Why Taking Care of #1 Is Not Selfish, It’s Critical

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deep nourishment, holistic health, holistic health coaching, how to take care of myself, self esteem, self love, yoga

Consider the following scenario: You’re hiking with a friend. It’s narrow and precarious and they’re not paying attention and fall down into the ravine, 100 feet below. You wouldn’t just leap off the cliff or even try to shimmy your way down there to “save” them, right? Because if you did, you would be worse off than the person you were trying to help, thus being of no help to them in the first place.

For those of you who may not know, I used to work in wilderness therapy. Working with at-risk youth and young adults in the high deserts of Utah and Nevada, I started to learn the vital importance of self-care and what it means to take care of yourself. To be a Senior Field Instructor, I had to be a certified Wilderness First Responder, and still am because the information is so valuable. It is a basic tenet of wilderness medicine and guiding in general that you must take care of #1 first to then take care of others. The mnemonic we say to ourselves as we approach a scene is “Number one. I’m number one.” and continue on with our initial checklist. We survey the scent to be sure it’s safe for us to approach.

The same goes for less extreme examples- if you forget to wear gloves in winter and your fingers are so numb you can’t help a client zip up their jacket in the freezing weather, you haven’t helped anyone.

When I am teaching yoga, if I don’t secure my own footing yet try to assist someone into a handstand, we’ll both fall over.

If I don’t eat really well 90% of the time, how can I tell my clients to do the same or teach them how to do so?

If I’m not striving to discover who I am beneath everything I’ve been told, taught and indoctrinated with, how can I coach others to find the same freedom?

The Mother, one of my spiritual teachers from India, said “No words, act.” If I am to care for and serve others through my work, I must first care for and serve myself so that I am best equipped to do that. I must live my message. None of my clients or students benefit if I show up to class or session exhausted, irritated or grumpy because I haven’t taken care of myself. Self care is part of my job description and can be part of yours, too!

The same applies to all of us and we may know we need to take better care of ourselves but many of us do not.

Why?

This is where the real inner work is so important. Why do some people succeed and why do others seem to fail over and over again? Why do I have clients who can give and serve and be incredibly generous to others yet leave nothing left for themselves?

I think many things can be at play here but often, what I see is “I’m not worth it.” The closely held, often unconscious belief that we are not worthy of the kind of care and love we give to others.

This is what I help my clients discover – these deep hidden beliefs that are causing them to sabotage all their efforts toward health, healing and a deeper connection with themselves.

Clockwise from top left: With some of my fellow Field Instructors working in wilderness therapy (Utah); On my own path of healing and discovery to then guide others on similar paths (Kathmandu); Journeys of the heart often lead you to the farthest corners of the globe (Agra, India); my first true guiding experience with the UCLA Unicamp WALL program.

An important question to ask is: “When was the last time I can remember feeling like I deserved love/healthy, nourishing food/positive self talk/enough money in the bank to feel secure…?” “What happened that shifted my thinking?” “What was that event or time in my life that affected me in that way?” When we can start to answer these questions, we begin to see the places in our hearts that need our utmost care and attention.

Because what ends up happening is you can only go on for so long at breakneck pace, caring for everyone else or worrying about what everyone else is thinking before you have a breakdown. (Yes, worrying about what other people are doing and thinking is a form of external focus and only causes anxiety and stress).

Here are some ways you can nourish and focus on yourself so that you can then be there with more presence, love and compassion for others (going beyond the cliché of taking a bubble bath):

-Put high quality, nutrient dense foods into your body and accept nothing less.

-Don’t buy things you don’t need so that you can experience the feeling of freedom and control that comes from having a handle over your finances (also called avoiding unnecessary stress).

-Drink at least two liters of water a day. If not three or four.

-When others aren’t giving you the care and attention you feel you need from them, give yourself that care and attention- focus on you and your life, not on the lack of care from others.

-Meditate- get in touch with your Inner Universe, where all the peace and joy you’ll ever need comes from.

-Invest in healing modalities, therapies and coaching to help yourself do the inner and outer work that needs attending to.

-Eat organic food

-Sleep eight hours a night

-Put the electronics away 30 minutes to an hour before bed so you can sleep soundly

-Say no to things that don’t light you up

-Explore other career options if what you’re doing doesn’t place you in a state of awe and love most days

-Avoid processed, refined or unnatural foods and substances

-Detox your life of any and all people who do not support you, love you or encourage you enough without getting jealous or stuck in their own crap themselves.

-Take yourself on that date you’ve been wanting to go on- the new museum exhibit? A new movie? Out to dinner? Treat yourself and don’t feel you need someone else to accompany you to complete the experience.

