A Life Review Can Help You Redirect

A Life Review Can Help You Redirect

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What has been your practice at year end in recent years? Do you float along on the river wherever it takes you, or use your paddle to direct your path? You can take a different approach this year. Starting with a life review can help you redirect if you aren’t where you want to be.

As we close out one year and begin another, it’s a great opportunity to take some time to reflect on the past twelve months. What have you accomplished, both small and large? What were your highlights and lowlights? What did you learn?

Taking a good, hard look at your life can be challenging, but it’s also incredibly powerful. It allows you to see where you’ve been and where you want to go. It gives perspective on your choices and helps you learn from your mistakes. And perhaps most importantly, it allows you to set realistic goals for the year ahead.

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Smells That Hinder Your Health

Smells That Hinder Your Health

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What smells do you encounter regularly during the day? The smells of foods you eat? Or smells from your clothes when they are fresh from the laundry? Or perhaps from your shampoo, soap, and other hygiene products? I would imagine that it hasn’t occurred to you that there may be smells that hinder your health.

It’s a sad fact that many of the smells we encounter each day are from chemicals that are toxic to your body. One of the more prominent chemicals is phthalates (pronounced fthal-eyt) which are endocrine disrupting chemicals. That’s a fancy term for chemicals that mess with your hormones.

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Time To Bone Up On Bone Health

Time To Bone Up On Bone Health

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As midlife approaches, many women become concerned about their bone health. Rightly so, as our bones are a vital part of our bodies and a broken hip can lead to other complications. Let’s take a look at our amazing bones – there’s more going on in there than you realize. It’s time to bone up on bone health.

I had always thought of bone as being solid and strong, yet it is actually flexible and strong. Bone is a composite of minerals dispersed in a protein matrix of mostly collagen. That matrix gives bones some flexibility, similar to the pine trees that I see in south Louisiana. They are able to sway in the wind without breaking.

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Snack Ideas For Your Summer Road Trip

Snack Ideas For Your Summer Road Trip

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simpWherever your summer travels take you, finding healthy snacks for long car rides can be challenging. If you’re planning on spending an extended period in the car, you’ll want to plan for healthy options that will curb hunger without causing a sugar high. Here are some great snack ideas for your summer road trip.

The key to balancing your snack options is not to go for the flour-based processed snacks. These are designed to be appealing, but they boost blood sugar followed by a crash.

Consuming these carb-heavy snacks will make you hungry before you reach the next exit. The key to road-trip satiety is focusing on snacks that offer protein, fat, and fiber. Read more

Adopt Active Hobbies For Fitness

Adopt Active Hobbies For Fitness

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Keeping ourselves moving goes way beyond routine gym sessions or obsessing over the number of daily steps you take. It’s about discovering the sheer joy that movement can bring to our lives.

Active hobbies provide a beautiful mix of pleasure and physical benefits. They turn what might often feel like a chore into something we look forward to. Whether it’s dancing in your living room, hiking through nature, or playing a sport just for fun – these activities add a vibrant layer of excitement to staying fit.

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Choose To Reduce Your Toxin Exposure

Choose To Reduce Your Toxin Exposure

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When you hear the term “toxin” what do you picture in your head? It would be easier for us if all toxins were labeled with the skull and crossbones symbol, but that’s not the case.

Sadly, we all encounter toxins every day. Pursuing wellness means that you must choose to reduce your toxin exposure.

The unfortunate truth is that our world today is not set up for optimal health. There are many who are fighting for policy change, but it’s a challenge thanks to the incentives that flood our political system.

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The Benefit Of Challenge

The Benefit Of Challenge

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We have a normal human tendency to avoid challenge. Challenge is hard. Yet, the human body is designed to continuously adapt to and thrive in a largely unpredictable environment. The desire to hang out in our comfort zone can actually work against us. Welcome to the powerful concept of hormesis.

Hormesis is the phenomenon whereby the body derives long-term benefits and strength from short, potent episodes of challenge or stress. It’s actually a term that has developed from toxicology, the study of toxins. Though we generally view toxins as totally negative. Scientists have learned that very small amounts of toxic exposure can actually support health. Hang with me here.

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Build Resilience Into Your Wellness Plan

Build Resilience Into Your Wellness Plan

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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.

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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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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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