Paradox & Juice Plus+® Conference

Zendala tile by Ed Gucker
Paradox

Paradox, once mastered might become your Mac ’N Cheese

In Zentangle® lingo Mac ’N Cheese means your go-to tangle. Paradox is drawn with straight lines that end up creating “beautiful spirals.” For Instruction, Tips and Inspiration, check these out:

How to Draw a Paradox  

Paradox challenge

Paradox - Q&A

Paradox Re-Defined

Paradox and then some

Have Fun!

Very Zen-like Paradox Video

Want to be mesmerized? Watch this Paradox video. It’s very meditative because unlike other Zentangle videos it’s not supported by verbal instruction or music, just simply the sound of the pen on the paper. It’s very soothing to just watch the artist’s hand moving in a continuous line as the ink flows from her pen. For many people, Paradox is their go-to tangle because of the unlimited ways one can make gorgeous drawings. 

Juice Juice+® Spring Leadership Conference

Saturday’s Two Main Stage Speakers

Nicolas Come is the 10-year old inventor of the Nicolas’ Garden mobile app and website. I wrote about him in my April 5 blog post.
Visit:

Nicolas’ Garden app

Nicolas' Garden on Facebook

Nicolas' wonderful website

Kids can make a difference!

Stephen Ritz, a South Bronx educator/administrator and founder of the Green Bronx Machine, has motivated and taught generations of students, leading them to academic success. With Stephen’s guidance, his students and the community have grown more than 30,000 pounds of vegetables, routinely producing enough to feed healthy meals to 450 students.

His Bronx classroom featured the first indoor edible wall in New York City Department of Education.  His students, have improved their school attendance from 40 percent to 93 percent daily and he has helped creat 2,200 youth jobs. He was recently named a Top Ten Finalist for the Global Teacher Prize. Stephen's accolades include a 2014 Greenius Award, 2014 Green Difference Award, 2013 Latin Trends Award, ABC Above and Beyond Award, Chevrolet / General Motors National Green Educator Award, USS Intrepid Hometown Hero Award, NYC Chancellor's Award and various others.

He has been identified as one of the top fifty teachers in America, been recognized by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, was invited  to Vatican City and met with Pope Francis and his fourth and fifth grade students received a personal invitation to the White House. He has been featured in dozens of magazines and TV programs.

Tower Gardens® at the Green Bronx Machine

The Green Bronx Machine is an "Apron Project" sponsored by Progressive Insurance. In this video clip, Tower Gardens® are used by students to grow fresh, healthy food, while Stephen Ritz explains the organization's mission.

For more about Stephen Ritz and the Green Bronx Machine visit:

Stephen Ritz Harvesting Hope

Stephen Ritz: Grow Something Greater
Green Bronx Machine

Kids in the Garden

Tower Garden — Great for kids!

Just as I encourage you to get your kids into the kitchen to help plan and cook meals, I encourage you to get your kids into the garden to learn how their food is grown; many children think food comes just from the super market, they have never felt the warmth of a garden fresh tomato, felt its smooth skin or the unique and earthy scent of the vine on their hands. Although I truly enjoy getting my hands in the soil to garden, that is not always an option for many people. Juice Plus+® has an answer with their Tower Garden®. It fits perfectly on patios, decks, balconies and roof tops …just about any relatively sunny place. It grows vegetables, herbs, flowers and many fruits, convenient to your kitchen. No soil, no weeding, fewer pests, less work, better produce. Grow your own fresh, healthy food with Tower Garden vertical aeroponic growing system. This five and a half minute video, What is Tower Garden® Vertical Aeroponic Growing System? explains the system. Take the time to watch it and be impressed.

Kids + Gardening = Healthier Eating

Most families struggle with good nutrition. Tower Garden® is a fun and easy way to get the kids involved. It’s easy to install and maintain. Studies have shown that gardening increases children’s interest in eating fresh fruits and vegetables. Tower Garden is a great way to get kids involved in gardening. For articles about the benefits of kids in the garden, see:

Highlights from Journal Articles 

Reaping the Benefits From Your Vegetable Garden

Get your kids involved

Gardening season is not far ahead, order Tower Garden® today. 

You can't get produce more local than you can from your own backyard!

Welcome to Juice Plus® & Tower Garden®

Welcome to to the World of Juice Plus+®

In  this blog I will share Juice Plus+® articles, videos and webinars, post Juice Plus+® events, discuss good eating habits and share healthy recipes. I’m writing this because I want to made a difference in people’s lives. I want you to be in control of your health with the most scientifically researched nutraceutical product on the market.

