Author Archives: admin

Chronic Disease Crisis

by admin

Growing up, current generations heard that the greatest health threats worldwide were things like starvation, epidemics, and drought.  While these things continue to plague mankind, there is now a newer problem that has surpassed these old disasters.  The number one threat to human life on the planet today is the crisis of chronic disease.

Just how bad has the crisis of chronic disease become?

The World Health Organization has declared chronic diseases the number one killer on the planet.  Chronic disease is now the cause of over fifty percent of deaths worldwide.  Furthermore, the death toll currently caused by chronic disease continues to increase steadily.

Facts about chronic disease from the World Health Organization:

  • Chronic diseases are now the major cause of death and disability worldwide. Noncommunicable conditions, including cardiovascular diseases (CVD), diabetes, obesity, cancer and respiratory diseases, now account for 59% of the 57 million deaths annually and 46% of the global burden of disease.
  • A relatively few risk factors – high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, smoking and alcohol – cause the majority of the chronic disease burden.
  • A change in dietary habits, physical activity and tobacco control, have a major impact in reducing the rates of these chronic diseases, often in a relatively short time.
  • Heart attacks and strokes kill about 12 million people every year; another 3.9 million die from hypertensive and other heart conditions.
  • More than one billion adults worldwide are overweight; at least 300 million of them are clinically obese.
  • About 75% of CVD can be attributed to the majority risks: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, low fruit and vegetable intake, inactive lifestyle and tobacco.
  • Sustained behavioural interventions have been shown to be effective in reducing population risk factors.

Chronic diseases include things like heart disease and strokes, cancer, diabetes, arthritis and dementia, and many others.  These diseases are widely understood to be the result of our modern lifestyle choices.  Over the past several decades, research has shown that these chronic illnesses are preventable in large part if we learn to make different choices.  In other words, if we live differently.

Predictions for the future are that this chronic illness crisis, as bad as it is today, will get much worse.  Cancer rates have been predicted to go up by 50% by the year 2020.  One in three children born in the USA today will develop diabetes.  And research continues to show our toxic modern lifestyle is the cause.

Sadly, many diseases we are suffering from today were largely preventable if we knew what to do differently ahead of time.  The same applies to our health in the future.  If we act now, many of these chronic diseases are avoidable if we change how we live our lives.

What Are We Doing to Cause This? From the World Health Organization:

“A few, largely preventable, risk factors account for most of the world’s disease burden. Chronic diseases are the major cause of death and disability worldwide, and increasingly affect people from developing as well as developed countries. This reflects a significant change in diet habits, physical activity levels, and tobacco use worldwide as a result of industrialization, urbanization, economic development and increasing food market globalization…

“Five of the top 10 selected global disease burden risk factors identified by World Health Report 2002: reducing risks, promoting healthy life – obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, alcohol and tobacco – independently and often in combination, are the major causes of these diseases.

“The scientific evidence is strong that a change in dietary habits and physical activity can powerfully influence several of these risk factors in populations.”

What is happening?

“People worldwide are consuming more foods that are energy-dense – high in sugar and/or saturated fats – or excessively salty.

“Nutrition transition and increasingly sedentary behaviour is occurring at a much faster pace in developing countries than was the case for developed. Chronic diseases are becoming increasingly prevalent in many of the poorest developing countries, creating a double burden on top of the infectious diseases that continue to afflict these countries.

“While an optimal diet is critical, daily moderate-intensity physical activity is well-established as an important determinant for good health, helping lower blood pressure, reduce body fat and improve glucose metabolism. Daily physical activity can also help reduce osteoporosis and falls among older people.”

While daily physical activity certainly helps reduce rates of numerous disease processes (almost all of them), we suggest that physical activity should not be viewed as a treatment for disease.  Indeed, not even as a preventative measure for avoiding disease.  Instead we view regular physical activity as a necessary essential element for physical well-being.  View movement as a nutrient for your body just like those supplied by a quality whole foods or supplements.

What can be done? Here are important recommendations by the WHO:

“Established scientific evidence suggests there are major health benefits in eating more fruit and vegetables.” 

This is echoed by thousands of important pieces of scientific research.

Further recommendations from the WHO include implementing “daily physical activity, maintaining a normal body weight (within the Body Mass Index (BMI) range of 18.5 to 24.9) and stopping smoking.”

This is particularly important:  A multi-faceted approach is required.

