Interview with a Diva: Brigitte Mars

If you caught the inspired article Brigitte wrote for us several posts back, you will already know what an incredible woman she truly is.  She is a wealth of great, useable information, and she really does walk her talk.  Her daughter is RAINBEAU MARS who many of you have heard of.  Rainbeau is a raw yogini, and a mom herself!  I would love to have her featured sometime for you here on rawmom, but for now, some beautiful pictures of her will just have to do!  In the meantime, enjoy these beautiful words and delcious recipes from the generous spirit which is Brigitte Mars…

Please tell us about your first experience of hearing about Raw, and who inspired you?  How raw did you go?  How raw are you currently, and how do you maintain it?

In the mid 1970′s, I tried being raw. But back then, the only organic produce available was carrots and apples and most natural food stores didn’t carry produce at all. When I would talk about raw, no one had ever heard of anyone doing it here. “After all”, everyone said, “It’s too cold in Colorado. You need to eat cooked food in a cold climate.” I studied Macrobiotics, Herbal Medicine, Oriental Medicine, Vitamin Therapy, Flower Essences, and Homeopathy. Eventually, I began to teach classes on Natural Medicine institutions such as the Rocky Mountain Center for Botanical Studies, Naropa University and the Boulder College of Massage.  I became the herbalist for one of the nation’s largest natural food stores, and  for thirteen years and promoted multitudes of remedies, potions, pills and tinctures. I have had a private practice and written scores of magazine articles and several books.

I had always considered our family following a healthy vegetarian lifestyle. Though, pretty much all food was cooked, except for the occasional salad and piece of fruit. Organic produce became more available. As the years went by, my lovely children became complicated teens. I surrended to serving whole wheat bagels,  pasta dishes, veggie burgers, homecooked vegetarian chili and other things I was glad they would eat. “At least it’s organic!” I would say to myself.

When Sunflower and Rainbeau were teenagers, they admitted to me that they were sometimes eating meat at their friend’s houses. I wasn’t pleased, but appreciated their honesty and decided that it would be better if I prepared an organic chicken once a week than them eating commercial God knows what God knows where.  This was after my  having been vegetarian for twenty three years. I actually felt better consuming some animal protein and this continued for several years, till I became raw.

Middle aged. I found myself making cakes (with unrefined sugar) once a week, organic chocolate chip cookies, meat, and  quick cooking rice. Always, we included some wild greens and felt healthy about that. However the truth was, I still struggled with acne and was getting heavier and middle-aged pudgy, despite skipping dinners,  and drinking “natural diet shakes”. My bikini days were definitely over.

My husband, Tom Pfeiffer, frequently had digestive problems that caused him sleepless nights and if ginger, umeboshi plum paste or peppermint capsules didn’t help, would resort to over the counter preparations. I had become an expert on remedies, but had not yet figured out why the problems occurred.

In 1996, Rainbeau got her first movie role in, The People vs Larry Flynt.  She flew to Memphis and immediately found herself having a great time with Woody Harrelson and his brother, Brett, both of whom were into raw foods, yoga and healing the environment. Rainbeau dropped out of college and soon moved to Hollywood, like many young hopefuls to pursue  dreams of fame and fortune.

Rainbeau and I first saw Juliano in Santa Monica Wild Oats. He gave her a flyer for a raw potluck. Soon,  Rainbeau called us  in Colorado to say, “I’ve gone raw! Juliano is my new housemate. He has written a book called Raw and says, “Get your mom down here. She’ll get raw.” “Not very likely, ” I thought. “I know too much.” I had studied way too long and knew all about “cold, damp spleen,” “excess yin” and how eating tropical fruits can make one “ungrounded and spaced out.”  My big concern was that Rainbeau was getting into anorexia, like the models and actresses one reads about.

Tom and I had a trip to LA planned, to attend Natural Products Expo, the major convention for the natural foods industry. We hoped to talk some sense into her.

Our first night in LA, Juliano was hosting one of his huge raw dinners.  My husband, Tom was apprehensive on how his stomach would handle such fare. We paid a donation and  were  served a delicious raw vegetarian meatloaf with cauliflower mashed potatoes. We drank coconut water. It was all amazingly delicious. There we met David Wolfe, author of The Sunfood Diet and Success System, at the dinner. We had to admit, Rainbeau looked healthier and more beautiful than ever. We weren’t worried, just grateful for Juliano.

The next day, Rainbeau and I left for Anaheim to attend the convention, while Tom had business to attend to in LA. I gave an herb walk  at a botanical garden, and spent time at the allGoode Organic booth, who are the fine people that bought UniTea Herbs, the company Tom and I had started more than sixteen years ago.

Rather than walking through the convention and tasting every free sample of  tofu hot-dog, organic chocolate bars and frozen vegan pizza, I noticed that very little of the “health food” was raw. No wonder we needed to devote one third of the show to vitamins and herbal remedies. “Natural foods” might be good, but they had not brought us perfect health! Macaroni and cheese in a box, though wholewheat and organic, was still processed food.

Friday night, Rainbeau and I were invited to a small party sponsored by  HempNut. ^TM I had recently written The HempNut Health and Cookbook with Richard Rose. A wonderful young man was playing guitar. We liked what he was singing about. It all rang true. His name was Jeremy Safron. He had been raw for eight years. I bought two copies of his book, The Raw Truth for Rainbeau and myself.

Tom and I returned to Boulder. I decided that I would be raw for a year to support my Rainbeau. Surprisingly, Tom loved the food and would sit down to meals saying, “You’re saving me.” His digestion had so much improved. I went through a bit of a detox. My skin broke out worse than it had in years, then got better than ever.

We sponsored David Wolfe to teach a one day workshop in our courtyard. We were amazed how the workshop filled with barely any effort. It was also delightful that making lunch for sixty five people was so easy, when I remembered the stress and toil of a cooked dinner party for ten! A few months into being raw, I really prayed about whether this was the right path for me. My answer was, “Think of The Doctrine of Signatures.” The Doctrine of Signatures is an ancient philosophy that shows how plants speak to us by the way they look, grow, smell and taste.  (For example kidney beans strengthen the kidneys, cauliflower the brain, etc.) It was so simple!  Did I want to feel baked, fried and toasted? Or did I want to feel fresh, alive and vital. The Urantia Book says that Adam and Eve (not the first humans -that’s another story) were raw foodists.

“While cooking was universally employed outside the immediate Adamic sector of Eden, there was no cooking in Adam’s household. They found their foods-fruits, nuts and cereals-ready prepared and ripened.”  The Urantia Book.

