I relish my flannel sheets and my comfy pillow. My nightstand has all that I need at my fingertips; ear plugs, mouth guard, lavender oils, lip balm and of course my headphones. Listening to an inspirational talk, music, story or mediation is something I look forward to every night.

Of course—not being entirely perfect—I do break down and sneak in some Seinfeld or Scrubs some nights. Once the pillows are in the perfect position, my earphones are in (or at least one of them in and an earplug in the other ear—I’m usually on my side). I can relax and wind down with some Yoga Nidra or a good night-time story to lull me to sleep.

However, there are nights when the “insomnia beast” rears its ugly head. That’s when I am in an endless mind loop of things I should have done…things I shouldn’t have said…things to do tomorrow and other stuff crashing around in my brain distracting me from the rest I need.

I recently listened to Cate Stillman talk to Meaghan Minogue, who had great advice for when your mind starts to do this. Just say NO. NO! I will not let my brain take me down that road and NO I will not let my mind take over with these distracting thoughts.

Like I said, sleep is my keystone habit. When I sleep well my day starts right. It’s a fact. I’ve struggled with insomnia for more years than I can talk about. However, with the 10 Habits I am slowly able to call myself a “former insomniac.” And that feels good.

Throughout my career as a Wellness professional, I’ve seen the need for improved self esteem, confidence, and self-love in many of my clients. So why aren’t we talking about it?

I believe that it’s the one thing many of us are here to learn. To truly love ourselves. This is the common thread for so many people whom I have worked with over the past 30 years. And it’s one of the biggest factors that prevents them from healing their own lives.

So why do we cling so tightly to our choice to not love ourselves? Why does the declaration of love for one’s self seem taboo? For each person, there are different reasons. Family environment, social surroundings, economic status, gender, race, religion can all play a role.

Still, I feel there is a greater problem at play here beyond our personal environment. It’s the problem is that not loving ourselves has actually served us in some way. At some point in our lives, it became easier to go with the flow of lowering our self esteem. It feels safer to comply than to rebuke what the world around has implied is our reality. Even when that’s not true. In an attempt to protect us from the outside world’s opinions, we became part of the problem. And so, many go on feeling unworthy because, in some way, that has been what they were told they were. And then those messages became our beliefs about ourselves.

Here is some of the misconstrued thinking I have heard over the years;

“I don’t deserve to love myself.”

“A good person loves others first.”

“We should put others before ourselves.”

“We must please those around us, or risk ridicule and judgement.”

“I’d rather not rock the boat.”

“It’s easier to continue to hurt myself than to allow the world to hurt me anymore.”

These words are heartbreaking, yet I can relate because I used to believe some of these things too! But beliefs can be changed. I have since turned those false beliefs around and I am no longer afraid to love myself. It might be a long, slow road to accept and eventually learn to love one’s self. But iif I can do this then you can too.

It’s time to stop beating yourself up. Time to learn ways to accept and honor yourself. Learning to love ourselves is not an overnight job. A few years worth of effort may have to go in to reverse the damages done. And even then, some of the emotional baggage may still be carried with you. Yet, there is hope. You can learn to change how you feel about yourself. To see yourself as worthy, and loveable, and as enough just as you are.

We have been fed a lie by the world around us that we are less than whole. The first step is to acknowledge this. Then we can start to look for small ways to start bringing in practices to improve the way we feel about ourselves.Learning to care for your body, mind and spirit with nurturing movement, a healthy diet, self compassion and self forgiveness, are the best places to start. Keep things simple and choose gentle changes at first. Start with the suggestions below, and work with them for a while. Notice how they begin to shift the way you feel towards yourself over time.

Take a moment.  Take sacred time for yourself every day. Numerous times.  Each morning, pause in the shower or bath, close your eyes and take a few slow breaths. Tell yourself that these few moments are for you only. There is no rush, you are worth this 30 seconds to pause and breath some kindness into your body. Assure yourself that even if you don’t know how yet, you are willing to feel loving thoughts toward yourself. – This is a very slow starting place, but it can be effective over time. Keep gifting yourself these few moments each day for as long as it takes until you begin to notice that you start to look forward to this sacred time of yours. Increase these moments over time and begin to bring them in more places throughout your day. At bedtime, during a lunch break, mid-afternoon. This practice can be very subtle yet powerful.

Massage your skin with oil. The art of touch is a very powerful tool for shifting how we feel towards our bodies. We can learn to forgive the body for its perceived faults and imperfections. For seemingly letting us down and not being the perfect image of what we thought it should be. And we can connect to the body to bring in healing and improve self confidence.

