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Tuesday, April 3rd
from 6:30 – 7:30pm

Learn how to prepare nuts, seeds and grains for optimal digestion.

This class is taught by Vicki Lunsford-Hartzog, Certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, Body Ecology Coach and an Associate Practitioner at Robust Life Center.

Classes are free, but you must RSVP by calling 206-365-1030 or emailing: info@robustlifecenter.com. Classes are taught in the Northgate neighborhood of N. Seattle. Call or email for directions.

Click here to see more free nutrition classes offered!

In just three weeks you can experience renewed whole body health with our 21-day Detoxification Package – naturally build immunity, boost energy, reduce cravings, lose weight and feel great.

Our detoxification program gently and effectively removes toxins from your body, so in 3 weeks you can experience:
– Increased energy
– Diminished cravings and weight-loss
– Reduced cholesterol and blood pressure
– Decreased stress, headaches, allergies, and joint pain
– Clearer skin and better digestion
– Improved mood, mental clarity, and sleep†

The 21-Day Program Includes:
– Complete Detoxification Kit (21-day supply of natural shakes & supplementation)
– Recipes – Shakes, snacks, soups, salads, entrees, and desserts
– Before and After Toxicity Analysis
– 24/7 Online Support and Detox Program Daily Guidelines
How is purification different than any other diet?
Our Detox program is not a diet.
-You are encouraged to EAT! The diet includes vegetables, fruit, oils, butter, brown rice, lentils, organic and free-range chicken and wild fish.
-You drink a minimum of three protein shakes per day
-You take specific supplements to aid in expelling the toxins that are stored in the fat cells
Our Program emphasizes natural supplements, whole foods, and detoxification therapies that jumpstart you into a healthier life – purifying, nourishing, and supporting a healthy body and weight.

The whole 21 day package with detox kit, shakes, supplementation and classes is $309 (which is under $15 a day). Call (206) 365-1030 for more information and to sign-up. Classes start Tuesday, April 2nd from 6:00-7:00pm and the following classes fall each Tuesday at the same time through April 23rd.

† These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

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This winter, the flu or something like it has really taken a toll on people. The latest is the Australian Norovirus that debilitates its victims with stomach upset, diarrhea and vomiting. This is nothing really new, every winter, it is called “flu season”. Doesn’t it make sense to ask why this occurs rather than what is the latest magic bullet to combat the symptoms?

Because we live in the Northwest, we have some special conditions that contribute to the problem. In my experience and opinion, the likely cause is just a few things. When handled, the flu virus has no place to attack if you are a host of a healthy immune system. When a body is primarily healthy, illness may show up briefly only to be fully handled by a functional immune system.

One of our resources for quality information, Nancy Appleton, created a list of the 141 reasons why sugar ruins your health.  There are two of these reasons that apply directly:

1. Sugar can suppress your immune system.
2. Sugar reduces the body’s ability to defend against bacterial infection.

The first line of defense against pathogens is to keep the immune system healthy and responsive. It should be common knowledge that we live in an ever-increasing level of toxicity in our complex society. The more industrialized we become the more toxins that impinge on our immune systems. Herein lies the challenge.  We must have healthier immune systems.

“How do we do insure a healthy immune system?”

The answer is not as difficult as it sounds. Here are nine simple things to work on to improve your immune health (including special tips for Northwesterners):

1. Immediately decrease consumption of fast food.
2. Stop eating sugar or anything that turns easily to sugar.
3. Stop consuming carbonated beverages of any type.
4. Decrease the consumption of processed foods (bagged, boxed, salted, etc.).
5. Increase your water intake (filtered spring water is best).
6. Increase your consumption of green vegetables (romaine, chard, kale, etc.)
7. Exercise 40 minutes every day.
8. Turn off the TV and the computer and get 8 hours of rest every day.
9. Get a full nutritional evaluation at Robust Life Center to determine what your body needs to supplement in order to maintain Sustainable Vibrant Health.

For those in the Northwest, we must increase our Vitamin D (the sunshine vitamin) levels because we experience, on average, only about 60 days of sunshine annually and make none between November and March.

Our mission is to improve the health of our community to ultimately sustain a human race on the planet. We must address the issues for this generation and especially the children who will inherit the habits and behaviors we create for them. It’s not too late to create healthy habits for yourself and your family!

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Get Heart Healthy!
Wednesday, February 20th
6:30pm – 7:30pm – RSVP TODAY

“Heart disease is a major problem. Every year, about 715,000 Americans have a heart attack. About 600,000 people die from heart disease in the United States each year—that’s 1 out of every 4 deaths. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women.”*

Since February is American Heart Awareness Month and we are honoring this with our class on helping you get heart healthy. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men & women! And women are commonly under diagnosed. Find out what signs and symptoms you should be looking for and how to help this very important organ stay healthy.