Tom and I both attended a workshop given by Viktoria and Igor Boutenko, authors of The Raw Family. Igor gave us the most powerful massages. We could feel such amazing movement of energy. We were blessed to have the Boutenkos stay at out house during their workshop. No spaced out deficiency there!

My teaching of herbal medicine has changed. I wanted to talk about raw foods. I still love herbs and have found many of my herbal allies make great salad additions and fresh green juices.

Two years have passed. When I went to Anaheim’s Natural Product’s Expo this year, my friends wanted to know, “What have you been doing? You look younger! More slender! Your skin is great!”

It amazes me how something so simple, time saving, and money conserving  isn’t what everyone is doing. Now a trip to the grocery store yields four bags of groceries for $100 rather than one or two bags. We feel great. Sign me up. I’m sticking with the program. Every day I wake up feeling blessed to be raw and wonder why it took so long to find it again. I’m glad I studied so many other things. My horizons have been expanded all around the globe, studying the medicine of a multitude of cultures that are not all that healthy. Such a beautiful simple truth, to return to raw.

Can you please offer us a few of your fave recipes?

SUNFLOWER PÂTÉ
1 1/2 cups raw sunflower seeds, soaked overnight, then allowed to sprout for 3 hours
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup tamari or 1 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon sliced fresh ginger
Run the above ingredients through a food processor. Serve on sandwiches or on salad. Add some chopped celery for a tuna-salad substitute. Excellent on sandwiches or to top a salad.

FLAX CRACKERS
I once threw a soggy flax cracker out in the yard, and it grew in to hundreds of flax plants. Now that’s live food!
2 cups flax seeds
4 cups water
1/4 cup dried kelp
Soak the seeds in the water 15 minutes. Stir in the dried kelp. Spread the mixture onto three solid dehydrator sheets. Dehydrate for 4 hours. Remove the dehydrator sheets and turn over the crackers. Continue dehydrating until they are crisp (about 4 to 6 hours). When dry, the crackers will keep indefinitely.
Makes 2-3 trays of crackers.
Variations on Flax Crackers
Any of the following can be substituted for kelp in Flax Crackers:
Sliced bananas
Sliced apples
Raisins
Cinnamon
Celtic salt
Chopped tomatoes
Corn cut from the cob
Chopped red peppers
Chopped onions
Chili powder
Basil
Chives
Cilantro
Garlic

DRIED FRUIT JAM
Jam on sprouted crackers with almond butter, anyone?
1/2 cup raisins, soaked overnight
1/2 cup dried figs, soaked overnight
1/2 cup dried apricots, soaked overnight
Remove the fruit from the soaking water and place in a blender; reserve the soaking water. Add a bit of the water, pulse until well mixed, and keep adding water until the mixture achieves a jamlike consistency. Store in the refrigerator, where the jam will keep for about 2 weeks.
Makes about 3 cups.

APRICOT PUDDING
Nothing is easier. Try garnishing the dish with pine nuts.
1 cup dried apricots, soaked 4 hours in 1 cup water
Place the apricots in a food processor and puree. Serve in cups.
Makes 2 servings.

BUTTERSCOTCH PUDDING
The ultimate comfort food can be extraordinary.
1 cup dried apricots, soaked overnight in water (reserve water)
2 bananas, peeled
8 dates, soaked 20 minutes
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup raw almond butter (available at natural foods stores)
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree.
Makes 4 servings.

CAROB PUDDING
1/2-cup raw almonds soaked overnight. Rinse in the morning.
2 ripe bananas
1/2-cup water
2 tablespoons carob powder
1/2 cup pitted dates
Blend all ingredients together in a blender or food processor till smooth. Garnish with a mint leaf or strawberry slice.

HEALTHY FUDGE
1 cup tahini or almond butter
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons chocolate powder
1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint leaves
!/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
Mix all the ingredients together and roll into balls. Roll in sesame seeds or coconut and chill. Coconut can be colored red by mixing with a bit of beet juice.

STUFFED DATES
Stuff pitted dates with raw almond butter or tahini. Makes a great substitute for chocolate!

Any Raw Beauty Secrets?

Check out my book Beauty by Nature.

What is your sleep schedule?

Midnight till 7

About how much water do you drink daily?

More than a quart.

What do you eat on a typical day?

Fruit, one salad daily, and some raw gourmet dish.  Today I am making an asparagus quiche to perfect a recipe for Get Fresh magazine!

How late in the evening do you feel okay eating?

I try not to eat after 6.

Who do you most admire, or who are you inspired most by in the raw food movement today?

David Wolfe for his energy, Chad Sarno for his great food, Cheri Soria for all her contributions.

Would you like to share your spiritual practice with us?

I have been reading the Urantia Book for over 30 years. It is considered The Fifth Epochal Revelation, is said to be written by celestial beings. It talks about life after death, life on other worlds, evolution, Adam and Eve, The Lucifer Rebellian, Melchizedek, Jesus, as well as the history of most of the world religions. Urantia is the name of our planet.

Any new projects?

Please check out my You Tube: Seven Minutes to Raw, and my website is www.brigittemars.com.

(90-Day Detox) Day 43: Almost Half Way There, Folks!

Weeell, my pumpkins. I had a VERY interesting day yesterday and while I wasn’t 100% successful doing an only juice feast, I had a successful day none the less. Sometimes you just gotta roll with the punches, ‘eh. I’ll get this juice thing yet, I’m sure of it!

One thing that helps is that I’ve been really busy reading all the materials on the Juice Feasting site. I have to admit, that site is LOADED with information. Go on! Check it out for yourself! It really got me excited to do this, and they certainly cover all the things to expect. I read through the whole step-by-step on how to do an enema. Fortunately for me, I’d already figured it out, but still neat that they’re providing a lot of additional information to support people on the journey. There’s even a 30 minute video for every day of the program! Amaaaazing!

92 days, huh?

Sheesh.

I’ll try one first.

To self:

“It’s a piece of cake, Tera. You can do it. Chewing *and* fiber are overrated.”

