I hope your May is off to a good start and you have some summer plans to look forward to that put YOU back on your list and allow for some rest and relaxation. It's amazing what some well-deserved time off can do! Recently, Jeff and I had the opportunity to do just that when we spent 2 weeks in the Caribbean. We go every year just to recharge our batteries. We feel we take care of everyone else 50 weeks a year, so for us to continue to function and be effective, we HAVE to spend time taking care of US! This spring, we returned to St. Barthelemy's in the French West Indies. This small island is the epitome of living life to the fullest. The French, who inhabit this beautiful land, do it right-they work to live, instead of the American philosophy of living to work! We find it fascinating how healthy their lifestyle is and how happy they are! Of course, they DO live on a tropical island with sun, sea, sand and surf every day....as opposed to Dayton, Ohio-the place I've dubbed as "the land of hardly any sun ever!!" So it would be hard to NOT be happy! They work a few hours in the morning; take a break in the afternoon from 1:00-3:00 to enjoy friends, family and a leisurely lunch;  they work for a few more hours and close up shop by 7:00. Then they all head out for the evening to spend cherished time with their loved ones. No one eats dinner before 8:00 or 9:00 p.m. (heaven forbid! Jeff and I have to adjust our appetite to island hours because most restaurants don't even serve dinner before 7:30, and even then, there is no one in the restaurant! Things really get hopping around 9:00!).   

  It is interesting to observe this French population! For starters, obesity is a non-factor. No one on the island is fat. It just doesn't happen. The children are outside running, surfing, playing. I have yet to see one obese child on this island of 8000 inhabitants! Same with the adults-all thin! So, one has to wonder why. The conclusion we came up with by observing AND doing, is their food choices! Everything is fresh! You would be hard pressed to find even one frozen, prepared meal. With all the food fresh, there is no need for additives. Portion sizes are small and it isn't unusual for folks to spend 3 hours over their meal-chatting, laughing, and drinking wine. So digestion has a chance to happen at a leisurely rate instead of "stuffing and running," as is the custom in the states.  

  Jeff also has a theory about why the French women on this island are small-breasted. (Leave it to my husband!!) He says it is because their meats don't have estrogen additives nor are hormone laden. Without hormones being added to meat, women and young girls are not ingesting external hormones....thus, the small breast growth.  

  There is NO fast food on St. Barth's....at all!! Instead there are bakeries, cafes, pubs, and corner "creperies.". It's amazing and refreshing!    

  The French also put a premium on the concept of "au naturale." The women wear very little make up, use no chemical processes on their hair, leave their hair long and flowing, and just generally embrace what the good Lord gave them. Cosmetic surgeons would NOT make a good living here on the island! 

    There is also the intriguing treatment of illness on the island. Pharmacies are the first place people head when they aren't feeling well. We've been in them when tourists and inhabitants alike stop by to have the pharmacist take a look at a bug bite, a rash, a tummy ache and he then dispenses a homeopathic remedy. I have yet to see a prescription filled! Case in point, I developed a urinary tract infection (unaccustomed to the heat and not drinking enough water) while there, so Jeff drove to the pharmacy. The pharmacist handed him 2 bottles of capsules: cranberry and bruyere. I took 2 of each twice a day and by the second day, I was significantly better; within 3 days-gone! No antibiotics...just cranberry capsules and bruyere (a probiotic). Amazing! Can you even remotely imagine going to your doctor and having him hand you homeopathic gel capsules for your infection? Hardly! Conclusion: One doesn't always need an antiobiotic to deal with infection -antibiotics are used way too much in our country -there are other ways of dealing with infection!  

  We always leave St. Barth's feeling healthier, thinner, tanner, better than when we came. Which begs the question-why leave??!! I ask myself this every year as Jeff has to pull me onto the little plane to leave the island. I have devised a strategy that seems to be working quite well....I refuse to leave the island until we make reservations to return the following year! So far, this seems to be working! (All I have to do is casually mention the topless beaches and Jeff is more than ready to return!! (Gotta love that man!)      

  Here's to YOUR best summer AND health naturally!   

Warmly,
Lyn