by Erin Owen | Mar 2, 2012 | General
When you are your own boss, when you run your own
business, your energy level is critically
important. But if you are feeling exhausted,
congested, bloated, sluggish, or foggy, then
these signs of imbalance can directly impact
your performance.
One way to hit the re-set button is to do a
cleanse.
The traditional time of year to cleanse is April,
with the transition from winter to spring. This
guidance comes from Traditional Chinese Medicine,
and the cleanse focuses on cleaning out the liver.
Why?
In the winter months, in order to stay warm, we
tend to eat foods with a higher fat content. This
is natural and healthy, because fat helps
insulate the body and keep it warm.
Once the Earth begins to warm up, we no longer
need that insulation, and cleaning up the liver
helps to lighten the body’s load. Eating in tune
with the season, means that you start to eat
lighter spring greens. And many of the spring
greens, you will notice, are more bitter in
flavor. That is perfect, because foods with a
bitter energetic quality help to cleanse the
liver.
Yes, there are other times a year to cleanse. The
second best time of year tends to be in the mid
autumn period. Again, this is based on the wisdom
and guidance of Chinese medicine.
(And, there are other ways to move stuck energy
that I’ll expand on in a future post.)
But ultimately, the best guide is your own body’s
wisdom. And with the strange weather we’ve had
this year, with warmer winter temps, your body
may be craving a cleanse earlier.
What signs should you look for to let you know if
it’s time to cleanse?
One, your body might feel heavy and sluggish or
you may be experiencing more congestion than
usual.
Two, your skin may be more prone to break outs or
other conditions that suggest the body is out of
balance.
Three, your bowels specifically may be more
sluggish or constipated.
Four, your energy level may be lower than what’s
normal for you this time of year.
Five, you may generally have the feeling of just
being stuck in life.
Finally, you just might have this idea that a
cleanse is the right thing for you, and that’s
enough.
And while there are other reasons, ultimately…
Follow your body’s intuitive guidance. A cleanse
might just be what you need to get back on track,
improve your focus and productivity, and improve
your performance.
Stay tuned for another blog post soon about how
to cleanse.
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March 19 at 12:30 PM EST
Join me at an upcoming FREE event in Philadelphia:
April 11 at 7:30 PM
Ready to achieve more without burn out, ignoring
your family or becoming a slave to overworking?
Then book your Performance Breakthrough Session
with me today.
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then I’m your gal. Email me directly to talk
details.
by Erin Owen | Jan 27, 2012 | General
“You mean a food’s energetic qualities can affect
my ability to lose weight and perform at my
optimum level?“
Absolutely!
Let’s say you really want to lose weight because
dragging the extra pounds around is tiring you
out, making your joints ache, and ultimately
making life less fun.
Ask yourself: “Are the energetic qualities of the
foods I’m eating supporting my desire to lose
weight?“
Want to listen to this blog instead? Click Blog_012712_FoodChoices2.
Here, the term “energetic qualities” simply
refers to the ways in which a food’s unique energy
affects the energy in your body. Does it warm you
up or cool you down? Does it build you up or clean
you out? Does it make you feel lighter or heavier?
Does it make you feel more grounded or more
energized? Does it make your insides more damp or
more dry? And so on…
I know, I know. You might be wondering: what
happened to simply counting calories? Or, looking
at the ratio of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats?
Looking at your food choices through the lens of
energetics might be totally new to you, and that’s
a good thing! If you want to see different results
in your life and boost your performance, you can’t
keep doing the same thing again and again. You
need to be inspired to try on a different way of
thinking and being – so, stay with me and see what
you learn.
If you want to lose weight, then your energy is
likely sluggish, making it easier to stay glued to
the couch and than head outside to enjoy your day.
To counter this, you want to pick foods that will
motivate your body to get moving and let go of the
excess.
Here are two foods to consider — one you’ve
heard of and another that may be totally new to
you:
–Fresh ginger root, which is known to promote
healthy digestion and blood circulation, as well
as warm up the body, which is said to aid in the
fat burning process
–Burdock root (aka “gobo” in Japanese cuisine),
which is known to cleanse the blood, thereby
freeing up your energy and even leading to clearer
thinking. It’s energetic effects are also
recognized as helping to reduce sweet cravings and
reduce fat levels in the body.
Eating either or both of these foods is like
saying out loud to everyone you know: “Yes,
indeed, I do want to get things moving and release
this extra weight now! I want to feel lighter and
move more easily in my body so I can perform
better in my daily life!”
On the other hand, here are two foods that you
should definitely keep eating if you want to enjoy
the same old heavy, achy, stagnant feeling:
–French fries. Yes, they taste so good, but the
general category of fatty, greasy, deep-fried
foods have sluggish energetic qualities that
contribute to poor digestion and slower
metabolism. Plus, as you likely know already,
foods fried at high heat are laden with trans fats
and contribute to inflammation in the body, which
can cause or exacerbate joint pain.
— Ice cream. You likely already know that high
sugar intake relates to high insulin levels in the
body which leads to more fat being stored and more
difficulty releasing fat from its storage places
in the body. But you may not know that processed
foods that are filled with refined sugars actually
drain your energy, muddle your thinking, and can
make your bowels sluggish.
Eating either or both of these foods is like
saying: “Ooooh, yes, I really really really want
to hold on tight to this extra weight, feel tired,
and generally lack in enthusiasm for life? Please,
please, can I?” But, really now, do you? I don’t
think so.
So, try on this new idea of food energetics and
see what you learn about yourself, your weight,
your performance, and so much more.
For further information about food energetics…
There are many different ways to think of the
energetics of food. To read more about Steve
Gagne’s view of food energetics click here.
Annemarie Colbin shares here her view on how our
emotions affect the energetics of food.
And for a more medically oriented Eastern view,
click here to read more about the Traditional Chinese
Medicine view of food energetics.
Ready to achieve more without burn out, ignoring
your family or becoming a slave to overworking?
Then book your Performance Breakthrough Session
with me today. Enter discount code “Embrace2012“
for 50% off my public rate and invest less than a
dollar a minute for this transformational 1-on-1 coaching
session with me!
Not yet received my free, 1-minute audio wisdom course
in your email in box? It’s designed to melt stress, refocus
your energy, and refuel your spirit FAST! And you can listen to
it anywhere, even on the go. Sign-up on any page of my website
and receive a link to your first short audio inspiration. It’s
just like having me there by your side!
Looking for a speaker for your next event? If you
want to inspire your group to get better results
at work and at home (and get their Zen on too)
then I’m your gal. Email me directly to talk
details.