“The causes of NCDs (non-communicable disease, ie chronic disease) are complex and the response needs to be multi-faceted and multi-institutional. The evidence is overwhelming that prevention is possible when sustained actions are directed both at individuals and families, as well as the broader social, economic and cultural determinants of NCDs.

“Dietary, physical activity and smoking cessation programmes should be integral to both the prevention and management of chronic diseases. Good health demands a “Life Course” approach to eating and physical activity that begins with pre-pregnancy, includes breastfeeding, and extends to old age.”

We agree with this wholeheartedly.  Unfortunately, little of our resources here in the US are directed this way.  In fact, the vast majority of our resources directed towards treating the effects of chronic disease, rather than correcting the cause.  Do your own part by sharing Bonfire Health with someone today.

Why Whole Foods?

by admin

Why Whole Foods?
Our first priority is to eat whole, fresh foods.  This is what makes us healthy; it’s also what we have been genetically designed to eat – what is found in nature, not what is created in laboratories or mass food-producing factories utilizing chemicals.  Today, so many of our foods have no resemblance to what one would find out in nature.  These foods are simply a concoction of man-made chemicals and manufacturing processes that are sold as food.  For now, let’s concentrate on whole foods.

A loose definition of “whole foods” is that the food is eaten in the form as close to the way it’s found in nature as possible, with minimal to no processing.  There are obvious variances and limitations to these criteria, depending on the food.  For example, foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds should be eaten in their raw state, which provides the highest level of nutrients (i.e. fiber, phytonutrients, antioxidants, enzymes, water, etc.).  When those foods are frozen, canned, baked, fried, salted, etc. and/or prepared with other processed foods (e.g. an apple that is made into a “turnover” made with white flour, hydrogenated oil and high fructose corn syrup), they are moving away from the way they are found in nature and in the process, losing the majority if not all of their nutritive value and now have disease-promoting additive chemicals. In the apple turnover, the once naturally-found food, the apple, has now crossed the line from being simply non-nutritious to actually becoming a disease-producing food (the white flour and high fructose corn syrup are major contributors to the development of diabetes; the hydrogenated oil is a known causal agent for heart disease and cancer).

On the contrary, other foods such as olive oil, almond milk, and whole grains can only be eaten after a certain amount or degree of processing.  Then there are differing degrees to that processing.  For example, a cold-pressed virgin (first press) olive oil is a much better food than heat-processed oil; fresh made almond milk versus store bought almond milk differs greatly in their ingredients and nutritional make up.

The Basics
We are all part of the animal kingdom.  Yes, God has made us different from other animals in many ways; but when it comes to how our bodies function physiologically, we are no different than other animals.  Would you feed your pet dog, cat, bird, or rat chips, fries, soda pop, ice cream, cookies, crackers and expect them to be healthy?  (By the way, Dr. Paul’s kids have pet rats – they feed them raw vegetables, nuts, and avocado trimmings/leftovers, etc.).  Why not?  It’s obvious, because the pet would get sick, right?  But you say, “They’re animals!” Well, guess what?  So are we!

It is so important that you understand this concept that we have to eat naturally for our bodies to be healthy.  Our bodies are made up of between 70 – 100 trillion cells – and those cells will function according to the raw materials we provide.  In other words, the health of our cells and therefore the health of our bodies is determined by the food we feed ourselves.  YES, IT’S THAT SIMPLE!  Perhaps no other single factor has contributed to the decline in man’s health than the (self-imposed) changes that have occurred to our food supply over the past 350 years. More →

Functional Fitness – Training to Get Fit for Life

by admin

At Bonfire we recognize and advocate that being physically fit is one of the major cornerstones of being healthy.  Physical fitness does, however, incorporate a wide spectrum of concepts, theories and elements.

In addition to the many, many benefits that being physically fit creates within the realm of being healthy, we also recognize that life is filled with unpredictable physical events that require simple to complex body movements at any given moment.  Not only do we want our bodies to be able to handle these unpredictable life events without injury, but we want our level of physical fitness to enable us to negotiate them with great success throughout our lives, as did our fit ancestors.

The term functional fitness is one that simultaneously defines, describes and includes the “holistic” physical fitness objective within the Bonfire Program, which could also be called “life fitness.”  It means doing exercises or activities that imitate “real life,” full body movements through wide ranges of motion. It could be described as Compounding Fitness.  It is a form of fitness designed NOT to isolate particular muscle groups or body parts. For example, rather than performing a “bicep curl” on a machine, a functional movement exercise would be to lift a weighted object off the ground from a squatting position to a standing position, holding the object overhead – all done with careful attention paid to safe and proper body biomechanics and posture techniques.

