This week ghosts, goblins, and other creatures eagerly anticipate the yearly opportunity to expand their creative power, and allow themselves to express their inner vision. These imaginative expressions venture out ringing doorbells, excited for the treats and treasures on the other side of the door.  For many, the two-fold question is: How does one make sure that the candy and sugary treats make their way out the door instead of being consumed before the first doorbell rings? And, how do you ensure that the little ones who have collected bucket loads of candy don’t actually consume their bounty, or at least not all of it.  Let’s look at 7 simple steps to help manage the hunger habits associated with sugar, and bring harmony and balance back home!

It is important to create a plan when you know a situation is about to unfold that can leave you frazzled and off-balance. Halloween is one of those holidays that can create psychological and physical disturbances due to the side effects of sugar and candy that impact the mind and body.

Here are 7 simple solutions to navigate the sugary slope of the days ahead…

1. Buy at the Last Minute

The first simple, simple solution is to buy the candy at the last minute. That means, wait until Halloween day! This will ensure that the temptation won’t be lurking behind your cabinet door.  I know, I know… you are probably saying that there won’t be a good selection at that point. Well, that brings me to my next tip.

2. Buy Things You Don’t Like

Buy candy you don’t like.  It is for them after all, right? Choosing candy that won’t tempt you is a great way to ensure that you won’t sneak a treat especially at points in the day where you might be tempted more than at other times.

3. Super-size ?

I will often hear my kids say, “Oh, we have to go to that house or neighborhood because they have King Size candy bars.” As a parent who tries to instill in my kids an appreciation for healthy choices and appropriate portion size, I find this practice frustrating. It reminds me of how our culture has bought into the idea that super-sizing is better and that more is always best.  This is especially challenging in the days after Halloween when kids are asking to have something from their bag of goodies. It is much easier to say yes to a small treat instead of saying you can only have a half of a regular size bar.  Moderation is key! This can be hard to achieve when the Super-size phenomena takes hold.

4. Make it a Game

In our house we try to foster an atmosphere of learning.  There are opportunities around every corner to teach everything from social skills and good manners to mathematics and creativity. Making the candy collection into a game has been a fun activity for the kids that they created.  It is also great that the end result isn’t just about consumption. One of the favorite parts of Halloween for the kids is when they return home from their trick-or-treating adventure and dump out their bag load of candy on the kitchen floor. They sort, count, and trade. (The added bonus is that I get to see what is in their bags and scope out if any packages have been tampered with or opened.)

5. Sugar Boundaries

With the excessive amount of candy that is being consumed each Halloween, it is important to set up boundaries around what is allowed and what isn’t. How much candy are your children allowed to consume each day? Two treats each day or ten? How long do you want them consuming the candy? Will you allow your kids to eat it until the Easter Bunny comes with a basket load of goodies, or is fourteen days of extra sugar an ample amount of time?  Thinking about these questions ahead of time will help you to clearly communicate, remove confusion, and set clear boundaries.  This will circumvent the turbulent tantrums that sugar highs and lows can bring.

6. Choose What to Keep

Determining the answers to the above questions before Halloween night has the added benefit of helping you assess what should stay and what can go. Additionally, setting the level of expectations and the attachment to the candy that is collected. After the counting, sorting and trading, my crew chooses their favorite items to keep that they can consume at will for the next two weeks.  There are many programs out there that collect extra candy to send to shelters, children’s homes, and to soldiers overseas.  It has been my experience that the kids feel best about giving their candy away when they know there is a recipient on the other end.

7. Swap Out Sugar

It has been scientifically proven that sugar is linked to a whole host of maladies in our society. Research has shown that cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity all have a direct link to sugar consumption.  Similarly, sugar is known to exacerbate behavioral issues.  During the festivities of Halloween, limiting the ingestion of other sugary items can help decrease the amount of overall sugar.  Swap juice for water, graham crackers for carrot sticks and cookies for apples.

Holidays (and the big business of candy manufacturers) can encourage harmful habits that throw off the equilibrium of one’s mind and body. Putting a plan in place before the annual trick-or-treat fun begins will promote a sense of balance and harmony for you and your ghouls and goblins.

P.S. Did you schedule your FREE Success Strategy Session so that I can help you design the home and life of your dreams? Click here and let’s get started. If not now, when?

