Raw Foods Diet & Raw Food Weight Loss Blog

Today we talk about ways to lessen one’s chances of developing dementia, aside from dietary changes. Other than eliminating foods from our diet that may hinder brain function, or adding foods that enhance brain function, what can we do to keep our minds sharp as we age?

The first action step you can take to keep your mind healthy is to physically exercise the rest of the body. By keeping our limbs and muscles active, we are not only enhancing the flow of oxygen throughout our bodies, we’re continually working our brains, as well. Every move you make requires a message from your brain to be sent to your muscles. So, the more you move, the more you’re exercising that part of your brain.

What seems to be equally important for your brain’s health is mental exercise. You know that saying, “Use it or lose it”? Well, that seems to be very true when it comes to brain function. Scientists have found that the more mentally active an individual is, the healthier their brains are (and the more they can remember) as they age.

There are many ways to continually exercise your mind. Reading, as we mentioned in a previous post, is an enjoyable way to keep the brain young and fresh. Playing games, especially those that are challenging, is also extremely beneficial to one’s mental health. Chess, board games, card games, picture puzzles, and crossword puzzles are popular activities many individuals enjoy. The more you play games, the healthier your mind is going to be.

Challenging your thinking and learning new subjects and skills is something many sharp-witted individuals have in common. Learning to play an instruments, speak a new language, or even dance a new way can produce a lot of mental stimulation. That mental stimulation seems to be accumulative, also — the more you learn, on a consistent basis, the stronger and healthier your mind tends to be as you age. It’s never too late to add more mental exercises into your daily routine, though, if you haven’t been regularly challenging your mind.

Another powerful mind enhancer is having an active social life. The more you interact with others, on a regular basis, the stronger your memory functions will be in the future. Those who are isolated, lacking a lot of mental stimulation through interactions with others, tend to have a tougher time with remembering current events, as well as past events.

Combining mind games with social activities is a powerful combination for keeping the mind active and young. If you haven’t played a game with others in a long time, why not think about organizing a fun game evening sometime soon? It doesn’t have to be a huge party, just a time to spend with one or more friends, actively playing a game and sharing a fun time together. Add in some heart-healthy foods that are also anti-inflammatory and you’ve got yourself a powerful set of tools to keep dementia from ever being a part of your life.

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Aside from diet and physical and mental exercises, it’s also important to limit one’s exposure to aluminum and environmental toxins (including those found in common household cleaning agents). If you aren’t aware of the link between aluminum and Alzheimer’s please do some additional research. Aluminum is commonly found in canned foods, antiperspirants, cookware, antacids, and canned beverages. It’s very important to avoid aluminum as much as possible in your life, since it’s also being detected in the air and water over the past year, or so. The more you can eliminate your exposure to it, the better.

I also came across something interesting in my research on eliminating one’s chances of developing dementia or alzheimer’s. Of all the research that has been done on finding things to decrease one’s chances of developing memory loss, there is only one thing that has been consistently found to aid individuals in keeping a healthy mind. It turns out that Medical Marijuana has been extremely effective in eliminating Alzheimer’s. Maybe it’s because I’ve never been into using drugs, so I probably don’t fully understand it, but I always pictured those who smoke marijuana to be a bit dull-minded and forgetful (and in fact, as though they are *killing* their brain cells). I guess we all learn something new every day…it turns out their brains are actually being stimulated in healthy ways. Of course, we’re not advocating the use of illegal drugs in order to keep your mind young and active, but we did want to share that medical marijuana seems to be the most promising natural way to stay mentally sharp well into the centenarian years.

A Pure Jeevan family member recently asked us how they can tell if they’re consuming too much protein. They felt because they have been eating too many nuts and seeds, because of how quick and filling they are, that perhaps their intake of protein is too high in their diet.

We fully understand the convenience of the quick energy that eating nuts and seeds can bring to one’s diet. We also have learned, through experience, that the more we rely on this type of nutrition (high in fat), the less energetic we feel long-term. There’s nothing wrong with eating nuts and seeds as a pick-me-up between meals, as long as you’re eating a small handful of them and your body does well with fats (not everyone can easily digest fats).

