On Turning the Big 50!

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My mother always said she wished I had been born on "All Saint's Day" (I grew up Catholic). She said she even tried to get the hospital staff to induce labor. But, much to her regret, I was born on "All Soul's Day" or "Dias De Los Muertas" (The Day of the Dead) in Mexican culture. I was always secretly thrilled I was born on The Day of the Dead. I think I probably didn't relate as much to the saints even though I would like to think I'm saintly. 

I had always planned to spend my 50th birthday canoeing with the locals to the island of Janitzio in Mexico.  Every year there are elaborate alters set up on the island's cemetery to honor the dead and the locals spend the night on the island. Apparently the highlight is when the fishermen light candles on their canoes and row out. A little macabre? I know, but I guess it's my connection with being born on a day to celebrate the dead.

But, here I am! 50th birthday next Wednesday and I'm in California! One of the reasons I'm hosting a women's health retreat focussing on mid-life changes is because I'm going through them myself and I want to reach out to other women my age and even much younger to say, HEY! We are going through a LOT here. Not only are our bodies changing (if you're younger, it's never too early to prepare yourself emotionally and physically for this), but we're also going through many life changes too. Many women at mid-life are rethinking their careers wondering if what we're doing now will satisfy us for the next twenty or so years of work. Many of those who have kids are sending them off to college and becoming empty nesters. Many women at 50 these days may even still have young ones at home and are struggling to keep up while their bodies are tired and their emotions are like a roller coaster. And overall, we're also starting to understand what it's like to watch our own parents age and dealing with inevitable loss. Some of us are on the verge of menopause (or already in peri-menopause) and realizing the window to having a child is closing - or really has all but closed. 

Turning 50 is a big deal.

So here I am in California because at 50 I AM changing careers and in doing so am currently running two business. I'm stretched thin and finances are as well. I thought about that dream trip to Mexico. I also thought of using miles to go on a soul-searching trip to an ashram in India. I had all sorts of ideas. But, now that I'm planning a new retreat (the women's health retreat) and have learned to think things through and plan accordingly, I decided what I really wanted to do was celebrate where I live and the beauty that surrounds me. I also want to celebrate surrounded by family and friends and mostly - on my actual birthday - I want to be alone with my husband celebrating that as much as my life is in flux right now, the one thing that's certain is my love for him.

So my birthday party will ironically have about 50 attendees and I chose an environmental center called Slide Ranch on a gorgeous stretch of land along the coast in West Marin County where we will do yoga in the yurt, decorate sugar skulls (to honor the day of the dead), roam the gorgeous ranch looking at the animals, tide pools and views and have a big old chili eat-fest. Then a dance party in the yurt. A lot of work to prep, but it will be a lot of fun too!

Then off to Mercey Hot Springs where there is no internet and no phone service. Just me, my hubby, our Springbar tent and the healing waters of Mercey Hot Springs. If Harbin Hot Springs hadn't burned to the ground we would have been in "our" much loved dome tent five, but alas, we'll have to wait until they rebuild to again experience one of The Healing Farm's influencers.

Much to celebrate turning 50. I've had such a blessed life. A great and strong family. Deep, deep friendships, a fine career and talent and a deeply loyal husband whom I adore (and the feeling is mutual). As much as I struggle with all of my mid-life changes, I am so very grateful for my first 50 years.

I will make it part of my 50th year journey to celebrate the first fifty years writing about the many incredible experiences I've had in my life. I can't wait to share!

PS - Yes, that yurt in the above pics is the exact spot where I'll be doing yoga for my 50th with a picnic area right beside it!

Washington Post Features Rancho La Puerta in the Sunday Travel Section - Two of my Photos Used!

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A Thrill that two of my photos were used to illustrate a travel story in the Washington Post about Rancho La Puerta - a little bummed to not get a photo credit, but hey, visits to RLP are enough!!!

A Thrill that two of my photos were used to illustrate a travel story in the Washington Post about Rancho La Puerta - a little bummed to not get a photo credit, but hey, visits to RLP are enough!!!

I always call it my "favorite place in the world" and I think Dina Mishev writing for the Washington Post hits the nail right on the head when she describes what's so special about Rancho La Puerta. It's precisely ALL of what she writes about that has inspired me to want to found The Healing Farm: Rancho La Puetra-esque with more of an affordable cost structure, a focus on functional healing.... and meat!