YOU are the complete experience – treat yourself that way. {tweet it}

When you start to focus on yourself, you can start to heal the places in your mind, heart and soul that need care. Your attitude shifts, the struggles you had before seem non-issues, you’re not grasping for the care and attention you thought you needed from others, you lose the weight naturally, you begin to see who you truly are underneath all the false beliefs, fears and expectations you and others placed on you.

In the Moment Action step:

Right now, create your “Because I love myself…” list. What does loving yourself, putting #1 first, look like to you and how will this help you shine your light out into the world even more brightly? List 3-5 things you’d like to try going forward and do one of those things today.

I’d love to hear from you! What are you going to put on your “because I love myself list?”

Like what you read? Then you’ll love my weekly free newsletter that’s full of spiritual and worldly wisdom, health and wellness tips and advice, sneak peaks at upcoming programs with me and discounts on coaching programs that only those on my mailing list receive! Sign up here and receive a free download of my “Loving Yourself, Simplified” Teleclass.

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My (comical) journey through detoxing and what you can learn from my mistakes…

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cleansing safely, detoxing without deprivation, holistic cleanse, holistic health, Ocean Beach Yoga SF, san francisco, whole foods detox, yoga and cleansing

Last year, I did my first cleanse. On my own. Before I was a health coach and knew what I was doing. It lasted about four and a half days (it was designed to last three weeks). My intentions were pure. I had just returned from India and Nepal and had definitely overdone it on naan and creamy chai’s. Not to mention the fact that I’d gotten sick twice while traveling and was having all sorts of strange stomach pains… I knew something needed to change.

Clockwise from left: The best food in Varanasi, the daily chai in Kathmandu, a thali set at Asi Ghat, Varanasi, and eating yak cheese in a small village outside Pohkara, Nepal.

So I declared: “I’m going to do a cleanse! YAY! That will solve all my problems and I’ll feel amazing!” I distinctly remember a family member rolling their eyes at my enthusiasm as well. I was off to an interesting start… So I did a free cleanse that I found online and it seemed good to start but dinners were things like a mushroom with kale and olive oil and that was IT. Now if you don’t know me personally, I’m an active person with a steady, consistent need for calories throughout the day. So after about 5 servings of kale and mushrooms, I was sick of said meal and haven’t had it since.

Like I said, the cleanse was designed to last three weeks. I did feel better but was constantly starving and knew I needed something…different? More support for sure. More fat? More protein? The feeling that I was actually cleansing my body of toxins rather than starving it?

What I did gain was a greater sense of connection with my body, what it feels like to be truly hungry, rather than just bored, and how much food my body actually needs, in contrast to thinking I needed to eat all the time. So when I became a health coach, I knew detoxing would be a part of my practice in helping my clients reconnect to what I call our “Earth Suits” – the vessels we’ve been blessed with inhabiting. Help them stop abusing their bodies with less than ideal foods that don’t serve them and move beyond the food to help them heal other areas of their lives.

But I knew I needed to develop a system that wasn’t as harsh as my experience had been and also was accessible for people at different stages in their journey toward healthy eating. I also knew that I could be the guide that had “gone before,” so to speak to help light the way for my clients so they wouldn’t feel so overwhelmed at the thought of cleansing their bodies.

So when I put a detox into motion that allows people to ease into it no matter where they were on their journey, and having it focus on whole foods rather than just veganism, I knew I was on the right track. This detox provides all the elements that were missing from my own DIY, haphazard cleanse the year before- a support network of detoxers, an expert guide along the way to answer my questions and concerns and help me adapt it to my unique metabolic and life needs, yoga to support my body detox at the cellular level and enough calories to keep me happy!

So if this sounds like exactly what you’re looking for to feel amazing going into summer, read on my friend… This spring detox journey will help you reduce inflammation, lose weight naturally without feeling deprived, sleep better, boost your metabolism, reconnect you with your body and emotions, and figure out which foods work with your body and which ones don’t work so well.

Plus the entire detox is online! So you can detox with me wherever you are in the world.

Join me May 12-22nd for my Spring Detox Journey- we will be detoxing together, as a community, honoring our individual differences, and nourishing our bodies, minds and emotions with healthy foods, thoughts and self care. This is NOT your grandma’s detox.

If you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area, join me at Ocean Beach Yoga SF for cleanse- supporting yoga from 7-8:30 on May 13, 15, 17, 20, and 22. Sign up for yoga here.

Finally, here’s one of my favorite recipes from the detox: It’s called Dream Date Smoothie and it’s amazinggg: 1 ½ cups dairy free milk (almond, coconut or hemp), 2 pitted Medjool dates, soaked and pitted, 1 frozen banana, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 tablespoon raw honey. Blend all together and enjoy!

