A Note from Gregory Anne

Since this newsletter straddles two months I'll wish you all a Happy Halloween and, for the Americans and Canadians, a Happy Thanksgiving.

I'm not one to dress up and play on Halloween but I do look forward to candy corn. Yes, it's embarrassing I know but just wait ‘til you hear about my Easter candy habit.

The book review comes with a warning—aging well requires work and commitment and the ideas in this book may initially make you mad. I can't help but share it because I believe we will all be healthier and live stronger into our next few decades by giving in to the advice.

It's hard to avoid the whole gratitude thing in a month featuring Thanksgiving. Life for me is bigger and better than ever since taking on the whole idea of living in gratitude so I decided to go for it.

The recipe this month is a brilliant orange Fall Soup which means it's full of nutrition as well as a brilliant addition to any table for any occasion. (I had a bowl for breakfast this morning) And it's simple to put together; who needs complicated during the holiday season?

My hope is that I'll get to know some of you during the upcoming Smart Woman's Lifestyle Tune Up beginning just in time to prepare to do battle with the holidays—and win. I'm toying with the idea of holding two classes to accommodate those of you whose schedule doesn't work with Wednesday's at 7 pm. Let me know if you'd like to take this class but want either a different day or different time.

Gregory Anne

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Thanksgiving

Would you agree that you have much to be thankful for? Me too. Anyone reading this has more than many and we are aware of what we have. We are grateful.

“Thank you” is one of the first lessons we learn growing up and it's an important one. Not only is it of cultural importance to acknowledge people for their gifts, cooperation, a pleasant transaction, holding open a door; it's a respect thing.

Is there a bigger reason to take stock, to keep a gratitude journal, to start each day thankful for the Tom's of Maine toothpaste I so enjoy? (Fennel if you must know.)

Yes, in a word, Power. Power to attract more of what we want in our lives.

Gratitude is a high energy frequency; as such it is powerfully attractive.

Positive thoughts and emotions, such as those associated with gratitude, send that positive high frequency energy out into the ether. Negative thoughts and emotions, such as those associated with resentment, send negative, low frequency energy out. What is met and returned to you is exactly what you send out. What you focus on expands. It's an immutable law of the universe.

Another law is this, everything that happens has two polar opposite aspects. You cannot have good without bad, black without white, fat without thin, etc. So that means that although something looks horrible from one perspective there has to be something positive in there.

How can one be thankful when everything has gone to hell in a hand basket? “My teen aged step-kids are rude and treat me like crap, my car needs $1000 worth of repairs, I still haven't found a job I like”, and so on.

Ok take a step back and see if you can accept this next thought. Negative thinking and dislike of what's going on is resistance to “what is.” Resistance is also a low vibrational energy. The things that “happen” to us, rather, that we create, are there for a reason. If it's possible to see the hidden opposite of our perception of “what is” then our vibration lifts and we can expect our situation to change.

Let's find the gratitude for the above situations.

The teenagers . Difficult though it may be, in order to have the man you love, you have had to take on the kids (temporarily) from hell. “This too shall pass” comes to mind as does, “how can I give to them to ease their resentment?”

PS, Gratitude does not mean you become anyone's doormat! Accept this as “what is” for now in this newly blended family and all sorts of joy might be hiding just out of sight. A friend of mine lives this situation. Rather than continue to create anger and resentment by seeing them out of obligation she now enjoys a couple of days a month alone when her husband visits with his girls. Everyone is thankful.

The expensive car repair . Do you have the money to do it? If not will you be able to get it? Yes? Great then be thankful for the ability to pay for the repair rather than have be without a vehicle.

That job you hate. “I am not satisfied with this job but I'm glad it pays the bills.” When one accepts responsibility for having created what we have in our lives then we know we can choose to create something else.

Here's a short story from my own experience. Eight years ago I moved back to the east coast from California . My now ex-sig-other offered a do over of our relationship and I accepted. He was living on the North Fork of Long Island. I wanted to move back into New York City . I had to start reconnecting from somewhere so I chose thankful to get started only 2 hours away.

Three months into this experiment it was clear we were not working. I determined that I would head into Manhattan on the second of January, new resume in hand, and hit the head-hunters hard in order to move out by month's end. For the last weekend of the year my pal Chris suggested I come up to hang with her and her brother in a town a few hours north of the city. I went. We played, we drank wine, we hiked, we made plans for our new lives.

The room I slept in that night was cold, just the way I like it, so I kept my socks on. Once awake, I jumped up, eager to get going. As I pushed myself up off the mattress, (it was not on a bed frame but on the floor) my foot slipped out from under me, I landed on my left hand and I heard a snap. I had broken my wrist.

In the ensuing hours my thoughts were all over the board regarding my new life plans and how this was not included. I was not especially thankful.

Looking back though, here's what the results were as I can trace them from now.

• I was offered one of the more interesting jobs I've ever held working on a private island.
• I was able to buy a spacious house—something I'd wanted since I was a little girl.
• I met the man I am now married to working on that island.