Funny. The first time I went to Rancho La Puerta was probably almost the same week and year as Dina! I was lucky enough to be called on to help them re-build their photo library for their marketing materials. I'm now proud to say many of my photos have become some of the iconic shots in the RLP marketing materials including a lovely photo of my friend Patti enjoying the view under Alex's oak, my friend Lyn on the cover of the spa brochure, a photo of a visiting yoga instructor doing dancer's pose and of course that outdoor shot at the lounge building with the wisteria which has ben one of the post cards you receive in your room every time you visit. See my photography site for more samples of my photos from RLP.

Whether I build The Healing Farm or not, RLP will always be one of my favorite places to go in the world and I'll always be honored to tell the newbies on the bus that this is my _________ time (currently eight) that I've been to "The Ranch" and that I have the honor of getting to know the guests so well having fun with them while photographing. They all are more than happy to sign model releases because everyone is on board with promoting our "favorite place in the world"!

The second of my photos used to illustrate the Washington Post's article on Rancho La Puerta.

The second of my photos used to illustrate the Washington Post's article on Rancho La Puerta.

 

 

Healthy at 50 and Healthy at 72!

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mountain view cemetery

Today I was working out at the cemetery. Not as strange as it sounds, I swear! In an urban setting like Oakland, a place like Mountain View Cemetery becomes like a park. It's gorgeous, hilly and has great views of downtown Oakland, the SF bay, San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge! From sunrise to sunset you will find all sorts of people walking their dogs, running, biking and picnicking in this gorgeous and historical Julie Morgan (she's buried there!) and Frederick Law Olmstead (also designed Central Park among many other spectacular settings) designed cemetery.

I upped my workout last week to get over a weight loss plateau and added a bike ride to the top of the cemetery (quite a climb) in addition to my NYT almost daily 7 minute workout and stretches. Fall is in the air and it's been lovely and worked! As of today I'm down ten pounds - hooray!

As I was posting the above picture on Instagram, I heard a car pull up behind me and park on the other side of the little street. When I was done posting, I turned around and apologized to the guy sitting in the driver's seat for blocking the view. He laughed and said he's been going to that same spot every week since 1984 to visit his friend who is buried next to where he was parked. He introduced himself as Terrell and then said "I don't mean no disrespect, but looking at a view like that is like looking at a beautiful woman and you are a beautiful woman! When God made you, he hit a home run!" 

Well, now lest you think he was being creepy, not so! He was just this jolly old guy enjoying both "views" and being honest about it. I laughed and told him he made my week. When I went on my way, I thought about how nice it was for a stranger to say something like that to me and given I'm about to turn 50 years old, was working out AND hadn't even brushed my teeth yet, that was quite a compliment! I'll take it!

It reminded me that my husband sent me a You Tube link the other day. Toni Basil is an urban street dancer who just turned 72 years old. If you watch her dance, you would think she was 20. I want to be like Toni Basil when I am 72 years old. I have my eating plan and natural healing solutions worked out for the future, now I just have to lose that last ten pounds and keep it off and I will truly feel like a "home run". 

Check out The Healing Farm's latest retreat offering. A paleo reset cleanse to prepare your body for midlife. With a functional medicine practitioner and life coach on site, exercise daily and also a super healthy all-organic meal plan, it will be a great jump start to your January cleanse and could be a jump-start to life-long health. Maybe we can ALL be dancing like Toni when we're 72!

Make your midlife crisis a midlife renaissance and join me for The Healing Farm's women's health retreat this January (MLK long weekend!).

The Healing Farm - Cultivating Practical Wellness!

Changing Tides? Loved this NYT Opinion Piece About the Inexpensive Way to Beat Diabetes and Obesity

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This New York Times article caught my eye on Sunday because, assuming it was going to discuss management through diet (hooray!), I was wondering what nutritional advice would be given. I was thrilled and excited to see that it was written about a low carb diet. Hooray for Sarah Hallberg, Osama Hamdy and The New York Times for helping to bring this new, but really not so new, thinking to the mainstream.

Fresh (and not so fresh) Starts

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My 22 year old nephew on his own search to find his path - hiking in the Lake Tahoe area last week with my visiting nephew, I realized the time I was taking with family and friends this summer was more than priceless and contributed in a great way t…

My 22 year old nephew on his own search to find his path - hiking in the Lake Tahoe area last week with my visiting nephew, I realized the time I was taking with family and friends this summer was more than priceless and contributed in a great way to my thought process about finding my own path.

