GOOD FAT L I F E
Q4 ISSUE OCTOBER 2020
INSPIRED HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
EAT YOUR WAY TO HEALTH LIGHT YOUR METABOLISM ON FIRE
A SIMPLE GUIDE TO WHOLEHEARTED LIVING
GOOD FAT;
Fuel for All Things Possible
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focusing on resources and strategies to adapt to the new online world.
·
training leaders to make educated decisions for our children when there is no path.
·
providing training tools that promote community and focuses on educating the whole child, such as managing emotions, setting goals, having empathy and making responsible decisions.
All our programs are free of charge, thanks to our donors and sponsors.
2 | Good Fat Life
You can support children by purchasing our “Kindness is Contagious” masks. Head to projectforgive.org/shop/ to get yours now.
Women’s Exchange of Washtenaw • • SAV E TH E DATE ! • •
OC TO B E R 14 , 2020 FORUM20 • A DAY FOR YOU: INSPIRATION, COMMUNITY, SUPPORT 8:00 am – 5:00 pm Workshops, Networking & More!
Shhh... The Best Kept Secret •
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Share experience and ideas No membership or dues October 2020 | 3
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Fall of 2020. It is not what I had planned. We were supposed to be in South Africa with a group of friends enjoying the adventure of traveling to distant lands. Plan B. While I was deeply disappointed about having a Plan B, one of my favorite personal mantra’s is “This or something better.” Well, the fall here has been stunning! Off the flipping charts stunning. We would have missed all of this. AND, I grew up on the west coast. My parents, brother, and many of my friends are there. I would have been very unsettled if I hadn’t been able to get regular updates, including texts and pictures about their safety, as the wildfires have raged around them. AND, this September, because of Good Fat Life, I have met so many inspiring people who share our mission and want to come to play together! Which brings me to the theme of this issue: Wholeheartedness.
“Yesterday I was Clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”
My Favorite Definition: women and men living and loving with their whole hearts despite the risks and uncertainty. Where others approach life half-heartedly, wholehearted people have the courage to bring their full selves to the table. If we have ever needed to be living wholeheartedly, now is the time. While we can’t control much of the chaos around us, we can control how we choose to show up for it. Living Wholehearted may not be the easiest path to take. It is authentic. When we can show up authentic, regardless of the risk and uncertainty, real connections happen with ourselves and the people around us. What excites us so much about this issue is the relevance of the articles. Each page provides an idea, next step, or maybe a simple smile designed to support your Wholeheartedness journey and live your best life. Be it how you set up your home office/classroom to optimize your families wellbeing, insights into your bringing your metabolism into perfect balance, or reminding yourself how great it feels to get some more play into your life by riding a bike, making a hat, or a beautiful blanket, there is something here that will delight and inspire you. I promise!
Rumi
The truth is I continue to need the support and information presented here for my own personal growth. As long as my body wants to hold on to my extra belly, and my back hurts from being hunched over my computer, and I keep forgetting to play – I will look for people who provide the inspiration, reminders, and resources for me to live Wholeheartedly. Oh - and now I have another year or two to dream about our South African adventure. Anticipation can be as much fun as being there! I have tremendous gratitude and appreciation for all of you!
Much love, Sherri Richards
Publisher sherri@goodfatlife.com 4 | Good Fat Life
PODCAST S C H EDU LE Join hosts Karen Calcenian and Sherri Richards for their weekly Podcast where they have inspired and provocative conversations with their guests around all things supporting a Good Fat Life. You can find them on Monday’s at 11:00am EDT on your favorite podcast station, or at Facebook/ Inspiredgoodfatlife.
Come to a Tea Party, Make a Hat and Support a Local Charity!
Come to a Tea Party, Create a Vision Board for 2021 and Support a Local Charity!
Date: November 7
Date: December 5
Time: 1:00pm to 4:30pm
Time: 1:00pm to 4:30pm
Location: Grit and Lavender 211 N 1st Street, Suite 200 Brighton MI 48116.
Location: Grit and Lavender 211 N 1st Street, Suite 200 Brighton MI 48116.
Cost: $75 Includes everything including some bubbly!
Cost: $75 Includes everything including some bubbly!
In reference to the loss of Ruth Bader Ginsberg;
“Her rest is earned, it’s our turn to fight.” We are losing so many of our heroes this year. Maybe we are being invited to realize that our heroes are human. Which means that we all have the capacity to be the heroes of our communities, our lives and our stories. These singular people can’t shoulder all the weight. It’s time for each of us to step in. – Kerry Washington
October 2020 | 5
One Day or Day One You Decide.
Contents 10 Find the Balance to Move Ahead 12 Put Your Everything Into It 14 Eat Your Way to Health 17 Sherri’s Favorites 18 A Fascinating Skill 20 Better Posture for Better Health 24 A Simple Guide to Wholehearted Living 28 Light Your Metabolism on Fire 31 The Reading Room 32 Good Fat Life DIY 33 Healthy Recipes 34 My Messed Up Money Story 6 | Good Fat Life
October 2020 | 7
GOOD FAT L I F E
Publisher • Sherri Richards Marketing Consultant • Megan Bachand
Art Director • Jennifer Knutson Copy Editor • Jennifer Hoelscher
Ongoing Contributor • Dr. S. A. Thiringer, D.O.
Cover Photographer • Linda Michele-Dobel
Experience Editor • Karen Calnicien Contributing Writers • Lori Burns
Audrey Choate Sherri Richards Katie Choate Brittany Hoogenboom Liza Baker Jim Gilligan Dr. Adam N. Rushford Patrick Buggy Toni Sweisford Samantha Gardner Anja Geyer Rachelle Willnus
Contact Us Sherri Richards
440.289.8321 sherri@goodfatlife.com Visit us on the web at goodfatlife.com
Advertising Inquires sherri@goodfatlife.com 440.289.8321
Find Us
Visit us on the web at goodfatlife.com to view our online digital edition, or subscribe to have Good Fat Life magazine delivered directly to your home.
Good Fat Life
Good Fat Life magazine makes every effort to provide accurate information in advertising, editorial content, and placement; however, we cannot make any claims as to the accuracy of information provided by advertisers or editorial contributors and will accept no responsibility or liability for inaccurate information or placement. No content can be duplicated without the permission of Good Fat Life.
8 | Good Fat Life
I know this name can be confusing. The name Good Fat Life originated from our Good Fat Bars and Good Fat Company. We found that people who understand how important it is to incorporate good fat into their diet, also care about taking other positive and proactive actions in their lives. Thus we created a lifestyle magazine as a way to connect and inspire people who care about the world they live in, including their health and well being. Our readers want to be educated in a non-biased and evidence-based way by people who are doing amazing proactive things! Living a Good Fat Life represents intentional, focused living, knowing how to make a difference in both our bodies and the world we live in.
