Breakthrough - Shea Vaughn

 BOOK DESCRIPTION

We all want to look and feel our best, no matter what our age. But many women believe that once they reach a certain milestone, they should look a certain way or have accomplished certain goals; if they don't or haven't, they feel unfulfilled, discouraged, or even depressed. Shea Vaughn is no stranger to this; she tackled her own challenges and discovered a better way of living.

As a mother and grandmother, Shea is a testament to the transformative nature of a mind-body makeover. In this illuminating book, the noted health and wellness expert offers a holistic way to help women achieve their own personal breakthroughs and experience dramatic improvements in their relationships, career, creativity, and fitness levels, and to find fulfillment in their lives.

As the founder of SheaNetics®, Shea shares her revolutionary lifestyle, wellness, and exercise practice. With authority and passion, she reveals the heart of SheaNetics®, The 5 Living Principles of Well-Being: Commitment, Perseverance, Self-Control, Integrity, and Love, and shows women how to incorporate the Principles into their daily lives to increase energy, reduce stress, and break down emotional barriers. SheaNetics® takes mind-body transformation to another level with a fresh self-styled approach to exercise that combines yoga, pilates, tai chi, martial arts, ballet, and more, along with the performance-boosting benefits of core power training. By learning how to unify your mind, body, and heart, you will achieve optimal wellness and tap in to your potential to look and feel your best on the inside and out.

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Shea Vaughn's approach to wellness is based on what she calls the Five Living Principle's.  The following is from her website, Sheanetics:

The Five Living Principles of Well-Being are the result of a personal study of the mental side of exercise to understand my own motivation. What I found was that “fitness is both a state of the body and a state of the mind”. This led to the Five Living Principles of SheaNetics®; Commitment, Perseverance, Self-Control, Integrity and Love. They are an inspirational force in helping me create a positive lifestyle with a healthy body and the supportive mental and emotional paradigm to deal with changing and demanding times. One encourages the other and together they help you find balance, self-confidence and a personal state of well-being.

These principles are your foundation and positive reinforcement to reduce stress, help you make better choices and improve the overall quality of your life and the lives of those around you. Let’s take a look at how each principle brings meaning into your life.

COMMITMENT is a promise to do something, whether it is to workout, seek better health, find a new job or just be a better person. The Scroll represents a binding contract you have signed to honor your promise.

PERSEVERANCE is the perpetual belief that “If I try, I will succeed”. The Pyramid reminds us that the pathway to well-being is continuous and you build towards your goal one solid step at a time.

SELF-CONTROL is the realization that you are responsible for everything you do. When you stop to think about it, how you react to the events happening in your life is the only outcome of any event that you can consciously determine. The Crane represents the balance and grace to be found in life when you have found a way to control your emotions. Control your emotions and your body will follow.

INTEGRITY does not examine the result – only the effort made. It is the level of honesty in the quality of effort you give to the execution of whatever you strive to do – it has to be the best you can do. The Shield represents trustworthiness and ones steadfast adherence to a strict code of moral or ethical behavior.

LOVE is openness and respect for yourself, others and what life has to offer. It is the willingness to explore and interact with people, to listen, learn, share and to always set the best example possible. The Crossed Arms symbolize universal love.

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As I began reading Ms. Vaughn's new book Breakthrough I realized that I had come to the book carrying a number of preconceived notions.  I thought that this would be simply another fitness and nutrition book, indistinguishable from the slew of others that had been published before.  I thought that surely there could be nothing new to be said on the subject of becoming a healthy and fit person.

Perhaps there is nothing truly left to be said on the subject of wellness.  We all know that we should eat healthy, exercise more and de-stress our lives.   We all have this information and yet so many of us fail to act upon it.  It is simply too tempting to indulge in yet another burger.  We feel tired and worn out at the end of a long day...too stressed out to spend time exercising, too tired to cook a healthy meal.  We feel entitled to treat ourselves and we justify it by telling our selves that we worked hard today or the kids were particularly troublesome.  We use any number of reasons for not caring for ourselves and yet when we assess our physical self and/or our emotional self we find it to be in great disrepair.  A cycle of is born.  One of self loathing and disgust, maybe even depression.  We don't like the way we feel, we are not satisfied with the weight that we carry-emotionally and physically.  We have been defeated.  Yet as humans we are optimistic so we begin again.  We vow to eat better, slow down, walk more, spend more time away from the TV or the computer and more time with our families.  We begin and then...well, we allow life to derail our best intentions.  We allow the angry boss to justify our lunch of deep fried chicken.  We allow the desires of our loved ones to rule our minutes and days.  We find that we have yet again not invested the quality time it takes to really nourish our souls and bodies.  What is the solution?  Where is the magic formula that will save us from our selves?

