Clean Eating the WHY, and How to do it on a Budget

You may have heard about the benefits of clean eating but perhaps don’t believe you have the time to think through the process, or, maybe you are concerned about the cost.  After all, we’ve all noticed that the cost of fresh foods compared to that of popular fast food options seems high. As a result, you may be finding it easier and cheaper to just keep your favorite takeout or delivery on speed dial and maybe your freezer is filled with packaged microwave meals.  There’s a chance you haven’t considered that by eating this way you are depriving your body of many essential nutrients and missing out on a number of important health benefits. AND, your future health care costs may reflect that due to illnesses or medications due to poor eating choices.

Clean eating can be done easily, tastes amazing, and doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, this may be the best time to embark on a journey of clean eating as spring and summer bring us farmers markets, and tons of amazing, tasty fresh foods to our local grocery store. I’d love to pass on some tips for getting the healthiest foods into your diet on a budget, but first, let’s look at the benefits of clean eating!

It Gives You Energy

One of the main reasons to eat healthy is because it gives you energy.  Healthy foods are filled with slow digesting carbohydrates.  These take longer to digest than unhealthy, rapidly digesting carbohydrates, so the energy they provide is released into your blood at a much slower and more stable rate.  This means that you have more consistent energy levels when powering up with healthy foods

In contrast, unhealthy foods generally contain high levels of rapidly digesting carbohydrates.  These get digested very quickly and the energy they provide is released into your blood stream at a much faster, less stable rate.  As a result, your energy levels generally peak and then crash when you eat unhealthy foods. For many people, this “crash” leads to craving more unhealthy foods, quicker hunger, and even mood swings.

It Ensures That Your Body Works Properly

Healthy foods are packed full of the nutrients that your body needs to operate properly.  They support almost every function you can think of.  For example, vitamin A is essential for healthy vision, chloride helps keep the fluid levels within your body balanced and potassium helps keep your blood pressure under control.

Eating unhealthy foods deprives your body of these nutrients and prevents it from functioning properly.  For example, failing to eat enough vitamin A can limit your vision and in the worst cases cause full blindness.  Not getting enough sulphur can prevent your nerves from functioning properly. Literally every body function is affected by the way you choice to fuel your body-choose to fuel it well!

It Reduces Your Chance Of Illness

Another key benefit of following a healthy diet is that the wide range of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients in these foods help keep your immune system strong.  Your immune system is what keeps you safe from disease, infection and foreign bodies.  If you have a strong immune system, then your chances of getting ill are much lower.

However, following a limited, unhealthy diet means that your body does not get given all these immune system boosting nutrients.  As a result, your immune system becomes weak and your body becomes much less effective at fighting disease, infection and foreign bodies.  This leaves you much more open to illness.

It Improves Your Physical Performance

Eating the right foods doesn’t just benefit you internally – it also greatly improves your physical performance.  For example, the clean protein in healthy foods ensures that your muscles have the fuel they need to repair after exercise and grow back stronger.  The vitamins and minerals in healthy foods keep your blood healthy and ensure that it can quickly transport oxygen to where it is needed when you exert yourself.

Following a poor diet has the opposite effect and can actually hinder your performance during exercise.  For example, eating poor quality, rapidly digesting carbohydrates will not give you the steady release of energy that is required to complete a grueling workout.  Failing to get enough protein, which is lacking in most processed and fast foods, will prevent your muscles from fully recovering after a workout. Fuel our body for success with the best foods possible!

Clean Eating is Healthy for the Gut and Hormone Balance

Healthy foods help reduce inflammation in the body. Fast foods and processed foods are a leading cause of unhealthy gut issues that can increase inflammation throughout the entire body. This can lead to hormone imbalances, skin issues, food intolerances, and immune issues. Healthy foods help to heal the gut, decreasing inflammation, and helping to balance the hormones while building the immune system.

Not Only FEEL Your Best, But LOOK Your Best

Eating clean and healthy not only helps you feel your best, but will also help you LOOK your best. Focusing on high nutrient, filling whole food will keep you full longer, provide you with more energy, and lead to a decrease in overall calories-which means weight loss! You will find yourself sleeping better, performing better, clearer headed, and even experience more balanced moods. Your skin will be clear and bright, your nails and hair will be stronger and healthier-this health plan is a true beauty boost!!!

How to Eat Clean on a Budget

Now that we’ve discussed the awesome benefits of clean and healthy eating, let’s explore some ways to do it without breaking the bank! Here are 10 tips you can use to start eating healthy on a budget.

Buy Frozen Fruits & Vegetables

Buying frozen fruits and vegetables can be a great money saving option. Frozen foods usually have a longer shelf life and this makes them cheaper than their fresh counterparts. Since good vendors pack their frozen fruits and vegetables right from the farms, many of the nutrients are locked in, thus ensuring that the frozen produce retains all its nutritional value. You can even save more by buying healthy frozen fruits and vegetables in bulk when they’re on offer, then store them in your freezer and not have to worry about the food going bad.

Don’t Go Shopping When You’re Hungry-Shop the Perimeter!

You’re more likely to succumb to temptation and buy expensive foods and snacks when shopping on an empty stomach. Having a meal before you shop for food will actually help you to avoid impulsive spending and stick to healthy choices while you shop. If you don’t have time for a full meal, a filling healthy snack will still work to help you avoid overspending.

Also, to avoid buying tempting packaged and processed good, shop the perimeter of the store! Hit up the produce, meat, seafood, and dairy sections and fill your cart!

Check Out Local Farmer’s Markets, Produce Stands, and Food Co-ops

Spring and summer are a fabulous time to get great deals on many fresh items that are grown local to your area. Focus on foods that are fresh and in season, and consider buying in bulk and freezing them for future meals.

Fill Up on Fiber Rich Foods

Fiber provides a feeling of satiety since it metabolizes slowly in the digestive tract. This in turn curbs hunger cravings, allowing you to eat less and spend less. Fruits, leafy greens and whole grains are some of the best sources of fiber. These foods are also packed with nutrients and generally low on calories, making them a great addition to any healthy diet.

Freeze Your Leftovers

Studies have shown that the average family of four in the US throws away about 40% of the food that they purchase every year. However, these leftovers can easily be frozen and re-heated. By doing this, you’ll avoid wasting such large quantities of food that would otherwise end up in the garbage bin and therefore spend much less at the grocery store.

Go for Fresh, Lean Meats

While processed meats such as burgers and fried chicken are tempting, they’re neither healthy nor good value for money. If you purchase fresh, lean cuts of meat such as chicken breast or turkey breast, you’ll pay as little as $0.50 per serving. You’ll also supply your body with the essential nutrients it needs without filling up on harmful trans fats and chemical preservatives. The best part is with a few spices, you can crank up the flavor of these meats and make them taste even better than their processed counterparts.

Look For Special Offers

Before heading to the grocery store, take the time to look for discount deals. There are many sites online which provide great deals on local healthy foods which are constantly updated. Local daily newspapers are another excellent way to find discounted healthy groceries in your area. Also, make sure to keep your eyes peeled when you’re in the grocery store, as there are likely to be lots of promotions running while you shop.

Try Homemade Sauces

Making and canning your own homemade sauce can save you money. You can use many locally sourced fruits and vegetables for the ingredients and these will cost a fraction of what you’ll end up spending on 1 bottle of ketchup. The best part about making your own sauce is that they taste so much better than the processed sauces you’ll find in stores. Plus, there are many free recipes on the Internet that can help you get started making your own sauces instantly.

Prepare Your Healthy Meals In Advance

A sure way to overspend is by heading to the grocery store unprepared and tossing whatever looks good into your shopping cart. Instead of doing this, plan your healthy meals in advance and write a shopping list for the week ahead. This will allow you to control how much you spend on groceries and prevent you from going over your budget.

Take Advantage of The Grocery Store Clearance Rack

You can cut back on your grocery bill by checking for discounted foods at the clearance rack. Some stores mark down the price tag on perishable goods that are stacked on shelves when the expiry dates are nearing in order to encourage buying and reduce waste. By taking advantage of these deals, you can enjoy discounts of up to 75% on a range of tasty and healthy foods. Many of these foods on the clearance rack can be frozen, so even though you’re paying a fraction of the price, you don’t need to eat them right away.

Shop “the Seasons”

Plan your meals around the foods that are in season in your area to get the best deals. Over-abundance of freshly picked fruits and veggies lowers the price. You can do a quick search to find out what produce is heavily available, in each month, in your local area.

