Radiant Health

[Special Announcement] It's a Boy!

Special Announcement from Amanda

 

Our baby boy is here!

I did it!  Last Tuesday December 23rd Sawyer Fir Williams was born after six amazing hours of meditative labor in the cozy comfort of our home. Johnn caught him underwater in the tub and handed him to me when our eyes locked in what seems like a long lost soul reunion.  It was the most amazing experience of my entire life. I am so in love, it's ridiculous!

Sawyer weighed  8.13 lbs of pure love and measured 21 inches long with super long legs and arms (like Johnn.)

I want to share the whole experience with you and intend to write Sawyer's birth story as soon as I can but for now I'm spending my days staring in his eyes, nursing and resting.

Happy last day of 2008!


Love and Radiant Bliss,
Amanda

Happy Winter Solstice!

Reprinted from Writer and Author Julia McCutchen
Author, Writers' Coach, Publishing Consultant. www.JuliaMcCutchen.com

Today is the winter solstice here in the northern hemisphere. It is the shortest day of the year and the turning point of the mid-winter season after which the days gradually begin to lengthen once more.

Traditionally, this is the cause for celebration at this time of year because it represents the return of the light and the triumph of light over darkness.

As a Pagan celebration (also known as Yule) the winter solstice is one of the oldest winter celebrations in the world.

Ancient people were hunters and gatherers who spent most of their time outdoors so the seasons played a very important role in their lives.

Understandably, therefore, many cultures had a great reverence for the sun as its light and heat are so crucial for life itself.

However, the festivities were not just about external events.

Symbolically, the light also represents the spirit, and the winter solstice is a time to celebrate the whole cycle of life, death and rebirth.

It is also a time for looking inwards and re-connecting with what is truly important within ourselves and in our lives.

From this enhanced perspective, we can then make new choices and let go of what no longer serves us to make way for new opportunities to flow in at the turn of the year.

This is a moment to pause and reflect, to give ourselves the gift of stillness, silence and space to recharge at every level and to nurture our connection to Source.

We can also make the most of the occasion to fine-tune the alignment of all aspects of ourselves - body, mind, emotions and soul – to make sure that we are living authentically and joyfully.

For all of us, this is an excellent moment to review and celebrate the progress made this year – however great or small that progress may appear to be.

And perhaps even more importantly, it is a chance to take a fresh look at our deepest dreams and passions around life and the place it currently has in our lives.

Happy Winter!
Love and Radiant Health,
Amanda Moxley
www.RadiantHealthCoach.com

Living Each Day as If It's Your Last!

Hello!
I've been a little quiet the past two week's but I wanted to share a little bit with you today. My baby is due in just under 9 days. This is the strangest feeling ever, not knowing when he/she will come or what will happen in the birthing process and thereafter being a new parent.

It's the ultimate mystery and I'm truly learning to embrace the unknown and dance in the uncertainty of life. It's quite a magical time. Normally, I'm quite in control and know what's happening from moment to moment but in these moments, I feel absolutely alive, present and awake. I wake up each morning and think throughout the day, "I could give birth today." And in living this way, I'm very conscious about how I'm living each moment. Am I living each moment to the fullest? Am I choosing nourishing foods, am I exercising, am I nourishing myself by being true to my heart? Or am I anxious, scattered, out of balance and living in fear? Sometimes I live in the latter so I came up with some positive ways to shift my energy and focus from fear to love.

I created a positive mantra for my birthing experience and I've been replaying it in my subconscious for the past 10 days. It is "birth is simple and easy!" I say it over and over and truly believe it now. I can do this! I'm also creating a birth collage to remind me of my vision and what this birth represents for me, Johnn and baby. I've also been doing daily visualizations of my body opening, expanding and naturally birthing this beautiful baby into my arms. I see myself holding my baby and gazing in each other's eyes. I feel like this is a huge reunion for our soul's. I'm so excited!

If you feel inspired please send your love, light, positive love based thoughts and prayers to me as I embrace one of the most amazing experiences in life. From my heart to yours, thank you!

Love and Radiant Health,
Amanda Moxley
www.RadiantHealthCoach.com

You Need to Know This If You Eat Tyson Chicken

Tyson Foods, the world's largest meat processor and the second largest chicken producer in the U.S., has admitted that it injects its chickens with antibiotics before they hatch and then labels them as raised without antibiotics.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has told Tyson to stop using the antibiotic-free label, but the company has sued for the right to keep using it.

Poultry farmers regularly treat chickens and other birds with antibiotics. But scientists have become increasingly concerned that the routine use of antibiotics in animal agriculture may accelerate the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

After Tyson began labeling its chicken antibiotic-free, the USDA warned the company that such labels were not truthful, because Tyson regularly treats its birds' feed with bacteria-killing ionophores. Tyson argued that ionophores are antimicrobials rather than antibiotics, and are not used on human patients. Tyson suggested a compromise which was eventually accepted by the USDA -- they would use a label reading "raised without antibiotics that impact antibiotic resistance in humans."

Tyson's competitors: Perdue Farms Inc., Sanderson Farms Inc. and Foster Farms sued, and in May 2008, a federal judge ruled in their favor and told Tyson to stop using the label. Not long after, USDA inspectors discovered that in addition to using ionophores, Tyson was regularly injecting its chicken eggs with gentamicin, an antibiotic that has been used for more than 30 years.

The agency told Tyson that based on the new discovery, it would no longer consider the antibiotic-free label "truthful and accurate." Tyson objected again, claiming that because the antibiotics are injected before the chickens hatched, the birds can truthfully be said to be "raised without antibiotics." Tyson has filed a lawsuit against the USDA, claiming that the agency had improperly changed the definition of "raised without antibiotics" to include the treatment of eggs.

Sources:

    * Natural News November 9, 2008

Article written by Dr. Mercola of http://www.mercola.com/

Eight Tips for Embracing the Darkest Part of the Year

I woke up in the dark with a lightness in my heart, flipped on the Christmas tree lights and some rockin music and began my morning dancing in the dark! I love it. I love life.

Have you let the darkness of the late fall days bring you down?

If you answered yes than here are some great tips for embracing the darkest part of the year:

1. Get in rhythm with nature and tuck yourself into bed by 7 p.m. at least one night a week. Stay in bed until the sun shines again the next day.

2. Take a hot bath with Epsom salt and lavender essential oil.

3. Go sledding and pretend you are a kid again! Go fast!

4. Cozy up near a warm fire with a cup of peppermint or ginger tea with your sweety.

5. Go to the library and get a ton of good books that you would never have a chance to read during the hectic summer months.

6. Chop up onions, carrots, celery, garlic, sweet potatoes and lentils in a crock pot before you leave your house in the morning so you can come home to a healthy and nutritious meal.

7. Live in gratitude for the beauty of your life.

8. Share

These tips are inspired by my work as a Holistic Health Counselor. I hope they assist you in attaining radiant health and in living the life of your dreams!

Love and Health,
Amanda Moxley
Holistic Health Counselor
Holistic Nutrition and Life Balance Expert
www.RadiantHealthCoach.com