This Blog has Moved!

Hi there.

If you are here you must be curious about me, my business, or at least something I've written about.

This blog has moved because I have integrated it with my website. 

Why?

I started this blog a long time ago - before I even thought of creating another business. In fact, if you would have told me when I started this blog that by 2012 I would be a full-time health coach I would have said you were full of, well, let's just say baloney.

I used to own a business that I hated and I used to swear that I would NEVER own another one. Never say never. Ha! 

I LOVE health coaching. It rocks! I get to help people feel better, look better and have energetic fulfilled lives that they love. Doesn't get better than that.

I hope you check me out at http://health-harvest.com/.

My blog is there. . . with lots of new entries.

Have an amazing day!

XO

Tamara

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Hard to believe it’s the 7^th of January already! I am writing because I want to share with you what I’ve been up to during the time between Christmas and New Years. I spent the time planning my 2012 – and I want to share the exciting news with you! 


The Health Harvest mission, this year, is to use the latest digital technology, web-based communications, group events and individual coaching to empower people, with a focus on entrepreneurs, to create optimal health through simple, effective and sustainable nutrition and lifestyle changes. By offering fun, informative and honest programming Health Harvest will enable more than 10,000 people to create measurable improvements in their overall health in 2012.

Yes, I am going to show 10,000++ people how to create their own Optimal Health!

Here’s how I’m going to reach my goal:

• Growing Your Health - a monthly 30-minute teleseminar on different aspects of holistic wellness. The first teleseminar is on Tuesday, January 17^th at 6:30 p.m. PST and the topic is Optimal Nutrition – nutrition that will keep you well through flu season and beyond

• A new website! I’m thrilled to say that my new website is in development.  There will be recipes, free information and lots of health-related goodness. So exciting! My fingers are crossed for a February 1^st launch. I can't wait to share this new site with you! 

• As a jumpstart for your health (and a way to kick food cravings and lose a few pounds) I will continue to offer the 7-Day Chinese Herbal Cleanse once each month beginning on the 1^st Friday and ending the following Thursday. I will announce a new pricing structure soon that will take effect in February. As you have heard, this detox is a no-suffering, eating-lots-of-food, health-enhancing miracle – and it only takes 7 days. I hope you’ll take advantage of it!

• Co-author a book entitled Entrepreneur Extraordinaire. I have submitted my chapter, which is on optimal health, and it’s been accepted! The book will be printed and available some time in March.

• An Optimal Health Group! This group is only for those who are serious about pushing their overall health and wellness through the roof. I will present an informative webinar and facilitate a digital open forum once a month.

• I will offer this group at no cost for a couple of months to get the bugs worked out and then charge a small monthly fee. Participants will be able to come and go as they please and pay only for the months when they wish to participate.

• There will be guest speakers, the latest holistic health information, a private Facebook page and lots of FUN!
  If you want to get in on the two free months, let me know and I’ll put you on the list. You’ll get all the details in February and this program will launch in March.

• I will continue to provide my Premium Six Month Personal Coaching Program. This year, in order to provide the best coaching possible, I’ll only be taking on a small number of private clients. If you are ready to meet or exceed your health and wellness goals and spend the rest of your life feeling great, and you know you will need support to make it happen, please consider me as your health coach. 

• In early summer I will be offering a webinar series especially for women – Loving your Libido. Yes, I have some fabulous libido-building secrets and I’m going to share them all with you! The info on this series will come your way in April and the six-part webinar series will start in June. You won’t want to miss this one

• I will continue to speak about health and wellness to groups and organizations. I love speaking and it’s a great way for me to reach a lot of people all at once. Please use me as a resource if you have a group that would benefit from learning simple ways to increase their health. I usually do these at no cost to the organization.

My favorite topics are:

• Lower Your Stress, Without Changing Your Life
• Eating for Optimal Immunity
• Optimal Health for Busy Entrepreneurs

Believe it or not, that’s not all! There are even more exciting happenings in the works and I’ll keep you informed as they jell.

