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The Beauty of Yoga On and Off the Mat

The Beauty of Yoga On and Off the Mat

Over the years I have incorporated yoga into my daily life, it truly is nonnegotiable. I LOVE yoga for many reasons. Yoga is an incredible and beautiful practice. I look forward to starting my mornings with a meditation and yoga practice. I enjoy connecting with my body, turning inward before entering into the day. The flexibility, strength, and balance that I find from my yoga practice sets me up strong for the day. Yoga allows my body, mind, and spirit to connect, to feel grounded. I have noticed the difference in the past when I was not consistent with my yoga practice. Yoga supports me to live my life with intention. This intention is important for me to show up in life for myself and to the world in a loving and compassionate manner.

Living with multiple sclerosis, it is always important to me to strengthen my balance and work on neuroplasticity, yoga has been a great tool for this. Days and weeks where I have not been physically or mentally well I still turn to yoga. There are so many poses and practices that one can incorporate even if the traditional flows are not in your wheelhouse. Floor poses and stretches are just as important as advanced moves, they build your foundation. In order to remain consistent with my daily practice of yoga, I do not expect myself to complete a 30 or 60 minute flow to feel successful. Instead, I commit to at least 10 minutes of yoga every morning after meditating. If the day allows for me to have a longer session, or incorporate a second yoga session later that day, awesome, and if not I am grateful that I was able to fit in at least ten minutes for the day. Trust that you are exactly where you need to be each moment.

I go back and forth to attending yoga classes in studios. It can be wonderful to practice with other like minded students and feel the energy that exists in a class. I also struggle with making it to a scheduled yoga class at times.  These days I find myself having a home practice and working with teachers via Peloton or YouTube, this allows me to fit classes into my schedule. In the warmer months I love to practice outside. We live on a beautiful farm in the foothills of Colorado, and the peace I feel when I practice outside with the sun shining on me, birds singing, the breeze blowing is incredible. In stillness and peace we are able to reconnect with ourselves

As I dive deeper into my yoga practice, I have learned that yoga is more than a pose, it inspires life. Conscious living is a way of life that I strive for everyday through intentional breathing, expressing compassion to myself and others, mindfully eating, and responding to life vs. reacting to life. I have never gone through yoga teacher training, though I have taken yoga education classes to support my personal training certification. As I continue to expand my yoga practice, I would like to dive deeper into understanding yoga philosophy, this incorporates the eight limbs of yoga.

Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual practice that originated in India thousands of years ago. The word yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root yuj, meaning “to yoke,” or “to unite”. The practice aims to create union between body, mind and spirit, as well as between the individual self and universal consciousness. Such a union tends to neutralize ego-driven thoughts and behaviors, creating a sense of spiritual awakening. Give yoga a try if you haven’t already. If you are already a yogi, continue to expand your own practice in ways that you did not imagine were possible.

Fasting

Fasting

Fasting, many people do not love hearing this word, or look to incorporate it into their regular life. It should not come as a shock that there are countless benefits to fasting. Whatever type of fast you decide to do, it is extremely important to stay well hydrated during your fast. This includes upping your water consumption prior to beginning your fast for at least 3 days. Many clients will seem intimidated by a fast for their first time, claiming they will be hungry and not able to do the fast. I tell my clients that most of the time when one feels “hungry” it is more likely that they are dehydrated and need to drink more water. If you are pregnant, take medications, or have diabetes type 1, please check with your doctor before attempting a fast.

Let’s break it down to a few different types of fasts. A water fast, where one only consumes water for a period of time. A bone broth fast, one of my favorites, is when one consumes water and bone broth. I enjoy a bone broth fast since it allows your body to have nutritious support from the bone broth while you are abstaining from food. A juice fast is consuming water and pressed juices (not smoothies). The length of time to fast is up to the individual but every hour you continue to fast, your body indeed benefits! Intermittent fasting has become popular in recent years. This is a great option for many folks who are intimidated by a longer period of fasting.  16/8 is an example of intermittent fasting, this means you fast for 16 hours and you have 8 hours of eating available to you within a 24 hour period. I do suggest that all participate in a 12/12 fast daily. This period of 12 hours fasting is technically a “digestive rest”. It is important for your body to have rest time. Another example of intermittent fasting is the 5:2 approach. This involves eating regularly for 5 days, and limiting the remaining 2 days to a total of only 500 calories each day.