The first thing to keep in mind is that energy from nuts and seeds is most ideal when it comes from nuts and seeds that have been soaked, drained, and rinsed. When you soak nuts and seeds, they wake up (think about how seeds are woken up in the springtime with lots of moisture and then they begin to sprout and become living, growing plants). Those same nuts and seeds, left without moisture, will stay asleep until they are essentially soaked with water.

Once a nut or seed has sprouted, it is alive and has begun growing. In this state of growth, the protein is much higher than when it is a dormant, sleeping seed or nut. In fact, the entire nutritional profile of a sprouting nut or seed is significantly increased (this is the case for sprouted vegetable seeds, as well). So, be sure to soak your nuts and seeds, prior to eating them.

Another advantage to soaking nuts and seeds prior to eating them is the increase in digestability. Our bodies can more easily digest a sprouted plants. This is why many people who say they can’t eat nuts and seeds will find that simply soaking and sprouting them can make it very easy to digest and enjoy (this, of course, is not something recommended for anyone allergic to nuts).

For your question about how much protein is too much, that’s going to depend on each individual’s body and digestive health. There are many raw foodists who say you will receive adequate protein if you consume adequate calories. While this may be the case for most individuals, it’s not always going to work for everyone. Some people may have compromised digestive systems which make it impossible to extract and assimilate the protein and amino acids (which are really what our bodies require; proteins are broken down into amino acids) we take in through our diets. These individuals may not be getting (absorbing) enough protein from their meals.

For individuals with compromised digestion, it’s important to work on ways to fix the underlying problem while also adding extra protein to the diet to meet individual needs. Adding a high-quality, raw protein powder can do wonders for people who are requiring more protein. (Please see this previous post about protein powder and what we recommend.)

Too much protein can definitely be an area of concern, especially when the protein source is coming from animals (meat, dairy, eggs). Too much protein in the body can put stress on the kidneys, and has even been found to contribute to increased chances of cancer. Almost everyone consumes adequate protein in their diets, but there are a few who do require more.

It’s going to be tough for most people to obtain too much protein from nuts and seeds, because their bulk and fat content will be too filling. You’ll most likely feel unwell before you reach a point of consuming too much protein. Fat, on the otherhand, is easy to overconsume when someone is eating a lot of nuts and seeds.

Most cultures who consume animal protein do so in small amounts. The protein consumed is a very small portion compared to the amounts of vegetables and fruits in their diets. If you are concerned about consuming too much protein, you can consult with a healthcare practitioner to see about having a urine and blood test done to determine protein levels in your body. Even prior to experimenting with the raw diet, I routinely had blood tests done to see how my body was doing, and I continue to monitor my health with the help of bloodwork results. It’s something we’ve been recommending since we started our blog and still feel it’s one of the best ways to scientifically monitor what’s going on in your body and assess how well your dietary changes are working.

Just remember that we all have different requirements for the amount of protein we need (while some require very little, some require a higher percentage of their diet from protein), so it’s important to experiement with what feels best for your individual needs. Remember that your body changes over time, also, and your protein needs can shift and change, as well.

What are your thoughts about protein and how much have you found that your body needs in order to feel well? Please respond in the comments now to share your thoughts with us.

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Photo Credit: Photo by Voxeros (Flickr, Creative Commons)

[For those new to the Pure Jeevan family, you can search for "lyme disease" or "Nadi Balance" here on the blog if you want to learn more about Wendi's health challenges over the past few years.]

Sometimes returning to vibrant health isn’t a fast and easy event. A little over a year ago, I claimed I was cured of lyme disease. At that time I listed the remaining health challenges I had to overcome — all a result of the damage the lyme disease had done to my body. It’s hard to believe an entire year has gone by and I’m still not feeling vibrantly healthy or fully well. During this past year I’ve been brought to tears a few times, sometimes overcome with doubt and worry about whether the lyme disease was truly gone, or not.