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. Bold (and cliche) statement, I know. But I feel like I need to make a bold statement. It needs to stick.

The first morning of the first day didn't start out so well. I woke up at 2:00AM with a hot flash. Then an hour and a half later when I was finally getting back to sleep, my insomniac husband came to bed and woke me up again. After rolling around again for another hour, I went to the living room couch to sleep. Then hubby's cell phone vibrated on the wood coffee table with a call at 6:00AM and I woke up. I finally got back to sleep yet again - and woke up at 11:00. Yipes. Starting the first day of the rest of my life at 11:00AM was definitely not in the plan, but one thing I've learned in the past few years of recovering my health is that I will not give up the sleep my body naturally needs (8-9 hours a night!). 

Panic and depression were my first thoughts, but something really great happened. Instead of panic and depression and instant thoughts like: "Well, there goes my workout because I HAVE to get to work" or "Well, maybe I'll just start my cleanse tomorrow because I'm too bummed out.", I took a deep breath (I think) and thought about it for a few moments and made a conscious decision not to panic. I got up off that couch, made my one cup of coffee (one cup is NOT part of the cleanse I'm starting today, but better than my regular 4 halfcafs) and sat down to read the news. I did skip my ten minute meditation, but skipped that over my workout because it's WAAAAYYYY easier to convince myself to not workout and I knew that would make me feel even more miserable. So I had my coffee, read the news, answered the first group of e-mails for the day and changed into my workout clothes. I didn't panic about the loads of dishes that were done drying in the rack and in the dishwasher from having the neighbors over for dinner last night. I went about everything with a calm mind and heart knowing that panic and depression were my way of sabotaging the first day of the rest of my life.

I've taken most of the summer off to do some major soul-searching and some much needed R&R. After my big retreat last April, I was wiped out and I needed to figure out if I had the stamina and passion for starting this new business. I really only planned on taking a couple of months to think about it, but stuff kept coming up. My wedding photography season kicked in and although I have about a quarter of the weddings I normally have because of my career transition, they still take up a lot of time and energy. I also had three sets of visitors from out of town this summer, a bedbug scare (caught it in time, but three days of cleaning!), an annual family reunion trip back in the midwest AND a photo shoot in the eastern Sierras. Again, instead of panicking, I just kept putting off the date of making my decision about how (and if) to move forward with The Healing Farm. Maybe it was procrastination, but I'm realizing it was more about being smart and caring about making a big decision using true mindfulness.

Turns out all this reflection and relaxation time, connecting with family and friends and enjoying plenty of free time with my husband helped me to realize that when I let my thoughts wander, I still dream of The Healing Farm. This was a big revelation. I wasn't sure if the past five years of dreaming about it was only just a fantasy and delusional thinking or if I really was passionate about making such a big change and was fascinated to find out that even after all the hard work and sacrifices I've made to get to this point, I'm still passionate about developing an ancestral functional wellness retreat property that is tasteful, yet still affordable to an average middle class American and that features practical wellness solutions that clients can build into their everyday lives. Is it realistic to think that I can actually do this? I still don't know, but I've decided (with lots of advice from friends) that I would be silly not to give it a try given I've come this far.

Two inspiring books I've been reading this summer to help me get over the paralyzing hurdle of figuring out my next steps have been:

"A Mind of Your Own" by Kelly Brogan thanks to a webinar I listened to hosted by Chris Kresser

"When Things Fall Apart" by Pema Chodron thanks to an executive coach (Robert Goldmann) who I had an enlightening lunch with over the summer.

From these book titles it may sound like I'm struggling with a deep depression or mental health issue. I'm not, but a crisis of midlife (my second) is indeed a crisis and reading these two books has helped me so much in calming down and learning how to move forward, maybe not with clarity because truly everything changes and life is impermanent, but with mindfulness in how I move forward. 

Both of these books take on healing the mind and body from the inside out which is pretty much what functional medicine is all about (to me): finding the root of an issue and working with natural solutions to get at that root and make changes to get yourself and your mind into its best state. I felt that best state after I went through my treatment with Chris Kresser and it's what gave me the energy to move forward with starting The Healing Farm in the first place, but taking the next step has truly been paralyzing and I've gotten into another bad place with my health - I've not only gained ten pounds since my last retreat, but I've gained an additional 15 in the span of time it took me to launch the business. Weight has always been an issue for me so it's not only physically taxing to be at my current weight, but also an emotional struggle as well. 