 

Stages of Fasting by Hour:

 0-4 Hours (Anabolic Phase):

  • Your body digests and absorbs nutrients from your last meal.
  • Insulin levels are high, promoting muscle growth and repair.

4-16 Hours (Catabolic Phase): 

  • Your body starts using stored glycogen (glucose) for energy.
  • Insulin levels decline, and fat burning increases.
  • Autophagy (cell recycling) begins.
16-24 Hours (Ketosis): 
  • Ketones become the primary energy source, leading to weight loss and improved metabolic health.
  • Growth hormone levels increase.

24-72 Hours (Prolonged Fasting): 

  • Ketone production continues and intensifies.
  • Muscle breakdown may occur if not supplemented with protein.
  • The body enters a state of deep ketosis and autophagy.

Beyond 72 Hours (Starvation): 

  • Extreme physiological changes occur, including organ damage and electrolyte imbalances.
  • Medical supervision is crucial during prolonged fasting.

My husband and I enjoy a longer fast multiple times throughout the year for a multitude of reasons. When I am not feeling connected with my mind and what I am consuming it is time for a fast. Fasting allows me to realize when I reach for food, is it because I am hungry, or is it purely out of habit or boredom. Whenever I am in need of a “reset” I do a 40-60 hour fast. This seems to be when we get back from a vacation and we have indulged in foods we generally do not consume. When I feel bloated or “thick” I like to fast to get a handle on what I am consuming while dropping a few pounds. This helps me to continue to make heathier choices in the future once I have gone without food. It is important to plan and be prepared for your first meal after a fast. Whole foods with protein and healthy fats is essential. I generally like to break my fast with a glass of water, eggs, sautéed kale, and sliced avocado.

 

Fasting benefits may include:

  • autophagy – cellular repair where damaged cells are removed and cellular renewal is supported
  • improves metabolic health – may reduce risk of diabetes type 2 by enhancing insulin sensitivity & improving blood sugar control
  • increases mindfulness around food and beverage consumption
  • reduce inflammation
  • weight loss and fat reduction
  • increased mental clarity
  • may improve cardiovascular health by lowering blood pressure and lowering “bad” cholesterol LDL
  • from a religious standpoint it may cleanse the body and soul, deepen your connection with God.

Fasting is common around the world in many religious communities and has been practiced for centuries. Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism all practice some sort of fasting throughout the year. Many religions consider fasting a way to connect with the divine, a way to express humility, and focus on spiritual matters. The act of fasting can be a form of self discipline and self control.

Whatever the reason may be for you to try fasting, you can see from above that there are many benefits to fasting. This is a not a new age idea, millions of people have been practicing the act of fasting for eons. Give one a try and see how you feel! I also offer a 10 day program, REFRESH, that kicks off with a guided 40 hour bone broth fast. Reach out if you have interest in my program, or just have general questions in regards to fasting. Happy healing!

15 years …..

15 years …..

