Oh my! I can’t tell you how many times in our restaurant, I hear a customer saying that they would like whatever it is that I am eating. Especially the ladies. and especially the ladies in the 40 years old and older age group. If this is your first visit to my blog, Shangri-La Tearoom and Vegetarian Restaurant   ( a little plug for my other passion).

        It usually starts with;Question:” What can we get started for you today?” Answer: “I want what she’s having!” I guess what it comes down to is energy and vibrancy. And I have lots of it.  I have to have it. I run three businesses, manage 13 employees, I have a large family and many passions that I want to keep up with.

I am extremely mindful of my energy level. I think of energy stores like a great cup. When I keep my energy cup full, I’m good. Things go well and I am thriving. But if I let it go dry It is much harder to refill again. My light dims and I don’t feel radiant and it’s much harder to be my best self.

I love to be on my game. I love being around people and I love helping other people feel the way I do. But to do that I have to stay in charge of my energy. I will be the first to admit it isn’t easy once you reach your forties. So I thought I would share some easy steps that I use every day to keep my Energy cup full.

1. Get Plenty of Sleep

If you are having trouble sleeping this is a tremendous drain on your energy. 8 hours that’s final. Not less not more. try to shut off all the entertainment a half hour before bed. Read a not so exciting book for a few minutes to calm down and lights out. get to bed before midnight sometime between ten thirty and eleven is best unless you work a very early shift then go to bed earlier and set the clock for eight hours later. Remember that this is a training period if you have trouble it will take many nights to get on track. Calming Sleep from my company is wonderful . But don’t wait until right at bedtime or you’ll wake up to pee.

2. Breathe, Breathe, Breathe

Take deep breathes in and out slowly. Breathe in for a count of 4 and hold for a count of 7 and exhale for a count of 8 and repeat 4 times to start and increase when it becomes easy. This calms the sympathetic nervous system.

3. Exercise

I have to! That’s all there is to it. This is something that I have trained myself to feel and need everyday. It’s a habit that must be made. And if you do, the rewards are amazing! As we age we must maintain balance, flexibility, and endurance. But more than that, our entire physical being requires it to remain in top operating order. It does not mean spending hours in the gym or running. Studies show that maintaining fitness can be done in 30 minutes a day. I enjoy interval walking / running outdoors, yoga, hiking, canoeing, dancing (especially on the Tea Bar on occasion)

4. Drink Water

I sip water with lemon all day long. I don’t drink out of plastic unless I have no other choice. And I start first thing before anything else. Warm water in the winter and cool but not iced in the summer. Water is what we are mostly made of and when we get dehydrated things start breaking down. We get constipated and then the toxins start backing up. 8 eight ounce glasses a day is about right. but mainly just keep sipping.

5. Take a balanced multiple vitamin or other Supplement.

I have designed a super greens mix that really keeps me it tip top shape. There are just times when we don’t get the complete nutrition we should so its  important to fill in the blanks. Solid Gold Super Greens. Another Divine Lotus Tea co. product. I also love the doTerra Multi pak. And I take 2000 mg. of Ester C vitamin C.and a b12 because I practice whole food plant based eating. I am high energy most of the time and this combination works for me and supports my active lifestyle.

6. Laugh and be Creative 

Have fun! Whatever you do enjoy it. Be creative and learn new things. Be curious and explore your world. keeping high energy requires a rich life full of surprises and joy.

7. Eat a Whole Food plant Based Diet

This has changed my game. Eating plants and whole foods from the earth and avoiding dairy, meats, processed foods, sugar, most fats. I have made my life about teaching this way of eating to others who might be interested. It is that important to me. My body became more fit , sleep has been better, no joint pain for me, I can go farther easier and faster if I want. And my weight is the same as when I was in high school and I don’t have to moderate it at all. When you cut the crap the weight goes right where you should be.

Anyway those are the short versions and I will cover each section in more detail in other blogs.

Thanks for reading!