Live Love and Eat

LIVE LOVE AND EAT Heal t h | Wellbeing| Nutrition

ISSUE 72|MARCH 2022/ ISSN 2689-7741

IT'S SPRING TIME LET'S PLANT SOME SEEDS

Nutrition for when trying for a baby

Feng Shui, Clutter, and Spring Cleaning

Three Little Birds MARCH POEMS WHY DOES HORMONES PLAY SUCH A BIG ROLE IN WEIGHT LOSS FOR WOMEN?

Identity: The Key to Lasting Change SPRING EQUINOX AND WELCOMING IN NEW ENERGY PLUS YOUR MARCH 2022 HOROSCOPE

How to Improve Self-Confidence?

A Beginners Guide to Basic Gardening: Tools, Soil and more

3 STEPS TO OVERCOMING FEAR OF REJECTION

If you're in a pandemic rut here's how to create new healthy habits

5 Ways to revive your healthy eating goals and succeed for good

LIVE LOVE AND EAT

WHAT IS INSIDE ISSUE 72

MEET OUR SPOTLIGHT Lauren Michelle Jewel

08

RECIPES Looking for a healthy recipe? We have you covered. Enjoy these simple recipes.

87 MEET OUR CONTRIBUTORS

05

All articles are written by health coaches and professionals whom have all overcome their own personal life and health challenges.

LIVE LOVE AND EAT

ARTICLES 14 How to Improve Self-Confidence 20 Identity: The key to lasting change 23 5 Ways to revive your healthy eating goals and succeed for good 27 It's Springtime. Let's Plant some seeds 31 Nutrition for when trying for a baby 41 Why do hormones play such a big role in weight loss for women?

ARTICLES 43 Spring equinox and welcoming in new energy plus your March 2022 horoscope 50 Feng Shui, clutter and Spring cleaning 55 3 Steps to overcoming fear of rejection.

How I faced my fear of rejection

ARTICLES 58 Beginners Guide to basic gardening: Tools, soil and more 73 If you're in a pandemic rut, here's how to create new Healthy habits 76 Three Little Birds 78 March Poems

CONTACT US LIVE LOVE AND EAT 4497 Wyndtree Drive #212 West Chester Ohio 45069

NOTE FROM EDITOR

513 2758081 bernadine@liveloveandeatmagazine.com www.liveloveandeatmagazine.com

New Stories, New writers It is the month of March and Spring is just around the corner.

Spring for me is a new beginning. Spring means longer days, sunnier skies, green grass, and a healthy look ahead to summer.

It’s a hopeful season, filled with encouragement, change, and a sense of something new.

I always like to de-clutter. Decluttering can mean anything. What about starting by decluttering your home Some of the benefits I experienced was that when everything was clean, nice, and organized the more it made me feel calm and pleasant. I also realized what gives me joy. I can focus more on things that needed to be done and organize my days. How will you be decluttering this Spring?

EDITORIAL BERNADINE OTTO Editor-In-Chief

SUBSCRIPTIONS SUBSCRIBE ONLINE https://www.liveloveandeatmagazine.co m/order-your-copy

In this issue, we have amazing articles on how you can celebrate Spring. if it is your health, fitness, or goals we have you covered.

Be sure to check out our Recipe section for healthy Spring recipes.

Meet our Spotlight for the March issue Lauren Michelle Jewel and read all about the wonderful work she is doing in the world.

Be sure to look out for our Podcast, The Live Love and Eat Show.

We have amazing speakers lined up.

Kick back, relax and soak up some quality time with Live Love and Eat

We hope that you enjoy this issue.

BERNADINE OTTO Editor-In-Chief

https://organicbasics.pxf.io/c/2699575/1015321/12803

MEET OUR CONTRIBUTORS 4497 Wyndtree Drive , West Chester 45069 513 275 8081 | bernadine@liveloveandeatmagazine.com

Managing Editor Bernadine Otto Contributor Jace Jacobs Contributor Judy Brown

Bernadine Otto

Jace Jacobs

Judy Brown

Victoria Kleinsman

Lori Booty

Kim Klein

Sharon Clare

Sherry Parks

Linda Watson

Tracy Markley

Skylar Snow Poetry

Austin Jewell

Dr. Danielle Litoff

Contributor Victoria Kleinsman Contributor Lori Booty Contributor Kim Klein Contributor Sharon Clare Contributor Sherry Parks Contributor Linda Watson Contributor Tracy Markley Contributor Skylar Sow Poetry Spotlight Lauren Michelle Jewel

Lauren Michelle Jewel

Contributor Austin Jewel Contributor Dr. Danielle Litoff Recipes Bernadine Otto

4497 WYNDTREE DRIVE, WEST CHESTER, OHIO, 45069 513 2758081 BERNADINE@LIVELOVEANDEATMAGAZINE.COM WWW.LIVELOVEANDEATMAGAZINE.COM

Copyright © 2022 Bernadine Otto. All rights reserved.

Published by Live Love and Eat

MARCH

INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY International Women's Day is celebrated on March 8 every year. After women gained suffrage in Soviet Russia in 1917, March 8 became a national holiday there. The day was then predominantly celebrated by the socialist movement and communist countries until it was adopted in 1975 by the United Nations.

SPRING DAY Trees begin to grow new leaves again and also flowers in spring.

The temperature of the air and soil starts to warm up and the hours of daylight increase as the days get longer with the coming of Spring.

Spring day is on the 20th of March and Daylight savings is on the 13th of March

SAINT PATRICK'S DAY St. Patrick's day is a global celebration of Irish culture on or around March 17. It particularly remembers St Patrick, one of Ireland’s patron saints, who ministered Christianity in Ireland during the fifth century.

How to Enjoy Spring

Happy Spring You Can Start Your Own Gardening

Taking A Breath In Nature

Picnic Is Never A Wrong Choice

Do some grounding/earthing

Open your windows for

Do some Spring

some fresh air

Cleaning

LAUREN MICHELLE JEWEL

Transformational Nutrition & Mindset Coach, Jewel & Coaching ''Your past has zero indication of who you are capable of becoming. I will show generations before & after me that true success has nothing to do with the money but how you choose to feel and show up daily.

When you choose to feel good and refuse to give up, money and all the ‘material things’ are a bi-product''

Lauren lives in Annapolis, MD US with her boyfriend of two years, Andrew, and their one-year-old English Chocolate Lab You can learn more about Lauren here: E-mail: Healthychanges15@gmail.com Website: https://msha.ke/laurenjewel/ Instagram: @Lauren_Michelle_Jewel Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lauren.Jewel/

How did you get started in your career? In What Year?

I was introduced to Nutrition Coaching back in 2014 when I was desiring a change in my life. I was in a low place, struggling with chronic pain; I had a dependency on my medications, and I was involved with the wrong crowd of people. I originally joined to help address my chronic inflammation and create healthier eating habits. Having such amazing results, myself, I decided to take advantage of the business opportunity by partnering with Isagenix International. I did so by organically sharing about my very own experience.

Thus began my coaching career.

It wasn’t until 2020 that I began to take it seriously and invested in business and mindset coaches. I’ve had three total and the most life-changing coach I’ve had was, Tracy Litt. Coaching is a very energy-based industry so it's important that not only am I physically healthy but also, mentally and spiritually aligned.

My biggest belief is that success is not what you’ve achieved but how you feel daily. And in order to provide clients with major life transformation, I will continue to show up as my highest self in service to my current and future clients.

Who or what has been your greatest professional inspiration and why?

Tracy Litt @thelittfactor - If Brené Brown and Tony Robbins had a baby, that would be Tracy. A spiritual advisor and mindset coach to visionary women leaders and entrepreneurs, a highly sought-after keynote speaker, TEDx speaker, and international best-selling author of Worthy Human… She’s helped THOUSANDS of women across 7 countries rise in all aspects of themselves, dramatically elevating prosperity, happiness, and fulfillment -- one choice at a time. I was introduced to Tracy back in 2021 by a friend/fellow nutrition coach. She was hosting a weeklong program called The Elevation Experience that was targeted at high achieving women and entrepreneurs focused on mindset. The minute I heard her speak I knew I had to work with her. Since May of 2021 I’ve been blessed to be within her 6-month long Mind Magic (container).

Soon to be working underneath her to become Certified as a Mind Magic Practitioner and acquire the licensing for her LIFECHANGING methods. Tracy is the reason behind me furthering my education and pursuing my dream of having my own coaching business that focuses on nutrition, mindset & spirituality.

Because Nutrition is so much more than what’s on the plate – Cynthia Garcia

What advice would you offer to someone starting out in your industry?

Embody the very thing you are coaching on. There is a difference between the coach who walks the walk compared to the coach who talks but doesn’t walk the walk. Understanding the power of having the experience for yourself will allow you to show up as a coach who is confident and certain because YOU KNOW the work, works. You are proof. Now how do you get there?

Well, you must embody the feeling daily that you’ve already achieved that goal. Visualize it daily.

We must get out of our own way because YOU WILL get in your own way if you make coaching all about you and not the client. Coaching is about challenging your client on things they cannot see. It's not about giving them the answers but helping them find the answers they already had. The same goes for you. You already have the answers and ability to achieve your coaching goals, you just have to believe you are worthy, because well, you have always been worthy. The way a coach shows ups knowing they are providing value/major transformational change within someone’s life vs a coach who is subconsciously worried about what others think and is second guessing themselves is CLEAR. Instead of having to SELL, SELL, SPAM your ideal customers, you can attract and serve. The HOW is none of your business – the universe is your safety net. The more you prioritize the way you feel daily the more ease and flow follows.

What professional challenges have you faced that have contributed to your overall success?

From fear to fuel. From Trauma to transformation. From the pits to purpose, I struggled with addiction for 15 years and will forever be grateful for those lessons (especially since I am still here to learn from them).

It’s the reason I stand here today with a vision of making a massive impact and changing the frequency of the collective. I had to experience my past in order to show up as the person I am today. I had to hit rock bottom to see exactly what I didn’t want which led me on the quest of finding what it was that I really wanted and not what I thought I should want, alignment. My transformation has allowed me to see that I have always been worthy; I have always been enough. In actual fact, your worth is your birthright. You’ve always been worthy.

This confidence and certainty came as a bi-product of knowing my worth and trusting the process. I’m able to share my story not from a place of lack but from a place of full embrace and gratitude. It allows others to see that they TO-can become the highest version of themselves. They see that they are worthy and worthy of everything they’ve ever desired.

Like I always tell my clients, “No one person is born with more worth than the other.” It’s up to you to take radical responsibility for your life and show up for not just yourself but the people who need to hear your story of hope & transformation.

Are there any specific contributions, you have made in your field which contributed to your success? (i.e. inventions/patents. Books authored or coauthored etc.)

No specific contributions but I am in the beginning steps to the start of my book. I’ve always loved to write and know sharing my story can positively impact many people’s lives and be healing for myself.