Pema Chodron's book and practicing meditation (only ten minutes a day) have helped me to remain calm and look at situations objectively before reacting and Kelly Brogan's book has inspired me yet again to hone my eating habits even more. Although physically I've still been able to stave off all of my previous chronic conditions through my work with Chris Kresser and eliminating most dairy and gluten from my diet, I still need to curb my weight and start getting a little more serious about taking care of my mental health which is why Kelly's book has been so inspiring.

SO, today is the first day of the rest of my life. I'll be turing 50 this November 2nd and it's an emotionally charged birthday not only because my body is going through so many changes, but also because my psyche is as well. I've called my midlife crises midlife renaissances because I've been determined to come out the other side a better truer (to myself) Julie. Today I start my cleanse and as of November, I will start a documentation that will last my 50th year either on The Healing Farm blog or my "Birthing a Business" blog so that I can celebrate the first 50 years with stories and gratitude for the great things I've done in my first 50 years. I think seeing what adventures and accomplishments and the great relationships I've built on a regular basis will be a terrific way to gain the confidence and energy to move forward to the next even greater 50 years.

Full disclosure: I don't think of myself as a writer, nor do I want to be and it may seem strange to people that I want to grow The Healing Farm by writing about my own life, but really that's what The Healing Farm will be to me. I'm a nurturer who loves helping people. The Healing Farm is something that will stem from my own life and life experience so why not share as much as I can about my own path in order to help The Healing Farm to grow to a place where it (and I) can help others? 

I'm now inspired to produce The Healing Farm's next multi-day retreat focussing on the female midlife crisis. Let's try to turn them into a midlife renaissance! Stay tuned!

The Healing Farm - Cultivating Practical Wellness

 

Meditative Arts and Crafts - Thank you to Paleo Reset Guest Sandia!

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When Mayacamas Ranch Paleo Reset guest, Sandia asked me if she could offer twice daily art and craft meditation sessions at the retreat, I was feeling overwhelmed with all my last minute planning but told her as long as she would bring everything needed and take care of everything, I would put her on the schedule since I had been considering offering some sort of meditative practice at the retreat anyway.

When we were at the retreat, I took great joy in seeing the little groups that joined Sandia in the outdoors to get inspired by nature and the tranquility of our setting. Then my friend Laurel showed me her "Zentangles" (see above black and white photo) and I was so excited that my guests were getting to do something creative. I was super busy managing the retreat the whole week so never got to join any of the groups and was a bit envious on our rainy afternoon that one group was huddled around a table in the dining room working on their mosaic art. 

The last night, I went over to the group sitting area to play Pictionary and I found Sandia and a few remaining guests were finishing off their mosaic pieces. Suddenly I was completely inspired to do a mosaic of my own that would capture images and words that would be a very personal representation of my experience creating and running this first THF multi-day retreat. It had been many years since I was inspired to create any kind of art other than photography and I had forgotten how wonderful it is to get lost in a project. We had limited time before we were all going to pass out from our active day, so I was particularly touched that my remaining guests threw the thought of playing pictionary out the window and all pitched in to help me create my mosaic. What a lovely last evening and I now have something so meaningful hanging next to my desk in my office to remind me of one of the greatest accomplishments of my life - putting on a multi-day health retreat for an incredible group of people.

This thank you post has been a looong time coming and you may notice I haven't completed a blog post since right after the retreat. It's because I jumped right into my wedding season after the retreat and never gave myself time to reflect and recover. As I've taken some time off for summer vacation, I've slowly regained my energy and with it has come a glimpse of my former creativity. I've never considered myself a conceptual artist preferring to compose photographic images of what I see with my eye in real life, but about a month ago I was on a meditative hike in one of the Bay area's regional parks and I saw some fallen Eucalyptus leaves on the trail. They were purple! I was so enthralled that I started collecting them and when I did so, I starting coming up with an idea of how to arrange them on the trail. In homage to the Tibetan Sand Mandala tradition and much of the Burning Man art I've seen, I planned on throwing the leaves in the air and destroying it when I was done. I was a little relieved that I had my phone and could take a picture of it and post it on Instagram. Thinking about Instagram was not exactly meditative, but worth it! You'll find it pictured above. 

