Suki S. Miller's Blog, page 8

Quick extra note on this morning’s post:

All of the below is still true.  However, Amazon is working to combine the listings for the e-book with the print book, thus the print book isn’t ‘searchable’ on Amazon right now.   The link below for the print edition is still good.

From this morning’s post:  The print version of the book is now available!   For those of you who don’t use e-Readers, or who just prefer the feel of a book in your hands, here it is:  Print edition: Meditate the Pounds Away

I hope you will all enjoy it and would REALLY appreciate ratings – GOOD RATINGS – on Amazon.

Please feel free to post your own ideas, meditations, and recipes here on this website and also ratings on GoodReads.com,

Also:  Please like our Facebook Page here and share with all of your friends:  Suki S. Miller, Writer, Facebook Page

You can also ‘friend’ on the personal page  here:  Suki S Miller Personal Page

Follow on Twitter  @SukiSMiller or   https://twitter.com/SukiSMiller

You guys are the best!

Wow! That was fast! The print edition is available!

The print version of the book is now available!   For those of you who don’t use e-Readers, or who just prefer the feel of a book in your hands, here it is:  Print edition: Meditate the Pounds Away

I hope you will all enjoy it and would REALLY appreciate ratings – GOOD RATINGS – on Amazon.

Please feel free to post your own ideas, meditations, and recipes here on this website and also ratings on GoodReads.com,

Also:  Please like our Facebook Page here and share with all of your friends:  Suki S. Miller, Writer, Facebook Page

You can also ‘friend’ on the personal page  here:  Suki S Miller Personal Page

Follow on Twitter  @SukiSMiller or   https://twitter.com/SukiSMiller

You guys are the best!

I’m Excited! The proof is here, the proof is here!

Ok, so it’s just the proof.  It’s not ‘the new phone book’s here!’ (i.e. The Jerk movie).  But I’m still excited to be able to hold my little book!  Luckily, I think there are no further changes and it is good to go, so will be approving it this evening.

It should be available on Amazon for purchase (along with the e-book which is already available) in the next day or so.

I hope others will learn and grow from my experience.  It has been rewarding to me and exciting for me to feel I could help others who may have had the same struggles.

This isn’t just about weight loss and wellness.   The meditation method I use for myself can benefit anyone with any problem or concern.

Get in touch with your guides, your soul and  your path through  meditation and enjoy all the miracles that life has to offer.

I’m sending my best wishes to all, hoping that you’ll benefit as I have, and as I continue to benefit.

 

 

Sometimes, change is ok.

I like continuity. It’s comforting. And like most people, I often tend to resist change.

I have been using the same music/sound track for my meditation now, for a year or so.  It was from the NASA Symphony of the Planets and is the Jupiter recording.  It really seems to resonate with me.

This past weekend, we were visiting a friend in SW Florida who lives on the beach.  Having essentially grown up in this area, it is an especially calm and meaningful place for me.   So in my morning meditation, I really just wanted to be ‘one’ with the sound of the surf.  The problem?  There was a lot of traffic on the other side of the house – on the side where the street is.  It was distracting and I was getting nowhere fast.

So I did a search on my iPhone music tracks for ‘waves’ and found one that was just amazing!

It was ‘Schumann Resonance:  The Earth’s Vibrating Frequency 7.83 hz, with With Wind Chimes and Beach Waves’.  I know.  It is yet another mouthful of a phrase, right?

I have to say, this really put me in the zone quickly. and it made for an especially meaningful meditation session.  Both feature Schumann harmonics.

If you’re an ‘ocean person’, you’ll enjoy this.  This series also has the same isotonic tones with other soothing sounds – surface water, whales, night sounds and more.

I recommend listening to a number of different tracks to find what works for you.  It’s just so difficult in this day and age to find some natural SILENCE, so the next best thing is a sound track that helps you with a peaceful start to your meditation.

 

 

Reading the Labels: The Skinny on Soy and Corn

As the consummate label reader, there are a few things that appear on most all processed food labels that I refuse to buy – any form of soy and any form of corn.

All corn in the US, unless it’s organic and stated to be non-GMO is indeed GMO.  US corn and most US grains are not accepted for import into Europe and Asia.  Even Mexico will not buy US corn.  Yet Americans don’t seem to question the foods they eat.  It baffles me.

Corn products include things like corn oil, corn flour, corn syrups, high-fructose corn syrups, corn starch – the list is long.  Unless it says organic and it is stated to be non-GMO, we stay away from it.   We feel that eating GMO cornbread is pretty much the same as eating a Roundup Cornbread or Agent Orange cornbread.