Contributing AUTHORS My name is Lori Burns. I am a wife, mother, and student working towards my master’s degree in professional counseling. I live in Franklin, Tennessee, love watching football, the Oregon coast, and French-pressed coffee. I’m a selfproclaimed homebody. These days, most of my time spent in front of the computer in my sweatpants, trying not to mangle my words, sometimes forgetting to eat. Life is good. Dr. Adam N Rushford DC graduated in 2009 from Life University as a Doctor of Chiropractic and has spent his career committed to educating and inspiring his community towards optimal health through natural chiropractic care. He is the owner of Hands on Health Chiropractic and for the past 7 years has nurtured the development of a community that doesn’t settle for average health and growing this pursuit in as many lives as possible. Audrey Choate is an 18-year old and has a flair for creating healthy recipes and inspirational quotes! Her inspiration to create healthy recipes comes from having Type 1 diabetes since the age of 12. Please follow her instagram page, @audslifestyle, for dairy free, paleo and vegan recipes; inspirational quotes, yoga flows, and daily life updates. Katie Choate is passionate about life, and passionate about entertaining. Among other things Katie owns and operates two businesses. A manufacturing company with her husband, and an event planning company that helps nonprofit organizations raise funds for their organizations. Check out her blog on Instagram. There you can find helpful recipes, and tips on how to pull off the perfect party! Italian Mamma Kitchen Toni Sweisford has been working in the craft, hobby and fine art industry for the past 40 years and has held the role as designer, author, creative director, educational content and product manager for leading branded products. Self-taught she honed her creativity and passion for making things as a child. In 2017 she launched Blu Arlan a free educational website to give others the simple joy of making she revered as a child. Samantha Gardner, NTP Hands on Health Chiropractic 10192 E. Grand River, Suite 107 Brighton, MI 48116 810.494.1900 Instagram @the.qualitarian
Jim Gilligan is at his core an environmental evangelist. He owns Snedicor’s GreenEarth Cleaners in Brighton and Howell, MI, which uses environmentally safe methods to keep clothing clean and looking good. Gilligan became Michigan’s first certified AcroYoga instructor in 2014. An outdoor enthusiast, Gilligan is an avid bicycle tourist, mountain biker, cross country and telemark skier, kayaker, Stand Up paddler, and motorcyclist. Father and step-father to five, Gilligan lives in Livingston County, MI, with his wife, Sherryl. Liza (Leeza) Baker brings her passion, knowledge, and experience to the table to help you reach your health goals. Liza is a full-time health coach and nonprofit consultant, author, blogger, podcaster, and woefully underpaid COO of a busy family of four spread across the globe. After a brief stint in academia, Liza received an AAS in Culinary Arts from the Cooking + Hospitality Institute of Chicago and was certified as a health coach by the Institute for Integrative Nutrition®. Brittany Hoogenboom, Spiritual Based Business, Money Mindset, & Personal Power Mentor. She is the founder of The Boss Lady Lifestyle Course; Launching a successful spiritual-coaching mentoring business, The Money Magnet course; Healing your relationship with money, and recently opened enrollment for The Wealthy Soul Academy; Next Level Spiritual Elevation and Wealth in Business. Synergy Soul is the sacred space of integrating all parts of your soul into the highest forms of wealth and abundance in this life! Patrick Buggy is committed to helping the next generation of world-changing leaders express the best versions of themselves in service to the world. He’s the head of Operations + Special Projects at Optimize, and the Founder of Mindful Ambition. Anja Geyer creates items that are perfect for gift giving, give aways, shower gifts, teacher gifts, whatever your special celebration might be! Anja also teaches in classes and workshops what she creates, because she is convinced that there is an artist in everyone. www.anjasstudio.com • anja@anjasstudio.com Rachelle Willinus started her career with a Masters Degree in Instructional Systems Design. She began working at Ford Motor Company when she was 19. Her manufacturing design background made for an easy transition into hat design; which also requires a strong knowledge of design, shape, and form.
October 2020 | 9
FIND BALANCE TO MOVE AHEAD by Jim Gilligan
T
he pandemic has brought many changes, some uplifting, and some challenging. The most significant change for me has been an exciting opportunity to reinvent my business. One challenge is that I’m spending much more time at my desk staring at a computer monitor these days. Earlier this Spring I was spending
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many hours in the seat of a delivery van while my drivers were in self-quarantine. After being seated for a while, I noticed a slouch creeping into my body and a dullness seeping into my eyes and mind. Luckily for me, I have a fantastic piece of technology, right in my office, to help me maintain balance, an old, rusty Evans Interceptor bicycle.
I’m an avid bicycle tourist and have spent many days riding around Michigan with my bike fully loaded with camping gear: mittenpedaler.com/. I have also ridden unsupported bicycle tours in the American west and once did a tour of Kangaroo Island in Australia, bush camping the whole time. Early
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” ~Albert Einstein I tried my hand at racing and even managed to win a criterium style road race in the late 1980s but soon realized that I enjoyed exploring back roads and trails on my bicycle more than the race experience. Why spend hours driving my car with my bike on top to and from a one-hour long race when I could enjoy the day actually riding my bicycle? As a lifelong cyclist, I have a shed full of high-end bicycles of all manner resplendent with titanium, aluminum, and carbon fiber. Yet I’m drawn to these simple classic old bikes like the Evans with its upright seating position, single gear, and pedal back (coaster) brake. This trusty companion is always ready. The rims are rusty, it’s a little small for me, and the rear fender rattles a bit when I go over a bump. Once rolling, the tractor type seat is comfy, and the handlebar sweeps back to meet my hands perfectly. In laid back comfort, I naturally sit up and look around. I find myself adjusting my seating position onto the front of my sit bones to bring more curvature to the lower spine, a nice counter to the COVID screen time slouch. In this gentle rolling backbend, I’m leading with my heart and notice how much more I see, hear, smell, vs. in my car.
shiny new thing and left to gather more years of dust in the back of garages? From a sustainability standpoint, brushing the cobwebs off an old bike and riding it can’t be beat, especially if some of the mileage replaces automobile usage. Burn calories, not carbon! Here are some tips for incorporating the bicycle into your everyday life. Stop thinking like a car driver, getting from point A to point B on major thoroughfares. Instead, cut through neighborhoods, subdivisions, parking lots, parks. Avoid major roads, and enjoy the ride! The Dutch incorporate bicycles into their daily lives, probably more than any other society on Earth. The spandex and helmet-clad riders bent over a racing bike are rare among a sea of citizens astride upright bikes wearing their daily clothing. Of course, the Netherlands has developed an excellent, safe bicycling infrastructure. youtu.be/ayPDlDi9Ug4
But I believe we can ride safely and casually here in the US by merely avoiding heavy traffic and sticking to low mile per hour sidestreets. The best tip I can give you is to let go of any preconceived notions about what bicycling is or isn’t and just ride. What I’m riding: •
1960-70s era Evans Interceptor built in Plymouth, Michigan
What I’m wearing: •
Icebreaker Merino Wool Tech Lite Short Sleeve CREWE (Get it?)
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Prana Zion Stretch pants
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Merrell Barefoot Trail Glove 5 shoes
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Aerostich Parcel Bag made in Duluth, Minnesota
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I appreciate the excellent quality of these pieces AND the commitment to sustainability these companies bring to the table.
Pedal, breathe, repeat. This Spring, there was a surge in bicycle sales as folks looked to stay active during these strange times. Yay! I’m glad people are discovering or rediscovering riding! But I wonder how many of these trusty old bikes were overlooked for the latest October 2020 | 11
PUT YOUR EVERYTHING INTO IT by Lori Burns
“No matter how good you get, you can always get better — and that’s the exciting part.” Tiger Woods
W
hen someone in your life is asking the important “What should I do with my life?” question, what is your answer? I know for most of us it depends on their age, gender, and stage of life. For example, by the time I was 15 I knew I wanted to be a physical therapist. I geared my heart and soul to the pursuit of how the human body worked and how I could help other people facilitate healing. I even made my way to the best PT school in the pacific northwest my sophomore year of college. And then anatomy and physiology happened. I failed the class miserably. That was to say the least a difficult phone call to my father…. So, what was next? Passion. Hard work. Focus. Commitment. People that have big dreams and follow them put their whole heart into something they love. So, what does it mean to ‘live your passion” and how do you know when you’ve actually achieved it? Let’s get into the weeds of it. I have a 16-year-old son that loves to golf. From the time he was 4 years 12 | Good Fat Life
old he had a golf club in his hand. He comes from a long line of golfers, so it was inevitable that he would take up the game. By the time he was 6, he had his first set of “real” clubs and his passion was ignited. We lived in Arizona, a golfer’s paradise. He and my husband could golf almost year-round. This child could not get enough golf, and by the time he was in elementary school he wanted professional lessons. When we saw how committed he was, we knew this was not a passing phase; he ate, slept, and breathed golf. He didn’t play video games, skateboard, or other things boys were doing. He was always putting chipping and swinging. Even inside our home. We began to see a profound connection between the joys and challenges of golf and the joys and challenges of living, especially as he has gotten older- that the more dedicated he is to the game, the more he has learned about himself. By the time he was 12, the game of golf had become a lifestyle for him. He has set goals for college and beyond. I have had the privilege as his mother to watch him many times in tournaments. I have watched, transfixed not only by the purity of successive strokes but also by his decision-making processes, the debate
between risk and reward. Even though I couldn’t actually hear the discussions in his head, a mother knows the thought process. I feel the joy of a win, and the sorrow of the loss. His strength and perseverance shines regardless of the outcome. In life, just like the game of golf, there is more than one way to get the ball in the cup. There is more than one way to achieve your goals in life. Some may have a straightforward approach to their goal with few bumps in the road, while others may detour to achieve their goals. Sometimes we have random “shots” in life, and our next shot – our next step – is a recovery, but it is necessary to ultimately get to our goal. Take a look at your passions, goals, and things you love to do. It’s easy for a 16-year-old to have a love of a sport and do it well. For the rest of us, the stuff we take from the world — be it money, cars, stuff, accolades — is much less important than what we’ve put into the world. So, my recommendation would be following your contribution. Find the thing that you’re great at, put that into the world, contribute to others, help the world be better and put your “everything “ into it. You never know where you’ll end up but getting there is the exciting part.