The damage that happens in the body from lyme disease is incredibly complex. It’s a disease that is more difficult to cure than cancer. And, once the bacteria is fully gone from the body (which is not easy to prove), it has left behind so many imbalances it seems like a never-ending struggle to overcome. Nothing is impossible, however. Nothing. It’s those who give up, those who believe there is no cure or ability to heal, who live a life of debilitation and early death. If you are reading this and you have a health challenge, just remember that — and continue to learn about natural health and never give up. Giving up is just not an option for me — I plan on being fully vibrant and filled with health by the end of 2011. What we believe is what we bring about in life. And, yes, I do realize if that’s true then I brought the lyme disease into my life.

I know exactly when I allowed the disease to manifest. I had always had an inner desire to be cared for, almost like a baby. I’m certain it stemmed from some childhood need not being met, with the longing to be loved and nurtured still nagging at the core of my being. One day I actually voiced it out loud to Jim. I said I sometimes wished I could just be cared for, have someone feed me, give me a bath, hold me and cuddle me, etc. Well, that’s exactly what ended up coming to be in my life. Jim had to do all of that for me. On the deepest level, he was fulfilling that unmet basic desire/need I had been carrying with me since early childhood. A very positive look at all that transpired over the past two years, however, is that I have grown to love Jim even more. He was selfless, always present and lovingly caring for my needs.

At one point, during intense pain, I felt like there was something building up inside of me. I wasn’t sure if it was anger, frustration, terror, or something else. I found myself with a large drawing tablet and pastel chalks, tears streaming down my face because the pain of moving my arms even slightly was so severe I felt like I’d pass out. But I couldn’t stop. In about five minutes, or less, I was able to creatively show in a visual way what I was experiencing. I sensed Jim’s sorrow when he saw what I had created.

A few weeks later, I created another one. The second one has a softer feeling to it (even though the physical pain of creating it still had me in tears). I showed it to Jim and I wondered at the time if he knew that *he* was the one holding the baby (me) with red-hot, painful shoulders.

Right now, my biggest hurdle to complete health is releasing the comfort of having things done for me. It’s time my inner child realizes her need has been met and I’m more than capable of caring for myself. It’s very tempting to continue allowing Jim to do things for me, things that I can fully do myself, because there is comfort in being cared for. I’m a strong woman, though. I don’t need anyone to care for me, no matter how good it feels at times. My comfort, peace, and strength come from within — comfort, peace, and strength can never last if they’re manifested by relying on another human being. Not only are we not fully connected to and utilizing our inner strengths, but we are sapping another’s energy when they are doing for us what we can do for ourselves.

That’s essentially the point I’m at right now in my healing. It’s more of an emotional block than anything else. It’s all manifesting with physical symptoms, but at the root of each physical issue is the emotional desire to continue being cared for in many ways. Once I fully call on that inner strength, my physical recovery will quickly follow.

[For those wanting more details, I've shared a bit more below...but, as I stated above, these physical symptoms are coming from an emotional imbalance.]

My cure from lyme disease was brought about by some incredible cutting-edge science education, research, and experimentation. The healing I was gaining came from consistent testing and monitoring of my body, making adjustments in my diet to bring about a more balanced body. I was continually moving more in the direction of a balanced body, but then we went through a lot of life changes (which included a cross-country move) and the tools I was using to monitor my body were no longer accessible. This is what has slowed things down, but we are working on getting everything unpacked and set up so that I can continue rebalancing my body.

Looking over the last health update I shared with everyone, I can see that I’ve definitely been moving more in the direction of better health. For one thing, I can fully dress myself (I only need assistance with one very fitted winter coat). The range of motion in my shoulders has greatly improved (physical therapy helped a lot), and most people won’t notice the little bit of motion restriction (where in the beginning, everyone noticed since I wasn’t able to move my arms much at all).

My weight gain, brought about from the lyme disease creating Hoshimoto’s Disease (thyroid), and also reactivating the Epstein Barr virus, has actually increased a bit more. I’m now about 35 pounds heavier than I was before I became unwell. I do know I’ll get back to a healthy weight, and regain my energy, but sometimes I wonder if this weight gain has come so that I can learn even more about releasing excess weight in order to better inspire others.

