Winter is off her game in many places around the world. Knocked off perhaps by some of our lifestyle choices. Unlike the state of the environment, making new or different choices can have immediate results on our quality of life or in how we see ourselves. Sometimes the smallest thing can have a big impact. This month’s article, Tolerations, will explain how and why changing a few small things can make a big difference.

We are finally experiencing cold temperatures here in the east—mother nature is back with a vengeance. To me, that means heartier foods, but ones that line up on the healthy side of comfort. For those I’ve chosen beans, and comfort they will.

If colds and other bugs are bugging you check out the Q & A for help building up your immune system.

My wish for you this month is that the new year is off to a bang and your revolutionary thinking is moving you forward. If you need support—either one-on-one or with a group—I’m here to help. Drop me an email to see what might work best for you.

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The mastermind group I belong to shares resources. Since we formed in December to begin around the first of the new year we had time to exchange goal setting forms as well as other tools that are helpful in general. The one that caught my eye first was titled, “What Are You Tolerating?” The page was separated into two columns, each column with numbered lines. Two pages worth which totaled one hundred possible items one might be tolerating. “Wow, that’s an awful lot of tolerating” I thought. Then I started to fill in what came to my mind. I got to 32 without blinking an eye.

Maybe I should describe the concept and why it might be important to take stock of tolerations.

When my mother said it she was referring to something that no longer worked for her. She was probably, in her infinite wisdom and glory, hoping to correct a behavior that was not going to work for me either outside of adolescence. She had clearly had enough and took action to be free of what could likely be looked at as, annoying the s*** out of her. Some tolerations are like that.

Can you think of something right now that provokes that phrase in your life? If it’s the behavior of someone you may have to carefully craft what to say and what action to take. But at what cost to your psyche and relationship do you stuff what you feel? Sometimes the hard truth is that a person needs to get pink slipped out of our lives. You’ll know in your gut which is the case.

If, however, the lock on your door is loose and so getting the lock open is a jiggling and wiggling marathon to get the key positioned right—that’s a toleration with an easier fix. One you can probably eliminate with a call to a locksmith. (If you’ve got a handy hubby or sig other, you will tolerate it til they get around to the honey do list.)

Why does this seem so pressing to me at this time of year? Well, for one, I want to create some new things in my life and since two things cannot occupy the same space at the same time, some things must go. Why not start with the annoying ones or the ones that no longer serve me but steal my attention and my energy.

Here’s a 'for instance' of a former toleration. A couple of years ago I had to replace a wallet I loved. My wallet lover was expensive, Italian, perfectly broken in and richly brown. In fact it was too broken in and cards were forever falling out. My search for a suitable replacement ended in frustration and an “ok for now” choice. Well it's now lasted 2+ years and every time I looked at my red, perfectly ok choice, which was in fact fatter than I liked my wallets, I had a sense of annoyance. After doing my toleration sheet I decided to dig out a gift certificate to Coach leather and do some wallet shopping. My new black, thin, chic wallet makes me happy. I feel like myself again. The moral of this story is twofold. Number 1, something doesn’t have to be falling apart before you move on from it, it just has to no longer be a fit. Number 2, don’t choose your men like I choose wallets, although there are similarities to be drawn indeed.

Here’s another one from my list; my top drawer, aka, my underwear drawer. It’s a mess. It’s not just a mess it’s messed up. Jewelry strangles thongs, which shares a bed with camisoles I no longer wear, and bras that make me go Hmmm. Daily I say to myself, I am going to do this on Sunday. I’m going to untangle and sort, giving away or throwing away what no longer works. But I, like you, do work. When a day off comes I resist giving it up to do something I know will be satisfying but not nearly as much fun as, reading the Times from end to end or watching that Netflix flick which has been on the kitchen counter for 4 weeks.

Here’s the bottom line of tolerating. These creatures of “ok for now” do steal your energy whether you think so or not. Usually, not always, we tolerate things we can change easily. I think we do so because we don’t recognize the full weight of those things lurking in our corners, drawers, and garages. We may swear daily we will do something about the missing light bulb over the stove, and swear and swear until we have to make it happen. What shifts? Awareness I believe. Doing this exercise can be powerful in moving towards a bigger and better sense of control and power in your life. For some, these things may live in the “don’t sweat the small stuff” category. For many more, they steal energy and focus. And I’d like to add I think the first group is fooling themselves.

The folks at Coach U have a great couple of pages worth of categories and lists of tolerations. It resides within their concept of a Toleration Free Life, and their tagline is, “Life’s Waiting.” You can see it by clicking here. Their ideas may or may not be exact for you, but will probably give you some ideas for your own life.

Clearing clutter feels virtuous. Replacing a simple thing like a light bulb makes sense. The weightless feeling that comes with an intentional life, where everything works and supports us? Priceless.

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According to American Bean.org, “research shows that eating beans can help control weight, reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes.” These little guys are nutritional superstars beacause they are high in complex carbs, protein and fiber. They are also low in fat and calories.

By the way, did you know that when you rinse canned beans you wash away up to 60% of the sodium?

