I know you’re full of new January resolve (and maybe a few too many holiday indulgences) but diets don’t work (you know that, don’t you?).  And there is a better way.

Cutting calories doesn’t work.  It just sets you up for an even slower metabolism and a worse rebound.  Exercise can help, but exercise alone won’t get you to your goals.  And besides, most people spend way too much time doing the wrong kind of exercise.  I’d like to teach you how to use exercise most efficiently, so you will get better results in less time.

And I want you to learn how to eat!  That dreadful article in the NY Times this weekend got part of the story but not the whole story. Yes, that’s right, I’m going to contradict the conclusions of all those scientists, doctors and journalists, and tell you that it is possible to lose weight and keep it off, and that it doesn’t have to mean you are obsessed with not eating for the rest of your life (wouldn’t that be awful?!), or that you feel constantly hungry or deprived. NOT AT ALL!  The trick is to work with the metabolic issues they identify, but not by severely cutting back calories (500-550 calories a day? come ON!), or trying to burn off everything you eat in the gym.  Or by using food “products” that you have to buy in order to stay on the program.

I want to teach you how to successfully navigate each and every situation in which you might eat: not only at home in your own kitchen, but a restaurant, a holiday event, parties, visiting friends, your in-laws, etc.

I want you to know how to choose foods that give your metabolism and your hormones the correct message every time: to retain lean muscle and burn fat.  When you are eating healthy, you will naturally lose weight.
What’s that? You say that you already eat healthy? That’s what many of my clients tell me when they first come in to my office. But there is a very big difference between eating theoretically healthy and eating individually healthy, for you, as a unique individual.  I can help you identify what is individually healthy.

• Wouldn’t you like to know what specific foods are stressing your system and telling your body to store fat? (it’s often foods we think of as healthy!)

• Wouldn’t you like to identify the triggers that drive your cravings and that feeling of insatiable hunger that sometimes comes over you?

• Wouldn’t you like to know how to avoid the energy slumps that come mid-morning and mid-afternoon, and the will power failure that goes with them?

• Wouldn’t you love to have will power not be an issue?  To have your own body re-balance so that your cravings are eliminated and this time you can stay with your resolve to look and feel better?

It’s not only possible, it’s within your reach. I have successfully helped many hundreds of people, from their teens to their 70s, succeed at this.  And not only do they lose weight, and look and feel better, but lots of other symptoms start to disappear as well, including achy joints, headaches, respiratory problems, rashes, fatigue, brain fog, and much, much more.

Want to fit into those skinny jeans?  Want to have more energy, more radiance, more focus?

Why not get started? Sign up for your 13 Week Success Program and I will personally guide you through it every step of the way.  This program will give you the guidance, support and accountability to reach – and surpass – your goals, and it is all customized for you, as a unique individual.  This is not a one-size-fits-all program, which is a large part of why it is so successful.

Want to learn more about the Program and how it works?  Click here. Want to read more of my client’s experiences? There are lots of testimonials on my website, but here’s a new one from a very happy client:

Get Started! Book Your First Appointment Now!

Because of the odd weather, and the lack of a solid freeze, we are still contending with ticks in the Northeast, so please don’t relax your guard for yourself, your family or your animals.  I highly recommend the use of Cistus Tea.  I still have small quantities in stock and expect to be getting more this month.

Lyme disease has been one of my specialties for more than 15 years, and my training with Dr Dietrich Klinghardt has enabled me to get even better results for clients with chronic and neurological Lyme.

Here is one client’s story:
“I came to Fran with excruciating body pain, in my joints and muscles. My energy was close to flat: I could drag myself to work, I could drag myself home and maybe cook a meal. That’s it. No socializing, no personal life, no joy, no life. Sometimes the pain was so bad my roommate had to help me from my car to the door barely one car’s length away. I was using a cane out of the house and a walker at home. I made slow progress from one room to another. I felt like a 90 year old at 54. I talked to Fran at the health food store where I work, asked her questions. She was very available and kind.

I had been to a chiropractor, an acupuncturist and an orthopedist. An MD had said I had arthritis so I tried self-treatment for about a year with little gain. One MD/naturopath had suspected I had Lyme but the test came back negative, the antibiotic did nothing, and so I moved on.

In December of 2010 I had my first visit with Fran. She told me a plethora of things going on with me, including food allergies (I was already off cow’s milk and wheat), mercury poisoning, candida and finally Lyme! I trusted her judgment.

One month later, the horrific pain I was going the horrific pain I was going through subsided.

Slowly over the period of a year, seeing Fran for detox and other treatments, following my diet (for the most part) I am without my cane since Aug 19 or thereabouts of this past year, my body movement has become more limber and flexible.

And best of all my energy is back – better than before, I think. I have my life back.

I had no life for at least one solid year with this thing.

The relief I feel is tremendous. I was so frightened about what was happening to my body.

Fran’s treatments included all of me, all levels of being: an important part of holistic treatments, and why I rely on holistic “medicine” and not medical doctors.

Thanks to Fran and her genius for finding and studying complex and subtle alternative treatments.

What do you do when you can’t sleep? I hope you don’t resort to Tylenol PM or the like. I’ve had to detox clients from those too many times.  There are both supplements and strategies that can be helpful.  Of course so much is individual, and I can help you more effectively if we have a session, but here are some general principles that many people find helpful.

