When I began coaching clients, one of the very first things that I learned was not to suggest that he or she stop drinking coffee. Even the suggestion to cut back on the number of cups in a day deafened their ears to anything else I would have to say. Coffee absolutely can be part of a healthy eating plan. ...

Everyone I know has been breathing a sigh of relief for the rain that has filled our wells and reservoirs, while bracing for the impact of summer sunshine on the waterlogged landscape. If you haven’t already lined someone up to take care of the weed whacking, you may want to get that on your “to do” list. A few weeks ago ...

Have you ever stared out your window, lost in the beauty of the moment? Maybe you watched the squirrels playing chase around the giant oak tree or just sat and listened to the rain? If you have, then, congratulations! You know how to meditate. On the other hand, if you’ve never quietly enjoyed the setting sun, bees buzzing in the ...

When I talk to my clients about exercise the first question they have is usually, “what type of exercise should I be doing?” The answer is, “it depends.” It depends on lots of things, such as what your goals are, what kind of physical condition you’re presently in and what your physical limitations are. Short bursts of high intensity workouts ...

When I have clients who are ready to organize their diet around real food, one of the very first things I encourage them to do is eat a salad every day and skip the store-bought salad dressing in favor of homemade. The beauty of a salad every day is that it adds a significant amount of nutrient dense food to ...

The abundant sunshine has turned my thoughts to spring and the evitable spring cleaning that most of us undertake to mark the end of winter. Garages and closets get reorganized. Seasonal cabins that have lain dormant for five or six months are opened up, and aired out. The problem with spring-cleaning those rooms and buildings that have been shut tight ...

Starting Monday, Feb. 27 – Wednesday, Apr. 17, Virginia Eaton leads Restorative Pilates classes at the Oakhurst Community Center, twice a week. See flyer below for details. About 15 years ago, I ruptured a disc in my back (L5/S1 for those who like details). My doc was sure that surgery was in my future but I had other ideas. After ...

The number one complaint almost everyone has, at some point in their life, is low back pain. This is probably one of the most challenging topics that arise with clients and managing low back pain requires a willingness to think about the pain a little differently. I learned this lesson myself 15 years ago when I violently ruptured a disc ...

Thursday night was a rough night! I crawled between the bed covers looking forward to drifting off to sleep to the sound of rain. Sleep was close, but then sirens were blaring. And then more sirens. Now that I was wide awake, I checked the local news—a stolen car had crashed and been set on fire not far from my ...

I came across another instance of traditional science backing up long held folk wisdom and it made me smile. The research community is stacking up data that strongly suggests that consuming walnuts has a strong impact on brain health and function as we age. The folk wisdom around walnuts being related to brain function began with the Greeks and the ...