Category Archives: Health and Fitness

Nutrient Absorption

Source: MS Word Stock images

By Andrea Knight, Copyright 2022, All Rights Reserved.

When doing psychic body scans for my client’s health, one of the most common things I receive during the session is the client has issues with vitamin and mineral absorption.

So what is nutrient absorption and why is it important?

Your body uses minerals and nutrients for energy, cell reproduction, repair, rest, and a host of other activities. Well, if the body and organs like heart, muscles, bones and brain do not get enough nutrients they don’t function or repair as well. *

Sometimes even though you may take the vitamin, supplement or eat the healthy food/drink you don’t absorb it effectively. Then you may be vulnerable to other issues, diseases or the break down of important organs.*

Luckily the answer is a google away if you know to look for it.

When eating or taking supplements make sure to match the macros (protein, carbs, fats) or vitamins with what helps them absorb in your system best. Some top absorption helpers are these 3:

  • Citrus (vit C)
  • Fat (use good fats such as avocado)
  • Water

One important one is that Vitamin C or citrus which helps protein absorb 200x or better as long as 68 mg or more is ingested within 15-30 minutes of eating protein.* So add a half cup of orange juice or lemon juice to your water when eating your protein for better absorption. Here is a list of more:

Vitamin or nutrient – fat, water or vit C used to aid absorption

A – Fat soluble
B3 – Water
B6 – Water
B12 – Water (many people with thyroid issues are B12 deficient)
Bilberry – Water
Bromelain – Water
Calcium – Water + Vit D (25 mg+)
C – Water
Collagen – Vit C
CoQ10 – Water
D – Fat
DHEA – Fat
E – Fat
K – Fat
L-Argenine – Water
L-Theanine- Water
Lutein – Fat
Magnesium – Water
Protein – Vitamin C, 68 mg min
Selenium – Water

If you have supplements and vitamins you take daily, google their name plus “soluble in water”, then write the answer outside your bottle (W for water, F for Fat, etc). My recommendation is to have a 1/4 avocado salad with 1/2 cup orange juice with your supplements every day. That tackles healthy fat, water and vitamin C in one meal!

Need a reading or health body scan of your own? Check out my readings or healings page to schedule today!

Please like share and comment! Thank you!

References:

5 Nutrients to take for best absorption

WebMD

*Disclaimer: This website offers metaphysical information and services.  Information and services provided here and by Andrea Knight are not a substitute for medical, nutritional or legal advice.  Please refer to a licensed physician for medical, nutritionist for nutrition, or legal professional for legal advice.

How Do I Motivate Myself and Others: Extrinsic vs Intrinsic

By Andrea Knight, Copyright, 2022.

Motivation is something that is on everyone’s mind, from individual contributor to business owner.  “Quietly quitting” isn’t really a new concept, but it puts a spotlight on the demotivated employee.   How do we self motivate and how are we best motivated by others?  This varies on a case by case basis, however to start the conversation we need to take a brief look at intrinsic vs extrinsic motivators.

Here is a short video that I believe explains extrinsic and intrinsic motivation in a thoughtful way:

In Summary:

  • Extrinsic motivators are usually an external motivation, something coming from outside of us.  Some examples include fear, money, sex and food.
  • Intrinsic motivation is internal (honor, to find peace, curiosity, to make self or others’ better, caring)
  • Those with a masters degree or PhD may not be as motivated by fear and money alone, as I noted working alongside about 5 PhD’s in one job.  Instead highly educated individuals usually need a purpose, challenge or responsibility to feel motivated.
  • Sometimes when all else fails obligation will get you through the day or at work.

Some examples of Extrinsic motivators (video: “follower of rules”):

  • Earn an external reward
  • Avoid punishment or negative consequences
  • Money
  • Fear
  • Food
  • Praise
  • To please others
  • To impress others
    • To impress others is a strong motivator for some – ever been attracted to your boss? You’re a pretty good employee in that case aren’t you? However when applied to lifestyle creep it can put you into debt potentially, so be aware and careful. Use it when it serves you, not when it doesn’t.
  • Competing with another person
  • To be loved by another person
  • Sex

Some examples of Intrinsic motivators (video: “thinks independently”):

  • Curiosity
  • To improve yourself
  • To improve a process or something else
  • Morality
  • Honor
  • It’s fun and enjoy it
  • Passion
  • Mastery
  • Purpose
  • Satisfaction
  • Inner Peace
  • To feel accomplished
  • Success
  • Internal competition with yourself
  • To be happy
  • To feel good
  • To feel euphoric or get a high (mental, not drugs)

In reality most people, including highly educated individuals, need both extrinsic and intrinsic motivators at some point.  Some sources lean on intrinsic motivators, however you won’t always want to do the task, lift the weights, help out your boss, and do an hour of cardio, sometimes you have to just do it. Using a combo of any of the above, extrinsic or intrinsic, may help drive you to your next goal and succeed.

Example #2: Taking out the Trash

Another good example I read once was a father trying to motivate their kid to take out the trash. When the father asked, the child would mope, slowly make his way, and mumble the entire time. The child would rather watch tv or play video games. Eventually the father started paying his son $5 to take out the trash weekly. While that initially put spring in the child’s step, he eventually went back to taking it out slowly and mumbling the entire time by the end of the week. One lesson here is while extrinsic motivators such as money may cause some increased positive mood and spring in your step, eventually the child takes the money for granted. The chore still is undesirable and the child would still rather do something fun.

The second lesson is when an extrinsic motivator is applied, subconsciously the child may assume the chore or task is undesirable. Even as more money is applied, the same pattern resumes. If this subconscious thought of extrinsic motivation is applied to undesirable jobs, then as the adult gets paid increasingly more money, some may become more demotivated over time, equating more money meaning the job is even more undesirable or increased risk.

