Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Blog!

We have a new home! Crazy Sexy Life!

2009-01-30T12:00:00.010-05:00

I am so excited to announce that our sparkly new blog/website and forum face lift is finally here! Crazysexylife.com is packed with goodies, including a goddess-filled Blog Posse, tons of enriching resources, rockin' videos, tips on going green and becoming a Veggie Vixen, and much MORE!

For moi, this launch signifies my shift from a Cancer Cowgirl to a "Prevention is HOT" cheerleader. The Crazy Sexy Cancer world has evolved into Crazy Sexy LIFE, where we can ALL learn, gab, and laugh together. There's no better time to devote my holistic-love-fire to a wider audience of health seekers. The blog is the center of this new world and it is going to be more active than ever!

If you are a "follower" of my blog, please be sure to update your blog roll, Google reader, rss feed, and other techno fancy stuff with our new blog feed: http://crazysexylife.com/category/blog/feed/.

Goodbye Blogger. Thanks for the memories. Hello NEW blog!

Come visit...Make it your home page...Have fun!

Peace & veggies,

Kris

Goddess Group

2009-01-28T09:01:00.008-05:00

Hi Happy Fasters!

So it's Wednesday again, time to flood, flush and FAST. This week I'm adding a little something to chew on - well, not exactly.

At Jivamukti, (my yoga school) we always offer our practice to something or someone and each month there's a different focus. The focus could be on "ahimsa" - the foundation of the yoga practice - on joy, meditation, it can even be something like gossip (who doesn't need to work on that!). When I focus my attention I get really grounded. Spiritual life takes work and my mind is a terrible thing to waste - especially on negative thoughts or delusional actions.

For all you glorious Goddesses out there, I'd like to offer a "Focus of the Day". If my focus feels right, swim in it. If not, create your own. Even if you decide not to fast with me, how about committing to a SUPER healthy day? Note: This is a comfort free zone so be willing to push beyond your voices.

Today's focus is DOUBT.

Truth be told, I was hoping a really soaring word would come to mind, something that invoked fire and inspiration. Doubt? Yucky. It's so yucky that it's right on target. I don't know about you, but I need to peel doubt down to it's teary onion core. Under my doubt lives fear, in my fear lives low self-esteem. "I doubt this or that will happen because I'm not good enough". Do you ever say those awful words to yourself? I know I do. Doubt is the veil that blurries my vision and blocks me from my dreams. Tragic.

So if I release my doubts what will happen?

1. I'll make it through the entire fast without cheating!
2. I'll get as much if not more work done because my mind will be sharper.
3. I'll honor and respect my body, remind myself that anything possible.
4. My manifestations will sprout and the job I'm waiting for will come effortlessly.
5. Joy will bubble to my surface like a fine champagne and I will drink it down.

What are YOUR doubts and what will happen if YOU release them?

So now that we have a focus, let's fast! Remember to set a schedule for yourself. 9 am, 11am, 1 pm, 4 pm and 6 pm work well for me. I drink about 16 oz of fresh, organic green juice at each sitting and then end the fast with some blended soup (all raw).

My soup is really simple: blend an avocado, cuke, greens, red pepper, cilantro - add braggs, 1 clove of garlic, a pinch of dulse and a pinch of cayenne. YUM!

Here's a great trick my husband created this week. JUICE PACKETS! Buy enough for the week, wash, and then separate each days portion into plastic bags. This way you're ready to go first thing in the AM. Takes a little effort but wow is it worth it!

Todays juice recipe: Dandelion, Parsley, Ginger, Cuke, Broccoli Stem, Lemon

You can make smoothies if juicing isn't an option - just keep em green!

I also drink lots of alkalized water with lemon, cell food (oxygen) and aloe to soothe my intestines. Natural Calm is a great product to help keep the pooper moving and grooving.

Now that Edward (my elliptical) is in my life, exercise is a daily affair. OH YES! YES! YES! Though our love is still so new, so fragile, our sessions are getting harder and deeper and more lusciously satisfying. For the past 3 days Oprah kept us going. Yes, we had a three some with Oprah! Well, not exactly. Today it's Louise Hay's movie, "You Can Heal Your Life". FAB! Lola enjoyed it too.

Peace & clarity,

Kris

PS. I blogged about supplements in last weeks fast group. Check it out before posting a question. XO!

Edward

2009-01-26T09:23:00.005-05:00

The Dawn of the Revolution...

Even though I swore I was going to join the gym - I didn't. The truth is I hate gyms. I don't like being stared at while bopping up and down on exercise furniture. Most people look at gym machines and immediately know how to use them. I look at a gym machines and see airplane crashes. The twisted metal intimidates me. Give me a yoga mat, put me into a pretzel, no problemo. Ask me to do cardio on a moving apparatus - game over. "Just a minute young-ish lady, (this is my inner voice chatting now) you made 10 New Years Resolutions and you've already broken 8 of them. It's nearly February, grab the reigns before your wild pinto gallops away".

My favorite therapist used to ask me whether I wanted to be right or happy. In this case - happy - and since my inner voice is always so annoyingly right, I gave up.

Enter: Craigslist. Enter: Edward.

This weekend, Aura (amazing mom), bought me a used elliptical for 300 clams. I named him Edward after my vampire YUM crush. Figured it's safer to ride this version of my teen heart throb! It's all very Mrs. Robinson but that's another story.

Edward is huge. I love him but he's freakin' me out a bit. The virgo in me protests. We have a pretty tiny house and I like/demand things to be "just so". In fact, I can't think straight when stuffs out of place or un-feng shui.

Prior to Edwards arrival I was convinced I had no space. The rebounder was fine, perhaps a stripper pole, but that's it! Then my lovely hubby said the magic words that unlocked the magic ah ha. "This is the year of your body. Don't look at it like an eye sore, see your elliptical as an altar. Put your feathers, lights and spiritual crap on it and move your damn ass!" DING.

In that moment I realized just how tightly my excuses grip me. I can convince myself of the craziest (unsexiest) things. Now I have NO excuse. Now I just have to MOVE. Sluff off the emotional barnicles and MOVE. Thank you mom, I love you Brian, welcome Edward, hello Barbie thighs, hello Madonna - I want to look like you when I'm 50! Scratch that, I want to look like you when I'm 40. MADONNA'S ass is going on my vision board. I LOVE Madonna.

See ya! Gonna go pound my new man... He he he...

Peace and an elevated heart rate,

Kris

Goddess Group Fasting Day!

2009-01-21T09:48:00.010-05:00

Hi people who are looking for a change inside and out!

What a GREAT day to start this national (perhaps, international) weekly re-boot mini-cleanse. So far I've cruised by all my favorite papers and internet hubs devouring as much Inaugural eye candy as possible. Yesterday was tear jerking amazing! We moved the office to our home and camped out in front of the flat screen. Each of us glued to the regal first family and the ground swell of love and hope that poured from the nation. Ahhh, inspiration.

So now we start anew by answering our president's call to service and participation. How I will participate today (in a small way) is by taking care of myself. Either I do it or someone else will have to in the long run. The same holds true for each of us! So with that, here's what I'm planning... GODDESS GROUP FAST DAY!

Daily Supplements:

Enzymes (Theramedix or Enzymetica or HHI brand)

Omega 3 (Lifes DHA)

D3 (Innate)

Vitamin C (Vita Synergy)

B12 (New Chapter B complex)

Chlorella (about 20 small tablets - Sunfood or HHI brand)

Probiotic - (Dr. Ohira's or Garden of Life Primal Defense)

Cell food & Aloe - I fill my large Kleen Kanteen with alkalized water and both of these products

Breakfast: (already consumed, YUM)...

7 am 10 oz water with lemon and herbal tea

9 am: 20 oz of cuke, celery, broccoli stems, kale, romaine, 1 pear, 1/2 inch of ginger

Mid Morning pick me up:

11 am: 16 oz Smoothie 1/2 avocado, coconut water, cuke, romaine, stevia (a wee bit of cacao or cinnamon), 1 cuke of frozen E-3 Live

Afternoon Delight:

1 pm: 16-20 oz Green drink - I need more groceries so I gotta go see what looks good at the store!

4 pm: 16- 20 oz Green Juice

Dinner:

6 pm: 1-2 cups of blended Soup (in my vitamix) - Avocado, cuke juice, spinach, 1 clove garlic, Braggs, pinch of Cayenne, sprinkle of dulse flakes.

Some of you may only want to consume juice. Great! Others may want to include a smoothie. Great! You can break the fast with some streamed veggies or a salad if a blended soup isn't an option. I used to be really strict about my fast days but I've lightened up a great deal. Do what works for you. The weekly commitment is what matters most (to me). Also, making sure I'm consuming plenty of liquids and nutrients in either juiced or blended form. 2 quarts minimum (that's 8, 8 oz glasses).

Fasting gives your body a rest from the enormous energy it takes to digest food, especially the ridiculous quantities we consume in this country! When our body isn't busy undoing the damage that we or the environment have done, it can focus on repair. YEAH!

Can't wait to hear your stories, read your recipes and flood and flush together. On that note, an enema or a colonic is in my future tomorrow - YIPPEE!

Peace and liquid sunlight,

Kris

New

2009-01-19T09:25:00.007-05:00

Happy Monday!

To say that last week was AWFUL is to put it mildly. I think I hit an all-time low and for about 24 hours I questioned whether or not I wanted to...

1. Saw off my fingers so I could never write again.
2. BLOW UP the forum.
3. Over dose on raw chocolate AND wine.
4. Trade sexual favors for I.T. expertise.
5. Sew a bucket to Lola's diarrhea infested ass.
6. Die my hair black and hit the highway - with CIGS!
7. Dust off my resume and send it to QVC.
8. Find a cult somewhere, join and buy some repressed flowered dress.
9. Shoplift at CVS - just a lip gloss, nothing big.
10. Go off the grid, live off the land, and NEVER pay my taxes or bills again. Bascially, embrace the warrants for my arrest. "BRING IT ON!" (Oh, thank God he's almost gone)

Ok, I know this all sounds a little dramatic but the truth is, I AM DRAMATIC and kinda extreme. My temper has been shorter than a wick on a candle. I even get mad at my angel cards! Keep pullin' good cards and yelling at them. In these times (and I know you've all been there) I literally have to have a come to JBEE (Jesus, Buddha, Elvis, ETC) with myself. "What's really going on here destruct-o-sassy?" Well, tons of things that I'm not gonna go into because I would literally fall asleep blogging. My problems are an excruciating BORE and I don't want to marinate in them.

So last night my dad told me to check out the HBO We Are One Inaugural Concert. HOLY SHITAKE! Now that was inspiring. It was just what the doctor ordered, a prescription to SNAP OUT OF IT! And so I did. It was that easy. I changed my mind. The cup is running over, spilling everywhere and making a beautiful poet mess.

Today is MLK day, tomorrow a new man, an inspired man, will be leading our country back to sanity and "Yes We Can". Obama is so cool he even earned a spot on my vision board. I placed him there to remind me to be diplomatic and to reach into the next universe. It's possible. All of it. Every dream. Possible as long as I see it, feel it, believe it, GO FOR IT.

I welcome the buoyant spring in my step and I'm gonna take advantage of it! Join the gym (yet again - but go this time), plan our Wednesday group fast (thanks RawFitMama for naming it THE GODDESS GROUP) and work on our new website with patience and gratitude.

I know why I've been a pimple, I want to be somewhere I'm not (yet) and I'm an impatient child about it. Growing up is sticky and sweet.

Peace and sunlight,
Kris

PS. Dear Martin Luther King,

Thank you for teaching me that thinking outside-the-box and going my own way, (no matter who wants to rip me apart) is righteous and HOT! I think that you are a mega-angel. And I am so lucky that you visited for a spell.

Fast-a-thon

2009-01-14T08:40:00.003-05:00

Hi Juice Vixens,

This is a just a quickie cause I have to go to the gyno this morning. YUCK! Cold stir-ups in the AM. HOW RUDE.

Anyway, ever since I left HHI I've been fasting once a week. FEASTING I should say and it has been wonderful, a total physical and emotional break from food. I consume tons of green drinks during the day and a blended veggie soup for dinner.

But I'm wondering, what's the LONGEST time you've ever fasted? I ask because I'm planning a LONG fast (God help me) and I'm hoping there are some coaches in my cyber following!

Thankfully my liquid experience will be supervised at a treatment center. Yup, I ship out Feb 1st and will be gone for a month-ish. More on THAT soon. But back to my question. Any Fast-a-thons out there?

Ps. Wednesdays are my weekly fast days. If you care to join me then I'll start blogging about it, I just figured it might be a snore.

Peace and liquid,
Kris

Lola's Weekend Update

2009-01-10T09:51:00.014-05:00

Woof!

This is me at my parent's office last week. I go to work with them everyday. Sometimes it's fun, sometimes it's REALLY boring. They spend way too much time staring at electric boxes with apples on them. It's weird.

My smother attacks me with hugs and kisses. I think that's GROSS. When she isn't looking I jump on the furniture and steal cookies from her coat pocket.

For the most part I bug people to play with me non-stop. I also guard the door, look for stuff to chew, rip the guts out of my stuffed animals, and bark at the UPS man. At lunch time I go to the dog park and get tackled by bigger pooches. I love it! Well, I love it when it's dry out. On rainy days my smother makes me wear a red raincoat which is dumb and embarrassing.

They gave me a job but I often sleep through my responsibilities.

Ok, I'm off for a walk in the snow...

Have a great weekend!

Peace & paws,

Lola

Community Check-in #2

2009-01-09T16:46:00.003-05:00

Its time to gab again!

Come on over to myCSL today from 5pm-8pm so that we can catch up. I can't wait!

Peace and chat time,

Kris

Twilight

2009-01-07T10:14:00.010-05:00

Happy Belated New Year All!

It's been weeks since my last blog, the holidays came and went (thank Goddess!), a new year began, and I've already broken most of my revolutions. Why? Because I have a new passionate LOVE now. I'm no longer human. I am a vampire (ok, a vampire wanna be). Yup, been bitten by the mania of the Twilight series thanks to my BFF Corinne who gave me the books for xmas. Damn her! DAMN HER! She warned me but I did not take her seriously. "Yeah, right, like I'm going to read all of that silly, mindless fluff written for teen girls who are dying to get laid by the Quarter Back?! Plus, have you seen how loooong those suckers are? I start writing my 3rd book this month, no way do I have time for this dumb drivel. I must study pH! Well, maybe I'll just read a few pages, so Corinne doesn't feel bad"...

BAM! Minutes turned to hours, turned to days, turned to weeks. I've had to put out a missing persons alert on myself. Where has the time gone? Why do I smell? Do I have any other clothes besides these tattered sweat pants? Who fricken' cares! Bella and Edward are my TOP priority - well, Lola too. The little pup does need to eat and crap, preferably outside the house. I'm 200 pages away from finishing the last book in the series, Breaking Dawn. It's almost over, I've read 2212 pages (yes I added them with a calculator) and now I'm panicking! Who am I now? What will I do with myself when the Vampires move on?

Now you know why I've been MIA. Sorry but it's been wicked AWESOME! I had planned to write a really inspiring "New Year, New You" blog on Jan. 1 - nope. Bella was in danger so as you can imagine, I had to blow that off. Thankfully my husband is delighted. He brings me juice and sometimes a bit of toast. He giggles and says "I have never seen you like this, doing something mindless, something that doesn't advance you or the cause". He's right. I spend way too much time on work and studying and obsessing about how to change the party and wake myself and others up. I spend little time on FUN. No wonder I broke all my resolutions! They were perfect, right, moral, and tight. Boring... snore....

My only resolution now is to lighten up. Well, there are a few others but they're really poofy. Quite frankly, I'm temporarily sick of bettering myself. The thought makes me vomit a little in my mouth and then swallow it back down.

Back next week. Hopefully, I'll be ready for my life by then. Who knows, maybe I'll have that "New Year, New You" blog after all.

Peace & BLOOD!

Kris

Christmas Shopping

2008-12-19T12:54:00.006-05:00

Hark how the bells!

Wow, it's hard to believe I've been back for a week and still haven't done a lick of prep for the ho ho. No tree this year, no stocking, no lights. Poopers. It just happened so fast! We did get a peace wreath though, check it out. What an awesome gift and the money goes to a great charity. Adopt-a-minefield Peace Wreath

Looks like I'll be hitting the stores this weekend. My list is pretty small, mom, dad, sis, Corinne and mom-in-law. Brian has been naughty so he gets nothing. KIDDING! He gets slippers (DO NOT TELL). What he really wants is an electronic drum kit but not this year. Those suckers are expensivo! Did ya'll know that he was in a hot band called The Jobes in his former (decades ago) life. Yeah, I even saw one of his shows in the 90's. I had no idea he was an editor till I was looking for someone to cut Crazy Sexy. The rest is history. Smooch smooch.

Anyway, if you're looking for some Crazy Sexy holiday shwag, our t-shirts finally arrived last week and they are WICKED COOL!

Crazy Sexy Cancer Goddess: for the rebelliously liberated lady adventuring through the little (annoying) "c". A great apparel choice while bopping to the oncologist, shimmying through support groups, the grocery store, gym, you name it. I had one made up for my appearance on "Stand Up to Cancer" and wow was it a splash.

For the button pushing anti-war, pro-health, spiritual wealth, and happiness fan why not don our "Make Juice Not War" slogan. Shooting disco stars sparkle on the front while our custom peace sign made up of veggies graces the back. It's sooo dig-a-lish!

Hope that gives you a few more shopping options. We'll be sending orders out this weekend, Monday and Tuesday.

Peace and organic candy canes,
Kris

Feeling fantastic!

2008-12-12T09:13:00.001-05:00

Hello sun sprouts!

Ok, day 5 with no tea (zoomy tea) and I feel great. Finally made my way into the wheat grass hut. Yum/yuck, I drank it down and shot it up, (in the nether region) ZOINKS! Felt a difference almost instantly, it's actually quite refreshing... he he he... Why did I wait till wed? Stubborn!

We fasted on Wednesday and though I thought I'd be hungry it was totally fine, well except for the emotional detox. I got cranky and my liver flared with a wee bit of anger and growls. Only one guest was injured.

Thursday morning - colonic at 7am - HELLO! Though it was glorious, the downside of living on sprouts is the (how shall I say) GAS! Good lorrrd. Digestive enzymes certainly help. They're also really great when you're eating any cooked food. I take them daily without fail.

But the best thing about yesterday was that I got to sit in with Anna Maria Clement and watch her do live blood analysis on the guests. REMARKABLE! There is no doubt in my mind that the terrain doesn't lie. Dairy, coffee, animal protein, sugar, drugs/chemicals - we saw it all. It inspired me like crazy.

Today I get to shadow Brian Clement (the big cheese). Gotta run!

Peace & Wheat grass!

Kris

PS. Looks at these gorgeous Sun Flower Spouts!

Greetings from Hippocrates!

2008-12-09T09:38:00.002-05:00

Hello grass drinkers,

Day 3 at The Hippocrates Health Institute and I feel like poo. That’s right, poo. At home I juice everyday, guzzle lots of water with aloe, cell food, & green powder, eat a mostly raw vegan 80/20 diet, and I sleep well - very well. Hmmm, clearly it’s not enough.

But let me be very honest, I love caffeine (I'd marry it) and I am a physical sloth (writing 2 books in less than 2 years will do that to you). That's right, I hate my sneakers. HATE. The laces are threatening. Most days I drink black tea instead of battery acid but either way I have a habit. I could drink green tea but it gives me the potential vomits. White tea is the best if you're doping. Yerba Mate is good too. NO caffeine is optimum. DUH! I pathetically try to convince myself that my daily 2 are fine, especially since my diet is so clean – NOPEY. Sooo here I am feeling the cold turkey, drill baby drill head throb, and cursing the Irish Breakfast. Oh, one more confessions – dark chocolate. I’ll leave it at that.

What’s the solution? Well, there are a few.

1. Suck it up and let the toxins move out slowly.

2. Get a colonic (Thursday).

3.Do the damn enema and implant that you are supposed to being doing twice a day but aren’t.

4. Drink the wheat grass that is delicious and ready for you. But for some strange reason you've been forgetting – yeah right.

5. EXERCISE! For Goddess sake Kris (yes I am talking to myself – babbling actually) EXERCISE! I swear it’s been months and this will not do. Forget CanSer – CELLULITE is a deadly disease and my left thigh caught it. Now I’m awake! Now I’m ready to move my lymph.

Yesterday began with a blood draw followed by live blood analysis. I knew my blood wouldn’t look great because I went on antibiotics recently for a nasty-mean wisdom tooth infection. Even so, my blood looked pretty awesome. There was a tiny bit of stacking but mostly lovely cells - well except for one itty-bitty-not-so-great thing – YEAST!

For fucker’s sake I have Candida. The beast, the bear, the nasty little jerks who require a 3-6 month of no sugar, grains, alcohol, choc etc to cleanse. This blows big time. I’m not surprised. Yucky confession: I have a few fungus spots on my back (which I blame on a damn dirty yoga mat). Is this too much information? Hmmm. Well if ya have it on the outside (that means you toe fungus people) then you have it on the inside. Clearly it’s time to schedule a cleanse. Luckily I have a huge inner adventure planned for January. I’ll be detoxing my little butt off in Arizona for 3-4 weeks. Major stuff but more on that later, I'm still in denial.

For now, it’s sprouts, green juice, water, wg, enemas, colonics, infrared sauna, salt pool, and EXERCISE. Hopefully I’ll get really inspired and bring this home with me on Sunday. It is pretty cool to watch people transform here. They take the classes, eat the food, blow out the toxins, feel like crap, cry and complain and then voila - the sun breaks and the smiles shine. More from the trenches soon.

Peace & yeast,
Kris

Community Check-in #1

2008-12-05T08:05:00.001-05:00

Hiya peaches,

We're trying something new on the forum today, a little community check-in. I'll be answering questions and opening up a big chat so stop by if ya can. Even if you don't want to join, there might be some interesting conversations to read (aka lurk).

I'll be blogging from Hippocrates next week. Kinda nervous to look at my live blood. Ya can't get away with anything there!

Hope all is swell.

Peace & chatting,
Kris

Community check-in conversation

Time with Family

2008-12-01T09:13:00.002-05:00

Hola Vegola,

How was your holiday weekend? Ours was down right wonderful(ish).

Brian's family came for a visit and I cooked the meal. At first I was wicked stressed. After all, it was the first holiday that we have hosted and it's been a long time since I've used the stove. I wanted my in-laws to LOVE the food and the festivities. I imagined a table full of happy healthy people chomping on boneless cuisine while mantra-ing "wow, that Kris is really something". But can you say salad? These days I'm only great at salad! Yet there I was making a traditional T day dinner with all the accouterments - vegan style? OIY!

Half way through the cooking process I started to melt down. "Holy SHIT, I have so much left to do and the clock is ticking!" I wanted wine, I wanted a dinner reservation, I wanted my mom! Unfortunately, my folks were out in Cali visiting my sister so I was on my own (well B-man helped too).

In the end it all worked out. Sorta. The dinner sucked but hey, it was my first time. OK, "sucked" might be too harsh. DRY. Now that's more like it. DRY AS A DESERT. Clearly I need more experience before writing a cookbook! Good Lord. What's a raw, 80/20 girl to do? Get over herself perhaps. Thanksgiving is about being grateful, it's about spending time with the ones you love and most important, clocking some serious time watching your flat screen! And that's exactly what we did, along with a few hikes, hugs and some noodling around town.

Check out Lola and her new pal Rocket (our doggie nephew) oh, and my sock.

Hope you had a lovely weekend! Can you believe it's December 1st already??!?!?

Peace & dry chestnut roast,
Kris

PS. I invited everybody back next year. I'm determined to blow their minds with vegan food and I have one year to get it together. :)

Vegan ThanksLiving

2008-11-25T09:02:00.001-05:00

Pumpkins,

This past weekend I had the divine opportunity to speak at The Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary's ThanksLiving event. Fun! Amazing! Inspiring! I love my animal rights pals and it's such a privilege to bridge our two worlds - health and compassion. Naturally, I spoke about the effects of a plant-based diet in the role of prevention and reversal of disease and then my BFF Rory Freedman (Skinny Bitch) brought it home with some real deal horrendous facts about what goes on in factory farms.

Jenny Brown and her amazing hubby Doug Able (WFAS Founders) blew our minds with the most delicious feast and a parade of ridiculously cute animal friends. Get this, the turkeys were the guests of honor and they looked gorgeous. So regal. So elegant. Think Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" but with white feathers.

The event really got me thinking about my holiday menu. Brian's family is trekking to Woodstock this year and since they are willing to take the leap and go veg for the weekend I want to make it extra special. But I keep going back and forth. Do I replace the traditional "meat in the middle" dish with a hearty vegan alternative (NOT TOFURKEY - damn that's nasty!) OR do I just make a bunch of little dishes and encourage my family to entertain the idea that a meal is complete without a main event?

Here's an option I'm considering sent by my new friend Gretchen. It's from some fancy vegan cookbook. I'm serving massive amounts of salad as well, but an all raw holiday? Nope, they definitely ain't ready for that (and either am I - pass the gravy!)

Chestnut Roast

Note: This recipe serves 4-6, so double or triple accordingly!

2 T Earth Balance
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 lbs chestnuts, peeled and roasted or three 15-oz cans whole chestnuts, or about ½ lb dried chestnuts, soaked and cooked
2 T parsley, chopped
2 T lemon juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
the equivalent of 2 eggs in egg replacer
a few fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
¼ c oil
dried breadcrumbs for coating

Melt the EB and sauté the onion and celery over moderate heat for 10 minutes until soft but not brown. Transfer to a large bowl. Drain the chestnuts and add to the bowl, mixing then mashing together well.

Add the parsley, lemon juice, egg replacer, and garlic.

The mixture should be soft but firm enough to form into a roll; add breadcrumbs as necessary, more if you’re using canned chestnuts. Season w/salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 400. Pour a little oil into a roasting pan and put into the oven to heat.

Form the chestnut mixture into a roll about 8 inches long, pressing it together carefully, then coat it well with the dried breadcrumbs.

Put the roll into the roasting pan and carefully turn it so that it is coated with hot oil.

Bake for 45 mins, until it is crisp on the outside, spooning a little more oil over the roll from time to time. Serve cut into slices with delicious gravy/gravies.

How about you? Any ideas for alternative holiday meal planning?

PS. Check our my girl Corinne with her hubs Steve and their new pig pig pal!

Whirled peas,
Kris

Puppy tooth fairy?

2008-11-19T10:55:00.001-05:00

Puppy people!

I nearly had a heart attack last night when 2 of Lola's teeth fell out and her mouth started to bleed. I immediately thought EMERGENCY ROOM! My child is dying! Her teeth will choke her as they continue to fall out throughout the night! She has a strange tooth canSer! Oh GODDESS!

Brian and Corinne both laughed at me (which I did not appreciate - until I started to laugh at me too). Is this normal? I guess dog babies are like human babies. It's all so new to me. I'm a cat woman. Cats don't lose their teeth or was I just oblivious?

I gave her some cool veggies to chew on and she went wild. Carrot and Kale shrapnel everywhere!

PS. How many of you are feeding your dogs raw food? How about kibble? We're about to introduce raw and I'm not sure how to do it. Help wise pooch people!

Peace and nervous mother,
Kris

Welcome Lola...

2008-11-17T08:20:00.000-05:00

Hello Crazy Sexy Pooch lovers,

Well, we finally did it! Brian and I adopted little Lola Rose. She was rescued from a kill shelter down south and given a second chance by the good folks at the Ulster County SPCA. Lola is half leopard dog, half pit bull. She is a wild woman! My child is actually brilliant, we call her Mensa sometimes (house trained her in 3 days), she loves long walks, destroying new toys, cuddling, licking, galloping through our house, pooping in our ferns, playing in leaf piles, getting massages and watching movies (she really watches). She hates The Dog Whisperer. For Shizzle, Lola barks and growls at Caesar. Crap, I love that show! I literally have to turn it off. We DVR Oprah for her instead.

Going home from the shelter... (how frickin' cute is her little freaked out face!?)

I think her ears look like Doritos and I need to bite them on an hourly basis. Making fart noise kisses on her belly is another totally satisfying activity. You all were sooo right! I just needed a little time to get over my loss. Nearly 6 months after the love of my life (sorry Brian) Crystal kitty died I was ready to dip my toe in with a little look. PS. Lola also loves to bark and poo on Crystal's grave. WTF?

Anyway, so off we went to the shelter(s) - total torture. How do you choose? There were and are so many perfect individuals. It's heart breaking. Brian and I visited every Sunday for 6ish weeks and then one day Lola arrived. End of story. We actually got her 2 weeks ago but with the election and a whirl wind trip to DC, LA, AZ, (ugh, just got back) I decided to wait on blogging about her arrival till my dust settled.

I love being a mom again! This is our baby album from day one. More to follow of course. Sorry, I could get gross for a while. Lola is way more fun to talk about than alkaline food or canSer.

She adores attacking brooms and rakes. Who wouldn't?

Peace & poochie,
K

YES WE DID!

2008-11-05T09:56:00.002-05:00

Tomatoes!

We did it! Not only did the rainbow of race, age, and creed storm the voting booths in record numbers to elect our very first African American healer-poet, philosopher, peacekeeper, maker of change, but thanks to the extraordinary efforts of animal advocates around the country, 20 million farm animals' lives will improve. Prop 2 was also passed!

Is it just me or do you feel empowered again? I woke up whole. I opened my green eyes ready to start a new chapter in my own life. If Obama can do it, what can I do? How far can I go? Where is the ceiling of personal potential or is there one?

Peace and tenacity. Love and righteousness. There is no better job than the job that allows us to serve humanity.

Right?

Wow!

How do you feel today friends? Surreal? Cracked wide open, oozing sunshine and honey? Perhaps hung over? I am! Brian and I waited 2 years to drink an amazing bottle of champagne given to us by our Executive Producer at TLC. The card that came with the spirits read "to the start of the revolution".

You'd think we would have drank it the night "Crazy Sexy Cancer" aired on national television - a feat that few thought we'd accomplish. "Cancer? On TV? Funny? No one wants to see that, ratings will tank".

Yes we can! Yes we did! But still, we did not drink the nectar. Even though it took 5 long years to make and a whole heck of a lot of blood sweat and tears, we knew something bigger was coming.

