Willpower Makes For a Weak Strategy

In a land “flowing with milk and honey”…

…which is one way of saying a “food-and-resource-wealthy” society…

…we must learn how to correctly steward wealth…in this context, a wealth of food.

When grub is constantly available, when a whole box of donuts are on the break room counter as a freebie from your visiting vendor, and you happened to have had a long challenging day…

…is not the time to train your self-control muscles.

You need to prepare in advance.

Stress-eating, overeating, and under-exercising is the “norm” in many developed societies. To get our bodies in tip-top, we’ll need a “new grid” for food portions and food choices. 

Strategy, skills, practice and the right tools can ready you for “abundant life” so that having access to a lot doesn’t translate to feeling obligated to eat it all, do it all, have it all…NOW.

That is the immature response to wealth (buffets, huge restaurant portions, fast food, cheap snacks, free lunches, etc). 

We’ll also need to learn what makes us “tick”! 

Discover fun, restful, joyful outlets that feed your hunger for adventure, your very real need for comfort, to relax, to pamper, to feel nourished and satisfied by relationships, hobbies, experiences, and more…in addition to healthy meals and snacks.

We’ll need to take our time, be kind to ourselves along the way, be ready for colds, flus, world dramas, excitement surrounding the good, the bad and the ugly.

Think of it like prepping for a fitness exam.

You need to learn and practice the skills for a little while before you’ll be ready to test, but if you are patient and consistent, you’ll ace it when the time comes.

And along the way, you’ll need tools, books, supplies, resources that facilitate learning.

One of those every day, all-the-time resources that every family needs to implement is Essential Oils.

Plant-Based Medicine

Truth be told, they are already a part of your life, although most of what you purchase from the local drug store is cheap and artificial. For instance, you might find lavender soaps, detergents, sleep masks and lotions on the shelf, but they actually contain little to no “real” lavender, which means you don’t benefit from the powerful medicinal properties of the true essential oil.

It’s just perfume.

Even prescription, diet, and over-the-counter drugs are often a patentable, man-made attempt to imitate what plants do naturally and without toxic “side-effects”. Many are no more or less than the so-called “active ingredient” of a plant, extracted and compounded to like a 1000x times more than what is found in nature, and formed into a pill that provides a band-aid quick fix and causes harm (aka “negative side effects).

Give yourself time to integrate plant-based medicine into your daily as you implement new and better eating/exercise habits.

Essential Oils are unique in their ability to support humans and other animals because they can affect us mentally, emotionally, physically and, by extension, spiritually.

Through the incredible healing and cell-supporting molecules in them, Essential Oils affect: 

• how you feel
• your baby’s or child’s temperament…
• diminished anxiety and stress levels…
• better sleep…
• alertness and energy levels…
• focus and concentration…
• brain health…
• heart health…
• immunity…
• recovery…
• fitness…
• appetite…
• cravings…
• health.

They supported me through some of the biggest life changes and they still do.

Used internally, topically, and/or aromatically on a regular basis, essential oils can help you change your eating habits, improve digestion, absorb more nutrients, exercise bigger better faster stronger, recover faster, and be in a better mood while you do it.

Happily, Grapefruit is also mood uplifting, stress-reducing and helps our bodies produce happy-and-positive-feeling-chemicals, which may indirectly help us to avoid eating for emotional support.

CINNAMON 

• The original, all-natural “carb blocker” because…
• Slows the release of glucose (sugar) into the blood, so that your body uses it for energy and is not forced to store it as fat, which also…
• Reduces sugar rush and crash, and…
• Helps reduce sugar cravings and overeating

Cinnamon is a “hot” oil so it can be hard to swallow just in water. Try it in your smoothie, with food, in a capsule or perhaps your tea or cup o’ joe (blend it with Ginger Essential Oil to really give your metabolism a KICK, powerfully improve digestion and help reduce inflammation). Anytime you are going to eat refined carbs or sugar, even in fruit, add this essential oil to slow your glucose and insulin spike and reduce fat storage!

Used internally, topically, and/or aromatically on a regular basis, essential oils can help you change your eating habits, improve digestion, absorb more nutrients, exercise bigger better faster stronger, recover faster, and be in a better mood while you do it.

PEPPERMINT

• Kills cravings
• Helps to reduce appetite
• Assists digestion
• Boosts metabolism
• Increases focus, energy and alertness (so you don’t go grabbing a quick sugar fix)
• Energizes your workout (when sniffed or applied topically)  

I love to put a drop or two of Peppermint Essential Oil in my water, but it may not be suited to everyone’s taste. You can add it to any beverage or smoothie (which is true for all internal usage of EOs), add it to food or make your own “superfood” peppermint patties with a few simple ingredients (cocoa powder or nibs, coconut oil, Peppermint, and some honey + stevia with vanilla will do!). You can also diffuse it or take a whiff before eating to increase satiety and decrease mindless munching (which maybe isn’t always so bad, but just not a healthy habit). When I’m heading into a workout, I love to put a drop on my temples and sometimes on my chest. It deepens my breathing and is very stimulating! Or mid-afternoon if you’re feeling a slump, try rubbing a drop in the palms of your hands and then cupping your nose. Suddenly everything will seem so bright and alive!