Ms Vaughn says, "The harder we push, the more we wish, the longer we try, usually ends with our giving up.  We can't sustain the path on which we have set ourselves because it is too rigorous, too unforgiving, and is not rooted in a true understanding of who we are and why we want all of these things in the first place, or if we want them at all."   Shea Vaughn's solution is to live in the moment, the here and now.  She says that when one lives presently one can 'set aside your fear and learn to recognize what you can control and what you can't'.  Sounds simple yet I know that it is much more difficult to sustain through time than it seems.  You see while I am a faithful Christian I also possess a need for knowledge.  I love to read and I do not limit my reading to only those books that fall in line with my accepted reality.  I like to see what the rest of the world is up to.  I want to know how others think and feel, what motivates them, what life is like for those on a different path.  I feel that it enables me to be more compassionate and understanding and what better way to follow Jesus than to nurture those qualities in myself?  A few years ago Oprah was all fired up about Ekhart Tolle.  You may have heard of him, I think it would have been difficult not to.  Anyway, I read his books.  What I found there may have been some of the best advice I ever received.  Tolle whole heartedly endorses the concept of living in the moment.  While the idea is not new it was certainly new to me...at least the idea had never been presented to me quite like that before.  I found there to be great truth and wisdom in his advice.   I also realized it was what Jesus was trying so hard to get us humans to understand.  If we could simply place our trust in God and give God our worldly cares we would not be running around worrying about what tomorrow may bring.  If we simply stopped and listened to the voice of God telling us that we are loved we would not be so anxious all the time.  Think on that for awhile.  If God loves us so deeply, why don't we love ourselves?  Is that not contrary to our belief as Christians?

Ms Vaughn's book goes much deeper than any other wellness book that I have read.  I assumed based on the cover photo that she would be going on and on about the virtues of constant physical exercise.  I mean seriously that is one fit lady.  I believe what Shea Vaughn really wants to communicate is that we need to step back a moment and really take an honest look at our self.  Really take responsibility for our person and our emotions.  It is sage advice.  We seem to be living in a world that is keen on blaming the other guy for our circumstances.  It is always someone else's fault we can't succeed in life.  If it is someone else's actions that control our lives then we can never find that peace we seek.  We will always be stuck in a reactionary mode never proactive, never truly grounded in reality.  We will always live life waiting for the next thing to happen to us rather than effecting our own change.  As I read through 'Breakthrough' I found myself being reminded again and again what my path in life is.  Where my values are and what I truly desire.  It is not that next fabulous car or that next incredible gadget.  My happiness can not be found in the admiration of others.  It can be found in my love for Jesus and my desire to stand before Him one day and know that in my heart I did the best that I could to bring Him glory in my life.

There is a lot of sound advice in 'Breakthrough'.  Most of you have probably heard some of it or most of it before but who knows?  Maybe this time the advice will ring true for you in a way that you hadn't thought of before.  Maybe this will be your wake up call to live an authentic life.  One should never pass an opportunity to finally get living right.  No one book will do that for you but I believe the more we hear the message the more apt we are to believe it.  Find your grace and peace where you can, I think some of it can be found here, in the pages of Ms Vaughn's latest book.

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You can find Shea Vaughn on Twitter.

The following can be found on Sheanetics:

Hi. I’m Shea Vaughn, founder and author of SheaNetics®. I have been in the fitness industry for over 25 years. I’m excited to have this opportunity to share with you my life journey and the passion for health and fitness that inspired me to create SheaNetics®. It’s made great changes in my life and it will in yours. SheaNetics® blends ancient and contemporary movements with a self-empowering eastern philosophy designed to improve the quality of today’s hectic western lifestyle.

SheaNetics® Five Living Principles, Commitment, Perseverance, Integrity, Self-Control and Love, are the guide for all we do. By regularly practicing the SheaNetics® sequences and making the Principles part of your daily life, you focus on creating positive energy. This is “meditation in motion and thought”. It reduces stress and allows you to enjoy a lifestyle of fitness, personal balance and well-being.

Most exercise programs are geared only to give you short term physical improvement. But SheaNetics® understands the real goal for us all is to find total health and fulfillment that is life-lasting. This can only be achieved by creating harmony in body, mind and self. SheaNetics® gives you the practical tools and everyday desire to make beneficial changes that are complete and permanent.

Your body is meant to move and to connect with others. Connect with me through SheaNetics®. Join me at least twice a week to perform the sequences in the video and embrace the Five Living Principles as your guide to life, and discover a new you!

Come with me now and let your Journey begin.

* I received an advance copy from the publisher for purposes of review. I was in no way obligated to write a review much less a favorable one. The opinions stated herein are all my own.

Wellness on a Shoestring - Michelle Robin, D.C.

Product Description

Wellness on a Shoestring: Seven Habits for a Healthy Life

Learn seven steps to achieve and maintain wellness without spending lots of money--from getting plenty of rest to clearing the "junk" out of your space or your life.

Now available for your Kindle or Sony e-Reader.

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I read a lot of alternative wellness titles.  Most of them are garbage.  Really.  If the book isn't one extended infomercial then it is usually filled with obscure "cure alls" that are impossible to find and are usually extravagantly priced.  Some books are a simple rehash of common knowledge or are focused on only one aspect of wellness-usually weight loss or a disease.