Happy Soaring!

XOXO

 

 

Photo credit: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/

 

 

This year, more than ever, I have observed families and individuals trying to shift gears and move into high speed over-drive because of the demands that are inherent in the Fall season, and in the expectations that have been placed on them by others or themselves. This whirlwind of over stimulation, endless to-do’s, and need to be in constant motion, or productivity can tax our body, mind and spirit leaving us feeling drained, overwhelmed, and exhausted.  This formula sets one up for sickness and sadness. Let’s look at how this happens and simple solutions to move from this unbalanced condition to a state of harmony, equilibrium and vitality.

In the last month we have accelerated from the gentle swing of summer sunshine energy to the ramped-up rapid frenzy of activities, school agendas and work deadlines. This increased pace that is a natural part of the cadence of growth and expansion during the Fall season has shifted into over-drive leaving the passengers on this speeding train feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Living in this perpetual state wears the body down by producing stress hormones that course through the body.  When left on, stress hormones create havoc for the system overall, leaving you feeling run-down or sick.

For me, I hit the Fall season running.  My pace wasn’t the 10-minute mile that I can sustain for miles upon miles.  Instead, it was an all out sprint.  Juggling new schools, a plethora of extracurricular activities, carpool schedules that needed organization, and a work trip that included 12-hour days and a red-eye flight home.  This coupled with restaurant food and a lack of sleep led to the feeling of hitting a brick wall.   My body finally took matters into it’s own hands and said, “We are stopping, NOW!”  I succumbed to a flu that left me unable to move out of bed for 2 days.  I tried to write during this down time, but found that my headache and brain fog would not cooperate. There is such divine magic in the human body! I still wanted to press forward even though my body was saying I needed a break. It then created an additional condition so that I had no choice but to recuperate and rejuvenate. When I finally stopped pushing, and took the position that I needed to rest, the stress hormones were able to dissipate and my body was able to begin the process of moving back into balance which allowed healing to occur.  Let’s look at 3 ways to help you move from the stress and strain of daily living that can wear down the body and shift you into a state of vibrant vitality and harmonious calm.

1.  Take a ‘Time-Out’

We all need the opportunity to recharge our batteries on a regular basis. You can do this by incorporating a ‘time-out’ into your routine whether it is on a daily or weekly basis… or, better yet, both! Find a few minutes each day to center yourself, become grounded and nurture you! For some, that might be taking a few moments in the day to sit quietly and read a book while sipping tea or enjoying a bath at the end of the day.  Whatever that ‘time-out’ is for you, it is imperative to include it in your life.  The amazing thing is, studies have shown that when you take a moment to recharge daily, you are able to be more efficient and effective as you move through your life.

2.  Create a Sacred Spot that Allows You to Unwind

Your home can be a great source of comfort and support in your life. Creating a spot within your home that is a retreat, or sacred spot to help you unwind or recharge your batteries can have a huge impact on your overall sense of wellbeing.  This special spot, whether it is your bedroom, bathroom, creative room or designated meditation place can have a tremendous benefit on your feeling of balance which impacts your health, harmony and happiness. Tune in to where in your home this special oasis exists and make it the best it can be to support and nurture you.

3.  Superfood Fuel & Detox the Toxic Body Burden

Incorporating a clean eating lifestyle along with a regular detox program will allow your body to run optimally. Clean eating ensures you are putting ideal fuel in your body to allow it to run to its peak potential. Remove the toxins that build up in your body and become stuck from restaurant food, packaged food and the fun cocktails you might have enjoyed while looking at the summer sunsets. Detoxing gives you the opportunity to hit the reset button on your health and vitality! It clears away the hundreds of toxins that become stuck in your body from daily living.  The build up of these toxins creates a toxic “body burden” effect, which induces a similar consequence on your system that stress hormones cause.  Thus, leaving your body weakened and unable to fight off dis-ease, sickness and depression.  Detoxing regularly and incorporating a clean eating lifestyle will help you to feel balanced, healthy and vibrant!

