Wild Woman Wednesday

Wild Women Take Risks!

That's both a statement, and a directive!  Are there dreams in your life that you've not achieved because you are afraid?  Do you tend to think, "Well, if I do this, then THAT could happen, and then it might turn out to go THERE....", etc., etc., etc., until you have created a picture that completely defeats any chance of you every going there?  Yeah... me, too.  I come from a long line of women who, as I call it, "project" -- worrying about what could happen 5, 10, 20 years from now if you make this decision today.  And unfortunately, while it's important to positively project long range goals (and count the cost), we are talking about negative projection here -- all the many reasons why something won't come to fruition, or all the bad things that might transpire.  It's deflating, to say the least, and can completely derail you in minutes.

Instead... think of all the positives as to why you should move forward - what great things could happen?  What will your life look like 5, 10, 20 years from now when you have achieved that goal?  

This month I am highlighting Margie Warrell's book "Stop Playing Safe" as our book of the month.  I'm in the process of reading it, and it's a real butt-kicker in the best sense of the term!  (Hmmm... isn't it amazing how certain things can have both a positive and negative side?)  I am reading/listening to it via audible.com, a wonderful way to "read" when you can't actually sit there with a book.  I can conquer the victim mentality of being stuck in traffic because I'm doing something productive with my time - reading!  (A total side note here - did you know that the average person commutes between 1,200-2,400 hours a year?  Which equates to approximately 1-2 university semesters?  Which means you could turn your car into your own personal education center on wheels!)  But I digress...

Ms. Warrell writes a column for Forbes Magazine, and here is the article about being too tentative and taking risks that got me to thinking about today's blog topic.  It's a must read (and I recommend subscribing to her column, and read her blog and get her email by going to her website at http://margiewarrell.com/)!!!

http://www.forbes.com/sites/margiewarrell/2014/04/22/too-cautious-for-your-own-good/

So today, wild women, exercise by pulling up your boot straps, gathering up your courage and get moving in the direction of your dreams!  And remember I'm here to help coach you along - never more than a phone call or Skype/FaceTime away!  Get out there and do it, Wild Women - IMAGINE how AMAZING your life COULD BE 5, 10, 20 years from now - ROCK IT AND GO GET YOUR DREAMS TODAY!

Blessings,

Coach Linda Bush

Try, Try Again, and Keep Trying Thursday

Thanks, www.moneysavingmom.com!

Today's message is simple - keep trying!  Don't give up on your goals and dreams.  As a life coach, and as a health & wellness coach, I often see my clients hitting a roadblock, an obstacle or a plateau.  Those are the rough spots that will always challenge you to give up.  But hang in there and think about all the blood, sweat, tears, energy and possibly financial investment that you have already put forth.  This isn't wasted effort - each step is another brick on the golden path of your life... so keep traveling it, one step at a time.

One of my favorite web/blog sites is www.moneysavingmom.com, and in her email today Crystal Paine wrote about refusing to give up.  It was inspirational and a real "shot in the arm" (as Grandmom used to say) because I, too, get tired sometimes of the pursuit of my own goals and dreams.  Here's the link:

http://moneysavingmom.com/2014/04/1-reason-people-fail.html

So today, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and as the old song says, start all over again.  Remember - a coach comes alongside you to help you put feet to those dreams and craft a plan of action to get you there and encourage you along the way.  I'm here, and would love to partner with you.  Just visit my website, give me a call and let's get you started or renew your passion and let 2014 be the year you achieve your heart's desires!!!

Blessings for a wonderful day!

Coach Linda
www.coachlindabush.com
linda@coachlindabush.com
609-331-9833

Wild Woman Wednesday

My favorite - Spectrum Organic Virgin Coconut Oil!

Wild Women try new things!

In the last several months I have been discovering the benefits of coconut oil.  It is now my go-to product for skin cleanser/moisturizer, the base oil for sugar scrubs, oil pulling for dental/oral hygiene (click HERE for details and yes, it has made my teeth whiter), hair conditioner (itsy bit for me on the ends only), leg shaving oil, some cleansing around the house and all kinds of odd things!  Plus, it’s thrifty as well!  It is a solid oil than becomes a liquid when warmed, even by the heat of your skin.  Rather than list all the wonders of this natural oil, let me direct you to a few websites that will give you more ideas on the umpteen uses of coconut oil:

http://www.swansonvitamins.com/blog/natural-health-tips/using-coconut-oil

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/11/18/coconut-oil-uses.aspx

http://www.sunwarrior.com/news/50-of-the-best-uses-for-coconut-oil/

http://www.lewrockwell.com/2013/09/no_author/160-uses-for-coconut-oil/

Note that there may be duplication of suggestions, and ALWAYS ALWAYS take or use any of these ideas at your OWN RISK!  Because coconut oil does contain a substantial amount of saturated fatty acids (fats), which are known to raise low density (bad) cholesterol, I don’t use it much internally, although I have also read that it can have positive effects on increasing HDL (good) cholesterol and lowering triglycerides.  CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR FIRST BEFORE USING IT!!!! 