What do you do in your free time? (volunteer, work, hobbies, etc.)

In my free time, I enjoy the practice of meditation, breathwork, belief work, trying new breakfast spots, spending time with my boyfriend and our pup, and anything by the water. My favorite season is summer because I can take my dog (Luka) to the beach (down the street) & take pictures while the sunsets. I also have a passion for weightlifting. I used to play sports in grade school but never enjoyed working out. That was until I was introduced to weightlifting by my boyfriend, Andrew. I am completely self-taught. I remember becoming so obsessed; just like I am about the art of transformation. My addictive personality decided to follow me after I got sober, but I decided to direct that energy into things that would instead, promote a higher quality of life.

What would you like readers to know about you and why?

I came from a wealthy self-made family but behind closed doors, addiction was a part of my life well before I even touched any mind-altering substance. I grew up being called the mediator and it wasn’t until my mother passed away suddenly from pancreatic cancer in 2011 (I was 19 years old) that I began implementing the coping mechanisms I was taught as a child; drinking and escaping my reality. The reason I am telling you this is because I truly believe that if I was taught healthier coping mechanisms, I would have taken a different path. Though I am grateful for the journey, I am also, lucky to have made it out alive and/or not be in jail. I think the biggest gift you can give yourself is the space to get to know yourself intimately. Begin observing your body and honoring your emotions. This is relevant for anyone, substance abuse or not, using addictive traits as a coping mechanism is more common this day and age, due to our need for instant gratification. I challenge you to lean more towards the delayed gratification team and trust the process. Observe with nonjudgement in every area of your life and begin peeling back those layers that you’ve tucked away, over the years. I promise you will begin to see those emotional blocks fade away and your new outlook on life begin to show up. I know because I am proof.

What is your favorite quote and why?

“You’ve already achieved your dreams. Time just hasn’t caught up, yet.” – I love this quote because it reminds me of the power I have. It’s a constant reminder that I can achieve everything I’ve everything I desire, as long as I don’t give up. It's already done, I just need to continue showing up.

What 3 tips will you give someone who is struggling to live healthy?

My #1 piece of advice is to first focus on your sleep hygiene. I can give you the best programs and you can eat only the finest, healthiest foods in the world but if your sleep is lacking, you will struggle to achieve your desired results. Sleep should be one of your top priorities when beginning your new lifestyle change because of its effects on our hormones, our body’s ability to detox, how our bodies address stress, and even our immune system. Numerous studies have suggested that restricted sleep and poor sleep quality may lead to metabolic disorders, weight gain, and an increased risk of obesity and other chronic health conditions.

Stress Management. I personally use plant medicine, like adaptogens to help regulate the nervous system. Stress affects our ability to lose fat, along with our immune system. Begin a morning routine that consists of sunlight and meditation or whatever fills up your cup (ie. Reading, journaling, walking).

Anything that YOU love and isn’t related to work or involves any electronics. Sunlight in the first 30 minutes you are awake is key to helping regulate your circadian rhythm. This is time to get in touch with your body and slow down. In a world where humans are in a constant state of stress (fight or flight), we see an epidemic of disease, and stress is one of the main precursors.

Don’t compare your journey to somebody else’s. In other words, don’t compare your chapter 1 to someone’s chapter 20. You’re doing great! Keep it up! Now go look in the mirror and tell yourself that. You are loved! You are worthy!

What kind of legacy would you like to leave the world?

That your past has zero indication of who you are capable of becoming. I will show generations before & after me that true success has nothing to do with the money but how you choose to feel and show up daily. When you choose to feel good and refuse to give up, money and all the ‘material things’ are a bi-product.

If you could work/coach with one person, who would it be?

My dream client is desiring change. She’s someone who has experienced a lot in life and has a deep inner knowing inside telling her there is more. She has over time allowed her physical and mental health to decline but is currently searching for a holistic way to heal herself. She understands that her physical health is just as connected to her mental health and in order to achieve her dreams, she must work on both to achieve true holistic success.

She’s coachable. She’s a burnt-out overachiever. She’s willing to show up and she’s ready to become the next level version of HERSELF!

What is your next step in business?

I am in the process of creating a Podcast and writing my first book to help promote the brand & mission that Jewel & Coaching represents. My programs are based around up-to-date researched nutrition, adaptogens, belief work, regulation of the nervous system, and creating True Holistic Success through embodiment of who we are desiring to become, education, and building up our self-worth. In the next couple of months, you will find me launching even more major life transformational programs and continue growing my Holistic Success Collective community. I am doing so by providing insane value and creating such a supportive, empowering group of women that everyone wants to be a part of it.

HOW TO IMPROVE SELF-CONFIDENCE

By Victoria Kleinsman

Self-confidence. What does it mean to you to be self-confident? I’m not just talking about your body, I’m talking about YOU as a whole person, including your personality, your values, and how you show up in the world.

Let’s start this off by defining what self-confidence actually is and then I’m going to share with you 5 tips to improve your self-confidence…

Confidence comes from the Latin word fidere’ which means “to trust”; therefore, having selfconfidence is having trust in one’s self.

I invite you to answer the following questions in your journal: Do you trust yourself?

If you were looking at yourself through someone else’s eyes and you saw yourself in a room full of people, would you bet on yourself to step up to achieve the goal – whatever that may be relevant to you?

Why or why not?

As with most things I teach, improving your self-confidence involves changing your mindset! Here are 5 tips to implement into your life to dramatically improve your self-confidence.

Keep your promises to yourself Listen, stop flaking on yourself! Would you break promises to the people you love dearly? If so, then I invite you to work on your character and values as a human being… Seriously though, how many times have you promised yourself something and then broke that promise?

Perhaps you promised yourself you would walk for an hour a day 5 days a week. Yet after one successful week, you start making excuses not to go, you say yes to other people’s needs before your own so you run out of time to walk… sound familiar? This also has to do with self-sabotage.

For more about self-sabotage and how to stop, read this.

The questions we need to ask ourselves are: Why do I break promises to myself?

Do I feel worthy enough to not let myself down and follow up with my self-made promises?

If not, why not?

What is the difference between making a promise to someone I love and care about and making one to myself?

Are the promises you’re making to yourself too unrealistic?

It’s all too easy to put a whole load of pressure on ourselves.

The kind of expectations and pressure that we wouldn’t dream of putting on anyone else. High achievers, I see you! I’m all about aiming high and pushing ourselves outside of those safe comfort zones, but we need to get real with ourselves… Is what we’re promising we’ll do, actually doable?

For example – have you promised yourself that you’re going to go to the gym 6 days a week, knowing for well that that’s a lot to ask when you haven’t even stepped foot in one for over a year?

Have you promised yourself that you’re not going to eat sugar ever again because Davina McCall’s says it’s the best thing she’s ever done? …

No sugar again… really? What about when your Mum bakes her famous scones or your friend suggests coffee and cake at your fave place…?

See where I’m going with this…? Make promises to yourself that you have a strong desire for, make sure they are doable, and stick to them. Show up for yourself. Don’t let yourself down.

Follow your envy Wanting something you haven’t got is rooted in your DNA. But envy and the yucky, heavy feelings associated with it, doesn’t have to be all bad. In fact, envy is a good thing because underneath the layers of envy is a desire for something. And if you desire something then you’re more than capable of achieving it for yourself, otherwise, you wouldn’t desire it!

Ask yourself why do you feel envious? What would having the thing mean to you in your life? When you get to the root cause of your envy, you can start to make changes in your life now to create the outcome you want.

For example; are you envious of someone’s money? Why? Is it because they have more freedom in their life? How can you create more freedom in your life now as you work towards your dreams?

Most things that we strive towards are always a FEELING we want, not a thing.

Get out of victim mode Time for some tough love… wallowing in self-pity and throwing a never-ending pity party for yourself isn’t the answer… For anything… Apart from maybe attracting other pitiful people to your pity party!

Life throws some seriously hard, painful sh*t at us sometimes, I know! But it’s how we react to these things and what we choose to do next is what matters. And I fully believe that everything bad that happens to you happens for a reason. The Universe doesn’t assign you anything that you can’t handle.

Been trapped in a relationship that was more domestic violence than love and kindness? What can you learn from that? How can you become a better, stronger person from that experience? Can you help others who are going through what you went through? What life skill or characterbuilding have you evolved into from going through that?

As harsh as this sounds, and I say this in the most loving way possible; “What good is it feeling sorry for yourself?”

“What good is it wishing it hadn’t happened to you?”

None… no good. Only more pain and suffering. Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

Take your power back. Get help. Decide to move on and grow from whatever life throws at you.

Failure is feedback Failure is all about your perspective. Do you see failure as negative? I don’t. I see it as how I can improve next time. I see it as a test of my dedication and grit as to how much I want it. I see it as how I can grow and be better and do better.

Your perception is either your prison or your power.

Choose for it to be your power. Decide to see failure as a positive. My smart 8-yearold niece Evie, said to me last year; F – first A – attempt I – in L – learning Take a leaf out of her book.

Chase your goals but be flexible with the how When going after your goals, affirm that anything is possible. All you need is a fierce desire, grit, determination, and belief. As a soul living a human experience, there’s no difference between you and Richard Branson.

All he and many other successful people did, was follow his heart and let nothing get in his way.

What’s in your heart? What’s your secret dream?

The Law of attraction states (read this after reading my article!) that whatever you want is available to you.

It is the Law of Attraction that uses the power of the mind to translate whatever is in our thoughts and materialize them into reality. In basic terms, all thoughts turn into things eventually.

If you focus on negative doom and gloom you will remain under that cloud. If you focus on positive thoughts and have goals that you aim to achieve you will find a way to achieve them with massive action.

WHEN WE UNDERSTAND HOW THIS WORKS LIFE BECOMES SO MUCH MORE FUN! WE KNOW THAT WE CAN CREATE AND ACHIEVE WHATEVER WE DESIRE!

To understand this more read the book ‘Ask and It Is Given by Esther and Jerry Hicks.

The important factor I want to mention here is that when you’re chasing your goals, don’t get caught up with the ‘how’. Because when you want something and you take action to get it, people, places, and things will come into your life to make it happen.

If you’re so focused on the exact way you think the money, partner, car, etc will come to you, you’ll be missing the opportunities that come into your life that will take you to where you want to go.

So take whatever action feels right, stay open with your heart and mind, be flexible, get excited, follow your heart, practice patience, and enjoy the ride!

If you’d like help with your self-confidence or achieving your goals – please reach out to me. I offer a free coaching call where we explore the different options to work together and to see if we’re a good fit. You’ll also walk away from the call with some action steps you can put into place straight away to see immediate results.

Victoria Kleinsman is a food freedom and body love health coach who has beaten anorexia - bulimia - binge eating disorder and domestic abuse. Victoria helps you to make peace with food, become besties with your body & fall madly in love with yourself!