When I received the call confirming my multiple sclerosis diagnosis on April 1, 2010, my immediate reaction was wondering if the neurologist was playing a bad April fools joke on me, he was not. I was 29 years old and recently had broken off my engagement when I started experiencing vision issues. Since I wear contact lenses on a regular basis, I assumed that my prescription needed an adjustment not anything more. I went to the local eye glass shop and the optometrist did her evaluation of my eyes. She instructed me to make an appointment with an ophthalmologist as the vision impairment seemed to be more than just adjusting my prescription. I made an appointment with a local ophthalmologist in Boulder and did not think twice about the upcoming visit. For those of you unfamiliar, as I was, the key difference between an optometrist and an ophthalmologist lies in their scope of practice and level of training. Optometrists are primary eye care providers who focus on vision care, prescribing glasses and contacts, and managing common eye conditions. Ophthalmologists, on the other hand, are medical doctors specializing in eye diseases and surgery, able to treat a wide range of eye conditions. I went to my appointment with the ophthalmologist, and as I sat on the stool reading letters on the wall, having my eye balls inspected in detail, he stated that he felt I was suffering from optic neuritis. I had never heard of this before and figured it was a condition and he would tell me what I needed to do to make it better. I was not ready for him to say, this may be a symptom of multiple sclerosis, you should make an appointment to see a neurologist. Whoa, back it up! How did I go from thinking I needed a new prescription for my glasses to my possibly having an autoimmune disease, multiple sclerosis?! Ironically, I was familiar with this disease. When I was growing up, my mom was a social worker and I remember one patient she worked with having multiple sclerosis. We participated in Walk MS in the mid 90s, little did we know that 15 years or so later I would be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

For those of you unfamiliar with multiple sclerosis (MS), it is an autoimmune or immune mediated disease that attacks the central nervous system. The central nervous system (CNS) is comprised of your spine, brain, and optic nerve. When one has MS, the immune system attacks the myelin sheath, the protective covering of nerve fibers, within the CNS. This damage disrupts the communication between the brain and body leading to a variety of symptoms. MS may be a progressive disease over one’s lifetime, and it may even progress in a matter of days, weeks, months. Being given this diagnosis at 29 with no other prior health issues, proved to be quite a shock. With the support of family, friends, and doctors I navigated the steps with my diagnosis. For years, I followed the traditional path of meeting with neurologists that specialized in MS, and going on a disease modifying therapy (DMT). I tried one medication for the first three years, I seemed to do alright mostly during this time. Then I started going downhill  with the disease in 2013, having heavy fatigue, brain fog, and tore my ACL skiing. That spring my doctor and I decided I should try a new DMT that had recently been approved by the FDA. I did quite well mostly on this new medication for 9 years, though I never accepted being on a daily medication indefinitely. I had yet to learn about the importance of lifestyle and how it affects our mental, physical, and emotional states of being, this would come.

January 2020, right before COVID hit, I decided to start trying to heal myself from the inside out. I discovered so many people who had been researching how to heal yourself from MS naturally, holistically, without medication. This clicked with me and I threw myself into the ring. My husband and I started to follow a strict nutritional ketogenic diet for 6 months, within 2-3 months I had noticed significant positive changes and felt like myself again. Fast forward to the fall of 2022 when I decided to stop taking any DMTs and continue to heal and support my body through holistic and homeopathic modalities. It is amazing what our bodies are capable of when we give it what it needs. Healthy clean food, movement, strength training, detox from toxins, limit stress, meditation, stretching, laughter, community to name just a few essentials to have a thriving lifestyle. I became a health coach throughout this journey because I want to help others heal themselves and support themselves now and in the future no matter what they may or may not deal with in the present. I want to encourage people and support them knowing they have the power to improve their health each and every day. It may not always be drastic measures depending on your situation, but consistency is a key factor that I have discovered along the way. I have learned so much in my health journey and I look forward to seeing what I continue to learn and discover. 15 years ago I was diagnosed with MS and I can honestly say that I am thriving in life. I look forward to seeing what the next 15 years hold!    

What is FODMAP ?

What is FODMAP ?

FODMAP stands for Fermentable Oligosaccharides Disaccharides Monosaccharides And Polyols . These saccharides and polyols are short-chain carbohydrates that if poorly digested, ferment in the lower par of your large intestine. This fermentation process draws in water and produces carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and/or methane gas that cause the intestine to stretch and expand. The result is strong pain, bloating, visible abdominal distension. What exactly are these foods that contain these carbohydrates? I will attempt to break this down throughout the blog.

