Blissfully summer is how I’m feeling now that the warmer, longer days are in full bloom.
The early morning air beckons for sneakers and a walk on the beach rather than a dark, noisy, rush hour gym. Are you drawn outdoors more?

Food is exciting again after months of roots and soups. The grill has been seasoned and there’s a new favorite chicken in town: Garlicky Cashew Chicken. It’s easy and can be spicy or mild but will absolutely be popular.

This month’s article, "How to Step Outside the Comfort Zone and Seriously Live Your Dreams," was written by my mentor in all things media, Suzanne Falter Barnes. You know I’m a big fan of the Joy component in life; well SFB puts out a newsletter called "The Joy Letter", each month. When I read this month’s article I felt I couldn’t have gotten the message in my heart across better than did she, so she agreed to let me include it here.

How much water should we drink? Well 8 glasses a day, right? Maybe not, check out the Q & A for the latest info on what may be a myth.

This month’s book, "You The Smart Patient", walks you through your rights as a patient and what to do to get the most out of a patient/doctor exchange, how to prepare for surgery, pick a doc or hospital, and much, much more.

There are slots in the summer’s coaching schedule if you feel you want to take on some aspect of your midlife body or mind. Drop me an email and let’s see what form of coaching might be your best form of support.

To Your Health,
Gregory Anne

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How to Step Outside the Comfort Zone and Seriously Live Your Dreams

By Suzanne Falter Barnes

Christine Moriarty, a Vermont-based financial coach with whom I have led workshops, has a little picture she likes to draw. In the middle is a smallish circle -- about the size of a golf ball. This, she says, is you and your cozy, relatively safe life. This circle is your comfort zone, a place where there isn't much growth, you operate in basic survival mode and everything is "okay."

Around this circle, Christine draws a much, much bigger one the size of a basketball. This is a place of risk, exhilaration, flow, immense possibility, and excitement.

It's also a place of occasional terror, frustration, angst, and wildness. This is the land of thinking big. Put another way, your comfort zone is where you think about your dream. But the land of thinking big is where you act on them.

There is only a small, imaginary boundary that separates thinking small from thinking big, but somehow our minds have built that border into a huge, fortified wall. In the midst of our day-to-day circumstances, when the bills have to get paid and the kids have to get quality time, we think making changes and pursuing risks is a bad idea. Who has the time? The money? Who's got the energy? The wall seems insurmountable.

And yet ... herein lies all the difference.

Successful dreamers who really do seize the day understand that that big fortified wall exists only in their heads. Just as many have made the decision that the wall cannot be breached, they have made the decision that there is no wall at all. They also know the real secret that powers them forward: pursuing your passion is so much fun that after a while you can't NOT do it.

Still, the key immobilizer that keeps us small and safe is that little voice that says, "Yeah, but how do you plan to get going in the first place? You haven't got a clue where to start."

The way you get going is to get going, as clumsy as your first attempts may be. No, you don't have to know what you're doing. And no, there isn't some imaginary instruction manual that other, better dream-seekers have that you don't. All there is is hope, guidance, and the willingness to be a little crazy and uncomfortable for a while.

Here are a few things I've determined that might help when stepping outside of your comfort zone:

1. Don't look back.
On bad days, the temptation is strong to look back at the old, safe little world and wish you hadn't leapt. But you did leap, of course, and so now must work within those bigger parameters. Hindsight just gives you a headache, so don't indulge. It won't help your cause.

2. Enjoy the view you do have.
Think about the expanding number of people who will be affected or helped by what you are offering the world. No matter what you are doing, it will move others forward on some level. So get in touch with how you are helping, and keep your focus on that.

3. Start envisioning a bigger, better you.
When I first started working with a coach, I told her I wanted to be someone who wore 'bigger shoes'. Somehow the image of bigger shoes helped me connect to the sort of impact I wanted to have in the world. Pick a concrete image for yourself -- something tangible, no matter how silly it seems -- that will help you envision a larger, more generous you. It could be anything that resonates authentically, whether it's the size of your shoes or an imagined sign on your office facade.

4. Keep remembering how little you know.
The game in the land of thinking big is NOT to know how to do everything in advance. Instead, it is to stretch your ability to try things, and to follow your instinct. Your instinct is actually a far better guide than any instruction book you can ever find, and will generally steer you right whenever you listen to it.

It's also important to learn how to fail with grace, for just about every day there will be some kind of failure or frustration. By not having to know how to do everything at the outset, or having to do it perfectly, you can open yourself up to trying more and more challenging things.

5. Remember ... it's only a game.
Yes, you may have some personal investment in thinking big. You may have large sums of money tied up in your dream, or have made the mistake of talking it up with doubting relatives who are now waiting for you to blow it, big time.

However, this does not mean that your entire self-worth as a person, or value as a being on this planet is connected to your results. Instead, hold this grand experiment as a game, and you will have a much easier time of it. Games, after all, are fun ... and as we all know, fun is where the true power in life is.

Anyway, what's the worst thing that could possibly happen? Think about this in concrete terms. There is life after bankruptcy. You can always dig yourself out of debt, and there will always be another job. Chances are your loved ones will probably still love you even if you don't get stellar results.

So go ahead. Step outside the circle by turning thoughts into action. Believe it or not, you do know exactly what to do.

To learn more about how to get more joy out of live and live your creative purpose … read Suzanne’s free viral ebook, How Much Joy Can You Stand? This powerful little book, formerly published by Random House, has been read by more than 100,000 people! Take a look at http://howmuchjoy.com/book.html.

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Want to use this article in your newsletter or on your web site?  You are welcome to do so, as long as you give full attribution below.  I would also appreciate it if you would let me know when you publish it.  You may contact me via email or phone call.

Gregory Anne Cox is a certified life coach who has been dishing up all-you-can-eat servings of women's health and nutrition information for years. Her Lifestyle Tune-Up course is a 28 day wonder seminar for women looking for the missing mid-life manual. You can find out more at Live Better Coach, send her an email, or call her at (631) 728-2456.  This article is copyrighted and you may feel free to use it as long as you include this paragraph when publishing it.

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Ready to begin living better? Contact me today to learn how we can work together

Phone: 631-728-2456
gregory@livebettercoach.com

Visit LiveBetter for even more great information!

Grilled, Garlicky, Cashew Chicken

The original version of this delicious, inexpensive and simple dish came from the New York Times. I messed with the ingredients somewhat to tone down the spice and also with the method to make it a bit easier. The recipe calls for thighs but you can always use the parts you like best. I think Basmati rice is the perfect side to catch the drippings and extra sauce. For a vegetable, I have used sliced tomatoes, grilled yellow and green squash, or tomato and cucumber salad if it’s too hot to cook anything else.

Ingredients

2 cups roasted, salted cashew nuts
¾ cup chopped cilantro, with some stems
½ cup olive or peanut oil
4 garlic cloves
¼ cup light soy sauce
1 tablespoon light or dark brown sugar
½ to 1 whole jalapeño pepper, split in half long way, discard seeds or not, to taste
½ cup of fresh lime juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 pounds chicken thighs and/or drumsticks
Lime wedges and cilantro sprigs for garnish

Method

1. In a blender or food processor, combine nuts, cilantro, oil, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, jalapeño, lime juice. Blend until coarse like a chunky pesto, scraping down sides as necessary. Reserve one cup of the sauce for later.
2. Place chicken pieces in a bowl and pour the marinade over. Mix well to coat chicken, place in a zip lock bag or a flat glass dish and cover. Refrigerate for at least one hour up to overnight.
3. Bring chicken out of fridge while the grill heats up. Lay the pieces out and season with salt, pepper if you wish.
4. Preheat broiler or grill. Grill or broil chicken, turning frequently, until it is crisp and golden on outside and done on inside, 20 to 30 minutes. You can start these babies in the oven and finish on the grill which is my preferred method so chicken doesn’t stick and the time it spends on the grill is less which is healthier grilling.
5. Plate individually or on a platter, spoon a bit of the reserved cashew mixture over each piece and serve with lime wedge, cilantro sprigs.

Yield: 4 - 6 servings

No grill? No worries. I did today’s version in a pan. Brown the chicken pieces on both sides, pour in half of the sauce and shake pan and move pieces to allow sauce to cover bottom of pan. Put the pan in a pre-heated 375 oven for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked. When you plate the chicken pour some more sauce over each piece.

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You the Smart Patient: An Insider’s Handbook for Getting the Best Treatment
Dr. Mehmet Oz, M.D. and Dr. Michael Roizen, M.D.

238,337 potentially preventable deaths occurred due to medical mistakes during 2004 through 2006, according to HealthGrades' fifth annual Patient Safety in American Hospitals Study.

While there is no sure way to know whether a well-informed patient has a better chance of surviving, insider information certainly could give someone an advantage. Enter one of the early books from the Drs. Oz and Roizen. I’ve reviewed three others of their books but skipped over this one initially. It didn’t seem to be a fit for us smart women. As traditional healthcare becomes more and more impersonal and rushed and insurance policies more difficult to understand, I reconsidered and think this book should be on everyone’s shelf; If only to be better patient advocates for parents and other elderly relatives.

For some of you it may seem that the concept is a big yawn. Some of the suggestions like
“get a second opinion" or "check the credentials of the hospital you are considering” might seem obvious. Sometimes what’s obvious gets taken for granted and bears repeating.

