Tag: reverse aging

A Healthier You? Where to Begin on Your Wellness Journey

Starting a health and wellness journey can be daunting. Often, we know we need to make changes, but soon find it overwhelming and get stuck trying to make ALL the changes at once. A quick browse of social media wellness pages can leave you feeling bombarded with infinite possibilities, there’s products like shakes, vitamins, packaged meals, new exercise programs, and enough nutritional information to make your head spin. All of this can leave us on information overload and confused about where to start and what will work best.

When I started my wellness journey, I had just reached 50. I had lived a rather healthy life up until that point, but suddenly my body seemed to have plans of its own. My normal healthy diet suddenly left me fighting extra pounds and feeling tired and sluggish. My regular exercise program left my joints hurting and results slowed way down. My skin became dry and itchy, getting restful sleep became a battle, my energy was low, and my mood was even lower. Add in those pesky hormonal changes, and I literally thought I was going to lose my mind; Something had to change!

As a nutritionist, I looked first to my diet. I thought I’d always eaten super healthy, but after keeping a food diary for a few weeks, realized that I was consuming way too much sugar (OK, it was WINE, lol, but sugar nonetheless!) Sugar consumption causes a myriad of negative issues in the body including weight gain, inflammation, mood swings and it really messes with your hormones. My first “step” in my journey was to reduce, then cut sugar from my daily diet. The results were super-fast and inspiring, and I was ready to take the next step rather quickly as I was already feeling MUCH better in about a week! My second step was changing up my exercise program. My supercharged cardio was replaced with gentle Pilates, a bit of yoga, walking, and basic strength training with light weights. Within about 5-6 weeks, I saw and felt the difference in my body-and my energy level. Just these two small changes to my life left me feeling like a different person! I was excited and ready to make new changes and see how fabulous I could feel!

Starting your health and wellness journey doesn’t have to be daunting-you don’t need to make ALL the changes overnight-in fact, studies prove that taking small steps and building on to them as you feel stronger, healthier, and happier is the way to success!

Ready to start (or restart) your journey to a more amazing, energetic, happier YOU? Here’s some nudges to help you be successful, along with some past blog post links for added info and ideas!

~Start with Small Steps: Begin by introducing small, achievable changes to your daily routine. For example, you could start with a short morning stretch, drinking more water throughout the day, or setting aside a few minutes for mindfulness or deep breathing exercises. Set reminders on your phone to help create these habits.

~Set Goals: Establish specific wellness goals that are realistic and measurable. Whether it’s increasing your daily steps, improving your sleep quality, or reducing stress, having clear goals can provide direction and motivation. Set one goal at a time to keep from being overwhelmed.

~Create a Routine: Incorporate wellness habits into your daily routine. Set specific times for activities like exercise, meal preparation, self-care, and relaxation. Consistency and structure can help make wellness habits feel more natural and automatic. If you feel that your schedule is already full-try “habit bundling” march out some extra steps while on a phone call, spend a few minutes doing some yoga stretches instead of scrolling your phone before bed, do an exercise routine while binging your favorite show.

~Prioritize Self-Care: Make self-care a priority by allocating time for activities that promote relaxation and rejuvenation. This could include activities like taking a warm bath, reading a book, practicing meditation, or enjoying a hobby that brings you joy. Show yourself some love!

~Stay Active: Regular physical activity is essential for overall wellness. Find activities that you enjoy and make them a part of your daily routine. It can be as simple as taking a walk during your lunch break, attending a fitness class, or engaging in home workouts. Ask a friend or family member to join you and keep each other accountable.

~Practice Mindful Eating: Pay attention to your eating habits and make mindful choices. Focus on consuming nutritious whole foods, including fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. Listen to your body’s hunger and fullness cues and aim for balanced and portion-controlled meals. Need to brush up on the basics of nutrition?

~Get Sufficient Sleep: Prioritize getting enough quality sleep. Establish a consistent sleep schedule, create a relaxing bedtime routine, and create a sleep-friendly environment. Aim for 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. And most of all-turn off those electronics!!!

~Stay Hydrated: Drink an adequate amount of water throughout the day to keep your body hydrated. Carry a reusable water bottle with you and make it a habit to sip water regularly. Set a reminder on your phone if you have a hard time remembering to drink (I do!) Getting enough water in will absolutely make you feel SO much better!

~Manage Stress: Incorporate stress management techniques into your daily routine. This can include practices such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, journaling, crafting, spending time in nature, or engaging in activities that help you unwind and relax.

~Practice Gratitude: Cultivate a mindset of gratitude by focusing on the positive aspects of your life. Take a few moments each day to reflect on things you are grateful for, whether it’s a small accomplishment, a beautiful moment, or the support of loved ones. Make sure to give yourself props for taking care of YOU!

Incorporating wellness habits into daily life is a journey will absolutely change your life. It’s important to be patient and kind to yourself along the way. Start with small steps, be consistent, and celebrate your progress. The rewards to a healthier lifestyle are HUGE! I promise you-making consistent small steps in your overall wellness will be the best thing you’ve even done for yourself.

