Body judgment.

I was sitting on the plane next to a couple who were returning from a trip to Barcelona. I overheard the girl say she was hungry, and she pulled out a granola bar. Her boyfriend looked at her with dismay, and said, "Oh honey, we're back in L.A. now. You can't eat that, you have to look good again!"

As soon as he went to the bathroom, she snarfed the granola bar and a couple other things, then hid the wrappers in her backpack, looking behind her with apprehension. He sat back down, and she turned toward the window.

I literally felt my blood boil, and I wanted to slap the man across the face. The poor girl was already quite thin, and here she was hiding a small snack from her boyfriend who obviously had issues with physical appearance. It's bad enough to get the subliminal messages from the media, with stick-figure models and actresses on the cover of magazines, telling us we need to be thinner to be beautiful and successful. But to have your own boyfriend in your face about it???

Girls, if you're with a guy or friend who makes negative comments about your appearance or eating habits, beware. It's one thing if you're morbidly obese and they're trying to help you. But if you are healthy and happy, and your man is making you feel self-conscious and shitty, GET OUT OF THERE!

No matter what you've got or what size your jeans, you've got to rock what you have, and you need to be with someone who loves and appreciates you for who you are. Never let anyone make you feel bad about your body, and keep setting the intention for having the important people in your life love and respect you as a package, not just for your looks or waist measurement.

Just had to get that off my chest. After years of body drama, it feels so good to be confident in my own skin, and love my body the way it is. If you take care of it and love yourself, you'll see miraculous changes and people will look at you differently. Living a healthy lifestyle and having confidence wonders :-)

Afraid of committment?

When it comes to your health and happiness, are you stumbling, backtracking, making excuses, frustrated, or feeling hopeless? Maybe you think you've made a decision to take care of yourself, but have you really made a committment?

Committing to something is scary. I myself am often terrified of committing to something. Why? Because I'm afraid I'll fail, or that I'll be stuck in something I don't want to do anymore in the future.

Well guess what. You'll never get anywhere in life, nor will you accomplish your big hairy dreams, if you don't COMMITT. If you aren't prepared to do whatever it takes, you're seriously selling yourself short, and you won't go nearly as far as you are capable of. And if you aren't crystal clear and specific in your purpose (which occurs by being committed), there will be much more room for obstacles to come your way.

My personal mantra these days has been, "Feel the fear, and do it anyway!!" After all, fear is just our bodies' way of protecting us. It is a survival mechanism. Our body is very smart, and wants to protect us. Thus why it always seems easier and nicer to sit on the couch in our warm living rooms than go to the gym and sweat it out. Or why your stomach drops just thinking about jumping off a cliff.

But when you have a goal, and you make a committed decision to achieve that goal (or feel better, or spend more time with your kids, whatever), you can tell your body, "Thank you for trying to protect me. But I'm gonna do this anyway." And now you can be in control and go for the big stuff.

"There is a corollary element that must go hand in hand with the decision...and that is commitment. IT MUST BE A COMMITTED DECISION. Most of us have weak decision-making muscles...we do not even recognize what it means to make a real decision. We fail to realize the force of change, a truly congruent, committed decision makes.


Part of our problem is that we use the term decision so loosely that it has come to describe our wishes, not our commitments. Instead of making decisions, we state our preferences.


The word decision comes from the Latin roots, de, meaning "from" and caedere, meaning "to cut"...therefore a decision means cutting from any other possibility. A TRUE DECISION, then, means you are committed to achieving a result, and then cutting yourself off from any other possibility." -Dr. Carole N. Hildebrand


What's holding you back? Are you truly COMMITTED to making a change, feeling better, losing weight, feeling happy, taking that dream trip?



Email me at michelle_lee_butler@yahoo.com and tell what's new and good, what's preventing you from success, and how I can help you.

Cleansing all of You

As we are living Beings on a breathing Planet, we cannot help but connect to the Seasons; Lunar and Solar cycles; and the Planet’s elements of Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Space that occur within and around us at all times. Energetically, we have recently transitioned from Winter to Spring, hibernation to awakening, whether we are consciously connected to this process or not. Our Body, Mind, Spirit and Soul have their individual blueprints as well as an interconnectedness to move our whole Self toward Harmony with Community and all of Life.

Cleansing is the first step in this process of transformation. Nutritional cleanses address detoxification and rejuvenation of our physical Self. In addition to physical cleanses, I invite the opportunity to allow the cleansing process to move through our subtle layers of Self: Mind, Spirit and Soul.

When we move the cleansing process to the less physical aspects of Self, we become more connected to our authentic Self. Can we let go of imposing thoughts and energetic holdings that are no longer nourishing? Ever wonder why we feel so peaceful after a massage? Massage allows our muscles to release energetic blocks that manifest in the form of knots and allow Prana/Chi/Life Force to flow more fluidly. Massage is a great tool for reflecting and becoming aware of where we are not allowing energy to flow physically in our Body and possibly in our Life.

Similarly, how great do you feel after taking a Yoga class? Our Yoga teachers guide us to regain the reigns of our Mind through Intention, Breath and Body movements. We go back to those great teachers and classes because we value the importance of cleansing the Body as well as the Mind and Spirit. There are many activities we do that have awakening potential. The more we cleanse our whole Self, the more every experience is a transformational tool toward Nourishment and Harmony.

I invite you to continue the cleansing process. Explore the more subtler aspects of You:

* Sit, Be, Breathe. Maybe this starts as a forced task, to sit, be still and just breathe for a few minutes a day. The more this is repeated the less force you will put in and the more flow you will receive.

* Play. Allow yourself to enjoy the simple pleasures in Life. Once a week (or more), do an activity just for you because it is Fun and you Love doing/seeing/feeling, this experience!

