So when was the last time you scarfed down a bag of chips? Or a whole row (or box) of cookies? We all do it from time to time. Even after conquering my weight issues and replacing many of my unhealthy habits with healthy ones, I still succumb to the odd `Poor Me Eat Fest’.

But why do we do it? Well, yesterday in Metro , Smart Cookies – which is a group of ladies who give advice on frugal living – wrote an article on materialism and how to curb your spending, “Find the perfect day ”. They reviewed an Eckhart Tolle book, A New Earth , which reveals that many people fulfill their basic human needs by consuming things. They become obsessed with obtaining things in attempts to fill or complete themselves.

Now Smart Cookies relates this information to shopping, but any addiction applies whether it’s food, drinking, drugs, entertainment, etc. But what are these basic human needs that we fulfill through our addictions? Tony Robbins identifies them as: certainty, variety, significance, connection and love, growth and contribution.

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Earlier this week, Metro ran a great story written by Brian Towie on the healing powers of nutrition, “Repair, regenerate.” Great timing, considering I ran into a car only last Friday and could use these pearls of natural wisdom.

The article (which was not published online for some reason) suggested that we focus on 4 important aspects of recovery:

1. Stay hydrated
2. Ingest high-quality proteins (0.8g per kilogram of body weight)
3. Don’t ignore your fruits and veggies
4. Include poly- and mono-saturated fats in your diet

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“In this corner… Killer Miller armed with only her rollerblades and wrist guards, a first timer to car accidents and a newbie in the steel ring! And in the other corner…a red, beat-up 1990 Mazda SE!”

Ding Ding Ding

After only 30 seconds in the first round, Steph `Killer Miller’ was down for the count. Of course, this was to be expected - no matter how tight my butt gets, there is no way I’ll win against a car!

On the other hand, being healthy and physically fit has its advantages in dealing with freak accidents like this one. Actually, I believe this incident is just another example why being healthy is worth the effort and why it’s worth the time to find the secret to making healthy living easy.

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This weekend I visited my cousin and we were doing what most women do when they get together: discuss their problems. Well, shortly into the conversation she turned to me and said she recently had an epiphany. Freeing a torn sheet of scribbled-on paper from her desk, she began to read out loud a short list of questions that once answered, will certainly solve any problem.

These brilliant questions are penetrating and highly intuitive. Giving credit where credit is due, my cousin revealed that this list was a mish-mash of questions previously posed by some of the greatest self-help gurus of our time that were left floating around in her brain.

If you have a problem, cover every angle by answering these 5 questions:
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Many people know that sunlight activates vitamin D production in the body. Some know the benefits of vitamin D range from strengthening bones, fighting cancer and preventing a list full of diseases. What you may not know is that sunlight also might help us build muscle and improve athletic performance.

Real magazine recently reported that Dr. John Cannell and Dr. Marc Sorenson (both vitamin D advocates), are collaborating on a book about the subject, “Solar Power for Optimal Health ”. The book will cite research results from the ‘50’s to the present that provide evidence that vitamin D is related to athletic conditioning.

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Getting healthy and finding a healthy lifestyle that works for you can be difficult. It took me several attempts over a period of several years to get a good beat on my health. Looking back, I can see that there was a definite process in getting healthy, and it continues to this day for in my ever-evolving healthy lifestyle.

To help you make healthy living easier, and for those who appreciate seeing the whole puzzle picture before trying to fit the individual pieces together, I thought I’d share the following process to getting healthy: Read the rest of this entry »

About 4 years ago, not only had I started a healthier lifestyle by spending more time preparing healthy meals, I had also just started dating the love of my life. He went to Cuba for two weeks and upon his return, I thought I’d surprise him with an authentic Cuban dish, black bean soup (this isn’t the recipe but I tried this one recently and it was really yummy).

In my excitement and inexperience (and lack of attention), I failed to rinse the canned beans. The soup turned out REALLY horrible. It was a poor resemblance of food, a murky and pasty black bean mush…

A few days later he bought me The Joy of Cooking .

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Think of all the people you consider to be happy and satisfied folk. Everyone has their bad days but there are a few people you know, I’m sure, that have you shaking your head and asking yourself, “What are they on?” and “Where can I get some?”

High on Life?

Keep these people in mind and ponder the following questions:

• Do they have clear skin, radiant smiles and shiny hair?
• Do they hold a steady gaze as their eyes sparkle with delight as you two talk?
• When you part ways, do they leave you buoyant and feeling like a million bucks?

I’m not sure about you but I identify these people as those who have found total health; they are healthy in body, mind and spirit as well as emotionally and socially. They are truly happy and grateful to simply be alive.

Everything in their world is just wonderfully brilliant…and it bursts through their every pore, coats every word and is very obvious in every action.

How Happy People Make YOU Feel Good

Happy people exude their happiness. They have an energy that vibrates at a different level than most and this is what you sense from them. When you come into contact with them, like osmosis, they share their energy (sometimes consciously, other times unconsciously).

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Why is it so easy for me to be healthy? From stopping smoking to physically craving workouts, the following is a list of beliefs that allowed me to switch my daily habits from those that were no longer working for me to habits that yield the results I want.

I believe…

1. We all have the power to create our lives.
2. Everyone has 24 hours in a day and getting what we want out of life comes down prioritizing.
3. Everyone has choices.
4. Being healthier makes my life easier. It allows me to cope better with daily life and gives me energy and a positive mind frame.
5. The process of becoming healthy and living a healthy lifestyle can be fun and full of pleasure; but it’s up to the individual to find how to make healthy living work for them.
6. Knowledge is power. If I learn everything I can about health, I can make better decisions so that I can enjoy the benefits of health.
7. Trying something is the only way to know for sure whether or not it’ll work for me.
8. My body knows what’s healthy for it and by being self-aware I will find health.
9. True fulfillment comes from the journey, not the destination. This is reason enough for me to find activities and healthy food that I truly take pleasure in.
10. There are different paths in different directions that all lead to the same destination. Healthy living is unique to every individual.