May 23, 2014

Words are like Toothpaste? Leave Your Mark!

We all know positive words are important, but do we really realize the power that both positive and hurtful words have to our overall health and well-being?

I heard an analogy recently, that negative words coming out of your mouth are kind of like squeezing the toothpaste out of its container and having it splatter all over the mirror.  There is no way to get the toothpaste back into the containter.  The same with our words, once we say something we can’t take those words back.

There are some words we remember forever.  The sad thing is that some people remember the moments of the negative words as opposed to the positive ones. Why do we allow the energy of unkind words to linger on into our conscious?

I am sure we all have stories of something someone told us that lingered on with us through our lives, that have potentially held us back from moving forward on something we wanted to do.  Today, I would like to share an example of positive words that have left a mark.

leave your mark org2A little over 2 years ago I went in for a P/T conference and my son’s teacher said, “Danny has a good moral compass”.   Danny is my hockey player and the year prior he would roll his eyes at his teachers and not always be the best behaved in class, so these words really struck me as odd, but I took the words to heart.   His teacher died a few months after that conversation and I will NEVER forget those words.  They were so strong, powerful and lasting.  Whenever I begin to think negative thoughts or have concerns about my son, I go back to those words and have faith that he will make the right choices.  The power of words is absolutely amazing.

Listen to the song attached as a great reminder. Words Can Build You Up

Think about a time at home or at the office when you felt really good about what someone said to you.  Is there something that you remember that really stands out?  Remember those words and breath life into them.  I encourage you to think about how you can make someone’s day with a kind word.  You never know how your positive words could be something that lives with another person forever.

If you feel comfortable sharing, I am sure others would be inspired by any powerful examples.

May 20, 2014

Losing Your Marbles – How many marbles do you have left?

So what does the significance of the number 936 have to do with anything? I listened to an amazing talk last weekend entitled “Losing Your Marbles”. At first I thought, “What the heck could this be about?” As I listened to the message I was in awe. I could feel chills down my spine and tears rolling down my face.

936 is the number of weeks we have with our children from the time they are born until the time they turn 18 and leave for college. Each marble represents one week of your child’s life. Therefore, you start out with a full jar of marbles, and every week that goes by, you take away a marble. When one marble is gone you can never get that time back. So the question is… How are you using your marbles?

Kids spell love T – I – M – E. Where are we spending our time with our kids?

marble picSo I started thinking, my oldest son Chris has approx 156 marbles left, Matt 312 , Danny 412, and Andy 676. So 3 of my boys have more than half of their marbles gone! Where does the time go? It really made me think about the time I spend with them. Of course the more kids you have the more challenging it is to spend quality time with each one, but this message left me thinking. Am I doing everything I can to spend quality time with them? Are there areas, where I am good with spending time with my kids and others that could use improvement. The talk was broken into 4 different categories:

1) Time on Their Turf – Doing stuff they love or going to their events/activities; for me I spend alot of time at baseball fields, hockey rinks and basketball courts. My house has even turned into a sporting arena.

2) Time on Your Turf – Allowing them into your world and sharing a piece of you with them; music, history, sports, stories from the olden days etc…

3) Time on Neutral Turf – Going out to eat, a neutral place to have, fun, enjoy. Evening driving in a car with no electronic devices. Sometimes this is where our kids open up to us on this neutral turf. It’s usually during the times that we least expect it.

4) Time on God’s Turf – Instilling the importance of a faith foundation in their lives. Just like they want a relationship with you, they need to spend time creating a relationship with God.

As I reflected on this, I found differences in the way that I interact with each of my kids, but the time on neutral turf was one that rose my eyebrows. Being a mom of 4 boys, I sometimes think to myself, what would my boys really enjoy? I am a girl, I don’t know what a boy needs or wants. They really need and want their dad more. If I do something with them it has to be an amazing unforgettable experience. But the truth is, they would sometimes be happy snuggling (or sitting as they get older) on the couch, singing and dancing (being silly) in the kitchen, talking about their favorite sport team and the latest guy who got traded or going out for ice-cream or a donut.

The health coach in me cringes when I think about offering them bad food choices, but there is another part of me that thinks that creating a neutral place to share stories and bond with my boys is more important than them indulging in a “bad choice” loaded with tons of sugar and absolutely no nutrition what so ever. Sometimes, I just have to let go and allow God to work his magic.

So what turf do you think you do really well with and which turf could use a little brushing up? Would love to hear from you.

May 9, 2014

Great Mothers Day Ideas

So who isn’t looking for a great mothers day present to show their mom’s , mother-in laws, wives, daughters, grandmas, god-mothers, sisters etc… just how much you appreciate and love them?

Being a mom is the most rewarding job in the world, but sometimes can be exhausting. (especially depending on how many kids you have). Even though there are days my kids drive me absolutely bonkers, I wouldn’t trade them in for the world. With 4 boys, when I say bonkers, it can get really crazy around our house. In all seriousness, what is one thing that many mom’s say they really want in life? They want to be stress free, relax, and enjoy being in the moment with those they love. They want to spend time with their family and loved ones, but many times are running around taking their kids to activities, keeping the house clean, volunteering at school, church etc… and worrying about everyone but themselves.

