Conventional wisdom would tell you that I’m “destined” for cancer. I’m my mother’s daughter - I look like her, we share the same blood type, I suffered from many of the same ailments as she did, I mean, half my genes came from mom! And yet, with some key shifts, so far I’ve been able to overcome a lot of the things that I thought would plague me for the rest of my life.

When a client tells me there is nothing we can do about their poor cholesterol/ weight/allergies/skin disorder/autoimmune disease/{insert challenge here} because it “runs in the family,” I honestly get pumped because it’s a chance to show them how shifting some key things in their life can lead to changes previously thought impossible.

So let’s take a look at some ways our genes are impacted and what we can do about it.

I’ve been talking to quite a few clients lately about how to decipher what’s actually good for your body and health. It can sometimes feel like your body’s giving you mixed messages or that you intellectually know something but have cravings and urges that tell you otherwise. Signs and symptoms after eating or using a product, like fatigue, bloating, acne breakout or digestive issues, tell us immediately that there’s something not right. But what if you don’t have anything obvious to tell you – i.e. instead of your body “screaming” at you, maybe it’s “whispering” ever so softly.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we all had an inner Siri that just tells us what to eat and do when we punch in some coordinates of where we’re at in life at that moment?

Good news folks... we do.

You know what I’m talking about... that quiet, wise, sometimes nagging, but always loving voice inside that tells us things like what’s right from wrong, which opportunities to take and when to leave a relationship.

Sometimes it’s not a voice, but rather a feeling, a sensation, a knowing.

The other day I woke up with a memory of something from when I was around 12 or 13 years old. Something that I had long forgotten… As a young girl, I did pretty well in school, had good friends, had great parents and was generally a happy and active kid… everything was seemed really normal, except that I secretly dealt with some issues that I now identify as on the spectrum of OC (Obsessive Compulsive).

WHAT'S CREATIVITY GOT TO DO WITH ANYTHING?

In my humble opinion, everything! I believe that creativity is the engine that drives progress... in any area of our life, includingour health. Our talk on the “Creativity Cure” was jam packed with goodies and practical tips. In fact, our conversation covered so much that I HAD to share the recording with you.

Someone recently sent me an article in the NY Times Opinion Pages called “Can We End the Meditation Madness?” The author describes the rise in “meditation pushers” and admits to not meditating himself, which can sometimes feel like heresy in this new age of mindfulness and yoga studios on every corner. And he makes some great points. Don’t get me wrong. I’m one of those meditation pushers - just ask one of my clients. Incorporating a regular and meaningful meditation practice in my life has made an incredible difference - it truly has altered and opened up things for me in ways I can’t even explain. And I understand how annoying that can sound to folks who have no interest in pursuing a practice. But I’d like to reframe the author’s argument in that article - while he may not be sitting in lotus position, eyes closed in front of an altar, he’s most definitely practiced meditation in his own way.

Last week I went off-grid and spent time in the woods wilderness camping. Think: hiking a couple miles to the campsite, hole in the ground for toilet, no cell reception and the sound of birds and coyote keeping us company. It was awesome. No sense of time other than the sun and moon light, and our internal clocks getting a reboot. Coincidentally I picked up a Scientific American on the way to the campgrounds for reading material... Special Issue: The 100th anniversary of Einstein’s theory of relativity, which shaped our entire understanding of space-time reality. For those who need a quickie primer on the concept of relativity, let me take a stab at it for you (bear with me... I’ll get to weight loss in a hot minute... this is important stuff, I promise!)

I’m not superwoman. And neither are you. Sorry to burst your bubble. I know, I know... you want to be able to do it ALL. Get it ALL done. Be EVERYTHING to ALL people. Be the BEST partner, mom, daughter, sister, friend, employee, boss lady, money-maker, etc. Be able to eat ANYTHING and still feel great. Do minimum physical activity and still be strong and invincible. Go to bed at night without taking off your makeup and still have glowing perfect skin. Flat abs, no gas and shit roses. I get it.

Me too.