Looking for a Wellness Secret? – Here’s One
Our long-term health and longevity rests in our hands. Genes play an important role, but it’s the things we do every day which add up to long-term health and wellness. Our day-to-day living carries us to good health throughout our lives.
A Secret
I’m happy to share this secret with you. My daily breakfast is the most important meal of my day. But, it’s not just any old breakfast. It’s my muesli breakfast! Not just oatmeal. Historically, Muesli was a specific cereal blend which kept the Swiss healthy in World War II when food shortages were common.
So, what is Muesli? Muesli is an easy-to-prepare-and-serve meal made up of rolled oats, seeds, dried fruits and nuts.
My Morning Muesli
1/2 cup muesli mix
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 scoop collagen peptides protein powder – I purchase mine at Village Apothecary here in Woodstock, NY.
1/2 cup of half-and-half or juice or whipped cream
Scoop ingredients into a small bowl and cover with liquid.
Enjoy!
I eat this cereal at room temperature.
Some History
When I began eating this breakfast, I bought boxes of muesli in the cereal section of the grocery store. It wasn’t long until I was mixing my own blend from raw ingredients I found in the bulk section of the grocery.
Now, my Muesli includes rolled oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, crispy rice cereal, raisins and other fun raw grains and dried fruits. I make large batches of my breakfast mix and just scoop it into a bowl or cup.
I enjoy adding chopped apples, bananas, blueberries, etc.
When I work all night, I prepare my muesli breakfast before I go to work and then eat it on my 4:00 am break.
I love this breakfast because it’s easy to fix – no matter what the situation. I also like it because it sticks with me. I never get the before-lunch hunger pangs. I also like this breakfast because my experiences with it have taught me that the ingredients are magical.
The oats and other raw grains found in Muesli are filled with vitamins, minerals, antioxidents, protein, iron, and omega-3’s.
The ingredients in my breakfast muesli help me fight off diabetes, and high blood pressure. They encourage a good energy level and they motivate my immune system to work better.
What more can I ask for? The cereal is easy to prepare, fun to eat, and keeps me healthy! This is a win! win! win!
Find out more about Thurman Greco at www.thurmangreco.com. Purchase Thurman’s books in both ebook and paperbook form. ENJOY!
This book is available at www.thurmangreco.com
Reiki therapy and Reflexology sessions work well with other health activities. Receive a session whenever you can..
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Interested in learning more? “Let’s Live with Thurman Greco” showcases interesting and fun people who live and work and visit in the Woodstock area. New shows are loaded on Tuesdays and cover a wide variety of topics.
Thanks for reading this blog post. My intention is that each article you read can be a conduit for your spiritual growth and healing.
Please share it with your friends and family and forward it to your preferred social media network.
Want more information on self-care? Check out other articles in this blog.
Thanks!
Thurman Greco
For Self-Care: Visualize a Successful Day
Take a little time each morning visualizing a successful day. These few moments will create a mental picture you can use to create your real-life action throughout your day.
Take a few deep cleansing breaths.
Perhaps you may want to listen to meditation music.
For a few (3-5) minutes, use all of your senses to visualize your dreams and desires coming to life.
End this short meditation with a few more deep breaths.
As you practice this daily visualization, it will become more powerful. The visualization will become bigger, brighter, and louder.
When you have made this morning visualization a habit, you may notice that your visualization becomes more real to your mind.
At the end of each day, write down your observations. Are you feeling more positive? Are more opportunities coming your way? How is your visualization becoming more real?
With these morning success visualizations, you will be on track to achieve the success you visualize.
Support your visualization intention by taking an action each week to help you progress. Your inspired weekly action toward your goal of a successful day will energize you to achieve your goal.
Thanks for reading this blog post. If you think it’s appropriate, please share it with friends and family. Forward it to your preferred social media network.
If you enjoy this blog post, please watch “Let’s Live with Thurman Greco”. This show is a positive, entertaining series of interviews which I’ve conducted throughout the last 15 or so years. There have been a few intermissions, but not many.
My guests enjoy being on the show and many ask to return. One thing they all have in common: we’ve all met each other somehow in Woodstock, NY.
Join us soon!
And, let us know how you like the shows.
For information about my books, please go to www.thurmangreco.com. You can also find readings from some of my books on the YOUTUBE videos.
