We’re in the middle of a seven part series on Super Simple Snoozing Strategies, and I’d love to hear how it’s been going for you? Are you finding more time to sleep? Have you found cravings are diminished when you get your z’s?

Post a comment and let me know!

In episode 76 I share the story of my client who suffered from social anxiety, especially at parties where she knew few people, and she would console herself with food and wine.

She then made a simple change. She set her intent to have fun at a party, and low and behold, she had a great time focused on the people, and dancing the night away.

Where have you set intent? Post a comment and let us know.

Inside Out Weight Loss Episode 73 asks you to write down your values and priorities, then keep a time diary to see if how you spend your time lines up with your values and priorities.

Why? Because so many of us say we just don’t have enought time for sleep, or self care in general. We are too busy with work, commute, family, volunteering, etc. to fit it all in.

But given each of us has the same 24 hours in a day, how is some people manage to take great care of themselves and others don’t?  It’s all about priorities.  “I don’t have time” is another way of saying “it’s not a priority for me.”

What do you value most?  Do your priorities reflect your values?  Do you spend your time on your priorities?  Post a comment here and let us know!

Here’s a report on recent research that strongly suggests meditation helps us have more positive thoughts, as well as better regulate our emotions. Sounds like a deal to me… http://www.brainmysteries.com/research/How_to_build_a_bigger_brain.asp

And BTW, Holosync, a show sponsor, does have a very good product for helping “stuck in your head types” go quickly into a deep, restorative state of meditation.   www.meditatefree.com for a free demo CD.

Renee,I love your podcast and eagerly await the next episode. Your way of thinking resonates with me, linking itself to what I’ve learned as a psychology major, a mother, and as a Christian.

–Emily

I’ve had two people approach me in the last two days asking for advice on healthy and easy meals for kids. So I guess it’s time I shared a few of my family’s favorites.   I have to confess I make a huge portion and we eat the same thing a few nights in a row, but you could also freeze the extra for a future no-fuss meal.  This one is my healthy take on a British classic, Shepherd’s pie. It’s probably the longest prep time of all my standards (about 45 min plus cook time), but worth it if you make a big one.

And btw, measurements are approximate, I’m afraid. I do it by taste and feel when I’m cooking.  And yes, I use whole milk. Saturated fat gets a bad rap. Whole milk tastes better and is much more satisfying. Plus, kids use saturated fat for growth. Finally, use organic when you can, but convetional will work too.  After all, convetionally grown fruit and veg is better than no fruit and veg!

Renee’s Healthy, Yummy Shepherd’s Pie

Potato Topping

4 pounds organic yukon gold potatoes, chopped into large chunks for boiling (the smaller the chunks, the quicker they cook)
1 cup organic whole milk
1 T organic butter
1 T sea salt
fresh ground pepper to taste

“Pie” Base

Grape seed oil or other high smoke point oil such as peanut oil (ideally from a can or other opaque container), for sautéing
6 large cloves organic garlic, chopped
1lb ground, free-range turkey
2-15 oz cans canellini beans, drained
1-15 oz can organic chopped tomatoes, or more to taste
3 organic zucchini, chopped into bite-size chunks
Handful of fresh organic basil, chopped
2 organic onions, chopped
2 organic carrots, peeled and chopped into bite-size chunks
2 T organic cumin

Preheat oven to 350F.

Bring a large pot of filtered water to boil.  Add potatoes and salt and bring back to a low boil. Cook for approximately 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and drain most, but not all, of the water.

While the potatoes are cooking, spray oil to coat a roasting pan. Heat oil over medium heat in large frying pan. Add about 1 T oil. when oil is warm, sauté onions, carrots and cumin until just tender, then pour into the roasting pan.  Add a bit more oil to the pan and sauté the zucchini until crisp-tender, then add to the roasting pan.  Add a bit more oil to pan. When oil is warm, add garlic and sauté for about a minute.  Add turkey meat, and sauté until not-quite cooked through, then add to the roasting pan. Add beans, tomatoes and basil to the roasting pan and mix all ingredients well.

Put the potatoes over medium heat and add milk, butter and about 1 t sea salt and freshly ground pepper.  Mash potatoes, adding more milk if needed to achieve a good consistency.