October 2020 | 13
EAT YOUR WAY TO HEALTH by Liza Baker
D
oes one or more of these statements feel true for you? •
Life is good—except when it’s terrible.
•
You’re starting to feel unhealthy— perhaps in a specific way, perhaps just as a vague sense of unease.
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You have a million obligations to others, you have no clue how to accomplish everything, and there’s just no way you can focus on your health until the to-do list is to-done.
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And guess what? Now your parents need parenting!
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You’re exhausted—but only
ALL. THE. TIME.
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THE WITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAM DIET
The bad news: you won’t find it where you’re looking.
Perhaps you’re starting to think that the only way out of the overwhelm involves a plane ticket, a wad of cash, and a change of identity?
The good news: you are not broken. In fact, you are exactly where you are supposed to be right now given your genetics, your environment, and the food and lifestyle choices you’ve made so far.
I call this the witness protection program diet. How else are you going to get everyone to leave you alone long enough to practice even a few minutes of self care?
If you are genetically predisposed to something—take heart! Your choices can turn those genes on or off. And if you can change your choices, you can get healthy—and stay that way.
So you’re broken and you’re looking for the fix. Surely there’s a silver bullet, a magic supplement, a diet, a detox, a workout, a woo practice—something that will fix it all.
HOW TO EAT™ YOUR WAY TO HEALTH Getting healthy does not have to include what we think of as self care: yoga, gym
The kids are growing up and don’t need you so much— except when they do, and then they really, really need you. Right now!! workouts, massages, mani-pedis—these can become yet another to-do list we “fail” at completing. I prefer to think about getting healthy as a process of soul care—a fully-aligned, completely personalized program of mindful practices. Getting healthy through soul care consists of three stages that form the acronym EAT: •
Engage your inner wisdom
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Align your choices with your goals
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Transform your life
ENGAGE Many of us turn to the world around us for advice on how to get healthy: doctors, alternative practitioners, friends, family, the guru du jour, books, articles, blog posts, Dr. Google, and even celebrities love to tell us what we “should” be doing. Very few of us turn inward for that information, and that’s problematic. Bio-individuality is the concept that we are all unicorns—there’s nobody else in the world like us, so why would any one solution work for everyone? It’s the idea that your kale might be my kryptonite. The best example I know of bioindividuality comes from my own family: my brother and I share the same gene pool, but he’s a committed vegan who thinks nothing of putting in a seven-mile run over his lunch break; I am an omnivore who prefers walking and yoga, preferably at 4:00am. Yet in our mid-50s, we’re
both extremely fit—each by following our own path. Inner wisdom is the deep knowing that senses what is right for us. What’s right for us may not be right for someone else; what’s right for us today may not be what was right for us last year or in the next stage of our lives. We tend to discount inner wisdom in favor of others’ quick fixes. You may think you’re not intuitive; I’d argue that you really are—you just stopped listening to your intuition. What’s intuition feel like? If I offer you some piping hot soup on a hot and humid Michigan summer day, do you think, “Oh, yes please!” and pull up a chair, or do you think, “Oh, HELL no!” and back away? That’s your inner wisdom, it’s that simple: swaying toward or away from an option. It’s your body (not your mind) reacting to the question, “Is this right for me right now?” (BTW, neither option is wrong!)
TAKE ACTION 1. What have you been considering as the next goal in your health journey? Is it changing your eating style, moving your body more, sleeping more? Think of one thing and ask yourself, “Is this the right choice for me right now?” 2. Tune into your inner wisdom for the answer. 3. Keep going until you find an option you sway toward.
ALIGN At every moment, you have a choice that relates to the health goal you decided on in the previous section: chocolate cake or an apple? Netflix or workout? scroll through Instagram or go to sleep? We all know which choices align with our health goals. One way to think about getting healthy is to make the better choice 50% of the time. Then 60%, then 70%, then 75%, then 80% or 90%. And you can stop there: if eight or nine times out of 10, you make the better choice, then the other times are not going to kill you— in fact, you might need a little treat to keep going. What if you’re having trouble making the aligned choice most of the time?
“You don’t want to spend your life slamming up against every obstacle, blaming every person or situation , only to get to the end of your life, realizing, damn It’s me.” — Carl David Blake
October 2020 | 15
➙➙ Have an apple first, then—if you still want it—a small piece of cake. ➙➙ Work out first, then allow yourself as much time (or less) on Netflix as you worked out.
TAKE ACTION 1. Identify one area in which you consistently face a choice. 2. Which option is more aligned with your health goal? I offer you the following tips and tricks: •
Own the opposite: when you don’t make the better choice, own it. You’re still claiming agency over your health rather than giving it away to inertia or peer pressure or whatever. You are making a choice.
•
Use “I am one who” language: over time, you can rewire your brain and become the person you aim to be. ➙➙ I am one who eats fruit for dessert. ➙➙ I am one who works out 5 days a week.
•
•
Create a non-negotiable “container” full of healthy options: when you get to make a choice, the container feels less restrictive.
Some final tips for the journey: •
When you feel like progress has slowed, ask yourself, “What would it look like if this were easy?” and set your sights on that. If your goal is to lose 50 pounds, “easy” looks like losing one pound. If your goal is to run a 10K, “easy” looks like a walk around the block.
•
Remember to celebrate your wins and look at your challenges with curiosity rather than judgment. There’s a big difference between “OMG. Why did I make that choice again?!?” and “Huh. Why did I make that choice again?”
TRANSFORM After one to two weeks of consistently making one small, aligned choice in one area of your life, you will notice a difference! The next step is to start making one more aligned choice in the same area. •
•
Now that you are choosing water over soda at least 50% of the time, choose fruit over sweets at least 50% of the time. Now that you are walking for 10 minutes every day rather than immediately heading to the couch after work, add 5 minutes of stretching.
Or pick a different area:
➙➙ Container: I am someone who eats fruit for dessert. Options: peach, plum, or cherry? Fresh or dried?
•
Now that you’re choosing water over a soft drink 50% of the time, go for a walk around the block rather than turning on the TV.
➙➙ Container: I am someone who works out for 30 minutes a day. Options: cardio, strength, flexibility, balance, a mix?
•
Now that you’re walking 10 minutes a day, choose oatmeal for breakfast instead of a donut.
Crowd out the worse choice with the better one: over time your nutritional status and improved health will make the aligned choice more appealing.
For change to be truly sustainable— for transformation to occur—it takes time: you didn’t get yourself into this mess overnight, so don’t expect to get healthy overnight. As you make the
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And transformation comes from layering one tiny habit on top of another, over and over and over.
3. Try to make the better choice 50% of the time for a week or two.
➙➙ I choose to get fast food. ➙➙ I choose not to work out.
aligned choice more than 50% of the time, it will become a habit. It might be a tiny one—and it’s still a good habit.
TAKE ACTION 1. Identify the next aligned choice you’d like to add to your first one. 2. Start making both better choices 50% of the time (or more). 3. Rinse and repeat.
Sherri's Favorites
Katie Smith is the artist and owner of Wandering Not Lost Co, an Etsy shop featuring hand painted wine glasses, art prints, coasters and more. Between making items and art for her Etsy shop, Katie creates custom commissioned artwork for her customers. You can find her on Facebook, Instagram and Etsy under the name Wandering Not Lost Co.
