Health in High Heels

Vol. 2, Issue 24: August 28, 2008

From the Desk of the Divas

Cellerbration Happy Birthday!! Today Tera celebrates 33 years of life, love and adventure and watch out cuz she’s having a PARTY!

If you are anywhere near Montreal on Friday evening then you simply MUST come and see Dr. T speak then on Saturday, brace yourselves for a birthday potluck picnic at Tera’s house!

Bring finger food and sprinkle the leftovers under the bushes! We are having a PAAARTY and you are all invited to come and meet the Raw Diva crew and friends! Yipppeee!!

We promise to take a ton of pictures and totally keep the blog hopping with good news and giggles of our adventures this weekend!

Fall In the meantime, let’s celebrate that this week’s articles are loaded with inspiration! A reminder that our Clutter Free Diva program is getting ready to blast off in just a few days!

Then, as the autumn equinox approaches, we’ll be preparing for another version of the Monomeal Cleanse as part of our program on How To Get Rid of Cravings and Emotional Eating!

Your last chance to take the Body Enlightenment System this year is coming up just around the bend, too!

In case you missed the tear-jerking adventures of our Green Smoothie Day celebrations, you’ll definitely want to catch up on our Diva Blog where you can read the stories of dozens of women and men who were a part of this adventure with us!

cake Okay, on to this issue with an inspiring article from Green Smoothie Mom, Genesis! Another fabulous article from Tracy and the birthday girl herself has a few things to say about healthy, vibrant living, too!

Here's a picture of our in-house chef, Angela, dishing up some birthday cake for Tera! Remember, you can Have Your Cake And Eat It, Too!!

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***FINAL WARNING***

When the price of our 30 Day Clutter Busting Program
goes up to $198 in a few days, don’t say we didn’t warn you!

I mean, if you like hanging on to trinkets, gadgets and Uncle Herman’s 80 year old fishing pole, you can, but really, Darling, having a clutter-free home is so much more “diva”.

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Green Smoothie Health: Not Just for Mama!
By Genesis Davies

As a Canadian expat living in Guatemala, I have access to a lot of fresh fruit and veggies. In the beginning, it was exciting to be able to head to the market to pick up new exotic items to try, but as time went on, I worked more and more and had less time to hit the local market. Then I met my husband and we had two children, one right after the other, I started working at home and Poof! My healthy, fit body vanished into the ether.

Let’s just say it wasn’t pretty! I gained nearly 90 lbs and couldn’t lose it to save my life! So I started looking into alternatives to not eating and found a lot of information on the raw food movement. Definitely not something I could do, I decided. I’m a cooked food addict.

Then I found the Green Smoothie Challenge and that certainly sounded doable. After all, smoothies are super easy to make and there were days when dragging myself out of bed sounded rather unappealing, with the thought of actually making a decent breakfast even less so! Cornflakes were a big staple around here.

When I started this whole green smoothie challenge, I didn’t even imagine the possibilities for my children, 1 and 2. I planned to include them, if they were interested, but certainly not force it on them. Little did I know it would be anything but forceful! My 1 year old does his little happy dance, stamping his chubby feet in excitement every time he sees me get out the fruit and blender. My 2 year old doesn’t think green is gross at all, he calls it "chocolate"! Lol.

Well, I expected to see some health improvements on my end and sure enough, I had more energy and pep and was actually feeling much better than I have in YEARS. But what caught me totally off guard was the change in my oldest son.

See, my 2 year old was born with a birth defect and he had to have a colostomy at the age of one day. He had that until he was a year old and then, after reconstructive surgery on his anus and intestines, his colostomy was finally reversed and he was supposed to be able to go to the bathroom like a normal child. Except it didn’t quite work that way. He had a LOT of problems after the surgery and was almost always constipated and in a bad mood, he needed frequent (almost daily) enemas and once had to go to the hospital for a bowel obstruction, from normal food! The only way to make sure he didn’t have too many issues was to watch his diet very carefully, cutting out sugar, white flour, etc. and adding in a ton of fresh fruits and veggies. Even so, it didn’t eliminate all the issues. He was still having days or weeks where he was in bad shape and very unhappy. As any parent knows, seeing your little one sad and uncomfortable really is no fun at all.