Choose an organic oil like sunflower seed oil, olive oil, or coconut oil. After you bathe or shower is an opportune time to massage your body. If you feel awkward about giving your whole body a rub down, then simply start with the hands and the feet. Lay out an old towel that you don’t mind getting a little oil stained. Don’t use your good towels. Sit somewhere comfortably – perhaps on a folded towel. Pour a small amount of the oil into your palms and rub the oil between the palms to warm it. You can add a little more oil later as you need it. Begin to gently rub the oil onto the feet or the hands. Use a soft touch to begin, and massage all the fingers and toes. Move on to gently wring the hands (or feet) with a firm squeezing action. Work to your comfort level with this. You may wish to close your eyes and soften your breath. With the eyes closed simply notice how this feels. If you are comfortable with your massage you may choose to move up to the wrist or the ankles, then even further up the limbs. Work up the body as far as you feel comfortable. Make sure not to rush your massage.

Devote time for this at least a few times per week. You can eventually increase to a daily morning and evening massage. This will also help you connect more deeply with your body. As your massage evolves, you can begin to tell your body kind things and thank it for all your body does for you each day. Breathing, pumping blood to your heart and so on. Forgive your body – or better yet, you can ask your body to forgive you for any harm you may have caused it in the past.Send some loving kindness into the cells and tissues of your body. And watch how this changes your feelings toward yourself over time. Self massage can be a deeply self loving method for healing emotion and pain.

Say, “Hello” to your mirror. How often have you looked in the mirror and cringed or criticized the face looking back at you? Probably many, if not hundreds of times.  Looking at our own face in the mirror is sometimes tough. Certainly most of us are not taught to look with love into the image staring back at us. This may be a difficult practice to begin, and yet this is a powerful way to open a more loving dialogue with ourselves.

You can use your bathroom mirror or a compact handheld one if you like. Begin by looking at your own eyes. Try to hold your own gaze for a count of 10. While you do this, offer a soft smile to yourself. Breathe. For some people this can be incredibly tough, so hang in there. This is big work.  Next, while still looking into your eyes, say these words to yourself, “Hello, (your name). I am willing to love you.” You may need many attempts over a few days or even weeks before you feel comfortable enough to move deeper into conversation with your mirror self.

When you feel ready, offer these words to yourself, “ I love you, I really, really love you.” Again, this may be very difficult, yet the effort over time is worth the payoff. As you become more comfortable with this exercise you may notice how it positively affects your self esteem and confidence.

Healthy Eating. This one may seem obvious, yet time and time again, I have come across people who haven’t realized the connection between how they feel mentally, emotionally and physically to what they are eating. Cleaning up our diet by removing excess sugar, fats and processed foods can have a rewarding effect on our overall health and mental well being. This plays out in how we feel in so many ways. From the common feelings of guilt for overeating, eating junk food and beverages, to the mood swings related to a sugar crash, or the anxiety connected with too much caffeine use. When we begin to cut back or eliminate unhealthy substances, we actually improve our mood. And our emotional state will shift as a result of stepping out of the self guilt cycle that many feel after choosing to eat junk that we know is not good for us.

Beyond consciously choosing to eat unhealthy foods and then feel bad about it, there are also chemical effects on our physiology occurring that you might not be conscious of. These side-effects can be detrimental. They stand in the way of our capacity to feel love towards ourselves by making us feel more lethargic, cranky and less patient. Combat these food-related cycles by adding in more healthy foods. Eat your veggies! Shift to bigger portions of vegetables and fruits, leaving less room on your plate for the other stuff. An increase of real fruit and vegetables into your diet, not canned, processed, or packaged ones, will boost your vitamin, mineral and fibre intake. Which improves your body’s ability to manage the hormones that affect your moods. This is a win, win situation. Not only can your body, then function better physically, your mood also improves too. It’s easier to feel good about ourselves when we are in a more positive mood.

Hold these practices close and keep them to yourself in the beginning. Think of your process as fragile and delicate. Be kind and gentle. Practice them consistently. And, over time, you can begin to move toward accepting yourself more and eventually liking parts of yourself, and then loving yourself again.

Our habits are not our own. Our habits are cultural or micro-cultural. And our habits may or may not be the habits of Body Thrive. When we start to recognize that, we realize we have opportunities to practice communicating with care and candor in our micro-cultures. Words carry vibration and energy. When we communicate with care and candor, it carries far beyond ourselves. We evolve culture.