With the winter months coming, why not brighten up the long nights with these hand stamped tea lights? Enhance your spiritual journey with chakra tealights, meditate or journal with om-candles. Anja prints, or stamps the motives on tissue paper, cuts to size and melts them into the tea light wax. The tea lights are safe to burn and the images are visible throughout the burn time (4-5 hours). Best burning experience is in a votive holder preventing draft. The tealight’s tin holder is decorated with colorful washi tape. White tea lights are fragrance free, colored tea lights might be scented. Most tea lights are packaged in hand made boxes from sturdy card stock decorated with lots of love. Custom orders are available. Besides tea lights, Anja creates journals, cards for any occasion, her items are perfect for gift giving, give aways, shower gifts, teacher gifts, whatever your special celebration might be! Some favorites have no price tag. Publisher Sherri Richards with two of her four grandchildren, Everett and Beau Sanders, and family pooch, Jaxx.
Anja also teaches, in classes and workshops, what she creates, because she is convinced that there is an artist in everyone. www.anjasstudio.com anja@anjasstudio.com October 2020 | 17
A FASCINATING SKILL Fascinator and Hat Making Classes with Rachelle Willnus of Derby Hats by Rachelle
R
achelle Willnus is a hat designer located in Farmington Hills, Michigan. She began creating and designing fascinators and hats in summer 2009 upon attending her first Kentucky Derby. In 2012 she was awarded Best of the Best at Michigan F.A.S.H Fest for hat design. In 2015 Rachelle’s Pink Flower fascinator was featured in the Detroit Historical Museum’s Fashion D.Fined exhibit featuring the past, present, and future of the Detroit fashion industry. In 18 | Good Fat Life
2017 Rachelle’s designs were showcased at New York Fashion Week in Mila Pershyna’s runway show. Rachelle’s work has been featured in many local and national magazines, Detroit news stations, and many Detroit area runway shows. Rachelle enjoys working with her clients and, more recently, began offering classes to those clients and their friends. Hat making classes were a natural next step for Rachelle, who enjoys not only creating beautiful pieces for her clients
but also helping clients create their own incredible pieces. She enjoys educating clients about the organic sinamay materials she uses and
the satin and feather accouterments she adorns on her pieces. Sinamay, which is popular in English hat-making, is made with fibers woven from an abaca plant, similar to a banana plant fiber. Rachelle gets her sinamay from England, Australia, and the Netherlands.
What to expect in one of Rachelle’s hat-making classes: Classes are generally 5 to 10 people. Participants choose from pre-made fascinator bases that Rachelle makes before class. Clients then select a base, a crin rosette, a sinamay ribbon, a headband or clip, and other accouterments. The skill level required is basic hand sewing. Rachelle sets up the class of assembling pieces as a layering system – Choose your base, pick your items, and then hand sew on each element. Base first, then flower, then ribboning, and so on. Hand sewing is the only thing required for classes, and Rachelle provides group and individual instruction throughout the three-hour class. Classes are the perfect opportunity for friends to gather and laugh in small groups. Enjoy some refreshments, and then walk away with their beautiful creation. In the coming weeks, Rachelle will be offering takehome fascinator making kits for clients to enjoy during the long winter months.
Kits are a nice treat to make on a cold, cloudy day, especially with a friend.
QUICK HOMEMADE TOMATO SOUP RECIPE
Prices for classes range from $50 for small pieces, $75 to $85 for medium pieces, $125 and up for larger pieces. Price includes instruction as well. Clients work with the same materials that Rachelle uses to make her couture pieces. Clients get to experience what it’s like to be a real designer. Participants are encouraged to use their own creativity and to trust their own appreciation of color and design. Rachelle provides all class materials, including sewing needs, thread, and scissors. Guests show up and enjoy! Rachelle will also travel to a client’s location for in-home instruction. While Sherri Richards and Karen Calnicean were visiting Rachelle, they enjoyed homemade tomato soup, which Rachelle made for them using her daughter Savannah’s cooking techniques and Rachelle’s instinct with spices. Savannah is a student at Schoolcraft College’s prestigious culinary program. They are sharing this recipe with us so we can all enjoy a Good Fat Life! www.derbyhatsbyrachelle.com Phone 810.623.4926
Rachelle and Savannah Willnus (Serves 2 to 4) You’ll need a food processor or vitamin mixer. •
Chop 15 to 20 tomatoes and put them in the food processor or mixer. Mix until smooth. (You could strain the tomato soup if you prefer a smoother texture.)
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Roast fresh/and or dried herbs in a pan on the stove.
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Helpful Tip: roasting herbs on the stove awakens the herb’s flavor and aroma and creates better soup flavor.
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Put the mixed tomatoes in a large pot.
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Add the roasted herbs to the pot.
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Add two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
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For added instant extra flavor, add roasted garlic and roasted onions (mince the garlic and medium dice the onion).
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Cook for one to two hours on the stove.
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Preferred herbs include oregano or basil.
October 2020 | 19
BETTER POSTURE FOR BETTER HEALTH by Dr. Adam Rushford
W
e have been at this “virtualfrom-home” thing for a while now. I am sure you have taken careful steps to ensure your workstation isn’t undermining your health. If you haven’t, I want to take this opportunity to remind you why posture matters and give you some of my favorite tips for creating a 20 | Good Fat Life
workstation that will help preserve this vital health indicator. As a Chiropractor, I may be biased, but I genuinely believe that posture is one of the most underrated and overlooked aspects of our health. With >80% of jobs being desk jobs, it is also one of the fastest eroding aspects of our health.
POSTURE EFFECTS: 1. Mechanical Function: We are bound by the laws of physics and, therefore, subject to the stress of poor mechanics. I believe that structure drives function. You aren’t going to get the same efficiency out of your car if the alignment is pulling to the right,
Nobel Prize recipient Dr. Roger Sperry found that 90 % of the brain’s stimulation comes from the spine’s movement. For this reason, it is said the spine is the motor that drives the brain. More sitting———-> less movement of the spine———> decreased brain stimulation——-> decreased brain function and energy. To understand this, reflect on your energy following a long day stuck in front of the computer screen.
and you aren’t going to be able to move your neck and shoulder, breathe, and think clearly if you have 2 inches of forward head posture. Take a second to prove this point. Translate your head out in front of your shoulders and round your upper back. Now try to flex and extend your neck. Try to lift your arms up over your head. Lastly, try to take a big deep breath. Now stand up tall, pull your shoulders back, and align your ears so they are above your shoulders. Do all of the same movements and feel the difference good posture gives you. 2. Organic Function: As you round forward into that C-shaped position, you compress internal organs and restrict the amount your lungs can expand. 3. Hormonal functions: Check out the Ted Talk by Amy Cuddy. She is a researcher from Harvard that
has studied how changes in posture affect testosterone and cortisone levels in your body. 4. Non-verbal communication: Your posture speaks volumes about your confidence, strength, intentions, and health. So yeah, it’s a big deal. The problem is that poor posture is a slowly eroding problem and improving posture is a slow and steady progression. It starts with awareness. Your work station needs to be thought out. It needs to be deliberate. It needs to foster opportunities for movement and have questions that create awareness of the positions you are putting your body in. Let’s start with some simple rules and then get into specifics: 1. Sit with a neutral spine
2. Glutes engaged 3. Hips in external rotation and grounded with feet flat on the ground 4. Core muscle engagement 5. Get up and move every 20-30 minutes. 6. Minimum 2 minutes active rehab/ 30 minutes (Minimum 15 minutes of body maintenance/day). 7. Here are some movement ideas: Neck mobilization, wrist rolls, split squats, shoulder rolls, forward bends, trunk rotation, squats, and arm circles. 8. Change positions as often as possible: Sit, stand, kneel, squat, lunge, etc. The passivity of sitting is just as bad as the position. When it comes to your body positions, standing is your best option, next would be sitting on the floor crosslegged at a low desk, and last would be sitting upright in a chair. Most of you probably don’t have a standing desk at home (although they are an excellent investment) so let’s focus on the fundamentals of sitting. 1. Sit on the edge of your seat: sitting back in a cushy desk chair puts all of the stress on the soft tissue (glutes and hamstring). By sitting on your seat’s edge, you shift the weight off of the soft tissue and onto your sit bones. You will rest 60% of your weight on the sit bones in this position, and the remaining 40% will be transferred into the heels by getting your hips into external rotation (think wide knee manspreading) and corkscrewing your feet into the ground. This posture takes core muscular endurance and may be challenging to hold for
October 2020 | 21
Now, let’s get into some specifics of what a functional work station looks like. Equipment and materials: 1. YOUR DESK: A motorized, standing desk that you can customize and change positions is ideal. Standing all day isn’t great for you either, and in the beginning, you will have to build up stamina. Start off standing for 20 min/hour and work up from there. 2. PC OR DESKTOP: Desktops are much better for posture. If you have to use a laptop, get a docking station to raise your screen and a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse to be pulled in close to your body. 3. CHAIR: As you will see, when we get into the specifics of sitting, the backrest is the least important factor of your chair. I also recommend a chair without armrests; they can prevent you from getting your chair adequately under your desk and hinder you from changing into other dynamic sitting options. 4. Other cool posture tools: a. Wearable posture sensors are a cool way to increase awareness of your position. They record your posture and then vibrate when you start to slouch. b. Posture Medic Corrective Brace: I am not a big fan of braces that pull your shoulders back, but I do like this product because it doubles as an at desk stretching and exercise tool. c. Mobility Ball/ Lacrosse Ball: Great tool to use for active rehab. 5. DESKTOP: Standing up to a Sitting World; by Dr. Kelly Starrett: This is the textbook for ergonomics and creating a functional workspace. A must for every desk jockey that wants to be able to move fluidly.
