Tag: health

Grateful for my mom, my inspiration

Ida Echevarria at 89

Meet the new exercise instructor, Ida Echevarria. Yes, at 89 my mom now leads a morning exercise class at her assisted living center. This is amazing because of her age for sure. However, what is even more amazing is where my mom came from. She inspires me, because she is a miracle. We have a motto in our family, “Miracles happen when God sees you working on a miracle.”

Six years ago, Halloween night, she suffered a brain stroke and a spinal stroke. She felt a terrible pain in her back. My husband and I ran over when my dad called (we live five minutes away). We called the ambulance, and as she walked down the stairs, she lost use of her legs, and in seconds, she was blank – her mind was gone. She was airlifted to the hospital. We were told for the first time it is doubtful she will survive, and if she did, she would be almost in a coma state. So many times, we were told that or something similar. “She will never walk,” “never read,” “never do her word puzzles,” but they don’t know my mom. It took her four years to get her mind back and five to gain use of her legs. It was a combination of sheer determination on her part. She put on an attitude of joy, and despite what she was being told, she believed the opposite: “I will walk, read, think again.”

My mom has been a superwoman my whole life. She was a teacher, an educational administrator, a marathon runner, a swimmer, a single mom, an aerobics participant, and now, an exercise instructor at 89.

Right now, she is writing lessons plans for her class. Thinking of stories to entertain the residents throughout the class. She asked me to order her books on exercises for seniors. She uses weights, bands, and laughter.

She is so happy. That is her secret sauce: be happy. My mom is optimistic, hopeful, and takes whatever state she is in and makes it better for herself and all. I’ve seen her angry, I’ve seen her really serious so many times growing up, she was always fighting for us, and at the same time gave us experiences that made us laugh, learn and love life. She never gave up on herself, ever. She took classes on personal development, spiritual development, and positive mindset. When she retired at 55, she embraced a new a part of herself, her funny self. She wanted to laugh, have fun, and be happy. She won “Comedian of the Year” from her women’s golf group. She is always smiling and being fun loving. She continues that today at 89.

I am so grateful for my mom, my role model, my best friend, and her smiling face. She inspires me, motivates me and enriches my life daily.

Ida’s daughter, keynote speaker, coach and author, Pegine, is also a happy optimistic person like her mom. Pegine’s leadership and business blog was named 1 of the top 20 Women in Leadership Blogs in the World. She is also an award-winning author. Her book, “Sometimes You Have to Kick Your Own Butt,” was named the top 10 books for women, four years in a row, by Society of Human Resource Management. www.Pegine.com

November 22, 2018
Poet Laureate of Iowa writes about our food system

Mary Swander, Poet Laureate of Iowa

For the past 30 years, Mary Swander has risen at 6 every morning in her one-room farmhouse in Kalona, Iowa – a town known for being one of the largest Amish communities west of the Mississippi.

She, herself, is not Amish, or a farmer, however – although she does raise ducks and geese and a large organic vegetable garden from which she grows her own food.

Swander, who recently turned 66, is the Poet Laureate of Iowa, and her 40-year writing career is currently at a peak.

The multiple award winner for the literary arts has written the memoirs, “The Desert Pilgrim,” and “Out of This World,” as well as several books of poetry, a musical, “Dear Iowa,” and the plays, “Vang,” a drama about recent immigrant farmers and “Map of My Kingdom,” which tackles the issue of farmland ownership transfer. Both plays will be presented on November 13 at the Change Food Festival, which will be held at New York University in NYC.

There’s a reason why much of Swander’s art focuses on food systems. It was food which was the cause of her debilitating illnesses she has battled for most of her life.

“I became very chemically sensitive, and I ended up in a special hospital in Chicago,” recalls the writer. “They tested me on foods one at a time, and it took me months to come up with 12 foods which I should not eat. I had all sorts of symptoms. The worst ones were blacking out, horrible stomach pains – a whole variety of things. From that hospital, they told me to eat only organic food. They didn’t know if it was the hormones in the food, or pesticides that I was reacting to.”

It was after a severe sickness in 1983, at age 33, when she made her life-changing decision to move to Amish country, which is characterized by the “old-fashioned” life amidst horse and buggies and sprawling farmland.

“I could only eat organic food, and it was really hard to find at that time, so I started going to the Amish to buy it from them,” says Swander. “I got to know the area and the people, and one day I drove by an old schoolhouse and it had a ‘for sale’ sign. I thought how great that would be for somebody, and that somebody turned out to be me.”