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be difficult, expensive, or time consuming.  Grabbing a piece of fruit instead of a bar of chocolate, drinking a glass of water instead of a glass of soda or cooking up some chicken and vegetables instead of having a microwave meal are all quick and easy ways to eat more healthy.  Making smart choices such as these will do you a lot of good in the long run and help you live a much fuller, happier and healthier life. If you’re curious about changing your diet for the better, please check out my newest freebie on “Ditching the Diet and Embracing Clean Eating” Get your free copy here!

Oh My! The Stress is Real!

Hello Healthy followers! It’s been quite awhile since I posted here, but with good reason: I moved to a beautiful new home here on my island paradise in southeast NC! This decision came about very quickly a month ago, and these last weeks have been filled with a lot of activity, AND quite a bit of stress and insanity. Now that I’m settled, I wanted to jump on and share how I dealt with the non-stop uncertainty and stress, hoping that it can inspire you to use these methods when your life is a bit chaotic and out of order.

SO, just to touch briefly on the insanity of our move…oh my! The housing market is currently nuts in much of the country, and we happened upon a brand new build on my tiny island out of sheer boredom on a rainy, windy, March weekend. We jumped quickly, and followed up with 4 weeks of nonstop moving of closing dates at the last minute, rescheduling movers, installers, cleaners, over and over. I’m a bit of an over planner, so my house was packed 2 days after our offer was accepted, leaving me with no space to workout, little kitchen equipment, and surviving on salad and scrambled eggs as dates moved and moved again. Each day was filled with calls and emails about appraisers not showing up, finances being raked over to the finite detail, and paperwork not being filed. I found myself waking each morning, hopeful and happy, only to spend the day slowly getting dragged down the house buying rabbit hole, literally wanting to just go to bed at 5pm each night just to shut myself off from it. It was most certainly NOT like an episode of HGTV!

After the second rescheduling of our entire existence, I started to approach each day as my OWN health and wellness coach. I became very mindful and deliberate with my actions and RE-actions during the day. I couldn’t do my morning workout because of the boxes piled in my rooms, so I bundled up and headed out in the damp coldness to get some brisk miles in. I signed up for a pilates reformer sample class (and became obsessed with it), and pulled my bike out for a ride whenever the wind and rain subsided. At one point, I told my husband, “Don’t tell me about the changes or reschedules, just say GO when everything is fixed.” That, alone, solved a lot of my stress issues! There were days when it started to get to me, just sheer frustration, and I found myself instinctively deep breathing, without thought-and it felt so good! In the end, things worked out, we moved, got settled, and it’s wonderful. But when the stressors kick in, it’s s important to know HOW to react to them in a positive manner!

2020 and the pandemic really put the focus on our stressors and our stress levels. A recent Forbes article stated that 1 in 5 American’s experienced a physical reaction of stress when just thinking about the pandemic. The economy, unemployment, isolation, working and schooling from home, and health concerns were/are reasons for a significantly increased level of personal stress in the last year; Rightfully so, as these were very un-chartered waters, for all of us.

Daily stressors, however, the things we deal with in a “normal” existence, and how we deal with them starts with your mindset. There is no way to escape it – everyone has at least some type of stress in life. You might have mild, moderate, or extreme stress depending on a number of different situations. Stress comes from just about everywhere, including at home, relationships with significant others, family or friends, work, school, finances, and so much more, it’s, unfortunately, just a part of life. 

Not only is it normal to have stress, it is also normal to struggle with your mindset and have it impact your stress levels. Here are some things to know about how your mindset might affect your stress, and what you can do about it.

~Try to move away from a negative mindset when the stress starts to build. Regardless of how much or how little stress you have, having a negative mindset is only going to make it worse. Your life tends to spiral a little when you have constant negative thoughts going through your head. This is why it often feels like it “keeps getting worse”.  Much of our stress is all about how we perceive things and react to things. Even at the most stressful moment, try to move yourself away from the moment for just a brief time. Call a friend, take a walk, pray, or meditate. Do something to make your self feel calmer, or at least supported.

~Try a breathing technique!  One of my favorites is the 4-7-8 technique. To do this, exhale completely through your mouth, releasing all air in a big WHOOSH! Then, breathe in slowly through the nose with a mental count of 4. Hold your breath for a count of 7, then release through the mouth with another WHOOSH to the count of 8. Repeat 4 times for maximum benefit, and hopefully, you will feel a sense of relaxation take over your body and mind.

~Exercise it out! If your stressor is out of your control, and you just need a release from it until you can deal better, consider a little exercise. Turn on some music and dance, go for a quick jog, throw some boxing punches into the air, do some karate kicks, or just go for a walk. This type of action will release you muscles and you mind for a bit, and help you re-evaluate your reaction with a clearer mind.

~Try a simple meditation. Sit in a relaxing position, scan your body for tension, notice your feelings and thoughts, and then try to release them as you breathe deeply. Focus on each breath, as you inhale in, say mentally, “ I am…” as you exhale, “at peace.” Place focus on this mantra, and breathing, until you feel calmer.

~Perhaps some simple yoga is more your style of stress relief. Poses that help relieve stress are very basic and easy to do. Child pose, cat and cow, and corpse pose with focused breathing can help relieve stress and tension throughout the entire body.

~If you’re not big on exercise, yoga, or mediation, focus your efforts and mind on an activity that is repetitive and joyful. Gardening, cleaning, knitting, journaling, or even sleeping are activities that can help you relax while removing yourself from the stress you may feel.

Of course, there are some instances where a little stress can be a good thing, but again this all depends on your mindset. If you look at stress as just a challenge or a sign that you need to switch something up in your life, it can actually motivate you to grow and change and get better. Stress in our lives can be a great teacher for things that need to be attended to, changed, or removed completely. Listen to your body, tune into to what is causing your stress, and when your mind and body are calmer, consider how those things might be better dealt with to avoid the same stress in the future.

If you’re looking for someone to help you manage your stress, learn meditation techniques, or help with journaling inspirations to change your life, contact me! We can put together a plan and package to suit your specific needs!

Clean Eating Tips for the Super Busy Lifestyle

As warmer weather approaches, we seem to get busier and busier! As this time of year approaches, with warmer days and more sun, it’s likely that many of us are spending time thinking about healthy eating, but finding that our busy lives make doing that very difficult.  Although we may have the best intentions for ourselves, we find that our busy schedules have us grabbing quick meals and snacks at the last minute, and not always making the best choices. While you may think you are saving time and being more efficient by grabbing a burger and breezing through your busy, warm, fun filled day, or even filling up on energy drinks or coffee when you start to feel tired, these actions can be very counterproductive to our health goals.

For many, this might seem like the easiest and least stressful way to power through the day, but in reality, a poor diet causes you to feel tired and lose energy during the day, which has a direct impact on the amount of work you get done, and the amount of fun you can have.  This “easy” lifestyle also contributes to a number of more serious health problems such as chronic disease and weight gain.

The good news is that there are plenty of ways to turn your diet around and start eating healthy, even when you are super busy.  In this article I share 10 of the top tips for eating healthy when time is extremely limited.

Plan Ahead

The popular saying is; “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” and when it comes to healthy eating this is absolutely right.  If you don’t put together some sort of plan to eat healthy then you are going to end up eating those unhealthy junk and fast foods.  The best way to plan ahead is to list down the foods you plan to eat at the end of each day and then prepare what you can the night before, or, take an hour or so once a week to plan out and prepare for an entire week!  You may think that you simply don’t have the time for this kind of planning each week, but my clients that have done this now find that not only are they eating healthier, but also dealing with less stress, AND saving money! A little bit of planning and prep time literally turns healthy eating into a grab and go process!

Don’t Grocery Shop When You Are Hungry

As you work on your healthy eating plan you’ll need to start buying healthy foods when you do your weekly grocery run, and keep your fridge and pantry full.  Avoid grocery shopping when you are hungry! This makes this task a lot more difficult as your hunger will naturally draw you towards convenient junk foods.  Therefore, make sure you have something to eat before you do your weekly grocery shopping. Plan your grocery trips around the perimeter of the store-sticking to produce, proteins, and dairy as much as you can.

Take Full Advantage of Fresh Selections

If your find that you often head over to the vending machine or local convenience store to grab a quick snack, try to focus your selections on healthier options. Many of our corner stores, and even vending machines, now offer apples, grapes, carrot sticks, hummus, and bananas. These options can be just as filling as chocolate bars, or chips, and they provide much more nutritional value and contain a lot less calories, salt, and preservatives. To make things even easier, make sure you pack a few pieces of fruit or veggies into your bag each day and then when hunger calls you have them readily available.