What you’ll get out of tuning in:

• What is the criteria of a good ground rule.
• Why communicating with care and candor is a key ground rule for dynamic groups.
• How communicating with care and candor can help us evolve culture.

Links Mentioned in Episode:

• Discover more about Body Thrive 
• Body Thrive Book

Show Highlights:

• 0:00 – Communicate with Care + Candor is one of the “Ground Rules for Dynamic Groups” that we use in the Yogahealer courses. Care creates a feeling of trust and support in a group. By contrast, candor can feel very edgy, but it’s necessary for growth.
• 3:40 – Our habits are not our own. Our habits are cultural or micro-cultural. And our habits may or may not be the habits of Body Thrive. When we start to recognize that, we realize we have opportunities to practice communicating with care and candor in our micro-cultures. The holidays are a prime opportunity to do that.
• 9:50 – The ground rules don’t have to be perfect, but they have to be good enough to help you start to change your behaviors. With regard to communicating with care and candor, we can change our behavior from complaining to others about a problem over which they have no control to directly communicating a problem, with care and candor, to the person or persons who CAN address the problem.
• 11:10 – Words carry vibration and energy. When we communicate with care and candor, it carries far beyond ourselves. We evolve culture.
• 13:38 – One way we can communicate with care and candor is to ask for what we need with specificity.

Favorite Quotes:

• “When we talk about evolutionary groups and we talk about dynamic groups and we talk about these guidelines, they’re not just words at all. They’re simply words that are pointing toward very strong potential truths. And it’s really next-level living. It’s like the rulebook of higher level living.” — Cate Stillman
• “These ground rules don’t have to be perfect. They have to be good enough to help you change your behaviors.” — Cate Stillman
• “If we go back back to the ground rule that there’s an edge to candor and there’s an edge to care . . . something shifts. And that shift is not for our benefit only. . . . It’s so much beyond us. . . . We’re actually evolving culture.” — Cate Stillman

To find balance in the midst of this changeable season, Vata needs deep rhythm. This could look like a consistent routine of daily habits that help set the pace for ease and grace during the coming months. Or it might look like new rhythmic ways of nourishing yourself with easily digestible foods that help ignite your digestive fire while grounding your inner spaciousness.

To tap into your best autumn rhythm check out this simple and versatile soup recipe which includes activating spices and earthy seasonal veggies – a satisfying meal that helps feed your autumn fire.

But first, let’s explore more deeply deeper how this recipe helps balance the vata qualities of autumn.

Like Attracts Like While Opposites Balance.

One of the ways we can balance Vata is by including foods that have the opposite qualities of this dosha. Since Vata is known to be cool, light, dry and rough, the opposite qualities we should include in our diet are foods that are warm, oily, soft, and sticky.

What you choose to nourish yourself with can greatly support balance during this dry windy season, or instead invite the subtle energy of Vata to become sporadic in a way that compromises your health. You may notice when this imbalance occurs with disruptions in your sleep or mood, physical achiness, and spending more time in the restroom. So then how do you avoid this imbalance? To optimize balance add in deep rhythm by eating at a consistent time every day and by choosing foods that offer these grounding and balancing qualities.

Spices and Agni

Agni is the digestive fire within your belly. With strong Agni comes the ability to fully digest and assimilate your food and year-long vitality and health. Spices and herbs are great kindling for this fire because they contain robust flavors that signal the body to produce specific fluids that support your digestion. This is important because autumn is the ideal time of year to boost the immune system which resides largely in the gut.

Seasonal Veggies

Choosing to eat seasonal and local produce helps you attune to nature’s rhythms. In the northern hemisphere think of the squash, tubers and other veggies that are growing close to the ground this time of year. The earthiness of these veggies is very stabilizing for the subtle qualities of autumn and Vata. Now onto the recipe!

Autumn Balance Soup

Ingredients

2 cups of your favorite squash (winter squash varieties need to be peeled)
1 small yellow onion
½ bulb fennel
2 stalks celery
5 baby purple potatoes
2 carrots peeled
1 Tbs ghee (coconut and olive oil also work)
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
Vegetable broth or filtered water
1 lemon or lime
Your favorite fresh herbs chopped
salt to taste

Directions

Wash your veggies and chop them into large 1/2 inch pieces.

