Supporting Your Health from the Inside Out!
June 2009 - Vol 4, Issue 4
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Partnerships and Affiliations
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Support Shakti Rising! |
Heal your world and heal your lips by purchasing your Shakti Lip Balm today at EcoLips.com. Scroll down the page to the Shakti Vanilla Mint Balm to order. $1 of every Shakti Lip Balm sold goes straight to Shakti! Eco Lips Organic Lip Balm and Shakti Rising are partnering to further our mutual mission of creating high-impact social good. Together, they share a social mission to help people, specifically women, make choices that improve their well being/lives and through extension, the environment.
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| Greetings! |
 Receiving letters and ideas from readers is one of the greatest rewards of this newsletter. I am always excited to use this opportunity to not only share good information and successes I see daily, but to have a chance to hear from you about how the information here has made a difference in your day. In order to continue giving you what you want each month, I want to check in and see what's hot on your side of the camp. What nutrition questions are burning within you? What news or research or fad to you keep hearing about that you want to learn more about? Send me your inquiries and curiosities and I will use them as topics for upcoming newsletters. It is my aim to make this information relevant and applicable to you!
Please take a moment to fill out this short survey regarding newsletter topics so that I can better serve you. Thank you!
Warmly Yours,
Aimee
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Bragging Rights! |
 Ah, Bragging Rites! My favorite column! This month I have some bragging of my own to do, which has been sprinkled throughout the newsletter. Below is all the wonderful things I have been hearing from others since last month!
- Congratulations to client Kate E. for completing her VERY FIRST HALF MARATHON (See Jane Run in Alameda, CA) in 2:44:40! I am so proud of you!!
- Finger snaps and a ticker tape parade for colleague Kyle Davis who ran his first 50 mile race last weekend! WOWZA - as always, you are an inspiration!
- New client Steve C. is radically changing his life and visibly seeing results! Congratulations on adding vegetables and bringing in daily walking --- you are doing exactly what it takes and we are happy for you!
- Congratulations also goes to client S.G. who has also been exercising more and eating more vegetables! Your dedication and powerful shift motivate and inspire me!
- Generous applause to client JLS for her dramatic results on the detox plan! Who knew two weeks could change your life? (okay, I did...but isn't it awesome?)
- Kudos to client Laurie A. for her awesome self-expression! I stand atop the mountain and shout "Yes!" in my excitement for you!
Please join me in celebration of what is new and exciting for these individuals and those in your life. Celebrating success creates positive reinforcement for continued greatness, inspires others, reduces stress hormones, increases joy and vibrancy in your life and brings people closer. You can't go wrong when you brag about what is good!
Bragging Rites are a monthly opportunity to loudly shout out about
the awesome things that are happening in your life and to get
recognition for your accomplishments...
What successes are you hiding?
Shout them out!
Email me with what you have to celebrate and be proud of, your name (if desired), and it will be featured in the next newsletter!
I relish in your successes and look forward to spreading around some good news!
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VIBRANCE Welcomes Stephanie Boyd!
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I am thrilled to announce the addition of intern Stephanie Boyd to VIBRANCE. She will be helping me out with workshops, client care, and day-to-day operations while she finishes her nutrition program. If you are currently involved with VIBRANCE on a personal level, you will be getting to know her! Below is her introduction:
"I
was born and raised on the East Coast, in the little state of Rhode
Island. I graduated from Rhode Island College with a Bachelor's in
Speech & Hearing Sciences, in hopes of becoming a Speech/Language
Pathologist. Once I began my Master's degree however, I discovered
that the field really wasn't for me. I spent the next 8 years ago
searching for the right career and trying to figure out what I wanted
to be when I grew up until one day it hit me.
I have always been interested in nutrition and fitness for as long as
I can remember. I grew up taking dance lessons and became a competitive
dancer around the age of 11. Because of that I was very physically active
and maintained a healthy diet to stay in shape. This type of lifestyle
has been ingrained in me and is ultimately what drew me to this career
path. I've always been amazed by the mind-body connection and have learned
to recognize when my body looks, feels and operates at its best by the
foods I choose to eat. I am very passionate about nutrition and fitness
and I want to be able to share that passion with other people and help
them to make positive changes in their lives. I enrolled in the Nutrition
program at the School of Healing Arts to being to make that dream a
reality.
Once
I complete school my ultimate goal is to have my own business, and/or
partner with someone who is already in the field. I want to develop
a client base and teach them a healthy lifestyle that will be easy for
them to follow and adapt to. I am also interested in becoming a Certified
Personal Trainer to broaden the services I'd be able to offer. I believe
that achieving a healthy lifestyle is more than just following a "diet."
It involves an entire lifestyle change in many cases, and this includes
physical activity and exercise as well as learning to enjoy healthy
foods. I hope to become a mentor and inspire my clients to make the
necessary lifestyle changes to reach their personal goals."
