Are you having a hard time getting the family up in the morning?
Here are some tips to help you get the family on the go:
Make Small Changes
Save yourself from making those morning demands by slowly setting the wake-up time a bit earlier each morning and bedtime a bit earlier. Try this in small 10-minute increments until you reach the optimal bedtime and wake-up times.
Prepare the Night Before
Prep as much as you can the night before. Have lunches planned and clothes picked out.
Limit Gadgets
Have a pre-bed cutoff for electronics as the blue screen can affect sleep.
Stay Consistent
We all want to sleep in a little on the weekends, but allowing the extra sleep time can derail you for the week. Best to stay on a schedule.
What is the hardest part of getting up in the morning?
Self Care At Home
While we all can’t go running to the spa every time we could use a little self-care, there are some treatments you can do at home to give you the feeling of being at the spa, but without the price tag.
Try one or all of these relaxing “spa” treatments:
Lemon Water
Make yourself a pitcher of lemon water with fresh mint to treat your senses.
Music
Put on your favorite tunes. This might be something calm and relaxing, or it might be that album from high school that you secretly love.
Candles
Candles! Why not? Light a few in your bathroom for your bath. The light of candles is naturally calming.
Foot Soak
A calming foot soak is great before that mani/pedi. And it is as easy as pouring warm water into a bowl with Epsom salt, olive oil, and your favorite sensual oil.
Mani/Pedi
Pamper yourself with a fresh coat of polish on your fingers and toes! Plan ahead and buy yourself a new color.
Tea: Brew a nice cup of your favorite herbal tea, sit back and sip. This is best when sipped while enjoying soothing tunes.
Mask
Create a natural DIY mask to smooth and soften your skin. Here is a wonderful balancing mask recipe to try: 2 1/2 oz (75g) Fuller's Earth clay 1 tbsp finely ground oats and or almond meal 1 tbsp arrowroot starch 15 drops frankincense essential oil
Combine all dry ingredients well in a bowl. Add frankincense, one drop at a time, and stir well to prevent lumping. Store in a tight jar. When ready to use, mix some mask base with a little water to make a paste, apply to face and neck and leave for 15 minutes. Rinse off and pat dry.
How do you relax at home?
Ooh La La Cinnamon!
Cinnamon is often a flavor or scent associated with desserts, or for some with the holiday season. It gives off a warming aroma that causes cravings for coffee cake, hot cocoa, and any number of rum infused drinks, but did you know that cinnamon gives off more than a desire for a cozy spot by the fire?
This powerhouse spice is a super antioxidant that packs all of this in just 1 tablespoon:
-4 grams of fiber
-68 percent daily value manganese
-4 percent daily value iron
-3 percent daily value vitamin K
Slow Eating Is All The Rage
With many of our lives on the go, we have learned the habits of living a fast life, even down to how we eat.
But did you know that eating slowly has some great benefits?
Aside from forcing yourself to slow down to enjoy your food, chewing slowly helps with digestion, weight loss, and it reduces stress by putting you in a place where you are paying closer attention.
Try to slow down by chewing each bite at least 20 times, or try putting your fork down between each bite to enjoy the food in your mouth.
Do you have a tendency to eat quickly?
Less is More
In the time of Instagram, a big plate makes food look more photo-worthy, but when you are trying to drop a few pounds before that class reunion, or that beach trip, a big plate is a bad idea.
Here’s why:
Placing your portion sizes on a larger plate makes your portions look smaller which can cause you to feel unsated, whereas placing the same amounts on a smaller plate gives the appearance of abundance.
Give this trick a try and see how you feel.
How Do You Cauliflower?
When many of us think of cauliflower, we think of a stale looking hors d’ oeuvre platter at a family holiday party, but cauliflower is a powerful, hormone balancing food packed with vitamins C and K. Believe it or not, there are many ways to incorporate it into your diet.
Here are just a few:
Cauliflower Rice
Cut florets and pulse in a food processor until it is the size of rice. Steam for a minute. Use this to replace rice in your next dish!
Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
Steam florets and then blend until creamy. Add milk or stock until it reaches the consistency of a sauce. Try this low-fat version of a classic!
How do you get your cauliflower in?
Irregular Bedtimes in Children More Likely To Contribute to Behavioral Problems
Did you know that children with irregular bedtimes are more likely to have behavioral problems? Studies have shown that the irregularity puts your child at risk for being in a constant state of tiredness, likened to the feeling of jetlag.
Here are some ways to promote better sleeping habits:
Consistency
As a parent, you know the importance of follow through. If you set a bedtime, be sure to adhere to it. This includes a wake-up time as well.
Involvement
Make bedtime a positive experience. Create a checklist with your child for all the steps to bed from pajamas, toothbrushing, to picking out a nighttime book.
Stick to It
Anticipate the requests for water, the bathroom, and extra hugs and kisses by giving the option of one out of three - one extra kiss, or the bathroom. Stick to this rule, and it will eventually become your routine.
What are some successful ways you have found to keep your child in bed at night?
Coconut Anyone?
The coconut tree has long been called the “tree of life” in many cultures, and it’s no wonder considering all of the wonderful benefits of coconut, from cooking oil to a beauty product.
When ingested, coconut oil can help to balance hormones, improve digestion, burn fat, and improve energy.
Topically, it can be used as a natural hair treatment, a face wash, a makeup remover, and face moisturizer.
Try adding coconut oil to your routine by putting it in your coffee instead of creamer, use it as your cooking oil, or try it as a full body moisturizer after a shower.
Do you currently use coconut oil in any of your daily food or beauty regimens?
Benefits of Meditation
Meditation is often referred to as an exercise for the brain, and it is through this mindful practice that the pituitary gland in the brain secretes hormones called endorphins, which result in a feeling of overall wellbeing.
People often use meditation for stress relief, but there are many other benefits of creating a meditation practice, such as:
-relief from anxiety
-emotional health
-a greater self-awareness
-improved sleep
-pain relief
This site is a great resource to begin your meditation practice: https://www.mindful.org/mindfulness-meditation-guided-practices/
Some Benefits of Eating With The Seasons
With the changing seasons, the produce available where you live changes too. While many fruits and vegetables that are out of season are still available, it is a good idea to shop what's in season for the following reasons:
-In season food tastes better simply because it is eaten at peak season
-It is cheaper because there is no preserving and fewer distribution costs passed along to the consumer.
-It is more nutritious being consumed directly after harvest
-There are fewer contaminants often contributed to preserving and distribution
-It is more environmentally sound because eating seasonally means there is not as high a demand for out-of-season produce.
Here is a great resource for finding out what is in season near you: https://www.seasonalfoodguide.org/
Do you have a favorite seasonal recipe?
Some Ways to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
Having a hard time getting your family (or yourself) to eat fruits and vegetables?
This is a common problem amongst people despite the effort to incorporate healthy foods.
Here are some great tips to help your family eat their fruits and vegetables:
-Keep fruits and vegetables visible in the house
-Have fruits and veggies cleaned, cut, and prepared for easy consumption
-Offer fruits and veggies as snacks whenever anyone is hungry
-Have fruits and veggies on the menu at every meal
-Take your family to a farmers’ market and have them help with the food selections
-Grow a garden with the whole family involved
What are some ways you have had success in your household by incorporating more healthy eats?
After School or Work Snack
What do you do when you or your child come home hungry, and you are just tired, but you don’t want to just reach for a bag of chips or a box of crackers?
Make an easy end-of-the-day snack the night before!
Here’s a great snack idea that takes no more than 10 minutes:
Almond Cranberry (no-bake) Balls:
-1 cup pea protein powder
-1 cup dried cranberry
-1/2 cup natural almond butter, (optional peanut butter)
-1/4 cup raw honey
-1/2 cup almonds, crushed
-1/2 cup pistachios, crushed
How to make:
In a medium mixing bowl combine all ingredients. Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls. Store in the fridge until ready to eat.
