How YOU can live longer NOW!

I don’t have all the answers, but I do have a few suggestions. Last week I had the honour of being a participant in the bi-annual Longevity Now conference hosted by David “Avocado” Wolfe. It is a power packed weekend filled with information to benefit all. I am being asked by my friends and students, left right and center, “what did you learn, how was it, tell me more?” Well now is my chance to share. But first, what I do have to say is that I got out of it exactly what I needed at this time in my life. Since there is so much information presented in such a short span of time, I really had to select what I wanted to get out of it – and I did just that!

There was everything from the new latest supplements to how to sleep in a way that will heal our bodies out of pain. So it’s diverse and very well rounded. I am not going to take you through the entire weekend, but I am going to focus on some helpful tips that you can use NOW to help you on your journey to live a long healthy life. It’s not about living to 120 years of age, it’s about the quality of your life every day from today forward…but if you can live 120 yeas while thriving (not surviving) – all the better!

So here is a list of what I learned, embraced and now want to share with you!

Get Grounded: Connect with mother earth – get outside and go barefoot in the grass. Trust me it feels amazing! On a whole, we have lost this connection with the growth of the shoe industry, cemented homes and high-rise industrial buildings. When our feet don’t make direct contact with the ground, we miss out on true vitality. I encourage you to give it a try. Good thing spring is around the corner. Kids love to be barefoot – so follow their footsteps literally and don’t compromise your health and innate strength.

However since we can’t go barefoot all the time, all year round and even walking barefoot in our homes doesn’t really count, there are amazing devices that help us to re-gain that connection. They grounding products by Earthing! I have just recently become a consumer of their products and it’s just been over a week and  I have already noticed tremendous differences in my energy levels, sleep patterns and overall well being. I have a grounding pad (which my feet are on right now) a mouse pad (which my hand is on right now) and a sheet on my bed – along with some other goodies. Please have a look at the Grounded website for more info and to find out what I am talking about! But if you want to purchase your own devices click here and look under household products!

Nourish with food, superfoods and herbs: Well this should be no surprise! Considering you are on the Fully Nourished website! This is what I am all about! So there was lots of information on food and nutrition, although I consider myself well versed in the area already, there is always more to learn. There are really 3 levels when it comes to food. The first being to make sure you are drinking enough filtered, pure or spring water, then get your essentials in the form of healthy fats, protein and carbohydrates while choosing mainly raw plant based sources for fuel. Get my book if you want more ideas on how to Veg Comfortably .  Then there is the next level – Superfoods – these are the foods that are loaded full of nutrients, vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients that are vital to long lasting health. This can be in the form of cacao, goji berries, hemp, maca, leafy greens, chlorella, blueberries, brazil nuts, sea vegetables. They are all amazing and should be included in some way, shape or form into your everyday diet! The last level is the herbals . Whether it’s in the form of a tea, a capsule or elixir, herbs are necessary for taking your health  to the next level. Some herbs to think about, research and possibly include are the mushrooms : (chaga, reishi, mitaki, shiataki) shatavari, astragalus, ashwaganda, nettles, tulsi – let’s just start with that! Again this happens to be the start of spring – a good time for herbs – so find out what works for you and your body and go from there!

Cook in clean cookware: This is an extremely important area. Most people don’t think twice about their cookware. They just assume that as long as they have good ingredients, then all is good. Not true. The second you put your gorgeous vibrant organic kale in toxic (I mean tephlon) cookware – then you have not only killed your kale, but you have infused it with toxins and vapours that I won’t even get into in this post. Just cause things don’t stick, doesn’t mean it’s good for you. So investing in quality cookware that is surgical grade Stainless Steel and Titanium is the best choice. This cookware (the cookware I use in my classes) will also not “cook” your food the way that you think it needs to be cooked. Water doesn’t have to boil and oil doesn’t have to splatter to ensure that the heat is high enough, in fact at that point you are again – destroying the nutrients and contents of your food. If you want to learn more about the cookware I use in my class and ask all your questions please click here!

Sleep with-OUT a pillow: Yes you heard right…no pillow! Our pillows have become a drug (according to David Wolfe) we are so dependent on them. We love curling up to them at night, but then complain of neck aches in the morning? So why bother! I have been sleeping with my face on my mattress directly for years…but that still isn’t as good as sleeping on your side with your arm/shoulder held out under your head (if you can picture that). But the distance between your neck space and the mattress should be perfectly filled in by your arm. This is ideal for proper neck and spinal alignment. Just like with anything it will take time to adjust, but once you do this – on your grounded sheet (see home products)- you will start to notice just how well you are sleeping and waking up pain free!

