Getting a few days or more under your belt will help you get the best picture of how you spend your time.


Like money, time can be spent, invested, wasted or saved.  


Are there areas where you could be spending your time a little more wisely?


Step two: craft your own inner time snob


After you have diligently tracked for a week or so, let the next week be all about time analyzing.  

Scrutinize your time spent in every area of your life.  
It's all about values and priorities.


Here are some areas where I help my patients find more time:


-- time for self care (exercise, sleep, hobbies, play)
-- time for cooking healthy meals
-- time for rest, restoration, nurturing and downtime when necessary


And where are we going to find all that time?  
It doesn't just grow on trees, ya know.


Well, let's run through an example.
Say you can't find the time to spend an hour cooking for yourself on the weekends, but you want to prepare a few batches of food for quick-to-reheat workweek lunches and dinners.  
(in slim down & happy up, I share with participants my exact steps to minimize kitchen time for maximum meal impact).  

Alright... where are we going to find an hour?  
How about cutting email time from six (or is it twelve?) times a day to three?

Or limiting facebook time to a twice a day indulgence 
(or better yet, just dump that app from your phone and remove the impulse entirely).


The success of time re-organization comes from you. 
Your input and your investment in its success.  


If you take a keen eye to how (and where) you use your time, you'll be surprised where all your free time is hiding out.

My recent article for Foster United on household cleaning products has gotten a very positive response.  


Hidden ingredients seem to be everywhere, and that means it's up to you and me to know what's going in and on our bodies- corporations won't do that for us.  

Read the full article to see my profile of a common laundry detergent, and health risks tied to its ingredients.


In related news:
Pesticides & Pregnancy: a recipe for lower IQ?
Research and Roundup- linked to birth defects
What else do you take home with you from the dry cleaners?

Last Friday I was notified that I am now on many more insurance panels.

If you have alternative medical (Naturopathic) coverage, I am currently In Network with:

• Aetna
• American Specialty Health
• Cigna
• Health Net
• Lifewise Health plan of Oregon
• Providence 

I am currently in the process to become In Network with the following insurance providers (best estimates):

• CHP/ Kaiser (anticipated May or June '13)
• PacificSource (anticipated March '13)
  
• Regence BlueCross BlueShield (anticipated Dec '13 or Jan '14)
  
• United (anticipated March '13)

--If you have any of these last four, and would like to be notified when I am In Network with your insurance provider, fill out this extremely short form and it'll happen.

I do bill Out of Network for those with Naturopathic (alternative medicine) coverage, and provide "superbills" or service summaries for patients who self-pay (or use Health Savings Accounts) to get reimbursed.  

If you have Out of Network benefits, or are unsure, please use the Insurance Benefits Verification sheet on the Insurance & Etc. page to follow along when calling your insurance provider and let me know before your appointment if we are billing in any form.  

Other payment arrangements are self-pay (which qualify for prompt payment allowances), and the Patient-Physician Cooperative, which is simple, easy and least expensive of all.  If you are one of the 99% of people who are confused by the whole insurance thing, call me-  I understand and we can sort it all out together.


If you, a friend or a loved one would like to start care with me, please call or book online.  I always offer free intro consults to discuss your health concerns and how my approach can help you attain improved health and well-being.

As always, to your good health,

I love HeartMath.

It's the only computer program that I can think of that I'd call a life saver.  Others are useful, helpful or necessary for business operations.  But not live savers.

HeartMath is.  It's for real. Myself and all my formerly-stressed-out patients who have experienced the biofeedback training using the HeartMath system can attest to this.

At first, there was the emWave as a desktop or handheld version.  I use the desktop version with myself and my patients (I do practice what I preach!).  I usually have one or two handheld devices on hand for those patients who are most eager and committed to relieving their stress that they enthusiastically continue biofeedback training in their own time away from my office.

Then a month ago I learned about the Inner Balance Sensor: the next generation version for the iPhone, iPad and iTouch.  Check out the video all about it, and get brushed up on this innovative technology in under 3 minutes.

It turns iPhones into biofeedback devices.  That is seriously cool.  Anyone can now access and use this technology in their daily lives.  I've long been looking for a way to bring my in-office biofeedback sessions on the road.  It's difficult to explain in words a concept that's instantly understood by just watching and experiencing biofeedback in action.  Now when I'm out and about at meetings, presentations and other public events, I'll be able to fire up my iPad and have a scaled-down version ready to demonstrate on demand.

I recently saw that Dave Asprey, the Bulletproof guy, recently endorsed the Inner Balance Sensor as well as provided a very comprehensive overview of how it works.  He's known for dismantling the entire way that we eat, and reconstructing his Bulletproof diet based entirely on research findings for optimal human performance and activity.  Check out his diet guidelines, they're pretty spot-on. 

As Dave Asprey's writings can be trusted to be firmly rooted in the scientific research, his articles are well worth a read: How to Biohack Your Courage, How HeartMath Training Helps You Live Longer, and Six Ways To Hack Your Nervous System. His theme is "biohacking" your body's physiology through the use of science, if you can't tell.

Well, that's my exciting news today, though there's much more in the works.  But that will be exciting news for another day.

To your good health,

More on this topic:Just who do I think I am, anyways?
Stress in the news
Gain (health) without the pain
Stress: what is it good for?

     Starting in one week is the 30 Day Nutrition Challenge.  Organized by Mary Jean Brinkman, acupuncturist and fellow Apex Wellness Center practitioner.  March is a great time for evaluation, adjusting or otherwise tweaking your approach to food and exercise.  This specific challenge is based on the Whole30 Program, as described below. Email Mary Jean to join the challenge and receive resources and support during the challenge.
     Success is far more assured when the challenges and triumphs are shared with others.  Don't wait, sign up is only open for another week.
     Email me or comment below if you would like access to any additional related links or resources or to be added to Mary Jean's contact list for future events and information.
As always, to your good health!