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.
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.
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?
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.
Do you find yourself having an issue with burping? It can be distressing. Most in the United States would not consider burping to be good manners or fitting a professional setting. But I suggest you don’t simply excuse burps. Instead, don’t simply excuse burps – explore them.
You may think that balancing your blood sugar levels is a task reserved only for people with diabetes. While it is true that people with diabetes must closely monitor their blood sugar levels, the truth is that everyone should pay attention. That’s why we want to talk about 4 habits for balancing blood sugar.
Having high levels of glucose circulating in your body is damaging to blood vessels and kidneys. The body responds with insulin to escort the glucose into your cells where it can be used for fuel.
However, when there are recurring spikes of glucose throughout the day, your cells may turn down their receptivity and not accept the insulin or glucose. The alternative is for insulin to escort the glucose to be stored as fat.
I believe in being proactive with my health, so I take measures to balance my blood sugar and protect my body. Here are four tips for balancing blood sugar so that you have stable energy throughout the day.
is in your food? The nutrients in our food fall into two categories – macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients are what we need in large amounts, mainly protein, carbohydrates (vegetables, fruit, grains), and fats.
Micronutrients are vitamins, minerals, and other compounds the body requires in small amounts for normal function.
