Category: Weight Loss Tips and Inspiration

Raw Food and Skin Health

Your skin is a mirror of what’s going on in the rest of your body. And when your organs and blood are fed the nutrition they need to function properly, that shows in your skin.

What’s the largest organ in your body? It’s your skin! It provides a protective covering for the other organs of the body. It changes to regulate your internal body temperature. And it’s a good indicator of overall health and well-being.

People spend thousands of dollars on skin preparations  to make your skin look vibrant and glowing. They’re all topical products – products that we put on top of our skin. But if we spent just a fraction of the money we spend on these preparations on RAW FOODS, we’d begin to see an immediate change in the texture of our skin.

When you eat raw foods, you put more of the essential vitamins and amino acids your body needs into it. You’re also adding moisture – naturally. Raw foods have a much higher moisture content than cooked foods, simply because the cooking process takes out so much essential moisture.

Your skin is a mirror of what’s going on in the rest of your body. And when your organs and blood are fed the nutrition they need to function properly, that shows in your skin. Get your vitamins and moisture from foods like apples and carrots. When you do, then phrases like “inner beauty” and “inner glow” will be applied to YOU. Your skin is what’s presented to the rest of the world and healthy, glowing skin makes the best first impression.

When you start adding raw foods to your diet, things will just naturally fall into place. You’ll feel better. You’ll look better. People will react to you more positively. You’ll have so much more energy for your work, your friends, and your family. And this kind of energy is a self-perpetuating thing. You don’t need self-help books and expensive moisturizers and plastic surgery. When your body and skin are getting their essential nutrition with raw, uncooked foods, you’ll look and feel your best, NATURALLY!

Thank you healthy News Articles.

Blessings, Bobby

Super Healthy Smoothie Rescipe

SMOOTHIES

Super Health Restorer Smoothie Recipe

Make This Smoothie Work For You As It Cleanses, Detoxes, Rejuvenates And Rebuilds Your Body.

  • 2 cups of probiotic-enzymatic liquid
  • 2 cups baby spinach
  • 10 strawberries
  • 1 mango
  • 2 apples
  • 1 banana
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 ounce of wheatgrass

Power of Spinach – Spinach nutrition is amazing. The calcium content in spinach and the other dark leafy greens mentioned above strengthens bones.

The A and C vitamins in spinach plus the fiber, folic acid, magnesium and other nutrients help control cancer, especially colon, lung, and breast cancers. Folate also lowers the blood levels of something called homocysteine, a protein that damages arteries. So spinach also helps protect against heart disease. The flavonoids in spinach help protect against age-related memory loss. Spinach’s secret weapon, lutein, makes it one of the best foods in the world to prevent cataracts, as well as age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of preventable blindness in the elderly. Foods rich in lutein are also thought to help prevent cancer.

Power of Strawberries – Strawberries have higher levels of vitamin c, fiber, folate and potassium than most other fruits like bananas, apples and even oranges.

Apart from the obvious health benefits, a recent study by Dr. Gene Spiller, Nutrition, and Health Research Center has shown that eating one serving (about 8-10 strawberries) a day can significantly decrease blood pressure, which may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Other studies showed additional benefits: Strawberries are found to reduce the risk of cancer, enhance memory function and rheumatoid arthritis.

Power of Mangos – Mangos are super fruits! Succulent sweet tropical delights high in Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Potassium, Copper and Vitamin A.  According to a new research study, mango has been found to protect against colon, breast, leukemia and prostate cancers. Several trial studies suggest that polyphenolic anti-oxidant compounds in mango are known to offer protection against breast and colon cancers, as well.

Power of Apples – French researchers found that a flavanoid called phloridzin that is found only in apples may protect post-menopausal women from osteoporosis and may also increase bone density. Boron, another ingredient in apples, also strengthens bones. Another study shows that children with asthma who drank apple juice on a daily basis suffered from less wheezing than children who did not drink apple juice on a regular basis.onth. Another study at Cornell University found that the quercetin in apples may protect brain cells from the kind of free radical damage that may lead to Alzheimer’s disease.  When we eat apples we can lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. Studies have shown that people who eat two apples per day may lower their cholesterol by as much as 16 percent.

Power of Apples & Cancer Prevention

Lung Cancer
According to a study of 10,000 people, those who ate the most apples had a 50 percent lower risk of developing lung cancer. Researchers believe this is due to the high levels of the flavonoids quercetin and naringin in apples.

Breast Cancer
A Cornell University study found that rats who ate one apple per day reduced their risk of breast cancer by 17 percent. Rats fed three apples per day reduced their risk by 39 percent and those fed six apples per day reduced their risk by 44 percent.

Colon Cancer
One study found that rats fed an extract from apple skins had a 43 percent lower risk of colon cancer. Other research shows that the pectin in apples reduces the risk of colon cancer and helps maintain a healthy digestive tract.

Liver Cancer Prevention
Research has found that rats fed an extract from apple skins had a 57 percent lower risk of liver cancer.

Power of Lemons – Fresh lemons have strong antibacterial, antiviral, and immune-boosting powers. Lemons are also used as a weight loss aid as lemon juice is a digestive aid and liver cleanser. Lemons contain many healthful substances–notably citric acid, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, bioflavonoids, pectin, and limonene–that promote immunity and fight infection. The most valuable ingredient of lemon, next to vitamin C, is citric acid, of which it contains 7.2 percent. Lemon contains more potassium than apples or grapes, which makes its juice beneficial to the heart.

