Bach flower remedies

Bach Flower Remedies

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Bach Flower Remedies Cultivating Clarity and Confidence for a Balanced Mind

The Connection Between Physical and Mental Health

Did you know that our physical health and mental wellbeing are closely intertwined? They work hand in hand, each affecting the other in a delicate balance.

Exploring Emotional Healing through CNHP Training

During my training as a Certified Natural Health Professional (CNHP), a significant part of the curriculum delved into the intriguing realm of emotional healing. I was particularly captivated by the concepts of energy and frequency, specifically the Bach Flower Remedies.

Creating Custom Remedies for Personal Emotional Challenges

In our class, we had the unique opportunity to create our custom remedies tailored to address our individual emotional challenges. This experience reminded me of my days as a lab technician at a pharmaceutical company, and it was both enjoyable and empowering to discover additional ways to take control of our health.

Understanding the Power of Frequency

So, what exactly is this “frequency” we’re talking about? Well, everything alive, including our brains and bodies, emits a frequency. This electrical frequency is measured in hertz (Hz). A healthy human body typically resonates between 62 to 78 Hz. Conversely, an unhealthy individual might register a lower frequency, around 25 Hz, and at the end of life, our frequency naturally drops to zero. Achieving and maintaining good health involves harmonizing the frequencies that have fallen out of balance.

The Philosophy of Dr. Edward Bach

Dr. Edward Bach, a medical doctor and bacteriologist from London, England, introduced the Bach Flower Remedies as a means to alleviate “disharmonies” or negative human behavior patterns. His guiding principle was to “treat the person, not the disease.” He urged individuals to “heal thyself,” emphasizing personal responsibility for one’s life. According to Bach, resolving internal conflicts leads to the dissipation of disease.

Categorizing Emotional Challenges

Bach categorized all emotional issues into seven major groups: fear, uncertainty, and indecision; insufficient interest in present circumstances; loneliness; over-sensitivity; despondency or despair; and over-concern for the welfare of others. These remedies utilize subtle vibrational energy to address the negative aspects of these emotional challenges.

The Healing Power of Bach Flower Remedies

They gently release the pent-up energies within our bodies, minds, and emotions, helping us attain harmony and equilibrium across all facets of our existence.

Simple and Effective: Bach Flower Remedies

Bach Flower Remedies consist of simple blends of flowers, water, and alcohol (for preservation and disinfection). They cater to diverse personalities, attitudes, and negative states of mind. These remedies prioritize the individual over the disease, featuring 38 higher-order plants with elevated vibrational energy.

Advantages of Bach Flower Remedies

Advantages of Bach Flower Remedies include their simplicity, exceptional effectiveness, suitability for external or internal use, and safety for adults, children, and even pets.

The Unique Qualities of Each Bach Flower Remedy

Each of the 38 Bach Flower Remedies possesses a unique healing quality. Take, for instance, Scleranthus, known as the Balance Flower. This remedy is ideal for those who struggle to make decisions, often wavering between two choices, unable to settle on one. These individuals tend to be reserved and keep their inner turmoil to themselves.

Scleranthus: Achieving Mental Stability and Clarity

So, what can one hope to achieve with Scleranthus? The remedy promotes focus, concentration, and inner security, encouraging individuals to open up and share their concerns with others while developing a decisive and confident mind. It’s also valuable for managing travel or motion sickness.

Incorporating Bach Flower Remedies into Your Life

Incorporating Bach Flower Remedies into your holistic health regimen could be the key to achieving mental stability, clarity, and unwavering confidence in your decision-making process. Contact us if you’d like to create your personalized Bach Flower Remedy. Or you can order direct through my dispensary.

Struggling with Commitment

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Jack Canfield, author of The Success Principles, said it so well that 99% is a Bitch (my PG version is Bite); 100% is a Breeze. He also states that, successful people adhere to the “no exceptions rule” when It comes to their daily discipline.

It has to do with making a commitment to someone or something. Do you make a decision when you arise each morning whether or not you will be faithful to your significant other? I doubt it. You made that commitment long ago and you just do it without having to think about it. If you forget to brush your teeth before you go to bed, you get up and do it.

Whether you are making a decision to improve your health or business, you need to determine if you are interested or committed. If you are just interested in making changes, you’ll do it only when convenient. I see this often in weight-loss.

I often hear, I don’t have time to plan or cook yet I want to lose weight or be healthier. Perhaps you are in the “just interested phase” because this isn’t realistic.