Recently, I was working with a woman and her daughter on the mom’s recent breast cancer diagnosis. The doctor who did the biopsy called the woman a few days later to say he was scheduling a mastectomy and they would do it as outpatient surgery. This was the first message this woman had about the type of cancer and the treatment options, if you can call that an option.

The mother is “from the old country”, pick one, and didn’t want to challenge the doctor. The daughter, thankfully, had no loyalty to this new authority figure and told the doc they were going to get a second opinion. One new oncology doc and an MRI later revealed that surgery could have been lethal for this woman due to the placement and size of the tumors!

Sometimes, especially when we or someone we love is in crisis, it’s hard to conjure up all of the smart things we know to do. This book is a great companion at times like that. It’s great even if you are healthy and want to be prepared should the time come when surgery is necessary or the routine suddenly needs a specialist.

Information found in the chapters include, "Getting to Know You (Information that is important to convey to your doctor)", "How to choose the right doctor", "How to Case a Hospital (choosing a safe hospital)", "Just What Gives You the Right (Patient Rights)", "What to expect if you have to schedule surgery", and "How to navigate insurance policies and what might show up that you didn’t expect". The doctors explain the jargon of their industry and describe the different alternative and complimentary practices that can assist the body and mind during illness or recovery.

All of this is done in their usual funky style with cartoons and sidebars further fleshing out ideas and making it all easy to grasp.

The appendix also includes samples of forms you may have to or want to consider such as a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate order), Power of Attorney for Health Care, a Living Will and more.

This book is like a consult with a healthcare system insider who has your best interest at heart.

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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.

Q: Whose idea was the 8 glasses a day rule? Is it really necessary because I have a hard time remembering to drink that many even in summer? What about water in plastic bottles? Am I better off drinking less water than getting in my 8 if half of that comes in plastic?

A: Dr. Heinz Valtin, professor emeritus and former chair of the Dept. of Physiology at Dartmouth, is an expert in kidney function and water balance. He was interviewed for this month’s Nutrition Action Health Letter from the Center For Science In The Public Interest.

His theory is that there is no proof of the 8 X 8 rule or 8 ounces 8 times per day. He thinks what happened is that back in the ‘40’s a recommendation came from the Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine that people consume one milliliter of water per calorie eaten. That would be the equivalent of approximately 2 liters per day. BUT they went on to say, “much of this can be gained from the solid food we eat.”

Did you know that whole wheat bread is 35% water?
Broiled chicken, 71%, peaches, strawberries, and watercress 90%.

What about the coffee/tea/diuretic-so-they-are-not-good-choices theory? Bunk, according to the good Dr. He says that in pharmacological doses, caffeine is a diuretic but in the amounts one gets from normal amounts of these bevs it is not. He added, “moderate amounts of alcohol don’t lead to appreciable fluid loss either.”

Wow! A grandslam of good news.

“If your urine is colored at all, you are dehydrated” turns out to be a myth too. As does the “once we are thirsty we are already dehydrated” mantra so many of us spouted at you for so long. I love it when I can say “Hey I was wrong and no body died!”

But, people can die or become sick if they take in too much water. It’s not just the amount but the conditions under which people over consume such as during a marathon or a water drinking contest. It seems that excitement and stress can cause the release of an anti-diuretic hormone. If the kidneys cannot release the excess water then water intoxication sets in. In this condition most cells just swell but brain cells can’t swell against the hard skull. The result is headaches, confusion or even seizures.

The average Jane has more to worry about from the chemicals used in plastic bottles than dying from water intoxication. I’m going to point you to a very good article on this subject as it’s too long to report here. Suffice it to say that one should avoid drinking out of plastic bottles with the chemical Bisphenol A (BPA).

So what to drink? When you are thirsty, drink something and drink as much water as you feel you want. Dr. Valtin has lived healthfully on 5 – 6 glasses per day.

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All is quiet in a humming along kind of way on the Live Better front this month. The new blog is almost there—how is it that things always take longer than I plan for? Gotta get a coach or something to move me and my projects along.

Speaking of coaching, if any of you feel you need some help in getting clear on your platform or message and how that looks out in the marketplace, I’d like to recommend Suzanne Falter Barnes. She's this author of this month’s article. She’s been a publishing and media industries insider and has a knack for getting to your core message. Even if you are not ready to bring this kind of expert into your business life, there are plenty of free resources at her site for both personal and business growth.

My wish for you all these next couple of months is that you take some time to be outside, breath summer in while we’ve got it, and relax. I’m hoping to take my own advice and will start with a short trip to Maryland to visit with my family. We’ll be trolling the art galleries in Annapolis and eating crabs on the waterfront among other things.

I’ll be right here in July though with another newsletter and hopefully-no really this time I mean it—an announcement that the new blog is live.

To your health,
Greg

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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.