Free access to the first modules of my paid Food & Body Freedom Queen Program: https://victoriakleinsman.com/free-accessto-first-few-modules/ Website: https://www.victoriakleinsman.com/ Email: info@victoriakleinsman.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victoriakleinsman Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoriakleinsman/ Podcast: https://anchor.fm/victoria-kleinsman “The Body Love Binge” on any podcast platform.

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1g1H40rbSQ6Trmcha59kDg

IDENTITY: THE KEY TO LASTING CHANGE

By Austin Jewell

I have a question to ask you. Was one of your resolutions or goals for the New Year to work on your health and make better choices? Are you staying on track or have you already fallen off? If you are staying on track, CONGRATULATIONS, you are part of the group that makes it past February.

If you have fallen off, don't sweat it or beat yourself up as there is still plenty of time to create that change you want! Now whether you are still pushing or you feel like you failed (which you didn't) what I'm about to talk about will help you reach your goals this year!

When the New Year rolls around we have all of these goals and ambitions to become better, get healthier, develop new habits and do more things that we enjoy, but somehow by the end of the year, we didn't accomplish as much as we wanted.

Does this feel like you?

This was definitely me for more time than I like to admit. We all start out motivated, hyped and ready to conquer the year but we end up fading out. Now, why is that? You are missing a very important piece of the puzzle.

This piece is the IDENTITY SHIFT. When we take on these new goals and new habits, we can't be the same person we were before while trying to implement these new habits. This is how we fall off track because the new habit doesn't line up with the old you.

Our brains start to resist and make the habit harder to stick to. If we want to successfully stick to our goals, we have to BECOME the person who performs these actions daily.

We have to think and act as the person who lives a healthy lifestyle. Here are a few examples: When you go out to eat, instead of relying on willpower, you tell yourself "I AM a health-conscious person who makes healthy choices" instead of "I'm trying to eat healthy" When you don't feel like exercising, you say to yourself "I AM a healthy individual who exercises for my health and energy" instead of "I'm trying to exercise more" When we say these "I AM" statements, we are rewiring our brain and identifying ourselves as this new person. This simple change in our wording makes a HUGE difference.

Now, this shift doesn't happen overnight, but when we think in this way DAILY, we slowly BECOME the healthy person we want to be. The difference is instead of stacking new habits on top of an old version of you, we change our habits one by one into those of the person we want to become.

Austin Jewell is a Certified Transformational Nutrition Coach, Certified Life Coach, and Certified Personal Trainer.

I help tired humans live with more energy, find their purpose, and start thriving instead of surviving by optimizing their health and lifestyle. I focus on mindset and psychology to help others understand WHY they do the things that they do and how to overcome the obstacles holding them back from success, health, and happiness.

My mission is to help others live a healthy and fulfilling life and let that ripple out to the lives they touch. instagram.com/hydratedhealthcoach facebook.com/hydratedhealthcoach facebook.com/austin.jewell.54 (Personal) www.hydratedhealthcoach.com

5 Ways to Revive Your Healthy Eating Goals And Succeed For Good

BY LORI BOOTY

You had a New Year’s Resolution to eat healthy and feel like a failure You swore this year would be different. You would start eating healthy in January, but by the third week you gave up. It was too hard to keep up with once your life got busy, and you got tired of salads and smoothies. Now, you feel like a failure, but it’s not too late to revive those healthy eating goals. There is a way for you to be successful, not just this year, but for good.

The mistakes you made.

Here’s the problem with most New Year’s resolutions to eat healthy, you try so hard in the beginning that you deprive yourself of any joy in your meals. You rely on willpower, which only lasts for so long. You have an all-or-nothing approach, and when you eat one unhealthy thing, like a slice of birthday cake, a fast-food meal, or a few cocktails, you give up on your whole plan.

5 ways you can be successful with your healthy eating goals forever Change your mindset – Don’t take an all-or-nothing approach. You have to allow for some foods that are not “healthy”. In fact, stop thinking of foods as “good” or “bad”.Think of food as food that nourishes your body or doesn’t nourish your body. Eat more foods that give you nutrients that your body needs for energy, a healthy immune system, and organ function. For example, foods that are grown in a garden will have lots of nutrients. Foods that are manufactured in a plant will have few to no nutrients at all. It’s okay to eat these non-foods on occasion, but know that you are not fueling your body.

Don’t rely on willpower – Somehow, we all believe that when we fail at a diet, it is because we just didn’t have enough willpower. We should be stronger! But, willpower just doesn’t work for most people. You need to have a reason why you want to succeed at eating healthier that is bigger than just wanting to look good in a swimsuit. How do you want to feel when you eat healthier? Will you be more confident? Will you feel excited because you can keep up with your kids on the playground, and it is important for you to be involved in your children’s lives? Did you have a scare at the doctor’s office and you never want to feel that way again?

Do you want to feel sure that test results come back clear?

Visualize how you will feel when you reach your healthy eating goals.

Make small changes – Instead of changing your whole diet, restricting foods, and being miserable, try adding things to your diet. One of the goals I shoot for is eating 5-7 servings of vegetables or fruits a day. I think of it like, “I need to have two servings at every meal.” I’ll have a smoothie or vegetable hash for breakfast, a salad for lunch, stir fry, spaghetti, or a few types of roasted vegetables for dinner. It’s much easier and more enjoyable to add things to your diet instead of removing them.

Once adding fruits and vegetables to your diet becomes a habit, you can try removing artificial sweeteners and other artificial ingredients from your daily intake.

Meal plan – We all get rushed, busy, or just plain tired. When we do, it is so much easier to fall back into old habits, like eating fast, processed foods. To keep that from happening, plan your meals ahead of time. You can create a binder or Pinterest board of meals that you like to cook. Include some meals that take only minutes to prepare for those days when you just can’t take the time to cook a big meal. Keep frozen berries and vegetables in your freezer. I like to make extra servings when I cook, so I can freeze leftovers in single-serving containers. I pull those out for lunch sometimes. Meal services can also be a healthy option if cooking is not your forte.

Allow for setbacks or indulging on special occasions- Don’t think that just because you had a day of eating processed foods at the theme park, you can’t still be a healthy eater. You can still have your Aunt Helen’s double macaroni and cheese at the family holiday celebration. The next day, you’ll just remember why you wanted to be a healthier eater. You’ll visualize the way you want to feel and you will get back to eating the foods that give you energy and nutrients.

If you do these five things, you can revive your healthy eating goals and succeed for good. Any time you fall off the wagon, you pick yourself back up and remember why you wanted to be a healthier eater in the first place.

Every day you will wake up and visualize how you want to feel. Since you are not on an all-or-nothing, restrictive diet, you can make this a lifelong change. You will feel your confidence grow as you choose yourself over and over again.

Lori Booty is a Certified Transformational Nutrition Coach with over 20 years of experience teaching elementary school and a Masters in School Counseling. She is the owner and creator of Beautifulimmunity.com. Lori began her health transformation after watching her mother battle a traumatic illness and she realized her own health was not as good as she wanted it to be. She found out that nutrition held the key to improving her symptoms and not medications with terrible side effects. Throughout her journey, she's found that there are many natural remedies she could turn to for her family and not always have to rush to the doctor. One of the most surprising remedies she found was that her thoughts actually impact the quality of her health. She now works to support women who are exhausted from raising kids and caring for aging parents to get back their own health without using medications or crazy, complicated diets. http://beautifulimmunity.com/ https://www.facebook.com/beautifulimmunity/ https://www.instagram.com/loriboot/

It’s Springtime

Let’s Plant Some Seeds

By Tracy Markley

The first day of spring is the perfect time to plant seeds.

Plant seeds in your garden. The book “A Seed is a Promise” teaches kids that when you plant a seed something will grow. It’s like a promise of flowers, plants, and food from the earth. It’s healthy for our body, mind, and souls to the garden. When we see the seeds sprouting through the dirt and grow in size almost daily it makes us feel good, no matter how old we are. We spend time outdoors in nature breathing fresh air and receiving the natural health benefits of the sun and nature each time you tend to the seed and garden.

When we plant seeds it gives us something to care for. The seeds need to be placed properly into the dirt to the correct depth and distance apart from other seeds as the directs per instructions for each seed. Then we must water it and care for it. It’s all a positive feel-good experience and brings joy and inspiration to anyone who gardens.

Plant seeds are in your mind and thoughts.

Spring is often an enjoyable time to spring clean and bring a cleansing to our homes. It’s a fabulous time to plant positive seeds in our thoughts and goals to move forward from winter into spring and summer. This time of year brings on goals and desires to feel healthy and look healthy. We begin to plan for vacations, bathing suits, pool gatherings, weddings, BBQs with friends, summer clothing, and much more.

Outdoor plans. Spring is the beginning of warmer weather for most areas. It's a wonderful time to begin getting back outdoors with your pets, friends, and family to hike, walk, and spend more time outdoors. Plant the seeds of these plans with your friends that you wish to do with them.

Feeling good is the new looking good.

You are amazing brave and strong.

Creating a springtime journal with your thoughts, desires, wishes, dreams, and goals for the nice weather days to come as well as for the rest of the year is a wonderful idea. Plant those seeds in writing with yourself. I like to write down positive and inspiring quotes and or comments I have heard around the pages in my journal. I can see them every day and keeps making me feel good.

Each day water your seeds whether they are in your garden, in your mind, or in your journal. Then experience each step of growth, change, and new things these seeds bring you.

Tracy Markley is the owner of Tracy's Personal Training, Pilates & Yoga Studio. She is the author of 9 books. Her work is known for training stroke survivors. She also created the CEC course "Stroke Recovery Training" for the fitness industry. Tracy was one of the IDEA 2020 Personal Trainer of the Year Finalists. She is recognized for her work, books, and helping stroke survivors worldwide. She is an NFHOF Pro (National Fitness Hall of Fame) Recognized as one of "Today's Top Trainers" in 2019. She believes “Knowledge is Power” and has earned many certifications in the fitness industry. www.tracymarkley.com www.tracyspersonaltraining.com www.amazon.com/author/tracymarkley www.instagram.com/motivate_healthyfit www.facebook.com/tracyfitt www.twitter.com/tracysfitnesshb www.tracys-healthy-365.blogspot.com www.linkedin.com/in/tracymarkleyfit

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Nutrition For When Trying For A Baby

By Sharon Clare

Deciding to have a baby is an exciting time and you will be thinking about many aspects of your life. This is a great chance for you to make some healthy changes to your lifestyle and eating habits before your family grows.

It is particularly important that your diet and lifestyle are healthy when you are trying for a baby and during pregnancy. This is because your eating and lifestyle habits not only influence your own health and fertility but can also affect your growing baby if you get pregnant.

Women who have too little body fat are more likely to have irregular periods (menstruation) or no periods at all, which can affect their ability to conceive. If you have suffered, or are suffering, from an eating disorder, gaining weight might be hard for you to manage. If this is the case, tell your doctor that putting on weight may raise difficult feelings for you. Extra support, such as counseling from a mental health professional, can help you cope with the challenges around eating healthily before and during your pregnancy.