I would love to hear how you use coconut oil as well and your results!  Please email me at linda@coachlindabush.com or add your comments here.

By the way, the photo I used is the actual brand of organic coconut oil I use by Spectrum.  You can buy it in a glass or plastic jar.  I prefer the plastic jar, as it can get oily and I’m a bit of a klutz sometimes.  (I’m not a paid promoter, by the way, I just like the stuff!)  Also, when I smooth it on after my shower before toweling dry, I let it soften up by sitting it at the bottom of the tub and letting the heat of the water soften it up – not something I’d recommend doing with a glass jar!  I’ve listed it as my “product of the month” for April! 

Go wild (or should I say nutty) with your coconut oil, ladies!

Blessings,

Coach Linda

Thrifty Tuesday

Well, the sunshine left with Monday and now it’s gray, muggy and pouring rain.  But… April showers bring May flowers, or so they say, which makes me think of gardening.  Now while my Grandmom instilled in me a passion for all things related to gardening, my pocketbook usually doesn’t have anywhere near enough in its dusty little corners to afford all I’d love to do with the garden, be it veggies, herb or flowers!  So what’s a girl to do?

One thing is to begin with seeds.  But even that can be an expensive endeavor, so here’s a few ideas I’ve come up with to help ease the financial burden and increase the pleasure of growing something with my own hands from seed!  Thanks to many articles and Pinterest posts that have helped me get creative!

• To make little mini-seed starters, cut up paper towel and toilet paper cardboard rolls, fill them with dirt and plant your seeds in them.  They transplant easily into the ground as well – EZPZ!
• Wash out your cans from canned goods and use them as planters.  Fill with dirt, seed ‘em up and go!  Be sure to poke some holes in the bottom for drainage (hammer and awl or screwdriver to make the holes).
• Start making cuttings now – got any herb plants in your kitchen that you’d like to grow outside, like basil?  Cut them, put them in a jar of water, let them grow roots, and plant them.  This can be done with many herbs, and carrot tops, too!
• Do you get take out or bring home food from a restaurant?  Instead of tossing it, wash it out, poke some holes in the bottom, fill it with dirt and start your seeds in it.
• Rinse out those eggshells, gently fill them with dirt and put your seeds in them – again, easily transportable into your garden!  You can also use the egg cartons as individual pots – be sure to purchase paper crates so you can plant them directly into the ground.

Here’s a great blog posting by www.gardenbetty.com on how to make paper pots from recycled newspaper:
http://www.gardenbetty.com/2011/03/how-to-make-recycled-newspaper-pots-for-seed-starting/

She’s also got a great post on how to start seeds indoors:
http://www.gardenbetty.com/2011/03/the-no-brainer-guide-to-starting-seeds-indoors/

And if you prefer watching a video, here’s a link on making newspaper starting pots:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW4t_6dTAvA

If you are an origami fan, make a box-shaped newspaper seed starter at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dlGQP81yfo

• Get together with friends and exchange plants.  Spring is a good time to thin out the gardens, so have a plant exchange!  And, if you are so inclined, put your baby plants/seedlings in a handmade pretty paper pot by using either the comics and following the above-mentioned square seed box video, or some pretty scrapbook or thicker tissue paper!
• Once the season has begun, check out your local garden centers (like Lowes, Home Depot, etc.) for clearance plants.  They make look a bit droopy, dry and wilted, but you’d be surprised by how just a little TLC and water can perk them right up again!
• Generally, I try to buy perennials when I do cough up cash for plants to get the most long-lasting season-after-season bang for my hard-earned buck!  Then keep a glass jar and will it with spare change for the occasional “I need annuals for color splash!” splurges! 

For more ideas go to my pinterest page on “How Does Your Garden Grow?” at

http://www.pinterest.com/kre8tv4him/how-does-your-garden-grow/

Also at Pinterest, be sure to visit this site: 

http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=thrifty%20gardening

And let’s not forget that gardening is WONDERFUL exercise not only for your spirit but your body as well!

Here’s to starting your own bit of paradise in your backyard – how will your garden grow?