We have an exciting year ahead of us! Let’s get started!

XO

PS - The pic is me this morning at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market picking up some Racho Gordo beans. They are the best! They have a bunch of different heirloom beans. I've tried quite a few and every batch has been fabulous. The beans are so fresh that you don't need to soak them. I usually soak them for 24 hours anyway so they sprout and lose their acidity. Beans are the unsung health food. They are full of micro-nutrients, protein and fiber! 

The Next Healthy Thing for Me - A Letter to My Friends & Community

Dear Fabulous Friends and Community,

I am a student again! I have enrolled in a health and nutrition class with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. The course is a year long and at the end I will be a certified health coach. I'm SO excited! Wooowhoo! Since it's a distance learning course and all the info came to me weeks ago, I've totally cheated and have read and listened to a whole bunch of the material we are to cover. It's great stuff!

As most, if not all, of you know, I have always been interested in health and nutrition. My obsession with local food, gardening, eating and all things health-related is going to develop into my next career!

I'm going to learn a lot about all the different dietary theories out there. From the Zone Diet to the Blood Type Diet to Five Element Theory (which, by the way, I'd never heard of - Shocking!). I'm also going to learn a lot about listening, the basics of food consumption, and the latest in dietary theory - As well as the business end of being a health coach.

I chose Integrative Nutrition because of their basic philosophy, which is:

There are two types of food: 
Primary Food consists of our relationships, our physical activity, our career and our spiritual practice.
Secondary Food is what we put in our mouths.

This was a revelation to me when I heard it! The world got brighter and bigger and all the stuff in my head around food and place and self-care and community started to link up like a string of old Christmas lights when you replace the right bulb! Fascinating!

There is no one-size-fits-all diet: 
What invigorates you may bore me. What I eat to feel great might make you feel lethargic. What works for your body might make me have a rash! We all are intuitive and smart enough to figure out what will bring optimal health and happiness. . . all we need is information, support and encouragement along the way.

Makes perfect sense, doesn't it? 

What will I do with all this new-found learning and inspiration?

Here's my vision for this year:

• I'm going to share it with you. Here on my blog. So please check in occasionally to see what's new!
• I'm going to offer seminars to groups, starting (hopefully) with my workplace. 
• I'm going to take on clients who want to increase their health and happiness. 

Here's my vision for a few years after that:
I'm going to buy a piece of land and start a biodynamic human-scale garden/farm that will serve as the centerpiece for seminars, weekend retreats and classes about nutritionally dense food, how to grow it, how to cook it, how to enjoy eating it - and taking care of our children, grandchildren and ourselves as we age.

Sounds fun, doesn't it?!

Where will this garden/farm be? I have no idea, but I'm looking for that piece of land. Two to five acres with water rights in an area that's pretty and has a good growing season. Not sure if that's California, Idaho, Oregon or Washington - or someplace I haven't thought of yet.

I'm planning to apprentice on a biodynamic farm, either the fall of 2011 or the spring of 2012, for a year. There are a few out there that pay a small stipend, which is all I really need.

I am looking forward to the next part of my journey and sharing it with you. I cannot begin to express what you all mean to me.

For those of you who are new in my world, I have family and friends that are amazing. They've been there for me through many different phases in my life (not all good) and I love and admire every single one of them. 

Of course, I can't do this alone. I will need your help and encouragement along the way.

To start with, if you have information about, or know of, a piece of land that is for sale that I would love, or a biodynamic farm that hires help, please post a comment or email me at greenlifejunkie@gmail.com.

Here's to the future!

Love to you all,
Tamara

PS - Mr. Green is totally supportive of this new adventure. Crazy man!  :)

Hot Yoga! Day 2

Day 2 of Hot Yoga at Bikram Yoga Seacliff, San Francisco.

I slept well last night. Woke up at 6 with the alarm. I was a little tired, but not bad.


Getting ready to go to class is complicated. I have to take everything I need to end up at work dressed and groomed appropriately. Managed quite well today.