This book is available at www.thurmangreco.com. Visit the website and see what books might interest you.
When I write the blog posts, it is my intention to be a conduit for your own healing.
Use a Little Self-Care to Live Mindfully & Look After Yourself.
I don’t know about you, but I have days that get away from me. Sometimes, the idea that I can take a few minutes out for exercise, or meditation, or whatever, is just flirting with non-reality.
So, what do I do to assure that I have given myself some much-needed self-care even in times of chaos and stress?
I keep a gratitude journal.
This little book takes almost no space on my desk or in my purse. It attracts little attention. But, this little book is powerful!
My gratitude journal:
makes sure that I don’t take blessings for granted.
prevents me from getting so caught up in my daily life that I forget to appreciate what I have.
encourages me to become aware of all the ways I am fortunate.
I may not write paragraphs or essays in this journal. Some days I write down just a few words. These words may include hugging a loved one, seeing the little bunny chew a flower in my garden, or eating a delicious red grape.
Words are not always necessary. Sometimes my gratitude journal is a page with colors:
It’s the little things that change my thoughts and bring peace to my world. While relaxation is not the end goal, it’s a common side effect of a gratitude moment. This quiet, sometimes secret, moment changes how my body is feeling.
This moment helps understand the experience.
This is gratitude.
“A Healer’s Handbook” is available at www.thurmangreco.com. This book is in it’s third edition and has gone out to three dozen countries.
Thank you for reading this article. My intention is that each blog post you read can be a conduit for your spiritual growth and healing.
Please share it with friends and family. Forward it to your preferred social media network.
If you enjoy these blog posts, please subscribe.
Find out more about Thurman Greco at www.thurmangreco.com. Books are available in both ebook and paperbook form. ENJOY!
I hope you’ve had a chance to visit the YOUTUBE channel, “Let’s Live with Thurman Greco”. It is a positive, entertaining series conducted throughout the last 15 or so years. There have been a few intermissions, but not many.
Guests on this show enjoy the experience and many ask to return. One thing they all have in common: Woodstock.
We add new shows weekly.
Be Careful What You Wish For: Goal-Setting is Self-Care
We set goals daily.
We set goals when we decide when and where we’ll buy groceries.
We set goals when we schedule our days and weeks.
For some reason, I sometimes wonder why we leave the big things to themselves. It makes no sense. When we postpone goal setting, we run a real chance of experiencing something that makes us deeply unhappy.
I know many people working in dream jobs that are really working in nightmare jobs.
So, whether you are seeking a new job, more money, a successful diet, or that perfect home, be as clear about what you want as you can. Clarity and detail count for a lot when you communicate with the universe.
Use a Goal-Setting Journal
In the first chapter of your Goal-Setting Journal, describe whatever you are willing to do to achieve your goal. Are you looking for a new house or a job or a new friend?
Describe your goal with as much detail as you can. You are not just looking for your dream job. You are looking for a job that will allow you to perform specific tasks which you want to participate in.
Explain your job description. Where is your dream job going to be located? What are the hours? What kind of person will you work for? What will your co-workers be like? What will your space look like? How much will it pay?
Write down your intentions with as much detail as you can. This is how you will bring your goal to life. Be as long and as specific as you can.
Describe what you’re willing to do to get this dream job. Do you have the proper training? Do you need to update your resume?
Focus in and get detail-oriented. The more narrowly you focus, the more powerful your intention will be.
Finally, embrace that dream! Think about all the things you can achieve. Be as clear as possible.
While you are on your path, keep yourself grounded and focused. Include regular healing sessions such as reflexology and Reiki therapy. Throughout my life, I’ve proven to myself that regular sessions help – a lot.
Thank you for reading this blog post. My intention is that each blog post you read can be a conduit for your spiritual growth and healing.
Please forward this article to your preferred social media network and share it with your friends and relatives.
I also hope you’ve had a chance to visit this YOUTUBE channel. “Let’s Live with Thurman Greco” is a positive, entertaining series of interviews which I’ve conducted throughout the last 15 or so years. There have been a few intermissions, but not many.
My guests enjoy being on the show and many ask to return. One thing they all have in common: we’ve all met each other somehow in Woodstock, NY.
Join us soon!
And, let us know how you like the shows.