Power of wheatgrass

  • Increases and sustains energy naturally
  • Detoxifies and cleanses your body
  • High alkalinity helps balance your body’s pH level
  • Strengthens your immune system
  • Insoluble fiber gently cleanses your digestive tract and promotes regularity
  • Complete food with enzymes and all essential amino acids
  • Natural source of antioxidants to help repair damaged cells
  • Excellent source of beta-carotene, folic acid, and vitamin C

Be sure to add this amazingly healthy smoothie to your weekly repertoire of different smoothie concoctions. Be sure to not have the raw spinach more than 3 days in a row. You can change out other greens on the alternate days.

Wishing you life health and happiness

Bobby

 

Blast The Fat And Lose Weight Fast With This Easy To Make Weight Loss Drink

Losing weight has never been easier. All you have to do to reach your weight loss goal is to prepare and drink one glass of Fat Blaster each morning and eat regular healthy meals, throughout the day. Read the entire article.

Looking For Aggressive Permanent Weight Loss In 2012?

 

If So You Have Found The Right Place… If you want to permanently lose weight, revitalize your life and gain the skills you need to continue losing or maintaining your weight, long after you go home, then either CHI’s 10-Day or 5-Day Weight-Loss Programs will be a perfect fit. Designed to help you safely loose an average of 1 pound a day, while eating an average of 3 pounds of live foods every day. These weight loss programs provide a caring, positively safe sanctuary where you can make the transformation you always dreamed of.

While here, you will balance your metabolism, detoxify your cells, strengthen your body and rebuild your immune system. Our weight-loss programs will help you to overcome the emotional, spiritual and social blocks that may have prevented you from achieving lasting success with your weight. The tools we provide you with will set you up for a lifetime of success.

We are not a “boot camp” or “spa”. We are and all-inclusive residential weight loss retreat that will give you everything you need to change your life into what you know it can be! Call us today to book your stay. 866.426.1213 Special individualized packages are available You can design your stay from 3 days to 3 months. Please call 866.426.1213 and ask for Karen.

Peace and blessings,

Bobby

Robert Morgan

Creative Health Institute

Union City, Michigan

Lose Up To A Pound A Day – The CHI Way By Just Eating An Alkaline Balanced Diet?

 

Believe it or not there is a good side to having a high percentage of body fat, as it plays a major role in extending lives because it provides the first line of defense from the acid wastes that go hand-in-hand with the Standard American Diet (SAD).

When we eat the SAD, we consume vast amounts of acid-based foods.  These acidic foods cause acidic waste, so our body’s first line of defense is to use the body’s optimal amount of fat cells to store the toxins. This defensive measure is helpful, although for most of us it’s no match for the amount of acidic foods we are accustomed to eating – so the body must make more fat cells so that the acidic waste will not be dumped in to our blood stream. 

Our health problems are compounded when our fat cells multiply beyond our body’s ability to handle them at natural healthy levels.  When  this happens we find ourselves not only dealing with unhealthy levels of fat cells, we find our bodies soon show signs of disease in the heart, lungs, liver, colon, kidneys, pancreas, gall bladder and other vital organs.

When I speak about high acidic foods which are part of the SAD, I’m primarily referring to all processed food along with dairy, meat, bread and any foods which are high in sugar. All of these foods are highly acidic and cause acid wastes to build up through out the body, including the fat cells.  

This brings me to why you can healthfully loose up to a pound a day stopping the toxic poisoning of your fat cells and balancing your pH!  

Here at Creative Health Institute, our students and guests are always amazed at the amount of fat that just seems to melt off their bodies on a daily basis. This quick weight loss is not water weight, as every participant is eating two and a half to three pounds of high alkaline raw living food per day, along with drinking a minimum of half their body weight in ounces of water.  The key to their success is the power of the alkaline foods and their ability to help the fat cells safely release their toxic acidic waste into the bloodstream, without adversely affecting the blood or bodies vital organs and systems.

There are a million-and-one weight loss programs and diets. It’s proven that 99% of the craze diets fail, not because the dieter is lazy or has no self-control, but because the weight loss program or diet is not based in eliminating acidic toxic waste and poisons from the first line of the body’s defenses, i.e., fat cells.

So, are you ready to experience the joy that is a natural expression of being able to free your fat cells of toxic acidic waste and poisons?  If so, then simply begin eating two and a half to three pounds of raw highly alkaline food per day, drink a minimum of half your body weight in ounces of water and combine this simple eating regiment with just a ½ hour exercise daily. So, now that you know how it’s done, what’s keeping you from having the healthy toxin free body that you deserve?

If you need more information or need help with losing weight naturally, or want to know more about how you can have more natural energy, gain lean muscle, sleep better, wake more refreshed and be much less likely to get sick,  feel free to contact us at 866.426.1213. Creative Health Institutes programs are alkaline and oxygen based full body detoxification and rebuild counseling and direct learning programs, designed to help you be the healthy, happy person you deserve to be.