Made it to class early, but not as crazy early as yesterday. There was already a class in session. It started at 6:00 a.m. - the same time I got out of bed - Who ARE Those Bendy People?!

Anyway, class was great today.

I realized, after about 10 minutes, that I could actually hear the instructor. Yesterday there was so much internal noise between the voice in my head and breathing and my body, that I couldn't hear a thing. Today, I could hear everything. Consequently, I was able to concentrate more on the poses and really stretch. It felt good. Except for the falling-over part. The first balancing pose was a total joke. I was the example of "uncenteredness". I'm sure other people found it hard to balance with me falling all over the place. It did get a little better as the poses went on. There is hope.

I was only slightly light-headed at the end. I think this has to do with two things.

First, I drank a cup of decaf chai tea with a large spoon of honey in it when I got up this morning. There is still a tiny bit of caffeine in decaf tea and the honey served as a little "food" in my system without adding any solids. One is not supposed to eat for two hours before yoga for many good reasons. Stomach cramps are no fun and, trust me, you don't want to be the one who rips one during downward dog and belches every time you stand up. I'm not eating breakfast until after class.

Second, I put a full scoop of Heed in my water bottle this morning. Heed is an electrolyte powder by Hammer Nutrition. Cyclists use it. It doesn't have any of the nasty ingredients that Gatorade has - no HFCS (high fructose corn syrup), no artificial colors. It doesn't taste like much, it's sweetened with stevia and xylitol, and it keeps your electrolytes in balance while you work out. It's great on really long or really strenuous bike rides. Worked perfect for intense yoga.

We spend a lot of time looking at the ceiling. It's made of a beautiful deep red cloth that looks like quilted silk. It's quite beautiful, actually.

9:45 - On the bus. Munching stems of broccoli from a zip-lock bag (it was what was easy to grab out of the fridge). Not starving, but definitely hungry. Had an interesting conversation with an Asian woman about food. She wanted to know if my broccoli was raw or cooked and if I eat salad dressing. We talked about making dressing from scratch. And there was this baby on the bus! A blond girl. Not more than 14 months old. She made eye contact and said "Hi!" and waved to Everyone on the bus - one person at a time! It was Great! Wow! What will She BE when she grows up?! Maybe her whole generation is that outgoing - what a change That would bring! She was so Present. Very Cool.

10:15 - At work. Feeling good. Neck is a little stiff. Ate the salad that I brought from home - various lettuces, raisins, some shaved parm. No dressing.

11:30 - Hip Flexers! Wow. They totally seized up while I was sitting at my desk. Makes walking to get a copy a whole new adventure! And suddenly I am aware of my posture. I can hear my mother reminding me to stand up straight, so I do.

12:05 - Lunch. Brown rice mushroom salad - Fabulous. Flan for dessert. Yes, I know I should eat fruit instead and get totally away from the white sugar. Not today. Sorry. The rest of the broccoli stems. Am aware of my neck and upper back. Feels kind of good, actually.

2:54 - Suddenly tired. Thirsty. Drinking lots of water. Slight headache, so I'm taking an aspirin.

3: 59 - Better. Maybe I just needed some human interaction. Went to a meeting. Hip flexers are working without pain. This is good.

5:00 - Now I get to decide whether I want to ride my bike home or not. How much exercise is too much exercise? The wind actually isn't blowing 20 miles an hour for a change. It's sunny outside. I think I'll ride home. Leisurely. Or maybe I'll take the bus. . .

9:31 - Stayed late at work and took the bus home. Stole a piece of string cheese out of the work fridge - will have to replace it. Got here around 8. Made dinner with Mr. Green and ate (cauliflower pasta). Ate too much. Still learning to not overeat. Crazy how we are programed to "pig-out" when food tastes good. Also, why eat at 8:45 p.m.? There's really no reason to. I would have been fine with a piece of fruit or some veggies. I eat and learn. . .

I'm a little sore this evening - back, legs and the muscles along the sides of my neck (weird). It will be interesting to see how I feel in the morning.

Onward to Day 3!