Happy Earth Day 2010!  This April will mark four decades of organized environmental awareness.  And, given the current economic, environmental and energy crises, it’s clear that Earth Day is no longer a “holiday” reserved for hippies.  We all have stake in planet Earth.  Accordingly, significant action must continue in order to sustain our planet and the people she supports.

It’s not that my mind isn’t teeming with important thoughts. It is. I read literature. I watch documentaries. I bandy about intellectual ideas with my Ph.D.-waving friends.

But that doesn’t seem to stop my mind from obsessing about the little things.

For example, just this morning I was picking up a few things at the market. I noticed a bottle – from an eco-conscious company – of fruit and veggie wash.

As we move toward Valentine’s Day, we oftentimes think about how love is manifesting in our lives or not showing up at all.  Many of us fixate on having someone to remind us that we are important or valuable.  Wouldn’t it be great if we could all remember that we are valuable because we exist? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could be in such a state of love within ourselves that we radiated light in every situation?

by The FIRM Master Instructor Kelsie Daniels

From time to time we all need a little motivation. Whenever I need to refocus my efforts, which can happen quite easily after the initial buzz of a new year wears off, I take a look at my top ten list. It changes a little from time to time, but for the most part, these are the principles that keep me on the right track. They are in no particular order, because they are all equally important.

I love the section some magazines have where they list interesting and fun statistics, like … 48:  Number of bugs eaten per year in your sleep.  3,154:  Number of texts sent by the average teenager (per month).  14:  Number of states visited in an average lifetime.

I have some statistics for you, and I assure you, nobody’s laughing.

For a lot of eco-minded vagabonds there is a temptation to dismiss a Hawaiian vacation as too packaged and predictable: tourists in leis and aloha shirts, skyscrapers and beach-goers crowded into Waikiki or chi-chi resorts where the main activity is sitting by the pool sipping mai-tais with a little umbrella poking out of a pineapple slice.

But an alternate Hawaii exists, offering the active nature-lover an idyllic tropical escape from winter’s grip. The Garden Isle of Kauai is lush and laid back, high on beauty and outdoor adventure, low on pretension and crowds. And low on cost, too, with many free and inexpensive ways to explore its natural treasures.

It’s January and the gyms are packed.

I have written many times over the years about correcting poor form or bad habits at the gym. It’s not a new subject, but I have been “moved” to write about it one more time after last Saturday morning when I was at the gym and was compelled to offer some free advice to the woman next to me.  Here was the scenario:  I like to exercise on the Stairmaster Stepmill…you know the machine with the revolving stack of stairs. I usually mind my own business, but last Saturday the woman next to me was so slumped I couldn’t keep my blinders on.

The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are. —Joseph Campbell
Just be yourself. —Mom

Advice like this always baffled me. Who was I being if not myself? After all, what choice did I have? All the good personalities – Joan of Arc, Jane Austen, Wonder Woman – were already gone. I was stuck being me, like it or not.

I had the wonderful opportunity to be a guest speaker at “Tea Talks,” a monthly tea for women at the Mile Hi Church in Denver. There, I invited the women present to “CALL IT IN….IN 2010.” I encouraged the women to acknowledge that the destiny that awaits us is not “out there.” There is nothing to “get,” as everything we need is birthed from within. There is no destination. We are all called to allow “IT” to be revealed through our thoughts, our words, our actions and our reactions. “IT” is the innate beauty that thrives in a field of positive expression and harmonic living.

by The FIRM nutrition expert Sara Ryba, R.D., C.D.N.

Let’s start 2010 with a clean nutrition slate by giving up some of the most unhealthy and addictive foods on the market. Below you will find a list of eight foods that are, in my opinion, the biggest roadblocks to you and your nutrition goals. After each offending food you’ll find a delicious, healthier substitute. So never fear, your new improved 2010 menu will be delectable, satisfying and slimming!