OFF TO HIPPOCRATES HEALTH INSTITUTE

In just a few short days, one of my long awaited dreams will finally come to fruition.  I will be arriving at the Hippocrates Health Institute for a 3-week Life Transformation Program.

The dream has been a long time in the making, six years to be exact.  From the very first time I heard about the program, back in 2007, I knew this was my destined next BIG step in my exploration of health and nutrition.  (See my brief mention of it in a 2009 post titled Manifesting A Dream.) 

What better time to experience this amazing program than in preparation for a healthy first pregnancy?  I love how destiny seems to align so appropriately - the timing couldn't be more perfect.  

I put HHI smack in the middle of my vision board long ago, but for six LONG years the dream just sat there waiting for me. And when I say waiting, I literally mean it was just sitting there waiting for me to get off my ass and make it happen... ; )

By the way, for any of you who still think manifestation is the process of dreams magically falling in your lap... I've got news for you!  The real process of manifestation is owning your dreams (and the responsibility that comes with making it happen).  Took me a while to catch on too. 

So that's what I did.  I took my destiny, my dream, into my own two hands, set up a savings account, and got to work!  

Luckily, the timing turned out great, as my hubby and I are looking to start a family in the near future.  Perfect opportunity for a complete mind, body and spirit cleanse!  

I should mention, that even though the Hippocrates program focuses on a strict raw vegan protocol, I don't intend to proceed with a vegan pregnancy.  I'll leave the details regarding my views on diet and pregnancy for another post.  But I will say that my intention, as of this point, is to incorporate a few select animal products into my diet (in "therapeutic" doses) following the cleanse.  I'll probably have to explain the "therapeutic" part as well.  

In any case, I thought about blogging during my cleanse at the Hippocrates Health Institute, but I may just take those three weeks to really immerse myself into the program and enjoy my stay there.  I do hope to follow up with a post upon my return however... so stay tuned! 

CLEANSING & COLONIC EUPHORIA

Cleansing seems to be a theme for me this year.  I kicked off 2011 with the SpaFusion Cleanse coupled with a series of colonics.  It was a wonderful experience with a few ups and downs (due to some detox symptoms), but an absolute great way to start off the year!

I was thrilled to try colonics for the very first time.  I signed up for a 6-session series, twice a week, and I've continued with a maintenance session once a month.  I did a fair amount of research on colon hydrotherapy, and I was careful to find a therapist who I resonated with.  I was also very careful to find a practitioner who uses the best quality water.

After calling around town, I found a local colon hydrotherapist who uses the gentle Woods Gravity Method, along with triple filtered UV water.  This method resonates with me because it doesn't use machines, motors, or pumps. Instead, it uses gravity to gently awaken the bowels, promoting release.

I was fortunate to connect with the lovely Karen of GravityBoulder.com, a raw foodie who trained under Natalie Rose, author of The Raw Food Detox Diet. The first colonic was definitely my most memorable!  I was in colonic euphoria that entire next 24 hours, in pure and utter bliss.  My body felt so light and free.  But as my body began to release years of stored waste, a few of the sessions that followed were more challenging. 

The cold weather also made it difficult to maintain the cleanse (I may try it again during the summer months), so I slowly transitioned back. But luckily, I was inspired to pick up a copy of The Body Ecology Diet by Donna Gates shortly thereafter. 

The Body Ecology Diet is a challenging program (at least it was for me) that takes you completely off of sugar, and all other stimulants for that matter!  And when I say NO sugar, I mean no sweeteners, no fruit, nada, zilch!  The book mentions a handful of symptoms (related to candida) that the raw food diet alone, including a low-glycemic juice fast, has never been able to correct for me.  So here I am cleansing yet again, this time with a stronger focus on probiotics, food combining and less SUGAR! 