Those Awesome Packets of Nuts

Nuts are another fantastic, healthy, food that you can use as a substitute for vending machine snacks.  They provide your body with a ton of health boosting vitamins and minerals along with good amounts of protein and healthy fats.  To avoid the temptation of unhealthy snacks make sure you always carry a bag with you so that you can quickly grab a handful whenever your stomach starts to rumble. Many nut companies sell portable 100 calories packs of almonds, cashews, and walnuts to make this an easy go-to snack.

Incorporate Vegetables into Every Meal

This may sound like too much of an effort when your time is limited.  However, if you choose the right vegetables it hardly takes up any of your time at all.  Salads, soy beans, and sun dried tomatoes can now all be purchased from supermarkets in a ready to eat form. Bag up sliced carrots, celery, and peppers and keep them handy and ready to munch.  Prepping steamed veggies and keeping them in the fridge is also a great idea, simply heat for a few seconds in the microwave and eat.

Look for Lean Fish & Meats

When you are busy and have forgotten to bring your healthy packed lunch, grabbing a quick burger or hot dog might seem like the best option.  However, there are plenty of healthier meat choices out there.  Most hot deli counters allow you to buy roasted chicken which is both tasty and nutritious.  Most supermarkets also sell cooked chicken breast slices.  Lean meats are just as quick to eat as burgers and hot dogs but provide your body with higher quality protein and no nasty added ingredients.

Get A Thermos Cup

One bad habit I have noticed among super busy people is that they regularly buy branded coffees.  This doesn’t seem like such a bad habit on the surface but when you consider that six of the drinks on the current Starbucks menu exceed the 300 calorie mark, it’s a habit that can easily add over 1,000 empty calories to your week-not to mention-they are pricey! Instead of hitting the coffee shops every day, get yourself a thermos or heated coffee cup and fill it with coffee or tea.  Both these options will give you easy access to your favorite hot drink without adding hundreds or thousands of calories to your week.

Use Smoothies

Smoothies are an excellent way to fit multiple fruits and vegetables into one convenient drink and the best part is they take just a few minutes to prepare.  To make a smoothie, just pick the fruits and vegetables you plan to use, chop into chunks, place them in your blender, add a few other optional ingredients if you like (crushed ice, fruit juice, protein powder, milk etc), blend until the mixture becomes smooth. If you are really stuck for ideas, Google will help you find some great smoothie recipes.

Use Your Freezer In The Right Way

Your freezer is a very valuable tool if you want to eat healthy and save time.  If you know you are going to be having a particularly busy week, consider cooking up a large batch of healthy food at the start of the week, divide it into individual servings and freeze these servings.  Then on the days where you don’t have time to cook simply get these frozen servings out of the freezer the night before and warm them up when you are ready to eat.  Doing this will allow you to enjoy healthy, nutritious meals without having to cook every night. It’s all about being prepared!

Choose the Lesser Of Two Evils

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, events will conspire against you and you won’t be able to eat healthy.  You’ll accidentally leave your healthy lunch at home, the local shop near your work will have no fruits or vegetables left and your only choice is to head to a fast food outlet.  In these situations, simply choose the lesser of the two evils.  Take a look at the amount of salt, the calories and the amount of trans fats in each option on the menu and then choose the least damaging.  This isn’t exactly healthy but it’s making the most of a bad situation.

And to Sum it Up

Sticking to a healthy diet is tough at the best of times but when you are busy and stressed it can sometimes seem impossible.  I hope the tips I’ve shared have shown you that eating healthy when you are super busy is not only possible but it’s also very manageable if you approach it with a positive attitude and a sense of planning. As you make small healthy changes to your diet, you will soon realize that you are not only feeling better and having more energy throughout the day, but the planning and prepping actually remove a lot of the stress from our daily lives.

And THIS

If you are looking for a 3 week program that will “reset” your eating habits, help you drop a few pounds, and feel your best for spring, consider my upcoming awesome Fresh and Simple program! This program offers both regular and vegetarian meal plans, with 40 new recipes based on whole, healthy foods, and weekly habit enhancing tips to change your health and life! This program includes two 30 minute virtual meetings with me to set your goals, answer your questions, and keep you inspired-with email support in between. Get ready to feel your best, embrace Spring, and get a little taste of what it’s like to work with a health and wellness coach! This package will be offered for a limited time for only 97$. If you’d like to reserve your space at this price, or have any questions, be sure to email me!

The Sticky on Sugar

One of the biggest questions I hear when it comes to nutrition advice is about sugar. In recent decades, sugar, in some form, has shown up in just about every product, often listed as something other than “sugar”, and that has caused a lot of confusion even for the most trained food label readers. In truth, added sugars account for 17% of the daily calorie intake in the average American adult diet-and almost as much in the average child’s diet (14%).

You’ve likely heard all about the dangers of refined sugar. It increases the risks of chronic disease, increases the chance of weight gain, and affects insulin levels and hormones. Sugar consumption affects the skin, causing both acne and even a reduction of collagen, which leads to wrinkles and sagging. Sugar intake can increase energy for brief amounts of time, but this only leads to a crash in blood sugar and leads to even more periods of low energy. Sugar creates inflammation in the body that leads to pain and damage to the cells.  In totality, sugar has the ability to badly affect all of the organs of the body, leading to general all over poor health. Sugar also has absolutely no nutritional value, but has 16 calories a teaspoon.

Removing added sugar from our diets is not the easiest thing to do, unless you decide to eat a completely and entirely whole food diet. If that’s not something you wish to take on, but wish to cut as much sugar as possible in your current diet, consider the following suggestions:

*Be a label reader, and know your sugar words. These include words that end with “ose” like, fructose, maltose, lactose, and dextrose. Another huge culprit that has entered our food production is high fructose corn syrup, which is a chemically enhanced version of sugar that has caused quite the negative conversations within the nutrition community because this form may have even worse affects on the body than pure sugar.

 *Try to eat as many whole foods as possible, and limit your packaged and processed foods greatly. To accomplish this, try planning your meals by focusing only by what is on the perimeter of your market-produce, meats, seafood, and dairy. Choose whole grain breads and cereals without added sugar, and if you buy canned foods, check the label for sugars.

*Limit your condiments!! Most of these products are full of sugar!

*Removing sugar from the diet can be a daunting experience, but well worth it. Start small! Set your first goal to something you can easily achieve, like giving up sugary drinks like sodas and sweetened juices. After accomplishing that, try removing sugar from another aspect of your diet, perhaps removing sweets, or using a healthy substitute like Swerve when baking. Make small changes as you progress to easily remove sugar from your diet.

Removing Sugar!

As you remove sugar from your diet, and replace those foods with whole, fresh foods, you will experience many benefits:

*Enhanced Energy Levels

Refined sugar enters your bloodstream almost instantly which causes your energy levels quickly surge and crash. When you start to eat less refined sugar, these fluctuations in energy levels will become a thing of the past and you’ll find that you generally have much more energy throughout the day. Not only does this help you feel great but it also makes you much more productive and allows you to perform all your daily tasks effectively.

*Younger Looking Skin

One of the biggest negatives of consuming refined sugar is that it damages your skin in numerous ways.

First, it causes the collagen and elastin in your skin to become inflamed. These structural proteins help your skin stay firm and youthful looking. When they constantly become inflamed as a result of regularly eating large amounts of refined sugar, they become less effective which causes your skin to sag and wrinkles to form.

Second, the inflammation caused by eating sugar has been shown to aggravate various skin disorders including acne (a disorder characterized by red pimples on the skin) and rosacea (a skin disorder characterized by burning and redness).

When you stop eating refined sugar, you’ll also stop damaging your skin in the ways described above and you’ll find that it looks much smoother, more vibrant and youthful.

*Easier Weight Loss

Sugars passes through the digestive system very quickly and because of this, foods that contain high levels of sugar aren’t as satiating as foods that contain minimal amounts of sugar. This means it’s much easier to overeat and consume large amounts of calories that lead to weight gain when you’re eating lots of refined sugar.

Quitting sugar will mean that you’ll feel much fuller every time you eat and naturally eat less food. Food cravings will come less often and because you’re consuming fewer calories, it will be much easier to lose weight.