Classes are hosted at Robust Life Center and are free but you must RSVP and we encourage you to bring a friend or family member by calling (206) 365-1030 or emailing: info@robustlifecenter.com

*Go AS, Mozaffarian D, Roger VL, Benjamin EJ, Berry JD, Borden WB, et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics—2013 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2013;127(1):e6-e245.

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How much vitamin B are you receiving through your diet? Are you taking additional B vitamin supplements? B vitamins play many essentials roles such as providing our body with energy, so it is important that we receive an adequate amount through diet and supplementation.

There are a group of eight B vitamins, all of which are essential for providing the body with energy by facilitating the breakdown of carbohydrates into glucose. B vitamins act as co-enzymes, which unite with a protein to create an active enzyme. This enzyme then acts as a catalyst that transfers energy from the food we eat to our bodies.

Along with providing our bodies with energy, B vitamins assist in the breakdown of fats and proteins, and help maintain healthy skin, nails and hair. Additionally, B vitamins are important for the proper formation of cells in our body, so it is particularly important for pregnant women to take supplements with an adequate amount of vitamin B.

A deficiency in the B vitamins can effect the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular system, depress your mood, and can cause reddening of the lips and inflammation of the skin.

• ½ cup creamy almond butter
• ¼ cup agave or honey (I used maple agave this time)
• 1 TBSP vanilla extract
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 cup toasted macadamia nuts
• 1 100% cacao bar
• Vanilla cream stevia to taste

1. Combine almond butter and agave in a medium saucepan over low heat
2. Stir in vanilla and salt, then add macadamia nuts
3. Allow mixture to cool a few minutes
4. Drop mixture by the tablespoonful onto a parchment paper lined dish
5. Place dish in freezer for 10 minutes
6. Melt chocolate in a medium saucepan over lowest heat possible, stirring continuously to avoid scorching. Remove from heat and add vanilla cream stevia to taste.
7. Remove dish from freezer and drop chocolate over each caramel cluster, spreading gently to coat
8. Store macadamia caramel clusters in freezer
9. Remove from freezer just before serving (if left out for long they become quite messy)

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Sign up now for Vicki’s Class:
Healthy Sweet Treats for Your Valentine
Wed, Feb 6 from 6:30 – 7:30pm

Classes are free, but you must RSVP by calling 206-365-1030 or emailing: info@robustlifecenter.com. Classes are taught in the Northgate neighborhood of N. Seattle. Call or email for directions.

Click here to  see more free nutrition classes offered!

Image courtesy of stockfreeimages.com

First and foremost, our foods and dietary intake should supply the nutrition we require. This is fact based and was true about 100 years ago when farming was organic and the plants were not modified genetically. There is good evidence that primitive peoples who consumed local indigenous foods generally enjoyed good health and physical development.

In the 1930’s, Dr. Weston A Price, a mid-Western dentist, undertook to study the dietary habits of indigenous populations throughout the world. His study, although largely ignored, provided conclusive evidence of the advantages of whole food indigenous diets and the challenges of introducing the processed foods of the Western diet. In the course of his work, he created some dietary and lifestyle guidelines that are even more relevant today.

Here are the 20 principles that can improve your health:

1. Eat whole, natural foods.
2. Eat only foods that will spoil; eat them before they do.
3. Eat naturally-raised meat including fish, seafood, poultry, beef, lamb, game, organ meats and eggs.
4. Eat whole, naturally-produced milk products from pasture-fed cows, preferably raw and fermented, such as yogurt, cultured butter, whole cheeses and fresh and sour cream.
5. Use only traditional fats and oils including butter and other animal fats, extra virgin olive oil, expeller pressed sesame and flax oil and the tropical oils – coconut and palm.
6. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables, preferably organic, in salads and soups or lightly steamed.
7. Use whole grains and nuts that have been prepared by soaking, sprouting, or sour leavening to neutralize phytic acid and other anti-nutrients.
8. Include enzyme-enhanced lacto-fermented vegetables, fruits, beverages and condiments in your diet on a regular basis.
9. Prepare homemade meat stocks from the bones of chicken, beef, lamb or fish and use liberally in soups and sauces.
10. Use herb teas and coffee substitutes in moderation.
11. Use filtered water for cooking and drinking.
12. Use unrefined Celtic sea salt and a variety of herbs and spices for food interest and appetite stimulation.
13. Make your own salad dressing using raw vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and expeller pressed flax oil.
14. Use natural sweeteners in moderation, such as raw honey, maple syrup, dehydrated cane sugar juice and stevia powder.
15. Use only unpasteurized wine or beer in strict moderation with meals.
16. Cook only in stainless steel, cast iron, glass or good quality enamel.
17. Use only natural supplements.
18. Get plenty of sleep, exercise and minimize stress.
19. Think positive thoughts and minimize stress.
20. Practice forgiveness.

