Peace Is The Way for A Healthier Lifestyle

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Talking to a lot of people, reading a lot on the blogosphere, I noticed that one wish that many of us would like to strive for in the coming year is to have a healthier lifestyle. That includes healthy food choices, more time for exercise, and more time for ourselves.

Yes, indeed this is one of the most important goals for each of us. But what is the motivation, the internal force that keeps us moving along the path of our dreams and our life?

I think the secret to any successful process is internal peace. Why? I'd like to quote my husband on that score.

"Peace is the door that leads to clarity. Clarity is the path to success."

Once you are clear within that easy flowing peaceful environment, you will be able to feel your immediate needs and mobilize all your internal and external resources to satisfy it in the best way possible.

Before you get overwhelmed, get centered. Get peaceful inside yourself. Then, get to action. Your success guaranteed.

Celebrate Your Peace Within Today.

Sugar Or Not Sugar? Take Your Vote.

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Raising a toddler is fun and is a huge responsibility. Not just to raise him or her a good person who contributes to the society, but most of all to raise this child with reasoning.

A child with cravings for truly healthy whole foods like fruit and veggies.

A child whose compassion will heal the world around her and within.

Little do we realize that the majority of these and other values are “given” to our child very, very, very early in life. By that I mean from birth up to 3 years old. This developmental period is critical not only in mastering linguistic, motor, emotional control, social attachments skills. This is the window of opportunity to give your child a sense of foods surrounding her.

Reading a research article on sucrose exposure of mice showed in that experiment that:
1. The mice who were given unlimited access to sucrose or table sugar gained considerably more weight than those mice that were not exposed to sugar. Please note that the experiment was conducted on baby mice who were just weaned from their mothers. (See reference below)
2. Plus, this sucrose exposure was for a short period of time. Which suggests that it doesn’t take a lot of effort and time to give a child a burden for the rest of her life. Mainly, a burden of fighting for her normal weight.

One time more, it reminded me of importance to offer more whole foods, fruit and vegetables in front of my toddler son.

The biggest gift I could give him that would bring joy to him and the people around him year after year would be a sense of yumminess that is found in fresh fruit and vegetables.

Silly desire of mine? May be. However I am not afraid to seem silly, for the vibrant health is the only powerful force that could take him far and beyond on his path of living his own dream life.

Celebrate Your Child Today!

References:
Sucrose Exposure in Early Life Alters Adult Motivation and Weight Gain by Cristianne R.M. Frazier(1), Peggy Mason (1,2), Xiaoxi Zhuang (1,2), Jeff A. Beeler(2)
1 Committee on Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America, 2 Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America

Thanksgiving for Longer Vibrant Life: Start Now

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A Thanksgiving rush has begun. Though you might have been preparing for this holiday for quite a while, the majority of people get their dinner plans arranged in the last couple of days.

What is on your dinner table this Thanksgiving season?

What are you proud to present to your house guests?

Naturally, we love our staples and favorite dishes on this big Day. But have you truly considered to include some of the benefits that Autumn harvest brings into your dining routine?

Check out these facts and clinical studies. And may be, just may be, you will find a creative way to include the variety of vegetables, and fruit into your so truly loved dinner plans.

Resent study revealed another “eye-opener,” that those people who consume big quantities of vegetables rich in alpha-carotene live longer. (See reference 1) The true point to be made in this study is that it’s not how long we live, it’s the quality of life we live. Living longer should be associated with a vibrant life style you continue to lead way after retirement and into the truly golden years of your life.

Where do you find Alpha-Carotene? In Yellow-Orange and Dark-Green Vegetables!

Here’s the list that looks so familiar:
Sweet Potatoes
Pumpkins
Carrots
Broccoli
Spinach
Lettuce

And it is so easy to include these wonderful garden delights into your Thanksgiving menu! Just think of and look up some easy healthy recipes on the internet. There is such an abundance of them!

Your house guests and you yourself will say Thank-You that you did take an effort to introduce these new old staples into a true celebration of life, getting-together, and much more – Your Vibrant Living!

Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Hours Around Your Table!