Thanks again!
Thurman Greco
Meditation is Self-Care: 3 Ways to Improve Your Meditation Practice
Meditation is one of the best ways I know to deepen your intuition, reduce medical and psychiatric symptoms, and quiet your anxieties,
Three props to improve your meditation practice:
Create a quiet, soothing meditation area. This is, for me, basic.
A bell or chime to open your meditation session is important.
Take a few deep breaths and clear your mind.
Using a timer to let you know that your session is coming to an end is helpful. This timer can a quiet tone or beads which you hold in your hands.
Through the years, I’ve posted meditation articles on this blog. (Find them in the search section).
I’ve also recommended several books:
My favorites are three meditation books written by Larry Moen. They are:
Meditations for Awakening
Meditations for Transformation
Meditations for Healing
Today, in this article, I share a new meditation which I’m calling “A Perfect Place”. In this meditation, you create your own perfect place.
Begin with a few deep breaths to clear your mind.
Wait a moment and then imagine yourself in a perfect place, designed just for you. Look around and ask yourself:
What is around you? Are you inside or outside?
Do you see buildings, mountains, roadways, lakes, streams?
Or, do you see a room with a chair waiting for you? Do you see a meeting hall?
What is the weather like outside? Is it snowing, raining, Or is the sun shining?
Do you see people? Are they beside you? Are they smiling or looking away?
Who are these people? How many are they? What are they doing? Is someone coming over to join you?
Are there any animals? Are they pets? Are they wild animals? How are you connected to them?
What are you doing now? Are you walking along a path? Are you sitting on a bench? Are you in a seat in a theater? Are you alone or with others – humans or animals?
Is this place familiar to you? Do you feel you have ever been here before? Is this space somewhere you have visited in the past? Have you dreamed about it?
How do you feel in this space?
What are you wearing?
Sit for a few moments and let yourself become adjusted to your surroundings. Breathe in the perfect air. Enjoy this perfect place.
You may want to make some notes – or draw a quick sketch even.
Now, check in with yourself – your thoughts, your feelings. What is happening with your inner self?
Now, take one long, last look around. This is your place. It will always be yours. You know that you may return here any time you want.
After a short time, you know it is time to return to your space before your meditation.
You can return to this meditation whenever you want.
Now, take another deep breath and return. Open your eyes gently and slowly and gently move and stretch.
Thank you for participating in this meditation. If it is appropriate, please share it with friends and family. Forward it to your preferred social media network.
If you enjoy these blog posts, please subscribe.
This book is available at www.thurmangreco.com.
Thank you for reading this article. Thanks for sharing this article.
Thurman Greco
3 Ways Self-Care Helps + 5 Things to Ease Your Toxic Overload
Self-care is part of my daily life. Practicing self-care develops personal happiness. It honors a balance between personal life and career.
Self-care offers things that are important in daily life. But, that’s not all. Self-care activities diminish burnout, stress, and fatigue.
Occasionally, I review my physical, mental, and spiritual toxicity to boost my self-care agenda. Actually, a toxicity review is good for everyone, whether or not self-care is the issue.
To pamper myself, I’ll declare a detox week.
Your body continually self-cleans. But, sometimes this process needs a focus and boost because of the hordes of chemicals confronting the liver, lungs, kidneys, fat cells, intestines, bloodstream, and skin.
Toxins come in many forms: too much sugar, caffeine, and processed foods.
They also invade us through pesticides in the produce we eat, formaldehyde in carpets and cosmetics, plastics, and paper products.
I’ll start off a detox week with a water flush, drinking filtered water to cleanse my tissues. (I normally drink filtered water but, with a detox week, I’ll add a variety of waters which I get at the health food store. I also drink some of the Saratoga Springs Waters.) And, I’ll alternate my water with herbal teas to support my liver, lymphatic system, bowels, urinary tract and skin.
DRINK 8 GLASSES OF WATER
DRINK 2 CUPS OF HERBAL TEA
For a fresh-air treat, I go to my local garden center and buy a new plant to help detox my home. I love ferns. Truthfully, I love any plant that I can grow. I started growing houseplants during the pandemic. I definitely don’t have a green thumb but I’ve managed to collect plants which are surviving in my home. The oxygen they produce is important.