This is good wisdom for current times. The more these guidelines are practiced, the faster our bodies can heal, regain full strength and enjoy a long life of “Vibrant Health”. The way to shift one’s lifestyle to embrace all of these guidelines is to start with a few at a time. Our typical fashion is to try to do everything at once. This is a set-up for failure and disappointment for many. I recommend setting a priority to fully integrate four to five of these points for 21 days, then, choose four to five more and so on. Practice each one until it becomes a “way of life” before integrating more. Success happens over time in every endeavor. Stay the course and create a life of “Amazing Success”.

For more information on Weston Price, go to www.WestonAPrice.org

When you decided to make the change to move toward Vibrant Health, you embarked on the adventure of a lifetime.  Most of us seek some adventure in our lives even if it is in books or movies.  The most worthwhile adventure is one of creating a healthy life that sustains itself for a long time.

I just finished reading a book by one of my mentors, Brian Tracy, entitled Many Miles to Go.  I am familiar with the story yet in this narrative, many poignant details make it a captivating and valuable read.  This book is a chronicle of his journey from Vancouver BC to Johannesburg, South Africa, including crossing the Sahara Desert.  He maintains that we all have a Sahara to cross.  If you can imagine crossing  500 miles of desert in the heat and desolation including many unexpected twists and turns that nearly ended the journey.

In crossing our own Sahara of illness to Vibrant Health, we must cross the forbidding desert of distraction and opinions that falsely proclaim, “you will die in the desert”, meaning that you are sure to fail.  If you are truly committed to enjoying a life of Sustainable Vibrant Health, you achieve this by taking one step at a time to move closer and closer to the destination adjusting as you go.

The distractions and challenges can serve to strengthen your resolve to achieve the goal or they can take you out.  The choice is yours.  Whatever you choose you will have.  This is an undeniable fact.  If the choice is less than Sustainable Vibrant Health, you will have something less.  We are individually responsible for the outcome we choose.

The mission of the team at Robust Life Center is to guide people to Sustainable Vibrant Health so we can improve the health of our community, country and world.  We reach out especially to the children who are our future and the hope of turning the outcome to sustaining healthy life on the planet for generations to come.  I am inviting you to renew or step up in your commitment by telling everyone about what we are up to.  Help us help others now.

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The shorter days of winter usually bring about a reduction of physical activity and an increase in dietary challenges. Here are the top 5 tips to avoid putting on the pounds that are usually associated with our winter “hibernation” in the Northwest:

#1 Get Moving
You can get to the gym, run stairs if you have them, do floor exercises at home, do mall walking (no stopping in the stores). If you walk, get a pedometer and cover a minimum of 10,000 steps. When you maintain activity of at least 30 minutes daily and work up a sweat, your immune system will stay healthy and the weight will stay off.

#2 Eat Seasonal
There is a desire to eat more in the fall and winter as if you were going to hibernate. Even though the instinct is present, humans do not hibernate. Our diets should shift a bit to eat more foods that are in- season and local. In the Northwest, this means hardy deep greens, romaine, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, squash etc. Eating small amounts of fruit that will store, i.e. apples, frozen blueberries and Bosc pears, will help keep the system tuned up and clean.

#3 Downsize (your tableware)
A strategy to keep from over-eating that works anytime is to use a small plate instead of a full size dinner plate. The same amount of food will appear larger when placed on a small plate. The mind sees this as a bounty of food and will be easily satisfied. Remember to fill the small plate just once. Eat small amounts frequently to avoid the sensation of hunger that leads many to over-eating.

#4 Keep Dehydrated
Another key is to keep up on water. It is easy to get dehydrated in the winter because we are in heated environments that are usually dry. The dryness draws the moisture from our system without us realizing it. If one is dehydrated in the cold, several things can happen including chills, cracked lips and joint pains. Viruses and bacteria also thrive in a dehydrated host because the immune system function is diminished.

#5 Give Yourself Small Concessions
When you feel that craving for treats, allow yourself a “one bite taste” of 1 or 2 items and then compensate by eating a slightly higher intake of protein and complex carbohydrates. Drink more water and if you over- indulge, exercise more (60 minutes daily). One dietary indiscretion does not mean that you have completely fallen from the healthy path.

The bottom line is to enjoy each day and the passage of time knowing that you are keeping the body well fit and fed.