Regular physical activity will help you keep healthy body weight.

Get into the habit of doing regular physical activity, as during pregnancy this can help reduce lower back pain, swelling of the legs and feet, and tiredness, which are common during pregnancy.

A healthy, varied diet based on starchy foods (including wholegrain varieties), with plenty of fruit and vegetables and some lean meat, fish, eggs, and other sources of protein, and low-fat dairy products is important for good health throughout life.

When you want to become pregnant, it is even more important that you follow a healthy, balanced diet to get all the nutrients you need.

Dietary advice for women who are trying for a baby is mostly the same as for other adults.

But there are some top tips that women who want to become pregnant should follow.

Take a folic acid supplement

This vitamin is particularly important before you become pregnant and during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Extra folic acid during this time (for most women a supplement of 400µg (micrograms) per day of folic acid is recommended) reduces the risk of having a baby with a neural tube defect (problems affecting the baby’s spine and neural tubes, such as spina bifida).

If there’s a family history of neural tube defects, you’re taking anti-epileptic medication, or you’re diabetic, speak to your GP as you may need a higher dose.

It is also a good idea to eat foods that are high in folate, which is the natural form of folic acid found in foods like green leafy vegetables, whole grains, nuts, peas, oranges, and berries.

Think about vitamin D

Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium from your diet, which is important for healthy bones for you and your baby.

We get most of our vitamin D from the action of sunlight on the skin. So, from about late March to the end of September, most of us should be able to get all the vitamin D we need from sunlight on our skin when we are outdoors. If you are out in the sun, take care to cover up or protect your skin with sunscreen before you turn red or get burnt. Between October and early March though we do not get sufficient vitamin D from sunlight alone.

Low blood levels of vitamin D are quite common in UK women, especially in the winter and early spring. Women with darker skin and women who spend very little time exposed to sunlight, for example, because they cover their skin for cultural reasons or spend long periods indoors, are most at risk of low vitamin D status.

There are only a few dietary sources of vitamin D. Oily fish is a good source and eating oily fish once a week (such as salmon, trout, mackerel, sardines, pilchards, and herring) can make a useful contribution to vitamin D intakes.

Vitamin D is also found in eggs and is added to some breakfast cereals and fat spreads.

Because vitamin D is found only in a small number of foods, everyone, including pregnant and breastfeeding women, and women trying for a baby, should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10µg (micrograms) of vitamin D during the winter months. If you have dark skin (for example if you're of African, African Caribbean, or South Asian origin) or if you tend to cover your skin while outside (or spend lots of time indoors), you may need to consider taking a daily vitamin D supplement all year round. Speak to a midwife or doctor for advice

Vitamin A

Women trying for a baby should also be aware that having large amounts of vitamin A can harm your unborn baby, so do not take supplements that contain vitamin A (including fish liver oil). You should also avoid eating liver or liver products, such as pâté because these are very high in vitamin A. You can speak to your GP or midwife for more information.

Eat fish but choose the species carefully As well as being an excellent source of vitamin D, oily fish is rich in long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, and this type of fat is required for the development of your baby’s brain and eyes. So, try to eat at least one portion of oily fish per week. However, because contaminants that may be present in some oily fish can be harmful if consumed in large amounts, limit yourself to no more than two portions of oily fish a week (one portion is 140g, cooked weight).

If you are trying for a baby or are pregnant, you should also avoid eating shark, swordfish, and marlin, and you should not eat more than four medium-sized cans of tuna, or two fresh tuna steaks, a week.

This is because these fish can contain more mercury than other kinds of fish, and this may harm your baby’s nervous system

Look at your iron intake

It's common for women to develop iron deficiency during pregnancy. This is because your body needs extra iron to ensure your baby has a sufficient blood supply and receives the necessary oxygen and nutrients.

Try to build up your iron stores when you’re trying to become pregnant by eating a balanced diet, including iron-rich foods.

Good sources of iron are red meat, poultry, and fish.

Some plant food such as beans, dark green leafy vegetables, nuts, and whole grains also contain iron, but it is not as well absorbed by your body as the iron you eat from animal sources.

However, vitamin C helps absorb the iron from plant sources. Try to include foods or drinks containing vitamin C (like a small glass of orange juice, tomatoes, and peppers) with your meals to increase your iron uptake.

Advice on alcohol and caffeine

Avoid drinking alcohol

In 2016, the Department of Health updated the guidelines for alcohol consumption and recommends that if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all, to keep risks to your baby to a minimum.

The Chief Medical Officers’ guideline is that: • If you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all, to keep risks to your baby to a minimum.

• Drinking in pregnancy can lead to long-term harm to the baby, with the more you drink the greater the risk.

High intakes of alcohol may affect your baby’s development, particularly in the early stages of pregnancy.

Recent reviews have shown that the risks of low birth weight, pre-term birth, and being small for gestational age all may increase in mothers drinking above 1-2 units/day during pregnancy.

Limit caffeine intake Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, chocolate, some sports/energy drinks, some soft drinks, and some cold and flu remedies.

You should limit your caffeine intake when you are trying for a baby and whilst pregnant. A high caffeine intake has been linked to an increased risk of your baby not growing as well as expected.

You should limit your intake of caffeine from all food and drink sources to around 200mg per day, which is roughly the amount in: 2 mugs of instant coffee (100mg each) 1 1/2 mugs of filter coffee (140mg each) 2 1/2 mugs of tea (75mg each) A standard bar of dark chocolate contains around 50mg caffeine, a can of energy drink contains around 80mg caffeine, and a can of cola contains around 40mg caffeine.

High-caffeine energy drinks are legally required to declare “High Caffeine Content. Not recommended for children or pregnant or breast-feeding women”, followed by the exact caffeine content expressed in mg per 100ml on the label.

Coffee from a coffee shop or restaurant may contain higher levels of caffeine compared to coffee made at home. If you are concerned about the level of caffeine, choose a reduced strength or decaffeinated coffee.

As there may be a gap between when you conceive and when you find out that you are pregnant, it is best and safest to simply avoid drinking alcohol during this time.

However, the risk of harm to the baby is likely to be low if a woman has drunk only small amounts of alcohol before she knew she was pregnant or during pregnancy. Women who find out they are pregnant after already having drunk during early pregnancy should avoid further drinking but should be aware that it is unlikely in most cases that their baby has been affected

Advice for men

Men should consider changes to their diet and lifestyle when trying for a baby too. Diet can affect male fertility eating a healthy, varied diet and reducing alcohol intake can improve sperm quality and increase the chances of you and your partner conceiving.

There are many ways that dads-to-be can help boost their chances of having a baby through diet and lifestyle choices.

Be a healthy weight Obese men are more likely to have low sperm counts and lower fertility. Ideally, men should try to keep a BMI within the healthy range of 18.5 to 25 if trying for a baby. Even if you do not lose enough weight to have a BMI of 25 or less, losing some weight and increasing your activity levels are likely to be beneficial for your health. For more information on losing weight see our page on healthy weight loss Eat a healthy, varied diet Just as a healthy diet is important for a woman if she is trying to become pregnant, it is also just as vital that men eat healthily to get a wide variety of nutrients needed for male fertility. It is better to try and eat a healthy, varied diet overall, rather than just focusing on individual foods. For more information about healthy eating and balancing the diet to get all the nutrients, you need to see our page on a healthy, balanced diet.

Certain nutrients are known to influence fertility in men: Selenium Selenium is needed to make healthy sperm. Foods such as Brazil nuts, fish, meat, and eggs provide selenium.

Zinc Low levels of zinc have also been linked to reduced testosterone levels. Men can help keep their zinc levels topped up by including meat, shellfish (such as crab), nuts, and whole grains in their diet

Change your lifestyle habits Excess alcohol can affect sperm quality. Men should not drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week (one unit is equivalent to half a pint of normal strength lager, a small glass of wine, or a 25ml measure of spirits). If you do drink as much as 14 units per week, it is best to spread this evenly over 3 days or more (rather than having one or two heavy drinking sessions).

Other lifestyle factors, such as smoking, can also influence fertility. Smoking has been linked to low sperm count and sperm motility, and therefore it’s recommended that you should quit smoking if trying for a baby. It will also help your partner give up if they are a smoker too.

Sharon can help you achieve your fitness goals in the gym, at home & also outdoors. Personal training is available 1-2-1, in couples & also small groups. Body coach fitness has a holistic approach to health & wellness, fitness, nutrition & sports performance & is dedicated to educating people on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle! Whatever your goals Sharon will help you achieve them. When not training others to achieve their goals Sharon works towards her own, training hard to compete at an international level as a natural physique competitor. www.bodycoachfitness.com www.bodycoachfitness.org https://www.facebook.com/sharon.clare.14

Why Do Hormones Play Such a Big Role in Weight Loss for Women?

By Dr. Danielle Litoff MPT DPT CMP OCS CTNC

For women, weight loss has as much or more to do with hormones and hormone balance than what you put on your plate. If you are struggling to lose weight, it may be time to look at your hormones.

The main players in female hormone dysfunction are cortisol, insulin, estrogen, and progesterone. As one hormone gets over-or under-produced, it affects the production and impact of all the others. In this article, we are going to primarily look at the balance of cortisol and insulin as it relates to weight loss.

How Stress Causes Women Gain Weight If your stress is constantly high, then your cortisol hormone is elevated which inhibits the production of insulin, leaving glucose in the bloodstream causing you to put on weight. When cortisol is going all the time, then we do not have enough raw materials to make any of our estrogen or progesterone, putting everything off balance.

In the context of stress, cortisol needs to balance with insulin. If you are constantly overextended, your body will crave glucose for fast energy. When your body is healthy and balanced the body can make glucose from fat and protein and good carbs (plant-based), but if you need glucose NOW your body will crave sugar. Eating these foods will cause insulin to come in hot and heavy to move the sugar out of the bloodstream into the cells.

Then the blood sugar plummets and the cycle starts again.

Sometimes our cortisol imbalance is triggered by the stress of a new diet or exercise routine. If you drastically cut your calories, your body will think you are starving and hold onto every calorie it can. Also, if you have a new workout that requires you to get up at 5 am, but you aren’t going to bed until 11 pm, then you are not getting enough sleep. That lack of sleep causes stress and messes with your cortisol and insulin production.

What to do to Get Your Hormones Back in Balance If you want to learn more about hormones and how they affect weight loss, schedule a consultation for functional medicine health coaching. Or you can email Danielle at danielle@battlebornhealth.com with the subject line “STRONGER” to learn more about our 16-week Fueled to Thrive program.