This is one of the reasons why an employer knows that increasing someone’s pay indefinitely won’t equate to more productivity (yes, it’s not all because of the CEO’s greed). It helps when the employee knows how to motivate themselves (intrinsic motivation) as money is not always an infinitely enduring motivation for everyone.

“I don’t feel appreciated”

Sorry to hear that Buttercup. From now on I want you to create a folder in your email labeled “appreciation”. Every time your manager or someone on your team emails you “thank you”, recognizes you for accomplishing a task, says “great job”, put it in that folder. If something is verbal or done in a meeting, write it down in an email, email it to yourself, and file in that folder. Include paid birthday parties to you or the team, verbal thanks, free Friday morning bagels, holiday bonuses, free tickets, and corporate paid for lunches. I promise you, besides your paycheck which is appreciation as well for your work, you are being appreciated in many ways. Set a calendar event to review that folder weekly or monthly. Let it sink in the 2nd time or third time. You’ll start to see the appreciation more and more around you, because it is there. Negative thinking and a victim mentality may prevent it from sinking in the first time. We have to retrain our mind sometimes to think more positively and notice our blessings.

“Why does it feel like salmon upstream sometimes? Why do I not want to work hard like I see other successful people do?” If you look at our most closely related living relatives, the great apes such as chimps and gorillas, what do they do all day? Sleep, eat, play, relax, climb, forage. Some other activities as well but you get the point. It isn’t “natural” to work a 9 to 5 for someone else, to do cardio on a treadmill without the reason being about food or sex, to drive your daughter to band practice, etc. We are going against what feels natural to us by being so driven to look good, be successful, make a lot of money, and have a ton of friends on instagram.

The Hard Truth

One thing to note, even if you are working your passion, or for yourself, sometimes you won’t be happy.  Throw out the need to be happy all the time to increase your productivity!  Sometimes you will be able to motivate yourself to get out of bed with the thought of coffee, to go to work for the money, to do a half hour of lifting weights, but sometimes you will be in a low mood and need to force yourself through it.  Don’t expect every chore, work environment or meeting to be a blast, sometimes we just need to get it done. When all else fails just obligation, such as needing to just show up at work at 9am, works. 

Having your expectations in the right place will help you feel less lost (why am I not happy at work?), and less disappointed.  Remember, those advertising on social media about their great lives still work or worked hard, and they are just showing you the flashy bits.  You’re not seeing the boring aspects of their lives in pictures, such as years in an office at a desk, you’re just seeing the best parts.  You didn’t see the hours and hours of sweat and weight lifting to get those perfect glutes and abs. You didn’t see the years of late nights to build someone’s business so they could afford that vacation or lakeside home.  You’re seeing the end happy result of hard work.  Think of that when all the usual motivators aren’t driving you that day, and you feel like you are not “living your best life”. For moments where I know something needs to get done but I don’t feel like it, I have a phrase etched in wood I look to that says “Suck it up Buttercup!” It makes me laugh and away I go to task. Go get it done!

Quitting Alcohol, Benefits and Supplements

Photo source: Andrea Knight

Have you ever woken up after a night of partying and thought, never again! I’m quitting alcohol!

Then next week you do it all over again, 4-5 vodkas or beers later, and the next morning you say, I’m not drinking ever again! Why didn’t I learn from the last time?!

Do you wonder why your moods swing, and it’s like you can’t quite totally kick it for good?

For those of you that want the beauty, health and mental clarity benefits, not to mention the financial savings of quitting, keep reading.

*Alcohol is a Central Nervous System depressent and very addictive drug. It is also easily accessible (more available than toilet paper during covid!), and socially accepted.

These videos summarize why only 5 days of sobreity may not be enough to kick the habit, what happens to your body, and the benefits of quitting.

videos

Video 1: What happens to your body when you quite alcohol
Video 2: Day vs Night drinking
Video 3: Benefits of being sober: Should make sense after videos 1 & 2

If you’re not ready to quit, keep scrolling, this isn’t for you.

But for those of you that want the beauty, health and mental clarity benefits, not to mention the financial savings of quitting, here are the summarized supplements from the videos that may help you get through the symptoms, which may last for 2-3 months (if you watched the videos now you know why it takes so long).

  • GABA – to help calm, helps with the jitters and anxiety post drinking
  • L-Glutamine – helps excite the nervous system, get out of depression or lethargy after you have had glutamine rebound (videos explain alcohol suppresses this stimulant hence why it acts like a depressant, then the body overcompensates by boosting it temporarily). After the anxiety of the rebound you will want to rebalance glutamine in the body. Glutamine is in my protein powder, so I find this really helps with recovery.
  • L-Theanine – for anxiety and to protect from alcohol’s free radicals. Take during and after drinking.
  • Probiotics – to heal the gut, as the videos explain, take the longest to recover from alcohol’s effects (whole food method – dark leafy greens, pickles, sauerkraut, yogurt and kimchi to name a few). There are also supplements.
  • Watch out for your triggers – if restaurants are the main cause of your over drinking, you may want to choose counter serve without alcohol for a while. Don’t sit at bars if you can’t order a soda. Find other meetup groups to socialize with. Don’t keep alcohol in the house. Review your friends and how they trigger you or don’t trigger you. Yes, that may mean you may need a shift in focus in your friend groups.

In short, alcohol throws your nervous system and biochemistry out of balance. This can create all kinds of issues, including gastrointestinal, mental, cardiac, and on the central nervous system. Not to mention the increased chance of heart attack, stroke, weight gain and cancers.