That champagne tasted really sweet, really right and really HEALTHY last night.

Peace and pride,
Kris
xo

Please watch this important video before you vote today!

2008-11-04T08:27:00.000-05:00

See more Natalie Portman videos at Funny or Die

Peace & hope,
Kris

PS. All you Cali people, don't forget to vote YES for prop 2 today! Also, check out my fabulous friends at Freerange Studios informative video .

LOVE u!

How and where to vote 101

2008-11-03T07:39:00.001-05:00

Good Monday!

I've got two words for you... One Day! That's all we've got, one day. So here's a concept: let's vote... then volunteer. Contact your local organizers and see how you can help. Drive someone to the polling place who's in need, knock on doors, hand out fliers. And if you live in a swing state like Ohio, North Carolina, Missouri, and Pennsylvania - hustle baby hustle! Here are some voting basics:

1. Find your polling place by clicking here or calling 1-866-OUR-VOTE.

2. Voter ID laws vary by state, but always bring your ID!

3. Not on the list? Make sure you're at the right polling place, then demand a provisional ballot.

4. If voting by machine with paper record, verify the record is accurate.

5. Know your rights when you go to vote: http://truth.voteforchange.com/

6. Need legal help? Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE.

7. Your cell phone camera is a valuable tool for democracy. Record video of any problems and upload to watchdog sites. One of them is Video The Vote. You can also interview other voters who had problems outside the polling place - as long as you stay the legal distance.

Even Oprah had a hard time at the polls, gang. If you see something fishy, say something. Double, triple check that your vote was counted and that your choice was correct. Let's avoid the Gore debacle at all costs.

Good Luck Obama! I'm on Crazy Sexy Pins & Needles!

Peace and anxiety,

Kris

Wassup? Change!

2008-10-31T09:26:00.004-04:00

Hi Voting Vixens!

Remember the old Budweiser commercial "Waaaasssuuup?" In case you haven't seen it, here's a hilarious remake for our times... (this is my first embedded video - I feel so techy cool!)
Peace & Giggles,
Kris

VOTE!

2008-10-28T09:41:00.007-04:00

Greetings Gorgeous Citizens,

The part equals the whole. Regular readers know this is a big theme for us here, over at the forum, and more and more on the road with my public appearances. It’s been one of the most exciting and important awakenings for me to uncover the connections between our bodies and our planet – the health of one is inseparable from the health of the other. Yet there’s another essential dimension to this: politics.

Many of us glaze over when the topic comes up. What’s it got to do with me? There was a time when I believed this. Politics was abstract, wasn’t something I could hold in my hands. But then I got “sick” (major dot-connecting, wake-up call) AND married a progressive politics junkie! For the first time in my life I started to take another look around me – there’s nothing that hasn’t been molded by the invisible hand of politics. My body (farm, drug, healthcare policy, just for starters), how about the sleeves on my arm? (cotton? Wool? Eco chic bamboo? Trade, labor, and again, farm policy). My computer (how about Defense spending long ago that led to the internet?), even the thoughts I believe are my own (who gets to lease airwaves? what is “decent”? Janet’s boob: no. Bloodbaths: yes? This is all FCC policy). You get the idea.

We’re just a week away from one doozy of an election. Every few years we hear, “this is the most important election!” But right now, everyone I know has a gut-wrenching feeling that it’s really true this time. In one cool discussion over at the forum, people were recounting how they voted early with tears of hope and pride in their eyes. There’s something in the air this year, and it’s a beautiful thing.

I’ve been swept up in the drama of it all, following the tit for tat soap opera as the kindergarten candidates throw playdoh at each other. Brian and I obsessively check wonky websites with up-to-minute swing state tracking polls displayed in pretty pie charts. Palin’s expensive clothes! Snap! Zogby polls paint Ohio light blue this morning! Snap! It’s exhausting and boy am I ready for a techno-detox.

Next Tuesday morning Brian and I will walk a mile down the road to the firehouse and vote. It’s not only a privilege and an honor to vote, it’s our duty to vote smart. We owe it to each other to do our homework. I cringe and get depressed when I see people make these decisions on a “feeling,” or on rumors, gossip or sound bites. I see some uninformed ignoramous on TV and think, “who the hell let him open his yap and how on earth can that jackass’ vote be worth the same as mine?" (maybe even more, since he lives in Florida). This election is expected to see the highest voter participation in generations. This is amazing and yet I am on edge. We’re in a shit pickle no doubt.

The two most important issues to me personally are healthcare and the environment.

Healthcare, obviously, because of the little box I check next to the words “pre-existing condition.” My COBRA is running out. I won’t bother describing the state of our healthcare system in the US other than to say it’s a despicable, immoral, shameful mess. I believe a decent level of healthcare in a wealthy country is a “basic right.” But Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness just ain’t possible when your premiums and co-pays are going up twenty times faster than your income, and hatchet men in cubicles overpower your doctor and use loopholes to deny care when you need it most. On this issue, Barack Obama gets our vote. His underlying philosophy jives with mine, and his way of going about it makes sense. He sees prevention as a key part of keeping us healthy and coverage affordable. McCain, on the other hand, says he’s all for freedom of choice, but after 30 years of deregulation, we know exactly what that really means: we’re screwed. His little 5K gift (which is only for families, not individuals, and isn't tax-free) ain't gonna get me very far. My COBRA is nearly $700 per month! His plan would leave tens of millions uninsured as the responsibility shifts from employers to workers. It’s based on faith that the market will eventually do the right thing… A concept that’s been discredited in a big way on Wall Street recently.

The Environment. This issue is so huge because it is inextricably linked to all others. Beneath the surface of any problem we face, we’ll find environmental causes and solutions. Dealing with global warming seems like a paralyzing challenge because we aren’t often asked to think so big and so far into the future. Politicians, especially, see the world through short-view lenses. During the 2008 Presidential campaign we’ve heard disappointingly little about the environment. But if you look hard enough, you’ll find the rhetoric. On the environment, Obama gets our votes. Both have plans to cut carbon emissions, but Obama’s gets us there quicker. And frankly, overall, the Democratic party has a long history of respecting the environment while Republicans have taken it for granted – even to this day denying a problem at all. Whether we’re talking global warming, endangered species, land use, pollution, I trust Obama has the intelligence, skill, and hopefully the will to lead our world towards an essential paradigm shift. It’s time for us to rely on clean energy to create jobs that both empower our people and respect our precious planet. It’s also time that we make the connection between energy independence and national security.

Here’s my environmental policy: Vote with your fork. I think Obama is more likely to help me raise that fork. I think he shares my table manners.

Of course, there are many other gravely important issues to worry about. Remember that Iraq War thing? Yep, still going on, to the tune of $10 Billion a month. And speaking of money, there’s the pesky economic armageddon. The damage hit home for me when I checked my account yesterday– one fifth of my life’s savings went up in smoke in just one day last week! Thanks, Deregulation! There’s also the Supreme Court’s affect on Women’s Rights. But hey, what’s politics got to do with me?

Meanwhile, Brian’s all bent out of shape about balance of power among the branches of government, wiretapping, Geneva conventions, nuclear proliferation. He explained it on our big dry erase board over tea the other morning. I get it.

Brian at his personal mecca, Jefferson's Monticello

We won't give you a bunch of links here. Thanks to Google, it’s never been so easy to be informed. And don’t forget to research your local races, too. Local politics have a huge impact on your day-to-day life.

Think about what matters to you, then think about your vision for the planet, your health and the future. And whether you agree with me or not (I still love ya) join us on Tuesday and vote.

In Peace,
Kris and Brian

Crazy Sexy Store

2008-10-21T09:54:00.001-04:00

Pretty Parsnips People,

After last week's post, I really wanted to follow up with an inspiring philosophical think-fest. But all I can chat about this week is what I'm obsessed with, what I spend most of my waking hours working on...SHOPPING. Huh? In these times of financial Armageddon Kris wants to talk about shopping?!? You betcha'. I don't know about you, but my wallet can fit into a pair of size 2 skinny jeans right now. Snore. Too slim for my tastes. When I buy my food, fun or health-related "must haves," I'm forced to question whether I can go without. For many reasons (social, environmental, financial) this is a crucial exercise. It's ultimately how we streamline our lives and save our pennies for rainy days, important causes or shit-storms. Plus it feels good to reduce, recycle and RENEW. We need it, hot mama earth needs it. Win win.

That said, we still require the basics or what I call The Foundationals. Like many of you, I've renovated my closets, my medicine cabinet and my pantry/crisper a thousand times in order to get to the bare bone necessities of my daily practice.

Now I need you.

We at team Crazy Sexy have been spending the last few months designing a new website and store for you. We've traveled to Expo's, taken seminars, picked the brains of world renowned health ambassadors, tasted yummy treats, yucky treats, helpful - and a few harmful - supplements (I do that experimenting), and slathered our faces, bodies and pits with countless natural potions, and some of us have the pimples to show for it! (PS... Why is a good deodorant so hard to find?) We've basically scoured both the East and West coast in order to find products that we both need and love.

Because my standards are so high, I refuse to carry anything that I don't personally use. Plus I'm a Virgo who hates clutter. If I could fit all my possessions in one box I'd be thrilled. Stuff gives me stress. This is no doubt due to the fact that my mother tortured me with throw pillows. You couldn't see the bed! My philosophy: one pillow (sorry mom), one shampoo, one probiotic, one juicer, one yoga mat etc. Plus I don't want a store so big that you get lost or bored. I hate that. Some online shops are great, but after about ten minutes then I want to nap.

Since money doesn't grow on trees, we'll be launching our magic shop in tiers. For a product to make our cut it must fall into one of five categories.

Diet...Body...Mind...Spirit...Planet

Remember my chair metaphor? Good health is like a chair. The diet is the seat while the mind, body, spirit and daily practice are the four legs. When one is off we wobble and/or topple. Of course when we care for our bodies and honor the chair, we inevitably make a positive impact of the planet.

Soooo, if all goes well we'll be ready for a "New Year, New You" launch early in '09. Here's what I'm curious about: What do YOU want? What do YOU need? How can I help YOU?

Thanks so much gang. I really appreciate your feedback!

Peace and (thoughtful) spending,

Kris

PS: A portion of our proceeds will go towards maintaining our online forum, charity and planting trees. :)

Watch Oprah this Tuesday!

2008-10-13T09:32:00.000-04:00

Hi Gang o' Movers & Change Makers!

Please take time to watch Oprah tomorrow and let's have an open discussion about the show here.

If you love animals, the planet and YOUR health as much as I do then you will not want to miss this episode. Oprah is covering "How We Treat the Animals We Eat." Check out the trailer for Tuesday's show. Lady O has been taking on some big animal rights issues lately. Amen, hip shake! If you caught her episode on Puppy Mills you know what I mean. That episode made a huge impact on the treatment and well-being of man's best friend. Let's hope this episode does the same for farm animals.

In the coming weeks I'll be blogging about Proposition 2. For all you Californian's, by voting YES for Prop 2, you have the divine opportunity to kick off the cascade of better living conditions for the many victims of factory farms across the country. As we know, California is a powerful trend-setter when it comes to progressive laws. So tell "The Terminator" to Terminate unlivable conditions for our farm friends.

Of course NO cage is the best cage, and VEGAN is my choice hands down, but this is a good first step. So please start to educate yourselves on this important issue.

Also, check out this Op Ed piece on Prop 2 from The New York Times. Wonderfully written.

Join me tomorrow and watch Oprah. I'll be blog chatting about the episode as soon as I get home from work (sorta late as I have a long day). Can't wait to hear what you think friends. Let's gab!

Peace and Fur,

Kris

Kripalu!

2008-10-07T10:49:00.001-04:00

Hiya sweet taters!

Ahhhhh, the Berkshires.

Kripalu was by far the BEST retreat we have done. I swear, I am still HIGH. Like, Cheech and Chong high, just without the plants. I am HIGH on LOVE.

Nearly 60 of us came together to live, LAUGH and learn.
As always I taught my nutrition and creative writing classes (it was sooo COOL. They gave me a Madonna mic! Took everything in my power to stop myself from re-creating the Blonde Ambition Tour).

Terri lead our powerful healing circle and closing ceremony. I swear I could listen to her "manifest, visualize, create" chat 500 times. Our newest team member, Sandhi spun chakras wide open with a yoga and Hula class. Sweat and so many smiles exploded all over the place.

Folks pushed through fear with such grace. They bonded effortlessly and made life-long friendships. The abundance of generosity that flowed from this group was nothing short of Divine. Quite simply, we witnessed compassion in action and YEEHAW it was INSPIRING!

Recently, my personal journey to health has brought me to some interesting new places. It's been really fun (and spooky) to spend more time on the emotional aspects of recovery, and I was excited to bring my new revelations to the group. Wow did it strike a beautiful chord. Thanks for being so open folks! It's clear that the mental chow demands equal space. So often I focus solely on the food. I guess it's easy to forget how many feelings I gorge. Yet, stinkin' thinkin' is just as toxic as a Big Mac. In fact, acid thoughts create acid in the body. That's right, negative crapola effects your delicate pH balance! Healthy chow and healthy THOUGHTS create healthy cells.

Thankfully, a new and powerful healer friend of mine is gently encouraging me to clean my emotional cubbies - you know, the nooks and crannies in the body that store sad old gunk.

Below is a group pix from hug fest '08. Unfortunately we had to cancel future retreats for now as some big new opportunities have finally arrived. Welcome!
We'll definitely continue our NYC meetups and are even brainstorming a national posse tour. That's right, we'll come to YOU. Details to follow.... xo

Peace and calm,
Kris

PS. Did I mention that we even had a few fellas this time?! Brave dudes surrounded by dozens of Crazy Sexy women. Smart guys.

Reflections

2008-09-29T10:56:00.004-04:00

Helllo Sun rays!

I'm sitting at my desk, sipping tea and reflecting on how wonderfully busy and powerful last week was. It started with a few signings, radio tours and lectures, then zoomed into my appearance on Good Morning America, Fox and The Mike & Juliet Show. Saturday kissed me with a little breather day which I filled with family and then Sunday (drum roll)....our seasonal wellness posse meet-up! Oh my goddess it was F.U.N.

But before I gab-o-la about all that, I gotta take a moment to hug you HARD. Last week I had just returned from my speech in St. Louis and I was emotionally bankrupt. I didn't know how the heck I was gonna pull the week ahead off. Tired, cranky and kinda feeling unprepared, I pouted and ate too much Indian food. Then I went to bed on a full and farty stomach. But like a magic unicorn, you came along and fluffed up my feathers. Your alkaline sassiness injected me with sacred sizzle. 80+ supportive comments on my last blog was the medicine I needed to get super JAZZED. Dang I'm lucky. I often forget that I too can share my personal ups and downs. Please keep reminding me.

That said, my new commitment to myself and to my phenomenal readers is to let ya in deeper and to show more of my warts and fears. I may be the one out front but you all are close behind and your energy - our energy is what is making this global shift possible. Slowly and steadily we are becoming a crazy sexy nation of change makers. PROUD I am (wow, I kinda channeled Yoda with that one).

Robyn Roberts was so good to me! She thanked me for helping her get through her canSer adventure with my first book. Blush....

It was so fun sitting and chatting about the vegan-mind-body-connect-the-dots-and-lets-save-our-collective-ass-lifestyle on national media. But it's not enough. The big $$$ needs to go to you. So many organizations approach us to help raise money for research, better screening and mountains of drugs. With the exception of my work with Stand up to Cancer, we generally say no. Not that we don't think these things are valuable and important but what WE (Team CSL) are interested in is YOU - the right-now, time is of the essence and good health is your birth right, YOU.

In my lifetime there won't be a "cure" for cancer. However, in my lifetime it is possible that less people will be effected by cancer and countless other diseases. How? Education and ACTION at a grass roots level. We can't wait for our very confused and mismanaged government to allocate the necessary funds towards prevention and MAINTENANCE of health. Ps. They're broke now so unfortunately more of this responsibility will fall on our able shoulders. It's gonna be tough but I bet we can all share some tips on cutting corners and stretching the dollar to include a healthy meal (different from a Happy Meal).

Enter: The New York based Crazy Sexy Wellness Posse Meet-up, Fall '08!

Our group was gorgeous, here's a shot of a few of the Crazy Sexy Yogi's

As promised we are continuing our seasonal commitment to gathering like minded kind warriors for a day of personal renewal. The compassionate peeps at the Jivamukti Yoga studio hosted a TERRIFIC class taught by my friend Sandhi Ferreira. Over 70 Crazy Sexies committed their Sunday to burning toxins and purifying the God Pod. It was AWESOME. I giggled with sacred Amen. Sandhi pushed us to get dirty with our fears by plopping us into headstands and other spooky inversions. I tell ya what, when I'm trying desperately to balance on my head I ain't thinking about what ails me. I'm in the now. NOW I must balance or fall. PS. Inversions are a great way to not only detoxify the body but to change our perception. Seriously, don't you see differently when your ass is pointing up?

Sandhi has really cool hair

After class we had an amazing raw lunch, yummy salad (thank you for the hemp seeds Nutiva!) and a knock out raw cacao pudding created by one of our cherished CSL ambassadors: Kristen's Raw. Thanks Kristen! And thanks to my pals at Organic Nectars for giving us the cacao. I swear they make the best stuff on the market. It's like healthy CRACK - addicting! Folks were fighting to lick the spoon. Also, many blessings to the generous companies who donated gifts for our raffle. Especially, to Vitamix. One lovely gal walked away with the Cadillac of blenders. Sure hope she shares some of her creations with us! Hint. Hint...

After reading all the participant comments we were amazed to see just how many of you wanted to learn to meditate. Your wish is our command. The next NYC meet-up is tentatively scheduled for December and you can bet your stiff back we're gonna learn how to sit on the pillow and wrestle our mind lizards. Let's embrace the holidays with clear thoughts so that we don't over eat and spend. See ya soon!

Peace and exhales,
kris

ps- Dive into our community forum by visiting: my.crazysexylife.com!
pps- NYC peeps can keep the magic alive by joining and gabbing in the New York Posse Group at the forum!

Why don't the doctors tell us this?

2008-09-22T09:14:00.003-04:00

Hi peaches!

Greetings from the tour. I just landed in NYC after a great weekend in St. Louis. St. Mary's Health Center asked me to be their key note speaker for a wonderful lunch honoring survivors (I reminded them, we are ALL survivors, I live with canSer so I too am part of the pack). I must say, not only was it fabulous but they treated me so well. The highlight of my stay was a lovely dinner with some wonderful doctors and hospital staff. The conversation was open minded and so real! Get this, one of the cool docs suggested that up to 90% of the diseases they treat are a result of lifestyle choices. I listened to how backed into corners they feel when folks who abuse themselves expected them to "fix it" without ever changing the behavior that got them there in the first place. I loved their honesty! I loved that we could meet in the middle.

Plus, they not only picked a restaurant that had vegan options, those generous folks arranged for me to stay at the RITZ! Check me out! Marble bathroom floors and a lot of king bed diving. I was a pretty pig in high class heaven.

Note: My very first pair of Vegan shoes!

To be honest, that dinner really helped to heal a pain that has been bubbling in me.

Since Raw Spirit and a few other events lately, I have been thinking a lot about the pull I feel between Western and Alternative (AKA Integrative, Holistic) medicine. As many of you who read my blog know, I have committed my life to bridging the two worlds in order to find better solutions to our health crisis. I always suggest that patients find the best doctor for their particular disease FIRST and then think outside the box. But lately I have been coming up against a lot of resistance from the medical community.

I have been banned from hospital book stores (because of my titles and my content), have been labeled "dangerous" and have been used for free media with little to no thanks in return. Though I adore Dana Farber, about a month ago I heard some really sad news. At one of the young adult support groups, the moderator said "we don't bring her up here or recommend her work because many of us disagree with it." What part I wonder? Empowering patients? Helping them to get organized and then guiding them to create their own healing game plan - which includes western doctors? Wow, pretty radical stuff. I should be arrested! I wonder if this person disagreed with my work when I praised DF on Oprah? Hmmm. She has since been fired (so I hear).

At a hospital in the Midwest I was told that my ideas would never fly, they'd hire me for a speech but never sell my books or film, and that a plant-based diet lacks nutrition - people should be allowed to eat their hot dogs in peace. Hot dogs? Ps. Please read Dr. T. Colin Campbell's book The China Study. Learn how to turn off canSer cells by decreasing animal based protein.

Sometimes I feel like a lone voice love-shouting into a den of naysayers with swords. But I go anyway, hoping to change one life while ducking the tomatoes. It's not always like this, but I never know till I reach the stage and begin my story which I now call, "From Illness to Activist".

This is what I know for sure. I have to really know my stuff and so do you! Education is everything, and we must be able to talk in scientific terms or we will be totally dismissed. Gang, there is so much misinformation out there that it is easy to get confused. Stick with it. Share, question and always consider the source. Remember, our forum is a great place to toss around new ideas.

Me chatting for change at Raw Spirit

Even at fabulous RS I was stunned, a few so called leaders of the raw movement getting the science confused and creating fact out of the false. One fella, who I will not mention by name, got me so mad that I almost ripped him a new one. He had the nerve to stand up on the main stage, gush about his "cures", and to then tell the tale of a canSer cowgirl who he decided was "pathetic and whiney" because she wouldn't listen to him. Basically, in his mind she deserved what she had coming because she wouldn't go raw and chose chemo instead.

Excuse me? There are no promises with the raw diet. Plus, this lifestyle is tough no matter how sparkly you package it up (and then charge ridiculous amounts for some goodies). He was the least educated of the crew and as usual, the most opinionated. I wanted to cry and rage. But more than that, I wanted to LEARN! Learn for me, for you, for all they naysayers and for the confused. To learn for the curious and for the hopeful so that the simple truths of conscious living, loving and eating will never be made silly again. I prayed for my artist brain to change and remember facts to spit them on command. I prayed for tolerance and for love, for a medical world (BOTH sides) committed to health and hope as opposed to wealth and praying on the hopeless. I got on my knees and prayed....

Then I got up.

Sooooo, back to St. Louis and the topic of this post. After chatting about the benefits I have seen from a plant-based diets and the power of mind, body, spirit connection, this amazing sun-bright woman in the audience asked, "Why don't the doctors tell us this?" Well, though I'm a little mad at the white coats right now - mad but healing thanks to this last trip - I told her that my doctor will never have all the answers and why should he? I don't expect my surgeon to clean my teeth so why should I expect my oncologist to be up to date on the latest nutrition? That said, I do expect the designated hospital nutritionist to understand that food is medicine but sadly most of them don't. They teach what they have been taught, a model that is often out dated. As someone who is passionate about nutrition I understand that it advances just like medicine does. They should too. Stay informed, hellooooo. Read!

Also, our wonderful doctors often have one hand tied behind their backs. They are so pressed for time due to our deranged medical system that they're only allowed to see patients briefly. It's a factory, just like the farms and so often they must stick to the schedule in order to cram as many folks in as possible.

Our economy is in the toilet, the elections are coming (Goddess, I'm so scared). So much is at stake during these difficult times - especially the environment. There is no better time to renew your vows to self. Vow now.

I will share one last story. At a signing last week a young girl listen to me speak as tears flowed from her soul windows. When it was Q&A time she asked "how do you do take care of yourself if you don't like yourself, your body?" I wanted to walk over and hug the hate right out of her. "But you are God. You are Jesus, Buddha, Elvis, Etc. You are a Divine vessel sweet lady. How can you hate u? This sack is just your vehicle. Nothing more. Your job while clonking around in sneakers is to feel the love and shine it out, that's all. Because when we go back to the universal disco we bring more positive energy to the soup. We recharge the universal gigawatt! If we choose not to love this time then perhaps we have to do it all over again. No judgment, only opportunity."

Which brings me back to St. Louis one more time. I think the reason I loved them so much was because they were a group steeped in open minded spirituality. I could feel the Divine the second I walked to the podium. Hundreds of people filled with acceptance. Ultimately, they will probably heal with greater ease.

Check out these 2 Crazy Sexy beauties!

Thanks for letting me let it out.

Peace and sometimes I'm not so sure but I try anyway,
Your K

B&N NYC signing - tonight!

2008-09-17T11:47:00.000-04:00

Hiya spelt muffins!

Just a little reminder that I have a signing for my new book, "Crazy Sexy Cancer Survivor: More Rebellion and Fire for your Healing Journey" tonight in NYC. All you New Yawkers - come ovah!

More on Raw Spirit tomorrow...

Barnes and Noble
396 Ave. of the Americas (8th St.)
New York, NY 10011

Peace and publishing,
K

Raw Spirit - Part Deux

2008-09-16T09:50:00.000-04:00

Hello sunshine!

I have gobs of pix to share. But since blogger won't let me show ya all at once, I'll have to make an album per day throughout the week.

This is just a sample...imagine hundreds of booths filled with rawsome goodness and treats. YUM!

The Rock Star of the raw world - David Wolfe. He's wild and wild and wild. Brian scratched his head, I loved him. David is a one man show and a boat load of knowledge. I think he does tons of shrooms though. He he he...

Stilts and butterfly wings for big people. Why don't you have them in your life everyday? Get some now!

I could listen to Philip's amazing story 500 times. He is literally half the man he used to be thanks to this diet and lifestyle. WOWZA! BO BOWZA!

Bunny Berry is my new idol. I have a girl crush on her and was so excited to meet the rockin' rabbit. As she's says, "Girrrl, I'm bringing raw foods to the housewives of America". Amen sista sledge. OM SHANTI OM! If she doesn't speak at Raw Spirit next year then I am never going back (gosh I feel dramatic today). Bunny leads 100 day raw food challenges on her Raw Fu site. Read her blog. Love her. Do a challenge! PS. She likes Karate.

More tomorrow....

Reminder: I have a Barnes & Knoble signing in Stamford, CT tonight! Please come hug.

Peace and black sharpies are my favorite writing utensils,
Kris

Raw Spirit - Part Uno

2008-09-15T12:54:00.000-04:00

Hiya Rawsome Cowgirls/dudes!

Brian and I just got back from four days at the magical Raw Spirit Festival! Holy Guacamole was it SWEEEET. Picture this: The Age of Aquarius meets Cacao in the middle of an energetic power vortex known as Sedona, Arizona. From sun up till sun down we soaked in nature, world famous speakers, amazing raw cuisine and lots of shopping! Mama was in heaven-ola. I spoke on the mainstage Saturday morning and wow was I nervous. This lady is used to chatting at hospitals, medical centers and corporations that serve hot doggies for lunch. RS was a completely different crowd. Since I never "preached to the choir" I wasn't sure what the heck to say. Raw foodies are generally an educated bunch but somehow I was able to barf out some thought provoking sparkle (I think). Anyway, I'll tell you more about it in detail tomorrow, I'm wicked behind on my work so I gotta dive in. YUCK! More blab tomorrow, promise

Also, I have 2 signings this week. One tomorrow at the B&N in Stamford, CT (6-8 pm 100 Grey Rock Place) the other on Wednesday night from 7:30-9pm at the B&N in downtown NYC (6th ave and 8th street in the West village). Hope you can come!

AND are you ready for the second NYC Posse Meetup? Join me and the CSL Team at the Jivamukti Yoga Studio (downtown) on Sunday, September 28th at 12pm! Starting at noon we’ll practice yoga side by side with instructor, Sandhi Ferreira. Then we’ll have lunch in the Jivamukti Café! The Jivamukti chefs are whipping up a special Crazy Sexy Alkalizing Salad and a delicious Raw Cacao Mousse for dessert. Catch up with new and old friends, trade recipes and tips, and ask me questions during the Q & A session. We’ll also have a raffle and book signing! Please RSVP by Wednesday, September 17th.

Email: rsvp@crazysexylife.com (indicate if you will be coming for yoga and lunch or only lunch)

Address:
Jivamukti Yoga Studio (Downtown)
841 Broadway , 2nd floor
New York, NY 10003

Date: Sunday, September 28th
Time: Noon (If only coming only for lunch, 1pm)
Cost: $40 (Yoga Class, yoga mat, and lunch: salad and dessert) or $17 (for only lunch)

Peace and see ya soon!

Kris

Two historic events

2008-09-04T23:44:00.003-04:00

Hiya Kale blazers!

So sorry I have been away but thank you Terri for a great guest blog! I'm back in LA, launching my new book, Crazy Sexy Cancer Survivor: More Rebellion and Fire for Your Healing Journey, and getting ready to answer the phones for Stand Up to Cancer. What a week! It’s hard to believe that this time last year Crazy Sexy Cancer aired on TLC and my first book hit the stands. I started my media whirlwind with The Today show and ended it with my idol, Oprah. I wouldn’t tell ya this last year, but I’ll tell ya it now: WOW, WAS I NERVOUS! Butterfly-stomach-puke-city-highway. Without the guidance of my husband Brian and my vision board I would have cracked.

Looking back, on how much we have accomplished this year I am utterly amazed. When so many said I’d never get there, I refused to back down and instead I just kept writing, filming and JUICING. I created the Crazy Sexy world to survive and I knew that so many of you needed it just as much as I did. As you know we receive hundreds of emails per week. People seeking help and guidance through their tough times with canSer, diabetes, heart disease, depression, obesity, etc. As much as we can we point folks in the only direction we personally rely on - back to nature and back to the garden. Well guess what, we've been piling up the testimonials and it's astounding.

Just last week I read about a woman with horrendous rheumatoid arthritis. This rockin' chick saw the film, read my first book and changed her lifestyle (Go veggie!). Now she's off all her hardcore meds and is able to hold her children. What can I say. Thank you Goddess for helping me/us download this practical information in a fun, safe and sassy ass way. Today and everyday, YOU crazy sexies are my fuel and as I said on the CSL forum, though I’m not as vocal as I’d like to be I read every letter, cry with you when it’s tough and cheer when you’re victorious.

Crazy Sexy Cancer Survivor is another little prezzie made from me for you. I really hope it helps (and makes you laugh and knee slap - good for the immune system). Again, like the film and first book, it's not just for canSer cowgirls and dudes, it's for everyone looking to live a healthy, spiritually wealthy, and vibrant life. But this time it's your turn to dig deep and with a little guidance and lots of room to journal, I will be by your side with a wink and a high five. Let me know what ya think angel wing. And remember, many "miracles" come from the land of the gods and goddess (don't know who you're down with, I like 'em all), BUT many others come from a combination of hard work and personal commitment to health. YOU can move mountains. No matter what they say, you are a FORCE.