Muscle has returned to my arms, so that’s a great thing! There is still some sagging skin from the initial muscle loss, but I know that will clear up once my body is rebalanced and fully healthy again. Something else that hasn’t been very firm over the past two years is my ability to remain positive. It seems I’ve become a tad pessimistic at times, and even taken on the attributes of a complainer a lot of the time. So, that’s a challenge I’m eager to overcome, as well!

The biggest physical challenge I’ve been dealing with is poor digestion. Raw foods were not digesting well at all, and in fact seemed like they were rotting in my stomach. So, I was eating some cooked vegan foods which felt good in my tummy. Every time I tried to eat only raw foods, the pain in my stomach returned, along with the rotting food sensation. Well, after a few months of having better digestion with cooked foods, I began to experience digestion problems even with the simple cooked foods. Adding raw foods just made things worse. So, I tried a bit of a water cleanse, followed by mega doses of food-derived vitamins, minerals, and protein. I’ve been regaining my energy, and much more. The disease left my body depleted of a lot of essential things, especially minerals. So, now I am rebuilding and feeling better every day.

Will I continue to consume cooked foods, however, once I’m healed? Not really (although I have promised my friend Mamta that I *will* eat her love-filled cooked Indian food when we are together again). It was remarkable to me that after so many years consuming solely 100% raw, organic, vegan foods that I didn’t become sick to my stomach when I ate cooked food (maybe because I was only consuming simple cooked veggies, though).

Once my body is able to digest raw foods again, I’ll go back to my pre-lyme diet of 100% organic raw foods. I’ll have the necessary tools and training, however, to keep an eye on my body’s balance so I can know if anything is getting out of balance (so I will never become susceptible to any diseases in the future). We’ll talk more about consuming cooked foods, or animal foods (I only consumed dairy as a means to heal), to rebalance the body in the coming months. Being dogmatic and sticking to a diet when it’s actually contributing to your ill health can be a big mistake. I had to get over my dogmatic belief that 100% raw, organic, vegan foods are the cure-all for everything. Although I do believe that a raw, vegan diet is ideal for me when I have a *fully healthy* body, I did find healing in consuming some dairy and cooked vegan meals.

Many times we are asked about our grocery bill—how much do we spend each month on eating a raw, vegan diet? It’s not something that’s easy to answer, though. If we just blurted the amount out, people would be shocked (at a minimum) and insist that there’s no way possible they could ever eat a raw diet because they can’t afford it.

Our monthly expense at the grocery store has continued to climb since I first began eating raw foods. At this point, now that Jim is eating 100% raw, as well, our monthly expense has more than doubled from the time when it was only me eating 100%. That’s a huge increase in money being spent each month. But, you know what? It’s okay! Yes, I said it’s okay that our expense has more than doubled and I’ll tell you why after you take a look at what we purchased last week for our home.

We normally buy even more bananas, but they were all green and we figured we’d go back in a few days to see if any ripe ones were available. On the kitchen table (which is our fruit table–we eat at our dining room table) we have bananas, avocados, grapefruit (three more bags in the fridge), tomatoes (they didn’t have many nice tomatoes at the store, or else you’d see more here), apples (there are more apples on another counter, as well), oranges (two more bags in the fridge), and kiwi fruits.

Packing the fridge isn’t always easy. We’ve got it down to a system that works pretty well most of the time, however. I put produce that stays fresh the longest in the back of the fridge. Here are some items that you don’t see, since they are behind everything else: cauliflower, three bags of kale, four heads of romaine, two heads of green leaf lettuce, six beets, four Thai coconuts, collard greens, oranges, apples, more celery and carrots, dates, raisins, nuts and seeds (which we also store in the freezer, as well). In the front you’ll see about 20 cucumbers, two bunches of broccoli, six bunches of baby bok choi, some more kale, pears, some apples, carrots, celery, sugar snap peas, snow peas, ten sweet peppers (red, yellow, and orange), four packs of blueberries, a large pack of strawberries, a few cooked items KDcat picked up at the hot food bar at the co-op, three bags of lemons, three bags of shredded coconut, and a plastic container with scraps that we use for feeding our dog, Julia. We also have a few small containers of leftovers from the previous shopping trip.

