Category: Health and Wellness

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Faith Health and Wellness

Slowly Fading

Eight and a half years ago I was diagnosed with asthma. It wasn’t what I thought it would be like or how it looks in the movies. There was no gasping for air or breathing into a paper bag. It started with a cough that cracked a rib.

Every July for about 3 years, I developed a cough that persisted for weeks. In the summer of 2013, I actually coughed so hard that I cracked a rib. I had a chest x-ray and Mammogram that all came back normal. After two months, my doctor recommended that I see a Pulmonologist. I was skeptical, but my husband convinced me to keep the appointment. I told this doctor my issue and right away he told me I had asthma and had me do a breathing treatment. Holy cow! I immediately felt a difference!

The little things I had been feeling the past few years finally made sense! I didn’t have as much breath support while singing and just thought I was tired. Earlier that summer, I saw a doctor because my breathing felt like I was pregnant when I ran. I struggled through a half marathon where I should have felt fine. But because it was all so small, I never realized how it was impacting me.

After the treatment, I was able to take a full breath — one that I hadn’t been able to do in years. From then on, my runs felt better, I was energized, and had full breath support when singing! Now, I know exactly what to look for and how to fix it.

A Life Lesson

I remember telling my dad that this story would make a great sermon illustration. 😉 Well, it definitely is a mirror of my spiritual life the past few years.

I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts how God has brought me back to life the past seven months. For years, I was drawing from an empty well. I left church services frustrated and tired, trying to fill my heart and soul through personal worship and devotions alone.

This past August, God led me to a new church. From the moment I stepped in the doors, I felt alive. Since then, that empty well is full to overflowing and I feel as if I have fallen in love with Jesus all over again.

And I have seen huge changes in the little things! I am more open and vulnerable with people. I’m reaching out to others more (where I used to keep to myself). My desire for church and community has grown. Most importantly, my worth is found in Jesus and not in my husband or anyone else.

Just like the air in my lungs, my love for others and my love for Jesus was slowly fading away. But God has used my experience to breathe new life into me!

Praise God that he uses everything in our life to guide us, to point us to him, and to fill our souls!

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Goals Health and Wellness Self-care

Finding Balance

Balance…the word brings images of peace, calm, and stability, yet it also feels so far away from our lives.

As a mom, there’s the balance of taking care of your kids and yourself. Add in a job and a working mom must balance work, kids, and self.

In relationships, we often strive to balance others emotions and our responses.

Health-wise, we need a balance of foods that give us energy and help us and foods that can cause inflammation (you can have your cake and eat it too…just not all the time!). With exercise, we find ways to make our bodies stronger and have better breath capacity without breaking ourselves down, leaving us injured or immobile.

Where are you needing balance in life?

I shared recently that for this year, I’m not setting a bunch of goals. I’ve learned that balance, for me, is taking one day at a time. When I set lofty goals for my business, I can push so hard and do so much that I burn out.

I love to eat healthy and stopped eating sweets over 5 years ago. Yes, I don’t crave them, but I also fear even taking a bite and trying something. Yes, it sounds ridiculous, so I’m working to find balance having a piece of dark chocolate every once in while without the fear that it will start controlling me. 😉

I’ve spent a lot of my life closed off from people, resisting community, and compartmentalizing my life. I’m learning to balance my relationships by opening myself up to others and allowing them to invest in me while I also invest in them.

Where do you need balance? Work? Relationships? Health?

Start with one area and start making changes. Remember, small changes over time make a big difference.

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Goals Health and Wellness

Goals That Stick

For many people, New Year = New Goals. And, as we know, most people only last a month or two before giving up on them. Having goals is great, however, most people give up because it is unattainable, they don’t have a plan to meet the goal, or they are looking for quick results.

There is nothing wrong with coming up with a list of goals for the new year…as long as you realize that it might take all year (or even longer) to attain them. Most won’t get achieved in one month — which means that you can’t give up after January if you haven’t met your goal AND you can’t wait to get started until November or December. Start right away with the knowledge that anything great worth doing is worth the time and effort.

It’s helpful to have smaller goals as you reach for your big goals (which I like to call my Dreams for the year). Dreams are the big picture, but you need multiple, smaller goals to reach your big goal/dream. So, you may have a big goal of losing 30lbs, but your smaller goals may be to lose 1-2 pounds per week, add one vegetable to your day, etc. You may want to get into an exercise routine again, but you can’t just go run five miles. Your smaller goal may be to do 10 minutes of movement per day for one week, etc. and then build from there.

