Dr. Lindsey Berkson: Waltzing to Your Wildest Dreams

- a note from Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo

I am delighted to have as a guest blog contributor today, my dear friend, colleague and mentor, Dr. Lindsey Berkson.

For the last three decades, Dr. Lindsey Berkson’s focus has been as a nutritional consultant with a specialty in women and hormones. During this time, she’s run nutritional and hormone tests on thousands of women, worked with their doctors, and consulted with them about nutrition, food, and exercise choices.

I met Lindsey over a year ago at a continuing education class she taught on hormone balancing and we instantly became fast friends.  We partnered to bring the 5 week course, The Secret to Being Sexy at Any Age , Get Your Gut in Gear and have plans for more joint endeavors.  We both have a passion for helping people to overcome health challenges and recharge their energy tank so they can live their life with passion and purpose.

YOU CAN DO IT!!!

- by Dr. Lindsey Berkson

Who knows where life takes you if you face your edges and push them back with all your might?

Yikes!

I never thought being well into menopause I would be flying high on some gorgeous man’s shoulders and doing back flips 6 feet off the ground, but here I am. Ritamarie and I were supposed to have a meeting yesterday and I told her, “I just had this two and a half-hour dance rehearsal, and I could barely put the key in my front door and turn it to let myself in.”

I told her why.

Several weeks ago when I was moving back into my home and going through boxes that had been moved and stored and moved and stored, I found an old tape cassette of a song for which I had written the words and music, had professionally produced, and then eventually forgot about.  Once I found this tape I ran to see if, with all the years in storage, it even still worked.

And it did!!!

Though my professional work as a hormone specialist now occupies my time, I am also a dancer.  A social dancer.  Though I haven’t been dancing very much the last 4 years with everything going on in my life: dealing with my mother’s dementia, taking care of her, living with her in the lock down dementia unit (which prompted writing the book My Mother Who Worse Her Purse as a Shoe), getting engaged (and unengaged), handling a year of the 3 M’s – mold, men and moving, and publishing 7 books (one – Safe Hormones, Smart Women, which bumped me fairly solidly off the dance floor).

Wow I thought. A real dream, before I die some day, would be to dance and perform to my own song. Wouldn’t that be a ‘died and gone to heaven’ kind of deal?

So I had the song (called Walking Through Rooms and professionally sung by Ellis Hall) transposed to a CD 2 two weeks ago and contacted one of my favorite dance champions, Mike Topel, from right here in Austin, and played it for him. He said, “Let me choreograph this; I think we can come up with a lovely performance.”

The song is a waltz.  Writing a waltz was easier for me, and it was one of my earlier songs. But I am not really a waltzer.  Considering that I am a medium to advanced social dancer, I just blazingly thought, I can do this… Why not? (Little did I know….)

I called up Sherry Reynolds, a dance champion who is part owner of Uptown Dance Studio in Austin, and it turns out she is hosting the Lone Star Dance Invitational Saturday, August 13^th, which gave me around 10 days to put something together and perform it at the dinner show.

“I had no idea,” I told Ritamarie, begging off our business meeting as I could hardly walk or move after my third rehearsal, “that performance dancing was such a totally different animal than social dancing.”  I had no idea that I signed up for:

• being dragged (not the correct dance term I am sure) on the floor, him grabbing my arms and me rolling across the hard wood dance floor, lying down, while he walks through my legs
• holding his waist while my legs whip around at chest height
• grueling ballet pliés and seemingly endless lunges
• kicking legs up in the air (and if they are not straight and high enough one looks like an idiot)
• being up in the air balancing only on my abdomen with head high, then back flipping out and snaking across his abdomen and down through his legs back onto the floor.

Now I work out daily, but all this “waltzing” requires incredible core strength.  Lots of it. Thank god I down chia seeds and green drinks!

The whole time Mike is giving me directions I have two loud dialogues in my head:

1. What the F… am I doing? Am I nuts? I can’t do this! I am scared to death! What if I fall? My old bones–yikes–I am out of my mind!
2.  I can do this! I can do anything! Why not? Sure, cool.

Soooo much distraction; I’m sure Mike was wondering why I kept asking him, “What did you say again?”

Two concurrent dialogues — faith versus fear.

But that has pretty much been my entire life: pushing the edges of fear and having faith that it will work out. Who would have thought that even though I am older, this theme has not seemed to have slowed down? Yikes.

Have I mentioned yet that this physical and mental marathon all has to be done in a long, floor length skirt, which I have NEVER worn let alone danced in. We had an argument as I insisted I just simply could NOT do this in a long skirt; he replied that with dance regulations I simply could not NOT do it in a floor length dance skirt. So that was that.