Over the years, I have come across many folks that struggle with abdominal pain, gastrointestinal issues, bloating, gas to name a few. They have tried improving their diet and do not necessarily find relief. This is when FODMAP was brought to my attention. FODMAP foods are generally “healthy items”, but certain individuals struggle to digest these FODMAPS properly, leading to many of the symptoms mentioned above. Following a low FODMAP protocol is  essential for providing relief to some clients. The good news about following this protocol is that it is temporary. Once you have taken the time to eliminate high FODMAP foods, you may then slowly introduce one food item at a time and see if that food gives you symptoms. We eliminate high FODMAP foods so we can stabilize our gut, allow it to heal, then slowly introduce possible problematic foods and see if symptoms arise.

To ease IBS and SIBO symptoms, it’s essential to avoid high FODMAP foods that aggravate the gut, including:

  • Dairy-based milk, yogurt and ice cream
  • Wheat-based products such as cereal, bread and crackers
  • Beans and lentils
  • Some nuts, such as cashews, pistachios
  • Some vegetables, such as artichokes, asparagus, onions and garlic
  • Some fruits, such as apples, cherries, pears and peaches

Instead, base your meals around low FODMAP foods such as:

  • Eggs and meat
  • Certain cheeses such as brie, Camembert, cheddar and feta
  • Almond milk, Coconut milk
  • Grains like rice, quinoa and oats
  • Vegetables like eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini
  • Fruits such as kiwis, oranges, strawberries, blueberries and pineapple

Follow a low FODMAP protocol which is a three-step elimination diet as cited by John Hopkins Medicine, see below:

  1. First, you stop eating certain foods (high FODMAP foods).
  2. Next, you slowly reintroduce them to see which ones are troublesome.
  3. Once you identify the foods that cause symptoms, you can avoid or limit them while enjoying everything else worry-free.

“We recommend following the elimination portion of the diet for only two to six weeks,” says Veloso. “This reduces your symptoms and if you have SIBO, it can help decrease abnormally high levels of intestinal bacteria. Then every three days, you can add a high FODMAP food back into your diet, one at a time, to see if it causes any symptoms. If a particular high FODMAP food causes symptoms, then avoid this long term.”

Throughout my research on FODMAP, I came across a university in Australia, Monash University. In 2005, researchers in the Department of Gastroenterology at Monash University identified a group of short-chain carbohydrates found in food that are either poorly absorbed in the small intestine or impossible to digest. The Monash team named these carbohydrates FODMAP. The university was the first to identify and research these foods in this nature.  Thanks to Monash University’s extensive work in this area, people can take their gut health back into their own hands by managing their symptoms through diet and improve their overall quality of life.

As you do your own research on FODMAP, you will discover there is no black and white with food choices. The best way to discover which foods work and do not work for you, is the elimination diet, then journal your symptoms or lack their of when you reintroduce the eliminated foods. Best of luck on your health journey! I am always here to support and coach you, reach out for a FREE discovery call if you would like to explore my services further!

REFRESH

REFRESH

REFRESH is a program I created in 2024 for folks that are looking to do a “refresh” for their body, mind, and soul. I like to think of REFRESH as not only a mini reset or a detox, but more of a program that provides you with the tools for a lifestyle shift. Throughout the ten day program we focus on nutrition, fitness, and mindfulness. All three of these components are essential to living and enjoying your healthiest and best life! This program was created to support others and help them understand how the choices they make in daily life, does affect their overall health.

Throughout my own personal health journey I did not always incorporate all of these components, nutrition, fitness, and mindfulness, I primarily had focused solely on fitness. I do believe that my fitness regime throughout my 20s and 30s was essential to keeping my body strong in spite of my multiple sclerosis diagnosis in 2010. Since I became a certified personal trainer I learned the importance of strength training along with cardiovascular activity. Adults should be striving for 2-3 days per week of strength training and 150-180 minutes of cardiovascular activity per week. Strength training increases our resting metabolic weight, and even after you have completed your strength workout you will continue to burn calories as the day continues.