Another reason people fail to meet their goals is that they don’t know how to make goals. You need to make SMART goals.

Specific: Goals should be clear and state specifically what you wish to be accomplished.

Measurable: You need to be able to measure your goals so that you can see your progress.

Attainable: Goals should be realistically attainable.

Relevant: Goals need to be relevant to your particular needs, interests, and abilities.

Time-bound: Goals need to have a timeline for completion.

Your smaller goals may only be for a week or month, then once you meet that goal, you create a new one to move you toward ultimately completing your big goal. When I decided I wanted to stop eating chocolate every day and quit sugar years ago, my original goal was to go just one day without sugar! After I did the one day, my goal was one week. Then it was two weeks, then one month, etc. I started with a super small goal and then built on it.

If you read my previous post, you know that I’m waiting to set any goals for the year and just taking it one day at a time. (Focusing on the daily, is in itself a small goal!). You might not have goals you are working on now, but these are some tips that will help whenever you choose to create a goal.

Need help with your goals? Feel free to reach out and I can give you some other tools and resources to get you going and offer accountability.

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Health and Wellness Self-care

Healthy Happy Joints

Are you stiff when you get up in the morning? Do your knees or hips hurt when running or jumping? Do you feel like your 70 when your only in your 30s?

You don’t have to feel that way! Taking care of your joints now is SO important and there are simple things that you can do to help you feel and move better.

Here are 5 things you can start doing today to support healthy joints and movement:

  1. Move your body: The longer you sit, the more your muscles tighten. Staying active throughout the day (get those steps in!) will both help your joints feel better now and in the future.
  2. Strength Training: Did you know that a lot of knee pain comes from an imbalance of muscles strength? Our quads tend to naturally be stronger than our other leg muscles. When our quads (front of our thighs) are stronger than our hamstrings (back of our thighs), it pulls on our knee joints and can cause shooting pain. By strengthening your hamstrings and glutes (butt), you’ll not only feel stronger, but have less pain in your knees! But don’t just strength train your legs! You want to train your entire body. Looking for a great app that can help you do strength training (and overall fitness) at home? Try out the Pretty Muscles app by Erin Oprea. You’ll love it!
  3. Stretching: Just as an imbalance of muscles can cause joint pain, tight muscles can pull at your joints and affect how your move causing pain as well. Take the time to really stretch after a workout, try adding Yoga 1-2x/week, and find times throughout the day to stretch (just make sure you move those muscles some and warm them up before you stretch).
  4. Chiropractor: When your body is out of line, you will feel it in your joints. Find a good chiropractor to help keep your body moving well. Just going once a month for an adjustment will keep you feeling good for a long time…not just now, but as you age as well (take note: if you are dealing with pain now, a chiropractor will start you coming around 2 x/week, then eventually move it down to a maintenance phase as you start feeling better.) Also, find a chiropractor that you love — everyone has different styles and techniques. Don’t be afraid to shop around for a chiropractor that gels with your needs and comfort level.
  5. Supplements: There are a variety of supplements that have been proven to support healthy joints.
    • Collagen: Collagen is important for skin, hair, nails, AND your joints! In fact, it is one of the key building blocks for healthy joints. Never hurts to add some collagen to your supplement routine.
    • Glucosamine: Glucosamine has been proven to rebuild cartilage! Great supplement to add to your diet to keep you moving well.
    • Fish Oil: Omega-3s help to reduce inflammation. Less inflammation means less joint pain.

Interested in what supplements I use and recommend for healthy joints? You can check out this list here.

Here’s hoping that incorporating these ideas will have you feeling free to move your body anyway you choose!

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Health and Wellness Self-care

Give Us Grace

This is my second year of teaching P.E. Last year I taught K-5th grade. This year I have K-8th grade…a range of attitudes and personalities. 😉 This also means that instead of teaching two days a week, I now teach 4 days a week.

Teachers do amazing things. I’ve been learning this as I create lesson plans and manage my classroom. But, I think what gets overlooked, is the amount of grace a teacher shows his/her students. I treat each day as a brand new day. If there is a kid that was difficult one day in class, I let it go and don’t carry it to the next time that I see him/her. Every child gets a clean slate every day.

Can I be honest? It’s hard to constantly be letting things go. I’m able to do it with my classes, but I’m noticing that I’m doing a worse job at home. It’s as if I give out all the “grace passes” that I have at school and am empty by the time I get home.

Now, I exaggerate some, but I have noticed how little hurts or frustrations outside of school stick with me more…they swirl around in my subconscious and I have a hard time letting them go. This ends up with me either irritable or in tears.