I feel like this book came into my life just at the right time and for a reason.  This program feels like a much deeper, and much needed cleanse.  Truth be told, I only lasted 10 days on the initial stage of the program (no grain, no fruit, no alcohol, no starchy veggies, no tomatoes, not even gum or sweetened toothpaste).  Literally, nothing with any trace of sugar or anything that metabolizes as sugar passed my lips.  Hands down one of the more challenging cleanses I've attempted yet.  In those brief 10 days I went through a pretty intense detox and severe withdrawal symptoms.  Nothing like the mild detox from going high-raw almost 4 years ago.  

It just goes to show how many of us (even those of us who are healthy), are completely addicted to sugar.  I was shocked to realize how strongly sugar affects my body.  I'm seriously starting to think that sugar (in ALL forms) is one of the most commonly overlooked toxins in the health movement.

Even though I didn't complete the entire program, I have to say, I will never look at sugar the same way again.  Going forward I hope to play around and find a more balanced approach to creating raw desserts - those that are much lighter, low-glycemic, and definitely far less stimulating!

REAL N' RAW

Real N' Raw is a fun look into the simple steps towards a healthy, vibrant life – Disease is NOT a mystery! Do you want to live with abundant energy, more than enough to get through the day with ease? You know the age old saying “You Are What You Eat”? Well, it is real and it works.

Hear the testimonies of celebrities, doctors, leading nutritionists, chefs and common folk who have healed all manner of disease through simple methods without medical intervention. Share in the delight of fresh whole raw living foods and how something we all do three times a day can transform all aspects of our life. Its not a miracle, it is not a magic pill, it doesn’t cost the earth, it’s simple, it’s easy and it’s fun.

For more information visit www.realnraw.com

GOT SUNSHINE IN YOUR DIET?

In connecting back to nature and natural living, one has to acknowledge a simple truth... that life on earth is fed by the sun! Sunlight is the love that nourishes the living essence of life.

Yet as I sit and write this under florescent lights, I can't help but ask myself, how often in our busy modern culture do we feel the healing warmth of sunlight on our bare skin? And how can we take in more of this essential light, this living essence?

A wonderful way to experience more of nature's love and sunshine is simply to add more of it into your diet. Fruits are full of living sunshine nutrients in the form of phytonutrients and antioxidants. They are a wonderful source of natural, healing sunlight! Why? Because fruit trees soak up more hours of sunlight than any one of us do in a year's time.

Think about it...

At an average of 10 hours of daylight each day, oranges can take up to 10 months to grow and fully ripen, absorbing nearly 3000 hours of direct sunlight per fruit. That is a lot of sunshine!

This is nature's gift to us in it's purest form, so colorful and sweet. Fruits are truly nature's candy, full of living nutrients and sunlight. This also holds true for sun kissed leafy greens that use chlorophyll to take in the energies of the sun via photosynthesis.

So have yourself a tropical fruit picnic on a sunny afternoon, add a few greens and indulge in your bowl of sunshine!

AFFIRMATIONS FOR EMOTIONAL EATING

The following affirmative prayer is something I try to do on a daily basis. I have found it to be very helpful in staying connected, in the flow, and in the right mindset on my raw food journey! I truly credit this practice for helping me cope with emotional eating!

Set aside a few moments each day, create a calm space and really feel the words you speak. Feel free to change the text around so that the words resonate with you. And remember, the journey to radiant health must integrate mind, body and spirit!

I take this moment to quiet the mind. With each breath I allow my body to soften and relax. I release all emotional stress from my mind and body. I open my heart to love, embracing the living essence of Life within. 

I thank the Divine for all the good in my life. I trust my inner strength, for I own my power. I am inspired by love and guided by truth. Life is always here to lovingly support me. I am always safe and taken care of. Only love is in my path. 

I create a healthy, delightful world for myself. I give myself the gift of genuine love, welcoming laughter and good health into my life. 

I nourish my body with a vibrant, living cuisine that sustains my beauty... giving me a healthy, natural, radiant glow. I crave only the foods that bring nature’s love and nourishment to my heavenly body. 