Yes, there are some shortcuts but generally if it is worth having there will be work involved. There is no magic weight-loss pill or technique. It takes work.

I’m sharing because this is what I learned about myself this weekend as I went off my sugar detox. My excuse and justification were grand. We were celebrating my husband’s new job. And it’s “just one night”. And I did share the dessert instead of eating the whole thing. That was Friday evening and by Saturday I decided since I had gone off it once, I could justify going off it again. At the end of the weekend, I didn’t feel good about my decisions because I realized that I hadn’t truly made the commitment.

Being on the fence all the time regarding decisions takes too much energy and creates internal distress. So much time and energy are wasted on debating the topic over and over. 99%, it’s a Bite!

Being firm on your position and commitment makes it a done deal. Simple. Non Negotiable. Case closed. 100% is a Breeze!

How to Break Poor Eating Habits

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I’ve realized through coaching that weight-loss is more about habits than anything else.  It is about breaking old habits and replacing with new.  With food and eating, some are so deeply ingrained that they are hard to recognize.  One of my habits is grabbing “a little something sweet” after lunch and/or dinner.

I met my hubby for lunch and he had a chocolate chip cookie sitting on his plate for dessert.  I automatically reached over and started to break off a piece like I normally would.  I realized what I was doing and retracted the action.  So, he graciously broke the cookie in half and handed it to me!  I thanked him and said no thank you!  I really just wanted one bite.  But I had to prove that I don’t need it.

It serves no purpose in my body but in fact does damage.  I realized it was just a habit that I had created to think that I needed to have a little something sweet after a meal.

Replacing that bad habit is key to my sugar detox.  So tonight after dinner, I immediately went to work in my office instead of hanging around the kitchen to see what sweet treat I could find!  And yes, I made it through lunch and dinner without either and feel really good both mentally and physically!

I’ve always had the mentality that if I think I have to have something, I immediately go “cold turkey”.  I’ve used the same principals with coffee, alcohol and soft drinks.

What habits do you need to create and which do you need to let go of?  A great resource is a book called the Compound Effect by Darren Hardy. He also provides free resources (even a Habit Assessment) on his website at www.thecompoundeffect.com.

Day 2 Goal of my sugar detox accomplished!

P.S.  I did NOT accomplish my exercise goal yesterday. Heading to the gym now!

Weight-Loss Goals That Help Ensure Success

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Today I announced my goals publicly. Stating your goals publicly helps ensure you will complete them. I did it because I want you to help hold me accountable for my actions. And to cheer me on when I succeed. Why? Well, confession time. I’ve gained around 7 pounds over the past few months—yikes!

All Excuses are Equal

I have a bad habit of thinking I need to eat or drink more frequently to stay warm in the winter.  Poor excuse? Absolutely, but it is mine! Also, I eat when I’m bored or anxious.

Some may find it hard to believe but I am human when it comes to my eating habits.  I like sweets. Good news…they are typically organic. Bad news…they all have calories and sugar! They all create fat and inflammation with lack of physical movement or eaten in excess.

I also love good food in general which is obvious from my frequent restaurant dining posts.

So beginning today, I’ll be sharing my journey of what I am eating, drinking, and my exercise routine over the next four weeks. I hope it will inspire you to “play along” in some form or fashion. Spring is knocking on the door so let the games begin!

Day 1 Goal:  Sugar detox.

How? Stop eating sugar and eat real food. The best way to manage your weight is by keeping a Food Journal. Write down everything you eat or drink and the approximate time for at least a week. This creates awareness of your excesses and deficiencies in your diet.

Fun, Sweaty Activity

Gym: interval training on elliptical and weights (leg day). One mile walk with my beloved Boxer.

Food Journal

Green Breakfast Smoothie:  1 cups water, 1 c spinach, 1 c kale, 1/2 apple, ¼ c blueberry, and 1/4 raspberry, 1 carrot, and 2 T flax seed.  Last but not least, my Modere Phytogreens which add another 27 carefully selected, highly bioavailable, and bioactive ingredients including marine and leafy greens and adaptogens to help optimize alkalinity, energy, and digestive health.

Lunch was a wild green salad with nuts/seeds and a cup of quinoa on the side.  3:00 p.m. Snack was sweet potato salad with walnuts and almonds, about one cup.  Sweet potatoes make me feel like I’m cheating!!