Obvious at the time? No way but what I've learned since is to be thankful for what comes along—oops, for what I've created—even when it seems bad. That's just a perception. And what is perception but thought?

And who chooses my thoughts?

“I think my thoughts, they don't think me.”

I've read that here and there, and there are days I don't like it but, hey, it's a fact!

Sometimes “what is” serves only to sure up our understanding of what we don't want. In that way there is room for gratitude as well.

When things look bleak go inside and check your thoughts. Look around and choose something to be grateful for even if it's only your little toe. Change your vibration by giving something to someone, or simply listing some of the things that are good in your life at this moment. You'll find this practice above all others we take on has the greatest power to transform your life. And think about what it can do for others.

Blessings
Greg

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Food That Fuels You

Fabulous Fall Carrot, Sweet Potato, Butternut Squash, Apple & Ginger Soup

If this sounds like a lot of work because of the many ingredients toss that idea out the door. This blender soup is so simple to put together it makes a protein shake look like work. And it's the original versatile recipe. No sweet potatoes? Ok, don't add them but use more squash. Don't love ginger? Ok, you'll miss out on ancient magic tonic-like benefits but hey—leave it out.

It's all as simple as peel, cut, pour, simmer. Cool, season, blend. Yummm.

It also can go vegetarian if you feel the urge with no loss of deliciousness.

I like to roast my vegetables sometimes but to keep this as simple as I promised let's just use them as is.

The only hard vegetable to peel is the butternut squash but I think it's worth the effort. It's not only uniquely sweet and earthy, it also lends silkiness to the finished product.

Ingredients:
1 small butternut squash—about 1 pound in weight whole (You can buy already peeled squash in some supermarkets. Go for it if you find it. If not, peel with a peeler or small knife. Cut in half, remove the seeds and cut into large chunks)
2 medium sweet potatoes-about 1 pound total—peeled
3 med. carrots, peeled
1 large or 2 med. sweet apples, any kind will do as long as they are juicy and ready to eat, peeled, quartered, and cored
1½” piece of fresh ginger peeled
1 small sweet onion, peeled and quartered
4 cups/1 qt. chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup apple cider or juice
Salt and Pepper to taste
Fresh nutmeg
½ cup plain yogurt
1 Tablespoon maple syrup

1. Put all of the soup ingredients into a heavy bottom stock pot or large soup kettle.
2. If the liquid does not cover the vegetables add more stock until it does.
3. Turn the heat on medium high, bring to a boil, stir, lower heat so the soup will simmer.
4. Approx. 45 minutes later the veggies should be soft. Yours may require more time, if so start with 10 minutes. Keep checking til you can put a knife through anything in the pot with no resistance.
5. •  If you are at that point, turn the flame off, move the pot to another, cold, burner and let soup cool. It should be cool enough to blend without fear of burning yourself with splatters. The soup is easier to finish when the ingredients are warm to hottish.
6. Either strain the ingredients and liquid into a large bowl or get another pot out as you need one to reheat the soup and check the seasoning.
7. Put some liquid and some veggies in the cup of your blender to a little more than half full. This is to prevent soup from pushing out of the lid when the blade starts up.
8. You must let the blender run until the soup is smooth. If it does not want to blend you must add more liquid. You can add milk, cream, more juice, more stock or water depending on what texture and flavor you are looking for.
   I do not add cream to thin a soup but will on occasion add just a splash of cream when I am heating the soup for service. It is not necessary to have a lovely soup just a splurge I like once in awhile. My liquid of choice is always stock-it adds flavor-but sometimes there is enough of all the flavor and just a bit of water is needed.
9. Pour each batch of pureed soup into the pot. When it is all in there stir well.
10. Season with salt and pepper and if you like, grate in some fresh nutmeg.
11. Mix the last two ingredients together in a small bowl. Use this as a drizzle not only for color but it's a nice flavor contrast.

I sometimes add chives to the soup at service time. Once in awhile I make tiny croutons and toss them in but I mostly enjoy this soup as is.

If you are pressed for time but want a super healthy and flavor packed alternative to this use 3X the amount of carrots, one sweet potato, 2X the ginger and adjust the liquids down. This is a breakfast favorite of mine. It's also a great snack.

Soup is good food and I encourage soup as a meal or part of one frequently at this time of year. It's an easy way to pack in nutrition and fill you up for less calories. You'll add liquid to your much needed total for the day, making soup fills the house with good smells and really it's so easy. Need any more reasons? Go to my new blog especially for my You Revolution readers who want more between issues, The You Rev Blog . I've got a whole post on soup and I'm adding soup and other recipes all week long.

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Books that Cook

Younger Next Year for Women
Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge

This book was recommended by one of the smart women I am lucky enough to have in my life. Thank you Elizabeth; it is a very important piece of work.

“I have to warn you,” she counseled, “what this book advises, and backs up with sound science, may bring out the rebellious teen in you. Once I got over thinking it was preposterous I see that it is working,” she laughed.