GET A PLANT FOR FRESH AIR
My detox week includes a daily cleansing walk, a short 20-30 minute walk I take in my neighborhood to breathe fresh air and enjoy my community.
TAKE A 20-MINUTE WALK
Finally, I include breathing properly to dispel toxins and wastes. When I celebrate a detox week, I set aside time each day to practice deep, slow, rhythmic breathing. This clears my mind, lifts my energy, and boosts my mood.
TAKE 10 CLEANSING BREATHS
SCHEDULE A WEEKLY REIKI OR REFLEXOLOGY SESSION
Reiki and Reflexology work well with a detox week. Include one session for the week or, if time permits, include a daily session.
Thank you for reading this article. Please share it with your friends and family. Forward it to your favorite social media network.
Find out more about Thurman Greco at www.thurmangreco.com. You can purchase Thurman’s books in both ebook and paperbook form. ENJOY!
So far, “A Healer’s Handbook” has gone out to readers in over 30 countries.
Explore more about self-care in “Let’s Live with Thurman Greco” YOUTUBE productions.
SARATOGA SPRINGS STATE PARK
PS – Because I live in the Hudson Valley of New York, I’m close enough to Saratoga Springs to benefit from the many mineral springs located throughout the Saratoga State Park. If you ever get the chance to visit this area, just north of Albany, be sure to visit a few of the springs. Maps are available as well as descriptions of the waters found at each one.
Tours of the springs are scheduled regularly. Join in the fun if you are in the area!
www.parks.ny.gov
13 Things I Learned from Animals about Self-Care
For me, animals are all about self-care.
1. Since learning animal communication in the 1990s, animals of all shapes and sizes, both as pets or as creatures living in the wild, have taught me they choose to be a part of our lives.
Whether a dog, cat, or squirrel in a tree, they present themselves to us in ways that attract our attention.
2. They are here to care for us. When I experience periods of difficulty and challenge, they see themselves as a caregiver during that time.
3. Pets in your life hear, see, and understand everything that happens. Cats, in particular, are tuned into conversations and daily activities.
4. Animals are not colorblind. They see things in color. They do see things in a different way from how we as humans see them. That’s to be expected. After all, their eyes are located in different parts of their faces. Their eyes are different sizes depending on the animal.
That means they see more things in more ways than humans. Several animals have discussed auras with me. One, a llama, used aura recognition daily. If he didn’t like a person’s aura, he didn’t like the person. End of subject.
For some, the colors have meanings. It all depends on the animal. These colors may have spiritual value. Or, they may be perceived as protection.
5. Your pets also see orbs and other things invisible to our human eyes. They see spirits in and around the house. Some dogs bark at them. Others do not.
6. When you bring home a new puppy, he quickly decides what he needs to do to be a successful member of the household. One breed, a bichon, seems to do this a little better than other breeds.
7. Horses are very wise and beautiful creatures. Our communication experiences revealed intelligent, spiritual, creative beings who are conscious of the current conditions of the health of our planet.
8. Dogs can be very aware of the human’s situation. I’ve met several poodles who were in a traumatic household situation. As the human became more stressed, the dog became more grounded. This grounding was important to the successful outcome of a situation.
9. I like to attune the animals when I am attuning a person at a Reiki class. This is especially helpful if there is an ill person in the household.
When I do an attunement, I give an attunement to each pet in the household. I do not charge extra for this. I simply offer the attunement to encourage the healing process.
10. Animals are not afraid of death. When I discuss death with animals, I learn that they remember past lives. They remember why they are in embodiment at this time.
11. Animals, for whatever reason, prefer truth. They believe it. They share it.
12. Animals know about forgiveness. They practice forgiveness. They live forgiveness. This knowledge and practice of forgiveness allows them to love their humans unconditionally.
13. Goats are good communicators. My experience with them has been they like to tell the truth – no matter what that is.
A goat named Tyler Too taught me to communicate. After a few conversations, he communicated with me honestly that animal communication would not be my primary career path. He told me that I was a healer.
And, of course, Tyler turned out to be correct.
Thank you for reading this article. Please share this blog post with your friends and family. Forward it to your favorite social media network.
If you want to learn more, please explore both old blog posts and the YOUTUBE shows.
Self-care can be healing. We are all healers. I am here to be a conduit for your own healing.
