Talking about your health goals and learning about the ease of incorporating change will help you enjoy the upcoming holidays with an energy and spirit that will shock your closest friends and family.

Email me at coachchelly4u@aol.com and schedule yours today! 

There is more to life than increasing its speed.

-Gandhi

Get Slow

Who doesn't feel as if there aren't enough hours in the day? We rush through the day, running here and there, and end up exhausted. Somehow these days full of duties, obligations and busyness have begun to build up and become our lives. We spend our time doing things we don't really want to do, yet feel we should. We've come to believe that being productive and crossing things off our to-do list is the ultimate goal.

The truth is, life on Earth is a brief gift, and our time is too precious to be used like this. If we want our lives to be balanced and healthy, we need to lessen our load and increase our down time. This means planning less in a day, prioritizing those things that make our hearts sing and de-prioritizing those things that are not imperative.

If we must accomplish many things each day, we can still change the quality with which we do things. How can we transmute that sprint to the train into something delicious instead of the usual gripping and tightening experience? Where can we find ease in the midst of stress? How can we cultivate the art of going slowly?

Take a few moments before you climb out of bed in the morning to remember your dreams and to think about what you want from the day. Leave your watch on the bedside table. Take the scenic route. Sit for a moment with your eyes closed when you start your computer. Check email only twice a day. Don't pack your schedule so tightly that there's no time for a short walk. Light candles before you start to cook dinner. Add one moment here and there for slowness; it can be done simply and will have a profound effect on your well-being.

Do you have Pajama Days?  These are days where you stay in your PJ's all day long and lounge around the house.  Try to sneak in at least two a month.  I guarantee you, you will spend the other 28 days thinking about it.  Pajama Days are not for working, clearing emails or for TV and talking on the phone.  Pajama Days are strictly for self nurturing.  So, you can read a whole book, clean a room, sleep in or take a nap, sit on the couch in silence with a cup of tea or fresh juice or listen to an extra curricular tutorial about something you've always wanted to learn about but never had the time to.

Pajama Days are difficult at first because if you are like me you will feel guilty.  But, we all need a break sometimes!  Tell me all about your next Pajama Day!

Chelly 

Food Focus: Oils and Fats

Not all oils and fats are created equal. Heavily processed, hydrogenated, "trans" fats and oils that are used in prepared, packaged foods can be extremely damaging to the body. However, fats and oils from whole foods and other high-quality sources can steady our metabolism, keep hormone levels even, nourish our skin, hair and nails and provide lubrication to keep the body functioning fluidly. Our bodies also need fat for insulation and to protect and hold our organs in place.

A healthy percentage of high-quality fat in a meal satisfies and leaves feelings of energy, fulfillment and warmth. When there are excess fats and oils in the diet, especially heavily processed fats, symptoms can include weight gain, skin breakouts, high blood pressure, liver strain and an overall feeling of mental, physical and emotional heaviness. Signs of insufficient high-quality fats are brittle hair and nails, dry skin, hunger after meals and feeling cold.

There are many sources of healthy fats and oils:

• For saut�ing and baking, try butter, ghee (clarified butter) or coconut oil (my top pick) because they do not break down when used at high temperatures.
• When saut�ing foods at moderate temperatures, try organic extra virgin olive oil.
• Oils like flaxseed, sesame, toasted sesame, walnut and pumpkin seed are best used unheated in sauces or dressings on top of salads, veggies or grains.
• Other healthy fats are found in whole nuts and seeds and in their butters like almond butter or tahini.
• Whole foods such as avocados, walnut, olives and coconuts are great sources of healthy fat, along with wild salmon and omega-3 and omega-6 organic eggs.

Experiment with these healthy fat sources and see which work best for you and leave you satisfied.

When selecting oils, buy the highest-quality organic products you can afford, since cooking oils are the backbone of so many dishes. Good words to look for on the label are organic, first-pressed, cold-pressed, extra-virgin and unrefined. Words to avoid are expeller-pressed, refined and solvent extracted.   

Recipes of the Month:

Savory Tahini Sauce

Prep time: 5 minutes

Yield: 1 cup

Ingredients:

1/2 cup tahini

1/4 cup water

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons tamari

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

pinch of cayenne (to your taste)

Directions:

1.   In a bowl briskly whisk together the tahini and water until combined. It will look separated at first: just keep whisking!

2.   Add remaining ingredients and whisk until combined.

3.   Adjust flavors to your taste. Add additional water if you want it thinner.

4.   Serve over grains and greens.

Prep Time: 3 minutes

Yield: 1 cup

Ingredients:

1 large peeled and pitted avocado

3/4 cup cashew

1 lemon juiced 

1 diced tomato

dash or two of cayenne pepper

sea salt and black pepper to taste 

Directions:

1.   Blend all ingredients until smooth. 

2.   Serve chilled with mixed raw vegetables.

Note: Best if made a maximum of 1 hour before serving.

It's such a pleasure to help those closest to us become happier and healthier.  Please forward this newsletter to friends, family members or colleagues who might be interested and inspired by it. 

Please make sure you update your profile information and officially join my mailing list by clicking on "Update Profile/Email Address", below. Check my No Bonez site often for new recipes, health tips and raw food class schedules held in Maryland and New Jersey. Please share this Newsletter with friends and family by clicking "forward email" below. Stay Healthy, Stay Fit and Stay Beautiful!

Sincerely,

Chelly in the Raw