*Better Sleep

The energy surges and crashed caused by eating lots of refined sugar are very disruptive to your sleep patterns. They make it difficult to sleep and have a negative impact on your sleep quality when you do manage to fall asleep.

Cutting sugar out of your diet stops it wreaking havoc on your sleep cycles and allows you to enjoy restful, better quality sleep.

*Stronger Immunity

Numerous studies have shown that refined sugar is a huge contributor to chronic disease. It causes inflammation in the body, damages your blood vessels and has a negative impact on your vital organs which leaves you open to a wide range of ailments, illness and diseases.

Reducing your intake of refined sugar stops it damaging your body in this way and allows it to heal. Not only does this make you less susceptible to ailments that are directly caused by refined sugar but it also boosts your overall immunity.

Replacing the Sweet

If you’re looking for ways to keep your sweet tooth, but eliminate sugar, try one of these healthy sugar substitutes! If you’re tracking your calorie intake, be sure to check the calories before using these.

•Stevia

Stevia is one of the most popular natural sweeteners. This herb, which comes from South America, is 300 times sweeter than refined sugar. It contains zero calories, so is a great choice if you’re trying to lose weight. Plus, it has no glycemic impact, so it’s a perfect refined sugar alternative if you’re diabetic. Stevia is also very easy to digest which means you won’t suffer from any of the digestive problems that are often associated with sugar substitutes.

*Coconut Sugar

Coconut sugar is created through the heating the sap from coconut palms. Unlike refined sugar, coconut sugar doesn’t de-stabilize your energy levels, so is ideal if you want to stay productive and focused during the day. Like stevia, it’s also a great choice if you suffer from diabetes because it won’t disrupt your blood sugar levels. Another great thing about coconut sugar is that it supplies your body with nutrients as it sweetens and is a good source of calcium, iron, potassium and zinc. 10 calories a teaspoon.

*Date Sugar

Date sugar is made by grinding down dehydrated dates into sugar sized granules. As you’d expect from the production process, it has the same rich and sweet flavor of fresh dates, and shares all their health benefits. These health benefits include promoting healthy digestion, strengthening your heart and lowering your blood pressure. The main negative of date sugar is that it doesn’t melt or dissolve easily, so it’s not a good choice if you want to sweeten your drinks. 15 calories a teaspoon

*Honey

Honey is sweeter than refined sugar and has a much greater range of health benefits. It contains high levels of vitamins and minerals which support many vital processes within the body. It also has antibacterial and antifungal properties, so is a perfect sweetener for boosting your immunity. Unlike refined sugar, honey is also great for your skin and can help make it brighter, smoother and more radiant. It tastes great in tea and can also be used as a replacement for sugar in many recipes. 21 calories a teaspoon

*Maple Syrup

Maple syrup contains around half the calories of refined sugar and is a much more nutritious choice. It’s loaded with antioxidants which protect your body’s cells from damage and reduce the visible signs of aging. Maple syrup is also a brilliant source of the manganese and zinc which boost your metabolism and your immune system. In addition to this, it’s great for your skin and can protect against skin blemishes, dry skin and redness. Finally, maple syrup has been shown to protect against a range of chronic ailments and diseases including arthritis, cancer, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease and heart disease. Make sure your maple syrup is pure, with no added sugars! 17 calories a teaspoon

If you have questions about your sugar intake, or how to remove sugar from your diet by setting small attainable goals, feel free to contact me

Let’s Eat for POWER (Super Yummy Recipes with Only 5 Whole Ingredients!)

I recently released my free cookbook full of super healthy 5 ingredient recipes on my website, and I wanted to be sure to share them here with you! This cookbook offers 19 recipes for breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and even desserts that are full of superfoods and whole ingredients to provide you with powerful nutrients for energy and vitality-and they are super yummy as well!

To give you a sneak peek, I want to share a dessert recipe here for you to try!

Ingredients

2 cups (250g) all-purpose whole wheat flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 cup (180g) coconut sugar
1 egg
2 apples, peeled, cored and cut into chucks

½ cup coconut oil, melted (panty ingredient)

Preheat the oven to 360°F (180°C). Prepare an 8-inch (20cm) baking tin lined with baking paper.
 
Place the flour, baking powder and sugar into a large bowl and mix well. Add in the egg and melted coconut oil and stir until combined.
 
Now add in the apples; using your hands incorporate them into the batter.
 
Place the batter into the lined tin and bake for 35-40 minutes. Once ready remove from the oven and allow to cool. Store this cake in an airtight container.

Serves: 12
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 40 mins

Nutrition per serving:
227 kcal 10g Fats
36g Carbs 2g Protein

This is a “bonus” recipe, not included in the cookbook, just for you!

For more recipes including Protein Pancakes, Stuffed Peppers, Slow Cooked Fajitas, Black bean brownies, and many more, simply go to www.beewell.com/recipes to download your copy now!

get your free copy now!

Let’s Drop a Little Stress

If you are on a mission to reduce your stress levels (and hey, who isn’t these days) it doesn’t require you changing your entire life.  As a health and wellness coach, the biggest issue I currently see with my clients is stress. While someone may contact me looking to drop weight, get control of their meal planning, or gain control of their hormones, conversation ultimately turns to how the stress in their daily lives is the key factor behind all of these needs. Meals are not prepped or planned because of work and family schedules, balanced nutrition is easily ignored for quick take out, and weight, exercise and health ends up taking a hit because of it. It all seems to start with stress!

 I’m a big believer in creating small steps that lead to a progression of steady achievable successes that ultimately bring my clients to reaching big goals, so, I’ve spent some time coming up with some small changes you can take each day that lead up to a reduction in stress, worry, and anxiety.  My hope is that you find that by including some of these steps into your daily life, you’ll experience many other benefits like thinking in a more positive manner or becoming a more mindful and peaceful person going forward.

A Little Guided Imagery

One of my favorite ways to manage stress is by using a really simple meditation technique called guided imagery. This is simple to do and gets you used to meditation without having to put too much pressure on yourself. Plus, it is a wonderful way to be more optimistic and visualize your hopes and dreams. This technique is really helpful when you find yourself feeling very overwhelmed with the amount of stress you are dealing with, and the many things that are causing it. It helps us gain our breathe, calm our anxiety, and clear our heads so that we can approach our stressors with a more objective and positive view.

To use guided imagery, simply close your eyes, find your breath with slow, deep, intentional inhales and exhales, and imagine a scenario that puts you into a peaceful, calming environment. You might be at your favorite beach, laying in the sand under a palm tree, or walking through a thick forest enjoying the peaceful surroundings, or simply sitting in your home garden smelling the flowers. Take your imagination to that place, as clear and detailed as possible, and let yourself relax and release in the calm of your imagination.

The great thing about guided imagery is that it is easy to do, only takes a few minutes a day, and it can be done anywhere, in almost every situation (not while driving, of course!).

Have Healthy Daily Habits

Another daily change you can make to reduce your stress is to better develop your healthy habits. For many, current, negative, habits could be making stress worse, while for other’s, tweaking just a few habits could make a huge difference in stress levels. Start thinking about your physical health and emotional health as one whole health, and find healthy daily habits that are sustainable for you. You will notice that the result is a lower amount of stress.

Some healthy daily habits to consider are:

Eating a healthy, well-balanced diet. What you put into your body makes a big difference in how you feel, not just physically, but mentally as well. You can nourish your body and mind by eating a healthy diet. Focus on eating whole foods that include lean proteins like chicken and fish, healthy fats like avocado and coconut oil, fresh greens like kale and broccoli, fresh or frozen veggies like carrots and green beans, and an entire array of fruits. Be sure to drink lots of water, and watch your intake of sugar.

Getting regular exercise. Exercise is wonderful for relieving stress, and is a healthy habit everyone should make a daily habit. It doesn’t have to be hitting the gym or spending hours working out. Walking every day, going on a hike, yoga, riding a bike, or dancing in your living room all count as daily exercise.

Avoiding unhealthy habits. There are also some unhealthy habits that might be making your stress worse. For example, if you drink large amounts of alcohol or participate in recreational drugs, you may experience a sense of relief from your stress in the short-term, but in the long-term, will actually be making it much worse. Excessive amounts of caffeine can also make your stress worse.