Back to the Green Smoothie Challenge . . . When I started drinking these yummy smoothies, chock full of green goodness and fruity sweetness, my boys started chugging them, too! And guess what? My 2 year old hasn’t had ANY problems with his little tummy in days. He’s happy, bouncing around and chasing his brother, just like a 2 year old should be. :) And it’s all thanks to those delicious smoothies he’s been enjoying twice a day. So much for the benefits being mine alone!

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You, too, can experience

the power of Green Smoothies!

Get on board and start your 3 Day Challenge TODAY!

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Hydrating Tonic for the Skin
by Tracy Neely

There are some foods that take me back to when I was a young girl spending my summers with my grandparents in Tennessee and I clearly remember sitting on my great grandmother’s porch listening to her wonderful stories and learning how to eat watermelon without eating the seeds.

Whenever I am enjoying the sweet, juicy taste of watermelon, I remember the smile on my great grandmother’s face as she delighted in how happy I was to be sharing that special time with her. I remember the first time that our son Connor ate watermelon, he had the biggest smile on his face and now I know what my great grandmother must have felt.

I decided to create that same feeling by creating a watermelon hydrating tonic for the skin that is cool, refreshing, hydrating and most of all calming on stressed out skin.

Watermelon
Watermelon is packed with some of the most important antioxidants in nature. Watermelon is an excellent source of vitamin C and a very good source of vitamin A, notably through its concentration of beta-carotene. Pink watermelon is also a source of the potent carotenoid antioxidant, lycopene. Watermelon is also rich in the B vitamins necessary for energy production and is a good source of vitamin B6, vitamin B1, magnesium, thiamin and potassium.

When used on the skin watermelon has astringent properties that can combat oily t-zone areas, refresh the skin and remove any traces of your facial cleanser.

Beauty Note: Juice the rind of an organic watermelon to make a mouth watering beverage that is loaded with an amino acid known as citrulline. Our bodies use citrulline to make another amino acid, arginine, which helps cells divide and wounds to heal.

Witch Hazel
Witch hazel is a naturally derived extract made from the bark and leaves of the North American (Hamamelis virginiana) shrub which grows from Nova Scotia west to Ontario, and south to Texas, and Florida. Native American Indians used witch hazel for a variety of medicinal purposes. Witch hazel has clarifying and toning properties and helps to rebalance any excess oil on the skin.

Skin Recipe
1 cup watermelon chunks
2 tablespoons distilled water
2 tablespoons witch hazel

Place watermelon chunks in a blender or food processor and blend into a pulp consistency. Strain the liquid to remove the pulp and the seeds. Combine the juice of the watermelon with the distilled water and witch hazel and stir and pour into a glass bottle. Dab on face using a cotton ball. Place it in a container and keep refrigerated. The tonic will keep for one week. This tonic is wonderful to use after you have cleansed your face. Follow up with your favorite moisturizer.

I hope this recipe will take you back to the very first time you enjoyed watermelon and I hope your thoughts put a smile on your face.

Enjoy!
By Tracy Neely

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mirror “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall…

…HEY!

Where the hell is my mirror??

If you can’t find your mirror for the clutter, then it’s definitely time to get on board for out 30 Day Clutter Busting Extravaganza! Hurry while launch pad prices are still in effect!! Program starts Sept. 1st!

www.clutterfreediva.com

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It’s Doctor’s Orders! 10 Things You Should Do To Be Healthier, Happier and Live Longer
By Tera Warner

Recently we hosted Dr. Tel-Oren as a special guest in our Sisterhood program. This call was loaded with great advice and practical wisdom about life on the raw food diet. I thought I’d take a moment to include the highlights from that call and hope you’ll enjoy it and be inspired to relax, lighten up, have fun and live well!

1. Relax! Stop being so frenzied and frantic about your food!

read I couldn’t agree more with the Doc on this point.