Now, on to the major cancer fest '08. Holy crow, what a historic event it will be. All 3 networks will come together to raise money to cure a disease that many of us who read this blog have faced. It's with great pride that I get to answer phones (don’t blink or you’ll miss me) and help bring in the moolah. The last time I was in the land of Tinsel I had the privilege to sit and chat with the producer of the show, Laura Ziskin. She and her dedicated team have been working around the clock for months to make this dream a reality. Believe it or not, Brian and I got to see the show opener. Goosebumps, hairs raised! And guess what gang? Though the show is mostly geared towards research and Western treatments, Laura is a canSer cowgirl 80/20 style! Oh yeah. Her diet means as much to her as the work she is doing to raise awareness and create change. What a role model. There aren't many Hollywood big guns who enjoy the kinda chat I like to chew and if you read this blog you know exactly what I mean - especially about the lifesaving importance of alkaline chow. I’ll be writing for their on-line magazine when I get a little free time and you can bet I’ll be a LOUD voice for alternative (hate that word, INTEGRATIVE) medicine.

As I said on the updated resource section of CSC, though I have never used Western treatments (because the canSer - aka beauty marks in my body - are slow moving, and there is no cure anyway), not everyone can take this approach safely. It is crucial to find the best doctor for your disease, even if it’s just to monitor it. That said, I strongly encourage a deep exploration of holistic treatments. We can't "cure" cancer if we don't address it's origins in the first place. With each passing year cutting edge research unanimously points to the benefits of a plant-based diet high in alkaline veggies and fresh green juices. In addition, exercise, stress reduction, meditation, bodywork and therapy as well as other modalities can help to unlock your body’s innate power to regenerate.

For new readers facing a diagnosis, I encourage you to seek second and third opinions when consulting any health care practitioner. One of the first doctors I spoke with suggested a triple organ transplant! I’m not an expert but that was ridiculous. So do your homework like a detective and don’t settle or be bullied.

Once you find a solid home base, take responsibly in rebuilding your inner terrain, especially through proper diet. And I don’t mean the diet they feed ya in hospitals or rules that old school nutritionists push. I mean a diet high in raw and living foods and low in sugar and processed crapola – low in tushie too – that’s never good for anyone, especially the poor soul who lost her precious tushie.

Remember, a good doctor is only one part of the success equation. Only wonderful you can become an empowered participant in your healing. Join the adventure and take back your health! The choice is yours….

For the old timers reading this blog you know that mantra all too well. Thanks for hanging in there with me friends. If you haven’t signed up for our newsletter please do. We have lots of amazing events happening this fall. A meet-up, raffle, wellness retreat, lots of signings and more. I’ll also be back on the boob tube on Good Morning America and a few other national shows, plus, drumroll…we have an entirely NEW site complete with a HUGE online store (finally – Ok, almost finally, we’re about 2ish months away with that)! Why do ya think I’ve been so quiet? Why do ya think Brian and the team haven’t slept a winkity wink? Shit’s been mad busy yo! We’re gathering many of the tools that help me and that we think can help you under one easy, breezy roof. Literally, a warehouse!

Tune in tonight. 5 pm Pacific, 8 pm EST. I’ll be the gal with the Crazy Sexy Cancer Goddess T-shirt….

Peace, better healthcare and eat your veggies,
Kris

ARE THEY DEAF OR IS IT YOU?! (Trust me…it’s you) by Terri Cole

2008-08-28T09:26:00.001-04:00

Hello Gorgeous Posse of Peeps-

Do you feel heard? When you interact with your spouse or kids do you get the results you seek? How about with your family of origin? Is there satisfaction and understanding in your communication? Or do you feel like you have the same frustrations and complaints about these relationships over and over again? Well it’s time to shake it up people!!

Did you ever consider that when you change, the people in your life have no choice but to change as well? Human relationships are a dance. When you change your steps, your partner cannot do the old dance. It won’t work. Think about all of your relationships; you do this and inevitably they will do _________ (fill in the blank), right? We know the dance, but can we change it? Mahatma Gandhi said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” This is also true for the change you wish to see in your relationships.

So the answer is yes to the possibility of changing your relationship dance. Let’s start by breaking it down. Effective communication is a key component to healthy relationships and it starts with you. What is your style of communication? Do you speak your truth or act it out? Do you deny what you need or secretly wish your partner had a crystal ball? If you have a desire to communicate with integrity, the first step is to acknowledge what needs to change within you.

Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and think. How do you communicate in all of your relationships? Are you passive? Do you withhold in anger instead of saying what is on your mind? Do you exaggerate and shout using ALWAYS and NEVER statements that can’t possibly be true? Do you minimize your own feelings? Is everything OK with you…always (again, not possible)? Do you have the disease to please? Were you taught that being honest is the same as being rude or mean? Are you a martyr who never says anything to change the unfulfilling interaction? Remember, you alone are responsible for how you interact in your relationships.

There are only two ways to communicate: effectively and ineffectively. Below is a comprehensive list of communication characteristics compiled by author Phil Rich, EdD, MSW, DCSW. Take a look and see what resonates.

Ineffective Communication:
Indirect-not getting to the point, never clearly states purpose or intention
Passive-timid and reserved
Antagonistic-angry, aggressive, or hostile tone
Cryptic-underlying message or purpose obscured and requires interpretation
Hidden-true agenda is never stated directly
Non-verbal-communicated through body language and behaviors, not words
One way-more talk than listening
Unresponsive-little interest in the perspective or needs of the other person
Off base-responses and needs of the other person are misunderstood and misinterpreted
Dishonest-dishonest statements are substituted for true feelings, thoughts, and needs

Effective Communication:
Direct-to the point, leaving no doubt as to meaning or purpose
Assertive-not afraid to state what is wanted or why
Congenial-affable and friendly
Clear-underlying issues are clear
Open-no intentionally hidden messages or meaning
Verbal-words are used to clearly express ideas
Two way-equal amounts of talking and listening
Responsive-attention paid to the needs and perspective of the other person.
Honest-true feelings, thoughts, and needs are stated

Now can you create a snap shot of your communication style? Is it what you want it to be? If not, what right action are you willing to take to make it better? Are you motivated to be vulnerable or to try something different in your relationships? If so, what stops you?

I had an epiphany about my power to change relationships when I was in college. I had always been sorely disappointed with my business like relationship with my father. When I got a card from him I used to tell my friends that he sent me an inner office memo because that’s how it felt. He was very successful and dutiful, but distant and chilly. He was a star athlete who had four daughters and I was his last shot for a boy. His communication style looked like this: if we were on a four hour car ride and he wanted you to close your window, he would point at you and motion the “roll up window” sign. We were all afraid of him and he rarely spoke. After blaming him for years with no satisfaction, I found a wonderful therapist who helped me realize that I was the only person I could change in that dyad. So I faced my fear of being vulnerable and spoke my truth.

Trust me, it was awkward at first, but with time things changed. We changed and I am forever grateful. He responded positively to my shift and my fear fantasy of abandonment was not realized. We developed a relationship that thrilled me and puzzled my sisters. The therapist helped me realize that my father did love me and although his love did not come in the warm and fuzzy package I had fantasized about, it was still valid. She challenged me to feel loved by things like college tuition, a used car, and his inevitable final shout to “Buckle up!” as I drove off. I learned to ask him for what I needed emotionally. This is not to say he could always do it, but my healing came from my right action of honoring my truth. My father died suddenly at the age of 61, ten years ago, and I was left with no regrets and a mountain of gratitude.

So what relationships would you like to transform? How do you want to communicate in your life? Now that you have a place to start, make a list of what is not working for you in what relationship. Then make a list of what right action YOU need to take to change that relationship…and DO IT! You taking care of you in relationships=self-love. This right action creates the possibility of real intimacy. Being dishonest separates us from the people we love.

Explore your truth then speak it LOUDLY.

I know you can. I am here to help if you need a nudge. As always I want to hear all about it!

Love Love Love,

Your CRAZY SEXY LIFE COACH
Terri

LA chow and fabulous friends

2008-08-19T09:57:00.001-04:00

Greetings peaches!

Brian and I just got back to our nest in the pines of Woodstock after a week full of LA love and adventures. Wow, and I thought NYC was the be all, end all. There are so many righteous raw restaurants to choose from in starletville. Upon deplaning from the Jet Blue metal bird, we drove straight to Real Food Daily in Santa Monica. It's not all raw but the cooked food is made by fairy Godmothers and it is full of TLC. Put it on your wish list and pick up a copy of their cookbook if you can. It's well worth it.

Day 2 was filled with tons of time in the car on our way to "take meetings" (no one in LA uses public transportation or walks - so weird). The day ticked by in conference rooms. I was supposed to be focused on my pitches but I couldn't help but drift into fantasies of the night ahead - dinner at Cru. Our own Debbie Does Raw arranged an impromptu CSL dinner with a few regulars from the forum. The food was out of this world, the company - stellar! I wish I took pictures of the chow but alas, I was too blown away to snap. I inhaled (refusing to share) a pad Thai that made me riggle like a school girl at a Bon Jovi concert (circa '89). The chef made it with Kelp noodles, cilantro, lime and cashews! Yes, Kelp. I swear I will eat seaweed everyday now. EVERYDAY. I'm not a fan of the veggies from the sea but these babies were seamless. You can buy them at Gold Mine. Try em, love em, welcome to mineral city!

Brian loves the ladies

Me and Debbie

Dinner was topped off by deserts sent to our table by Bueller. She couldn't make it to the raw chow fun fest but like the good woman she is, Lady B sent SUGAR in her place. SWEET Debbie delivered tambien. She made amazing take home goodie bags filled with raw truffles from my friend Matthew Kenney's new book Everyday Raw. Matthew - how do you do what you do? This is another great book for your arsenal peeps. Grab it. Debbie, thanks for taking the time and energy to jack us up and fill our hearts with life ZOOM. Miss D is quite the uncooked chef. "Oh, what a night!"

Next day: Lunch at Leaf filled me with Christmas morning giddyness, ooh's, and ahhh's (it takes so little - sorta pathetic). But whoa Nelly Furtado did I order too much. I had no idea how big the portions would be. Most raw places are stingy. They get away with small portions due to the high nut content which makes any meal (small or large) filling. Leaf is like the hummer of raw restaurants and dang-o-la was it tasty. I had an amazing raw falafel wrapped in lovely collard leaves, a Caesar salad with walnut croutons and a juice (not so great - mudish. Definitely not the cocktail of choice).

On our last night we finally hooked up with Bueller at Matt Amsden's Rawvolution. Each of us ordered the Big Matt with Cheese (Flax seeds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, mushrooms, lettuce, onion, tomato, celery, parsley, olive oil, mustard, pickles, rosemary, cumin, garlic, nama shoyu, lemon juice). OH MY GODDESS. Now that's a Happy Meal! A side of Kale Chips (dehydrated) made the meal complete - well almost, chia seed, chocolate and ginger pie. Sexy! Sexy bexy bo bexy banana fanna fo fexy fee fi fo mexy - SEXY!

Back at the ranch it's pretty low key in the kitchen. Boring compared to all the magic that filled my tummy in the city of angels. Oh well, I'm inspired and I have 500,000 cookbooks so no excuses.

How the heck have ya'll been?

Peace and raw restaurant bopping,
K

Menu Muse Monday: Strawberry Mint Lemonade

2008-08-11T09:03:00.001-04:00

Hi herbs,

First of all, thank you so much for all your awesome comments on my last blog! Wow, it means so much to me. I'm on my way to JFK airport but I wanted to share this awesome recipe with you before I go. My parents had a huge bash this weekend and they allowed me to take over part of the kitchen and play. I created this fantabulous (if I do say so myself) concoction - with SAKE in it. Needless to say, people were refreshed and loose. He he he... Maybe I added a bit too much Sake. :)

Virgin Style:

* Portions designed for one blender load.

1 Cup agave
1/2 cup fresh squeezed organic lemon juice
1 Healthy handful of organic strawberries
3-4 Sprigs of mint - gently pull of the leaves
Fill blender with purified water - 3/4 full
Wiz and pour over ice - you can strain it if you don't like pulp (good to do for a party so people don't walk around with a garden stuck in their teeth. Awkward. Should you tell them, not tell them? Best to avoid.

Sake Style

Same as above just add about a cup (or so) of sake. HOLY HEAVEN HELL-O! Now, that's a fun drink.

Peace and punch,
K

PS. Sorry I didn't have time to post an image. :(

A surprise-y

2008-08-08T10:58:00.005-04:00

Oh goody, a package at my gate! I love packages.

Brian Lights my way with the beams from our pickup truck named Duke.

HOLY CRAP! It's my new book. GULP, I'm trying not to pee on my couch.

Brian says "I'm proud of you Doll" which makes me giggle and well up.

We dork out, read a bit and then snooze...

The new baby hits the stores in early September. As always we'll have signed copies on our site and ya know we'll give some away. Thanks for caring about what I clack out. I still pinch myself daily. Love you very much.

Off to LA! Messages from my West Coast Road trip to follow.

Peace and Publishing,
Kris

Menu Muse Monday: Spotlight on Kale

2008-08-04T11:04:00.002-04:00

Hiya peonies,

I must confess, I love my kale but until recently I have only experimented with it in juices, smoothies, steamed or lightly sautéed. What about the Kale salads? They’re delish but sadly I don’t make them on my own. When I was training at Hippocrates we would massage and marinate the kale with lemon (some folks use salt) till our hands hurt. Then Chef Ken would let it sit for a bit in order to break down the fiber and welcome the softness. Great when at Hippocrates, but at home I’m LAZY.

1-2-3 easy breezy bitchin’ kitchen gal - that's me. I rarely deal with chow that take extra planning. My weeks are random and wonky. Travel on planes, trains and automobiles are the norm. Thus, I often come home to a fridge full o’ nada.

Last week was a purrfectly pathetic example. After a quick visit to Ohio for a speech I returned to find a ghost town in my fridge. At first glance all I saw were a few sprigs of kale blowing around like left over tumble weeds of a forgotten time. F@CK! I was alone, hungry, tired, and ready to order take out – yet again. Wait a second, my grandmother trained me in the kitchen. A whirlwind of chef by trade, her creativity was in her hands. She could see a jar of mustard and pickle and make a four-course meal. So rather than cave in or cop out, I vowed to re-survey my fridge with the eyes of forensic detective.

Ah: two Ezkiel wraps (somewhat stale, but acceptable), Ooh: a few oil cured olives, ½ an avocado and a borderline lemon. Voila: hemp seeds and a little red onion. Presto: Down & Dirty Kale Wrap City! Screw the massage, I barely have time for one so the kale will just have to deal.

Muse Monday Recipe:

De-vein the kale and chop into tiny strips
Make a delish dressing with Raw Apple Cider Vinegar (and/or lemon), organic olive oil, and braggs
Toss together – Add some dulse to the mix if ya got it
Take the avocado (AKA natures butter) and spread it on the wrap
Chop up some oil cured olives and disco them into the mix
Chop red onion – add to the orgy
Shimmy those hemp seeds all over the place

Wrap it up, lock and load.

I ate 2. Total heaven. Much to my surprise it wasn't that tough at all - a little extra chewing was all it took. I also added some raw (cheese-free, nut based) parm. And heaven’s to Betsy look what was for desert. How did that get in my fridge? Sheesh! YUM!

Kale Factoids:
The green goddess is high in calcium, iron, vitamin A & C. It’s a good source of protein phytochemicals and potassium. Did I mention fiber? Oh, la la the intestinal broom!

Peace and Leafy’s,
K

Anyone else have a menu muse spotlight on kale for today? What's your recipe for the King of the leafy's?

Pure Food & Wine Marathon

2008-07-25T09:49:00.004-04:00

Helloooo Cacao nibs!

After my trip to CT to visit my folks and chow snaps peas from their righteous CSA, I headed to NYC for a super doopah play date with my pal and fellow alkaline blog Queen Bueller (she's making the peace sign). When raw ladies lunch in NYC they head straight to the Mecca: Pure Food & Wine. We started by splitting a cacao mocha smoothie. It was so luscious I lost all sense of reason. Sharing? Whose idea was that? Though there were two straws, I hijacked the sweet nectar. I sucked so hard I gave myself a migraine. The plastic cup met such G force that it turned inside out - but not before making that bathtub draining sound that both miss manners and my mom forbade. What can I say? Cacao makes me do wild things with wild people!

Onto my favorite salad, or should I say my favorite OBSESSION. This recipe is so good I have a crush on it. I want to have an affair with my salad. I want to rub each green leaf all over my.... Goodness! Oh Kris, “Goodness, had nothing to do with it.” - Mae West. The S&M salad (yes, that's the name) is simply magical. Greens, avocado, hemp seeds, dulse, rosemary crackers, and macadamia and lime dressing. SEXY!

Bueller and I were supposed to mastermind a raw, green revolution but we got too caught up in our favorite books, restaurants, cleanses, teachers and MEN. We snapped photos, chatted with some tourists, pondered pH theories and POOF, four hours flapped by in a blink. I love you Bueller, get your butt back to NYC!

Half way through our chat who should pop by but the dynamic Matt Monarch. Matt is one of the loveliest most positive people I have ever met. He’s an ocean of sunshine with wild hair and a perma-grin. Whenever I feel like straying or blowing up my crisper I text Matt. Within minutes I am talked off the ledge and inspired me to find my inner superhero. As Bueller and I said goodbye, (she had a fancy party to go to so we stocked her up on treats and raw snacks in case the food was lame) Matt and I partied on with more power chatting and some raw cheese cake with nut based (dairy free) ice cream. Can you see the sugar high coming? Can you feel the crash to follow? By this point my mood was soaring!

A few hours later it was time for another meal. Why leave? In walks my idol Dayle Haddon. Dayle is a best selling author, UNICEF ambassador and a global spokesperson for L'Oreal. During her supermodel days her face graced the covers of zillions of fashion magazines, including a Sports Illustrated cover. Zoinks, Vavooom! Dayle had just finished a shoot for Talbots and was feeling full of fire and energy. Why? Well, three weeks prior to my Pure all-nighter, Dayle had come to me for some help. “I need a cleanse Kris, I want to ignite my energy again, to feel better.” You got it sassy lassy! We chatted about her diet and lifestyle and mapped out a program with doable milestones and major goals.

For the next 21 days Dayle detoxed hardcore. I got calls from her from all over the country, at health food stores, restaurants etc. “What do I eat?!? DO!?!? Help!?!” After about the first ten days the calls subsided. I thought to myself either she was on track or she had left town and disconnected her number. To be honest, I was a little nervous. I had never designed a long cleanse for anyone other than myself. But after listening to what she ate in an average week as well as how she moved and her stress load, I knew we could upgrade her chow and help her relocate her center.

Her transformation was amazing. Not only did she lose 8 pounds, (which she didn’t need to lose but she is a model and at 60 years old she’s still strutting it!) her glow was radiant. Her aura beamed like a new day summer sun. WOW was I blown away and inspired to keep designing! In a blog I wrote months ago I attempted to define the Crazy Sexy Lifestyle. It was good base but I now realize that I only scratched the surface. Dayle went through what I called a Level 2 Adventure and boy am I proud of her.

After one last desert (3 in a day!) I walked across town and crashed at our studio. The day was blissful. Great friends. Great chats. GREAT food.

Peace and raw love,

Kris

CSA farm fun = veggies on the cheap

2008-07-14T06:49:00.004-04:00

Hiya Thyme benders,

Hope you had a healthy, spiritually wealthy, and happy weekend loves. I spent 3 days at my parents house in CT and feel so recharged and bouncy. A little lake swimming does wonders for this cowgirl's dusty noggin.

I love going home. Good food, bathing suits and tons of movies. It's a great time. This weekend we ate only local foods and wow could I taste a difference. Though I'm not 100% raw, I wanted to be because the veggies were all so earthy and yummy. There's nothing quite like farm freshness.

Up until a few weeks ago, we didn't have a farmer's market in Woodstock. Crazy! It's Woodstock for crying out loud, home of the pot-smokin', Up-on-Cripple-Creak-listening, hippie/back to the lander of days gone by. Well enough people quacked and groaned and now every Wednesday we get to meet local area farmers and purchase their beans.

My mama. :)

Next year however, I'm following in my mom's high heel steps and joining a farm. How many of you are members of a CSA? Every time I visit my folks we go bopping through the fields. Damn, it's fun and pretty cheap too! You get an entire tote bag or box FULL of LIFE each week for the entire season (June-Oct). Prices range but about $400 buys you tons of peas and peace for months. That's way less than I spend in 2 weeks. And you don't just get the standards. Unusual chlorophyll's like Tatsoi, garlic scapes and Kohlrabi are abundant. Flowers too!

When we asked the lady how many cucumbers we could have I nearly orgasmed (in front of my mom...which = awkward)! "As many as you want." HUH? I juice about 21+ cukes per week. "AS MANY AS I WANT? MOM, GET THE TRUCK!" Better than Christmas, better than Saks, CSA's are treasure trunks of alkaline love and kind living.

Call the cops, she's on a picking spree!

Yum. Roots and Fruits!

Our back to nature, back to the garden lifestyle plan is without a doubt the best chow for our cells, but our wallets - ouch. As oil prices continue to rise we are forced to get crafty and thrifty. For many of us, eating well is relegated to the luxury category. Not fair, not right, tantrum time. You shouldn't have to be rich to eat toxin free. Perhaps there are some cleaver ways we can share with each other to help with broccoli on a budget?

Here's what helps me.

1. Wash all conventional (sprayed) veggies well, a little white vinegar and water soak or some diluted FOOD GRADE Hydrogen peroxide will help. Peel them too - cukes should be peeled if they're not organic.

2. Buy local and if time permits, try to shop more than once a week. This way your supply won't spoil if your plans change and you're unable to prep your own meals. When I make my own food I feel so much better. Eating out takes a toll on me, even when it's good food. Simple Kris style food makes the healing difference for my God Pod.

3. Those handy green bags sold at the health food store make my greens go a long way. Always bag your veggies, but don't use those ties. Circulation: good for all life forms.

4. Creative smoothies or blended soups mop up the extras that would otherwise go bad. Also, freezing. Throw your extra fruit in the freezer for smoothies.

5. When buying veggies on a budget, purchase the least sprayed conventional options. check out FoodNews for more information. This is a great resource. They even have a wallet guide of the best choices and worst offenders. While they recommend always buying organic, they understand price is an issue, plus organics are not easy to find. Their Guide features the 12 fruits and veggies with the most and least pesticides so you'll know which ones to buy organic, and which conventionally-grown ones are okay when organic isn't available.

Here's one organization Local Harvest that maintains a national CSA database, with a current total of 1,080.

Does anyone else know of a CSA network or database? It would be great to help spread the word about these valuable resources!

Peace and cheaper healthy food,

K

Our CSA Dinner...I had seconds. Delish!

OMEGA!!!

2008-07-09T10:41:00.011-04:00

Hiya Cruciferous Aficionados,

Just got back from LIBERATION weekend, AKA the second Crazy Sexy Cancer Boot Camp with my glorious team: Terri Cole, Beth Villandry MD and the lovely Corinne Bowen. It was AMAZING! SUPER DUPER! YOWZA, ZOINKS!

The weekend gently JOLTED a tectonic shift for us canSer cowgirls, a shift so big you could actual see the transformation in the sweet faces of the astonishing women. The generosity was humbling and the insight/love rebuilt souls. I remain in awe, mouth agape, drool puddling. Basically it was like one big love-fest, knowledge-gorge, and emotional colonic. The sparkle started Friday night and ended Sunday afternoon.

In our opening meet-and-greet/ceremony, 23 women shared their remarkable stories as we passed the ritual talking stick, (AKA “the damn crying stick”). Then we each wrote down a word we wanted to release to place on the altar. Fear, Worry, Guilt, CanSer, Doubt, etc. BAM! Lady universe showed up and the healing was ON!

This is a pix of "the damn crying stick" marinating in ferns....

The next morning we greeted our cowgirls with DELICIOUS organic green drinks made by Beth and Corinne. Purrfect, just in time for my nutrition class! I get so jazzed teaching this class. I get so jazzed that I often run way over. Oops. It was supposed to be 2 hours long with an hour Q+A. I went 3 and half hours! Judging from their comments on our evaluation forms our gals loved it (thank Goddess). They want MORE, MORE, MORE. Sure! I watched as mental cupboards emptied making room for an alkaline Crazy Sexy Lifestyle Upgrade. AMEN! Knowledge is CELLULAR power. Hips shake shazoom. PS. Beth and I even demonstrated how to do an enema. Clothes on of course. I’m sure you can imagine the laughter. Anything for the cause. ☺

That afternoon Beth (MD) shared her unbelievable journey with canSer and gave our gals valuable insights on how to navigate the system from the doctor’s perspective – the doctor who used western medicine to save her life and alternative medicine to rebuild it. If you ever have a chance to hear Beth speak you will learn so much. Please come and join us one of these days for this amazing opportunity. I watched as she clarified so much confusion and shed light on some pretty profound mysteries. DEEP BOW BETH!

What next? Oh, well, this small little itty-bitty thing called… THE TRAPEZE!!!!!! Knees were knocking. Uncomfortable giggles popped up and out like wild hiccups. Tears shed while minds raced with excitement. One by one (with a few exceptions for medical reasons) they marched up the very HIGH ladder, looked their FEARS in the eye and said, “NOT THIS TIME BEE-ATCH, I’M FLYING, WHEEEEE!!!!! Laughter and SWEARS clapped like thunder. The CanSer cowgirls flew so high. Nothing was in their way. I hope they stay there. I get choked up every time I think of it.

CHOW TIME – lovely, compassionate, vegetarian, yum.

As night fell we gathered again for Terri’s healing circle. Fear and Terri don’t mix. Nope. Our head manifestation maniac led us through an empowering evening of replacing those fears with what we want and deserve instead. We did reiki, placed our sacred objects on the altar, passed around the talking stick feather (AKA the crying stick) and peeled the emotional banana BIG TIME! I blubbered so hard that snots flew. Oiy. Those following my blog lately know exactly what I was talking about (kitty). I can honestly say that I think I lost weight in Terri’s class. Emotional, that which does not serve me, mental cellulite weight. DEEP BOW TERRI!

Sunday morning we gathered for my creative writing class. Using the muse to work through the muck – “these are a few of my favorite things”! We shared, shimmied (literally), met out best friend (our authentic self) and made plans long into the future. The cherry on top of this creative cake was our final exercise, a GROOVY group vision board. I stole it and it’s in my office now. Note: Sorry omega. I promise to replace your bulletin board.

Before we went our separate ways we raffled off a new juicer for a lucky cowgirl on the alkaline path and then Terri and I led a group BURN, BURY and PRAYER.

Our fears from the first night got torched, the dreams from the second day got buried so they can take root, the prayer united and brought us together as a Crazy Sexy Family – a bond that will never break.

Bye-bye comfort zone, au revoir!

There ya have it. I am so grateful for my team and for the brave cool gals who signed up to liberate with us. Watching our cowgirls surprise themselves is too cool to explain. They “shook it off and stamped it down and boy did they RISE.”

Thank you all, thank you team, especially Corinne. She helped us hold the space with her big heart and gentle service.

Peace and transformation,

Kris

HAPPY LIBERATION DAY!

2008-07-04T09:03:00.013-04:00

Hi Organic Red, White, and Sweet Peas!

I'm off to Omega for the second Crazy Sexy Cancer Boot Camp, but wanted to take a moment to plant seeds for the NEW INDEPENDENCE. Today we celebrate the famous right of "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." Traditionally we take this time to meditate on our successes and failures as a nation. But it's also an opportunity to think about our own bodies and spirits as a sovereign state - a glorious, growing, frontier country.

I sit here and ponder while flag-waving, fireworks, and cookouts crank up the day. While many consume hot dogs, burgers, sodas, beers, cigs, weed, and pepto bismol, how will I make this day SACRED and personal without feeling left out? What do I want to be free of? What invisible shackles bind me and keep me from expressing my authentically groovy divinity?

Hmmmm.....(pondering)

Well, besides the little c,...."NO KRIS, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD INCLUDE THE LITTLE C!"

(Note: Inner voice having a tantrum)

"It's great that you have made peace with LIVING with canSer, but don't fool yourself toots - you still want it GONE!"

(Note: Inner voice continues to yell).

OK! Sheesh!

My DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE list: (Virgo's love crap like this...hmm, I wonder if Thomas Jefferson was a Virgo?)

1. The little c = GONE! Thank you for my perfect health, spiritual wealth and happiness.

2. Doubt, Fear, Denial, GUILT

3. CRAVINGS AND ADDICTIONS

4. Walls that keep me just outside of Love - the love of others and self love

5. WORK - 24/7 is silly and acidic

6. Internet - TECHNO DETOX TIME (yet again)

7. Laziness, Excuses and rumbling Sloth voices that convince me that To-Do's are more important than SHAKING MY ASS!

8. Money worries

9. Freaking out over not dealing with all my emails and phone messages. They'll be there tomorrow! (wow, this work stuff is a serous pattern.)

10. Impatience

What do you want to LIBERATE from? Can you all list ten things? I'm sure it would help us all to see it and help you to voice it!

Peace Flags and veggie dogs,

Kris

PS. Purrhaps the same independence that we hold so dear can extend to our four legged friends, air pals, and sea buddies? Just a thought. We ended slavery, women can vote, and yet the mass torture and genocide continues. Seems narrow minded and so 13 decades ago.

ANYWAY, What's your list?

Food Journal

2008-06-30T09:47:00.015-04:00

Hello Salad Warriors!

How many of us have "been there, done that" with the food journal scribble? Have you started one, made it 3 days, whizzed through the burger hut and then quit? For me (I'm vegan) the burger hut is the morgue so that's not my vice. My vices come in liquid form and that's all I'll say about that. DOH!

However, since I'm all about NEW beginnings and turning over a NEW leaf these days (preferable kale), I recently saddled up with a NEW nutrition coach. I love him. I am so inspired by him. For now I will keep him a mystery but know that you will hear a lot about him very soon. Anyway, my mystery guru man and I are tweaking my diet in order to take me to a level of cleansing and repair that I have touched but never maintained. Yes I have fasted, been 100% raw, vegan etc. But I can honestly say that I have never been totally consistent with ANY protocol. I am human and I am PASSIONATE. Too much at times.

