What is Autophagy?

Priya Khorana, PhD, in nutrition education from Columbia University explains that autophagy is the body's way of cleaning out damaged cells, in order to regenerate newer, healthier cells.  “Auto” means self and “phagy” means eat. So the literal meaning of autophagy is “self-eating.”

On the cellular level, autophagy is already occurring. It is a significant part of healthy cell function. Autophagy removes and disassembles dysfunctional and unnecessary cell components that can trigger illness. In fact, many studies have found that it can control inflammation, combat infectious diseases, and boost your immune system. 

If autophagy makes the body’s mechanisms more efficient, then would it increase my lifespan? Although there is a connection between self eating and longevity, research is mounting to show the benefits. 

Let me list a few….

- Gives your digestive system a break.

- Over time, intermittent...

Did you ever play hide and seek?

It was my favorite game as a child

Laughing and hiding 

Until someone would find us in the darkness or light

I have found that game has continued through my life without my awareness

How do we hide ourselves from being seen

On this Monday I came across this quote

“All creatures are merely veils under which God hides Himself”

                Martin Luther

It made me think of the veils we hide ourselves under

The idea of being perfect, joyful always, superwoman or man

When the reality is

Our life is full of ups and downs

Twists and turns 

That either destroy us or teach us

Reeling in anger or surrendering in pain

Praying for guidance and love

It is in these moments that I find myself

My path back to letting go and trusting

Behind the veils of my ideas

Live the beautiful grace of God, the universe, angels and guides

It doesn’t matter what we name...

I am fascinated by aging.

I never thought about getting old until it started to happen

A wrinkle here, a crows feet there

All I wanted was more time

Because when aging rolls in, you begin to truly value time

My focus became finding better health and living a life that inspires me

So slowing aging became an obsession

This explorer in me became an avid researcher

What about you?

Do you ever wonder why we age or if we could possibly slow it down

Would you fight for a healthier happier life

For me this is a no brainer …. Uh, yea!

Which is why when I first heard about biohacking I was hooked

It was always clear that our body is a miracle

There is an incredible conscious intelligence working deep inside to keep us healthy

Our own internal defenses fighting every second on our behalf

Learning that there was a way to flip the lights back on inside my body

Was a simple resounding ….Hell ya!

Almost a decade later, I actually feel younger

More focused, more energized, more calm...

I am excited today to share my secret weapon. Something that helped me go from struggling to successful. This story started a decade ago, when the downturn in the 2008 economy looked similar to where we are right now. 

I was home raising our boys who were 10, 13 and 14 at the time and knew I wanted to help out. I wanted to find a way to do something. 

But I wasn't about to leave my life, leave our children and go back into the corporate world where I had started my career  and sacrifice my freedom. I was praying for an answer and fortunately it showed up. The challenge was it wasn't in a package I understood or found acceptable. In fact, it was a network marketing company and being a corporate girl this was way outside my comfort zone. 

But I learned something that changed my life and gave me the power to help other people learn and change their life too. I also found a company I wanted to be a part of because I believed in their future. What the corporate...

Do it anyway….

Every day we move through life finding our footing

Praying for the energy and confidence we need to take the next step

Which is why all to often, even if we are not happy where we are, we stay stuck

Because change is hard in the beginning

Taking the first step is scary

Staying in the safe lane is easier

No risk of being wrong or failure

No risk of others criticizing or doubting us

No someone following up with an “I told you so!”

Misery loves company they say

Because if you stay stuck, it gives someone else  permission to as well

But that’s not you

You know you are destined to do more

You are here on this planet at this time for a reason

Finding your plan is fulfilling your destiny

So be confident in you 

Because confidence is your fuel for the first step

Success comes when you celebrate that moment and take the next step

Certainty comes when you find your stride

But none of these are possible without action

Energy is the mother of...

The first thing that pops into my head is my husband, our children and family are my everything.  They give me purpose and make me whole.  They fill my days with meaning.  But the fact of the matter is they are not my most important relationship.... the one relationship I commit 100% of myself to every day is..... ME

Our most important relationship is our relationship to ourself.  How you treat yourself is how you treat others.  How you talk to yourself reflects in how you expect others to behave towards you.  Your relationship with yourself is what reflects in the world as the movie of your life.  

Which is why my number one purpose every day is to be more present.  Our presence is the present we give to the world, to our family and friends and ultimately ourself.  Change your relationship with you....cut out all of the negative self-limiting talk and replace it with powerful "I am.." statements will reprogram your brain but also...

My dear friend Melissa @wisdomword11 shared a story today that I love.

When she was young and afraid of thunder and lightning, her mother would tell her it was actually angels bowling in heaven.  The thought of that makes me smile as it takes something we are afraid of and turns it into something that is fun.

This is the perfect metaphor for what we fear.  How can we reframe our thinking to look at what frightens us in a new light.  Today we are confronted with a universal fear caused by the pandemic and impact on the economy.  Will we be paralyzed in the fear of our mind pounding scary thoughts into our head?  Or will we choose to see how we have moved through times of uncertainty before in life and probably developed new skills and thinking that helped us be better.

We need to change.  We need to get of the hamster wheel of never enough.  Those are the crazy thoughts that keep us on the endless path of striving and stress that are not healthy for...

The first step is always the hardest.  

It’s a fact and not just an issue for you in your life, unless you let it be. The first step is the hardest because it’s new and stepping into the unknown feels scary.  

Why? Because it’s risky and we are risk averse to failure.  Why did we become so afraid to fall or fail?  Was it all the “Watch out!  Be Careful!  Don’t touch that!  You’re going to get hurt!”  Ok… That is a longer subject for another time…

Why do I ask you to think about taking that first step?  Because it is what I love to do.  I help people take the first step and help them see that it’s not hard, scary or fraught with failure.  It’s new and exciting and filled with possibility!

Here is what you DON’T need to know…

You don’t need to know where you're going to take the first step.

You don’t need to know how to get there...

I am grateful for every experience, bit of knowledge, every breath and word I get to write. This life is our journey to create and own. We all have stories inside of us. Make your life a hero's journey.

Choose to rise to the challenges and soar through the pain and fear that can cripple us. Dig deep and commit to find the lessons and stay in love and grace.

Here are my daily commitments to capturing 2020 vision which will inform your life moving forward.

Commitment - in order for change to happen you need to create a new behavior. It all begins with a decision and commitment to consistent time every day to look into your rear view mirror.

Reflection - grab a journal and look deeply at what emotions and thoughts come up. Search for the lessons this year brought and write them down. It is in our awareness, consciousness that patterns show up so they can be released

Breathe deeply - Without our breath, we would be dead. So it’s funny we didn’t learn in school how to master...

My heart is filled with the gift of time away in Utah visiting our beautiful natural parks and our feet connected to the incredible beauty of our planet.  I will hold in my heart the stars that filled the night sky as the Milky Way felt so close within our grasp. 

Getting back into the rhythm of life is an adjustment as I reset my consistency and practice.  But having a daily mindset is like looking over the canyons of Zion.  Something that reminds you of your power and purpose. 

My morning practice usually concludes with a simple request for guidance. Sometimes it is specific to something that I am trying to understand and sometimes just wondering what I need to be open to receive.  My first gift home was pulling the card, “The Power of the Untamed”.  I thought it was about the untamed beauty of nature we had just been witness to, but the words I read next brought me home.

“To be untamed is to be true to oneself, without...