Natural Treatment for Acne Scars
Have you made it through the worst of acne but are still suffering from scars left by the breakouts?
If so, consider treating those scars with a natural treatment.
Try this homemade recipe for a face mask that gently treats the scars caused by acne:
-3 tablespoons lemon juice
-3 tablespoons honey
-2 tablespoons almond oil or olive oil
-8–10 drops tea tree essential oil
-8–10 drops frankincense essential oil
-6–8 drops helichrysum essential oil
Combine all ingredients in a jar, and mix well. Apply daily, leaving on the skin for 10–15 minutes. Wash thoroughly.
Have you ever tried a homemade mask like this at home?
Healthy Desserts While Dieting
When dieting, sweets are often one of the hardest cravings to overcome, but what if you had sweets that were actually healthy?
Sound too good to be true?
Well, it’s not. There are plenty of options out there to fulfill that sweet tooth without breaking the diet. Our weight management clients enjoy delicious desserts without worrying about messing up their dietary intake.
Try this amazing Avocado Mousse:
-1 large ripe avocado (halved, pitted)
-1 medjool date, pitted (or up to 3 dates to sweeten it more)
-1 very generous tablespoon raw cacao powder
-⅛ teaspoon vanilla powder or vanilla extract
-⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
-¼ cup (50 ml) nut milk (homemade or store-bought), coconut water, or water
-A pinch of sea salt
How to make:
Add all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Add more liquid as needed.
Does this recipe sound like something that would soothe your sweet tooth?
Mirror Models
When you’re a parent, it is important to keep in mind that your children are sponges, so not only are they absorbing and taking in the world around them, they are taking in everything you say and do.
Make sure that you are promoting a positive environment by being the person that you want your child to become.
What do you want your child to remember most about you when they are thinking back to their childhood?
Family Time, Exercise Time!
Creating family time is a great way to sneak in that exercise!
You can do this by planning an after-work walk in the park, playing around in the front yard, engaging in a sport, like a game of soccer or softball.
It might feel like you are too busy to get your exercise in, but there are ways to get it in while still making time for your family.
Do you have an activity that you like to engage in with your family?
Power of Gratitude Practice
Gratitude is a state of mind that we create when we affirm good in our lives that comes from outside of ourselves, or from relishing in small pleasures.
The benefits of practicing gratitude are many. Here are some of them:
Wellbeing
Expressing your gratitude can improve your overall sense of wellbeing.
Relationships
Gratitude strengthens interpersonal relationships.
Optimism
A focus on gratitude can increase optimism by shifting energies to more positive emotions.
Happiness
The pursuit of happiness is subjective, but the satisfaction that comes from practicing gratitude has a lasting positive effect. The more we practice gratitude, the more positive we feel because our brains release more dopamine and serotonin (part of our feel good neurochemicals), thus the happier we are with our lives.
Starting a gratitude journal is a wonderful way to get in touch with what makes you feel grateful. The purpose of the journal is to reflect on your day, few days, or week to pull out at least five things you feel grateful for.
Get your journal and start expressing your gratitude!
Your Body On Stress
Stress has been linked to a variety of chronic health problems. We don’t always know we are under stress sometimes, until a health issue develops. Stress can affect one or all systems in our bodies so it’s important for us to always manage our stressors. When your body is stressed, your brain, heart, stomach and tissues can be triggered.
Here are some of the common responses from some of our organs when the body is stressed:
Brain: Under stress, your brain releases cortisol. With chronic stress, flow of cortisol becomes steady and this can cause damage to short-term memory and even reduce the brain’s gray matter.
Nose: Stress can cause consistent tension that can cause allergy flare-ups because stress induces inflammatory immune responses.
Mouth: Chronic stress hormones can send energy to the muscles in the mouth. At night, while you’re asleep, this can result in teeth grinding and cause headaches and jaw pain.