So, if you have any teacher family and/or friends, give them a little extra grace when they seem irritated or emotional…we’re busy giving grace all day long.

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Health and Wellness Self-care

My Wish For You

I talk a lot about wellness and taking care of your bodies. This isn’t just a passing phase or hobby…it is truly my heart and what I care about, not just for myself, but for the people around me. I heard someone say recently, “I want die young at an old age.” And that is my wish for you: to live a full life – healthy and thriving – until an old age. I want you to get the most out of life. This requires you to take care of yourself…and not just physically.

True wellness (or total fitness) is physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, social, and environmental. I hope that through my blog, you’ve been able to see some of my journey in each of these areas and have encouraged you in your quest for wellness as well.

So here is my wish for you…

Physically: that you would find ways to move you body that bring you joy; that you would fuel your body with good foods and use quality supplements to fill that gap; that you would give you body the rest it needs to heal and replenish; that you would take care of your body so that you can thrive each day.

Emotionally: that you would be able to process through your feelings — whether with a friend or a professional — and find healing and hope; that you would grow in empathy and kindness.

Mentally: that you would find solutions to your problems and learn to process through all the information thrown at you to determine what is worth listening to and what should be ignored.

Socially: that you would have fulfilling relationships with others; that you would be a good friend; that you would find ways to serve and care for those around you.

Environmentally: that you would choose products that are free are harmful chemicals and toxins; that you would be wary of what you put in and on your body.

Spiritually: that you would run to Jesus and know him as your Lord and Savior; that you would see God working in the good and the bad and know that he loves you, sees you, and cares for you; that you would experience growth in your faith in God and love for others; that you would be filled with a peace and contentment and joy that makes no sense to the rest of the world.

My prayer and my desire for you is to find true and total health. That is what “wellness” means to me.

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Chemical-free Health and Wellness Self-care

My Top 5

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted my favorite things, so here is a list of some things that I am loving right now:

  1. Vuori: I recently heard about this clothing company from an ad on the Smartless Podcast. I’ve always been loyal to Athleta, but Vuori’s prices were comparable and I thought I would try them out. I got a pair of their joggers and they are both incredibly flattering and SO comfortable. I literally rub my hands on them whenever I’m in my closet because they are that soft and amazing. 😂 Looking forward to the weather cooling off (just a little bit — I don’t like the cold) so I can wear them. 😊

2. Smartless: If you are looking for podcast that has great celeb interviews with a lot of laughs, then look no further. Smartless is hosted by Will Arnet, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes – three of the funnier comedians. They interview different celebs each week and it is AWESOME. If you love podcasts, give this one a try (*there is some language, so don’t listen with young children in the car).

3. Withco: I recently learned about Withco Cocktails when I visited a boutique that my friend works at (if you live in the Chicago area, check out Wykewood House in downtown Aurora or Wheaton). It is a mixer made with simple ingredients. You simply add the alcohol (or club soda for a mocktail), shake or stir, and enjoy. Each bottle is $20 gives you around 10 servings. So, you can have a easy quality cocktail at home for way less than a restaurant.

4. Advanced Collagen: USANA just released their Advanced Collagen drink a couple of weeks ago and it is SO delicious! It has collagen, biotin, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin C to promote healthy skin aging and strengthen you hair and nails. Contains antioxidants to help you look and feel your best…at any age!

5. Beautycounter Deodorant: I have been using natural deodorants for years. The one I was previously using was good, but I had to apply it more than once per day. I love Beautycounter for their great chemical-free makeup, so when they released their deodorant (the Clean Deo), I knew that I needed to give it a try. I’m so glad that I did! It smells great, goes on easy, and – best of all — it keeps me smelling great ALL day…even through my sweatiest workouts.

Give these products a try and let me know what you think!

Categories
Goals Health and Wellness Self-care

Super Summer

Most people think of January 1st as the best time to start working on their health goals (new year, etc.), however, the summer is a great time to get healthy!

With the warmer weather and longer days, there are so many more ways to move your body and keep active. And the summer also means a larger selection of yummy fruits and vegetables to snack on to help your reach your nutrition goals.