Light Bulb IdeaI invite you to allow the favorite woman in your life to take the much needed time for herself. I am not talking about a retreat that you take once a year, but simple things you can do on a regular basis to take time for you. I have two ideas for you, the first is a meditation series. Some people are familiar with the benefits of meditation and I wanted to share with you the Deepak Chopra/Oprah 21 day series. I just did it and it was totally amazing. I have seen transformational change happening right in front of my eyes. You can buy the entire bundle or just one series. The last one was entitled “Finding Your Flow” and is a pretty reasonably priced gift. Attached is a link to the store.

From my own personal experience I tried “this meditation thing” before and I will admit, I didn’t completely get it. While it was nice quiet time, I didn’t feel enlightened. I have heard stories from others saying things like, “I hear its beneficial, but I don’t know where to begin.” or “I don’t know how to meditate. My mind wanders and I don’t know what to do. It doesn’t work for me.” I can so relate. Previously, I wasn’t at a place that I really and truly understood how to listen to the inner voice inside. I didn’t have the basic tools to help me or someone to talk with about my experience, so while I participated and enjoyed the quiet time, I didn’t get a full experience of what I was hoping for.

That is why the second idea I have is working with a health coach. A Health and Body Relationship Coach can support you in focusing on learning how to take time for yourself. While as mom’s we know it is important, sometimes we need a little extra encouragement, support and a safe place to share our concerns. Our faith foundations have taught us that it is important to serve others, however, what I have found is that when I invest the time and energy to love, respect and appreciate myself, amazing things begin to happen in all aspects of my life, which then gives me more energy to love and serve others. I want to help other women experience that joy, fulfillment and sense of inner peace that we all deserve.

If you are interested in learning more for yourself, or a loved one, please feel free to reach out and check out my services.

My mission is to help women transform the health of their families. The mom is the heart of the family and my services help you focus not on just your physical, but also your emotional, mental and spiritual health as well.

I am also excited to share that I will be co-authoring a book along with 29 other woman to be published in July. Stay tuned for details coming soon. This will be another great opportunity to learn from a variety of successful women who have been able to break through some of the barriers and limiting beliefs that have held them back from living a true purpose driven life.

Happy Mothers Day to All!

 If you are interested in learning more about the other services One Powerful Step provides, visit www.onepowerfulstep.com or contact me atJen@onepowerfulstep.com.
May 2, 2014

Health Benefits of Lemons

With baseball season beginning I need to ensure that my kids are well hydrated before, during and after games.  We try to stay away from Gatorade and Vitamin waters because they have added sugars and artificials colors which the kids don’t need.  Sometimes instead of giving the kids plain water in a squirt bottle, we make up a big batch of lemon water.  It’s still cool, refreshing and gives their drink a little extra flavor that goes a long way.

Lemon PicLemons have amazing benefits that many of us might not realize.  Lemons are good for hydration and have phytochemicals (nutrition) that our body craves.  As you begin drinking it you will find your body begins to crave it. Unlike other citrus fruits, lemon and lime do NOT contain sugar, so while lemons are pre-digestively acidic, they are post digestively alkaline, which will help with your pH balance. It also appears to soften the some of “the gunk” that builds up in your organs and allows it to flush through.  Most of our American diets are TOO acidic and we need to bring our PH balance back to normal by adding alkaline foods. (I’ll explain acid vs. alkaline diets in a future blog) A few other interesting facts…

  • We are supposed to receive minerals from our food and our water. Today our water is so degraded there has been a decline in the nutrition of water.
  • When we drink water our body should hold onto the water, break down the molecular structure as it absorbs the nutrition. If our body is too acidic or not performing as it should water will go straight through, meaning we drink it and less than an hour goes by and we urinate.
  • When we add lemon or lime to our water, our body has phytochemical nutrition. During the process of holding onto the water to absorb this nutrition, our body has MORE TIME to break down the molecular structure and hydrate our cells
  • We have 20 different cell sizes, if we don’t breakdown our water small enough, our cells cannot hydrate, thus urination right after drinking.
  • Dehydration is one of the major reasons of overacidification. (Deficits in hydration, nutrition, and too much incoming acid.)

Lemons Fun Facts

One of the most effectice cold remedies known is made from lemon:  Start with a pint of raw honey over very low heat.  Chop a whole lemon into a bit of water in a separate pan, warming for two to three minutes.  Add that to the honey, warming for about an hour then strain out the lemon bits and seeds.  Cool the mixture, seal in a jar with a lid and refrigerate for up to two months.

To soothe a cough: give 1/2 tsp. for a 25 lb. child, 1 tsp. for a 50 lb. child, or 1 Tbsp. for adults, about 4 times a day or as often as needed.

If you are one of those people who are trying to cut the regular or diet soda habit, try switching out one of your normal daily drinks with a glass of water with real lemon. You might just find out how much your body thrives on the nutrition it will be receiving.

Other Sources: