The Yama & Niyamas - Exploring Ethical Practice

Recently came across this book and it's blowing my mind. I highly recommended reading. A must read for anyone interested in spiritual wisdom.

Spring Training Workout Plan--Get Outdoors!

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Now’s a great time to take your fitness routine outdoors!  Here’s a plan you can do with little to no extra equipment, and don’t be shy to get even more creative with your natural surroundings and challenge yourself!

   *You don’t need any extra equipment, but if you have a resistance band and a jump rope you can really rock this workout.

   *Always check with your doctor before

 beginning any new fitness routine, and 

make sure you are hydrated.

Warm up for 3-5 minutes

   *Go through this routine at least once.  Repeat 1 or 2 more times to burn even more calories, get stronger, and really challenge yourself. 

  

    *Warm up for at least 3-5 minutes, jogging, walking, jumping rope, etc.  

     *Take a few moments to stretch and stretch throughout the workout when needed.                                                       

Here's the routine:

ANOTHER AWESOME DOTERRA GIVEAWAY!

I'm offering a "Special Package" to anyone who places a $40.00 order or more on my DoTerra site. This is personally packaged by me and contains samples of 4 oils plus a special roller blend of "Mommy Energizer"-- a Product Guide, the Essential Oil A-Z guide, a make-over your medicine cabinet guide, etc. AND--if you sign up as an IPC (Independent Product Consultant) with an order of $100 or more I will GIVE you a brand new Spa Mist Vapor Diffuser! (I have the same one and use it everyday!) This is a $40.00 value. 

*** The most awesome bonus of becoming an IPC and part of my team is you can purchase ALL of your products at WHOLESALE prices! If you've been interested in learning more about DoTerra this is a great opportunity. Please message me if you have any questions! Also, let me know if you'd like to be invited to our exclusive Oilers Cafe Group--THE place to learn from real people about the amazing transformational benefits of DoTerra Oils and products!

Here's a link to a blog about doTerra:

MY FAVE DOTERRA OILS

Here's where you can purchase products/sign up:

LAURA MCDONALD DOTERRA

Please contact me if you have any questions or for more information.

Healthy Best!

Yummy, Healthy, Easy Vegetable Soup

This soup is always a healthy hit! It’s easy to make and fills your house with a wonderful, inviting aroma. It’s also a great soup to take to work and heat up for a healthy, wallet friendly meal.
I recommend using organic, local, seasonal vegetables whenever possible. This keeps it super fresh, keeps it green and supports local farmers.  
This is the basic recipe, but please get creative and make it your own by adding and substituting what you like. Make sure to wash all vegetables carefully.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: About 45 minutes
Makes: 6-8 cups

• Small onion, chopped
• 2-3 Cloves garlic, chopped
• 3-4 Celery stalks, chopped
• 2-3 Carrots, chopped
• 1 Turnip, diced 
• 1-2 Parsnips, diced
• 1-2 Leeks, chopped
• 1 large potato, peeled and diced
• 1 Green and yellow squash, diced
• Fresh sprigs of dill and parsley, chopped
• 3 Cups organic low-sodium vegetable broth and 1 cup water,OR 2 cups vegetable broth, 2 cups water
• Olive Oil or oil of choice
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Optional:

• 2 Cups kale or spinach (Cleaned off the stalk, washed well and chopped.)
• Fresh corn (I love to scrap it right off the ear into the pot)
• Any other fresh veggies you might want to throw in

Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a soup pot, then add the onion, garlic, celery, and cook for several minutes until onions are translucent. Stir in the remaining vegetables and herbs (except spinach or kale.) Cook over medium to low heat, stirring gently and add more oil if needed. I usually salt and pepper a bit at this stage. After 5-10 minutes slowly pour in the stock and/or water. Bring to a low simmer. Partially cover the pot and let simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, until vegetables are tender, not mushy, stirring occasionally.
You can stir in the spinach/kale if you like now. Let simmer another 5 minutes or so, stirring gently. Add more broth or water if needed. 
Salt and pepper to taste. You can also puree this soup for a creamy texture.
Serve with some chopped parsley/dill sprinkled on top.

Enjoy!

5 Fun (and productive) Ways to Burn 200 Calories!

Massage Your Partner

Set the mood, grab some oils (even olive oil will do) and get to work massaging your partner.  You’ll burn calories, create a deeper bond, and you never know what other calorie inducing activity may occur!