* Visualize. Before you go to bed (or before you get out of bed in the morning), close your eyes and go inside and Smile at every part of You: head to toe, muscles/tendon/ligaments, root to crown Chakra, every cell and all of the water and space that makes up You.

* Feel. Take a deep breath in and exhale with your mouth open as many times that feels appropriate, repeat often. Feel for any places of holding or tension and allow this stagnant Energy to release on each exhale, Invite fresh Energy to refill all aspects of You.

Christy Evans, M.S., CCC-SLP, 500-RYT

www.livelovelila.com

Loving here+ now.

I'm writing today to address something that keeps me up at night.

I don't know about you and the way you think or were brought up, but in my family, A's in school, going to college, getting a well-paying job, success, and wealth were revered. My parents constantly lectured me to be the best I can be.

This is also prevalent in our society. Work hard, make money, buy expensive stuff, make money, buy a car, make more money, buy a house, show your stuff off to your friends, make more money, go go go until you physically or mentally cannot, so that someday, maybe you can retire.

We are programmed to want it all. Look at the messages the media sends us. All over TV and magazines, we see people who drive the nicest cars, wear the nicest clothes, have the biggest house...all these commercials in the midst of a time where people are struggling to afford gas for their car. Some sweat and bleed to make it happen for themselves while others always struggle just to get by, and still others just sit back and hope someday their fantasies will come true when they hit the lotto.

With all this confusion, turmoil, and mixed messaging, I sometimes wonder what true success means, what true happiness is.

I know people who are wealthy and extremely unhappy with their lives, or who spent their health to get their wealth only to spend their wealth to get back their health. I know people who are broke who radiate health, and absolutely love life. Is there a middle ground? Can we have it all and be healthy and happy?

I lay awake each night thinking about where other people are in life, what they have, how much money they make, and compare myself to them. Sometimes I wonder, when am I ever going to really make it? When am I ever going to get my parents' approval? When will I feel successful?

But then I remember: You'll never truly be successful or happy unless you APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE. Practicing gratitude for the things and people you do have in your life is SO important. The tragedy in Japan taught us that your life can change in an instant. Life is short. I don't lie awake at night worrying quite as long anymore, because each and every time a negative thought pops into my head, I think about all the amazing things that are happening in my life:

My family, boyfriend, friends, job, and health are all incredible. I LOVE living in Southern California. I LOVE music, singing, dancing, playing the piano, laughing, road trips, exercising, yoga, hugging, kissing, cuddling...these are all simple things that life has bestowed on me. So many people love and support me, I'm truly blessed. I've been so busy worrying about the future, I forgot about all the things sitting right in front of me.

Cherish every moment. Life is always changing, nothing is certain or permanent.

Just a thought I needed to get out there...

What are you grateful for that keeps you grounded when you start stressing about life?

Work? What work?

I am plumb exhausted and blissed out, all at the same time.

Working in sales at Equinox, I spend the last day of the month working 12+ hour days. Today we got in at 9 AM and I left at 10 PM. We work hard and long, but I'll tell you something: I don't care.

I absolutely love my job. Every single day, whether it's an interaction with a member, a long conversation with a guest who is unhappy with their body, or laughs with my coworkers, I walk in and out of those doors with a smile on my face. I act as a proponent of health. I inspire people to take better care of themselves and exercise.

This is much like my health counseling practice. I inspire people to take of themselves, only the emphasis is on nutrition. Both Equinox and my group detoxes nourish me on physical, mental, and emotional levels. I feel lighter, happier, and freer than I have in years.

And isn't that the goal in life? To find work that you love so much that it doesn't seem like work? I remember dreading to get out of bed for other jobs. But now, though sometimes I do hit the snooze button to sleep a little bit longer, I bounce out of bed and hurry out the door. My passion is for health and wellness, so it makes sense why I can't wait for work. Plus, when you have an incredible team of coworkers, it definitely helps.

What's your passion? Do you love what you do and where you work? It could be having a huge positive or negative impact on your life and health, depending on what's going on. Share.

I'm back!!

Hey ya'll!!!

Ahhh I'm so glad to be back. It's been an interesting last few months...okay maybe 9 months...something like that. Anyway, there's nothing wrong with taking time for yourself to decompress, reassess, work on your own life. As long as you regroup, recharge, and press on!!

So where have I been? After working for and by myself for some time, I grew quite lonely and in need of a team environment. Plus I wanted more sales experience, a competitive atmosphere, and to learn more about exercise and fitness. Thus, I delved into a position with Equinox Fitness Clubs with zest and fever. It's been a BLAST! Everyone knows we're the best health club in America. Check out http://www.equinox.com for more info, I sell it day and night already :-)

ALSO, new and wonderful addition to my life. I met an amazing man last year, and we've been officially together for over 6 months! He is an absolutely incredible person, and I feel so lucky, grateful, HAPPY, and blessed.

And now I'm itching to ease my way back into my blog, my business, and helping you and everyone else out there to live a healthy, happy, and energized life. I'm kicking it off with my first cleanse of the year. Check out http://www.yogimichelle.com under Detox and get ready to change your body, and perhaps even your life! You will feel amazing, so read through the testimonials to feel even better and excited!

Please keep me posted on what's new and good in your life, and I look forward to sharing more with you soon!

Check your skin out.

Hello all.

Now that we're offically into summer, I'm sure you're wondering about how to take proper care of your skin. To suncreen, or not to sunscreen? To moisturize, or not to moisturize?

No one can say it better than Dr. Mercola. Reason 1000 why I love him: Check out his new site for facial products. http://www.mercolahealthyskin.com/ There is some marketing at the bottom for his products, but the exciting stuff takes up the majority of the page. He'll tell you what's good for your skin, chemicals that you need to avoid, etc. A definite must-read.