Dr. Deb's Blog
Would You Take This Dare?
MAY 11TH, 2011We are never too old to dare ourselves to try something new. This spring I decided to do something I’ve never done before… in fact I’ve been afraid to even try. Yes, the Daring Diva was afraid to dare! Was it ziplining from tops of 100-year-old Cypress trees? Nope. That was my Mother’s Day gift this year.
My dare was much more adventurous. Much riskier. It was starting a vegetable garden!
Why was I so afraid of this? Partly because my mom and sister are amazing gardeners and I never felt that I had their gift. But mostly because I was afraid nothing would grow or that I’d kill whatever did grow. Failure. That’s what I was afraid of. But my desire to live a more sustainable life and share this with my 13-year old son, Micah, was stronger than my fear, so we dug in. Literally.
To my delight, Micah really got into it… he was an instant pro with a hoe!
We prepared the beds and planted carrots, parsley, cilantro, bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, basil and beans.
We watered every day and weeded almost every day.
And we waited.
For days nothing seemed to be growing but weeds. Then we finally saw the green leaves of precious vegetables poking their heads out. It was SOOOO exciting!!!
Everything started growing except the beans. Only one bean plant out of 24 seeds grew.
I have to admit that I felt sad every time I went to water the beans and was starting to feel like a “bean failure.” But we didn’t give up. We kept watering and weeding (and talking to the seeds – which is only a little embarrassing when you don’t realize your neighbor is in her backyard and can hear you reciting poetry to your barren plot of dirt).
And guess what? One morning we woke up and 23 little bean sprouts had shot through the earth!!! I literally JUMPED and DANCED for JOY!!!!!
And within 2 days they were all growing into healthy bean plants!!
I’m so glad I dared myself to plant this garden. It has given my son and me a very beautiful project to share. It has taught me so much about weeds and rabbits. It will soon provide fresh produce for my family. And it has taught me once again to never give up and to trust in the wisdom of Mother Nature.
Wanna share your favorite gardening tip with me? I’m listening!!!!!
The most fun you’ll ever have cleaning out your closet.
APRIL 14TH, 2011
Last weekend I had the most fun cleaning out my closet! It all started with an idea from my friend Marianne MacKenzie who wanted to create a “Clothes Swap” with a twist. The twist? Well, Marianne’s specialties are soul coaching and Feng Shui, so she wanted to teach women the deeper aspects of clearing their closets. She also wanted to bring in her pal and style expert Michelle Rodriguez to teach women how to adorn and appreciate their beautiful bodies at any size or shape. What a great idea! Of course, I wanted to add pleasurable movement and delicious food to the day so I created a play-list and invited my friend “The Spicy Heretic” (aka Tina Moody) to provide sumptuous gluten-free, low-glycemic fare.
The end result was more fun than words can express. Fifteen women arrived with bags of clothes, jewelry, belts, bags, shoes and scarves that they no longer desired. We laughed, learned, danced, “shopped”, ate and laughed some more. We tried things on that we would never have thought to try on – and loved how we looked! Everyone left with bags of goodies – for free. And we took twenty bags to 2 charities when it was all over.
Talk about a win-win-win situation! So what are you waiting for?
Connect with some experts in decluttering and style and create a fun clothing swap in your own community. Then send me some photos of the fun you had!
How to prepare for a pleasure and love-filled Valentine’s Day
FEBRUARY 10TH, 2011I don’t know about you, but somewhere between getting my work done, making dinner and checking homework my sensuality gets swept under the rug.
My desire is to be intentional and present in all areas of my life – including the part of me that is sexy. So in honor of Valentine’s Day I’m teaching a class called “Exotic Moves for Everyday Divas.” It’s designed for any woman of any size, any age or any fitness level to release her inner sexy, confident, powerful self.
If you live in the Austin area, click here and come play with us on Friday the 11th. But for those of you who live too far away to join us, here are some of my top tips for feeling sensual and creating your own exotic dance:
1. Create a temple space in your bathroom and bedroom with candles and music
2. Take a long hot bath with your favorite bath salts or oils
3. Use an exfoliating body scrub (my favorite is Rice Bran Polisher by Sense)
4. Shave
5. Put on a deep moisturizing lotion (my favorite is Firming Body Nourisher by Sense because its hydroxy complex, shea butter, Irish moss and mallow hydrate so deeply – while coneflower and gotu kola enhance elasticity…which means tighter skin!)
6. Candlelight – I know I already mentioned this, but everything looks better in candlelight….and my new favorite candles are actually battery-powered so they can burn for hours without leaving any smoky residue on the walls or ceiling.
7. Stretch slowly. I actually do this while putting on my Firming Body Nourisher.
8. As you begin to dance, slow EVERYTHING down as if you are moving through molasses
9. Don’t go with the beat of the music. I know that seems counter intuitive, but trust me on this one. Moving to your OWN rhythm is much sexier than moving to the beat of the music.
10. FEEL every move…notice your feet on the floor, the air touching the hairs on your arms, the feel of your own skin….
11. Let your hands trace your curves. If you are dancing for your beloved, there’s a saying I learned from a performer long ago when she was talking about how to get a man to notice something: “If you want them to notice it, you need to touch it or point to it.” So drag your hand across your favorite parts….arms, hips, collar bones….and his eyes will follow.
12. Set your hips free to sway or circle or undulate. This is the most important physical move because it is guaranteed to increase the flow of energy in your body and help you get in touch with your feminine essence and feminine power.