Making sleep a priority. Everyone needs sleep, so don’t feel like getting little sleep is doing you any good. You need high quality sleep, no matter how busy your schedule is. Don’t make light of only needing to sleep a couple hours a day, because this is NOT normal OR healthy for you. Make sure you set your sleeping area up for success by lowering the temperature, having comfortable bedding, and removing blue lights and electronics. Trying to set a regular schedule of bedtime and waking time that works for you, but allows you sufficient time for rest.

Getting rest every day. Just like sleep, you also need rest every day. If you have a busy schedule, then make an appointment for rest and self-care if you have to. This is a priority to reducing stress! If you are a super busy personality type, start small, and add to this down time as you get more comfortable with resting.

Focusing on mindfulness. Mindfulness is regularly recommended for stress because it helps you live in the moment, and have a better understanding of your thoughts and worries. Practicing mindfulness every day, such as during your self-care routine, is a healthy habit you can start doing now. Be mindful of your daily routines, taste your food, admire your surroundings, enjoy the people you are with, and recognize the moments as they exist.

Use a Stress Journal

Stress and worry journals are amazing for reducing your stress. Keeping track of your moods, emotions, and stressors can provide many benefits for you, including monitoring your stress peaks, understanding more about what is causing your stress, and keeping track of any stress-relief methods you may try, and how they work out for you. Because stress can create many issues in our lives such as headaches, digestive issues, increased anxiety, problems sleeping, and work productivity issues. Tracking all of these things along with the methods you use to reduce stress can help you see patterns in what does and doesn’t work for you, or what you may need to work on.

Avoid Unnecessary Stress

Take an honest look at the sources of stress that are completely unnecessary and optional, even when it doesn’t feel that way. If you are already dealing with a lot of stress in your life, the last thing you need to do is encourage more of it.

To avoid unnecessary stress, start by learning how to say “no” to people. This is a BIG one, and a completely and freeing move-be bold, make “no” a complete sentence, and just do it! Make priorities based on your needs and abilities, and manage your time to balance the stress in your life. You will thank yourself!

You may also want to look at your current sources of known stress and make a list of things that you can do to relieve it. Delegating responsibilities, outsourcing to others, or just asking for assistance can reduce a lot of stress from many of the big activities in our lives.

I hope that you will take a few minutes to evaluate how stress may be affecting your life, and use some of these ideas to reduce it, remove it, and move beyond it. As always, if you are looking for personal guidance in your health journey, including dealing with stress and exploring mindfulness, contact me and let’s talk about starting your journey. Find peace and health:)

from my business site BeeWell.com

Dip into a Healthy Game!

It’s Superbowl Weekend, which means it’s time for football friendly snacking!  Even though parties are still on the backburner, I’m offering up a few yummy and super healthy crowd-pleasing dips that are a convenient and delicious way to consume a wide variety of anti-inflammatory vegetables, spices, and healthy fats. While we love the convenience of purchased dips like packaged hummus, many brands contain unnecessary levels of fat and preservatives. Making dips yourself allows you to control the flavor and quality – and it’s easy!

The best dips begin with a creamy base made from foods such as beans, lentils, avocados, edamame, and roasted vegetables [eggplant, carrots, squash, zucchini, peppers, cauliflower] that are blended with oil or another liquid. Add flavor boosters such as tahini, garlic, hot sauce, nut butters, nuts and seeds, lemon or lime juice and zest to add dimension. Finish by seasoning with fresh and dried herbs, spices, salt and pepper and your dip is complete. Here are some of our favorite combinations with healthy “vehicle to your mouth” ideas:

Ingredient and flavor combinations

  • Chickpea hummus [and other beans] – The classic chickpea base is very versatile and can be made with any bean. Add tahini, garlic, lemon, and cumin to chickpeas for a traditional version. Variations include [but are not limited to] roasted red pepper, lemon kale, Moroccan carrot, roasted zucchini, kalamata olive, spicy sriracha, and creamy pesto. Try this crowd-pleasing version for Lemon Dill Hummus!
  • Avocado, AKA guacamole! We love the healthy fats in avocado, but the calories can be intimidating. Cut the amount of avocado in half by adding defrosted edamame beans – you will decrease the calories and increase the protein. Win, win. Add some greens to keep your dip bright and fresh. This Kale and Avocado Guacamole is a team favorite.
  • Roasted vegetables – Baba ganoush is the ultimate example here – a combination of roasted eggplant, tahini, lemon, and garlic. Other roasted vegetables that work well in dips are butternut squash, cauliflower, zucchini, carrots, and peppers. Roasting them allows you to process vegetables until creamy. Start with store-bought for this nutrient-dense and super flavorful Roasted Red Pepper Walnut Dip.

Vehicles: (GET IN MY MOUTH!)

  • Carrot chips or sticks – You can purchase prepared crinkle cut carrot chips or slice carrots on angle. Baby carrots work too.
  • Cucumber chips – Slice cucumbers on an angle to maximize surface area for scooping.
  • Broccoli or cauliflower – Lightly steam these vegetables to bring out their sweetness – you want them to still have the firmness necessary to dip.
  • Green beans – Remove stems, rinse, and dip. If you prefer, you can lightly steam these as well.
  • Endive – This nutrient dense vegetable is the ultimate chip – perfect shape, size, and sturdiness.
  • Peppers – Red, yellow, and orange peppers provide a variety of phytonutrients and are milder than green peppers.
  • Celery sticks – Firm and crisp, celery is a go to vehicle.
  • Snap peas – These can be consumed raw or lightly steamed.

Cherry tomatoes – We love using grape tomatoes on our crudités platters, but dipping them can be tricky. Using toothpicks can help keep your fingers free of dip.

I hope you get a chance to try them while watching the game. Go Team!!!

Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Dip

Ingredients

4 roasted red peppers, If jarred peppers, drain and rinse (fresh roasted red peppers work too)

1 Tbs olive oil


3 Tbs balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp cumin, ground

1 lemon, juiced (for 2 Tbs juice)

1 clove garlic, chopped


1 cup walnuts, raw


1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

salt, to taste

Directions

Prep

Drain and rinse roasted red peppers. If using freshly roasted red peppers, you can leave the skin on. 


Chop garlic. 


Make

Add all ingredients to a food processor and process until creamy with a bit of texture. 


Garnish with some additional walnuts and a drizzle of olive oil. Season with salt to taste. 


Serve with fresh vegetables like endive. 


Servings 4

Calories  242

Fat 22.6g    Saturated Fat 2.3g

Carbohydrates 8g   Dietary Fiber 2g     Sugars  4g

Protein 5g

Kale and Edamame Guacamole

Ingredients

4 avocados


4 cup shelled edamame, defrosted (peas work well too)


2 cup kale, spines removed and chopped


1/2 cup lime juice


2 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped


1/4 cup red onion, chopped


2 Cloves garlic, pressed or minced


2 tsp ground cumin 


1 tsp salt


hot sauce, as desired

Directions

Prep

Remove spines and chop kale. 


Juice lime. 


Chop cherry tomatoes. 


Press or mince garlic cloves. 


Make

Cut avocados in half, remove pit, and scoop flesh into food processor. Add beans, kale, and lime juice and pulse until creamy. Add some water if you need some more creaminess or more lime juice to increase tartness. 


Add tomatoes, onion, garlic, cumin to processor and pulse until just combined 


Stir in hot sauce and salt to taste. 


Serve with baked chips and raw vegetables. 


Servings 12

Calories  196

Fat  13g   Saturated Fats 2.3

Carbohydrates    15g     Dietary Fiber  9g     Sugars   5g

Protein  9g

Lemon Dill Hummus

Ingredients

1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 Tbs tahini paste


1 lemon, zested and juiced


1 Clove garlic

1/4 cup olive oil


2 Tbs dill, fresh, chopped

1/4 cup scallions, chopped

salt, to taste


pepper, to taste

Directions

Prep

Drain and rinse chickpeas. 


Zest and juice lemon. 


Chop dill, scallions, garlic. 


Make

Add chickpeas, tahini, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, juice of lemon [about 3 tablespoons], and garlic to a food processor. Pulse until combined. 


Run processor while adding olive oil and continue running until hummus is smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add more lemon juice if desired. 


Add dill and scallions and pulse to combine. Do not run too long or the dip will turn green. 


Serve with your favorite vegetables. 


Servings 8

Calories 117

Total Fat 8.5g   Saturated Fat 1g

Carbohydrates 9g   Dietary Fiber  2g   Sugars 1g

Protein  3g

A Healthy Balanced Gut is the Key to Great Health! (or) My 5 Day Health Fast

From my business site BeeWell.com

One of the biggest health issues affecting American’s is having and unhealthy and unbalanced gut. This issue, and my journey to solve it, it partially what led me into health coaching. So, in this blog post, I invite you into a bit of my story.

