10 Areas to Optimize Your Healthy Life

10 Areas To Optimize Your Healthy Life

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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.

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Breathing Techniques for Inner Calm

5 Breathing Techniques For Inner Calm

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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.

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.

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Reclaim Your Health with Whole Foods

Reclaim Your Health With Whole Foods

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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.

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Your Gut Is Essential For Your Health

Your Gut Is Essential For Your Health

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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.

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Do You Struggle With Holiday Blues?

Do You Struggle With Holiday Blues?

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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.

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Bloating – A Call For Action

Bloating – A Call For Action

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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.

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Good For Them and For You!

Good For Them And For You!

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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.

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Not A Scary Situation, Or Is It?

Not A Scary Situation, Or Is It?

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 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?

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Add Some Fun to Your Fall

Add Some Fun To Your Fall

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There are a variety of vitamins that have been identified as necessary for your body to function well. No doubt, you have heard of Vitamins A, C, D, E, and the many types of B vitamins. There are some that have not been recognized by science, yet they play an important part in our overall wellness.

I’m referring to Vitamin J (Joy), Vitamin G (Gratitude), Vitamin F (Fun) and more. Remember the old adage that “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”? It also contributes to a less than vibrant health. Vitamins J and F are key “nutrients” all year, but let’s explore some ways to add some fun to your fall.

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What’s D Got To Do With It?

What’s D Got To Do With It?

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Since the pandemic, we’ve seen an increase in recommendations to boost Vitamin D. It was not an unknown vitamin until then. We have all heard that spending time in the sun could increase Vitamin D levels – but do you know why your level is important? Are you curious what’s D got to do with it?

Vitamin D is both a nutrient and a prohormone – a precursor to the hormone, calcitriol. It has many functions in the body touching the gut, bones, hormones, immune system, and gene expression. It’s an important part of healthy living.

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