Reflections on BC 410

I can’t believe that 4 weeks has already passed and my Writing for Publication course that I dreaded at the beginning is over. When I first opened all the assignments that were due for the class I was so overwhelmed and skeptical about being able to complete this class successfully. Here we are 4 weeks later and I’m considering submitting an article or news release that I have written! Holy cow I didn’t expect that result! This class was really interesting and I learned a lot. Researching the publications in my industry was really exciting! I saw that there were so many different venues and outlets for marketing my business and also just for getting the message out about holistic care. I found publications that are now bookmarked for further reading and future resources for my publishing endeavor. I learned the importance of writing articles in 3rd person as to not offend anyone reading it and also how important it was to cite facts from reputable sources. 300 words seemed like a lot when I first started this class but then realized that it really is a very little amount and you have to be very concise in what you choose to write. This class has definitely changed my perspective about writing articles and I am going to continue on this path and see what I can get published. Thank you Cliff

News Release

News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 29, 2011

For more information contact:
Angela Geren
825 W. Queen Creek Rd. #2052
Chandler, AZ 85248
480-277-3408
angie@corevitalitycoach.com


Empowerment and Transformation
CHANDLER, AZ- On June 25, 2011, from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., Core Vitality will be hosting a free workshop creating personal empowerment. This event will take place at the Tumbleweed Recreation Center in Chandler, AZ on the Southwest corner of McQueen Rd. and Germann Rd. Core Vitality is committed to providing an inviting environment where transformation and growth are promoted. This event is open to persons ages 15 and older who are interested in learning about integrating mind, body, and spirit wellness into their lives.
Angela Geren, owner of Core Vitality and certified Lifecoach, Hypnotherapist, and Polarity practitioner, will be leading workshops throughout the event on the hour. Lunch will be provided and will be an open forum to discuss health and wellness. Each workshop will be centered around a different modality and will include: lifecoaching, hypnotherapy, nutrition, and Polarity. Amy Nielsen, a former participant says, “Core Vitality’s workshop changed my life. The personal attention and life lessons touched me deeply and precipitated a great transformation in my life!”
Please RSVP to Core Vitality at 480-277-3408 or angie@corevitalitycoach.com by June 18, 2011 to reserve your spot, as space is limited. This event could be the catalyst for change you are looking for and we hope to see you there!
####

Free Writing 7-10 minutes

I told my 11 year old daughter I had to free write for 10 minutes for homework and she said write about me! I know you know enough about me to write for that long, at least I hope you do! LOL! So here it goes… my 11yr old, Samantha, is an amazing individual. Her life started out pretty rough and the poor thing had a helluva time being a baby. Nothing seemed to come easy for her. She cried most of the time for the first 2 and a half years. I was sure that she was going to be a huge handful for the rest of her life, however what she has blossomed into over these years has been outstanding. She is my rock, my memory, and makes me laugh everyday. Still has anxiety and life is rough at times, but what isn’t rough at 11years old. Without her I’m not sure some days if I would remember to feed them. Between girl scouts, boy scouts, their school, my school, pto, life, she started calling me Dory from finding Nemo because I have no memory ;c) She has become that memory for me and keeps me on track. Most nights when she goes to sleep I will sit and watch her in amazement that this growing girl was once my little baby. She is stunning in every way. She is very mature for her age and takes care of a lot however has still managed to remain a child and do the fun things that come with it. I’m so glad because these days kids just seem to grow too dang fast. I try to live every moment so as to cherish the little time we have together before she is grown and on her own but time still seems to fly by. Doesn’t help that she is already taller than me because everytime I look at her I’m reminded it is one day closer to her being on her own. So I will always treasure the time we have right now, before she doesn’t like me anymore ;c) who knows, maybe she’ll be the one child who loves me thru high school! Lol!