In preparation of (OK, anxiety over) writing my third book I've thought long and hard about what to say that hasn't already been said. Why bother (other than the pay check that I need), seems like it's all been said and done. However, the truth is that I haven't connected all the dots for myself yet. When I do, THAT'S the time to write the book. Obviously since I love writing, studying and EATING, why not become the curious, sparkly guinea pig once again? DIVE!

Here's the new nugget (from my guru mystery man). Are you ready? AM I!?!

Drum roll.....

"What you leave out of your diet completely WITHOUT exception is what can take you through the healing crisis so that your body will regenerate. BUT, you must leave it out forever."

COMPLETELY? FOREVER? Hmmmm. Forever seems so permanent. What about balance, moderation? What about all the go-to words in every self help magazine EVERY month. PS. Has anyone had a new idea lately? If so, I haven't read it.

This theory isn't new to me (what you leave out completely), in fact I wrote about it in my first book and learned a heck of a lot about it during my Health Educator training at Hippocrates. HOWEVER, it's the "without exception" part that I struggle with. What about special occasions? Birthdays, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Presidents Day, Secretaries Day, MLK Day, etc? Whoa, when you list them you realize that our society has created A LOT of days to stir up our devil dog demons! How rude.

In order to track my success my mystery man guru has asked me to give him a food journal EVERY DAY. I'm not new to this either, in fact I help lots of folks with their food journals. Food journals are a great tracking/knowledge-is-power tool. Let's be real, if we want to make changes we need to know what the heck we are doing in the first place. We need a base line to measure our success. We also need to turn the frown upside down and become curious scientists who look at the food-as-medicine- journey as an adventure full of useful information. Instead, most of us DECIDE that the food-as-medicine-journey is the new slave trade burdened with deprivation, dullness, and chains. Wow are our minds powerful! Nothing good will come from that attitude, including healing. No DUH, right?

Anyway, I myself haven't done a food journal in quite a while.
Yesterday I handed in (how school girlish of me) two days worth of journals.
WOW, was I surprised at what I learned while tracking.
Let's see what guru says (more to come on that).

Food Journal Template:

Here's how I structured my journal, perhaps it might help you and/or you can make a suggestion to help me take it up a notch.

1. Write down everything you eat for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. EVERYTHING.

2. Write down your purified water intake. My Suggestion: anywhere bet 4-8 8 oz glasses per day depending on how raw/high water content foods your diet includes.

3. Did you abstain from Caffeine? (Ouch)

4. Did you abstain from alcohol? (OUCH)

5. What supplements did you take? (I have been working to redefine this essential list for myself).

6. How was your elimination?

7. Did you exercise? If so for how long and what type?

8. Did you meditate? (Start small - 15-30 mins per day AS SOON as you wake up)

9. What time did you stop eating? (Best to stop 3 hours before bed)

10.What time did you go to sleep and for how long?

11.How did you feel emotionally and physically?

Note: I may start tracking my urine pH 3 times per day. Although the blood pH is the real snap shot. Nevertheless, urine is a loose gauge worth exploring. But remember, the first reading will always be acidic due to the metabolic process of over night repair. Therefore, start with the second reading and take the others BEFORE eating meals.

What kind of food journal have you tried?

Peace and chow scribbles!

K

My 100th Post!

2008-06-26T09:44:00.018-04:00

Hi Petunias!

I'm sitting here drinking a cup of what-shall-not-be-mentioned (it's Black and GOOD) and mulling over what the heck to blog about. Should I write about the orange salamander I hurt while gardening? How I sat in a Greenwich Village cafe counting the gladiator sandals walking by, and lost count at 100? My meetings in NYC with TV execs and investors? (Ya wanna see me on the tube? - well, that just might happen. Ya want the best wellness programs designed and delivered by our Crazy Sexy non-profit - well that just MUST happen). Should I blog about what I ate in the big apple? Breakfast and lunch both days were clean, divine, and vibrant. Dinners both nights were sinful and belly-achingly explosive! OR....Perhaps I should blog about the colonic I had before leaving for the City. Let me rephrase that, the colonic MISHAP!

Since I'm in purge mode, I thought: the house is clean, the office is clean, the plants are watered, the bills are paid, now it's time for me to work on the inner landscape. Yup, time to call my colon therapist and get down! I've had zillions of hosings and as you know I highly recommend them, refreshing! However, nothing always works always. Maybe the universe wanted to send me a message, "You can't control the time it takes to process loss by losing the extra chow caught in your colon, Kris".

Since my little monkey died (thank you everyone yet again, you are such love troopers), I have been re-introduced to... french fries. Before sundown I am an alkaline angel, but when night falls I hear that eerie spaghetti-western music in my head. You know, the tune that plays when the outlaw rides into town. I sprint to the windows to lock them, I slam the door and shove a rag under it to keep the draft out. Useless! The french fries are like supernatural entities that attach to my lips and slide into my arteries creating that numbing effect that lobotomizes my rational mind and makes me a Vegas junkie!

Back to the colonic..."I will go, press re-start, clean out and begin again".

Let me teach you about the Catskill Mountains. In the Catskills there is much rain in June. MUCH rain. And everyone has a septic system. Well, apparently the rains backed up the filter that controls the pump that pulls out the poo. There I was, stuck and stopped-up right as it all went to shit... I will make the rest of this paragraph appropriate because my mother reads this blog. I imagine that she lights a little candle daily, praying for me to be more lady-like. "I tried" she might/must say. "Lord, if she ever gets an invitation to visit the Queen, please stop her from inquiring about Her Majesty's royal regularity. Amen."

The colon therapist left the room for quite a while. My stress level rose. I saw shadows of workers, plumbers, and buckets outside the shade-drawn window. Wrenches clanged as the concerned whispers hit a crescendo. Nothing would flush and I was FULL of water and shame. "Can I come back another time? Can you get me off this table and can I go home (if I can make it?) HELP! SOMEBODY, ANYBODY! MOM!!!!!!!"

Lesson: don't push the river (so to speak). Miss-virgo-neat-and-tiddy-sew-it-all-up girl, be patient you healthy lovely patient.

PS. I'm getting another one Monday!

Peace and flow,
Kris

Oh, wait... the whole point of this blog was to celebrate my 100th post and to thank you for sticking by me. Sheesh. Thank you friends! Thank you. Deep bow, thank you.

New life - Phase one

2008-06-23T09:45:00.012-04:00

It's been a week since Crystal went on to her next life, or is it back to the cosmic energy hot tub to marinate? Where the hell is she? Her body is in my lawn and though I am happy she is nearby it is also creepy. Maybe I should have cremated her to make it really final. I feel like a bad mom leaving her out there in the rain. I think I am becoming very weird. I have met a whole other side of myself and that side is spooky. "Knock, knock. Who's there? Better Judgment. I'm here to tell you Kris that kitty needs to stay in the ground, you need not pull her out, blow dry her hair and place her in the green cabinet where she used to nap. Stop planning her escape, she is gone." I hate that Better Judgment asshole! I want more LIFE in my house, preferable hers. Too soon. Too fast. Where does the tick tock go? And as I said a few sentences ago, where the hell is she? Has she reincarnated again and if so what now? Purrhaps she will be the first female president of the United States. Since Hillary didn't pull it off it's Crystal's turn, except now her name is Eleanor. I hope her new parents have enough money to send her to Harvard and that she spends time abroad, she needs to be well rounded and learn about other cultures. But she also needs to watch her carbon paw print and travel responsibly. She has a lot to figure out. So do I.

Do we choose what's next? My mom used to tell me that I was sitting on a pillow waiting for the right combo to come together. I chose my mother and father because of all the things they would teach me (good and painful). Well, this was a shrewd thing to tell a kid. When times sucked it was a teaching, something I needed, something I chose in order to know more about the big picture. Seems hard to process this in regards to CanSer and the loss of kitty and yet both have made me stronger, have introduced me to my corners, have made me grow towards the light of my spiritually.

WHATEVER! Too much for a Monday. Sometimes it's fun to chew on this stuff other times it's like mental masturbation (sans the grand finale!) Nevertheless, I have gone a week without her and in that week I have ACCOMPLISHED much. My suffering has lead to ass busting, soul soothing manual labor. I must lift things. I must putter irrationally. Emails, deadlines, and office work can kiss my shrinking ass (grief is the best diet). I have scrubbing, snot/hiccup crying, and SHOPPING to do. My credit cards are swollen. They have chafe marks and blisters. Brian and I have been to Home Depot 500 times.

As I mentioned recently, we rented an office in town in order to separate our home from our work. Though the space is great it needs elbow grease. This makes Brian very happy. He LOVES Home Depot more than boobs. He loves wearing his tool belt on a daily basis. And of course since we moved our work stuff out of our nest I have to make the empty home space just so or I can't function. I normally wouldn't be like this. Death has changed me. I think Brian secretly loves the new me. One, I am more vulnerable, less bossy and angry, softer. Two, the new me appreciates "craftsman" tool expeditions and endless hours searching for the right electrical tape. Normally I would be very impatient around these activities. Now I love them. I am truly interested in drill bits.

Who am I? Where is Kris and what have you done with her feisty personality? For Christ sake I went to a garden center! I bought plants and re-potted them. To me this is like a midlife crisis. This is like really entering adulthood and saying goodbye to my youth. This is grown up and strangely comforting. HELP!

These are my new plants. I named them. They mean the world to me. It's unreasonable. Oh, shit, I get it. They are my first step in letting new life in. I'm not ready for fur (yet - and yes Martha I think 2 or 10 would be best) but I am ready for chlorophyll. If I kill these plants I will unravel and you will need to send a search team out to recover me. So far, so good though. I think they are happy. I think they are talking to each other. In fact, a recent article about plants in The NY Times says that they do talk to each other. Some plants behave differently depending on whether they sense a relative or an intruder nearby. In other words, they have recognition of kin. They politely restrain themselves by growing fewer roots when surrounded by family members, but grow aggressively when sensing another species. They even send shoots to strangle the stalk of the outsider!

How freaky neat is that? I wonder if they talk to me, to Brian, to Crystal. If they do I hope they tell her that I wish she would stop messing around and come home.

Peace and insanity,
K

Goodbye friend, child, teacher...

2008-06-18T08:26:00.006-04:00

I have been hiding. I have been avoiding. I have been so sad my marrow hurts. Crystal (my dear sweet kitty angel) died on Friday and I just can't seem to get it together. I want to write but I'm stuck. I want to pay bills because they don't let you bring your juicer to jail but I can't open the envelopes. The only thing I can do is clean my house, clean my office, clean my attic, clean my storage unit and file stuff too. She was everything to me. Fifteen years of friendship. In the work I do I deal with dying everyday, I really thought I was further along. Losing kitty makes me realize that I don't know much. And yet what I do know is that ritual is the most powerful way to find closure.

Ritual:
It started with Roshi Joan's workshop on Death and Dying a few weeks ago. Thank God she opened the door for dealing with the loss of pets. I wanted so badly to focus on Crystal but with all the cancer patients around (me included) I felt like maybe it would be too "light". Well, when she spoke of the intense bond between her and her dog and how hard it would be to lose him, hot water poured from my eyes. I have dealt with my own death many times (no time soon - 90 is my goal - and since I usually get what I want I'm pretty set with that number). However, I can barely stomach the idea of losing someone I love. How to go on? How to deal with the intense missing?

Life is a terminal condition. If you watched me on Oprah last week (funny, it was a show on death) you heard me say it. Tis true, we're ALL going to die but how many of us will truly live? And what does that mean? Is it just another one of my cliche media sound bites? Well, in this raw state this is what I think truly living means:

1. Telling people you love them even though there is so much poison that you think you hate them. Once you say it you burst open with white joy and then you miss the time lost in the negative.

2. Doing things that make you really scared but really exhilarated.

3. Muting the voice in your head that is always worried, always tentative, always keeping you in the land of stuck. "Fuck it". "Just do it". GO.

4. Saying no to people who only take.

5. Saying yes to people who give you as much as you give them.

6. Opening your heart so wide that you touch a space that is unknown, uncomfortable and exposed. Staying in that space. Holding it. Holding it. Ahhhh.

7. Turning addictions into accomplishments. Nothing has you in it's grips. You are the grips.

8. Service to God/Goddess. Everything else will fall into place.

9. Sacred sweat, lots of it. Dance till you bleed. Laughing so loud someone complains.

10. Forgiving the world and then making it better.

And of course petting a kitty. Loving all sentient beings. Taking them off your plate and placing them on your sofa with a toy. Note: You may need a bigger sofa.

If everyone I meet is a teacher then Crystal was the ultimate sage. She adored ALL BEINGS. It was weird. Charles Manson could come for tea (or Bourbon) and she would have poured affection all over him. It was uncomfortable at times. "ENOUGH", I would say, "you're being creepy". But she had to pour it on that thick to get through some of my walls. She was sent to me for this very purpose. To teach me how to allow unconditional love in. I give it, but don't receive too much. Not that love isn't all around me. It is. I'm just very protective - or I was until the little grey love thunder came rollin' in. Now the steel is down and she is gone and there is so much ouchie, and endless thanks.

Ritual:
I am very grateful for way that she died. It was time. All her veins had collapsed. There was nothing we could do other than to facilitate her passage. She died in our garden, in my arms, her tiny paw in my hand, Brian's hand on my shoulder. Silent tears falling on her fur. The vet came and it was extremely peaceful and kind. In the Tibetan book of the dead it is suggested not to make chaos at the time of death. The spirit goes into shock and it doesn't totally leave right away. Who knows if this is true. Only one way to find out and we're not going there TODAY. But if it is true then Brian and I did it right. We held her long before and LONG after her death and then buried her under some fluffy moss with her favorite hair brush and a peony.

Again, I miss her.

Peace and purrs,

Kris

Oprah

2008-06-09T10:39:00.007-04:00

Hiya petunias!

Just a little shout out to let ya know that my episode of Oprah airs again tomorrow! If you're new to the Crazy Sexy Lifestyle and would like to find out more about my book and film please check out my website, Crazysexycancer.com and if you are looking for holistic support on your road to health, check out our online social network mycrazysexylife.com. Our fun, sassy community is the best place on the internet for information, education, inspiration and LOVE.

In addition, we're about to start another group cleanse/fast and would love to help you dump your junkity junk. How Fabulous! Check out the cleansing group if you are interested. There is so much going on in all the nooks and crannies of our forum. Cruise around and find your groove tootsie!

Stay cool hot peppers. Wow is NYC a scorcher. Can't wait to head back to Woodstock and soak in some moss.

Peace, love and veggies,
Kris

DEEPAK AND ME by Terri Cole

2008-06-01T08:24:00.005-04:00

(OK REALLY… DEEPAK, DAVID SIMON, DAVID G, ME, MY HUSBAND AND 270 OF MY CLOSEST MEDITATING PALS ☺)

Happy Chill Sunday!

As some of you may recall a few weeks back I wrote a blog called HOW MEDITATING MAXIMIZES YOUR MANIFESTING MOJO. I was inspired to write that blog in part by reading a Deepak Chopra book from 1994 called THE 7 SPIRITUAL LAWS OF SUCCESS. As synchronicity and the universe would have it, out of nowhere my husband Vic and I received a big fat gift certificate to the Chopra Center from a friend who could not use it. This inspired us to sign up for a Meditating Renewal Weekend in NYC with Deepak, David Simon and David Ji. So the adventure began….

We got to the Park Central Hotel on Friday at 9am to sign up for our Primordial Sound Meditation Mantra and to spend the day learning about this style of meditation. We loved our main facilitator David Ji (AKA Greenspan). His story of transformation was incredible and his funny hippy vibe and delivery really made the information accessible (think of a Jewish George Carlin). He is supremely skilled as a meditation teacher/guru and thanks to him…I FINALLY got it. He explained when to meditate and why. He likened it to brushing your teeth. When you were a child brushing your teeth was a chore. As you grew up and realized your teeth will fall out without it-you just did it. None of us think, “Gee I won’t brush my teeth today-too hard”. We never think about it-we just do it. He challenged everyone there to get committed for 21 days and then decide if it is for you.

Psychologically this is smart. Really, how hard is 21 days? Creating a ritual or making it a habit takes all of the angst out of it. The question is not, “Should I meditate?” The question is, “Exactly when today will I meditate?” David Ji gave us two acronyms to take the guesswork out of the WHEN. The first is RPM, which means Rise, Pee, Meditate. (I actually Rise Pee Brush my fangs then Meditate) The second is RAW which is Right After Work. This is exactly how I do it. It helps that Vic is on board and created a sacred meditating space in his barn/studio. We support each other by being accountable and sharing our successes and struggles.

The first thing David Ji taught us about this type of meditation is that since we have 60,000 to 80,000 thoughts a day, stopping thoughts is not possible or the point. Having thoughts and an active mind while meditating is not, “doing it wrong”. It is normal. The goal is to get comfortable with gently drifting from your mantra to thoughts, and when you realize you have drifted away from your mantra…just drifting back, with no judgment. He gave us the visual of mist rising off a lake. Make it that easy and effortless. Someone asked David Ji, “What is SUPPOSED to happen when you meditate” and much to my relief he said, “NOTHING. “ He went on to explain that meditating is about the other 23 hours in the day. Being in silence and stillness for an hour a day will affect your ability to be a little more reflective and a little less reactive in your life. He encouraged us to take a thimble or shot glass full of silence and stillness back to our waking lives everyday and to be mindful of the subtle changes in our words, deeds and actions.

In Sanskrit mantra means mind vehicle. So the mantra that is given to you is based on Ayuvedic teachings and they say it is the sound that the universe was making at the moment of your birth. They took our birth info and calculated our mantras before we got there. We were then given a specific time and room to go to receive our mantra. The room was dark with candles and incense. The giver of the mantra was sitting there and then came over to me and whispered it in my ear three times. The whole scene sort of had a Twin Peaks/Tim Burton vibe. Covert and mysterious…and we were instructed that the mantra was not to be shared with anyone. Repeating something that has no meaning to you, over and over is a way to gently keep your mind away from thoughts and in the zone. Deepak calls the zone the GAP, where all the potentiality of the universe lies. Friday night we meditated for 30 minutes in a group of our closest 270 meditating pals and for the first time in my life, 30 minutes felt like five. I was amazed.

Deepak, rockin’ some red crystal rimmed glasses and red shoes, gave an amazing talk about what must die in your life to make room for what you are creating. He also lectured on manifesting and the basis of all human suffering stemming from the illusion of separateness.

The third facilitator was David Simon who is Deepak’s partner at the Chopra Center, an MD and a prolific author in his own right (The 10 Commitments-Translating Good Intentions Into Great Choices and many others). He gave 2 very effective talks. The first about integrative health and the mind/body connection and the second about love and how to get your needs met.

We did yoga and meditated every day. We met wonderful people and were so moved by our experience that we signed up for a six-day retreat at the end of October in California called Seduction of Spirit with the Chopra posse. But the real take away for me was this amazing new ability to meditate and the awesome guidance and support that came from David Ji. He just emailed a shout out to the group making him self available if we get stuck☺

So I am journaling about my experience daily and have already seen a shift in my life. Meditating has given me a slight time delay before I react in a situation. I think about it and then DECIDE how I WANT to react. I am observing more and evaluating less. Since 30 minutes of meditating is more restorative than 30 minutes of sleep, I choose to get up earlier to make it happen. I really loved this experience and would encourage anyone who can, to do it. Go to www.chopra.com and check it out. They schedule weekends all of the country and beyond. I hope that some of my a-ha moments will inspire your meditation practice. I would love to hear your struggles and successes.

NAMASTE

Your Crazy Sexy (VERY ZEN) LIFE COACH
Terri

Oprah's Vegan Cleanse & Jacksonville

2008-05-30T14:53:00.012-04:00

Hi sprouts!

Greetings from lovely Jacksonville, Florida. I just had the honor of being the Keynote Speaker for The Florida Times Union 2008 Eve Awards honoring a group of remarkable women making a difference in the world through Education, Volunteer Services and Employment. My speech was titled "From Illness to Activist" and I was shocked at the number of people who were open to it and grateful. There must have been over 700 folks in the room listening to me gab about my canSer tale and how happy I am to be vegan! But no matter how many times I do this I still start to sweat as the chicken comes out and I sweetly start my story.

But I digress. As you have all heard by now, Oprah is one week into a three-week vegan cleanse, inspired by Kathy Freston's book Quantum Wellness. I just finished the book last night in my hotel room and I must say it is wonderful. It's a great basic (yet well documented) tool filled with solid education about the optimum diet and lifestyle for total health.

I especially like how Kathy suggests approaching the cleanse (transition, transition - how many times have we chatted about that?).

Check out what Lady Oprah's cuttin' out:

* Sugar
* Alcohol
* Caffeine
* Gluten
* All animal products

For many of you who would like to cleanse but don't want to try a juice fast this is a great way to go. 3 weeks without any of the stuffy mucus stuff can change your life, transform your health, and open your eyes to how good you CAN feel. Seems like a huge task at first but with each passing day you'll notice a new kind of sustainable energy (after the detox symptoms pass that is. DOH!). Of course, don't forget to make juice not war baby!

Inspired by Kathy's book, I'm gearing up for another cleanse myself. The last time I fasted was in May with the CSL Cleansing Group. With all this travel and business I have fallen into the bread wagon. Ok, let me be honest, I have been DIVING into the bread wagon. Oh, so hard to control when the first doughy slice passes my lips. YUM! Who doesn't love tons of bread? Well, my thighs for one, my candida for two, my energy level for three, and my digestion for four!

Traveling makes it more complicated when salads come in the shape of jello molds! What is THAT sir? It's definitely challenging to keeping up healthy eating on the road. If I do anything in this life I will master the art of the kitchen nap sack! I bring my powders and supplements, lots of water, some almonds/pumpkin seeds, a few raw snack bars, my tea and stevia and almond milk. I tend to rely on fruit which I don't do when I'm on my home routine. Natalia Rose (who will be guest blogging for me in July!) has some great tips for travel in her book The Raw Food Detox Diet. She teaches you that it is possible to find what you need on almost any menu if you get creative.

As I mentioned in my speech today, we are the drivers, rather than the passengers on the road to personal and global health. Books like Kathy's remind us to ask questions and speak up for our needs, to make daily choices to nourish our bodies while taking into consideration beautiful mama earth. Mama is pleading with us to be conscious consumers, to support each other, and to push the limits, boundaries and comfort zones of what we will tolerate in these difficult times.

More than half of all Americans die of heart disease or cancer and two thirds are over weight.

As stewards of the environment we no can longer sit back and watch as our trees, rivers, land, oceans and fellow creatures disappear at shocking levels.

Clearly there is both an inner and outer global warming taking place. The difference between Illness and wellness is reflected in the spelling – “I” Illness – “We” Wellness. The part always equals the whole and the ripple effect should never be underestimated.

Yeah Kathy Freston! Yeah Oprah! Yeah Jacksonville!

To read all about Oprah's 3-week vegan cleanse and join the discussion, go to:

http://www2.oprah.com/foodhome/food/cleanse/blog/blog_1.jhtml

Any one else reading the book? If so, what do you think? Any one else up for a cleanse or are you cleansing now? Tell moi! Ok, off to the airport...

Peace and awareness,
Kris

PS. Here's a quote from a recent article by Freston. "Since there has been a lot of talk about the cleanse portion of my new book, I thought I might emphasize that one key component of the cleanse is eating consciously. Sitting down to eat is an elemental part of every day, and what we choose to put on our plate has repercussions not only for our physical well being, but also for our spiritual well being. Conscious eating means simply this: remaining awake and aware of how food gets to our plate -- and then choosing what we eat according to our values."

Urban Zen Event with Roshi Joan Halifax

2008-05-28T14:11:00.018-04:00

Hiya angels,

I am so excited to spread the news about an amazing benefit event happening in NYC on Friday, June 6th. My very first Zen teacher (and idol) Roshi Joan Halifax will be teaching her Death and Dying workshop at Urban Zen. Donna Karan and The Village Zendo will be hosting this event with all proceeds going to the Zendo (another spectacular place). Don't let the name of the workshop freak you out folks. It's REVOLUTIONARY. And not just for those of us experiencing adversity - no, no, if you have a pounding, breaking, passionate heartbeat (and some money to give to a good cause) well then you should truck on over and experience the magic! This LIFE class is for every soul that struts the planet and desires to overcome their obstacles of fear in order to soar. Roshi's workshop on Death and Dying will engage Eastern and Western psychology, philosophy, and contemplative practices from many spiritual traditions. In her DYNAMIC style, Roshi Joan will offer wisdom and teachings that are ideal for medical professionals, social workers, clergy, community activists, and spiritual seekers.

Studying with Roshi was one of the richest experiences of my life. She is a true gift. Rest assured that she will invite us to dive deep (to the core actually) and heal.

Below is a portion of what I wrote in Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips about Upaya and my experience with Roshi in 2003 - the summer I was diagnosed.

"Nestled in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains is a beautiful Zen monastery called Upaya. If you’ve ever taken a yoga class, you’ve experienced those annoying five minutes at the end when you’re forced to inhale “let” and exhale “go.” For me those last minutes were always torture. But when I ran across Upaya, I had a sneaking feeling that the silence within its walls would provide me the opportunity to discover what was inside me.

The woman who founded the monastery, Roshi Joan Halifax, had an electric way about her. I’d never seen such a dazzling female monk before. She had penetrating blue eyes and a shaved head. She looked like a cool cancer survivor, only she wore robes and knew everything there was to know about the Buddha.

I went to a few of her meditation and dharma talks, and though my back felt like it needed the attention of a team of chiropractors after sitting so long, I became hooked. Not only did I need to keep coming to the monastery, I needed to move in.

As I wandered aimlessly around town on the morning of my monastery move, I heard a faint, eerie whimper. It was a goose-bump-producing sound that seemed to be following me around. Wait, I thought, that sound is coming from me. I was letting out tiny yelps of pain. Not now, please Kris, hold it together. It was 2:45, time to go! My eyes welled up as I drove up the mountain. Would I be able to say hello without bursting into tears? What would living in a Zen Buddhist monastery be like?

When I arrived, a nice woman who worked in the office showed me to my tiny (yet tasteful) spiritual cell. I dumped all my leopard luggage in the middle of the floor and wept. I cried until I was exhausted. Then I stared at the ceiling for what seemed like an eternity. Now what? Nightly meditation in the temple! Oh, what a treat. As I sat on the cushion counting my breath, the waves of emotion continued to flow. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so exposed. All my gunk was pouring out of me and there was no place to hide. It was embarrassing, and yet it felt good to release the weight I’d been carrying.

Après meditation, it was time for din din with the monks. Bread and soup. I was thankful for it. Until, out of nowhere, the crying started again. Stop! Stop! I begged myself to stop but my tear ducts were on autopilot and there was no way to override the system. I dreaded the thought of being the new freak who had come to the monastery to sort out her problems, but that’s exactly who I was. Thankfully the conversation at the dinner table was light. The monks had watched Margaret Cho’s Notorious C.H.O. video and were gabbing about how it was better than Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. I was grateful for the un-Zen-like chatter. I had a feeling that they had seen these uncomfortable emotional episodes before and didn’t want to make me feel awkward.

That night a pack of coyotes sang under my window and I slept like a baby. The next morning everything seemed better. As the weeks went by I blossomed.

Monastery living was the opposite of the busy, hectic life I was used to. Each day at Upaya included three hour-long meditations, as well as work practices like chopping carrots, sweeping, gardening—anything that needed to be done to maintain the place. In exchange for my help and commitment, I received a room and three simple vegetarian meals (three hots and a buddha-ful cot!). Weekly intensives ranged from calligraphy to yoga and of course plenty of meditation. I loved all the classes, except one. The title alone totally gave me the creeps. It was called Being with Dying, and I vowed to make myself scarce for the roll call. Fat chance!

Just when I had learned all the correct bows and zendo etiquette (like only the head abbot gets to enter from the back of the temple), Roshi Joan Halifax asked to see me . . . privately. Gulp. This was big. In fact, it had an official name, Dokasan. The protocol was very complicated. You had to bow, prostrate (three to four times, I never remembered), and chat. Then do the whole thing in reverse order and leave. Once I had finished making a fool of myself and dishonoring the tradition, I told Roshi that the Being with Dying workshop wigged me out. It made me worry that I’d manifest my death, and since I believed that worrying was praying for what you don’t want, I didn’t want to take that workshop! She laughed and promised me that it wouldn’t be morbid and that if at any time I wanted to leave, I could. Translation: Get your ass to class, I’m watching you!"

In my book I went on to write about how transformative this workshop was for me. Quite simply, it changed my life. It also changed my mind about how I was going to live this delicious life. In a word, FULLY. This workshop wasn’t about dying, it was about exploring all the emotional sandpaper that was making living so raw and scratchy.

OH, and guess who else will be there teaching yoga? Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman!

For the schedule, tix price, additional speakers etc...Check out the PDF posted on the Crazy Sexy Life forum.

Peace and deep zen bows,
Kris

Meow

2008-05-26T09:25:00.002-04:00

Happy Holiday!

Peace and viddles,

Crystal

The Art of S L O W I N G D O W N!

2008-05-24T10:12:00.006-04:00

Hello Cherry Blossoms!

Crazy Sexy Guest blogger Terri Cole coming at ya! Have a fantastic holiday loves. Take it away T....

"At the start of a holiday weekend it’s a perfect “time” to reflect on our relationship to time and what affect it has on our lives (as Kris would say, talk about a potential acid bath!!) The fast pace of the American lifestyle today is a well-known fact, as is the profound effect nonstop hurrying has on your health. Think about the way you go through your daily activities. Do you allot plenty of time to get them all done? Do you do them with ease and enjoy what you are doing? When you are driving somewhere do you see the trees or the architecture around you? Do you appreciate the sun or the clouds? OR do you rush through the task feeling totally stressed and like there is NEVER enough time? Are you somewhere in between?

One important question to decode the time crunch mystery is; What is your personal relationship to time? Are you always late? Always early? Which are really different sides of the same coin, as they both cause STRESS. Do you see time as your enemy? As something that happens TO you? That you have no control over? Or do you concur with Mick Jagger and feel that tiii-ah- iiiime is on your side? (Let’s be honest time is catchin’ up with ole Mick-put some real pants on would ya?) So how is our relationship to time determined? A plethora of psychological and environmental factors combine to create your specific time dynamic. The good news is that none of that matters if you really want to change it. Awareness is the first step. Desire for a different experience is the next.