In a large pot toast the seeds in the ghee for 2 minutes or until they begin to pop. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and fennel and sauté on medium high for 2 minutes. Add potato, squash and enough filtered water to cover the veggies. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a soft simmer for 20 minutes or until the veggies are soft. No need to cover the pot.

Let the soup cool for a few minutes then add it to a blender that does not completely seal. I recommend using a vitamix. Blend until it’s a smooth consistency. About 20 – 30 seconds does it in a vitamix.

Season with salt to taste and serve with fresh lemon juice and fresh herbs.
This soup goes well with a side of steamed rice.  You can double and triple this recipe as needed.

As you enjoy the creativity, clarity and spaciousness of fall remember to ground yourself into a new rhythm. Seasonal soups like Autumn Balance are the perfect way to create deep nourishment as we move into the last months of the year.

Ever wondered why there is an upsurge in complicated diseases? Auto-immune problems, hormone imbalances and many other complications are on the rise despite recent medical advancements. There can be many reasons to diseases and disorders, but there is one clear and present danger. Plastic!

The Dangers of Plastic

Decades of using plastics have affected our health in a myriad of ways. According to a study published in the Environmental Health Perspectives, newborn infants have hundreds of chemicals in their blood. The contaminants include the plastic additive bisphenol A or BPA, which is known to mimic the hormone estrogen and cause developmental problems and precancerous growth in animals. Most plastic products release harmful chemicals that interfere with your hormones.

Why is plastic so dangerous?

Plastic is a man-made long chain polymer manufactured from petrochemicals or petrochemical by-products. The chemicals in plastics are known endocrine disruptors. They change hormone functions resulting in serious problems like infertility, obesity, and cancer.  

We use many different types of plastics.

Based on the resins used for their manufacture, plastics are typically divided into seven types.  

1.  PETE or PET – Polyethylene Terephthalate – Used for milk, water and soft drink bottles, food wrapping and packing, and kitchen storage containers.
2.  HDPE – High Density Polyethylene – Food and drink containers, detergent, shampoo, cleaners and bleach bottles, poly bags and garbage bags.
3.  PVC – Polyvinyl Chloride – Plumbing, flooring, electrical fittings and cables, interior décor, furniture, clothing, shoes and slipper soles, kitchen utensils and dinnerware, construction material, kids toys and games and many more.
4.  LDPE – Low Density Polyethylene – Mostly used in packaging of prepared food like frozen food, cheese, meats, bread etc.
5.  PP – Polypropylene – Packed foods, microwavable trays, upholstery and furnishing in the  home, office as well as your car.
6.  PS – Polystyrene – Insulation material used in building construction as well as fast food packaging, disposable cups, plates and cutlery, egg trays etc.
7.  Others – All others which are not included in the above list. Like polycarbonate which is widely used in bottling, food packing, home furnishing, construction material, automobiles, computer hardware, electronics, consumer goods, aircraft and many other industries.

How Plastic Destroys Your Body

The toxic chemicals used in the manufacture of plastic cause major diseases and dysfunction. The toxins stay in the body as the liver does not know how to break down the chemical constituents. Over a period of time, the toxins start mimicking the hormones in the body which leads to complications. Some of the related health issues can include:

• Autism
• Autoimmune conditions
• Obesity
• ADHD
• Prostate & breast cancer
• Premature breast development in young girls
• Infertility
• Pregnancy complications
• Birth defects

Research confirms that many potential health problems can be solved by simply avoiding plastics.

Avoiding Plastic to Reduce Personal and Planetary Exposure

While all this information may seem daunting, there are ways to avoid and reduce plastic use. Taking small steps can help reduce our planet’s plastic load as well as our personal exposure to plastic pollutants.

If you are wondering where to start, here are some key small steps we can all adopt:

1. Choose glassware and stainless steel for leftover food storage
2. Use cookware made from stainless steel, cast iron, earthenware or stoneware
3. Use cloth or reusable grocery bags
4. Avoid packaged foods that have a plastic wrap, instead make your own cloth, plant leaves or beeswax coverings
5. Shop local or organic farmers markets instead of buying pre-packaged fruits and vegetables from grocery stores
6. Recycle and re-use

Plastic affects your health as well as the health of our planet. Buying plastic products means saying ”yes” to pollution and health sabotage. Let’s stop the self-destruction by stopping our habit of buying plastics.

Are you ready to break up with plastic?

What suggestions do you have to help reduce and live a plastic-free lifestyle?

Share below!