Lastly, I’d recommend meditating when you can, using grounders such as black tourmaline, or a full chakra set, to help calm you and get spiritual assistance with your journey.

Best of luck!

*These statements have not been reviewed by a physician or medical personnel. Please review with your primary care physician any changes in diet and if you need additional help with alcohol abuse. This article is not meant to diagnose any issue.

Addictions, Revisted

I had a client come to me recently about an addiction and I thought I’d update my blog because much of what was brought up would apply to multiple addictions including alcohol, drugs, sex, smoking or food.  I am busy these days, so I will make it a summary instead of a full blog.  If you have questions or want to explore further reading and energy healing sessions can be found on my website.

  • Addictions are often a break, release, relax time away from the stress of the home/life.  Many people at my old job in corporate started smoking cigarettes because it gave them work breaks more so than those that didn’t smoke.
  • Review your foundation – when did you first start the addiction, what was the stimulus (friends, party) and what was the reward?
    • Your relationship with your parents, are you prone to rebellion?  Is it in your astrological chart to rebel?
    • Lying about the truth to your parent, teacher or partner – did you get away with it before, what were the benefits to lying, such as avoiding punishment, etc?
  • Reactance is the psychological term for rebelling and wanting freedom from rules or dominance.
  • Addictions can be brought on by spiritual influences, phases is the moon, inauspicious or emotional areas in your astrological chart.  House 6 is health as well as job, house 2, 11, 12, 8 for sex and taboos and other areas.  Set up an appointment with me on how to counteract negative astrological house affects.
  • Solutions to Dealing with “Reactance man”
    • “Stop drop and roll”
    • Find a mentor –
      • healthy people prepping healthy food, healthy people doing anything on youtube (influence),
      • people in your life that aren’t healthy-review if you think of the people around you have the same addiction that make you feel hopeless, like its inevitable and hard to overcome.  Find someone that proves otherwise, that doesn’t have it so it doesn’t seem like an uphill climb. 
    • Also look at the statistics for that addiction, visualize that you’re in the statistic or demographic that doesn’t have the addicition, and affirm “I beat the statistics”.
    • Find a replacement – walk, exercise, smoothie, decaf tea, yoga
  • Go back to archangels, God and ascended masters, see them understanding, think “they’ve seen everything”, taking your hand and walking with you
  • Look at your triggers – “everyone is doing it”, friends, ads, tv, parents.  Everyone is NOT doing it.  There are those that don’t smoke, do drugs, drink caffeine, have alcohol, etc.
  • Use Logic to get out of the emotional brain, go to puzzles, numbers, count backwards

If you have any questions or need to talk to your guides about addictions, you can find my sessions on readings here or energy healing here.  Energy healing will be cheaper by the minute for reference.

Binge Eating Disorder (BED) tip of the week

Source: Microsoft Creative commons
Source: Microsoft Creative commons

Some spiritual guidance came to me for a client over the past week, thought I would share it with my health and fitness fans.

When people with BED, binge eating disorder, try to lose weight they often check with a free app on how many calories to eat in a day.

The problem that may arise for some however is they may ignore the problem that got them to the point of needing to lose weight to begin with.

In order to gain or lose one pound someone would have to consume 3500 calories more to gain or less than their maintenance calories to lose.

Someone with BED isn’t going from 1700 maintenance calories a day to 1200, they are going from 2300 on average to 1200. Because they have been overeating, and most likely are not counting those calories. Now that is an average over a week, most likely they do semi-well many days and then over eat more than 500 cals for 2-3 days. 3000 calories is easy to do, 4 slices of pizza, one fast food burger and fries, and 4 cocktail drinks, that is 3000 calories.

Spirit offered one suggestion this past week for a client. Instead of going from 2300 all the way down to 1200, try to do maintenance calories daily consistently first, then add exercise with it 2-3 days a week to create the caloric deficit. That may seem less extreme on your body and mind and get you used to what is maintenance calories for you, rather than a huge drop in calories that seems like too little food. If you are someone with BED you’ve been eating a lot of extra food every week, 1200 calories will seem like too little and may do too much mental damage in what it will take to lose weight and keep it off. Get comfortable with what maintenance feels like first.

To figure out your BMR or basil metabolic rate you can Google calculator and BMR. Enter your information and it will give you the basic amount of maintenance calories you need without exercising. For any calculator that asks for level of activity, unless you are a body builder be realistic, leaning towards conservative.

Per usual, consult with a physician for any medical or health related advice. This blog does not provide diagnoses or professional medical advice.

If you have more questions or want to speak to Spirit about your own health/diet journey, my readings are here. Talk to you soon!

Lite Pina Colada Mocktail recipe

After covid a lot of people are cutting down on the alcohol and embracing healthier lifestyles again. Here is a mocktail that helps you feel lite, fit and like you are having fun! It’s even creamy because of the blender, with no cream in the recipe. Even better it is made with a hydration formula, so hydrates you better than water alone. I’m not affiliated with any of these ingredients, this is just what I use and enjoy.

  • 1/2 packet Hydration IV Pina colada
  • 1/2 tsp orange Milo or orange water flavor enhancer
  • 1 slice pineapple like picture, remove the rind, about 1/4 cup diced
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 ice cubes
  • Additional pineapple slice for decoration with a cherry

Place everything but the last pineapple slice and cherry in a blender. Blend until frothy. Serve in your favorite pint size glass with pineapple slice and cherry. Less than 100 calories.

Seasonal Depression

Easter egg hunts aren’t only for kids. Adults love them!

Sometimes people can be more depressed or happier depending on the season. I’ve seen this in a few of my clients’ readings and have some experience with this myself in the past. Some are happier in the Fall or Christmas time and others are happier during summer.

