We all have friends and family who have been diagnosed with cancer. The diagnosis started them on a journey that took them where they never thought they would go. When you have cancer, your medical team focuses on eradicating the tumor, but often there is little support for the rest of your body. I believe it is vital to support your body in the battle, whether with cancer or other threats to wellness.
What does resilience have to do with your health? It is actually foundational to navigating life well. When I speak of wellness, I don’t mean a total absence of sickness, but rather the body being able to rebound after a short period of sickness. This is very different than the experience of many who live with chronic disease which makes them more susceptible to germs that are shared in their communities. Follow these ideas to help build resilience into your wellness plan.
What does a healthy life mean to you? For most people, “healthy” means not having nagging symptoms and having energy for life’s activities. There is a lot going on in our bodies that is not on our radar, yet we can influence its function positively with our choices. Yes, your choices make a huge difference!
Did you know that the average American spends the last decade or more of their lives in what I call the 4 D’s: diseased, depressed, disabled, or demented? Americans rank 83rd globally for living a healthy life. Yikes! That’s not the “norm” that I want to live, and I’m sure you would agree. Here are 10 areas to optimize your healthy life.
Stress is recognized as a challenge to mental and physical health. The people we encounter each day have widely different stressors in their lives. Given the many ways that stress can hinder our bodies’ function, it is important to take steps to moderate stress and bring short moments of calm. For simplicity, try these 5 breathing techniques for inner calm.
When you recognize that your stress levels are rising, here are five powerful breathing techniques for inner calm. These methods are practical and easy to integrate into your busy schedule. Taking just a few minutes to practice, they offer an effective way to manage stress and restore peace in your daily life.
The month of January tends to bring a focus on reclaiming health. Perhaps the holidays introduced a variety of tempting foods, or there were added occasions for consuming alcohol.
There may also have been more on the schedule which crowded out the focus on movement or exercise. A great place to start is to reclaim your health with whole foods.
A “whole foods” (or real food) diet centers around consuming foods in their most natural and unprocessed form. It’s a lifestyle choice gaining traction for its numerous health benefits and relative simplicity.
The holidays can be a time when we indulge in more than we normally would. More food, most likely more alcohol, more activities, and less sleep. All of these can contribute to feeling behind the curve as we enter the new year. Do you know what’s at the root of this feeling? It’s your gut. Your gut is essential for your health.
There are many things that influence your gut health. These are primarily related to what you put in your mouth – whether solid or liquid – as Dana learned recently when she reached out for my help.
Dana, a young wife and mother to a 4-year-old daughter, realized she was spiraling downward and knew she needed help. She reported that she wasn’t doing well even before the holidays, but since Thanksgiving had been feeling like it was all getting worse.
Her gut was not happy – indigestion was a common experience – so she often avoided food. She also wasn’t sleeping well, which made her groggy throughout the day. All the added Christmas festivities were making things worse, so she picked up her phone to send an SOS to me.
The Christmas season presents a wide array of stimulation for our senses. The music, images in commercials, colorful decorations, and the food … oh, the food. For many, these holiday hallmarks evoke joy in the season, but some struggle with holiday blues.
Surprisingly, a survey by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) shows that 64% of people experience holiday blues.
The holiday blues are “feelings of anxiety or depression during holidays that can be associated with extra stress, unrealistic expectations, or even memories that accompany the season.” These “blues” refer to sad feelings, yet those experiencing holiday blues may feel worried, frustrated, or even disappointed.
Are you one of the 20-30% of our population dealing with gas and bloating on a regular basis? It is an uncomfortable signal that your body – specifically your digestive tract – needs your help. Though it may seem to be your norm, bloating is a call for action on your body’s behalf.
Many experience this as abdominal distention after eating throughout the day. Some of my clients have called it their “food baby.” If this is you, do you find you need to loosen your belt or choose to wear an elastic waistband for greater comfort?
Or are you reluctant to eat very much because you get bloating and discomfort afterward? Yet lack of nutrition causes malnourishment and can lead to loss of muscle mass.
What is your focus in these last few days before Thanksgiving? Have you set the menu for the meal and prepared your grocery list? Are your thoughts dominated by arrangements you need to make for guests, or perhaps the calorie overload that comes with the traditional feast?
Or perhaps you are one who thinks of where you will settle for your post-turkey nap?
All of these demands on your attention are significantly contributing to your stress level. This hinders your digestion, affects your heart and lung function, and makes you susceptible to viral illness.
Here in the US, we may have an assortment of witches, ghosts, and princesses showing up at our doors this evening. Many of them will have cute kids’ faces beaming over the neckline of their costumes, though some may be hidden behind masks. It’s not a scary situation, or is it?
You know what’s really scary in this situation played out in neighborhoods or businesses? The amount of sugar that accumulates in the bags of the trick-or-treaters.
It can seem innocuous. Lots of little candies – suckers, fun-sized packs, or candy bars. All small portions, right?
