Breast cancer -- it's just a cosmic 2X4

Whenever we don't learn from the lessons life presents us, we get another chance. Situations and people show up to help us on our way. Resist or avoid the lesson, do a geographical cure, or insist on standing in a place of victimhood, blaming something "out there" for what's happening to us, and guess what? The lesson keeps re-appearing. And it intesifies to get our attention. It's no accident. It's your current life lesson. Learn it and move on, or it will amplify and come back as a cosmic 2X4.

Because I'm a breast cancer "victoria" (some people call themselves survivors, some claim to be victors, and I'm a female victor, so that makes me a victoria), people often invite me to speak for breast cancer fund raisers and to walk in solidarity on breast cancer walks. I seldom do it because while I think it's noble to raise money to fund research, I'm far more interested in a much larger perspective. The fund raising tends to focus on "fighting the fight for a cure" and in my experience it tends to involve a good deal of hand wringing, weepin' and wailin', and generalized focus on the problem.

What I know is that we can't solve the problem at the level at which we created it.

Now what does that mean in terms of breast cancer?

The cosmic 2X4 message is to wake up to our own good, to release the illusion of anything "out there" creating the problem. The reality is that we create it and it's a form of self destruction.

I have two recommendations for sources to explore on this topic.

First, check out what Louise Hay says in her classic book You Can Heal Your Life about the meaning of breast cancer and what it represents when it manifests.

Second, my accountant, who is a spiritual man, recently recommended Feelings Buried Alive Never Die by Karol K. Truman. Since I have it right at hand I'll quote what she lists as probable feelings causing ill-ness or dis-ease manifesting as cancer of females organs:

• Repressed anger (usually at male authroity figures)
• Feeling an emptiness in life
• Unresolved resentments
• Feelings of hostility being repressed
• Rejecting the self
• Feeling of despair
• Feelings of lonliness being repressed
• Poor relationship with parents
• Inability to cope with a traumatic loss
• Feelings of hopelessness/helplessness being repressed
• Mental depression
• Holding on to deep anger, resentment, hate, revenge or jealousy
• Not open to "light" or divine help
• Subconscious death wish

We can't afford any of these if we want to be truly well. One thing that is especially good about Truman's book is that she offers ideas for how to free ourselves from the self-imposed, limiting thoughts that create dis-ease.

It's our pygmy selves that keep us in thought patterns that require cosmic 2X4s like breast cancer to get our attention. Let's recognize it for the gift that it is. If we miss the more subtle versions of the lessons, we can be sure to get the cosmic 2X4 version. It's still a gift.

More on the pygmy self another day. All that's really important anyway is to wake up to what's really going on and BE that knowing, loving life from broader perspective.

Discover Edwene Gaines

The joy of beautifying North America one waistline at a time

It feels great to be in alignment. Do you agree?

Is the work that you do in alignment with what your beliefs and your passion? From broader perspective are you making the contribution you came here to make? Or are you marking time, slogging along in the trenches, basically just trading hours for dollars?

One of my favorite things in life is "beautifying North America, one waistline at a time" with the Healthy for Life Program. Sometimes I pinch myself just knowing that when I'm working out I'm also working! Ditto for preparing and serving low glycemic meals, encouraging others, studying personal development, and doing other things I love to do to share the vision, like writing and speaking.

Okay, so I know not everybody likes all of that, but it's definitely what I love! I get to do all these things and it doesn't even feel like work! It's joyful. That's my tipoff that I'm in alignment with source energy.

And you?

The Law of the Lesser Pisser

One of my favorite Universal Laws is "The Law of the Lesser Pisser." It says that when you are faced with the choice between pissing somebody else off or pissing yourself off, ALWAYS piss off the other person. Now I'm not suggesting we all go around being as objectionable as possible, but I am suggesting that we be mindful of the choices we have in relationships.

Always be true to yourself.

If we are not true to ourselves first and foremost, if we do not take care of ourselves first, we have nothing to give to others.

And the consequences of pissing ourselves off? We get out of alignment with our highest good and miss opportunities meant only for us. We miss the point of our own particular lives. We live in dis-harmony and dis-ease.

Check out Feelings Buried Alive Never Die… by Karol K Truman for coverage of the consequences. The number of dis-eases related to bottled up feelings/unexpressed true feelings is staggering.

Let the true you shine through. Be well, stay aligned with your highest good, and practice the Law of the Lesser Pisser.

Release the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. within you

Week 8 in Marc David's book The Slow Down Diet focuses on 'The Metabolic Power of the Sacred.' I'm totally in love with this book.

In speaking about being infused with the Divine, he says "... the more faith you have, or the more you exercise faith, the more faith molecules accumulate and build in your blood stream. The metabolic substance of faith activates core organ systems such as the heart and brain and exerts its effects throughout the body -- effects as simple as invigorating and healing or as profound as releasing the Mother Teresa or the Martin Luther King Jr. within." (p 162)

He is a visionary. Get his book and give yourself over to it. Read about him at www.marcdavid.com.

New Meaning to the term "Ugly American"

I am FLOORED by data from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) re overweight and obesity in the US.

