four leaf clover

The people of the Mentawai Islands, a group of islands off the coast of Indonesia, have been ravaged by all that Mother Nature has to offer. Each day they face the potential of natural disasters such as floods, forest fires, landslides, earthquakes and the all powerful tsunami. As if that wasn’t enough they are also faced with the lack of basic medicine, lack of education, malaria and various other deadly diseases. They have little to no resources and are struggling to keep their children from certain premature death. As it stands now the mortality rate for a child under five years old is a staggering 50%! One of the main causes of death on this island nation is lung infection and pneumonia. These horrific diseases typically target women and children as they cook and play in their small island huts with stoves burning just a few feet away.

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The night is peaceful and my inner conversations are surprisingly still.
I focus on peace, and quiet, and nothing at all. I focus on blue.
In the not so distant distance, I hear Her calling my name.
In the splashing and crashing of the waves, my heart pitter patters as I listen.
She taunts me to play, dares me to jump in, and teases me by tickling my toes.
I have not heard Her in a long time. Too long. Life’s loudness has drowned her out for what seems like an eternity.
I hear Her now though, as I sit on the waters edge, and listen to Her melody.
I am safe.
Along the white foam, her shadow dances,
And I graciously accompany, with my face to the tide and my sight to the horizon.
I breathe in the thick salt air and take in the sounds of the water gently dancing across the weathered seashells and worn beach stones.
She has been calling me back for quite some time now and reminding me to dance,
And smile, and laugh. She has always been there,
And now that I am able to hear Her,
I listen patiently as my name drifts across the wave tops.
Come, play within my waves, dance amongst my foam, sing with the tide, and race against the moon.
Welcome back, She sings, welcome back….

If I could gather all of you in a big room and ask the BIG question, “What’s your trouble spot?” I would feel extremely confident that the top answer would be:
BELLY! Why is that “stubborn belly fat” so hard to lose? There are of course many reasons for it, ranging from stress which releases Cortisol, to lack of exercise, alcohol, overeating etc. There are actually many, many reasons why this fat appears and is so hard to lose. So we really don’t need to focus on the why as much as we need to focus on the “how to get of’s.” I definitely don’t have the miracle answer, but I do have a simple approach that definitely works!

I have a 5 step approach that will provide you a tighter, leaner tummy in just a few weeks. This is much different than other walks I have mentioned in previous newsletters….this is no Miracle Walk, or walk to find inner peace, or meet new people. This is serious. Well, at least serious for all but one day. It requires a definite commitment and will produce results. Spring is in the air and it is time to buckle down so we look and feel our absolute best for bathing suit season.
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Well, with St. Patrick’s Day (my personal favorite holiday) just around the corner, I know lots of you are planning on big corned beef dinners, Guinness beer and parades. So the question is….will one weekend of fun ruin all our hard work? Do we go to the gym day in and day out only to have it washed away for one weekend? And the answer is, of course, NO. All our hard work is not for nothing, in fact, those hours at the gym help in this case. One weekend of beer and celebration is ok and probably well deserved!

For the calories counters out there I have broken down an average meal for you:

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