So, now that summer is in full swing, here are some ways to make the most of it (health-wise):

  • Let your body get up with the sun and go for a nice long walk before it gets too hot outside. It’ll wake you up and get you ready for the day.
  • Stock up on fruits and veggies. Even better…find a Farmer’s Market near you and support their businesses, get the best fruit and veggies, and enjoy the fresh air while you shop!
  • Got a sweet craving? Buy a watermelon and have it sliced up and in your fridge to grab whenever you have a craving. (Tip: I cut my watermelon in half and cube one side, then put saran wrap on the other half. After I eat the cubes, then I cut up the other half. I find that none of the watermelon goes bad that way.) Another great grab and go option are grapes.
  • Drink your water!!! Remember, you are to drink half your body weight in ounces of water every day. If you are sweating a lot, then drink more!
  • Working out in the yard and sweating a lot? USANA just released a watermelon electrolyte replacement drink that is great after a long workout or on a hot day (and doesn’t have all the chemicals that is in Gatorade, etc.). You can find it here: https://danan.usana.com/s/VdbJR1

Summer is the best time to get healthy inside and out! Need more suggestions and/or accountability? Send me message and I would love to help you reach those goals!

Here’s to a healthy, safe, and fun super summer!

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Health and Wellness Self-care Stress Relief

A Time to Rest

Workout. Take kids to school. Shower. Chiropractor. Target. Laundry. Email. Social media connections. Work stuff.

Sound familiar?

I took a break from working on my computer today to go water my flowers and realized that it is absolutely GORGEOUS outside…and I was missing it! This was my chance to rest, read a book, and enjoy the quiet, but I was too busy focused on what needed to be done.

It’s so easy to get caught up on all the things we have to do, that we forget to take the time to stop and enjoy the moment.

So, yes, this is a short blog post. Why? Because I’m going to go enjoy the beautiful weather and take some time for myself.

Finding rest is just as important as checking things off your to-do list.

How can you incorporate rest into your day?

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Chemical-free Health and Wellness Self-care Stress Relief

Aging Gracefully

I remember other women talking about how things change once you turn 40 years old. As someone passionate about health and fitness, I falsely assumed that nothing would change when I turned 40. I mean, for women, our metabolism starts to decrease around age 25 (for men, it’s age 30), but you can push that back with diet and exercise…which I successfully have. So, I assumed it would be the same with my hormones.

I was in for a rude awakening. When I turned 40, it was like a timer went off in my body that told it to go crazy. My mood swings took a dark turn, my headaches increased, and the bloating was insane. I knew that I needed to find a natural solution to managing my hormones. Here are some different options where I have found success:

Add magnesium to your diet. When I first mentioned the crazy hormones to my OB-GYN, she knew that I prefer the natural route, so recommended that I increase my magnesium. I started eating more foods with magnesium (raw cacao, almonds, etc.) and taking this supplement.

Try seed cycling. After I turned 40, I realized that I should probably get a physical (it had been 10+ years since my last one). I wanted a more holistic doctor…so I saw the nurse practitioner at my children’s doctor’s office (the practice is a more holistic/homeopathic). I explained my hormone woes and she mentioned seed cycling. So, what is seed-cycling?

Seed cycling has you eating 1-2 tablespoons of Pumpkin seeds and Flax seeds daily for the first 14 days of your cycle (day 1 = first day of period) and then switching to Sunflower seeds and Sesame seeds for the last 14 days.

Pumpkin seeds and Flax seeds help balance estrogen during the follicular phase when estrogen levels are high. They are a good source of fiber, zinc, and healthy omega-3 fatty acids (reduces inflammation). The fiber aids in digestion and helps to remove excess estrogen from the body.

Sunflower seeds and Sesame seed are taken during the luteal phase as progesterone levels start to rise. Sesame seeds help avoid PMS symptoms by binding excess estrogen and sunflower seeds have selenium that supports liver and hormone function.

You can add the seeds to smoothies, put in oatmeal, layer on avocado toast, or create these energy balls.

Add ashwagandha to help with stress relief. In the fall of 2020, USANA introduced their mood and relaxation line which included Stress Relief. It’s made with ashwagandha – known to help ease anxiety and support a healthy mood.

Try Moon Balance by Your Super. I loved doing seed-cycling and saw amazing results, however, I was getting tired of creating the energy balls and remembering to take them all with me when I traveled. In October 2020, I came across an add for Moon Balance by Your Super to balance my hormones naturally and decided to give it a try…wow! It works great! It comes in powdered form and is a blend of baobab, maca, hibiscus, amla, beetroot, and shatavari. You can mix it with water (warning: it tastes disgusting) or blend it in a smoothie. I put it in my smoothie every day and never miss taking it!

If you are nearing 40 (or past it) try incorporating one or more of these products into your life…and give it about 3 months to see the effects. It’s easy, it’s natural, and it’ll be sure to help you age gracefully.