Instincts

I believe that I have strong instincts.  I feel them nagging at me in a physical way.  There is often a prick of heat in my gut or a humming in my ear.

And like a jerk, I tend to ignore them. Well, not ignore, more like rationalize away. Where's the proof? Am I overreacting? 

I'm pretty sure the lack of confidence in my instincts probably comes from this being a common theme throughout my life. Yes, experiencing self-doubt is a terrible feeling, but I'm not a victim. I'm working on trusting my gut and reclaiming my power, one personal boundary at a time.

So when I witness people unabashedly going with their instincts, I am inspired and in awe of their courage.  Reading about a mother’s journey in Little Patient,Big Doctor left me feeling motivated to trust my gut.  It's a story about how Haleh’s children had bizarre health issues that she felt the doctors were not treating correctly. She values what the doctors said, but something just didn't sit right with her.  She was never rude or arrogant; never claimed that she knew better. She just did t agree with the immune suppressing treatment she was supposed to be giving to her son if she could be make lifestyle changes instead. 

I admire that she never just blindly accepted what the doctors said. She wanted to understand the reasons for the treatments and understand the side effects.  And most of all, it something didn't feel right to her, she researched by getting other opinions and educating herself.

Although the story revolves around her sons and learning how to become your child’s advocate, my takeaway was the message of listening to instincts. 

For someone who is in the throes of doing so, Haleh’s story of listening to her instincts reassured me that sometimes that feeling in my gut is important and should not be dismissed, whether it has to do with advocating for my children or breaking ineffective behavior patterns in order to heal from old wounds .

Do you ever ignore your instincts? 

*I was provided a copy of Little Patient, Big Doctor but all my opinions are all my own. 

Guest Post by Amy from Planting a Seed: The One Surprising Thing That My Dad’s Cancer Did For Me

 I am so excited about this guest post.  Amy is part of Planting a Seed blog that shares different ways to incorporate more fruits, vegetables, and plant-based protein into your diet.  In today’s post, she shares her story that inspired her to transition to a plan-based diet.  I think it’s incredible! 

Please be sure to show Amy some comment love!! 

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Greetings, Mommy on the Spot readers!  I'm visiting from PlantingHYPERLINK "http://plantstrongliving.com/" a Seed and I'm honored to be guest blogger today.  Here’s some (plant) food for thought toward achieving a disease-proof lifestyle with my own personal story.

Have you ever felt helpless to cancer?  My guess is that you have.  Too many of us are affected by cancer.  In August of 2009, my dad was diagnosed with cancer.  I thought there was nothing I could do for him.  Then his nutritionist told him to start eating an 80% plant-based diet.  That means 80% of what he eats should be vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes.  I started researching cancer diets and found data from the Cancer Project that states diet accounts for a minimum of 30% of all cancers.  In fact, some researchers estimate that only 3% of all cancers are genetically driven and the balance lifestyle driven. The idea that I could impact my chances of getting cancer, and could actually reverse cancer by changing my diet was new information for me to digest.  I decided to support my dad, and maybe even do something for myself at the same time, by adopting a plant-based diet.

It wasn’t easy and it didn’t come without some trial-and-error.  It was hard to give up cheese pizza!  In fact, I held on to that cheese pizza, and a few other splurge-worthy foods, for a few months while I was transitioning to a plant-based diet.  Then I read The China Study and discovered that the long-term cancer study described in the book was conducted with dairy products, not meat.  That was the push I needed to give up the cheese.  After all, my reason for adopting this lifestyle was because of my dad’s cancer diagnosis.  I could no longer pick and choose which animal products I would keep and which I would abandon.  I would still love to eat a cheesy slice, but I don’t.  There are plenty of animal foods that my body is wired to crave from years of dietary abuse.  I know in my mind that these foods are not what will make me strong and healthy.  By educating myself on plant-based nutrition, I can easily pass on the temptations now.