Will I get to do this next Saturday at the cabaret dinner dance in front of the hundreds of dancers and judges? I am not positive. If we decide we need some more weeks we may dance it somewhere else, or feel it is finished enough to perform next week. We are working our b…. off to try to pull next week off.

But I do know that age is just a number. Stretching oneself physically and emotionally is part of the de-acceleration process of anti-aging and staying younger no matter the numbers that keep (thankfully) ticking away. You truly are just as old as you fight back the demons of fear and go for things you never dreamed of even in your 20′s–if your adrenals, blood sugar, lifestyle, and food choices are watching your back.

You just take a deep breath, pull those shoulders back, and say, “Hell yeah, I can do this!”

My website is in a new construction phase, and Ritamarie felt I needed to say all this, even here in her blog, to get this out to all your sisters and brothers as a message of hope from a crone-ish cougar doc, so I am writing this to share with you. I want to remind you, “We can all do it. Whatever you have held as a dream in the corner of your consciousness, no matter how wild and hanging out there by a dental floss string it may seem to make you feel, now is the time. Go for it. You can do it!”

LindseyBerkson.com

30 Day Fun and Sleep Challenge: The Importance of Managing Your Stress

Sleep is important.  Fun is important.  Diet is important.  What’s as or  more important than all of these in creating vibrant health?  Giving your adrenals a rest!

Adrenal exhaustion has become an epidemic and it contributes to so many chronic health challenges.

There are lots of techniques for transforming stress and rebuilding your adrenals.  Nothing is as profound as the power of appreciation.  One of my favorites is to start and end each day by thinking about 3 things that I appreciate.  Try it.  Another favorite is to take a few deep breaths before each meal and tune into what I appreciate about the food I am about to consume.

My friend and Book Doula, Dr. Liz Alexander, wrote a fascinating article about walking meditation using labyrinths as a method of transforming stress and supporting your adrenals.

Tune into where you feel stress in your body, and learn to notice early warning signs.  Support yourself, nurture yourself, have fun and eat green.  You’ll soon find yourself with more energy than you know what to do with.

My report card for Monday:

1- bed by midnight.  Yikes – I really Blew it Sunday night…better Monday.  I had a lot of catch up to do and I took time for fun and exercise, so I made the choice to stay up later than I should have ( 3AM /12:30 AM ) .  I could feel the difference Monday morning, although my energy came back pretty quickly

2- finish writing a few projects that are close to completion – Success here!

3- fun time with kids, who are off school for spring break – Spend some time with my 11 year old

4- running in the sun – yeah.  It was warm again today! I love running when it’s warm.

My commitments for Tuesday:

1- bed by midnight.

2- running in the sun

3- 15 minute fun break

4- 2 quarts green smoothie

Commitment for at least one day this week:  Get to bed by 10 PM and see if it is really as good as it’s cracked up to be!

What about you?  What are you committed to?

Post below in the comments section.

This week we’re having a contest.  I’m offering a prize to whoever posts the most this week…genuine commitments and report cards.  The prize for the winner is an e-book and audio recording.

Wishing you lots of Love, Health and Joy (and sleep, too)

Dr. Ritamarie

30 Day Fun and Sleep Challenge: Recommitting to Health Goals

I  am making good progress towards establishing my healthy sleep pattern.

It’s always amazing to me how much power there is in creating a goal and committing to it.

Earlier this year, I created a product with Jane Hardin, who’ you’ll get to officially meet before too long.  She’s a registered dietitian who has completed training in Living Foods Nutrition and has  a lot of experience working with terminally ill patients in a counseling capacity.  We created a program called Creating the Vibrant Helath Mindset because we both have seen the  mindset in making long lasting changes in your habits.  This is the first of many projects we’ll be doing together.

This week, I’ve reconnected to the value of continuing to revisit my goals and make commitments based on these.

I’m pleased to report greater success on my sleep goal for yesterday!  Yeah!

So here’s my report card for yesterday:

1. 64 ounces smoothie/green soup – DONE
2. Off computer by 11PM – Surpassed. I was off by 10:06PM!
3. Sauna 30 minutes – missed this because I went to bed early!
4. Bed by 11:30 – Surpassed - in Bed by 10:15 – My 11 year old son, Kevin, has recently been worried about the toxic smells at school.  They watched a video about the dangers of marker inhalation, and talked about a 13 year old who died as a result of marker inhalation as a way to get high.  Kevin accidentally got a big wiff of a marker at school the other day and got dizzy and light headed.  Since then he has been reacting to smells, like air fresheners, wipes and cleaning supplies used at school.  He is scared of dying from breathing them.  He asked if he could sleep with me last night so he could feel safe.  So he and I went to bed at 10:15.
5. Fun reading for 15 minutes – missed this because my Kevin slept with me.  Fun was talking to him and cuddling instead.
   