Use these three Home in Harmony Lifestyle Simple Solutions to help you maintain your equilibrium daily and turn to them during periods of stress and overwhelm. Take a few moments each day and gift yourself time to recharge you, give yourself wholesome foods that support great health, remove the inundation of toxins in your system with a regular detox program and create a special spot in your home that allows you to relax, unwind and rejuvenate you!  These will help bring your body, mind and spirit back into balance, harmony & great health!

 

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Happy Soaring!

XOXO

 

 

 

Did you know that the average person holds more than 700 toxic chemicals in their bodies? These toxins are inhaled from the myriad of chemical by-products that fill the air from industry or from the off-gassing of goods within one’s home.  You also ingest these toxins in the foods you consume, the water you drink or a whole host of beverages that are anything but healthy.  Once absorbed, ingested or inhaled these toxins can become stuck in the body throwing it out of balance, and causing a wide range of issues from depression and inflammation to weight gain and disease.

The toxic truth is that the over inundation of toxins in everyday living has dramatic implications for the body’s ability to remain in a state of optimum health, harmony and balance.  Gaining the conscious awareness regarding toxins is the first step in regaining a balanced state within the body.The second step is to begin to take action to eliminate toxic items from your life and learn how to remove the toxins that are already trapped within your body so they don’t become stuck in your body and wreak havoc.

It is important to access your lifestyle to determine where, how and when you can design healthy habits that will decrease your body burden and toxicity levels.

Let’s look at some simple solutions…

The first solution is to understand the problem.  The dilemma to understanding the problem is that weeding through all of the noise on what is toxic and what isn’t can be challenging.  Big business is designed to manufacture and sell products to gain profit at the lowest price.  That translates to many companies not caring about what goes in or on their products.  Instead, the bottom line profits are what matters. Educating yourself about the toxins lurking in your life is the key.

The second solution is finding alternative healthy products that you can swap out for the unhealthy ones.  Reading labels and understanding them is essential to creating a healthy home and ridding toxins from your life.  Anywhere that you can make a swap you should consider it because not only does each unhealthy product create stress on your body system, but the inundation of so many toxins day after day is more than the body was designed to take.

Lastly, the third solution is making a habit out of the new, healthier products you have begun to explore.  Lasting vibrant health and wellness comes from habitual behavior that promotes conscious choices made from an awakened state that support a healthy lifestyle.

Toxins are all around us, but they can be tamed with awareness through the education you can find in books, seminars or coaching. Decide how you are going to learn and grow. This will help you find the toxins lurking in your home and life.

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Happy Soaring!

XOXO

 

 

It is so important for your health and well-being to understand the what, where and how of toxins in your home.  What they are, where they are lurking, how to avoid them if possible or deal with them if they are already there.  Toxins can be found in the furnishings, beauty & cleaning products, and construction materials in your home.  The air quality within our homes is 6x more toxic than the outside air that is filled with industrial pollutants.  It is time to know what you can do to make your home healthier!

Over the last five decades the creation and use of chemical concoctions and synthetic materials to manufacturer products for the home has exploded.  Thought of as an innovated way of making products cheaper, this ability has inadvertently made our homes unhealthy havens ridden with toxic off gassing.  Most products brought into your home contain unhealthy toxins unless you seek alternatives.  This includes furniture, carpets, paints, window treatments, bedding, towels, flooring, and cabinetry, just to name a few.

Formaldehyde is a great example of a toxic chemical that permeates one’s home and can be found lurking in spaces and places that most wouldn’t imagine.  Remember back to your science class with the glass jars containing smelly solutions that preserved all sorts of interesting items.  The smell wafting through the air was the preservative formaldehyde, which is now considered carcinogenic. Manufacturers currently use it to inhibit the growth of microorganisms in many household items.  Unfortunately it can be found in the furniture, fabrics, and cabinets to lotions and canned goods.  Let’s look at some solutions to this toxic problem…

The first solution is to open the windows!  Again the air within your home probably contains many more toxic substances than the polluted air outside.  Typically, these noxious substances have not been evaluated for health safety.  If they have, they certainly have not been evaluated to see what type of effect the combinations of chemicals have on our health.  Thus, because we live in a toxic soup, it is critical to open windows and allow our homes to breath so that we can breath easier.