Blessings and peace,

Robert C Morgan  – Bobby

Health Education Program Director

Creative Health Institute, Union City, Michigan  49094

 Some Examples of Alkaline Forming Foods:

  • Alfalfa sprouts
  • Almonds
  • Apples
  • Apricots
  • Artichokes
  • Bananas
  • Beets & beet tops
  • Blackberries
  • Blueberries
  • Broccoli
  • Brussel Sprouts
  • Cabbage
  • Cantaloupe
  • Carrots
  • Cauliflower
  • Celery
  • Chard
  • Cherries
  • Coconut
  • Cranberries
  • Cucumbers
  • Currants
  • Dandelion greens – One of Dr. Ann Wigmore’s Favorites…
  • Dates
  • Dill
  • Dulse
  • Endive
  • Figs
  • Flaxseed
  • Garlic
  • Grapes
  • Grapefruit
  • Green beans
  • Guava
  • Huckleberries
  • Kelp
  • Kohlrabi
  • Lettuce
  • Limes
  • Logan berries
  • Loquats
  • Leeks
  • Lemons
  • Mango
  • Melons
  • Millet
  • Mint
  • Mulberries
  •  Mustard greens
  • Nectarines
  • Olives – raw
  • Olive oil
  • Onions
  • Oranges
  • Papaya
  • Parsley
  • Parsnips
  • Passion fruit
  • Peaches
  • Pears
  • Persimmons
  • Pineapple
  • Plums
  • Pumpkin
  • Radishes
  • Raisins
  • Raspberries
  • Rhubarb
  • Rutabagas
  • Sea Vegetables
  • Soybeans
  • Spinach
  • Squash
  • Strawberries
  • Swiss chard
  • Tangerine
  • Turnips
  • Water chestnuts
  • Watercress
  • Watermelon

 

Creative Health Institute Is A Sanctuary

One of the activities we enjoy at Creative Health is our morning exercise and lymphasize classes. During these classes we perfom specially designed exercises that help us to strengthen our lymphatic system.

Bobby Morgan, who is our instructor is a Raw Vegan Athlete who pratices holisitc health. His mentoring ability, understanding of raw foods, herbs and nutrition helps support our guest on their journey to health.  

Many of the men and women who come to CHI come here to experience the lifestyle and the diet, but theres more; Everyday guests attend classes and also can have private counseling sessions with the instructors.  

 Our raw live foods are amazing and by the time our guests leave the are prepared to change their lifestyles and turnback the hands of time. Even many of the guests with Type 2 Diabetes find there blood sugar normalizing during their 10 day detox with most being able to go home and cure themselves of their Type 2 Diabetes, in as little as 28 days.

Wishing all of our readers a wonderous day!

The Staff At CHI

Robert Morgan is the Health Education Director and a cancer survivor. If you need information about our programs please contact him at 866.426.1213

 

CHI is not a hospital or medical facility. We are a raw living foods teaching institute.

Weight Loss Tips and Inspiration: Day 30

Weight Loss Tip Number 30: Every night before you fall asleep make a list of your spiritual karma for the day. Where were you unkind? Where were you selfish? Where did you cause pain? Where did you cause happiness? Where did you give with a generous heart, expecting nothing in return?

Writing down your positive achievements every night will help you to see your spiritual progress. Writing down the areas where you caused harm will give you an opportunity to grow spiritually stronger in the day ahead. Let go of the harm you have caused as you fall asleep — knowing you can make amends the very next day. And do not hesitate to make amends. If you have hurt someone very seriously and that person would feel more hurt from a direct apology, consider making a quiet amends. Do a good deed secretly for the person. Wherever possible, make a quick amends and move on with your life. Each day you practice this, you will get better and better at it.

Daily Inspiration: “Classic remorse, as all the moralists are agreed, is a most undesirable sentiment. If you have behaved badly, repent, make what amends you can and address yourself to the task of behaving better next time. On no account brood over your wrongdoing. ROLLING IN THE MUCK IS NOT THE BEST WAY OF GETTING CLEAN.”

~ Aldous Huxley

Make this the best week ever…

Bobby Morgan

Health & Education Director

Creative Health Institute

 

Weight Loss Tips and Inspiration: Day 29

 

Weight Loss Tip # 29: Get enough sleep!

Being overly tired and worn out is one of the main reasons why people turn to food for comfort. The next time you feel tempted to eat something that isn’t on your food plan consider how you would feel if you just had a nap instead. Maybe all you need is to lay down for 30 minutes to an hour.

Are you getting enough sleep at night? Most people really benefit from getting a full eight hours of sleep every night. Especially if you are using diet to overcome a medical challenge such as diabetes, cancer or multiple sclerosis, it is really important to rest. Healing takes place while we sleep. Don’t ever underestimate the importance of resting well. Keep in mind we get our deepest sleep and greatest healing between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m.,.

 

Daily Inspiration: “Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of mind than on outward circumstances.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

Be happy today — no matter what your life circumstances. You deserve it!

Wishing you the great joy and happiness.

Bobby Morgan

Director

Creative Health Institute

Weight Loss Tips and Inspiration: Day 27

Weight Loss Tip # 27: Be of Service

Being of service does more for you than it does for the person or people you are serving. Consider approaching social situations from a standpoint of “how can I be of service” and you will find you enjoy yourself more and find yourself less triggered to stray from your healthy eating program. Is a class reunion, wedding or another party around the corner? Are you a little bit nervous about how you will stay on your healthy eating program while at the event? Especially if you are experiencing anxiety around a social situation, look for a way to be of service. Call the hostess and volunteer to help with something. It could be as simple as setting up chairs. When you approach an event from a position of service you will take the focus off yourself. It will not be “all about me.” Your worries and anxieties will be put in a much healthier perspective.

 

Daily Inspiration:  “You give but little when you give of your possessions.  It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.”  ~Kahlil Gibran

Weight Loss Tips and Inspiration: Day 26

 

 

Weight Loss Tip # 26: Be Active!