“Functional movements are  natural, effective, and efficient locomotors of body and external objects. Functional movements are compound movements – i.e., they are multi-joint. But no aspect of functional movements is more important than their capacity to move large loads over long distances, and to do so quickly. We believe that preparation for random physical challenges (i.e., unknown and unknowable events) is at odds with fixed, predictable, and routine regimens.” [http://www.crossfit.com]

Finally, a fitness regimen incorporating functional movements can be had by anyone, at any level, and at any age.  It doesn’t require elaborate equipment or facilities; it does, however, require effort.  Functional fitness is not, contrary to popular belief, confined to elite athletes or “strongmen.”

Here are two more great articles on this subject:
Being Fit vs. Being Healthy: The 10 Facets of Physical Fitness
Short Interval, High Intensity Exercise

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FDA Again Threatening Your Right To Take Safe Supplements

by admin

Once again the FDA, which sadly is now just a puppet arm of the pharmaceutical industry, is on the warpath to squelch American’s right to take natural supplements.

Ironically, with adverse drug reactions continually being one of the top causes of death (right drug, for the right condition, at the correct dosage), and literally no related deaths coming from nutritional supplements, the FDA has again decided that natural supplements should be categorized as drugs and undergo the same sort of control, testing and regulation. This happened once before in 1994, but WAS DEFEATED BY CONSUMER FEEDBACK to their Senators and Representatives.

As citizens, we need to mobilize to defend our right to continue using supplements that promote our health. So, please use this link to contact your representatives:

 

Let your voice be heard by exercising your right to petition the government against these serious violations of the law and scientific principle. Please be sure to call, fax, or send a certified letter to your representative — emails can be easily dismissed. Here is a set of talking points for your consideration:

  • My name is [Name] and I am a constituent of [Congress Member's name].
  • I am very concerned about the new FDA draft guidance on dietary supplements and new dietary ingredients.
  • I request that Congress hold hearings and take action to review the FDA’s draft guidance and stop their overreach of power.
  • The FDA’s draft guidance flies in the face of the original congressional intent of the Dietary Supplement Health Education Act: The guidance turns what was meant to be a simple notification system for new dietary ingredients into a preapproval scheme that Congress did not intend to create.
  • Congress recognized that dietary supplements are natural ingredients and therefore inherently safer than drugs and chemical food ingredients. It did not intend that the FDA would have the power to approve or reject dietary supplements.
  • The FDA’s draft guidance creates unnecessary regulations that limit my access to dietary supplements I rely on. The expensive and burdensome process will force between 20,000 and 42,000 dietary supplements to be removed from the market and will increase the cost of those supplements that remain.
  • The draft guidance hurts our economy. Expert analyses show that this guidance will cause a total economic loss of $21.2 billion to $39.8 billion annually.
  • Thank you for your time.

Tips:

  • Be courteous and respectful.
  • Keep your comments brief and focused on the facts.
  • Always thank the staff member for their time taking your call.

SAMPLE LETTER TO CONGRESS:

The Honorable _________________________ Washington, D.C.

In direct violation of the law, the FDA is threatening to ban my access to new dietary supplements.

The FDA defines dietary supplements as being “new” if they were introduced after October 15, 1994. That means that nutrients that I have been safely using over the course of three decades will be subject to the FDA’s oppressive policies that mandate costly animal testing, which translates into forced withdrawal from the market, and higher prices for me if the supplement is ever allowed to be sold again.

The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 states that:

“The Federal Government should not take any actions to impose unreasonable regulatory barriers limiting or slowing the flow of safe products and accurate information to consumers.”

It says that Congress finds that: “dietary supplements are safe within a broad range of intake, and safety problems with the supplements are relatively rare.”

And it says that: “legislative action that protects the right of access of consumers to safe dietary supplements is necessary in order to promote wellness.”

This draft guidance does the exact opposite of what Congress intended. It imposes unreasonable barriers that limit and slow the flow of safe products and accurate information to consumers. I call upon Congress to:

Uphold the landmark legislation it passed seventeen years ago, and to direct the FDA to revise its New Dietary Ingredient draft guidelines to reflect DSHEA’s (and Congress’s) stated values and goals.

Vote against the newly introduced Dietary Supplement Labeling Act as this would give the FDA even greater arbitrary powers to remove safe dietary supplements from the market, and will profoundly impact this nations’ health in a negative way.

