To Visit ...the verb

Visit \vi-zet\ verb: 1: to go to see in order to comfort or help 2: to call on either as an act of courtesy or friendship 3: to dwell with for a time as a guest.

I had an "aha" moment this weekend. One of the things that I miss so much that I used to do as a child is visiting family, friends and acquaintances on the weekends....every weekend. Often we would go with our parents on Friday nights to my Aunt Bernice and Uncle Ed's home near Outer Drive and State Fair. My parents and aunt and uncle would play canasta or Michigan rummy while we played with our cool older cousins. We would dance to 96 Tears by Question Mark and the Mysterians (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7uC5m-IRns). We always ordered Buddy's Pizza from the "original" store on Conant. I remember how delicious it was with Faygo orange pop at midnight. Sometimes we would actually stop by the Top Hat hamburger on 8 mile and get a whole bag of burgers. My Dad must have had the munchies after a couple of shots and beers. The buns on those warm hamburgers would be almost soaked through before we got to eat them when we arrived at home. Not a great idea right before bed!

On Sundays we would visit both sets of grandparents. I loved that because my grandpa Surdel would always give us silver dollars. While he spoke hardly any English, he always had the greatest smile on his face when he snuck us a coin without my Mom seeing him.

These were magical times and the memories are so very clear. I wonder if we have lost the art of "to visit, the verb" in our crazy busy world. I know that I have not been the best visitor.

Make a plan to visit family, friends and acquaintances more often. Stay connected, not only during the Christmas season but all year long. Connecting with people makes our lives better and makes great memories. I hope you can rekindle a friendship, comfort an old friend or make someone's day by your presence. "Reach out and touch somebody's hand, make this world a better place if you can." (http://www.allmusic.com/album/reach-out-and-touch-the-very-best-of-diana-ross-mw0000711299)

To Your Best Health,

Denise Lovat
Certified Health Coach

Visit my website for tips on how to survive the holidays without gaining weight: http://www.deniselovathealthcoach.com
Go the to Services Page and at the Request Information Box type in : HOLIDAY TIPS and hit send.

What is vitamin "G" and what can it do for YOU?

We have all seen people I would call "up with People" who are never in a bad mood. These people used to really annoy me, especially when I was at a low point in my life or  when I let myself be in a bad mood. HOW CAN ANYONE BE THAT HAPPY ALL THE TIME! ICK.

I have a hunch that one of the things they have going for them is vitamin "G," GRATITUDE.

In my health coach training we were exposed to an exercise where we wrote down three things every night before bed that we were grateful for. It was an interesting exercise for me. The first couple of nights I actually had a hard time thinking of three things I was grateful for. I was making it too hard. 

• I am grateful for getting up this morning.
• I am grateful for my four limbs.
• I am grateful for my eye sight.
• I am grateful for a home to live in.
• I am grateful that I am able bodied and can leave my house each day.
• I am grateful for my two sisters for their support.

This gratitude exercise started to accelerate and get easier as I wrote in my journal each night.  My overall mood shifted to more positive and the little things that would normally annoy me, did not. I have been sporadic at writing in the journal lately and I am glad I ran across this 21 Day Gratitude Challenge which starts on November 7, as a reminder.

Try it! See what can happen in 21 days. I would love to hear your results.
Sign up for the challenge, it is free and you will be a part of a community of kindness, what could be better.

http://www.kindspring.org/21day/

I would like to thank my IIN classmate for posting this challenge on facebook.

To Your Best Health,

Denise Lovat
Certified Holistic Health Coach

Visit my website complimentary Raw Energy Bites Recipes http://www.deniselovathealthcoach.com
Go the to Services Page and at the Request Information Box : type in RAW RECIPES

 

Our Family Only had One Car and one OVEN...today I am thankful for my WHEELS!

Today I am thankful for having my own wheels. My Dad worked at Stroh's Brewery and had a "driver" pick him up. Not a "driver" like Metro Cars, but another man who worked at Stroh's who lived near by and kind of came our way on his way to work. My Dad paid him weekly for gas.
My Dad did this so that my Mom could have our Chevrolet Impala to do what she needed to do. Happy Wife, Happy Life! I love you Dad. Can you imagine! Today when you jump in your car try to be thankful that you have wheels too!

I am also thankful today for double ovens with convection on top (4 racks) and conventional on the bottom (2 racks). How in the world did our Mothers do it with ONE OVEN and four children! The reason I am thankful today is that I spent the morning preparing NOT TO COOK this weekend.

Here is what I made in order: roasted brussel sprouts with red onion, roasted carrots, roasted beets, vegan white bean with kale soup (so delicious and so easy) and vegan green lentil soup with kale, tomatoes and veggies and raw energy bites (almond butter, chia, sunflower, pumpkin seeds, oats, honey YUM).

 

 

What do you do to get ready NOT TO COOK!

 

To get these soup recipes go to: deniselovathealthcoach.com and contact me through the contact box. Type in SOUPS!





I love the smell of Fall at the Royal Oak Market!

 

The view of the market is incredible: smell, touch, texture, people, produce, nourishment!

