Unleash Your VitalityYour Guide To Natural Health, Personal Fitness & Lifestyle Freedom

I felt right at home the second I walked through the door. On one side was a cozy, dim-light cafe and on the other was a loose-leaf herbal shop full of containers with the freshest, most natural herbs around. The shop is called Passiflora in New Hartford, CT and it was the scene of Wednesday’s lunch :)

I couldn’t help but feel reconnected to my passion for  natural health and lifestyle. Here were hundreds of different herbs, each one with its own unique effect on our minds and bodies – and each combination its own as well. When I see people immediately go to the drug store or opt-in for prescription or over-the-counter medications for things like stress, anxiety, sadness, or even the common cold or flu, I have to wonder if they even know about nature’s prescriptions at all. There are thousands and thousands of herbs out there that can give us so many of the results and benefits we’re looking for through chemical creation today. If you’ve been caught up in the system at an unreasonable level, let this serve as a wake up call!

Many people forget that you CAN take herbs for things like sadness and depression. There are certain herbal teas that have been known for ages to boost your mood and happiness – without any of the side effects that can otherwise ruin your life while you stay happily afloat with medications. This can be life changing for someone caught in this vicious cycle, and without the drastic change in personality that so often comes with prescriptions today. But the benefits don’t stop there. Read the rest of this entry »

The benefits of seaweed just keep piling in…have you tried it yet? If you missed the background, kelp would be my #1 pick to get you moving and feeling better in no time. You can look back to past posts for more information on kelp and other healthy seaweeds, but today we’re going to look at some new research on a certain fiber in kelp that helps significantly with weight loss – something many of you have asked for advice with.

According to Sherry Baker, Health Sciences Editor at Natural News, recent studies at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom have identified a specific fiber in kelp that helps the body to absorb less fat…by up to 75%. After testing more than 60 fibers in the laboratory, the research team discovered that alginate (that specific fiber in kelp) actually helps prevent fat uptake and storage in the body vastly more effectively than harmful, over-the-counter, anti-obesity treatments. I hope you heard that clearly – it’s natural, healthy and far more effective than conventional treatments!

People everywhere are desperately turning to the next solution for fat loss – and growing frustrated because the product either doesn’t work, or it works with side effects WORSE than the extra weight itself. Here’s my advice: Read the rest of this entry »

First of all: no, this isn’t a gimmick. This is simply one way to help you achieve your goal of having more energy throughout your day and enjoying a little peace of mind – mental clarity. Having said that, realize that the simplicity of this 1-5 minute energy boost is going to have you almost immediately disregard it. Why? Because it’s made up of 2 quick movements you already know: jumping rope and jumping jacks.

Those 2 movements might bring you back in time to gym class or some other point in childhood – when was the last time you jumped rope or did a few sets of jumping jacks? If it’s been awhile, I hope you’re all ears; these 2 exercises can dramatically enhance your energy levels in just seconds.

Ready for the easiest energy boost you ever got? Here it is: alternate sets of jumping rope and jumping jacks. I told you in the beginning that your mind might immediately disregard it because it’s already familiar – and it seems too easy. You’d be surprised. To start, jump rope 10 times (reps) and then do just 10 jumping jacks. The immediate result? Dramatically increased bloodflow and circulation throughout the body. This not only gets everything moving and lifts your energy levels, but actually gets the lymph fluids active and keeps your immune system strong.

Hand-in-hand with these physical benefits come the mental and emotional benefits. Your mind starts to clear up, stress levels go down, and you find yourself better able to focus and concentrate on the task at hand (I just finished a vigorous 20 minute workout before sitting down to write this post for you!). You see things more clearly and productivity (personal and vocational) goes up. All from jumping rope and jumping jacks? You bet.

Here’s my #1 tip: Read the rest of this entry »

If you haven’t heard of meridian tapping or EFT, today’s the day I change your life. People from all over the world are discovering this incredible tool for personal transformation on every level. Emotional blockages like fear of heights, being afraid of spiders/cats/dogs, public speaking, and more are all being cleared and erased…permanently. Still, that’s just the tip of the iceberg – interested? Read the rest of this entry »

Depending on how far you’ve been able to burrow into the world of natural health, you may or may not be aware of the whole juicing controversy going on. What is it? Essentially this: people are fighting over juicing versus blending.

Sure, it’s funny – but it’s also an important topic to take a closer look at and get to the bottom of. After all, if you have a juicer or blender in your home or plan on getting one soon, there are some key points you’ll want to take home today. No matter what your position, at least you’ll have an intelligent comment to contribute should you get caught in the controversy first-hand!

Advocates of juicing say that it’s the easiest way to get nutrients into the body; you simply “juice” any fruit or vegetable, and you’ve got a light, easy drink ready-to-go! Because it’s just the juice, it’s quick to drink and even quicker for the body to absorb. It’s getting the true value of the fruit or vegetable without having to deal with the trouble of eating it. Read the rest of this entry »

Let’s face it: I’m sure you’ve heard people talk about the wonders of seaweed before. Whether it’s in the spa and therapeutic arena or just in your local health food store, seaweeds have been creating a buzz in the natural and alternative health realms for quite some time. Why all the buzz? What are people talking about here?

The most critical point you can pick up about seaweed is that it’s wild. It’s a group of completely natural plants that thrives in the oceanic environment – which, by the way, means that these plants are grown with ALL minerals in the “soil”. Besides some of the more common minerals we get here, we’re getting all of the trace minerals that are depleted in today’s modern agriculture. Think 30 minerals is healthy? Try getting all 92.

While this gives you some insight into why the plants may be so therapeutic in spa treatments and alternative therapies, what we’re going to focus on here and now is eating seaweed. Now, I know what you’re probably thinking: “I don’t know if I really want to eat seaweed…” but the truth is, you don’t have to turn this into a meal at all…or even a chore. Two easy ways to get this powerful group of foods into your diet regularly are by sprinkling a powdered/flake form (think salt container and low-sodium salt alternative) over your salads and other meals, or by adding a bit to a healthy smoothie (so you don’t even notice the taste, but reap all of the health benefits).

Before we get too far into the how, I’d like to really get back into why again. Read the rest of this entry »