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You will never "find" time for anything.
If you want time, you must make it. - Charles Buxton
Hi ,
As nature Springs forward so deliberately this month, we have the same opportunity. This is a natural time of year to take an honest inventory of your habits: are you living on purpose? Are your days filled with joy and purpose? If you can honestly say "yes", then I congratulate you for being in a terribly small minority!
Try this experiment: ask 10 people, "Was your day yesterday full of purpose?" See how many answer "absolutely!" versus how many say "well, sorta" and offer a long list of distractions that seemed to rule their day...email, errands, cell phones, Blackberries, long lines, TV vegging, web surfing, or a long list of small and almost meaningless tasks. I'll bet that most people you ask fall in the latter category, ending the day exhausted, unfulfilled, and feeling like the day "got away from them". I see this habit in my new clients all the time; it is disturbingly consistent in the US. We follow this sort of daily, mindless routine and suddenly wake up to find six months, two years, ten years have gone by.
But here's what I think matters most: are you living the life you really most want? Try this 2nd quick experiment. Grab a blank sticky-note. Inhale deeply and hold your breath for 8 seconds. When you exhale your used breath, purposefully exhale your used thoughts; clear your mind. Do this breath exercise two more times. Now, as if you were in complete and absolute control of your day, write down the two things you would absolutely do if you were living on purpose. It can be anything. Write it down!
With stickies in-hand, you have your opportunity to Spring forward deliberately. You can choose to live the hours of your day with purpose, or you can follow the path of run-away-day folks. I know what you might be thinking: you need a few more hours in the day to finally get to that purposeful stuff like creating adventure, seizing new opportunities, loving, eating well, and sleeping enough. We know with absolute certainty, however, that people like Abraham Lincoln, Galileo Galilei, Ghandi, Oprah Winfrey, Stevland Hardaway Judkins (look him up), and You all have exactly the same amount of time available each day. What do you think Tiger Woods had on his sticky-note ten years ago?
The point of all of this is to encourage you to make choices. Live deliberately. Make the choices that will truly bring you happiness. And many times the choice can be to not do something. Just choose. Don't let life simply happen to you and by default become a haphazard series of exhausting, depleting, and mindless events.
You do have a choice. Choose to live on purpose.
Be well,
Tracy |
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- What's on your sticky note?
- REAL Hollandaise Sauce
- March ROP Winner
- Are you In Shape for Spring?
- Spring Class Sign-Up:
Don't Miss Out
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Reading on Purpose
April Challenge
Do you regularly read food labels?
Are you a nutrition super sleuth?
Win a grab bag of healthy, delicious snacks if you are the first person to identify the product correctly and email me with the right answer!
Check out the long ingredient list below. Despite fancy marketing to the contrary, I doubt you'd find a loving relative cooking up this concoction in her kitchen!
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Food Focus: Greens
I know many of you struggle to eat them, but keep reading to learn more about what you are missing. Leafy greens are some of the easiest and most beneficial vegetables to incorporate into your daily routine. Densely packed with energy and nutrients, they grow upward to the sky, absorbing the sun's light while producing oxygen. Members of this royal green family include kale, collard greens, swiss chard, mustard greens, arugula, dandelion greens, broccoli rabe, watercress, beet greens, bok choy, napa cabbage, green cabbage, spinach and broccoli.
How do greens benefit our bodies?  They are very high in calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous and zinc, and are a powerhouse for vitamins A, C, E and K. They are crammed full of fiber, folic acid, chlorophyll and many other micronutrients and phytochemicals. Greens aid in purifying the blood, strengthening the immune system, improving liver, gall bladder and kidney function, fighting depression, clearing congestion, improving circulation and keeping your skin clear and blemish free. I have also seen them help numerous people to get rid of sugar and carb cravings.