Blessings,

Coach Linda

Mindful Monday

Happy Monday, all!  It was just beautiful weather here in NJ over the weekend.  I just love watching all the spring flowers stretching and reaching for the sun, opening their blooms to the warmth.  Mondays are a great time to revisit your goals and take a step closer to your achievement of them. 

One thing I am trying to learn how to do more effectively is to eat slower.  I tend to “wolf my food down” (as my Grandma used to say) – not exactly mindful eating patterns!  Before I know it, I’ve eaten too fast, too much and enjoyed it too little.  Since it takes 20 minutes for your stomach to register “I’m full” to your brain, it is especially helpful to eat more slowly, plus it gives your body a little more time to digest what you’re eating!

So… as I work on my long-term goal of optimal health for my lifetime, I will begin practicing more mindful eating, taking smaller bites, chewing a little bit longer, putting down my utensils between bites, and savoring each mouthful.  

This will also work towards my goal of being more aware and thankful for all the blessings in my day.  Food – something that is so easily taken for granted, is truly a blessing!

Exercise your goal-seeking muscles today and start the week off well!

Blessings,

Coach Linda

Wild Woman Wednesday

Step away from the sugar - the sequelL

Last week’s Wild Woman Wednesday blog post was about sugar.  Click HERE to see it.

Well, it is so important that I want to create a part two this week, especially since I found a posting on Rodale News entitled “7 Surprising Reasons to Give Up Sugar.”  Let me tell you, it gives some VERY COMPELLING REASONS to step away from this toxic ingredient!  Here's the link:

http://www.rodalenews.com/sugar-health-effects?cm_mmc=ETNTNL-_-1655970-_-04102014-_-7SurprisingReasonstoGiveUpSugar-hed

Not only does it provide insight into how sugar negatively impacts our bodies in a variety of ways, but it also reveals areas where it surprisingly infiltrates foods that we eat (salad dressings, breads, tomato sauces, for example).  And if you are worried about looking older as you age, check out the fact that sugar accelerates the aging process.  Oh baby, that’s enough for me right there!  About the only sugar I would recommend at this point is a sugar scrub!

So, sweeties, read it and judge for yourself, wild woman, but do consider stepping away from that sugar bowl.

Blessings,

Coach Linda

Mix It Up, Manage It and Make It Happen Monday

Found on theberry.com and posted on Pinterest

It’s Monday.  I’m tired.  I can’t afford a gym membership.  It’s rainy.  I don’t have the time.  I don’t have equipment at home.  It’s too hard and complicated.  Groan.  Whimper. Drone on.

Okay,  are we done of the excuses?  Any more reasons you'd like to argue for staying out of shape and unhealthy and unhappy?  I didn't think so.

Get off your justifications/defenses and go sweat.  NOW!!!  You can find SOMETHING in one of these fantastic workout diagrams that I found on buzzfeed: 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/fitness-diagrams-that-make-g?sub=2278573_1234125

It’s time to quit complaining and moaning and groaning and make excuses – take that time and energy and turn it into something positive that you can be proud of when you look in the mirror a month from now and when you begin to feel more energy and healthier than you have in a long time.

Remember – you are a wild woman, and wild women get it done. 

It’s that simple… and that hard…

Blessings,

Coach Linda Bush

Found on Pinterest - via backonpointe.tumbler.com

Wild Woman Wednesday

Step aaaaaawwwaaaayyyyyy from the sugar bowl!!!!!

Wild women are the sweetest women in the world - but... they need to be aware of their sugar intake!

Think those night sweats are the onset of menopause?  Blaming your mood swings on hormones?  Before you assume your body is going through “the change” (cue the music – DAH DU DAHHHHH!), check out how much sugar you are consuming. 

I have the worst sweet tooth in the world, but I know that if I consume sugars and artificial sweeteners like Spenda (generic name – sucralose – POISON STAY AWAY FROM IT) I will get an emotional drop and depression quicker than a junkie coming off a fix.

I want to share a blog posting that I found VERY informative on sugar and depression.  It’s from www.psychcentral.com, and it’s entitled “Why Sugar is Dangerous to Depression”, written by Therese J. Borchard, Associate Editor.  Click HERE to link over to it.  There is some great info and several links to other resources, including Kathleen DesMaisons’ book “Potatoes Not Prozac.”  Sugar sensitivity could be affecting your moods.  For example, last night I was making some chocolate-covered pretzels for an upcoming event.  I have been fairly careful about eating any candies, chocolate and sweets as I try to eat as clean and healthy as possible.  I popped about 4-5 dark chocolate Hershey’s kisses during the preparation process, justifying it as “quality control” (yeah… right).  Well, gals, lemme tellya what – I am certainly feeling the after-effects now with a sugar hangover mood lower than a whale’s belly.  I have a wicked bad case of the blue meanies, the funk, whatever is your pet name for feeling crummy.  Tired, blue, irritable… and for no reason.  Otherwise, I’m logically feeling especially blessed.  And boy, do I hate this feeling.  So I’m drinking lots of water to try and flush my system, and am sticking to a veggies and protein food intake to cleanse and replenish myself.  I don’t like this yucky feeling at all!

