Spring and Change is Sprouting!!

Doesn't that picture just make you want to zoom through early spring and April showers to get to the warm summer days? Well before you try and zoom ahead, let's remember to enjoy each moment, in the present for the blessing it is. :)

In case you're wondering, that's not a picture of the Jersey Shore, it's a picture of South Beach, Miami - where I was this past weekend. Don't be too jealous, the weekend wasn't all sun and fun. In fact, out of 4 days, I think I spent a total of 30 minutes on the beach. I was in Miami for an Integrative Nutrition conference and spent each day in the chilly, air conditioned Miami Beach Conference Center. While I am not returning to to a cooler Jersey Shore completely sun kissed, I am completely rejuvenated and inspired! The conference was about taking your health coaching practice to the next level.

The majority of the weekend consisted of copious amounts of important tips and information on marketing, social networking and the like from healthy marketing rock stars Robert Notter and Karin Witzig Rozell. Totally helpful and definitely important. But I really have to say that the highlight of the conference for me was the talk given by one of our Friday Friends, Taraleigh Silberberg, the Health Hippie. While Tara is a friend and a mentor, hearing her speak in front of over 100 other health coaches was completely different....and not to be melodramatic, but life altering. Yep. I said it. Life altering.

Tara spoke about writing your own person/business mission statement so you can life a life of purpose and passion. Even though it sounds simple, I can't begin to articulate how empowering it was. In my final hours in Miami, I gained so much clarity and felt so much passion for what I do and where I want to take my business. I came back to the Jersey shore on a wellness high. That clarity is the catalyst for this post about change.

Change is a little scary, but this change resonates so deeply with me I am positive it it the right choice. My newsletter (Vibrant Health, Green Living) won't be going out won't be going out to my subscribers for another week or so, but as one of the 3 Healthy Chicks I thought I should give my readers a glimpse of what's in store as it affects my blogging here!

First, a name change. Terra Wellness is now Sprouting Wellness.

Second, it is my intention to keep my blog entries for 3HC Living Fresh in line with my business mission:

Sprouting Wellness empowers women to nurture their inner strength, balance and peace to allow them to grow into their unique wellness and natural birthright of optimum health.

So this means that blog entries here by me, will be listed as Sprouting Wellness and I will attempt to keep content "female based." Given my newly developed business mission statement, preconception/prenatal yoga experience and being in the midst of my Doula training, it's not shocking that my entries will be focused on women's health.

Don't worry, I wont ostracize the men folk and if I feel the need to blog about something not even remotely related to girly bits, like my dog or cute yoga clothes, you bet I will. :)

Change is GREAT!!!
Keep it Fresh!
~Terra

3 Healthy Balls

3 Healthy Chicks got together in the kitchen once again and worked up another fun, delicious creation...3 Healthy Balls! Teehee!

These filling balls are packed with energy, green goodness, protein, antioxidants and omega-3's. They are great for breakfast to give you long lasting energy. If you are interested in some healthy balls, let us know and we can tell you how simple it is to place an order. They are a must try!!

Keep it fresh!
- Lauren

All I Want is Food and Creative Love: Eating for Fertility. Part I

Pardon the Rusted Root reference (all I want is food and creative love) but considering food and love have been bedfellows for centuries, I thought it was appropriate. Food and love, sounds like a fresh new relationship, doesn't it? You know, the blissful ones, sharing chocolate cake, gazing at each other with honeymoon eyes.

So, say you're past the honeymoon eyes phase and onto the seed germination phase....conception...baby making. Does one have to do with the other? Does it even matter what passes your lips? You betcha it does!!

Hundreds of years ago, before people really knew what vitamins, minerals and nutrients were all about, people attributed qualities such as shape (ie: foods in the shape of sexual organs such as oysters and figs) or the food's ability to make your temperature rise (e.g. chili peppers or curry) to increased potency or fertility.(P.S. That's a picture of a fresh fig, one of my favorite fruits!) Aphrodisiacs aside, diet really can affect your ability to conceive. Positively and negatively. And believe it or not, there's actually a bit more to aphrodisiacs than the shape and temperature of the food!!

Overly strict dieting and excessive exercise that results in extreme weight loss may result in loss of ovulation. On the other spectrum, too much eating resulting in obesity may also inhibit fertility. The diet of both men and women trying to conceive should be well balanced, consisting of whole foods rich in folic acid, Vitamin D, Vitamin E and Zinc. There are simple changes you can make to your diet to boost your fertility and bring your body into optimum baby making shape.

The fun part is the food and creative love....aphrodisiacs! After conducting a little research on traditional aphrodisiacs and their nutritional content I found the correlation between tradition aphrodisiacs and preconception health to be uncanny! The ancient ones who ate whole foods rather than processed, chemicalized foods always got it right. Just check out a of the aphrodisiacs on the list below:

Avacado: The Aztecs called the avocado tree "ahuacuatl," which means "testicle tree" (avacados hang in pairs on the tree). Avacados provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid, all of which are essential for preconception health!

Bananas: Do I really have to articulate why a banana is an aphrodisiac? Besides the banana flower's amazing phallic shape, bananas are rich in potassium and B vitamins, necessities for sex hormone production. Bananas also provide 452 milligrams of potassium, 33 milligrams of magnesium, and just over 2 grams of fiber. They are high in potassium and a respectable amount of magnesium as well.

Chocolate: See, there really IS a God and the Aztec's called chocolate the "nourishment of the Gods." Not only is chocolate a superfood, it contains more antioxidants than red wine! So if you really want more bang for your buck, try sharing a glass of Cabernet with a small piece of dark chocolate.

Oysters: have been linked with love and sexuality for hundreds of years. The ancient law of similarities reasons that their similarity to female genitalia dictates they may in fact possess sexual powers!! Similarities aside, oysters are full of vitamins and minerals like A, B1, B2 ,C and D, calcium, iodine, iron, potassium, copper, sodium, zinc, phosphorous, manganese and sulphur and the all-important omega-3 fatty acids.

Pineapple: has been traditionally used as a homeopathic treatment for impotence. It's an excellent source of the trace mineral manganese, vitamin C and a good source of vitamin B1, copper, dietary fiber and vitamin B6.

Other aphrodisiacs include almond, arugula, asparagus, basil, broccoli rabe, carrots, fennel, figs, garlic, ginger, honey, licorice, mustard, nutmeg, pine nuts, raspberries, strawberries, truffles, vanilla, and wine.

In Part II of Food and Creative Love: Eating for Fertility and I will provide a few recipes to boost your fertility while tickling your taste buds! This blog entry has been so fun to research I may just develop a workshop from it!

Keep it Fresh!
~Terra