Live your life in such a way that you take advantage of opportunities to be active throughout each day. Is it a nice day? Walk or ride a bicycle to work. Spend half of your lunch hour taking a walk. Use the stairs instead of the elevator. If it is a snowy day, maybe you can ski or snowshoe to the store instead of digging the car out from the driveway to drive it a few blocks. Use a push mower instead of a riding lawn mower. When you consider the hobbies you will do on  your free time consider hobbies that involve movement — dance, walking, gardening. If you’ve been sedentary for a long while, start slowly. If you gradually become a bit more active every day, a year from now you will look back and be amazed at your accomplishments.

Daily Inspiration:

 ” You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.”

~ Dr. Seuss

We are so blessed to help you loose weight and look great.

If you have any questions about our on-site programs call us at 866.426.1213

Robert Morgan- Bobby

Creative Health Institute


Weight Loss Tips and Inspiration: Day 25

Weight Loss Tip # 25: Avoid talking about food, dieting and weight during meals.

Society is so obsessed with food, dieting and weight that it’s easy to make it the focal point of every conversation at the dinner table. But focusing on food, dieting and weight while you are eating invites negative feelings that can trigger a binge.  As much as possible you should try to avoid discussing weight, dieting and food at the  table. It’s OK to offer a quick compliment to the chef — but leave it at that. Don’t get into a big conversation about the meal you are eating — or about any other food and diet related topics. Instead of talking about food, talk about: the vacation you are planning or just took; the book you are reading or plan to read; milestone events in your family; an exhibit at an area museum; an album that’s just been released by your favorite recording artist. Keep meal-time conversation low stress and not focused on food  and dieting and you will find, over time, your meals will be more enjoyable and satisfying. You will be much less likely to be triggered to keep eating when the meal is finished.

Daily Inspiration: “Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.” ~ Christopher Robin to Winnie The Pooh

Staying in touch with our network of support is so important. Winnie The Pooh and Christopher Robin were so lucky to have each other. We need friends like this who support us on our road to recovery. Remember today to make a few phone calls and reach out to some people who will support you on your path to better health. When we do it together, it is a wonderful life-enhancing journey. If we try to do it all by ourselves it can get lonely.

We  love all of you and pray you are reaching your personal goals. Please feel free to call us any questions you may have. We can be reached at 866.426.1213.

Best Week Ever,

Robert Morgan – Bobby

Director

Creative Health Institute

Weight Loss Tips And Inspiration: Day 24

 

Weight Loss Tip #24: Nurture Something

Many of us who have struggled with compulsive dieting and compulsive eating have spent too much time focused on interests that feed our egos. Even though some of us seem to be very service-oriented and generous, when our charitable acts are observed truthfully, it is common to see that many of our “good deeds” have been done in an attempt to control the outcome of some situation — often because, due to our low self esteem, we have been eager to make others like us. Because we have not loved ourselves enough we often have exhausted ourselves in attempts to do good deeds for others to prove our worth. We wanted to be popular at work so we volunteered for extra projects and worked many extra unpaid hours — often at the expense of our health and relationships. We wanted our spouses to love us so much they would never dream of leaving us — so we did special favors for them, even as we craved more attention from them and didn’t feel able to articulate our specific desires. We wanted our parents to think we were the best children in the world — so we studied hard to achieve admittance to the most prestigious colleges.

Some of us had had an opposite reaction to life. We had such a low self esteem that we  completely gave up on trying to make others like us. Our self esteem was so low, we figured nobody would ever think we were special or notice our gifts, so there was no use in trying to do good in school or at work or in relationships. Our decisions and behaviors still were a reflection of our own low self esteem and a way of reacting to our perceived ideas of what other people thought about us.

As  we gain confidence and self esteem though our new healthy lifestyle we will be able to take charge of our life on a whole new level.  This process will not happen overnight. But every day that we make choices to live in the  healthiest manner possible, our confidence and esteem incrementally  increases.  Eventually we look back at how our lives have changed for the better over time and we celebrate because we see we have broken free from our old habits of trying to control what other people think of us. We find that by taking care of our health day after day we have grown to love ourselves more and that we have come to experience a greater connection with the love of our Creator.

Making a decision every day to nurture something will help in the path toward emotional and spiritual freedom. When we see that our loving effort has made something grow we will experience genuine happiness.  Start small! It may not be time for you to adopt a pet, although pets can be wonderful companions to nurture. If your life has been quite chaotic in recent years, it may be a good idea to start by getting a potted plant to nurture. Perhaps there is something in your life already waiting for nurturing. You may not need to go out and buy a new plant. Is there a flower bed in your yard that is full of weeds? You could make a decision today to pull the weeds out and make it a little bit more beautiful every day for the rest of the summer. Is there a relationship in your life that needs nurturing? Perhaps you can send a card to someone. Are you yourself  in need of nurturing? Maybe you can give yourself a wheatgrass facial or buff and file your nails today.

When we truly nurture ourselves and others, we do it with a generous heart. We do it because it makes us happy — not because we expect to influence anybody’s opinion about us.

Daily Inspiration: “Never idealize others. They will never live up to your expectations. Don’t over-analyze your relationships. Stop playing games. A growing relationship can only be nurtured by genuineness.” ~ Leo Buscaglia


 

Weight Loss Tips and Inspiration: Day 23

Weight Loss Tip # 23: Realize that acceptance is the answer to all of your problems today.

Acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing or situation – some fact of my life – unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing or situation as being exactly the way it is at this moment.

I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitudes.

Acceptance has taught me that there is a bit of good in the worst of us and a bit of bad in the best of us; that we each have a right to be here.