Inspiration to Write

I don’t have to look far for inspiration in my daily life. Inspiration to live and inspiration to write comes from my children. The things that come out of their mouths absolutely amaze me! Humor is a big thing for me and what has kept me going during very bad times. Luckily, my children are natural comedians and if I would write down everything they have said, I would easily have a joke book to be published right now. For example, the other day I was telling my littlest one (8 years old) that I could tell she was fibbing by the look in her eye, which she replied, “Mom, that’s just an eyelash!” I seriously almost fell over I was laughing so hard. How she at that age can be so quick witted is beyond my comprehension, but she can save any tense moment with her banter! They remind me each and every day to take life as it comes and if you take things too seriously the inspiration will run dry.

Final NC 110 Blog ;c(

As the last week of my Nutrition 110 arrives I am sad and excited all at the same time. Sad that I will no longer have the same teacher who has brought many laughs into our house, speaks to the point, and rambles about the coolest things ever! Excited that I will be continuing my journey into nutrition even deeper in my next class. I didn’t think my diet or lifestyle would change coming in to this class. I have always read and studied and researched nutrition and food and affects, however we did make quite a change. I now eat 85% organic, the kids eat about 60% organic, we have switched to all organic meats and fats (cheese, yogurt, and such). There are also more colors in our fruits and veggies, the kids are eating around 90% whole grains, and I have found a substitute for brown rice! Yahoo!! If you would have asked me 12 weeks if this was something I was even willing to do, I would have told you no way! I would’ve had many reasons (excuses) too!! It is too expensive, it is such a hassle, there really isn’t a benefit to organic, a lot of it is made up, who has time, and I’ve lived this way for 30+ years and haven’t been affected yet; these are just a few of them! Now, however, I have learned that truly the food we eat and the way it is grown, raised, or harvested has a HUGE effect on the nutrients and minerals it contains. I also learned just how important these nutrients, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, etc are to a healthy body! With loved ones dying of cancer, sick half their life, diabetes, heart problems, my “inherited” high cholesterol, and a myriad of other illnesses, why not choose to put healthier foods into our bodies? What is the harm? Truth is there is NO downside to feeding ourselves healthy food! Now my argument is: why not give yourself and your children the best head start they could have? We make sure they have the best of everything else! Why not the best food?? It just makes sense. I want my kids to have the best chance to live the longest healthiest life possible. I know I only have them for a very short time in comparison to the length of their life, so I only have a few years to teach them thru actions that what they put in their body makes a difference. Have there been grumblings? You bet! Have there been food strikes? Yes! Have they tasted new foods and loved them? Yes! Have they tasted new foods and hated them? Yes! Are they eating better now? Yes! Do I enjoy knowing that they are being nourished? Hell, yes! Do they want me to quit preaching about the benefits of food? Probably, but they indulge me none the less! LOL! This class has definitely been an eye opener for me and my family and I look forward to my next class in 2 weeks! Oh the new things they get to hear about!!! ;c)