After her new diet cured her, Swander became very busy teaching English for more than 35 years at eight different colleges and universities. She spent the most time teaching at Iowa State University, where she became a “distinguished professor.” Eventually, she left teaching to become executive director of AgArts – an organization she founded, which began as a small group at ISU in 2008, and grew into a national non-profit organized through collectives throughout the U.S.

“I was appointed poet laureate in 2009, and then in 2011, two more years, and then two more years,” says the Iowa-native, about her governor-appointed position which typically lasts two years. “The idea is to promote the literary arts around the state of Iowa.”

During her seven year tenure so far, Swander has traveled to all 99 counties of her state to host readings and workshops in nursing homes, colleges, prisons, elementary schools, book clubs, rotaries, women’s clubs.

“Every day, I look at my calendar and look at where I’m supposed to go,” says Swander. “People contact me. I did a couple of projects for the Department of the Blind and the School for the Deaf. I’m really interested in helping people with disabilities because of my experiences.”

Being a writer was an idea conceived in Swander’s mind as a kid, but she actually started writing at 21 and has stayed with it ever since.

“Some days I don’t like it, because it feels like work,” she says laughing. “But I love literature, and I love to read…I have a lot of influences from Chaucer’s ‘The Canterbury Tales’ to Elizabeth Bishop – a huge range of people. I started out in poetry – in which I wrote four books, but I’ve written non-fiction, plays and journalism.”

Swander received her M.F.A. from the University of Iowa Writers Workshop, and she also became a certified and licensed practitioner of therapeutic massage.

“I think for any artist, the biggest challenge is carving out time to do your art, but then you have to pay the bills at the same time,” says the writer, explaining how she started a massage therapy business at one point to supplement her income. “There’s a million different ways to arrange your life to do that so you have to find the way that works for you.”
Nothing makes her more proud however, she says, than when she has a new book come out.

“I’m always happy to write the next book, or perform the next play, or get the next idea for the next book,” says Swander, who also likes to educate the American public simultaneously. “We’ve got a huge horrible problem going on…Corporate America is taking over organic food…Too many preservatives, dyes and chemicals. It’s just not really healthy, and it’s all subsidized by big agriculture.”

What advice would she give her younger self?

“I would tell my younger self to just relax more and realize you’re on a journey. You have to put effort into things, but there are forces out there bigger than you are, so you might as well go with the flow.”

November 11, 2016
From “Thunder Cats” to acupuncture and following your gut

Anthony Giovanniello (Photo/Adam French)

Anthony Giovanniello grew up in an Italian-American household in Queens, NY, but for as long as he can remember, he says he’s had an affinity for Asian culture.

“My parents thought they picked the wrong kid up from the hospital,” says Giovanniello laughing. “We were Catholic. So Friday nights we used to order all these vegetable dishes at the Chinese restaurant. They always sent me to pick up the food, but I would take so long because I would spend so much time talking to the owner about China.”

His parents let him embrace his love of everything Asian, however. Giovanniello started his first yoga class at 15, and then took martial arts, and finally when he was 19, he took his first trip to Japan.

“It solidified my understanding that my love of Asia was more than this life,” says Giovanniello.

Today, at 60, he is an acupuncturist at a clinic in Nashville, Tenn., as well as the founder of the non-profit Acupuncture Ambassadors which organizes sustainable acupuncture schools, training programs and treatment clinics for the care of refugees, victims of violence, and the poor around the world. In October, he will be going to help heal the trauma victims of the Nepal earthquake.

“I love Nepal – it’s one of my favorite places in the world,” says Giovanniello. “Thank God my friends are alive, but most of them are homeless.”

He says he’s been to Cambodia, Vietnam, and many other places throughout Asia, but Nepal is where he goes most often.

“I’ve been four times years in that past 10 years,” says the soft-spoken healer. “I feel at home there. The first time I went there was in 1998. It was this incredible feeling. There was a square where the King of Kathmandu had his court, and when I walked out of the taxi, I started crying like I came home.”

Giovanniello says he knew he wanted to be an acupuncturist when he was 20 – right after he had his first acupuncture treatment.

“But then I realized there were no schools to study acupuncture in the U.S. around 1980 – you had to go to China,” says Giovanniello. “You probably spend 5 or 7 years there, and then you come back and maybe you don’t find a job. So I put that idea to the side.”