 

Saturday morning is my quiet time to plan my Sunday of cooking for the week

 

The colorful peppers remind me of my grandmother's garden and the value she

placed on her vegetable garden.

 

The magnificence of this display is a work of art

 

Do you want to be in CONTROL?

The answer to this question is probably yes! for most of us. Who doesn't like to control their day, control their destiny, control how things work in their family. Who doesn't want to protect everyone from harm and make sure everyone is all right! I have big news for you, I mean big, big, big news.

The only thing you can control in life is how you treat yourself and how you interact with others.

You can only control how you "feed" yourself on all levels (food, emotion, spirituality, who you socialize  with etc.) and how you treat yourself (does your inside voice talk negatively or positively?).

Can you control how your husband or children behave? feel? express themselves? eat?  Can you control how your mother feels about you or your children or her life or your life? Can you control what is deep within other people. If you think you can, you must be super-human all powerful.

The only thing you can control in life is how you treat yourself. It is time to stop trying to control things that are out of your hands.  Is it time to begin to look inward and start treating yourself better with better food, better exercise, better relationships, better sleep, more kindness, more time, more prayer.....to start to begin better life?

Every day is a new beginning, every meal is a new beginning, every interaction with another human is a new beginning to do something different and ......well.....better.

My hope for you today is that you treat yourself better today than yesterday.

To Your Best Health,

Denise Lovat
Certified Holistic Health Coach

Visit my website for my complimentary Raw Energy Bites Recipes http://www.deniselovathealthcoach.com
Go the to Services Page and at the Request Information Box : type in RAW RECIPES

Help Someone....Daily and Be Healthy

We are all so busy inside our own heads with our own problems, and tasks of the day that sometimes we miss the little things in life that could make a huge difference in our health. It is a proven fact that when we go outside of ourselves and reach out to others, we are happier! I don't mean digging a well in a third world country. There are probably 20 simple ways each day that you can help someone....if you are paying attention and coming outside of yourself.

Mahatma Gandhi once said that “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

Your actions of kindness can change someone's entire outlook on life as well as your own. 

Recently my 18 year old son and I were in the grocery store. We were second in line with the customer in front of us with a large order. I whispered to him to go bag her groceries. He moved to the end of the belt and started to bag, even asking the woman if she would like her milk in a bag. She laughed (good medicine). The woman was so appreciative by this small little act of human helping human. The cashier was taken aback as well and said that he hoped my son's good deed was paid forward to him.

Often at Meijer I like to surprise the person ahead of me and bag their groceries (because I want to get out of there AND I want to help). I always  ask their permission first. No one has ever refused the help.  One time, the person I bagged for waited for me to ring my order up and helped me. I think this is SO FUN and contagious!

Consider some recent research*:

• Students who performed five acts of kindness a day increased their happiness
• Providing emotional support to others significantly decreased the harmful health effects of certain kinds of stress among older people
• People who donated money to charity got a boost in a feel-good part of the brain, as revealed in brain imaging research

*http://www.liveyourlifewell.org/go/live-your-life-well/others 

I recommend building "helping others" into your daily life. You will reap the rewards.

If you want to dive deeper into the benefits of helping others, I recommend Stephen G., Post's book  "The Hidden Gifts of Helping." He is Professor of Preventive Medicine, Head of the Division of Medicine in Society, and Director of the Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care and Bioethics at Stony Brook University. Visit him on his website at www.stephengpost.com/hiddengifts.

Now get out there and help someone!

To Your Best Health,

Denise Lovat
Certified Holistic Health Coach

Visit my website for my complimentary Raw Energy Bites Recipes http://www.deniselovathealthcoach.com
Go the to Services Page and at the Request Information Box : type in RAW RECIPES

No Gym Membership, No Excuse, Pick up a Jump Rope!

My children took karate from a crusty old man who had a great big heart. He was a good disciplinarian and taught me how to jump rope like a boxer. I am so thankful for that lesson. Many times I do not feel like driving to the gym or doing a formal work-out. I realize that in nice weather it sometimes makes me angry to be inside when the sunshine and freedom of the outdoors is calling me.  What do I do on those days? I pick up my jump rope and head outside to the driveway, or go for a short run with my jump rope and jump 25 times at all the corners that I turn on. I am accelerating my heart rate in short bursts, I feel ALIVE and am not confined to the indoors and working on machines or treadmills.

Here are two good videos to help you learn how to jump like a boxer!
It is hard at first, but you will improve greatly very quickly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsWui2L_r2c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI_6eT-0-X4

You can find jump ropes at Sporting Goods Stores, like Dicks Sporting Goods and Dunham's.

Don't worry about how fast or how long you do it at first. I recommend you try to jump for 5 minutes each day, not continuous when you first start (5 minutes can seem like an hour). Take breaks whenever you need to. You will start to build endurance and strength. Let me know if you give this a try!

 

To Your Best Health,

 

Denise Lovat

Certified Holistic Health Coach

 

Visit my website: www.deniselovathealthcoach.com

Contact me through my website and you will get FREE recipes - Five Fall Crock Pot Dishes to come home to