Regular, or even occasional reflexology sessions help.
Do you practice Reiki therapy? Share it with an animal.
Find out more at www.thurmangreco.com.
Thanks, Thurman Greco
Interested in Self-Care? Try Self-Forgiveness
Let me start this article this way: Self-forgiveness is never easy.
I’ve written about self-forgiveness before. It’s a theme for me – even though I didn’t realize it when I began writing. It’s definitely a part of my books and essays on wellness and hunger.
I have forgiveness chapters in all of my books. My two favorite chapters are in “The Ketchup Sandwiches Chronicles” beginning on page 103 and 145.
These two chapters focus on two real people and the voyages they traveled while seeking self-forgiveness.
Begin self-care with a few questions:
Who am I in this community? In this country? On this planet?
Remember: My community, my country, and my planet have value. I believe the value is greater than the sum of all of us combined.
Self-care means joining the community of the planet. Everyone, without exception, has value and a role to play.
No one, not even the least of us, is irrelevant. No one, not even the greatest of us, is above it all. Being rich or poor simply isn’t part of the equation.
Self-forgiveness in the context of self-care is a journey where we become a part of something greater. We don’t write off people and situations. We challenge, encourage, love.
Self-forgiveness allows us to not always be at our best.
Self-forgiveness includes renewal and support.
Self-forgiveness can be a calling.
When you sign onto the journey of self-forgiveness, you’ll travel to places you’ve never been before. You may find yourself involved in activities and events for which you may not be quite prepared.
You can’t complete a self-forgiveness journey with an isolated incident like you would complete a puzzle or word game. It is a part of a process.
Forgiveness is always a challenge. Everyone seeks forgiveness and self-forgiveness is the hardest part.
How does it work? Well, do what you can with what you have. Work where you are. A good starting point is to sketch your community.
Really, what you’re doing is muddling through. Frankly, I think that’s how self-forgiveness works. This journey is not going to be perfect. At times, it may seem overwhelming. Other times, it may seem simply like a blank page. Self-forgiveness comes with very few maps. Certainly, there is no GPS.
Forgiveness is a journey with its own timetable. There may be surprise stops along the way. That’s because forgiveness has its own messages and meaning.
A bottom line is this: Forgiveness is for you and you alone. When you forgive someone, you are not forgiving them for them. You are forgiving them for you.
And, that’s what self-care is all about: YOU.
Self-forgiveness happens when you move beyond your thoughts and memories to a new place. At that moment, you see things differently. Sometimes this new place can be a sort of miracle.
This happens when you see your open heart and embrace new hopes and blessings. After a few moments, you may also hear things in a new way.
This is true change. True change, and self-forgiveness, happens when you face the same condition that caused you to behave in a way unacceptable to yourself and now you see things differently.
You break out of your past.
You’ve changed. You are a different person.
You wake up and claim your self-forgiven reality.
Thank you for reading this blog post. Please forward it to your preferred social media network. Share it with your friends and family.
To hear stories of healing and of hunger, tune into YouTube. There are several segments where I read the stories. It is one thing to read the stories and another thing entirely to hear them. ENJOY
When traveling on your self-forgiveness journey, I recommend you include regular reflexology and Reiki sessions. Spiritual journeys include physical, mental, and emotional changes as well. Your feet are a command center of your body. They need consideration and attention during this time.
If you have questions, contact me at thurmangreco@gmail.com
THANKS AGAIN!
Get Ready for Spring with Self-Care
When you have a few moments to yourself, open your closet door and take a look inside. Examine each item. As you touch each shirt, each pair of slacks, sweater, you connect with a memory – a moment in your past.
What comes to mind? Do you see yourself at a moment in your past? Were you younger, thinner, busier, more creative?
Look again. Maybe these items are no longer as shiny. Maybe they are not as breathable. You don’t need those pieces of clothing to touch base with your self. Nor do you need the contents of your closet to remind you of who you are.
Now is a good time to remove things you no longer need and use. Take some of these tops and bottoms and put them in a pile on the floor.
Then, gather them up and take them to a local closet or free store.
You are not getting rid of your past.
You are embracing who you are right now. Better yet! You are greeting your future.
Now might be a good time to email your friends and ask them to join you in sharing their clothes by donating them to the free store or closet with you.