Sign up to detox with me here. Let me know how you like the smoothie and what aspects of detoxing scares you the most and which parts you think you’d love! I want to hear from you! Be receptive. Jenna

Two Simple, Quick Tips to Grocery Shopping Like A Health Coach

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east bay, fruits and vegetables, healthy shopping, holistic health, jenna pacelli yoga and holistic health coaching, northern california, nutritarian, nutrition, organic, san francisco, vegan, vegetarian

My cart during my last trip to the grocery store! Join me today in San Francisco to learn even more about healthy shopping. Click on the events tab above to find out more and RSVP!

Are you confused about what to buy at the store? Feel like if you buy all organic or all raw or all vegan or whatever that you’ll spend a fortune? Or don’t know what to do with all the fresh fruits and vegetables you just bought?

I’m going to give you two simple, quick tips to help you through this.

1. Shop by color. The more produce you eat the better. Food can be a potent form of medicine. As you’re shopping, shop by color. Color means phytonutrients. To learn more about phytonutrients and why these are the ticket to long-lasting health, watch my video from last week. Each color has its own place in your diet and none are more important than others. You need a rainbow of colors in your grocery cart and refrigerator.

Red: Rich in phytochemicals that reduce free radical damage (the stuff that causes disease and aging). Heart healthy. Orange: great for your eyes. Yellow: improve circulation and immune function. Green: The. best. thing. you can put in your body. The evidence of the healthfulness of greens (especially dark leafies) is overwhelming.  White: Nature’s pharmacy. Reduce blood pressure and LDL cholesterol.  I talked all about a couple potent white foods here! Blue and purple: prevent early signs of aging and heart disease. Texture: choose a variety- light and leafy, dense and strong, light and crispy.

2. Get inspired and guided: I suggest picking up a couple plant based cookbooks to make this much easier on you and then cooking in bulk to save you time. Here are three of my favorites (you don’t have to be vegan to appreciate or benefit from them): Thrive Foods, Superfood Smoothies and 30 Minute Vegan 

RSVP for Jenna’s free grocery tours every first Monday and Thursday of the month in the East Bay and San Francisco. Click here for more information. 

Jenna is a board certified holistic health coach and yoga teacher and is the health and wellness expert for the global yoga community. She presents workshops and classes regularly at Google and at yoga studios around the San Francisco Bay Area. She helps her clients have more energy, lose weight without dieting, curb sugar cravings, and heal their relationship with food. She combines western holistic nutrition and eastern philosophy to maximize her clients’ transformations.

Calling all San Franciscans! Join Me Tomorrow!

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holistic health, lifestyle, meditation, nutrition confusion, whole foods, yoga

One more day!! Join us! Confused about what you “should” or “shouldn’t” be eating? Not sure what’s right in the sea of nutrition information? Feel overwhelmed with improving your health because you don’t know where to start? 

Join board certified holistic health coach, Jenna Pacelli, in San Francisco tomorrow for her workshop: Fostering Life-Long Health and Abundance- the journey to a whole foods lifestyle that sticks. 

In this holistic health workshop for yoga practitioners and busy professionals you will learn how to:

Detox your body naturally without deprivation or hunger
Break through ruts in your cooking and eating habits
Decode all the confusing nutrition information out there to focus on what’s right for you!!

This workshop will start with a yoga practice.

Saturday, March 1, 1-3:30 pm.
Sign up here (click the workshop tab)
http://oceanbeachyogasf.com/

Understanding Emotional Eating and Other Compulsive Behaviors (We all have them!)

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binge eating, compulsive behaviors, emotional eating, health coaching, holistic health, jenna pacelli yoga and holistic health coaching, journey, meditation, wellness, yoga

There was a family of nomads who were traveling. One child asked the parents “Are we there yet?” and the father responds “We’re nomads, we’re never going to get there.” The same story applies to us as humans. Stay with me and I’ll tell you why. I’m going to provide you with a series of questions and thought-provoking statements to help you understand your compulsive behavior(s). 

 

First of all, the definition of compulsive, according to Merrian Webster, is: “caused by a desire that is too strong to resist, impossible to stop or control, not able to stop or control doing something, very interesting.”

 

When we are in the habit of compulsive behaviors, by extension, we are not in control over our lives.  We deserve to have some degree of power, discipline, and control over our every day circumstances, in order to keep us grounded and feeling safe and secure in the world. When we lose control, we’re no longer grounded and feeling safe. Thus, it is my hope for you that you can understand these behaviors in order to live your most fulfilling life ever!