I’ve reaffirmed a commitment to myself to study and to keep learning more about nutrition and health. I’m going to get some books. I sometimes take a “go with the flow” approach to what we do around here. I like that, but I realize it has some limitations. It’s easy to get caught up in what other people tell me and then just believe it without doing my homework. Yesterday I fasted most of the day and then had a green juice in the evening.  I realized at the end of the day that I hadn’t been to the toilet to “pee” since the morning. And since I’d even gone to hot yoga, that meant I was VERY dehydrated. I just didn’t feel I had a natural thirst at all, so didn’t drink. Also, I’d recently been informed by a health care provider that we don’t really need to drink as much water as we’re told. So, I had been kind of testing this out for myself. (Looking back, this doctor wasn’t the picture of health himself, that’s for sure, but I just sort of accepted what he said without questioning it! *naive blushing*) We give others authority quickly, I think. Okay, I shouldn’t generalize. I give other people too much authority quickly. I see it happen with others, too. Just think about how confusing this raw food movement is. “He’s right, she’s wrong.” “Don’t juice, blend.” “Don’t blend, juice.” “Don’t eat fruit!” “Don’t eat fat!” A girl could drive herself nutso in that environment if she tried to believe everyone.

And you know what’s CRAZY?

They’re ALL RIGHT!

Every single one of them. That’s what’s so ridiculous about the bickering they do. They don’t even realize that they are just out there, speaking from their own experience and saying what works for them and what they have observed. Did you notice that BOTH camps have stacks of testimonials? They’re both right! They’re all right! According to their observations and experience, they are. So your job isn’t to try and decipher who is telling the truth. They’re all telling the truth, but it’s based on their experiences and observations. Your job is to find out what’s true FOR YOU!

You are the only one who has your unique set of experiences, relationships, genetics and emotions that make up who you are. People can suggest things, and you need to decide what makes sense for YOU! Then try it. You only need to try one enema before you realize that for you it fits or it doesn’t! **(see p.s.)  There’s so much fear-based communication out there. So much critical communication about how others are wrong. When you hear someone telling you that they know better and theirs is the only path to health, don’t walk away–RUN!!! And leave the snake oil behind.

Given my own experience yesterday, I’d like to just remind everyone of the importance of proper hydration. It’s KEY! I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT NATURAL URGE IS ENOUGH TO GO ON! Some people say that if we eat raw food, we don’t need to drink as much water. Well, yesterday I was dehydrated and even though I had NO desire whatsoever to drink, I was definitely dehydrated and it didn’t feel good. All the toxins that need to be eliminated by the body depend upon your intake of water to flush things out of the system. During our detox program, we’ll get Dr. Ritamarie to discuss this a lot more.

A major reason people overeat is because they’re simply dehydrated. When “hunger” strikes, drink a tall glass of water and wait a while. If you’re still hungry in an hour, eat! If you’re hearing all this amazing talk about green juice, but just not able to pull it off yourself because of a lack of time, tools or whatever, then start dragging a water jug around with you.

That ALONE will make a huge difference in your health.

**Funny thoughts**

Yesterday I had fasted at least 24 hours and when I was in the metro, I was feeling a bit sensitive. My perceptions were heightened. Anyway, I was in the subway and just looked at everyone and all I could think of was their colons. Everywhere i looked I just saw gigantic colons. Strange, I know, but it made me laugh out loud.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it a gazillion times again, we have a responsibility for the state of health of people around us. It’s not enough to sip green smoothies and keep the fountain of youth to yourself. Not everyone is going to be interested, but a lot of people are. Either way, it’s our responsibility to tell people about it. Green Smoothies are the doorway to getting people interested in a healthier lifestyle. It’s something that usually produces pretty significant results immediately and it’s easy. Most people have a blender, just tell them the basics of how to make a green smoothie. Later today or tomorrow I’ll be posting the winners of our Green Smoothie Contest. That was neat. There are some great pics and amazing stories. I’m looking forward to sharing them with you!

Yesterday at my yoga class, as I was leaving, the instructor said, “Hey! You’re the Green Smoothie Queen.” I blushed. Caught! It’s actually happened to me a few times. Kinda fun. “The Queen” I can live with that.

Okay, so, I’m doing lots of self talk about juice feasting and talking to this little cyst of mine. The truth is, I did almost only green juices just for 2 days and noticed it get smaller. I betcha a shiny copper penny if I could just stick to juice feasting that I would be able to  make it disappear. Go read some of the testimonials and stories on that site. Inspire yourself. That’s what I’m going to do.

I have some exciting teleseminar guests being lined up! Can’t wait to fill you in…

…for now, I’m off to polish off the last little details for our detox announcement.

Love and hugs,

Tera

Introducing Green Smoothies to Babies (Kale, Red Grapes, Bananas and Medjool Dates)

This week I was fortunate to be able to speak at a “Greening Your Life” seminar for a small group of moms and their babies. I thought a lot about what I wanted to talk about because there were so many ideas I wanted to share with them,; however, having 45 minutes in which to speak, I wanted to really get the message out about the importance of non-toxic cleaners in the home as well as the importance of organic and locally grown foods.

I was so excited to be able to sit down and share with these moms why buying organically grown produce is not just beneficial to our family, but also protects farm workers, ensures that genetically modified foods are kept out of our households, protects future generations, protects our water quality and ensures that we keep toxic chemicals off our plates.

The Environmental Working Group recently came out with their updated list of the “Dirty Dozen” as well as their new list called the “Clean 15”, which are fruits and veggies lowest in pesticides.

I ended my talk with a green smoothie demo and I was very happy to see how much the children enjoyed the green smoothies. One of the babies enjoyed the green smoothie so much that every time her small demo cup was empty, she would let out the biggest cry and her mother couldn’t fill another cup fast enough. I just smiled from ear to ear.

When I sometimes hear moms say that their children will not eat anything green, I wonder where the issue with the color green stems from. Well after seeing how happy these children were drinking green smoothies, they clearly have nothing against the color “green.”

Green Smoothie for Babies Recipe

• One bunch kale
• One cup red grapes
• One frozen banana
• One medjool date
• One cup water

Blend and enjoy!
Tracy

(90-Day Detox) Day 42: Say It Like You Mean It! Then Let It Happen!

Shhh… don’t tell myself I said this, but:

I am having SO, LIKE SO, SOOOOoooooo much trouble just getting through a single day of juice feasting. It’s a bit ridiculous. Anyway, maybe I don’t NEED to, but I want to. I want to do the Intestinal Soap recipe, just like Nicole is. Just like Michael Perrine talked about. I already bought all the ingredients. I started making juice, but my darn juicer gets clogged before I can make a few liters of it. Anyway, on our cozy coaching call, Nicole said she wants to do a juice feast this week. That little love nugget inspired me. She just said it and she’s doing it! I keep watching myself putting all this attention on “how hard” it is for me to do a juice feast and I keep hearing myself talk about how “I can’t do it” so I decided to klup myself up the side of the head and change my attitude. Okay, so here goes…

Gooooood morning, Pumperfly. I don’t know why I called you Pumperfly. I guess it’s because Jimbolina calls me “Miss Daisy Pumperfly”. Anyway, it’s Monday. It’s the start of a new week and on the phone at last night’s cozy coaching call, I couldn’t decide what I was going to commit to. I still haven’t decided.