Vitamin/Mineral Depletion

This week’s assignment to discuss reasons for a drop in available vitamins and minerals in our food and also the diseases associated with deficiencies is really quite eye-opening and scary!! I had no clue just how depleted our resources have become! First, I need to backtrack. Where do the vitamins and minerals found in our food come from? It seems like a no-brainer but really I don’t think that most of us have even pondered this question, I know I didn’t. I just assumed that a carrot was a carrot, an apple just an apple, however this is not the case at all! The vitamins and minerals present in our food comes from the soil it is grown in, if it is not present in the soil, guess what… correct, it is not present in our food! Ugh!! Soil today is not the same soil years ago and the USDA has known this for 70+ years. They were warned in 1936 that our soil erosion and over farming was creating mineral and vitamin deficiencies in our soil and yet they have not done anything to combat that! If in 1936 it was already depleting, can you even
imagine what it is like now?? So what has happened to our soil?? Soil is full of micro-organisms and bacteria that are necessary and vital in creating the minerals we need. From over farming and pesticide use these organisms and bacteria are becoming non-existent. Here is a fantastic website that delves even further into the causes of depletion: http://www.nutritionsecurity.org/Nutrition%20Security.htm
Other factors also include our water supply. We all know all the harmful chemicals and poisons that are in our water, which is why most of us drink either bottled or filtered water. However, they are not filtering the water that is growing our food!! UGH!! Another good link is a pdf on research that has been done into the mineral and vitamin deficiencies in our food: http://www.mineralresourcesint.co.uk/pdf/mineral_deplet.pdf
Now that we have that established, what does it really make a difference if we have less vitamin and minerals in our food anyway?? Well… many diseases we know all too well are actually associated with vitamin and mineral deficiencies. For example, a calcium deficiency causes arthritis, high blood pressure, and osteoporosis; a copper deficiency is associated with anemia, hair loss, arthritis, and aneurysms, and a selenium deficiency can cause cancer, cataracts, age spots, and multiple sclerosis. Also, studies have shown that the adrenal glands, blood, bones, capillary walls, cells, connective tissue (skin/ligaments/bones/gums), heart, mucous membranes, nervous system and teeth are effected with deficiencies in Vitamin C and our blood, lymphatic system, muscles, and nerves are affected with a sodium deficiency. On the following website you can find the nutritional content of most fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and protein sources and also a breakdown of vitamins and minerals and what they do for your body and what a deficiency in them can cause: http://www.healthalternatives2000.com/minerals-nutrition-chart.html
I know this seems quite depressing, however, we all need to be aware of what the USDA has been for our whole lives and has yet to change! We are the only ones who can force this change and make them accountable for what they are putting on the grocery shelves for us to consume. Also, it is under the above stated premises that organic farming was started. In organic farming it is necessary to rotate crops as to not completely deplete the soil and also to work symbiotically with nature. When this world was created the micro-organisms and bacteria were in place for a reason and we should honor that by continuing to farm and take care of this land that was given to us!

"Now" Photos of Food in Our House

Above are “now” pictures of my refrigerator and cabinets. At the beginning of my Nutrition class I had to post pics of the food we have in our house. The differences between “then” and “now” is that we have gone 60% organic, we no longer eat any beef , chicken, or dairy products unless they are organic. We have had resistance from the younger ones in the family about switching their favorite crackers and cereals, however we do have some varieties in the house that are eaten and are organic. Overall what this assignment has not only taught me, but also my children, is to be accountable for your choices, whether good or not so good!

Vitamin/ Mineral Content of daily Foods then and now

From Week 1 of my nutrition class until now, my diet has not changed very much, but there have been a few distinct differences. First of all, I switched out a couple items that were a staple in my diet and replaced them with more nutritious sources. I used to eat brown rice everyday and switched to either Millet or Amaranth, also my salads were always iceberg lettuce and are now spinach salads. Another thing I started doing is adding chia seeds to literally everything I can! I really love them! They add crunch and are so small that you can add them and they’re pretty undetectable ;c) Chia seeds add fiber, calcium, and both Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids. I used to use flax seed, but I wouldn’t put them on many items because of the grainy texture they have. Below is a list of the items I used to use and their major vitamin/mineral content and then a list of what I switched to.

Then: Brown Rice- Phosphorus 81mg; Potassium 42mg
Iceberg Lettuce- Beta Carotene 170mcg, Vitamin A 286IU, Potassium 80mg; Vitamin K 13.7mcg

Now: Spinach-Vitamin A 2813mg; Vitamin K 144.9mcg, Potassium 167mg
Amaranth- Potassium 135 mg; Phosphorus 148 mg; Folate 22mcg
Millet- Folate 19mcg; Potassium 62mg; Phosphorus 100mg
Chia Seeds- Calcium 45mg; Fatty Acids- Omega 3 1400mg- Omega 6 420mg; Dietary Fiber 3g

As you can see, with just a few minor changes they have added more nutrients into my everyday diet! Yahoo! Also, I have switched to mostly organic as to ensure a higher mineral/vitamin content. See a blog post in the future to understand why :c)

pH- Oh my!!!