All of these proposals result in wasteful federal spending, while at the same time impose a massive new “regulatory tax” on consumers and the vitamin industry.

Kindly let me know what actions you are taking in response to the urgent issues raised in this letter.

Sincerely,

Name________________________________________

Address______________________________________

City______________________ST____ Zip__________

 

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Why Eating Grains Is Making Us Sick, Sad, and Fat

by admin

Whole, half, or any other way, grains aren’t good.

(Yes, that includes breads, pasta, pizza, cereals and pastries!)

If this is your first time hearing that grains are problematic in the human diet, then it can come as quite surprise.  More than just a surprise, it can be a downright shock to the core of your “think you know what to eat to be healthy” soul.  You may need to sit down for this one:  grains are largely responsible for the chronic diseases of civilization (obesity, diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, auto immune disorders, strokes, and cancer).

Now, take a deep breath and keep reading, because this is where it will start to make sense.  We have to go back quite a ways to understand the problem with grains - about 10,000 years to be exact.  You see, before then, all human beings were hunter-gatherers (H/G), meaning they spent their days hunting animals and/or gathering fruits, veggies, seeds, nuts, bugs, and any other nature-made thing they could get their hands on to stay alive.  Now here is the kicker:  you are the same as them.  That’s right, our genes (the info in our cells that makes us human) haven’t changed really at all for the last 50,000+ years.

Why is that a big deal? More →

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Paleo in a nutshell

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What’s Paleo?
Paleo refers to the period about 50,000 years ago when the blueprint for human physiology – our genetic code – was stamped into its present form, during the what’s called the ‘Late Paleolithic’ period.

What’s that mean?  Well, let’s first look at how our prehistoric Paleo hunter-gatherer ancestors ate – they gathered plants and hunted or scavenged wild animals. So, our ancestors ate nuts, seeds, lots of plants (mostly vegetables and some fruit), and wild animals. Do you notice what’s missing from that list? That’s right – there wasn’t Starbucks, McDonald’s, Domino’s, supermarkets, Red Bull, Dunkin’ Donuts, Twizzlers, refrigeration, salt, chemical preservatives, processed vegetable oils – you get the idea.

Grains – the Lucifer of foods
But, most notably, what’s missing from that list above, what our ancestors didn’t eat was … grains. That’s right, no cereals, breads, pasta, pizza, crackers, bagels, cookies. Humans started utilizing agriculture approximately 10,000 years ago and this is CRITICALLY IMPORTANT: because grains weren’t part of our environment for the eons leading to the formation of our genetic code, the human body doesn’t digest or metabolize grains well at all . In fact, GRAINS ARE VERY BAD FOR HUMANS.

Yes, that flies in the face of what most people have been led to believe, even some misinformed doctors and of course, our lobbyist-influenced governments who make recommendations for eating multiple servings of grains as part of a “healthy diet” (think Food Pyramid). The truth is that eating grains will result in a loss of health over time because eating grains causes inflammation, and promotes high insulin levels – both of which are hallmarks of nearly all disease processes.

Milk does a body … BAD
The other major food  that wasn’t part of our ancestor’s environment or food supply was dairy products in general and milk in particular. Although milk doesn’t contain gluten like its evil twin grains, milk does cause elevated insulin levels, which, as  mentioned above, is a major contributor to many disease processes.

So what am I supposed to do?
Eat lots and lots of vegetables, nuts and seeds, and pastured or wild animals. This means incorporating plants with your breakfast, salads and vegetables with lunch AND dinner. Snack on nuts and seeds with a little fruit. Make treats using ingredients such as coconut, raw chocolate (or unsweetened cocoa), nuts, seeds, coconut oil, almond flour, hazelnut flour, coconut flour. For example, a huge hit for all of us at Bonfire are Raw Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

Don’t forget your HEALTHY FATS
Fat is the body’s preferred source of energy - so make sure you eat lots of healthy fats. What’s a healthy fat? I’m glad you asked. Healthy fats come with eating healthy animal protein – pastured or grass fed beef, lamb; cage-free organic chicken, and wild caught fish. Healthy fats also include things like walnuts, avocado, olive oil, and coconut oil.

Avoid UNHEALTHY FATS
Unhealthy fats include the obvious foods – milkshakes, french fries, chips, and fried foods. What most people don’t realize is that processed vegetable oils in the form of corn oil, canola oil, soy oil and the like have become so common place within our modern processed food landscape that they’re in virtually all packaged foods.

