by Liv Kellgren

Our New Year’s resolution is to get healthy! We change what we eat, we go to the gym, we psych ourselves up, but our kitchen can psych us back down. To maintain long-term, healthy habits, it’s just as important that we make changes at home, too… Changes that support our new lifestyle! Here are a few action steps to maintain our inevitable success:

Get in those kitchen cupboards and cabinets.
Instead of looking through and picking OUT the stuff you don’t want anymore, pull EVERYTHING out and only replace those items you want, those items that will support your new healthy choices. Be prepared to wipe down the shelves and get the crumbs out of the corners, let go of broken or chipped dishes, throw out processed foods.

Put the rarely used items in places where you rarely reach, the more commonly used items in easy reach.

If this project feels overwhelming, do just one cupboard a day. Keep in mind that getting back into shape is a process (it’s not an event), so naturally, getting our homes into shape will also be a process.

Oh! And if you’ve been "waiting" to use the good china, now’s the time. You are the special occasion you’ve been waiting for.

Same with the fridge: everything out and replace what is good for you.
Be prepared to wipe down the shelves, check expiration dates, and throw A LOT out. It’s hard to fill it up with the new, good stuff when it’s full of the old, bad stuff. When I open my fridge after a good purge, I can always breathe deeper. Tip: Clean out the fridge the night before the trash gets picked up. Otherwise it’s not pleasant, trust me.

And speaking of the fridge: Fridge Art.
Confirm that you see the photos and images of friends and family who love and support you. Take a good look at who, and what, is on the fridge now and choose who gets to stay and who gets to move on. That birthday photo of Gramma with the cake, the Gramma who always wants you to have 3rd helpings? You can keep her, just maybe not on your fridge right now. Replace her with a magazine cutout of people hiking, a party shot of your healthy cousins, your friends and fan club who love you for what you do best. Your kid’s artwork is a great choice, too. Any health mentors? Put them up and give them sayings: Refuel with clean foods! I know you can do it! One meal at a time!

Your countertops are the most valuable real estate in your kitchen.
Keep them clear and ready for refueling. Everything not kitchen or food-related can be relocated to a more appropriate destination: incoming mail to a desk, briefcase into the hall, homework into the kids’ room… you get the idea. In some houses, the kitchen is indeed command central and everything congregates there whether we want it to or not. Capture the floating pieces in containers or baskets so that when it’s time to cook and eat, it can all be easily shuffled off site and then returned when you’re finished. Hint: Everyone gets their own basket.

Ideally, on the countertops are only those things you use everyday. Everything else moves into a cupboard or cabinet. Want more shakes and smoothies? Put a blender on the countertop. Want to eat more fresh fruit and veggies? Fill a basket or bowl with a 2-3 day supply (you’ll now have room in the fridge for the rest, yeah?). Trying new recipes? Give the cookbooks a prominent place on the counter, too. Supplements? Protein powder? Refillable water bottle? You know it – on the countertop!

Going to an office each day? Avoid the break room.
Watch out for the cookies, cakes, and – dare I say it – crap. Bring your food in a small cooler or insulated bag and keep it at your desk so that you’re not tempted nor fooled by the break room antics. Co-workers who say, "Just one" do not have your best interest in mind (hence, the aforementioned…). During meetings, bring in your own snacks, water or tea. Keep a secret stash of protein bars in your car, too. You never know when you’re going to get crazy, monster hungry.

Do you share a kitchen with family or roommates?
If possible, designate a particular drawer, cupboard, cabinet or counter space for just your things. When you know where to go for what you need, you’re less likely to wander around grazing on what isn’t a part of your plan. Worried about the health of these family members or roommates? They’ll see how happy and WOW you are and want some of that, too. It may take time, but it happens.

More to Consider.
Broken appliances, burned out lights, missing handles, cracked windows, broken doors… none of these things help or support us moving forward into optimum health. If you’ve got the time and the budget, fix, repair, or replace them as soon as possible. These small reminders can create unconscious feelings of unworthiness, poverty, exhaustion, struggle and missing resources. Overtime, these unconscious feelings become beliefs. Nobody needs that.

Please know that our evolution of health happens on many levels, and all these levels are connected. When we open our Enlightened Eyes, we can see these health connections to our home and workplaces. When we surround ourselves with what we want and what we need, we’re destined to succeed!

And please let me know if you’re interested in some one-on-one guidance to anchor your goals in place. It’s an honor to be in service. Liv@consciousenvironments.com

by Liv Kellgren & Lynn Lee

Feng Shui combines design psychology with Eastern philosophy. The result is interior design with powerful intention. Working – and playing – with the tools and principles of Feng Shui can help you create extraordinary events surrounded by incredible memories.

