Tapping Into Possibilities

Firework

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This song gives me goose bumps. Not the Katy Perry verison which has 205,000,000+ hits on youtube but the PS22 version which only has 300,000.

PS22 is a public elementary school in Staten Island with a music teacher with a vision, with a faith in these kids that should be a lesson for all of us.

It’s not that I don’t like Katy Perry or her version (she did co write the song so she does deserve a lot of credit). But somehow her voice doesn’t ring true to me or give me goose bumps (maybe because it is a performance, maybe because she tried to outshine these kids on Oprah). Click on the link below and just listen to little Denise belt out

Just own the night like the 4th of July. Cause baby you’re a firework.  Come on show them what you’re worth.

and I hope you’ll know what I’m talking about. Watch the faces on these 5th graders and you can’t help but believe in them (and maybe even yourself) and feel something. Is that joy stirring in you? Is there a smile on your face?

Do you ever feel so paper thin, like a house of cards one blow from caving in? Do you know there’s still a chance for you  cause there’s a spark in you….Come on let your colors burst.

And if you have any doubt about your own gifts and talents, your own worth, doubt no more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGpdULugKo4

PS To help light that spark, find music that you don’t just like but music that gives you goose bumps.

Nuts to You

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Hopefully you were not surprised to learn last week that 100 calories of walnuts are healthier for you than 100 calories of french fries.

A federally funded 20 year study led by the Harvard School of Public Health found “striking differences in how various food and drinks, as well as exercise, sleep patterns and other lifestyle choices affect whether people get gradually fatter”.

So it’s not just the amount of calories but the kind and the quality of the food that has an impact on weight gain.

Come on people, this is not rocket science. You are what you eat. And most of the things (notice I did not say food) in a grocery store that aren’t around the perimeter of the store are not even “real” food.

We live in a primitive body that really is not much different from 100,000 years ago. Nuts (almonds, cashews, pecans, pine nuts, walnuts) and seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame) were an important component of early man’s diet so it should be no surprise that nuts in spite of their high fat content helped people in this study avoid weight gain.

Unfortunately, all nuts are not created equal……

See my recipe for Roasted Nuts (in the Recipe drop down menu above) adapted from a wonderful cookbook called Nourishing Traditions. If you want to know what real food is or you already do but want to learn more, this is a great cookbook to add to your collection. For more information check out www.westonaprice.org

Let they food by thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food. Hippocrates

Grow New Neurons and Have Some Fun at the Same Time

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When was the last time you hula hooped?

Did you have one of those cheap plastic $5 hula hoops when you were a kid? Well, hula hoops are not just for kids anymore.

Hula hooping requires both concentration and coordination; it engages you mentally and physically. It really requires that  mind/body connection thing that every one keeps talking about and it’s fun.

Your brain grows new neurons as long as you keep your brain active. And to keep that hula hoop moving up and down and around requires the active engagement of your brain. It’s definitely more fun than sudoku.

How often do you have fun? What do you do for fun? One thing about fun and play, is that it takes your mind off whatever problem/stress you have in your life at that moment.

While hoops have been found in many cultures through out the centuries and have been made of different materials like willow, rattan and stiff grasses, the hoop went viral in the late 1950’s when a plastic version was marketed for kids. In 1958 more than 25 million were sold in 4 months.

While 28” hula hoops for kids have remained a childhood staple, the adult versions are heavier and bigger (mine is 46” in diameter). Now it’s called Hooping or Hoop Dance and there are even websites and clubs devoted to it.

Whatever you call it, its fun and the benefits are many. Hooping tones your body, helps you burn fat, and your abs and core will definitely feel it. It also improves your coordination and the flexibility of your spine. It improves your mood and will definitely make you laugh if you’re  doing it with friends or family. My daughter and I laugh so hard watching each other(or my son) that, of course, we lose concentration and drop it but that’s the point, isn’t it, to have some fun?