Tag Archives: beauty

Be Finding Food For Fuel (4 Pillars of a Healthy Fuelling System)

Isn’t it funny how a few days flat on your back allows you the privilege to reflect on health? February flu season is wafting through the house and it happened to grab on to me last Friday. The weekend was spent trying to breathe, staying warm and lying in a slightly upright position. Fun time for this jet engine energy girl. One thing about me, though, is situations like this help me grow.

These last seventy- two hours have afforded me the opportunity to think deeply about what I put into my body. Over four years ago, I was forty pounds heavier than I am today. Over four years ago, I was on a deep growth journey working through the grief of my loving mama. Over four years ago, I discovered, by my own willingness to never sit or lay in a pit too long, the best fuelling system for my body. And I want to stress “system” because there are no miracle products. Sorry. There are no one week detoxes that are going to fix your eating habits. Sorry again. And there are no amount of counting calories or points that will teach you how to nourish and listen to your body. Truth.

I now have partnered with the company that formulated this system over fifteen years ago. I have left my full time teaching life that I was very passionate about because I think all children are a gift from God. I now help match people’s personal goals to a system of products that support the systems that work within the body. And yes, we even touch on poo! After my mom died, as well as weekends like I just had, I know with 100% certainty that if we don’t have health we have nothing. If we don’t get a handle of how to fuel our bodies, we don’t have energy. If we don’t understand what our individual bodies need, we will have “dis ease”.

Here are my few gems from lying in the couch with “dis ease” if you truly want to learn how to fuel your body:

First, before you even try to uncover the food dilemma, how is your water intake and what amount of sleep are you currently getting? Furthermore, are you drinking enough water and sleeping enough for your body? How is your sleep hygiene? Are you able to sleep without your “handheld computer comforter” beside you?

Second, what do you LOVE to eat? Do you enjoy plants, meat, soups, fruit? Just because the current rage is to eat no fruit (no carbohydrates) or only eat meat (protein), you decide what is best for you personally and build your fuelling system around that.

Third, are you moving between the eating habits of starvation and overindulgence. Most people do. My company’s name literally means “balanced life”. This is your ultimate destination with your fuel. Eating every couple of hours with a balance of variety of foods that nourish you and bring you energy.

Water.

Sleep.

Love.

Balance.

Simple.

Isn’t it!

The four pillars of a healthy fuelling system.

One that doesn’t rely on feelings or emotions.

One that doesn’t flutter in the wind depending on the current ‘famous food’ that you can’t pronounce or diet plan you really only can follow when motivation is high.

Something that relies on you nourishing and listening to your body.

Something that allows your body to become more alive as you age and continue to grow.

Until we breathe no more.

Fuelling with water.

Recovering as we sleep.

Nourishing with lovely food.

Finding balance in all areas of our life, but especially with our food.

Comment below with your favourite fuelling tips.

Follow me on Instagram: @cannjoanna

If you need support in your fuelling, be free to ask me for more information at jj_cann@yahoo.com

With gratitude for feeling healthier,

😘 Joanna

Be “UnBusy”

Right now, I can sense a whirling of energy around me.

Fluttering here and there.

Cars driving quickly.

People walking swiftly.

All around the city.

This way and that.

Me, I choose to be “UnBusy”.

Busy is the swear word of the season.

Right up there with the f-word.

Beside the bar of soap that my mouth got washed out with.

Busy?

Keeping ourselves occupied?

Have a great deal to do?

These are a choice.

Being busy is a choice.

What’s on the ‘to-do’ list is a choice.

Yes, it is 100% up to us.

Fluttering here and there.

Driving quickly.

Walking swiftly.

All around the city.

This way and that.

Or not at all.

I used to rock the ‘to-do’ list.

This list would make me feel productive.

Make me feel occupied.

Now I have created space to be.

Sitting here.

Moving there.

Talking here.

Wondering there.

I purposely move slowly and with ease.

Walking quietly in the crackle of snow.

All around my beautiful city.

Wherever my boys or mind take me.

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Incredible beauty surrounding us in this season.

Ready to envelop and shower us with peace.

Right now, I sense a purple energy all around me.

Loving.

Being.

Seeing.

Allowing.

Peace in this season.

 

Be Out of My Mind

Two different antibiotics sit on the counter.

Two more antibiotic creams.

Echinacea and cold remedy bottles.

Plus vitamin C and D to round out the counter display.

And I only have three children!

I have an embroidery guy that promised me shirts last Friday who didn’t even have the shirts started today.

And today I have my oldest say that he thinks our dog “is feeling something, maybe sad!” Yup, he’s right. She has hurt her leg.

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My middle son, sadly, lost his very best pair of ski gloves.  We spent time searching the playground and the school lost and found, but to now avail.  But I have one very sad little boy.