Last, but not least … SUGAR
Another food that didn’t exist “back in the day” was sugar.  A healthy Paleo diet does not include sugar. Yes, our ancestors probably had periodic opportunity to eat raw honey and fresh fruit, but it wasn’t readily available to eat at will, whim or craving. Sugar is highly toxic to the human body – please read ‘Sugar – Your Second Worst Enemy’.

Last, and most importantly … move toward eating well.
The goal isn’t perfection – it’s progression. Start here with the basics.

 

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PALEO:

Paleolithic - Wikipedia
Paleolithic Diet – Wikipedia
The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain – considered the ‘father of Paleo science’
The blog of Robb Wolf, author of The Paleo Diet Solution

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Omega-3 and Your Health

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Why Omega-3?
Much of the body’s physiologic function is dependent upon having sufficient essential fatty acids in general and omega-3 in particular. Combined with the importance of these essential fatty acids is the fact that our modern culture is terribly deficient in omega-3 essential fatty acids. Because we don’t eat animal protein from natural animals – we eat domesticated grain fed animals, and we eat grains and vegetable oils, all of which are high in omega-6 fats, the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 is so imbalanced it causes people to be unhealthy.

The O-3 : O6 Ratio
Research has shown that the human body is healthy when our dietary intake of essential fatty acids is a ratio of 1:2 between omega-3 and omega-6. Current research shows that people today are eating a diet style of processed foods (which contain vegetable oils high in omega-6), and grains (which are high in omega-6), and finally, grain fed animals, which is creating ratios of 1:30, even 1:50.  This gross imbalance of essential fats is resulting in many disease processes among modern cultures.

Inflammation and Omega-3
When the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 gets too high, dangerous inflammation results, causing many diseases, including:

  • Heart disease
  • Diabetes
  • Cancer
  • High Cholesterol
  • Depressiion
  • Autoimmune diseases (Lupus)
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Psoriasis
  • ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)
  • Strokes
  • Premature and low birth weights
  • Neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases
  • Crohn’s disease
  • Hypertension (high blood pressure)

References:
Kremer, Joel M. n-3 fatty acid supplements in rheumatoid arthritis.American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 71 (suppl), January 2000, pp. 349S-51S

Cullen, Paul. Evidence that triglycerides are an independent coronary heart disease risk factor. American Journal of Cardiology, Vol. 86, November 1, 2000, pp. 943-49

Stoll, Andrew L., et al. Omega 3 fatty acids in bipolar disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry, Vol. 56, May 1999, pp. 407-12 and pp. 415-16 (commentary)

Calabrese, Joseph R., et al. Fish oils and bipolar disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry, Vol. 56, May 1999, pp. 413-14 (commentary)

Stark, Ken D., et al. Effect of fish-oil concentrate on serum lipids in postmenopausal women receiving and not receiving hormone replacement therapy in a placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 72, August 2000, pp. 389-94

Fortin, Paul R., et al. Validation of a meta-analysis: the effects of fish oil in rheumatoid arthritis. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, Vol. 48, 1995, pp. 1379-90

Cleland, Leslie G. and James, Michael J. Fish oil and rheumatoid arthritis: antiinflammatory and collateral health benefits. Journal of Rheumatology, Vol. 27, October 2000, pp. 2305-06 (editorial) 

Arnold, L. Eugene. Alternative treatments for adults with ADHD. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Vol. 931, June 2001, pp. 310-41

Burgess, John R., et al. Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 71 (suppl), January 2000, pp. 327S- 30S 

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 71 (suppl), January 2000, pp. 171S-175S

Hu, Frank B., et al. Fish and long-chain omega-3 fatty acid intake and risk of coronary heart disease and total mortality in diabetic women. Circulation, Vol. 107, April 15, 2003, pp. 1852-57

Grundy, Scott M. N-3 fatty acids: priority for post-myocardial infarction clinical trials. Circulation, Vol. 107, April 15, 2003, pp. 1834-36 (editorial)

Rivellese, Angela A., et al. Long-term effects of fish oil on insulin resistance and plasma lipoproteins in NIDDM patients with hypertriglyceridemia. Diabetes Care, Vol. 19, November 1996, pp. 1207-13 

Olsen, Sjurour Frooi and Secher, Niels Jorgen. Low consumption of seafood in early pregnancy as a risk factor for preterm delivery: prospective cohort study.British Medical Journal, Vol. 324, February 23, 2002, pp. 1-5