I hope you will glean some good info from Borchard’s blog entry and begin to consider eliminating sugar from your system. 

Blessings,

Coach Linda

Think About It Tuesday

Guess the size of your spaghetti!!!!!

Food for thought, thought for food… if you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that I am a HUGE proponent for mindful eating.  Any healthy eating plan requires that you think about what you put in your mouth (and subsequently in your body).  That’s one of the reasons why those who keep a food journal have a higher rate of weight loss success – they are keeping track of every morsel that sneaks past those lips!  Otherwise, it is ever so easy to come down with a wicked case of “food amnesia” that can prove terminal to the best laid eating plans out there.  “Oh yeah, I forgot that I ate those three cookies at 10am, or that half a brownie that was sitting there in the break room at 3pm… and I was so sleepy I just HAD to eat it to keep my blood sugar high!”  C’mon now, you know we’ve justified ourselves into the next size up too many times, am I right?  And the truth is, it truly IS easy to forget what we eat sometimes, especially if you’re racing around and you “pop something” just to stave off a mean case of the hungries.

But today I’m thinking about a different take on food for thought, thought for food that makes me shake my head and laugh.  Just this morning I saw an ad for “pot-sized spaghetti”.  Yes… this company is branding a whole new “breed” of spaghetti engineered specifically to fit in your pot.  Ummm… guys, our mom, grandmothers, great-grandmothers and beyond have solved that earth-shattering dilemma for centuries now… JUST BREAK THE SPAGHETTI IN HALF!!!!!!  Can I get a collective DUH??? From our wild women readers???!?!?!  Seriously?  Shorter spaghetti to fit in the pot?  And let me guess, I’ll bet this new “innovative and creative design” will cost more money as well, won’t it?!?!

I can’t help but think about the old story of a young bride making her first roast for the visiting family’s Sunday dinner.  She cuts off the end of the roast before putting it in the pan.  Her hubs asks why she did that, and she says that’s because her Mom always did it.  Well, when Mom shows up for dinner, her daughter asks her why she cut off the end of her roast before going into the oven, and Mom says, “Well, honey, that’s because my Mom did it that way.”  They go to the phone and call Grandmom to find out what the secret is to cutting off the end of a roast.  Flavor?  Letting the juices escape?  What? What?  As they wait with anticipation as they ask the question to Grandmom, she reveals the family secret.  “Well, dears, my pot was small and the roast never fit, so I just cut off the end to get it in the pan and into the oven!”

Like I said, thought for food… be mindful and intention about what you eat, and WHY you are preparing it, and WHY you need to spend extra money to get spaghetti that is shorter when you can just break it in half.  Things of puzzlement…..  

Exercise your brain cells today!

Blessings,

Coach Linda Bush

Mindful Money Monday

From the time I was knee-high to my Grandmom's apron I've been a craft-a-holic.  I love all the latest ideas and colors and possibilities.  It's come in quite handy over the years when money was tight and I needed to provide gifts and additional income here and there.  It's also fun to be able to repurpose and recycle items into other functional items.

That being said, today is just a little fun way to save a bit of money and craft a common item into something new... the good old cereal box!  While a few of the ideas may be a bit far fetched, there are some that I found quite cute and useable (the mini-notebooks and mail organizers were my favorites, along with the ages-old idea of using a cereal box as a magazine storage bin).  A bonus is that you can do most of these crafts with your kids... always a good thing! You can make a mini-notebook as a food journal or weight/inches loss booklet since tomorrow is April 1st -- the beginning of a new month and new quarter!

So grab a few empty cereal boxes, grab some inexpensive contact paper, stickers and wrapping paper from your local dollar store, and join in the fun as you exercise your crafting muscles!  Here's the link, and thanks to Pippa Armbrester at www.buzzfeed.com  for this crafty and money-saving article!

Thirty-One Things You Can Make Out of Cereal Boxes:  http://www.buzzfeed.com/pippa/cereal-box-diys-5ocb

Blessings,

Coach Linda Bush