Yes, that’s a lot of food for only three people (our dog eats some of the produce with us, too). We finish just about all of it in seven to eight days. If we lived closer to the food co-op, we’d shop daily. However, this is what has been working for us. To keep the greens fresh, I make sure to empty all excess water from the bags and then I tie them up so that air is trapped inside. This has worked well for me for many years. All of the produce is organic, so it’s important for me to keep it as fresh as possible—some of the nonorganic produce has chemicals on it to keep it from spoiling too fast.

In the door (see that it has been taped—because we stuff it too full!), you’ll see some other items we use. In the doors are bags of date pieces that Jim loves to snack on. On the shelves are things like nut butters, oils, hemp seeds, carob powder, soy sauce, hemp protein powder, seeds, and we also keep scallions and cilantro (and other fresh herbs) tucked on these shelves, as well. We didnt’ take picture of it, but the freezer holds more nuts and seeds, as well as frozen fruit for smoothies.

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So, why did I say it’s okay that our grocery bill has more than doubled over the past year? Because look at what we are buying: fresh, ripe, organic LIFE! Who can put a price on life? I sure can’t. Before eating this way I was ill. My body was struggling for survival. I wasn’t only obese because I had a lot of fat that was protecting my cells from toxins, I was also retaining massive amounts of water (edema) because my body was desperately trying to protect itself. My list of physical ill health was a mile long: obesity, arrhythmia, insulin resistance, PCOS, high cholesterol (even though I was vegan!), high triglycerides, depression, extreme fatigue, debilitating migraines,  edema, scaly and red skin, and so much more. When I changed my diet to one of only raw, vegan foods (I was already 100% organic for many years), all of those health issues disappeared. I was given life again. I woke up from the half-life I had been living and blossomed into someone truly alive in more ways than I can ever explain.

Who can put a price on that? Isn’t life vital?! Without a vital, healthy body we can never truly experience life. For those of you who are just learning about raw foods, just beginning your journeys, trust me when I say that you have not felt how beautifully vibrant and healthy you can be. For those of you who are now experiencing the wake up from the half-life you’ve lived on cooked foods, and those of you who are fully awake, please leave a comment to acknowledge that what I’m saying is the truth. With a raw food diet you become ALIVE!

Anyway, back to the expense of eating this way. Yes, it can be quite expensive—especially if you eat raw foods the way we do (buying whatever we feel like eating, even if it’s extremely expensive). I’m not saying eating a raw, vegan diet has to be so expensive, however. You can limit your food selections to those that are in season and therefore less expensive. You can have the bulk of your diet consist of less expensive fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds and not purchase many organics. There ARE ways to cut back on grocery expenses (and I hope many of you will share tips here, for those looking to eat more raw on a very tight budget).

Let’s talk about your food budget, however. How much have you allocated to your weekly/monthly food intake? What ways have you found to cut back on the amount you are spending on your food expenses? I’m asking this not because I want to find out how little someone can spend, it’s because I want you to take a good look at how much effort you have possibly put into keeping your food budget to a minimum. It’s a lot of work to do that, as most of you will agree. I’d like to pose a question here, however: Have you ever considered putting more effort into cutting back on EVERY OTHER expense and allowing your food budget to become a priority? Isn’t your health—your very existence, your life—priceless?

To me, the food I take in allows my body to thrive. My goal in life is to THRIVE! I want to be filled with health, vibrant life! If the groceries I buy help me meet that goal, then buying groceries is my number one priority in life. Yes, my number one priority in life is groceries! To many, maybe that sounds pathetic or obsessive. To me, however, I know that without eating a raw, vegan diet my body will slip back into the half-life I was living. I will begin the steep slope into a diseased body and my goal of thriving will be impossible. It’s easy for me to place my priority on the foods I eat!

