Eggplant Ragout

In the Midst of a Busy Summer

  Take a Breather~

 by: Juli Heath, Yoga Instructor RYT-230

 The first thing we do when we’re born is inhale.  The last thing we do as a human being is exhale.  In between the first inhale and the last exhale are countless breaths; each one keeping us alive… and yet we take our breath for granted.

Breathing is a function of both the central and autonomic nervous system. It is both conscious and unconscious. It is the only life process in our body that is controlled through both systems.

Ineffective breathing is quite common in our society, compounded by poor posture and long periods of sitting (driving etc). When we breathe in a shallow way, the air tends to enter only the chest area and does not provide the optimal level of oxygen to the body.

Learning to breathe deeply increases the oxygen supply to our body, and in turn can help to decrease stress and anxiety.  

There is a simple technique anyone can use to learn to breathe deeply.  This is how you do it:

·      Sit up straight and tall. Place one hand on your navel, the other on your chest. Notice your breath.  Notice which hand(s) is moving the most; the one on your chest, or the one on your belly.

·      Now deepen your breath a little. Inhale through your nose and draw the breath all the way down to your navel by expanding your belly; done properly your hand will rise. Once the belly is full, let the remainder of the inhale fill your chest- causing the other hand to rise slightly.

·      Then exhale from the top down.  The hand on your chest lowers first, then the hand on your belly lowers as the belly moves back toward the spine.

If this is difficult for you, simply place a hand on your navel and focus on belly breathing.  Inhale to expand the belly.  Exhale draw the belly to the spine.  Be careful to never force the breath or breathe too deeply.   If you’d like to create a sense of calm, see if you can extend the exhale a little bit longer than the inhale.  Perhaps inhaling to a count of 4 and exhaling to a count of 6. 

If you have the pleasure of being around  sleeping babies or small children, notice how they breathe.  Yep! Belly breathing.  We do it naturally as children.  We unlearn it as we grow.

And now, return your breath to the body and let it do what it naturally does …keep you alive!

48th & Nicollet Neighborhood Harvest Open House

Hello everyone!

I hope you all have had a great summer!  Here at Red Cricket, we are gearing up for Fall and getting excited for a break from the heat. 

To kickoff the start of Fall, we are teaming up with other local business to host the 48th & Nicollet Neighborhood Harvest on September 22nd from 11am-2pm.  Come out the the 48th and Nicollet block to check out great deals the local businesses have to offer!  Joi and I will be offering free mini-acupuncture treatments.  There will also be fun activities for all ages, as well as light refreshments.  We are expecting a great turnout and a fun day!

You can see the deals here too:

http://hellbentfitness.com/48nicollet-harvest/

We are offering $50 off the first appointment!  We have never had a deal this good and we most likely won't have it again, so if you know anyone out there who is interested in all the great benefits acupuncture has to offer, be sure sure bring them out to the Neighborhood Harvest!  We look forward to seeing you there!


Yours in Health,
Stephanie

Trying to Lose Weight with No Luck?

Hello everyone!

As we are getting into March now, many of us who made New Year's resolutions to lose weight are realizing that it either hasn't happened, or we haven't lost as much as we wanted.  Very often we are doing everything "right" as far as we know too.  It can be so frustrating to not see those results after so much hard work.

As some of you know, I follow Mark Sisson (big name in the Paleo lifestyle/diet), and his daily blog today talked about things that you may or may not be doing that affect weight loss.  He brings up a lot of great points including:  1. Mindless eating,  2. Too much pleasure food,  3. Eating too little,  4. Stress,  5. Too much focus on diet,  6. Too much exercise,  7. Nutrients and exercise are mismatched, 8. Regular meal times, and 9. Being at a healthy weight already!

Here is the link to the full article:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/9-more-reasons-youre-not-losing-weight/#axzz2MnsW6U63

Try making a few modifications that he mentions and see if things change for you.  In clinical practice, I often see lots of clients who are culprits of #3- eating too little, and #6- too much exercise.  Metabolism definitely plays a big role in weight maintenance, so I think those two things are key here!  Enjoy!

Yours in health,

Stephanie

New Year's Newsletter!

Just writing to say that our new newsletter is up on our website!! Yay! Take a look at the easy-to-view PFD version here: http://redcricket.com/newsletters/2013-winter-red-cricket-acupuncture.pdf.

The flu season hit early this year, and also very hard. It has been one of the worse flu seasons that I have encountered in clinic. Acupuncture can help you resist a cold or flu, and many of the herbs we use have anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. Don’t forget us when you get sick! We can really help.