Dinner green salad, heirloom tomatoes with homemade oil and champagne vinegar dressing.  Quinoa and black beans as my main with around 6 organic corn chips.

Now it is getting tough. Craving dark chocolate or something sweet is really bad! I had a few close calls where my fingers were on the chocolate and I put it back. Instead, I had a tablespoon of almond butter.

Self Talk

Self-talk starts, ” I control food.  It doesn’t control me.  I am finished eating for the night.  Sugar harms my body, it does not heal or perform a functional purpose” Now go brush your teeth before you’re tempted again.

Water for the day:  9 cups!

I’m going to celebrate making it through Day 1! Good food, exercise, hydration, and no sweets.

I have a personal accountability partner as well. We will support each other daily and connect live at the end of the week. If you know what to eat, having a personal accountability partner is truly the key to success! If you don’t, that’s what I’m here for. Call or text 812-461-8922 to learn how we can serve you and help you stay accountable to achieve your wellness goals.

Waking to the smell of cinnamon rolls

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Okay, it is not exactly the title you would hope to find on January 2 from a Wellness/Nutrition Consultant!  Well, I did not plan this either. It’s called real life.  I wake up on the beautiful Sunday morning to the smell of cinnamon rolls–yikes! I suddenly remember my husband slipped them in the cart yesterday. I found them at checkout and questioned how they landed in my cart. He said they “jumped off the shelf into the cart” because he “didn’t do it”. I do love his sense of humor.

However, it makes for a perfect segue for us to transition back into the real world tomorrow. Statistically, around 45% are making commitments to eat better and exercise more or both. Piece of cake (or cinnamon roll), right? Okay, bad metaphor.

First of all, we all have to deal with temptations in the real world. If our spouses and grown children are not always on the same program, that is not an excuse for us to make poor choices. That seems to be the number one excuse people use as to why they can’t eat healthy. I often hear that “my spouse brings home junk food” or “my kids won’t eat that”.

Zig Ziglar said it so well, “For 24 years of my adult life, by choice I weighed well over 200 lbs. I say by choice because you see I have never accidentally eaten anything.”

I didn’t eat the cinnamon roll. Was I tempted? Yes. But I remember the commitment I have to myself and my body. I remind myself how bad I will feel after eating it and that the so called pleasure of the moment of eating it will not outweigh the damage to my body. I also know that sugar is much like a drug, highly addictive and eating it will disrupt my blood sugar levels for the entire day.   I remind myself of the mental aspect and dealing with the guilt of caving in–not being true to my word or commitment. It really isn’t worth ruining my day.

Yes, everything in moderation but for most it works best to make that 100% commitment. Think about your physician, surgeon, nurse, pilot and air traffic controller. What if they had a 90% or 95% commitment mindset? Having that wavering mindset can wear you out when you are in constant battle. 100% commitment is a breeze!

 

Countdown to Christmas and Traditions

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Well, we are officially 7 days away and the countdown begins. For those traveling, this typically means WE have far less time to complete our holiday shopping so the pressure is on!

I’ll be traveling to Michigan which is part of my tradition of going home. It’s a bittersweet trip as I’m excited to see my family but sad that my husband stays here as his daughters arrive from out of state. It was understood at the beginning of our relationship that this was the way it would be as there would be a time that our children would not be coming home.

My son, a chef, and a dedicated employee will stay in town with his dad’s family as to not miss work. I’m proud that he is so dedicated to his job but I find myself singing, “Cats in the Cradle” too many times these days. You know, “when you coming home son, I don’t when, but we’ll get together then..”

So, what I really wanted to share is some of our Christmas traditions. Our Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Eve with almost everyone (six siblings) coming home. Christmas food consists of a unique blend of old versus new traditions. My dad (now in heaven) was Polish and my mom was from the Czech Republic so our foods connect to these nationalities. The pinnacle of our meal is the Pierogi. This is a Polish specialty consisting of half-moon-shaped noodle dumplings filled with a mixture of potatoes, onion, garlic, and a bit of cheese. (BTW—this is NOT a health food for those that know me.) Fish and fish soup are both parts of the Czech Christmas food tradition. Big brother (one of three big bros) Dennis provides fresh catch which is appropriate as we live in the Land of Lakes! The fish is lightly fried and the soup is oyster stew.

