As I read the www.RealAge.com messages this morning, I reflected over yesterday’s “river walk adventure.” More about that in a bit, but first, note some key inspirational messages found on the site this morning…

• The deceptively simple path to a fit bod begins with the easiest activity in the world: walking.
• A physical activity program that builds stamina, strength, and flexibility can make your RealAge as much as 8.1 years younger.
• America, it’s up to you to stop the aging crisis facing our country. Dr. Oz is hitting the road to bring health, happiness and longevity to your town – 10 years younger in 60 days.
• You have the power to slow down the aging process; you can EXTEND your life! It’s time to start understanding and automating your body’s biology so that you can reboot to your original factory settings.

I thought about all these points as I reflected back over yesterday morning’s adventure. Visiting Jasper, Indiana, and finding no Jazzercise facility in the area, I was forced to explore another avenue of exercise…my feet.

I had heard about Jasper’s “River Walk” walk/jog/bike trail. I waited till the sun was peeking over the tree line for safety reasons, since the area seemed remote and uninhabited by people.  I parked my car, and was immediately drawn to the beauty of Nature, finding a paved, lighted path leading over a wooden foot bridge and following the tree lined winding path of the river.

Not a soul around but me, the birds, and an occasional squirrel, I was overcome with the inspiration to jog, something I had not done in several years. The tranquility of the gorgeous trees against the bright blue backdrop of the sky was simply breathtaking.  

The brisk 35 degree morning temp awakened my senses as I slowly jogged farther and farther away from the town. How can one be stressed smelling the earthy aroma of trees, leaves, and the yet unpicked corn fields?

Slowly I drank up all that Nature had to offer. I turned around to return to my original point of origin and decided to take the trail in the opposite direction. On this part of the trail, I passed by three other people who were also taking advantage of the serene walk in the woods, following the path of the river.

Off in the distance, I saw a man open his satchel and sprinkle corn in a pile on the ground. I was immediately touched by his extra effort to provide food to the wild life. When I approached him, I thanked him for his sweet action. In delight, he told me to watch, just around the bend I would come upon a mother deer and her baby – eating the corn he had left behind.

Sure enough, just around the bend, there was a magical sight to behold. The momma and her baby picked up their heads to study me with curiosity. I slowed my pace so as not to frighten them. I started speaking softly to them, and they continued eating, allowing me to pass by, 3 feet away. What beauty there is in Nature that we could co-mingle on the path this first brisk day in November.

As I listened to the St. Joseph Church bells toll in the distance, I gave thanks for this gorgeous hidden secret in southern Indiana – and for there not being an available Jazzercise class. Had there been a class, I would not have been forced to discover the thrill of combining exercise with the beauty and tranquility of Mother Earth.

Yes, RealAge, the easiest activity in the world to “reboot to our original factory settings” is to take a walk. I highly recommend over-the-top benefits by combining it with the tranquility and peace of a Nature adventure.

Today when I got up, I put on my exercise clothes, but as I looked over my to-do list, I tried to talk myself out of going on that walk.

Every morning I pull an Angel card to see what special message I will be given for the day. Today the card I pulled spoke to the need to exercise, even if I think I am too busy. Well, if that is not fitting!

Today is the day before my very first book signing/seminar. I have twenty-three “must-dos” written in my planner for today, and ten of them are written in red ink. I made my to-do list as the very last thing I did last night before my head hit the pillow. I knew I had to be organized in the morning, ready to jump right in.

With the impending deadlines these past two weeks, every morning has been the same – I have been telling myself “I don’t have time to walk the dogs this morning.” In the interest of too much to do in so little time, I simply have not been taking the time for the walks lately. The card I pulled this morning set me straight:

“You have received strong guidance to engage in exercise, and this card serves as additional validation. Physical movement is essential to realizing your dreams, desires, and intentions. It gives you the energy and vitality that will help you begin and complete your projects. It opens you up to new, creative ideas.”

The summary statement says, “I know that you’re a busy person, but I promise you that the increased level of energy you’ll feel after exercising will give you the equivalent of more hours in your day.”

Well, if there is certainly anything I need in this day, it I more energy and more hours. I guess I’ll be taking the dogs on that walk….and then return to tackle that 23-item list!  :  )

Jazzercise is the word that popped into my head when reflecting on what to write about this morning. I just came from the 5:30 am express class, ready to launch this beautiful day, with the music of “Working on a Dream” still playing in my head.

I didn’t know anything about Jazzercise till a friend introduced me to it a few years ago. For that gift, I am most grateful. Thought I would tell you about it in case you’d also like to give it a try. It has since become my main source of exercise.

Jazzercise combines aerobic exercise, strength training, music, and dance, all rolled into one. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be a dancer. Jazzercise is a national organization, and the routines are scripted. The home office sends the instructors across the country the identical routines to practice and then teach. I have sampled lots of instructors, and all are very skilled in teaching the routines. The routines are changed every few weeks to provide variety.

After every visit, you leave the facility feeling good about yourself. You have done something to help your heart, lungs, weight, and muscles, just to mention a few, but the psychological benefit may even be more important.

