This post comes from a little help from my friends over out Mountain Rose Herbs. Enjoy this tip on making lavendar honey. Lavendar is a great addititive to tea when you are stressed or trying to sleep… what a better way to add it to tea than a little infused honey. 
Digg This
There is a path that many people walk when it comes to eating properly. For many who visit this site, I realize that you are in the midst of a dietary yo-yo… salad one day, factory-bacon cheese burgers and fries the next… maybe you know how healthy things are — and really want to eat them, but get overwhelmed…. maybe. — maybe you LOVE superfoods and health foods and want to get family and loved ones on your path…. 
All you have to do is start adding good stuff in… your body will look for more good stuff and you start a snowball of health and living life extraordinary!
What’s a person to do? Here are some ways to get good stuff in your body, or the body of others…
- Spike The Punch.
Check this out. It works a couple ways. Freeze coconut water as ice cubes and put them in cacao drinks, green smoothies, or make a lemon slushy!. If you do drink, or are having a party, you can actually make a healthier margarita by using the coconut cubes instead of traditional ice. The electrolytes in the coconut water actually help keep you hydrated and the margarita tastes good. The flavor also goes well with rum. - Share The Cacao!
It’s hard for people to grasp the concept of real, unprocessed, raw, chocolate. This is the real deal, and when used in moderation and as a supplement in the diet it can be amazing! You can get some amazing bars at whole foods or your local healthful store. This is NOT ORGANIC CHOCOLATE. This is raw chocolate. If you want to indulge, or share a special treat with some one, give them the good stuff. Some of my favorite chocolates are available in stores and online: - Blend It!
If you have been reading my blog, you know I’m a huge fan of the green smoothie. Simply put, blending makes all the good nutrients of fruit and veggies into your system faster. One great thing to do is take a bunch of fruit… banana, apple, strawberries, leftover fruit salad, put it in a blender and add a couple handfuls of spinach. The smoothie will turn out green. You can add water or ice to change the consistency, and children love the fact that it’s green…. Drink More Alien Juice! - Switch Out The Cow Liquid
Replace your morning coffee cream or cereal milk with a nut or seed milk. I’m a huge fan of almond milk and hemp milk. Other popular milks include soy (please only buy organic soy and use it in moderation) and rice milk. Most grocery stores now carry nut milks, and you can get creative and make your own nut milk – combine a bunch of different kind of nuts for a unique flavor! - Eat Old School
Swap out your baked potato, rice, or fries with some ancient grains. These include grains like kamut, quinoa (my personal favorite), millet, spelt etc. Each cooks a bit differently, but all are nutrient-rich starches to go with your meals. These are great staples to add to any diet and offer a healthier alternative to those blood sugar hell raisers our bodies are used to.
Replace the bad with the good and take one day at a time. Your body will find balance, and you’ll wake up craving healthy food!
Something I work on with many of my clients is work-life balance. The importance of not letting work take over your life, while the true important things suffer. I’m going to try and stick to my own advice. I’m going to disconnect and pick up posting in a few weeks. Tammy Strobel, who normally articulates good stuff on Rowdy Kittens, recently did a guest post on ZenHabits about workaholisim. Enjoy time with your family and loved ones. Work can wait. Enjoy your life, and I’ll catch up with you after I’ve had time to reset. Be Well.
Here is an herb that I like to put in a mason jar filled with hot water before I go to bed.. in the morning, I strain it off and either use the liquid as a base for a nutmilk, or just sip it all day. If you want to live your life to the fullest, use what you put in your body to help you along. I could go on about the benefits of gynostemma, but I wouldn’t be able to articulate it as well as from the words of one of my personal inspirational figures and teachers Ron Teeguarden.
Here is what he has to say about Gynostemma (also known as Jiaogulan):
Gynostemma is widely believed to have the following health benefits: to slow down aging and to prevent feebleness at all ages, and in particular to prevent senility; to reduce fatigue, to increase vigor; to reduce oxygen deficiency at high altitudes; to improve digestion; to strengthen the mind; and to improve marital functions. It is also believed to help calm the nerves and to ease pain. Gynostemma is generally reinforcing to overall health, and has a strong anti-fatigue effect. It is also used as a virtual “cure-all.” To the local people who collect it wild, grow it and consume it, it is simply called “Magical Grass.”