Since he grew up playing music and was in a band through his 20s, he was very familiar with recording equipment. It made sense to start a career in audio production. Eventually, he became a soundtrack supervisor for the animated television series, “Thunder Cats.”

“I loved the animation which came from Japan, but late in 1999, I was in a place where life didn’t work anymore,” Giovanniello remembers. “I thought, ‘If I don’t do this acupuncture thing it’s never going to happen.’ I was 45. I went back to school in January 2000…I was determined to graduate by the time I was 50, and I did. I have a skill, but I feel it’s more of a calling, because I’m passionate about it.”

He explains that acupuncture – a form of alternative medicine involving inserting thin needles into the body at specific acupuncture points – was originally created side by side with the Chinese religious tradition of Daoism.

“You embrace the earth and nature and believe that mankind is at one with nature,” says Giovanniello. “Most won’t say it’s a spiritual practice, but it can be if you allow it. It works on animals and they have no belief systems. Most thoroughbreds have their own acupuncturists.”

He says the most memorable moment of his career so far was when he was working on the streets of Nepal, and a woman brought her 30-year-old son who had been such a severe alcoholic that he ruined his liver and was crippled.

“They came in a cab, and he needed four men to pick him up. He screamed the whole way being carried,” remembers Giovanniello. “We thought the needles were going to hurt him so I thought the best I can do is do ear acupuncture. He laid there for a couple of hours with the needles in his ears. The second day he came, and he was a little better, not screaming. He came every day. By the fourth day, he got himself onto the bed himself. By the fifth day, we were putting needles everywhere, and by the sixth day, he was walking himself to the cab. Acupuncture allows your body to kick in the hormones we already have to heal our own bodies. At the end of 7 days, he was still very weak, but he was able to get himself into the cab. It was an amazing transformation.”

Anthony performing ear acupuncture in a monastery in Nepal.

He says he started his non-profit organization, right in his living room, when he realized that acupuncture was more of a calling than a business.

“It’s been an amazing journey,” reflects Giovanniello. “My first ‘get my feet wet’ mission was in a Navajo reservation in Arizona. I went there, and it solidified everything to me. It is interesting, fun and helpful..it gets me up in the morning.”

Currently, Giovanniello works five days a week at the clinic, and his two days off he spends fundraising for Acupuncture Ambassadors.

What piece of advice about life would he tell his younger self if he could?

“I would tell my younger self never to be afraid of doing what you thought was right.”

June 10, 2015
How to lower stress by adding routine to your life

Photo/James Sedano

Doing the “same old, same old” may not sound exciting, but it can actually make you – and your family – happier and healthier.

With all the stress we face in our lives everyday, it’s hard to get a handle on what needs to be done, and when. Without proper organization, important things could be missed or forgotten, causing added stress later.

Whether it’s reading, yoga, or just spending time with your family, having committed daily acts are essential to everyone’s day. Having a routine means that your body naturally knows what needs to be done, which eliminates a lot of unneeded stress in daily life.

For me, my early morning power act kickstarts my daily routine:

I begin my day at 4am with one hour of reading, meditating and prayer. Then I walk 3 miles and run 3 miles back. After that, I do a ½ hour of yoga, and then my reward is jumping in the ocean and watching the sun rise.

Make routines work for you. Be happily flexible. Rigid routines are more likely to fail; flexible ones are more likely to last.

Here are some steps to help you get started:

1. Make a List – In order to start getting your life organized, making a list is imperative. Start with a list of things that absolutely must be accomplished that day. Write down what you have to pick up at the store on the way home, or what tasks are due at work. Being able to cross completed items off the list as you go provides a sense of self-confidence and encourages you to check more items off of your list.

2. Keep it simple and specific – Make the goal tangible such as, “I get up every morning at the same to take care of my body and spirit.”

3. Plan for success – Think through what you’ll do if confronted with challenges. Always think if x happens, I will do y. This kind of mental preparation will help you to stick to a diet or exercise routine.

4. Make your goal a habit – Getting into a daily routine when you’re constantly used to running around can be a hard at first. Set a goal of getting into a routine for 30 straight days. This will turn into a daily habit, and you won’t even have to think about it again.