We’ve been spending an average of about $2,500 a month on groceries (this includes the nuts/seeds/produce for our raw, vegan dog, as well—that’s a subject we’ll cover another day). If you are mathematically inclined, you may have already realized that we’re spending about $30,000 per year to eat this way. In order to spend $30,000, an individual would have to earn about $40,000 before taxes. And here we’re only talking about the expense of our food! We haven’t even added in other expenses. Are there ways around this expense? Yes! But, they may seem a bit radical for many.

Since I’ve made a commitment to dedicate my life to the raw food movement (I want others to feel vibrant and fully alive, as well!), and Jim has joined me in this commitment, we are in the long process of severing the corporate/societal ties that are keeping us trapped in the common must-make-lots-of-money-to-survive way of living. Over the past four years we have been cutting back on expenses, preparing for this major shift (that I didn’t fully understand at the time—I was just following my intuition). I made paying off our debt a big part of our budget. We cut back on our expenses in as many ways as possible. We don’t spend money on unnecessary things: cable television, sattelite dishes, cell phones, a second car (and therefore extra car insurance and expenses), new clothes on a regular basis (we mostly buy only as needed—and items are usually either on clearance or from a thrift store), eating out at restaurants, buying new possessions (it’s just more stuff that keeps us tethered to this way of living), credit cards (why go into debt for things you don’t need for survival?), superfluous gift giving (we used to equate elaborate gift giving with showing love), and so much more.

Once our home sells, we’ll begin our cross-country RV tour to spread the word about the vitality of the raw food diet. At that point, we will no longer have a steady income from corporate America. We will have, however, true freedom to follow our dreams. There’s a saying that things will work out if you follow your passions and live your dreams, so we’re testing that. With an extremely limited budget, how will we afford $30,000 a year on groceries? We don’t know, yet! We do know, however, that our number one priority is the best possible produce for our bodies. So, it will be interesting to see how we juggle our lives to meet that priority.

Selling our home will be necessary (and is one of the radical things I mentioned, above), so that we can have the funds available for the cross-country tour and to purchase some land. We’ll eventually settle in a climate where we can grow our own produce year-round, which will be a very big part of meeting our priority on a tight budget. We’ll adapt, making the changes necessary to continually meet our priority of having the best possible produce. Again, who can put a price on life? We’ll do everything possible to continue living a vibrant existance (and helping others to do so, as well)!

What are your thoughts on all of this? What is your number one priority right now?

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Note from Jim:

Just to clarify:  Since we’re leaving “Corporate America” rather suddenly in favor of a free agent lifestyle, we do anticipate a coming period during which our budget will in fact be tight. That’s just reality. However, we’re in no way stating that our intention is to exist continually that way. We do not feel that there is anything at all wrong with prosperity, or that one must live with less in order to be healthy. (“Prosperity” is just a word, after all, indicating that one is doing well, often connoting financial well being in particular.) Rather, the question is: If you’re fortunate enough to be prosperous, how do you use that prosperity? How are you placing that prosperity into service for others? So, while some of our goals are ostensibly acquisitive in nature (e.g., acquiring land, which is quite expensive in the locale we’re considering) or costly in nature (e.g., having enough money to travel the world in order to meet similar-minded people and bring you continued coverage and information from them),  we’re approaching the topic of prosperity with what we feel is the highest level of integrity and responsibility in terms of the message Pure Jeevan intends to spread, regardless of whatever our level of fianncial capacity turns out to be.

Are raw foodists invincible to the common cold? I have to admit that I kind of assumed that was the case. If it’s true, at what point does the invincibility kick in? I’ve been raw for over three years (over two at 100%) and yet the past few days have found me overcome with sneezing, sore throat, runny nose, and fatigue.

My first thought, once my throat started to hurt, was: “Did I eat anything different recently that I’m reacting to in a negative way?” But, nothing had changed. My diet is relatively clean, with the exception of the times when I consume too much nut dip. So, when the sneezing and runny nose were added to the sore throat, I knew something else was going on. I had to admit it: ”I’m not invincible.”

Sure, my ego struggled with it for a bit. I wanted to pretend I wasn’t feeling unwell. However, my body couldn’t hide the fact that I was, indeed, sick. How did it happen, though? How can someone with such a wonderful diet get sick? Well, here’s what I’ve come to finally understand: HEALTH ISN’T ONLY ABOUT WHAT YOU EAT and/or DON’T EAT.