Part of what we are exploring here is MINDFULNESS. That is clear moment-to-moment awareness of what is actually happening. When we are thinking about what’s next, we are robbed of the moment we are currently in. Living in the future, immediate or long term can be a trap for inaction. Eckart Tole, THE POWER OF NOW author would have a field day here. There are so many clichéd sayings about time waiting for no man/woman that I could write nothing else and fill this entire blog with them…but I will share my time transformation tale instead.

In January 2007 I saw the documentary film, THE SECRET for the first time. While watching the film I had a shocking epiphany about my relationship to time. I was always proud about NEVER being late to anything. I had very little tolerance for tardiness from anyone in my life. I left restaurants, fought with people, and self-righteously judged latecomers. My friends fell into two categories, the ones I could count on and the flaky ones (AKA time challenged). I rushed everywhere…all the time…even when there was no good reason. The act of constantly hurrying is physically stressful. For me, rushing made me short tempered with people. NYC tourists walking slow in Time Square could send me into a tizzy of anger and negativity. The sweeping generalizations would start and the rest of my day could be colored. I never thought about this dynamic until that night. The amount of self-induced stress I was creating was embarrassing once I realized what was happening. For all those years I thought time was happening to me. Only to realize it was all, quite literally, in my mind.

The first thing I did with my newfound knowledge was to pledge: No rushing anywhere, anymore. When I did that, my world changed. I started affirming everyday that I had exactly the right amount of time I need. My husband Vic would remind me in a loving way when I forgot. Our dynamic changed completely around time. My typical, you are going to make me late rant ended. We used to be polarized. I would expect him to make me late and he would not disappoint. We have a great friendship and a great marriage and yet things would really turn acrimonious around this issue. Removing that dynamic from our lives has been a blessing. (Who says you can’t teach 2 old dogs new tricks ☺).

Another major change that happened for me was my ability and desire to BE HERE NOW. No matter what is happening I want to be here to experience it, mind and body. My weekly time in NYC has become a joyous adventure. I stop for tea, made time for a Bikram Yoga class or just leisurely people watch from a café in the village. The main shift internally is near elimination of a boatload of daily stress. I consciously choose not to stress about time even if Amtrak is going to make me late. The world will not end. I will not spontaneously combust into flames.

How can you figure out your relationship to time? Start by honestly assessing how you behave in time related situations. Then ask the people in your life. Does your relationship to time cause you any stress at all? Are you present in your life most of the time? Some of the time? Not much of the time? When you are driving are you hypnotized or are you seeing the landscape or the cityscape? Once you have figured out your time style or dysfunction as it may be, journal about how it makes your feel. Recall instances where it has created a problem in a relationship or a work situation etc. Now think about how you want to be. Make a list of bold statements in the present tense…and then change your mind about time. I did. You can.

I would love to hear how you do and what epiphanies you experience.

Love love love,

Your CRAZY SEXY LIFE COACH
Terri

PS check out a cool website all about the benefits slowing down www.SlowDownNow.org where multi-tasking is considered a “moral weakness” (all in fun but you get the point)."

Taking Fun Seriously

2008-05-18T10:01:00.015-04:00

Wow, it's Monday AGAIN, how did that happen?

It's no fair that the weekend is only 2 days long! Who was in charge of that decision? As history goes, depending who you talk to, I suppose it was God. Perhaps she should have taken into consideration that fun barely has a chance to shake its tail feather in that stingy time frame. Just when our groove gets juicy funky it's time to go back to the grind. What if fun was serious business, non-negotiable? How would mandatory skipping and frolicking truly transform our lives? Were you ever taught to make time in order to accomplish nothing but a smile?

Imagine how uplifting our lives would be if we decided to take fun really seriously, like it was something our doctors prescribed, something we could not avoid or sacrifice. When we're working on regaining our health life can get pretty heavy and very complicated. Let's face it, life is BUSY, add an illness to the mix and it gets TWICE as busy (especially if you wisely choose to incorporate natural therapies). Levity, optimism, downtime - all reminders that there is joy on the other side of worry. And guess what, FUN is alkaline! Yes indeed, as Beth reminded us in her wonderful post, balance (especially pH balance) comes from more than food. In fact, we can eat a perfect raw, vegan, alkaline, organic, localvorian diet and still be acidic due to STRESS. What a way to sabotage the smoothie. Ya work your ass off to get well but ya get sicker cause life sucks and all the play grounds have "do not enter signs" hanging from chains. No thanks!

On Saturday I was faced with a choice, finish my three articles that are due today or go have some fun. All the work was dumped on me at the last minute. Why should I clock in a 7 day work week yet again? My inner kid threw a spaz and immediately tossed a big phat writers block that clonked me in the head and sent me into the sunshine. If you notice, I've been trying to take my own advise over these last several months. Why should I boss everyone else around and then be a total hypocrite in my own house. So not sexy.

Time for a grand ole time! Now my grand ole time may seem a little domestically boring but considering that I'm rarely home for any long period, spending time outside or working on my nest makes me happy.

Here's how it started.

Someone else making my morning juice! HA, no clean up, OH YEAH!

A 2 hour hike up my favorite mountain with my hubby carrying the heavy stuff.

Next stop the FLEA MARKET! One man's trash is definitely another man's treasure. I stopped myself from buying more land fill but oh how fun to browse.

Speaking of landfill, off to the dump to recycle. Yes, the dump, I LOVE IT THERE. I especially love the sign that say "No Picking" it sounds naughty and itchy and that makes me laugh.

OK, now for the major wow, TARGET. Finally, some new outdoor furniture purchase during their semi annual sale. I love my new chairs! Cozy, easy to clean, elegant shit. I do feel bad that they come from China and I have total eco-guilt about that but screw it. I guess since I'm a veg head I sometimes allow myself more carbon wiggle room. Lame but true.

SO there you have it. Nothing revolutionary to speak of other than a fabulously fun and alkaline weekend. Oh, we watched "Knocked Up" on Netflix too.

Laughing through Judd Apatow movies is definitely alkaline!

Peace and FUN,
Kris

PS. What's your idea of a grand ole weekend and when was the last time you had one?

pH - “p” who?? by Crazy Sexy Beth MD

2008-05-13T22:16:00.005-04:00

Ok, Campers, here we go… really, this is one of the foundations upon which the Crazy Sexy Life is built. Because not only does what you put into your body influence your pH, but so do your thoughts and emotions. Which is why Kris’ blog “Marianne Monday” is such an important reminder that we must nurture all the components of the lifestyle – because absolutely everything we expose ourselves to impacts our internal environment, meaning our pH. We talk about this a lot, but what’s the big deal already?? Well, let’s see what we can learn.

pH is a measure of the hydrogen ion concentration, [H+] in solution. Neutral is 7.0. A pH lower than 7.0 is acidic, anything higher than 7.0 is basic or alkaline. The body ideally likes a slightly basic environment at a pH of 7.365. Our bodies are designed around the concept of homeostasis – that neutral, groovy set point where everything is a-okay. The body keeps things at this “zen” space by intricate interactions of charged molecules, balancing one another out for optimum function. Every bodily function, from breathing to pooping, is regulated this way. The body will wreck havoc trying to maintain or regain homeostasis – in this case, a pH of 7.365.

So what affects the pH of my body, you may ask?? Well, everything! Foods like meat, dairy, highly refined or processed products (you remember our chat on sugar, right?) all drive your pH down… recall our definition: a drop in pH means an increase in acidity. Negative emotions and stress result in hormonal cascades that indirectly raise acidity. Lack of exercise, depleted enzyme stores, and environmental stressors all have a deleterious impact as well. Throw in a few cocktails and any prescription medication you are on and we are talking acid cesspool.

Big deal? Why is acidity such a buzzkill for our bodies?? Well, in part, we saw a hint of the explanation from our friend Otto Warburg. His discoveries on the anaerobic metabolism of cancer cells (acidic environment) – which are increasingly the direction medical cancer research is headed in – gave us our first initial peek at the impact of pH.

Basically, healthy cells like a nice oxygen-rich environment. This allows the body to maintain that gorgeous, slightly alkaline pH of 7.365. Cell functions are not impaired in any way by compromises in structure, enzyme activity, mucus sludge, hormone function or toxin build up.

Now take that same environment and drop the pH below 7.0 – make it acidic. This alters the metabolic functioning of all cells. Remember the delicate balance we talked about, if you tip the scale even a little bit in one direction, the body will scramble to try to get back to its zen state of pH 7.365. And considering, in blood, it takes 20 times as much base to neutralize acid, we are talking an enormous amount of stress and chaos for the body. The focus shifts away from normal metabolic functions to trying to procure enough base to bind up acid. It is much easier for the body to maintain a proper pH than to restore it.

The body uses various minerals calcium, magnesium, potassium respectively to bind to acids to create a neutral substance that can be excreted. If your diet is not replenishing these mineral stores, the body starts mining them from other sources, like bone, muscle, and organ tissues. The body will steal these minerals from anywhere and everywhere it has to in order to balance the pH. Can you see where this is going?? LACK. DEFICIENCY. NOT ENOUGH.

Eventually, if YOU don’t break the cycle somewhere, your body won’t be able to keep up with the demand for substances to neutralize acid. If acid builds up too high, in order to survive, the body will start dumping acid out of the bloodstream into tissues. The cleaning system of the body, the lymphatic system, will then try to neutralize the acidity and dispose of the waste. Well, the lymph system’s mechanism for cleaning – oy vey! – is shuttling substances BACK into the blood circulation.

If your head is spinning, it’s because your body is going around this psycho killer carousel trying to regulate pH.

But what does all this really mean for you?? Well, when that delicate pH balance is tipped in the acidic direction, the wide-sweeping effects it has on metabolism may manifest in a variety of ways: infection, inflammation, constitutional symptoms, allergies etc. etc. etc. Not to mention the fact that bugs – bacteria, yeast, fungi – LOVE acidic environments. They thrive in the acid bath. An alkaline environment, on the other hand, is not so conducive for them to run amok. Are you aware that many common infections are caused by bugs that are part of our normal flora? What?? Yup, we carry them with us, some actually help us maintain that zen homeostasis. So if we aren’t “catching” these bugs from the outside, why do we get sick??

Many who believe in the power of raw, green foods, the benefits of exercise, meditation and creativity, myself included, will tell you illness is because the internal environment was somehow disrupted. This disruption allowed an increased acidity, which creates a toxic shift in the behavior of these microorganisms. We don’t “catch” all illnesses (some, yes, of course). Through our lifestyle choices, we have the power to create or destroy an internal milieu that either keeps everyone coexisting beautifully or allows potential problem makers to prosper.

The gorgeous part of all this, we can affect change on that internal environment. We can, through our choices, allow our bodies to remain at that fantastic, zen, homeostatic set point of alkalinity, pH 7.365. It’s all about the Crazy Sexy Lifestyle, Baby! You can use pH strips to get an idea of your internal pH – urine is the closest idea of what is going on in your blood. Saliva is too variable. Remember, delicate balance, 7.365 is where it’s at! There are areas of the body that need a bit more acidity to function properly. However, unfortunately for us, disruption in our systems tends to veer towards the acidic side. It is very difficult to become too alkaline through nutrition. So guzzle your green juices, eat your veggies and don’t worry about going overboard.

I am willing to bet that as you start clearing out the stress, finding your daily spiritual practice, keep shakin’ that ass, start drinking green juice, 80% of your plate is green veggies, use whole food supplements… and track your pH, you will have all the proof in the nondairy nut-based pudding you need. You will likely correlate times of sickness or feeling poorly with your pH testing. Keep a journal, track it, and please, let us know the results!!!

Big, BASIC (alkaline) hugs,
B

Marianne Monday

2008-05-12T09:52:00.009-04:00

Good morning lovely Lima beans!

Finally after so much travel I am back at my magical home in hippieville Woodstock! And although it's tempting to dive in and catch up on all the work I have to do, I once again awaken to the fact that the most important work is on the inside - between my right and left ears, to be exact...

I was reminded of this AH HA after spending this past Saturday with my amazing friend and spiritual teacher Marianne Williamson. Her new book, "The Age of Miracles: Embracing The New Midlife" was the subject of her lecture, and although I learned a lot about how I would like to age, it was so relevant to my life NOW. Of all the powerful words that fell from her God-touched tongue, the most dynamic tool for my own RIGHT-NOW growth came in the form of a straight forward question: Do you have a DAILY spiritual practice? "Uhhh, wellll, sometimes-ish, but you see lately it's been tough! I mean, there's the travel, work, emails, and juicing takes time..." SHUT UP KRIS (I said this - she didn't). The truthful answer is a whopping NO.

I've been to Marianne's lectures before, I've read her books, she's even pressed me on this question in person at tea or over dinner. And every time I Shuck and Jive and then walk away making new promises to myself that work for a little while, but then never really take root. Why? Is it too ouchy to commit? Do I think I'm all that and a bag of pita chips and don't need it? OR am I too dang lazy!?!? Do you have a DAILY spiritual practice? Deep sigh.....

When I break it down it's simple. All my suffering comes from the fact that my primary relationship - which is my relationship to the divine - is off. When this relationship is solid there is no illusion of separation. There is no struggle no matter what the struggle is. My mind determines my reality. I change it in order to salvage it, and therefore my thoughts are clear. How good does it feel to sit in meditation and empty your head, even for just a few moments? How about journaling, exercise, reading spiritual scripture, praying, or listening to uplifting lectures on CD? These daily practices are as important, if not more important, than any other commitment in our lives.

One of the many remarkable things about Marianne is that no matter what question comes at her, she is able to break it down and bring it back to God. At the heart of the answer lies our own commitment to the path. Ego driven selfishness, poor-me victimization, spinning wheels, bitterness, loneliness, rage, etc. - when these negative feelings are allowed to metastasize, they eventually mutiny, take over your ship, and you find yourself no longer the captain of your destiny.

Makes perfect sense to me. So how do I make sure I don't negotiate away the time it takes to string together the pearls on the spiritual necklace? Just do it. As Jon Kabat Zinn says, "get your ass on the pillow!"

In our little CSL community we constantly chat about cleansing our bodies in order to boost our immunity and live our best lives, no matter what the circumstance. Marianne reminds us that we must also detox our distorted belief systems in order to truly experience happiness. Topical solutions just won't do, our problems are systemic. She says that we can't cover our darkness with pink paint and call it light! Many of the mistakes made in my life have come from moving too fast. The speed by which my turbine cranks comes from a deep fear of quiet, and ultimately, inadequacy. UGH!!!!!

When stuff is uncomfortable it is so much easier to keep it at arms length, and yet our arms get so frickin' tired. Arms length makes it more difficult. The Course in Miracles says that we find the rest we seek not from sleeping, but from waking. OH YEAH! Isn't that what we're trying to do with our diets? Wake up to the health and abundance available in every bite? Same thing with the meal that is our spiritual path.

As I continue to define the CSL Lifestyle for myself (I start writing "Crazy Sexy Life" the book in October), I am reminded that it is a spiritual diet first and foremost. It is a path of compassion and of service. Each of us transitions to health from a different starting point. We must have patience with ourselves, but we can't let that be an excuse for not doing our best. Again, the more clear you are spiritually, the more you'll trust your instincts. Nothing good comes easy; it takes work. Although diet is the seat of the chair, the four legs are equally important. Mind, body, spirit, and the more I think about it, the fourth leg is the DAILY PRACTICE. When any of these pillars are wobbly we feel unsettled, insecure, and off balance. I am grateful to wonderful teachers like Marianne who are dedicated to helping us remember this.

Off to take a walk and pray.

Peace and hallelujah!
kris

A new angel in Heaven....

2008-05-07T21:13:00.001-04:00

It is with great sadness that I say good-bye to the woman who helped me make peace with my own journey with cancer, Oni Faida Lampley. She was a sage, a teacher, a veteran of overcoming hardship and a deeply spiritual truth teller.

On April 28th, our gorgeous, dynamic, charming, brilliant, powerful warrior Oni left her body and became our angel. She was surrounded by love and light, friends and family, music, and prayer as she went peacefully and gracefully into the light.

For those of you who have seen Crazy Sexy Cancer, Oni is the brilliant (and hilarious) playwright we profiled towards the end of the film. I spent many nights watching her interviews in the hopes that her wisdom would take seed and help me to heal. Well, it did. Oni is responsible for some of my greatest personal breakthroughs. There is nothing to be thankful to cancer for and yet there are so many blessings, a paradox that I am still unraveling. If it wasn’t for my diagnosis I would never have met such a remarkable woman. So in the end, thank you cancer for bringing Oni into my life. Her creativity and passion reminded me that the only way to save my spirit was to nurture my artist and tell my story. Watching her tour de force made me pray for half the talent pouring from her heart and pen.

Oni's greatest wish was that her two brilliant and beautiful boys, Oluwadamilola and Adebayo would be able to go to college and bloom in their own ways.

If you are in a position to make a contribution to the boys' Scholarship Fund, your donation will help them pursue their dreams. No amount is too small. With the combined force of our incredible community we can give them an amazing running start as they carry on the legacy of Oni Faida Lampley.

http://theonifund.com

Our New York Posse Meet-up = Totally HOT success!

2008-05-05T10:14:00.005-04:00

Hi cherished tomatoes!

The posse gathering was down right magical. We met, ate DIVINE raw chow, hugged, shared massive knowledge, chatted about where we're going in the future with our wonderful company, introduced our AMAZING and ever growing team (Beth Villandry, Director of Development and Corinne Bowen Program and Development Manager - look out, these revolution mamas are going to ROCK YOUR WORLD). We gave away awesome prezzies (thank you sexy Sarma for the fantstic Pure Food & Wine goodie bag, and deep bow to the angel folks at Nutiva, E3 Live, Gnosis Chocolate and Vanessa Barg, Get Fresh Magazine and of course Breville - we gave away a juicer! Yeah, alkalinity!) Oh, oh, oh, we also passed out our new bracelets "Crazy Sexy Life - Make Juice Not War! Sooo cool, soooo fun and available for all very soon. Gotta spread the message and the love-ola. Jumping the cyber barrier was so surreal! New faces and long time pals from the old blog days all showed (Hi Sandra Joseph!) Also, a big SPECIAL thanks to Amy & Michelle (our new york team leaders) for making this day happen. Amy's invites, and awesome graphic magic survey was the creative glue that propelled us to a new level. THANK YOU!

Oh, guess who else graced us? Philip of lovingraw.com and Giveittomeraw.com. If you haven't read his story, run don't walk. Philip just finished his 100 day juice fast/feast on Friday and will be blogging for us later this week. WOW WOW WOW! Ps. The Raw Chocolate Rave on Friday was delish. Thanks Dhrumil (the dynamo founder of Giveittomeraw and Welikeitraw), you are the ultimate conduit, maker of change, and spiritual playah!

Needless to say, the New York flagship posse is a bright, bright gem so naturally we're already planning our next event. Can you say yoga studio anyone? Besides these wonderful meet-ups, team CSL is planning a host of other programs to grace your life with vibrance, knowledge and spiritual health. Keep your peepers peeled. More details to come soon.

It's so exciting to be back in New York for a week. Tonight I will be MC-ing the Sarcoma Foundation of America's annual gala fundraiser and on Thursday I will be the Keynote speaker at the Harvard Club for the Dana Farber gala. I'm honored beyond belief!

Hope and pray that you all have a wonderful GREEN day.

If you're in town for the next meet up, please come! I can't wait to squeeze you like a lemon. :) xox :) xoxo!

Peace and JOY HOLY JOY,
Kris

Friend to animals, friend to me & our first CanSer chap - Dan Paul!

2008-05-01T08:06:00.009-04:00

Happy May!

Let's dance about yesterday's MAJOR advancement for our furry friends! Check it out:

"The prestigious Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production just concluded its 2.5-year study of American animal agriculture with unanimous findings from its 15 members. The panel concluded that factory farms pose unacceptable risks to public health, the environment and animal welfare. It also issued a series of recommendations, including a phase-out of battery cages, gestation crates, veal crates, foie gras, and tail-docking of dairy cows, along with inclusion of poultry under the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act."

So what does all this have to do with my wonderful pal Dan? Take it away compassion rock star, activist extraordinaire and one heck of a dynamic CanSer chap...

"As an ex-control freak and a new-found believer in the “things happen for a reason” school of thought, it seems absolutely fitting that my fiancé Katie and I happened to meet Kris and Brian while vacationing in Costa Rica.

Quickly let me catch you all up to speed: we were all staying in the same yoga/nature retreat, so when we initially met we all spent the first few days engaging in basic small talk and abbreviated biographies. Then, after a few days, I became interested in finding out more about Brian’s film background, as in an earlier life I had been a film major in San Francisco. This is when they dropped their bombshell and Katie and I found out exactly how Brian and Kris met- and exactly the type of project that the two of them had worked on together. More simply put, this is when I learned all about “Crazy Sexy Cancer.” Although it’s never pleasant to learn of someone’s struggle with cancer, my shock of our shared experience came upon me in an odd sense of relief, the relief of finding others who fully understand my struggle- my own bombshell, that I constantly feel the need to hide until the optimal moment for bombardment: I too am a cancer survivor.

Four years ago, while I was living in New York City, working for the New York Yankees, in what I considered at that time to be “my dream job,” I began to feel sick. I was 24 years old at the time, and up until that point I had been totally healthy (well, healthy as far as sickness, but to be honest, my lifestyle was not necessarily the healthiest example out there). The symptoms included physical things like headaches, fatigue and night-sweats, while also having crazy psychological changes like depression and as WebMd puts it “feeling of doom.” But through it all, I figured that I was just tired and maybe I had been going out and partying a little bit too often. Never in a million years did I expect anything was really the matter with me.

And then I started to get constipated. I mean really constipated. I would go two or three weeks without any major bowel movement. I began relying heavily on laxatives to get even a semblance of relief. Finally, it became so unbearable that I had to actually go and see a doctor. I had been to Africa a few months before the heavy constipation had really started so I kept rationalizing the problem to be a result of some acquired parasite or form of bacteria. It turns out that the reason why I was unable go to the bathroom was because my spleen had enlarged about five times its normal size. And the reason why it was five times its normal size was because it was being flooded with white blood cells that it was rather unsuccessfully trying to filter out. I had about 100 times the amount of white blood cells that I should have had, in addition to severe anemia. This answered the headaches and fatigue, but why was I anemic? The answer, the doctors told me, is that I have leukemia.

When he uttered that word, honestly, all I could think of was that it was some kind of bald-headed kid’s disease. I didn’t have any idea exactly what it was. So when I asked naively to put it in layman’s terms, that’s when he let me know plainly that leukemia is cancer. And in turn, that’s when the whole world collapsed to a tiny speck about the size of a pin-hole.

Fortunately, the type of leukemia that I was diagnosed with: chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is the kind of leukemia you wanted to get if you ever were actually crazy enough to want to get leukemia. Without going too much in-depth, getting CML before you turn 66 is an extremely rare occurrence, and less than 10% of all reported cases of CML are from patients under 25 years old. Regardless, I think as we’ve seen with Kris, and probably many of your own experiences, when it comes to cancer, or survival for that matter, the last thing you ever want to do is lean on statistics. The reason why odds are never 100% either in favor or against a particular outcome is that there are always exceptions to nearly everything: sometimes you are a positive exception and sometimes you are not. So I took it on myself (and family and friends) to beat this, but in order to do so, I had to recalibrate a life that was kinda spinning out of control.

The next year was filled with doctors and hospitals and blood tests and giant needles digging into my hip bone, extracting marrow, and chemotherapy and pain and loneliness and exhaustion. It’s the details of the story that are far too massive to sum up in this blog. But on that note, this is why I think all of us can find inspiration and strength from Kris and Brian’s film. It is virtually the story that we have all gone through but rarely are able to observe from an outside perspective. However after a successful bone-marrow transplant (actually stem cells from my brother, Dave) and another year living a basically hermetically sealed existence, I was free to carry on as before. At least that was the intended plan. But after that re-awakening, something in me had changed. I had gone through so much- the highs and lows, the pain and the relief, and through it I had come out differently on the other side.

I could no longer just assimilate back into the same life as before. I now understood suffering, I felt what it was like to be totally vulnerable and without any control over my own fate. To me, nothing seemed stupider than to ignore all of this insight and escape back into the fairytale world of peanuts and cracker jacks- where life is separated into spring training and fall classics. During my recovery, Katie and I adopted a golden retriever named Sam from the local Humane Society. What now seems like a totally lopsided exchange for a warm bed and dry food, in return he offered a salve for my heart. He became instrumental in my recovery, as I was on medical imposed exile for the first few years of recovery. I have always liked animals, but it wasn’t until really getting to know Sam that I understood what that really means.

A little over a year ago, I had a dream in that Sam was standing in a kill chute at a slaughterhouse. He couldn’t know that on the other side of the swinging doors his body would be sliced and diced and turned into hamburger, but regardless, he desperately wanted to escape, and was powerless to do so. His eyes were screaming to be heard but he made no sound. It chilled me all the way down to my newly replaced bone-marrow because in some ways I could fully relate to that feeling. When my body was literally in the process of killing me, when I had no idea that I was weeks away from massive heart failure or stroke from the massive buildup of blood cells, my body was silently screaming at me to “get the hell out of here!”

That’s when I connected it all to a quote by the Nobel Prize winning philosopher Albert Schweitzer: “Think occasionally of the suffering from which you spare yourself the sight.” I began to think of such tiny little connections such as: If I punch Sam, it will hurt him, if I kiss Sam, it will feel good to him. Then I thought of all the times as a kid when I had heard that “a pig is smarter than a dog.” Well, to me Sam was pretty amazingly smart. Sure, he isn’t solving advanced calculus equations or writing a dissertation on Gertrude Stein, but he is aware of himself, like me, and my struggle to survive cancer at all costs is identical to his interest in self-preservation. Even more importantly, however, is that he has the ability to suffer just as I do.

That is when the light bulb went off. The feeling that I had awakened after all these years, is compassion. In my estimation, this is an emotion that everyone is born with, but more often than not, for any number of reasons, this instinct is shamed, ignored, and eventually forgotten. We live in a society where the number one priority is to take care of your own best interests. But now that I had received a new lease on life, I wanted to do it totally different. I had the unique opportunity to start over, and at the foundation of this rebirth is compassion.

In fact, I don’t know what made my heart smile more, when Brian told me that Kris is a cancer survivor or when he told me Kris was a vegan. I have been vegan now for a year and it has been the most rewarding decision that I have ever made. Every single morning, I wake up and my heart feels joyous, I know that I am truly living my ethics. In addition, about 4 months ago I was hired by the Humane Society of the United States, and now work full-time in spreading the message of compassion.

I’m sure by now, most of you have read or seen footage from the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. in Chino, California. For those that have no idea what I’m talking about, you can visit www.humanesociety.org and on the homepage there are links to both the story and the undercover video that a Humane Society undercover investigator shot over a few weeks at the slaughter facility.

What is most shocking, is that the HSUS randomly selected this facility with no prior knowledge or information on their treatment of cattle. Hallmark/Westland isn’t particularly egregious, nor is it particularly negligent. The sickening reality, is that with almost total certainty, whichever of the thousands upon thousands of CAFOs (factory farms), feedlots or slaughter facilities, that currently operate throughout the United States of America and are governed by the USDA, the resulting footage would look nearly identical.

To me, what makes it worse, is that these particular cows did not get to spend the first 18 months of their fated existence on pasture land- free to essentially be a cow, like most cattle raised for beef, before being shipped off to the high-density feedlot to be fattened up on an unnatural diet of corn. No, these are dairy cattle- animals that are impregnated against their will, only to have their babies taken away from them within days of birth, and re-impregnated again and again.

You see, cows are mammals, like us, and mammals can only produce milk after gestation. When I fist discovered this, I was a bit shocked: cows don’t magically make milk- milk is made for their own babies, and if they aren’t new mothers than they don’t lactate.

Not to get too off topic, but let’s focus on their babies for a sec- the females are taken to ’replenish’ the herd, while nearly every single male calf or veal calf (roughly half) are taken from their mothers, days from birth, tied up inside a tiny box- so small they can not even turn around or lay down comfortably, and fed an iron deficient diet for the few awful weeks that they will exist on this planet.

Now back to the mother- after a constant cycle of birthing and milking (about 5 times the amount a calf would naturally nurse), these cows are considered “spent” and no longer serve as cost-effective milk-producing machines. Their bodies and hormones are so cached from giving and giving and giving that there becomes only one more possible way to exploit these beleaguered animals for more money: send them to slaughter.

And this is where Hallmark/Westland comes in to play. How do you get a thousand pound animal, broken and ruined, to walk willingly down a kill chute? I know myself, as a cancer survivor who was exposed to massive doses of Cytoxin and Busulfan, whose bone marrow was completely destroyed by this poison, and spent weeks without any trace of an immune system, that I would not just give up and walk down the kill chute to my death. And why should we believe that these cows are any different?

The commercial egg industry is no better, often times even worse. Female laying hens are locked tiny wire cages in darkened sheds, stacked one on top of another by the thousands. Each hen is given less than 67 sq. inches or about 2/3 a sheet of paper to live their entire, wretched lives. And about 5 to 8 birds are crammed inside every cage. The “unlucky” birds on the bottom of the cage stacks are defecated on for their entire lives as well. If there is a wane in productivity, these birds are “force molted” or starved for a week of two, until their body is tricked into laying more eggs. The toll is so great on their bodies, as so much calcium is lost that they often break their legs and wings from the cramped, wire cages.

Like veal calves, the “unproductive” male chicks have a similarly brutal fate. They are sorted out and then either left to suffocate, stacked several thousands deep in trash dumpsters or for a quick disposal, they are fed into a wood-chipper while fully conscious.

I understand that this is all very gruesome, shocking, and extremely graphic, but unfortunately this is the outcome of our food procurement system that has so far been completely tolerant of institutionalized cruelty. Slowly things are beginning to change, the citizens of Florida, Arizona, have passed successful ballot initiatives to ban gestation crates on pregnant sows and confinement crates for veal calves. Oregon and now Colorado have passed successful legislative bans on the same practices, without even relying on citizen-led initiatives. And California residents have currently gathered enough signatures to add to the November elections legislation to address gestation crates, veal crates, and battery cages for egg-laying hens (for the first time in US history). And now, with all the attention the USDA has faced from the Chino slaughterhouse, there may be even more legislation written in favor of farm animals.

