Left brain Right Brain

This is an amazing talk …. http://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight.html

Eat your vegies

Sometimes the hardest part of starting a new healthy lifestyle and diet is simply that it takes time and energy. We get home from work and we are too tired to even think what to eat or We seem to think that its easier and quicker to reach for junk food and other poor choices.

When really, the key to successfully kick starting your new healthy, happy lifestyle and staying on track is organisation. Take one night a week and plan out your meals for the rest of the week and then  make sure you have everything ready to go.  Here are some ideas to get you started….

Preparation ideas to get you started …

In the fridge/cupboard have ready to go!

prepare or buy some things like

• pesto
• hummus
• nut pate
• cut up vegetables
• nuts
• seeds
• eggs
• marinated tofu/smoked tofu
• salad dressing
• soup
• avocado
• sprouts
• seaweed (can make rolls with them)

basically if you have salad bases like:

• baby spinach leaves
• mixed herb leaves
• quinoa pasta
• cooked frozen lentils
• roasted vegetables
• steamed or raw vegetables
• rice noodles (kind you just pour hot water over, ready in a minute)

then add vegetables and protein (if not already in base)

and then add dressing or pesto or even just a squeeze of orange juice.

Some more specific ideas:

• Noodles, cherry tom’s, almonds, mung beans, and capsicum,  smoked tofu or toasted tempeh, then pour tamari and maybe a little chilli oil – yum!

• good old fashioned coleslaw mix but a red wine vinegar instead of mayo’
• sliced fennel, cucumber, cherry tomato, avocado with spinach or lettuce and parsley
  put garlic, lemon and olive oil on fennel and then add all other ingredients later

• nut sushi – see link
• green leaf salad with tuna and sliced almonds
• roast beetroot, Rocket, lentil and feta salad (can be made with canned lentils tossed with a a little dry roasted cumin)
• flatbread wraps or  non wheat bread
• rice paper rolls

Lunch box ideas: raw vegetables, a little brown rice or wheat free pasta, protein and dressing.  Have these ingredients partly prepared so you can throw them together at lunch.

• Rice +cashews + boiled egg+ cucumber, grated carrot and dressing
• Potato + lentil dip + brocalli, sprouts, radich and avocado
• Hulled millet or buckwheat + beetroot, lettuce, chives +hummus
• Juilienne vegetablge and avocado, sprouts wrapped in seaweed with tamari
• Sweet potato and chickpeas + rocket, tomato + pistachio spinach dressing.

Quotes to Inspire

“Tell me what you plan to do with your one wild and precious life.” Mary Oliver

“When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot manifest, strength cannot fight, wealth becomes useless, and intelligence cannot be applied. “Herophilus

“Our food should be our medicine and our medicine should be our food.” – Hippocrates

Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects.”- Arnold Glasow

“Our health always seems much more valuable after we lose it.” unknown author

A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools. Spanish proverb

Virtually no one in the field of health and nutrition speaks about the concept of food having energy, but if you stop and think about it, it intuitively makes sense. Vegetables have a lighter energy than proteins. Animal meat from tortured animals has a different energy than meat from animals that lived a peaceful existence.” - Joshua Rosenthal, founder/director of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition

“The greatest discovery of any generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering the attitudes of their minds.”Albert Schweitzer

“Today, more than 95% of all chronic disease is caused by food choice, toxic food ingredients, nutritional deficiencies and lack of physical exercise.” - Mike Adams, author, investigative journalist, educator

“Diet is the essential key to all successful healing. Without a proper balanced diet, the effectiveness of herbal treatment is very limited.” - Michael Tierra, C.A., N.D.

“Those who think they have no time for healthy eating, will sooner or later have to find time for illness.” – Edward Stanley

A Good Nights Sleep zzzzzzzzz

A refreshing full nights sleep is essential for health.

We all have had those bad nights tossing and turning, not being able to fall asleep due to non stop mind chatter, and the next day felt the effects, daytime sleepiness, reduced cognitive performance, and poor concentration etc. If this turns into long term more chronic insomnia, this can impact our jobs and lifestyle. Poor sleepers according to studies recieving fewer promotions, higher absenteeism, and can show lower productivity (Leigh JP 1991; Rajput V et al 1999).

Insomnia is not a disorder in its self, it is a symptom. So looking for the underlying cause is key. Start by trying some of the ideas below. If you do not see improvements, see a natural health professional to help you address the cause.

Heres a few points to help improve sleep patterns….

* Go to sleep and wake up at the same time everyday.
* Avoid naps during the day as they can interfere with the circadian sleep cycle
* Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol late in the day – caffeine and nicotine are stimulants and alcohol can cause waking in the night.
* Get regular exercise, however try not to exercise close to bedtime as it may be too stimulating.
* Avoid heavy meals late in the day, however having light protein with dinner helps balance blood sugars while sleeping.
* Ensure that the sleeping place is dark, quiet, and not too warm or too cold. If there is too much light try a sleeping mask, and if too much noise try earplugs.
* Establish a routine to help relax and unwind prior to bedtime, such as reading a book, listening to soothing music, sipping herbal relaxing teas, meditation, yoga, or taking a bath.
* Do not watch TV or do any computer work prior to going to bed.
* Avoid using the bed for anything other than sleep or sex.
* If having trouble falling asleep then get out of bed and do something that is not overly stimulating until the sleepiness returns.
* Try listening to relaxation tapes such as Deepak Chopra’s ‘Restful Sleep” tape.
* If lying awake worrying about things, leave a pen and paper beside the bed and write a to-do list which may help to “let go” of any worries.
* Consider acupuncture – it has been found to have a success rate of 90% in the treatment of Insomnia.
* Consider herbal medicine to support nervous system and reduce stress.
* Try muscle relaxation techniques, e.g tense and relax different muscle groups throughout the body whilst going to sleep to help control the mind and the body.
* Meditation

* Calcium may help with sleep onset insomnia (due to its ability to sedate the central nervous system).
* Magnesium will help with sleep maintenance insomnia, and it also reduces the next-day fatigue associated with insomnia.
* Serotonin is an important initiator of sleep and the synthesis of serotonin depends on tryptophan availability. Note that L-tryptophan should not be used with other medications (benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and

alcohol), and only be taken as a supplement when prescribed by qualified health professional. Important co-factors vitamin B6, niacin, and magnesium should be included in the diet, with tryptophan rich foods to ensure its conversion to serotonin. Foods rich in tryptophan include Spirilina, bananas, sunflower seeds, eggs, fennel and brocalli. Herbs that enhance tryptophan include Siberian ginseng, hypericum, and passionflower.

* Melatonin may alleviate insomnia in many people. Choline may help to keep an individual asleep and thus it may be useful for the treatment of early-waking insomnia.Herbs like Chaste tree can improve melatonin production.