What I’ve seen in future predictions is an overall mood change in those with seasonal related depression. The reading will show trends of being really unhappy, withdrawn, or sick for that season they dislike and bounce back during seasons they liked.

There can be multiple reasons why, they don’t like snow, they don’t like the cold, someone they knew passed during Christmas, the list can go on. However what they may be stuck with is an overall sense or belief that they don’t like Winter, Summer, Spring or Fall.

One way I’ve seen to combat this is to visualize and even celebrate aspects of the seasons you know you do like. For me that may be art, an adult Easter egg hunt, food, nature, games or changing my mindset. Here are some ideas:

  • View nature during this time. Find beautiful pictures online. During the Fall there is gorgeous colors, hot drinks, soft sweaters, Han solo boots, and much more. Spring has beautiful flowers, Easter egg hunts, trees grow back their foliage, St. Patrick’s day. Summer has beach and pool parties, BBQ, and vacations. Winter has house parties, Christmas, vacation time, hot beverages and fresh snow for the northern states.
  • Change a picture in your house, or something to celebrate and prepare for the new season every season. Put down the Christmas tree and think of Easter eggs, clovers and fresh flower fields. Think and visualize what is great about the new season. Feel good about it.
  • Paint, draw or look at pictures of your favorite things having to do with the new season.
  • Address your mental and physical health issues if they exist. There are allergy meds, and grief counseling available that are effective.

Lucky times. Source: Andrea Knight
Rainbows! 🌈
Valentines day pizza!
Fall colors
Holidays!

Let’s Chat about High Cholesterol

Source: Andrea Knight

Many people are losing weight now a days skipping the carbs, but did you ever hear someone mention that grains help lower cholesterol?  Have you lost weight on something like paleo, high, or Atkins and have high cholesterol now?  Did you wonder why when you are thinner you would have this issue? Of course I should preface this with the disclaimer that I’m not a physician, seek a physician’s advice before starting any weight or health regimen. 

What is cholesterol?  Cholesterol is a waxy fat that often comes from your liver,used in cells and also comes from consuming animal products and dairy.  It can clog arteries and left unchecked it may increase your risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Items like whole wheat, grains and plant sterols help bind to Cholesterol and escort them out of the body.

Some cholesterol fighting helpers include:

  • Psyllium husk
  • Apples
  • Plant sterols
  • Whole grain, whole wheat
  • Olive oil
  • Low fat diet
  • Exercise
  • Beans

I know what you’re thinking, but I lost weight!  I can’t regain it!  It is a common misconception that carbs will automatically lead to weight gain.  Having too many calories based on what you burn every day is the more probable cause.  If you are honest with yourself when you were having carbs you were also having too many calories or not counting calories at all.  You can stay thin and lose fat eating carbs, I did, even with a thyroid issue.  Check out my free article on weight loss.  I had hypothyroid and endomorphism as well, and still lost weight while eating carbs, so bust that fear and belief out to sea! 

I was curious about plant sterols and if switching to a plant sterol butter substitute would be a good choice. Right now in this article I am addressing taste. I tried 3 butter substitutes, Country crock, Benecol, and Smart Balance.

Of the 3, Benecol tasted the best, Country Crock 2nd and with Smart balance I didn’t notice much of a taste.

Benecol is the only one that has plant sterols advertised. Country crock says nothing about helping with cholesterol and Smart balance says it can help but in smaller lettering admitting only if you are already within normal cholesterol levels.

Benecol was harder to find, I did find it at Vons, but not at some of the cheaper grocery stores.

The mediterranean diet is noted on some sites as well, with includes fish, vegetables, olive oil and other healthy ingredients.

Need a psychic reading? Check out my phone readings here and my text readings here. Coupons are available even for already discounted items through my newsletter. Sign up today!

Can you lose weight with cardio exercise?

The short answer is yes.

Then why do commercials say you are wasting your time just doing cardio on the elliptical or treadmill, while basketball players and runners look so thin?

The short answer is they want your money and are leaving details out by saying you won’t lose weight doing cardio to hook you to listen in and buy their products.

There are 3 main ways I’ve lost weight, here is my article on those methods. One method that worked was to do cardio and watch my calories. I am a certified weight loss therapist and member of IAOTH.

They tell you cardio is a “waste of time” to hook you into listening, becoming attached, convinced they are an expert and to buy. After you’ve bought it they tell you what you don’t want to hear, to watch your calories. Essentially the detail in the videos they leave out is you have to watch your caloric intake when you exercise, otherwise with no caloric deficit, cardio, HIIT or anything else won’t help you lose fat.

The main successful method of weight loss regardless of how many details different people trying to sell you plans try to confuse you with is to have a calorie deficit. You already know that I’m sure, but many commercials and other articles confuse you and skew you off your path in hopes to sell you their products. So what these plans are leaving out in their commercials but eventually tell you when you buy it is that you have to watch your calories. Doing a lot of cardio without watching your calories probably wouldn’t help you very much if you’re not ending up in a deficit, that is true, however you don’t have to be a mega weightlifter to lose weight. You can lose fat not doing any exercise at all and most of the weight I’ve lost is strictly watching my diet.

I talked about the three methods that I’ve actually used to lost weight and my article here if you want to look at the details. I hope you found this useful to clear out the confusing clutter that a lot of commercials try to hook you with. Cardio can be very useful in burning calories and burning fat, don’t leave it out of your regimen if you plan on using exercise in your weight loss journey. It’s also good for the heart, hence the term “cardio”.

Looking for more advice or need an energy healing? Check out my offerings in the menu at the top of the page.