My skeptical, rebel child did blanch at times as I read chapter after chapter about the hard work and science of avoiding Depends and a walker. But avoid those I will and after only 3 chapters I can actually say “thanks Henry” for the five miles I power-walked today rather than the three I intended to.

Henry is Henry S. Lodge, M. D. one of the two authors. The other is Chris Crowley. Together they published the original version of this concept for men.

Their message is compelling.

• The brain reacts in response to what we tell it by our lifestyle choices.
• The response process was designed billions of years ago when we lived in nature and survival was the order of the day. The fittest survived, the weakest, well, you know.
• Our body and brains are perfect for their natural purposes: hunting, gathering, running, shivering, but none of them was designed for modern life: fast food, TV, temperature controlled environments, or retirement.
• We are programmed this way, like it or not, and it remains the way our brains process input. We can either take on the decay prevention program outlined here, to make the most of the inevitable aging process, or we can age and rot .

Some of the facts are scary:

• Being sedentary is the single most important signal for decay.

Some heartening:

• The good news is that decay signals, brought about by the modern lifestyle we enjoy, though constant, are weak. If you don't send any signals to grow, decay will win, but even a modest signal to grow—a decent workout—even a good, stiff walk—will drown out the noise.

I won't bore you with the neuro-bio-science-geek stuff that I love to read but here is their message in a nutshell.

You've got to Move It Move It!

Move physically,
move towards joy and happiness daily,
and move towards those in your life whom you feel connected to and safe with.

It seems that the pack mentality from years gone by is also a part of the survival mechanism our bodies crave.

Here's a brief explanation of this writerly duo. The doctor has a twenty-four person internal medicine practice in NYC. He is rated as one of the best doctors in the country. At about the 10-year mark of practicing Dr. Lodge

realized the following: that being an internist allows him a long relationship with patients; like for 20, 30 years or more. From this he deduced, “I am ‘on notice' of how my patients are living, and of how they are dying. I am ‘on notice' that the normal American way of life—and especially the American way of aging—is dangerous and sometimes lethal.”

Lodge goes on to say what most of us have heard at least once, “Some 70% of premature death and aging is lifestyle-related…If we had the will to do it, we could eliminate more than half of all disease in women and men over fifty. Not delay it, eliminate it.” I think that statement is worth re-reading at least once.

The co-author, Crowley is a former litigator. He is 71 or so and Dr. Lodge's patient. He's the proof this stuff works. Here's what he says about his part:

“Mine is the report from the front. Optimistic, sure, but honest and unadorned. Not a woman's report but almost as relevant because, as I say, we're in the Aging Boat together. Unless we do some stuff that I happen to know about.”

He goes on to say, “I am an indifferent athlete at best. I am hugely self-indulgent (at one point I was forty pounds overweight). I drink almost every day, and I am hardwired for pleasure.” So he's one of us.

More from Chris, “And again, 70 percent of the “normal” decay (that's the rot) associated with aging…the weakness, the sore joints, the lousy balance, the feeling crappy…70 percent of that horror can be forestalled almost until the end.”

And I say Amen to that.

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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:Thanksgiving is one of my favorite food days. It's also a day I know I'll overeat and I'm ok with that. I was wondering, though, should I starve the days before and after to save calories?

A: Say it with me, now, “Starving does not a lean body make.” Depriving the body of needed calories or having no food at all is a prescription for disaster if you are trying to maintain a healthy weight or release pounds. The brain lives in prehistoric times when no calories meant big problems and uncertainty about the next meal. Hence fuel storage.

Eat a bit less the days before, avoid the salted nuts and cheese and crackers the day of, and move it, move it, move it instead.

Want to have some fun? Click on this Turkey Day fun . It will take you to a Thanksgiving Day calorie calculator. You check off items you want to eat and it gives you not only the calorie count but also the steps and distance you'll have to go to walk it all off.

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What's Happening

The last Lifetyle Tune-Up of the season is starting in 2 weeks. Will you be on the calls? These once-a-week teleclasses are the perfect antidote to stress as well as they are full of information on keeping your energy up and your weight down. We'll be talking midlife body and mind changes and how to feel better than ever during this crazy time of year and all year. Want the Missing Midlife Manual? You'll have to join us on November 15th.

For those of you who are Larry King fans, and even if you are not but are skeptical about this Law of Attraction stuff, you might want to tune it to Larry on November 2nd and the 16th at 9 pm EST. Those two shows are devoted to some of the gurus of “we create everything in our lives with our thoughts.” Each of the interviewees appeared in a movie called The Secret. I've seen the movie twice. If you want to tap into what seems undeniable in terms of creating the life you want at least start with these interviews.

And I'll be back with issue number 6 of The You Revolution the last week of November. Meanwhile drop me a line or send in your question.To stay in touch between issues why not visit my Blog--The Coaching Café.

Best Regards,

Gregory Anne

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