June Newsletter
Eat Well. Avoid Toxins, Be Happy!
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Happy June! Is spring lovely and warm where you are?  Or, for my Australian friends, are thoughts starting to turn to the colder days of winter?   We spend June on our screened in porch, largely ignoring the rest of the house.   The poodle, Matt, and are I are all very happy that way!  This month, I'm thinking about:
  • Feeling Gratitude
  • Sunscreen
  • Spinach.  

Eat Well

I asked my Facebook friends for some ideas for recipes for June. I got some great ideas that I will pass along over the next several months. For now, with thanks to Holly Walter who I have known since kindergarten:

Spinach with Goat Cheese
Ingredients
  • Baby spinach
  • Olive Oil
  • Goat Cheese
  • Pumpkin Seeds, Sesame Seeds, Pine Nuts, and Goji Berries
Directions
  • Lightly sauté baby spinach in olive oil over low heat
  • Add goat cheese to taste
  • Add pumpkin and sesame seeds
  • Add pine nuts and dried goji berries
  • Stir
  • Cook until cheese is soft and the spinach is lightly cooked
Enjoy while still warm. Easy, healthy and delicious!

Avoid Toxins

Sunscreen is a source of great confusion for many of us.  We know that we need to use it, but the dazzling array of choices can be overwhelming.  On top of that, there is increasing awareness of the toxicity of some of the ingredients in sunscreens. 

Fortunately, the Environmental Working Group provides an annual guide to sunscreens, check it out and be an informed consumer!

Some tips:
Apply your sunscreens wisely. While the American Dermatologists Association does not address the issue of toxins in sunscreen, they do provide tips for appropriate usage of sunscreen.  Who knew that many of us do it wrong?
  • Use about one ounce each time you apply.  If you only use half that amount you only get the square root of the amount of SPF on the tube (instead of 30 you get the square root of 30 or 5.something). 
  • Reapply every two hours or after getting wet.
  • Cover as much of your skin as you can.
  • Avoid being out during the middle of the day.
Join Julie Langford of Cancer Services and me for our Webinar "Fighting Cancer with Nutrition and Mindfulness" Thursday, June 19th at 7:00.  Register here.
Ava Anderson Non Toxic added 19 new products to their phenomenal line.  Please contact me if you are interested in learning more or sampling any of these fabulous products!
I am a holistic health coach.  I work with individuals, groups and corporations.  Through webinars, workshops, team building, and one on one coaching, I help you to identify  personal health and wellness goals and coach you as you take steps to achieve them.  Interested?
  • You can sign up for my blog
  • Invite me to speak at an event or to a group
  • Like me on Facebook
  • Follow me on Twitter - @avoidtoxins
  • Follow me on Pinterest - yellowbug48
  • Email me to schedule a consultation or to further explore my service offerings.
  • I am now a vendor on the WeSave program.  State employees are eligible for a discount on my services.  Check it out and tell your friends!

Be Happy - Be Grateful


Our brains are wired to have a positive response to feelings of gratitude, leading us to want to experience it more. As we experience gratitude, our brains look for more things for which to be grateful.  Because of the brain activity associated with feeling grateful, feelings of gratitude can lead us to exercise more, feel less stress, and even reduce our aches and pains. 
 
One of the nice things about experiencing gratitude is that it does not require a huge amount of time or mental energy. You can experience gratitude when you express a heartfelt thank you to a friend or loved one, it can be encompassed in a hug, or it can be a fleeting appreciation of a beautiful hummingbird in a feeder. 
 
I asked my Facebook friends how they show gratitude and for what they are grateful.  Here are some of the things that I learned from them. My grateful friends:
  • Shower their children with hugs and kisses
  • Participate actively in the community 
  • Take good care of themselves 
  • Spend time with and care for their loved ones
  • Enjoy their life.
For me, while I try to express gratitude throughout the course of a day, I tend to take the time when I am doing my morning pages to pause and focus on a gratitude list.   The amazing Julia Cameron, in the book “The Artist’s Way,” talks about writing morning pages.  First thing in the morning, while still in a semi-awake state, I plug in the coffee, let the dog out, and sit in the aforementioned porch, pen and journal in hand. Not all of the time but often, as I write, I make a list of the things that I appreciate.  My husband is always at the top, followed closely by the poodle.  Then the list can go in any number of different directions.  Perennial favorites include my family, my friends, my health, and my coffee. In addition to all of the great brain activity I am apparently generating by doing this, I feel that it also brings me into the present moment, aware of what is at that point in time.   And, I find that when I do this, my days are smoother, great things happen, and I feel happier. 

Based on my experience and that of my friends, here are seven great ways to express gratitude.  Figure out what works for you.  It may make life run just a little smoother and be good for your brain as well!
  • Write morning pages
  • Create an evening appreciation list
  • Give extra hugs to loved ones
  • Pay it forward with kindness
  • Send a hand-written note to express gratitude
  • Say thank you
  • Pause and breathe in appreciation and breathe out gratitude.
A little about me and why I am doing this.

I am passionate about working with people to help them achieve their goals through making healthier nutrition and wellness choices.   I believe that through healthy food choices, avoiding toxins, and taking steps to reduce stress and be happier, it is easier to achieve life goals and to stay healthier.   Because of my passion, I am a certified holistic health coach, a distributor of Ava Anderson Non Toxic Products, and a HeartMath coach.
Copyright © 2014 Break Through Consulting, All rights reserved.


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