Don’t forget to like, share and comment so that others can benefit from the info!

Insatiable Cravings during PMS

Source: Andrea Knight

For some of us the time before your period can spur a food binge, where even counting your calories is not a deterrent to over eating. It seems nothing can satisfy and nothing makes you feel full. In just a couple days you can undo all the hard work you put in a week.

Little Reasons Why

When pre menstrual syndrome starts your estrogen levels lower and progesterone increases. Estrogen at normal levels help you feel full like leptin and increased progesterone makes you feel more hungry. The thyroid also fluxuates at this time. These hormones can make you feel hungrier and less satisfied as your body now craves more sugar and carbs to “feel better”. This all adds up to insatiable craving even when not hungry.

What to do?

Well, not everything is as hopeless as your thoughts may tell you. That urge to go out to a restaurant and order everything on the menu is a secret call for help from your brain due to hormonal fluxuatuons.

Some recommendations:*

  • Drink a pint of water with lemon and 1 tbsp physillum husk. The husk expands in your system and provides hunger busting fiber.
  • Before you drive to Taco Bell and order a gordita with nacho chips, churro and large fries, make this meal instead: 1/2 cup 100% whole wheat pasta, 1 cup broccoli florets, 1 cup chopped spinach, 1 diced roma tomato, 5 sliced black olives. Use spices garlic powder, salt and pepper. Without using butter and oils to trigger more craving, this is super filling and healthy! If anything else, you’ll have less room for the gordita!
  • Any sugar, high fat and salt cravings you have use the psychological tip to tell yourself “Later”. This will calm the mind down for a time while you cook the meal above.
  • 500 mg magnesium -this not only helps with cramps during your period but helps with the chemical imbalance going on in your system
  • 200 mg 5-HTP (morning and night around 4 or 5pm) -this is a precursor to serotonin to help you feel better (mood booster and appetite surpressant)
  • 1000 mg L glutamine – help with sugar cravings
  • B complex – helps with serotonin production
  • Chromium (optional) – for sugar cravings
  • Inositol (optional) -helps with mood
  • Lay down for an hour, make sure your tummy is covered (heavy blanket or pillow) and your back as well. This will help comfort you and calm down any nerves.

Then take out your cell phone calendar. 3-5 days before your estimated period start these tips. Put the events as a repeated event monthly and link this article so you have all you need to suceed!

Don’t forget to forward to your girl friends and like! Thank you!

Need a psychic reading? Energy healing? Follow the links to schedule one today!

By Andrea Knight

*The author of this blog is not a physican. Please refer to your primary care physican for any questions and plans to help with hormones and weight loss. Everyone’s physical system has variations and any supplement or weight loss plan should be reviewed by a physican before proceeding forward. Anyone following this advice assumes all responsibility and risks involved when not reviewing with a primary care doctor or specialist.

References

https://health.usnews.com/conditions/eating-disorder/binge-eating-disorder/articles/binge-eating-before-your-period

Vitamins and Supplements to Help With Binge Eating

Beauty and Attractiveness

Photo source: “Mirror” by Christine Cavalier, https://flic.kr/p/98CT92

By Andrea Knight

“We “think” we know this lesson, but the media’s influence can be pernicious.  It affects even those most intelligent and book smart, so it is good to review again.”

Most of my readings are on love, relationships, and soulmates. Right now I can only think of writing this very long subject into bullet points for simplicity.

  • 98%+/- of my clients are heterosexual women
  • We judge beauty on outside perfection (thank you, Hollywood, media), and it causes issues for those not on the life path to create “outside” physical attractiveness in this life.
  • Outside beauty is a “Type” of perfection, not the only type of perfection or the only way to attract a person. You can perfect yourself in personality, kindness, unconditional love, intelligence, skills, career or in other ways.
  • Your or his path may be to perfect something else, business, spiritual, or other, we all have a place to make things go around this world.
  • He is perfecting something, you see it, you are attracted, loyal, but he is not perfect, “Hollywood perfect”, on the outside, you feel attracted or love him anyway, he doesn’t accept it fully and in his effort to perfect, he ignores you as he is compartmentalizing (focusing on something else in his life such as career, to “prove” himself good enough)
  • Women in these types of relationships where you are loving those on the inside, and are not anxious because of your insecurities and the lack of communication, may last the longest in the relationship. Anxious, insecure partners have many issues due to lack of consistent validation and reassurance. Those that are secure, know to leave him alone but stay loyal to perfect what is “his” skills, work or otherwise.
  • To those who feel they are unattractive: Sometimes those more beautiful than us, physical in this case, see something else in you, may be your unconditional love, long term stability, emotional stability, loyalty, humor or something else still. Those not “beautiful” on the outside don’t always receive love when it is given, so they may search to make themselves “better” in some way. The advice to them is to accept and believe it when love is given, they are seeing some other attractiveness that pulls them in. Work on your beliefs or “seeing” that you are attractive.
  • Clients come to me telling me their love interest isn’t receiving their love, not believing that they will really stay. It causes issues and bottom line it is beliefs to heal.
  • If you don’t have someone, you may know deep down your value, even if that is not on the outside, you wait it out, to be loyal to someone special. You keep yourself back because you see the value in yourself even if society or community does not on your face or body shape. This is the struggle, you know it, but others may not see it without getting to know you. Work on both feeling it within yourself using techniques I can teach you and radiating it out in your energy, so that when their energy interacts with you they get that message, and the person will feel pulled and attracted to you. Outside beauty is NOT the only thing that attracts another, Hollywood does us a great disservice here.
  • Attractiveness and perfection is not always on the outside. Even the most beautiful may see you as attractive. List out what makes you great, there is something there, they see it. Rise above the societal judgement, you are perfecting or improving something in your life, it just may not be outside of yourself ready to see upon first meeting you. Learning to receive the love when given is the other half of the equation.
  • Advice is to heal it, heal your beliefs, acknowledge what is happening within and rise above it. Ask God or archangels to help where you feel you can’t. My energy healing and training sessions are here so you can get started with Angels at your side.