Add Whole Foods Nutrition With Juice Plus+®

Good nutrition, especially a diet high in fruits and vegetables, is critical for good health. Juice Plus+® is non-GMO whole food based nutrition, packaged in a capsule or soft chewable, and is made from 26 different vine-ripened fruits, vegetables and gluten-free grains. Juice Plus+® is not a vitamin, medicine, treatment or cure for any disease; it's an all natural way to get quality, farm-ripened ingredients into your diet. Almost everyone wants and tries to eat right, but a healthy diet is, most days, a challenge. Juice Plus+® helps you to "bridge the gap" between what you eat and what you should be eating. Juice Plus+® is the next best thing to eating Fruits and Vegetables.

What’s in Juice Plus+®?

Juice PLUS+® Fruit Blend is created from: apples, oranges, pineapple, peaches, cranberries, papaya, acerola cherry,   

Juice PLUS+® Vegetable Blend is: beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, kale, spinach, parsley, tomato, oat bran and brown rice bran.

Those two are sold together. Add:

Juice PLUS+® Vineyard Blend to add: Concord grape, raspberry, blueberry, red currant, cranberry, black currant, blackberry, elderberry and bilberry to your diet.

All three are in capsule or chewable form.

JP is not a supplement, it’s whole foods nutrition. If you look at a vitamin bottle there’s a supplement label — what that product is supposed to contain. Juice Plus+® has a nutritional label. It’s the most researched brand name nutritional product in the world. Clinical research published in peer-reviewed scientific journals show that it:

• is absorbed by the body
• reduces oxidative stress
• reduces key biomarkers of systematic inflammation
• supports healthy immune system
• helps to protect DNA
• supports cardiovascular wellness
• supports healthy skin and gums
• reduces symptoms of the common cold
• improves athletic recovery/performance.
  See the attached List of Published Clinical Research or follow the links on my website to Juice Plus+ Clinical Research.

AND children get their juice plus+ FREE with every adult order…for 4 years! What is your least favorite veggie? What is your child’s least favorite veggie? Wouldn’t it be nice to know that you and your child got it everyday without the hassle and argument?

Some people notice a significant difference when taking JP, others not much; that’s not to say they aren’t receiving the benefits. Keep in mind that you don't feel cholesterol rising... you don't feel blood pressure increasing... you don't feel arteries being clogged... you don't feel your bones getting brittle... So, even though one doesn't necessarily "feel" anything, it doesn't mean that they are not getting benefits.

It has significantly reduced my fibro fatigue and pain, I sleep better and my complexion is a little clearer. Ed has not noticed so much of a change. He says his skin has improved, it’s less transparent, his veins aren’t as noticeable and he eats more fruits and veggies (a common experience).

Most Americans do not eat the recommended 7-13 servings a day of fruits and vegetables. We are an over-fed, under-nourished society. All the more reason you should let Juice Plus+® help you "Bridge the Gap." To learn more, see my website: http://jgucker.juiceplus.com or email me at: gucker.jp@gmail.com 

Go Green!

In March, in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, whether Irish or not, most people get into the celebration by wearing green and probably having a beer or two. Also, with spring approaching, everyone begins to think green. We associate green with growth and it’s the symbol for “Go!” There is no better way to think green this month than to Go for the Green on your plate.

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/index.html

The USDA encourages that we fill half our plate with fruits and vegetables. This month, I challenge you to add: green apples, avocados, green grapes, honeydew melon, kiwifruit, limes, bok choy, broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale, okra, green peppers, peas, spinach, string beans, and zucchini to your plate. You will have a sunnier outlook; be adding calcium to your diet from broccoli, okra, and greens such as Bok choy and kale (Who needs milk? More about that in a future blog.); your belly will be healthier thanks to the chemicals in cruciferous greens like cabbage and broccoli that help infection-fighting white blood cells to survive in your gut; and the substance, sulforaphane, a compound in broccoli may cut your risk of developing skin cancer.

Tower Garden®

Also part of the Juice Plus+® family is the Tower Garden®. The Tower Garden® is a vertical aeroponic growing system. It fits perfectly on patios, decks, balconies and roof tops …just about any relatively sunny place outside and, now, indoors too because Tower Garden® now has grow lights! It grows vegetables, herbs, flowers and many fruits, convenient to your kitchen.

Because of its unique aeroponic technology and vertical design, Tower Garden uses less than 10% of the water and land required by traditional, soil-based agriculture. And it will reduce your produce bill. No longer will you throw out old slimy vegetables because you can pick them daily right from YOUR GARDEN! With the Tower Garden® you can grow the freshest and most local vine ripened food for your family!

Gardening is easy with Tower Garden®: there is no soil to prepare, no weeding or getting dirty. It comes with everything you need to get started growing your own fruits and vegetable. It’s compact and easy to assemble. Each 5-foot Tower Garden® holds 20 plants and because of its patented aeroponic growing system, your plants will grow in less time than they would in soil. Simply put, you get more produce for less work. With your purchase of Tower Garden® you will receive customer support and a comprehensive online Resource Center right at your finger tips.