Although Chinese medicine can be extremely helpful in helping your body to fight a cold once it hits, our real passion at RCA is in prevention. It is our goal to help you feel good every day in every way. If you are strong enough, we are taught that any virus won’t stand a chance against your immune system. The body was designed to do miracles with good food and movement. For that reason, we are exploring how healthy eating and movement can prevent colds and flus. If you are eating well and moving your body, you will not only stay healthier - but you’ll feel better in the process!

We have a whole bunch of good information for you this time! To go along with those New Year's Resolutions check out the article about All The Benefits of Exercise, from how to avoid icky illnesses this season to creating emotional and physical balance. Stephanie writes about creating A New LIFE Resolution by diving into the Paleo lifestyle this year. Still wondering what this fad is all about? Check out her great introduction to the Paleo world! You don't have to be on a Paleo diet to enjoy this yummy recipe: Moroccan Chicken Casserole. 

If you have been waiting to Learn How to Brew Your Own Kombucha, don't forget to RSVP for our next workshop on Friday, March 8th.

We hope this information will help you to continue on the road of making each day healthier, richer and fuller than the last!

Our Donation to Heifer International

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to let you know that this month Red Cricket is donating 5% of its proceeds to Heifer International to buy an animal for a family in need this holiday season. We were just taking a look at the numbers today and WE HAVE ALREADY MADE OUR GOAL!! Thanks to everyone who has visited Red Cricket this December!

With the money we have raised, we will be purchasing a goat and perhaps another entire animal from Heifer! Why a goat, you ask? Here's why:

"Goats Are Great for Families =  The gift of a dairy goat represents a lasting, meaningful way for you to help a little boy or girl on the other side of the world. Goats can thrive in extreme climates and on poor, dry land by eating grass and leaves. The gift of a dairy goat can supply a family with up to several quarts of nutritious milk a day - a ton of milk a year. Extra milk can be sold or used to make cheese, butter or yogurt. Families learn to use goat manure to fertilize gardens. Goats often have two or three kids a year making it easy for Heifer recipients to pass on the gift of a goat to another family in need. This great investment allows our partners to lift themselves out of poverty by starting small dairies that earn money for food, health care and education."

Why Heifer? If you are unfamiliar with Heifer International, I strongly encourage you to learn more about this revolutionary charity! The basis of their mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and to care for the earth, but they do so in wonderful ways that not only give families a helping hand, but teaches them how to use those animals for the betterment of the entire community. With gifts of livestock and training, Heifer projects help families improve their nutrition and generate income in sustainable ways. In exchange for their gift, families agree to give one of it's animal's offspring to another family in need to create an ever-expanding network of hope and peace.

If you would like to learn more about Heifer International, visit their website here: http://www.heifer.org/

Zumba for health

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to give a big heads up to my lovely patients and peeps about a great FREE opportunity to escape winter and inject a little summer into your life!

A really fantastic organization, OUT in the backyard, is sponsoring a weekly free zumba class at Powderhorn park.  It's at 6:30 in the community building every Monday night.  It is sooo much fun!  The instructor, Bernice Arias, is the most amazing ever!  The choreography and the music is fantasic and she is so much fun.  Her excitement and love of dance is very contagious!

One symptom that I see very often in the clinic is low back pain.  In some cases, it is stored stress.  These patients feel better with movement, and worse when they rest.  Exercise and yoga really makes a big difference in their pain levels.  When I went to my first zumba class, I remember shaking my booty and hips in ways that I usually never do, and it felt really good!  It felt so good to loosen up my lower torso, and the music is so fun and upbeat that I felt my stress literally melting off of my body.  This class would be a perfect class for patients under stress, but especially those who have low back pain.

If you know me well, you probably know that I am not much of a winter gal.  Even as a child I suffered from seasonal affective disorder.  This class and Bernice's teaching has been a vital part of keeping myself happy and sane this winter.  If you think you would like to give it a try, I would encourage you to do so.  You don't need to know how to dance, you just need to be ready to shake your booty!

So, there you have it... a free opportunity to meet people in our lovely community, dance and feel like you're in Puerto Rico for an hour.  Try it out, you'll be so happy you did!

Yours in health!

Joi

PS.  Out in the Backyard is a group that helps lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people (LGBTQ) to counter isolation by connecting to each other and community resources.  If you would like more information about OUT in the backyard look here.   http://www.outinthebackyard.org/  We are all so lucky to have them be a part of our community!