Leafy greens are the vegetables most missing from the American diet, and many of us never learned how to cook them. Forget the mushy, flavorless boiled-to-death greens from your childhood. Delicious greens are easy to prepare. Each time you go to the market this month, make a commitment to eat on purpose and pick up a new green to try. Here's what I recommend: wash and chop your greens coarsely. Then lightly saute them in hot olive oil for 5 minutes (with some garlic, ginger, and/or onion if you wish). After the saute, just add a splash of water, broth, or vinegar and cover to steam for 3-5 minutes. Finish with a sprinkle of condiments like sea salt, soy sauce, or nuts and seeds, all of which pair well with the flavor of greens. Consider adding light greens like arugula to your favorite salad. Heavier greens like kale or chard can be easily chopped and added to soups, stews, or chili. Soon you'll find your favorite greens and wonder how you ever lived without them.
This month, try vegetarian Eggs Benedict for a satisfying, blood-sugar-stabilizing breakfast. Start with a half of a flourless, whole grain english muffin, top with a serving of spinach, add a poached egg, and finally drizzle a spoonful of this month's delicious, simple, hollandaise sauce over the top. Delicious! |
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Spring Forward into your Healthiest Self
Are you finally ready to prioritize your own health and happiness this spring. Purpose Group Classes are Inexpensive, Fun, and Effective, and you will easily form Life-Long Habits to make your results Permanent.
Weigh Less; Live More
Diets do not work. This class is all about maintaining a healthy weight without diets, guilt, or deprivation. No more food obsessions. No more yo-yo weight gain. Regardless of your weight, we will also deal extensively with blood sugar control and carb cravings and how to make them go away without willpower! Sessions available in Newton, Hopkinton, or On-Line (attend a live class from the coziness of your own home; all you need is a phone and an internet connection).
Heal Your Gut - Finally
I have had great success helping clients heal themselves from chronic diarrhea, constipation, IBS, acid reflux, gas, bloating, heartburn, indigestion. Learn the common myths, true sources and solutions (without drugs!) of this American epidemic. If you suffer from GI ailments (or simply want to avoid getting them in the future) join us for this fascinating and effective program.
Sessions offered in Hopkinton and On-Line from anywhere in the US (again, all you need is a phone and internet connection).
Check Programs at http://www.eatonpurpose.com for more details and to contact me to register. Classes begin late April and early May, so don't delay and miss this opportunity! |
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Living on Purpose: Are you In Shape?
This month, I am so pleased to bring you an article from guest writer Karen Isgur of Fitness Together in Westborough. If you need some extra motivation and momentum to start to exercise, I highly recommend a personal trainer, and the staff at Fitness Together in Westborough are awesome. They offer effective, friendly, and supportive workout support for *any* level of fitness. Be sure to check out their coupon below too - a great way to spring forward into a stronger, healthier body.
In our culture that is so infatuated with appearance and sex appeal, what is a true gauge of being in shape? Is it a clothing size? A number on a scale? Being skinny? The true answer is a resounding No! There is not a shape, size, or weight that is an indicator of being fit.
But there are several great indicators of fitness. Try the four below for yourself and see if your body is functional and healthy, a state that will allow you to maintain a high quality of life regardless of your age. Don't give up your favorite activities with a hopeless "I'm just getting old." You can choose to live a vital, active, comfortable, and disease-free life at any age.
1. What is your waistline? Despite the many different ways to measure body composition, your waistline remains the easiest to measure and the most accurate. So throw out the scale and just get a simple tape measure. Measure the circumference of your waist using your belly button as a reference point. If you are male and 40+ inches or female and 35+ inches, research shows you are a ticking time bomb for diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. Mostly likely you will get one or more of these diseases if you don't do something about it. If you are 35 inches or less as a male and 32.5 inches or less as a female your potential for disease is significantly reduced and in most cases eliminated. Anyone can reduce their waist line, and any reduction is positive and disease reducing. Don't be concerned about hip, buttocks, and thigh fat ... drop the waist line. Exercise is a fantastic way to do this, and it is likely easier than you think.
2. What is your blood pressure (BP)? Unless you want to risk heart problems, it should be about 115/76. Blood pressure is the amount of force your blood exerts on your arterial walls. If your BP is too high, it damages the lining of the arterial wall, and this is the beginning of various heart diseases. But here's an opportunity for you. If you drop your waistline, your BP will drop accordingly. Easy solutions: exercise and supportive healthy food choices.