Here are the suggestions which I’ll elaborate below:

1. Create an optimal sleep environment

2. Natural sleep aids to consider

3. Entrain Your Brain

4. Tweak Your Routine

1. Create an optimal sleep environment. This means:

• Turn it off. Switch off wifi for the night. This is usually quite simple:  just pull the plug or push a switch. It will reset quickly in the morning when you turn it back on.
• Tune out! No electronics in the bedroom, including TVs, computers, cellphones, iPods, video games, etc.
• Black Out! Complete darkness cues your pineal gland to produce the hormone melatonin, which cues sleep. Use lined curtains to block ambient light, and remove any night lights, and anything with LEDs you can’t turn off.  Use a clock with batteries – see below.
• Cover up! If you can’t make your bedroom completely dark, use a sleep mask.
• Cool it! Research shows that optimal temperature for sleep is between 60 and 68 degrees, and that people who sleep soundly naturally have a lower core temperature at bedtime, while insomniacs have a higher one, which increases restlessness.  Drop the thermostat (you’ll sleep better knowing you’re saving money, too) and use a hot water bottle to warm your feet if you need to. Such a simple old fashioned remedy, but so comfy and sleep-inducing.
• Lighten Up! In the morning, consider waking to a sunlight simulator. Many people in the Northern hemisphere suffer from the lack of sunlight during the winter months.  You can get a clock that wakes you with light, or use light therapy on its own.

2. Natural Sleep Aids

• Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland, in the brain, in response to complete darkness.  Melatonin helps control our cycles of sleeping and waking.  It is effected by the natural rhythms of day and night, and by your own natural body clock.  With age, most people produce less melatonin.  If you do not have a deficiency, it is not likely to help you sleep.  Most studies have shown that small doses are actually the most effective. I like this sustained release formula.

Melatonin can also be used short-term to help with jet lag, and is   sometimes used as part of a cancer protocol.

• Tryptophan has become my first go-to sleep supplement.  It is safe and usually quite effective.  I generally have clients start with 1000mg and increase by 500mg a night, up to 6000mg, until they are sleeping soundly through the night.
• I have several other formulas that combine herbs and other nutraceuticals in various ways that are helpful for many people.  Please let me know if you need more help.

3. Entrain Your Brain

• Music to De-Stress is a high-resolution, high definition recording at 24-bit/192 kHz, providing a full spectrum listening experience rich in harmonics and spatial detail.  Escape to a musical sanctuary where calm, consistent rhythms restore harmony to mind, body and spirit. A delicate blend of expertly orchestrated classical music arrangements, combined with soothing ocean sounds, melt away stress and anxiety achieving serenity and balance.

Music to De-Stress is ideal for:

- Stress reduction
- Decreasing anxiety
- Physical relaxation
- Encouraging deep thought
- Inducing sleep

I have also been using it during my Raindrop/Light Frequency sessions, and clients love it so much they often ask for a CD to take home with them.

Music to De-Stress is part of the Sound Health® series.  There are CDs for Maximum Focus; Music for Thinking; Music to Relax; Music for Inspiration, and more. Each is intended to complement specific activities, employing extensive scientific research and clinical study to achieve its intended effect.  CDs are available in my office for $15. I am also happy to mail them to you.

• Meditate: Like Music to De-Stress, meditation can entrain your brain, respiratory system and heart rate to a slower rhythm.  My personal practice is Lovingkindness meditation, but it’s essential to find what works for you.  As thoughts intrude, don’t fight them, simply acknowledge them and go back to your meditation practice. If there is nothing you are going to do about it lying in bed at night, then don’t let yourself go into the anxiety trance. Focus on your breath, on prayer, or on your meditation.

The Lovingkindness Meditation

Say each phrase on an exhale. Traditionally there are four verses: repeat it several times for yourself, then for someone you love, then for someone about whom you are neutral, then for someone who is difficult for you.

May I be filled with lovingkindness

May I be well

May I be peaceful and at ease

May I be happy.

More on Meditation

4. Tweak Your Routine

• Caffeine If you are having trouble consistently getting a great night’s sleep, the first thing to do is to look at your caffeine intake. If you are one of those people who boast that they can drink coffee at 11PM and it has no effect, your adrenals are in trouble. In fact they’re probably completely shot and are no longer responsive to the stimulation.  That’s not a good thing.

I advise clients to limit coffee to one reasonably sized cup in the morning. It should accompany or follow breakfast, not replace it or precede it.  Tea in the afternoon is fine if you are sleeping well; if you are not, try to eliminate caffeine altogether for a while. Avoid caffeine after 4PM.

Yes, you will feel more tired. That is the truth that the caffeine is masking, and it is essential to rest and recover. If you get good quality and adequate quantity sleep, you will!

I am a big fan of DandyBlend, and many clients find it is a great coffee substitute. Ask me for a sample.

• Don’t eat 3 hours before bedtime.  You want your system to focus on rest and repair, not digestion, at night.  Try a cup of herbal tea, or some warm coconut milk with xylitol or stevia, or a little raw honey.  If you must have a snack, or are eating late, keep it light, and keep the carb load low.
• Develop a bedtime routine. Try to get away from electronics at least 45 minutes before going to bed. Falling asleep in front of the TV is not restful for your brain!  Instead, take a hot bath (try adding epsom salts or baking soda and white vinegar for a mild detox), read, listen to calming music (see above), pray or meditate. Try to go to bed at approximately the same time every night.

Nighty night, and sleep sweet!