Between mid January and mid March my life got really slow . It was delightful. Prior to then, I had been driving from Santa Cruz to San Francisco each week for work and this was the first time in a year and ½ that I deliberately changed my scheduled and didn’t go out of Santa Cruz county for 8 weeks!

I could feel my body rest. My nervous system got slower and my over all energy became peaceful. It was probably nicer to be around me too!

In winter it makes sense to hibernate, right? Then the Spring Equinox hits and BOOM everything started to sprout. It was like overnight the lists became so long I couldn’t fit them onto one page in my day planner.

Has this ever happened to you?

If you have noticed that you have times like these I want to share some helpful hints that really supported my health during this 5 ½ week period.

1. BUILD CREDIT- (this one is done before you have the busy schedule) Arrange your schedule in a way that you have down time – less stressful time, less busy time built in. You can do this seasonally, monthly (the week of your period is a good time to build that credit), weekly or daily.

If you are always moving at 150% there is no time to regenerate and you might always feel over stretched. If during your conscious rest times you can build credit in the health bank account then you will have some "health" to burn when things get busy. Your body will work for you. Here are some ideas:

A) Eat lots of veggies during your rest time. Build up on antioxidants.
B) Get adequate sleep. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day.
C) Stick to your scheduled workouts.
D) Create balance between extraverted social time and introverted rest time.
E) Cook more. A great time to learn new quick, easy and healthy recipes so that when times are busy you can do them by memory and they are just part of your life. For ideas check out: http://www.fruitionhealth.com/resources_recipes_appetizers.html

2. MANAGE YOUR TIME - When things do get busy make a list and start to choose what you can cut out. Do you need to have a lunch date a few times a week or can you cut it back to one? That goes for social time on the weekend, too. When we are busy we need time to restore. Have adequate downtime on the weekends (or your day off).

3. DON’T OVER BOOK - Here’s a great rule I learned- I use it all the time but especially when things are packed in back to back. Don’t add anything new to your schedule unless you cut something else out. This has been one of the best tools- REALLY!

4. SQUEEZE IT IN- This old trick really works. Park your car farther away in the parking lot and walk. Those extra steps will really help when you haven’t had time for the full exercise routine.

5. BE REALISTIC- There are times when you are building your health and working on health goals and times when you are maintaining your health. Busy times are not the time to build your health. They are times to maintain (again if you are always busy you want to go back to step #1 and begin to carve time so that you can build your health and not just maintain it- (that’s where the FWH 5 month program might come in handy!). Maintaining your health still means eating well, exercising and resting in a realistic fashion.

6. PLAN IT - OK if it’s not in my planner, its not going to happen- just plain and simple. Write in your scheduled workouts, cooking time, even sleep time. When you are organized –especially during busy times- it's more likely to happen rather than "I THINK I'LL GO TO THE GYM TODAY"- trust me it won't happen.

7. COOK AHEAD- In addition to writing down your daily cooking, carve a few hours a week, I like the weekends, to prep food. That means shop, cook and store it. During my busy time, that’s what I did. Every Sunday, late afternoon, I went food shopping and stocked the fridge. Then I cooked up some beans to make spreads for the week that I could grab and go, made hard boiled eggs for those mornings when even frying an egg (which takes only 2 minutes) seemed liked too much, baked up a few sweet potatoes and made a hearty soup. Staples were on hand and that way I didn’t rely on ONLY grab and go food from the market.

Question for you: What are your staple healthy recipes and quick grab and go foods that you like to have on hand? Pull out the list and make a point to do those on a regular basis.

What kind of exercise is appropriate for longer workout days and what are things you can do to move your body when you only have a limited amount of time?

Is there one step that stands out most for you? If so can you start to implement that now?

And remember- it’s fine if you don’t do all of these at once. Our motto is baby steps. After a few weeks or months or even years of baby steps we realized we have walked miles!

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CREATE YOUR HEALTH GROUP TELE-CLASS

Begins Thursday June 12, 2008

You will have the opportunity to work and be coached directly by Darshana Weill, FWH founder.

Click HERE to learn more…

"Darshana helped me change my life. It's that simple! When I first came to see Darshana, I was skeptical. I knew I wanted to find a healthier way to live, but I thought she would tell me all the things I couldn't have. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Darshana taught me expansion, not deprivation. She taught me how to make healthier food choices without feeling deprived, how to really connect and listen to my body, the importance of exercise and self care. But most importantly, through her compassionate and caring support, she helped me discover myself. And that is no small thing! I would highly recommend Darshana to anyone. She is an excellent nutritionist and an amazing teacher."
-Eileen - former FWH client

Where and when?
Saturday May 10, 2008
1:00 - 4:00pm
Yoga Tree Hayes
San Francisco, CA

The investment for your health: $35
INCLUDES A FREE WEEK OF YOGA AT THE YOGA TREE

Call THE YOGA TREE 415 701- YOGA or visit www.yogatreesf.com

Join Learning To Listen's collective of teachers (I'm one of the teachers!) for our 2nd Annual Solstice.

Last year we had a blast. You can check out pictures here. http://www.learningtolisten.info/pages/calendar/pastretreats.html

The retreat will feature: yoga, meditation, food awareness, a hands on cooking class, Tai Chi, and bodywork.

The weekend will be filled with play, discovery, and community. Each day will begin with meditation and yoga. Throughout each day there will be a food awareness class and plenty of free time for relaxing and enjoying living consciously. Later in the afternoon there will be a second asana & meditation practice. You can see the full schedule at http://www.learningtolisten.info/pdf/SSR2008schedule.pdf and check out the location. http://www.ventureretreat.org/index.html

We look forward to sharing this time together.  

Retreat Dates: June 20th – 22nd, 2008
Investment to your health: $400 (Includes all classes, lodging, and food.)

For anyone that signs up for a for the retreat through Fruition Health I am offering a free mini consultation during the retreat to help you integrate your experience.  

Space is limited to 14 Participants

TO REGISTER contact Jonathan at retreats@learningtolisten.info. 

THE FALL FRUITION WOMEN'S HEALTH RETREAT
Cooking, Yoga, Meditation, Sharing, Swimming, Hot tubing, Hiking and More!
WITH HEALTHY WOMEN!

DATES: September 19-21, 2008

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Fruition Women's Health is a holistic approach to wellness that includes:

• Nutritional education to help you understand and clear up health concerns
• Skilled counseling that supports you to work through emotional blocks in your personal relationship to food &
• Inspiring coaching to transform your ideas into practical action steps

Both in person and phone health counseling programs available. Find out more at www.fruitionhealth.com

Contact us for your FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION. During your free initial session, we will review your health history in detail and discuss your goals. Then we will work together to design a program that focuses on your specific health goals.

Click HERE to tell us more about you and your health or email info@fruitionhealth.com to set up your free consultation.

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