Womens Wellness Retreat-Day 1

I have been trying to eat healthier, exercise more and cut out sugars. I'm not doing this for any religious reason, although I think that (Lent, in particular) is a wonderful thing, I'm just trying to do this because I don't feel as well as I know that I can. I have gained about 10 extra pounds, I'm sluggish and just don't feel as well in general. I have always had a super high metabolism where weight was something I TRIED to put on! I could eat anything I wanted and I did! Now I'm paying dearly for all of those "easy" years and I feel just down right crummy!

Many of you may know that I was in sunny St. George this past weekend for a “Women’s Wellness Retreat”. My sweet friend from Midway, Kerry Hendrickson, was gracious enough to put this together with Leslie Smoot (my NEW Friend). Both Kerry and Leslie are Raw Foods experts…they would probably be too humble to call themselves “experts”, but trust me, they are! (When I say “raw”, I’m talking Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts, Seeds and Grains…not meat!) Kerry has a gorgeous, warm welcoming home in St. George so we held it there and it was the PERFECT setting!

We started the weekend by meeting together at a beautiful trail head just a few blocks from Kerry’s home and about 9 of us began our sunrise hike together. I didn't know anyone, so I started out walking alone, which was fine, but early on, this darling girl, Carrie, who was walking with her sister-in-law, turned back towards me and began talking to me. We were quickly engaged in conversation and together we all enjoyed the magnificent beauty of the red clay bluffs set against the sapphire blue sky and the experience became etched in my mind forever. Just before we turned to walk back, Leslie, who lead the hike, asked us to take a moment, breathe in the beauty and raise our arms to salute the sun and end by bringing our hands together at our heart, three times. It was awesome.

Several hours later, we all met at Kerry’s house and the fun began! They had prepared a most amazing lunch that was not only COMPLETELY healthy and mostly RAW, but it was FABULOUS and filling and I couldn’t get enough!! I felt as though I could eat for hours and not gain a pound because everything was balanced so well. We had a Mexican themed lunch with darling Rose as our chef du jour. She is from Mexico and shared her fabulous recipes, tips and insights with us (recipes to follow) and set the tone for the rest of the day.

We learned about the dangers of continuing with our current eating habits and how so many diseases, pains and health problems can be averted by choosing wisely and eating raw. But the thing I loved about Day 1 was learning about the rhythms of the earth and the importance of staying in balance with it. For example, the rhythms are so powerful that if you set 3 different pendulums on a table and start them all at different speeds, eventually they will end up in sync with each other.

Attitude was a HUGE part of the seminar. How we feel about ourselves as well as what we say and do to others affects us from a physiological stand point that we often don't even think about!

Perhaps the most fascinating demonstration was the study done by Dr. Masaru Emoto. He studied water and took separate portions of water and treated each differently. He spoke kind words to one section…words like, LOVE, APPRECIATION, THANK YOU, I LOVE YOU, MOTHER THERESA etc…Then he took the second section and spoke words like, ANGER, I HATE YOU, YOU DISGUST ME, ADOLPH HITLER etc…the water that had kind words spoken had beautiful water crystals…the water exposed to negativity had no form. The crystals were unrecognizable and a mess (you can see a video on this on YouTube under “Emoto Japanese Water Study”).There was so much that we talked about, it would be impossible to put it all down in words, but I can tell you this, it was well worth every minute spent. I am so thankful to have learned so much and I am so inspired to eat better and get healthier.


Mother Theresa...

I Love You...

Thank You...

Adolph Hitler...

Heavy Metal Music...

You Make Me Sick...

Fujiwara Damn water before prayer was offered...

Fujiwara Damn water after prayer was offered...

No wonder stress kills us! Our bodies are made up of 70% water. Can you imagine what negativity does to us??

So it has only been 3 days and I have NOT eaten any sugar, I have focused on eating whole grains, nuts, organic fresh and RAW fruits and vegetables and I have been drinking at least 60 oz of water per day. I can't begin to tell you how much better I ALREADY FEEL!!! It has changed my life and I am so excited! Brad is on board, so we are on our way to a healthier, happier more prosperous life!