Day #3: TRU 21-day detox/weight loss program

Well, I made it through Monday, thanks to that massive food organization project I undertook Sunday night.  I am now convinced that Tuesday through Friday will work out just fine.  In just three days, I've gone from a fear of constant hunger through a fog of laborious details to believing that this program is actually possible.  While my mind was doing three days of the aforementioned gymnastics, my body was just taking in its new routines.

In fact, my energy level and focus - for a Monday in particular - has been impressive.  I got more done today and was happier in the process than I've been in a while.

And, for those who are interested (like the three people in the kitchen at work who saw my lunch and wanted the recipe for my curried cauliflower soup) the mushroom soup is now ready to go.  I need just one more entree to make it through the week - and may use my 1/2 cup daily brown rice as the fall back, along with a pile 'o vegetables.

Three days down - 18 to go!

Cheers,

Ruth

Ruth A. Cochran, MS, LAPC, NCC

Day #2: TRU 21-day detox/weight loss program

Getting healthy kept me busy today!

At 9PM I still had cooking to do for the week (one lentil salad down, one mushroom soup to go) - but I'm not complaining, because all the food is delicious AND my evening in the kitchen was preceded by a visit to JeJu Sauna near Gwinnett Place Mall for a salt sauna, steam and an exfoliating scrub.  A return visit is in the works already.

Tomorrow, the work week begins, which will be the real test of my staying power with the cleanse.

Stay tuned!

Ruth

Ruth A. Cochran, MS, LAPC, NCC

Day #1: TRU 21-day detox/weight loss program

“Want is a thing that unfurls unbidden, like fungus, opening large upon itself, stopless, filling the sky.  But needs, from one day to the next, are few enough to fit in a bucket, with room enough to rattle like brittlebush in a dry wind.” ~ Barbara Kingsolver, High Tide in Tucson

 Welcome to my world: I’m on this 21-day cleanse designed to detoxify the body and support weight loss.  For the first 10 days, we eat only Standard Process protein shakes, fiber capsules, cleanse capsules, and unlimited fruits and vegetables (maintaining a 2-1 ratio of veggies to fruit).

 I won’t share any more statistics, like how much I weigh or my body fat percentage.  This is, after all, a blog, and disclosing that kind of information seems akin to standing naked in front of a bathroom mirror in a very public and dressed-up place, like the symphony on a Saturday night.  Suffice it to say that thanks to a demanding schedule and a delightfully permissive diet, I could stand to shed more than a few inches.

Initially, the list of foods allowed on this cleanse worried me.  It's not that it seemed too short - it just seemed to be missing a few items.  I’m no stranger to elimination diets, but I’ve never been without meat or nuts or tofu or something that seemed filling, in a pinch.  Now, unless I cheat, I am going to have to forsake all those familiar safety nets.  However, when I open my refrigerator, I see a formidable garden!  I think I may have gotten a bit carried away at the store.  Asparagus spears are elbowing the bell peppers for space on the bottom shelf, crowding in front of three bowls of baby greens.  The top shelf is arrayed with seemingly every variety of melon known to humankind.  It’s becoming abundantly clear to me that I'm not going to starve, or be hungry, or even feel deprived.  Every time I turn around, it’s time to eat more vegetables!

I did feel a bit foggy today, unmoored from my habit of morning tea and whatever at all I want to eat, whether a virtuous bowl of oatmeal or a big Southern breakfast.  I spent the morning running errands and mentally cataloging every eating establishment on my route, fast and slow and in-between; I never realized just how many restaurants lie in wait, like sirens in a rocky cove.  However, I made it home safely in time for lunch, and this is what I made:

East Indian Curried Cauliflower Soup

½ small onion, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon curry powder
¼ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper
1 lb. cauliflower
2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon coriander seeds (optional garnish)

Cook the onion in the oil in a saucepot over medium-high heat until soft.  Add the curry powder, turmeric, paprika, salt and pepper and cook for an additional minute.  Add the cauliflower and broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, cover and let cook about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool; Puree.  Put the coriander seeds in a small cast-iron skillet on medium-high, stirring occasionally until they brown.

Serve chilled or warm with coriander seeds as garnish; makes 3-4 portions.
~ Recipe adapted from Pulse it up!  Your guide to unlock the power of food

Delicious, if I do say so myself.  Whew.  20 days to go.

Ruth A. Cochran, MS, LAPC, NCC is a psychotherapist at TRU Integrative Health & Wellness in Atlanta, GA.  Ruth works with individuals and couples; her therapeutic focus involves helping clients gain insight into limiting self-perceptions and behavior patterns to manage stress, create new meaning, and achieve the clarity, balance and interpersonal effectiveness they are seeking. Ruth approaches therapy collaboratively, using mindfulness and meditation as central tools for awareness-building and transforming moment-to-moment experience.

