Spring Cleaning + Focus Food: GREENS

You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present.
– Jan Glidewell

Spring Cleaning

People like “stuff.” We tend to hold onto it year after year. (I still have clothes from college more than 10 years ago!) We save and stock up on things that we don’t know what to do with anymore.

Maybe we keep things because they hold precious memories of days gone by, or they remind us of our parents, grandparents, past loves or childhood. To part with these precious possessions seems out of the question. There is a saying that goes, “You have to get rid of the old to make way for the new.”

If you are feeling stuck or stagnant in your life, try spring-cleaning. Throw out some of that stuff, say goodbye to your past and welcome the new energy of your happy, healthy future.

Try these three ideas:
1. For good mental and physical health, we actually have two “houses” that need to be spring-cleaned: our physical homes and our physical bodies. Just as we accumulate “stuff” in the form of outgrown clothes, magazines, rusty bicycles, tools and random keepsakes, so do our bodies accumulate old food residues and toxins that need to be cleaned out.

2. To spring clean your body, give it a break from rich and complicated foods by either cleansing or fasting for a short period of time. Cleansing means paring down your food to just simple fruits and vegetables, lots of water and perhaps whole grains. Fasting means limiting most foods and drinking lots of water, fresh vegetable and fruit juices, teas and soups. Without much energy going toward digestion, more energy is available to the rest of your body and mind. Cleansing and fasting can sharpen your concentration, help you gain insight and promote spiritual awareness. It can also bring improved immune function and better digestion.

3. While you’re cleaning out your body and home, don’t forget to spring-clean your heart. Throw away negative thoughts and habits you’ve been harboring that no longer serve you. A clean, open heart will allow you to receive all the good that awaits you each and every day. If your heart and mind are cluttered, there is no room for life’s gifts and surprises to enter.

Food Focus: Greens

Leafy greens are some of the easiest and most beneficial vegetables to incorporate into your daily routine. Densely packed with energy and nutrients, they grow upward to the sky, absorbing the sun’s light while producing oxygen. Members of this royal green family include kale, collard greens, Swiss chard, mustard greens, arugula, dandelion greens, broccoli rabe, watercress, beet greens, bok choy, napa cabbage, green cabbage, spinach and broccoli.

How do greens benefit our bodies? They are very high in calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous and zinc, and are a powerhouse for vitamins A, C, E and K. They are crammed full of fiber, folic acid, chlorophyll and many other micronutrients and phytochemicals. Their color is associated with spring, which is a time to renew and refresh vital energy. In traditional Asian medicine, the color green is related to the liver, emotional stability and creativity. Greens aid in purifying the blood, strengthening the immune system, improving liver, gall bladder and kidney function, fighting depression, clearing congestion, improving circulation and keeping your skin clear and blemish free.

Leafy greens are the vegetables most missing from the American diet, and many of us never learned how to prepare them. Start with the very simple recipe below. Then each time you go to the market, pick up a new green to try. Soon you’ll find your favorite greens and wonder how you ever lived without them.

Recipe of the Month: Shiitake and Kale

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms

1 tablespoon olive oil

1-2 cloves crushed garlic

1 bunch kale, chopped

pinch of salt

Directions:

1.   Warm oil in pan on medium heat with minced garlic until aromas of garlic are released, about 2-3 minutes.

2.   Add chopped shiitake mushrooms, stir-fry for 5 minutes.

3.   Add chopped kale, stir-fry for a couple of minutes.

4.   Add a splash of water and pinch of salt to pan, cover and let steam for 4 minutes.

Ok, now what to do with this newsletter?

1. Forward to a Friend. It’s such a pleasure to help those closest to us become happier and healthier. Please forward this newsletter to friends, family members or colleagues who might be interested and inspired by it. Or feel free to reach out to me about my one-on-one or corporate health coaching programs.

or

2. Join Sarah on the next Yoga & Adventure Personal Growth Retreat

Who: Women only, all levels of yoga experience welcome to attend.
What: a 7 day, 6 night retreat in a unique locale hand-picked for you as a place of healing, growth, adventure, and restoration
Where: Costa Rica Yoga Spa in Nosara, Costa Rica, about 2 hours from Liberia International Airport
When: June 20-26, 2015
Why: Why not? For example: “I’ve been on several retreats, bar none this was the most unforgettable experience, extraordinary group of diverse kind souls who all gelled. I learned something valuable from each and every one of you. Thank you to Sarah for pulling together such a strong team to guide us and taking the time to have every detail thought out.” Danielle (Pilates Instructor, New Jersey)
How: Go HERE and register by making your deposit.