April 23, 2009

Spring Greetings at last,

                        Well this new blog experience is  really something different  and wonderful!  It truly is full of wonder....like I wonder how to do this and I wonder how to do that....and I wonder how to set up the email subscription widget.....I wonder what a widget is.....so this whole experience is wonder-full.   It is fun when it finally works ....especially if I can just get through the frustration and when I tell myself I am not giving up .....that I am truly going to figure this out.....then something good happens and I feel a glimmer of hope.....and then the magic starts to take hold  and I  find that I am pointed in a positive direction......   This is a metaphor for all endeavors and especially the endeavor of making healthy lifestyle changes....it sometimes doesn't feel like it's working at all and you feel like maybe it's time to give up .....why am I doing this anyway?  but all of a sudden something changes even the smallest of things.....the tide turns ....you get a glimmer of inspiration and then woosh you let go of the oars and enjoy the ride on the river!

                       It takes a lot of awareness to persevere and not give up.....Mindfulness seems to really be the key.  What is it and how do we become more mindful?   Anything you strive for can come to you if you just flip the mind switch on.  How do you flip the switch on? Education is a great way.... Get advice from the experts and just start reading....find out how successful people became successful....what was their process?  What is motivating the change that you want?  Is it a healthy body?  More energy?  More ability to focus?   Now that leads me to the next point....What is your vision.....Is it crystal clear in your mind.....Why is it important to you?  Can you see the change?  How would you feel if you never make a change?  Can you live with that?  Will that work out for you?  Is it working for you now?

                      

         Let's imagine for a minute that you have high blood pressure.  It has been clinically proven and supported by the National Institutes of Health that blood pressure can be managed  and brought into balance through therapeutic lifestyle changes.   The NIH also states that TLC is the first line of defense to prevent high blood pressure and other cardiovascular diseases.  With that said......imagine the implications of doing nothing to deal with high blood pressure ....that scary picture can be an excellent motivator for change.....so the vision of  normal blood pressure can be very motivating and everytime a certain food choice or other lifestyle choice is before you, you can see your crystal clear vision of health  and easily ....your choice becomes a no brainer!!!!!  You simply move to a healthy choice because you've trained the mind and made a positive association with the choice that brings you to your vision!!!    This is easy  once you align with your vision.

• A few good resources that may inspire to make positive changes in your life are:
  
• Tony Robbins website www.TonyRobbins.com  .....go there and poke around and listen to some of his video clips.
• Eckhart Tolle's books.....The Power of Now and A  New Earth...excellent reads for learning how to be more mindful and more present.
• Go to the website www.stopchronicdisease.com/ and hear inspiring stories of other people using the FLT program to overcome chronic disease, lose weight and get healthier.
• Call Lisa to make an appointment if it's been awhile....come and have a cup of tea and get inspired.
• Make a new recipe to inspire the tastebuds.....Try the following recipe. 

      This is a recipe from the FLT Guidebook that is perfect for this time of year.   I just made it last night...it is delicious on its own or spooned over baked fish or broiled tofu.

Spring Salad (serves 6)

2 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

2 tsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 # asparagus

1/2 cucumber, cut into quarters, then sliced

1/2 red pepper, finely minced

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3 scallions, finely sliced white part only

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

1 ripe avocado, diced into 1 inch pieces

Combine lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic in a small bowl.  Snap off ends of asparagus and slice into 1 inch diagonals.  Blanche 3 minutes, remove and run under cold water and set aside.  Blanche fresh peas for 1 minute or defrost frozen peas and set aside.  Combine all veggies in a bowl.  Just before serving, add dressing and avocado and gently mix .  Enjoy!

That's all for today.  I'll be signing off now and leave you with this quote from the cards on my desk......If you can't get out of it,

                                              you might as well get into it!

                                                              All my best,

                                                                        Lisa

                                                                                                                                                        

                                                           

Welcome!!!

Greetings,

Welcome to my new blog!   I've decided to try this new method of communication since it seems like it may work a little bit better than e-mailing....I'm just trying this on for size to see how it compares.   I named my blog TLC for you.....TLC stands for Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes.  TLC also means..... you guessed it....Tender Loving Care!   Isn't that what making

Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes all boils down to anyway?......loving yourself into the best care you can possible give to yourself  on all levels and in all ways!  This is the entire package all rolled up into one!!!!!!! 

Well it's been awhile since I've last written  to you which means life has been pretty busy and pretty fun as well.  I've been doing alot of homekeeping lately getting finances in order, hanging new photos on the wall, exploring how to best use my ipod....which has by the way been a great way to nurture myself and plug into some great tunes and podcasts.....this seems to make all the difference to me....when I don't feel so motivated to do certain tasks like cleaning up after dinner or going for a walk or working out or when I feel particularly stressed I think about the great music that is there waiting for me and voila off I go.....and it is so cool that it is MY music.....noone else's........ that seems to really matter to me.

So I have a few announcements to make............. first of all I am working on creating a weekly yoga class possibly at a beautiful studio downtown still working on this though.....it will most likely be a weekday time.....would love to hear who might be interested in this as I need to make sure this feasible.  I am still planning on teaching the monthly Yoga class and the next one will take place on Saturday May 2 same time same place.....please save the date and give yoga a try if you haven' t already.   Second.....It's spring break at my house so I am postponing this month's Thursday Night Revival until next month......the new date will be Thursday,  May 14th.....please come give this a try as well.  It is FREE!!!!!! and a great way to get inspiration, new ideas and support to boot!

 

Since we're having such a slow to start  to Spring  this year  I just had to get cooking some soup again so I made some black bean soup that came out really delicious.....and I'm sharing this because it was super easy as long as your pantry holds some canned goods......so here's the recipe.....along with some photos......

                                                       EASY BLACK BEAN SOUP

                                                          1 onion, chopped

                                                          3 cloves garlic, minced

                                                          1 T olive oil

                                                          1 stalk celery, minced

                                                          1 medium carrot, minced

                                                          1 green or red pepper, minced

                                                          1 can organic diced tomatoes

                                                          2 cans organic black beans

                                                          1 vegetable bouillion cube

                                                          5-6 cups water or stock

                                                          1 tsp chili powder

                                                          1 tsp cumin powder 

                                                          salt to taste

                                                          1/2 fresh lime, juiced

                                                          fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish

Heat a soup pot and add the olive oil, onions and garlic.  Cook for a few minutes on medium heat, then add the rest of the veggies and cook for 8-10 minutes stirring frequently.  Add the canned tomatoes, beans, vegetable bouillion cube, stock water and spices.  Cook covered until all veggies are tender about 20 minutes  Add salt to taste.  If it seems too thick add more water.  Before serving squeeze the lime into the soup.  Garnish each bowl with cilantro.

Enjoy!