References:
1. Alpha-Carotene Tied to Lower Mortality Risk by Todd Neale, MedPage Today; Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD, Emeritus Professor University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Dorothy Caputo, MA, RN, BC-ADM, CDE, Nurse Planner

Thanksgiving Recipes As Proof of Wholesome Harvest

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Patricia Spencer, Founder of GrabGreen

I love Thanksgiving for very few reasons. Some of those reasons are historical value of this holiday. Some of the reasons come from that sense of great time with people I love and appreciate. And yes, I love this holiday for its food... that I cook.

Being a vegetarian, my Thanksgiving table bursts with abundance of salads that very few people I know make. Some of my dishes are of my own imagination and creation.

So, when I come across an interesting way of preparing vegetable, arranging fruit, or simplicity of arranging ingredients, I jump at the opportunity to record it: sometimes in my mind, sometimes writing it down.

Two interesting recipes by Patricia Spencer, the inventor and creator of GrabGreen products, are truly a very appropriate and powerful duo for, at least, my Holiday Feast.

Think about it. We celebrate abundance and glory of a Thanksgiving forgetting about a great Harvest that those first people had and celebrated hundreds of years ago. Their harvest was majorly consisting of grains, and vegetables, and by some accounts no turkey at all!

That’s why I think it is so important to emphasize the Harvest that  Autumn brings to us by offering to your guests of the house the abundance of vegetables.

Without further ado, here are two great dishes you could share with your loved ones. No counting calories. No thinking of hydrogenated fats. No guilt. Just pure celebration! The true one: for your mind, body, house guests.
•••••

Tomato And Avocado Salad

Ingredients
1 pint grape or tear drop tomatoes (yellow or red)
1 avocado – preferably Haas, cut into ½” cubes
2 Tablespoons sliced green scallions

Dressing
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
¼ teaspoon of salt & pepper

Preparation
Mix tomatoes, avocados and scallions in a bowl.  In a separate bowl, mix dressing ingredients, pour over the salad, toss and enjoy. You can garnish your dish with any herbs, salad leaves, crumbled goat cheese if you wish!
•••••

Roasted Tomatoes – My favorite!

Ingredients
12 Roma tomatoes cut in half with seeds removed
¼ cup olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons salt, preferably kosher salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Preparation
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer on a cookie sheet or sheet pan, drizzle tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, until tender.
You can garnish your dish any way your fantasy takes you! Use herbs to inspire all of your senses! Follow your heart in decorating your healthy meal!
•••••
FYI:
• Tomato contain lycopene (the red pigment in tomato). Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant hat can also fight cancer cells.
• Tomatoes are rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Potassium
• Large consumption of tomatoes improves skin texture and color – Wouldn't that alone be a huge Thank-You?!
• Tomatoes are a natural antiseptic, meaning they protect against infection
•••••
Thank you, Patricia for your wonderful recipes you shared with us! I loved every morsel of both recipes! What a great way to say Thank-You for this year's Harvest!
•••••

Here are some more articles about Patricia Spencer, Founder of first healthy household cleaning method:

Grab a Better Life. Grab Green. Today! 
Weight Loss Motivation Tips by Patricia Spenser, The GrabGreen Founder

PS: If you have any questions to Patricia Spencer, please leave them in the comments below. She will definitely read and answer them.
PPS: If you know a woman-entrepreneur who has created healthy product(s), please let me know, so we could spread the word about her and her contribution to this planet.

Disclosure: I only write about products I believe in and use personally and the companies who truly advance forward the best traits of the humankind. I am not compensated for my opinions.
Founder, CelebrateLifeNutrition.com
Curb Your Appetite – Stop Your Cravings
VP Programs Development, ScaleDown for Life
VP Education, GoZonkers Inc.
©2010 Laura Gontchar. All Rights Reserved.

Weight Loss Motivation Tips by Patricia Spenser, The GrabGreen Founder

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Patricia Spencer, Founder of GrabGreen

Health and vibrance are an essential part of our daily life. They are even more important when we are on the journey, on the path of our dreams coming true.

Every time I meet an interesting and exciting person, I notice one very prominent trend in their life – Caring about their personal physical and mental health and doing something for each component every single day.

Ways of doing it may be very different. But the leitmotif is strong and powerful. You have to do something to stay in prime spiritual and physical health in order to remain creative in all areas of your life.