All of these tools need to be taught to your kids that are doing virtual schooling. The first round of virtual schooling was a postural disaster, with many kids’ workstations being hunched over a laptop in bed. All of the above rules apply to your kids. long periods at first. Start by using this posture for 20 minutes, then resting back in your chair using a lumbar support for 10 minutes to rest. Over time your muscular endurance will improve, and you will be able to sit toward the edge of your chair for most of the day. 2. Two-Hand Rule and core engagement: Put your right thumb against your sternum with your palm facing down. Next, place your left thumb against your belt buckle with your palm facing down. The goal is to keep these two imaginary lines parallel on the same horizontal plane. If those lines diverge from one another, you are overextending. If your hands are moving closer together, you’re rounding forward. Engage your core by lightly squeezing your glutes and externally corkscrewing (rotating)your feet into the ground. 3. Head back, elbows at your sides: Position your monitor so that you are looking straight forward and not looking down. Have your shoulders back with your ears stacked on top of your shoulders. You want to have your mouse and keyboard in close so that you don’t have to reach. Your elbows should be in against your body, and
22 | Good Fat Life
your shoulders should be down and relaxed and not pinned up to your ears. The only other consideration to be aware of is using adult-sized chairs with smaller kids. To help with this, use a stool to put their feet on. My last piece of advice is to get a coach. It is helpful to have a body mechanics specialist (Chiropractor, Physical Therapist, Massage Therapist, or highly trained personal trainer) on your team. Someone that is going beyond measuring pain and getting into measuring and improving your structure and function. There is no shame in asking for help. The best in the world have coaches. This is a lot to keep in mind while you are focused on your profession of saving the world. Don’t be paralyzed by perfection. A little bit of something is better than a lot of nothing. Start with mastering the three rules and then start to implement the specifics over time. While writing this, I have also discovered that some of the positional advice may be hard to understand in written form. To help with this, I have created a video series that clears up and expands on what is written above. You can find these videos on our Facebook Page @www.facebook.com/ HandsonHealthChiroBrighton and reach me with any specific questions @ drrushford@ hohchiro.com.
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A SIMPLE GUIDE TO WHOLEHEARTED LIVING Inspired by Dr. Brene Brown’s research and Patrick Buggy MindfulAmbition.net/wholehearted
Dr. Brené Brown knows the quickest way to shut down unwanted conversations with nosy strangers on an airplane.
24 | Good Fat Life
I
n her talks on The Power of Vulnerability, Brown jokes that telling people “I’m a shame researcher” tends to shut them up pretty quickly.
yourself what you would not do unto others.” Be kind to yourself. Know you’re human like everyone else. And accept what you’re feeling without judgment. •
Brown is a researcher, professor, and prolific author who launched into the spotlight with her smash-hit TED talk on The Power of Vulnerability. Since then, Brown’s research has explored powerful questions like:
3. Cultivating Your Resilient Spirit, Letting Go of Numbing and Powerlessness
“What do wholehearted people have in common?” Most people are held back by shame and let a fear of vulnerability limit their potential. But after studying these topics for years, Brown began to notice outliers. There was a group of people who did things differently.
1. Cultivating Authenticity and Letting Go of What Other People Think •
Where others approach life halfheartedly, wholehearted people have the courage to bring their full selves to the table. But despite these descriptions, “wholeheartedness” remains an intangible aim. How do you actually start living wholeheartedly? To answer that question, we need to simplify wholehearted living by deconstructing it into its component parts. Fortunately, Brown’s research revealed what she calls the 10 Guideposts for Wholehearted Living.
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Recognize that resilience is a skill you can build through intentional practice.
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Bring awareness to your go-to numbing strategies. Is it food? TV? Your smartphone? Pornography? Alcohol? Awareness of these moments creates a fork-in-the-road, where you can choose a new path. Ask yourself: “Would I like to step forward into courage? Or step back into comfort?”
HOW TO START PRACTICING THE GUIDEPOSTS TODAY
Brown called these outliers “the wholehearted.” As she began studying what made the wholehearted unique, Brown was “looking for women and men living and loving with their whole hearts despite the risks and uncertainty.”
Pay attention to when your perfectionist tendencies kick in. Choose instead to be an optimalist. This means maintaining sincere effort on the things you can control, while embracing the constraints of reality. If it’s out of your control, it’s not worth your energy.
•
Identify who you are when you’re at your best. Make a list. (“When I’m at my best, I am ______.”) Then, make it a habit to show up in that way. Celebrate your best moments with a “That’s like me!” Notice when you’re trying to please others, or get caught in worrying about what others think. Note these moments with a “Needs work” and shift back to your authentic self. 2. Cultivating Self-Compassion and Letting Go of Perfectionism
•
Adopt the Platinum Rule from Tal Ben-Shahar “Do not do unto
4. Cultivating Gratitude and Joy, Letting go of Scarcity and Fear of the Dark •
Reframe your expectations about the level of joy you’re capable of experiencing in life. What if you expected to bring joy into each day?
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Make noticing what you’re grateful a part of your daily life. (Like keeping a gratitude journal.) There’s always something you can be grateful for. And therefore, always a reason to feel joy.
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When you feel fear or scarcity, use it as an opportunity to practice gratitude. For example, if you fear losing something, connect with the reasons you’re grateful to have that thing/person/opportunity in your life in this moment. October 2020 | 25
5. Cultivating Intuition and Trusting Faith, Letting Go of the Need for Certainty •
•
When you find yourself in uncertainty, check in with your intuition. Find stillness and consider: What’s your gut telling you to do? What would you do if you had no fear? Create open space in your life to foster your internal connection. If you’re constantly bombarded by media and events and the thoughts of others, you lose track of what’s true for you. Make time for meditation, journaling, movement, and other alone-time to keep your internal connection strong. 6. Cultivating Creativity and Letting Go of Comparison
•
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Get in the habit of making things. What’s your favorite way to be creative? What’s a way you used to love being creative, but haven’t practiced in a while? What’s a creative class you’ve always wanted to take? Get creating, and share your gifts with the world!
Bring awareness to when you fall into the trap of comparison. Note this without judgment. Pay attention to the sensations you feel in your body while you’re in comparison. Then, return your focus within to clarify your intentions. What do you value? What do you want to create? What’s important for you right now in your current situation?
up in your mind. That’s like a warning-sign that you’re in need of rejuvenation. Use it as an opportunity to recommit to your top self-care practices. 8. Cultivating Calm and Stillness and Letting Go of Anxiety as a Lifestyle •
Start a daily meditation practice. Even as little as 2 minutes every day makes a big difference. Not sure where to begin? I assembled a free guided meditation bundle pack you can download here. Put them on your smartphone, and you’ll be a few taps away from your practice at all times.
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Create space for introspection via solitude and journaling. Give yourself the opportunity to understand yourself more deeply. What patterns of behavior are serving you in life? Which ones aren’t?