I love beans but realize I eat them infrequently. In an effort to boost my intake and maybe inspire you to do the same I’m serving up three recipes that are not your typical soup du jour. One salad, one dip and my favorite chili are all easy and delicious. Although simple, these bean dishes can easily star at any dinner party or brunch with friends.

And yes Beano does work if that’s stopping you from adding beans to your list of healthy choices.

WARM BLACK BEAN AND BELL PEPPERS SALAD  
Serves 6
This recipe makes a nice first course or can be served as an entrée with the addition of a protein, like sliced chicken breast or shrimp.

1 eac - red, yellow, and orange bell pepper, cut the flesh off the core and cut into thin, long, slices           
1 small red onion, peel, cut in half and slice thin
¼ cup cilantro, rough chop
1 15 oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed
½  cup good olive oil
¼  cup of good red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
6 cups mixed sturdy greens like escarole, frisee, and romaine, torn bite size

1. Heat a medium sauté pan with ¼ cup of the olive oil.
2. Put the peppers into the oil once it is hot.
3. Saute peppers over a low heat til they are hot but not cooked through.
4. Add the beans to the peppers and stir to blend.
5. Place the greens is a large bowl.
6. Add the cilantro to the peppers and beans and stir to blend.
7. Pour the beans and peppers over the lettuces.
8. Drizzle in the rest of the olive oil and vinegar. Sprinkle in some salt and pepper and gently toss the mixture well.
9. Plate and serve.

If you are adding shrimp you can cook them at the same time in a separate pan and add them to the lettuces when you add the other ingredients.

1 15 oz. can of cannelloni beans, drain and rinse
4-6 large cloves of garlic, peel and leave whole
½ cup of good olive oil
1 tablespoon of finely minced fresh rosemary—I would not make this with dried rosemary.
Salt and white pepper to taste.

1. Place the garlic and olive oil in a heavy bottomed, small pan.
2. Set the pan over a low flame and slowly cook the garlic til it is golden brown. This will take about 10 minutes or so.
3. Set the oil off to the side to cool.
4. Take two tablespoons of the garlic oil, place in a small sauté pan and when it is hot add the rosemary. It will sputter and fry. Remove it from the heat immediately.
5. In a food processor put the beans and rosemary oil, as well as the garlic cloves.
6. Sprinkle in some salt and a pinch of white pepper.
7. Puree the mixture til it is smooth. Taste to see if it needs more salt.
8. If it is too thick you can add a bit more of the garlic oil.
9. Warm in the microwave and serve with pita chips and veggies.
10. The remaining garlic oil can be saved in the fridge and used to drizzle over fish or sauté veggies.

1 15 oz. can each of black beans, kidney beans, white beans—drain and rinse them all
12 oz. bag of frozen corn unless fresh is available
1 large sweet or other yellow onion, peel and chop small but not too fine
3 cloves of garlic, chop fine
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
½ cup of corn meal
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup of red wine vinegar
½ cup water or beer
2 tablespoons of good chili powder
1 tablespoon of ground cumin
½ tsp. black pepper
1 tablespoon of Kosher salt

1. Place a heavy bottomed stock pot or dutch oven on the stove and heat over a medium flame.
2. Place the olive oil, onions, and garlic in the pot and stir to coat.
3. Cook for about 5 minutes or until they start to soften, add the dry spices but not the salt.
4. Stir and cook for another two minutes, add the corn meal.
5. Stir well and while stirring add the vinegar and beer or water.
6. Stir and make sure all the bits that want to stick to the bottom don’t.
7. You can now add the beans, corn, tomato product, salt.
8. Lower the flame and stir to blend all ingredients.
9. Allow this to cook for about 30 minutes. If it seems dry add a bit of liquid.
10. If you like your chili spicy—which I do, add some fresh chopped jalapeno at the beginning with the onions and garlic. Or you can simply add some hot sauce before you simmer it.

This freezes well. Nutritionally it is a powerhouse of carbs, fiber and protein.

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Did you know that all brains are female until a fetus is 8 weeks old? Yup, it’s all down hill from there for the poor males of the species.

A testosterone flood washes away part of the communication center, reduces the hearing cortex, and makes the part of the brain that processes sex twice as large. This may argue against the idea that god is a woman for who would design two such different beings and ask them to live happily ever after?

This kind of fun science makes up the 190 or so pages of this wonderful book. Not only is there science up the wazoo drawn from Dr. Brizendine’s thirty years of working in and around the brain via psychiatry and specific study of the brain’s physiology, there are insights such as this one:

“Biological instincts are the keys to understanding how we are wired, and they are the keys to our success today. If you’re aware of the fact that a biological brain state is guiding your impulses, you can choose not to act or to act differently than you might feel compelled. But first we have to learn to recognize how the female brain is genetically structured and shaped by evolution, biology, and culture. Without that recognition, biology becomes destiny and we will be helpless in the face of it.”