Heart: When you are feeling very anxious, stress hormones are released and these hormones can narrow the heart arteries and increase your heart rate. As this continues on a regular basis, this can increase your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
Stomach: Under stress, the digestive system slows down. Absorption of food slows down and inflammation increases. Increased gastrointestinal inflammation can cause pain, gas, diarrhea, bloating. The beneficial bacteria colony reduces and the immune system gets weaker.
Back and Neck: Stress can induce adrenaline. This alerts the muscles to tense up and get ready for action (flight, fight or freeze). Constant tensing can cause neck and back pain and spasms.
Reproductive: Chronic stress can change the hormonal signals from the hypothalamus to the pituitary and the rest of your reproductive hormones. In women, these changes can affect egg production and release, and cause fertility issues. In men, the changes can affect sperm motility and mobility and cause fertility problems.
Waistline and Visceral Fat: Stress can cause you to overeat, eat the wrong foods, seek out high fat foods, and store fat around the internal organs. Over time, this can contribute to a host of health problems such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
You don’t have to be at the mercy of your stress. Meditation, deep breathing, massage and lymphatic drainage have shown tremendous benefits for stress management. Engaging in one or more stress management practices regularly can help your body cope with unavoidable stressors and keep you on your healthy path.
Soothing Bath Bomb Recipe
At the end of the day, it is nice to have something relaxing to look forward to. It may not come until after help with homework, dinner, and laundry, but when you can, jazz up your next bath with this DIY bath bomb recipe:
Ingredients
-1 cup baking soda
-½ cup citric acid
-½ cup of sea or Epsom salt
-¾ cup cornstarch
-2 tablespoons of oil (olive, coconut, almond)
-2 teaspoons of witch hazel
-1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
-30-40 drops of your favorite essential oil
Instructions
-Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix until combined.
-In a separate bowl, combine the oil, witch hazel and vanilla extract and stir well. Add essential oils if using.
-Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients a few drops at a time. Mix well with hands.
-The mixture should hold together when squeezed without crumbling. You may need to add slightly more witch hazel if it hasn’t achieved this consistency yet.
-Quickly push the mixture into molds or greased muffin tins. Press in firmly and leave at least 24 hours, or until hardened.
-When dry, remove from molds and store in airtight container. Use within two weeks.
The Many Names of Sugar
Sugar is naturally present in many whole foods and added to virtually all processed foods. You may see some chemical names of sugar and other names on labels When buying packaged foods, it’s good to know all the names of sugar that food manufacturers are using so you can make better purchasing decision. This list doesn’t include artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes I’ve gathered over 50 different names, hopefully, your eyes won’t glaze over while you’re reading through this list.
allulose
brown sugar
evaporated cane sugar
cane sugar
coconut sugar
maltose
dextrose
mannose
lactose
sucrose
fructose
high fructose corn syrup
levulose
galactose
glucose
beet sugar
cane juice
evaporated cane juice
cane juice crystals
raw sugar
yellow sugar
golden sugar
grape sugar
dextrin
Florida crystals
date sugar
palm sugar
crystalline fructose
cane sugar
confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar)
ethyl maltol
glucose syrup solids
grape sugar
corn syrup solids
diastatic malt
castor sugar
agave syrup
table sugar
granulated sugar
sucanat
turbinado sugar
maltodextrin
icing sugar
muscovado sugar
barley malt
carob syrup
fruit juice
caramel
corn syrup
blackstrap molasses
molasses
brown rice syrup
fruit juice concentrate
invert sugar
honey
maple syrup
rice syrup
sorghum syrup
refiner’s syrup
malt syrup
treacle
golden syrup
Just because these sugars are present in foods doesn’t mean they are bad. The key thing to remember is how many grams are present in the packaged foods you’re purchasing. If the first two ingredients are some type of sugar or the grams are in the high single digits or double digits per serving, that item may not be a good choice.