Here's my Sex & Exercise book on Kindle: http://www.lauramcdonaldhealth.com/p/sex-and-exercise-get-my-new-booklet-on.html

Get Into Your Garden

Gardening is great exercise, burning calories, strengthening and stretching muscles, and it’s great for your brain, too! Weed, hoe, plant, rake, it all adds up to exercise and a more beautiful patch of nature.

Spring Clean

Get the grime off those dirty windows and let the sun shine in! Move the sofa and other heavy furniture and dust underneath. Get outside and wash the car, clean the patio, scrub the deck! Heavy cleaning burns upwards of 200 calories in just 45 minutes!

Turn the Tube Off and Turn the Music On

Shut down the gadgets and fire up your favorite dance songs. Get moving, dance a jig, cut the rug, and burn tons of calories, release stress, and have some fun! The whole family can join in on this one.

Head to the Park with the Kids or Friends

Pack a nice, light lunch, some healthy drinks, a blanket, a football, bad mitten gear, or a frisbee! Run, move, play, have fun while you burn calories in the fresh outdoors. 30 to 45 minutes can burn at least 200 calories!

6 Ways To Get Your Kids (And You) Moving

When I was a kid we were usually outside all day, biking, swimming, playing games, running behind the mosquito truck as it pumped chemicals into our lungs and the air. (That’s just what you did back then, who knew?) Life has changed drastically since the 60’s and 70’s. Farmland was turned into parking lots while fresh foods became less available and more expensive and the creation of processed foods offered cheap, quick, easy meals. Television now dominates the “quality” time families spend together, and computers eat up to 7 hours a day.

Growing up in the south my family’s lifestyle teetered a bit into both worlds. We loved to hang out at the mall and watch TV, but we also romped around outside until the street lights came on...then we’d haul ass home for dinner. My mom was a great cook but with three kids and a tight budget she occasionally took advantage of the newer “processed” foods. I have vivid memories of visiting my great-grandmother’s farm in Texas where we’d head outdoors on exciting adventures exploring the land, making trails, chasing chickens, fishing, and the best, laying on our backs by the stream watching the clouds drift by, daydreaming. Then we’d drive home and eat Kraft Macaroni and cheese and hot dogs for dinner while we gulped down Kool-Aid.

As awesome as technology is, our children are paying heavily, figuratively and literally, for these modern conveniences. 

Inside passive entertainment combined with high calorie, chemical laden, fast foods are contributing to an all out epidemic. Childhood obesity in America has doubled in children and tripled in adolescents over the past 30 years.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

In 2010, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.

These children also have all the risk factors that adult obesity brings:

• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Higher risk of cancer
• Bone and Joint issues

They are also more likely to become obese adults and what really breaks my heart are the social and psychological problems which can contribute to depression and low self-esteem.

Here are 6 fun ideas to get your family moving, get healthier, and create a stronger bond:

Create An Obstacle Course

This is fun for the whole gang to set up indoors or out. Use your imagination! 

• Jump or skip 10 times with a jump rope. 
• Use a ladder flat on the ground to run through like the football players!
• Crawl under a table or broom hung between 2 chairs. 
• Throw bean bags into a bucket or laundry basket.
• Hop through hula hoops set on the ground (or draw big circles with chalk.)
• Crawl under or over a row of chairs.
• Do ten jumping jacks.
• Step over an obstacle such as yardstick between 2 chairs at knee height. 

Create A Relay Race

I used to love Field Day. Get some friends involved, divide into teams and have some fun while your exercising.

• Carry an object on a spoon (hard boiled egg, water balloon outdoors, small ball indoors) 
• Run while balancing a beanbag on your head 
• Carry and pass off a baton or similar object
• Carry a dixie cup full of water without spilling it
• A potato sack race is always a blast (use heavy duty garbage bags if you don’t have any potato sacks laying around)
• Three-legged race (Two people standing side by side have their inner legs tied together)

Go For A Hike

Get outside and explore. Chances are there are trails, a park or some other area not too far from home. Get everyone involved in planning your adventure. Print out a map, pack some healthy snacks and water, and hit the trails. 

Scavenger Hunt

This one is great inside on a rainy day. Hide objects all over and write up simple clues. It’s really fun if you have each team create the hunt for the other team. Everyone is involved in the creative process as well.

Hop Dots  

Put dots on the ground or use hula hoops or string formed into a circle and have them hop from dot to dot picking up a few things along the way. Whoever picks up everything and gets to the finish line wins!

Go On A Biking Adventure

If you don’t own bikes it’s worth renting them for a few hours. We live in New York City and don’t have space for our own bikes. Some of our best family outings have been renting bikes for a few hours and exploring the city. It’s fabulous recreation and quality time spent together in the fresh air. And I love that we’re all off our computers for a bit!