Are you ready to make these awesome changes in your life but want guidance and motivation from someone that has the education, training, and experience to truly get you where you want to be? If it’s time to put YOU and your health and wellness at the forefront of your life and truly take the best care of YOU-then let’s talk! No pressure, no sales, no products, no gimmicks-just straight up conversation about your goals, your needs, and your questions and concerns about being your healthiest. My life has completely changed for the BEST, and so can yours!

Let’s do it! Contact me:)

The Quickest Way to Look, Feel, and Move Better!

I woke up this morning feeling and looking quite horrible. Despite getting over 7 and a half hours of sleep, I almost fell asleep in yoga class. My balance was off, my head felt achy, my stomach was a mess, my skin was puffy and blotched, and my plans to sit and write had to be put off for hours because my brain was foggy, and I couldn’t focus. Was it a cold? Was I just exhausted? Nope-I knew precisely what was wrong: Sugar hangover. I normally eat a sugar free diet and am not a big fan of sweets (my go to treat is buttered popcorn!) but on occasion, will indulge in a sweet treat. This past stormy weekend, my son bought a cake mix and icing and asked me to make him cupcakes. He didn’t realize that the mix would make 24 cupcakes, and he promptly told me that I was going to have to eat some of them.  I shook my head and said “nope!” As the weekend moved on, those darn cupcakes kept calling out to me at all hours of the night. Half asleep, I found myself in the kitchen, picking at them until one was gone, and I feel back asleep knowing that I was going to pay for it in the morning. And I paid. Yuck!

The average American eats about 17% of their daily calories in added sugar. Sugar comes in so many forms, with so many names, and is in almost every processed or packaged food in some manner. When I first started removing added sugar from my diet, label reading became a real challenge when I realized that there were currently 61 different words used to list “sugar” as an ingredient on packaging! 61!!!

Sugar creates inflammation in the body. It wreaks havoc on our skin.  It messes with our gut biome. It fills our body with calories while offering no actual nutritional benefit. As I began to create a lifestyle that was 99% sugar free, I noticed amazing changes in so many aspects of my body and all over health. If you want to know the quickest way to look, feel, and move better-it’s removing as much sugar from your diet as possible!

Better Skin

Ready to beat those wrinkles and lines you may be seeing in the mirror? Ditch the magic creams! Sugar is terrible for the skin. 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 refined sugar, they become less effective which causes your skin to sag and wrinkles to form. Less intake of sugar means more youthful skin!

Second, the inflammation caused by eating sugar has been shown to aggravate various skin disorders including acne and rosacea.

When I removed sugar from my diet, the first win I noticed was with my skin. My skin became clear and even toned, and I had less puffiness around my eyes in the morning. I truly felt as though the lines around my eyes became much less noticeable, and my skin felt much more supple and fresh.  

Enhanced Energy Levels

I said goodbye to sugar crashes and carb cravings. Refined sugar enters your bloodstream almost instantly which causes your energy levels quickly surge and crash; for many, this “crash” is what kicks in the feeling of needing more sugary carbs to get the energy back. 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. More energy means more movement as well as less mood swings!

Reduced Inflammation

Feeling tired? Moody? Achy? Do your joints hurt and keep you from getting the healthy exercise you need to feel your best? Is it impossible to lose the excess weight you’ve gained? Does it seem like you gain weight no matter what you do? Is your stomach a mess? Do you have heartburn and acid reflux? These are all signs of inflammation! Sugar in the diet is one of the main causes of inflammation. Left unchecked, this can lead to chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, and high blood pressure.

Removing sugar from the daily diet can reverse all these pesky symptoms that make us feel crappy on a daily basis. You will feel healthier all over, have more energy, less aches and pains, less moodiness, and able to focus on your overall health goals much easier.

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. And, we all know-sleep is one of the most important factors in looking and feeling our very best!

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.

How to Remove Sugar from the Diet without Losing Your Mind

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 effects 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! Read the labels!!!

*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.

*Ditch the wine and soda! Yes, I said it. 90% of my adult clients admitted to drinking too much wine or soda. Many of my female clients admitted to drinking up to 2 bottles of wine a night since pandemic. That’s almost 1000 calories of nothing but sugars and alcohol-with no nutritional value at all! To put on a pound of weight, it takes 3500 extra calories in the diet-that means that if you’re drinking that much wine-you are possibly gaining a pound every 4 days! Aside from weight gain, that alcohol and sugar is making you feel tired, moody, achy, and ill. It’s making everything you do harder, putting stress on your body, and destroying your youthful skin.

*GO FOR IT: If you are truly ready to ditch the sugar and see all the benefits-better skin, more energy, less weight battles, better sleep, and a better overall mood, try my 10 Day Sugar Detox Program. I will guide you and give you the tools and support you need to make this transition easier. This is a short, inexpensive program to get you results you will see and feel FAST! I’m ready to help you!! Let’s do this!!

Not ready to give up sugar just yet? Curious about how Health and Wellness Coaching can help you in other ways? Let’s chat about it! Contact me now!