I know you KNOW this, but have you looked at your patterns lately? Even though these themes are repeated in literature and other places, it can still affect us even when at the surface we know better.

If you are attractive and are attracted to those struggling with proving themselves to you (working late hours, concentrating on work, perfection in some other way, attraction theory), then ask God to help them realize and accept that you love them deeper than they think you do. Hollywood, commercials and magazines do us a great disservice in this area, not all attractiveness is on the outside. We “think” we know this lesson, but the media’s influence can be pernicious. It affects even those most intelligent and book smart, so it is good to review again.

I have many solutions to transform these feelings. I have been able to look in the mirror and see the attractive person underneath. Want more advice tailored specifically to you from your guides? Look at my psychic readings page or energy healing pages. Talk to you soon!

Copyright Feathers 2020. All Rights Reserved.

Andrea K’s Super Healthy Hunger Busting Smoothie Recipe, High Fiber

Well, here it is! The green juice that tastes good that accomplishes many things at once. When I have twice a day I feel more full and want to eat less. Great for balanced diets and those looking to eat clean.

  • Has both soluble and insoluble fiber
  • Feel full!
  • Healthier GI tract without feeling sick like some cleanses
  • Good dose of superfoods!
  • Enzymes contained in the superfoods to help breakdown the fats and carbs for more efficient energy
  • Chia seeds have high potassium
  • Fruits and veggies in one smoothie
  • Helps to feel healthy, less brain fog
  • Feel good about getting your nutrients in easily
  • Faster and easier to make than a fancy complex salad that has all of these benefits

Recipe

  • 1.5 cups baby spinach and kale leaves
  • 1 tbsp psyllium husk
  • 1 scoop “Green Superfood”, by Amazing Grass*
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1/2 cup orange juice, 100% juice
  • 1/2 cup apple juice, 100% juice
  • 1/2 cup water

Top 4 Running Tips

Photo Source: Taxref, “Beach Running 9-7-15”, https://flic.kr/p/yiJXaJ

When I first started running back in 1995 I didn’t really know that there were a few things to watch out for so you didn’t hurt yourself. I hurt my knee when I was 16 and never really knew why until I picked it up again in recent years. For those trying to lose weight or become more fit, here are the few things I’ve learned over the years:

  • Stretch: Stretch before and after you run. Sit on the ground, tuck one leg under so your foot touches your other thigh and touch your toes on the leg that is outstretched (or try your best). Do this for the other side. Second, make a butterfly shape with your legs by touching your feet together and stretch your hands past your feet. Third, lift your leg behind you holding on to your ankle. Forth, stretch both legs out and touch your ankles or feet. Do each of these for at least 15 seconds.
  • Find the right shoe for you. Look at the bottom of your current shoes. Where is the wear, on the inside or outside of the shoe? I found out I was supinated, which is when you wear out the outside of your tennis shoes and I ended up having pain on the outside of my legs around the ankles and shins after I exercised. Once you figure out if you are pronated, neutral or supinated, get the right shoe for you so you’ll have less pain. This has helped me significantly whether I’m walking, using the elliptical or running.
  • Posture: Swing your arms front and back, not cross them in front of you. Keep your arms bent at a comfortable, loose L shape. Also, have loose shoulders so you don’t have shoulder pain. Keep your head up and level, not strained, looking out to the horizon so your don’t have neck pain. Great free video to illustrate this whole process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRkeBVMQSgg
  • Balance your weight: This might be difficult for those of you that dominate on one side of the body. I found my right side would hurt after running (hips, knee, shoulder and back). My right side would do much of the pulling and get most of the impact and this was happening automatically. My left side would feel perfectly fine and light as a cloud. Actively think about balancing the two sides, emphasizing the non-dominant side. Actively think that your non-dominant side has to pull its own weight.

Practice makes perfect, you might have to pay attention to your posture and balancing for a while before it becomes automatic. When you stretch and balance everything out you’ll experience less pain and actually have more endurance because your dominant side isn’t doing all the work anymore. My knee, back, shoulders, neck and hips don’t hurt anymore after running, so it is possible to correct for these common issues. Happy running!

Need more holistic weight loss advice? I’m a psychic medium, go to my readings page for more information and sign up for a reading with your archangels and guides.

Copyright 2019 Feathers. All Right Reserved.

Top 3 things Angels recommend that you do during COVID-19, coronavirus quarantine

coronavirus, coronavirus, coronavirus, COVID-19, COVID-19, COVID-19

Here is some of the advice I have been receiving during readings lately as clients ask about the effects of COVID-19 or coronavirus. If you have specific questions on your situation, how this is going to affect your career, finances or your relationship, scroll up to the top and go to my psychic readings page and sign up for a reading today. I have same-day readings available every day as well as other scheduled and discounted options.