References

Yang, C., Yaniger, S., et al. Most Plastic Products Release Estrogenic Chemicals: A Potential Health Problem that Can be Solved. Environmental Health Perspectives. July 2011. 119(7), 989-996.

Rosie and  Annette first bonded over midlife reinvention. Rosie left her career in law and moved to Bali. Annette left her nursing career and moved with her husband to California just a couple of years ago.

As it turned out both had studied both yoga and the process of detoxification for a number of years prior to ending up in the Yoga Health Coaching tribe and for both their ideas about the process of detoxification have shifted and evolved.They discuss the absolute necessity to tailor make a detox to address individual needs and goals.

Rosie talks about her time at the Hippocrates Health Institute and her training as a raw food chef. Annette talks about her experimentation with raw food and how her ideas about detoxification have shifted as she completely immersed herself in the study of Ayurveda.

Both are about to embark on a sessional detox. Rosie is a mentor in Cate Stillman’s seasonal Ayurvedic detox and Annette is also running a seasonal detox.

What you’ll get out of tuning in:

• How to work out what you really need from a Detox
• What makes a really good detox
• How to tackle Vata imbalance on a detox
• How to create really great detox recipes

Links Mentioned in the Episode:

• Banyan Botanicals
• NHR
• Annette’s Website
• Rosie’s Website
• YogiDetox Fall

Show Highlights:

• 2:10 — Midlife reinvention
• 4:30 — Anti-inflammatory diet elements
• 7:34 — Styles of detox
• 13:30 — Suggestions for Vata imbalance and smoothies
• 17:00 — What’s in great detox
• 19:00 — How to create recipes

Favorite Quotes:

• It’s almost as if it’s scarier not to do it.” – Annette Shellenbarger
• “Disease…begins in our mind.” – Annette Shellenbarger
• “With time as I head into my menopausal years my digestion has changed.” – Annette Shellenbarger
• “There is no 100% right way.” – Rosie Tait
• “For me now it’s about how I am eating.” – Annette Shellenbarger
• “Then there is the peace and you are not caught up in the madness of this world.” – Rosie Tait

Guest Bio:

Annette Shellenbarger is a Registered Nurse, Ayurvedic Health Counselor, Registered Yoga Teacher, and Certified Yoga Health Coach. As a Registered Nurse, she worked in a kidney transplant unit, pulmonary care unit, oncology, trauma and surgery units, and Public Health.

She is also certified in nutrition through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and is currently a student at California College of Ayurveda. Her life’s desire is to help people change the way they live in order to change the way they feel and age, and is especially passionate about helping people prevent and reverse chronic disease. Annette’s Facebook & Website.

When we’re turning out passion into our career, we sometimes realize we need help, but we’re hesitant to ask for it. As Yoga Health Coaches, we sometimes have to shift our identity and lean into growing edges to mine our resources to get the help we need.

When asking for help from someone with whom you have a prior connection, lead with your heart rather than succumbing to fear. Knowing what their needs are and where they are coming from will help guide the conversation. Practice the deep listening skills we learn in YHC so that you can keep an open ear and an open mind to ideas they might have that might not have occurred to you. And while it’s easy to get caught up in conversation, in the end, we need to be really clear about what’s going to happen, what the next steps are, and what the timeline is.

We all have resources, connections in our communities; we have people who believe in us. We shouldn’t be afraid to step forward and ask for help in the interest of reciprocity and interdependence. It’s part of our identity evolution.

What you’ll get out of tuning in:

• The three questions you need to ask yourself as you try to grow your coaching business.
• How to approach potential resources.
• How to “close” a conversation with a resource.

Links Mentioned in Episode:

• Marcia’s facebook page
• Marcia’s website
• Tania’s facebook page
• YHC Have a conversation
• Watch the Masterclass NOW

Show Highlights:

• 0:00 – When we’re turning out passion into our career, we sometimes realize we need help, but we’re hesitant to ask for it. Sometimes it’s because we don’t want to “bother” others. Sometimes it’s because we’re not really sure who to ask or what to ask for. But we all of resources, people we’re connected to in some way, who believe in what we’re doing.4:00 – For Yoga Health Coaches, we sometimes have to shift our identity and lean into growing edges to mine our resources to get the help we need. Marcia has experience working with non-profit organizations, and it occurred to her recently that she needed to approach her health coaching business much the same way she would a non-profit: by mapping out a plan to get the word out about what she’s doing.