Dr. Danielle Litoff DPT is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and Health Coach at Battle Born Health in Reno, NV. Her practice focuses on the principles of modern, proven medicine, delivered with an old-fashioned commitment to patient care and one-on-one relationships. For more wellness tips, visit her blog where she writes about various topics of nutrition, health, and physical therapy." https://www.battlebornhealth.com/ https://www.facebook.com/battlebornhealth/ https://www.instagram.com/battlebornhealth/

SPRING EQUINOX AND WELCOMING IN NEW ENERGY PLUS, YOUR MARCH 2022 HOROSCOPE

By Linda Watson

March kicks off the month with a New Moon in the sign of Pisces on March 2nd. Be prepared to feel quite different than you may have during the last New Moon in Aquarius. Although the Aquarian energy is kind and compassionate, there is also an emotional detachment to it. The focus was more about seeing the big picture and how you could best be used to serve humanity and society in general.

When the New Moon is in Pisces, your visions may have a dreamier quality. Your compassion and empathy are focused on others in your life.

You can expect to feel sensitive and intuitive in a more spiritual way.

A New Moon occurs when the Sun and Moon are in a conjunction aspect and both in the same sign. This alignment provides the tendency for the two to mix their energies together. Because the Sun rules our outer self and the Moon rules our inner being, you will definitely feel more of this sweet and gentle nature on both levels. This is a wonderful placement for the New Moon since inspiration is also heightened with this position and can especially increase your creativity for any new seeds you want to plant at this time.

The Sun/Jupiter conjunction on March 5th continues this theme of spiritual expansion and the energetic vibe to help others which provides you with general feelings of happiness and well-being. Anything started during this time most likely will have a positive outcome in the long run.

On March 6th, the Moon then moves into the sign of Taurus. Your emotions begin to become more focused on security and the foundations in your life. This Moon will be shining a light on what you value and the emotional attachment that you have to your material possessions. This is also a relaxing type of energy where you enjoy the beauty of your home environment and experience life through the senses. This is a great time to enjoy the company of good friends, good food, good wine, and spending time outdoors getting in touch with your earthy side.

This day also brings the transit of Mars and Venus both entering the sign of Aquarius and in exact conjunction with each other. Even though these signs are opposite, meaning Mars is a masculine energy and Venus a feminine energy, these two planets actually work well together and need each other to accomplish their respective goals.

When Mars and Venus are together in this way, you can expect some fireworks. The energy created is very passionate, intense, and dynamic.

Your needs will be pretty straightforward, making it easier to know what you want out of a relationship and feel more satisfied. There is an adventuress aspect to this connection with plenty of room for experimentation.

On March 13th, the Sun and Neptune form conjunction in Pisces, creating a hazy glow over your thoughts and visions. This can inspire some wonderful works of art or other creative forms of self-expression. Again, you experience an abundance of sensitive and compassionate feelings for your companions on this planet. All these thoughts and feelings can be experienced in either a positive or negative manifestation. At times, it can create a situation where you have trouble discerning reality from illusion.

You may see things the way you want to through rose-colored glasses instead of through the clear light of day. Take advantage of this time of increased imagination and spiritual insights while doing your best to keep your feet on the ground.

The Full Moon in Virgo occurs on March 18th at 3:17 am. This means that the Moon/Sun polarity is on the Virgo/Pisces axis. These two signs are both very much about service to others but in different ways. Virgo wants to be of service in very practical and grounded ways. Pisces is pulled toward selfless service in more spiritual ways. The point of this Full Moon is to find integration and balance of these areas. It’s about being down to earth and still allowing yourself to have dreams. A time to combine your inner knowing and feelings with practicality and details.

Remember, this is a time of forgiveness and gratitude. It is the high point and climax of the lunar cycle and the total illumination of being able to see everything you have been doing in preparation leading up to this point. You can use this time to ask yourself some difficult questions and create a balance between finding your inner peace and your relationship with the outside world.

The area of life that this Full Moon falls in will be where your life is impacted during this Full Moon. For instance, if this Full Moon falls in your 1st house of self, it will be about evaluating yourself, your life, and seeing all the things you need to. This is the time of focusing on your own needs while considering how you can also serve the needs of others.

The message is to find a balance between all your feelings and decide what you can do about anything that needs to be addressed in a practical way. Release trying to control everything and everyone.

On March 20th we welcome the Spring Equinox and Aries season. The Spring Equinox and the sign of Aries, mark the official arrival of spring when the Sun crosses the equator, and the days and nights are equal in hours. For me, this is the best time of the year. Daylight wins out over darkness, and there is a feeling of anticipation, hope, and excitement of new beginnings.

I believe we all, as a collective society, are ready to shed the heaviness of the past 3 years. We all want to greet this season and embrace the energizing warmth of the Sun. We can take advantage of the longer days and warmer weather to meet with our friends for long walks in nature, plant our garden for the summer harvest, have dinner alfresco, or plan outdoor adventures. Greet each morning with eagerness and that youthful remembrance of what each day may bring.

Aries season brings in similar energy. Aries is a cardinal fire sign. Every season begins with a cardinal sign with Aries signaling spring, Cancer is summer, Libra activates fall and Capricorn brings in winter. Aries season will do wonders for your mental health and light a fire under you to get you up and moving again. It’s the beginning of a new astrological year. A time to start again fresh. Allow this season to begin to propel you forward and take the initiative to start something new that you are passionate or enthusiastic about. Once Taurus season is upon us it will be time to take all those great ideas and new beginnings and build on them.

Before you begin to read your horoscope for this month, I would like to point out that this is going to be a month where we all are going to be affected by the Mutable/Water element in a big way, and very differently depending on the area of life where it shows up in your chart. Not only is the New Moon in the sign of Pisces, but the Sun of course is also in this sign, as well as Jupiter (traditional ruler of Pisces) and Neptune (modern ruler of Pisces) and they are all traveling closely together in a pack. The emphasis of this sign and element will be creating a very interesting month for our emotions. If you read your horoscope from last month, notice how last month's and this month’s New Moon predictions are synchronized.

Linda Watson is the owner and creator of Soul Guide Astrology. She is a member of the American Federation of Astrologers. She provides birth chart readings and solar return (yearly) chart readings, offering support, insight and guidance to better help others find their focus and move forward with their dreams. You can schedule a consultation by visiting her website, www.soulguideastrology.com. Find her on Facebook at Facebook.com/linda.watsonastrolog or on Instagram at instagram.com/soulguideastrology

MARCH 2022 HOROSCOPES ARIES – March 21 – April 19 This may be a challenging time since your personality is generally used to charging full steam ahead, fueled with a fiery zest for life. During this month, the energy will feel more “behind the scenes” rather than “front and center.” In fact, your most creative and imaginative work will most likely take place out of the public eye. This New Moon could bring to the surface something that has been lying dormant, bringing awareness of the things you haven’t been able to see before. The best use of this energy would be to find an authentic spiritual or meditation practice.

Take time for solitude and allow for connection with your subconscious mind or inner self.

TAURUS – April 20 – May 20 This New Moon most likely will provide new friendships or groups that can bring about a better sense of belonging and the ability to connect with people who are on your similar wavelength. There is an opportunity here for others to help you achieve your dreams and goals. However, with all this Pisces/Neptune energy, be aware that your emotions can be easily swayed by others. Remain true to yourself and be discriminating about any new friendships or new activities you become involved with. This is a great time when you can manifest and grow your following through networking, getting involved in group projects, and fostering goodwill.

GEMINI – May 21 – June 20 Your career once again is front and center. Your emotional sensitivity is heightened regarding your professional standing and your life’s mission.

You are coming to realize that your work must also be spiritually satisfying. Heightened feelings of sensitivity and intuition can bring up some feelings of disillusionment with authority in your career sector.

This New Moon is bringing a new chapter into your career-related story.

It is a good time to use your imagination in a new way to include longterm goals and gain recognition over something you have accomplished.

MARCH 2022 HOROSCOPES CANCER – JUNE 21 – JULY 22 Your emotions during this New Moon will be less about nurturing and more about adapting to new and changing ideas and philosophies. The New Moon is here to teach you something and offer new experiences through seeking your truth. This is a great opportunity for you to expand your mind by trying out some new perspectives on life and adapting your thoughts around more complex ideas. This Neptune/Pisces energy gives you the inner vision to create your own path and open yourself up to higher consciousness.

LEO – July 23 – August 22 Pisces' New Moon is transformative in how you deal with deeply personal issues surrounding areas of intimacy, and generally, wherever you are entwined with other people’s stuff. Your instincts and intuition will feel much stronger during this period with the ability to have clear insight into the motivations of others. This is a good time to investigate where in your life you carry the emotional and psychological baggage of other people. Consider how much power you give away in your most intimate relationships and strive for more balance.

VIRGO – August 23 – September 22 You may feel more emotionally dependent upon those you are in partnership with, putting others' needs before your own and having greater expectations of your own needs being met through these relationships. Because this Pisces/Neptune energy can create unrealistic views of the people in your life, try to remain rational and logical about how you oblige others and what you expect in return from them. The New Moon can bring about a new story to this area of life where you can reexamine and work through any relationship imbalances.

MARCH 2022 HOROSCOPES LIBRA – September 23 – October 22 As the New Moon transits through your 6th house, work and health are a focal point. Because Pisces and Neptune are extremely selfless, you may find yourself focused on being of service to others. However, during this time it would be more beneficial to concentrate on your own health and daily habits. Instead, reflect upon what types of changes or new routines need to be added to improve your overall wellness and lifestyle. Incorporating stress-relieving routines such as yoga or meditation will help balance your emotions and any work-related anxiety or tension.

SCORPIO – October 23 – November 21 The New Moon and this strong Pisces/Neptune/Jupiter energy is happening in your 5th house. You can expect this blend of planetary energy to bring more romance and creativity into your life. This is a great time to start a new love affair or kick the romance meter up a notch if you are already in a relationship. It is also a wonderful time to use your intuition and imagination to create something new whether it is artistic in nature, related to a new business project, or anything else that brings joy and lights up your soul. This New Moon is guiding you to bring more love and fun into your life.

SAGITTARIUS – November 22 – December 21 You may find yourself feeling more sensitive and emotional toward your family and your home base. The need for emotional security is strong, especially at the foundational level. This is a good time to bring new insight into how you can improve your family home and living dynamics.

The focus will be on infusing your home with new energy and bringing in a new realization of what your family life should look like, not in an idealistic way, but one with a deeper intuitive knowing and spiritual connection.

MARCH 2022 HOROSCOPES CAPRICORN – December 22 – January 19 New thought patterns and new ways of communicating are emphasized. Because you are really grounded and practical, you usually get to the point and say what you have to say directly. This month may find you struggling for mental continuity and maintaining focus and concentration. Your imagination will also be more active, so take advantage of this watery energy and bring more emotion and creativity into your self-expression. This would be a good time to learn new skills or take a course in effective communication, writing, or anything where you can use your intellectual creativity.

AQUARIUS – January 20 – February 18 The New Moon is shining a light on your resources, finances, and your self-worth. Jupiter in conjunction with your Sun/Moon will help you to better your financial situation, possibly through new opportunities coming your way. This placement should bring more confidence in the work you are doing and thereby increase your sense of self-worth. Try not to place too much importance on material things and use your creative imagination to find new and different ways to make money.