  • Rest. A common piece of advice I’m given to tell my clients is to allow yourself to have “do nothing time”. You might have to give yourself permission to do so, say out loud “body, mind, spirit this is do nothing time.” Put down the cell phone, tv and other electronics and allow yourself to chill. When you’re doing nothing you’re not stressing and putting more strain on your immune system. You’re also not expending too much energy therefore helping you to save money on food. If you’re not eating as much then you won’t need as much toilet paper! All in all very good advice on many different levels physically, mentally, spiritually, financially.
  • Think of the light at the end of the tunnel. In other words think about how you can restart your work in the next couple weeks, that this is not a permanent solution. Also think about the fact that there’s going to be more shipments to the grocery stores, you’ll be able to buy hand sanitizer again before you know it. Think about the fact that some people are still working now and that the economy will continue to go and flow as it should. Think about the fact that the stock market despite the Great Depression, the Great Recession, and other corrections throughout the years has always recovered and continues to go up. In other words it’s easy to be afraid because of what others are telling you, however you know that things will get better with time. After you have reassured yourself move on to number three.
  • Time for a distraction! Get off of social media and the news and do something else. Something pleasurable. Break out the board games, the cards, the movie you’ve been meaning to watch or something else pleasurable. I highly recommend comedy it tends to uplift everyone and can be a great energy booster. After you’ve envisioned that everything is going to be okay it’s time to redirect your focus and attention. Not only is that great for Law of Attraction but it’s also great for your mood.

Lastly I’m going to recommend a good energy healing. I’ve noticed when I have woken up the past few mornings that I’ve been feeling the effects of people being under stress. I do offer energy healing through my website and over distance, you don’t have to leave your home to feel the benefits! It also includes any stagnant fear energy that may be pulling you down inside the home. Check out my energy healing page here.

Copyright, Feathers 2020, All rights reserved.

Top 5 Things To Do When You Run Out of Energy

1. Play! Actually I am quite serious. As an entrepreneur I have a lot of ideas. I can also work enough to the point where I hit a brick wall and I find that my mind goes in the circles. At that point I’ve lost the enthusiasm and the energy to move forward. I find that if I take just 30 minutes or more a day and schedule that time to actually play that it can help me recover significantly. Then I have more energy than when I started the day.  I think we lost play when we were nudged by society or family to start to act like an adult, but I think it is something that shouldn’t be lost.  I think it is many of my clients’ missing key to happiness! There are psychological articles that back this up as well.  Playing actually helps wake up your system and gives you the energy and enthusiasm you need to keep going. It can also help with any thoughts in your head that may be slowing you down such as “life is work”, “life is not fun”, “I work all the time”, etc.

2. Affirmations.” I am enthusiastic about life and filled with energy and enthusiasm.” Say 3x out loud. Try other affirmations as well as doing a good chakra alignment and healing for yourself with the intention of increasing your energy and enthusiasm.

3. Visualize red and orange. The colors of the root and sacral chakras. By visualizing these colors often times you can get an energy boost and it may signal your spiritual healers to heal those areas for you as well. A good grounding can help clear any brain fog you may have when you use all of the four elements at the same time with the intention of grounding. Increased mental clarity can help you move forward in your day and feel better overall.

4. Exercise. Get the blood pumping. I found that a number of things that help circulation also help my mood. Also if you get some sun that’s going to help with vitamin D production which is also a mood booster.

5. Supplements. Make sure any supplements you take do not have adverse effects to any prescriptions by consulting your doctor first. I take a number of supplements to help me with energy and mood. Some of the ones that help with mood are 5-HTP, GABA, Acteyl L Carntine, L-Tyrosine, vitamin D, Maca root, Kava, omega 3 fatty acids and other brain boosting combinations. Some that are great for energy like B vitamins and Hawthorn Extract.  Try one at a time and go from there. Ask your local vitamin store what is best for you or do some research online based on what you’ve noticed about yourself.

Other tips:

  • Update your Feng Shui.  If you want to learn how, go to my more detailed blog here.  Sometimes when the energy isn’t quite right in our home we will know it energetically through the feeling of energetic blocks.  There can be multiple reasons why you feel fatigued, confused or blocked but if everything else is alright this is another option.
  • Do some empathic cleanup if you think you are clairsentient.  Follow the link for my article on this.
  • Clean the energy of your home using sage and sweetgrass.  My article on how to do this is here.
  • Use YouTube Videos around the home or near yourself to cleanse negative energy from the home and replace with positive energy.  My YouTube Channel with a number of options is here.

Need a reading to discover other solutions and if something underneath is really bothering you?  I do psychic mediumship readings most days of the week.  You can schedule an appointment same day or in advance.  Check out my readings page here.

Copyright, Feathers 2019, All rights reserved.

Health and Fitness: Creating Positive Memories around Food

eat healthier

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Photo source: “jessicalettucetomato ” on flickr.com

It’s the holidays, what’s the first thing you think of? Some people might say the beautiful lights, the decorations, their families but a lot of us think about the food. Think of all the delicious cookies, cakes, turkey or chicken with stuffing, not to mention the pies. Added to all that food that can stimulate our mind due to high levels of sugar, salt and fat, we are receiving a lot of love during that time from family. We are happy and relaxed because we’re not working and taking time off to be joyous. You’ve now created a series of happy memories connected to food and love. eat healthier, eat healthier

Ok, a lot of us want to eat healthier. However it can be a mind game if you prefer high fat, salt, processed or sugary foods. These are high-glycemic and can signal our body to store fat. There are many different angles to look at when trying to change how you eat. Some of it is due to chemical addictions and some of due to habits.  The links take you to my other articles on these topics.

I briefly wanted to touch on the subject of memories that we attach to food and how to best change that for the better.

Method

Okay, I think we’ve established that we’ve associated love, holidays, happiness, and a break from work to food. How do we attach a happy memory to food that does not include foods that cause us to gain weight? I suggest you start by creating happy memories around healthy foods.

During the holidays you are receiving attention, love, breaks from work, and someone is serving you food (one of the 5 love languages, acts of service). How do you create new memories around healthy foods where you feel as excited, loved and relaxed?

