What's Your Potential?

"505" is my six year old son's new nickname according to his sensei. Last week he did 505 push ups non stop for the push up challenge at his karate school. Previously, he did 250 push ups but another student beat his record. He's back in first place.

This was a great teaching experience because I like to emphasize to my child that striving for your full potential is most important. Yes, I'm mighty proud that he was able to do 505 push ups in about 20 minutes. But that wasn't the point. I'm interested that he did his very best. If you do your best you never have to worry about the what ifs. So many people tend to quit too soon or be satisfied doing the bare minimum in life. They choose to be mediocre and ordinary. That's not what life is all about.

I learned from Dr. Bernie Siegel in nutrition school that realizing a person's full potential is what matters. Dr. Siegel's grandmother saw something special in him that no one else saw. Every single person has his worth. You take what God gives you and you give it your all. You use your God given talents to do good. Whether it's lending a helping hand, lifting someone up who's emotionally down or stuck, or inspiring others to be their best, we all have something to give to the world to make it a more beautiful place.

So how did my boy do 505 push ups in good form non stop? Determination. He had a goal. He also lives a very healthy lifestyle. In our home he is exposed to very little poisons and chemicals (I am careful and choosy in what brands we use on our bodies, for laundry, etc.) and he eats a 90 to 95 percent organic, local and seasonal diet. We purchase from local organic farms and my boy eats a large array of dark leafy greens and vegetables. Very little junk goes into his system because he understands that junk only brings problems while organic whole foods fuel the body. Commit to a healthy lifestyle and you'll see that you can avoid chronic illness and disease. Beat disease the smart easy way simply with the right foods. And be your best self going forward.

Well done "505"! Mama and daddy love you!

The Body Never Lies

My dad retired from the Navy in the summer of 1986 when I was ten years old. From that point my dad prepared the breakfasts. I remember hearing sounds in the kitchen first thing in the morning. I heard the sound of my mom’s Salad Master pans being placed on the stove. I remember the sound of eggs sizzling on the pan and the scent of freshly brewed coffee. And I can still hear the sound of my dad sneezing incessantly echoing throughout the house. One time I counted. He sneezed at least twenty times without pause.

I remember my first autumn in Central New York. Our neighbors invited us over for a bonfire party. They had wine and beer and I was offered a pinot noir. I remember having two and a half glasses. Well, that tipped my alcohol limit. The next day I didn’t feel so well. The alcohol was indeed poison. I believed that I had cold-like symptoms so I treated the symptoms with natural herbal and food remedies. After a while I thought it was strange that I wasn’t getting any better. Then finally after two weeks I realized that I didn’t have a cold. I had allergies. The alcohol was poisonous to my system which triggered an autoimmune response and an imbalance in my body which caused my allergy symptoms. So I made myself the proper natural remedies and in three days I was all better.

The body never lies. It is that smart. It gives us signs all the time but we refuse to listen. When someone sneezes uncontrollably the body is actually alerting us and screaming, “Help! Help!” But instead we succumb to our pitiful existence and do nothing to change our diets and bad habits.

No, it’s not normal to be sneezing twenty to thirty times straight. It’s not normal to have to wipe a runny nose ever. We try to shush our bodies with alcohol, cigarettes, prescription medications, over the counter drugs like Benadryl or NyQuil but as I’ve mentioned the body never lies. And you can never cover up the lies.

Allergies Go Away

Yesterday I sent a text message to a friend.  I hadn’t seen her in a while and just wanted to check in.  She replied that she and her two young sons weren’t feeling so well.  The culprit?  It was allergies.  As I was reading my friend’s messages, my son’s sensei at the karate school came over to say, “Thank you for the eggs!”  He is currently celebrating 40 years of his black belt status.  That’s quite an achievement so I thought I’d give him some local, pasture raised eggs from happy chickens since I remembered that he eats about 30 eggs a week.  He then started to tell me that since my family and I have been coming to his karate school he’s been suffering from allergies.  Allergies, allergies, and more allergies.  It’s that time of the year.

In the past few years I’ve worked with people whose allergies have pretty much disappeared.  A relative that I health coached had really bad allergies.  She was taking Flonase ever single day. We worked with food and eventually she went from taking the Flonase every single day to once a month to once in a while to none at all. This was just working with food.  Today she doesn’t use Flonase and her blood pressure is almost in normal range that she doesn’t need to take her high blood pressure medication all the time.  She’s even lost a little weight.  A friend had bad allergies last summer.  I made her an allergy herbal tea and in a matter of a few days she was better. Another relative told me that she’s allergic to cats.  I sent her the same allergy herbal tea. After a few months she noticed that she could tolerate being near her cats.  She stopped taking her allergy medicine and consistently drank the allergy herbal tea.  I told my son’s sensei that I’ll be giving him some allergy herbal tea the next time I see him.  

