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Sometimes you have to slow down, to speed up. Have you ever heard that?

I love goals, challenges, pushing my body and sometimes I think I am invincible (don’t we all?). Then out of nowhere after I’ve run at mach 10, it’s like the rug gets pulled under me. I feel like I get hit with a hammer and all I can do is go for a slow walk and a gentle yoga class. And you know what…that is PERFECT!

Our bodies and our minds aren’t designed to run at that level 24/7…yet we so often expect it to. We feel guilty if we rest or if we lounge. Our adrenals get fatigued and might start to effect other areas of our body negatively. We might get sick with a cold or flu, we get body aches, cranky, snappy, and at a more severe level, we might witness hair loss, weight gain or loss, breakouts, severe mood swings and at worse case, disease.

Noticing when we are running faster than we need to or are designed to do is part of the practice. Getting in tune with how to slow down and rest is a talent. Once we are able to nest, regroup, and heal, usually our bodies can go stronger than it was a few short days ago.

The real beauty is being able to do this in short spurts consistently so we never get to that desperate place that might take months or longer to recover.

Go for the goals, make challenges, yet listen to your body and pull the reigns in now and then so you can slow down, heal, recover and hit the ground running again with vibrant energy! All aspects of your health will thank you for this.

The other day I was hiking with one of my trainers, friends and inspirations, Michelle talking about our goals. She has many…one in particular could potentially happen on her birthday in September. It’s a lofty goal…but she said…”it’s not IMPOSSIBLE that it could happen…therefore it is possible”. I LOVED that!

How many times have we told ourselves it’s just not possible…when in reality, it is possible… because it’s not IMPOSSIBLE.

For example, breathing underwater without a device for me would be impossible…but it’s possible that I can breath underwater with the help of science and great inventors.

It’s impossible for me to climb Mt. Everest without proper training…and likely impossible if I attempt in poor weather and other unexpected conditions…but it could be possible with the right training and circumstances.

The reality is almost anything is possible..anything. That is a hard concept to wrap our heads around because upon that moment, we need to determine if we want to try to create the possibility! That’s where the truth comes in…what are we willing to create and make possible? What are we willing to say in our out loud voice…”I am going to try”! I dare say, it’s even a bit scary to know we have that potential!

To reign this in a bit; is it possible (I didn’t say “probable”) tomorrow you could wake up and for the first time in years (if ever) drink 80 ounces of purified water, eat foods rich in anti oxidants and nutrients and exercise for 60 minutes? Is that fathomable? Is it IMPOSSIBLE, or possible?

Maybe you wake up tomorrow and start to work on a project which will change your life…for the better…something bigger than you thought possible. It is not IMPOSSIBLE that something exceptionally life altering could happen tomorrow…therefore, as Michelle would say…it’s possible!

Think outside the box and create your possibilities!

The other day I was in my car for several hours and instead of multi tasking on the phone, or my usual, listening to books on tape or music, I turned off all stimulus and checked out the sites. Driving through the more populated areas I repeatedly saw fast food restaurants. This, of course, is of no shock to most of us as we have become conditioned to seeing the Golden Arches, big buckets of fried food advertisements and burger billboards everywhere. These have been around for decades. What I am noticing now which haven’t seen around for decades are dialysis clinics, cancer treatment centers, stores selling wheelchairs and other walking devices and Pharmacies to fill up prescriptions…fast.

I had to wonder “would we need these stores and clinics if decades ago we ate from farmer’s markets, fruit and vegetable stands and other more natural food options”?

Today, we are blessed in so many ways to have something on every corner to grab. We have choices. We can veer to the right and head in to a grab and go stop or drive 2 mi down the road (slightly inconvenient) and get something more wholesome. Is the 2 mile drive worth the extra 5 minutes to ward of potential clinic visits in a decade from now? How inconvenient is it to take medications and leave activities because our blood pressure is too high or we can’t regulate our bodies’ temperature well due to diabetes? One has to wonder…or at least be aware of the chain of events which could (maybe…maybe not) occur if we continually choose Plan A.

My brain becomes curious with these questions. We truly can get numb to the devastating possibilities when we get rushed.

Take a break from your stimulus next time you drive. Could be life changing.

Tammy Parkinson

Salt is a controversial topic.  We need it to live and we love the taste of it.  However do we really know what we are getting when we choose foods with salt already added.  I found this article and thought I’d share…

Mineral Salt VS Table Salt

Most people buy iodized salt from the grocery store and don’t think a thing about it. They don’t realize that good salt can help give them good health, while refined salt can create some health risks.
Salt comes from the sea. It may have been laid down centuries ago in salt deposits, or it may have been dehydrated from pure seawater. Grocery store salt is different from salt from natural sources. It has been heated—up to 1200° F.! And refined to remove most of the natural elements. Grocery store salt is mostly chemical sodium chloride, while natural salt has up to 84 natural minerals in it.

Your body craves salt. In fact, your blood actually contains 0.9% salt, which maintains the delicate balance of sodium throughout your body. Just about every system in your body needs salt to make it work. It is especially important for your nervous system, but every body structure absolutely requires it. The National Academy of Sciences advises that we consume at least 500 mg. of sodium a day to maintain good health. How much a person actually needs varies quite a bit, depending on their genetics and daily routine.

The Healing Effect of Salt

For thousands of years salt has been known as a panacea. Alchemists called it ‘the fifth element’— besides water, earth, air and fire — because its qualities were comparable only to ether, the actual fifth element. Why are we so drawn to the ocean? Because our subconscious mind instinctively wants to return to the specific vibrational state of the ocean from which we once emerged. This is where we can return to recharge our batteries and regenerate. It was only two-hundred-fifty years ago, with the advent of industrialization, that we initiated our disconnection from nature and her ways.