Ruth practices under the direction of Kathryn Truax, LPC and the clinical supervision of Annie Kelahan, ATR, LPC.

Don't forget to show yourself some love this Valentine's Day.

It’s February, the month that reminds us all about cards, candy, teddy bears, flowers, the colors pink and red, and most of all love. As you prepare for February 14^th who are you thinking about? Are you preparing something special for your partner? Maybe preparing a great night with close friends? Are you looking to do something nice for your kids? I suspect that none of you identified thinking about doing something for yourself. Our focus this month is typically on romantic love, but I thought it was important to take a few minutes and shift that focus to self love.

In this world where we tend to be pulled in so many directions we often forget to care for and love ourselves. It isn’t easy to balance romantic relationships, family, friends, children, and the myriad of day to day responsibilities, and still have much time for ourselves at the end of the day. So many of us seem to put ourselves last. When was the last time you spent some quality time with yourself ? What about the last time you did something that was just for you? Do you enjoy your own company when you are alone? Do you love yourself?

I was inspired to write about self love because I think it is so important yet so often overlooked. In my work with parents, couples, and families, I so often see how we put ourselves aside and give to everyone around us leaving ourselves depleted. Many people struggle with focusing on themselves because they feel that they are being selfish. This is not the case.

Think about it. How can we accept that someone else loves us if we don’t love ourselves? How can we take care of those around us if we are feeling so depleted and tired? The truth is that we can’t. We need to take care of ourselves in order for us to be in a place where we can effectively care for others.

So this Valentine’s Day I want you to take a little bit of time to think about yourself as well. Do something that fulfills and rejuvenates you. Put yourself at the top of your list. This may look different for each of you. Maybe it’s treating yourself to a massage, or just 15 minutes of quiet time to yourself. It may even consist of finally making the doctor’s appointment you needed to so you can begin to take care of yourself. Maybe you realize that you struggle a bit with the way you feel about yourself and can start the journey to falling in love with you. Remember that just like it is important to show those around us that we love them all year long (not just on Valentine’s Day) it is important that we take care of and love ourselves all year long too.

So what are you going to do to show yourself some self love?

-Claudia Glassman, MS.Ed,LMFT- Claudia Glassman, LMFT is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist specializing in children, adolescents, and their families.

Attract the 2012 Your Heart Desires!

"The beautiful thing about having and intention is that it gives all the energy in your life a point of focus to gather around. Energy is free flowing until it is given a focus. 
It is well know that where attention goes, energy flows. Think of intention as a constant rallying point and place of focus."


- Mastin Kipp


Last Friday evening, TRU Integrative Health and Wellness hosted our first Vision Board Workshop. The workshop was attended by five women of varying ages and backgrounds, and was designed to be a way to support these women in creating a new vision for their lives in 2012 and beyond, free from limiting beliefs, destructive thoughts, and other intrapersonal insecurities.

Vision boards have been a powerful tool the practitioners here at TRU have used successfully personally as well as in various other facets of our lives.  Understanding that our own inner thoughts and feelings determine our experiences we wanted to share our passion for vision boards with our community as well, and help workshop participants set their own intentions and begin manifesting their heart's desires.  

 A vision board is like a visual affirmation. Something that has excited you in a past moment can bring that same exciting energy back every time you meditate on it; that energy is then launched into the future to manifest the thing that has excited you or a desired goal. Anything from a larger practice to financial prosperity can be displayed on a vision board to be meditated upon. By placing the items we desire to attract into our lives on a vision board, we set our intentions toward that thing. Our intentions then become like ripples in the pond, reaching out to attract back to you what you desire. 

The following are some tips you can use to create your own vision board. When creating, it is important to be in an excited yet relaxed state of mind. Get  into a "good feeling" place. We use neuro-linguistic  programming incorporated into a guided meditation in our practice. This is done because the mind responds powerfully to metaphor and images. At home, you can choose from a variety of mediums including guided meditations, personal meditation, prayer, or inspiring music to help you achieve this state. A vision board possesses its greatest potential to manifest when it is energized by good feelings and happy emotions.

Begin by choosing words, phrases and pictures to represent the life you desire. Decorate your boards with pictures from magazines, clip art, and words and phrases that inspire and motivate you. The images on a vision board will constantly connect to your inborn desires for a better and happy life. The actual images and pictures on the vision board will then help to change old limiting mental images and beliefs. The process of creating the board will help you get really clear and focused on what you want.