In early 2016, right before I turned 50, I began to experience crazy health issues. I woke one morning to rash covering my face, neck and arms, and had no idea what caused it. The months that followed became increasingly worse with giant hives appearing over most of my body, joints aching for no reason, and waves of deep fatigue. I did elimination diets over and over, finding that many foods made it worse-gluten, artificial sweeteners, and added colors and flavors. I began to cut foods from my diet, while visiting doctors to help me find a solution.

Doctors were puzzled. They Googled my symptoms, and wrote me dozens of prescriptions for steroids, antibiotics, and creams. All of my symptoms got worse. I demanded allergy tests, and was denied for months. Finally, after almost a year, I took the tests, and my only allergies were fragrance and shellac-not a single food allergy! My symptoms continued to get worse, and absolutely no doctor could find a reason or a solution. I switched doctors several times, and even joined a very pricey integrative health program to get more focused and personal attention. I was extremely upset, unable to be in the sun, unable to workout or be outside because sweat made it worse, and because I was completely covered in rash and huge red welts, I stopped seeing friends or going out into public situations.  At one point, I was given a prescription to stop the itching, and it only gave me hallucinations and made me hysterical for 3 hours. I gave up on medical doctors at that point, and started my intense research into finding the answer.

I spent a total of 4 years dealing with this. It affected every single aspect of my life, and consumed most of my free time. I Googled, read medical journals, took supplements, eliminated most foods from my diet, read every single food label, wrote down every bite of food-it was exhausting. Some days, I thought things were getting better, and that I had finally found the answer, but within a few days, my symptoms were back with a vengeance. Finally, in 2018, I did a diet reset program with a few friends to drop a few pounds, and for 3 weeks, my issues subsided. Once again, I looked to food intolerances to see what exactly the trigger was, and cut out more foods. The symptoms returned however, even worse. I was now experiencing severe brain fog, so bad that it made me feel dizzy, weak, and unbalanced. I walked into walls, tripped over my own feet, and could not focus on anything that I did.

In the fall of 2019, a lot of “crazy” entered my life-my new beach house flooded after a plumber forgot to hook up my washer correctly…the restoration process had my walls and ceilings ripped out, and on Thanksgiving, I had a squirrel enter my house thru a broken dryer hose and drop in to antagonize me and my dog (I cannot make this stuff up, I promise you!!) I dealt with all of this by spending time on my sunny deck, drinking the wine given to me by contractors and friends, as my house was slowly put back into order. My health took a huge dive, and my life became absolutely unbearable. I was completely covered in huge red, itching welts, ran fevers, had chills, ached all over, and could not sleep due to the pain and itching. I spent hours searching the internet for answers, in tears, feeling as though I just could not take another minute of this issue. I saw an acupuncturist 3 times a week, took handfuls of supplements and allergy meds, and was down to only 7 foods that I felt were safe to eat. Nothing helped.

Finally, as I reached the end of hope, I stumbled across an article about fasting to heal “leaky gut”. I spoke to my doctor, and was told that “leaky gut” was not real. She suggested more steroids. I declined, and returned to my research from a “wellness” perspective, not a “medical” perspective. After several days of taking many notes, and placing many orders on Amazon, I had a plan in place. I journeyed back into total seclusion at our beach house in early February 2020, and spent three very long, very cold and rainy days, on a VERY strict fast that consisted of only homemade bone broth, water, and mega-doses of gut healing supplements. My issues got worst as I fasted, but I continued on, desperate for relief.

I completed my fast after 78 hours, and woke up the next morning with almost no hives. I noticed that my joint aches had subsided, and I felt healthier and clearer headed than I had in years.  I ended my fast with steamed veggies and chicken, cut back on my supplements, and continued with lots of water. 2 days later, I had no symptoms at all. Not a single hive, no rashes, no eczema, no fatigue, no flu-like symptoms, no brain fog…I felt like a new person!

I continued my diet of veggies, clean protein, and water for 2 weeks, while tapering off my high doses of gut healing supplements. I experienced NO symptoms. I had hope again! I was feeling fabulous, but also very worried that it was gong to come back as I began to add new foods. As days and weeks passed, I added fruits, dairy, and even some gluten free grains to my daily diet with success. As pandemic began to cross the country, and lockdowns started to send everyone into their homes, I ate my first gluten in 4 years, and even enjoyed a glass of wine with NO reactions.

As 2020 reared it’s incredibly ugly head, sending almost everyone into a state of isolation, panic, and confusion, I found myself sitting on a sunny deck, smelling the salt water from the ocean 2 blocks away, feeling as though I had conquered my world. I enjoyed ALL the foods, was able to take long sweaty beach walks without reactions, and felt better than I had in years. It was then that I decided to take my nutrition and wellness degree to the next level and become a certified health coach.

I did not have another reaction. I spent 2020 feeling fabulous, completeting my certification classes and exams, listening to other’s complain about being isolated, and thinking about how I’d already spent 4 years completely isolated from life. I had cured my 4 year health crisis.

Fast forward to the last few weeks of 2020, and early 2021…I had been thinking I should do a “reset” fast as a gut “tune up”, but had not made plans to do so. A recent weeklong trip to my main house with my husband and youngest son led to me eating things I don’t normally eat when I’m alone at the beach house-mainly sugar. My son made it his job to bring home poundcake (4 times!!!), candy, cookies, and pizza, which we snacked on while watching football playoffs and waiting for the rain to subside. After 8 days, I returned to the beach, and almost couldn’t make it up the 2 flights of stairs. My joints ached, my head was clouded, and I was exhausted. I spent 3 days monitoring my health, feeling as though I had aged 30 years overnight. My face was puffy, I was dozing off several times a day, my sleep was terrible, my skin was pale and dry, and my eyes were sunken in and surrounded by black circles. My stomach was bloated, and my digestion was very off, and finally, I realized my brain fog was coming back hard. I decided it was time for a new fast!

I kept track of my thoughts during what is now 113 hours of fasting, and if you are interested, it is at the end of this blog. In the end, I am feeling like a completely different person. I feel fabulous, ageless, full of energy and good health.

But first, a few facts about fasting for gut health.

Our gut contains over 100 million nerve endings, and is considered to be another “brain” within the body, referred to as enteric nervous system (ENS). Bacteria in our gut works to keep the gut balanced and healthy, but this is easily affected by stress, foods, coffee, alcohol, medicines, and lifestyle. When the gut becomes unbalanced and unhealthy, the nerve endings send signals to our hormones and organs, and they become greatly affected. An unbalanced gut can lead to many, many issues including mood disorders and changes, hormonal imbalances, autoimmune disorders, learning issues, brain fog, food intolerances and allergies, and skin issues like hives, eczema, and rashes.

Fasting gives the gut a chance to reset and heal itself. My fast included bone broth, which has many nutrients and healing properties for the gut, and coconut oil with MCT, which added healthy fats to my diet for healing and a feeling of satiety to keep me from feeling hungry. I also included several gut healing supplements like l-glutamine and turmeric. If you choose to fast, please speak to a health professional before doing so if you have any medical issues, and monitor your health closely while doing so. If you feel dizzy, ill, or have other odd reactions, please stop your fast and seek out information. If you’d like to discuss fasting, gut health, hormonal imbalances, or other health goals, please feel free to reach out to me to discuss your goals.

And now, my 5 day journey of fasting and getting my gut health and energy reset!

Day 1,  10am, feeling quite foggy headed and very tired, I decide that it’s time to do another bone broth fast. I ponder it for 2 hours, while fighting with my cloudy head to post a few graphics on IG. At noon, my dog and I jump into the jeep to go to the grocery store. I’ve decided on store bought bone broth for this fast, because I don’t like the smell when I make my own.

1pm  My exhausted and foggy head tries to put together my new phone tripod, while my stomach grumbles to be filled. I’m already 15 hours into this fast, and I want to go live on my Facebook group to hold myself accountable. I give up on the tripod, and open my laptop only to find that Facebook has changed everything about going live….I grab my phone, prop it up with a yoga block on my kitchen counter, and hit record. As soon as I finish my video, I grab a mug and drink down a cup of broth, not much liking the taste, but it’s in my belly, and I can move on with my day. I watch my live video and realize I look tired, pale, and aloof. I really hope this works.