This past Sunday my husband didn't want to go on a hike and I was at first a little bummed, but I really do like hiking in solitude and once again found myself inspired by nature. I looked up at a dead branch on a bay laurel tree and liked the way the leaves looked. I started looking on the ground and noticed that the bay leaves had a nice color once they fell and was inspired to create the dahlia looking art with the fallen bay leaves. These too I threw up in the air when I was done, but the process of creating in such a gorgeous place was so incredibly relaxing, inspiring and yes - once again meditative. In fact I ended up sitting in the dirt not caring that I was getting really dusty. When suddenly I heard someone say my name, I was so engrossed that when I looked up I actually couldn't remember the name of the woman who was saying hello even though I had just mentioned her to someone the week before. It was like I was in a little trance and I didn't even get embarrassed that I didn't say her name right away. Just stood up, brushed myself off and waited calmly for her name to come back to me while chatting.

So thank you, Sandia. I think there was a reason I didn't write this post sooner. I hadn't yet realized quite what you did for me at my own retreat. I put the retreat together for my guests to heal themselves, but there were things my guests did for me that opened me up in ways I thought were buried so deep that they were gone forever, but there they were - waiting to be discovered again.

So sincere in my gratitude - Julie

BTW - Here is my favorite piece of Burning Man art that was created just for art's sake and for the attendees that week. I had never seen or experienced a piece of art that was so impressively big, gorgeous, organic and interactive. I couldn't believe my ears when I went back to see it at night and it was a rave. Of course I went inside to dance! I can't even remember if I was there when it was burned to the ground (on purpose!) at the end of the week, but it's one of my favorite concepts at Burning Man. Just like the Tibetan Monks - creating art for art's sake and then sending it off into the universe never to be seen again. There's something so beautiful about that process.

I also loved that it was immediate dubbed "The Belgian Waffle" that week. It was a Belgian artist that created it and it just looked so much like the texture of a waffle.

Pictures picked up off of the internet because I didn't have a camera with me and believe it or not, this was before cell phones!

"Uchronia" by Jan Kriekels

 

 

 

 

Mayacamas Paleo Reset - I couldn't have asked for a better group and outcome!

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There is so much I want to say about this retreat, the team and the guests. There's not enough time in the day for me to express my gratefulness, my joy, my feelings and my gratitude. Brennan and I are taking off tomorrow for Mercy Hot Springs for the retreat after the retreat so I'm feeling a bit rushed in posting this so I think I'll just suffice it to say for now that I've come out of the retreat feeling like a new person on so many levels. It's thanks mostly to my guests who shared so much with me last week. Not only about the reasons why they were there, but also the physical and emotional breakthroughs they experienced throughout the week. I wish we did the group shot earlier in the week when we were at a full 30+ people. We're missing so many in this shot, but  a HUGE thank you to my guests. It would not have been the retreat it was without your warmth and enthusiasm!

 

A career change and starting a new business mid-life is not easy and I've had lots of challenges, heartache, joys and breakthroughs along the path of producing this first multi-night retreat. I started a blog last year called "Birthing a Business" which I haven't kept up with much because I was afraid to post about all the truly difficult times, but I feel like last week I really did birth a business. I don't think I'll be afraid to post the challenges and heartache and panic along with all of the achievements because now I truly understand the rewards that come from really putting yourself out there and taking a chance and going outside your comfort zone. I would imagine it's like when people decide to have a baby. You are going into the unknown and you know it's not going to be an easy road, but the growth and rewards that come out of it far outweigh the challenges.

The team that supported me all week was not just professional and incredibly knowledgable, but as I got my two hour delicious massage from Diane Gibbs yesterday, I also realized that every single person on the team: the educators, the practitioners and the Mayacamas staff cared so much for our participants (and me). I really don't think I could have put together a more caring team and it made all the difference in the world. Thank you to:

Chris Kresser for such an inspiring and informative keynote lecture. Most people were there for you and you delivered a million times over. I can't thank you enough for putting your trust and faith in me with your patients and fans. We all want more!!!!

Kelsey Marksteiner of Healthy Gut, Healthy Life

Kelsey Marksteiner of Healthy Gut, Healthy Life. I knew that anyone who works for and with Chris Kresser would be incredibly knowledgable but how could I have known just how brilliant, informed and passionate you really would be. Everyone loved your lectures and for those who had a private consultation, I heard nothing but rave reviews and how much they got out of their sessions.

