Welcome to our on-line e-zine newsletter.
We are very excited to have our website up and running! This monthly newsletter offers practical tips on health, wellness and peace of mind. Classes at a variety of venues are outlined with contact information. In addition, clinic information of interest to patients and clients is included. To find out more about HealthSpirit Holistic Services (clinic and services) or Dr. Patricia Casello's speaking schedule, topics, and products, go to www.patcasello.com.

Target Practice
Reach Your Goals

I have been providing one-on-one consultations, seminars and in-services to individuals and organizations for several years now on time awareness, stress management and improved health and vitality. Whether the goal is weight management, improving sleep, working toward your passion, or some other life desire, you can reach your goals. Even if you feel you have "failed" at past attempts, there is always the opportunity to succeed with renewed and reframed efforts - target practice, so to speak. Listed below are tips for improving your life and moving you toward your goals.

Write your goals down
This gives a message to the universe and to yourself that you are serious. Harvard Business School studies showed that people who wrote down concrete goals were much more likely to reach them than those who did not.

Develop specific goals
The more specific the goal is, the more likely that you can devise a plan to meet it. Wanting to lose weight may be desirable, but planning on losing twenty pounds through a specific diet and exercise routine is easier to put into place than a more vague plan.

Break your day's tasks into priorities
Make sure that you always do the top tasks first. This will ensure that more of the important tasks get accomplished toward your goals, while less important tasks are held for the next day or delegated to someone else.

Do your least favorite tasks first
Our least favorite tasks are often our important tasks. Even those working in fields that are their passion, have tasks they dislike but are essential. Delaying these, makes them not only important, but too urgent and a crisis.

Break large tasks into smaller ones
Changing your financial situation may be easier by separating the tasks into pursuing methods of increased income, exploring retirement and investment opportunities, selling or refinancing your home, consolidating debt, and so forth. This makes them appear more reachable and easier to schedule time to accomplish them.

Reframe your viewpoint of a situation
I used to sort and re-sort through the mail. I found it difficult to throw anything away. Now, I quickly sort mail into important, attend to later (ie. bimonthly bill paying days), and not interested. The not interested is placed in the wastebasket. Sorting through the same pile of things that I do not have use for is time-consuming and unnecessary. In addition, some "junk mail" is now an opportunity for reaching potential clients and organizations rather than a nuisance.

Reduce your stress through moderate exercise, meditation, visualizations and other useful techniques that fit your individual lifestyle and preferences. Some people like intense exercise; some prefer quiet, contemplative self-study. Some time alone for self-reflection is often useful. Ancient sages said that they would meditate a half hour everyday except when they were very busy. Then they would meditate an hour.

Diet Data

Life is a process. So is health. These are nutritious tips to help you reach your health goals.

Drink enough water each day
The recommendation is for 6-8 8 oz. glasses daily. If you drink caffeine, tea, pop, or use diuretic medications, you need to drink even more to offset their effects. Water is one of the keys to balance in our bodies. Drink plenty today!

A too acidic diet leads to the breakdown of vital organs and functions in our bodies over time. To balance our diet and bodies between acidity and alkalinity, eat an 80% alkaline and 20% acidic diet. One way to do this is to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, while reducing animal meats and processed sugar products. Combining foods appropriately can help with this as well. Acidic combinations include eating vegetables with fruits or fruits in starch products (ie. breads). Eat fruits separately. For a great late day snack, eat cantaloupe by itself.

Weight management requires proper portions be eaten in relationship to our levels of activity and our metabolism. Leave the table a little hungry. As Benjamin Franklin stated: "In general, mankind, since the improvement of cookery, eats twice
as much as nature requires."

Here is another tip for weight management. Drink water at night when you are hungry. We often experience "hunger" when we are really dehydrated.

" Eat proteins and fats earlier in the day. The body needs the later hours of the day and during sleep to detoxify itself. If we eat foods late, and especially foods that are slower to digest, then our metabolism is needed for digestion rather than for purifying our system from the waste products that are a by-product of eating.

Future Topics

Clutter Clatter
A look at the physical, psychological, and emotional stacks,
Obstacles, and confusion in our lives.

Present Tense
The power of present time consciousness can move us away from the
regrets of the past and the fears of the future. We will explore how to
apply mindfulness in our lives.

Classes/Talks

Qualification for sign-up
* - Pathways Crisis Resource Center Hennepin 612-822-9061
** - Adult Education Call 651-644-6560 to register; fee:
*** - Classroom: Creative Awakenings Anoka Call to register
**** - Business Workshop - organizational members only
***** - Health Talk/Presentation Call for information

Clinic Policies

• Please give 24 hours notice if you need to cancel an appointment. We do understand that emergencies happen. This time has been reserved for you, though. If you cannot use this time, please give us an opportunity to offer it to someone else. We reserve the right to assess a missed appointment charge of $25.
  
• Nutritional supplements, medical foods, cervical pillows, orthopedic and other supplies must be paid for on the day they are purchased. Checks, cash, Visa, Mastercard, and Discover cards are accepted.
  
• For treatment services unpaid after 60 days (beginning with March 1, 2002), interest at 1.5% per month will be charged on the unpaid balance. This does not apply to insurance that is billed and payment is pending.

Your cooperation in these matters is appreciated.