GIFT GIVING & GREENING THE ENVIRONMENT…

God gave us the gift of life, and it is our responsibility to take good care of that precious gift. Unless we feel the symptoms of a disease, most of us try everything we can to avoid thinking about wellness. Yet, better health is the best gift that we could ever give to ourselves and our loved ones. This gift will not only benefit you, but also your family members for years to come. Sadly, we often completely forget about health, and most of us do not realize its importance until we have a health crisis.

During Christmas, everybody dedicates so much effort, energy and resources to giving gifts. We give our loved ones jewelry, nice clothes, the latest gadgets, but how long could we expect to enjoy these things without good health? Without better health, would those types of gifts really matter anyway?

How can we give a gift of good health to ourselves, our loved ones and others? We can begin by taking care of ourselves- living a healthy lifestyle, eating right, taking the time to rest and relax, and exercising. Let us start giving the gift of health TODAY, and make 2015 the healthiest year ever! Here are some pretty awesome things to fill your holiday wellness gift box:

• Cooking classes – If we want to be healthy, we must nourish our bodies with healthy foods. The best foods that we can have are foods that we prepare ourselves. Eating right does NOT mean giving up tasty food! Develop the knowledge base necessary to prepare real, healthy, and delicious foods at home to delight your taste buds without destroying your body. You do not need to be a chef to discover cooking methods for life-long, healthy eating. This class offers hands-on gourmet food preparation for healthy weight, digestive system, cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar. Gift Certificate: Organic Chef Maria Victoria Rodriguez y Iglesias – 0917-967-5146 *

• Super-Powered Juicer – I am all for juicing, especially during periods of detoxification, cleansing, illness and/or maintaining optimum health, beauty and vitality. Juicing allows a more gentle digestive process, which leaves more energy for detoxification, cleansing, and regeneration. Juicing is also a direct infusion of vitamins, minerals and enzymes to your blood stream. I favor the efficiency and affordability of masticating juicers like Matstone based on years of experience. Gift Certificate: Matstone Philippines – 0908-864-1322?0917-636-1448

• A Gourmet Detox – Overeating, especially during holidays, adds unnecessary strain and stress on your body’s natural detoxification process. We store toxins from refined foods such as processed meat, simple carbohydrates, artificial sweeteners, alcohol, synthetic medications, pesticides and herbicides found in non-organic vegetables. The accumulation of all these toxins slows down the body’s immune system, burdens the liver, heart, kidneys, pancreas and colon, and puts you at risk for various diseases. Gift Certificate: Globe: 0917-888-4274 * Smart: 0920-8584325

• Yoga & Breathing Program – In its most basic assumptions, Yoga seeks the balance of mind and body. This state of balance or health exists through the combination of movement and breathing. The meditation and relaxation practices effectively bring calm, release trauma, root out depression, increase focus, self-esteem and impulse control, and alleviate stress. Deep breathing techniques bring more oxygen to the bloodstream, and every vital organ: endocrine glands, nerve centers and body tissues. Restoring healthy breathing patterns means staying healthy and young longer. Gift Certificate: Yoga Therapist – 0917-520-2456 *

• Nature Tripping – The Philippines is one of the most beautiful Island archipelagos in the world. Give a gift of nature! Palawan, known as the last frontier, is a place of refuge, a place to commune with nature and, most of all, a place to heal. Fostering a harmonious relationship between people, animals, plants and the environment, it is the ultimate haven for everyone and everything that God created! Please call your travel agent.

Let us celebrate a green holiday season this year! The holidays are special, but this year’s festivities need not negatively impact our environment. As we feast, give gifts, decorate and travel during holiday season, we also consume lots of resources and generate lots of waste. Thousands of paper and plastic shopping bags end up in landfills every year. Reduce the number of bags thrown out by bringing reusable cloth bags for holiday gift shopping. Turn off or unplug holiday lights during the day. Doing so will not only save energy, but will also help your lights last longer. Bring your own bags on shopping trips, so shops won’t have to give you new ones with your purchases. Donate the older toys that you no longer use to charities. Bake cookies or other goodies for your friends and love ones, and package them in reusable and/or recyclable containers as gifts. Compost leftover food scraps and leaves.

Meanwhile, here is the Green Secret’s “Green all the Way” juice. (Make sure to scrub and wash all ingredients well before juicing). It is a MUST to use organic ingredients only.

• 9 kiwi fruits
• 3 green apple (peeled if not organic)
• ½ cucumber (medium)
• 2 inches fresh ginger
• 1 handful fresh mint leaves

Juice all ingredients in your masticating juicer. Stir and serve at room temperature or chilled, as desired.

Give yourself and your loved ones the greatest gift of all … good health. It is a gift that will last a lifetime! For more information or questions, email me at [email protected]. Thank you IAJ WELLNESS for making this information public.

Christine E.V. Gonzalez is a doctor of naturopathic medicine and holds PhDs
in holistic nutrition and natural medicine. LLM (MS Environmental Laws & Labor)
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