For the last week I have been sleeping with my head at the foot of the bed. Just for a change of pace. And my brain is enjoying the novelty of it all.

From my new perspective, with my toes up next to the headboard, my brain is so engaged. The dog is snoring. The clock is ticking. The moonlight is coming in the window. But everything is upside down and backwards. How fun is that? Waking up in the middle of the night, my mind pauses. There is this exquisite moment of complete awareness while my brain puts everything into place. And this slight change in orientation makes me feel like I am waking up in a new place. Like being on vacation. Surprisingly it adds to my excitement for the new day.

Being creatures of habit, many of us hold on to the security of routine. We find it hard to change habits, in part, because of the familiarity we have developed with the old ones. Repeated habits wire the brain to form a nice groove. Everything can go on autopilot. But that groove tends to become a rut. Sometimes a really deep rut. And being in a rut stagnates growth and development. Read more

I have several favorite breathing techniques in my bag of relaxation tools. Of them, I find “Alternate Nostril Breathing” (or Nadi Shodhana) to be one of the most effective at calming my mind and soothing my nervous system. It also feels very balancing because it helps integrate the brain, allowing me to get the most out of my creative right hemisphere and my logical left hemisphere.

You may not have noticed, but we don’t breathe evenly between our two nostrils. One nostril typically feels more clear and open than the other. And this openness tends to cycle from one nostril to the other. A typical breathing pattern cycles between each nostril every 2-3 hours. One cycle, you find that you can breathe comfortably through your left nostril and your right nostril is congested. A few hours later, your right nostril is clear, but your left is a bit more congested.

Research has shown more electrical brain activity on the side opposite the open, clear nostril. Left nostril open – the creative right brain is more predominant. Right nostril open – the logical left brain in more predominant. Read more

A public service announcement: Get your vitamin D levels checked.

I am sitting here enjoying the sunshine. It is a sunny and mild February day in Seattle. But as sunny as it is, my skin is not able to make vitamin D from the sun’s rays from late September to late March. And that’s a problem.

Plain and simple. The majority of us do not get enough vitamin D from our environment (sunshine or food). Vitamin D deficiency is endemic and research has linked this deficiency to many chronic degenerative diseases associated with industrialized cultures.

The New England Journal of Medicine recently reported that a 25-hydroxy-vitamin D blood test is one of the most important blood tests you can ever have. Yet health care providers are still slow to check their patients’ vitamin D levels. Read more

I remember my first kumquat.

Several years ago, a dear friend of mine from South Africa handed me one. I looked at it, trying to figure out how to peel such a tiny orange. “Oh, just eat the whole thing”, she instructed, amused at my hesitation.

Zowie. A puckersome little tidbit. Bitter. But with a wonderful burst of sweet tartness.

Kumquats look like small oval oranges, but have a surprisingly bold flavor (emphasis on “surprisingly”). Bite size, pop-in-your-mouth morsels of bitter, sweet juiciness.

And since I am writing about them here, you’ve probably guessed that they have some wonderful nutritional benefits as well.

Indeed they do. Read more

Let’s just pause for a heartbeat or two.

Can you feel it? Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub.

Constant as the Northern Star. And as dazzling.

February is American Heart Month. An opportunity to feel a bit of gratitude and amazement for our own little, individual perpetual motion machine. And in our moment of gratitude, or month of gratitude as the case may be, let’s make a commitment to taking better care of our hearts. It doesn’t take much. Any little investment we make in our heart health pays back in big time dividends. And unlike most investments these days, an investment in our health and well-being comes with low-risk and high returns. Read more

Today I am eating a frog. Yes, right now as I write this I am eating a frog. I am not answering emails or returning phone calls or organizing my office or thinking about what I shall make for dinner or planning my next trip to warmer climes. I am eating a frog. And I am washing it down with a cup of hot yerba mate chai (my current favorite morning beverage).

And tomorrow morning I will get up and eat another frog.

This is my new dietary program for procrastination. And I am finding it to be quite effective. Actually, it is not “my” diet program, nor is it a “new” dietary program. It is new to me however. And although many of you may already be familiar with the “eat a frog each morning” diet, redundancy is a good thing (especially when it comes to tips for changing behavior patterns related to procrastination). And since this is new to me, I am guessing it is still new to others and I wanted to share my newfound tip. Read more

Food is the focal point of many holiday celebrations. And from Thanksgiving (although some of us do start on Halloween) right through to the New Year, we seem to have one celebration after another. Not surprisingly, the best-laid plans of eating well get tucked away into the closet as we dig out the decorations. And whether the “Holiday Seven” is fact or fiction, many of us do gain weight this time of year.

Who’s to blame? Perhaps it’s the tempting treats available throughout the season, or pressure from family, friends, and coworkers to indulge. Or maybe overeating is triggered by the emotional stress and overwhelming expectations of the season.

Regardless of the reason, you have the power to take control of your holiday eating plan.

Here are my 10 tips to help you enjoy the tasty treats of the season while remaining true to your wellness goals. Read more

One of my dear friends calls me a dog. In a good way. I take it as a compliment.

And I’ve had a good teacher. My old buddy, my happy dog, Beau (yes, that’s him as a younger pup in the picture) has taught me more than a few life lessons in the past ten years. Beau teaches by example and everyday he reminds me to keep things in perspective.

1.  Grab every opportunity to fully engage in life…always say yes to a walk (or a car ride, for that matter), no matter what the time of day or the weather…you never know what grand adventure lies ahead.

2.  When given a choice between playing fetch, eating or hanging out on the couch – play fetch!

3.  High self-esteem and humility go hand in hand. Read more

Today is Open Phone Wednesday!

There’s lots in the news about nutrition this week:
-What’s the scoop on Vitamin D?
-Is there really a “better” fast food choice?
-”The Seasonal Seven” – is holiday weight gain fact or fiction?

Gather up your nutrition and wellness questions and give me a call.

Let’s talk nutrition!

Let us give thanks

Let us give thanks for the bounty of people.

For children who are our second planting, and, though they grow like weeds and the wind too soon blows them away, may they forgive us our cultivation and fondly remember where their roots are.

Let us give thanks

For generous friends with hearts and smiles as bright as their blossoms;

For feisty friends as tart as apples;

For continuous friends, who, like scallions and cucumbers, keep reminding us that we’ve had them;

For crotchety friends, as sour as rhubarb and as indestructible;

For handsome friends, who are as gorgeous as eggplants and as elegant as a row of corn, and the others, as plain as potatoes and as good for you.

Let us give thanks

For funny friends, who are as silly as Brussel sprouts and as amusing as Jerusalem artichokes, and serious friends, as complex as cauliflowers and as intricate as onions;

For friends as unpretentious as parsley, as delightful as dill, as endless as zucchini, and who, like parsnips, can be counted on to see you through the winter.

Let us give thanks

For old friends, nodding like sunflowers in the evening time, and young friends coming on as fast as radishes;

For loving friends, who wind around us like tendrils and hold us, despite our blights, wilts and witherings;

And finally, for those friends now gone, like gardens past that have been harvested, and who fed us in their times that we might have life thereafter.

-Author Unknown

How grateful I am for my cornucopia of dear friends.

Happy Thanksgiving-
Jess