My cousin recently asked me a great question regarding cleansing (and doing the whole food cleanse specifically) with Cleanse With Friends. Thought the question, and answer, were worthy of a post here. Thanks, Jenny!

Q: Hey Tammy, how are you? I love getting your posts on all your cleansing events. I wish I lived closer so I could check them out. I am really curious about trying it [the whole food cleanse] but can't picture jumping in with both feet. Is there a way to do it in smaller steps? Do you have any book recommendations or websites that I might want to check out?

A: A cleanse can be daunting, and yes there are definitely ways to ease into it. I recommend that you simply begin to notice the percentage of whole foods to processed/packaged foods that you eat at each meal or snack. These can be tracked on a pad of paper or in a journal--just noticing brings awareness to what your habits really are. No judgments--it's about building awareness. Or, you could notice the number of servings of veggies and fruit you eat each day, and make a "tic" mark in your journal. Then, simply set a goal to increase the percentage of whole foods or increase the number of fruits and/or veggies that you eat each day. Set a doable goal--even if it's just adding one more per day, or increasing the percentage by 10 or 20%.

One of my favorite websites for recipes and nutritional info is www.whfoods.org. Most of the recipes are simple AND delicious, and contain the nutritional info for that recipe. It isn't about counting calories as much as it is about increasing the micronutrients in the diet--vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals, enzymes, etc.

He also has a top 100 food list--this is a great list to print out and keep handy when you're looking for ideas on what you might add to the diet. And, I believe if you click on an individual food like 'Avocados" there's a ton of nutritional info as well as links to all the recipes he has that include this food.

Hope that helps! Would love to have you join a cleanse with us sometime--I'm offering them "online" via webinar so you can connect with us from right where you are. :-)

Best,

Tamara

Raindrop Therapy

One of the therapies that I have been offering clients with much success is Raindrop therapy. So what is it?

Raindrop therapy combines the powerful energetic, immune-supportive, and detoxifying properties of essentials oils to affect positive changes in the body--essentially helping the body to rebalance and return to a normal, vital state. Most people think of essential oils as aromatherapy--the stuff that smells good--but aren't as aware that essential oils are literally the unique "medicine" of particular plants, trees, flowers, roots and fruits in their most concentrated form. In the course of a Raindrop session, we apply about 150 drops of 10 different essential oils that work together to balance all systems of the body energetically. I've found Raindrop to be especially helpful for those that have chronic conditions like recurring headaches, pain, infections, stress (including emotional and traumatic) and forms of inflammation.

Each session lasts about an hour--the oils are applied to the feet with reflexology and to the spine where they can directly enter the energetic pathways of the body. We apply heat (via warm stones) at the end to further encourage circulation and absorption of the oils. It feels wonderful!

Clients typically feel a greater sense of wellbeing after a session, feel rebalanced and rejuvenated, experience a reduction of pain, are able to rest better, and find their immune systems are able to get on top of chronic infections. Most feel the benefits immediately and find they last a week or longer, and will repeat as necessary until the body settles into a new place of balance.

If this resonates with you, please feel free to schedule a Raindrop with me at Your Wellness Connection in Shawnee (913-962-7408) or at Lotus Blossom Day Spa in Bonner Springs (913-441-0841)! And please let me know if you have any questions--I'm happy to answer them.