But even more importantly, this doesn’t have to be decided by rules or regulations. By the very act of reducing a living, feeling, sentient being into a mere unit of production- whether it be as an egg-laying machine, a flesh-giving machine, or a milk-producing machine- these beings are forced to endure suffering and desolation that none of us could even begin to comprehend. Instead, we can pull from Albert Schweitzer and take a moment to reflect and relate to their suffering. Suffering that is more different in degree than in kind to what we as cancer survivors have faced.

As Kris has shown you, through her neighbors at Woodstock Animal Sanctuary, if given a chance these animals such as Olivia want to live. They want to live because that is what life does. When all was said and done, this is exactly the same primal source that I utilized when I was knee-deep in my own struggle.

I hope that one day the world can go from A to Z, and Z is a place that institutionalized cruelties are a thing of the past, I do, however, realize that it is a huge step to just get to B. And that alone gives me cause and purpose to wake up and take action. Because I know that with all my effort, and the effort of like-minded survivors, the world can’t possibly be worse off, and we just might reach our goal."

Peace & Freedom for all,
Dan

Fear of Flying, Anyone?!

2008-04-28T10:03:00.003-04:00

Happy Monday Fearless Warriors!!

As many of you know Miss Kris, Dr Beth and yours truly recently conducted our first Crazy Sexy Boot Camp at The Crossings in Austin TX. It was truly transformative. The emotional focus of the weekend was on overcoming fear and manifesting the future. Of course there was an array other helpful info, powerful exercises, yoga, healing circles, nutrition, Reiki, creative writing, massage and warm healing amethyst mats, to name a few. In keeping with this theme we had a whole afternoon to experience the “fear transcending” power of the trapeze with our fine leader and Ringling Brothers alumni, Peter Gold and his amazingly fit and talented (and HOT) team. They inspired us to fly higher than we thought we could…well actually higher than I EVER thought I could because up until Saturday April 19, 2008 I had an excruciating fear of heights in open spaces. This brings me to the topic at hand: Fear. Why do we have it? How can we harness it? How do we learn from it and NOT let it be drive the truck?!

Fear is a normal human emotion that was an important tool for survival centuries ago. But since it is unlikely that a lion will eat us these days, why is fear still so prevalent in our lives? Yes it can be a scary world. Yes facing health, wealth and life challenges is also scary. But how we react to these things can be a choice whether you know it or not. The real deal is that fear begins in our mind. We learn to be fearful from parents and caregivers. How did your family of origin handle fear? Were they catastraphizers? You will catch a cold and die if you go out with wet hair!!! Look at what you are doing to your mother, you will give her a heart attack etc. Think of how your family reaction to fear influences your reaction to fear now. Marianne Williamson states, ”Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we learned here.” Did your parents teach you to fear taking risks? What was in their problem solving tool belt? Were they reactors? Deniers? Talkers? Were you parentified and expected to come up with solutions and fix problems before you were actually capably of doing so successfully? All of these factors contributed to how well you manage your fear today.

Once you have really thought about the culture of fear in your childhood home, you can start to unravel the mystery. Ask yourself the above questions and journal about your answers. Ask yourself how safe you felt and how safe you were in your home. Meditate on these memories and experiences and allow yourself to really feel them. Understanding your own internal make up of fear is the beginning of taking away it’s power to dictate action in your life. When you find yourself in a situation that is kicking up fear remember fear is a FEELING not a FACT. You must acknowledge your fear in order to control it. When we run away from our fears they become amplified in our mind. The reality is usually never as bad as the fear fantasy. Do not allow yourself to focus on the worst-case scenario thus giving it the power of your emotions. This is manifesting…backwards. If fear is what you hold in your mind most and longest it becomes a wish or a prayer, even if that is not your intention. Use the power of positive manifesting and creative visualization to calm your mind and fears. Use positive self-talk, journaling and meditating to wrangle what scares you most. Create a deliberate conscious reaction to fear inducing thoughts and situations. Rather than going down the “What If” highway respond with mental images and feelings of what you actually WANT to happen not what you dread. Also remember fear has much to teach us about our selves…figure out what that jewel is before you kick fear to the curb.

Last weekend in Austin, we experienced so many participants, just THROWIN’ DOWN with their fear. It was exhilarating to witness and share. My own smack down happened while climbing up the ladder to the trapeze landing. I had not told anyone about my fear as it was ego-dystonic for me. This means it did not fit my image of myself as an ass kicking warrior Goddess therefore I was ashamed of it. The Herculean strength it took to keep climbing was mind blowing. I am normally quite counter phobic-purposely doing things I fear so they do not own me, but fear of heights is a phobia and I truly do not know the origin (and trust me 20 years of therapy later I have really looked ☺). It feels organic and visceral when I am in the throws but now I realize that my mind is stronger than my fear. As soon as I hopped off the landing and was sailing through the air with the greatest of ease, the fear vanished. I remain amazed and ridiculously proud. I feel reinvigorated around the challenges I am facing in my life. I know when I leap the net will appear. It is not about being fearless; it is about letting fear propel you towards your goal instead of stopping you in your tracks. And as Kris so kindly reminded me I have until early July to be ready to do it again at our next boot camp at The Omega Institute… yep can’t wait…did I mention it gets easier with time and repetition?

So I will leave you with some quotes about fear that I find useful.

“When you’re falling, DIVE”-Joseph Campbell

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.”-Ambrose Redmoon

“Fear cannot be banished, but it can be calm and without panic; and it can be mitigated by reason and evaluation.”-Vannevar Bush

“I have lived a long life and had many troubles, many of which never happened.”
-Mark Twain

“He who fears he will suffer already suffers because of his fear.”-Montaigne

So hold tight and as Kris said this weekend, ”Ride the dragon!!” You will be amazed at your self discovery when you acknowledge and face your fears on purpose. I would love to hear all about it.

Love Love Love
Your Crazy Sexy LIFE COACH
Terri

Our first workshop was a total success!

2008-04-21T08:39:00.006-04:00

Glorious Monday!

Sitting in a little cafe in New York City sipping tea and feeling waves of emotions and joy for the success of our first ever Crazy Sexy Cancer Bootcamp workshop at The Crossings. Since I only have a few moments to blog I'll just give ya a stream of memories...

Happy, nervous, scared, excited people arriving and introducing themselves in a sacred circle. Making green juice for everyone and serving E3 Live. Nutrition class with lots of open minds, massive amounts of information (next time we'll make it a 2 day affair) and GREAT questions - oh, and a show and tell enema bag! He he he....Raffling off a juicer to one lucky (and very happy) warrior goddess. Pool, spa, massages, facials, lovely food, beautiful surroundings, friendships blossoming....

Unbelievable rituals, altar, candles, sharing, giggling, crying, reiki, burning fears and hugging tight.

Creative writing, journal tickling, excavating the hero and meeting the best friend that is you - huge leaps!

Beth's class and the deep wisdom that streams and flows out when the doctor becomes the patient. Brilliant, one of the highlights of the weekend. Look for our program born from her monumental talk.

TRAPEZE, TRAPEZE, TRAPEZE!!! Seeing my Austin family fly made me finally get it. I turned to Beth and Terri and said for the first time in all the years that I have been creating the Crazy Sexy world I am really proud of me. I too learned big transformative stuff - OWN IT GIRL.

Trance dance - whoa, blind folded...

Manifesting made clear, real, and practical by our AMAZING Terri. Wow. I felt so lucky to be in the class when my other two facilitators taught. I learned so much.

Closing ceremony...Ahhh, we buried all our beautiful intentions in the ground. The seeds that will become our Oaks, strong, solid, tangible oaks, are working their magic right now, in this very moment. What comfort.

Prayers, hugs, more tears (I think we drained their kleenex supply).

Good bye - but just for now.

I hope to see you all at The Omega Institute this July, independence day actually!! We'll be working on MASSIVE liberation in honor of the holiday.

More soon....Off to work on grants for all the magic we want to bring to YOU.

Peace and total inspiration,
Kris

PS. This pix of me and Beth making juice for everyone was the only shot I had on my camera. Luckily everyone snapped many. I'll post an entire album in the next day or so.

PSS. Debbie sent us wheatgrass to get us through and keep us charged. What a Crazy Sexy Generous Friend! THANK YOU MAYOR DEBBIE. We love you......

Sugar…. not so sweet? Part 2

2008-04-16T08:14:00.004-04:00

Morning Angels!

She's back and here it is, part two on SUGAR with our Crazy Sexy Resident MD Beth. If you didn't read Monday's post, sit your SWEET tush down and check it out! We're off to the Crossings, will check in Friday and post some pix. Take it away Beth....

"Sugar is a simple carbohydrate, there are 2 categories: monosaccharides (fructose, glucose, and galactose) and disaccharides (maltose, sucrose = white table sugar). When sugar enters your bloodstream, your body releases insulin to then lower your blood glucose levels. How quickly your blood glucose levels rise, which in turn determines how quickly your insulin levels spike, is based on how quickly your food is metabolized. This is commonly referred to as the glycemic index of a food. Big deal, you might say, insulin isn’t bad for me, right??

Not so fast…. Insulin, the hormone that lowers blood glucose, in excess, sends a big message to cells – GROW! Which is great for your healthy cells, not so great for the cancer cells. So one of our goals in our food choices should be to avoid the dramatic spikes in blood sugar, with the correlating spike in insulin. Luckily, the Crazy Sexy Lifestyle nutrition recommendations are spot on for this issue too!!

And as if we needed more incentive… let’s take a quick peek at what sugar does to our immune system. Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell that phagocytize (eat) any nasties floating around in your body – viruses, bacteria, cancer etc. In order to swallow invaders efficiently, these white blood cells need vitamin c to be inside the cell. (Thank you Linus Pauling for that discovery.) Well, unfortunately, to the white blood cells, vitamin c and sugar look an awful lot alike structurally. So, if there is a lot of sugar around, it will compete with the vitamin c for entry into the white blood cell. The more glucose that goes into the cell, the less vitamin c that enters, so the phagocytic ability of the cell weakens. This is why people say sugar depresses your immune system. It takes a fierce, fighting cell ready to munch up invaders, and turns it into a wallflower who lets the bad boys have a brawl in your body.

So what all this means to me, a canser cowgirl rockin’ the Crazy Sexy Lifestyle, is I need to limit my sugar intake and be mindful of the source. If through my food choices I can starve the cancer and boost my immune system, sign me up, sister!! As with everything, it’s about the choices you make. Limiting your sugar intake allows us to reduce the amount of fuel available for the metabolism of the cancer cells. It allows your immune system to function at its best, perhaps allowing it, along with your treatments, to catch up to the cancer. By sticking to complex carbohydrates as opposed to simple sugars, we can avoid those stressful spikes in our insulin levels which can signal cell growth. By adding fiber, protein, and fat we can slow down the release of insulin. But where the heck does that leave me with fruit?? Well, let’s start with the good news: fruit sugar, fructose, does have the lowest glycemic index of all the monosaccharides. And if you eat the whole fruit, with the fiber intact, as opposed to fruit juice, that will further temper the rise of your blood glucose and insulin response. The bad news: fructose is still sugar. So, if you have active cancer, you may want to limit or avoid fruit altogether because of everything we’ve just learned. Natural sweetners like Stevia and raw agave nectar give you all the sweet flavor without the drama.

So, after all of this, doesn’t avoiding sugar seem like a no-brainer?? I hope so!"

Peace & Stevia,

Beth & Kris

Sugar…. not so sweet? Part 1

2008-04-14T11:13:00.004-04:00

Helloooo SWEET angels,

What an amazing blog we have for you to read today. My inspiration, Crazy Sexy Beth MD has laid out the real deal scoop on sugar and how it effects your health and CANCER. Beth is a doctor, canSer cowgirl, raw foodist, lover of all things CSL, AND our new Director of Development. You will be hearing a lot more from this mighty titan, especially in my new book (in stores in Sept) where she contributes amazing tips. Take it away Beth.....

Sugar…. not so sweet??

By now, most of us have heard, “sugar feeds cancer.” Is this true? Why hasn’t my doctor said anything? What does that really mean?

Admittedly, I do use the phrase, “sugar feeds cancer” because it is direct and simple. And while at its core, it is not erroneous, “sugar feeds cancer” is a bit of an overstatement. Let’s look at some of the basic science behind this and try to understand what this phrase is really trying to tell us.

Sugar – glucose – is the fuel of the human body – period. EVERY cell in your body relies on glucose to keep its engine running. So much so, that the body will break down anything and everything to keep sugar around. Ever wonder why some patients with aggressive, malignant disease start to “waste away” and get so thin? This is called cachexia. The body breaks down protein, along with the typical carbohydrates and fats, to produce sugar to keep up with the metabolic demands of the body – and the cancer.

So where did the statement “sugar feeds cancer” come from?

Well, back in the 1930’s, there was this super smart PhD, Otto Warburg. He won the Nobel Prize in medicine for his work researching the metabolism of cancer cells. His pivotal finding:
“Cancer has only one prime cause. It is the replacement of normal oxygen respiration of the body’s cells by an anaerobic (oxygen deficient) cell respiration.” – Otto Warburg, PhD.

Hold the gravy train, what does that have to do with sugar?? That sounds more like a pH discussion, right??

Well, they kind of go hand in hand, hang in there with me here…

Cancer cells tend to have a higher metabolic rate than healthy normal cells, about 8 times higher, in fact. That is the basis for the PET scan. Patients are injected with radiolabelled glucose. Yup, nuclear sugar! It zooms to the areas with high metabolic rates, like cancer, and lights up like a Christmas tree on scan. Cancer cells have to run on overtime because they actually operate an inefficient system, they have to keep the fuel supply coming (which is why cancer patients lose weight and feel so fatigued). Dr. Warburg showed us that malignant tumors metabolize best via anaerobic glycolosis – meaning they like to work in an environment devoid of oxygen. Anaerobic metabolism only produces 1/16th of the energy that is generated in comparison to aerobic metabolism. This is why cancer cells are always hungry for more fuel. The anaerobic metabolism of glucose, which produces the byproduct lactic acid, is accomplished via fermentation. And what is the most readily available fuel for fermentation… you guessed it, SUGAR!!

Are your heads spinning yet?? Let’s circle back a minute. Why would I say that “sugar feeds cancer” is an overstatement after the above explanation??

Well, because sugar feeds your healthy cells too – not just cancer cells. Glucose in and of itself is not bad, our cells, our bodies need it to survive. Everything you consume is eventually broken down to sugar. Which is where a lot of doctors get stuck, they know there is nothing specific per se about sugar that “feeds” cancer. Sugar is simply fuel. However, because of its greater metabolic rate, cancer uses up fuel first and fast, remember the basis for the PET. And sugar is the preferred fuel for fermentation, the anaerobic metabolic pathway of cancer cells. So basically, consuming excessive sugar is throwing gasoline on the fire. And we all know what happens then… KA BOOM!! Personally, I don’t want to provide the cancer cells with an excess of the very thing they need to survive, to grow, to spread.

And that’s not even the whole story….

Part 2 will be posted on Wednesday!

Good luck cleansing this week. For more, info, support and recipes, go to the fasting/cleansing group on http://my.crazysexylife.com

Peace and sugar-free love,
Crazy Sexy Beth MD

SuperLove

2008-04-12T07:33:00.005-04:00

Greetings from New Orleans family!

Have you ever walked through a giant VAGINA in a super dome arena? If not, I highly recommend the experience! Put it on your LIFE list tootsie. I'm down in the big easy with Donna Karan, Rodney Yee, Colleen Saidman and the fabulous folks of Urban Zen, bringing yoga, massage, aromatherapy, SMOOTHIES and BIG love to thousands of abused or displaced women of hurricane Katrina. This magical event is all part of Dame Eve Ensler's legendary, revolutionary, mega life changing V-day extravaganza! My job: listen to amazing stories, worship unbelievable survivors, teach CSL nutrition and blend, blend, blend alkaline love and health for these remarkable gals. Guess who else is with me? My homegal CSL coach Terri! I think she must have done Reiki on hundreds of women on her biomats yesterday. Each time I visited her station she was healin', lovin' and huggin' somebody. Terri's out cold in the double bed next to me while I'm sneaking a quick HELLLLOOOO to you! It's total love madness down here. We get there at 7 am prep for hours, doors open at 10 am and then it's ON! I don't think I have ever run so fast or felt such exhilaration.

Endless giving to the RIGHT people fills YOU with more energy than you expend. It's the beating heart of the divine phenomenon and oh yeah does it feel delicious. If I ever forget that each of us goes through the fire, well then I will bonk myself on the head and remember the opportunity I had to serve this heroic group of survivors. Rebuild they will. Rebuild we will. Together.

How? One smoothies at a time baby!!!!!

My custom Superlove smoothie recipe:

watermelon
cucumber
fresh mint
agave
water/ice

The generous folks from Vitamix gave me 5 new blenders to use for the event and guess who gets them when I'm done? YOU. The folks of Breville ponied up too so we're rollin' in style. Once a month in my cleansing/fasting group I will give away a blender or a juicers to one lucky CSL member - OH YEAH! More on this tres tres soon.....A family that cleanses together stays together in health wealth and TRUE happiness. AMEN/Hip shake!!

My biggest revelation about serving the thousands of people who come to our smoothie station is that we ALL eat way too much sugar! Until I added agave (and sent my volunteers out on an emergency WF's run to get it), many of the gals couldn't even choke my vibrant recipe down. Our tastes buds have been so distorted by pounds and mounds of white devil sugar madness that a simple watermelon just isn't enough, in fact, it's accosting! What do we do? Ween babe, ween, disco inferno. I got plenty O' smiles when I said "baby, you're sweet enough!"

Peace and service,
Kris

For more on the event: http://v10.vday.org/

Ps. 4 days till Austin!!!! Woo Hoo!!!!!

MEDITATING MAXIMIZES YOUR MANIFESTING MOJO!

2008-04-09T07:52:00.003-04:00

Look who's back! It's our Crazy Sexy Life Coach Terri Cole leading us on our manifestation acceleration! Hey, since we're on a fasting kick, this is the perfect time to call in the mental troops. Cleansing is tough, if it was easy more folks would do it. Here are some more tools to help you reach your goals - whatever they are. Take it away Queen Terri....

Happy Wednesday Co-creators!

As many of you know our Manifesting Maniacs group on the forum (www.my.crazysexylife.com) is reading Deepak Chopra’s THE SEVEN SPIRITUAL LAWS OF SUCCESS. This book is a little jewel filled with information and easy “How To” suggestions. Let’s first establish all of the amazing benefits of meditating. The website ABC-OF-Yoga.com discusses the importance of meditating for achieving mental clarity and health. As a therapist I have always espoused the virtues of being still and quieting the mind. Below is a list of the physiological benefits of meditation:

*Deep rest-as measured by decreased metabolic rate, lower heart rate, and reduced workload of the heart.
*Lowered levels of cortisol and lactate-two chemicals associated with stress.
*Reduction of free radicals-unstable oxygen molecules that can cause tissue damage.
*Decreased high blood pressure.
*Higher skin resistance. Low skin resistance is correlated with higher stress and anxiety.
*Drop in cholesterol levels.
*Improved flow of air to lungs resulting in easier breathing. This has been very helpful to asthma patients.
*Decreases the aging process (whooooo hooooo!)

Below is a list of the psychological benefits of meditation:
*Increased brain wave coherence.
*Greater creativity.
*Decreased anxiety.
*Decreased depression.
*Decreased irritability and moodiness.
*Improved learning ability and memory.
*Increased happiness.
*Increased self-actualization.
*Increased feelings of vitality and rejuvenation.
*Increased emotional stability.

There are many spiritual benefits as well. As your practice deepens so does your compassion and self-awareness. Meditating, like so many other aspects of this CRAZY SEXY LIFESTYLE, is a gift to your self. It is a way to self- nurture that does not cost a penny and yet yields abundance.

Deepak Chopra states on the first page of, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success
The source of all creation is pure consciousness…pure potentiality seeking expression from the unmanifest to the manifest. And when we realize that our true Self is one of pure potentiality, we align with the power that manifests everything in the universe.

The meaning of this statement and the message of the book, is that the space in between our conscious life and our sleeping life (he refers to it as the gap), is where we manifest visualize and create with the most power. He calls this the Law of Pure Potentiality and directs us to access it daily through the practice of silence, meditation and non-judgment (that can be a tough one). Also spending time in nature will feed your creating juices.

The benefits of meditating did not come as news to me. I have been aware of them for years. What DID comes, as a newsflash was the direct connection between meditating and accessing your massive power to create your desired health, wealth and life. It was truly an A HA moment that had me waking up my sleeping husband at 2am to ask if he had purposely within held the keys to the kingdom from me (he claims ignorance☺). I have had a beautiful meditation room in my home for years. I have done weekends and classes. I have purchased CDs and DVDs. I have created a beautiful alter, have silk sitting pillows and endless collection of Buddha statues and incense. None of these things inspired me to action, as this book has. At Kris’s suggestion I bought an egg timer and am using it. Deepak says twice a day for 30 minutes, morning and night. I am getting there. I am forgiving myself for my loud mind (just go back to counting) and how long it took me to truly start my practice. I invite you to join me by adding this amazing dimension to your life. If you are way past me then GO YOU. I am catching up so please turn around and lend a hand by sharing your own techniques and experiences here and in our MANIFESTING MANIACS group. I will do a follow up blog in 6 weeks to share your amazing tales of transformation and inspiration.

Love Love Love
Your Crazy Sexy LIFE COACH
Terri

Stages of fasting & Pre-fasting

2008-04-07T09:36:00.013-04:00

Good morning alkaline bunnies!

Just got back from an amazing speaking gig in Boston and a TV appearance in NYC yesterday - ABC Eye Witness News. Here's the link if ya missed it, ABC . Anyway, back to cleansing, fasting and what I'd like to call PRE-fasting. Yeah, a new CSL term!

I loved catching up with all of your cleansing tales from the previous blog, what a ride, what fun, what useful information you shared. This group is down right golden! As some of you found out it's really helpful to strategize and plan your day, especially if you're a wicked busier multi-tasker with a pack of kids, deadlines and hungry partners who pile drive pizza and tempting snickity snacks. Do yourself a favor and go places prepared. Bring your juice, smoothie, purified water with lemon, a blended soup etc. Have liquids will travel! Nothing worse than being stuck in a traffic jam on your first day of a fast. Your last liquid was at 7 AM and now it's noon and the freeway is a parking lot! Not good for you, your cells (cells are greatly effected by anger, hate and road rage) and not good for the bumper of the bitch ahead on you. Get the picture? So holster your potion to your hip and glide through your day the liquid way...

If you are new to the CSL diet and lifestyle or if you have any concerns about your ability to fast (check with your doctor) you may want to move slowly into liquid love by starting with a Pre-fast cleanse. In other words, transition into the fast. Ease in and take baby steps which lead to small victories and gradual changes.

Stages of cleansing...

Stage one: For some of you, moving to an 80/20 diet is a huge jump and this is your cleanse. So lets just kick that up a notch. Your mornings start with water lemon, cayenne, you have a raw lunch (salad) and then a huge salad for dinner with a small portion of cooked food (no animal products - this will stop all the cleansing).

Stage two: Same as above but instead of having raw solids at lunch you have more juice and make smoothies and/or bleneded soups through out the day, then for dinner you have a huge lovely salad with all your favorite raw nick nacks (note: favorite raw nick nacks for the above stages too). Stage two fasters remove all wheat products - even sprouted bread and manna. Remove ALL grain - even the best ones (millet, quinoa, Buckwheat, Amaranth, Teff). Remove ALL noodles too (grain!). Remove all cooked products.

Stage Three: Water with lemon, herbal teas (other stages can use too), green juices, smoothies, blended soups. As much as ya like. The more accustom you get to fasting the less hungry you will be and the less you will need. At first, don't stress yourself out, when hungry sip!

I consider stages 1 & 2 to be slow and steady wins the race steps to a more intense experience when you're ready. They are also considered pre-fast preps. Whatever you do is good enough for you. So when the group fasts on 4/15 (way to celebrate tax day - our wallets fast and so do our bodies), you choose what level is right for you and join in if you are able.

Note: For all stages it is important to omit ANY kind of sugar. To mop up the terrain and deal with yeast beasties- fruit, agave, honey etc are not recommended. STEVIA is your friend. GREEN GODDESS for 1-3 days, YOU can do it!

CSL group cleanses are a great idea and I will start a monthly group on the forum. The cleanses will last from 1-3 days and we all help each other through the rough cabbage patches. Use the blog and the group as your support system. Share recipes, symptoms, inspiration, tips and testimonials.

Questions, comments, thoughts, LOVE?

Peace and chlorophyll!

Kris

PS. Here's the link for the group or you can just find it on the forum.CSL cleanse group

Fasting

2008-04-02T09:19:00.006-04:00

Hellloooo healthy warriors!

To fast or not to fast, that is the question! Why? What's so dang scary about not eating a meal? We're all so attached to food for so many different reasons that the idea of skipping solids brings waves of panic and visions of hospitalization. Here's the deal. Don't fast without nutrition. It's that simple. water, maple syrup, cayenne, vinegar - THAT AIN'T nutrition. Obviously, I'm referencing a few common plans rolled into one taco.

I base my fasting protocol on what I learned during my health educator program at Hippocrates. This is what Brian Clement says in his AWESOME book, "Living foods for optimum health":

Fast one day a every week, consuming only freshly squeezed green drinks, vegetable juices, purified water, herbal teas. These fasting days will allow any potential long term toxins to be released before they can cause serious damage. It's like changing the oil in your car BEFORE your engine fails. (Note: I would add blended foods too - and kick in 2-4 oz of wheat grass)

Remember, when you give your body a break from the difficult task of digesting food - especially meat, dairy & poorly combined foods, you allow it to focus on healing and repair. Since lots of toxins are dumped into the blood stream during a fast it's a good idea to follow it with an enema or a colonic. Keeping the pipeline clear allows for better evacuation of that which does not serve you. If you are clogged up the toxins will back up.

Many people do longer fasts. Common durations include one day, a week, ten days, twenty one days and even 92 days (like our pal Philip on the forum). I think baby steps are important. If you are interested, I would start with 1-3 days. If your health is currently weak, fasting is not recommended. Be realistic and if you have any concerns check with your doctor. Make sure you mention that you will be getting nutrients, just in liquid or blended form. Most people think that fasting = abstaining from food. CSL fasts = resting from food while still receiving optimum plant based nutrition.

Here's a basic sample of a fast day por moi:

Upon rising drink 8 oz of purified water with lemon and a dash of cayenne - gets the circulation going - lemon cleanses the liver. Drink herbal tea if you like and then get ready to juice, juice, juice!

Ingredients for the juice, juice, juice:
Cucumber
Sunflower & or Sweet pea sprouts
celery
brocoli stems
kale
dandelion greens

Drink as much as you like and change the menu to suit your palate. Eight 6-8 oz glasses is what works for me. At night I blend a green soup or a smoothie.

Ingredients for soup:
1 large avocado
2 cups salad greens
Kale
purified water
scallions
1 tsp kelp or dulse
1 tsp nama shoyu or a pinch of sea salt
1 clove of crushed garlic
Cayenne
Fresh herbs - like dill, thyme, BASIL - yum!

Get creative sassy pants! Ya don't have to follow this - make your own, what veggies do you love? If you don't use the avocado add some EVOO or Flax oil.

Ingredients for my go-to green smoothie:
1 avocado
fresh mint
1 cucumber
a bit of kale
coconut water (or purified)
Stevia to taste

If you can't get mint try adding lime - awesome.

Happy fasting! It's great to do it together. Maybe we should do a CSL fast????

Peace & liquid,
Kris

PS. Toss an inch of ginger in the mix too!

Happy Healthy Monday!

2008-03-31T12:05:00.006-04:00

Hi loves,

Couldn't sleep last night so I trolled the internet for chow info. Check out this article I stumbled upon by Patricia Bragg, she nails it and talks about much of the yummy stuff we at CSL believe in....

From the article:

"Dr. Patricia Bragg lectures in cities around the world spreading the mes sage of health and wellness through The Bragg Health Crusades. She believes that humans can live to 120 years old and she says, “not on support cock tails of drugs and hip replacements, but with super energy and total health.”

“You are what you eat, drink, breathe, think, say, and do,” says Dr. Bragg, as she recently returned from a five-month Health Crusade to Hawaii, New Zealand, and Australia. She has the youthful skin, suppleness, vitality and an agelessness that confirms her message, “your life will be transformed if you are a good health steward.”

Here's the link for the rest: http://www.visionmagazine.com/archives/0804/feature_bragg.html

Check it out and tell me what you think. Patricia is proof that we can be crazy sexy healthy at any age if we take care of the temple god pod!

Note: If you are a canSer patient - her fast is not for you. Fasting with sugar and vinegar are not advised. As always, check with the man (or gal) in the white coat first.

Peace and knowledge!
Kris

Happy Weekend Earth Lovers!

2008-03-29T12:15:00.006-04:00

Hi saucy seekers!

On Saturday (tonight), March 29, 2008, Earth Hour invites people around the world to turn off their lights for one hour – from 8:00pm to 9:00pm in their local time zone. On this day, cities around the world, including Copenhagen, Chicago, Melbourne, Dubai, and Tel Aviv, will hold events to acknowledge their commitment to energy conservation. This event is created by the wonderful folks at the World Wildlife Fund

Let's dive in and represent as the strong & unified CSL community. Tonight, as a group, let's light candles, say prayers and do a global meditation for peace. What do ya say? Our collective green energy has major VAVOOM, pour it out.

For more info: http://www9.earthhourus.org

Peace & intentional darkness,
K

As always, join us on our social network dedicated to wellness and holistic livin'/loving: my.crazysexylife.com

Dry Brushing!

2008-03-27T09:10:00.004-04:00

Hellllooooo fabulous!

