Savor the Success - The Premium Business Network for Women Entrepreneurs.

Part of the joy I get from working with powerful, trailblazing women entrepreneurs and professionals like you is that I get to witness you breaking down old, aging paradigms that are no longer working for you in favor of defining and building new ways of being and bringing your brilliance to the world.

I have the privilege of being invited into your lives and, by being the observer, I can connect the dots that you yourself may not be able to see. I see you at your bravest and at your most vulnerable, the two states in which you often coexist.

You're at a crossroads as you shake off the leftover "shoulds" and the stale grasp of an excessively masculine corporate culture mindset that's past its prime, sometimes taking steps before knowing for certain whether your next step will land safely, or where.

I also get you, as I was and am, just like you, navigating the same steps, sometimes a few steps ahead, sometimes not. There are always more layers to go through as you - as we - gr [...]

"I'm lactose intolerant."

I hear it a lot. But here's a news flash:  you may be one of the 80+ % of people who think they're lactose intolerant but in fact have a more significant issue going on with dairy. Here's the scoop:

Lactose intolerance is due to an inability to digest the sugar (lactose) in milk. It is an enzyme deficiency which may be alleviated just by taking extra enzymes (lactase) if you choose to continue including dairy products in your diet. And, sometimes, your body can correct itself after a period of eating and being exposed to dairy again, ideally starting with the highest quality version available (e.g. raw grass-fed dairy products or organic, at a minimum). As with any disruption-causing food going into your body, it's important not to push it too far, however, so that you don't overly distress your body.

Allergies or general intolerances/sensitivities (which differ from one another in how they manifest and in how they are identified) are inflammatory r [...]

For years I cringed at the word "structure." I felt structure was boring. Stifling. For old people. Can't make me do it.

And now structure is my best friend. My, how times can change.

For you, as a busy woman entrepreneur who has a lot to juggle, structure can become your best friend too. Let me count the ways:

* Spending 15 minutes every Friday evening or Sunday afternoon planning your weekly menu and grocery list will save you at least 202 minutes a week (not scientifically verified)  of "OMG, what am I going to prepare tonight when I need to keep working / change diapers / go to the school play / talk to my significant other or I don't want to / don't have time to think / don't want to eat the same thing as I did last night / really shouldn't have frozen yogurt for dinner / don't have this ingredient on hand?"

* Scheduling  your exercise at the same time each day or, for e.g., weekly for those yoga classes with your favorite instructors, with the commitment you normally re [...]

So, Savories. I've heard from a lot of you:  "How do I motivate myself to exercise?"

When we're busy, bogged down with details and competing priorities, too stressed out, too frazzled... it's easy to push exercise aside to another day... and then to another day... until it never really happens.

The irony is that when you do exercise, you will:

1. Become more resilient to stress.
2. Be more productive, so even if you have to "carve out" time to move, you'll get more done in the time you have left.
   
3. Enjoy more natural energy, which begets more motivation to move.
4. Reduce cravings.
5. Strengthen your immune system.
6. Slow down the aging process.
7. Have more balanced blood sugar levels = reduced risk of diabetes, weight gain, cravings, mood and hormonal balance issues.
8. Protect against cancer.
9. Reach your healthy weight level much more easily and sustainably.
10. Get rid of toxins more easily and thoroughly.

And please don't feel like you have to train for a marathon, sweat like crazy, a [...]

We all have them:  your food excuses. For when you indulge in habits you know deep down aren't good for you.

Here are some I hear all the time:

"But it's only one cup." (for coffee)

"But it tastes so good."

"But I'm so good the rest of the time."

Excuses usually mask over more important things such as denial, lack of self-worth, mindless eating, or emotional eating.

And sometimes, it's really not an excuse - it's just the real reason why you mindfully choose to have a food or drink because you are doing so on purpose, having made a conscious choice.

What's your excuse?

We go around looking for the holy grail of "work-life balance," and fail to find it again and again. It's fleeting at best, it's the promised land that seems as far away as ever as we paddle furiously towards it, trying so hard to make it happen.

We think that, if only we did things "right", we could have this magical equilibrium between our personal and business lives. One that makes us and everyone around us happy.

By definition, however, balance is a state of micro-adjustments, not a single, perfect, static state that you can hold indefinitely.

Try this: stand on one foot, close your eyes to really tune in, and try to stand still for as long as you want. Impossible. Even if you're able to stand erect, notice how the 20 muscles and 26 bones in your foot are clamoring to hold you so. Your brain, at the same time, is sending 10,000s of commands to do the same.

Life changes all the time. And  - news break! - there's no real separation between "personal" and "business", is ther [...]

This is a time of profound change. Do you feel it?

The upheaval, the angst. The metamorphosis, the healing. Pain. Relief. Agony. Ecstasy. 

There are always two ways to tell any story, sometimes in diametrically opposed ways.

There is always balance in the plan, but at times – especially in difficult times – we must be willing to be vulnerable and receptive to actually see this balance.

The most important thing you can do is to decide:  How are you going to tell your story?

Are you going to CHOOSE to be the victim? One who is at the mercy of others’ opinions and actions and rules (even when you know it’s not right for you)? One who is a mere observer in your own life, letting others shape it for you, so you just drift along doing what you “should” be doing (because that is just easier than rowing like crazy to chart your own course)?

Or are you willing to accept responsibility that you have the power to DECIDE how to react, to take control of your thoughts and actions, to ta [...]

In this post, I continue to offer you my take on the recent “official” USDA dietary guidelines, released as a joint effort between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Simla's Take # 3

Dietary Guidelines say:
Avoid oversized portions.

Simla says:
Great advice! The U.S. is notorious for big portions. But to help resolve this issue I think more guidance is needed. Eat in relation to your own body type. If you are eating meat, try to have a portion that is the same size and thickness as the palm of your hand. Also, serving sizes usually come in the form of measurements like cups, but for most people it’s hard to understand cup sizes. A better model is to think in terms of a food you already know. So for carbs like rice or sweet potatoes, you can eat about the size of a small apple. With fats, you want to have anywhere from a teaspoon (a drizzle) to 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil or other healthy fats on your whole plate, inclu [...]