Fortunately, we are witnessing a trend back to natural, holistic methods for living and caring for our body, including a shift to utilizing natural salts in this process. People everywhere are reconsidering the healing effects of natural crystal salt. We can find it in skin care lotions and for use as bath salts, and it is even used in inhalation or cleansing treatments for illnesses of the respiratory system and for a variety of other indications.

How Salt Became Sodium Chloride

With the advent of industrial development, natural salt was “chemically cleaned” and reduced to the combination of sodium and chloride. Essential minerals and trace elements were removed as impurities. However, sodium chloride is an unnatural, isolated, unwholesome substance having nothing in common with salt. Similar to white, refined sugar, salt, once regarded as white gold, was converted into white poison. However, there is a higher reason for salt having been endowed with all the natural elements found in our bodies.

Sodium chloride is an aggressive substance, which biochemically, is perpetually seeking an equalizing counterpart so that the body’s pH can always remain neutral. Sodium chloride needs its natural counterpart in order for it to produce its effect. The natural counterparts, such as potassium, calcium, magnesium and other minerals and trace elements, demonstrate, from a biophysical standpoint, specific frequency patterns.

These patterns ensure the geometric structures in our body. When these structures are missing, we are without energy and are lifeless. Salt should not be used just to add flavor to our food, but for its vibration pattern, which is similar to our bodies!

The Consequences of Consuming Table Salt

The result of consuming common table salt is the formation of overly acidic edema, or excess fluid in the body tissue, which is also the cause of cellulite. That’s why doctors tell us to avoid salt. For every .035 ounces of sodium chloride that cannot be eliminated, the body uses 23 times (23x) the amount of its own cell water to neutralize the salt.

If the sodium chloride is still too high, re-crystallization of the table salt occurs as the body uses available non-degradable animal proteins (as those found in milk), which also have no value and cannot be broken down and eliminated. The body uses these proteins to produce uric acid in order to get rid of the excess salt.

As the body cannot dispose of uric acid, it binds itself with the sodium chloride to form new crystals that are deposited directly in the bones and joints. This is the cause of different kinds of rheumatism such as arthritis, gout, and kidney and gall bladder stones.

This re-crystallization is the body’s band-aid solution for the cells and organs in order to protect the body from irreparable damage of irresponsible food intake. But in the long run, it poisons the system because those substances cannot be disposed of. Popular diets say you should reduce or even eliminate dietary salt for good health, especially for cardiovascular disease. Perhaps refined table salt, which can act like a poison in your body, can be more of a risk. But the research is undeniable: reducing or eliminating dietary salt is basically wrong. Your body absolutely requires salt, but it has to be the right kind.

Natural health practitioners are convinced that good Original Himalayan crystal sea salt can improve your health. It keeps you safe and healthy during exercise; in fact, high-altitude hikers make sure they get enough so they don’t go into hyperthermia. Taking adequate dietary salt has improved and even eliminated Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Hypertension and stomach cancer have been linked to salt imbalance from improper dietary intake. Cystic fibrosis has been linked to improper salt metabolism.

Expectant mothers are always advised to take enough salt in order to help create a healthy infant.

If you’ve never tried good salt, you are going to be amazed at how good it tastes and how affordable it is. You may also be surprised at how quickly your health improves from using good, natural, organic Himalayan salt.

Recently while with a group of clients, the subject of COQ10 came up. Many have never heard of it’s benefits…or even what it is. I thought I’d put together a “summary” so now you’d be “in the know” with such an important supplement! Of course…if you think this is something to add to your bag of goodies, check with your doctor, especially if you are on any medications.

The body produces coenzyme Q10 naturally. It is a necessary compound for all cells. As the body ages, levels of CoQ10 decrease. Patients with conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer have low levels of the essential compound. Supplementation with CoQ10 eliminates the deficiency and may help to treat these medical conditions, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Chronic Fatigue
Users can take coenzyme Q10 as an energy booster, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. The use of CoQ10 supplements may also relieve the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, but more research is needed to confirm the effect on the condition, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Antioxidant
CoQ10 works in the body as an antioxidant, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Antioxidants attack free radicals in the body that destroy cells. Free radicals occur naturally in the body as it ages, but they are also caused by pollution, UV light and smoking. Antioxidants may help to reduce the damage caused by free radicals.

Heart Disease
The effect of CoQ10 on heart disease may be the result of its antioxidant effect and the improvement in energy in the cells, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Patients who experience heart failure have low levels of the compound and may benefit from supplementation. There is more research needed on the effect of CoQ10 on heart disease and heart failure to determine if it will be helpful to patients, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Cholesterol
Coenzyme Q10 may be used with statin drugs to lower blood cholesterol levels. The supplement may help to prevent coenzyme Q10 deficiency in patients who are taking statin drugs. There has not been sufficient research in the use of CoQ10 in patients with high cholesterol alone, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Blood Pressure
CoQ10 does appear to lower blood pressure in patients. Coenzyme Q10 deficiency is found in patients with high blood pressure, but it is not known if the low levels of the compound are responsible for the condition, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Stomach Upset
The only known side effect of CoQ10 supplementation is an upset stomach in some patients, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Drug Interactions
CoQ10 supplements can interact with other drugs taken for medical conditions such as blood thinning medications, blood pressure medication and some cancer fighting medications. Patients should consult with their doctor before using CoQ10, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.