Another item that has been over-sold to the food processing industry is soy.  Soybeans were originally nothing but a fertilizer.  They were grown, plowed under to fertilize the earth for REAL crops.  The problem with soy is that it is a serious hormone disruptor unless it is fermented.  It was never meant to be food for humans.  And now, it’s not just soy, it’s GMO soy! Look for these things on labels:  soy lecithin, soy flour, soybean oil, and much, much more.

I find it alarming that soy is consistently touted as healthy. Sadly, as I found this morning, even Whole Foods has an aisle labeled SOY.   Check out this article:  http://www.foodrenegade.com/dangers-of-soy/   (Yes, it’s touting a book, but still, there are plenty of alarming facts in this piece. )

I’ve been gluten free since 2002.  It’s especially upsetting to me to find a food that looks promising, only to find it’s loaded with soy or corn.

Make no mistake about it:  Eating a truly healthy diet is not easy when the food industry conspires to sell us foods that are loaded with toxins.  AND they are doing all they can possibly do to take away the very thing that saves us – labeling.

As always, I recommend that you all become a constant presence in your legislators’ in-boxes.  Let them know that labeling is important and that the consumers have the right to know what their food contains.

 

Delicious AND Nutritious is absolutely possible!

My husband says that I can never leave a recipe alone and he’s right about that.  I can always find something to improve.  I’ll make some changes to this in the future, but probably not a lot.

Last weekend, I bought what looked like a nice quinoa salad at Publix.  When I got it home, I looked more closely.   It was loaded with soybeans!  OH NO!   unfermented soy is a major hormone disruptor!  (Soy will be an upcoming post.  It’s not the healthy product that you’ve been told it is.)

Back to the subject at hand, I began looking for a quinoa salad recipe that had all the things I like and none of the bad things. Yesterday, I made a Quinoa Salad with oranges, grapes, cranberries and pecans and I have to say, it was amazing!

My version was non-GMO, organic, high in protein, high in fiber, low in sugar and delicious.

Here are the ingredients:

The recipe was an online find and I must say, it took WAY too long to prepare.  The recipe stated a prep time of 15 minutes, but it was more like 45+ minutes, when taking into account the slicing of grapes, soaking of cranberries and cooling of the quinoa. Or maybe I just wasn’t in the mood to spend that much time standing since I’m in the throes of what appears to be my once-a-year crippling back episode*.  Of course, I used all organics and all non-GMO and this is not the time of year for naval oranges so I substituted. At any rate, here is the recipe as I found it, with credit below the recipe to the blog where it originally appeared:

Quinoa Salad with Oranges, Pecans and Cranberries




Prep time
15 mins


Cook time
15 mins


Total time
30 mins




Serves: 6-8 servings


Ingredients

10 oz quinoa
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
¼ cup pomegranate juice
¼ cup dried cranberries
2 navel oranges, peeled and sliced between membranes
1 cup seedless red or green grapes, cut in half
2 Tbsp scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
½ cup pecans, toasted

For the Dressing:

½ cup olive oil
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup raspberry or balsamic vinegar
4 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp Orange Liqueur
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp salt



Preparation

Place the quinoa in a medium pot with the 2 cups of stock and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer covered for 15 minutes, until it blooms. Drain well and put back into the pot and cover for 5 minutes. Remove lid and fluff with a fork and let cool.
While the quinoa is cooking, soak the dried cranberries in the pomegranate juice to plump.
Once the quinoa has cooled, drain the cranberries and add them to the bowl with the orange sections, grapes, scallions and pecans and mix gently.

For the Dressing:

Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, honey, orange liqueur and salt and pepper and whisk to combine; drizzle over the salad and stir in gently.
Allow to sit for 30 minutes for the flavors to blend. Check seasonings and serve at room temperature.


Recipe by Creative Culinary | A Denver Colorado Food and Cocktail Blog with Recipes. at http://www.creative-culinary.com/quin...

Notes:  I used balsamic vinegar, white grapes, low-sodium, organic chicken broth.

 

*  In my book, I mention my 33% disability.  This was a little ‘gift’ that came with being rear-ended in an accident in 2008 and also another injury  in 1992.  I was able to overcome the weight gain from the disability thanks to meditation – and thus the book.

 

Don’t forget the rest of your body!

