If you are struggling with food addiction or food in general, here are a few tips to get you started on breaking the hold food has on you.

One of the most powerful steps you can take to improve your health, boost energy levels, and prevent chronic diseases is to move to a plant-based diet.

Here are five statements to avoid and ways to look at changing your lifestyle that can help you sustain the change for a lifetime. Don’t let someone beat you with a stick to change, fear doesn’t work or is short term…find your own carrots and dangle them in front of your eyes. Don’t count on others to dangle the carrots for you…find your WHY and find your well-being.

So why do we need fiber then if we just poop it out? Fiber has health benefits that may help reduce your risk of developing certain conditions. One is diverticulitis, others conditions fiber can help reduce the likelihood of are: colon cancer, diabetes, hemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome. 

When we think of hydration, we typically think of grabbing a glass of water or asking, “How many glasses should I have?”

So, what foods can help hydrate our bodies? Foods with high-water content like the obvious: watermelon, celery, cucumbers, iceberg lettuce, spinach, or carrots.

You may be presuming or assuming that the person you are “loving” receives what you are putting out as “love” and that they feel loved. If you don’t know your partners love language, you may be that you are sending the wrong signals to them or speaking a language they don’t understand or receive as love.

What are the green flags that should be looked for in a healthy relationship? When was the last time you asked or were asked that question? Green flags refer to good traits or qualities about someone.

I ran across a fun article written by Julie Benesh, PhD, MFA who is an Organizational Consultant, Higher Education Leader/Professor, Technical and Creative Writer and Editor.  She is so quirky that she wrote her dissertation on the romantic fantasy movie and her observations!   Anyway, the article is great, and I wanted to share her wisdom and insight.  The article focuses on leadership lessons or relationship lessons from Punxsutawney Phil.

Set a reminder to check your posture.  Many of us may have the intention to keep a good posture, but we usually forget about it after like 5 minutes.

Every start or intention gives our brains a boost. In day three to four, we typically feel motivation wane…that is where Dr. Caroline Leaf urges us to “push through to day seven!”

Dot has given her granddaughter the gift of healthy habits as she helps in the kitchen. She loves to help out by washing fruits and veggies. She begged to spend time with Dot to do this. Some kids might see it as a punishment, not Kat! She says she likes fruit and veggies, “because of the pretty colors.”

I was chatting with my cousin who is a mother of 5 kids who range in age from 7, 10, 14, 17 and 21.. We were discussing how a positive Covid test in October created more closeness than they all could handle for the 10-day quarantine time.  She felt the “Covid-crazy” took over, but now that they have been released, she is trying to get back to her healthy habits. 

When I asked her, these are the thoughts that came to her mind: 

What is mindfulness?  It’s a buzz word that everyone seems to be saying, but do you really understand what that means?  The Bible actually was the start of this “new” thinking, not Zen Buddhists or Jon Kabat-Zinn. 

Christmas has become commercialized and overscheduled for many and has lost it’s true meaning.  Jesus, the Son of God coming to this earth as the Good News to save all mankind.  He humbled Himself and was born into poverty, His first crib being a manager in an animal’s cave (stable of the day) in Bethlehem. 

So, how can we keep Christ in Christmas?  Our family has a few traditions I’d like to share with you.   

One way that we can pursue peace is to enjoy each moment. When we take the time to live in the moment or be mindful, we enjoy life and the people we are with so much more than if we are rushing through our day. Discover something special in each day and take some time to enjoy every moment this Christmas.

Resilience is actually a shipbuilding term.  It comes from the French word “resilere” – “RE” means, “to go back” and “silere” means “what’s most important”.

Diaphragmatic breathing is not only a great way to refocus the mind, but if done as a daily practice it helps build resilience for the days when life happens!