Some newer food traditions that have popped up since our health movement are a variety of salads. My sister Sandy and my niece Chef Jen, personal chef and caterer always come through with something amazing. The amount of sweets has diminished and almost completely eliminated. Mom makes her fav molasses (hold the sugar) cookies and I’ll be starting a new tradition of peanut butter rice crispies squares with my secret ingredient (Modere Chocolate Sync) for the chocolate lovers.

Outside of food, mom and I have created our own new tradition. Since my siblings leave Christmas Day to spend with their extended families, it ends up just mom and me.  So we started the, “stay in your PJ’s all day, play Scrabble and read day”.  This is one of my new favorites. Need to mention, mom (at 87) can kick my butt in Scrabble.

Mom playing Scrabble

My Dog Drinks Green Smoothies (or My dog eats better than most people)

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Beau is focused on his green smoothie

If you haven’t met Beau you would love him.  He is our 10 year old boxer.  Many of my friends and clients have because he works with me daily.

Beau was diagnosed with cancer (mast cell tumor successfully removed) about 5 years ago and since then, we’ve changed his diet drastically.  He has a clean bill of health now! We were feeding him the vet recommended food which when reading the ingredients I realized wasn’t all that healthy (cereal based not protein). So Beau started his wellness journey.

He now drinks about ½-1 cup of Green Smoothie daily which is basically whatever I’m drinking that day. Today was a kale, cabbage, celery, broccoli, blueberry, banana, and apple mixture. Therefore, it was more blue than green!

Most dogs (and cats), like people, need live or raw foods because they contain enzymes. Enzymes in humans assimilate nutrients and break down our food so our cells can use it. Enzymes are the key to life and what is essentially missed in most people’s and animals diet. Once food is cooked or processed, the enzymes are destroyed.

Well, that’s not all my dog eats and drinks that most would think unusual. He also eats cod liver oil and organic yogurt daily, and uses essential oils. Plus he consumes a grain-free holistic dog food. We’ll touch on the benefits of cod liver, essential oils and yogurt in future blogs.

9 Ways to Make Exercise Fun

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With the colder winter months on the way and all the temptations of holiday food  FSA (Fun Sweaty Activity) is more important than ever.

Keeping active isn’t just important for weight loss and body image but it is also essential for optimal mental and physical health. Ward off those winter blues, keep fit and avoid packing on the extra pounds with these nine simple tips.

9 Ways to Make Exercise Fun

1. Add a Friend. – Find someone to be your exercise buddy that is fun to hang out with. That way, you’ll exercise just to be with them. We’ve started a walking group in our neighborhood.
2.  Group Fitness – Group classes are a great way to meet new people, have an instructor keep your form and be motivated to go each time. Shop around for your class and be sure to find an instructor who has both knowledge and enthusiasm.
3. Play Something – We use the word “play” in front of sports because they are fun. You “play” tennis, golf, soccer, softball or any other sport. Find a sport that you used to “play” when you were younger and take it up again.

4. Audio Books and Podcasts – Listen to audio books or podcasts. Hundreds of free podcasts are available covering any topic you can imagine. Audio books can also be easily downloaded, so it is an easy way to get your “reading” in for the day.

5. New Shoes – Go exercise fashion shopping. Start with your shoes. Go to a good running and fitness store and have a salesperson help you find the perfect shoe. Each type of shoe supports your foot differently, so make sure you have the right pair. After the luster wears off your shoes, go back for new shorts.
6. Chart your Stats– Create a wall chart, and log your exercise activity, vital statistics (weight, measurements, best times, maximum lifts, etc.). Chart every detail of your exercise routine for a month. You’ll feel great with the information posted on the wall.

7. Mix It Up – Don’t do the exact same exercise routine every day. If you always run on the treadmill, run outside on a nice day. Take a week off your lifting routine and do a Yoga or Pilates class instead. As soon as you feel your exercise routine becoming a rut, find something else to do.

8. Measure, Don’t Weigh – The scale can be the worst factor when it comes to motivation. Stop looking at the scale every day; instead, take some measurements The tape measure will show changes well before the scale does. Be sure to measure the same places each time and add them to your wall chart.

9. TV, Videos and Music – Many people find that a bit of distraction helps get them through a workout. Listen to music or watch TV while on the treadmill.

Finally, at the end of each exercise, give yourself 5 minutes of relaxation. Just lie down on your back and let your body sink into the floor. Close your eyes. Relax. Feel the effects of the exercise in your body. Look forward to the deep relaxation that can come after  physical activity. Express gratitude for doing what’s best for your body and long-term health.