PISCES – February 19 – March 20 The New Moon in your 1st house represents the beginning of a new astrological year for you. This is an important time to plant the seeds you want to grow through the coming year. To decide who you want to be, how you want to present yourself, want you would like to achieve, to personally improve yourself, and work on your development. Pay attention to your inner voice and intuition and follow its guidance on your path to self-discovery. Whatever is started now, should culminate or highlight something in connection with the Full Moon in your sign in September. *Want to go deeper and understand your purposes and opportunities? Visit www.soulguideastrology.com and schedule a one-on-one reading with Linda. When you sign up for her newsletter, you will receive a complimentary Moon Phase Guide to help you plan your monthly activities.

Feng Shui, Clutter, and Spring Cleaning

BY

KIM

KLEIN

Hello, springtime! Sneezes and seasonal allergies aside, spring is a favorite season of many. Warmer days, cool crisp evenings, cherry blossoms in bloom, and that annual spring-cleaning ritual that for many of us has become as traditional as Thanksgiving dinner.

Even though the western New Year begins on the first day of January, springtime is considered a time of new beginnings, rebirth, and renewal. After a long winter the earth wakes up and after a big yawn, comes alive again. And it is with this energy of renewal that our homes are opened up, freshened up, and made to feel new. Clearing clutter is one of the first and most important steps to creating positive energy in your surroundings. Just as an artist paints on a fresh canvas, a clean environment is essential for you to implement effective Feng Shui. Starting with a clean slate helps you to manifest your dreams and goals much faster.

Many of us think of clutter as junk mail, paperwork, or unnecessary items, but in Feng, Shui clutter can be too much of anything. When we fill up our spaces with too much it leaves no room for growth, no more room for opportunities to come our way.

According to Karen Kingston, her definition of clutter is anything “you do not use, need or love” ~ anything untidy or disorganized” ~ too many things in a small space” ~ or anything unfinished.”

Aside from the unsightly aesthetics of clutter, there are also very real physical, mental, and emotional consequences when we live in this type of environment.

Clutter comes from the old English word “clot”, and we all know that when there is a clot somewhere there is also a blockage. We want to remove all clots or blockages in Feng Shui to allow for the free flow of good positive energy.

And this isn’t just a bunch of Feng Shui mumbo jumbo.

Scientists have been studying the effects of clutter for a long time. Researchers at Princeton University’s Neuroscience Institute have published results in The Journal of Neuroscience that relates directly to living uncluttered and organized. Their research has shown that when multiple stimuli are present in the visual field at the same time, it competes for neural representation by mutually suppressing their evoked activity throughout the visual cortex, providing a neural correlate for the limited processing capacity of the visual system.

Or, in words that I can understand, when your environment is cluttered, you become distracted, restricting your ability to focus.

Clutter also limits your brain’s ability to process information. Now isn’t that enough to make you want to toss a few things, clean up a bit, and organize?

Clutter is actually a very complicated and layered issue. It is not just a bunch of papers on the kitchen counter we haven’t found an appropriate home for yet.

We can have physical clutter (too much stuff, and that includes nice stuff too, like furniture, clothes, knick-knacks), mental clutter (worry, financial and health concerns, stress) emotional (anger, sadness, unresolved issues), and even environmental clutter (too many patterns, irritating noise, conflicting colors).

So while it might seem simple to clear out the clutter, get rid of those things you have outgrown, don’t need, or don’t like, sometimes the emotional attachment and difficulty parting with these things may surprise you. Sometimes clutter builds up due to a simple lack of space or even too much space. Maybe your husband, child, or roommate is a clutter bug that you find hard to control. But oftentimes emotional obstacles can cause clutter as well, on a subconscious level. For every piece of clutter that has piled up, there is some type of attachment there. We avoid dealing with this clutter for emotional reasons.

For example: Getting rid of clothes that are too small means accepting our current shape – accepting ourselves as we are today Getting rid of an expensive item that you’ve never really liked means admitting that we made a poor decision when we bought it Getting rid of books/magazines means accepting that we will never have time to explore every topic of interest to us Getting rid of possessions of the past (due to divorce, death, etc.) means coming to terms with our loss and grief

If we don’t deal with these issues, the clutter will remain.

It is similar to weight loss. The real issue isn’t the food, the issue is why are we eating or overeating the way we do, what empty space are we trying to fill.

If you start to remove your clutter you might be amazed at how things open up for you in your life. If you pay attention. Start with an area that is bothering you most, go slowly, removing a few items a day and think about these things as you start to clear the clutter: Getting rid of clutter does not mean a sterile environment. It means that everything around you has a purpose and is there for a reason.

You may get rid of something today that at a later time wish you hadn’t. That’s okay. Feel regret, then let it go, trusting that an item of equal worth or purpose will be available when you need it.

When you have a lot of clutter, you are saying that you do not have faith in the ability of the Universe to provide for you. Remember that whatever message you put out to the universe, it hears, acknowledges, and gives you.

Clutter can make you procrastinate, hinder your progress and hold you back. When you clear the clutter, you “let go” ~ According to Kingston, “life is a constant change so when something comes into your life, enjoy it, use it well and when it is time, let it go” ~ it is that simple. In short, you can’t welcome in the new without parting with some of the old.

Kim Klein is a Life Coach, Certified Holistic Health Coach, Certified Feng Shui Practitioner, and author. She is the founder of Kim Klein Life Coaching and Wabi-Sabi Women and is the author of Damn, the Pusherman ~ Sugar, The Legal Drug that is Keeping You Sick and Fat, and Nine Degrees North, a young adult fiction novel. https://kimkleincoaching.com/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/boomerwomen/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberklein/ kimberjklein@gmail.com

HOW I FACED MY FEAR OF REJECTION 3 STEPS TO OVERCOMING FEAR OF REJECTION Rejection is such a harsh word. When I hear this word, I feel a clenching inside, almost a withdrawal from the word itself. I have recently been hearing a lot about it and doing some studying around it. My feelings of being rejected started way back when I was a child.

When I was 10 years old, my mom became pregnant with my first brother. I was so excited. A baby! One that I could love and help take care of and play with. My sister, on the other hand, was rather ambivalent. She didn’t seem to have near the excitement that I did. When Charles was born, I was thrilled.

Finally, he was here! But things didn’t go quite as I expected. In fact, it was heartbreaking to me. That baby, from the moment he was born, wanted nothing to do with me. As soon as mom set him in my arms, he screamed. Every. Single. Time. But when mom placed him in my sister’s arms, he smiled. No screams. No crying. Just a happy baby.

Now, you might say that this was a baby. He didn’t know. But to my 10-year-old psyche, it was complete and utter rejection. I wanted him to love me as I had loved him from the moment I knew he was coming. He wanted my sister instead.

Things remained this way for two years. Then my brother Samuel was born. He did love me from the first. He let me hold him and play with him and he was happy to be with me. I know all my brothers love me and accept me today, even Charles. But at the time, it sure felt like a complete rejection of me as a person and a sister.

Become Aware of What it Does to You As I have been reflecting on my life and really studying what I have allowed rejection to do to me, I have been learning some things. I recently heard Brendan Burchard speak about his five personal musts to reach success.

Number three on his list was to stop fearing rejection. His view on rejection is that it almost never happens. We allow ourselves to clutch to the few rejections that have actually happened and freeze. We stop allowing ourselves to be free within the world.

Brendan also said: “Rejection will not hurt you as much as fear”. How true is that? I mean really, our fear is what hurts us. It truly injures us and keeps us stuck. However, the rejection is just a moment in time. Fear grips us and holds us hostage for as long as we don’t let it go.

Decide to Take Action Another thing that came across my path was a Ted Talk done by Jia Jiang. Jia wanted big things for his life and decided to pursue them. His idea was rejected and he was stuck. He didn’t want to feel that rejection again.

You may have heard of this guy, he did an extraordinary documentary about asking people for crazy things so that he could overcome his fear of rejection; basically, he was looking for rejection. He had 100 crazy requests he thought he’d never hear yes. But, he started getting yeses!

The thing that really stuck out to me was this. He said: “If you don’t ask because you are afraid of rejection, you are rejecting yourself”.

Ouch. I don’t want to reject myself. Good grief. But it’s true. If you have an awesome message or product for the world and you are too afraid of the “no’s” to share it, then you are automatically saying your message or product isn’t worth the risk. Is that true? No! Take Small Action Steps Each of us has something unique to offer the world and if we aren’t sharing it, then we aren’t living up to our fullest potential. We are living in a box made of fear. We are limiting our impact and mark on those around us.

That is a complete and utter rejection of who and what we are. Not good.

I teach my clients that taking small steps can make a huge impact and be more sustainable than taking a big leap suddenly. I did and still do the same thing when I am working on overcoming this deep-rooted fear of rejection. These steps take a different form for each person, but the opportunities are always there. Wherever your fear of rejection lies, there are always small steps you can take until you feel more confident to take the leap and put yourself out there in a big way.

So, I encourage you. Let your light shine. Take a small action step today and work on releasing that fear of rejection.

Sherry Parks, CPA, is a Money Mindset Coach who helps women escape feeling trapped by their finances. She is passionate about helping women change mindset, emotions, and actions regarding money so that they learn to keep what they have and generate more.

Check out her 5 Steps to a Better Money Story workbook ( https://livesinbalance.lpages.co/5-steps-to-a-better-moneystory/) or join her women-only Facebook group More Than Enough Money Sisterhood.

A Beginner’s Guide to Basic Gardening: Tools, Soil, and More

By Handyman Reviewed

Basic Gardening Elements

Like most hobbies, getting into gardening may seem challenging at first. But with a few simple tips and the willingness to get your hands dirty, you’ll find it to be equally rewarding and enjoyable.

There are so many things you can make out of gardening. Apart from growing your own produce to cook for your family, you can also donate them to your local food bank.

To give you a headstart, we curated this comprehensive guide to gardening containing everything you need to know about growing your own vegetables. From knowing the right type of soil to use to maintenance, then read on to kickstart your gardening journey.

First things first, consider if you have the appropriate space and layout to start a garden. The amount of space you have will essentially dictate what you can or can’t plant.

You can begin by asking yourself: do I live on a landed or non-landed property?

If you live on a non-landed property such as an apartment or condominium, it can be tricky to start a garden due to space limitations, but not totally impossible. Potted plants, vertical gardens, and raised bed planters may be an option. However, this also has its own share of limitations such as the type of seeds that you can plant, for example.

On the other hand, landed properties, especially those with backyards, offer more flexibility when it comes to starting a garden and designing it the way you want. Regardless of the space, you have available, there are three things that you should consider: soil, water source, and sunlight.

Soil Soil is the most basic element you need for planting. Now, it may not be the most exciting part of gardening but try to think of it this way: any growing plant needs to have a good foundation for it to thrive, much like houses, buildings, and even people.