When I focus on what’s good today, I have a good day, and when I focus on what’s bad, I have a bad day. If I focus on a problem, the problem increases; if I focus on the answer, the answer increases. When I focus on people’s bad qualities, they multiply; when I focus on people’s good qualities, they seem to grow and grow.

Perhaps the best thing of all for me is to remember that my serenity is inversely proportional to my expectations. The higher my expectations of other people are, the lower is my serenity. I can watch my serenity level rise when I discard my expectations. I have to discard my ‘rights’, as well as my expectations, by asking myself, “How important is it, really? How important is it compared to my serenity, my emotional sobriety?”

I do whatever is in front of me to be done, and let go of the results.

I must keep my magic magnifying mind on my level of acceptance. When I remember this, I can see I’ve never had it so good.

Adapted from “Doctor, Addict, Alcoholic” by Dr. Paul O. in Alcoholics Anonymous (The Big Book)

Daily Inspiration: “Some people confuse acceptance with apathy, but there’s all the difference in the world. Apathy fails to distinguish betweeen what can and what cannot be helped; acceptance makes that distinction. Apathy paralyzes the will-to-action. Acceptance frees it by relieving it of impossible burdens.”
~ Arthur Gord0n
 

Weight Loss Tips and Inspiration: Day 22

 

Weight Loss Tip # 22: “Pray for the people who hurt you.”

Jesus told His followers “love your enemies” and “pray for those who persecute you.” This advice isn’t just a good way to treat other people. It’s a good way to treat ourselves. The inability to let go of anger, hostility and resentment is often a hallmark quality of people who struggle with compulsive and addictive behaviors — such as food and diet addiction. It doesn’t matter what your spiritual beliefs are. If you commit to yourself to pray to the God of your understanding for the people who hurt you, you will find your emotional health increasing on a daily basis. Adopting a daily practice of praying for the people who hurt us is one of the most useful things we can do for ourselves on our journey toward achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. These prayers do not need to be long although at first (especially if you have been carrying resentments towards certain people around with you for many years) you may not feel peaceful after a quick prayer. Quick sincere prayers practiced throughout your day can make a big difference in your life. When a person makes you angry when you are driving in the car and you feel tempted to curse, take a deep breath and sincerely say, “God bless him!” It will be helpful, before you say your prayer to put yourself in the shoes of the other person for just a minute. If you can sit for a moment in the shoes of the other person you can usually see that person as another vulnerable, stressed-out human who was born naked and is going to leave this world naked, too. Give people a break today. It will do wonders for your soul.

 

Daily Inspiration: “Always forgive your enemies. Nothing annoys them so much.” ~Oscar Wilde

Approach the day with a light heart and be generous with forgiveness. You have only this day to live and your soul will be happiest when it is not a companion of resentment. Resentment has no place in your new vibrant and healthy lifestyle.

 

Weight Loss Tips and Inspiration: Day 22

 

Weight Loss Tip # 22: “Pray for the people who hurt you.”

Jesus told His followers “love your enemies” and “pray for those who persecute you.” This advice isn’t just a good way to treat other people. It’s a good way to treat ourselves. The inability to let go of anger, hostility and resentment is often a hallmark quality of people who struggle with compulsive and addictive behaviors — such as food and diet addiction. It doesn’t matter what your spiritual beliefs are. If you commit to yourself to pray to the God of your understanding for the people who hurt you, you will find your emotional health increasing on a daily basis. Adopting a daily practice of praying for the people who hurt us is one of the most useful things we can do for ourselves on our journey toward achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. These prayers do not need to be long although at first (especially if you have been carrying resentments towards certain people around with you for many years) you may not feel peaceful after a quick prayer. Quick sincere prayers practiced throughout your day can make a big difference in your life. When a person makes you angry when you are driving in the car and you feel tempted to curse, take a deep breath and sincerely say, “God bless him!” It will be helpful, before you say your prayer to put yourself in the shoes of the other person for just a minute. If you can sit for a moment in the shoes of the other person you can usually see that person as another vulnerable, stressed-out human who was born naked and is going to leave this world naked, too. Give people a break today. It will do wonders for your soul.

 

Daily Inspiration: “Always forgive your enemies. Nothing annoys them so much.” ~Oscar Wilde

Approach the day with a light heart and be generous with forgiveness. You have only this day to live and your soul will be happiest when it is not a companion of resentment. Resentment has no place in your new vibrant and healthy lifestyle.

Weight Loss Tips and Inspiration: Day 21

 

Weight Loss Tip  # 21: Every day take a quiet half hour to yourself.

In the high-tech, fast-paced, fast-food world in which we live, it is easy to let days — and even whole weeks — slip by without any quiet time alone. The quiet time we spend by ourselves is so important. It resets our timing. It recharges us. It’s absolutely essential for us to have on a daily basis if we are to achieve and maintain emotional and spiritual health. And we know from our past experiences that physical health is impossible to achieve when our emotional and spiritual lives our out of balance.

