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Updates
The Natural Professional shares EasyTask Manager
Shawn Tuttle, of Project Simplify fame, offered a workshop last evening demonstrating the use of a task management program that will change my ToDo list-making forever!
Shawn’s “Let it be easy” approach to professional success has helped millions of Nevada County-ites, not to mention the masses across the globe, to create organizational systems that invite simplicity, ease, and efficiency. To this end, she searched high and low to find the best available task management program, decided upon EasyTask Manager, and became familiar with it by integrating into her own workday. She then put together this hands-on workshop to share the opportunity for effective project execution for the rest of us.
In just two hours, I learned how to list my projects (big and often intimidating), and break them down into specific categories including “office”, “call”, “computer”, “1:1”, etc. I then assigned subcategories of prioritization by due date or by my sense of their importance. Shawn shares her expertise in a very pleasant and relaxed manner, able to answer the “what-if” questions that arose, while keeping the information light and easy to understand.
Here’s the plan: On Sunday evenings, I will check the upcoming week allowing me to efficiently and effectively understand the big picture schedule. Each evening I will spend a few moments looking into the next day short list of tasks that will bring me closer to project fruition. I can and will check by my “call” list, “email” list, and other subcategories to better plan my in-office work versus my in-person work. Oh, think of the enhanced effectiveness I will be enjoying!
Yes, I have some dinking around with EasyTask Manager in the days ahead so that I become more familiar and comfortable with the program nuances, but I have no doubt that I will fall into a pleasant routine that will serve me, my clients, and my projects. Onward!
Posted in Thanks, Updates | 
Tags: EasyTask Manager, project simplify, Shawn Tuttle, the Natural Professional | 
No Comments »Grace (the dog) = JOY
I’ve been writing and talking and reading a lot about joy over the past several months. Joy [joi] –noun 1.the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation.
Joy is available to all of us. Joy is a choice. Joy is a gift. Joy is all around us. Joy is free.
When joy is evoked and acknowledged, all sorts of wonderful physical benefits occur in the body. Many of the positive changes are connected to the resulting decrease of circulating adrenaline and catecholamines (stress hormones): a relaxation of the blood vessels, leading to lowered blood pressure; a decrease in cell wall inflammation, which may decrease the risk for some cancers, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease; and a measurable balancing of brain chemicals, leading to a sense of well-being, just to name a few.
Grace the dog brought me to a place of pure JOY today. For those of you who don’t know her, Grace is our rescued/adopted Border Collie. Two years after our beloved black Lab Mack died, I began to long for a dog again. One Wednesday, I went to the animal shelter, “just to look”, and fell in love with Grace–a short-haired Border Collie with expressive eyes and a sleek body–a real beauty. The shelter folks were calling her Spot because of her coloring, but this undignified name did not suit her! All they knew of her was that she had been abandoned in an adjacent county and had spent a month in that animal shelter before being transferred to where I had found her. She had already been taken home by one family locally, but had been returned due to her “skittish” personality and inability to get along with the other dog in that house. It was inferred to me that if she couldn’t find a good home, that the choices for her longevity were limited…maybe it was knowing that, or her soulful eyes, or her gorgeous coat…yes, you guessed it, home she went with me later that week. I renamed her, choosing to call her Grace, which seemed so fitting for this fragile creature.
What a handful! She was so incredibly nervous, her ears seemed permanently plastered back and her tail threatened to poke a hole in her stomach, it was kept so far between her legs. There was general consensus that she had been abused in her past life, which was manifested by the sheer terror she exhibited when a man would approach her. When Grace was outside, she would press to the back of her doghouse if a man was in the yard. Inside our house, any stranger–men in particular–would cause her to shove herself into the 6-inch gap under our bed, hiding and shivering all the while. Our hearts went out to Grace, to witness the fear and anxiety that had defined her life thus far, and we were determined to right her life through love, patience, and structure.
We just celebrated 3 years of Grace being in our lives. Gracing our family. Today, she is a completely different dog. She is happy and animated. She had filled out in body and is a super athlete–leaping into the water, chasing balls at the speed of light, and bounding through the woods where she walks with us twice each day. She is well trained (most of the time) and follows commands (um, well not always!). She smiles. She wags. She plays. She has transformed into a loving, bright, affectionate dog that brings so much to our family.