Sure, it takes some effort to organize activities for the kids and the family, but the reward is well worth it. Not only are you getting the healthy benefits, but you’re setting an example for your kids that is invaluable, and the quality time will become memories you and your kids will cherish forever.

6 Tips For Successful Weight Loss Journaling

As difficult as it may be to write down what you put in your mouth and how it makes you feel, study after study has shown a direct correlation to journaling and weight loss. Why? A journal holds you accountable, promotes awareness, understanding, even forgiveness. Journaling also forces you to be mindful of your dietary decisions, track your exercise and tune into what emotional triggers may be lurking.
The good news is your journal isn’t going to judge you. This is a friend who is always available, listening attentively to everything you have to say, and doesn’t give you any lip.

Jot it Down And Lose Pounds

Journaling is a tool I use successfully with many of my clients. They know themselves better than anyone else, what they feel, think, crave and fear. After just a few days and certainly a few weeks of journaling you will start to connect some serious dots.
You can achieve even greater success with your food journal if you include and embrace your emotions. By recognizing certain patterns, you are able to zero in and make specific, positive, healthy changes. 

All you need is a little inexpensive notebook and pen, or you can use the notes section in your phone. 

Here are 6 things to consider when keeping track in your journal:

Keep it simple.
Don’t get hung up on measurements or calories. You know 2 donuts for breakfast are a no-no. (double duh!) Jot down what you eat, when you ate it, and how you felt at the time.

Stress.
Whether it’s a crappy day at work, a feud with a friend or financial issues, jotting down what’s bothering you can help get it off your mind. You’ll also see the connection and role stress plays in unhealthy food choices and be able to move toward more positive, healthier decisions.

Exercise.
Write down your goals and create a simple plan to achieve it. Look ahead at your weekly schedule and make appointments with yourself to fit in exercise. Keep track in your journal. Note the progress you make towards your goal, and how you feel after you exercise.

Cravings.
Face your worst craving nightmares and write them down! Taking a peek on paper at what you’re obsessed about eating is an eye-opener. We all know it’s hard to resist cravings. Give yourself credit when you stick to your plan and dodge a bullet.

Buddy Up.
Why do it alone when you can do it with a friend? Find one or more friends on a similar path and help keep each other accountable. The camaraderie is a boost and you’ll help each other stick to the plan. Create a group on Facebook. This is an easy way to stay in touch, motivate and encourage each other. Share ideas, tips, feelings and milestones. Groups create a collective energy that will help fuel your success.

Progress.
Use your journal to recognize and track your progress. After a few weeks you should be more connected to what you’re thinking and feeling and how it affects your food-making decisions. By tuning into your patterns you’ll be more aware of what’s working for you. Most importantly, love yourself. Embrace the positive changes you’re making. Give yourself props for keeping a journal and remember, you can’t change what you don’t acknowledge.

Make It Happen Workout

M-I-H  

MAKE IT HAPPEN

WORKOUT

This is one of my simple, go to workouts. That's not to say it isn't intense, but it's very doable and you don't need a gym or any special equipment. I've designed it to be quick, effective and target all the major muscle groups with an added core-blaster. As always, check with your doctor before beginning any new exercise routine, drink plenty of water, take time to warm-up and stretch, take breaks if you need them and stop if you're experiencing any pain or dizziness.

Warm-up/Stretch for about 5 minutes (jog in place, walk, skip rope, etc.)

Complete a MINIMUM of 30 minutes cardio activity. (Biking, jogging, kick-boxing, power-walking, etc.) Put in one minute cardio interval "bursts"---this is how you up the intensity and push yourself harder. Do this every 4-5 minutes to really burn some serious calories and get your heart rate up.

500 Crunches ---- Yes, this sounds daunting but if you break it up into sections of 100 at a time it'll go by in a flash. Change 'em up---traditional, full sit-ups, leg drops, etc.

6 Yinyasas ---- Do this six times in a row, great for upper body, core and your mind! 
a) begin in down dog b) flow through to plank c) lower to chatarunga d) flow through to up dog e) return to down dog. Make sure you inhale and exhale through the moves, and don't rush it!

30 Squats

30 Triceps Dips

30 Alternating Lunges

Take a break, stretch, drink some more water. I'd love to know how you feel after your workout today, what was the hardest part? The best part? Your feedback is important to me! Thanks for taking the time to check out my site.

Healthy Best, Laura McDonald

Natural Cancer Remedies