Carlson, S.E. Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and development of human infants. Acta Paediatr Suppl, No. 430, 1999, pp. 72-7

Cunnane, Stephen C., et al. Breast-fed infants achieve a higher rate of brain and whole body docosahexaenoate accumulation than formula-fed infants not consuming dietary docosahexaenoate. Lipids, Vol. 35, January 2000, pp. 105-11 

Mayser, Peter, et al. Omega-3 fatty acid-based lipid infusion in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis: results of a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multi-center trial. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, Vol. 38, April 1998, pp. 539-47

Escobar, S.O., et al. Topical fish oil in psoriasis: a controlled and blind study. Clinical and Experimentology Dermatology, Vol. 17, 1992, pp. 159-62 

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IGNITE YOUR DAY

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FUEL  ~  Dish of the Day:
If you’re in New England this time of year, you’ll notice the soup weather won’t be holding out much longer! Before summer is here in full force, make sure to try our delicious recipe for Chili without Beans!  It might not be a concept you’re used to, but trust us, without those legumes, your tummy will thank you!  [Click here for additional Recipes]

 

AIR  ~  Movement of the Day:
Box Jumps can be an intimidating exercise, no doubt about it! But like so many things, if you build your height gradually and face those fears of wiping out… the feeling of success (and ripped quads!) are waiting just around the corner!  [Click here for additional Workouts]

 

SPARK  ~  Thought of the Day:
Quote of the Day: As in the case of wines that improve with age, the oldest friendships ought to be the most cherished. ~ Cicero
Essential Element: A Bonfire best practice is to seek out like-minded, supportive people.  Schedule time for friends, date night, mystery rides with the kids, and coffee breaks with your spouse.  Put these times in your weekly schedule and make them part of your culture. [click here to read 'Spark Insight: Connection']
Journal: What weekly rituals do you currently have in place to protect your time with your family? Take 5 minutes and envision on paper what an ideal weekly family time might look like.  [Click here for additional Journal exercises]

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IGNITE YOUR DAY

by admin

AIR  ~  Movement of the Day:
Slide Unders are a fantastic way to switch up your standard exercises and put a little excitement into your day! Easily scalable, you can add weights while you’re ‘sliding’ to take it up a notch.  [Click here for additional Workouts]

FUEL  ~  Dish of the Day:
Looking for a colorful, protein packed dinner tonight? Look no further and turn up the oven for Classic Stuffed Peppers! Not only will you and your family enjoy this dish straight from the oven, you’ll also be able to take these satisfying leftovers to work the rest of the week!  [Click here for additional Recipes]

 

SPARK  ~  Thought of the Day:
Quote of the Day: When a friend is in trouble, don’t annoy him by asking if there is anything you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it. ~ Edgar Watson Howe
Essential Element: We must seek opportunities to fulfill our and others’ innate needs and deliberately fill them. [click here to read 'Spark Insight: Connection]
Journal: You know that person who is struggling? That friend who just can’t seem to catch a break? Put yourself in their shoes – feel what they are feeling. What would you want someone to do for you? A phone call, a drop off, an offer to take your kids? Now – go do it for them.  [Click here for additional Journal exercises]

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IGNITE YOUR DAY

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FUEL  ~  Dish of the Day:
You might have thought nothing is better than the Perfect Breakfast…but we’ve done it again! Perfect Breakfast PART II! Give it a try and start your day off balanced and full of nutrients!   [Click here for additional Recipes]

 

AIR  ~  Movement of the Day:
Get ready for some core strengthening today with the Static Leg Hold. Integrate these into your workouts and notice how much longer you’re able to keep those legs up day-by-day!  [Click here for additional Workouts]

 

SPARK  ~  Thought of the Day:
Quote of the Day: Human beings are born into this little span of life in which the greatest thing is genuine friendship…and yet they leave their friendships with no cultivation, to grow as they will by the roadside, expecting them to “keep” by force of mere inertia. ~ William James
Essential Element: At the expense of sufficiency, we now seek efficiency. This leads to deficits that must be reconciled. [click here to read 'Spark Insight: Connection']
Journal: In an age of virtual communication, much of our face-to-face connection has been sorely replaced. With whom have you spent time connecting lately? Which of your ‘friends’ really know what you’ve been thinking about, envisioning, mulling over while you walk the dog? Write down the name of a friend you’ll connect with this week – to provide and receive a real life listening ear.  [Click here for additional Journal exercises]