5 Tips to Happy Memories around Healthy Foods

1. Eat out at a restaurant by beautiful nature or has a great atmosphere. Actively choose a healthy option. Create the mindset that you are creating a happy memory for yourself. Invite friends, family, or of they are unavailable or do one of my favorite things and sit at the bar and talk to people there. Go somewhere you know will be happy, it can be a lakefront restaurant, one with a hip atmosphere or somewhere romantic.

2. Cook something healthy then make it beautiful on your plate. Have the mindset you are creating a happy memory. Ask God or archangels to fill your love tank. Watch your favorite movie, put on your favorite music or invite friends over.

3. One of my favorites was to draw a bubble bath and create small appetizers on cute plates. Eat them while laying in essential oils, bubbles and listening to soothing music. You’ll feel cared for (receiving love from yourself). Another option is to create an essential oil lotion, lather your entire body, lay in your most comfortable clothes or robe on the couch and eat small bites.

4. Go to an adventure park or zoo and get the fruit spears or salad. Watch your favorite animal or show while eating healthy. Visualize or feel happy while eating and watching.

5. Actively prepare healthy but interesting meals for parties with friends and family. Choose the healthy options knowing intellectually that this will help create happy memories around that food. Inform your friends and family why we are doing this, they may join you as it does make sense even to those not into metaphysics.

Remember, healthy food doesn’t have to be boring. Steak salads, nut mixes, many Greek and Moroccan plates sans the bread can be very satisfying.

Need more tips and advice? I do readings and energy healing. Check out my menu for more options and talk to your archangels.

Health & Fitness: Changing to Healthier Food Choices

habits

Many times clients will ask me how they can change their habits so they could eat healthier.  I was able to change my eating habits over the years from fast food & sugar to eating mostly whole vegetables and protein during the day. To get to this point it took a lot of research, trial and error, and reading books from those that succeeded before me. healthier food choices, healthier food choices, healthier food choices

We use habits to avoid timely and stressful decision making as well as to conserve willpower. Habits involve 3 things; a cue, the habit itself and reinforcement. An example of a cue would be when I used to get to the office in the morning I’d go to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee.  I found that milk products can make me tired, coffee adds acid to the stomach which makes me feel hungrier and caffeine can make me anxious so I wanted to change the habit of having caffeinated coffee in the morning.  In order to change a habit, change one part of the cycle of cue, habit and reinforcement. To change all 3 might be too much of a shock to the system and you may resist the change because the mind may perceive it to be too much change at once. In this case, the cue was I got to work and wanted to get my cup of coffee. While I kept the cue and reinforcement, I changed the habit from getting coffee to getting mint tea, which was caffeine free and milk free. The other change to habit I could do is getting decaf with soy milk. Then the reinforcement was the enjoyment of my cup of hot beverage. You can use this strategy to slowly change your unwanted habits to more desired ones. Make sure that what you do exchange your habit to is acceptable to you, such as I like mint tea but not everyone does. Make sure that your reinforcement is still acceptable to you otherwise the change may not last long.

If you want to eat when you get home every night, change one thing about that process, such as peanuts instead of chips. If you eat cookies at midnight, change it to popcorn instead of cookies. Whatever the change is make sure that it is acceptable to you so that the change is not too drastic and try to do them one at a time instead of changing all your unwanted habits at once. Sometimes you may transition from one food to another.  For instance, I wanted to change from having so many burgers and fries to more salad.  To change right to salad with no “bridge” from burgers would be difficult, so what I did was I would put everything but the bun on salad, preferably spinach as spinach is a diuretic (lose water weight) and an appetite suppressant.  Then over time you will get used to the idea that burger salads, cheesesteak salad or even pizza salads (remove the topping and put on spinach) can be as satisfying for lunch or dinner.  Then you can transition from there to salads with less cheese or more healthy protein (chicken, fish, vegan alternatives) once you are comfortable with the new routine.
It may take some time to change every habit you want to change but it is possible.  The key is to be kind to yourself, understand the psychology such as change one thing at a time to avoid resistance, know what is an acceptable alternative for you and give it the time you need. You may have been reinforcing some of these habits for decades, like eating once you came home from school turned into eating when you came home from work.  You may need more than a day or two to change a habit that has been reinforced over the years.

Some fast notes:

  • Eat spinach, apples or applesauce with no added sugar, pineapple and green beans as they are diuretics (lose water weight) and are appetite suppressants. They have more fiber to slow the digestive process.  They make you feel more full.
  • Increasing hot water or tea intake during the day will help you to feel satiated and get more water in your body.
  • If you just downed a whole bag of chips and want more, really what you are is thirsty.  Take two pints of water “like a pill”, in other words drink them quickly rather than sip.  This will help you to feel full and restore your “sanity”.  Same thing after alcohol.
  • Salt, fat and sugar can create a reaction where your brain and stomach stop telling you that you are full (where did that bag of chips go?).  If you ever detox fully from these items you will know what I mean, your satiety can be restored and you feel full eating less whole food.  Over time try to reduce these and be aware that chips and sweets have an affect on your brain that cause you to crave them more and remove your satiety.  Same goes for artificial sugars.  It helps to be aware so you can make better choices in the future.

Best of luck!

Need more holistic advice or a reading with your archangels? Check out my psychic readings page for rates, they start as low as $15.

Good reads:

“The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg

“Willpower” by Roy Baumeister, John Tierney

“The end of overeating. Taking control of the insatiable American appetite.” by Kessler, M.D. David

healthier food choices, healthier food choices, healthier food choices

health and fitness, health and fitness,health and fitness,health and fitness