Ed and I do not yet own a Tower Garden; one will be part of our lives right after we return from the Juice Plus+® Spring Leadership Conference in Sacramento, CA. Until then, this portion of my blog will not have a lot of input. But keep watch and follow our experience as we grow our own herbs and veggies convenient to our kitchen door. We invite you to join us on this gardening journey.

Both Juice Plus+® and Tower Garden® are perfect solutions to help you bridge the nutritional gap between what you eat and what you should eat every day.

It’s healthier

It’s easier

It’s smarter

I will feature more articles about this remarkable growing system in future blogs.

To learn more, see my website: http://jgucker.towergarden.com or contact me at: gucker.jp@gmail.com

The Tower Garden® and Juice Plus+® both focus on the importance of fruits and vegetables and support the company’s mission to inspire healthy living.

Welcome to Nourish Your Mind & Body

In  this blog I will share my and my husband Ed’s (who also is a CZT) Zentangle® art, show new tangle patterns, share Zentangle® videos and post our Zentangle® class schedule and offerings. I will also share Juice Plus+® articles, videos and webinars, post Juice Plus+® events, discuss good eating habits and share healthy recipes. I’m writing this because I wanted to share with you the joys of doing Zentangle® and I want you to be in control of your health with the most scientifically researched nutraceutical product on the market — Juice Plus+®.

Today, I’m posting about Zentangle®. Next week, I’ll post about Juice Plus+® and Tower Garden®. The following week, my first email newsletter will be sent which will link back to these blog entries. Sign up for my newsletter (at the right) and you will be notified on a monthly basis about any entries that have been made here.

Zentangle® reduces mental stress and Juice Plus+® reduces stress at the cellular level. Together they Nourish Your Mind and Body. Sign up for my newsletter and learn “Healthy Habits One Step at a Time.”

Zentangle® for Mindfulness

Zentangle® is an easy-to-learn, mindful method of drawing, creating abstract art through the use of structured patterns. It provides relief from stress through relaxation while you create a piece of art. Zentangle® patterns are easy to draw with simple repetitive elemental and deliberate strokes. If you can write your name or draw a stick figure, you can do Zentangle®. It’s a fascinating art form that is fun and relaxing. It increases focus and creativity. It provides artistic satisfaction and increases a sense of personal well being. Zentangle® is enjoyed by people of all ages. 

Zentangle® was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. Rick, the Zen of the team, has been a cab driver, musician, photographer, printer, and flute maker. He also lived as a monk for 17 years. Maria, the Tangle of the team, is a renowned lettering artist and operates a stationery design and production company. To learn more about them go to: www.zentangle.com

Although Zentangle® can be done on any paper or surface, it is taught using a black pen on 3.5-inch square watercolor paper, called a tile. Tangles or patterns generally are created by 2 or 3 simple or elemental strokes done in a series of steps. Doing Zentangle® or tangling looks deceptively like doodling, but it’s not doodling. While doodling has its useful purposes, it is something one does with their hands when their mind is elsewhere. In contrast, doing Zentangle® is very focused; your attention is on the pen, the paper and on each pen stroke. Zentangle® is about being mindful. Often Zentangle® is referred to as “yoga for the brain”.

In Zentangle® the "relaxed and deliberate focus" aspect of meditation is emphasized. Today, everything is so instant, result oriented, competitive and fast. The stimulus people receive in the form of texts, Facebook, TV, emails, demands on our time and more are something that has never been experienced in the history of mankind. Never before have we experienced such constant stimuli from so many directions. Never have we had so much information at our fingertips. Never have we had so many choices to make. There is simply too much going on in our brains! 

Over the past decade meditation and mindfulness practices have gone mainstream. Yet, many are unable to sit still long enough to do these practices. I, for one, need be be doing something; sitting still is hard for me. Zentangle® calms the mind. It increases focus, creativity, and relaxation, provides artistic satisfaction and increases a sense of personal well-being. Zentangle reduces stress and enhances creativity in people of all ages. It is a gift to oneself; in the end, Zentangle art is the prize.

'Kindness Curriculum' Teaches Mindfulness to Pre-K

Since I became a CZT my radar is up for anything to do with mindfulness. Click on the 'Kindness Curriculum' link above to read about a 12- week research study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center involving prekindergarten students. Four- and five-year olds in the Madison Metropolitan School District, while learning their ABCs, were taught how to be more aware of themselves through mindfulness practices. Although they were not doing Zentangle art, the focus was much the same: attention, breath, compassion and gratitude.

Tips for families include:
• Create a quiet space.
• Pay attention with purpose and curiosity.
• Pause and notice your breath.
• Practice caring and compassion for ourselves and others.
• Practice gratitude.

Upcoming Zentangle® Course