Embrace the spring! Embrace the coming months. Welcome the gifts this self-care ceremony in your closet has created.
Do not forget: include a reflexology or reiki session with every self-care event!
Thanks for reading this self-care article! Did you like it? Send it to your friends and family. Share it with your favorite social media network.
There are other posts throughout this blog which you may also enjoy. Please explore them.
Find out more at www.thurmangreco.com.
My Daughter Needed a Time-Out. Here’s what happened.
I teach in my reflexology class about our need for a time-out and how our feet and hands work with the universe to provide it:
“Mom is on her way to the Albany Medical Center Emergency Room! Can you meet us there?” My youngest granddaughter was talking about her mother.
Dropping everything, I drove to Albany to the E.R.
After what seemed like an endless wait, we were able to see Jennette for a few
minutes. If you could call it that. What we saw was a mound of bandages on a gurney headed for the ICU.
Our first report revealed broken legs, feet, arms, hands, hips, ribs, and pelvis.
We learned about damaged organs: liver – spleen.
And – this was just the first report!
In my heart of hearts, I knew this was a long time coming. For several years, Jennette had been working too much – several times over. She taught school. In in the evenings, she created a dramatic show about breast cancer which was showcased in various galleries in the area.
On weekends, Jennette painted plein air landscapes. She also had these creations in several galleries in the area.
Frankly, Jennette was working about 80 hours a week. And, how could any of us criticize her? Her work was moving. Audiences loved her message. She was a successful art teacher and her gallery pieces were dramatic.
In her spare time, Jennette looked for a house.
Well, her body knew better. Reflexology teaches that if a person continues to push the body beyond its abilities, the result is an injury to a foot or hand which insists on rest.
So, one day, Jennette was in the drop-off area at the Albany Airport when a man in a huge pickup truck behind her shifted into drive instead of park and flattened her against the rear of the SUV in front of where she stood.
After three weeks in the ICU and another two weeks adjusting bandages and casts, Jennette is headed to the 8th floor Rehab unit.
My younger daughter, Michele, took some days off from her job as a hospice nurse in Arizona, to come offer support.
Jennette’s two grown children extended their stays to offer support. Michele taught Zoe how to care for Jennette.
About 10 days into the healing, I gathered us all together with some supportive friends. We met in the large 2nd floor lobby area of the Albany Medical Center and I offered a prayer:
“Guide us, Archangel Michael, through our days. Protect us all through the trials and tribulations of healing that away Jennette, and us all, today and into the future.
Archangel Michael, we thank you for the blanket of protection that you use to shield us as we remain in your protection on this healing journey. We thank you and your bank of protection and healing angels who keep us all safe.
Keep us on the healing path. Protect us from physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual harm and negativity.
Please protect and assist Jennette, Michele, Zoey, Sangi, Barry, and all of those who are not here with us physically today: Sophia, Michelle Aqualino, Raymond, Julie, and others.
We are bound together by relationships, events, employment, healthcare activities, and spiritual paths. Assist us each in our personal healing journey as we travel together.
Archangel Michael, we trust in your capabilities, and your angelic experience. We thank you for all that You have done and made possible for Jennette’s healing path and success.
Further, we thank you for calling on your band of protection and making this all possible through your Divinity.
We thank you for all you have done for us.
Amen.”
She is now catching up on some much-needed rest and recuperation. and well throughout our days.
We are Ecstatic!
So what is the message here? Listen to your body and your soul. Rest when you are tired.
Follow your bliss!
Get to know Jennette better at jnearhood.com.
I’ve written several books – some with international appeal. One example is:
The third edition of “Healer’s Handbook” is illustrated here. It’s gone out to more than 30 countries so far.
This is the second edition. It has 6 fewer chapters than the third edition.
All of my books are available in paper as well as ebook editions.
An upcoming book is “But for Gabriel” which is only available in ebook in the first edition:
The 2nd edition will be available in paper as well as ebook. This story has all the tickets: animals, angels, a young mother and her baby, and a magical moving star. Finally, this story has a long journey.
What more could I ask for? I had to write this story! An installment of it is on “Let’s Live”. I read a shortened version of it on my show “Let’s Live”.
Meanwhile, please share my blog posts with your friends and family. Forward them on your favorite social media network.
Contact me a thurmangreco@gmail.com.