Food is just what fuels you. If anyone tries to tell you that you are what you eat, then stick them in the dirt and see if they sprout! ;-) Hehe… That’ll teach ‘em! You’re not what you eat. Not even close.

You are what you think, dream, hope and believe. Sometimes you’re also the net result of how these dreams can sometimes make you feel pinned down by the pain, tears and history that you’ve already been through.

Bottom line, my lovelies, RELAX about what you eat!

2. Learn to relax and reduce emotional and social stress!

Be with people that inspire and empower you. Choose friends that uplift you and believe in who you are and what you do. We have limited time and energy, and you can choose to be and communicate with the people that give back in fair exchange.

Do you love your job? Are you fulfilled creatively by what you do? Embrace a life that gives you energy, not one that takes it away and leaves you stressed and exhausted!

Sell your TV! Read a book! Take a nap in the shade of a tree!

3. Take at least 20-25 minutes outside in the fresh air!

summer Few things can help you more than a good walk outside. Take any angry children outside and they immediately put their attention on other things.

We are a social species and when isolated or staying indoors too much, we become introverted and insecure. The best way to turn this around is to get outside! Let the fresh air and movement rejuvenate and inspire you to feel your best! EXTROVERT! Get outside!

4. Get some sun on your skin!

The Doc says, we all have to be exposed to the sun 15-30 minutes a day, 4-5 days a week! Ideally, that would happen between 11am and 2pm. Even in the winter, there is a way to make yourself get out there and get that little bit of what you need most: Sun and Fresh Air!
(Both, by the way, are completely free of charge and cannot be patented!) Make a date with yourself to go for a walk, take deep breaths and enjoy your life and environment!

sleep 5. Find a Way To Regulate Your Sleep.

Rest is crucial for your health. It’s the time when you rebuild and regenerate. Remember here, the key word is “REGULATE” your sleep. What does burning the midnight oil reeeeally serve you?

You can get to sleep and be so much more efficient the next day. Pull out your flannel pajamas, get yourself all snuggled in with a good book and get some sleep, Sweetie Pie.

6. Clean our environment as much as possible and purify the air in your homes and bedrooms!

If you can’t afford fancy air purifiers, at least get your windows open at night! I’m so lucky to live next to a big park with lots of windows and so even though I’m city-bound, I still feel I get lots of fresh air!

7. Find a functional medicine practitioner to rule out underlying toxicity and pathology so it can be addressed early on.

We can’t deny the fact that there are some conditions that need more help than can be found in a 7 Day Detox program. Science can be there to help sometimes, and if you do have a serious condition, or suspect you might, it can be valuable to seek medical attention from a conscious practitioner who is focused on seeking out the SOURCE of the problem, not just patching up symptoms.

food 8. Eat recently picked, organic, delicious looking and tasting food!

Well, now isn’t that funny that it wasn’t until number 8 that the good Doctor decided to mention food! We have so many resources available to help people comfortably approach a healthier diet and we insist on making these approachable, affordable and very often completely free of charge! Enlighten yourself! Take on the 3 Day Green Smoothie Challenge!

9. Engage in meaningful relationships with other people.

What good does it do to spend time with people who don’t believe in you, or who criticize and invalidate who you are? What fun is it to be constantly trying to defend yourself or prove yourself to someone?

hands You don’t need the approval of anybody, Baby! You ARE AMAZING and deserve to spend your time with people who make you feel that way, too! I’m not saying dump the losers and never look back, but make new boundaries for yourself. Put more of your time and energy into the people who give back to you in return.

There’s a great, big, wide world to be won in the name of health, happiness and better living. So just minimize the time you spend hanging around with grumps and put attention into building more of what makes the flowers seem a bit brighter.

And that, my Dear, is Doctor’s orders! Now get out there and make your life what you want it to be!

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OH! We almost forgot number 10!!

10. Join the Sisterhood!
Okay, he didn’t say that, but we did! Honestly, with juicy info like this one, that came from our one hour call with Dr. T, how could you NOT want to get on board and be a part of the action!

It’s all about community, Girlfriend!
We want YOU onboard!

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