Following our podcast together, Katie Chorlton, of Inside Out: Somatic Practices for the Body, Mind & Spirit, offered to share more ventral vagal nerve fiber/cells toning practices. Katie explains:

“The dorsal (toward the back of the body) vagal nerve fibers/cells are involved in our shutting down defensive system: the part of us that goes numb/plays dead etc. when we’ve exhausted our fight or flight (etc.) parts and it’s clear they aren’t working.

I hope that you are joyfully embracing this seasonal transition of awakening life and transformation. As the earth shifts do you feel that you are similarly opening to shifts in your life?

Tom and I have recently been enjoying spring ice fishing, and while he hauls in the fish I am usually skunked. This doesn’t bother or surprise me, as my husband has been obsessed with fishing since he could walk. This passion has never dwindled and it reminds me of Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hour rule, in which consistent focus and practice is the key to mastery and expertise. Tom has spent bundles of 10,000 hours focusing on fishing: researching learning, preparing for,  and actually fishing. He is truly an expert fisherman! 

The intention of this week’s podcast is to expand awareness of how often the “future” peppers the now with its stories of salvation or doom and gloom. Do you find yourself “futuring” in the Now? Do you have a sense that allowing the mind to get lost in the future takes away from the enjoyment of the Now? If you can relate, I thought you might enjoy the opportunity for awareness journaling. If you have the desire and space, grab your favorite comfort beverage and your journal or computer and tune into your Truth with the questions below. I hope you are delighted with what you find!

I was looking at Instagram the other day, which I hadn’t visited for quite some time, and I noticed all these pictures of Oprah, looking absolutely fabulous, and yes, thin. My curiosity was piqued, and I saw on her account that she had just turned seventy and had also announced that she was using a weight loss drug. There were also a few clips of her on Jimmy Kimmel, talking about her decision. I noticed that I had a few judgy thoughts flying around in my head. Now, my mind is a little embarrassed to share my judgments, but I love being real with you! Also, I know my thoughts are not my truth, and not real. So I don’t judge my thoughts, because they just show up, from years of old stories and conditioning, and because I’ve practiced, I don’t believe my thoughts unless I want to.

This post is a companion to the podcast “Intuitive Eating and Intuitive Human-ing” in which I pondered two listener questions by asking my Inner Being to share about intuitive eating. As I described in my podcast, I call my connection to Source/All That Is as my Inner Being. It is an energy I communicate with regularly and this connection has dramatically transformed all aspects of my life.

Last week we talked about your ability to choose a life of radiant health, by establishing a solid belief in your ability and taking aligned baby steps.

Isn’t exciting to think that you have the wisdom within to create your beautiful body for life?

If you are thinking, “Yeah, I just don’t think that’s possible,” it’s time to solidify your belief.

It doesn’t matter what you believed yesterday. You get to create a new belief NOW.

Do you feel a tingle of excitement when you hear about a new diet plan that promises a quick fix for easy weight loss?

Are you constantly searching for the one special program that is going to solve your problems and finally result in body confidence and happiness?

Do you have two sizes of clothing in your closet: one for when you are religiously following a diet plan and the other for when you have fallen off the wagon?

Most weekends, like clockwork, inspiration arrives and I know exactly what I want to talk to you about. I can feel in an instant the onset of inspiration. Usually this begins with a kernel of an idea while I am walking in nature. By they time I sit down at the computer the words flow effortlessly and I feel like I am talking directly to you.

This week, however, I had a few ideas for topics, but none of them felt inspired.

As a health coach, I’ve been trained in the science behind the nutrition that supports a healthy body. It’s quite simple:

• enjoy an abundance of nutrient dense, real foods (vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, fish, wild game and non-factory farmed meats, fowl and their eggs)

• minimize toxins (highly refined vegetable oils, trans fats, refined sugars, alcohol)

So why can it be so hard to follow these simple recommendations?

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you might have noticed that my focus has shifted from the external aspects of nutrition and wellness (specifically, food types/amounts/timing) to the internal aspects.

This has felt like a bit of a plunge, in terms of my business, because I’d always assumed that as a health coach I could just tell people to mindfully eat nutrient dense food (not too much!), avoid sugar and processed foods, and they would be set.