pH is a whole new world for me. The first pH test I ever had was a few months ago when I threw my back out. I started going to a holistic chiropractor that a friend of mine referred. At the first appointment he does a battery of tests to see how your body is reacting or not-reacting to stressors. My saliva pH test was very gloomy; my pH should have shown that my body was starting to digest when a stressor was introduced, but it showed the opposite. My emotions had taken such a toll on my health that my digestion was slowed down because as he stated, who needs to eat when they are running for their life. Being in the constant state of fight or flight was making me sick! Ugh! Great things were done after that initial visit and now my pH is actually on track! WooHoo!! For the pH experiment we had to do for my nutrition class my urine pH levels were in the optimal range throughout the day! The minor fixes in my diet and the MAJOR fixes in my emotional states have definitely made me a healthier person! I am sleeping better, my moods are stable, and my bowel movements are working well! Next step for me is to do the 2 day pH challenge. For that you need to eat a lot of protein and acidic foods for 2 days and on the 3rd morning test your pH to see how your alkaline reserves are doing! That will be a definite test to see if I’m truly on the right nutritional path!

Fiber, Fiber, Fiber!!

This week’s blog is on Fiber! I know… you are all on the edge of your seats thinking that I’m going to speak about bowel movements and how fiber impacts them!! I’m sorry to disappoint however raising 3 children I’ve had enough poopy talk from them!! Some benefits of fiber you may not know about are the fact it lowers your cholesterol, prevents gall and kidney stones, lowers your chance of breast cancer, and increase your fiber slowly ;c) How, you might ask, does fiber lower your cholesterol? The plant cell walls which we know as soluble fiber bind to the cholesterol in your gut and prevent it from being absorbed! Any chance to lower our cholesterol without taking a pill gets a ‘thumbs up’ from me! Going hand in hand with the removal of cholesterol in your system is a lowering of the risk of developing gall stones, which are hardened pieces of cholesterol! The phytates (a very fancy word for a yummy acid) in high-fiber plant foods prevent the crystallization of calcium salts which are kidney stones! High fiber foods also contain lignans which are compounds that are known anticancer, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral! The reason lignans are pivotal in the reduction of your chance for breast cancer is because they bind to estrogen receptors and remove them! I know that you now want to increase your dietary fiber, who wouldn’t?? First thing to do… increase slowly and drink extra water until your body is used to it!! Of course this method is not necessary if you choose to stay inside by yourself for a few days! It will only take a few days for your body to adjust!! How much fiber do you need, you ask? Only 20-25 grams a day!! A very easy way to increase your fiber intake without creating large changes to your diet is by adding flaxseeds to your meals! One serving of milled flaxseed will add 4g of fiber!! So go buy some flaxseed and make sure you are buying whole grain breads and eating your veggies!!! Oh and have a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast with some raspberries (total 8g of fiber) and get a jump on the day!!

5 Cool Facts about Protein!

Our nutrition blog this week is to discuss 5 interesting facts about protein or protein sources! Here are mine:
1. Meat sources contain higher levels of the amino acid arginine which aggravates the herpes simplex virus. I get cold sores on a regular basis and was told to take Lysine for them, but I didn’t know why. Lysine is the amino acid that works in tandem with arginine. When I have too much arginine, I have too little lysine therefore increasing the chance for a flare up. From now on I will take lysine if I am having meat in my meal ;c)
2. I was very excited to learn that the amino acids in the combination of beans and rice make a complete protein! For months now this has been a daily meal of mine and I thought that I might not be getting enough protein, but I am! Yahoo!! And who would have thought that grains contain protein? ;c)
3. Did you know you can eat too much protein? I didn’t! I was amazed to find out that eating too much protein will cause too much ammonia in your system, acidic pH levels, insomnia, nausea, irritability, kidney stones, osteoporosis, and body odor. Wow! With all the media hype about eating more protein we, Americans, actually on average consume more protein than we need! Which leads me to my next item…
4. A person only needs .36g of protein per pound of body weight a day. For me that is only 40g of protein a day which is only 160kcal a day and only 9-10% of my daily total calories!! Most protein bars out on the market contain 25-30 grams of protein in each bar! That is almost my whole entire daily need!
5. This one is the biggie!!! Ready??? Deficiency in protein=deficiency in immunity!!! Protein is EXTREMELY important for your immune function!! Now before you go consuming extra protein when you get sick… remember… too much protein is not good either! We need to eat a BALANCED diet of protein, fats, and carbohydrates! The amino acid Glutamine is the body’s most potent and completely natural antioxidant! Protein is also responsible for cellular rejuvenation and detoxification!

