BOW for the Ladies Night- Standing Room Only

BOW for the Ladies Night- Standing Room Only

How fun this night was!! I’ve had a few events where scheduled people had to cancel, but this time the women came out in droves! Okay, maybe not droves. But there were more than were expected. How fun is that??? I’m super excited that word is getting out there about what a great time these events are, and feel so grateful that I get to meet so many amazing people. It really gives a gal a whole lot of faith in this world.

My BOW Ladies Nights often have lots of energy, but this group was super energized! The sangria came in by the bucket loads and the women were abuzz with laughter and social time. I love it!

We started the night with a little meditation. You don’t need a special room and lots of candles to meditate. You can do it anywhere and anytime. You only need to close your eyes, focus on your breathing, and allow the stress to be released from your body. Working that into your daily routine at least a couple times is super important to staying healthy.

Then I showed the ladies a few easy moves to try in the afternoon, when that 3pm “slumpy” time hits. Choose a few moves that work for you, then try those and a glass of water before reaching for a sugary treat. You may find that’s enough to get your energy levels boosted again.

It was then time to sample a few easy and nutritious snacks. I brought kale chips, peppermint patties, nachos, and lettuce wraps. The wraps had a super delish sunflower seed spread that I haven’t even posted yet…but I will give the recipe to you. The ladies loved it!

Sunflower Almond Spread

This is a variation of a recipe I found in Mimi Kirk’s Live Raw.

Ingredients

3/4 cup blanched almonds
1 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs tahini
1 tbs tamari or light-sodium soy sauce
2 cloves garlic

Blend everything together in a food processor or high-powered blender. Serve in your favorite lettuce as a wrap. Would work well on endive, too!

After the yummy food, we moved on to a little pantry cleanout sample. I offer this as part of my services and it’s always an eye-opener for my clients. But I make sure to always remind them that it’s all about baby steps. We have to move at our pace to make changes sustainable. Diets don’t work; lifestyle changes do.

Sugar is always the most surprising for my guests.

It hides everywhere, in the form of high-fructose corn syrup, maltose, dextrose, molasses, honey, cane sugar, sugar, corn syrup solids, etc. If there is only one change you want to make at this time, let it be that you will start reading labels. SO important.

It’s always a shocker for the ladies when they see just how much sugar is in their favorite yogurts. Remember, 4g = 1 tsp.

Trans fats is another surprise, for myself included. I figured most food manufacturers had done away with this nastiness by now. Not so. Bisquick, for example, still has 1.5 g per 1/3 cup serving. Pop Secret Movie Popcorn has 4.5 g per serving! Why are trans fats so nasty? Because they raise our bad cholesterol while lowering our good cholesterol. The good cholesterol are like the garbage trucks of our bodies. The garbage trucks go around, collect the bad, and remove it. If we are increasing the garbage, and reducing the number of garbage trucks, that’s bad news. That leaves us at risk for plaque build-up, which increases our risk for stroke and heart disease.

How to avoid? First, read labels. Second, check the ingredients for the words “partially hydrogenated”. Those are your trans fats. And be careful; they hide in things like peanut butter and Planters nuts- things you’d think would be fine. Finally, know that donuts and pastries in popular eateries often contain trans fats because they serve as inexpensive preservatives. A little here and a little there adds up.

Here, my beautiful host is testing the scent of a candle I brought for her.

I used to be a huge fan of the Yankee Candle stores. I loved the Pumpkin Pudding and the Seashore scents! I’d always have at least two burning all year long. But guess what creates those scents? You guessed it. Chemicals. Toxins that our bodies were never meant to inhale. When do we burn candles the most often? During the winter when our homes are closed up tight, right? But it’s a comfort to know that I can purchase beeswax candles scented with essential oils. I still get a sweet, subtle scent and the comfort of a lit candle, without the toxic fumes.

Finally, we ended the night with a delicious strawberry and banana smoothie. I call it the “newbie” smoothie, because even though it has greens, you can’t tell.