In my interviews, my curiosity touches upon the person’s (whom I am interviewing) healthy routine for their bodies and minds. And it is not just about weight loss and weight maintenance. It is directly about the sources of their creative juices and willpower, and tendencies to persevere when a situation calls.

In a word, when a person takes care of their healthy weight maintenance, a lot of components get into the game. By that I mean that the tip-top shape of the body will allow that person to find motivation for things that only are possible on the path of their dreams. And these dreams are cultivated early on in our childhood and grow, and change, and develop with years to come.

Here’s what Patricia Spenser thinks and does to keep herself in top shape, mentally and physically.
•••••

CelebrateWoman   Patricia, have you ever had your weight challenges, especially when you started your own company?

Patricia Spencer   All my life I have been taking care of my body and mind. I do watch what I eat. Yet, I do enjoy life’s sweet desserts when I want to. I don’t believe in restrictions to the max, when both mind and body get into conflict.

CelebrateWoman   What is your #1 tip for weight loss motivation for yourself?

Patricia Spencer   Being happy. And remain happy throughout any circumstances in life.

Happiness brings more self-confidence in me. And yes, I love the foods that truly nourish my body. With a well-fed body, I feel happier and more capable of truly coming up with the stuff I never imagined before.

Being happy and healthy supports my major role in life, that is being a Mom.

CelebrateWoman   Any personal word for my readers who learn and get motivated by meeting real women like you?

Patricia Spencer   Keep moving forward! Even if you had a bad day. We all make mistakes. Beating yourself up only takes your energy away from more important projects of your lifetime. Just keep moving forward.
•••••

And yes, we are moving forward towards bigger and better things in life. Just a few days ago I saw someone saying that life is a difficult thing to live, but it doesn’t mean we need to feel unhappy to life it.

So, my dear powerful Women, let’s Celebrate the days of our own lives with Joy, and Compassion, and a lot of motivation for self-fulfillment. That’s a truly blissful moment to be in.
•••••
More on Patricia Spencer Here:
Grab a Better Life. Grab Green. Today! 


PS: If you have any questions to Patricia Spencer, please leave them in the comments below. She will definitely read and answer them.
PPS: If you know a woman-entrepreneur who has created healthy product(s), please let me know, so we could spread the word about her and her contribution to this planet.

Disclosure: I only write about products I believe in and use personally and the companies who truly advance forward the best traits of the humankind. I am not compensated for my opinions.
Founder, CelebrateLifeNutrition.com
Curb Your Appetite – Stop Your Cravings
VP Programs Development, ScaleDown for Life
VP Education, GoZonkers Inc.
©2010 Laura Gontchar. All Rights Reserved.

Do You Think "Twinkie Diet" Works?

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You probably did hear about that nutrition professor from the Kansas State University who embarked onto the weight loss diet. The curious fact is that he decided to do so by eating – Guess What? – Twinkies!

First, when I learned that I thought it was absolutely a rotten idea to prove anything. Only to bring more damage to your body.

Well, here's the outcome of his Twinkie journey.
• That overweight professor did lose some 27 pounds or so.
• He did improve the levels of his good cholesterol
• His bad cholesterol did go down
• His BMI went down from 29 to 24

It seems that he really succeeded.

What I did not know before was that he did restrict his daily calorie intake. And his dieting period was limited to ten weeks.

Hey, if you just drastically reduced your calories from 2000 a day to 500 a day, yes, you'll definitely lose weight. And depending on how heavy you were to begin with, you shall lose pounds.

Wat I am grateful for is that Dr. David Katz wrote a short review of this dreadful diet. He explained the reasons why a person lost weight and improved his lipid (cholesterol) profile. And I am glad that people won't be making a huge mistake choosing Twinkie Diet as their guide in losing and maintaining their weight.

Here's a link to the article by Dr. David Katz, Twinkie Diet

Grab a Better Life. Grab Green. Today!

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A thousand times did I wish for a way to clean my house and all the living spaces with something that shall, First, clean it effectively, Second, be refreshing, Third, be harmless to the health.   

I have tried and tested a lot of products that are harmless for the health of a human being, but still were lacking the effectiveness of a good household cleaning solution.

This time, I think I found some little treasure that could make any house cleaning a wonderful past time.

