Ali Shapiro

The Most Important Question Related to Your Well-Being

Hello March!  I say that with genuine positive momentum instead of negatively wishing February good riddance. My change of heart occurred about five days ago.  This February was tough on the East Coast. Cold.  Snow.  Rain.  Wet chill.  Repeat. I definitely hit a winter low around mid-February. When my gym and yoga studio were closed
from the successive storms, I pouted by eating dark chocolate chips.  My mood and energy began to plummet.  So I took an early test drive of chef David Salvatore’s recipes from my upcoming “Stress-Free Spring Detox” program on March 16 from 7:00-8:00 p.m.  Carlos volunteered to be my detox buddy;  we cooked and went on a five-day detox from sugar, meat, dairy and gluten (I’m always dairy and gluten-free but Carlos isn’t).

We completed the detox feeling the winter gunk never happened, a few pounds thinner and have a whole new repertoire of great recipes we can’t wait to eat again. Most importantly, we both have a renewed commitment to putting in the effort for an even higher level of wellness.  If you feel you need to hit a big fat reset button from this brutal winter or want to learn one of the most powerful preventative medicine tools, you should join us for the teleclass  “Stress Free Spring Detox”, in which you can
participate from the comfort of your home.   There are only four spots left - it seems I haven’t been the only one eating too much chocolate in February!  If you want to participate, definitely sign up today. You can do this here:

http://www.alishapiro.com/stress-free-spring-detox

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Before I go further, two exciting updates from me (for those curious about my wedding – I’ve been a bad bride-to-be and haven’t done anything on the wedding front except decide it will be next year):

1.  I have another group program:

“Calling a Truce with Food Program:  The Four Steps to Making Peace with Food and End Self-Sabotage to Lose Weight Organically

Four Tuesdays in April from 6:00  p.m.- 7:15 p.m at Eviama Spa (Rittenhouse Square)

For those who don’t need a reset button but a completely different mindset and tools to lose weight, this program is also for you.  If successful weight loss were a rational process that only involved counting calories, anyone who passed fifth grade math could be at an ideal weight.  Conventional diets ignore simple food principles and the
fact that women are multi-dimensional. For successful and sustainable weight loss, nourishment on all three levels: body, mind and soul is necessary. 

In this program, I will guide you through the processes of balancing your body,  using your emotions to your advantage and beginning to create a life that aligns with your new found energy and body. It’s the process I used in healing my own relationship with food and have used it with hundreds of clients. It’s not a quick fix but it works. All the details are here:

http://www.alishapiro.com/make-peace-with-food

If you are interested, sign-up today as my program will be covered in Daily Candy and other Philadelphia media outlets and there are only six spots left for this group program at Eviama. 

2.  My book, “The Roots of Going Green: Your Fork, Your Power”, will be available on Amazon in one week!  I’m so excited, not only because I’m officially a published author but because this book provides solutions – all in only 33 pages.  I know some of these food books can be long and scary.  Some leave you grossed out and avoiding most foods in the grocery store. While my book will discuss the problems with our food system, there are incredible tips and resources for making simple and easy choices to a greener planet and healthier, less-disturbed you. 

I did a radio interview here:  http://tinyurl.com/yk4m7bc

discussing the book and will be promoting it on the NBC 10! Show on March 24.  I am sure you’ll walk away feeling empowered with your new knowledge – and a few laughs.

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So spring.  It will be here in 21 days. That is when the days and nights are of equal length with a gradual climb to longer and longer days. In Chinese medicine, this starts the “yang” time of year.  In other words, it’s time to MOVE.  All the downtime, reflection and rest of the previous six months make way to action.  For long time readers, you know I view nature’s New Year as being the best time for New Year’s resolutions or even recommitting to your vision for 2010.

One of the biggest obstacles I see in one’s falling short of attaining wellness goals is not really knowing what we want from life.   You see, having a life for which we want to be well is one of the biggest motivators for making the commitment or changes necessary to improve our health. And I don’t mean just getting by.  We all know how to do that.  I don’t believe any of us are just here to “get by”. When the only effort we put into our health is trying to avoid a heart attack, cancer or even complications from being overweight, we aren’t excited, empowered and most of all, we miss the ball on what health is really about. You see, health isn’t about being free of disease. It’s about saying yes to life.  It’s about playing to win instead of trying to lose. We make exponential progress when we are excited for something instead of afraid of something.

This spring, I encourage you to pick one thing to think of that if you experienced or achieved it, you would think “there is a God or benevolent life force”.  What could you pursue that would wow you so much that you felt propelled almost by magic?  Is it planning your dream vacation? Is it making an exit strategy to be self-employed?  Is it finally starting to write that book you’ve been typing in your mind?  Is it finally getting your kitchen re-done?  I don’t care what it is as long as it’s 1. positive, 2. feeds your soul and 3. would make you think differently about your capabilities.

I don’t know if it’s now that at 31, I’m firmly in my thirties, getting engaged or the detoxing, but I’m clear that life is happening FAST. And things don’t change – we do. Do yourself a favor and take radical responsibility for your life, particularly the one for which you know you are just not “getting by” but the life which offers you abundance, energy  and confidence.

Living in America, we have access to an incredible wealth of resources and opportunities. Do something about it. Don’t be dying a slow death, feeling your vitality draining from you from “should’s”, “cant’s” or “have to’s”. What you are yearning for is your ticket to wellness and happiness. I’m taking a tough stance on this because it’s important.  It’s your one precious life you’ve been given. If you need help figuring this out and want to understand it’s importance in your weight loss goals, consider signing up for my “Calling A Truce With Food Program” at the Eviama Spa. The program will help you discover your answers.

For all of you, I leave you with one of my favorite quotes from James Bymes, a congressman from South Carolina in the 1940’s (Being a Democrat in the South, I think he probably knew a few things about risk!). He said, “Too many people are thinking of security instead of opportunity. They seem to be more afraid of life than death.” 

We are all guaranteed to die. But not all of us are guaranteed to really live. Why not do both?

To a spring we all deserve!

Ali