Once you complete your board, share it with others and ask them to get excited with you to amplify your personal energies towards creating your goals. Every thought, feeling, word, and action we express carries a vibration, and every vibration attracts to it things of "like" energy. In every moment we are attracting to us based on the vibrations we are radiating. Group sharing evokes strong positive vibrations of empathy and excitement, creating a surge of energy towards manifesting your goals.

Keep your board in a highly visible spot so that you see it frequently. Be sure to meditate on it daily, focusing again on the feelings you will feel when you have created the practice you want. "Try on" the feelings of success, excitement and gratitude. The more you experience these desired feelings, the more vibrational pull you will create. 

As you reach your goals, you can allow your vision board to morph, placing new pictures on it as your goals are reached and you continue to grow. It can be a work in progress that grows with you. You can also create mini vision boards in a notebook on more specific topics (monthly mini boards for example) to allow you to be even more specific about the things that you would like to create in your life on a smaller scale. 

A vision board is a powerful tool. When we allow it to, it will remove feelings of frustration and powerlessness in our lives, and remind us that we are truly infinitely powerful in creating our own reality. Your Vision Board can serve as a constant reminder of your ability to co-create with the universe whatever you desire!

Written by Carolyn Tucker, LAPC and Donna Terrazas, L.Ac. Carolyn is a psychotherapist who specializes in trauma healing and recovery as well as mind body integration. Carolyn is trained in EMDR, Reiki, Hypnotherapy, Brainspotting, DBT, TF-CBT, EFT, and distance counseling. Donna is a Nutritional Herbalist, Energy Healer, and Acupuncturist and is also trained in Reiki, Reunion Therapy, and Applied Kinesiology. More information about them and their practice can be found at www.growhealchange.com.

Playing isn't just for kids....

Remember when you were young and everything was some kind of a game? As adults we tend to focus on work and responsibilities. We feel like we don’t have time to play. It seems to be a waste of time as we face the long list of things that we must do. When we do have a free moment we would rather just rest of zone out in front of the TV.

Working with children, I get to see the value of play everyday. Children work through their challenges with play. They learn social skills and how to navigate the world, all of this while having a great time. We could learn a few lessons from our children.

Play may look different with adults. It may be a hobby, goofing off with friends, or playing sports. These may sound like things we do if we have the time, but they should be things we make time to do. Play for adults has numerous benefits. It relieves stress (and we all know the negative consequences of stress) and connects us with others (it is a great way to keep relationships fresh and exciting). Play is also important to our physical and mental well-being. It may get us to exercise, which in turn will help us feel good, stay in shape, and sleep better. Much like with children play can help us work better with others, improve our social skills, and foster creativity and learning.

So the next time you feel tired and depleted try playing. The benefits are worth it!

-Claudia

Something to think about....

I went to a daylong lecture a few weeks ago which was lead by Kenneth Hardy, PhD. This workshop was fascinating. I could go on for pages about all the interesting points and insights that came up during this workshop, but what but what I really wanted to share was a relatively simple concept that came up over and over again: Validation.

Whether we feel devalued because of our skin color, our preference for the same sex, being born into poverty, or because of our country of origin, it doesn’t matter. As you can imagine feeling as though you don’t have value can lead to various difficulties and challenges in life. It impacts us all, and is a critical component in how we think, feel, and behave. We are all human with our own struggles and we all want to feel heard and more importantly validated. As Dr Hardy shared, the cure for feeling devalued is to be validated.

I wanted to take a few minutes to encourage us all to look at the ways in which we contribute to making other’s feel devalued. We devalue others all the time without thinking about it. When we make fun of someone else’s culture, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, etc. When our child has a bad day at school and we reprimand rather than listen. When we pass judgment on someone based on the way they look. When we are having a disagreement and find ourselves fighting to be right without ever trying to really hear and understand where the other person is coming from.

Validation doesn’t mean you condone poor behavior, it just means you understand where it comes from. Validation doesn’t mean you agree with someone. It simply means that you can see where they are coming from and that they have a different belief or experience than you do. My hope is that we all become more aware of how we devalue others, and at times even ourselves. Whether it is that you pass less judgment on a stranger based on their appearance or you validate your child’s thoughts and feelings more today than you did yesterday. Maybe during a heated discussion with your partner you validate their experience and feelings instead of focusing on winning the fight. Maybe we take a few minutes to understand someone’s anger instead of becoming angry ourselves.

In the end, we all have the same need to be heard and feel that we have value.

-Claudia