  10:55 – When asking for help from someone with whom you have a prior connection, it’s important to lead with your heart rather than succumb to fear. Knowing what their needs are and where they are coming from will help guide the conversation. Getting clear about the future state we believe is possible is also very important.

  15:00 – When meeting with our resources, it’s important to practice the deep listening skills we learn in YHC so that we can keep an open ear and an open mind to ideas they might have that might not have occurred to us.

  17:30 – While it’s easy to get caught up in conversation with like-minded resources, in the end, we need to be really clear about what’s going to happen, what the next steps are, and what the timeline is.

  18:48 – We all have resources, connections in our communities; we have people who believe in us. We shouldn’t be afraid to step forward and ask for help in the interest of reciprocity and interdependence. It’s part of our identity evolution.

Favorite Quotes:

• “If we don’t take the actions, and we’re not actually doing the work to make these things happen, they’re just not going to happen.” — Marcia Wilson
• “I love being in conversation, so if I get the tiniest little tidbit that helps me organically evolve what I’m working on, then I’m happy.” — Marcia Wilson

For 38 years, Lynda Spieser worked in facilities management for a national food company, leading a team of 20+ people in a deadline-based, high pressure environment. During that time, Lynda developed an autoimmune condition that manifested in her early 40s. She started to question the way she was living and working and took her first yoga class at the age of 55. The benefits were so profound that within two years, Lynda started teaching yoga so that she could share the benefits with others. From there, she went into yoga therapy training where she was introduced to the Body Thrive book. She read the book in one night and knew that it would shape the next phase of her career.

Lynda markets her yoga health coaching course to women 50 and over because she understands that transitional phase that they’re in and how the habits can help them mitigate that with grace and ease. Her program is called “CLAS: Clear Living Awake Space,” so named because the realization that she left no space in her day for herself was what led her to yoga and ayurveda. But that’s not the case anymore. Now in her 60s, Lynda is living her dharma on her own terms and she’s enjoying her journey!

Are you ready to support the growth of others by stepping into your dharma? Talk to Grace Edison

If you’ve never looked into the Habits of Body Thrive, and structure of the course – it’s well worth your time. Check out the details here

What you’ll get out of tuning in:

• Why it’s never too late to change your career.
• How your past experience can lead you to and support you in your dharma.
• Why your niche is what you know.

Links Mentioned in Episode:

• Lynda’s website
• Lynda’s facebook page
• Body Thrive
• YHC Have a conversation
• Watch the Masterclass NOW

Show Highlights:

• 0:00 – For 38 years, Lynda Spieser worked in facilities management for a national food company, leading a team of 20+ people in a deadline-based, high pressure environment. During that time, Lynda developed an autoimmune condition that manifested in her early 40s. She started to question the way she was living and working and took her first yoga class at the age of 55. The benefits were so profound that within two years, Lynda started teaching yoga so that she could share the benefits with others. From there, she went into yoga therapy training where she was introduced to the Body Thrive book. She read the book in one night and knew that it would shape the next phase of her career.
• 5:33 – Upon joining the Body Thrive course, the first thing Lynda realized was how sleep deprived she had been. The difference in the way she feels now compared to how she felt before she started practicing the habits is profound. The skin condition caused by her autoimmune disease is 80% resolved, but it didn’t happen overnight. She’s learned to appreciate slow, small steps, and she’s learned to enjoy the journey.
• 9:20 – The longer we’ve been practicing “bad” habits, the longer it takes for us to get the full benefit of better habits. That’s why Body Thrive is a year-long course with multiple iterations. With each round of the course, growth occurs in both breadth and depth. Although Lynda is over 60 years old, she’s in awe of quickly the body responds to better habits.
• 11:20 – Behavioral science plays a big role in Yoga Health Coaching. Identity evolution is a huge part of Body Thrive. When you start to see yourself differently, you start to behave differently.
• 13:30 – In her previous career, Lynda had been coaching groups. Now she combines the skills she developed there with the skills she learned in Yoga Health Coaching to teach something that is meaningful to her. In fact, we all bring previously developed skills to our coaching, and it seems to many of us that everything we’ve done and learned up to this point has been preparing us to coach the habits.
• 15:37 – Lynda markets to women 50 and over because she understands that transitional phase that they’re in and how the habits can help them mitigate that with grace and ease. Her coaching program is called “CLAS: Clear Living Awake Space,” so named because the realization that she left no space in her day for herself was what led her to yoga and ayurveda.