So plan your half hour of quiet alone time EVERY DAY no matter what. If you live in a busy household, it may  mean getting to bed a little earlier every evening so you can wake  up earlier than everyone else in the home. It doesn’t really matter what you do with your quiet time. It doesn’t really have to be structured, either.  Read a book. Write in your journal. Sew. Crochet. Carve a piece of stone. Pray. Meditate. Fish. Garden. Swim. Paint a watercolor picture. Write a poem. Play piano. You can do the same thing with your quiet half hour every day or you can do something different with your time every day. However you decide to do it is just fine. Just make sure that you take it for yourself — and make sure you put attention towards enjoying the quiet. If you are doing an activity, don’t let it be any activity that has a deadline or any activity that causes you to engage in perfectionist or stressful thinking. Go to a location where you will not be interrupted by anybody for half an hour. If someone interrupts you, explain that you are not available for another 15, 20 or however many minutes you half left in your half an hour commitment. Do not answer the phone. Do not look at a text. Avoid electronic stimulation of any kind. You need to unplug for half an hour every day. Some will find it difficult to take a quiet half an hour every day — but after you have kept your commitment to having quiet time for a few weeks in a row, you’ll begin to cherish the time so much. You’ll wonder how you ever made it through your day without it. This will be a coveted time in every day — and so very essential to your overall wellbeing.

Daily Inspiration: “I think that I cannot preserve my health and spirits, unless I spend four hours a day at least – and it is commonly more than that – sauntering through the woods and over the hills and fields, absolutely free from all worldly engagements.”  ~Henry David Thoreau

THIRTY DAYS OF GREEN SMOOTHIES COMING UP NEXT!

AND WE WOULD LOVE YOU TO PARTICIPATE…

Our Thirty Days of Weight Loss Tips and Inspiration and Thirty Days of Juice Recipes features have been extremely popular. Thanks so much for following along. As soon as we wrap up the 30 Days of Weight Loss Tips and Inspiration series, we’ll start 30 Days of Green Smoothies. YOU can get involved!

If you would like your smoothie recipe featured in our  blog, please send it, along with an electronic photograph of yourself posing with the smoothie to pattymaher07@gmail.com on or before June 30. Feel free to write a few words about why you like the particular smoothie. Thank you!

Weight Loss Tips and Inspiration: Day 20

 

Creative Health Institute’s Weight Loss Tip # 20: Avoid magazines, television shows and movies that focus obsessively on weight, body image and appearance.

Your journey toward maintaining a healthy weight for the rest of your life is a threefold path. It is spiritual, emotional and physical. Popular culture bombards us every day — especially during beach season — with images and messages that focus all of the attention on physical appearance. What’s really sad is that even movie actors and actresses — who get paid, in part for their physical beauty, are the targets of hyper scrutiny. If someone who gets paid millions of dollars to act in a movie has trouble looking good on the beach, what hope is there for us? This popular culture obsession with physical beauty is so destructive.  The fact is — NOBODY looks like the air-brushed, photo-shopped pictures we see in fashion magazines and billboards.

For your own emotional health and freedom today — turn your eyes away from images that exploit bodies of men and women.

Remember that real beauty shines through the eyes. It  comes from a peaceful heart and a healthy mind, body and soul.

Wishing all of your the best day ever…

Robert Morgan (Bobby)

Creative Health Institute 

Daily Inspiration: “People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” ~ Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

Don’t Forget your shot of wheatgrass every day!


Weight Loss Tips and Inspiration: Day 19

 


Weight Loss Tip # 19: Keep a journal.

In your journal, focus on your recovery from compulsive overeating, not on your weight. It will not serve you to write about how much weight you want to lose or how much weight you plan to lose. It will help your journey quite a bit, though, if you write about feelings that come up as you walk on your new path toward a healthy and vibrant life. As you write about your feelings, consider  solutions  to problems that you have. Can you think of a spiritual or emotional solution to your problem? If so, write about the solution.

Your journal can be a vehicle for self-inspiration and recovery. If you come across inspirational quotes or stories throughout your day, writing about them can help you stay focused on positive thinking and achieving your health goals.

Even as you work through emotional challenges with your writing, don’t let your journal become a pity party  or a problem dumping ground. It’s good to express your feelings in your journal. It’s a great place to practice honesty and opening up your heart. But once you have purged a negative thought, take some time to consider a positive solution to whatever has been tormenting you. In what ways do you have control over the situation? What can you do to make a positive change in your life?

Daily Inspiration: “Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.”  ~Eleanor Roosevelt

When we find ourselves living in self pity, the best thing we can do for ourselves is to think of a way to be of service to someone less fortunate. Do you have a relative or friend who is a shut in or having a hard time? Give that person a phone call and brighten the day. Keep a stack of Thinking of You cards with a book of stamps near your bed. If you find yourself in a negative mood when you are about to fall asleep or when you wake up, write out a card to someone who you think might be lonelier than you are. Do you know of someone who just lost a job or a pet — or is there someone in your life who you have not expressed appreciation for lately? Send a little note card. When you practice random acts of kindness on a daily basis, you will be amazed at how effectively it cultivates joy in your heart.

 

30 Days of Weight Loss Tips and Inspiration: Day 18

 

Weight Loss Tip # 18: Avoid grandiose thinking. Just KEEP IT SIMPLE!

Losing weight can be exciting. And too much excitement can throw us off balance and create an emotional  setup in which we have more frequent urges to turn to food to calm our nerves.

But we are done with our unhealthy lifestyles. Now we’re embarking upon a life of health and wholeness — one day at a time. To achieve our goals for healthy living, we need to stay focused on each day and the  tasks at hand. We cannot afford to daydream about the future and imagine some  time when we will look amazingly fabulous — or when our loved ones will behave perfectly — or when we will have tons of money.

All we  have is today. And if we chose to live it simply, we have our best shot at happiness and health. Smell the daisies today.

Daily Inspiration: “Simplicity and repose are the qualities that measure the true value of any work of art.” ~ Frank Lloyd Wright.

Let your life be a work of art today. Keep it simple.

Weight Loss Tips and Inspiration: Day 17

 

 

 

Weight Loss Tip # 17: Take Responsibility

Many of us who have spent years compulsively eating and dieting have developed a bit of an attitude problem. Although we may appear to be responsible in many aspects of our lives, we tend to have a rebellious streak that undermines our hopes and dreams. Our overeating and excessive dieting have been methods of “treating” our rebellious selves to a little vacation from the cares of the world. Often times in our lives we have felt that we didn’t get enough — enough love, enough success, enough attention. We’ve wanted more. And we’ve been mad about it! Even if the “madness” was expressed mostly through depression and not through “outrage,” many of us have inwardly been overly sensitive and seething about things for years.

Maybe there was a time in life when we really were neglected by adults who were supposed to take care of  us. Maybe we didn’t get what we deserved. But we are not children anymore. And if we don’t have enough of something that we always wanted, it’s time to stop blaming others for our misfortune. We need to suit up and show up and take responsibility for our lives.

Are you middle-aged and feeling “trapped” in a career or relationship that doesn’t satisfy you? Guess what? You are not trapped at all! You’re blaming other people for your unhappiness. You are making the choice to stay in the situation that is making you so unhappy. And the truth is, unless you adjust your attitude and realize that you have only yourself to blame for your unhappiness, you’re bound to be equally unhappy in the next career or relationship.

So be happy today. It’s your choice. Your life isn’t as miserable as you make it out to be. There are wonderful blessings every day when we condition ourselves to approach each situation with gratitude, counting the simple pleasures in our lives.

If you put some effort into cultivating an attitude of gratitude on a daily basis and find that you are still beat down by a job or relationship, perhaps it is time for a change. But you don’t have to act quickly. Too many sudden changes in your life could throw off your balance and cause you to return to your “comfortable” old destructive habit of compulsive eating or dieting.

If you decide you really do want to make a big change, do it thoughtfully. Give yourself six months to a year to carefully plan your new path. And while you are making your future plans and setting your goals, make sure that you keep your new healthy eating plan  at the very top of your list of priorities.

Daily Inspiration: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” ~ Mahatma Ghandi

When we point a finger at the behaviors of another person, there truly are three fingers pointing back at us. What bothers us most about other people generally bothers us so much  because it is a reflection of something we dislike about ourselves. The only effective way for us to change our families, our communities and the world at large is to model the behavior we wish to see.

What are you doing to build a better family, community and world today?

Are you the person who takes the last sheet of toilet paper or the person who notices when the roll is almost empty and changes it before it even has a chance to run out (you can save the little bit of toilet paper that’s left in a baggie and put it under the sink for times when you need some tissue paper)?  Does  your rebellious nature cause you to leave empty grocery carts abandoned in the parking lot where they can roll into someone’s car and scratch it? Or are you the person who returns your own cart every time you go shopping — even when it’s cold or raining?  When paper blows out of your hand do you chase it? When you  go on a nature walk do you carry out a few pieces of trash in a small effort to keep wild areas beautiful?

There are so many small ways in which we can effect change every day.  All of them start with our own behavior.

 

Weight Loss Tips and Inspiration: Day 16

Weight Loss Tip # 16: Don’t transfer your compulsive eating and dieting behavior to a new addiction such as shopping, sex, overwork or smoking.

It’s common for compulsive overeaters and dieters to set down the problems with food — only to pick up the credit card and start shopping like crazy. Some turn to unhealthy relationships and sex. Others pour everything into work. People turn to new compulsions when they give up eating or dieting compulsively because they are not doing the work they need to become emotionally healthy. When a person acts out with excessive spending or compulsive sexuality or overworking, it’s just a new method of running away from uncomfortable feelings.

Get the support you need to work through your feelings — a telephone network of friends who understand and appreciate your desire to change — a therapist, mentor or pastor. Maybe consider attending some group therapy sessions or frequenting a support group for compulsive overeaters. Check with mental health experts in your area to find out what’s available.

If you just find yourself trading one addiction for another, you’re not really getting well. And you deserve emotional health and freedom. Remember, you’re not looking for quick weight loss. You want to get off the yo-yo cycle forever  and build a healthy relationship with food that lasts a lifetime.

 

Daily Inspiration: “The most important human endeavor is the striving for morality in our actions. Our inner balance and even our very existence depend on it. Only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to life.” ~ Albert Einstein


 

Weight Loss Tips and Inspiration: Day 15

 

Weight Loss Tip # 15:  Dress attractively no matter what your weight is.

It’s so important not to put off being attractive until your scale registers the number of your fantasy weight. No matter what you weigh today, it’s so important to look your best. You know how good you feel when you know you look great! And there’s really nothing unattractive about being a plus-sized man or woman. Some of the most beautiful art in the world depicts men and women with robust figures.

Although it’s more difficult (and often more expensive) to find the fashions you love when you’re plus sized and carrying extra weight increases your health risks, it’s very important to wake up every day and accept the beautiful person  who you are. It’s so worth the effort to look good every day. Appreciate your most beautiful qualities every day and emphasize  them with fashion.  Do you have a gorgeous smile? Show it off with some beautiful natural lipstick. Do you have an hour-glass figure? Well then why do you have clothing in your closet that makes you look like a paper bag?

Throw out the ugly clothes! Throw out the clothes that don’t fit! If you can’t afford to buy a new flattering wardrobe, spend a day going to some second hand stores in your area. Make sure the outfits you decide upon enhance your best features. Then accessorize with pretty necklaces, earrings and shoes. You don’t have to spend a fortune to look beautiful. And it’s understandable that you wouldn’t want to spend a fortune on clothes right now — even if you have a big clothing budget — because if you stick to your healthy plan of eating, you’ll be dropping a size every few months.

You’ll feel so much better about your life when you approach every day putting your most attractive self forward. Start feeling more beautiful and confident today!

Daily Inspiration: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are  powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

~ Quote by Maryanne Williamson, used by Nelson Mandela in his 1994 inaugural speech.


Weight Loss Tips and Inspiration: Day 14

Weight Loss Tip # 14: Remember every day to SERF.  Practice your SPIRITUALITY. EXERCISE moderately. Get adequate REST. And follow a simple FOOD PLAN.

People who SERF every day are far less likely to engage in compulsive eating or compulsive dieting. Compulsive eating and dieting are self destructive habits. When we replace destructive habits with healthy daily habits, we are much less likely to pick up the negative habits.

In fact, daily SERFing is so very effective, it is recommended by psychologists one of the nation’s leading treatment facilities for eating disorders. One highly respected psychologist who works with eating disordered clients (himself a recovering bulimic) says on a day when a person truly SERFs, it is virtually impossible for that person to eat compulsively.

 

Daily Inspiration: “Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.”  ~Eleanor Roosevelt

Put one foot in front of the other today and face the day with confidence. You have made a decision to change your life for the better. You are learning and growing and facing your challenges. Be proud of yourself today for your willingness to do things differently.

 

 

Weight Loss Tips and Inspiration: Day 12

 

 

Weight Loss Tip #12: Be Prepared! Pack everything you need to stay on your food plan every day and be ready for menu changes and life’s big and little surprises.

If you work or leave the house during the day, be sure to pack your lunch the night before. In case you get stuck at work (or in case something else happens that will prevent you from going home to prepare food), always bring an extra back-up meal with you in addition to your lunch.

If you have a work-related meal, a wedding or some other special event — also bring with you a back-up meal. You might be able to eat some food that is served at these events — but there is a very good chance it will not be organic. So be sure to pack a nice salad with organic greens and one of your favorite salad dressings every time you leave the house. Bring a few nuts and some fresh fruit, too.

Maybe you don’t feel comfortable whipping out your healthy meal in front of your colleagues  or friends at a formal dinner — or in a restaurant. Just remember there’s absolutely nothing wrong with bringing your own food. Restaurants will hardly ever give you any trouble when you explain to them you have special dietary needs and have brought your own food. Occasionally a waitress or waiter will try to discourage you from eating your own food. Some try to say that the health department doesn’t allow them to let you eat your own food. It isn’t true. You can ask to speak to a manager. Or, if you feel uncomfortable standing up for yourself, you can always just order herbal tea and eat when you leave the restaurant. If you are not extremely sensitive to non-organic produce, you might order a simple salad or fruit plate.

 

Daily Inspiration: “The only way to have gratitude is to live in the now, not in the past or the future.”

Planning our meals ahead and being prepared might not seem especially glamorous. If  it’s been a long day, the last thing you might want to do before bed is to pack your lunch and a back-up meal for the next day. But practicing these simple good habits on a daily basis is a way of dealing with one of the few things in life we actually have control over — what we eat. Once we get in the habit of planning ahead, we can begin to enjoy our daily food preparation. We can prepare more tasty meals. Ideally we will enjoy our meals every bit as much — if not more — than the people around us who are eating the Standard American Diet.

Chopping up vegetables, making some yummy cashew cheese in the food processor — these activities are great opportunities to practice living in the now on a daily basis. Moment by moment our self care through good planning and healthy eating is a wonderful opportunity to live in the now. Day by day we will let go of worrying about the past or  the future. We will experience taking care of the now on a deeper and deeper level and in so doing, our joy will increase.

 

Weight Loss Tips and Inspiration: Day 11

 

Weight Loss Tip # 10: Practice taking a HALT. Never allow yourself to get too Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired.

Many of us were raised in environments where we didn’t feel it was safe or appropriate to express our feelings. We learned to handle our emotions by eating certain foods that made us feel numb. Then we never had to feel hungry, angry, lonely or tired. We ate to escape these feelings. Some of us had different foods for different emotions. If we were  really angry, we might want to chew on something crunchy. If we were tired but felt we had to push ourselves to work longer, we would grab for sugar and caffeine loaded beverages and snacks because we felt we always needed to put deadlines and projects ahead of our feelings.

If we are ever to have permanent success with achieving and maintaining weight loss, we must stop covering our emotions with food. We must face our emotions honestly. Since feeling our feelings is so new to us (some of us have ALWAYS used food to cover our feelings — others developed this habit later in life), we must take it slow. The feelings will probably feel pretty intense at first. The thing is — they are just feelings. Nobody else can see our feelings. And as we learn  to deal  with our feelings honestly, we will realize that we are allowed to have our feelings. Our feelings will not hurt us! Our feelings will not hurt anybody else, either! Only actions can hurt people. And we will learn that we can sit honestly with our feelings and take our time deciding whether or not we should take some sort of action based upon what we are feeling.

Just be aware of your feelings today. And be gentle with yourself. Don’t let yourself get too hungry, angry, lonely or tired. Call a friend. Take a nap. Take a bath. Read a book. You do not have to eat over your feelings today! You are on your way to freedom and you deserve to have an honest emotional life.

Daily Inspiration: “I love you, and because I love you, I would sooner have you hate me for telling  you the truth than adore me for telling you lies.” ~ Pietro Aretino

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