Jump up and down: Sounds like fun doesn’t it! Well you can do it outside and barefoot of course…but what I am talking about here is rebounding! Getting yourself a equipped with a solid rebounder for health and of course longevity. When you rebound you are able to exercise your whole body, even your cells! Everything is targeted, working and strengthening. When we challenge our body against gravity we are also able to stimulate the lymphatic system without any trauma to our skeletal system. Most re-bounders are small enough to have in a room or the basement of your house, some even fold up so that you can travel with them anywhere you go!

Breath in and out: This is probably the most important thing you can do everyday, multiple times a day. and something you may always hear about, but still aren’t doing correctly. Yes we all breath every day, but very few of us actually take in a breath. You will know when you do, because you will feel it. Drawing air in through your nose for a deep inhalation, expanding your belly fully and exhaling your breath out (for longer than your inhale) through your mouth. Sounds simple enough, but you will notice that most of your breaths are through your chest – lifting it up and not fully taking in the air. So try it the right way, through your belly. It will calm you down, bring down your stress response, relax your body and your mind. Something we all need to live a more complete and wholesome life!

Laugh, smile and love a lot – Again this sounds so simple, but most of us can go through each day without laughing, smiling or telling someone that you love them.  As a society, we are too serious. Too caught up with the mundane and don’t take time to enjoy what really matters. It is kind of sad when you look at that way. But think about how good you feel when someone breaks out in laughter, smiles at you or tells you that they love you. You get warm and tingly and can’t help but feel great all over! So why don’t we do this more often? We can eat all the best food in the world,  take all the best supplements, herbs but nothing will have as much an effect as this. This is something I am learning and becoming more aware of myself and the results are profound.

 

So these are just some of my recommendations to get started on a path were you can start LIVING longer today!

Want more guidance?

Join my Delicious Living Retreat in beautiful Bancroft Ontario at Grail Springs!

AND/OR

Join my Raw Rejuvenation Retreat in beautiful Collingwood Ontario in June!

AND/OR

Get my one or both of my Health-E-Books that are jam-packed full of resources and information for better nutrition!

Due North…on Super Foods

I may not have fully expressed the full realm of what is taking place at the end of next week. I have known about it for nearly two years, you’ve probably heard bits and pieces but I have yet to give you the full story or my version of it!

My fiance Ryan,  is headed to the North Pole in April. That’s right you heard me, the North Pole! I know this may sound a little extreme but if you know Ryan (or get to know him) you would very quickly learn that this is a boy who likes to do things that the average person just wouldn’t do. I mean, how many people would willingly choose to trek to the North Pole? I am not going to spend my time here explaining why he is doing this or what his race entails for those details you can look in his website Ryans Race.

What I will say though is this. He is doing this race for his own personal feat, but with a greater plan. When he gets back he not only wants to integrate this into his line of business, events and motivational speaking. But he also is passionate about raising awareness around childhood obesity and health. This is the ultimate goal!

There are a number of reasons why this race is so extreme. Its not only about the fact that he is going to be  -40 degrees whether or that he will encounter a polar bear or fall through ice, I mean there are much worse things – like eating dehydrated food-like substances out of a package and snacking on broken pieces of refined candy and milk chocolate all day long. Yup, that’s right. That is what the other racers (all of 8 of them)  will be consuming day in and out during the race. Ideally he needs foods that will dissolve easily in his mouth as he is going to be in below freezing temperatures. This is the rational for providing refined “junk” if you will, as the main source of energy as part of the race. But this was no roadblock for me as I was determined to find the equivalent amount of nutrients for Ryan using wholesome alternatives!

There was no way that the man I am about to marry is going to sabotage his body (after building it up for 5 years) for one month on junk food. So we made sure to get in touch with the race organizer and confirm that Ryan can provide his own food and fuel for the days of the race. Luckily this wish was granted – not that I would have it any other way!

My full wish would actually be that everyone on this race would be on these very same foods. If only there was full comprehension of the immense super powers of the foods Ryan will be consuming, I am positive the others would want to be on the same stuff. As Ryan will be building up and nourishing his body with living, pure, wholesome plant based energy. This will not only provide what he needs while he treks through this race, but will also ensure that he will recover and adapt sufficiently to the extreme measures he is about to endure. I can’t say the same thing for all the  dehydrated, over-salted, highly sugared processed food that is actually supplied on this race.

Ryan is going to be burning approximately 12,000-14,000 calories, and this needs to be replaced by quick, easy to burn high energy foods and needs to consume approximately 10,000-12,000 per day to replenish his body. With these sources of incredible slow burning carbohydrates, essential fats and plant protein sources, Ryan will be nourishing his cells, organs and brain all at the same time.