 

Now, consider the following and be really honest with yourself:

What is going on in your life that you’d like to run away from? How do you deal with not wanting to be in this place/situation/feeling in your life? Do you use food to reward yourself or make yourself feel better? Is there some destination you’re always trying to get to, a goal, or outcome? When food becomes our safety, we have a problem. 

 

We often think “If only I were thin, I wouldn’t feel any pain.” Or my life would be so much better when I ________.” – You fill in the blank – look better, lose weight, what is it?

 

How do you deal with your emotions? What do you do when you’re experiencing unpleasant or undesired emotions? What are your coping mechanisms? Take out a pen and paper and write down how you cope. What makes you feel better when you’re not enjoying yourself or life isn’t giving you lemonade?

 

Then, ask yourself: “Am I expecting life to always be happy and peaceful?” or “Am I striving to be perfectly happy all the time, if not now?” Yes or no. If yes, remember that. And be honest! 

 

Also, do you think there’s no good reason why you overeat/smoke/binge/starve/purge? Do you think you’re crazy for doing these things? 

 Sit with these questions and stay tuned. This week is all about emotional eating and compulsive behaviors. 

Tomorrow, I help you break down your beliefs about life in order to more clearly see and understand your relationship with it, the root cause of compulsive behaviors and emotional eating. 

Friday, I’ll be posting some amazing eating guidelines that can get you started in the direction of intuitive and mindful eating and healing your relationship with food. 

And finally, on Saturday, I’m going to debunk the false beliefs you have about life that may be holding you back from peace, joy balance and presence. 

 

Like what you read? Then you’ll love my weekly newsletter where I write about how to take your health, wellness, and yoga practice to the next level. Sign up here

 

Jenna Pacelli is a Holistic Health Coach and yoga teacher at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She coaches yoga practitioners and busy professionals in the San Francisco Bay Area and all over the world have more energy, curb cravings naturally, lose weight and keep it off without dieting, reduce stress levels, and live from a place of joy and authenticity. Her clients create lasting change and fully embodied health and wellbeing.

Jenna believes that by creating health and wellness at the physical, emotional and mental levels, it is inevitable that joy and a deep understanding of one’s purpose follow.

Why You Should Be Eating Whole, Un-Fragmented Foods

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cravings, health, holistic health, natural healing, wellness, whole foods

Have you ever eaten a piece of cake only to want another piece? Or a piece of candy and only wanted more sugar? How about on the flip side? Have you ever had a whole milk latte in Italy or Spain and thought you’d never have another that could top that one? Or an incredible salad full of fresh, organic ingredients? If so, then you’ve experienced the effects of giving your body whole foods.

 When we put fragmented foods in our bodies, we are setting ourselves up for cravings and malnourishment. A fragmented food is anything that has been significantly altered from the way it came off the animal or out of the ground. Have you ever seen a Dorito tree? Or a cow that only produces skim milk? No! Of course not.

When we eat white rice, which is brown rice with all the phytonutrients and fiber stripped of it, our bodies know the difference. It will say to you, “Okay thank you for the calories-but where’s the rest of it?” and the only way it knows how to tell you it needs more is to crave things. White rice is a fragmented food, as are skim or two percent milk, or refined flours and breads. Cravings are your body’s way of communicating with you.

So, when we eat natural food that hasn’t been altered and has less that five ingredients in it, or better yet- no ingredient list, our bodies know! Our bodies know the difference between the sugars from a pear and the sugars from a scone or piece of cake. They know the difference at the cellular level between quinoa and a piece of bread or vitamins from supplements and vitamins from kale.

Our bodies have the ability to heal themselves if only we give them enough of a chance. Also, our bodies don’t make mistakes-listen to your cravings, they’re an email from your entire being about something going wrong. Our bodies are so intuitively and innately intelligent all the way from the smallest mitochondria to the entire digestive tract.

There are many other causes of cravings but this is a good start in terms of understanding our bodies better.

If you’re struggling to decode your cravings, let’s chat. I can help you understand your cravings and get rid of them – for life!

Like what you read? Then you’ll love my weekly newsletter where I write about how to take your health, wellness, and yoga practice to the next level. Sign up here

Jenna Pacelli is a Holistic Health Coach and yoga teacher at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She coaches yoga practitioners and busy professionals in the San Francisco Bay Area and all over the world struggling with energy levels, stress reduction and weight management. With a focus on aligning their lives with their values, her clients create lasting change and fully embodied health and wellbeing. 

Jenna believes that by creating health and wellness at the physical, emotional and mental levels, it is inevitable that joy and a deep understanding of one’s purpose follow.