Please join me in welcoming Stephanie! You can reach her at vibrance.frontdesk@gmail.com
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RECIPE: Black Bean Salad
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Below, Stephanie shares one of her favorite recipes. This colorful dish is a nice accompaniment to a Mexican themed dinner and has the added benefit of being very quick to prepare! Black Beans are a great source of iron and the addition of lime juice and Vitamin C rich foods such as bell pepper, chili and lime juice allow the iron to be absorbed more effectively. Beans are also a fantastic source of fiber and protein!
Black Bean Salad
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup canned corn niblets, drained
- 1/2 cup papaya, peeled, seeded and diced (can also substitute mango which tastes great!)
- 2 Tbsp. red bell pepper, minced
- 2 Tbsp. green bell pepper, minced
- 1 scallion, sliced thinly
- 1 tsp. fresh chili, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
- 2 tsp. olive oil
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients and toss to blend. Chill before serving, if desired.
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Keep Your Gut Happy (Without Yogurt)!
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 I don't do dairy.
Not unless I want to get into all sorts of digestive distress, anyway.
This brings up a concern, however...where do dairy-free folk get probiotics?
Probiotics are an essential to overall health.
These friendly bacteria keep harmful bacteria levels and candida yeast
in check and are responsible for assisting the absorption of some
vitamins through the gut. By keeping the unhealthy bacteria in our GI
tract in check, they have an overall positive effect on immunity,
digestion, and even energy levels. When one is better able to digest
food, one feels more energetic!
With a fluoridated, chlorinated water supply, routine antibiotic use
(or consumption via conventional livestock), poor food quality, birth
control, alcohol use, high stress lifestyles and environmental
pollution our levels of friendly bacteria are in constant threat.
Historically, we received ample healthy bacteria through nutrient-rich,
organism-filled soil and through food preservation techniques which
have largely been abandoned. In the modern age the main source of such
foods are yogurts and kefirs. This clearly poses a problem for
dairy-sensitive individuals such as myself.
Fortunately, there are many ways to receive friendly bacteria without dairy.
Click here to find out what they are! |
Getting Gutsy: Pushing Past Discomfort
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Recently I've had a lot of experiences which have pushed me past my comfort zone. These challenges have offered me a lot of opportunities for reflection and an opportunity to take a challenge and ask myself to be bolder than I have wanted to be.
I share this with you because inevitably at some point we all face
such discomfort. Something feels too hard and we'd rather say yes to
the cheesecake or no to the workout. We think we are crazy because we
signed up for a triathlon and we don't know how to swim (I see this in my future - but right now I'm still not facing that challenge!). We wonder why
we are thrashing about in the water, setting our alarm for 4am to exercise, or why we are having the tough conversation or walking out of the bakery
when it seems that everyone else in the world doesn't have to.
What I want to highlight though is what happens when we embrace the difficulty.
There is great reward in facing down adversity. It is a time ripe
with opportunities to see how we work under pressure. What sorts of
weird stories do our brains tell us? Do we want these stories to be the basis of our reality
("I'll always be fat", "I exercised for an hour so I deserve an extra martini", "They were right; I have no self-control","I
already messed up so I might as well...") or do we want to create a new one? ("I can totally do this", "I'll show them", "I've come so far!", "My body can heal", "I deserve to be happy!")
When I get into an emotional pickle and I find myself challenged
beyond my level of confidence, I reach out for support. I call my
friends who have unwavering belief in me, I write to my business coach,
I journal about it and I brainstorm solutions as I question my fear.
Regardless of the outcome, I always learn more. Sometimes I learn what
I must never do again. Other times I learn that I am a lot stronger and
more creative than I often perceive myself to be.
Each time we face adversity and come out the other side, we build up
our inner strength and tenacity. We learn that we can ask for help and
receive it and that we are often better supported and stronger than we
allow ourselves to realize. Over time, this breaks down self-imposed
barriers that keep us locked to unhealthy eating and a sedentary life
when we yearn for movement and the energy that healthy living can bring.
When you feel resistance rise up in yourself - in your
relationships, in your work, in your commitment to a goal you are
striving for - begin to ask questions. Look at the internal records
playing and see if it isn't time to change the album. Ask yourself - What do I most need to hear right now?
Then give yourself that emotional nourishment. My guess is you may
find the challenge becomes less overwhelming and you feel more proud,
stronger, and have more love and respect for yourself as a result. And
the happier you are, the healthier you are, hands down.
What is one way you face down adversity? When your inner demons start chattering, what do you say or do to change the dialogue? Email me with your insights and suggestions for facing challenges!
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Next month we'll be discussing healthy eating on vacations, balanced living, and more! I look forward to sharing with you!
May health and happiness be joyfully yours!
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Aimee Gallo
VIBRANCE Nutrition and Fitness
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