Oils in the kitchen.

It goes without saying that oils can be of amazing, flavorful use to a cook, and some cooks will definitely tap into the power of the herb. Knowing that a drop of essential oil enhances the flavor and healing potential of the dish is empowering. DoTerra makes sure that their oils are certified pure and therapeutic, which means they are clean enough to eat. This is the reason Dr. Hill has developed oil supplements to assist in the deeper transport of plant phytochemicals that support cellular processes. Yes again, doterra leads the way.

Back to food. Check out the oils I use in cooking.

Basil
Bergamot
Black pepper
Cassia
Cilantro
Cinnamon
Clove
Coriander
Fennel
Ginger
Grapefruit
Lavender
Lemon
Lemongrass
Lime
Marjoram
Oregano
Peppermint
Rosemary
Thyme
Wild orange

Now just take a moment and imagine the number of dishes you can make and the types of flavors you can get to come alive. This can happen  by just adding a drop as a finishing touch for both flavor and nutrition.

The Summer of Homemade Beauty...

Even though there are some extraordinary, natural, shelf-stable beauty products that are waiting for you to purchase and indulge in, none are as gratifying as the homemade product, the natural poultice or cream, soap or oil, that gets to grace your skin and become one with your reality. This also goes in hand with a wonderful, soothing cup of herbal tea with some luscious benefit that your skin drinks. This has summarized my summer of beauty. I spent a ton of time rubbing my skin with salt and sugar scrubs, playing in my essential oils, and using fresh ingredients to fragrance or add texture and color.

Oils: I made an herbal oil with lavender, chamomile and rosemary, a lemon oil, and an orange oil, steeping the herbs and peels in the oil until the oil picked up its naturally glorious fragrance and color. I have steeped my herbal oil the longest, it being two months at this point. I will squeeze the oil out of the herbs and rub the oils through my hair. I use my lemon oil for the same effect, and the orange. Both citrus oils are great post-workout rubs, as they brighten, refresh and soothe the skin, assuaging sore muscles, empowering them to rise another day. I enjoyed nurturing my oils, looking after them as they sat under the summer sun, basking and collecting sunbeams. When I opened one of the warm oils naturally heated by the sun, I thought about being so amazingly close to the earth in this practice.

I have to say how much I've enjoyed my shelf-stable lemon and orange oils. I used a drop of DoTerra grapefruit essential oil to all of my oils, to keep them fresh. Grapefruit, in larger degree than other citrus selections, is an antibacterial and will act as a preservative in a product.

/http://www.mydoterra.com/conniedunn/

whipped body butters: Now I've attempted body butters several times, and while the natural quality diminishes some of its shelf life, these formulas are heavenly. I've used my oils as their base, and they have been absolutely amazing, beyond measure. One oil that can be rather costly, that is a celebrated oil for cellulite, coffee oil. I made my own and steeped in that beautiful sun. Thinking of this reminds me that my next adventure in oil steeping may very well be green tea. And then I can make a lemongrass green tea body butter. That sounds like such a perfect idea.

What Exactly Do Health Coaches Do??

     I've been asked this question before and I'm posing it now in case there are people in the world who think they don't need a health coach. I'm here to show all people that yes, all of you, everyone, needs a health coach. Health coaches need health coaches! My dog needs a health coach! The president has one....I'm sure.

     I'm one who adds value to every job I choose, because in this I see the ultimate self worth shining forth, and also to add life purpose to my profile and resumes. I see being a health coach as a valuable job, and I think it is important that all people who are here to serve in a variety of services, understand the pathways a health coach can facilitate. It's the latest term for organizing your life and transforming for sustainable, progressive change, kind of like our farmlands, to see results that positively impact future events. In my case I also have the writing, cooking, organizational, fitness and energetic body skills that can assist the goal that might be otherwise hard to pursue. Food is at the heart of all of these goals.