 

Why Nutrition Is So Confusing (And What To Do About It!)

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food, healing, health coaching, holistic health, jenna pacelli yoga and holistic health coaching, Michael Pollan, wellness

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Do you ever feel frustrated because you just can’t figure out what is healthy for you? Or confused because you can’t seem to sort out what is best- paleo or vegan, Atkins or just cutting out dairy? Or the age old “I’m giving _______ up for Lent/the New Year/forever-I swear!!” Or you’ve tried every diet under the sun and can’t seem to reach your goals on your own?
You’re are NOT ALONE!!

Before I became a holistic health coach, I remember having a conversation with someone about how I just couldn’t figure out what was healthy! And I’ve been interested in, studying, and experimenting with food for almost my whole life, and even I hadn’t figured it out. All I knew was that vegetables were always good.

Nutrition is confusing for a couple of reasons:
1. No two people are the same. In my health coaching practice, I incorporate the crucial idea of bioindividuality, meaning one person’s food is another person’s poison. No one diet works for everyone so you must do the work and the experimentation to find out what’s best for you. This is best done with the help of a professional.

2. Publishing companies will always try to sell you the next “quick fix” diet: So while the Primal Blueprint works for Mark Sisson, and while his life’s work is backed up by a lot of science, there are just as many studies refuting the information at the same time. Or maybe the peanut butter diet (yes, it’s real) was great for a vegan who needed some extra saturated fat and protein in their lives but probably isn’t great for the waistlines of many others? My point is that these things work for some people but not for everyone and despite the fact that there are thousands of diet and nutrition books on the market in the US today, we are fatter than ever. Strange, right? No-we are more confused than ever and we need personal support-not necessarily more information.

3. Having a healthy lifestyle is not the same as dieting. We live in a quick fix society-“lose 10 pounds in 1 week!” and other similarly ridiculous claims permeate the information we take in on a daily basis. Let’s get real- you CANNOT lose 10 pounds in 1 week or even 2 or 3 and keep it off. Our bodies just don’t work that way. I guarantee you will gain it all back and then some, if not soon, years down the line. You must change your lifestyle and it won’t happen overnight but it can be enjoyable, empowering, and totally life changing-it’s what I do with my clients!

“So… Jenna?! What do I need to eat??!!”
I think Michael Pollan nailed it: “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.”
Let’s break it down:
-Eat FOOD. Real food. Things with less than five ingredients and even better, foods without an ingredient list. No more processed food. Eat the food as it comes out of the ground-whole, un-fragmented, unchanged (with the exception of some cooking when appropriate)

-Not too much: We live in a country where almost half of the population (or is it over half-I’ve lost track) is overweight or obese. We clearly don’t know how to feed ourselves anymore. Furthermore, the overweight and obese are actually malnourished-and by malnourished, I mean their bodies are starving for the real nutrients they’re not getting. Put whole, nourishing, nutrient-dense foods into your body and watch your life change.

-Mostly plants: Many studies are coming out today that prove the unhealthy nature of many animal foods, not to mention the atrocities that are committed against the poor creatures in slaughterhouses/dairy farms, etc. The fear and misery that goes into the animals affects their meat and their secretions. This fear and anguish enters your body and will affect you.
Plant-based lifestyles are healthier, more nutritious, more sustainable for our planet, and more ethically sound.
Choosing an 80% plant based diet can be extremely cleansing if you’re not ready to give up meat or dairy. If you choose to continue to eat meat and dairy, choose pasture-raised. It’s much better for you and much better for the animal.

Also, it’s crucial that you understand your unique bioindividuality. This is best done with the support of a health coach, someone who specializes in helping their clients making lasting lifestyle change that works for them!

If you’re still confused, that’s where I come in. I offer free health consultations and I also do 6 month programs with my clients. Just email me at jenna@jennapacelli.com and take action to help yourself change for good.
You can also join my free newsletter for more exclusive information like recipes, cooking tips, yogic wisdom, discounts on my programs, and whatever I feel is relevant and most useful for you and my clients. Sign up here: http://mad.ly/signups/60092/join

Namaste, Jenna

Jenna Pacelli is a Holistic Health Coach studying at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She coaches yoga practitioners and techies in the San Francisco Bay Area and all over the world struggling with energy levels, stress reduction and weight management. With a focus on aligning their lives with their values, her clients create lasting change and fully embodied health and wellbeing.

Jenna believes that by creating health and wellness at the physical, emotional and mental levels, it is inevitable that joy and a deep understanding of one’s purpose follow.

Top photo credit Brian Metcalf