The study of the brain is laid out in the book beginning with babies and tracing the effects of our brain differences as they show up throughout our lives. Hormones play a huge part in how our brains work differently as one would imagine. Here are a few tidbits taken from the jacket flaps:

• Thoughts about sex enter a woman’s brain once every couple of days but enter a man’s brain about once every minute
• A woman knows what people are feeling, while a man can’t spot an emotion unless somebody cries or threatens bodily harm
• A woman uses about 20,000 words per day, while a man uses about 7,000
• A woman remembers fights that a man insists never happened

If “no s*** Sherlock” comes to mind as you read those facts, reading the book willwill shed some light on why. A quick peak at why is because our brains’ are structurally different than guys’. The female structure allows for greater communication, listening, and forming communities. In a word, connection. It’s about procreation and protection. These innate skills encourage connecting with others and are the perfect tools to ensure procreation and protection. We are more out-going and flirty when it’s time to breed. We are generally smaller and so more inclined to form groups for protection from angry cave males. If we can read faces we can tell what an infant needs and keep it alive and well. And so on.

The good news is that as we Xs and Ys age towards mid-life we become more comfortable expressing a full range of emotions, including those—for men especially—that have long been suppressed. While this is a bonus on the one hand it can be yet another thing to add to the way we sexual beings differ. As our hormones decrease so does our desire to keep the peace, make nice with everyone, take care of everyone. We physically get less fuel—in the form of certain hormones-- for our care-bear tendencies so prevalent in early life. We are less interested in nuances of emotion and tending to others—unless we have a passion for a particular other(s). We want to express ourselves and the things we’ve long put off for the greater good of our immediate family. The world around us has new attraction as does improving our lives. This alone can spell trouble for husbands, adult children, bosses and sometimes old friends as they struggle to hold on to a person who is unable to be there in the same way.

Further along in the book you’ll learn about the mature female brain, The Future of the Female Brian and an appendix which offers insights into the Female Brain and Hormone Therapy, the FB and Postpartum Depression, and the FB and Sexual Orientation. All really great stuff to help understand not only the differences between men and women but the similarities among us females.

I’d like to leave you with this last tidbit. Baby girls learn and lay down brain synapses through studying faces. “Over the first three months of life, a baby girl’s skills in eye contact and mutual facial gazing will increase by over 400 percent, whereas facial gazing skills in a boy during this time will not increase at all.” The impact of a depressed or unresponsive mother—whose facial expressions are flat—can be devastating to the developing girl’s sense of whether they are worthy, lovable or annoying. What then is to become of a baby girl raised by an otherwise happy mother who chooses Botox to improve her appearance? 

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Q&A
Be sure to send your questions to Greg so she can answer them here in future issues of The You Revolution. Send her an

Q: Never mind flu season, since I work in an office, it’s almost always cold season during winter. Besides Vitamin C and washing my hands, is there anything I can do to prevent them? If I do get one, what can I take to relieve my symptoms without nasty side effects?

A: The closed buildings we work in are breeding grounds, but that’s not the whole story. The cold virus is prevalent no matter where you spend your days or who you are swapping germs with. The key to fighting it off is a healthy immune system. Rest, eating well, staying hydrated, exercise and these immune boosters, recommended by Dr. Susan Lark, may help:

EpiCor is a product discovered by accident when insurance adjusters noticed lower numbers of sick-leave claims among employees who handled fermented baker’s yeast.
www.vrp.com/epicor. It lowers the # of immune suppressor cells.

Noxylane4 stimulates natural killer cells from enzymes found in shiitake mushrooms.
For more info and to order: www.lanelabs.com

I take extra Vitamin C and N-acetyl cysteine, 600-1000 mgs per day at this time of year. You can learn more about it at www.drsinatra.com

As long as we’re here, if I’m feeling flu-ish I run, don’t walk and think about, but run, to my Oscillocococcinum or Oscillo. It’s a homeopathic med by Boiron and it has never let me down if I get it in soon enough.

For symptoms, if I’ve got to work and be clear headed, (although I hate to admit it), I take an over the counter day-time formula or aspirin depending on what’s going on. And I never skimp on rest once I’m down for the count. It’s rare that one can’t shut down a bit early or skip a meeting—people understand, and if not, you might want to think about why you are tolerating that.

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February is officially American Heart Month. If you know what your heart needs to stay strong and healthy brava, if not, why not jump on the next Lifestyle Tune-Up Tele-seminar where one whole evening is dedicated to The Heart of a Woman. February also hosts Valentine’s Day as you all know. I encourage each of you to spend a minute or three, some play money, or simply some quiet time on you that day. Love yourself first and you will become more loving and lovable to others.

The new blog, www.theyourevblog.com, is up and running looking for comments from you. Think of it as a continuation of your monthly newsletter. It’s full of more great information on food, health, books, products, and services.

Feb. 8-12th I’ll be blogging from LA where I’ll be attending a seminar called Extreme Health. It’s a multi-speaker event showcasing the hottest products and services for staying in peak health from around the world—both alternative and western  medicine innovations will be represented. I’m psyched and will share the best of what I get with you.

Til next month be well and tolerate nothing!

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Thank you for reading. I know your time is valuable and that there is a mountain of information out there demanding your attention. My highest hope is that I've provided something of value for you. If you know someone who might benefit from any of the content please forward this.

Any recommendations of sites or products are items I have personally investigated and recommend with confidence.