We’re rapidly approaching the midway mark of our 90-day detox and it’s actually hard to believe just how much things have changed in my life since starting this thing. Wow. Let’s take inventory on our achievements, shall we?

Let’s take a moment or two to identify where change has happened in a positive way. I actually am stunned to think of how much my relationships and personal values have changed. Nutritionally speaking, I’ve made some adjustments. I sure do a lot more green juice. For fitness and exercise, I do yoga, oooooh sweet glorious yoga of looooove! So fitness, food and lifestyle have all improved A LOT. I ditched some projects and liberated myself from (I know this sounds harsh, but it was necessary) people that just weren’t contributing in a positive way to my life.

So, that’s a lot of improvement. Maybe that’s enough.

I think I’ll pack it in there. Thanks for the ride, folks.

I’m done.

I’m outta here.

That’s enough for meeeee…

*aaaahhhh….*

HA! HA! HA!

Wouldn’t that be funny? Wouldn’t it be funny if women like us could just say, “That’s enough. I’ve done my best. I’d like to stop now.” Nice idea, but we live to grow and expand and improve. We live to experience the height of what experience has to offer. As long as we take moments to validate the progression, then I have no problem with raising the bar on what we can expect of ourselves–on what we can achieve and allow for ourselves.

Like  the Dutchman, for example…

I’ve read about fairy tales with a prince who is gallant and charming and attentive. I’ve read about those things. But until last night I’d never actually BEEN WITH a real, live Prince of a prince. I mean, he showed up with flowers for a tea date!

And it’s not that I need gushing displays of chivalry, and I’m quite modest when it comes to materialistic indulgences, but I just sat there thinking, “Huh? Flowers? For me?”

And then the next thought I had was, “Uh-oh. I’m wearing jeans!”

You would have thought this guy was preparing for a very special occasion. I mean he was decked out, looking gorgeous and carrying flowers. *gulp* Maybe it’s just because I’ve never had someone consider tea with me such a treat before that I wasn’t expecting to be so graciously received. The entire night I sat listening to this person thinking, “Is this for real?” “Are YOU for real?”

Now, I’m not trying to imply anything about where this adventure will lead. I’m just saying that the whole experience got me thinking quite a lot about things…

There are ways we live and put barriers in place for ourselves. Limitations about what we think we deserve and what we’re “worthy” of. Whether it’s with respect to the relationships we are willing to create for ourselves, the money we make, the pleasure we allow ourselves to experience, the time we give to ourselves to do the things we love or the foods we say we can and cannot control eating. There are ways we put limits on pleasure and possibility. I don’t have all the answers about WHY we do it, but many of us impose limitations on ourselves.

I’ve decided it’s time to stop it with that nonsense.

It’s time to raise the bar on the amount of pleasure, passion and purpose we allow ourselves to experience.

What if I really COULD get swept away to Paris for the weekend with a man I love? What if I really could have a relationship that was easy, empowering, loving and fulfilling? (I’m not saying there couldn’t be bumps in the road, but my goodness gracious, you’d think i’d been riding on a construction site with no highway in site for the last 10 years.)

What if no matter how tough things have been until now, no matter how many stupid mistakes I’ve made, no matter how much I think I do or do not “deserve” certain things in my life… What if I just decided to knock away barriers, obstacles, limitations and self-sabotaging thoughts and stand on the mountain top of my life and shout out to the Powers of Pleasure that be to say:

“BRING IT ON!! BRING IT ALL ON!!”

Bring on as much good, as much pleasure, as much passion and abundance as you REALLY want. Let go of limitation and put possibility on your horizon like you ain’t never done before. You can. I can. We can. We will.

I told you about my apartment the other day, and how that worked out so serendipitously. Well, here’s another fun thing about this Dutchman story…

Last week after I got through the spiritual upheaval and life-change I told you about, then I just felt like “I want to get out and meet someone.” I didn’t have expectations that this be an intense relationship, or anything serious or intimate. I wasn’t looking for love, I was looking for an exhilarating conversation or a walk up the mountain with someone I found interesting.  So, I popped onto one of those online dating sites. (I did it once before last year and after about 4 hours on that site I had dates lined up for weeks and more emails than I could handle. When you’re feeling like you need to extrovert a bit, well, that’s not such a bad thing.)

So the other day, just for the fun of it, I logged on to a site. (I went to this one, because it’s FREE, but I’m warning you, it’s VERY distracting!;-)) I set up a profile for myself. I put the picture of Mika and I to ward off immediately anyone cruising for something other than a respectable relationship. I just wanted to put it right out there that I am a mom of small children.

Anyway, I sat at my computer and just said outloud, “Find me a Dutchman!” My mom is Dutch and I looooove all things Dutch and I’m always google-eyed over my friend’s Dutch boyfriend. Not because he’s anything spectacular, it’s mostly just because he’s Dutch.

Anyway, it could not have been more than a few hours that passed when I received an email from a gentleman kindly asking me to remove the picture of my daughter from the site.

*gasp!*

WHAT?!!

It wasn’t a, “Hey, Baby. Nice smile!” or  a “how r u tonite? i’m lonely. lol… wanna chat… lol…”

It wasn’t “I’m an honest man with a good sense of humor, would you like to go for coffee?”

It was, “I think you should take that picture of your daughter off this site, because it’s not totally appropriate and for safety reasons alone,  I think it would be best if you remove it.” (Trust a Dutchman to say it like it is. I should have spotted it immediately!)

At that point, I was already inundated with more messages than I actually could manage and needed to close down my profile again because it was just too distracting and there were far too many bare-chested Brunos looking for a beer-slurpin’ patio babe. (Let’s face it. I should not be looking for dates online. I should be hanging around the compost bins at health conventions winking at the tall, skinny boys that come by.)

I wrote back to the gentleman telling him that I didn’t necessarily share his concerns,  but thanked him for the suggestion and changed the picture (I mean, I don’t want to attract some weirdo!). I had noticed in his profile he would respond in English, French, German and Dutch, so I had to ask, “Are you Dutch?”

Sure shootin’, he was a Dutchman! A real, live, DUTCHMAN! Poof! Just like that! Only a matter of hours from the time I made my official request.

Looking back I can remember very clearly sitting at the computer saying outloud, “Find me a Dutchman!” and how very different from the 436 times I said, “I’m going to juice feast today”. I see a difference in the degree of intention I put into saying those two things.