There are different types of soil available. Each of which has different properties and uses. In other words, understanding the basic nuances of soil types will help you identify the most suitable one for the crops you intend to grow.

To know what type of soil you have in your garden, scoop up a handful of soil and try to determine its texture. Here’s a quick guide for reference:

Once you’ve identified the type of soil you need for your garden, the next step is to check the soil’s acidity level, which is determined by its pH level. This is important because a soil’s pH level will affect plant growth.

The quickest way to do this is by purchasing a soil testing kit from your local hardware store or gardening supplies shop.

Generally, your soil should have a pH level between 6.5 to 7 for your plant to thrive. Meanwhile, some plants thrive more using soil that’s too acidic (with a pH below 5.5) or high in alkaline (with a pH above 7.5).

Water Source Another basic element you need for plant growth is water. The most important thing to remember here is that you need to have a working water source in your garden. Most gardens have an outdoor faucet where you can attach a hose to water your plants.

Generally, plants need about one to two inches of water weekly to be healthy, depending on weather conditions.

For instance, you need to water your crops about two to three times per week (about half an inch more than the usual) during summer or hot weather conditions. Naturally, your crops would require less water when it’s cooler. Drainage is also an important factor to consider. Your garden must have a decent drainage system as well; otherwise, it would run the risk of flooding or waterlogging.

This is very crucial if you live in an area where rain is rampant. If you don’t have one installed yet, you can start by considering the French drain.

This drainage system involves a pipe buried underground to divert water to an area where it can easily be drained. It’s normally covered by loose material such as gravel. On a related note, you can also install an irrigation system, which helps you control the amount of water for your plants. There are different types of systems available like sprinklers, soaker hoses, and drip irrigation, to name a few.

Sunlight It goes without saying that sunlight is a vital factor for plants to grow. Just like water, it’s equally important to make sure that your plants and crops don’t get too much sunlight.

In other words, plants require different amounts of sun exposure and intensity. This is defined by the following gardening terms: ● Full sun - Plants need six to eight hours of direct sunlight per day. ● Partial sun - Plants need three to six hours of direct sunlight per day. ● Partial shade - Plants need three to six hours of direct sunlight per day but need protection from intense sunlight during afternoons. ● Full shade - Plants need less than four hours of sunlight per day.

Generally, vegetable crops need about six and eight hours of sunlight per day. Seed packets often contain information about light requirements, so make sure to check before planting.

So now that you have some idea of the basics, the next thing you need is to start planning the layout of your garden. There are several types of gardening methods and techniques you can consider in order to maximize the amount of space you have available.

Types of Gardening Methods

In-ground Gardening The first thing that may pop into your mind when you hear the word “gardening” is an image of a lush and nicely cultivated backyard garden with growing vegetables and plants. This is exactly what inground gardening is like. This is an excellent option if you have ample space to start a garden outdoors.

Here, you can plant anything such as vegetables and fruits, given that you have a decent source of water and sunlight, plus a working drainage system. Just keep in mind that your plants would only thrive if they’re compatible with your location and climate. In-ground gardening also gives you plenty of flexibility to customize your garden space the way you like it. For instance, you have the option of choosing a big or small vegetable plot and planting a few trees for shade.

You can even do a bit of landscaping to truly make your garden aesthetically pleasing. You can also build a patio beside your garden if you want a relaxing space outdoors Raised Gardening As you can already guess by its name, raised gardening involves building raised garden beds or boxes where you can do all your planting. This is a popular option for growing vegetables and fruits.

Generally, this type of outdoor gardening is easier to maintain, offering better drainage and weed management, just to name a few benefits. Not to mention that the elevation also makes it easier on your knees and back. Because raised garden beds can take up more space, you also need to have decent outdoor space for this. Some common materials used for building raised garden beds include wood lumber, bricks, straw bales, and natural stones.

Container Gardening This no-frills gardening method is fairly simple—just fill your chosen container with soil, pop a seed, and you’re good to go! This straightforward method makes it a versatile choice for those with ample and limited spaces.

You can use a pot, tub, or basket to start with. It’s advisable to use a large-sized container simply because it holds more soil and has higher water retention. Larger pots also offer more room for your plant’s roots to grow. On the other hand, smaller pots tend to dry out faster, especially during hot weather conditions. You must also make sure that your pots have drainage holes to avoid waterlogging.

Ultimately, your choice of plant will dictate how large and deep your container must be, so consider that when choosing one.

Vertical Gardening Vertical gardening is a popular option for urban properties with small and limited spaces, particularly condominiums and apartments. As its name suggests, this technique involves growing plants vertically through a panel or structure.

That said, it can also mean that this method can be a bit restrictive in terms of the vegetables you’re able to plant. Some of it includes beans, peppers, miniature cucumbers, garlic, onion, and more.

Despite this, this technique consumes less space than other gardening methods. Your choice of structure will ultimately depend on several aspects including sun exposure, wind exposure, plant characteristics, and maintenance requirements. Trellises and fences are common structures used for vertical gardening. From there, you can use planters, baskets, and wall-mounted pots to start planting vegetables.

Hydroponic Gardening To put it simply, hydroponic gardening is a technique that grows plants without soil. Instead, it involves growing plants using nutrient-rich water. Hydroponic gardening provides a good alternative to those living in tighter and smaller spaces.

This method can be used all year round and generally doesn’t have strict light requirements, allowing you to plant indoors. There are several factors to take into account when starting your own hydroponic garden, which includes temperature, humidity, light exposure, acidity level, and water.

Along with this comes different subsystems such as the Wick System—arguably the most common and simplest system ideal for beginners. As a starting point, you can use a styrofoam tray to hold your plant in place.

All you need to do is to place it on top of a nutrient solution so the plant’s roots can absorb it.

Comparison of Gardening Methods To sum it all up, here’s a quick table containing all the important information you need to know about gardening methods.

Starter Vegetables

Now, here comes the fun part: choosing which vegetables to grow in your garden. Not all vegetables are easy to grow though, so it’s important to start with beginner-friendly vegetable seeds before exploring others. One of the most common mistakes that beginners make is planting too many seeds from the get-go. If you’re an absolute beginner, you can ask yourself this simple question: what do I and my family like to eat?

There are so many meals that you can create using vegetables. And the good news is that the most common ones are also fairly easy to grow.

Lettuce There’s a reason why lettuce seems to consistently rank among beginner-friendly crops. They grow fairly quickly and continuously, even after your initial harvest. On top of that, there are also different varieties to choose from including loose-leaf, romaine, arugula, butter lettuce, and more. Take note that your chosen variety will affect ideal temperature conditions for germination, as well as harvest times.

Here are some quick facts about growing lettuce:

Carrots Root plants are also generally easy to grow, and that includes carrots. This versatile vegetable can tolerate frost and can be planted in the early days of spring.

Proper soil preparation is vital for growing carrots because they’re root vegetables. Apart from having sufficient space, make sure to remove stones, rocks, and soil clumps that could hamper growth.

Beans Beans are a great addition to any vegetable garden. This staple requires less maintenance than other vegetables and is fairly easy to grow.

They can also yield multiple amounts of produce in one harvest. Generally, beans also grow continuously throughout the harvest season, so you can be sure of a steady supply of beans as long as you properly take care of them.

Garlic Garlic is one of the very few vegetables that requires little effort to grow. The most important thing to remember when planting garlic is its timing.

Compared to other crops, garlic is best planted during fall where its roots begin to develop before the ground freezes. It starts to develop foliage by spring until it’s ready for harvest by summer.

Cucumbers Cucumbers are another versatile vegetable that can be planted on the ground or in a container.

This sun-loving plant thrives in warm and humid weather, making it ideal for those residing in tropical climates.

Despite this, cucumbers can also be cultivated in temperate regions. Just make sure to follow the ideal growing recommendations below to get the best results.

Maintenance

The secret to yielding good produce is proper maintenance. The first thing you should do is to check your seed packet for maintenance instructions like watering and sun exposure.

There are a few general things that you should know about maintenance to maximize plant growth. Some common practices include deadheading, pruning, and culling, which involve cutting or removing damaged parts of the plant such as branches, buds, and leaves.

Apart from these, using fertilizers and pest control methods also play a huge role in plant health, which we’ll go through below.

Fertilizers Soil is an important source of nutrients for plants. Unfortunately, not all soil is built well enough to supply plants with enough nutrients, which is why using fertilizers is necessary.

There are six primary nutrients that plants need in huge quantities: carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

You may have heard of natural and synthetic fertilizers, both of which provide nutrients in different ways. Natural fertilizers are made from organic matter such as plants, animals, or minerals. Common natural fertilizers include manure, compost, and blood meal. On the other hand, synthetic fertilizers are chemically manufactured by man. Synthetic fertilizers are watersoluble and may be quickly absorbed by the plant. The basic rule of thumb is to pick an allpurpose fertilizer, which provides all the secondary and micronutrients your plants need.

Pest Control Just like all living things, plants and crops are vulnerable to pests and bugs. It goes without saying that pests can damage your plants, ruining weeks or even months of growth and hard work.

Some common signs of pest infestation include tiny holes and tears on leaves, wilting, decay, discoloration, and the presence of foreign substances like honeydew.

Therefore, it’s important to prevent them from happening in the first place. Contrary to popular belief, pest control doesn’t necessarily need to involve chemical pesticides that could do more harm than good to your garden.

You can always resort to natural ways such as growing certain plants such as mint, dill, and nasturtium that act as natural pest repellants. You must also regularly check and remove weeds since they also have a tendency to attract insects.

Another way to naturally repel pests is by attracting good pests or natural predators. For instance, ladybugs feed on aphids and other soft-bodied pests while garden spiders prey on all kinds of pests.

To attract these good pests, you can start by planting pollen-producing plants like flowers. Herbs such as mint, rosemary, and thyme also make great options to attract these good pests.

Tools and Equipment

It’s important to get the right set of tools to finally kickstart your gardening journey. It can be easy to go overboard and purchase any gardening tool you can see but the truth is, you only need to fill up your kit with a few basic must-haves.

Gardening Gloves Gardening requires you to get your hands dirty, but having a good set of gardening gloves is also important for safety reasons. Apart from keeping your fingernails clean and dry, wearing gloves also prevent blisters, cuts, and scrapes.

Hand Trowel This small hand tool is very versatile and well, handy. It’s used for digging, planting, smoothing, and moving plants or materials.

Spade It features a long handle and a narrow and flathead. This tool is used for digging deeper holes, reshaping plant beds, as well as cutting sod.

Shovel Think of shovels as oversized hand trowels that are longer than spades. This tool allows you to dig and scoop loose gardening materials including soil, compost, fertilizer, and mulch. Compared to spades, shovel blades are curved.

Pruning Shears As its name suggests, pruning shears are used for pruning or cutting off branches and stems.

They can also be used to trim hedges and grass—perfect for landscaping.

Rake This is especially useful for gardens on landed properties with trees.

