Living in Balance is a Lifetime Journey

                                           Photo from youngblackdownandlow

It's funny when I first meet people immediately they point they eat healthy and exercise.  Of course, I always congratulate them on their dedication to living a healthy lifestyle.  
People don't realize that to be truly healthy really goes far beyond eating healthy and exercising.  What we consider today as nutrition is really a secondary source of energy. EVERYTHING is food! 

Photo from Flickr

Think back to a time when you were head over heels in love.  Everything was exciting and exhilarating.  Colors were in Technicolor.  You completely forgot about food and were high on life.

Remember that time when you were really involved in a juicy good project.  Your belief in what you were doing created a lot of confidence and stimulated you.  Time flew by, the outside world didn’t exist and you didn’t feel the need to eat until being reminded. 

Photo from RedPillReich

Imagine when you were a kid, playing outside with friends and your mother reminding you, “Come in, it’s time for dinner.”  You rushed in, gobbled down just enough food for your mother to approve of and then you ran back outside to play until bedtime.  Food never crossed your mind during that whole time. Right?

Photo from Real Simple

Primary foods feed us, but they don't come on a plate. Elements such as a meaningful spiritual practice, an inspiring career, regular and enjoyable physical activity and honest and open relationships that feed your soul and your hunger for living all constitute primary food. 

As children, we all lived on primary food. The same as when deeply in love, or working passionately on a project. The fun, excitement and love of daily life have the power to feed us so that food becomes secondary. 

The more primary food we receive, the less is our dependency on secondary foods. The opposite is also true. The more we fill ourselves with secondary foods, the less we are able to receive the primary foods of life.

NYC Healthy Chick’s Daily Practice

Eating 3 balanced planned meals daily will help sustain energy you get from your primary food practice. As well as keeping your blood sugar stable and helping you to become a fat burning machine.

Photo from Whole Foods

Breakfast:  Starting your day with a bowl of Overnight Oatmeal (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/345). 
It provides a good source of protein, whole grains & fresh fruit.  This is perfect to eat hot or cold. 

Photo from Recipe

Lunch:  Keep fueling your furnace with this combo of heart healthy ingredients full of flavor and zest. Hmm, yummy Salmon & Spinach Salad with Flaxseed Dressing (http://www.recipe.com/salmon-and-spinach-salad-with-flaxseed-dressing/). 
Your tummy is sure to not rumble for hours. 

 

Photo from Whole Foods

Dinner: Bold flavors satisfy even the hungriest man on the planet, not to mention we all have a craving for a little beef every now and then.  Okay, well at least I do!  Try Steak with Piquant Italian Salsa Verde http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/985. 




 

Yes, even NYC Healthy Chick has “one of those days” still in her life.  Remember it’s a journey not a destination.  One thing I make sure to do on a daily basis is get all the hugs and kisses from those around me plus taking some time to exercise, or mediate to relax myself just a little bit more.

Photo from English-Net

So the next time you find yourself in front of the fridge getting ready for a food binge be sure to go seek out a hug or two from your loved one, go for a walk around the block, or call a friend to just talk.  Chances are you will feel much better and allow for the energy of your primary food to feed you and your soul. 

Have an AMAZING day!

OFFICIAL LAUNCH PARTY 02-23-11!!!

It's TRUE!!!! 

While "officially" NYC Healthy Chick Meetup started on 12-26-10, 

the KICK-OFF PARTY will

be on 02-23-11 at the Houndstooth Pub in NYC. 

There will be a Red Carpet Event, FREE Happy Hour, Food, Cake, Fun, Music and More!!!! 

NYC Healthy Chick (a.k.a. Janet Cook) is an EX-NYC PARTY GIRL transformed into a Certified Holistic Health Counselor (IIN 2009). She takes her enthusiasm, optimism and energy she once had to PAR-TAY and guides others to holistically improve the quality of their lives while achieving a balanced, juicy, sassy & healthier lifestyle.    The introduction of PRIMARY FOODS (career, relationships, spiritual, physical) is one of the main goals of NYC Healthy Chick. These are necessary to feed us and give our bodies the energy we need every day to live healthy balanced lives. You will also get exposure to healthier foods options plus supplements to nourish your body and promote a lifetime of optimal health & well-being.  One thing is for sure ~ you will learn that EVERYTHING is food in your life and that you can experience anything you want to create. Believe in and EXPECT MIRACLES.   NYC Healthy Chick empowers people with real tools, education and ways                                        to create a juicy, sassy & healthier lifestyle.
NYC Healthy Chick is part of a HUGE mission through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition to create a ripple effect of happier, healthier and more joy-filled people living in this world. After a 25 year span of "livin' la vida loca" ~ she has finally learned that her core happiness, joy, health, well-being, and wealth were really at stake, and in order to live the best life ever required the willingness to change, correct and improve myself every day. If she can inspire you to have the courage to take action to change, go outside of your comfort zone or re-write your "herstory" or "history" then my her as a Certified Holistic Health Coach is a success. NYC Healthy Chick's information will always be related to nutrition because food is everything ~ career, relationships, physical, spiritual, and actual food. KEEP an EYE OUT...because you never know what she's going to write about in her articles, links, information & more. She will definitely will keep you guessing!

Are You The One?

Check out my YouTube video -  Are you the ONE?

One of my favorite questions to ask my potential clients is how important is your health? All of them say that is very important but how many are actually ready to make the necessary changes to be healthier. I have found that 1 in 10 people actually decide to make changes to get healthy. When you make the decision to get healthy and commit to it - all the right people, resources and circumstances will show up.

Off and on for the past 20 years, I have committed to getting healthy. It has been a journey for me and just keeps getting better each time I make a decision to improve my health. Three years ago, I made a decision to upgrade and improve my nutrition through a program called Isagenix. Making that one decision led to meeting several graduates from The Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) who used Isagenix in their health counseling program. My next step on my journey was to attend IIN and become a certified holistic health counselor. I had also made the decision to become a certified personal trainer because exercise was just one of the key components to better health and wellness for me.

Bottom line? Based on making that one decision 3 years ago to improve my health has led me to where I am today with my own health journey. If you told me 20 years ago I would be branded as NYC Healthy Chick who empowers and educates others to live healthier, happier and more fulfilling lives - I would have probably said - YOU'RE CRAZY!!!!!

Book Recommendations

As a graduate from The Institute for Integrative Nutrition, I recommend these books to help you create your healthy, happy & more fulfilling life. Learn what are primary and secondary foods plus how to live more in balance.

How To Have More Natural Energy

As a busy health coach, I do find it challenging to manage my time and energy just like everyone else. My clients depend on me every day for inspiration and guidance to share ways to keep their energy high while keeping it easy, fun & affordable. In order to walk my talk, it requires me to be sure I am putting food into my body that is nutritionally dense and higher quality. It is so easy to go straight for junk food when I'm tired and want to "party with food" to relax and forget my worries.

How do I get more natural energy? I drink a minimum of 64 oz of water every day, eat mostly plant based foods like 1-2 pieces of fruit, 3-5 servings of vegetables (especially those leafy greens), whole grains & beans instead of meat, chicken or fish. Plus, I have 1-2 Isalean Shakes. They are a deliciously complete meal replacement containing 23 grams of the highest quality New Zealand whey and casein protein from grass-fed cows with no added hormones or antibiotics, as well as filling fiber, calcium and vitamins to support my body’s vital functions. This perfectly balanced shake also contains Ionic Alfalfa™, a proprietary blend of 70 super-charged minerals, trace minerals and alfalfa juice. Active enzymes in each serving help maximize the absorption of key nutrients.

And that my friends is how I manage to have more natural energy.