There are Five Elements, each with its own specific “atmospheric” energy. You may feel like a social chemist, carefully mixing elements to find just the right formula for your guests. Ideally, there are at least two representations of each element: A Big Piece and A Small Piece, something to wonder at and something to touch; something in the background, something up close; something grandiose, something humble. Of course our event designs are meant to be extreme in some way – this isn’t to encourage you to create perfectly “balanced” environments every time. That would be horribly boring. Instead, let this inspire a different, new way to design. Oh, and have fun!

The Fire energy represents drama, passion and optimism. When we are surrounded by just the right amount, the party glows with happy laughing faces, the conversations are stimulating and engaging. If there’s too much Fire energy, guests can get aggressive or impulsive, and if there’s too little, they can get “chilly” with each other having “cold” conversations. Fire is found in all the red shades – pink, salmon, fire engine red, burgundy, maroon and every color in between, in the shapes of triangles, stars, starbursts and anything that radiates outward. Also lighting is a Fire element, from candles to sunlight. Big Piece: Fire fountain at the main entrance OR a wall lighting display of multicolored radiating stars; Small Piece: hurricane candles at each table OR those same radiating shapes on the cocktail glasses.

The Metal energy is elegant, refined and detail-oriented. When Metal is in balance your guests feel sophisticated and elegant and their attitude follows suit. When there’s an overabundance of Metal, people become aloof or too rigid, they’re unable to change plans easily. If there’s not enough of it, we feel indecisive or confused. Metal is found in all the metal accessories including silver, steel, bronze, gold and aluminum, round shapes like arches, circles and ovals, and in the colors from white to the pastels (pretty pink is a Fire/Metal combo, just like baby blue is a Wood/Metal combo and butter yellow an Earth/Metal combo). It’s also seen in glitter and jewels. Try the Big Piece: chandelier or all white walls; Small Piece: centerpieces with diamonds and jewels or white oval plates.

The Water energy is creative, artistic, sensual. When it’s just right we can dream out loud, guests go with the flow and find it easy to relax. They are calm and completely at ease. Get too carried away with it however, and we get wishy-washy or cynical, too little we get anxious and competitive. Water is found in literal water features like fountains and aquariums, in all the dark shades from black and grey to chocolate, eggplant, midnight blue, forest green and burgundy, in materials that reflect – such as mirrors, and asymmetrical, flowing shapes. Note: be mindful of the sound of running water, as it can inspire additional visits to the loo. Big Piece: A lowered ceiling from a sheer dark canopy or a 100+ gallon aquarium; Little Piece: dark ribbon on pillars or mirrored drink coasters.

Earth is traditional, practical and conservative. With just the right amount, there is peace in the room, guests and staff feel safe and secure, stable and predictable. However too much can be a bad thing and we get stubborn, too serious, literally stuck. Those big fluffy chairs that no one wants to get out of? Too Earthy. If there’s not enough Earth, we feel disorganized or worried. Earth is found in all square or rectangular shapes, horizontal stripes and surfaces, and shades of brown – from chocolate to tan. Naturally, there are many Earth elements already in place: square tables, tiles, the dance floor itself, brown carpets, warm, neutral wall color. Big and Little pieces: try mixing or swapping shapes to introduce the unexpected – a round dance floor, oval nametags and moon gates or square plates, glasses and vases.

Wood energies are active, youthful, non-traditional. Wood in balance means that guests aren’t afraid to tour the room, they feel free to move around the room and talk with a wide variety of people. If there’s not enough Wood energy in the space, we can loose our self-confidence and motivation, and ideas are at a minimum, the pace of the evening might feel too slow. However, too much Wood energy and – heaven forbid – we adults feel like we’re at the wrong party with all the activity and individuation. Found in wood accessories and living plants, Wood is also seen in columnar shapes, vertical stripes and all the shades of blue and green. Big Piece: walkway of columns or larger than life indoor trees; Little Piece: stripes on chairs or a stem of herbs across the plate.

Ultimately these 5 energies can be applied to all things: Personality traits, clothing, cars, you name it. If this feels overwhelming to you right now, simply observe. Notice the behaviors and connect it to the surroundings. Soon you’ll see the patterns and soon after you’ll be dictating the experiences of the entire night.

Liv Kellgren is the founder of Conscious Environments, based in San Diego, CA. She has been practicing Environmental Psychology, Interior ReDesign, Feng Shui and Face Reading for 8 years as practitioner, speaker and Programs Director of the Western School of Feng Shui. Liv consults for businesses, home offices and public spaces.

Lynn Lee is a world traveler and Feng Shui practitioner who enjoys event planning and hosting multi-faceted parties for a myriad of clients. www.livingfs.com