Absolutely astounding, with refreshing qualities, let me introduce to you for your home affairs needs GrabGreen and its profound founder, amazing woman, and a wonder-mother Patricia Spencer! [Yes, I am that excited to let the whole world know about GrabGreen alternative to the chemicals in almost everything used to clean, refresh, and disinfect our living spaces.]

What Is GrabGreen?
All the products for your household needs: detergents, room and fabric freshners, glass cleaners, dish soap cleaner, bathroom and kitchen cleaning solutions.

GrabGreen Detergents, Glass Cleaners, Dish Soap, Room & Fabric Freshners

Why GrabGreen?
For many reasons. Most important of those reasons are:

GrabGreen is made of organic and mineral-based ingredients that are harmless for human beings and pets, and are eco-friendly for our planet.

Packaging is made of biodegradable and/or recyclable materials.

The products are amazingly effective in cleaning, degreasing, and refreshing all the surfaces they touch.

 All the products are hypoallergenic, contain no dyes.

And NO, GrabGreen is NOT tested on animals!

I discovered GrabGreen a year-and-a-half ago while being at the product show. Right away, I was swept away by the simplicity and elegance of the idea and its implementation.

Since then, my most favorite product choice by GrabGreen is their detergent. I have been using it without regret. And with abundance of times I have to start that washer to clean again and again for the little one... In one word, GrabGreen does its job with remarkable efficiency.

As much as I was fascinated by this original, natural, and eco-friendly product line, my interest and innate curiosity about the founder of the company forced me to set up a special interview.

The conversation with Patricia Spencer, the founder and owner of GrabGreen turned to be an event with letter A. She is a genuinely smart, intuitive, and exceptionally tuned in to the current state of the market affairs. I was impressed by this modest, yet powerful woman.

I am gladly sharing the interview moments with my readers of CelebrateWoman.

•••••

CelebrateWoman   Patricia, what was the trigger to create GrabGreen products?

Patricia Spencer   My kids inspired me to create my first GrabGreen products. When my daughters were young, they loved to harvest vegetables and herbs from our garden. They made our garden their own playground. What a great thing to do for a young child!

But for the mom, me, it was a hard task to get the stains out of their clothes. It made me think what I could do to create my own cleaning and stain removing solution.

I did a lot of self-education and research. Non of the detergents and laundry agents were non-toxic and made out of natural ingredients. After experimenting in my kitchen, I was able to develop a very effective solution for stain removal from the clothes. And I used it myself and shared with my friends and families.

Moving forward. Ten years later, I decided to take my concept of the natural stain removing “concoction” and make it into a healthy, eco-friendly professionally packaged product for home and office use. The rest, as they say, is history.

CelebrateWoman   What is the #1 Thing you would like your customers to know about your product?

Patricia Spencer The number one thing is that all GrabGreen products are effective, though they consist only of natural, organic ingredients. That’s what differentiates us from all other brands.

CelebrateWoman   Patricia, how do you see your creation, your product will effect your life in the future?

PatriciaSpencer   Our product line goes beyond health market. It addresses the mass market in this country.

Due to product convenience and effectiveness, we see a lot of students using it in their living environment that requires the minimum of effort to take care of your laundry.

People with allergies and sensitivities to chemicals, and especially the elderly are using our products, as GrabGreen is hypoallergenic and contains no dyes, chemicals, or skin irritants.

We see an amazing wave of population using GrabGreen products in their lives.

CelebrateWoman   What inspires you and keeps you going day after day, after day?

Patricia Spencer   It’s the knowledge that I can give the best to my family and friends. It is the knowing that I can give something non-toxic to live with. My search for better and improved formula continues on the daily basis.

CelebrateWoman   How do you celebrate: your achievements and your mistakes?

Patricia Spencer   Mistakes... I look at them and learn from them. Such process accelerates me forward.

Achievements... I vocalize me being happy. I laugh. I scream! Yes, I am very loud when something comes together.

CelebrateWoman   Would you have your remarkable people who influenced you and your creativity the most?

Patricia Spencer   That would be my Mother. She didn’t develop any products. She didn’t lead a big company. What she did was to believe in your own self and go for your own dream. She used to say, “Pick a dream and move forward!”

CelebrateWoman   Has your involvement with your company and products changed your self-image and your relationships with friends and family?

Patricia Spencer   Being in business for myself, the process of growing the company and developing new products – all that created a whole new realm of emotions within.