Spread potatoes over vegtable-turkey mixture.  Sprinkle with paprika then bake for about 40 minutes, or until edges bubble.

IOWL gets a mention on in this article 100 Best Blogs for Healthy, Home-Cooked Meals” (http://www.pharmacy-technician-certification.com/?page_id=62), which includes tons of links to resources and recipes. Enjoy!

Recently I heard stories from several friends of mine about how their businesses are thriving.  Two friends who are coaches have practices that are growing like crazy as they help more and more people, and another friend in PR is chocker-block with happy new clients.

If we let it, most news will have us feeling bad in no time. And I have to confess, I have not been immune of late.   But as the Rev. Michael Beckwith says, we can also see negative news stories as prayer requests.  So I’m on a campaign, starting with me, and now maybe you too, to send those prayers, and let the positive stories remind me that we absolutely can create and share abundance at any time.

I invite you to use this space to share inspirational stories of those who have created their own personal experiences of abundance. But be careful, it’s catchy!

I started listening the beginning of December and did great for 3 weeks or so. I wasn’t so much focused on good foods and bad, but only eating when I was hungry. I truly felt like a naturally slender person and it felt great. I have been 5 - 20 pounds overweight since maybe 12 or 13 years old and have always wanted to shed this weight and be like “everyone else”…or so I thought. Never a big fan of exercise but I’ve done Weight Watchers several times, losing about half of my “goal” weight loss and then stopping the program. I started listening again this week after a small weight gain - and more disturbing to me- being obsessed with food. Always grazing….and never listening to whether or not my body was truly hungry. Every morning I hoped to do it differently but gee, it was end of March and that still hadn’t happened. I found myself feeling very angry listening to those early podcasts - and even felt anger when I was downloading and saw THREE new podcasts about exercise. Something inside of me was very angry!

As I was listening on my way to work yesterday about a “part of me” not really wanting to be naturally slender, I dismissed it and thought “that’s not me” just as I did the first I time I heard it in December. But I tried to think about it anyway…and much to my surprise my eyes were opened!! And I am so excited I just can’t wait to tell you!

I grew up in family where weight and bodies were very important. My mother was very slender - and my father preferred her that way and my father also always had his weight under control. There were always comments and jokes about larger people. Both of my parents when in their 40’s were into jogging and staying phsycially fit. My older brothers as well were into track and field, and only dated girls who were also phsycially fit. I hate to say it but an overweight girl did not meet their standards. So here I am, child #3 and daughter #1 with a controlling mother and an alcoholic father and I begin gaining weight at age 12 or 13. And I feel somewhat…..unacceptable to my family. (No one taught me to eat differently and I’m not sure that would’ve helped regardless) I felt “shamed” by my family that I was overweight and probably was an embarassment to them. I got the message that good people were slim and exercised. If you didn’t love to exercise you were lazy. And the exercise wasn’t “activity” you enjoyed, it was for the purpose of being “good” and “disciplined”.

To continue, as I go through my teen age years with a controlling mother I struggled to be independent of her thinking and views - and I don’t think I was quite free of that struggle until I was about 30 years old. So…….if I were to lose this weight and become naturally slender, wouldn’t I become what THEY wanted - or want - me to be? Wouldn’t I be giving up my independence and sense of self that I worked so hard in therapy and groups to gain? If I became naturally slender, how would I feel when those comments about the “nicer looking body” or whatever were made? I would cringe inside at the thought of my body finally being “acceptable” to them as I want to be acceptable to myself without allowing myself to even THINK about the “standards” of others. And wouldn’t I feel I had “lost” myself? So what am I getting out of holding onto these 5 - 15 pounds?? I guess I am holding onto my sense of self by “not conforming” to my family.

Renee, this makes so much sense to me - and I hope it does to you! I know I have a lot further to go with this, but I was hoping it might help other IOWLer’s in their struggles. I wish I would’ve read something like this, it would’ve helped me so much. Feel free to use my little breakthrough story however you would like - and thank you for your work and your girft to the world!!

Mary

I’ve just finished a seven part series on Easy Exercise Motivation (that’s a record for IOWL!), and I’d love to hear how its affected your exercise routine.

Are you moving more?

Are you lazy and proud of it?

Have you “chunked down” what qualifies as a workout?

I’d love to hear! Post a comment to share.