holistic

Buying a gift for a man can often be difficult, especially when that man is your dad and you’re tired of buying him a tie each year. With Father’s Day right around the corner, however, you might be stressing about what to give, outside of the time you can hopefully spend with him. Here are 6 holistically minded Father’s Day gifts that might be received a little more enthusiastically than the same old tie or baseball hat–and with the added benefit of health.

Raw dairy, sprouted bread, cooked vegetables and organ meats might not seem like trending cuisines, but traditionally prepared foods are making a comeback, in part thanks to knowledgeable researchers and scientists. Catherine Shanahan, M.D., is one such researcher.

Traveling, whether for enjoyment or for work, can disrupt sleeping schedules and eating habits, and create more stress than we bargained for. I’ve been in airports where the only food to eat was a greasy Chinese buffet, and gone for two days straight without sleep due to cancelled and delayed flights; likewise, I’ve been on trips where I’ve had the opportunity to indulge in fresh, organic, local cuisine and slept for 12 hours at a time.

Organic, holistic living is becoming more popular with the rise of big-name grocery stores like Whole Foods, the increasing trend of weekly farmer’s markets in cities across the country, and through practices like yoga. Many of us watch what we eat, are curious about where our food came from and want to know how it was produced.

Today’s walk through Mother Earth’s Medicine Cabinet will lead us down a path to check out Pine Pollen. All pine trees produce this magnificent pollen that can be harvested or purchased at a health food store. The pollen is not actually pollen -- it is technically considered to be a form of seed. It isn’t packed with flavor but it has a light nutty taste.

I have a confession: I like bird watching. Actually, I love bird watching. You might be picturing images from the popular movie with actors Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson titled The Big Day, but in fact birding is enjoyed by people of all ages and genders. I was eleven years old when I first became interested in birding, and started by placing a suet feeder, meant for woodpeckers, on a tree that I could see from my family’s kitchen window. The first few days brought nothing more than an inquisitive squirrel.

Self-Healing: Master Your life

By Chris King

Master Your Life contains some great and exciting information on how to heal yourself through powerful energy healing techniques, holistic healing mechanisms and positive affirmations. This book will empower you with the ability and belief that you can heal yourself -- a chance to become the captain of your own ship. You will explore the idea of psychological, social and spiritual stability as a cure for your sickness.  

This self-help book offers

Certain activities might not seem compatible with yoga–heavy lifting, for example, or scuba diving–but yoga can help athletes of almost any sport improve their strength, flexibility, and mobility. Running, on the other hand, seems made for yoga. Runners don’t necessarily need the limberness of a gymnast, or the flexibility of a performer in Cirque de Soleil, but running does require enough flexibility and mobility to prevent injuries. 

It wasn’t until I started running (very) long distances that the need for proper nutrition became clear to me: I needed to reduce inflammation in my body and to do that, I needed to focus on anti-inflammatory foods. The Anti-Inflammation Diet and Recipe Book by Jessica K. Black, N.D., was the perfect guide, or so it seemed.

If you’ve never trained to run a marathon, you’re probably going to need a coach to learn how; likewise for learning how to swim, dancing ballet, trying gymnastics, or even dealing with finances. Why, then, don’t you have a coach for the biggest challenge of them all–life? Life coaches might sound like a gimmick but are rooted in a solid understanding of possessing a certain amount of experience or education.