7. Cultivating Play and Rest, Letting Go of Exhaustion as a Status Symbol and Productivity as Self-Worth •
•
•
Create regular time for unstructured play. Get physical. Dance. Play games. Throw a ball. Be with others, and let your inner child free! (Recommended reading: Play it Away by Charlie Hoehn.) Practice bringing a playful mindset to the activities of each day. Ask: “How would I approach this if I were having fun?” Or “What would I do next if this were just a big game?”
Not sure where to begin a meditation practice - Free meditation can be download here mindfulambition.net/ guided-meditation-bundle/ 9. Cultivating Meaningful Work, Letting Go of Self-Doubt and Supposed-To
Notice when the thought that “play and rest are luxuries” shows •
Reflect on what your unique gifts are, and start sharing them with the world. As Howard Thurman instructs: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
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When you notice that you’re should-ing on yourself, pause and switch directions. Drop “should” and “supposed-to” from your vocabulary and replace it with “want.” (So “I should do X” becomes “I want to do X/Y/Z.”) 10. Cultivating Laughter, Song, and Dance. And Letting Go of Cool and Always in Control
•
26 | Good Fat Life
When you notice that you’re low on your ladder of consciousness, take some LSD: Laughter, Singing, and Dancing!
How might I improve at letting go of comparison? •
What happens when I’m fully tuned-in to my inner creativity?
7. Cultivating Play and Rest, Letting Go of Exhaustion as a Status Symbol and Productivity as Self-Worth
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Next time you have the thought “But what if people think I’m weird…” Remember that fitting in is far less important than making authentic connections with others. Don’t let a fear of looking weird prevent you from doing the things that serve you.
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Where have I practiced resilience lately?
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What are my go-to numbing strategies? How might I let go of them?
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What would be needed for me to fully embody this guidepost?
REFLECTING ON THE GUIDEPOSTS
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Where have I practiced gratitude and joy recently?
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Where do scarcity and fear of the dark show up for me? How might I get just 5% better at letting go of them?
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How does life feel different when I lean into gratitude and joy?
1. Cultivating Authenticity and Letting Go of What Other People Think •
Where have I been authentic recently?
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Where could I be better at letting go of what other people think?
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What qualities I express when I’m at my best, most authentic self?
2. Cultivating Self-Compassion and Letting Go of Perfectionism •
Where have I practiced selfcompassion recently?
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Where could I improve at letting go of perfectionism?
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What am I like when I fully practice this guidepost?
3. Cultivating Your Resilient Spirit, Letting Go of Numbing and Powerlessness
4. Cultivating Gratitude and Joy, Letting go of Scarcity and Fear of the Dark
5. Cultivating Intuition and Trusting Faith, Letting Go of the Need for Certainty •
Where have I practiced listening to my intuition and trusting faith?
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Where could I be better at letting go of the need for certainty? What would that look like?
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How do I show up when I listen completely to my intuition?
6. Cultivating Creativity and Letting Go of Comparison •
Where have I practiced creativity recently?
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What are my comparison traps?
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Where have I practiced cultivating play and rest recently?
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Where can I be better at letting go of exhaustion as a status symbol?
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What might happen if I fully embraced this guidepost? What would that look like?
8. Cultivating Calm and Stillness and Letting Go of Anxiety as a Lifestyle •
Where have I practiced cultivating calm and stillness recently?
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Where can I be better at letting go of anxiety as a lifestyle?
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What am I capable of when I’m my most calm and least anxious?
9. Cultivating Meaningful Work, Letting Go of Self-Doubt and Supposed-To •
Where have I practiced cultivating meaningful work recently?
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Where can I get better at letting go of self-doubt and supposed-to?
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Who am I when I fully embody this guidepost?
10. Cultivating Laughter, Song, and Dance. And Letting Go of Cool and Always in Control •
When’s the last time I laughed, sang, and danced?
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Where can I improve at letting go of being cool and in control?
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How does life change when I lean all the way into this guidepost?
October 2020 | 27
LIGHT YOUR METABOLISM ON FIRE Oxidizer Test From Jillian Michael’s
A
re you making changes to your diet to improve your health and getting nowhere? Unfortunately, this is far too common. We live in a society that capitalizes on the ‘one size fits all’ approach to dieting, and this can set us back if we are not paying attention to who is behind the marketing. To help you get unstuck, we have a simple, nutritional therapy self-assessment designed to support you in makeing choices that lead toward noticeable, lasting results. Whether you are looking to reverse a dis-ease, improve
your energy, lose, or gain weight, you must get to know thyself! Symptoms, food cravings, sleep patterns, mood, and energy are all valuable clues your body uses to communicate with you. Begin by taking this short, simple quiz to figure out your oxidation type. Your oxidation type relates to how you metabolize the food you eat. Next, we’ll help you analyze the results and offer next step considerations to help you feel better fast!
by Samatha Gardner 1. In the morning, you A. Don’t eat breakfast B. Have something light like fruit, toast, or cereal C. Have something heavy like eggs, bacon or steak, and hash browns 2. At a buffet, the foods you choose are A. Light meats like fish and chicken, vegetables and salad, a sampling of different desserts. B. A mixture of A and C C. Heavy, fatty foods like steak, ribs, pork chops, cheeses, and cream sauces 3. Your appetite at lunch is A. Low B. Normal C. Strong 4. Your appetite at dinner is A. low B. normal C. strong 5. Caffeine makes you feel A. Great-it helps you focus B. Neutral-you can take it or leave it C. Jittery or nauseous 6. The types of foods you crave are (sugar is not listed because everyone craves sugar when they are tired or run-down) A. Fruits, bread, and crackers
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B. Both A and C C. Salty foods, cheeses, and meats 7. For dinner you prefer A. Chicken or fish, salad, and rice B. No preference-choice varies daily C. Heavier, fatty foods like pastas, steak and potatoes 8. After dinner you A. Need to have something sweet B. Could take dessert or leave it C. Don’t care for sweets and would rather have something salty like popcorn 9. The types of sweets you like are A. Sugary candies B. No preference C. Ice cream or cheesecake 10. Eating fatty foods like meat and cheese before bed A. Interferes with your sleep B. Doesn’t bother you C. Improves your sleep 11. Eating carbs like breads and crackers before bed A. Interferes with your sleep, but they’re better than heavier foods B. Doesn’t affect you C. Is better than nothing, but you sleep better with heavier foods
12. Eating sweets before bed A. Doesn’t keep you from sleeping at all B. Sometimes makes you feel restless in bed C. Keeps you up all night 13. Each day, you eat A. Two or three meals with no snacks B. Three meals with maybe one light snack C. Three meals and a lot of snacks 14. Your attitude toward food is A. You often forget to eat B. You enjoy food and rarely miss a meal C. You love food and it’s a central part of your life 15. When you skip meals, you feel A. Fine B. You don’t function at your best, but it doesn’t really bother you C. Shaky, irritable, week and tired 16. Your attitude toward fatty foods is A. You don’t like them B. You like them occasionally C. You crave them regularly 17. When you eat fruit salad for breakfast or lunch, you feel A. Satisfied B. Okay, but you usually need a snack in between meals C. Unsatisfied and still hungry
18. What kind of food drains your energy? A. Fatty foods B. No food affects you this way C. Fruit, candy, or confections, which give you a quick boost, then an energy crash
27. When you just eat meat (bacon, sausage, ham) for breakfast, you feel A. Sleepy, lethargic, or irritable B. It varies day to day C. Full until lunch
19. Your food portions are A. Small-less than average B. Average-not more or less than other people C. Large-usually more than most people
28. When you eat heavy or fatty foods, you feel A. Irritable B. Neutral-they don’t affect you C. Satisfied
20. How do you feel about potatoes? A. You don’t care for them B. You could take them or leave them C. You love them 21. Red meat makes you feel A. Tired B. No particular feeling one way or the other C. Strong 22. A salad for lunch makes you feel A. Energized and healthy B. Fine, but it isn’t the best type of food for you. C. Sleepy 23. How do you feel about salt? A. Foods often taste too salty B. You don’t notice one way or the other C. You crave salt and salt your food regularly 24. How do you feel about snacks? A. You don’t really snack, but you like something sweet if you do. B. You can snack on anything C. You need snacks but prefer meats, cheese, eggs, or nuts. 25. How do you feel about sour foods like pickles, lemon juice, or vinegar? A. You don’t like them B. They don’t bother you one way or the other C. You like them 26. How do you feel about sweets? A. Sweets alone can satisfy your appetite B. They don’t bother you but don’t totally satisfy you C. You don’t feel satisfied and often crave more sweets
29. When you feel anxious A. Fruits or vegetables calm you down B. Eating anything calms you down C. Fatty foods calm you down 30. You concentrate best when you eat A. Fruits and grains B. Nothing in particular C. Meat and fatty food 31. You feel more depressed when you eat A. Fatty or heavy foods B. Nothing in particular C. Fruits, breads, or sweets 32. You notice you gain weight when you eat A. Fatty foods B. No particular food. You gain weight when you overeat C. Fruits or carbs 33. What type of insomnia, if any, applies to you? A. You rarely get insomnia from hunger B. You rarely get insomnia, but if you do, you often need to eat something in order to fall back asleep C. You often wake up during the night and need to eat. If you eat right before bed, it alleviates the insomnia 34. Your personality type is A. Aloof, withdrawn, or introverted B. Neither introverted nor extroverted C. Extroverted 35. Your mental and physical stamina are better when you eat A. Light proteins like egg whites, chicken or fish and fruits B. Any wholesome food C. Fatty foods
36. Your climate preference is A. Warm or hot weather B. Doesn’t matter C. Cold weather •
You have problems with coughing or chest pressure.
