Committing to Health

June. It’s such a fickle month. I’ve been trying to find a word other than fickle, but the shoe fits.

Here in Portland the weather can’t decide whether its spring or winter. That’s right, I said winter. Forget the fact that June is actually the first month of summer. Today I bravely started the day in a skirt and sandals and was back in boots at noon. By early evening I was wishing I had worn tights.

And the fitful frenzy of the season has found its way into my decisiveness. This is the first month since the start of the new year that I haven’t held firm to my commitment to write and send a newsletter each week. Instead this month (while I must admit that I’ve also been tied up in projects past, present and future), I’ve been swayed by the seasonal ambivalence. Do I want to write about the last of the asparagus that I could eat in heaps like some people eat french fries? Or do I want to focus on the rich morels that flash into the markets for a fleeting appearance each spring? Do I want to share my new favorite smoothie recipe? Or do I want to write about how nerves effect digestion?

The problem was that I wanted to write about all of those things. I started each story in my head, refining sentences in the shower as I tend to do; buying ingredients for recipes, actually making the recipes, eating and enjoying them; researching to better understand why my knotted stomach before a big event this week caused my intestines to feel like they were upside down and knotted. I wanted to write every single story and yet I wanted to write none of them.

The struggle has lead me to consider the meaning of commitment. Writing a newsletter each week is a commitment that I made to myself and in many ways, to you. It’s funny, in my practice I am less interested in compliance than I am in commitment. I can give someone a step-by-step protocol to follow ~ and for some of us that’s exactly what’s needed. Yet what I’m really aiming for is the blossom of commitment. In the situation of compliance, you might be doing what you’re doing for me or to follow the rules. But where there is commitment, there is complete ownership of change and alignment with your ultimate goals.

In preparation for the Tick Tock Detox I sent out a survey to all participants. The first question asked people to express their main goals and gave 10 possible responses.
Number 1 response: Enhanced performance and energy in all aspects of life
Number 2 response: Lose weight

and
Number 10 response: Learn how to tap in to my body’s wisdom

Yet the change that is happening for those detoxers (over 100 of them!) is phenomenal. Yes, many of them are losing significant weight and experiencing better sleep and increased energy. But what I’m seeing emerge on the message board is an understanding of how good food fuels them and makes them feel. How certain foods might not sit right in their body, even though traditionally deemed healthy. And how short term compliance may very well turn into a long term commitment now that they’ve learned to tap into their body’s wisdom. Aside from the flat bellies and the delicious recipes, I’m not sure whether motivating this ticket to commitment is a bigger gift to the detoxers or to me. Their commitment has been a tremendous inspiration to me.

Because the detox has been met with such huge success, we’re launching Take 2 of the Tick Tock Detox this week. This is the road map that will lead you to your own feel-great commitment to change.

Here are two messages I received yesterday from current detoxers:

I go to Barre3 and have been doing the cleanse. I have lost 10 pounds and feel amazing. I simply cannot believe how good I feel!
I should tell you my husband and I are both doing the detox and it is one of the most wonderful things we have done together. Of course, he is losing weight on top of feeling great. While I have not lost weight I am still feeling great, staying positive and learning from my body.

To read more notes from detoxers and to learn more about the Tick Tock Detox and what it can do for you, click right here. Consider joining us for Take 2 starting this week and making the commitment to yourself that you’ve been waiting for.

This is a motivating group. They got me to look my fear of commitment right in the face. Speaking of non-committal June, a client this week reminded me that June is the month of Gemini. In astrology, Geminis are thought to have a dual nature, symbolized by the twins. The sign of Gemini can be considered adaptable and flexible, sometimes to the point of being two different personalities. But she also reminded me that June is the #1 month for commitments ~ its the most popular month for weddings.

Go figure. Like I said, fickle. I know I’m relieved to have renewed my vow of commitment.

Warmly,

what else is on my plate this month?

Get Up & Go Smoothie

Serves 2 to 3
Ingredients:

2 cups water or coconut water

8 pitted prunes (if hard, soak them overnight)

2 medium frozen bananas*

1/4 cup chia seeds

1 large handful of spinach, chopped

2 tablespoons almond or sunflower butter

10 – 15 drops vanilla stevia

pinch sea salt

ice cubes (optional)
Preparation

If you don’t have a high speed blender, pour the chia seeds into the water and allow them to sit there while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. This will soften them for blending. One by one add the remaining ingredients, blending between each addition so that you can achieve a smooth consistency.

If you have a high-speed blender like a Vitamix or a Blendtec, everything can go into the blender at once and blend on high.

To freeze bananas, first peel them. Slice them in half. And store in an airtight container or freezer bag. This way they are ready to go for smoothie-making.

Asparagus Recipe Flow-Chart by Mark Bittman

An awesome list of ways to rock these veggies.

Swords and Snacks

Yesterday, during a photo shoot, my son and I ended up sword-fighting with asparagus spears with morel slices at their base. And the end of that photo session I laid the asparagus and sliced morels on a cookie sheet, rubbed them with some olive oil. Added some chopped garlic and sprinkled the whole tray with sea salt. I roasted the mixture for about 8-10 minutes at 400F and yum. A heavenly afternoon snack.

By: Andrea Nakayama, FxNA Founder & Functional Medicine Nutritionist

Functional Nutrition Alliance provides the comprehensive online Functional Nutrition training in the Science & Art of the Functional Nutrition practice. Learn to address the roots of your clients’ suffering with client education, diet & lifestyle modifications.