Grace = JOY. We feel this daily, but I was especially invited to acknowledge this today, during a visit to the vet. Our vet had been wary when she first met Grace, seeing her fear and distrust, and mentioned the potential for aggressiveness or other alpha manifestations. She has seen Grace several times over the past 3 years; today Grace trotted in, tail up and wagging, smile on her face, and spontaneously licked the vet’s hand. Our vet was so pleased and impressed with how far Grace has come. She went out of her way to thank me for having been so diligent, loving, and patient with Grace as she found her place in the world.
At that moment, with Grace sitting by my side, looking at me with adoring eyes, relaxed and settled, my heart filled with JOY, for this wondrous animal and our love for each other. What a gift.
Small-step changes: snippet from a radio interview
For your listening pleasure, a pearl from my recent appearance on KVMR 89.5 FM, Nevada City community radio. It’s a snippet during which I share briefly the connection between quieting the mind and the small-step goals of behavior change. Small changes
Quinoa Salad
Quinoa is a super nutritious grain, chock-full of protein and fiber. The nutty flavor and slightly crunchy texture make it unique, either as an ingredient in a salad or casserole, or as a hot breakfast cereal. It cooks more quickly than most other whole grains–just 12 to 15 minutes–an important fact to remember to maintain the crunch. Enjoy the following recipe for one of my favorite ways of cooking and savoring quinoa.
Ingredients:
2 parts water to 1 part Quinoa
Grilled eggplant
Grilled peppers
Basil
Garlic
Feta cheese
Kalmata olives
Roasted pine nuts
To prepare:
- Bring water to a boil, add quinoa, turn down heat to simmer for 12 – 15 minutes. When the grains are cooked, add a bit of garlic infused olive oil to prevent them from sticking together.
- Rub the veggies w/ garlic infused olive oil, place under the broiler for 3 – 5 minutes, on both sides. Of course you can grill other favorites such as tomatoes, zucchini, asparagus…
- Chop the basil and garlic.
- Crumble the feta.
- Chop the olives in half.
- Mix it all up gently (cooked quinoa is fragile!), let it sit in the fridge for a few hours.
Then…
- Place the pine nuts in a non-stick pan, cook on low, constantly stirring to prevent burning; add these right before eating (so they do not become soggy!).
Note: Pine nuts are fabulously rich, adding not only a divine flavor to this or any dish, but are also a good source of mono- and poly- unsaturated fats and protein.
Enjoy!
Best Beets Recipe
Yep, it’s true: Beets are delicious. If your memory of beets are from the canned, mushy slices your mom served you, be prepared to have your taste buds delighted and your body rejuvenated! Beets are nutrient dense and can be prepared in a very tantalizing way. Here’s my favorite recipe:
Ingredients:
Red or golden beets or a mixture of both
Blue Cheese, crumbled
Turkish apricots
Candied pecans or walnuts
Balsamic vinegar
- Wash and wrap beets in foil, bake at 400 for 60 minutes. Let cool completely (several hours).
- Wearing kitchen gloves, rub the beets gently and the skin will fall right off.
- Clean up the beet tips.
- Chop into bite sized chunks.
- Add crumbled blue cheese, chopped turkish apricots and (optional) just a few candied pecans.
- Drizzle with good quality balsamic vinaigrette (I used fig) and sprinkle a tad of salt and pepper.
- This dish can be eaten at room temperature or cold from the fridge in the summer. Enjoy!
Posted in Eat, Recipes, Updates | Tags: beets, delicious, nutrient dense, recipe, simple | 5 Comments »How Your Brain Can Save Your Heart…
I listened in on a teleconference yesterday; sponsored by HeartCoaches, that featured Cynthia Ackrill, MD as the opening speaker. Dr. Ackrill “has extensive training in new brain-based approaches to behavior change and performance enhancement. Her specialty is psychoneurobiology, a field of applied neuroscience measuring brainwave patterns and their correlation to psychometric measures of symptoms, behaviors, and performance”. WOW! This burgeoning field of brain science is utterly fascinating and holds the key to understanding the opportunities for sustainable behavior change that supports optimal health and well-being.