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If yes, “C”: if no, move on to the next question
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You have a tendency to get cracked skin or dandruff
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If yes, “C”:if no, move on to the next question
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You have a tendency to get light-headed or dizzy
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If yes, “C”: if no, move on to the next question
37. You eyes tend to be A. Dry B. Fine C. Teary 38. Your fingernails are A. Thick B. Average C. Thin 39. Your gag reflex is A. Insensitive B. Normal C. Sensitive 40. You get goose bumps A. Often B. Occasionally C. Very rarely 41. You are prone to A. Constipation B. No stomach problems C. Diarrhea 42. When insects bite you, your reaction is A. Mild B. Average C. Strong 43. Your body type is A. Short and Stocky B. Average C. Tall and thin 44. Your nose is A. Dry B. Normal C. Runny
October 2020 | 29
SCORING YOUR METABOLIC TYPING TEST When you have finished the test, add up the number of A, B and C answers you have circled A____B____C____ •
If your number of C answers is 5 or more higher than your number of A or B answers, you are a fast oxidizer.
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*If your number of A answers is 5 or more higher than your number of B or C answers, you are a slow oxidizer.
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*If your number of B answers is 5 or more higher than your number of A or C answers, or if neither A, B, nor C’s are 5 or more higher than the other two, you are a balanced oxidizer.
The Fast Oxidizer = FUN!
The Slow Oxidizer = SLOWING DOWN
The Mixed Oxidizer: Temporarily Unstable
Fast oxidizers are happier, more superficial, casual, extroverted, faster moving, upward moving, elated, and usually live more in the ego mind. Some adults are “vampires”, living off the energy of others.
Slow oxidizers are often sadder, inward moving, introverted, and generally much slower moving. Many feel like victims and thinking is cloudy. It is often a more spiritual place, with more self-reflection and less of an ego focus
Fast oxidation is a homeostatic state of body chemistry characterized by excessive adrenal and thyroid glandular effect at the cellular level. In the stress theory of disease, it is a more sympathetic or fight-or-flight state of body chemistry. It is essentially a stress pattern, responding/reacting to stress.
Slow oxidation is a homeostatic state of the body characterized by reduced thyroid and adrenal glandular effects. In the stress theory off disease it is a resistance or exhaustion stage of stress. It is a relatively parasympathetic state of the body compared to fast oxidation. The body moves into a parasympathetic state mainly as a defense measure to prevent further damage to the body.
A mixed Oxidizer has an erratic metabolism. Sometimes it’s too fast and sometimes it’s too slow. Mixed Oxidizers are on an energy roller coaster, having periods of energy bursts followed by a precipitous collapse. A mixed oxidizer will have a tendency towards either fast or slow oxidation. The further this trend is toward fast, the more pronounced will be the roller coaster affect. The goal is to stabilize their oxidation rate.
Common signs and symptoms: Irritability, anxiety, frequent bowl movements, oily skin and hair,
Common Signs and Symptoms: postural hypotension, cold hands and feet, low basal body temperature, impaired digestion and absorption, dry skin, fatigue, depression
Common signs and symptoms: can look like a mix between fast and slow symptoms and the best way to support this person is with a hair tissue mineral analysis. Generic support strategies don’t work so well because you have to rely heavily on actual symptoms and this way can be misleading.
Keys to correction:
Keys to correction:
Keys to correction:
Calm down the fight or flight response and slow down metabolic rate (decrease oxidation)
Release energy and burn fuel, speed up metabolic rate (increase oxidation)
Balance the metabolic rate according to symptoms.
increased cell permeability = sensitivity to hormones (thyroid, adrenal, glucose)
Diet: Macronutrient starting point: 40% carbs, Diet: Macronutrients Starting Point – 33% Carbs, 33% Protein, 33% fat and eat 6-9 cups of 30% proteins, 20% fats properly cooked vegetables, this is crucial! Generic (basic) supplement protocol: broad Generic (basic) supplement protocol: digestive spectrum enzymes with HCl, B complex, magnesium, potassium, zinc, vitamin A, whole enzymes, B complex, Calcium/Magnesium, food C and in extreme cases an adrenal or Zinc/Copper, Whole food vitamin C, vitamin thyroid glandular D and in extreme cases a multimineral and taurine may be beneficial Digestive support: Upper GI, Liver and Digestive support: focus on Lower GI, Liver and Gallbladder Gallbladder Detoxification: drink 3 quarts of water a day, elimination, rebounding, Epsom salt baths Detoxification: drink 3 quarts of water a day, elimination, oil pulling, Epsom salt baths Lifestyle strategies: A relaxed lifestyle to restore the nervous system, rest the body Histamines can be managed through diet and and keep the emotions and thoughts calm enzyme support and balanced. Vigorous exercise is not Lifestyle Strategies: A relaxed lifestyle is very recommended as it can be dangerous. helpful to keep the emotions and thoughts calm and balanced.
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Diet: Begin 40% carb, 30% protein, and 20% fat. Adjust macros based on energy, mood, and satiation. Generic (basic) supplement protocol: Broad spectrum enzymes with or without HCl depending on symptoms, Vitamin A, D and whole food C Digestive support: Upper GI, Liver and Gallbladder Detoxification: drink 3 quarts of water a day, elimination, rebounding, Epsom salt baths Lifestyle strategies: A relaxed lifestyle to restore the nervous system, rest the body and keep the emotions and thoughts calm and balanced. Vigorous exercise is not recommended as it can be dangerous.
THE READING ROOM Books You Won’t Want to Put Down
Quantum Activation: Transforming Obstacles Into Opportunities by Carl David Blake, Gary Stuart, Amit Goswami
“Once you understand that the physical world is a human construct and an interpretation of changing perceptual activity in consciousness, it’s a natural conclusion that reality is subject to revision. In this remarkable book by physicist Amit Goswami, and his colleagues Carl David Blake and Gary Stuart, you will learn the science behind overcoming obstacles and the scenes of the universe of infinite possibilities, which can be coaxed into almost as many actualities of experience.” —deepakchopra.com Life prepares us daily with many challenges and obstacles as an opportunity for change. It seems the universe of human experience is based on polarities. This means that any negative experience feeds the positive in order to restore balance and harmony. Conversely, it also means that the positive can feed the negative thus creating more catalysts for change. Adaptation seems to be the grandest paradox of all. Our collective intention for this book Quantum Activation is to inform and guide our readers with a thought-provoking opportunity to expand their viewpoint within their own life. Sherri’s Note: I have been practicing meditation under Deepak Chopra’s guidance for over 25 years. When combined with the ideas in this book so much becomes possible.
Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables by Abra Berens This is not your typical cookbook—it is a how-to-cook book of a variety of vegetables. Author Abra Berens— chef, farmer, Midwesterner—shares a collection of techniques that result in new flavors, textures, and ways to enjoy all the vegetables you want to eat. From confit to caramelized and everything in between—braised, blistered, roasted and raw—the cooking methods covered here make this cookbook a go-to reference. Treasure trove of 300 recipes. Spanning 29 types of vegetables—from asparagus to zucchini—each chapter opens with an homage to the ingredients and variations on how to prepare them. 140 photographs show off not only the finished dishes, but also the vegetables and farms behind them.
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GOOD FAT LIFE DIY Designed by Toni Sweisford
W
e at Good Fat Life are super excited to feature our first DIY project (that we are sure you will enjoy making). Keeping with our core principle of a modern healthy lifestyle we’ve selected two semi handmade blanket designs that taps into the current trends of wellbeing, sleep and giving things we make with for the ones we love. As the corona virus persists into fall, the simple pleasure of wrapping up in a cozy blanket that was made especially for a loved one is what our DIY throw-over and blanket designs are all about. Easy to do, the basic concept is to embellish a readymade fleece or knitted blanket with curated materials. It’s the materials selected that make the blanket designs so special. Choose natural, recycled, vintage and hand-dyed yarns or ribbons that reflect the personal style of the recipient. As many
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are still staying in, shopping for blankets and embellishing materials can be conducted via the internet which offers many options for unique one off items offered by artisan sellers, boutiques and shops. Keep in mind to purchase enough yardage in the first order as hand-dyed or made items are limited in production and dying runs. Choose to cover blanket with hand made pompoms, fringe ends, a combination of both or go completely rouge and design an embellishment aesthetic all your own. Simplicity of design make our blanket designs perfect for the novice, or seasoned makers. Handmade pillows can be added to create the ultimate dozing-off experience while wrapped up in pure comfort. But we should warn you, these blankets are very popular, so be prepared to make a few. We have. Complete blanket instructions available at www.bluarlan.com
HEALTHY RECIPES by Audrey Choate and Katie Choate
Pumpkin Spice Collagen Iced Coffee This recipe is dairy-fee, vegan, gluten free
Ingredients: 2 tsp pumpkin spice 1 tbsp maple syrup (keto option: monk fruit) 8oz coconut milk (milk of choice) 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 scoop (unflavored) collagen powder (I use “Orgain”) 8oz coldbrew coffee Directions: Mix pumpkin spice and maple syrup until combined in a blender or shaker cup. Then add collagen and milk by shaking/or blending until combined. Put ice into a cup and fill with coffee. Pour in milk mixture:) stir and enjoy! (Option to make it hot... Make with hot coffee instead of cold, mix your hot coffee with maple syrup and pumpkin spice, then pour milk combined with collagen, over top)
Pumpkin Apple Spice Bread Ingredients: 1 ¾ cups pumpkin puree (from 1 pie pumpkin) 3 med apples 3 ½ cups of flour 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp nutmeg 1 tsp salt 2 tsp baking soda 1 ½ cup sugar 1 ½ packed brown sugar 1 cup butter (or coconut oil) substitute ½ cup apple sauce 4 eggs Directions: Pumpkin and Apple prep: Slice on medium pie pumpkin in half then quarter. Remove the seeds and the pulp from the pumpkin. Lay on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 40 min. To prepare apples: Peel, cut, core, and dice apples into small pieces and set to the side. Remove pumpkin from the oven, let cool, then core the pumpkin away from the skin. Add pumpkin into the blender and puree the pumpkin until it is a soft texture. In a separate bowl add flour, baking soda, salt. Add butter,sugar,eggs,applesauce,pumpkin puree. Mix until it is all blended together. Add cinnamon and nutmeg into the wet mixture. Start to add Flour ⅓ cup at a time, until all is blended evenly. Add apple pieces and fold into the batter. Prepare a bread pan or muffin pan by coating the outer rim with coconut oil and flour and pour batter into the pan. Bake at 350 for 55 minutes for bread. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes for Muffins.
To make this low-carb, substitute sugar with monk fruit, coconut sugar, stevia, or erythritol. To make this gluten free, substitute flour with almond flour, gf flour, coconut flour, “bobs red mill” paleo baking flour.
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MONEY THERAPY
MY MESSED UP MONEY STORY by Brittnay Hoogenboom
I
repeatedly messed up my finances for years and filed bankruptcy by 20, and now I own a multiple 6 figure business. My money story continues to be an insane journey. Whew where to even begin. This money story is one for the books. I wasn’t raised with a healthy mindset around money. My mother and bonus dad were on welfare and carried a lot of debt when I was younger. No one taught me about finances, not how to save, not about debt, or investments, nothing. I grew up with drug dealers’ as friends, and money was an evil backstabbing thing to me. I am a lightskinned black woman who watched the “rich white man” do evil things with money, and that’s how I looked at it, MONEY IS EVIL. I denied myself anything luxurious for a long time because of that mindset. At 20, I filed for bankruptcy by 24; I was 17K in debt again. I couldn’t save a penny if my life depended on it; I had such a lack mindset that I spent my money as quickly as I received it. Let’s backtrack just a bit. At the age of 17, I battled drug addiction and begun this journey of awakening and remembering who I was and why I was here. I began to see my connection to Spirit, The Universe, Olodumare. I started to tap back into my prophetic medium gifts, and so it began. Ok, let’s fast forward now. By the age of 28, I had done self-healing work for 11 years and also had started a Spiritual healing side business that was all donation-based, but something was still missing. I had not connected to my root, my foundation, in the ways I had thought I had. It dawned on me in December of 2017 that I had significant healing to do around money and wealth, wealth being a vibration, not just financial. I graduated from college as a physical therapist. I
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remember having conversations with one of my patients about how money was evil, and he would always say, “How are you going to grow your business if you think money is evil.” It clicked; he was right. I didn’t even charge for my services that HEALED people’s lives and bodies because I thought money was evil. I was suffering badly, only having just enough money to pay bills and a bit more. I had dreams of being a millionaire. Isn’t that funny even though I disliked money? I was creating resistance for myself with the energy I had around money and wealth. In January of 2018, I rebranded my company called Bloom with Boom to Synergy Soul and began charging for my services. Undercharging, that is. Often with the money wounds comes self-worth wounds, and I did not know my worth, what so-ever. As the year went on, I started to see how to make money with ease, yet I could still not hold on to it that well because I had major work to do around my money beliefs. Between being a physical therapist assistant and owning my own business, I also did ambassador and influencer work on social media. With the combination of the income from being an influencer and my own business, I quit my job in May of 2018 and worked from home full time doing things I love. In 2018 I made six figures for the first time in my life. Here comes my lack mentality hardcore. As a PTA part-time, I made around 35k a year. In 2018 I made 110k, and I blew all of it because a lack mindset creates fear around being able to hold on to something without thinking it will be taken away. By the end of 2018, I had nothing to show for the money I had made. Now here we were in 2019, and I came face to face with my money wounds when I had to pay taxes on my own for the first time and saw how horrible I was at managing
money. My husband had been telling me that for years, but the stubborn Aries sun that I am refused to listen to him. In May of 2019, I hired Sherri Richards to be my money coach. I remember having so much anxiety in our sessions when we would look at my money management in the face. I had to step up and hold myself accountable. After a few months of facing my money wounds head-on spiritually and materialistically, things began to shift. In October of 2019, I decided to let go of any income that was not funneled through Synergy Soul, and at that time, Synergy Soul was only making $2500 a month. I dove into my faith around receiving. I now know that I am always provided for. Most people won’t take the time to look at the energy they emit because it seems crazy to them. Good thing I know better. Haha. I watched my energy shift around the vibration of wealth, my self worth, and money. I watched my root chakra heal day by day. In January of 2019, I hit my first 10k month and was led by Spirit to rebrand my company again. I wanted to help other Spiritual healers or spiritualbased business owners level up and have breakthroughs with their money wounds. The money wound is very heavy in the Spiritual community. This year, I created several courses that assist people with business basics and create a foundation for building a successful 6 figure business, breaking through their being’s shadows to elevate in greatness and heal their money wounds. I hit six figures by April of 2020 and doubled it in September 2020. The more I tap into my wealth and allow myself to receive what I desire, the more I release and breakthrough my colonized mindset of lack; the more I heal my wounds around wealth, the more wealth I experience and recognize around me.
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