AND NOW….

In thirty-six hours, I am going to be fortunate to share GreenTeaHAWAII in Vtown’s hockey arena, where I used to live.

Trying to coordinate mommy going to ‘work’ for two whole days and evenings has taken a small army of help to coordinate.

I can’t comprehend my mindset.

Health issues.

Daily routine.

Special request.

Lost items.

Unwell dog.

Trying to prepare to do something for the FIRST time.

And I am not even freaking out.

I feel peace.

I feel gratitude.

I see such beauty around me.

(Even driving down the road.)

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Amidst the messiness of daily life,

I feel great love for all that I have, all that I can do, my given family, my chosen family, my community and my God.

We are living in a fear-filled, chaotic time.

But, I see beauty everywhere.

I feel overflowing waves of gratitude EVERY day, all day.

Maybe I am out of my mind!

Be Beauty

I have been overwhelmed with coincidences – butterflies and snow anyone?

I have been blessed with prophetic women.

Now I am blessed with both – prophesy and coincidence. I don’t think I am getting up off the floor anytime soon. Sorry if I don’t respond to emails!

A week ago I asked my A friend from Atown if her daughter would draw a picture for our family. I had heard that this wonderful child has gifts that go beyond understanding. I don’t exactly know what my friend said to her daughter, but this is what she drew:

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A told me about the significance of the colours from a prophetic art book. I told her that mom was talking about water when she was in hospice and the fact that a few days ago Sexy Neck had picked up mom’s ashes that were in a box.

Scroll back to the girl’s picture and sit with what I just told you. Woah!

But, of course, that is not the end of the story.

Sexy Neck and I were sitting on the couch talking about mom and life when I received the text with the picture from A. She had read my post about grief being like waves and decided to send it immediately.

After I showed Sexy Neck the text, and responded to A, I looked over at the memory tree from mom’s celebration of life. This Douglas fir had cards where people wrote down memories of mom.

I am not sure who drew this, but take a look:

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Woah! Dude!

I want to share some brilliant and inspiring words at this connection between the word beauty and the parallel pictures, but really I am just gobsmacked!

God is connecting the dots for me when I can’t even put one foot in front of the other without help.

Glory to Him.

Be Seeing Nana’s Light While Skiing

We spent the morning x-country skiing. I debated on whether to keep our oldest out of school so that we could stay together as a family.

The debate ended when we crested the hill coming around Sovereign towards the Jungle trail and we saw this sight:

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I had to lie down in the snow when JC exclaimed, “Nana’s light!”

Thank God for children, skiing, nature and Nana’s light.

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Be Driving In Between

That drive between the new city and our old town is truly spectacular.

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the sun sets off to my side as I’m heading south.

i can see deep blue green lakes and mountains near and far.

the purple sky, blue skies, the red skies, orange skies.

the orchards, the trees, the snow on the mountaintops.

BUT my soul is filled with anguish as I leave my mom, as I drive back to my ‘new’ life.

BUT my heart is with my mama, my mama in pain, my mama lying, my mama sick and unable to live her life.

My mama My mama My mama.

Life is such a dichotomy – beauty is all around me in all of God’s creation. I am amazed by the nature that I see surrounding me as I drive.

BUT my heart aches, my heart is broken, tears fall, big huge crocodile tears fall down my cheeks

BUT I pray and I hope and I sit in my pain in the presence of God’s beautiful creation amidst the pain.

Mom was in so much pain today that she couldn’t be touched. All she could handle was a quick kiss on the cheek by the boys. I gave her a kiss on the forehead and it was like I could feel the pain emanating from your body.

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Peace Mama. Peace!

Be Seeing Jesus’ Castle

Lately, I have an incredible appreciation for clouds. Their beauty, shapes and movement are awe inspiring and wondrous for me.

Tonight, we were driving to Sexy Necks bear school to watch some ‘old’ friends coach volleyball.

We saw these clouds.

JC exclaimed, “It looks like the entrance to Jesus’s castle!”

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Apparently clouds are speaking to more than me these days.

Be a Tree Hugger

Every single place I have lived and loved has had fabulous trees! There is something about old gnarled trees with leaves floating along their branches. The beauty of how trees shelter us in the summer and then lose their leaves so that we can get more sun in the winter.

As humans, we try to make things “straight”. Our homes have 90 degree walls, our mattresses, coffee tables, shelves and chair have them too! We like things smooth and straight.

I often do this with my situations and relationships, I like them to go in a particular way, I don’t enjoy any rough edges. Sometimes, I feel very uncomfortable.

But, God created the things of this earth crooked, bend, gnarled and beautiful. I need to strive to be more like our trees in our backyard – knowing I am God’s creation, perhaps “imperfect” in the world’s eyes, but beautiful! I need to trust Him more.