey. Are they for freedom, for health, for love? Or are they against mental slavery, against weight problems and from fear? Don’t fight with the prison walls, look inside. When you look inside you realize you’ve had the answer all along! This health stuff has layers, I’ll admit. The best thing we can do experience great health is to shed those layers of self-doubt, fear, negativity and distrust. By doing so, we finally get out of our own way and let the health that’s always been there, come to us.

For more on healing and true health with the power of Self-Love I recommend Louis Hay’s – You Can Heal Your Life

love,
Nick

5 Tips For Staying Fit During Fall

If you’re living where the weather takes a turn for the cold come this time of the year, you might find it difficult to stay active. When it’s cold outside all we really want to do is hibernate under some blankets; in fact, that’s what most of us do. We start off Fall with a trip to the cider mill — it’s just one doughnut — but one doughnut sets up the entire mood for the fall. Just like one small positive thought can change your whole day, likewise, one small doughnut can change your entire Fall season.

How you do one thing is how you do everything

Fall is a perfect opportunity to get fit or stay fit. This is the time where habits will be formed for the winter, where things can really get challenging. The trick is staying attentive during the small things. Have you ever noticed how your car, room or office is a reflection of your self? When  you have clarity in life,  your car all of a sudden gets treated to a deep cleaning? This is because we create a view– our view is delivered to the mind where it starts materializing — emotions make actions and actions become the support of our perception or reality. If we want to keep our body clean and tight we have to learn to look beyond the surface and deeper into ourselves. How are our thoughts deciding our behavior and are we over looking the little things as unimportant?

5 tips for staying fit this fall

1. Think “present moment”- The greatest pit fall in our thinking is that the next moment will be better than this one. That somewhere in the future will there be a better opportunity; the “spring is better than fall” type thinking. Are there advantages to the warm weather that in comparison make fall seem sub-par? Of course; if that’s what you focus on. Come back to this moment because it is all you have. If you don’t have a “fit consciousness” in this moment what makes you think its going to change? Oh yeah…that part of your mind that tells you your whole life will be better if only…(insert disillusioned fantasy you use as avoidance of this moment). The trick is dropping the future or the past which can be as simple as changing your perspective; what are the advantages and benefits of this moment? How is today offering you an opportunity to stay healthy? When you drop the idea of perfection — that only exists in the future —  you lose your excuses and gain instant support, creativity and inspiration.
   
2. Take advantage of the fall- Once you’ve dropped your excuses and remembered that this moment is your moment; you will start seeing opportunities. Simply asking yourself the question “what are the advantages to the fall that support my fitness?” will bring you an answer. Remember, where focus goes energy flows baby! Fall is an awesome time to enliven your senses; there’s apple picking, pumpkin carving, leaves to rake and hikes to hike! If you know of a close by river, get a couple of kayaks and explore the scenery of nature’s changes while getting an awesome upper body workout. Saunas are always great, but what better time to take advantage of this full body detox than when the air starts to chill. Dandelion, milk thistle and other liver detoxifying herbs are beginning to seed and root during fall. You can spend some time foraging in nature looking for these common wild edibles to turn into a liver detox tea. A clean liver is going to mean a faster metabolism, improved digestion, better muscle recovery, healthy hair and skin — all great for supporting your over all motivation and fitness.
   
3. Get rid of the box- You might see a trend here — we are not what we do, we are what we think and believe we can do. Think outside the box? How about throw the box away. It’s the box that told you Fall is a bad time to stay fit, that it’s too cold out, that there’s nothing to do, and so on. Take a note from your kids (if you have any) they don’t see live so fragmented. They love each day as it comes to them. I’ve never heard my nephew tell me that it was too cold to fight dragons, he just wasn’t in the mood to build a spaceship, or that the weather was the reason he was eating so much candy that day. No excuses. Kids are real as it gets. If anything, the box is just an excuse, and at a deeper level a fear. Get rid of it — learn something new — so it’s cold out? How about tap dancing lessons? That’s indoors. You could also; learn to krump, take on ballet, join and indoor league, box, babysit a 3 year old (it’s extra money and they will give you the work of your life…). Fall is perhaps one of the greatest times to get fit because it actually challenges us to get creative. And what is P90x other than a series of creative, intermixed and constantly changing workouts? Getting some variety into your workout will give you explosive results. Tony Horton coined the term muscle confusion and it’s the real deal. Don’t be afraid to try something new; as the saying goes “everything you want is just outside of your comfort zone”.
   
4. Become an active toothbrush-er- It’s not that difficult to get into shape. I know some of you probably just threw your laptop across the room after reading that — stay with me for a moment! You see, I’m an active toothbrush-er, walker, air-breather, job-er, eater, and cooker. I do small things with great love. Fitness is love for me. Going back to the introduction — the small things — are the things we do most unconsciously and show our truest colors. Do you slouch when you sit? Breathe shallow when you do breathe? Half consciously cook your meals? If you do basic things with a lack of love or in this case, bodily awareness, then chances are your attempt to work out will be below average as well. You don’t have to sign up for a class or gym to get fit, get started with incorporating a “fit consciousness” into your other activities. Now, I don’t recommenced multi-tasking, this always ends up equally poor. What I am advising is to bring full awareness into your tasks. When I brush my teeth for example I am totally present — I examine the feel and sensation — am I hitting each part of my mouth? I floss, tongue scrap and oil pull. Now I might not be burning incredibly calories yet I am prepping my mind for effectiveness. On one hand, calming the mind through awareness actually decreases cortisol and improves hormone function (a fitness plus) while on the other hand I am now trained to bring this same time of full-consciousness into my workouts where I can pay attention, listen, and observe my body. This way I never leave a workout feeling cheated or overworked. In this case, how you do something is equally if not more important as what you do. Do the little things with big love, that way when you do the big things, you’ll be prepared.
   
5. Rejuvenate yourself- Fall is a time for rejuvenation — moving more inward and spending less time outside or as active. This doesn’t mean we stop being active and hanging out in nature all together. Yet the art of “going inward” must be done properly in order to not over-do it leading to weight-gain, lethargy and stagnation. A fit body requires a fit mind. We must learn the balance of yin and yang in order to fully achieve our dream bodies. The seasons demonstrate this balance; spring and summer are very yang (outward) while fall and winter are yin (inward). Just as it’s important to get adequate sleep to repair and grow muscle after a workout it’s important we bring this balance of quiet and movement into the fall. It is easy to become overly Yin during this season. Great ways to rejuvenate the body so we can build our inner energy are detox baths, spa treatments, massages, sex, participate in a seasonal cleanse, meditation, yoga, and various mindful activities (pumpkin carving!). Embrace the season as a time to rejuvenate our overly active minds and body. Keep the balance of these two energies by changing up your routine and engaging in some fun fall actives and you will find it much easier to stay fit this fall.
   

Without the seasons I believe us humans would easily lose balance; they are nature’s reminder to slow down or pick up. Let this fall season be a time for you to stay present, expand your opportunities, and rejuvenate and stay balanced!

What are some of your guy’s favorite ways to stay fit during the colder seasons? I’d love to hear in the comments!

Love,
Nick