3pm I’m feeling a bit more awake, I’ve hit my step goal, and done the laundry. It’s time to take in some more bone broth, but first, I take my l-glutamine supplement in a glass of warm water. This really fixes my gut, as proven several times before. I wait a bit, drink down another cup of broth, and take my dog for a quick walk to the beach, wishing the sun was out.

5:30pm  Feeling pretty good, my stomach is rumbling, so, time for more broth. I down a full bottle of water-my 4th today, and heat up my broth. I decide to put a tablespoon of coconut oil/MCT into my broth just to bulk up my calories with healthy fats, and satiate my hunger a bit. The coconut oil gets on my fingers, than onto my glasses-so I spend the next hour trying to get my glasses clean and end up with a banging headache.

8:30 pm still have a headache, but my energy is high. I down one more cup of broth with coconut oil, put on my pjs, and turn my bed into a big nest of pillows.  I’m ready to rest.

After some Netflix, still having a headache, I think I fell asleep around 9:45, and slept deeper than I have in months. Vivid but calm dreams, little waking. Huge success for this chronic insomniac!

Day 2 I woke at 6:30am, with NO pain in my joints at ALL. For the last 2 weeks I woke up and thought I had aged quickly overnight. My head was clear, and I felt great. I got in my daily morning 3K steps, had coffee with coconut oil, showered and headed out for a massage in the pouring rain.

My massage was just what I needed. My shoulders and neck were super tight. Halfway through the massage, I felt a light switching on in my head-like I just “woke up”, everything became super vivid and super clear-EVERYTHING. I left the massage feeling even better, ran a few errands, and headed back to the house.

I had no hunger pains, so I didn’t even think about broth, but had a giant bottle of Smart water to flush my body from released toxins from the deep tissue massage.

2pm, more bone broth , followed by a scoop of collagen powder for added protein, still feeling awesome…So awesome in fact, I march out 10K steps while finishing a movie

4pm, more bone broth. Did I mention??  DO NOT like bone broth. It makes me think of my mother’s burnt roast beef. I guzzle it-no sipping for me. More water as well. On to a nice walk with my dog at the beach-the rain has stopped, and the sun and  moon are showing themselves this early evening. It’s spectacular! Halfway through my walk, I realize-I feel like a new person. I run with Sadie for a bit, stop and smell the fresh sea air, and remark to myself that this was a fantastic decision. I feel incredible!

Back at the house at 6pm, my energy is now so SO high, I feel almost ADHD-like I can’t control all of the thoughts and energy, like I can’t sit still. I have now hit 21K steps with little effort. I have more bone broth and coconut oil, and hope that my energy level is met with clarity soon. It’s now been 44 hours.

I finish my evening with more broth, and an early bedtime. I’m hoping day 3 is better.

Day 3  I wake to another cold and very windy day. I feel pretty good, but realize I have some after affects from my massage, which is expected and normal.  I decide to spend the day in a mostly restful state, getting work done. I drink my broth, add coconut oil during the day, and still have no hunger pains. At this point, I start thinking about how I will end my fast, and what I will do after it to keep my gut healthy and balanced, and my body free of toxins. The day flew by quickly with no issues to remark on.  I end this day with a somewhat self-induced hypnosis to relax, and sleep for a solid 8 uninterrupted hours. This was definitely a much better day!

Day 4 I woke intending to end my fast. I made my grocery list and did the shopping, ran errands, had 2 meetings, and cleaned my entire house while dancing to some very loud Taylor Swift. My energy is super high, my focus is clear, and I’m super chill. I feel no hunger, I have no aches, my skin is clearer and brighter. I post a new video to my Facebook group, and friends remark how much better I appear to be.

At 4 pm I realize I have not ended my fast, and decide to take it to the next morning. A walk to the beach makes me realize that my mind is super clear-I see the beach daily-but today, I am overwhelmed at the beauty and the colors that seem so very bright and intense. I have an incredible sense of well being and calm. I have broth and coconut oil for the rest of the day, but on this night, I am hungry! My stomach is rumbling, and I really just want to CHEW on something. I do a relaxation meditation, and fall asleep rather quickly.

Day 5 OK! I wake up to more sun, and feel really fabulous. I have coffee with coconut oil, and sit in the sun for an hour just feeling it on my face. I can’t wait for spring.

I’m very calm, very content. I down a bottle of water and my supplements, and look in the mirror. My skin is super clear, my eyes are bright, and I have no dark circles. The scale shows a drop of 4 pounds, but that was not the reason for this fast. I have no stomach or digestive issues, no gas, no bloating, no indigestion, no inflammation or pain in my joints. My mind is clear and calm, and I feel well rested. This fast was a success! After 113 hours, I am now preparing to end my fast with a non-dairy smoothie, followed by several days of lean meats, non-starchy veggies, and berries.

Please feel free to reach out to me if you think you are experience gut issues, hormonal imbalances, or have other goals for your health, diet, or well being. I’d love to discuss a plan for you to get back to optimal health and happiness. If you’d like to be a part of my health centered, fun, Facebook group, please drop me a note.

A Few Non-Food Tips for Losing Weight

It’s brand new year, and a lot of us are thinking about making some changes for the better. Many of us spent the last year binging Netflix, wearing comfy sweats, and perhaps munching a bit too much on our favorite comfort foods, and why not? After all, we spent a ton of time at home, rarely had to be at anything social, and well….2020. So, now that we are looking at a brand new year, and hopefully a little bit more normalcy in our lives soon, it’s only natural to think about getting our diets cleaned up and hopefully drop a few of those pandemic pounds!

As we look to change our habits, keep in mind-it takes 21 days to FORM a habit, but usually around 60 days for it to become routine in our lives. Small steps, when done routinely, can add up to huge changes over a period of time, so-think of small attainable goals that will eventually add up to big goals. This will keep you focused and happy with your progress.

Today I’d like to give you some small steps to start now that will add up to those big changes that you want to see later. Pick one or two a week, or a month, and build them into habits, then into routine, as you slowly add in more. Several small goals add up to a much bigger picture in the end!

Find Your Why!

Just claiming that you want to drop 15 pounds/eat cleaner/work out is not enough to motivate you to do the things you need to do in order to accomplish that goal. The clearest way to get your motivation in gear is to declare your WHY. Why do you want to drop those pounds? Why do you want to eat cleaner? Why do you want to workout? What are the things you envision in your life when you DO accomplish these things? Take a few minutes and really think about what you will “gain” by hitting the goal you want to hit. Make a list of those things. Perhaps you want to wear certain clothes, or feel more youthful and fit, or maybe it’s because you want the energy to lay with your kids or grandkids. Maybe you want to walk your dog without being out of breath, or maybe you’re hoping to take up an activity this spring that needs you to be more in shape. Perhaps you want to get off of medications, or see your blood pressure drop to a normal level. Write these things down, envision your life as it will be at that point, and consider how you will feel about accomplishing that. That, my friend, is your WHY.

Focus on ADDING things, not SUBTRACTING things!

Often, when we make changes in our lives to be healthier, we find that we feel restricted, or that we are losing out on things. Change your mindset! Instead of saying “I can’t eat cookies”, say to yourself, “look at all these amazing fruits I get to eat from the local farmers market”. Instead of thinking, “I have to get up and exercise”, think, “Wow, I get to go for a long walk/jog and really enjoy feeling healthy in my soul!” or, “It feels so good to have a few minutes of quiet time to just enjoy how it feels to work my body.” In addition, ADD new foods to your diet, add new recipes! The addition of these things is far more important and lasting than subtracting things from your goals! Try looking at what you GET to do, instead of what you cannot do. Change your mindset.

Lose the Idea of Perfection!

This is a big one! How many times have you started a healthy eating plan only to give up on it after eating the “wrong” foods? This is, after all, why people are always “starting” diets. Think of it this way-instead of beating yourself up for not finishing a workout, praise yourself for trying. Instead of giving up on your healthy eating plan because you had a few cookies, congratulate yourself for only having a few. Again, it’s the mindset that changes your patterns. Attempting perfection only sets you up for failure, because, hey! Who’s perfect anyway? Nothing is ever going to be perfect, accept the imperfections and find the small accomplishments that have been made. Give yourself a break. It’s all part of the process!