In addition to reading books like The China Study, I also joined VegMichigan, and watched documentaries like Forks Over Knives to help me learn more about plant-based nutrition.  If these sources were not convincing enough, then the results of my 2010 physical certainly were.  My cholesterol dropped from 205 to 140!  I didn’t even think I needed to lower my cholesterol because I had always been told that the ratio of HDL-to-LDL was good.  Now that I look back on that, I cannot believe that I was not alarmed at my cholesterol level.  I rested on the fact that my cholesterol level was “genetic” and thought I couldn’t do anything about it.  I’ve recently been reading Rip Esselstyn’s Engine 2 Diet and have learned the importance of a cholesterol level below 150 for the best protection against heart disease.  My cholesterol-lowering experience is not unique.  Many people are reducing their cholesterol, reversing Type 2 diabetes and halting cancer by adopting a plant-based diet.

It’s been two years and seven months since my dad’s diagnosis.  For now, chemotherapy and radiation seem to have controlled his cancer.  I am sad that my dad and family had to go through the experience of cancer.  Certainly he feels lucky that his was treatable.  I feel lucky to have improved my health and discovered a new way of living through his experience.  My goal is to lead others toward a plant-based lifestyle for improved health and disease prevention.

What Do You Think Thursday with Skinny Scoop: Taking Little Steps

*Program Note: Don’t forget to enter my Flirty Fashions Giveaway for a $50 gift card!!*



I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about change. I believe it has been driven by the physical changes my body has been going through at physical therapy, and I see those as a metaphor for the other areas in my life. I am still letting these ideas simmer for a bit more before I devote a whole blog post to the subject. But I can say this: if my current self met my former self ten years ago, I’m not sure there would be a lot of common ground.



One change that I am ready to talk about is my efforts to be more conscious about buying organic. Ten years ago, I would have never even considered buying organic body wash or organic milk. And now, after much research, I just do it.



Not that I am the poster child for organic living, because I am not. I don’t think Kraft Macaroni and Cheese could ever be organic with that lovely shade of orange powder cheese mix. I also don’t think our daily consumption of “cinn-a-toast” (Thomas’s way of saying cinnamon toast) would ever be considered organic.



Hence the title of this blog “Taking Little Steps.” I think any change worth making is rarely easy or quick. For me, lasting change is done by taking little steps.



It started with buying organic black beans because they had less sodium than regular black beans. Then I became interested in using essential oils instead of synthetic fragrances. I then started reading Whole Living magazine which led to the failed cleanse (but I did learn a lot about nutrition, so not a total failure). I then had a few sessions with Monica at Your Inutitve Health. This summer, I embarked a quest to find the perfect chemical free sunblock with the help of the Cosmetics Database (which should come with a warning because the information is so scary). This quest took a turn into finding an organic body wash for The Babes. Which then turned into me participating in an organic farm co-op. Which then turned into me finding an organic body and face moisturizers. Which then led me to buying organic milk, eggs, and chicken.



All these little steps have created a life so different than the one I had ten years ago. But it happened so gradually that it hardly seems like any change was made at all, and therefore, easier to maintain. 


No matter how many changes I make, I can't quit pizza or Kraft Macaroni and Cheese or Peppermint Mocha Creamer.  Nothing like living life on the edge, right?



My next step? Finding a makeup that is safe and reasonably priced.  I hope this is easier than the quest for chemical free sunblock because that almost drove me insane!



What do you think? 

View this question on Skinnyscoop

Do you buy anything organic? Also, if you have any suggestions for the makeup, I would love to hear it!

What Do You Think Thursday with Skinny Scoop – Thoughts on Release and Exercise

Good news! I am officially done with my pity party! It turns out that the strange and extremely intense pain on my side was scar tissue. My angel of a physical therapist did some scar release massage. There was a pop, and then this relaxing sensation throughout my side and hip socket.



I was so scared that I did an exercise wrong or some internal organ was damaged. I don’t know what was worse: the physical pain of the tangled up scar tissue or how hard I beat myself up for possibly doing something wrong.



My physical therapist assured me I did nothing wrong. She must have sensed how depressed I was because she looked me in the eye and said it twice.



Why am I so hard on myself? Why is it so hard for me to release the notion that everything is my fault?



In yoga, my teacher says that we store a lot of tension in our hips joints. I think there might be something to that. Maybe with the release massage, I can start to release this inner-tension and begin to be kinder to myself.



In the meantime, I plan on celebrating by going to Zumba on Tuesday!



I hope that I am strong enough to get back into my former regular routine that, after much trial and error, helped me feel balanced and healthy, both physically and mentally.



What kind of exercises make you feel better both in your mind and body?

View this question on Skinnyscoop