Do you eat breakfast every day, first thing in the morning?
Do you “fuel up” before a workout?
Do you grab a snack in the late evening after dinner?
I used to do all of these things and so did my husband, Chris.
A few years ago, we decided to shake it up and we couldn’t be happier with the results.
Well, I shook it up first and Chris decided to see how I fared, haha. Then he joined in with my crazy experiment.
So what did we do?
We started intermittent fasting.
Your mental and emotional state affect your physical health in a big way.
The reverse, or how your physical health affects your emotions, is clearer to see.
If we have an injury and it takes awhile to recover, and we can get frustrated. Or if we have a nagging, chronic, health complaint, we can get depressed.
BUT, the other side of the coin is much, much more powerful for your overall success in remaining healthy, happy, and balanced throughout your life.
It’s summer and that means more outdoor activities, more yard work, and generally more exercise.
It’s fabulous that we all get moving a bit more this time of year, but it also means we’re probably a little more likely to injure ourselves, or at least give ourselves some nice, achy muscles.
Or maybe we’ve just got chronic stress and tension built up in our neck and shoulders from lots of computer work.
Whatever the reason for your sore muscles, I’ve got a little something that can help get you relief now.
Healing should be easy.
Once we figure out the right trajectory, it’s a straight shot to feeling better.
Does this sound like your own internal monologue when you’re dealing with health issues, name?
How about these:
My body is broken and I don’t have the tools to repair it. It fights against me and I don’t know why.
If I ignore whatever is making me uncomfortable, it will go away.
I don’t have time to be sick.
If any of these sound familiar, you’re not alone.
Most people talk to themselves like this (including me!), believing that they are inadequate and incapable of healing.
This couldn’t be further from the truth.
We all have the capacity, it’s just whether or not we choose to accept the journey in front of us.
Have you heard the term “food allergy” thrown around a lot, but aren’t sure what exactly it is?
You’re in the same boat as most people!
It’s out there in popular culture and seems to have picked up steam lately with the advent of more awareness around the protein in wheat that causes issues for some folks, also known as gluten.
But what are food allergies, really?
What’s actually happening in my body and how would they make me feel?
Does everyone have food allergies?
How do I treat them if I have them?
These are all great questions, and I’m happy to answer as many as I can.
I work with my patients on a daily basis discussing food allergies and I’ve been through dealing with them on a personal level for over a decade now.
If you do a little research online about hot flashes, you’ll find pretty dismal explanations of why they happen and how to treat them.
It’s a lot of “we’re not really sure, this is our best guess” and “you might have these for awhile, no telling when they’ll stop”.
This lack of understanding, clear explanation, and quite frankly, empathy for a very frustrating experience can be disheartening.
It’s unnerving when we don’t feel like we have control of our own body.
Something we usually never think about -- temperature regulation -- is suddenly at the forefront of our minds as we experience flushes of heat several times a day and sometimes throughout the night.
What's the deal?
Well, naturopathic medicine can explain exactly WHY these flashes happens AND give you tools that work with your body to quell this distressing feeling.
Facial toner is one of those skin care products that seems created for the purpose of selling you yet another expensive thing to apply to your lovely epidermis.
However, it really does lots of amazing stuff to improve your skin health!
Facial toner helps to restore the normal pH of your skin so healthy bacteria can grow, while also gently tightening the skin to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
"What?? It does all of that? Where can I get some?”
It’s available everywhere, but I’d highly recommend making your own!
This time of year everywhere you turn a corner, be it in the grocery store or on the internet (there are corners on the internet, right? This analogy works...) you hear something about detoxification.
It’s spring, and we're all wanting to shake off the winter and feel renewed and refreshed.
That's awesome.
But I have to tell you, I am NOT a fan of the way most people go about trying to detoxify their body.
They pick up a box that says something about "Feel Renewed!" or "30 Day Cleanse to a New You!" and that comes with a liver tea and some bentonite clay or GI supplements.
This is a great marketing trick, but these things are NOT going to get you lasting or even helpful results.
Do you have trouble falling asleep, tossing and turning for what seems like hours?
What about waking in the wee hours of the morning and having a hard time getting back to sleep?
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, about 40 million people in the United States suffer from chronic long-term sleep disorders each year and an additional 20 million people experience occasional sleep problems.
So you're definitely not alone if you're not catching your zzz's.
Though it can feel isolating when your significant other or everyone else in your household or immediate vicinity is passed out for the night and you're the one who's awake.
Then there's the inevitable fatigue that smacks you in the face in the morning and throughout the rest of the day.
In 2014, the National Sleep Foundation discovered that 20%of Americans reported that they did not wake up feeling refreshed on any of the past seven days.
It's time to stop this nonsense and get. more. sleep.
Start feeling refreshed and ready for your days with this super simple tip that will help your sleep.
Are you getting enough water?
How do you even know if you're getting enough??
It's a tricky question with A LOT of (mis)information out there.
8 glasses a day, right? That's the answer?
What if I'm sweating a lot? What if I don't feel thirsty?
Don't coffee and tea hydrate me? I definitely get water from the food that I eat! That counts, right?
Now I'm worried that I drink too much water because I read about over-hydration!
Whoa.
Let's clear some of this up.
I am head over heels for anything SALT.
Salt baths, salt water, salt from the sea or the mountains, salt flats, salt lamps, and yes, salt scrubs.
Salt is incredibly nourishing.
It’s chock full of tons of minerals (also known as electrolytes), as well as trace minerals, or compounds we need in tiny amounts but that are still vital to a properly functioning system.
Salt has been unrightfully demonized, and as a result we’ve missed out on its immense healing benefits for awhile now.
Let’s stop the crazy eschewing of a phenomenal resource we have everywhere and embrace salt!
Spa time is essential to our wellbeing and accomplishing all that we want from life.
You heard me right! Read me right? Whichever it is, you get the point!
I know you’re thinking, “How can indulging in such frivolity possibly make me more productive?” I also know you definitely used the word “frivolity” in your internal monologue. I’m that good.
Taking some spa time for yourself can and will make you more effective and present in your life.
In fact, it’s a necessary step for you to achieve your next goal. It’s probably what’s been holding you back.
And it’s crucial to improving and maintaining your health.
Mornings are rough. The alarm clock goes off (always too early) and we sleepily roll out of bed toward the bathroom to start our day.
We brush our teeth, hop in the shower, clean up, towel off, and lethargically go about the rest of our morning. Many times we're still waking up as we sit in our car ready to go to work, coffee in hand.
What if I told you there was an easily accessible, invigorating way to help wake you up that's already a part of your morning routine?