If you say you’re going to do something, or you want  something, but it’s laced with self-doubt of some possibility that this might not happen, it doesn’t happen. It’s not going to happen. I just wanted a Dutchman. I didn’t have a whole bunch of other qualifications about what kind of Dutchman, or how nice, or how tall or what kind of relationship it would be. I simply wanted a Dutchman. And holy smokin’ baloney did I ever get one FAST!

So, given this little observation, I’ve determined that when you just place your order for whatever the heck you want at the checkout counter of life, then  do so with with a little kick of your heels and a sparkle in your eye and do it like you mean it. Then be ready to get what you ordered.

So here’s the deal, Chica:

I AM GOING TO JUICE FEAST TODAY!

And here’s WHY:

• Because I can.
• Because I want to.
• Because I think intestinal soap sounds delightful.
• Because I want to feel the intense satisfaction of doing what I say I’m going to do.
• Because I know I can, I know I can, I KNOW I CAN!
• Because fiber is overrated.
• Because I have a small cyst on the back of my leg and yesterday I noticed it through my clothes in my yoga class and it made my heart sink in my stomach. David and Katrina generously signed me up for a test drive of their  juice fasting program. I admit, I was impressed with everything they offer and one thing in particular caught my attention. It was a testimonial on the side of the page from Bridgette Mars who had a cyst/lump that totally disappeared while juice feasting.

So I’m gonna do it.

And I’m officially removing a few more limitations off what I thought was possible for myself. I can’t tell you exactly what that looks like, Sunshine, but I can say that I’m not putting on any filters to keep out joy, pleasure, passion and abundance of all kinds this week. Crazy thing, this detox. Every time I think it can’t get better than this, the top pops off all over again.

I love you. I reeeeeeeally, really do and I can’t wait to hear how you’re doing and what you’re going to commit to this week.

My commitment: To accept the possibility that life could get EVEN BETTER than this, that I DO deserve all the magic I can possibly create for myself and more. Then I’m going to do whatever it takes to allow  that  to happen.

*taking a deeeeep breath and diving even deeper*

Tera

P.S.

I’m off to finish up a detox announcement. So close, so close I can taste it!

(90-Day Detox) Day 42: Feelin’ Frisky

It’s late, love bunny.

I just wanted to tell you that Sunday was bliss-filled.

I went to yoga, drank loads of green juice and met a Dutchman who brought me flowers.

I talked a lot and walked in the rain and drank green tea.

I had GREAT calls with participants of the Body Enlightenment System and 90-Day Detox, as well as another fabulous coaching call with the ladies I looove.

Now I’m going to sleep, but sending you kisses until tomorrrow.

Dutch love,

Tera

(90-Day Detox) Day 41: Saturday, Sunshine and a Sleepy Diva

What a day!

It started with a run, then a session of hot yoga and a nice morning walk with the kids.

Then some procrastinating and playing about until the afternoon found me sunning myself on a bench in the park while the kids played. It was HOT! It felt like summer was sneaking in already! I loooooved it and feel so grateful for the change of seasons right now. I actually got a bit of color. I wore my new super sexy yoga top and my winter skin got a bit of a pink sun spanking! Kinda nice. Feels good.

Last night’s call with Brian filled me up with some kind of gigantic bliss bubble and I’m STILL smiling from ear to ear! What a beautiful person and how fun to find someone else just right on the same wavelength the whole time. Last night’s call was loaded with reminders for me to live MY bliss.

If you haven’t listened to that call, it’s worth your time. Brian said something about the derivation of the word, “enthusiasm” and it just resonated with me! I looove living with enthusiasm. I love my life! I love how I live it. Even the bumps and burps and scraped knees that sometimes happen, my good heavens life is SWEEEEEET!

I should be finished the detox announcement tonight! That’s going to be very exciting.

Just polished off a tall glass of green juice and the kids are tucked in bed. I think I’ll save the extended dialogues and mega inspirations for during the week. Our next special teleseminar guest is going to be Brian’s neighbor in Bali. Then there’s another boy many of you know very well who will be stepping on stage. Then.. .well, then I don’t know who’s going to pop up and make life interesting, but if you have suggestions, special requests, I’m certainly receptive to your feedback.

Before I plug out to work on the detox announcement, here’s a bit of inspiration that totally touched me today and while it’s being addressed to high school children, the message will hit right smack on the bulls eye of a lot of you who are reading this blog.

I cried. (Such a sap!)

Then, to finish it all off, here’s a song that kinda says where I’m at and makes me wanna escape into more sunny moments like I had today! It was such a beautiful day, but now I’m realizing my eyelids are awfully heavy. I think I’ll be tucking myself in early tonight…

How was your Saturday, love?

*smoooooch*

Tera

(90-Day Detox) Day 40: It’s Your Turn.

Okay, Ladies and Lovebirds.

It’s Friday.

Did you check out this week’s issues of Health In High Heels, yet? Shayla did SUCH a rockin’ job helping me out with that again. I loooove it.

Tonight is my call with Brian Johnson. I’ve already had a nap and am rarin’ to go for this call! It’s going to be a super boost and I think it’s coming at juuuust the right time for me and hopefully for all of us.

Last night’s call was a hit and we were all very impressed with what Michael Perrine had to say. WOW! I’ve had sooo much positive feedback about that call, and it was very refreshing to debunk a few myths on the subject of bowel health. FLUSH and be free!!

You know what, Sunshine…

I like this daisy:

I know Jimmy’s going to get mad at me because I took the GINORMOUS version and made it a bit smaller in the blog, but I just wanted a big, fat daisy in front of my face right now. Did you notice what Jimbolina Sunshine did to make my bullets very cool and fancy. Check it out:

Here are all the things I love about you, Sparkle Puff:

• Your smile.
• Your sense of community.
• Your willingness to persist in the face of obstacles.
• How you get back up every time you fall.
• The way you encourage others around you.
• That dress you wore the other day, and actually, I’m a little bit jealous because it looked SOOOOO good on you. I’d like a dress like that.;-)

Daisy bullets!

That’s so cool. Thanks Jimbo!

So, here’s the situation for this, Day 40 or our 90-day detox. I have a lot to do to finish the detox announcement we’ve been working hard on, so if it’s okay with you, I’m going to put the steering wheel in YOUR hands for a change.

Maybe you could share with me where you’re at. What’s shaking in your universe, Sunshine? What song can you recommend to inspire our community? Cuz for a Sparkle Puff like me, right now my sparkle is dull and my puff is a bit PUFFier than I like it to be.

So if you don’t mind, why don’t we turn the wheel over to you fer a change? Huh? I’d like that. Give the ol’ girl a break.

As you know, I went through a bit of spiritually reconstructive surgery this month and there are moments when I look out at the world and just don’t quite know what to think. It’s not a bad thing. It’s just change but I’m in more of a state of observation than expression right now, so maybe you can help.

Send us a song. Tell us where YOU are at. What’s shakin in your universe this Friday night?

I’m sure tonight’s call with Brian will be pretty neat. I hope to catch you then. In the meantime… INSPIRE US with anything you’ve got! A song, a video, a few words of success, a confessional… ANYTHING!

It’s your turn!

Ponderingly yours,

Tera

Interview with a Diva: Rory Freedman

When I read the book SKINNY BITCH, by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin , I was pleased to find hard-hitting, no b.s. info and accounts of what is happening with our food supply, animals, and just how we lull ourselves with falsehoods and sabotage our own health.  I applaud Rory Freedman and her partner for being so clever with their title and writing-style which is provocative and edgy.  They have done much to bring the message of raw foods and compassion to animals to the masses, and I thank them both!

I recently had the opportunity to ask a few questions of Rory Freedman and I’m thrilled to be able to share this interview with everyone!  Without further ado…

Rory, I loved your book and I can’t wait to learn a little more about you!   Briefly tell us about your raw journey, who inspired you, and about how raw you are.

Tim VanOrden is a friend of mine, and I’m blown away by his accomplishments as a raw athlete. I’m also in constant awe of all the amazing food he makes. Kris Carr is one of my dearest, soul-sister friends and she inspires me in every way, shape, and form. She’s a beacon of beauty, light, and laughter. And in general, I’m envious of so many people in the raw community who are living the life, as I’m not yet there.

You are so gorgeous! Do you have any raw beauty secrets you could share with our readers?

I would imagine that all your readers know more raw beauty secrets than I do! But one of my favorites is coconut oil-when I’m feeling really dry, I use it as face cream, body lotion, and hair moisturizer. (But then I have to hide from my dogs.)

The one product that I can’t live without isn’t raw, but it’s really natural and lovely: Dirty Hippie Soaps’ Kissin Stick (Herbie flavor). It is literally the best lip balm I’ve ever used in my entire life. I’m obsessed with it and want everyone else to be, too.

I know from your books that when you eat cooked food, it is vegan and quite healthy; do have any desire to go more raw with your diet, and do you have any other health and wellness goals?

Compared to the real world, yes, my diet is healthy. But compared to the raw world, I could improve a lot. If I were being my best, healthiest food-self, I’d eat more raw salads and would juice greens daily.

Talking to women at signings and events, what is the main reaction you get about your work?

The main reaction is that because the book was written in an informal, irreverent way, it is a fast, funny read, easy to understand, and “life changing.”  People are permanently transformed after reading about factory farms and slaughterhouses.

How do you juggle all that you have on your plate now with the success of the books and has it been a major change for you, and what is the most challenging?

Time and stress management are tough ones for me. Some days there are a million meetings, emails, phone calls, interviews, and deadlines, and I get stressed out and overwhelmed. And then on top of that I feel guilty, like I’m not being a good dog mom. Remembering to stay Zen and present is a constant battle. I can usually decompress on my daily hike with my dogs, and my girlfriends and I send each other daily gratitude lists, which is also a big help. But overall, I really can’t complain. I have the best friends in the world, a job I love, and the understanding that the success itself doesn’t mean anything.

Competition in the industry is crazy- how did you know how to get your manuscript to the right publishers?

And what do you think is the reason behind the success of your books besides its timely message, ie is it marketing, promotion, the right cover….? Please share your insights.

The Universe was behind me every step of the way. Probably days after having the idea to write Skinny Bitch, I had dinner with some old friends who I hadn’t seen or spoken to in years. I told them I wanted to write a book and they told me they had just gotten a publishing deal and that I should try submitting a proposal to their literary agent. The book, Writer’s Market, was invaluable in teaching me what to submit to the agent and how to do it. Once I got representation, the literary agent handled everything from there.

As for the book’s success, certainly the cheap, provocative title gets consumers’ attention, especially since so many women struggle with their weight. But the real draw is the compelling information inside. Most people have no idea about nutrition; many think diet soda is healthy! To learn some fundamental things about the foods they eat every day-it’s shocking and motivating, and people are keen on sharing what they’ve learned with their friends and loved ones.

What do you see as women’s biggest obstacles with eating healthy- and how can we overcome them?

There are so many different obstacles. Some women have the information and desire to eat well, but time is an issue. Other women are ruled by their emotions, and they eat to feel good, to blanket feelings, or to numb out completely. And others are just dangerously clueless. I think the key for overcoming any obstacle, food-related or otherwise, is to identify your weakness and decide how committed you are to beating it. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Do you have a spiritual practice?

Oh, I am constantly practicing not beating myself up for not keeping up with my spiritual practices. Yoga, meditation, and journaling are all available to me when I am available to them.

I’m easily distracted and somewhat unstructured, so I like little doses of lots of things. I’m consistent in doing what I feel that day, that moment. Whether it’s listening to a Kabbalah CD, zoning out to Prana music, doing five minutes of yoga, dancing in my apartment, affirming my intentions, or weeping while making my gratitude list, I indulge my spiritual self regularly.

How much do other lifestyle factors like exercise, fresh air, sleep, etc factor in?  How much sleep do you get a night?  And how late do you typically eat at night?

If I have a book deadline, I can be a really naughty girl and stay up until 4am and sleep until noon the next day. It’s hard, but I try not to feel bad about being a night owl in general. My mom is a night owl, her mom was a night owl, and for as long as I can remember, I’ve been one. (My mom recently told me she used to keep my sister and me awake late at night as babies so we’d be more likely to sleep later in the mornings and let her sleep.) On a typical night, I’ll eat as late as midnight, go to bed around 2am, and get up around 10am. I know it sounds like a fraternity guy’s schedule, but it works for me. I’m not big on eating in the morning. I like to get my 7-8 hours of sleep, go hiking with the dogs (and then maybe go to the gym or yoga), and then eat fruit for breakfast around 1 or 2pm when I get home.

Anything else you would like to add, advice to women in general about diet or success or living with purpose…?

Whatever you want to do, be, or have, it is possible!

Guilt is entirely useless.

Eat well, enjoy food, and love your body no matter what!