Favorite Quotes:

• “YHC has very much given me permission to take my time and let it unfold.” — Lynda Spieser
• “Much of what pointed me in the direction of yoga and ayurveda was realizing that I left no space in my day. And I was preprogrammed the whole time. So I was living on the surface of feeling and sensing.” — Lynda Spieser

Guest BIO:

 I experienced overwhelm, a component of which was the corporate environment. Coincidentally, I designed, built and managed corporate office work environments for over 25 years. I am uniquely positioned to see the challenges through both lenses AND to coach individuals to a more spacious place and business to support that shift by enhancing their environments. I understand the pull towards success AND I know that getting there is facilitated by taking care, body and mind, today to be productive and thriving tomorrow.

I am excited to also bring clear living awake space to individuals in their homes. Connect with Lynda on her website and facebook page.

My training in the conversation of health began when I started practicing as an occupational therapist in the traditional medical system. Over time, my work with clients with chronic disease and my own health challenges shifted my perspective- I began to look at health management and disease prevention through a broader lens.  

But it was my most recent studies in Yoga Health Coaching where my ideas on health care took an even bigger turn as I started to learn and experience the massive benefits of implementing a daily routine that is repeatable and simple. Now, as I teach my clients the benefits of eating an earlier dinner, going to bed earlier, and waking earlier to meditate and move, the significant change I am seeing in their physical and mental well being is telling me that there is an untold story of health that needs to be shared.

A Simple Lesson in Prioritizing

So let’s backtrack.

One of the things I’ve always admired about my friend is that she has a strong capacity to handle a large amount of challenge with grace and ease. This is something I have struggled with- for much of my adult life I have slept too little and worked too much. When I don’t get enough sleep or the right type of sleep I’m not able to show up effectively in my relationships, my work is sub par, and everything suffers.

Studying dinacharya- the Ayurvedic recommendations for daily habits and routines- I learned that my ideas of “self care” were heavily informed by the media and traditional models of medical care .

But recently I remembered that one of the greatest teachings I received about self-care was from this friend. And it dovetails beautifully with the Yoga Health Coaching approach that I now use. This is what she told me:

Sleep first – it is the most important priority.  If you have slept enough you can make better decisions. THEN focus on food choices and eating in a way that is nourishing. From this solid base of rest and nutrition you are set- exercise becomes more accessible and you can start to build a healthier body.

What my friend offered me was a clear hierarchy of how to care for myself.  I remember that it made sense- and that I unsuccessfully tried to make some changes in my routine. I realize now that this was my first experience of experimenting with creating self care habits for myself.

So here’s the thing – if family physicians knows that sleep and eating and movement are critical for health, we can then ask how  health professionals effectively help their clients start to make these critical shifts? How can we help people pro-actively choose to go to bed earlier when work, laundry, relationships, and even down time are all calling us to stay up to midnight?

Introducing Three Key Habits and the World of Habit Change Science

We know that there is significant research that shows us self-care is critical for managing chronic illness like diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

We also know that most of us don’t know how to get started or how to create these new self care habits.  That’s why my friend’s “Sleep First” advice – as much as it resonated with my view of self care- was not accessible for me.  I didn’t know how to create a routine from an idea.

In his book “Getting Things Done” David Allen tells us when are goals are too big-  when we have not identified a small enough “next action” to get started- we can become paralyzed. For me buying new tires for my car is like this:  if my to-do list says “buy new summer tires” I can’t get started. What next action will mobilize me? If I take this to-do and make it into the tiniest action what I write down instead is “ask my brother what tires he recommends.”  

A similar approach can work for our clients.  Start with the most critical habits. Start with one at a time. And most importantly use of the concept of kaizen to help them get started.

Kaizen- Good Change

Kaizen means “good change.” A concept that evolved from wartime, it’s about small continuous change- small improvements that add up to bigger change over time. Everytime we look to create new habits in self care, a kaizen approach can help us to create the kind of small next actions that will give us success and prevent paralysis.

So what does this look like when we are talking about self care habits and the world of Ayurveda?  When we look at the Ayurvedic daily routine we can see that three key habits form the basis for good health- Earlier Lighter Dinner, Early to Bed, and Start the Day Right.  These habits follow the natural rhythm of the Ayurvedic clock and the corresponding circadian rhythm. And each one of them can be approached using kaizen as a tool.