Now that we've manifested our asses off, let's dry brush them too! If ya really want the "glow" ya gotta dry brush baby. We dump tons of toxins out of our skin so it's important to keep the pathway clear. Dry brushing loosens dead cells, stimulates acupressure points, tickles your chi, massages your meridians, moves the lymph, helps reduce CELLULITE, stimulates your immune system, wakes up circulation and makes your skin soooo soft and velvety! You can get a natural bristle brush at WF's or any health food store. I don't use a brush. Personally, I use those cheap little loofah gloves that you can get at any drug store. They are easy to use and both hands can go wild! If you find natural ones great, I have them too but they kinda hurt. The mits you can throw in the wash and toss when they're too broken in.

How to brush: Technically they say that it's best to start with your feet and work your way up your body using both circular and long strokes - moving towards your heart or your navel (depending who you read). Gotta say, I do whatever I'm inspired to do and it seems to work just fine. It's dry brushing, not rocket science! Whatever, throw some circular motions and upward sweeps in there, add your own shazzizle and call it a day. The best to time brush is before a shower or bath in the morning, once a day. Be gentle. Note: there is a whole section about dry brushing in the bonus features of CSC.

When I brush on a regular basis I do see a big difference in my skin. I tend to get ingrown hairs and bumps in the winter (more information than you probably wanted to know). If I don't dry brush it gets like a highway of nasty! I'm also a lizard. Always have been. Dry brushing removes the scale like grids from my chins which Brian really appreciates. :)

If ya really wanna take it to the next level use some organic coconut oil after your shower or bath. OH YEAH!

So there ya have it, Pretty simple stuff. Now go have some fun stroking yourself! :)

PS. Avoid your face and other bits and pieces.

Peace and loofahs,
Kris

As always, come visit us for deliciously inspiring health & healing conversations at: http://my.crazysexylife.com/

How do you stay on the CSL Diet & Lifestyle? Manifest Visualize Create

2008-03-24T09:05:00.007-04:00

Happy Post-Easter Love Bunnies!

I hope you all had a magnificent holiday. Easter, rebirth, new beginnings, spring sprung, AMEN/Ohhhh YEAH! What a revitalizing time! I am so excited about re-engaging and defining the Crazy Sexy Diet & Lifestyle for us all. Please keep your questions coming! The most popular will become full post topics. Before I dig into this weeks health topics (water, food journals, dry brushing) I thought it would be really helpful to get some psychological support from our resident Life Coach - Terri.

Know this, you are choosing the BRILLIANT road less traveled. You are heroic. You are a revolutionary and a leader. The planet bows to you, your cells bow to you. No matter what - keep going toots!

Take it away Terri......

MANIFEST VISUALIZE CREATE

This mantra and practice is one of the many tools in my tool belt that I use to create and maintain the Crazy Sexy Lifestyle. When you embark on this journey of change you need all the support, tips, tricks and how to’s that you can get your mitts on. There are many aspects of changing ingrained behavior that are challenging, especially if a health crisis is the motivation. My commitment to manifesting visualizing and creating has helped keep me on my Crazy Sexy Life path. This is not to say that I never go hurdling off my path, down the chocolate molten lava ravine because I do…but I don’t crucify myself and with the help of my pals and our community (www.my.crazysexylife.com) I get back on the green juice mostly raw path right quick.

My MANIFEST VISUALIZE CREATE winning formula works for me and inspires me. I share this technique with my life-coaching clients and frankly anyone that will listen. I, by no means, created this theory but I have harnessed its power. We have all heard much talk lately about manifesting dreams (THE SECRET), the laws of attraction in the universe (THE ABRAHAM-HICKS BOOKS) and the quantum physics of what is (WHAT THE BLEEP DO WE KNOW?) I was reminded of the power of intention recently when a very close friend shared her experience with me. With her permission and a name change or two, I will share it with you.

Tammi and her husband Michael moved to San Francisco two and a half years ago at the request of Michael’s firm with the implication of his being made partner in the foreseeable future. Tammi and Michael have a beautiful daughter, Chloe who was 2 when they moved. Tammi gave up her work in NYC to further Michael’s career and stay home with Chloe. The past two and a half years have been rough for them both. Michael’s firm recently gave him the bad news that he will NOT be making partner. Tammi’s second attempt at in-vitro fertilization failed. Chloe got wait listed for the Pre School of their choice and money was getting tight. Tammi was stressed constantly, holding worry and fear in her mind. When Tammi called in tears to share her upsetting news, I asked her if she would be open to some coaching. Eager for some relief, she agreed. I asked her to be specific about what she wanted in her life. She stated a healthy pregnancy, great job for Michael that makes him happy, chosen Pre School for Chloe and financial freedom. So we reworded all of her desires into the present tense:

I am so happy and grateful all good things come to us.
I am so happy and grateful for my perfectly healthy pregnancy.
I am so happy and grateful that Michael has many job offers to chose from and that his right and perfect job is here.
I am so happy and grateful money comes readily and easily (aka I am a money magnet!!)
I am so happy and grateful Chloe gets into and loves her new school.

I added:
I am so happy and grateful for our perfect health.
I am so happy and grateful for my peaceful inner life.
I am so happy and grateful for all of my joy and blessings.

We discussed that the most crucial part of successfully manifesting anything is being able to FEEL the EMOTION that accompanies what you desire as you visualize it. It is the feeling that will bring the experience to you. So get specific about the details and dream it into being. This is the law of attraction in the universe. What you hold in your mind is what you create. Although I DO NOT believe we created canSer, I DO believe we can create health. I asked Tammi to focus on her desired results and to quote THE SECRET, “don’t worry about the how.”

I invited Tammi to start and end the day with 90 seconds of gratitude. Mike Dooley, a contributor to THE SECRET and the creator of the website www.tut.com (Thoroughly Unique Thoughts- where I get my daily personalized message from the universe that inspires and tickles) suggests five minutes a day to intentionally manifest your dreams. He also suggests when you receive a big bill in the mail that you shout,” GOOD THING I’M RICH.” This suggestion made us both laugh (full disclosure: I do this whenever a big bill shows up much to my husbands amusement) and Tammi agreed to really put her energy into manifesting.

Last Saturday I got a call from Tammi. She went on to remind me of our manifesting conversation six weeks earlier. She told me that for the first time in her life she was able to say her affirmations and really feel relief and joy. Planting positive thoughts and results in her mind over and over changed the way she felt on a daily basis. She reported that while she was driving, swimming or cooking she was saying and feeling them. She was actively releasing negativity and consciously choosing to feel joy, freedom, and relief. It became second nature. She realized that she had used worrying to bind her anxiety. It created a false sense of DOING SOMETHING. Once she realized that what she was DOING was creating the opposite of her desired results by drawing more worry and fear to her experience, she said it was relatively easy to stop. She went on to share the amazing news of her healthy pregnancy, Michael’s multiple job offers, including a $25,000 bonus from his firm and Chloe’s school acceptance. I was filled with joy for my pal and all her created good fortune. I asked her to boil it down to a simple one-line explanation of what occurred and she said, “I just changed my mind.”

So what is the “take away” for you personally from Tammi’s story?
Three steps:
1. Ask. Identify your desire. Be as specific as possible. Write it down in the preset tense. Have fun!
2. Believe. Believe it is already yours. Have unwavering faith that what your desire is already yours. Conjure the feelings that go along with getting your desired results.
3. Receive. Begin to feel wonderful about whatever you are creating. Hold in your mind, I know it is on its way to me right now.

Since we are a group of doers, I will be starting a manifesting group on my.crazysexylife.com where we can commit to our goals and have them witnessed and supported by each other. In six weeks I will do a follow up blog with achieved results big and small. So get movin’ shakin’ and happy creatin’!

Your Crazy Sexy Life - Coach
Terri

Juicing vs. Blending & a request

2008-03-21T10:10:00.003-04:00

Helloooo CSL diet lovers!

Hands down the best way to increase our alkalinity and detox our purdy bodies is to consume a diet full of sunlight aka liquid chlorophyll. But, to juice or not to juice, to blend or not to blend, that is the question! Which one is best? What’s a girl to do? Panic! Freeze! Give up! Sleep! NOPE. Charge forward chica and stop worrying so much!

Chlorophyll contains a powerful blood builder that’s said to increase red blood cells, improve circulation, ease inflammation, oxygenate the body, and counteract harmful free radicals. By eating (and drinking) a diet high in chlorophyll (raw fruits and veggies, especially leafy greens), we dine on liquid oxygen, the very substance we need to stay alive and thrive.

We stack the odds in our favor BIG time when we consume a diet high in chlorophyll, vitamins, enzymes and oxygen. Ok Kris, get to it, which way is best - juicing or blending? Here’s my bottom line: I do both but I juice WAY more than I blend. Why? Well, by removing the fiber through the process of squeezing the pulp, we instantly lighten the load on our digestion. Nutrients pass directly into the bloodstream, and within minutes our bodies receive optimum fuel to feed our cells and help restore our immune systems. This doesn’t mean we don’t eat sprouted and certain cooked grains, salads, and other intestinal brooms—we do. If you’re following the CSL diet you are definitely getting enough fiber. Yet, we give our taxed bodies a much-needed rest by solely consuming liquid. When our bodies spend less energy on digestion they will spend more on repair. Think about this too, a glass of juice has more nutritious veggies than a smoothie does. How many cukes do you put in a juice? Bunches of kale? Sweet pea sprouts? We could never eat all that in a smoothie. Smoothies fill us up a lot faster.

If you’ve been juicing then you know the power and super energy this miracle liquid splashes into your life. Green drinks and smoothies balance blood sugars, supply plant protein, and purge tons toxins from their hiding places. If possible, consume a upward of thirty-six ounces of green juice/smoothie per day. Note: Prepackaged store-bought juices don’t count; they are not raw, unless they are made fresh in front of you.

A few folks on the forum mentioned that juicing makes them ill, blending is easier on their tummies. SO BLEND! Baby steps. It’s important to go slow and experiment. Start with gentle veggies like cukes, celery, sweet pea sprouts and build from there. No need to add a zillion things into the juice, if you’re new to all this that’s a sure fire way to experience gastric ouchies. Add one at a time. I tell people to start by juicing only cucumber and build from there. Parsley, dandelion, kale – these are very strong medicinal greens. Go slow. NOW go juice (or blend). ☺

OK, now on to my request (BETH is making me do this by the way). Some of you may have read my article in Natural Health Magazine on the stands this month. If you liked it and you’d like to see more health articles written by moi. Toss a note to the mag. There’s a small chance that I might be doing a column for them but since I’m still pretty unknown they want to see what readers think post my debut. OIY! We’re all so busy, so if you don’t have time no worries. The universe always provides when the fit is "write".

Those who are inclined can write to: remedies@naturalhealthmag.com and put my name in the subject heading. THANK YOU!

Peace and sunlight,

Kris

What exactly is the Crazy Sexy Life Diet?

2008-03-19T10:52:00.014-04:00

Hiya angel wing!

I've been hearing this question so much that I think it's time for me to figure out the answer! Here's my first (humble) attempt....

The CSL diet is simple. It focuses on alkalinizing your body through mostly raw and living organic foods. These glowing yummies are packed with enzymes, vitamins, minerals and oxygen. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less. You do not need to be 100% raw to practice eating this way. 70-80% will do. The remaining percentage of the diet comes from wholesome REAL foods cooked in a safe way. Real food is recognizable. It comes from the sun, soil and nature. Our great grand parents could pronounce it. Our children thrive on it.

Back to cooking, what is safe cooking and why? Dehydrating, lightly steaming, sautéing, and baking keep us free from carcinogenic havoc. Stay away from microwaving, deep frying, broiling, teflon, and/or invented foods born in a test tube. Enzymes are the fountain of youth and longevity. But when we zap and destroy our food we deplete our enzymatic well. Raw and living foods have not been heated over 118 degrees, therefore they have all their enzymes. When this is the case, you don't have to pull from your own (limited) reserves to deal with (AKA digest) the food you consume. High heats change the molecular structure of our foods making them difficult to process and sometimes toxic. We need enzymes for every life function. A diet full of alkaline foods and enzymes sustains a life full of health.

This is what we experience when we eat more enzyme rich, alkaline foods: amazing energy, happiness, better sex drive, functioning bowels, productive organs, clear skin, strong nails, leaner abs, thighs, and tushes, healthy fungus free toes and nice crisp breath meant for kissin. We feel less pain, less disease, witness lovely cholesterol and balanced blood sugar, we bid foggy thinking adieu and give sad blue days a pink slip.

When we eat a highly acidic diet full of the white stuff, animal products, processed soy (which is mucus forming, allergenic, hormone altering, highly sprayed and often genetically modified) other fake foods, coffee, alcohol, sugary treats etc, we experience the opposite. Confusion and suffering grow and flow. Acid foods trigger inflammation, taxes our immune system, makes us fat, derails the balance of bacteria in our intestines, invites candida and hosts fatigue.

Do you have to be a vegan to eat this way? No. The 20-30% of your diet that is cooked is organic, if you consume animal products choose hormone free, grass fed, and in the case of dairy, raw choices. There is room for transition in this diet. We move from worst, to better, to best and we do it in levels, slowly. If we move to fast we can experience too many uncomfortable detox side effects. It takes time to tune the palate. Pushing the river can make you collapse and binge.

A rough outline of Level 1, level 2, level 3:

Level 1: Baby steps, slowly adding raw foods, green juices, steamed veggies while subtracting white foods, processed crap sugar.

Level 2: 50% of your diet is raw and living, you begin to practice food combining for better assimilation and elimination. You eat meat and dairy in moderation. Dairy is raw, meat is never factory farmed (note: we say thank you for the life that sustains ours). You cut back on stimulants and introduce super foods and wheat grass.

Level 3: Vegan with 80+% of your diet consisting of colorful and vibrant raw and living foods, food combining, and as Natalia Rose would say - order and timing. (more on all of this in the next post).

Life is fun, crazy and sexy - our diets must support the rocket ship! Forget counting calories, cutting carbs, going fat free or amputating your joy. This diet and lifestyle is ole school I LOVE nature fabulous. It supports you on your quest for freedom and in some cases recovery. How will we have the energy to twirl and move mountains if we don’t have the fuel to get till noon?

To be honest, I never set out to create yet another diet on the market. I mean, haven’t we heard it all? Yet due to the success and hunger for all things crazy sexy, a diet and lifestyle guide seems like the next best thing to churn out for the family. But I didn’t create this stuff. I base my principles on trainings with great several teachers. As many of you know, I received my holistic health educator certification at the Hippocrates Health Institute, I studied extensively with Dr. Robert Young author of the pH Miracle and Sick and Tired, Gabriel Cousens at The Tree of Life and recently I finished a teacher training with Natalia Rose, author of The Raw Food Detox Diet. Before embracing the power of raw and living foods I spent years studying macrobiotics at both The Kushi Institute and The Strengthening Health Institute. Macrobiotics was very helpful to me in the beginning because it got me off the SAD diet. However, overtime I realized I needed more and that the very strict diet devoid of enzymes was ultimately ineffective for me.

Classroom time is only the beginning and I suggest the same for you. Most of what I know comes from piles and piles of books. We don’t need letters behind our names to be highly educated citizens. The information is out there in a BIG way. Our job is to read it, digest it and then design a doable program.

Over the coming days and weeks we’ll map out the details of this FUN (really I swear) and healthy diet and lifestyle. Several dynamic guest bloggers will chime in, share their stories and answer questions as well. Some of the information you’ve heard before, other stuff will be new. We don’t expect you to eat what we eat. Staying on track, YOUR track, is the most important thing. If a piece of what we teach makes sense and you know you can stick with it GREAT. If not, find what works for you. But push yourself! “Oh, what works for me is NOT working to change or “upgrade” my diet at all. I love my junk and that’s that”. Do you really? Let’s say for some lucky reason you have TEFLON strength. Your constitution is wicked strong and your DNA is pristine. You will never get cancer, diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol etc. You have a super model body that fat ricochets off of and your skin is as clear as a crystal lake. Well, WOW, deep bow to you! How about the planet?

The changes we make for ourselves greatly impact the environment and all the beings that inhabit it. Alkalinity is health. A sad but very eye opening example of this concept is reflected in our sick oceans. Due to over fishing and pollution the oceans are becoming acidic and the reefs are dying. When a reef dies all the microorganisms that sustain countless lives die too. Like the ocean, our body is made of mostly water. The fluids our cells bathe in are just as important as the terrain itself. Juicing, fruits, veggies, salads, clean water, healthy super foods like chlorella, blue green algae and spirulina, and high mineral content foods like sea weed all balance the terrain and bring our bodies back to vibrance.

Be patient, change doesn't happen over night and there is no such thing as perfect. There is no peace in perfection!

This is a terrific time to renovate. Spring is just around the corner and with it comes rebirth and renewal. How glorious...

Have a buddhaful GREEN day.

Peace and kale,
Kris

Happy Monday GORGEOUS!

2008-03-17T09:08:00.008-04:00

Gosh, I feel like it has been so long. HI!!!

In 3 hours I will turn in the FINAL edit of my book. To commemorate this special time I have made a promise to myself. Live the life you write about Kris. Stop bossing everyone else around and start listening to yourself. Ok, Ok, FOR REAL, OK!

Funny, the universe runs on perfect timing. Check it out this email that drove to my inbox this morning, I think it's a cyber message from JBEE (if you don't know my silly lingo by now, that means Jesus, Buddha, Elvis Etc). :)

"I want to live my next life backwards.
You start out dead and get that out of the way.
Then you wake up in an old age home feeling better every day.
Then you get kicked out for being too healthy.
You enjoy your retirement and collect your pension.
Then when you start work, you get a gold watch on your first day.
You work 40 years until you're too young to work.
You get ready for High School: drink alcohol, party, and you're generally promiscuous.
Then you go to primary school, you become a kid, you play, and you have no responsibilities.
Then you become a baby, and spend your last 9 months floating peacefully in luxury, in spa-like conditions: central heating, room service on tap.
And then...you finish off as an orgasm.
I rest my case."

I think Robert Benson wrote this, if not, sorry real author. Don’t sue me.

Because we are part of this Crazy Sexy Family, part of our list also includes educating ourselves and bringing health and vitality into our lives. I bow to you. Do you bow to you? Once again I am reminding myself to play. God is in the play especially when we add heaping cakes of soul seeking. As always, it’s an ACTIVE balance (meaning it just doesn't poof, happen).

Peace and furious typing,
Kris

Celebration day for Debbie!!!

2008-03-13T08:37:00.004-04:00

Hiya hot stuffs!

WOWWWWW, I am so thrilled about this monumental post! Our very own Debbie AKA (Debbiedoesraw - God I love that handle) has some UBER delicious news to share with you. She is one inspiring sassy cat, a true gem. Stories like precious Debbie's teach us all to be turtles. Huh? No race, one step in front of the other, be patient....believe.
Take it away RAW Queen Mayor Debbie....

"A year ago I paid my first visit to the oncologist. An elevated white blood count had prompted my regular Dr. to refer me and I was scared out of my wits. Leukemia had taken my fathers life over 15 years ago and his mother’s life when I was 5 years old. I was angry and more than a little put out. At 47, I was an active athletic PTA mom with a home business doing hairdressing. There was nothing wrong with me; I had no symptoms. This must all be some sort of weird mistake on the labs part. As I sat in the waiting room I kept thinking, “I don’t belong here, I should not be here.” I answered all the questions, twice, gave many vials of blood and left with a new appointment and a possible diagnosis. CLL or chronic lymphocytic leukemia was the doctor’s guess. Whatever that was... I had no idea just how many types of leukemia there were and what this type was. I cried all the way home, more frightened than ever.

The next time I brought my husband with me, as I had to get a bone marrow biopsy. Many of you have had some type of biopsy so you know they are no picnic. I was told it would take “2 minutes” and be a little sore for a few days. After a harrowing, sweaty episode with the gianormous needle, I realized that I was being sold a bill of goods ie: it hurt like hell, seemed to take forever and was sore for a good two weeks. That episode didn’t do much for the trust level between the Doctor and I.

Some off handed comments were made that day, for example,” you could have this for decades” and “ you are not likely to die from this disease but from something else (a bus accident, a TV falling on me or perhaps another unrelated illness?). As I sat weeping, the oncologist’s assistant poked her head into the room and said “Surprised?” like it was an episode of Punked and boy, did Ashton Kutcher know how to freak someone out, huh? My reply was “I have a six year old daughter.” She had no witty retort for that one. I asked what the treatment was and the Doctor said it is incurable and there is no treatment. At least, not until it got to an advanced stage. His assistant breezily let me know that it would be chemo by mouth, as if that makes it all ok, easy peesy lemon squeezy. Shit. I left feeling ready for a fight, angry at the disease, and really angry with the Dr and his wonder assistant, Ms. Sunshine.

I hit the Internet with a fury, finding out all I could on clinical trials, symptoms, treatments, natural cures, anything. I think the hardest thing I learned is that leukemia is canser. I know, duh, but it had never dawned on me. I always segmented it away as a separate illness. Nope, CLL happens when white blood cells join the Blood’s gang called Lymphocytes (wonky, immature white blood cells) and wreak havoc on the lymph system, the liver and the spleen. Even chemo would only reduce them for a time, then they would join a new gang and need a new swat team to take them out. Eventually, they would join The Crips (they no longer respond to the Police aka chemo drugs) and it was game over. The only true cure to make them move out of the hood was a bone marrow transplant, that in itself fraught with dangers of rejection and infection that could take your life or leave you in a worse state of health. At the library, in a five-pound book on cancer, I learned that leukemia, being that it is blood borne soft tumors, is automatically considered metastisized. Double shit. I alternatively cried and was cheered, depending on what I read and whose opinon or research I found.

I read and read till my eyes bled. I research, I networked, I found out all I could about CLL. The markers for the disease prognosis were etched in my brain, so when the Dr. spelled it all out for me I was ready. He said I had a good prognosis; all my markers were in the right place, nothing that would make it harder to treat or quicker to progress. I was thrilled as the news could have been so much worse. My husband held my hand as the good Dr. pronounced, “Your prognosis is good, 7-10 years.” People let me tell you, at that moment I was overjoyed at that news. I let everyone know that I had all the good markers, that it could have been much worse. After the dust settled, I did a mental double take; wait a minute… 7-10 years? Well, hell that is nowhere near enough time! I do not accept that expiration date.

One morning my husband told me he saw a girl on TV, saying she was young, had an incurable canser and had written a book called “crazy sexy cancer something.” For some reason, I pictured a woman dressed in Victoria’s Secret undies with screaming red hair running around yelling, “It’s crazy, it’s sexy!” I went on about my business and put it out of mind as one more book that would just rell me stuff I already knew. I needed facts, damn it, not fun!

I discovered macrobiotics, hit up the Japanese market and quickly found out that it takes a million hours and that all that chewing made me mental. I found books on mental visualization like Getting Well by The Simontens. I tried Qi Gong and self massage. The Power of Now by Ekart Tolle became my bible. I worried, a lot. Books on miracles, sudden remissions and the power of faith kept hope alive. I kept reading.

Each visit with the oncologist brought higher and higher white blood counts and a seeming lack of interest on his part in my questions or my case. I took to calling him “Dr. Textbook” as he would give standard style answers to my queries on diet, treatments and pretty much had no time for me. I felt like I was wasting his time, somehow not sick enough for him to reallly seem to care. Once, after my excited explanation of the visual exercises I did, twice daily picturing my bad cells getting eaten by sharks (killer cells), his assistant Ms. Sunshine, calmly replied, “You just have to accept that you have this disease and that it is not going away.” Pulled my plug and out drained my enthusiasm, but not for long.

One night in October 2007, while browsing the new book area at my favorite library, I saw the book my husband was talking about. Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips:. hmmm, hey she’s cute and this book looks like the breath of fresh air I needed in the isolation tank of research life I had created. Fast-forward to midnight, many tears later, I finished Kris’s book and my life changed forever. I did what Kris said, I read PH miracle by Dr. Robert Young and all the other books she reccommended. TLC had her documentary on and I taped it. In tears and laughter, I watched her go through a near identical journey to my own. I was amazed at all the stories of young beautiful women stricken by various forms of canser. Her blog became my new network and home base. I made some fast friendships with Dee, Bav, Sherry, Michelle, Chris, Callie, Clint, Sandra J, Jennifer, Lisa, Dr. Sue and so many, many other fantastic people. I went raw, starting writing a blog, got a juicer and starting doing the things I needed to do to heal.

Two months later I went for a blood test, oh so confident that I would get super results. Not so fast Quick Draw Mc Graw, the tests came back worse. My white blood cell count had climbed to 29,000 (normal is under 10,000: when diagnosed I was at 17,000). I cried with dissapointment, sure that I had done something wrong or that it would never work. But I kept on the path, doing crazier and well, sort of sexier stuff, like enemas and colonics. (If you go for that sort of sexy, wink wink). Kris and all my other blogmates urged me on and taught me new tricks. Daunted by the raw food cookbooks, I began to keep my food very very simple. I cooked for the family and did raw for me, throwing them a taste every now and then that they loved. You should know that I made a decision not to tell my daughter or stepdaughter about my diagnosis. It’s complicated, but until and unless I am very ill or need treatment, I prefer to keep it to myself and about 500 or so close friends. They just think I eat weird stuff. Being a raw vegan was an adventure and you know what? It was freaking fun! Recently I added more yoga and meditation with my man Deepak Chopra’s Healing the Soul CD. Just a week or so ago, Kris dubbed me her “mayor” of Crazy Sexy Life, her fab new forum/playground. What an honor from the woman who undoubtly saved my life.

Yesterday I went to the oncologist again, this time with a new attitude and four months of raw and green juice under my belt. I had all the good wishes of all my friends, prayers, hope and wisdom, tucked neatly into my backpack. I had a plan, inspired by a chance story I read in ‘Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories That Heal’ by Rachel Naomi Remen M. D. called “Who is That Masked Man?” She did therapy with many oncologists and discovered their heartbreak at the poor outcomes of some of their paitents and a deep sense of loneliness. For the first time, I felt compassion for my Dr. and his assistant. Perhaps I needed to approach this visit differently. Instead of taking my resentment and anger with me, I left it in the trash heap of toxic emotions and took a new approach.

As always, the assistant came in and started rattling off the same questions as she had each time. I stopped and kindly said, “You don’t have to ask me all those questions, I feel great and I still have no symptoms,” She smiled, seemed amused and told me in a happy tone that she “Had to ask them.” She sat down next to me, doing her exam. Suddenly, she could be my friend. Ms. Sunshine had become another human, doing her job and trying to be helpful. She had not changed, I had. After the blood draw, my oncologist entered the room. I greeted him and asked about his family. He had mentioned that he had a daughter who liked to run, so I asked if she ran the LA marathon. His face changed, he looked down, smiling and told me she does not run that much, with a bit of a chuckle. Then he told me that my white blood count was at 16,000. The lowest ever since I had met him. It took me a second to register this news, then the excitement hit. I mentioned that I had been coming to see him for a year now and that this was the best blood ever. He remarked “You would not be here if you did not have that blood test, you would never have known.” I told him that actually I was very glad I did find out, that I did meet him a year ago. If I had not made all the changes in my diet and my stress level, used all I had learned from Kris, then I would have met him when the disease was more acute.

In essence, I recognized the gift of the oncologist referral, the gifts that I have received due to the most frightening diagnosis I have ever gotten. He looked at my file, noted that I lost ten pounds since we met and for the first time in a year, really looked at me. He said I looked fit and had good color, looked healthier…hee hee my raw glow was showing! I shared with him that I hoped that I would never have to take chemo and he replied that if my blood stayed this way, I probably never would have to. As he left the room, smiling, I remarked, “ I will come to your retirement party!” Something tells me I will be there and you know what? I’ll miss the guy after all."

For more from Debbie and the rest of the Crazy Sexy Gang visit http://my.crazysexylife.com/

Crazy Sexy Mommies

2008-03-10T11:23:00.005-04:00

Hi cherished health seeking sages!

WOW! Lot's of guest bloggers this week/weekend. Everything from veganism, aromatherapy and a new favorite topic fertility! I've had the privilege of meeting some fabulously interesting women lately, two specialist in particular who ya'll just have to know. First up,the dynamic Jan Roberts. Her story says it all. For more information and to ask questions or start conversations please go to http://my.crazysexylife.com

Take it away Jan.....

Hi Crazy Sexy Crew,

My name is Jan Roberts and the lovely Kris has asked me to introduce myself and give you some insights into key areas of women’s health - preconception, fertility, beautiful, happy, healthy babies and the other end of the reproductive cycle - menopause.

First a little about me…I began my career as a pharmacist in Sydney Australia, way back in 1967. I then spent fifteen years in community pharmacy, before my frustration with band-aid medicine led me to bat for the complementary side of medicine. I was tired of handing out prescriptions for people who never got better … at the time I simply thought that people were sick and were staying that way because of “the goodness that was missing from modern diets.” I’d grown up with a very insightful mother who sent me to school everyday with salad in a Tupperware lunch box. The other kids all had chocolate spread on white bread (mind you, I dearly longed to have these sandwiches)… now I’m so glad my Mom insisted on salmon on wholegrain! So I was raised with some understanding of the importance of nutrition, but had no idea of the other factors that impact our health, (the common social poisons, the oral contraceptive pill and other pharmaceutical “solutions,” toxicity in the environment and in our water, electromagnetic radiation and much more).

My then partner, also a pharmacist goaded me into learning more instead of as he said …“just talking through my hat about things I knew nothing about.” Well, I learned more and then some. He probably regrets to this day that cattle prod because it set me on a path that took me down an entirely different road (and eventually away from him, but that was much later and after we had our two children).

So I embarked on a postgraduate diploma in clinical nutrition and was particularly inspired by a lecture from a remarkable doctor in England…he talked about the work of Foresight, an Association involved in the promotion of preconception healthcare. It was a light coming on for me! Having staunchly resisted the idea of children for 35 years, I made an instant decision …when I eventually DID have my kids that would be how I’d prepare. Once I’d made that decision, I started looking at the whole reproductive cycle and was shocked at how far women had strayed (thanks largely to the medical profession) from what nature intended. So for 25 years my passion has been the promotion of preconception healthcare as the way to improve fertility and to prevent miscarriage and other reproductive problems. It’s also the best foundation to ensure that you will have a wonderfully healthy pregnancy, that you can (and will feel confident to) give birth without any help at all from modern medicine (hey, women have been doing this stuff for a few millennia), that you can and will breastfeed your baby for as long as he or she wants… and much more.