The second area to focus on is your bedroom! Making this area chemical free can have a major impact on your health and wellbeing.  You spend a good number of hours in this space, which makes it exceptionally important to create a healthy haven.  Choose organic bedding, towels and low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint.  Therefore, as you sleep the night away your body can have the full benefit of this restorative part of your day instead of expending energy fighting off disease creating chemicals.

Another easy Home in Harmony Lifestyle solution is to bring plants into your home! They act as a natural filter that actually cleans the air of toxic chemicals.  A plant that thrives whether you have a green thumb or not, (my children will attest that I lack proficiency in that area) is the spider plant.  This fabulous greenery can actually filter the toxic substances found in formaldehyde! I will include a list of plants and the chemicals they filter in my upcoming book.  In a few months, we will have details on how to pick up your copy!

These are just a few of the simple Home in Harmony Lifestyle tips and solutions that will help you to create a healthy home that allows you and those you love to breath easy.

If you haven’t already signed up to receive solutions & tips to help you live your best life, click here to receive your FREE E-Book and Bonus Gift, plus our weekly Home in Harmony Lifestyle Newsletter!

Happy Soaring!

XOXO

 

 

When I first started the journey transitioning my family from processed foods to their organic counterparts I too was met with some resistance.  Initially, my 6 year old would say things like, “Yuck, the strawberries don’t look as pretty.” Or, “Mom, why isn’t this apple perfect and shiny?”  The first time we switched from the standard blue box of Mac & Cheese to an organic version, their half eaten bowls left me feeling discouraged.  My maternal instincts knew that this path was a healthier way that could help my children and our family live healthier with increased energy and vitality.  I wanted that for my family which pushed me to continue along, experimenting with breads, pasta, chocolate and anything I could get my hands on that was organic. During those days, there were not as many organic options.  Thankfully today with increased awareness about health, whole foods, processed food and organic food our choices are much more abundant!

The first step to getting your kids to eat healthy, whole and organic food is to begin to sample a variety of many new and different items.  There are so many wonderful options out there that so many people pass by in the store aisle, opting for the same old staples.  Trying a variety of items will expand your family’s palette and increase the amount of nutrients that you are putting into your body and those in your home.  If you typically have carrots in your chicken soup, add parsnips as well.  By exposing your kids to a variety of items and options they won’t be as likely to snub their noses at something that is new and looks foreign.

The second step is to make trying new food items fun! Make it into a game.  For example, each night at dinner play the Description Game.  Say, “Hey guys, look at this new and interesting item on our plates.  Everyone take a bite and tell everyone at the table their opinion.  What is the texture, what does it remind you of, does it taste salty or sweet?”  This allows everyone to have their opinion and honors their thoughts. Kids like to feel that their opinion matters and they are less likely to be critical when they feel they are heard.

The third step to getting your kids to eat healthier is to keep offering the healthier version of the things they enjoy.  Choose organic whenever possible.  It is amazing how different an organic strawberry or blueberry tastes verses the one grown with pesticides.     Although the initial response in my house was disappointment in the lack of luster that the strawberries or apples had, eventually the taste won them over! The organic versions just naturally taste better! Now, my kids prefer organic strawberries to their unhealthy counterparts.

The fourth step coupled with the third moves mountains.  Keep offering the healthier version, but make your life easier by NOT bringing the unhealthy version into your home.  It wasn’t an option in my home.  If you wanted mac & cheese you were going to eat the organic type.  When I became aware of the chemicals and ingredients in the name brand box, in good conscious I knew that, those types of products would not enter my home…no matter what my children said.  Well, fast forward a number of years from that initial step, and my kids snub their noses at the original chemically processed name brand box!

The fifth step is to allow your children to be active participants in food preparation.  I remember that initially the kids would look at avocados a little side ways. The texture was a little too slimy for them.  I realized that by having them help me mash, squeeze lime juice and add some spices into the mixture, they were more open to trying their new creation.  Getting acquainted with the food by helping to prepare it opened them up to the possibility, understanding and appreciation of what they were eating. This made them more willing to say yes to nutrient rich food. The added benefit is that I am able to spend time with them and we are all working together to create nutritious meals for the whole family!

These are a few ways to help your family enjoy nutrient rich super foods. These tips will help transition your family to healthier options that will create abundant health and vitality for the long run!

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Happy Soaring!

XOXO