Diane Sanfilippo of Balanced Bites - What a thrill it was for us all to watch you in action and in person! Also so knowledgable about the paleo diet and cooking and the two dishes you made were so outstanding and soooo doable at home. I couldn't believe a zucchini, tomato salad would be something I would consider bringing to a party - any party, not just for the paleo crowd. Delicious!

A huge thank you to Erin Cookston for planning two yoga classes a day and for your constant smile and enthusiasm! Everyone loved you and your classes and you were one with the program, people and team. Your spirit and talent were felt by all! And Oh my. I just realized I never photographed one of your classes! Ugh!

Coach Emily Boorstein - Inner Fitness

Coach Emily Boorstein - A last minute addition, but I wasn't surprised to see her lectures packed every time. Adding personal/inside growth I realized as the week went on was just as important as feeding our bodies with healing and nutritional foods. Everyone agreed it was a valuable addition to the experience.

Diane Gibbs - I swear I would know who just walked out of a massage session with you based on the dreamy look they had on their face. Your caring, healing hands were also a much-needed addition to the retreat and the Feldenkrais classes you taught I think produced a LOT of Felednkrais converts!

Chris Randle of Oakland Community Acupuncture - I can't tell you how many people told me they went from a treatment with you right to sleep. Your treatments were all the rage and your QiGong series was a great addition of movement meditation. A lot of people agreed that more meditation type activities would be a terrific addition to the "inner fitness" (to use coach Emily's term) portion of the retreat.

The Mayacamas Ranch team and especially our chef Miguel. For a first stab at a paleo retreat - especially one as extreme as a reset - you guys nailed it. A+ all around. I was especially touched on the last day when Miguel told the remaining guests how inspired he was cooking the paleo diet and that he was so inspired he actually ate our meal plan all week and had some of his own physical breakthroughs! I could not have gotten a better compliment and hope to see the whole Mayacamas team again at the NEXT paleo reset retreat!

My Husband Brennan

For his unwavering support and patience.

A Million Thanks to everyone. I'm inspired to move forward with The Healing Farm and The Healing Farm | Retreats because of all of you and if I ever build The Healing Farm property I will create a "Founders" week and invite my first retreat group as an annual reunion!

Much Love - Julie

Favorite Place in the World!

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Rancho La Puerta

The wisteria was in bloom, the hills were green, the organic garden was brimming with asparagus, lettuce and all sorts of other goodness that we ate in our meals and the guests were, as always such fun to meet and all so interesting! I've posted a few of my personal photos here, but you'll have to go to Rancho La Puerta's site to see the pro pics!

I am truly blessed to go to Rancho La Puerta to do photography for their marketing materials. It's been an inspiration to me since the first time I went and will always be my favorite place in the world, unless I successfully build The Healing Farm property! 

I learned so much this time about the history of the ranch, attending a lecture series by Ludwig Max Fischer PHD and watching a new documentary about the life of Rancho La Puerta founder Edmond Szekely and the origins of this first wellness spa in the world (established in the forties!). Edmond Szekely was so ahead of his time studying other cultures as well as ancient cultures to uncover various natural healing, spiritual  and meditation practices. Founding the ranch in the forties with his wife Deborah the now hugely successful wellness spa started as a tiny camp in Tecate Mexico. Deborah often comes to the ranch to speak to the guests and I was fortunate that Max's appearance and lectures last week also coincided with a visit by Deborah who is still active in health and wellness advocacy. Deborah's "people's lobby" called Wellness Warrior should be an inspiration to all who yearn to get back to whole foods and simple, organic and local agriculture practices and want to lobby congress about big ag!

I would highly recommend watching "Tree of Life, The Living Legacy of Edmond Szekely" here if you want to be inspired by a true forward thinker about our health and longevity and natural healing processes:

Viva Rancho La Puerta! - until the next time.....

 

Final Prep for Mayacamas Ranch Paleo Reset - Two Rooms Left!

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I can't believe we're two weeks out from the start of the Mayacamas Ranch Paleo Reset Retreat! Having been out of town for almost ten days last week, I'm trying to catch up with the final details, but everything is coming together!

I will be sending an e-mail blast early this coming week with some important updates, but also wanted to share here:

See the Newest Schedule Here - Life Coach Series, Feldenkrais and QiGong Added to the Line-up!