My little newsletter that ran to 12 pages and was created on one of the earliest Apple Macs turned into four books on natural ways to improve every stage of reproduction from preconception through to breastfeeding and they are all based on my personal experiences. My two boys who are now 18 and 22 were the inspiration for the series. At 38 and 42 years old, I didn’t have fertility problems, but could see that all the things that my partner and I did in preparation for conception meant that everything unfolded easily and naturally! Of course there’s nothing like writing from personal experience! But life moves on and babies grow up and personal experience is now at the menopause stage, with exactly the same diet and lifestyle factors important for an easy transition into that phase of life.

Today, women and men have greater needs for optimal physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing than ever before. Corporate, work place, family and community demands place increasing pressures on all of us. Our reproductive capacity and reproductive outcomes are compromised, as well as being increasingly medically managed. Mothering no longer unfolds naturally and easily. Sexual health is compromised by the same factors adversely affecting reproduction. I could go on, but I think you get the message … 21st century diets and lifestyles have created a bunch of problems…but there’s a huge amount that we can do to redress the damage.
I will be posting some more detail in the near future on Crazy Sexy Life and answering any questions you may have. If you are in the area I am currently touring the West Coast of the US talking about all the things that need attention if you want to have a really healthy baby, and all the things that need attention if you want to cruise through menopause. Hope to see some of you there!

Click here for San Diego lecture
Click here for Costa Mesa and Vista (CA)
Click here for Seattle
Click here for San Francisco (Menopause)
Click here for San Francisco (Fertility)
Click Here for Pharmaca San Francisco
Click Here for Pharmaca Napa
Jan's Elephant Pharmacy lectures

I swiped the cancer card on a crack head

2008-03-06T15:51:00.011-05:00

I AM BACK! BACK AND READY TO TANGO WITH THE ORIGINAL CREW-A-LICIOUS! La la la...

Hi gang of sassys,

Sorry I've been hanging in our other town/CITY more than I have been here. As you can imagine it needs a lot of attention right now. If you haven't checked it out, do it! http://my.crazysexylife.com I'm hoping that it will grow into a magical wellness world, not just for cancer survivors but for everyone who passionately lives like they mean it. :)

OK, now onto my drama..

I swiped the card on a crack head. You did WHAT? I swiped the card on a crack head. I KNOW!!!!! I sorta feel awful about it but I swear I had to unload my fire. Rewind to last Sunday morning, it was 6:30 am and I was getting ready for my appearance on Fox & Friends. On media days I really try and center myself, prep my points, meditate and pray for the holy sparkle to speak through me on the national boob tube. There's nothing worse than sounding like a wart or a fart in front of an awful lot of good folk.

Since the show tapes in NYC, Brian and I stayed at our Brooklyn pad the night before. I love our little home, it's a zen oasis. However, a certain resident on our block (who just happens to share our walls) has become the hostess with the mostest low brow shit. We're talking old school New York low. Many times we're awakened in the middle of the night to the screeches of the HO holla howel! Then the furniture starts flying. It's a 24/7 skank bazaar.

On this particular morning the "traffic" in and out of the karma wasteland was worse than JFK on a holiday. I tried, I swear I tried to send light, see the divine in all, remember the oneness, pray and marinate in compassion... SNAP! I tried and I failed. I mean worse than Linda Blair in the exorcist kinda snap!

I rocketed down the stairs I ripped my front door off the hinges and released a barage of verbal right hooks and upper cut combos. Then it thundered out of my mouth: I HAVE CANCER YOU JERK! I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE! I HAVE CANCER!!! AND THERE IS A CANCER IN YOUR HOME TOO! YOU ARE VERY BAD PEOPLE! JUST STOP!"

Whoa... (air gasping sound effects)....Whoa.....

I shook. At first I felt proud, because I think I scared the crap out of everyone and made them feel really bad and dirty guilty. I hoped that their self focused destructive behavior was rattled by the reality check of a "sick chick" and the sick world around them. The noise promptly turned down a few notches and the traffic swerved to the far side of the steps. But then I started to feel really dirty myself. I've never swiped like that before... Ok once... I needed help lifting my ginormous AC and my old super was a lazy pod person. In desperation, I told him that my cancer was "acting up" and that I needed him poste haste. It worked, but I dared not do it again. Plus, Brian told me upfront that he would not stand for faking it nonsense, "just because you have cancer doesn't mean you don't have to do the dishes!" He was right.

Yes, I still have cancer but as you all know, I'm fine, I live with it, no biggie and it doesn't stop me from working like a dog. Which brings me to the question, when is swiping the cancer card in poor taste? Am I going to get a Karmic paddle for that stunt? There have been some really bumpy work explosions this week and in the back of my mind I wonder if the universe is punishing me.

Make Juice not war, but while you're at it swipe the card responsibly!

Peace, veggies, and shame,
K

PS. I hope you don't think I'm rotten.

My Crazy Sexy Life forum is LIVE - day 2!

2008-03-02T09:35:00.007-05:00

Hi SUPER Snazzies!

Happy day, happy cartwheel filled day! Wow, I just don't know what to say. The forum is growing and blossoming with lightening quickness. It is just BEAUTIFUL. It is full of the red hot Divine. I'm kinda speechless and teary. Our (YOUR) oasis is a wellness hub for spiritual seekers, planet lovers, health warriors and kind, good folk. This community is for everyone, for your family, friends, co-workers. It's not just a place for canSer cowgirls and chaps, it's much, much bigger.

If you haven't joined us already please do so, and PLEASE spread the word. Meet-up posses are already developing, this is our chance to take back our power and live life like we really mean it, with FIRE. Can you tell I'm uber inspired? Can you tell I haven't slept? It's like christmas!

See for yourself and please let me know what you think. We made this for you, so TAKE OVER!

Happy birthday too.

Peace and pride,
K

Here's the link:
http://my.crazysexylife.com

PS. I'm still completely dedicated to this blog, some of you asked if it will "go away" now. HECK NO! NO way! It will grow stronger... xoxo

My Crazy Sexy Life forum is LIVE!!!

2008-03-01T08:41:00.005-05:00

Yes! We've been burning up the mouse pads building the site... and now it's DONE! This blog continues to grow into such a holy playground for all of us, and a forum is the natural addition so you can spread your wings even more.

So buzz on over to our funky digital town, stroll around, and join up!

Here's the link:
http://my.crazysexylife.com

Peace & pajamas,
Kris

Fox & Friends - UPDATE

2008-02-29T21:17:00.007-05:00

Hi Angels,

OK, Last minute UPDATE on my Fox & Friends appearance... The good news is it's now going to be 5 minutes long instead of 3. The bad news?
The powers that be had to reschedule the airdate - it's NOT this morning (3/1) anymore... It's now scheduled for NEXT SATURDAY, MARCH 8, between 9-10 am....

As you can see, media stuff can change at the last minute - so please check back in. I'll keep you updated.

Same applies, I will talk about you, wiggle my nose, peace sign, move my necklace etc. LOL!

Also, I have a surprise for you......
You'll know what it is by tomorrow early AM. It's cancer cowgirl and chap Christmas! Ok, gotta get back to it!

Peace and presents,
Miss K

PS. We will definitely continue with the weigh BS. Thanks again Dee!

The Scale Part 2 w/ Guest blogger Dee!

2008-02-28T08:22:00.008-05:00

Hi Crew!

Look who's sharin' her story with passion, fire, and "get busy livin" attitude, our beloved Dee. Take it away sassy....

“Wow you look like a completely different person!”

A lot of people enjoy hearing that, hell some people LOVE hearing that. Especially after a break up when you’ve entered a big event looking drop dead amazing. That never hurts the ego right? It does hurt the ego though, when the statement is laced with wonderment, negativity, and almost a ‘what the hell?’ feeling.

Top that little sundae with a glorious dollup of canSer whipped cream and you’ve got what I call, a big ole proBlem. Capital B for blah.

Having been every weight under the sun, literally, 110lbs-250lbs (I’m currently a somewhat normal/healthy range thank you very much) I’ve experienced that ‘weight thing’ probably in more ways than the average person. The times I was at my heaviest (I’m 5’8 ½ ) was because of life saving medicine, treatments, and clinical trials. But did that make me feel any better? No, not at all. My personal sandwich board which read ‘I’m usually not such a cow I have canSer damnit!’ was out of commission and I couldn’t find my ‘this is a medical condition!’ bell to ring.

The first two months were hell, I won’t lie, having struggled with eating disorders (yes that’s plural) at a young age, all this anxiety came rushing back to me. And let’s face it, in today’s society there is pressure everywhere. In my life, it felt suffocating. I didn’t want to go out, I didn’t want to see people. Unless I had to, I barely spoke with anyone. I became isolated, uncomfortable and just miserable (a very toxic relationship didn’t help matters either). Why? Why, why, why? How awful of me to be so down on myself! I know that now, trust me, I do, but damn, isn’t that how it always is? I knew the treatment was saving my life, I knew it was the only reason I was still breathing, and yet…in the midst of this massive struggle that literally was life or death, I hated myself for having to wear a size 16 jean. Oh the horror!

I’ve always been a very active, very fit, person albeit more so on the thin side. But before the whole canSer battle, and after my eating disordered days, I had become very strong. I would run fourteen miles without even batting an eye, I lifted weights better than most guys, I won push up contests, I boxed, I surfed, I really loved my body and loved how I felt. I also thought I was just as strong mentally as I was becoming physically. Man, was I in for a treat. A little extra poundage can throw any person for a loop, try adding about 100 lbs in less then six months. People are cruel, people judge, people talk and it hurts. I’d be lying if I said there weren’t moments when I wondered if it was worth it. And then something happened.

My treatment changed, I got back into my healthy eating. Okay a little bit more obsessively than I should have, but damnit I was determined to get back to my ‘self’ (and by ‘self’ I mean the warped perception that my ‘awesome bod’ was the real me, not just the carrier/messenger/cute accessory to the fabu personality). I started slow with the working out, my heart rate had to, and still has to, be closely monitored. The weight started slipping off. Months passed by and then something happened.

I was at a birthday party for a friend, when I overheard somebody commenting on me, saying awful things about how ‘thin’ I was, and that I probably use chemotherapy as a cover up for an eating disorder. And to make it worse, she then stated how she wished she could be as thin as me, if only she had my willpower. Didn’t she understand that I was fighting for my life? That behind the smile, and at that moment, frail form, I was really sick?

I realized then, that no matter what size I was, every one was going to have an opinion. Every one was going to talk. Every body would probably always be wrong and go based off of wrong assumptions and incorrect facts (story of my life man!) and instead of just asking me about it, continue on in their ignorant state of bliss. The only thing I could control was how I responded. Viktor Frankl once said, “the one thing you can’t take away from me is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me. The last of one’s freedoms is to choose one’s attitude in any given circumstance”.

I call that moment, my turning point. I suddenly wanted to hate myself for being so hard on my poor tired body, how selfish was I after everything I put it through, to expect it to perform miracles?! It was being zapped, poked, prodded and scanned, going to hell and back, and there I was, bitching because I couldn’t fit into that gorgeous dress I bought a few months back.

But hating myself, would just continue the self-harm cycle! Yes, that’s right, I said it. Feeling guilty about your body is self-harm. It’s a form of self-abuse, and one of the most common. Four out of five women, at one time or another in their life, has had disordered eating and warped self perception. What we consider ‘normal’ talk about ‘diets’ and exercise ‘these jeans make me fat!’ ‘I hate myself for eating that brownie!’ ‘I had a REGULAR soda my life is over!’ ‘I hate you for being able to eat that!’ do nothing but harm harm harm ourselves.

I wish I could lay out steps and tell you all that being happy with your body is easy, but I can’t because that’d not only be incredibly dishonest, but not the way you should go about it. You should never let anybody tell you what is right for your body and your mind, you need to find that out yourself. That does not mean that getting a work out tip from a buddy, or some healthy food ideas from a friend, is the wrong thing to do. It just means that you can follow all the advice books, self help tapes, and ‘diet’ advice in the world, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be happy with yourself.

I know what works for me, I know what keeps my weight up (or down, depending on the treatment) and I know how to listen to my body. If my body needs some more weight on it, then so be it. If a new treatment makes me gain weight again, bring it on and I’ll keep smiling! My body’s got enough crap to worry about, the added stress won’t do anybody any good, least of all me. Being comfortable in your own skin is a challenge, it’s something you learn mostly from trial and error (kickboxing and I, are not friends, however Krav Maga and I, enjoy a torrid affair every once in awhile, and normal boxing and I, run away together constantly). I always say that life is what you make of it, you are what you make of yourself. If you don’t like those extra pounds, okay, you can run those extra miles and you can jazzercise your nights away, but once those extra pounds come off, will that just make you want to lose more? Or will you realize that extra pounds or not, your body is the physical embodiment of your entire life, and you should be proud of it. You should strut that bad boy out every day like the fabulous amazing souls you all are with a big dose of ‘hell freakin yeah I’m HOT’. Your body is your badge of honor, your story, your life, all wrapped up in limbs, bones and flesh.

We are our own worst enemy, we always will be unless we retrain ourselves, and learn to love ourselves, and be well, happy with ourselves at any size. It can happen, I’m living proof that it is possible. It won’t be easy, but it’ll be worth it.

Educate yourself, branch out, try something new. Move your body, move your soul, move your self, just move, move, move. Don’t make any more excuses! Embrace yourself and your flaws. You’ll never know what you can accomplish by spending your time sitting on your butt. Excuses are the currency of the lazy person, consider this your warning that the currency is no longer accepted (kind of like the Euro and how it swooped in and took over! The poor Lira didn’t have a chance…).

This community/group/family is amazing because of the support everyone has for each other, use that to your advantage. Support one another, lean on one another, help one another, move forward with one another. You all have it in you, it’s just a matter of whether or not you have the cohones to bust it out, embrace it, love it, smother it, and never let it go. The possibilities of what you can become are endless, but nobody can make those possibilities a reality but you. You owe it to yourself to at least try, I promise it will be hard, and I promise it’ll get harder before it gets easier, but I also promise that you will never, ever, not even for one moment, regret it. You may ask, ‘what’s there to gain/lose?’ and that’s just it, everything. Isn’t that worth it?

The Scale - PART 1

2008-02-26T07:54:00.014-05:00

Hi LADIES! - And the few brave gents willing to put up with this post. LOL!

This week is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. Wow, the government has given us the green light to vent! They are sooooo kind, doing such a great job too (massive sarcasm). So without further adieu, I give you a delicious rant on LBS....

The scale is a bunch of numbers that mean nothing and EVERYTHING. That pesky, dangerous box is a booby trap full of good and bad news math. I hate math, I hate the scale. When I was a bun-head ballerina I would weigh myself everyday and then punish or praise myself accordingly. On punishment days I'd yack. Tis true, tis pathetic, tis my history, a golden nugget that makes me wise and human. However, that BOX is just that, a small container to cage ourselves. Prison is not sexy. No matter how cool it looks in the movies, prison is not a place to voluntarily visit.

Food: We adore it, despise it, worship and pray over it, we obsess and curse the voodoo grip it has over us. Food is the worst and best kind of lovah. Just when we think we've got it all figured out, stress and/or an emotional poop pie welcomes a malaise that lulls us into a state of gluttony. Or does this just happen to me?

Back in my meat eating days I would speed through the drive-through dragging my scratched-up sage voice behind. "STOP! PLEASE! You're gonna regret it!" she'd shout. "Fuck off you damn goody goody, I'm chowin'." Been there? I'll share another lovely reminder of the issues in my tissues. My recent scan was really good. HOWEVER, the scale barked numbers that I had never seen before. I KNOW, IT'S RIDCULOUS, but I couldn't help but wonder how the heck this happen? Where was I when those LBS hijacked my temple? PS. No Deb, I'm not preggers. You are naughty.

How is it possible that I'm not perfect? I've spent 3.5 gazillion dollars on high quality therapy and people pay me for my thoughts. Even if I hid in a cave, wore a loincloth and tattered bra and meditated forever, there would still be times when I craved heroin and cupcakes. And guess what? Some days I have the damn cupcakes - heroin, not so much.

CanSer creates an enormous pile of stress in our lives. Most of us developed a bunch of eating issues long before the wake up call. Now canSer. The little “c” can make you feel like you have no more excuses. Yeah, OK, but the power struggle with food still exists - perhaps more than ever.

After much trial, error and Scream Fests ('03, '04, '05, '06 - the reunion tour of '07 and now '08), this is what I know for sure: Eating is a source of comfort and happiness for everyone! When life is out of control the easiest thing to grab is a snack. Snacks and feedbags = control. When babies realize that they have control over what goes in and out of their bodies, all hell breaks loose. Like everything else, it's a practice; it's a life long compassionate experiment. I can't amputate my problems, but I can work to get in front of them, to issue spot and see them coming a mile away. When the storm brews it's a sign that I am out of balance. Ok, great revelation, but the damn storm is coming so what do you do? Prep yourself.

Hurricane Twinkie pig-out check list:

1. Junk OUT of my cabinets and fridge. I cannot be trusted.
2. Healthy snacks on hand, pre-cut/washed veggies and juice stuff prepped and ready in Tupperware containers.
3. Quick and easy side dishes ready and waiting to accessorize my big nightly salad. Rice pasta, quinoa, sweet potatoes, millet, soba noodles, garden burgers, hummus, Ezekiel bread, manna bread, etc.
4. Other staples, almond butter, tahini, nuts, oil cured nuts, great oils, hemps seeds, flax seeds, avocados, avocados, avocados...
5. Lots of yummy teas and lemon for my groovy lemonade which I sip constantly - (lemon, water, stevia).
6. Time carved out for smoothie/juice breaks.
7. A wee bit of fruit and a few healthy sweet treats (even though CanSer doesn't like sugar, I do and I can't always say NO).
8. A clean bathtub to hide in - with candles.
9. My rebounder OUT and ready for jumping.
10. A long walk ASAP.

The rains will pass, and when they do - get back on track. 80/20. Which for me means that I am raw till noon and then 80% of every meal I eat is raw and 20% is cooked. Better translated: Look at your plate and break it down like a pizza pie. 80% is salad and raw delight. 20% of the portion is your side dish. Make sense? PS. Dee had a great description of this on the last blog.

It’s easy to see the neglect and “bad” choices. It’s hard to see the good stuff, to pat ourselves on the back for our triumphs. Those "good" things contribute to our energy bank account. I guarantee that you are making more deposits than withdrawals. Lighten up (I’m speaking to myself too). This "raw/vegan/health thing" shouldn't feel like prison or deprivation, there must be room for being human. As I recently said to a good pal, let's focus less on our bodies and more on our perception of our bodies. Whoa. Aren't we our harshest critics? Someone or something beat us up long ago. That moment has passed and yet we still carry the Louisville Slugger – and the scale.

For many of us, a healthy weight is not the one we’re constantly chasing. It’s the one we’re at when we say, “Oh, if I could just lose five or ten pounds . . .” When I stop criticizing my numbers I have more free head-space to make and consume better meals.

I feel better now. Thanks.

Peace and scale stomping,

Kris

PS. And while we're at it, throw out the magazines that pollute our body image. They create what I call the seesaw effect. One week we’re too thin, the next, too fat. These magazines target and magnify the cellulite on unsuspecting vacationing celebrities. How dare she let down humanity! Let’s stop, drop and roll. When we judge miss starlet we're measuring and judging ourselves. We’re contributing to goddess oppression. Free her!

Breakfast in bed

2008-02-25T08:53:00.007-05:00

Hi team sexy!

Rrrrr. The show ended up being a local affiliate, which really suck-ola-ed because I talked about YOU!!!! The anchors were super nice and the segment was still rockin. I promise to get a copy and post it. However, I am so sorry that many of you got up at the ass crack of dawn to see it, hope you went back for more snores or got motivated and trotted out n' about. I wish I could drive our pick up truck to each of your castles. I'd make you breaky in bed as a thanks. Until I then, here's my favorite canSer cowgirl flap jack recipe. It's flourless, wheatless and yumful. Remember, 80/20, so have a big ole green drink first and then fire up the griddle.

Kris loves Seed Pancakes

1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raw sesame seeds
1/4 cup raw flax seeds
1 cup ground millet (use a coffee blender to transform the millet into a flour)
1 1/2 tsp of baking soda (or try baking powder)
1 tsp sea salt
1 packet stevia (or more)
Use unsweetened soy milk to thin batter - I use westwood unsweetened vanilla, don’t love soy, perhaps you might have a better substitute

Mix with passion
Cook the cakes in coconut oil – the best oil for high heat.

Museum day was worth its weight in gold for me and Brian. I had no idea how depleted we were until we gorged on images, ideas, and art. The birthday boy was giddy (he did have a beer with lunch). We went to MOMA and blew our heads open at the "Elastic Mind" exhibit. Then off to the public library for the Kerouac exhibit which celebrates the 50th anniversary of On The Road - a delicious masterpiece. I majored in english and the Beats were my obsession. My final paper senior year was on Ferlinghetti, the lit king who started The City Lights book store in San Fran. Ferls was a cornerstone of the movement. Kerouac was the dude who injected a heavy dose of spirituality into the arm of the revolution.

I got an "A" but most people thought I was a freak because I turned down the lights, played jazz, and read my paper aloud with DRAMA and languid mental masturbation. I was 19. I may have worn a beret as well.

Now it's happy Monday and my goal is to take a bit of that fun and freedom of yesterday and yester-year and thread it through my work week. I really need another techno detox big time!

I also need to blog about the damn scale. Anybody want to chat about those pesky numbers? Confession: I had a mini meltdown getting ready for the boob tube interview. Oiy. Aren't I more advanced at this point? Dee made me smile by encouraging me to rock tight jeans. Then she said a lot of other nice things that made me feel silly and purdy. We love Dee.

I digress.....

Peace and Oopsies,
K

The Today Show tomorrow!

2008-02-23T08:33:00.005-05:00

Hi posse,

Just a quickie to let you know that I will be back on The Today Show tomorrow at around 7:40 AM. Why? The DVD comes out March 4th! I'll blog more about this next week. The DVD is wicked cool and includes over an hour of new footage including an amazing 25-minute yoga routine for canSer peeps led and designed by award-winning instructor, Rodney Yee. Plus deleted scenes, extended interviews from the original film, new how-to material like basic meditation skills, juicing and health tips as well as simple detox methods. Add it to your library if ya like, or send to someone who needs a little inspiration.

The DVD will be available nationwide in stores and online. You can also purchase it on my website, crazysexycancer.com We'll be selling DVD's as well as signed books. If you'd like a personal note, you got it. All the proceeds from the sales will go towards maintaining the site and our new FORUM. Thanks gang!

So if you're up and sippin tea (or whatever else, I won't tell), check it out. No worries if you want to sleep in, you've heard my rap a zillion times. Lol! I was thinking that maybe we could come up with a funny signal to let you know that I'm saying HI FAMILY. Since I only have 3 minutes I need to stick with my talking point. Darn, I'd rather chat about YOU. What should I do? Rub my eye? Place my hair behind my ear? Fake sneeze? I will not pull a Britney (flashing bits and pieces) so don't even think about it. Sheesh.

Tomorrow is also Brian's birthday too. The crazy sexy hubby turns 42 years young. We're going museum bopping after the show. Soaking in some art for the soul. I hope you have time to do something fun tomorrow. Make the time loves.

Peace and media manners,

xoxoxo
K

PS. Check your local listings, perhaps the show is on later in your area. :) Hope so.

2 people who mean a lot to me...

2008-02-20T19:45:00.010-05:00

Hi fam,

Meet Crystal (my Kitty) and Olivia (my new friend who lives at the Woodstock Farm Sanctuary). www.woodstockfas.org
Hey, take a peak at their website and browse through the wealth of knowledge available. While you're at it, coo over the angels who live there. We're so lucky that badass farmer Jenny Brown (that's her real name) and her groovy hubby Doug Abel are our neighbors! They birthed this beautiful oasis for rescued animals and Olivia the goatess is one of their treasured Queens. Olivia is also a cancer cowgirl (so is soulfull farmer Jenny).

Winters are tough in the mountains and Olivia's Lymphoma isn't making it any easier on the girl. So Jenny and Doug brought her inside to hopefully bide her some more time. Enter Crazy Sexy Olivia's Revolution.

On a recent mid-afternoon hooky visit to the farm, Jenny and I brainstormed about her healing. Why not try some wheatgrass? Bingo! My awesomely educated vegan BFF rang up our local veggie hut for a mat poste haste. Wellllll, guess who took a turn for the better? Guess who went from not being able to stand to walking again? OLIVIA! If it works for a goat...hmmm....Jenny also feeds Olivia a healthy diet, herbs, lots of good greens and buckets of immune boosting love.

Olivia is the poster child for why they need to build an animal hospice, which will provide a warm, clean facility for incoming animals that must be in isolation and those with special needs. Please support WFAS in their efforts to provide care for animals like Olivia. Again, check out their website and if you're feeling generous send a little of YOUR green to Crazy Sexy Olivia's wheatgrass fund! You don't have to be a millionare to make a difference. AND if you're in NYC on March 24th, check out their "Komedy for Karma" benefit. It will be massive fun and hopefully hubby and I will be there so we can all hang out!

Now on to Crystal, my hairy daughter of 15 years. This kid is ridiculous! Fun for days but lately not so much. Well, if a lifestyle upgrade works for the goat Queen, how about for mine? Enter the wheatgrass. She starts today. Zen kitty. Check out the needles in her noggin! Zoinks. We found a kickass complementary vet so yesterday was all about getting her chi flowing and glowing. Right now she's lives in snot and sneeze city. I gotta say we went the western way and no luck. In fact, she's worse. Not that it's their fault but the problem is bigger than the symptom. Sound familiar?

Crystal and I will now be going to acupuncture once a week (if I'm gonna haul out the cash for her I better damn well do it for me). Plus, her diet is in for a major change. This morning she looked at me with that knowing pit in her stomach. I think she feels like death row kitty and that last night was her final junky big Mac meal. She's right. If healthy eating is good enough for NY city prisons, it's good enough for kitty - and for you and me too! These kids make me want to step it up in my own life. If I’m going to take the time out of my day to care for my hairy child then maybe I can do a bit more for me too.

Do you ever put other people first and forget or shelf yourself? Do you ever feel like you just don't have time for you? Priorities.....

Peace and fur (on the folks that need and truly own it),
K

PS. Guess what!?! We have a Guest blogger from the Humane Society who wants to give us more skinny on their triumph. How cool! I hope he's done with the post later today or tomorrow.

Bye for now. Talk amongst yourselves. :)

Book Club "In Defense of Food" - pt 2

2008-02-17T08:15:00.006-05:00

Hello Healthy Town!

After the post V-day blog I realize just how big we are - YES! This electric town rules and within a few days we'll being flying on swings in our village green! But until then it's BOOK CLUB time.

Ya’ know why previous generations ate better for the most part? Because food was food. Food wasn't a multi billion dollar industry driven by corporate greed, manipulation and government subsidies. The food business has been overtaken by the chemical companies. And their inbred cousins the pharmaceuticals are standing by ready to mop up the damage – all the way to the bank.

As King Pollan so eloquently says, we've entered “The Age of Nutritionism.” What the heck is that? In a walnut shell, this refers to all the nonsense on the spaghetti box. If products on the grocery shelves could speak, this is what you'd hear....

“Buy me, I have omega 3's!”
“Oooh, pick me, I was injected with anti-oxidants! And I have less calories than the fiberless bee-atch next to me, I mean who does she think she is?”
“Oh yeah, well I'm fortified with calcium AND vitamin D, and I reduce cholesterol and toe fungus!”
“Big whoop, I've had the fat liposuctioned out of me and you Soccer Moms can too!” “Purchase me and you'll have more sex ‘cause you’ll be skinner and happier, and then you'll make more money and go to Paris and buy Gucci and meet Johnny Depp...and...and..” (the package is thinking)....”OH YEAH, (drum roll) and you'll solve global warming because I’m in a green box! Screw Al Gore, BUY ME!”

In this age of nutritionism, we’ve lost sight of the forest for the trees – i.e., the kale for the vitamins. Scientists assume it’s the isolated elements of kale that matter. But what if it’s kale itself – in all it’s glorious complexity - that somehow works? What if we applied this dissection to people? What if I cut myself into pieces and sold you just my foot? Would that help you walk and navigate your cancer journey better? You need the whole thing, body/mind/spirit – your thoughts, your ideas, experiences; your eyes, your heart. We’re all greater than the sum of our parts – you, me, broccoli.

(watch I get an email, "Hi Kris, you are so awesome, I would like your foot, and please send ASAP. Best wishes, Flavs". Oh, and treat cancer with my isolated, age of nutritionism, product - imiediently. :) *Shit, we're gonna get hammered now! Sorry gang.

Here's where we're different from our grand folks: WE’RE LOST! Do I eat a tomato (assuming you can find a real one) or do I eat a partially hydrogenated hubcap with a hundred year life span? Well, I’m confused, because I read about a new study showing that the Hubcap has more lycopene! Whatever that is - more must be better!

Who the heck really knows how all these invisible ingredients work when they are isolated in a lab and then jammed into a noodle? They can glue some fiber to the jumbo sausage but that doesn't mean it's good for you. We've been brainwashed to believe that we no longer understand our bodies, they do.

Because it’s all so confusing and scientific, we need a master's in nutrition to get through dinner. But who has time for that? Enter the EXPERTS - they'll clear it all up and give us a trusty shopping list. Well, here we are with all this EXPERT help and where has this gotten us? Fat, sick, broke, unhappy, dying early, and screwing up the planet on our way out the door.

From Michael Pollan:
"All our uncertainties about nutrition should not obscure the plain fact that the chronic diseases that now kill most of us can be traced directly to the industrialization of our food; the rise in highly processed foods and refined grains; the use of chemicals to raise plants and animals in huge monocultures; the superabundance of cheap calories of sugar and fat produced by modern agriculture; and the narrowing of the biological diversity of the human diet to a tiny handful of staple crops, notably wheat, corn, and soy. These changes have given us the western diet that we take for granted: lots of processed foods and meat, lots of added fat and sugar, lots of everything- except vegetables, fruits and whole grains."

Hope I don't sound too negative, but follow the money...

…And I'm the dangerous one? Thank you all for your kick ass comments about that. I appreciate it.

Peace and broccoli,

K