Nutrition Discussion Question

Below is my answer to the following question for my nutrition class; What are some of your ideas about what we can do to decrease the use of hormones, antibiotics, and environmental pollutants in our food supply and still meet worldwide food demands?
This question perplexed me greatly! First thing I thought of is I am so concerned with feeding my own kids I couldn’t even imagine taking on ways to feed the entire world! Second thing was with all the people starving in this world, how is it even possible to decrease the steroids and still produce enough food? Then I came to this website: http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/home . The Rodale Institute has been an organic farm and research facility for almost 30 years! In their pdf for the Organic Green Revolution they state, “studies show that sustainable agricultural practices can actually increase food production by up to 79% while at the same time actively reducing the effects of farming on climate change through carbon sequestration”. What?? I thought the reason we started using hormones was because we couldn’t feed the world this way?? In fact they go on to say, “The researchers
concluded that organic farming can produce enough food to feed the world without increasing the agricultural land base.” They then go on to detail specific ways that the farms themselves can change from conventional farming to organic farming and what these changes mean to us (the world). It is one of the most fascinating papers I have read so far. Here is the direct link: http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/files/GreenRevUP.pdf
So what are my ideas to decrease the hormones, antibiotics, and environmental pollutants in our food supply? Education and action. Plain and simple people need to be educated! Unfortunately eating organically and sustainably has received a bad rap all these years. We need to reach the children first and show them the movies: Food, Inc., The Future of Food, and Fresh (http://www.freshthemovie.com/). Once the children are aware of what is going on behind the scenes and pretty pictures of conventional farming they will definitely spread the word to all adults they know! Once people are educated about what is really in the food they are feeding their children and themselves they will slowly back away from conventionally grown foods. Even if each person in the United States only changes one meal a week, that is 307 million meals a week that are supporting organic or sustainable agriculture! That number is staggering! Americans need goals they feel are attainable and once they are committed they will follow thru! Another feasible goal is to buy one item a week that is locally grown. Did you know that, according to Sustainabletable.org, “even though broccoli is grown all over the country, the broccoli we buy at the supermarket travels an average of 1,800 miles to get there”? That’s an amazing journey! If we support local farmers we will not only put money back into our own community, but we will allow the farmer to stay where he is because there will be demand for his food!! A great website to find organic farms, restaurants, and grocery stores in your area to support is: http://www.eatwellguide.org/i.php?pd=Home Another thing we can do is buy fruits and vegetables that are in season. If you are anything like me, you don’t know what seasons are peak for what! So if you (like I) need help with that, go to, http://www.sustainabletable.org/shop/seasonal/. Even if we only touch one person with what we have learned so far the ripple effect will be amazing! And if you are interested in reaching more people or becoming more active in the fight for healthier food and environment go to: http://sustainableagriculture.net/take-action/, also the Rodale Institute has a page of action items also!

The reason I posted this answer on my blog is I think it has some great websites to look up that won't make you sad or disgusted like the movie Food, Inc. But maybe you will be willing to try one of my suggestions! Thanks for reading!!

Food, Inc.