Once the realization fully sunk in, it lead me to figuring out what was going on with my body. If my diet wasn’t the weak link that allowed me to become unwell, I wanted to figure out what was (because, I admit it, I don’t like being unwell and I want to prevent a future illness if at all possible! I WANT to be invincible!). 

Health doesn’t only come from our diet, and I really do know and understand that. Somewhere along the line, however, I allowed diet to seem like it was the ultimate regulator of health. Sure, it’s an incredibly important and large part of health, but it’s not the only thing that keeps us strong, healthy, and happy. Intuitively I knew what was going on: stress was causing my immune system to become compromised.

Stress can come from all kinds of places (inside and outside the body). In my case, it was coming from both. My body is under the near constant stress of living in an environment that doesn’t provide adequate sunshine for health. On top of that, the air quality in Pittsburgh is quite poor at times (even though it’s ”clean” compared to when the city was truly a steel-producing town). I’m working on eliminating this stress as soon as possible (once our home sells). Until then, the most I can do is get away whenever possible (which we recently did by visiting the Florida Keys). The internal stress, however, is something over which I have a lot of control.

My internal stress is coming from a few different things. The first is my mental attitude about still being in Pittsburgh when I’ve been ready to move away for over a year. I thought we’d be settled in a warm climate by now, one with beautiful daily sunshine, clean air, and a self-sustaining garden. When it’s extra dreary and cold here in Pittsburgh, it sometimes brings me down a bit. I become frustrated that I’m still “stuck” here in this place I no longer want to be living. [Side note here, Pittsburgh is actually a very beautiful city, with a lot of cultural opportunities and nice people.] It’s easy to rid myself of this stress–once I acknowledge that I’m doing everything possible at this point to make the move a reality, I can simply just accept that there’s nothing more I can do and be at peace with the way things are. It’s a choice, really: Do I choose to be frustrated or can I enjoy myself while I’m waiting for this one change to happen?

The second stress comes from changing the balance that’s best for me. In Ayurvedic medicine, I’m considered a Pitta Dosha. Pitta people tend to be a bit active, organizing and managing projects, among other things. I’m balanced when I am true to my nature, surrounding myself with mental stimulation and purpose. When we went away to Florida, however, I purposely forced myself to *not* think about anything. I wanted a break from my normal routine, which is probably a good thing since I was actually not giving myself much quiet/meditative time over the past few months. However, once we left Florida I found myself still “on break” from my projects. I was getting by, doing as little as possible, and found myself feeling quite lazy. Living at such a slow pace for a couple of weeks put my dosha balance into a more Kapha state than my natural Pitta one). Too much Kapha brings with it a tendency for colds and congestion. So, this morning I used a neti pot to flush my sinuses, forced myself to get moving a bit more, and started jotting down notes for things I want to work on once my energy is fully returned. This evening I am feeling so much better–too much of a good thing (even if it’s a vacation) isn’t always the best thing.

Another stress is that over the past few months I’ve been focusing so much on Pure Jeevan projects, I haven’t been taking time for myself to have fun. Yes, I enjoy the work I’m doing because I know it’s helping a lot of people (now and in the future, as we move forward on our many projects), but it’s not the same as playful fun or laughter with loved ones. I’ve made a mental note that I need to make sure I’m saving time for play in my life on a daily basis. Life is for fun, even though I’m on a mission to help others. I need to not miss out on having fun–I can help others and still find time to laugh, as well.

I’m so thankful that my dear friend, Rawbin, took time from her busy life to stop by and brighten up my life. Rawbin has a way of waking up my playful side and I always find myself filled with love, happiness, and most of all laughter when she and I are together. Spending time with friends, even if it’s for a short period of time, can really raise one’s spirits which brings about tremendous health benefits! I’m feeling so much better after Rawbin’s visit!

What about you? Are you healthy in all areas of your life right now? If yes, please share ways you care for yourself on all levels. If not, can you see some areas of your life that you can change to bring about a greater sense of health and well being?