Also discussed was the VIA Survey, an assessment tool that defines character strengths. Recognizing and utilizing your character strengths are correlated with “an understanding of the various dimensions of character, the dynamics between character strengths, and the valued outcomes that result from living authentically in concordance with one’s character strengths. With greater ability to articulate and develop character, we will be poised to better direct our talents and abilities into meaningful and engaging behavior to better our own lives and the lives of others.”
Paul Nelson, MEd, and Director of HeartCoaches, described the 4 brain-based strategies that he has developed “that research has shown to be critical for increasing self-efficacy, encouraging determination, strengthening resiliency and creating an optimistic attitude–all essential ingredients for making lifestyle changes that lead to a longer, healthier, happier life.”
I was thrilled and deeply touched that during the teleconference, my HeartMatters program was validated by science-based principles and studies. Behavior change that leads to optimal life-management is entirely possible by incorporating a mindfulness and relaxation practice and positive affirmation, creating a Health Vision, and engaging in small-step daily goals that are subtle, pleasant, and realistic. And in the process, you will cultivate an emotional connection to your deeper self, understanding your strengths and opportunities, and believing that it is possible–a secondary benefit to enjoying radiant health and well-being.
Doesn’t that sound like what you want?
Posted in Mindfulness, Updates | Tags: behavior change, health and wellbeing, Mindfulness | No Comments »Tender words of reflection, from a client
Small-step daily goals lead to healthful and pleasant behavior change! I was gratified to have received this acknowledgment and expression of thanks from a dear client, with whom I have had the honor of engaging in his optimal health management these past 6 months. His note was so sweet, that (with his permission), I felt compelled to share it with you.
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Hi Robin,
Today was a celebration of what I’ve accomplished in these six months or so that we’ve been working together. I pointed out that I’ve exercised 11 days in a row, and indeed have only missed 4 days this entire month. I’ve include three gym trips in the past week, with the intention of making the gym a more frequent part of my exercise outings. I noted that I’ve reached the point where I look forward, most days, to my exercising — especially walking, during this special period of wonderful spring weather. With the temps now getting into the 80s, I will be scoping out swimming pools with the intent of adding swimming to my mix of exercise; indeed, as the summer heat intensifies, it’s likely that swimming will replace at least some of my walking.
In terms of walking, I know that at some point I’ll need to increase my distance and time. At the moment I feel like I’m balancing that fairly well, but I know that psychologically I’m limited to what I think I can do; at some point I’ll push forward and realize I can do more. But I’m not beating myself up over that since I’m quite happy that I’m doing ANY kind of exercise now, compared to what I was doing a year ago or even six months ago. Realistically, I have to accept that walking at my current weight is not easy and the same expectations can’t exist that would if I weighed 50 or 100 pounds less. (I forgot to mention during our session today, that when I met my pal Gregory for breakfast yesterday, he was already seated in the restaurant and watched me walk across the parking lot from my car…he said, “You look like an athlete out there.” That was a huge boost; because it wasn’t so long ago that I could barely walk because of my bad heel and bad knee.)
My food intake seems to be fairly routine and solid by now, indicating that I’ve evolved into the 5-meal-a-day pattern that was part of my initial health vision and your initial prescription for me. I’m generally free of cravings for the baked goods, candy, etc., that used to control me. I used to have some sort of fast food almost daily, together with at least one or two diet sodas. Now fast food is limited to tacos every now and then, with an occasional burger or hot dog thrown in; for three months I had no diet soda, and now have one no more often than once a week.
As we approach my six-month blood work, I am anticipating that my numbers will be at or near normal. You cautioned me not to make the numbers the entire goal, and suggested that if they are normal it would be likely that my doc will keep me on Metformin, perhaps at a lower dose, for at least another six months. You underscored that diabetes is a condition that can be managed by healthful food and fitness choices and that it can “come back”, and that I have shifted to the lifetime commitment to the exercise and food disciplines that you have introduced to me. I agreed that would be necessary. And I reiterated that this process has been quite pleasant and positive, and gets easier each day. It’s not been like the awful, rigid programs I’ve tried in the past.
I hope you know how much I’ve valued and appreciated your intervention, Robin. You’re a wonderful friend and teacher and I’m so grateful that you’ve committed yourself to helping me get back on the path to health.
Posted in Updates | Tags: acknowledgment, behavior change, client testimonial, tender | No Comments »