For my nutrition homework this week I had to watch the movie Food, Inc. As a warning for family and friends... if you don't want to know how our food is brought to us or processed... please stop reading ;c)
The whole entire movie shocked me!! I knew that farming had become a huge money making corporation, however I didn't realize just how large. To go from thousands of slaughter houses 40 years ago to just 13 now is absolutely horrifying!! The amount of animals that are processed through these plants (32,000 hogs a day in one of the plants) is enough to make anyone sick. Ten minutes into the movie, my son Trey (11yrs) had this to say, "No wonder they use so many hormones, they have to keep breeding more and more animals." His comment was before they even talked about hormones!! Another shocking thing to me was that the farmers and companies KNOW that cows shouldn't eat corn and that it actually produces the e-Coli bacteria in their gut as a response to the feed that they are incapable of digesting and yet they keep doing it!! Why?? Because we have become a nation of bigger and faster. The faster they can fatten up the cows, the more money they make. Did you know that if you took cows off their corn diet and fed them grass for 5 days that they would purge all the e-coli bacteria out of their gut?? Poor Kayden (7yrs) came in the room and after watching the movie for 5 min said, "Now my tummy doesn't feel like eating... man, I was hungry too!" It took an hour away from the movie before she could finally eat! I'm so glad after last week's reading that I switched to organic! I was able to feed them healthy food they liked and didn't have to throw any food away after watching the movie!
Trey just came out of his room and said "they need to show that movie in schools to teach the kids what is really going on!" And then asked if they said anything about Taco Bell and if I would still let him eat there! Gotta love them! LOL!

First Nutrition Assignment

One of my first assignments is to take a picture either surrounded by the foods you eat or of contents of refrigerator and post them on your blog. I chose to take pictures of the food I buy and keep in my house. I don't eat most of it, however I do buy it for the kids and let them consume it! So... yes... I'm leaving my parenting styles out there for everyone! Yikes! I figure it creates more accountability for me ;c)

New Adventure

Wow!! I haven't been on here in a very very long time!!! So many things have been going on in my life!! The new adventure I'm embarking on is going back to school!! Yahoo!!! 2 of my online courses started yesterday and I will have some on campus courses also!For one of my classes (Holistic Nutrition 100) I was assigned to create a blog to discuss what I'm learning and I'm sure to see how much I've learned from the beginning of session till the end!! With that said... you'll see alot of nutrition posts and I'm sure some posts of frustration as I manage full-time school and 3 kids!! LOL!

I am attending Southwest Institute for the Healing Arts which is near ASU on Apache just east of Rural! This school is phenomenal!! I am in the Mind/Body Wellness Practitioner program and by this time next year I will have a diploma in that and also certificates in Holistic Nutrition, Hypnotherapy, Life Coaching, and Polarity!! I can't wait!!!

Week 6

Wow! I can't believe we are in the 6th week of our 10 week challenge already!! I needed this type of motivation and accountability to reach my goals!! Today I finished Week 5 Day 3 which was a 20 min jog!! Straight thru!! I ran 1.6 miles which is half of a 5K!! Holy cow!!! I've looked back at old blogs and was amazed when I said I couldn't believe I finished 2 min of running and wondering how I was going to do more than that!! Ha ha! With this challenge I have also lost 12lbs!!! Yahoo!! I can finally fit back into the pants in my dresser!! LOL! This weeks challenge is to add 5 sets of 10 reps of ab workout everyday or 350 total reps for the week ;c) I hurt my back last week so most of my exercises will be modified but core workouts here I come!! This is the exact push I need! Because eventhough my cardio and eating are on track I'm finding it difficult to get my core workout in! What great motivation!!

Btw... my first 5K is on March 6th and I can't wait!! I also signed up to run Pat's Run in Tempe in April which is 4.2 miles ;c)

1 mile!!

Oh my gosh!!! If you've been following this you know that I have been doing the Couch to 5K program... this is a 9 week program teaching how to be able to run. Well... I completed Week 4 yesterday and start 5 tomorrow. Tonight I wanted to get out to clear my head and get in just 15 min of cardio... so I went to Gmaps pedometer and plotted out 1.2 miles... I planned on walking the first .2 miles as a warm-up and then running .25 miles and alternating that for the whole time. Well... I walked the .2 miles and then started my jog... I went the .25 miles and then... I kept going!!! Tonight I ran 1 mile!! The whole entire way!!! I couldn't believe it!! It is so amazing what this challenge has done for me!

Kelli... THANK YOU so very much!!! You provided the perfect boost and I am so so so very grateful!!! YOU ROCK!!!

Week 5 Day 1.... HERE I COME!!!!