Here is the updated retreat schedule - a lot has been added so check it out!

Two Rooms Left to Book for Partial Week Option

The are only two rooms left for the partial week option! I'm hoping to fill them up even at this late date so if you've been considering the retreat, sign up soon! See detailed information here:

Want to Attend but Couldn't Find a Roommate for the Double Occupancy Rate?

ATTN - FEMALE ROOMMATE NEEDED!: I have a female attendee who is looking for a roommate for either the partial or the full week option. Please contact info@thehealingfarm.com as soon as you can for more details!

Massage and Acupuncturist Practitioners Announced, Life Coach Mini Lecture Series, Feldenkrais and QiGong all Added to the Program!

Acupuncture

Chris Randle of Oakland Community Acupuncture and team acupuncturist for the Golden State Warriors will be joining us Sunday at check-in through Wednesday AM for on site acupuncture treatments. You can now schedule a "group" session (there will be partitions and a white noise machine) or private sessions. If you are a guest already booked to join us, go to your amenities page to check out the new option. Chris will also be offering an introduction to QiGong series while on site.

Massage

Diane Gibbs - massage therapist extraordinaire will be on site Sunday through Friday AM offering 60-90 minute massage sessions. We will also have local massage therapists, Dee Ross and Calie Candia on site Monday/Tues/Wed offering 60 minute massages! Diane will also be offering an intro. to Feldenkrais series.

Inner Fitness Life Coach Series

Certified Life Coach Emily Boorstein will also be at our retreat offering a condensed version of her "Inner Fitness" lecture series. I met Emily at Rancho La Puerta several years ago and have since had a very beneficial private session with her. I still refer to several nuggets of information from our session when I have my doubts about my career change and future. She really helped me through a true midlife crisis and I would highly recommend attending the series or scheduling a private session with her. You can either schedule directly with her via e-mail or when you see her at Mayacamas Ranch!

Special Guest Art Meditation Series!

I have a very generous guest who would like to share her art and craft meditation practices with the other retreat attendees and have added her morning art mediation and afternoon craft meditation series to the schedule so check it out and plan accordingly! She will have plenty of art supplies on hand, but if you want to really dig in and enhance, please bing the following additions to the on-hand art supplies:

  •         Beads or jewelry of beads that can be repurpose to make memory bracelets
  •         Old calendar or magazines for collage
  •         Copies of photos family, pets, friends for tile collage
  •         Journal with out lines or pad of paper.
  •         Colored pencils
  •         Black pens - black pencils
  •         Clip board

Wow! a lot to cover! It's really going to be a great week. Start praying now for great weather, but no matter what there will be plenty to do and learn at the paleo Reset retreat! Hope to see you at check in!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overcoming Adrenal Fatigue - Program Developed by Chris Kresser's Nutritionists - I Guess I'm not REALLY Going Nuts. I'm just N.U.T.S!

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I've written a bit about the stress I've been under running an established business, starting this new business (The Healing Farm!), going through a personal family crisis, taking business classes, holidays and on and on. It's really amazing how chronic stress takes its toll no matter how well you take care of yourself with your diet and exercise. I would say I've been going through extreme chronic stress for at least six months - something I will strive to teach people to avoid once The Healing Farm is established, but something that may be unavoidable while I transition my career and try to start this new business. 

When Chris Kresser announced this webinar and program called "Paleo Rehab" that his two nutritionists created I felt like it couldn't have come at a better time. I signed up for the webinar immediately and then woke up yesterday morning feeling like I couldn't get myself out of bed. After completing a ten-week business plan class the night before, I needed to jump right back into room assignments and getting out final link payments for the Mayacamas Ranch retreat participants (plus I'm leaving for a week-long photo shoot out of the country tomorrow!). I was barely (and late) out of bed just settling in with coffee in hand for my morning routine of reading the news, answering light e-mails and my workout when my husband started ranting about something regarding the presidential campaign. As the "f" word started coming out of his mouth, I stopped him and said my psyche couldn't handle a rant at that particular moment. When he looked at me as if I lost my mind, I think I kind of did lose my mind. I broke down into hysterical crying.  This has happened a couple of times over the past few months so he kindly sat down with me and we talked about the amount of constant stress I have been under for the past seven months. He had some really great suggestions like "you need to start thinking about how much you're piling into your schedule" and the fact that I haven't been myself for months (among other things). When I finally calmed down, I opened my calendar and up popped the reminder about the stress webinar! Serendipity.