Food is medicine.  it’s pure and it’s gentle.  When you start to understand the medicinal benefits of food and incorporate real food into your diet, your world changes for the better.  It’s so simple.  Just start with food - organic, local, and seasonal.

Do you suffer from seasonal, environmental or food allergies?  How badly do you want them to go away?

Local, Local, Local

When I was still in a fast-paced corporate life, I often heard the mantra location, location, location.  Fast forward ten years later and the world as I know it has changed.  Now my favorite phrase is local, local, local.

I have gladly changed gears and careers.  I got out of the corporate rat race and competing with the Joneses mentality for a kinder, slower paced and relaxed lifestyle much better suited to who and where I am today.   I'm so glad I did because at the rate I was going I was headed towards a heart attack.  Plus I like myself a hundred times better now.

So why have I adopted local, local, local?  Why do I live by it as much as possible and I promote it to everyone I know and meet?  It's simple.  Follow a seasonal, local diet and you will notice a difference in your physical and emotional state and your health will improve greatly.

I used to think that as long as I ate organic I would be getting the very best in nutrition.  Well, that's not necessarily true.  Many people do not consider that grocery stores source food from all over.  You will find produce from different regions of the US and even other countries.  By the time that produce hits the stores there's practically nothing left in nutrients and vitamins.  

And this was one of the reasons that got me sick in the first place.  Even though I was eating organic at the time, I was severely nutrient deficient because my body was unable to absorb nutrients. 

While I'm a proponent of eating organic I am very much in support of patronizing local produce and local farmers who grow without unnecessary chemicals, pesticides and herbicides.  God bless them because who knows how hard they are working to produce good, honest, organic local food!   

Fresh local, organic food is medicine.  I'm willing to spend on high quality, freshly picked, local and organic produce in order to avoid antibiotics and maintenance meds now and in the future.  I am thankful every day that my family and I have been able to steer clear of antibiotics, pharmaceutical drugs, and prescription medicine.  I believe that eating clean, local, and organic food has boosted our immunity.  My four year old son has never been on antibiotics and I'd like to keep it that way for as long as possible.

You might be wondering how to find locally grown organic produce.  One solution would be to have your own organic garden.  Research biodynamic farming and learn how to do organic gardening the right way.  Imagine the convenience of walking out into your backyard to harvest your favorite vegetables and herbs!

If growing your own produce isn't your thing, farmers markets is an alternative.  They are an outstanding place to find local produce and products.  There's a large one in Syracuse called the CNY Regional Market (which is on my list of places to visit).  Cazenovia and Skaneateles have farmers markets as well.     

Finally, consider joining a CSA (community supported agriculture).  Start with  www.localharvest.org to find a local CSA.  CSAs are the solution to the concern that organic is too pricey.  CSAs are great value for what you are getting.  There just is no better deal in town.  Not sure which CSA to join?  Talk to local farmers (especially farmers who grow organic) near you and visit their farms.  They are more than happy to answer questions and many times they will give you a tour of their farm.

Know your farmer.  Eat local and seasonally.  Listen to your body.  To your health and happiness!

Favorites in Central New York

Visit www.localharvest.org to learn about local CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture).

Go see my friend Emily at Greyrock Farm in Cazenovia.  She gives the best customer service and the best ideas for how to prepare the delicious organic food the farm offers.  Greyrock sells grass-fed meats and bones, raw grass-fed milk and many other local dry goods.

Black Brook Organic Farm in Skaneateles has been a certified organic farm for 20 years.  Kendra and Paul grow the best looking organic produce I've ever seen.  Every time we buy the food is super fresh and delectable.  They are also the owners of our favorite farm to food truck in CNY called Potatoes & Molasses.  

Looking to grow your very own herb garden?  Go to Lee's Feed Store in Syracuse.  They sell organic potting soil called Vermont Ag Moo Grow and Moo Doo (cow manure).  Kendra at Black Brook Organic has been using these for years.

The Yard in Manlius is a fun, unique outdoor market open on Sundays.  You can find Black Brook Organic Farm there as well as other local talented vendors.  They have live music, local beer, Ironwood pizza, and more!  

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“Know your farmer. Eat local and seasonally. Listen to your body. ”

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