There is simply something about music that helps to relieve stress. For thirty minutes or an hour (depending on the class), stress seems to melt away. This weekend Joey Korn, internationally renowned dowser, shared with us, “Music is the bridge to the spiritual world.” Something about music just makes you feel better energetically.

Here is one of the most amazing things I notice about Jazzercise: no matter your size, shape, weight, or age, each person feels welcome and at ease in every class. There is no need to fear attending if you are self conscious about your weight. No need to “lose some weight before you can go to the gym.” No need to have a hard rock body to attend! I like to study people, and I love how every single person seems to feel comfortable there.

It doesn’t take long to develop camaraderie among the attendees. The sound of laughter, accompanied by smiles, is commonplace. The organization also keeps things interesting by hosting fun little attendance contests where individuals and teams can compete for prizes such as tote bags, t-shirts, beach towels, etc.

 You can be out of state on vacation, Google jazzercise.com, and find a Jazzercise facility in the area you will be visiting. There is no additional charge when you are a visiting guest. I recently attended a facility in Florida while on vacation. Though a complete stranger, I wasn’t there 30 seconds till I was made to feel like “one of them.”

Why not Google jazzercise.com, grab a friend, and go check it out for yourself?  You can attend a session or two for free, just to try it out. Your mind, body, and spirit will thank you for it!

Spring is just around the corner, the time to start thinking about putting on a bathing suit. Yikes. Even more challenging for me this spring is that 10 weeks from now my husband and I will be taking a trip to Greece. We have been talking about it for a couple of years and finally made the commitment to “just do it.” The plane tickets have been purchased. What is my first thought? Getting this body into shape. No more excuses!

I shared my weight loss goals and my exercise plan with my Chiropractor yesterday. He had just returned from a conference last week where they discussed many things, including weight loss. He explained the theory they discussed that people can lose weight just by detoxifying the body. When there are too many toxins in the body, the liver becomes overloaded, and toxins are not eliminated properly. Toxins thus become stored in the fat. The thyroid also plays a big part in maintaining healthy weight. When the liver is not healthy, T4 does not break down into T3 (T4 and T3 are thyroid hormones). Sometimes it appears that a person has a problem with their thyroid, when it can be a problem with toxicity and the liver. Detoxifying the colon is also important. Once the toxins are eliminated, the body can metabolize and process food more efficiently.

How do we become toxic? In my upcoming book, The Awakened Body, A Woman’s Guide to Feeling Biologically Vibrant…Naturally, I explain in depth how stress, diet, and environmental toxins adversely affect us. Our discussion yesterday also reminded me of a paragraph in my book:

“Our liver not only detoxifies, but is often called the ‘sentinel organ for hormones.’ Our liver manufactures cholesterol, breaks down hormones, combines/converts hormones, prevents healthy estrogen from converting to cancer-producing estrogen, removes excess hormones, and removes other toxins. It is important to lovingly care for your liver. The following list of items are commonly cited to support liver health: fresh squeezed lemon, beets, dandelions, organic greens, artichoke, lactic acid fermented sauerkraut, high quality protein, antioxidants, including Vitamins A, C, & E, rest, water, exercise, milk thistle, and essential fatty acids.”

I came home from my visit yesterday and put an action plan together to take charge of my health, not just lose a few pounds. Being an Arbonne distributor, I have many things sitting on my shelf that could be of help to me. I decided to pull out all the stops and do a thorough spring cleaning. Here is my plan of action.

1. Consume a healthy diet which includes an abundance of organic, raw fruits and vegetables – not only for the nutrition, but for the live enzymes. (See Conscious Eating by Gabriel Cousens, M.D. to understand the importance of enzymes in our body).
2. To intersperse a walk-jog program in between my weekly Jazzercise and Yoga.
3. I went to www.canaryclub last night and ordered the “HER AdvancedPlus” hormone test kit which provides a comprehensive assessment of the thyroid, sex, and adrenal hormones, plus Vitamin D levels so that I can assess my hormone status.
4. Include 30 gms of fiber per day. It has been estimated that 30 gms of fiber per day equates to a 10 pound weight loss per year.
5. Daily consumption of my Arbonne Detox Tea which will help detox the liver and kidneys, the main ingredient of which is milk thistle.
6. Take my Arbonne “7-Day Body Cleanse” out of the closet and actually do it! One ounce of the body cleanse is mixed with 32 ounces of water, repeated daily for 7 days.
7. Incorporate the Arbonne Detox Spa hair and body care into my daily regimen.
8. Repeat the “Tree of Life” gallbladder flush. There are many flush programs on the market. This particular program requires 6 weeks of liver and gallbladder prep. I completed my first flush just prior to the holidays and was totally amazed. I would not have believed the number of gallstones I eliminated had I not seen them myself.
9. Make certain I am consuming ample water. The general recommendation is to take your weight, divide that number by 2, and consume that many ounces of water per day.
10. Here’s the hardest one – step on the scales initially, then daily to monitor my progress.

Well, I went public and told my Chiropractor my plans yesterday and now you today, so there’s no turning back! He said he would hold me accountable, so here we go! I intend to start with some spring cleaning, but the ultimate goal is to take this opportunity to modify my overall housekeeping behaviors. : )