Special Guest Teleseminar #6: Michael Perrine With The Scoop on Poop

For as much attention as we put on the food going into our mouths, it’s a wonder we aren’t discussing A LOT more what’s coming out the other end. And what about the process as it makes its way through the pipes.

We blush in embarrassment, excuse ourselves for “passing gas” or feel apologetic when discussing constipation in public, but the fact is folks, there are some VERY important things to understand about bowel health and it’s time to lose the inhibition and start asking a few questions!!

That’s why we’ve invited Michael Perrine of Gravity East Village in New York City to come and talk with us about a few things. He’s given us an open invitation to ask ANYTHING, ANYTHING we want about bowel health and elimination.

How hard, how soft, how often, how much? What should we do, what should we avoid? What about enemas, colonics? What are the dangers, risks, if any?

There’s sooooo much to understand and so many opportunities for us to learn about what’s going on IN the body, by LOOKING at what is coming out of the body and we’re very excited to have the chance to hook up with Michael TONIGHT as part of our 90-Day Detox. You can access this teleseminar HERE! Please send in your questions NOW by clicking the link and writing your questions in the box.

—-> CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THIS TELESEMINAR!

Just to give you a bit more about Michael, he is a detoxification consultant, certified colon hydro therapist and the co-owner of Gravity East Village.

Here’s a bit more about Michael: (I suggest you read this before attending the call, because I’d prefer to spend my time asking him our questions than going over his history or experience on the call!) Read what follows to get a sense of Michael and his story:

By the age of sixteen Michael began to experience a “genetic” anxiety disorder. Subconsciously connecting the absence of symptoms to using alcohol he began to self medicate. Innocent teen experimentation very quickly turned into heavy abuse and rapid physical degeneration. “At a certain point I stopped getting sick from consuming large volumes of alcohol… I just kept going beyond the threshold until I blacked out. There was no longer a signal from my body to stop. I would have a terribly painful awakening with no memory of the night before.” By the age of nineteen, only 3 years later Michael hit bottom and found himself in need of rebuilding his life and his body.

His first teacher and inspiration came in the form of a book. One fateful night looking to pass the time, he picked up the autobiography of Malcolm X. Through the deep teaching of Malcolm’s life experience, Michael was for the first time able to see his own life clearly and found power, inspiration and a sense of spiritual life that he had never before experienced.

Within days Michael stopped drinking alcohol completely and in turn stopped smoking cigarettes and using other drugs. Over the next few months he began to turn his attention toward his physical body and through another life changing book Diet For A New America he adopted a vegan, whole foods diet.

—-> CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THIS TELESEMINAR!

Within months he lost over sixty pounds and began to experience some extremely intense detoxification symptoms as his body cleansed itself of the accumulated poisons of his previous lifestyle. The most amazing and unexpected part of his transformation was the realization that his anxiety disorder had disappeared completely. Battling criticism from his friends and family about “where do you get your protein?” and frequent “illnesses” Michael sought out Dr. Fred Bisci for guidance. Throughout those years Dr. Bisci has acted as both a mentor and friend. Michael now works with Dr. Bisci by offering services that support Dr. Bisci’s program and lifestyle recommendations.

Initially Michael studied food preparation and diet philosophy and for eight years, he worked as a natural foods chef at some of New York City’s premier natural food restaurants.

Working for the last seven years as colon hydro therapist and detox consultant, Michael has performed over 10,000 colonic irrigations and supervised thousands of people through various methods of internal cleansing including fasting, colon cleansing and liver flushing.

Michael is going to talk with us about his approach to cleansing which suggests that through “the consistency of leaving out anything that challenges the body we create an environment that allows the organs to purge toxins from the various tissues with it’s own innate healing wisdom.”

“As the body circulates toxins into the passages of elimination, we then assist the body in removing it as quickly as possible with various cleansing modalities. Remember, many stored toxins are stuck there for a reason. It only makes sense that they need a little help finding the door. In turn the body can “breathe” again and rejuvenate the tissues and restore a balanced and harmonious chemistry.”

Michael agrees with me on the point that there is no blanket method for healing and cleansing. Each individual needs to examine their own experiences and conditions to determine what’s right for them.

Michael says his mission is “to inspire people to connect to nature in a more enthusiastic, respectful and intelligent way as a path to spiritual evolution.” He encourages us to be challenged by our predicament and see it is an opportunity to push the limits of who we are and develop the character of our spirit. Michael says that the way we treat our bodies and what we choose to eat is just one aspect of this, but it says a lot about our intentions in this world.

P.S.

Here’s the teleseminar link again: —-> CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THIS TELESEMINAR!

(90-Day Detox) Day 39: The Only Way Out Is Through Part 2

I’m sorry to those I promised a support blog yesterday. I certainly had that intention when I started, but yesterday got a bit long winded so here’s where I was going to go with my discussion yesterday:

• Here’s the THEMESONG for today’s blog post!

(Obviously, if you can’t read and have the background music playing at the same time, then you can reduce the volume and just kinda let it play, but I actually want you to know that I spend a lot of time picking these songs and the lyrics themselves could be considered blog posts on their own. So, if you want an extra boost, then listen to it, read the lyrics and enjoy!)

Okay, so let’s get serious. We have some people in distress and I need to address it in a significant way.  Beth sent me this is as “Angst on the first day of Spring” and I just want to know if it sounds familiar at all:

Dear Tera,

Winter is out the door, and so is my diet. I say ‘diet’ lightly, meaning it as the foods I normally eat. I went vegetarian in June of last year, vegan in October, and spent 2 weeks as a raw vegan during February. Then, hell broke loose. I was stressed out, and instead of reaching for carrot sticks, my hands dove right into the peanut butter, crackers, breads, cheeses, and sweets. I binged like this for two days before I threw up my hands and did something about it.

Unfortunately, what I did was not very smart. Instead of going back on a raw vegan, or even vegan lifestyle, I water fasted for 12 days. While the benefits of fasting are numerous, I hardly received any of them. I developed the flu during my fast, and had to end early. Once I could eat again, instead of going back into fruits and veggies like I knew I should, I dove right into processed food hell. And it’s been that way ever since.

I’m not happy with the lifestyle I’m leading now. I’ve developed a bad reaction to gluten, so I’ve cut that out completely. But, I’m still eating cooked and processed foods heavily. I miss the feeling of being light while being raw vegan. But, I’ve realized that it’s impossible to be raw vegan when I’m under stress.

In the two weeks I was raw, I lost 8 lbs. I used to be extremely overweight. It took me 4 years to go from 262 lbs, to the 170 I am now. Tera, I don’t want to ever be that weight again. And I don’t want to wait another four years to lose 30 more lbs.

