The Body Defined is on Twitter

The Body Defined is now on Twitter. If you'd like to get little tidbits now and then follow me at www.twitter.com/thebodydefined. Some tweets you are likely to see include: tips on diet and exercise, inspirational quotes, useful gadgets and links to relevant news articles and research findings. I'll still be posting longer stories and articles here too.

Hike Wildwood is Back!

Summer sessions for the Conejo Recreation and Park District begin next week. I am offering 3 classes this summer. Please come join me!

Fitness Walks at Wildwood Park - Tuesdays at 8:15 AM (45 min) 6 wks -Fitness Walks are for beginning to intermediate hikers who like to get out and explore. We hike through various trails at Wildwood Park, past waterfalls, over the mesa, through the chaparral and along the creeks. You can't find a better way to get moving in the morning!

Hiker's Bootcamp at Wildwood Park - Thursdays at 8:15 AM (1 hr) & Saturdays at 8:00 AM (1 hr) 6 wks -Hiker's Bootcamp is for the more adventurous, active individual. These hour long sessions traverse Wildwood's scenic beauty and incorporate resistance training. You will get a fantastic, challenging workout outdoors. What could be better?

Don't forget to register at www.crpd.org!

Ageless Wisdom

Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio:

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written"

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and
parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.
Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of whom God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

The Energy of Breath

What is the simplest, easiest thing that you can do everyday to BE GOOD to YOURSELF? You wouldn't believe me if I told you. The absolute best thing you can do for yourself everyday is to breathe. Simple, right? You are already doing it.

Prana, or energy in Ayurvedic traditions, is built through the breath. Biologically speaking, your breath - the transport of oxygen, allows for the breakdown of ATP. Literally, your breath creates energy. Not only does your breath create energy, it removes toxins from your body. Transporting CO2 and other metabolic biproducts out through the lungs. Deep breathing also soothes our nervous system, creating a natural sense of calm and relaxation.

Diaphragmatic breathing, the most cleansing sort of breathing, is what we do naturally. Diaphragmatic breathing is the rhythm that we automatically take when at rest. Have you ever watched someone sleep? If you pay attention, you will see his or her belly rise and fall. The rise and fall you notice is the expanse of the diaphragm. The diaphragm is a muscle the spans the bottom of your rib cage and actually pulls your lungs down, allowing for more air to fill them.

Make a habit to practice taking 10 deep breaths a day. It is a fantastic way to wake-up, energized and refreshed. It is also a great way go to sleep, clearing your mind as you drift-off into peaceful dreams. Here is how:

Take a quite minute for yourself. Relax on the bed, seated in a chair or standing weight evenly distributed in both legs. Set the intent to follow your breath. Inhale slowly and smoothly. Feel the breath enter through your nose, down your throat and into your lungs. Feel your lungs and your belly expand. Hold your breath for a second or two at the end of your inhale. Now slowly exhale, releasing your breath. Notice your belly and lungs drift inward as you exhale. Feel the breath exit your lungs, through your throat and out your nose. Pause for a second or two before your next breath.

If you would like to calm and quite your mind, turn your breath into a mediation. As you begin, focus on inhaling light or energy. Imagine it expanding through your lungs, into your body and all the way out to your fingers and toes. As you exhale, imagine any negative thoughts, energy or products coming from your fingers and toes, through your body and lungs, exiting out your mouth. Perhaps you will visualize your breath as a dark or smokey color as it exits your body.

You should never feel uncomfortable. Don't hold your breath for prolonged periods. Try to match each inhale to each exhale, creating a smooth rhythm. The more your practice, the easier it becomes and you'll find you naturally kick over into this form of breathing in or before stressful situations, during your workouts and as you drift off to sleep.

So, do you think you can manage 10 deep breaths a day? Thought so.

t

Food, Inc. Trailer

Here is some food for though. Food, Inc. is another documentary that reiterates some of Charlotte Gerson's argument for changing the traditional American diet. While I have yet to see this movie, it is released June 12th, I am certain that it is worth watching.

Talking with Charlotte Gerson

As some of you may know, I have been spending this week down at the Baja Nutri Center in Tiajuana with a client of mine, Denise, who is battling metastatic breast cancer in her pancreas. (If you'd like to learn more about our time down here, please visit gottafriend.blogspot.com.) I thought today, however, that I'd post a little something of our visit with Charlotte Gerson, daughter of Max Gerson - the founder of the Gerson Therapy.
A gracious host, Charlotte spent time explaining the Gerson Therapy, different approaches to cancer treatment - successes and failures. What I found most compelling during her talk was her view on the phosphorus/sodium balance in diet. According to Charlotte, to maintain a healthy, healing blood pH of 7.4, we must consume a diet 90% potassium to 10% sodium. Unfortunately with our cooking processes and our copious use of salt, we have reversed the percentage of sodium and potassium in our systems. As you may know, enzymes, vitamins and minerals are often broken down through heating or washed away by water in our cooking methods.
Charlotte states that most Americans have a blood pH of 6.8 which leads to "tissue death syndrome". Oxygen cannot be effectively bonded and transported to the tissues. This syndrome promotes an environment where cancer, diabetes, autoimmune disease, heart disease and various other maladies flourish. To give you an idea, a blood pH of 6.4 is considered terminal. Your cells are dying because of the acidity of your blood.
When our blood pH is acidic, oxygen is not present for metabolism so our bodies must rely on fermentation metabolism. This form of metabolism promotes cell growth and division but, according to Charlotte, does not allow for cells to differentiate and fulfill their function. Fruits contain the best ratio of potassium to sodium, vegetables are next. Charlotte recommends the following fruits: cherries, apricots, peaches, grapes, and apples.
I will continue to look into fermentation metabolism, as well as other information Charolotte presented and keep you posted. In the meantime you can find out more in her book, Healing the Gerson Way by Charlotte Gerson.
Until the next time,
t

Coming into your own

While I am not particularly religious, I thought that this was a great insight. I hope you enjoy -

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God. (Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.)

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fears, our presence automatically liberates others.

Marianne Williamson