I was excited. I was uncertain. I was swimming in a collection of emotions.

At the same time, I was growing professionally and that came with my boosted sense of confidence in my skills and success of the product line.

Interestingly, I was receiving a lot of positively-charged feedback and emotions from the women who loved my product and asked for more. Such indirect support inspired me to create new products.

I was also excited to involve my daughters in this growing business. So that they could start early to take the ownership of what they create every step of the way. Watching them grow professionally gives me a huge pride for who they are and what they are becoming every day.

CelebrateWoman   Patricia, if you had to do it again, would you? And why?

Patricia Spencer   Absolutely, yes. I am especially happy to have my girls in this business. Now that they are older, they can contribute, they observe, they give an invaluable feedback. It's an amazing experience to be in business with your children!

Patricia Spencer With One of Her Daughters

 •••••
PS: If you have any questions to Patricia Spencer, please leave them in the comments below. She will definitely read and answer them.
PPS: If you know a woman-entrepreneur who has created healthy product(s), please let me know, so we could spread the word about her and her contribution to this planet.

Disclosure: I only write about products I believe in and use personally and the companies who truly advance forward the best traits of the humankind. I am not compensated for my opinions.
Founder, CelebrateLifeNutrition.com
Curb Your Appetite – Stop Your Cravings
VP Programs Development, ScaleDown for Life
VP Education, GoZonkers Inc.
©2010 Laura Gontchar. All Rights Reserved.

Cleansing, Healthy Lifestyle and Weight Loss

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Oh, how many times you’ve heard about the benefits of cleansing? That is cleansing of your gut, so that your body could get rid of toxins and by-products produced by your body, and rejuvenate itself?

This task should not be taken lightly!

Being a vegetarian and consuming a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables on the daily basis, and leading an active lifestyle, I am not that big user of cleansing with pills and colonix.

Again, it’s not that I am against it, I just do my own cleansing using fresh veggies with their natural juices and fibers.

Well, I do my continuous research of what’s out there in the market place in terms of healthy products for the body. Several months ago, I came across the DrNatura’s cleansing system. After doing my due-diligence in researching what that system does, I thought it would be interesting to try it out on myself.

A couple weeks later I was offered this product for testing. Here’s what I found out based on my own body’s reaction.

1. The cleansing system by DrNatura consists of 3 products:
• Paranil, an herbal liver and colon purifying complex
• Colonix, intestinal cleanser, and
• KleriTea, for regularity and detoxification

2. As I already had a good understanding of all the ingredients in all three products, I still decided to test each product separately first. This is necessary to find out if I would have any adverse reaction to any of the products.

3. I tried each product separately for two days each. Paranil and Colonix felt great. When it came down to trying KleriTea, I had a very severe reaction: I was dizzy and nauseous. So, I decided not to take this product.

NB: I tried to re-introduce KleriTea on my 10th day of the program, but I felt very dizzy and nauseous again. So, KleriTea was out for good.

4. I made notes for each day on how I felt.

5. I took Paranil and Colonix in the morning every day for 30 days. The overall experience was positive.



6. I drank plenty of water (recommended 8 glasses).

7. I did not feel any, so to say, break-throughs. I did not feel any negative side-effects. My body guided me in this whole process. If KleriTea was not accepted, I just continued taking Paranil and Colonix.

This product is designed to clean and detoxify the body’s intestinal tract. I do hope that’s what it did. Based on the ingredients for both products, this product gently did its job.

8. What I liked about this product is:

• It is Vegetarian
• Every single ingredient in the product is very well researched and tested separately by • the holistic and medical communities
• It is very easy to take and is gentle on the body

9. Who could use this product?

Those who would like to feel better, lighter, and improve their intestinal flora, and overall health.


With cleansing, many wonderful things can happen to our bodily health. Cleansing and detoxification are a must for anybody who cares to live a happy, productive, and inspiring life.

DrNatura’s Cleansing system is gentle on the body. With the exception of KleriTea, my body took other two products really well.

This is my short report on the subject of Cleansing and Detoxification for a better and healthier life with results of natural weight loss. Those of you who went through your own cleansing process, please share with us your experiences.


Thank you for being my readers.


Celebrate A Fresh Look Today.