3. Can you hold the plank position for 30 seconds? The plank is lying prone completely supported by only your elbows and toes. This is a test of core strength: abdominals, obliques, and low back muscles. Test yourself by attempting two sets of 30 seconds. If it's easy for you, then you are exercising smart. If you cannot pass this test, you are atrophying due to age, not exercising smart, or not exercising at all. If you want to improve, incorporate this exercise into your routine 2-4 days per week.
4. Can you walk or jog a mile in less than 12 minutes? This is a test of cardiovascular health. Again if you cannot pass this test simply try to get out and complete one mile every day until you can do it under 12 minutes. Keep up the habit by taking a 30-minute walk per day at a pace that makes conversation a little difficult.
The secret is out: to prevent chronic illness, premature aging, and weight gain, you need to exercise and get supportive nutrition. At Fitness Together - Westborough, our trainers can help you achieve get maximum results in a shorter workout time with private, one-on-one personal training. No more crowded gyms. No waiting for equipment. No distractions. Every program is individualized to your personal goals.
(Tracy's note: Now here's a serious deal. I really enjoy my workouts at Fitness Together. So as a friend or client of Purpose, Karen is offering you $250 off your purchase of a new training package. This is a BIG savings, not just a little break. Best of all, you can use the coupon below to try them out for free. I don't receive any compensation from Fitness Together; I just think they offer an excellent service and want to encourage you to try it.) |
Copyright © 2009 Purpose LLC | |
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Reading on Purpose
March Answer
Did you take the Challenge? Congratulations to March winner Lou Spiridigliozzi of Bedford, MA.
This was a hard one, and it took a while to get a right answer. Folks guessed things like tortillas, drinks, and gravy. No wonder since the mix of chemicals looks nothing like the simple ingredient list in homemade hollandaise sauce: eggs, butter, and lemon. This one is loaded with MSG hidden in sources like modified corn starch, maltodextrin, autolyzed and yeast extract. Learn more about the dangers of MSG in the January '09 newsletter archive under Resources at www.eatonpurpose.com
It's amazing to me that something as simple as hollandaise sauce can be made so artificial and toxic. Unfortunately almost all powdered sauce mixes follow this path. Check out this month's recipe to see for yourself just how easy - and delicious - this sauce can be.
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April Recipe:
Hollandaise Sauce
Ingredients
1 stick (4 oz) butter
2 egg yolks
1 Tbsp hot water
2 Tsp fresh lemon juice
Optional pinch cracked black pepper
Optional pinch cayenne pepper
Optional sea salt
Directions
Melt butter slowly in a medium-sized saucepan. Then remove pan from heat and set aside. In a small mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks. Whilst continuing to whisk, add lemon juice and optional seasonings to yolks. Now very slowly whisk the melted butter into the yolks. Then do the same with the water. Return mixture to the saucepan, heat over a very low heat, still whisking all the time until the sauce thickens. Don't overcook or sauce will be too thick. Serve immediately or keep warm for up to 30 minutes before serving. Tip: adding some fresh, minced tarragon to this recipe turns it into Bernaise Sauce. |
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Clients ask me all the time about organic products. I do believe that the pesticides, hormones, and chemicals that are added to our foods play a MAJOR role in making us sick and setting us up for chronic disease.
Having said that, I know that organic foods are expensive and often hard to find. I recommend you buy as much organic food (1) as you can afford and (2) as you can find in your local area. So given this challenge, what organic foods should you prioritize in your food budget?
Meats and Animal Products
Typical commerical meats are loaded with antibiotics, hormones, medications, and chemicals from cheap feed. Plus standard factory farming practices cram many animals into tight spaces with no access to light, fresh air, or natural behavior. They also encourage disease and early death. Don't put all those leftover chemicals or stress hormones into your body. Choose organic, free-range, and pastured products.
Fruits and Vegetables
Every few years, the Environmental Working Group publishes a helpful list of fruits and veggies ranked by the amount of residual chemicals found in typical commerical produce. The result is a top dozen "dirtiest" and "cleanest" list. You can use this to prioritize your organic spending on the dirtiest foods an minimize your exposure to toxic chemicals. To help clean chemical residues from non-organic (conventional) produce, use a product like Veggie Wash. |
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Eat on purpose.
Live on purpose. | |
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