A New Year with New Intentions

This whole 'New Years Resolution' concept is garbage. To 'resolve' to do something suggests pure determination. What really matters is the motivation, reasoning and intention behind that determination. Instead of just announcing, 'I'm going to exercise more.' or 'I'm going to eat healthier.', let's really dig deep into those changes that we desire for the coming year. Only then can we REALLY change our lives.

For me, I foresee a LOT of changes in the coming year, circumstantially. But the internal and lifestyle changes are where I will be focusing on this during this season. Luckily, my school provided me with The Integrative Nutrition Journal to help me with that task. Starting January 1, I will take the next 3 months to focus on my health - physical, mental and spiritual - in depth, and in writing. Sticking to writing is not a strength of mine, so this will take discipline in addition to my personal motivation. Some other courses of action are:

• Take Some Me Time to get into a cozy, quiet setting alone with some tea and really spend some time reflecting. What was great in 2010? What did I accomplish? What would I like to accomplish in 2011?
• Journal the answers to those questions, and see where my pen takes me with those thoughts
• Don't wait until January 1 to start new, healthy habits. Make a conscious decision, right now, to do things, eat the food, pray the prayers and think the thoughts you know you should be thinking. Start crowding out the bad with the good.

Macrobiotics: Not a Diet, but a Way of Life

In the early 1970's, Macrobiotics gained popularity as a diet with the capability of curing diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease. But the premise of this lifestyle is making good choices. In food, home, relationships and all other aspects of life. In Greek, 'macro' means 'large' and 'bios' means 'life'. It doesn't refer to LONGER life, but FULLER life. It is a philosophy of balance.

The major principals include:

• Eat natural, minimally processed, whole foods
• Eat organically, locally and seasonally, when possible
• Gain understanding of how different foods effect you
• Center the diet around whole grains, vegetables and beans (not meat)
• Keep our lives in harmony within our families, community and selves

While some have been known to go overboard and become very fanatical and even legalistic about living a Macrobiotic lifestyle, it's not about rules. It's about respect for our food, bodies and therefore lives. Sound familiar?

My desire to improve my own health through food is motivated by my relationship with Jesus Christ. My relationship is not dependent on following the rules (though I strive to because He deserves it, just as my body does). By focusing on God in everything I do, I know that He will guide and protect me. I know that everything will be OK. By making better food choices and exercising more, I know that my health will only improve. If I respect my body, it will take care of me. It will be sustained with energy to get me through the day, to accomplish what needs to be accomplished. I was given this body by God to do His work on this Earth.

Back to School Again: the Road to Health Counseling

Endeavoring into the world of formal education… again… has actually been a real pleasure so far. While I enjoyed most of my 2 year college experience at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology studying Architectural Technology, I HATED High School. I don't generally use the word HATE lightly, but I truly hated it. In fact, all 12 years of schooling were pretty horrible. I soared through my final years in the remedial classes, so I could do as little work as possible. I was always the smart one in the class amongst the thugs and truants.

I had spent the last few years expanding my own awareness about food, health and the local food system. I read many books and joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) in an attempt to broaden my food horizons. I pondered culinary school, but couldn't bring myself to spend the money on something that I didn't plan to use professionally. In essence, I didn't have any intention of being a chef for a living. So why spend $18,000 on a certificate from a culinary school in NYC that focuses on whole foods? Because it would have been an AMAZING experience! But, alas, my common sense kept me out of the clouds and in my steady, reliable job as a Realtor Assistant.

That culinary school, the Natural Gourmet Institute, mails out a quarterly course catalog with public classes, as well as chef training. Each time it comes in the mail, I again begin to dream about immersing myself into a whole foods culinary experience with like-minded people and critically acclaimed professionals in field. As I flipped through the catalog this past August, I came across a course offering that focused on food and healing and found at the bottom of the course description that it was only offered as Continuing Education for health professionals and graduates of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. "What's that?!", I'm fairly certain I exclaimed out loud in the privacy of my own home, which I'm known to do. My internet was uncooperative on this particular evening, but on my nightly phone call with my boyfriend, Casey, I asked him to look it up and tell me what it was.

As Casey read me the information on almost every single page of that website that night, I could not wait to get back online in the morning and read it with my own eyes. It talked about taking my passions for nutrition, health and natural wellness and turning them into a career where I could help others improve their own lives with my knowledge. Within 1 week I was enrolled. Through 1 year of distance learning through the internet and an iPod filled with lectures on over 100 dietary theories, business building and clinical nutrition information, I will be a Certified Health Counselor, guiding others through their own journeys to wellness.

You see, we were created to heal ourselves. We can't always count on doctors to fix every little ailment, and sometimes even the big ones. We owe it to ourselves to be informed and aware of our bodies and how they work, and to know WHY we feel the way we do at different times. And while physical food is important, it comes secondary to our relationships, spirituality and career, which are our 'Primary Food'.
 
I'm learning a lot, soaking in as much information as I can. And in a few months, I'll be ready to start working with others. In the meantime, part of my training is to perform free Health History Consultations. These are a great learning tool where we get to know each other, discuss your health concerns and goals, and it's just a great time for you to be heard! If this sounds good to you, I'd love to schedule a time to get together or talk over the phone for 50 minutes or so. Email me at jforberger@gmail.com. You might be surprised by what you learn about yourself.