It’s too bad there is no prize for winning this race. It is just about accomplishing getting to the North Pole, which as you can imagine is a feat in itself. But as the winner of this race, (which I know Ryan is striving for and won’t accept anything less), I will be thrilled to say that he did it on the world’s best superfoods!

On that note, I want to deeply thank all of these companies for supporting, sponsoring and supplying Ryan with the best foods I could have imagined for him to be consuming on this crazy amazing adventure of a lifetime!

Here is the menu of what Ryan will be eating during the race.

Navitas Naturals:

 

 

 

Goji Berries: the goji berry is one of the most nutrient rich food on hearth, packed with protein, essential amino acids, vitamins A and C and trace minerals.

Cacao Nibs: cacao contains a rich supply of antioxidants, magnesium and is pure energy!

Chia: chia is incredibly rich in omega fatty acids and are an excellent source of dietry fiber. It is bioavailable and provides long lasting energy.

Maca: maca root is a stress fighting adaptogen to increase stamina and combat fatigue. It is packed with vitamins, minerals and amino acids.

Ryan will be munching on this all day as a trail mix. He will also add it into his morning breakfast for a super fueled start to the day!

 

Sha Sha Bread Co:

 

 

 

Special high-energy bread: ShaSha himself is formulating a special sprouted high energy grainy bread for Ryan to consume.

Sprouted Buckwheat Snacks: delicious bites of high energy nutrients, fiber and protein.

Ryan will eat this throughout the day as snacks or in the morning as breakfast.

Sun Warrior Protein:

 

 

 

 

 

You didn’t think I would let Ryan leave town with out a bag or two of this now, did you?

This pure, raw, sprouted plant based protein will supply Ryan with his essential protein for the day. He will put this into his morning vegan cereal with water.

GoConuts

 

 

 

 

If you haven’t had the pleasure of trying these incredible high energy snacks you must get your hands on some. They can be found at most health food stores if not order directly from their website.

They are dried shredded strands of coconut covered with cinnamon and organic cane sugar (or tamarind or sea salt). This will be Ryan’s main source of fuel as it is loaded with calories. Just so you have an idea 1 pound of coconut will provide Ryan with  3000  of calories! This is when coconut functions at it’s best!

Emergen-C

 

 

 

 

These little packets of  contain an array of nutrients, including 1,000 mg of immune supporting vitamin C,* 7 B vitamins to enhance energy naturally, loaded with electrolytes to refuel and replenish the body during any and every workout.

These will be added to Ryan’s water to sip on throughout the day. Keeping him hydrated and keeping his immune system strong!

Endangered Species dark chocolate

 

 

 

 

This is one of the creamiest most delicious organic dark chocolate bars I have ever tried. It is pure chocolate at least 72% of goodness. So instead of broken pieces of Kit Kat and Crunch Bars, little bits of Endangered Chocolate will be mixed into his daily goodie bag. It will be easy enough to melt in Ryan’s mouth on demand, to provide a good source of sugar along with much needed antioxidants.

Halvah

 

 

 

 

This is one of Ryan’s absolute favourite snacks. I don’t even think he would last the month without them. He can pretty much stuff the entire bar into his mouth. Halvah is made from pure sesame seeds which are loaded full of calcium, healthy fats and protein. These will be broken up to munch on through out the day.

Amazing Grass

 

 

 

 

Ryan of course needs GREENS on this race and Amazing Grass has offered to supply Ryan with Superfood Greens. This will give Ryan energy, antioxidants, boost his immunity, keep his mind clear and infuse his cells with pure green goodness.

Manitoba Harvest

 

 

 

 

Manitoba Harvest will be kindly giving Ryan Hemp Pro 70 which is their only water soluble protein concentrate. This will fuel his body to enhance muscle development, speed up recovery and optimize his overall well being. It is also loaded with omega 3 fatty acids and all 10 amino acids. Ryan can add this directly into water to shake it up on the go!

Big Tree Farms

 

 

 

 

This company will be supplying Ryan with dehydrated coconut water. He can add this directly into his water as well for  an incredible boost of electrolytes and nutrients.

 

So there you have it, the array of amazing treats and snacks that will be infused into Ryan’s body everyday for 1 month. I just hope he doesn’t come home sick of chocolate, goji berries and coconut as these are staple ingredient in our everyday life!

I will surely be letting you know how his trek goes when he gets back. There will be lots of stories to share! But if you want to track Ryan while he is on his race, please check into

RYANSRACE every couple of days to see where he is in the great north! Feel free to contact me to wish me luck as well, as this race is just as much about me as it is Ryan!