The ultimate greatness of Gynostemma lies in its broad spectrum adaptogenic quality. It has double direction activity, and has the ability to bring balance to the body under a wide range of stressful circumstances. Constant consumption of Gynostemma tends to have a highly protective quality because it strengthens the adaptive capacity of the person at every level of their life.
Japanese studies have indicated that Gynostemma has a double-direction, regulating, adaptogenic influence on the central nervous system. It is calming when one is overexcited and stimulating when one is depressed. Japanese studies have shown that Gynostemma is clinically useful in a number of mental and neurological conditions, including simple depression, anxiety and schizophrenia.
Gynostemma contains many amino acids, vitamins and minerals that are healthful to the human body, including selenium, magnesium, zinc, calcium, iron, potassium, manganese, phosphorus, and more.
Though Gynostemma is regarded as a tonic herb, it is also perceived by many Asian people to be a “cure all.” In China, Gynostemma is being used to treat inflammation, stop cough, as an expectorant remove sputum, to treat chronic bronchitis, and much more in actual clinical practice.
Gynostemma has developed an enormous reputation in Asia as a major aid in weight control programs. It has a double direction activity with regard to weight. It will help reduce weight in overweight people, and can help athletes, bodybuilders or excessively slim people to gain weight. As a diet herb, it helps by accelerating the body’s metabolism. It also helps adjust blood sugar and reduce blood fat. Adjusting blood sugar and blood fat are critical steps in attaining healthy metabolic function, whether one wants to lose or gain weight
It has been found that athletes who consume Gynostemma put on more lean muscle than those who do not. Athletes find that their appetites are actually improved and that assimilation is much more efficient.
Gynostemma is strengthening to the human immune system. It is used to potentiate immune response and is used to treat a wide variety of infectious conditions.
Studies into the anti-cancer activity of Gynostemma have shown a very significant (20-80%) inhibition rate on a wide range of cancer cells. Intensive studies are now being conducted into both its anti-cancer activity and its potential as an immune protection/prophylactic agent for individuals with suppressed immune systems. There is recent research indicating that Gynostemma likely prevents cells from becoming cancerous.
So drink up!
My Favorite source of gynostemma is Mountain Rose Herbs.
It’s been an interesting experiment trying to learn barefoot technique. I’m finding that my movements are not as they have been in the past… trudging through the woods with boots.. smashing twigs and plowing over rocks — I now feel more connected to nature.
It was apparent to me that about 2 min into this morning’s barefoot hike that the mosquitoes had been out in full force. I swatted a bit, killed a few, then felt the insane amount of bites on my head and my neck…. I could either turn around, or keep going. I tried to focus on something other than the bugs, but then realized that my zen oneness with nature is not up to monk par. I couldn’t think of anything other than the stupid bugs! So.. I did what most people do when they want to get away… I ran.
my zen oneness with nature is not up to monk par…
I didn’t think for a moment that I was going to outrun the bugs… but I could make my hike faster by running a bit, and it gave me an opportunity to play with the concept of barefoot running.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- If you normally would take one or two steps from point a to b… take three or four.
- You will not be able to run over a rock or a root barefoot without feeling some hurt. Look at the trail like a skier or mountain biker would, plan your steps and pick a line to follow a few feet out in front of you.
- If you walk / run with soft feet like a ninja, you are going to see some crazy wildlife. (ran into a herd of deer… literally found myself about 6 inches away from one as I rounded a corner — we both got a surprise.)
- Don’t worry about sprinting up the hills… you’ll burn out because barefooting downhill takes a lot more steps than with shoes.
- Dance with the trail and run like water would flow.
Next time I’m bringing bug spray (non-toxic of course). Be well and stay positive.