Get some Sleep; Rest your Mind, Find Moments of Peace

Lack of quality sleep affects SO much of your health journey. Lack of sleep creates stress, and stress releases hormones that affect your metabolism negatively. Lack of sleep keeps your body from achieving recovery mode, which results in exhaustion, poor muscle strength, the possibility of making poor choices, and increased appetite. Make your sleep a priority-set bedtime and wake time routines, turn off electronics, reduce blue light time in the evening, cool the temperature of your bedroom, and make your bed a comfortable and peaceful place. To aid in proper sleep, but sure to get adequate sunlight into your life during the daytime hours, and try to not indulge in alcohol or heavy meals before bedtime.

Make You and Your Health a Priority SELF LOVE

Honor your body, honor your goals, and honor your meals. Practice honor in all aspects of your journey and the respect you give will pay you back. Nutrition is the best medicine you can give your body. What you put into your body is what you get in return. Show your body love in all that you do, and beyond that-show yourself LOVE. Spend time doing the things that bring you joy, take up a new hobby or rediscover something that you have long given up. By bringing yourself joy, you remove stress and create a whole new peace and calm in which to live. Meditate, practice gratitude, spend time focusing on your breath. Love yourself enough to put yourself first, and the rewards of good health with come to you.

Find New Ways to Measure Success

I hate when I see images of scales on posts about dieting or healthy eating! The scale is a truly poor measurement of diet success! There’s an image that gets passed around on the internet often depicting several women, all the same weight, each with a completely different body. Personally, when I gave up on the number I saw on the scale, I quickly realized that “volume” or “weight” simply did not give a full picture of my body. Look at it this way-a tall skinny 5 pound box weighs the same as a small circular sphere that weighs 5 pounds. They are completely different though! So many factors play into weight on a scale-muscle build, bone density, how much water you drank, whether you’ve used the restroom, even having long hair! Many people find that when they are in their ideal fit shape, their weight is actually HIGHER than the goal weight they hoped for. Learn to measure your success in other ways: how do your clothes fit? How do you look in the mirror? Are you feeling lighter? Is there a spring in your step? Are you getting through workouts without breathing as heavy? Are people remarking on your success? Learn to look at how you feel and what you see instead of those numbers on that scale!

Find a Fellow Motivator!

How about a bestie that encourages you to succeed? Someone you admire that cheers you on and adds positive motivation and support to your daily life? Surround yourself with the people who have the same goals as you, people that have accomplished those goals and live them every day. These are the people that will inspire you and excite you. Find your tribe of fellow goal seekers, fellow health seekers, and follow the journey together. You can, of course, also find yourself a Health and Wellness Coach that will guide you, motivate you, cheerlead you, and help you set those goals, break them down into small steps, and reach them. You know where to find me;)

Shared from my website BeeWell.com Now offering 20% off all Health and Wellness Packages with promo code HEALTH20

Ending the Year with a Little TLC

As I write this, I sit looking out over the Atlantic on a warm, but slightly gray, gloomy day. I sit, searching the waves for the whale that has been teasing my island coastline for the last few weeks, but there’s no sign of him. I came to my beach today hoping to find some energy, a spark of inspiration, anything to bring me out of a week-long funk. But, there’s no sign of that here either. I’m very…tired? Unfocused? I can’t put my finger on the exact word, but I’m feeling very out of sorts.

I imagine others are feeling the same way as the holidays approach, and others have reported feeling this way for months, as this year of 2020 rolls out our patience, plays with our emotions, and leaves many of us feeling exhausted, helpless, and anxious. 2020 has been the year of needing self-care. Like no other year we’ve experienced, this year required an absolute sink or swim grounding, just to pass the days and weeks away. Early on, I watched social media as people baked bread, colored their sidewalks, and created ways to connect and lift others into some small ray of happiness. As weeks turned into months, people got busy figuring out, and carrying on, their “new normal”; schooling at home, working at home, balancing too much. And now, as winter and the long dark nights await us, we also face new or continued restrictions to round out a full year. Many people are exhausted.

I preach self care constantly to my clients, to my friends, to my family, and I practice it often to keep myself in a positive and balanced mood. I also approach my relationships, social media, and daily conversations as upbeat and positive as possible because I truly believe that it breeds more positivity-something much needed in 2020. So, when I found myself in a complete funk most of last week and this week, I was confused. Nothing I did helped. I slept more, checked my nutrition, dragged myself out for long walks, took days off of work to recharge, and even treated myself to a massage. My dark funk only deepened. I knew I needed to take some time to really evaluate what was going on, because I’ve been able to shake this off in the past with just a little rest and self care. So, I sit on this beach as the wind picks up around me, watch the waves, and just allow myself to think.

I realize that I’ve placed huge burdens on myself this year. I allowed myself to be the life-raft, if you will, to many, many people. I tried to be the beacon of hope, the ray of sunshine, the person who always listened and lifted those who were not handling things well. And, perhaps, in turn, It helped me to see through the confusion, uncertainty, and worries that this year has laid at our feet. It gave me purpose, and kept me focused as we all simply woke up each day and put one foot in front of the other. But, I think at some point, I just hit a wall. As a HUGE holiday person, I sat quietly and watched Halloween pass by with no children at the door…Thanksgiving brought only one of my four adult children to my table…And the idea of this “new normal” Christmas is rather tiring. I truly think my funk started with attempting to decorate the tree-I mean, who will even see it?? Now, as I write, I realize “I” will see it! And now that it’s up, the sight of it each dark evening really does make my heart full. And that, THAT is a little self love!

I also realize that, although I am a “strong” person who likes to project positivity and resilience to others, I am, indeed, also very sensitive, as well as quite human, and it’s OK to let my guard down on occasion. It’s OK to say, “Hey, I’m not OK!” It’s healthy to ask for help and simply say to the world, “I hit the wall, I’m in a funk. I need you to carry me for just a bit.” And, I prove this to be true simply by writing this blog post. 🙂

If you have found yourself feeling out of sorts as this crazy year draws to a close, I encourage you to take some time for extra self care. Treat yourself to a guilty pleasure, say “no” to the things that don’t bring you joy, be a little easier on yourself, cozy up and nap, binge watch, or read. Tell yourself that you deserve it-because you DO…Because-2020. Give yourself a break, allow yourself to feel your feelings and recognize them for what they are. Take care of yourself as needed, and don’t be afraid to say, “Hey, I need a little help over here!”

The mental health industry has coined this “pandemic fatigue”. The symptoms are anxiety, depression, sadness, and fatigue or exhaustion. Anxiety is the result of losing control, and feeling as though things we hold dear have been changed or even threatened. Depression can be a response to a feeling of loss-lost time, lost money, lost relationships, lost traditions. We have all experienced loss this year, to some degree, some greater than others. Fatigue or exhaustion can be derived from many sources this year-overworking, home educating, isolation, balancing out the constant stream of news and responsibilites that just seem never-ending. It’s important to have support, and also to know when it’s time to ask for help. Please, if you find that you are in need of serious help, contact a health professional.

Early on this year I read a beautifully written article about “what we were feeling”. In short, it summed it up as being grief. Grief over losses, grief over change, grief over lost control of many facets of our lives. With grief, comes many emotions, and you’ve likely seen them played out on social media this year: Shock, denial, anger, depression…The final stage of grief is acceptance. Perhaps, that is the stage we all need to allow ourselves to embrace as 2020 falls away from our calendars. Accept, and be able to move on, to a better year, full of possibilities and hope. Acceptance may be the best first step in your self care toolbox right now.

Other self care tools to help you work through the end of this year: breathing, meditation, a little extra sleep, being kinder to yourself with less expectations, spoiling yourself a bit, giving yourself a break, making sure your nutrition is balanced, getting some movement and fresh air into your day, and finding a bit more support in your life. To help with that, I invite you to join my little Facebook group for just this purpose. It’s free, there’s no sales, and it offers support while also offering self care techniques, food facts, recipes, and fun conversation. I’d love to have you join us as we enter into this brand new year. You can join HERE or search BeeWell Healthy Hive on Facebook.

It’s been a hell of a year. I think back to last New Years, with it’s fireworks and dancing, champagne bottle popping on the boardwalk, and a video of me, almost in tears of joy, anticipating the year to come with elation. I think back to mid-march, explaining to one of my out-of-touch-with-current-news children what might possibly happen in the weeks going forward (and realize now, I couldn’t have even imagined the reality that followed). I think back to all of the incredible challenges that were thrown into our lives this year without much warning, without much time to prepare. And I think every one of us deserves a huge pat on the back, a huge “well done”, and a huge BREAK. We actually made it. Here’s to a New Year!