Now that spring is here, I want to start a fresh new page. Next week is the last week I would be under as much stress as I’m in now ( I’m heavily involved in a production of the musical Beauty and the Beast…next week is our last week). I’m cutting all processed foods out starting tomorrow. March 29 I’m doing the 24-hour fast, and then starting back into the raw vegan lifestyle, starting with your 7-day detox. Winter is over, and though this first day of spring I’ve had more slip-ups than I’ve cared for, I’m ready to change my life. I’ve stumbled numerous times, but like the saying goes, “Fall down 7, get up 8.”

-Beth

Now, here’s what Beth left in the comments the day before yesterday:

I haven’t posted much and I have to confess it’s because I, how can I say it? Strayed? This weekend, I spent a lot of time with other people, eating meals at others’ homes and at events where I’d really have had to bring my own food to stay close to the raw diet I’m working on. And that meant that, for a few days, I tried to just nibble on the sad little plates of raw veggies and dip that someone brought, but that there was nothing else even remotely close to a raw or vegan offering around. And so I went back to my “old” way of eating. Nothing too bad, but I ate a big plate of lasagna and some meat and some desserts, and not a single meal this weekend felt like it was that good for me – and now I feel like hell. So I’m convinced that I had my body on the right path, and that I need to steer back in that direction. I’m exhausted and grumpy and I feel bloated and ick.

I want to start back at square one with a 7 day detox, and then move back on to the path of the 90 day plan. I feel sort of ashamed to admit it. So for the next day or two, I’m thinking mono meals, and then a 24 hour water fast…and I hope I’ll feel that energy come back soon!

Beth

Beth, thanks for letting me put you on the table. (Just so you know, my dears, I asked FIRST!) But I can GUARANTEE that there are people reading this right now in the same boat, they’re just not feeling comfortable enough to say anything about it or reach out for help.

We have some observable patterns of behavior within this beautiful community related to our reactions when things get rough. Let’s take a look at some of them:

First of all, people tend to roller coaster to the extremes.

The Binge-Purge back-and-forth is going to make for a rough ride. Those of us who are committed to making these dramatic changes need to make the word, “GRADIENT” our mantra. Change happens over time on a sliding scale. We don’t wake up one morning in the middle of winter and realize that Summer is here so let’s put on our bikini.

We’re not here for any unrealistic miracle purges, Ladies. We’re here for long-lasting, life-altering changes of the variety that we can implement for the long haul.

Be GENTLE WITH YOURSELF!! C’mon! Just think of all the things you’ve been through in your life. Think of the things you’ve overcome and endured. Now you’re trying to do something to make life better, more enjoyable, don’t beat yourself up for the fact that you struggle along the way. Babies don’t learn to walk overnight.

Here’s another thing I observe far too often:

People slip-up or “slide back” or “fall off the wagon” and then think the whole show is over and they should go back to Day One!

No, no, no, no, nooooooooo! Don’t DO that, Muffincake. Really. You’ve GOT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE JOURNEY!!

Don’t completely erase for yourself the fact that you had a few glorious days on raw food just because you chomped on a bagel or two. There was a time not too long ago when you would have been eating almost exclusively bagels. If you’re running a marathon and you fall down, you’re NOT going to stand up and day, “Oh well. I better go back to the beginning and try running it again!”

*GASP!!!*

PLEASE, Lovenugget. Don’t do that. Don’t go back to “Day 1″ just because Day 17 was the pits. You made it all the way to Day 17, so pat yourself on the back for that much, at the very least.

Some people race at light speed through a marathon, but they dedicate an enormous amount of time, attention and training to making that happen. Some people get there exhausted and sick for having pushed too hard then never run another one again.

Some people slow it down juuuust a bit, take deep breaths and look around to enjoy the scenery EVEN WHEN they fall on their butts or run into some other unexpected bump in the path.

And some people, sweet diva, some people WALK A MARATHON, but they still get there, for heaven’s sake! They still DO IT! They start in the morning and they get up early and they WORK IT UNTIL THEY MAKE IT!

You are on a journey, here. You DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT need to go back to the beginning because you “slipped up”.

You slipped up because there was something more to learn or overcome and if you completely invalidate all the work you’ve done to get to that place, then you risk missing the point! There’s something to learn. Sit there on your swollen butt cheeks when you fall and look around a bit. Just see what’s there to see, observe and take the learning.

Then get up and move forward at a pace that feels right for you. But KEEP GOING FORWARD!

Give yourself the satisfaction of at least finishing the process. Just like I mentioned yesterday, close one door first. If you start over every time you slip up, you’ll never get there. The first time you do this, it might be rough. But you’ll do it again and the more you do it, the easier it will get.

Find what you can to celebrate about your own journey and acknowledge the adventures. I can’t walk your path, nor should you be trying to walk mine, even if we are going to the same direction–HEALTH and a Vibrant, Passionate Life!

At the end of your days, are you going to look back and think, “I really wish I hadn’t eaten that lasagna!” or are you going to think, “I really wish I hadn’t spent so much of my life punishing myself about the food I eat.”

Look around  outside and ask yourself how many others were willing to take the road you’re on. Not many, Sister, so just for having laced up the shoes and started this path, you should be acknowledge and admired for your courage! You’re a trail blazer–a pioneer in the name of health and wellness. What you do here and now could affect the lives of many people.

I only started this website in June of 2007, and now tens of thousands of lives have been touched by what I do here. But what WE do here.

So strap on your proverbial sneakers, today and do whatever it takes to get a win for yourself. It might just be avoiding ONE THING you would have otherwise eaten. It might be just that you drank water after 8pm instead of snacking. I don’t know what that one thing will be for you, but find it, acknowledge it and KEEP GOING!

What we put our attention on grows. Validate the positive and you’ll get more of it. Beat yourself up for bingeing by imposing a hard-core fast on yourself and you’ll get more bingeing. Find grace in this journey. Appreciate the bumps in the road, because they make life interesting and they teach you a lot. Problems are there for you to find creative ways to get around. So bless them and love them.

There’s more I want to say, but I think this hits it home nicely for one day. In case my theme song hasn’t ended yet, let it finish, then soak up this one in the background.

Love yourself first, then all good things will come. Be gentle. Detox self-punishment, guilt and self-invalidation from your life TODAY! Let them go. They never helped you get this far and they’re only holding back your wings now.

YOU are amazing! Live that truth in THIS moment and all will be well, my dear. I promise.

My biggest, snuggliest snuggles to you on THIS, the first day of your new life!

Tera