Here's the scoop, directly from the CDC site (http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/faq.htm):

What is the prevalence of overweight and obesity among U.S. adults?
Results of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 1999–2002 indicate that the following percentages of U.S. adults are overweight or obese:

An estimated 30 percent of U.S. adults aged 20 years and older - over 60 million people - are obese, defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher.

An estimated 65 percent of U.S. adults aged 20 years and older are either overweight or obese, defined as having a BMI of 25 or higher.

This is UGLY! It's a problem of epidemic proportions! And we can do something about it. Not dieting. Diets are short term solutions for long term problems. And many of them are simply not balanced. That's why I recommend the USANA RESET program, particularly within the context of Dr. Ray Strand's Healthy for Life Program, which uses RESET to kick start a 15-month supported and guided plan for making healthy life choices (with the side effect of permanent weight loss).

If you're one of the 2/3 of Americans with a weight problem, start with RESET. Try it for yourself -- and see what a wonderful difference it can make for you.

Let's make America BEAUTIFUL!

It's a Cultural Thing

But we ALWAYS have a cookie swap at Christmas. But we ALWAYS have stollen (or plum pudding, panettone, buñuelos, bûche de Noël, or whatever it is in your tradition)! We couldn't have Christmas without that!

I heard this a lot over the holidays. And my answer? You're right! As long as you believe you have to have whatever that traditional food is, that's the way it has to be.

And let me ask you this: is that really the truth? Does it serve your highest good? Or is it just a mindless pattern that you're carrying on and on and honoring as tradition? In other words, are you or are you not mindfully choosing?

Be aware of your cultural traditions. Keep the ones that are healthy and chuck the ones that are not for your highest good. Truly there’s no percentage in sticking with “the way we do things” just because they’re traditional. If they’re not in your best interest, give ‘em the heave ho!

Studies show that Americans gain as much as 10 lbs. over the holidays. Maybe you're one of them. If so, think about pressing your body's RESET button now. Why not? There’s no time like the present. (Unless you're in Sumo training, of course.)

You deserve to be vibrantly healthy and magnificent! Let's get you going!

A Plan for the Rest of Us

Yesterday I painted a picture of The Sumo Life. Today let's look in the opposite direction -- for a way that NON-Sumos can be fit and trim, vibrantly healthy people. My answer to you is the USANA 5-day RESET program -- to kick start a new YOU!

Fundamentally here's what's required: Eat 5-6 low-glycemic USANA meal replacements/snacks each day, take the USANA nutritionals, and exercise moderately.

How hard is it to never go hungry, feel great, have more energy, and have greater focus and concentration?

Dr. Tim Wood and Dr. Ray Strand, along with USANA researcher Tony McKinnon and others, developed a sensible, easy-to-follow plan of which RESET is the beginning. Thy tested it in two standard clinical trials, which you can read about at http://www.releasingfat.com. It's about getting back on track with your health and your weight -- and head off or reverse health problems that may be appearing in your life.

Of course, for many people, the first major concern is appearance. They’re not happy with the way they look, they’ve lost control of their waistline, and they look older than they really are. RESET can help. It’s more than just a matter of appearance, though. Yes, I like to talk about reclaiming waistlines. Inch by inch it's a cinch! And more than that, it's about getting help to make healthy lifestyle choices a day at a time. Imagine! A healthier new YOU! With the fabulous side effect of permanent weight loss.

Your body has a RESET button! Activate it and see how great you can look and feel.Contact me for more info. I've reclaimed my waistline -- without liposuction.

The Sumo Life

Let me paint a picture for you. I want you to think about Sumo wrestlers. You know, those enormous Japanese wrestlers who look like oversized babies in diapers? Their intention to build up enormous weight – the more the better! Follow their lead if that's what you'd like to achieve, too

Otherwise check your standard behaviors against what it is that they do, and think about modifying some things. Read on -- I have a specific suggestion for you, too.

The Sumo pack-it-on Plan:

Skip breakfast (Sumo wrestlers do this because they train hard for 4-5 hours in the morning and can’t do it on a full stomach) Not only does skipping breakfast trigger overeating later in the day, it can cause a 5% drop in metabolism.

Eat just 2 meals a day. Research indicates that eating one or two big meals a day makes your body more prone to hoarding fat compared to eating 5-6 small meals a day.

Eat huge volumes of food – like those supersized American-size servings. Konishiki, the Hawaiian-born Sumo champion, routinely lunched on 10 bowls of stew, eight bowls of rice, 130 pieces of sushi, and 25 portions of barbequed beef. And still have room for desert.

Another famous wrestler, Takamisugi is reported to have been able to down 65 bowls of stew (with 29 lbs of beef) in a single sitting.

Drink lots of beer. Not all of them do this, but since alcoholic beverages tend to help deposit fat around the middle, it helps sumos to be more stable in the ring.

Take a 3-4 hour nap after every meal. Conserve as much energy as possible so that most of the food you eat is deposited as fat.

While Sumos are big celebrities in Japan, their lifestyle has its costs. They generally retire from competition at about 30, and because of the burden of the extra weight they’ve been carrying, in retirement many suffer from health problems including heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, liver problems, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and arthritis. Their life expectancy is 10-20 years shorter than other Japanese men.

Tomorrow I'll give you a plan for the rest of us.