When was the last time that you actually took a few moments to listen to your body’s promptings? If you’re like most people, probably never. Unfortunately, we live in such a media and activity saturated society, that we fail to listen to our most important partner.

While the mind and body are totally interconnected, they are at the same time distinctly separate.

Just as we chose who our parents are/were, and the life that we would lead here on Earth before we travelled here from the soul plane, we also chose the body that we would inhabit in this lifetime as well. Now, I know that you’re probably looking down at your body, and thinking, “THIS is the body that I chose in this lifetime? Yuck!”. While it may be the body that you currently inhabit, it may not have been what you had originally planned to live in.

Many different factors affect our bodies. The foods that we eat, how, and how much we sleep, stress, physical and emotional traumas, even our day to day living environment. Over time, our body’s energies become imbalanced, creating any number of internal or external issues. Depending on the issue, we may feel lethargic, foggy-minded, impatient, crabby, anti-social, ill, gain or lose weight, or possess any other number of symptoms. It’s our body’s way of saying, “Houston, we have a problem!”.

Unfortunately, in todays society, there are far too many offers of a quick-fix. Take this pill, drink that liquid. While they may mask the symptoms, most of the time, these so called quick-fixes do nothing to correct the underlying cause of the issue that has externalized itself. All to often, people are moving so fast through life, that they don’t feel that they have the time to slow down, and wonder just WHY they feel so out of kilter. So while they may temporarily feel better on the outside after taking their quick-fix, internally, havoc is still being wreaked upon their body. Sooner or later, the underlying issue will manifest itself again externally in the same or a different fashion, and probably not as mildly as the first time.

It is only by slowing down, and actually becoming aware of our body’s messages, that we can take the first steps towards becoming a complete and healthy person again.

When was the last time that you actually talked to your body? Nice quizzical look you have there, on your face. *chuckle* Really though, think about it. Who better to talk to, than someone that you’re with 24/7? Find a quiet space without any distractions, and say ‘hello’ to your body. Ask it questions. And don’t be surprised when your body gives you feedback. It may be a chill through your body, a warm feeling at some part of your body, a tingling sensation. This is your body communicating with you. Accept, and embrace this new relationship. When you are in tune with your body, it can answer many questions. I can ask my own body questions, and depending on whether the answer is yes or no, my left or right hand will tingle. Whenever I do energy healing on a client, I always talk directly to the client’s body. I introduce myself to the body, and ask that the body help me to help it heal itself, quickly, and completely. Just as the body fights off illness, it also fights off unfamiliar energies. Hence, the introduction, and request for the body’s own assistance.

Had it not been for some simple food choices over my recent vacation, I probably wouldn’t have thought about all of the above. For those of us who have been on ER4YT for awhile, we know what happens when we eat avoids for our blood type. Joint pains, lethargy, inability to sleep, sinus issues, etc.

At the start of my vacation, I figured I’d splurge and have a cheat meal. After all I WAS on vacation! It was a double cheat really, since I’m weightlifting as well. So I called up Domino’s Pizza, and ordered a pizza, and breadsticks. Just what an O doesn’t need, wheat and dairy products. And for the next three days, I paid for it. My energy levels were just short of the speed of molasses, and the mind was a little slow in the processing department. But on the morning of day four, I woke up, and it was like someone had flipped a switch in me. I was back to the bouncy, energetic me. Around that time, I had the urge for lasagna. Another avoid-laden delight for O’s. But the urge wouldn’t go away, so I asked my girlfriend if she would be nice enough to make one. She did, and it was GOOD. As in, I was looking forward to the second helping, even before I had finished the first serving GOOD.

However, unlike the pizza and breadsticks, there was no energy crash, no mind mush the next day. And I came to realize that all avoids aren’t necessarily bad. It is only when we choose to consume avoids, that our body rebels. But when our body prompts us for certain avoids, there are no unpleasant aftereffects. Our bodies will rebel against beneficial foods just as much as avoids. But in order to understand what our bodies need, and desire most, we have to learn to open the lines of communication, so that the mind and body can work together. Even within the same blood type, one’s beneficials may be another’s avoids.

We are each unique, and must learn which is best for each of us. But we can only do that by slowing down, and actually listening to our inner workings, and not just the neverending racket of the outside world.

It does seem fitting to talk about such a subject, especially with Valentine’s Day having just passed. Most folks probably have never even considered that what they may eat has an impact on themselves, and the relationships around them. But as my own personal experience and reflection has shown in the past few years, they are very much connected.