6. Lights out between 11:45 and 12. Surpassed Lights out by 10:15

My commitments for today:

1. Exercise 30 minutes
2. Fun: Quality time with my husband – a date for dinner at Beets Cafe!
3. water – 8 cups
4. Get myself signed up to take the Vibrant Health Mindset Course and recommit to my own goals.
5. Bed by midnight

How did you do yesterday? What are your commitments for today?  Comment below.

Enjoy!

Love, Health and Joy,

Dr. Ritamarie

Creative Approaches to Fitting Exercise into your Program: Great for Overcoming Chronic Fatigue and Adrenal Exhaustion

Believe it or not, exercise is actually a good antidote for chronic fatigue and adrenal exhaustion. Exercise creates energy. Most people who don’t exercise use lack of energy as an excuse (the other big excuse is lack of time). As long as you don’t overdo it, exercising when you feel tired can actually give you an energy boost. Try it sometime.

I recorded a video on creative ways to get exercise and how to fuel yourself and “get enough protein” to build muscle.

Another way to fit exercise into your busy schedule is to learn about something called burst training.

I’ve recently discovered it and love the concept, although I have yet to have direct experience with it for long enough to rate its effectiveness.

How do you plan to make exercise a part of your life? Please comment below.

Love, Health and Joy,

Dr. Ritamarie

www.FreshnFunLiving.com

5 Ways to Boost Your Sex Drive Naturally

A woman I met on a recent airplane flight told me that her gynecologist mentioned to her that all of her patients over 40 complained of lack of sex drive. The doctor said loss of sex drive was the most common complaint she heard a daily basis and she had no solutions to offer.

Causes of diminished sex drive include anemia, depression, alcohol, certain medications, hormone imbalances, in particular low testosterone, thyroid and estrogen, stress and adrenal exhaustion and relationship problems.

Fortunately, there are natural ways to improve your sex drive.
1. Learn to manage stress.  Cortisol, the hormone produced by your adrenal glands when you’re under stress interferes with libido.  Cortisol has the same precursors as do estrogen and testosterone, and when you’re under stress and in the fight-flight mode, most of the precursors are used to make Cortisol.  Over time, the excess Cortisol production will lead to deficiencies of testosterone and estrogen.  Low testosterone decreases your sex drive.  Low estrogen inhibits your sexual pleasure.

My favorite stress management tool is from the Institute of HeartMath ®.  Using a combination of breath and appreciation, you can transform your stress to positive emotions within minutes.

2.  Eat a diet high in green leafy vegetables. This will correct anemia, improve neurotransmitter function and provide the nutrients needed for your body to rebuild your adrenal glands.   Add sea vegetables to support your thyroid gland, since it’s an important player in overall hormone health.

3. Avoid processed foods, caffeine and alcohol since these stress the system further and contribute to hormone imbalances. Use licorice and ginseng instead of caffeinated beverages to start your day, because they support your adrenal glands.  (Regular use of Licorice may increase your blood pressure, so be careful if you have a tendency towards hypertension).

4- Take time every day for nurturing and supporting yourself, even if it’s only 10 minutes.  By getting enough sleep, exercising, engaging in artistic pursuits, and having fun on a daily basis, you are resetting your body to a calm state that’s conducive to hormone balance and increased sex drive.

5- Discover the wonderful world of herbs. There are herbs that balance hormone levels and below are a list of a few herbs that can help with libido

• Maca Root: Improves both male and female hormone balance, supports the adrenals, increases stamina, helps with erectile dysfunction and increases sex-drive and fertility! Start with a teaspoon a day in a smoothie and increase up to 4 teaspoons a day.
• Cardamom: It is viewed by some cultures as a powerful aphrodisiac and as a treatment for impotence.  It works well with Maca. It tastes great in smoothies, sauces and nut milk.
• Basil: increases circulation, stimulates the sex drive and boosts fertility! Basil oil was once used by Mediterranean prostitutes as a perfume to attract customers!
• Saw Palmetto. This herb can be used to treat both male and female low libido conditions. It works by triggering the body to produce the right hormones to aid in sexual drive.

Pumpkin Seeds are also good for boosting sex drive because they’re high in zinc, which is important in testosterone production. They’re also a good source of omega 3 fats, which aid in balancing hormones.

If you’re one of the millions of women whose relationship has lost its sizzle due to diminished sex drive, now’s the time to take charge of your health.  By reducing stress, eating a balanced diet of whole natural plant based foods, taking time for self care, and including a few herbs, you are on the road to regaining the sizzle!

Learn more about balancing women’s hormones at www.renegadehealth.com/womanshealth

Learn more about improving your energy at the 3 Myths About fatigue That Every Woman Should Know workshop

Use the comment box below   if you’re willing to share your own experience with diminished sex drive.

Love, Health and Joy,

Dr. Ritamarie