     Have you ever heard the phrase "art imitates life?" The food we choose, the body we have, showing all its structural integrity or lack thereof, and food, with all of its subtleties (and grossnesses, okay not a word, albeit a fun one) has its place in the design of  "integrity imitates integrity" across the board. Am I wrong to say that if the physical body has questionable integrity in certain places of the body, there may be an emotional, mental or spiritual element in question as well? Using this concept is so perfect because of its complexity. We can uncover and discover layers upon layers with this concept, and have so many more levels of satisfaction in our life after digging deep to the roots to heal the whole plant, not just its leaves.

     As a health coach, I start out with the basics. I find out what the client's history is, and what the client wants and needs for that sustainable outcome. Then we begin goal setting (S.M.A.R.T. goals=sound, measureable, attainable, realistic, timely) to make the "Project Transformation" come alive. Then comes the action plan. I teach basic food principles and positive habits like keeping a food journal and reading, keeping up-to-date with the latest findings on nutrition and wellness-related news events. As an intermediate participant, we start talking about the political advocacy behind the food industry Next, I assess and program the schedule to meet the model of the koshas. I give product, exercise and tool recommendations for each: body layer, the energy body, the mind and emotions sheath, intuition and wisdom sheath, and the bliss body. Next, we implement and document progress throughout, finally doing assessments and check-ins, special workshops and additional consultations to keep progress fresh.

    As an added, optional bonus, the intuitive and bliss sheaths must be treated differently, with less exercise and more spiritual tools as the needs arise. So I will lay cards and help guide spiritual focus and wisdom teachings from a variety of traditions, using the tool as a Divine benefit to you, while I facilitate. There are two forms of energy healing I offer, from Huna and Access Bars traditions. We can explore this layer further with a private session.

     So really, everyone could use a health coach. As Certified Health coaches, we take personal stock and investment in your life, and how you want it to look, sound like, taste and feel, and we see you through with each step.

Explore Your Depth.

The yogic model of the koshas, or sheaths of consciousness, are broken into five layers: body, breath, mind/emotions, intuition, Spirit (bliss). 

In the physical layer of the body, there is a ton of information embedded in the tissues, that wreak of your life experiences, thoughts, beliefs and values, in addition to your genetic coding and ancestry. When you are in alignment with your body, you shift on a cellular level in such a deep way, that it begins to rock your experience of yourself.

For example, maybe you begin to have dreams of being a famous warrior, or you imagine yourself in front of the camera as an actress or model. Maybe you begin to change the way you look at food, or begin to help others.

Possibly, you change the status of your relationships or give up a food group or pattern. Case in point: I, for one, became a vegetarian after eating meat since I was born. After 14 years I decided to become pescetarian for a year before returning to meat. Newly omnivorous, I feel I've come "home," full circle, and can see my journey and path of progress, painted clearly and in view. Suddenly I picked up running again. This to me, signals that my cells have become born again, newly realized entities, that are ready to tell a new story.

Would you like to explore you and know yourself to this depth? Contact me for your free 50 minute consultation, and let's get started on a journey that will change the way you think and feel about you...

You gotta find Healthy On your Own Terms.

You can't just tell a person healthy advice and expect to have them understand the scope and focus of such an idea, until they are ready to truly receive it in a deep place within themselves. There is a certain urge, a fire, an almost painful suffering sort of a rush, to want the most success for themselves, and the best and highest good possible for all involved or invoked into the goal.

It's never just you alone, going into your goals. So many other pieces and players are a part of your manifestation that once you begin the process, all these pieces keep coming up that make you want to quit, give up and throw in the towel. Sometimes words can't even describe what the Spirit hopes to assist with.

Remembering that manifestation is an intricate, involved process, is what is mostly required to get you through anything. As you manifest your desires, and the images of all parts come into play, make sure to write them down as if you are investigating something, trying to solve a puzzle, and you begin elaborating more and more on the theme until it becomes a living, breathing entity.

Keeping the message of Nutrition and Balanced Health Simple.