13. If you are dancing for your beloved, soften your gaze and give him eye contact. For many of us this is the hardest thing to do, but it is so important for a feeling of connection.
Okay, these are my BEST tips – and I’d also love to hear yours. How do you awaken your sensual side? Please share below as we all prepare for a pleasure and love-filled Valentine’s Day!
Happiness in a Glass
FEBRUARY 2ND, 2011What’s your guess? Wine? Margaritas? Milk? Orange juice? Energy drinks?
Nope.
Green smoothies.
Now, before you turn up your nose, let me assure you that I resisted the whole green smoothie thing for years. I bought a VitaMix 16 years ago when I first learned about the amazing health benefits of ‘liquid greens’ but the only thing it got used for was protein shakes and the best margaritas in the neighborhood. But for some reason, a few weeks ago I decided to experiment with making a green smoothie. I went to YouTube and watched a few demonstrations, then I went to see what I had in my fridge that might work. I had kale, a lemon and some apples. So I decided to give it a whirl. I put ice and water to the 3 cup line then added 2 huge handfuls of kale that I had torn into tiny pieces, the juice of ½ a lemon and the apple (without seeds). At the last minute I put half a dropper full of Valencia Orange-flavored Stevia.
The result was a foamy, bright green smoothie that smelled delicious. But how would it taste? With some trepidation I poured myself a glass and took a teeny, tiny sip, expecting to gag. But to my surprise, it was absolutely delicious! Fresh, slightly sweet, refreshing, clean-tasting. In a word: yummy!
If that wasn’t surprising enough, my husband walked by and asked if he could taste it. That may not sound like a big deal to you, but you have to understand my family. I’m forever experimenting with some new health food and trying to get my family to try it, so they are usually a bit wary of my concoctions. But the vivid green color of this smoothie was just too appealing (or perhaps intriguing) to pass up. So he tried it. And LOVED it!
As great as that was, the real excitement for me was when my 13 year-old son came home from school and drank some of my green smoothie for his afternoon snack – and loved it, too!
So we all three began drinking green smoothies. Here are our favorite combos so far:
1. 3 cups water/ice
2. 2-3 cups spinach, kale, chard or romaine lettuce torn into small pieces
3. 1 apple or 1-2 cups of any kind of berry
4. Liquid Stevia to taste (our favorite is the Valencia Orange flavored)
5. Juice from ½ a lemon
6. (I add a thumb-sized chunk of ginger to mine, but the boys aren’t fond of that)
Everyone knows that eating leafy greens is good for you. But why the title: “Happiness in a Glass?” Well, I noticed that all three of us seemed happier after drinking our smoothies. My husband would literally start whistling while he worked. My son invariably had more jokes or funny vignettes from the day to share with me. And I felt lighter, happier and brighter.
So, as any good scientist would do, I began reading and researching this phenomenon. In the process, I came across the work of Dr. Mao Shing Ni, known as Dr. Mao. Dr. Mao is a 38th-generation doctor of Chinese medicine, an authority on Taoist anti-aging medicine, and author of the best-selling book Secrets of Longevity, Second Spring: Hundreds of Natural Secrets for Women to Revitalize and Regenerate at Any Age, Secrets of Self-Healing, and most recently, Secrets of Longevity 8-Week Program: Simple Steps that Add Years to Your Life.
In his book, Dr. Mao explains that leafy greens like the ones I was using in my green smoothies are rich in folate. Folate, also known as folic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin that is necessary for cell division, DNA synthesis, and healthy blood cell production. And here’s the happiness connection: research at the University of York and Hull Medical School has found a link between depression and low levels of folate. So, to keep you smiling, increase your intake of folate-rich foods. Drink green smoothies!!!
Share your favorite green smoothie concoction below in the comments.
Have you ever wished your life had a “reset” button?
JANUARY 13TH, 2011
My life (and my body) swerved out of balance in 2003 when my husband’s family business filed bankruptcy in the post-9/11 economy shift. Despite the fact that I had published two books and my calendar was filled with keynote addresses a year in advance, I found myself spiraling into fear and decided that I needed to get a job with benefits. So I got one. A big job, with a big paycheck and a relentless schedule that had me working 60 hours a week. I loved my work, but my heart was breaking because I was missing out on my 6-year old son’s life and had no time for connecting with my husband. As much as I wanted to slow down or quit, I couldn’t because I was the sole financial provider for my family.
After a year of living completely out of balance (read: non-stop work fueled by carbs and caffeine), my body began to show signs of distress in the form of shingles, pneumonia and finally Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It was at that point that I reconnected with my
mentor and friend, Dr. Christiane Northrup, one of the world’s leading experts in mind/body medicine and flourishing on every possible level. Dr. Northrup took one look at me and clearly saw that I was out of balance. She lovingly challenged me to “practice what I preach” and she offered a solution to help me completely reset my body and my life in the form of a group she was creating called “Team Northrup.”
Have you ever wished your body or your life had a reset button?
If so, I invite you to join Dr. Christiane Northrup along with her daughter, Kate, and her sister, Penny, on an intimate, 30-minute call in which she will share with you what she shared with me years ago about resetting your body, your thoughts, your behaviors and your financial status.
Be prepared: Dr. Northrup calls it like she sees it….no sugar coating. So only join us if you are really ready to do what it takes to reset your body and your life.
Date: Tuesday, January 18
Time: 5pm Pacific, 7pm Central and 8pm Eastern
Call Details: Send an Email to- hello@drdebkern.com for access to the Dial-in information and access code.