It seems I’m constantly working on my skin to encourage it to tighten and smooth after the excess fat vacated.   Since I’m very diligent about using products that are good for the skin and are not overloaded with chemicals, I often turn to making my own products.  For sunscreen, though, I’m finding very little that isn’t heavy on the chemicals.  I’ve been using LaRoche-Posay Anthelios 40 Sunscreen Cream with Mexoryl SX, SPF40.  Yup, it’s a mouthful to say!

It rates well, a 2, on EWG.org’s sunscreen ratings.  It does give good protection, it doesn’t smell like most sunscreens but it’s a bear to blend in. It can leave a white cast to the skin.  It doesn’t have a greasy finish.  However, I’m looking for something better.

In Europe, there are many healthy sun products available.  However, they have not been ‘approved’ here in the US so we’re stuck with whatever toxins the manufacturers sell – and the government approves.

I urge you to do as I’m doing – digging through EWG.org’s site for something that is not toxic, that will protect and who knows, maybe even be GOOD for us all!   I’ll be writing about my findings more in the next month, and I encourage you to contribute and comment.  Let us all know what you find!

(Edit:  I just read this on EWG’s site:  http://www.ewg.org/2015sunscreen/report/does-europe-have-better-sunscreens/  Looks like what I have noted above, is about the best we can hope for here in the US for now.  I find it interesting that the FDA claims to be protecting us from dangerous chemicals, yet they approve anything Big Pharma asks them to approve, with long lists of deadly side effects. )

For overall skin conditioning, I make my own body oil blend of essential oils in either a coconut oil or jojoba base and use it immediately after a bath or shower.

I have a number of excellent recipes for skin and body products that are homemade, and I will be sharing some of the recipes in the future.

OH, and something I failed to mention on the facial regimine’s original posts:  WHATEVER YOU DO FOR YOUR FACE, DO FOR YOUR HANDS.  That’s right.  Use the same toners, serums, creams, masks and treatments on the back of your hands and your decollette as well as your face.

 

Firming, sculpting and sun protection for your face – you deserve it all!

There are still a few steps to go in my tightening campaign.   The next one, well, thus far I feel good about it, however I guess my one reservation is that it has been the subject of a huge internet ‘mass marketing’ campaign for the last few months.  If you’re like me, you shy away from that.  I’m always looking for word-of-mouth and RESULTS.  Also, the pricing is really variable.  More on that part later.

This is the ‘stuff':

I’ve been using since early June.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, the skin’s regeneration cycle is something like 4 months, but since I am already seeing results from the products I’ve used since the first of May and am seeing a firming and tightening in the area that was once my ‘turkey neck’, I feel I have to give some credit to this product, called “Beverly Hills MD Lift + Firm Sculpting Cream for Face and Neck.”  It has a nice scent and it absorbs well.   I use it at night after all the previously mentioned steps and in the morning, after the usual steps and before the sun protection cream.

The ‘list’ prices they show are actually way high.  I’d suggest moving deeper into their site and you’ll find it at a far lesser price if you buy three at a time.  I believe I paid something like $120 for three, not the $108 they state is their ‘ list’ price for three.  I’ve written for more information, but haven’t heard back from them.  I’ll post when and if I receive correspondence.

After you’ve followed all the steps, don’t forget your sun protection!   Most of our skin damage occurs from sun exposure, lack of water, and of course toxins in the air and in our food and water.  Who wants to hole up in a dark house all day?  Not me!   So sun protection is a must.

As a fair-haired, fair-skinned, lightly freckled person I am particularly susceptible.  Of course, you could’ve never told me that when I was 17 and baking in the sun with baby oil and iodine!  Foolishly, I thought I’d beaten the odds up through about age 46 or 48.  Then one day, ‘they’ came.  The sun spots, sun damage from sunburns and tanning from the previous 40+ years surfaced.  The smooth, bronzed skin?  Now I had what I call ‘old lady’ legs with brown spots.  On my face where there once were freckles, there were now some brown spots.

This damage all occurred, I’m told, when I was in my 20’s.   I can only imagine what is to come from all the subsequent years of sun exposure!  So at least, I’m determined that there will be no more.  I often wear long sleeves, and always wear sun protection when I’m outside.  And every morning, after my cleansing and moisturizing routine, I use this, Tizo 3 Age Defying Fusion:

You can, of course, find a lot of products that will do the trick, but this mineral based sunscreen is tinted and since I rarely, if ever wear a foundation, it does double duty for me.

I’ve become so diligent about using sunscreen on my face, that I simply will not go outdoors without it.