I decided to take it easy on myself and recognizing that my body and mind were near complete exhaustion, I read the news leisurely and decided I couldn't handle even my NYT Seven Minute workout. By the time I was done reading the news and answering e-mails, it was time for the webninar. I actually enjoyed two hours of much-needed cooking and cleaning time (something I haven't been able to do regularly for months - Brennan has been eating frozen pizzas multiple times per week for dinner for crying out loud) while I listened to Chris, Kelsey (both of whom will be speaking at the Mayacamas Ranch retreat) and Laura talk as if they were using me as their worst case scenario patient. if you went through the N.U.T.S acronym with me -  and here it is from Chris' site:

4 key factors that determine how we respond to stress

So what determines the intensity of our response to a particular stressor? Research has identified four key factors: (1)

  1. The novelty of the event
  2. The unpredictable nature of the event
  3. A perceived threat to our body or ego
  4. A sense of loss of control

Some researchers and clinicians use the acronym N.U.T.S. (novelty, unpredictability, threat, sense of no control) to refer to them. I think that’s perfect!

...I was experiencing all of the above only over multiple events and months. I was also interested to learn that as someone who is in peri-menopause, the symptoms of chronic stress and adrenal fatigue can be intensified and I'm more vulnerable. So I'm not really losing my mind then. I think I'm in some severe adrenal fatigue experiencing these symptoms:

  • Weight gain (I eat with stress and although I eat well, to make it worse, sometimes I can't keep my mitts off of tortilla chips! I get organic, but I'm guessing they are fried in industrial seed oil)
  • Chronic back pain is starting to creep back in
  • Extreme fatigue and although I'm still an overall happy person, depression seems to be creeping in
  • Brain fog - which didn't help with my ten-week course
  • Cold hands and feet (Brennan commented on "Jack Frost Nipping at My Nose" last night too)
  • Skin breakouts
  • Panic, agitation and anxiety
  • A sense of hopelessness and doubt
  • On and on the symptoms matched up with what Chris, Laura and Kelsey were discussing

After the webinar a strange thing happened. I decided that despite it not being a good time for us financially, I needed to tackle this chronic stress and fatigue immediately so it wouldn't cause long-term harm so I committed to going through the program (at my own pace). When I finally got into the office, I answered a phone call from one of the Mayacamas Ranch attendees who told me how inspired she was by what I was trying to do with The Healing Farm. As I've planned these retreats, but especially the Mayacamas Paleo Reset Retreat, I've heard from so many people around the country that this is something that is needed and wanted:

  •  A program that focusses on a paleo reset type diet in which one learns to reduce systemic inflammation, therefore reducing or even eliminating symptoms of chronic pain and illness
  • A program that is reasonably priced
  • and mostly a program that a features realistic non-intense exercise program (and after listening to Chris yesterday I was wishing I had a Tai Chi instructor coming)
  • In a beautiful place where one could go and unplug, rest, gently exercise and eat a meal plan that is non-toxic and inflammation-reducing 

This phone conversation completely validated what I've been trying to accomplish in the past year with The Healing Farm concept. I don't want to kill myself pursuing it, but if I can find the right people to build this dream with me, maybe I can make it a reality. A glimmer of hope set in again yesterday afternoon and I was again thinking of the impeccable timing of the webinar. I decided then that I still didn't have the energy to dig into final payment setup on The Healing Farm site, so went over our personal finances, sorted and filed piles of papers from my desk and then went back into my cozy home to spend the evening with my husband eating the nutritious food I cooked during the webinar, quiet time listening to music together and then a little "business time" on a Wednesday night (a little reference to "Flight of the Conchords"). 

I wish I could say I woke up feeling like a million bucks this morning, but I managed to get myself out of bed at a reasonable time, managed to do my workout and get to work at my regular hour and before tackling The Healing Farm Mayacamas Ranch booking stuff, I'm going to walk out onto the avenue in the warm sunshine to run some errands before leaving town tomorrow. I think it's going to take a while until I can get myself back to the "normal" Julie, but the smartest thing I think I can do for myself right now since the stress won't stop until end of April is sign up for the "Overcoming Fatigue" program and get some much needed guidance and support for my road to recovery. Here is the link in case you want to check it out:

 

Thank you to Laura and Kelsey (and Chris) for doing this important work!