WORK IS

·        Getting a steady income

·        Exercising to stay in shape

·        Getting better at Chi Kung

·        Meditating to calm the mind

·        Publicising classes and clinics

·        Keeping a blog

·        Maintaining videos

·        Maintaining networks

My visit to an Astrologer

I met with Astrologer Mavis Klein this week for a consultation.

From her background as a counsellor and psychotherapist Mavis has a presentation style which encourages reflection and she has a way with words which I found stimulating and inspiring.  Simply in terms of reflecting on the past and wondering about the future I found the session engaging and I left the consultation feeling upbeat and with a more creative as well as positive state of mind.

I was presented with charts on my date of birth, the previous year and the coming year – as well as detailed summaries of all the transits for last year and 2011-12.  She was able to explain the motion of planets with these in a very animate way so that I had an impression of movement and change rather than of something which is static.  And if change is inevitable then why shouldn’t it be positive?

From a non-astrological perspective I found the process of thinking “this is me .... this is what’s past ... this is what my future could be like” helped me focus on myself as learning from experience rather than simply being affected by it.  Especially as the whole context of the consultation was in terms of relationships, with others, career, ideals and myself.

From an astrological perspective I like the idea of exploring that things can happen in cycles, and especially that some cycles are especially long.  If patterns are likely to repeat then do I want to?  Or would I rather change my behaviour or my attitude?  I could sense systemic and Transactional Analysis models fitting in quite nicely at this stage.

Mavis looked very closely at long-term transits, and one product of this was that I started feeling that ay phases I was going through would take time.  I found that I was rediscovering my patience, and that Mavis’ wit and humour was very encouraging.

My meeting with Mavis was the first time I’ve experienced astrology as a time for reflection and orientation, and I can see how doing this regularly would be more beneficial than a single consultation that simply confirms “what I’m like.”

Mavis has a very engaging website at www.milkywaybooks.co.uk

Monkeyandtiger-chi: Shiatsu Offer at Tao Dao this Thurs 11 only

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Cholesterol Diet

Geoff’s Cholesterol Diet

Took advice from my GP from 3^rd June to lower my cholesterol.  More as a matter of principle I wanted to see how I could lower my cholesterol in 3 months – when I will be tested again.  And I want to show that there’s no need to get into the statin discussion.

So, I’ve based a diet on what I could glean via Google (bless!).  Some of the accounts are confusing, claiming the same effect twice or seem to be statements of faith – which I’ve only taken into account if I like the food, as long as they don’t appear to do any harm.

Principles

It looks like there are 4 areas to attack cholesterol

·         Don’t eat saturated fats.

·         Eat soluble fibre that soaks up saturated fat in the gut

·         Eat foods that prevent re-absorption of cholesterol and bile from the intestine

·         Eat foods that produce “good” cholesterol or other chemicals (possibly anti-oxidants?) that wash away “bad” cholesterol from the bloodstream.

Plant sterols are ok.  They are what’s produced by soluble fibre to dissolve saturated fat (I think).  But it looks as if they are better taken with food(?) so swigging a pseudo yoghurt on the way to work probably isn’t too helpful.

To get rid of cholesterol you REALLY need to eat a LOT of soluble fibre – so some sort of plant sterol is going to be helpful to most people.

Hard Rules

What

Why

Eat oats 1-2 times a day Eat brown rice 1-2 times a day Eat chick peas with every savoury meal Eat 1-2 apples every day Eat 1-2 raw carrots every day

Very good for soluble fibre that disposes of saturated fat when it’s in gut. There might be something else in oats that works in the bloodstream too. Like oats this is a great source of soluble fibre.  And there is probably something else in brown rice that works in the bloodstream All pulses have loads of soluble fibre, but chick peas are one of the best, and they do appear to have something else in them that works in the bloodstream One of the best sources of soluble fibre, especially the peel Apart from being another first rate source of soluble fibre they also have something in them to work in the bloodstream.

Snack Rules

What	Why
Eat 1-2 handfuls of almonds per day Eat 1-2 handfuls of walnuts per day Eat apricots Enjoy any other fruit	Soluble fibre and Omega 3 Soluble fibre and Omega 3 (fortunately I don’t have to worry about calories) Possibly have something that works in bloodstream

 Flavourings

What	Why
Eat 2 cloves of raw garlic with savoury meals Use cinnamon with cereal etc Eat/take antioxidants/vitamin c Drink green tea	Garlic does loads of things in the blood system Cinnamon does loads of things in the blood system May help clear blood system Antioxidants

 The effects so far after one month (3^rd July)

My weight has dropped by 10 lbs in just over 4 weeks. BMI is now 25 JAnd I seem to have done this by eating constantly – trying to get enough soluble fibre.

I’ve learned to be a lot more creative with food – thinking about will help things to taste nice – and have been having a very varied diet – with lots more nutrients in it.  If you ask yourself “what makes brown rice taste nice?” the answer tends to be green vegetables and balsamic vinegar not a pork pie J

Someone asked me if the diet was boring.  I haven’t found it so.  More interesting than my usual Panini.

If you eat a lot of soluble fibre then you eat a lot of insoluble fibre too.  I’m guessing but I think maybe this has meant that my colon has had to do a lot more work – and if you think of this as a muscle then maybe it’s had a good workout – as I just feel stronger in my abdomen and that I’m standing better without slouching.

Skin tone seems to have improved too – I think because I’m eating a lot more good grain

Another 2 months before my next blood test – so it’s going to be interesting.

One thing I’m worried about is that I don’t want to lose much more weight.  I might need to start eating something bad for me just to keep the weight on.  Interesting.

And my poo has changed a bit.  If I do eat a larger quantity of saturated fat then it might be a bit slimy (?) I'm not sure.  Otherwise very satisfying and regular :) 

What I haven’t eaten this month

While being so healthy and eating so much – there are quite a lot of things I haven’t eaten, so here’s an approximation of what I’ve missed out on (hence the weight loss I suppose).

25 Croissants, 15 Lattes, 3 lbs cheese,15 yoghurts, 2 Pork Pies, ½ lb Bacon, 3 bars of  Chocolate, 1 litre Ben and Jerry’s, 3 packets of biscuits, 20 Coffee Bar Sandwiches, 1 Fish and Chips, 2 large Packets of Crisps, 10 bowls of Pasta, 2 Pizzas

And I don’t really seem to miss it.

 We'll see how things go next month - but as diets go this has been a real buzz and I don't feel deprived at all.

Geoff Hogan

3^rd July 2011

Monkeyandtiger-chi: Lose weight with Food Combining

Monkeyandtiger-chi: Lose weight with Food Combining: "How food combining helps me lose weight. Whenever I take up food combining I easily lose 3-5 pounds in a month without any hardship.I don’t ..."

Lose weight with Food Combining

How food combining helps me lose weight.

Whenever I take up food combining I easily lose 3-5 pounds in a month without any hardship.

I don’t apply the rules too harshly.

Basically - most of the time I don’t mix protein and carbohydrate.

This means I eat ....

Protein and vegetables

Or

Carbohydrates and vegetables.

This means I eat a lot more vegetables – so I’m getting a lot more nutrients.  And I eat like a horse.  I do find I need to snack in the day – so I keep a stack of oatcakes and rice cakes on hand – and some fruit.  And binge on chocolate once a week.

I don’t think there’s anything mystical or clever about this.  I probably just eat a lot more vegetables in greater variety.

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