Three Key Habits

Habit one is all about eating an Earlier Lighter Dinner. When we eat earlier- ideally by 6pm- we are able to digest our food more effectively before we go to sleep, and the physiological processes of recovery and growth that happen on a biochemical level are more effective and more available to us. Through the lens of kaizen and earlier later dinner could look like eating off a smaller plate so less food is consumed, replacing beef with tofu in a stir fry, or dialling dinner back from 7pm to 6:30pm. Encouraging our clients to eat their largest meal in the middle of the day gives them a greater chance of letting go of the “big dinner” mentality that often comes with a busy lifestyle.

Habit two is Early to Bed. Going to bed before 10 PM is critical as it helps us avoid the second wind that many people experience with a rise of energy that naturally occurs after 10 PM. How do we change our bed time?  The kaizen is approach here could include rolling bedtime back by 15 minutes at a time, adding in a habit like a sleep inducing foot massage before bed, or moving your daily shower to bed time instead of the morning so that work and other alerting activities are less accessible and less desirable.

Habit three is called Start to the Day Right. This habit teaches us that getting up before six, drinking warm water to encourage a bowel movement, and doing some type of movement, are critical to ensure we wake up feeling light and alert rather than heavy and groggy. People who wake up later often struggle with getting out of bed.  Although a cold turkey approach to getting up earlier can be effective with some people, changing the alarm by just 15 minutes a week can be an effective way to become a morning person. Movement can be as simple as doing 15 jumping jacks or dancing to a song. Drinking warm water? A sip or two can be a start and over time shift into a full intake of a liter.

It’s At Our Fingertips

I think back with gratitude to the framework that my friend introduced me to. She encouraged me to give my need for sleep more attention and introduced me to the idea that I have the ability to make change by taking responsibility for my own routine and habits.

But looking back on my lack of success with changing my own sleep habits makes me realize that creating new health habits is a science- and most of us haven’t learned the basics of how to successfully make this kind of change.

So how can we best help our patients? By educating them about these simple habits of health care, and linking them to a coaching program where they can get help with making the habits real.  Truth is, to make new habits stick we need to learn habit change science AND we need to learn why the habits have value.  Both are needed to make the habits stick.

Wondering who you can refer to? See if there is someone in your community who specializes in habit change and health. Or consider taking the plunge and adding Yoga Health Coaching to your repertoire of skills or as a primary care program offered within your health clinic. Bridging the gap between the idea of self-care and making a change on a personal level is where we can really start to make a difference.

What you’ll get out of tuning in:

• What is online fitness coaching, who does it work for, and why do it?
• What is it like to be an entrepreneur?
• How to use social media to grow your tribe.

Links Mentioned in Episode:

• Body Thrive Book
• YHC Have a conversation
• Chris and Eric Martinez Facebook page
• Chris and Eric Martinez Website
• 5 Tips to Save Time and Be a Healthy Entrepreneur
• 5 Tips to Creating a Micro Movement within your Coaching Business
• Watch the Masterclass NOW

Show Highlights:

• 1:50- Chris and Eric describe what it is like to work as a fitness professional with an online business. What are some of the challenges and what are the benefits in this online fitness and entrepreneurial world?
• 8:00- Cate asks the bothers how they capture their lessons learned in order to leverage them into strengths on the entrepreneurial path.
• 11:00- Where are things going in terms of Personal Trainers? What are some emerging niches within fitness?
• 17:20- How the bothers use social media to grow their tribe and to keep their members informed.

Favorite Quotes:

• “A mind full of conclusions leads to no room for expansion.” – Eric Martinez
• “Whether you are in person or online, it is all about the relationship. It is all about care, connection, follow through, and small incremental improvement.” – Cate Stillman
• “It’s about these long term supportive relationships where we can see growth over time.” – Cate Stillman

Guest’s BIO:

Chris and Eric Martinez, also known as the “Dynamic Duo” operate a world class Online Fitness and Lifestyle Company by the name of “Dynamic Duo Training.” Chris and Eric are also Business coaches that own “The Dynamic Inner Circle” where they help fitness enthusiasts grow their online coaching businesses. Along with being #1 International Best Selling Authors and Speakers, Chris and Eric have worked with thousands of people online and in person to help them look better, feel better, perform better, and live a dynamic lifestyle. They do this through training, nutrition, mindset, personal development, and lifestyle practices. Chris and Eric practice what they preach on a daily basis; they live a dynamic lifestyle, continue to evolve in their training and nutrition, and never become complacent. Their attitude is to be excited every morning and reach for the stars- you deserve it! Connect with Chris and Eric on their Website and Facebook.