Sometimes I feel health coaches promote the fast food industry more than the actual industry does. I'm throwing myself under a bus as I say this. Just the other day I decided to have, *GASP*, a diet soda, and I posted it onto a popular social media page. Now I was having a little bit of fun, but when I saw that the full blown ad came up with my admission, I realized that, not only did I just give a bit of free advertising to this company, but they didn't have to pay me a commission or royalties, two ideas I definitely need to get in on before I decide to advertise again. Meanwhile, with all our hatred towards these companies who slowly try to denigrate the efforts of the healthy, it cannot be denied that they've perfected their junk food heaven to status updates and hashtags, readying themselves to tell the tale of the bun...hamburger bun, that is. It also can't be overlooked that sometimes it all becomes rather tempting to blow that diet of all its good intentions and send the body into poor quality hell, momentarily. What's a health coach to do?

The goal is to try one's very best to always be promoting the quality and value of foods which contain the most healthful components necessary for the proper care and feeding of the whole person. There must be a better way than just to say, "hey, how many servings of fruit and vegetables have you had today?" Teaching people to eat fruit and vegetables is surely a worthwhile, veritable and necessary function of our job, but it is not by far the only option. The most important element of today's food is, what is your food saying to you?" If you were to ask a room filled with people if they talked to their food today, how many would raise their hands? If they were asked, "Can you feel your food? Hear it? Sense it? Know its origin by feel? Tell if it just came off the truck or had been in the store for weeks? Is being kept alive in a petrie dish? Is the food low on vibrational energy and you can tell when you hold it?"

Even though there is more to the healthy nutrition story, the message is still as simple as it can be: You can tell the difference between foods that are worth eating,  and those that may cost you your  health. Eat what grows from the ground, real food. Thank the Universe for what has been provided to us in abundance, and feel your food...sense it with your five senses. Use your sixth sense and beyond, to find the vibrational quality of your food and ask it if you need it. You may find that sometimes there are food choices you make that your body doesn't need, or can benefit from.

Program Constancy.

I want to take a moment to point out the difference between two very important ideas when approaching a goal. The two ideas are constancy and consistency. The first is dear to my heart because it is the very nature of my name.

1

a :  steadfastness of mind under duress :  fortitude

b :  fidelity, loyalty

2

:  a state of being constant or unchanging

 See constancy defined for English-language learners »

See constancy defined for kids »

1. the constancy of the Earth's rotation
2. <the mistaken notion that there is constancy in language—words do indeed change their meanings over time>

Now here's what I found on consistency.

con·sist·en·cy

  [kuhn-sis-tuhn-see]  Show IPA

noun, plural con·sist·en·cies.

1.

a degree of density, firmness, viscosity, etc.: The liquid has the consistency of cream.

2.

steadfast adherence to the same principles, course, form, etc.: There is consistency in his pattern ofbehavior.

3.

agreement, harmony, or compatibility, especially correspondence or uniformity among the parts of acomplex thing: consistency of colors throughout the house.

4.

the condition of cohering or holding together and retaining form; solidity or firmness.

...get it??

So what it all boils down to, is that the two concepts are slightly different in nature, but intensely similar on theme. The goal is to bring the two of these ideas distinctively into the environment of the goal, and to assure this measure of constancy takes persistence and understanding of what constancy will bring to the goal.

Constancy makes one important consideration that intrigues me when approaching a goal that transforms the very way one chooses to live one's life: adherence under DURESS.

Duress is sometimes the very push button reaction we get to quitting on a goal. Duress can speak to us in funny ways, and we might decide to end a relationship with whatever it is, when it gets too difficult, challenging, suppressive in our eyes, which is related to our point of view. We can change our point of view to meet the next level of requirements related to that goal. We have to. We must practice....otherwise not even consistency can help us do more than maintain the same even level of pressure we've applied to the goal, which obviously won't change it, but keep it exactly the same. This process leads to stagnation, when you jump in the hamster of (no) change. No progress, no duress, no peace...

Another element that constancy brings into the conversation is loyalty. Consistency mentions nothing of loyalty. It merely taps into an even, firm principle applied. Does that mean it, or you, are loyal to your program, job, weight loss goal, just because you keep showing up to the work site or the table? 

Ultimately, your degree of consistency leads to constancy in your goals. So, be consistent AND constant.