The man that I am today, and the man that I was five years ago are very much opposite one another. But it took me four of those years to understand how and why I became the way that I did.

For those of us that are O’s, wheat, dairy, pork products, and potatoes are the items that we should stay away from the most. And wouldn’t you know it, those were the things that I thoroughly enjoyed five years ago. How often have we all heard that whole grains and dairy are good for us? Well, for us O’s, who make up almost 45% of the United States population, they’re not.

Five years ago, it was french fries, soda, BLT’s, ham, grilled cheese sandwiches, chocolate milk, and so many other avoids. Ugh. I wish I could go back in time, and slap the crap out of myself, and say, “Bad! Don’t eat!”. But as time has passed, I’ve come to realize that this whole Eat Right 4 Your Type journey is one of my major life lessons in this lifetime.

Back in 2000, I was at the tail-end of a rather unhappy relationship. There were issues on both sides, but I’m only going to deal with mine here. After two years of being in the relationship, I had gained 35 pounds, and I didn’t have the energy or the ambition to get many things done. And it certainly didn’t help that I was pushed away, rather than receiving any type of support from my significant other of the time. I was in a constant mental fog, and always tired. It didn’t matter how many hours I slept, I was always tired. When one is always tired, and in a fog, it’s hard to even attempt some kind of mental focus, in order to work on, or even maintain a relationship.

After we had parted ways, I started to pick up the pieces. Ever the analytical Sagittarian, I was in search of answers, because I didn’t want to have a repeat performance in my next relationship. I knew that my work schedule had been a major factor. I would work 12 hour night shifts for three nights, and sleep during the day. The other four days of the week, I would be up all day, and sleep during the night, so I could be there for the ex-girlfriend’s children, whom I loved, and still do love dearly. Over time, the combination of bad foods, and an erratic sleep schedule completely wreaked havoc with my body, and its metabolism. Bad metabolism, and bad foods, equal a very nasty physical and mental meltdown.

As more time passed, I became familiar with the principles of feng-shui, and another piece of the puzzle fell into place. Feng-shui wise, the house was a disaster. As I started to put the house into order, life started to become better. I was sleeping better. I was more cognizant of what was going on around me in the world. It was like someone slowly removing a blindfold.

But even working something far closer to regular hours, and feng-shui’ing the house, I would often still be tired, and in a mental fog at times. Though not nearly as bad as I had been during my previous relationship. Ambition and energy were at times still fleeting. One day, I might get a lot accomplished, the next day, absolutely nothing.

It wasn’t until I came across Eat Right 4 Your Type last year, that more of the puzzle came together. The more time that I spent avoiding the foods on the ‘avoid’ list, the less tired I became, and the less time that I spent in a mental fog. The less time I spent in a fog, the more opportunities I had to regain control of my life, and to start planning on charting my own destiny in this lifetime.

When it comes right down to it, how can we adequately give of ourselves in a relationship, if we have neither the physical energy, or the mental clarity to do so? By not having one or both, we deny both ourselves, and our partners the opportunity for a happy, and satisfying relationship. While food is but one of the factors that plays a part in our relationships, I believe that it is one of the primary factors.

One of the hardest parts of human nature is to face our own shortcomings as human beings. But it is only by learning from those shortcomings that we in turn become better people. All too often, we judge ourselves far more harshly than those around us, preventing us from learning and growing.

For those of you that have been on ER4YT for awhile, take a few moments to look back in time. What were you like in your relationships pre-ER4YT, and how are things different now that you’re eating according to the principles of ER4YT? For those that might read this that haven’t tried ER4YT, try it for a month or two. See how you feel, both physically and mentally after that time. You have nothing to lose besides possibly a few pounds, but have the opportunity to start on a pathway to both better health, and a better life.

We all have certain life lessons to learn during our time here on this earth? Could this be one of yours?

Wow! Where has the last week and a half gone!? Life has been a whirlwind of activity in that time, and that’s probably a good thing. I think that it was the Universe’s way of keeping me busy, so that I wouldn’t dwell on the loss of Miss Piggy.

But while she may no longer be of the physical plane, she is still around. Twice in the past week, she has paid me a visit, to let me know that she is o.k. The first was last Wednesday morning, while I was still in bed. All of a sudden, I felt the comforter being tugged down over one side of me, as it would when one of the kitties would lay down next to me. However, when I reached out, the other three were not to be found there. Friday night, while my girlfriend and I were in my bedroom, I distinctly heard a cat’s meow by the window. However, the bedroom door was closed, and there were no cats in the room. And the window is opposite the bedroom door. I thought I was hearing things, until my girlfriend mentioned that she had heard it too, and pointed to exactly where I thought I had heard it. My guess is that it was Miss Piggy spending a moment to once again enjoy her window perch.