My body is sacred, I treat it with love and respect. I am nature’s perfection, I am healthy and whole. It is my destiny to live vibrantly healthy.

I enjoy a healthy lifestyle, keeping my body nourished and fit. I trust my body’s wisdom and intelligence to lovingly slim my figure naturally, with ease and grace. I trust my body’s wisdom to heal from within. 

Eating clean, healthy foods brings vitality and healing. I love and deeply appreciate my beautiful, magnificent body. I honor and thank my body for maintaining balance, harmony and good health. I am my most radiant, healthy and beautiful self. 

I open my heart and mind in receiving all the good of the world. I choose to experience and embody perfect health. I lovingly accept a happy, abundant, healthy reality.

I am a beloved child of this beautiful world and I deserve all the beauty of the world. Thank you for my vibrant health. Today is a new day… and each day to come brings forth more beauty, joy, and vibrant health! 

These are my beliefs! I allow all levels of my being to fully accept and integrate these beliefs.

With love and gratitude I release this truth onto Life!

And so it is.

OVERCOMING EMOTIONAL EATING

My earliest memories of emotional eating go as far back as elementary school. By my teens it had escalated to something that was very difficult for me to control.

Food became the only thing that could calm my emotional anxiety and fill an emotional void. I felt as though food controlled me, it tempted and manipulated me. I literally woke up every single morning panicked with worry, wondering how the day would unfold. Would today be any different? Would I actually start that diet, or would I give into the pain and eat my way back to the comfort of emotional numbness?

I felt that my struggle with emotional eating was at the center of everything that was wrong in my life. If only I could release myself from the grip food had on me... I would no longer feel tormented by food, I would slim down and feel comfortable in my own skin, I would finally attract the man of my dreams and feel more confident to pursue the life I had always envisioned! I blamed my compulsive relationship with food for not having achieved any of these things.

I remember so many days when I just wanted to give in and give up. What if I could just move away where no one knew who I was? I could hide out and eat anything I wanted, whenever I wanted, as much as I wanted. Sure that would mean settling, but I'd be set free from my internal food conflict. Or so I told myself. 

It was only when I started to understand the role my thoughts played in creating my life that it finally dawned on me, my negative associations (in terms of what food meant to me) had to change. Food represented something destructive in my life, and I needed to change that relationship. I had to associate food with something positive and healing. It was for this very reason that I was drawn to the concept behind raw foods. I love knowing that the foods I eat today nourish me and bring nature’s purity and healing to my body.


The one thing that has really helped me on my journey to overcoming emotional eating is to define for myself exactly how I wanted my ideal diet and lifestyle to look like. Drawing from the knowledge of the many health books I’ve read over the years, coupled with my own intuitive knowledge, I created some guidelines for myself that I felt were appropriate and realistic for me.

It feels wonderful having a custom lifestyle plan just for me! In fact, it gives me that much more incentive to stick with the lifestyle, because I know it’s mine and a lot of thought went into it.

I can truly say that by connecting back to a natural way of eating, food has taken on a whole new meaning for me. It is no longer something I desperately need to calm fear and anxiety, but rather something that brings healing and nourishment to my body.

But I also keep in mind that it’s an ongoing journey. I try to stay flexible as I continue to evolve and fine tune my diet and lifestyle. I have learned to let things go and not give myself a hard time when I'm not on my best behavior. I truly give myself love and understanding every step of the way (especially during an emotional relapse).

In overcoming emotional eating, I believe it begins with learning to love ourselves. Issues around eating, whether it's expressed through binging or starving, is a form of self punishment and self sabotage. As I continue to love and accept myself, I find that I have far less self-destructive tendencies. Plus, the cleaner I eat the more clarity I have about the choices I make, and thus it gets easier!

So breathe, and surrender yourself to the truth and wisdom of nature! In admiration of nature's beauty you will find a simple universal truth, that only the perfection and magnificence of nature can bring perfection and magnificence into our lives.