Wellness on a Shoestring is exactly what a wellness book should be.  The author covers a very general area of well being and the over all theme is stay healthy and maintain that momentum to avoid problems later on.  She does however illustrate how her simple advice works to cure common everyday problems if you've neglected to take of yourself and now find that life is no longer enjoyable.  Her 'cures' are not exotic and require very little in terms of monetary investment.  She tells the reader why getting the right nutrients are important, why getting a modicum of exercise is beneficial, why sleep is vital etc.  She makes the reader feel like they can take control of their health and that we really don't have to rely on artificial drugs and fancy programs to achieve the goal of feeling great.  

She really has inspired me and she must have done something right because I absolutely approach eating completely differently than I did before reading her book.  I make sure that every meal, every ingredient is adding something beneficial to my body...I make sure to add those dark leafy greens to my salad, I'm choosing oatmeal over fried eggs and bacon.  There must have been some magic in that little book of hers...and I am glad of it:)

Thank you Michelle Robin!

Seven Habits for a Healthy Life:

1. Rest, reflect and rejuvenate.
2. Breathe deeply.
3. Move your body.
4. Free your space.
5. Go for the greens.
6. Eat from the sea and enjoy the sun!
7. Drink to your health.

Whatever your financial resources, the power to improve your health is within you.

It’s in every choice you make, in every moment.

Michelle Robin shows you how to harness your inner voice as you practice seven essential habits for complete well-being.

Read stories from real people, at all income levels, who’ve adopted these practices-using little money-and seen their health dramatically improve.

Better yet, follow the tips in each chapter to create a lifestyle that leads to a phenomenal experience of body, mind and spirit.

* I received an advance copy from the publisher for purposes of review. I was in no way obligated to write a review much less a favorable one. The opinions stated herein are all my own.

The Body Ecology Diet by Donna Gates, Linda Schatz

ISBN #9781401935436

If you’re experiencing discomfort, fatigue, or other symptoms that won’t go away no matter what you do or how many doctors you see, chances are you’re one of the millions unknowingly suffering from a systemic fungal/yeast infection, “the hidden invader.” The result of an imbalance starting in your internal ecosystem, this can be a key factor in headaches, joint and muscle pain, depression, cancer, food allergies, digestive problems, autism, and other immune-related disorders.  

     The Body Ecology Diet reveals how to restore and maintain the “inner ecology” your body needs to function properly, and eliminate or control the symptoms that rob you of the joy of living. Tens of thousands of people have already benefited from the Body Ecology way of life—Donna Gates shows you, step-by-step, how to eat your way to better health and well-being . . . deliciously, easily, and inexpensively!

     In this book, you will learn how to: use seven basic universal principles as tools to gain mastery over every health challenge you may encounter; focus on your inner ecology to create ideal digestive balance; conquer cravings with strategies for satisfying snacking and for dining away from home; and plan meals with dozens of delectable recipes, an array of menus, and detailed shopping lists.

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I was absolutely thrilled to finally be reading the Body Ecology by Donna Gates.  This book is packed with loads of information so it should be said that, although I read it in one day, I will definitely be rereading it again.  And then probably again.  Her thesis is that modern humans are plagued by chronic yeast infections and I think she makes a compelling argument for it in her book.  Granted some of the assumptions she makes are not necessarily backed up through rigorous scientific study but then again most health gurus' claims rarely are.  

Throughout the first half of the book Ms. Gates details the whys and hows of the diet, mentioning various products and recipes along the way without any real clarification on those particular items.  For instance she mentions fermented vegetables quite a bit and kefir but she didn't really explain what they were until fairly late in the book.  I was also dismayed to realize that she also spent much of the book advocating her brand of this or that...saying things like (and I'm paraphrasing here) 'it's very difficult to find authentic such and such anywhere so luckily I sell it on my website...'.  This is disconcerting to say the least and I felt as if I was reading through an infomercial.

The Body Ecology diet is quite popular and many people assert that this way of eating and living has greatly benefited them.  After reading the book I feel dubious yet I admit there might be something here worth understanding.  There is a sense of rightness about a lot of Ms. Gates assumptions and assertions that rang true to me.  The diet itself just doesn't appeal to me.  It feels gimmicky and even downright exclusivistic with its core components being available primarily through her website (as opposed to being readily found at any local grocer), or labor intensive to prepare.  In my heart I don't believe that healing foods are hard to come by nor are they hard to make.  I believe that God has given us all the perfect food we need to eat.  It is us, man, that has corrupted that food into something hideous that is harming every one of us.  It is our intervention and corruption of that perfect diet that has led us all down the path of ill health.  I just don't agree that the path to healing lies in the miracle of a mysterious fermented drink, a powder, or even baby coconuts.  But then again I'm no expert.

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About the Author

Donna Gates, a nutritional consultant, author, and lecturer, has helped thousands of people overcome candidiasis and other immune-system disorders. Drawing on the best of modern medical science, ancient Chinese medicine, and naturopathy—combined with years of firsthand experience counseling clients—she created Body Ecology, her own system of health and healing. Donna regularly appears on radio shows and conducts workshops to educate the public on medicinal foods.

* I received an advance copy from the publisher for purposes of review. I was in no way obligated to write a review much less a favorable one. The opinions stated herein are all my own.