 

Up next:  Products for the rest of your body.

 

You CAN Tighten the Skin with Nature’s Help

Bees are wonderful creatures.  Without them, we’d have no flowers, no fruits, no vegetables and no honey!  This product is all about the bee.  I use this after cleansing, toning and any toners or glycolics.

I began using this product in early May.  My interest in this product was triggered by the amazing appearance of the glowing Kate Middleton on the steps of the hospital hours after she gave birth.  Yes, of course, I know she had a massive team effort involved in that unbelievable presentation, and I’m sure she collapsed immediately upon getting into the vehicle for the ride home.  And of course, she’s only 33 years old.  One article commented that she was a great advocate of a bee venom facial cream from a London spa, that had been introduced to her by her mother-in-law.

SO, I looked up pictures of her mother-in-law, the Dutchess of Cornwall,  and in doing so, I realized that she seemed to have shed years from her face as of late.   I didn’t find the exact cream in my price range, but in researching, I did find what I would consider to be a good quality cream from a good company, Wedderspoon.  I’ve used the organic Manuka honey from this New Zealand company for many years and they have a good reputation.  Now they have a Face Contour Cream with Manuka Honey and Bee Venom.   After cleansing, toning and lightening serum (with hyaluronic acid) in the mornings, I apply this over my entire face, neck, back of hands and even my eyelids.   Before bedtime, I cleanse, tone, use the lightening glycocide cream (which has hyaluronic acid), this Face Contour Cream before other steps (detailed in following posts).

I have combination skin so I always test in an inconspicuous area before I try anything new.  AND, since I’m also allergic to bee stings, I was especially careful with this cream.  I had zero reaction from this cream!   It has a nice, light vanilla / honey scent

Hyaluronic acid, by the way, is in many serums and creams, and it encourages moisture to be drawn into the skin.  BUT a word of caution:  It is NOT a moisturizer on its own.  If you put plain hyaluronic acid on your skin (I make my own hyaluronic serum) and you do not put a moisturizer on top of it, it will draw moisture OUT of your skin.  So it’s important to know a bit about this ingredient and to always put a moisturizer on top of it.

Next up:  Firming / Sculpting cream AND sun protection

 

Improving skin after weight loss : A multi-part series.

A weight loss and wellness journey doesn’t end at the scale.  Once the weight is gone, it’s important to maintain your skin.   Moisture is important and drinking plenty of water is important.  But still and yet, you will end up with skin that is not as tight as it once was.  In my case, I was mortified to find that my old double-chin was now replaced by a ‘turkey neck’!

Thus, I’ve started yet another quest to do all I can to eliminate this atrocity.  I’m not in the market for plastic surgery and as always, I am looking for products or a combination of products that might help that include some ‘outside the box’ thinking.

I seem to be off to a good start.  While I know that skin renewal / turnover is usually a 4 month cycle, I am already seeing some results.

This post and the subsequent posts, detail a series of products that I have found useful.  Please ‘Comment’ if you have any questions or if you’d like links to purchase these products.

AND I highly recommend visiting a spa regularly for a facial.  They lift your spirits and lift dead skin and dirt from your face that you don’t even know is there.

Starting with basic skin care at home, I wash my face with a cleanser for combination skin (since that’s my skin type.)  Finding a cleanser that will clean but not strip your skin is important.   I like the Pevonia, shown here.  I was introduced to this by a local spa owner and the line is really nice and very affordable.  Initially I used the sensitive skin cleanser and recently moved to the combination skin version.

(edited 07Aug15) Something to remember: Whatever you do for your face, be sure to do the same for your hands.  That’s right.  Use the same toners, serums, creams, masks and treatments on the back of your hands and your decollette as well as your face.   You’ll be happy you did it!

After rinsing and patting dry, I use a light organic rosewater toner.   This step remains the same, morning and night.  From here there are some differences.

At night, I then use the Pevonia Botanica Ligne Radiance Renewing Glycocide Cream, which is a glycocide cream.  For me, this can tingle from time to time.  And on my neck?  It really can tingle.  But since I can’t tell that it’s doing any damage, I stick to it.  It contains glycolic acid, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E and chamomile and for me, I find it to be  smoothing and it helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines. It is said to improve skin texture and I tend to say that it does.   Yes, it is hydrating but this is when I prefer to then use not one but two different creams that are firming, and lifting.   I occasionally use this in the morning as well, in the place of a serum.

Up next:  Moisturize and Contour naturally, organically and cruelty-free