Rakes allow you to gather and whisk away leaves and debris.

Garden Hose/Watering Can Regardless of the layout of your garden, you need to find a way to water your plants. Garden hoses with adjustable nozzles work best for gardens on landed properties.

Otherwise, you can always use a trusty watering can if you’re unable to install a nearby water source. Watering cans come in different sizes, so feel free to get one that fits your needs.

With the right mindset and skills, growing your own garden from scratch can be an incredibly fulfilling experience that the whole family can embark on. We sincerely hope our beginner’s guide will make you appreciate gardening as much as we do!

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IF YOU’RE IN A PANDEMIC RUT, HERE’S HOW TO CREATE NEW HEALTHY HABITS

By Virginia Cooper

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle always requires commitment, but in the time of COVID-19, establishing healthy habits becomes even more challenging. Our normal routines keep us on track, but without those routines, it’s up to you to find new solutions for staying healthy. Then there’s the stress of trying to do all this with both work and family life happening at home.

To get back on track, start with these resources for home exercise and good nutrition. Then make sure you focus on minimizing the stress of trying to juggle it all!

Maintaining a Balanced Diet Eating well doesn’t need to be a difficult task—all you need is a plan, a little motivation, and awareness. Stick to the basics and your mind and body will soon thank you!

How to Focus on Your Health Without Dieting Cook Low-Carb During and After a Coronavirus Quarantine How to Stock Your Kitchen If You’re Worried About Coronavirus 24 Foods Scientifically Proven to Help Ease Depression Maximizing the Exercise If your diet didn’t suffer during the pandemic, maybe your exercise routine did. It’s time to get back to it; exercise has a number of health benefits including improving your mental health and helping you stave off depression.

An Efficient (and Thrifty) Way to Exercise at Home The 5 Best Fitness Apps to Help You Stay Active at Home What Outdoor Activities Are Safe to do During the Coronavirus Outbreak?

Going Outside? Be Sure to Continue to Social Distance

Managing Work One aspect of life moving forward out of the pandemic is the fact that remote work is here to stay. Working from home takes some adjustment, but once you’re set up and have established a good workday schedule, you’re off and running.

Staying in Touch and Staying Sane Months on end of social isolation during the pandemic’s peak may have tempted some to stay isolated even as restrictions were lifted. Not a good idea. Humans are social creatures, and staying in touch is akin to staying sane.

10 Science-Backed Tips to Help You Work from Home Successfully How to Optimize Your Home for Healthy, Stress-free Living Working From Home: Tips for Productivity, Mental Health, and Staying Healthy How to Find Work-Life Balance

5 Ways to Connect With Friends and Family While Social Distancing Dear Therapists’ Guide to Staying Sane During a Pandemic Calm Your Coronavirus Stress with These Relaxing Activities Since it’s almost springtime, try finding alternatives to what you would normally do this time of year. You may not be able to go camping, but you can still have a backyard campout. Or, instead of having friends over for a barbecue, enjoy the slower pace of life while cooking out for your family. The COVID-19 pandemic is something most of us could never have prepared for, but now that it’s here, we can all find healthy ways to manage.

Virginia Cooper is a retired community college instructor. She always encouraged her students to see the real-world value in their education, and now, she wants to spread that message as wide as possible. Her hope is that Learn a Living will be a go-to resource for adult learners embarking on starting, continuing, or finishing their education. https://learnaliving.co/

Three Little Birds

By Jace Jacobs Sometimes things don't work out as you originally planned. Recently, after 1313 consecutive days of meditation, I missed a day. I just completely forgot about it. I followed that up by missing my deadline on an article for this magazine for the first time in 6 years.

Was the sky falling? No. Still, things were not going my way. In times like that, I choose to focus on the positives in life.

As Bob Marley says, every little thing is going to be all right. The Universe is at play. There are signs given to you all around. If you set an intention you can fine-tune what the signs mean to you.

As for me, I'm partial to three little birds thanks to good old Bob. Much appreciation, love, and light.

Namaste Jace Jacobs Appreciate Everything ~ Love Fully ~ Need Nothing

Three Birds Three birds in the morning Three birds in the twilight Three birds showing up for me Everything is gonna be alright When I'm chilling at the park Three birds out to play Three birds gonna let me know Everything is going to be okay Well shout out to Bob Marley And G-Love’s rainbows in the sky The Universe sending messages Three birds as they fly on by I’ll just keep on loving All those signs for me to see Three birds at just the right time Much Love being sent for me Shine bright even though it can feel like darkness is all around you.

May you notice your signs at just the right time.

Meet Jace Jacobs! Jace Jacobs is a Happy Mindset Poet, Performer, and Creator @ jacejacobs.com. Jace is an author and spoken word poetry performer. His Happy Mindset Poetry books are available on Amazon or via jacejacobs.com.

Jace enjoys helping cool souls raise their vibrational state so they can experience more confidence and clarity in their life.Appreciate Everything ~ Love Fully ~ Need Nothing#HappyMindsetPoetryVisit the social media links below for video performances of spoken word rhyming happy mindset poetry. https://www.facebook.com/jacewjacobs/ https://www.youtube.com/jacejacobs https://www.instagram.com/jacejacobs https://twitter.com/jacejacobs

MARCH POEMS

BY SKYLAR SNOW POETRY

1st March: Pancake Day Pancake day is the day before Lent begins. Many would traditionally use up fat and eggs to make pancakes.

3rd March: World Book Day An annual celebration of dressing up as characters from books and reading.

8th March: International Women's Day A worldwide celebration of women's rights. Celebrating social, economic, cultural, and political achievements.

18th March: Global Recycling Day A day where the world comes together to put the planet first. A celebration to recognize the importance recycling plays in preservation.

18th March: Red Nose Day A celebration of raising money for brilliant causes around the world by having a good old-fashioned laugh!

21st March: World Poetry Day A UNESCO day to promote writing, reading, publishing, and teaching of poetry throughout the world.

Skylar Snow Poetry is a Poetry and blog writer.

Aspirations to study Forensic Psychology as a degree. https://linktr.ee/writerskysnow https://writerskysnow.wordpress.com/ https://www.instagram.com/writerskysnow/

-A hearty pancakeBy Skylar Snow Poetry

Pancake day is also known as Shrove Tuesday, Enjoy it, there's pancakes coming your way, Delicious and yummy with syrup or sauce, We can't forget about the lemon juice of course,

A traditional way to use up old ingredients, A day of celebration for pancakes will commence, Share them with someone that you do love, Pancakes are hearty and perfectly enough.

-Book dayBy Skylar Snow Poetry

We celebrate all around the world, The pages, ink, and writing, Pages to be turned and curled, Words are written for something more insighting,

Buy a book, spread the love of creative arts, Humble in their own victory, A perfect aim like a great dart, Reading the end of the book becomes contradictoray,

Imagination is found in the world of books, A relaxing pastime with your favourite drink, Whilst your dinner simmers and cooks, Reading is the new way to think.

-Women's rightsBy Skylar Snow Poetry Here's a shout-out to all women out there, I'm proud of you for all that you've achieved, Rebuilding a new world that will care, All that women have accomplished and retrieved,

Women's rights, equality no longer a luxury, Achievements made socially, economically, culturally, and politically, A sunnier way to be and less thundery, A celebration to all women specifically.

-Recycling: Saving planet EBy Skylar Snow Poetry

You can recycle cardboard, magazine's, plastic drink bottles and aluminium cans, Steel cans, glass containers and newspapers, Saving the planet, recycling is the biggest of plans, Reducing all of our existing toxic vapours,

Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects, The recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept, Recycling reduces hazardous and harmful effects, Recycling is a change we should all openly accept.

-Red nose dayBy Skylar Snow Poetry

You can help people live free from poverty, violence and discrimination, Because you have the power to change lives, Help and support given is bigger than any nation, A charity worldwide that spreads good vibes,

Comic relief is there to make you laugh through the tears, Giving a little gives back a whole lot, It could help people for years, Some need reminding that they're not forgot,

Red nose Day is a day of love and hope, That tomorrow could be different, It could help someone on a slippery slope, Every donation becomes incredibly significant.

-Poetry dayBy Skylar Snow Poetry

Write a poem, short, sweet or long, See where the words fit and where they belong, Feel the rhythm of the words come together, Any emotion, any topic, and any weather,

It's good to express how you truly feel, Poetry is a silent voice that needs to heal.

A UNESCO day to promote writing, publishing, teaching and reading, Poetry in it's rawest forms can be a higher meaning, What is written is always worth keeping, The words are brave and no longer sleeping.

Health & wellness tips Health & Nutrition & Wellbeing

T O

Y O U R

H E A L T H

and Wellness From eating the right food to the perfect exercise routine, find the best path to a healthier and happier you.

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Food Tip: Choose Baked Potatoes over French Fries Potatoes are very filling and a common side to many dishes. That said, the method in which they’re prepared largely determines their health effects. For starters, 100 grams of baked potatoes contain 94 calories, while the same amount of french fries contains over three times as many, or 319 calories. Furthermore, deep-fried french fries generally contain harmful compounds, such as aldehydes and trans fats. Replacing your french fries with baked or boiled potatoes is a great way to shave off calories and avoid these harmful compounds.

Wellness Tip: Take the stairs Taking the stairs instead of the elevator is a simple way to get a little more physical activity in your daily life. It also strengthens and tones your legs and core while you’re at it!

''Take care of yourself, be healthy, and always believe you can be successful in anything you truly want''

WHAT'S COOKING

My Cozy Curry Chicken Soup

By Judy Brown

The Ingredients 3 cups chopped cooked chicken 1 large onion chopped 4 medium carrots peeled and chopped 2 stalks of celery chopped 2 cloves of garlic minced 1/4 cup chopped parsley 32 oz. of organic chicken stock Water 1 can of coconut milk 1 -2 Tbsp curry Salt and Pepper

The Method Sauté in EVOO the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery until almost soft. Add the stock and chicken. Cook on low heat until the vegetables are cooked. Add half the parsley, the curry, coconut milk, and salt and pepper. Add water to desired consistency. Cook for a few minutes to blend all the flavors.

All ingredients can be adjusted. Organic is always preferred.

Serve in bowls and garnish with the remainder of the fresh parsley. Make your favorite salad and serve with fresh bread and olive oil for dipping. A delicious, cozy, and healthy meal! And it is a great way to use leftover chicken.

Serves 3-4 people.

Homemade Hummus

By Bernadine Otto

The Ingredients 3 cups of cooked garbanzo beans or 2 cans - ½ cup of sesame tahini - ½ cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice - ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil - 2 teaspoons of garlic powder - 1 teaspoon of ground cumin - Sea salt for taste - ¼ cup bean cooking liquid or water

The Method Place all ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth and creamy.

You will want to taste the hummus to see if it needs more lemon, tahini garlic, or salt.

Hummus freezes very well

“ Spring unlocks the flowers to paint the laughing soil''.

— Bishop Reginald Heber