What has been interesting since Miss Piggy’s passing, is watching the changing ‘family’ dynamics amongst the other three kitties. Contrary to what some may believe, I have now found that animals mourn, just as us humans do. It has been habit in this house for several years that, when I come home and enter the front door, the four-legged greeting committee is there within seconds. However, for much of the first week after Miss Piggy had passed, I wasn’t greeted at all. Or if I was, by one at the most, and that was only because they happened to be in the kitchen when I opened the door. Thankfully, they have returned to their former ways, and I am once again greeted with enthusiasm when I arrive home.

Miss Piggy also had made a habit of resting on my chest. She would do it during the day, but she would do it every night before I went to bed, and every morning when I woke up. It got to the point that whenever I heard her jump up on the bed, I just automatically rolled over onto my back. And yes, I will gladly admit it without a hint of shame. I was trained. *chuckle* What has been interesting since Miss Piggy’s passing, is that Shorty has laid on my chest on several occasions. This is something new for Shorty. However, unlike Miss Piggy, Shorty isn’t nearly as light. Shorty weighs in at 13+ pounds. One word will describe the experience. Oof! LOL Even more surprising, was that Beser laid on my chest this very morning. Beser, better known as Miss Skittish. : ) Personally, I think my little matriarch has hung around a bit longer, to make sure that the other three know how to take care of me to her satisfaction. How else to explain why they have suddenly started to take on some of her traits?

See what can be noticed, when one makes an effort to disconnect ourselves from the hectic world that goes on around us? There is so much more to be enjoyed about the world, if we only take the time to notice. It is only when we learn to be grateful, that ones life begins to become great.



How many of you out there made New Year’s resolutions this year? And how many of you are still sticking to those resolutions? If you are, great! If you have already fallen short, don’t despair. You may still accomplish the goal, but certain other things may need to be achieved first, before you can accomplish your original goal. Not all journeys are meant to be travelled in a straight line. It’s kind of like going on vacation. What fun is it to just drive all the way to your destination on the highway, if you don’t get off at a few exits, and enjoy the local scenery?

For myself, I had made it my goal to continue to improve my health, lower my body fat percentage, and to pack on some more muscle to this vertically challenged physique. By abiding by the principles of Dr. D’Adamo’s Eat Right 4 Your Type, I lost 35 lbs. between January and September of 2005. With most of the crappy weight gone, it was time to put on some good weight.

It has been a learning experience in the last month or so, trying to mesh bodybuilding and ER4YT into a workable nutritional plan. Especially trying to find the foods that I like, that would allow me to meet my daily nutritional intake and receive the proper proportions of proteins, carbohydrates, and calories. Too many calories or carbohydrates, and the body then stores it as fat. I just got rid of a good deal of it last year, why would I want to put it back on again?

Protein is the building block of muscle. Many in the bodybuilding community tout the fast absorption rate of whey protein, to aid in the recovery and production of muscles. However, whey is an avoid for O’s. ER4YT first, bodybuilding second, so the search was on for another supplemental protein source. Though not as highly advertised, they do make both egg and soy proteins. So I started to look at those. Unfortunately, many of the protein products available are made with either aspartame or sucralose. Scratch those products. And the search continued. Finally, after much internet surfing, and product label scrutiny, I found an acceptable egg protein called Universal Egg Pro Ultra. Now that I have a good supplemental protein source, combined with a mostly compliant ER4YT food plan, the fun can now begin.

Last month, I had my girlfriend take several measurements with a sewing tape, so I could figure out what my body fat percentage is. As of 17 January, it was at 17.85%. To look at me now, it doesn’t look like there is much fat left, but there is still some covering my abdomen, and the backside of my waist. This is often the last fat to disappear, so it’s not an “if” it disappears, it’s a “when” it disappears.

Fortunately, I have a wonderful girlfriend who is supportive of my desire to live by the principles of ER4YT, and my goal of better health through weightlifting. Whenever I go over to her place for dinner, she will either ask me what is acceptable, or offer a menu and a request for tweaking so that I can remain compliant. The only warning that I have received from her about my lifestyle and goals is that if I get too big to hug her properly, then there’s going to be issues! : )

Nothing like a little pressure, huh? ; )

Well, it’s time for me to go work shoulders and forearms for today. May you all have a wonderful week, filled with wonders both big and small. Until next time.