Dr. Josefina Monasterio is a certified life coach, fitness expert, and nutritional counselor based in Vero Beach, Florida. She holds a PhD in Adult Personal Development from Nova University and a Master’s Degree in Education from Boston University. Dr. Josefina is also a certified Yoga Therapist from the World Yoga Society of Calcutta, India, and host of Healthy Power TV’s “The Dr. Josefina Way.”

November 24, 2014
Native healer uses traditional ways to heal returning veterans

Lacee Harris (center) at the 9th Annual Native Symposium at Weber State University on November 12, 2014. (Photo/Adrienne Andrews)

In the Ute Indian Reservation, located in Northeastern Utah, approximately 150 miles east of Salt Lake City, it’s common to hear people say, “I’m going to go see Lacee.”

Lacee Harris is a 70-year-old Native healer. He has been healing all kinds of emotional and spiritual ailments, in and outside his community, for the past four decades. His duties include healing ceremonies for returning veterans, house cleanings, prayers, marriages, and naming babies.

“Some people call me a medicine man, but I don’t label myself a ‘medicine man’ or ‘shaman’ – that’s not our way,” says Harris, explaining it is not their custom to draw attention to themselves. “I grew up with my great grandmother. She taught me the healing traditions.”

Harris went to school and became a licensed clinical social worker – a position he held at the Indian Walk-In Center for 35 years. He says one day, when he was in his early 30s, his uncles had approached him.

“They said, ‘Boy, we want you to take on some responsibilities.’ So that’s how I became what I became,” says Harris.

He says there’s not that many healers left in his native Salt Lake City area.

“There’s maybe 350,000 people in Salt Lake, and I’m one of the few natives that do the ceremonies,” says Harris. “I volunteer at the local hospitals to give them blessings. I work with natives in Nevada, New Mexico at cancer centers…and I’ve done work with the Utah State Department of Human Services, adult corrections and youth corrections.”

He was asked a few months ago to help returning veterans dealing with their post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

“I think it’s just a pilot here in Salt Lake for now,” says Harris. “If it starts succeeding, they will take it to Virginia to see how it works there.”

He explains the Native healing program had originally encountered resistance from the VA and Utah community, because many could not understand its spiritual aspect of healing.

“It’s a 24-7, 365-day type of job,” says Harris. “We get up in the morning, and we pray all day long, and we pray when we go to bed at night. They are scared of their own insecurities in their spirituality. We have no insecurity about who our Creator is.’

He goes on to explain that the Creator made us in four parts: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

“Many people are developed physically – they exercise, and they go to school for their mental ability. Emotional and spiritual…ahh, not so much,” says Harris. “People are driving around on two wheels instead of four. Four wheels give you more balance than two.”

The two-time cancer survivor says he carries a medicine bag of sacred dirt, sweet grass, crystals, a whole bunch of different medicines, traditionally given to Native warriors, with him at all times.

“It’s what helped me,” he says. “It’s that old spirituality that kept us a strong people. The Europeans came and brought all their diseases and destroyed our natural foods and animals that we ate, but we still keep our traditions…We are strong people, and we have to hang on to our ways.”

He says also being a licensed mental health therapist, he is fortunate to be able to use both scientific and traditional philosophies in his healing, because Western medicines don’t heal emotional or spiritual wounds. When he sees veterans, for example, he uses his cleansing ceremonies involving sweats, as well as talking circles – traditions that Natives used with their returning warriors for thousands of years.

“If we have problems, we would go out and sit on a hill and meditate,” continues Harris about his ancient traditions. “We would take out our tobacco that was made for us by the Creator…We ask for the endurance, and all the things we need to overcome adversities. Seeing your buddy shot or blown up – you have to find that sense of balance, and your place in the world with all the badness going on around you.”

He goes on to say that’s why so many veterans get into drugs.

“They are trying to drown and hide from all of that trauma and negativity that has been surrounding them. It’s not an easy thing. Once they can find a way to deal with those negativities, it’s much easier to deal with,” says Harris. “It might take several times going to a sweat, talking with elders, hearing the old stories…You gotta get out of your head. That’s where all the worries live. Go into your heart, that’s your center. If you operate from your center, you can talk to your Creator.”

Harris plans on continuing to help others and spread the wisdom of his people as long as he can. Last week, he spoke at the 9th Annual Native Symposium at Weber State University.

“I think the best advice I could give to any young person is know and understand and live to the fullest your life’s philosophy,” says the healer. “A lot of people I know are Christians. Hold on to that, that’s the one thing that will get you through.”

November 20, 2014