As the years went on I was still looking for ways to improve my overall well being, brain fog, and decrease inflammation. This is when I discovered the next step in my health journey, nutrition and how important it is to understand what we consume each and every day and how that affects our health in positive and negative ways. I changed the way I ate in 2020 and within 3 months I felt an incredible shift in my body. The decrease of inflammation in my body was obvious, any orthopedic pain that I had struggled with for many years had vanished. On top of those amazing improvements, my overall mood had improved and my skin looked better than it ever had. I continue to follow a paleo lifestyle and love it! I highly suggest to look into different nutrition models out there and see which would fit your lifestyle best. When in doubt, eat the rainbow!

Last but not least, I tapped into meditation and breathwork in 2022. This was life changing for me. I had always heard that there were benefits to meditation, and I had tried it a few times many years ago, but I did not feel much difference in my mood or life. In recent years what I discovered is that having a daily meditation practice, and it does not have to be for very long even just 5 minutes, doing it daily makes a BIG positive impact on our well being. I have found meditation to help me with my patience, staying present, and my reactions/responses to situations and people. I like to use a mantra along with breathwork when I meditate. A mantra is a positive affirmation that you repeat to yourself. There are many breath techniques available like the 3-9-6 or box breath method.

I offer REFRESH periodically throughout the year to small groups. I would be happy to include you in my next program! Feel free to reach out to me directly if you are interested in learning more about the program.

Multi Tasking – Is it efficient?

Multi Tasking – Is it efficient?

Recently, I took a course to become a certified transformation specialist, I discovered so many wonderful tips on how to support clients to achieve their health goals. The subject of multi tasking was part of one of my units. I was surprised by all that I learned in the course and came to the conclusion that being a “great multi tasker” is not ideal. I had always prided myself on being able to multi task throughout my life, and now I am discovering that being a multi tasker does NOT mean that you are more efficient nor effective with your tasks.

Multi tasking is when you are working on multiple tasks and your brain must jump from one subject to another. The issue with this is that the human brain can only focus on two subjects at a time before losing cognitive abilities. Multi tasking has been proven to lead to lower levels of creativity and higher levels of stress. Your brain becomes taxed and you no longer have your full ability to be creative or solve problems. Multi tasking may help us to be more productive in the short term, but this is not the case in the long run.

Research on multi tasking has shown that people experience a 40% decrease in productivity when multi tasking. They also tend to have a higher heart rate and increased levels of stress. Higher levels of anxiety are associated with people who consistently multi task. Excessive multi tasking eventually leads to “burnout”, which can take months to recover from, setting you back from where you initially started. Technology multi tasking has become quite apparent in modern times. Think about how often you will be on a phone call or texting, then an email comes in, another person is phoning you, you have alerts coming through from social media or other apps all the while working on your computer simultaneously.

One solution to multi tasking is to focus on one task at a time and minimize interruptions. Having good organization systems in place supports your brain to manage one task at time versus going back and forth between multiple tasks. Prioritize your goals and tasks, avoid distractions, and make good use of calendars and lists are great ways to strengthen your skills. There are times when multi tasking is unavoidable, and then your skills that you use will have been sharpened and strengthened if you are not consistently multi tasking. Multi tasking may be utilized when dealing with low level tasks. Listening to a podcast or an audio book while you are cleaning your house or taking a work phone call on a walk are great examples of multi tasking with low level tasks.

What I concluded from my course is that multi tasking is not the preferred way to manage and complete tasks if you are looking for high productivity. Most times multi tasking wastes more time switching from one task to the next rather than staying focused on the initial task at hand. It is best to be organized and create plans and lists for the tasks you would like to accomplish, and focus on one task at a time. If it is a broader task, break it down in to smaller tasks and tackle each one of those one at a time to then complete the larger task at hand. Over time if you practice these habits, your stress and anxiety levels will decrease, and your production output will increase.

TRAVEL TIPS FOR STAYING ON TRACK WITH YOUR NUTRITION

TRAVEL TIPS FOR STAYING ON TRACK WITH YOUR NUTRITION

Planning ahead and being prepared goes a long way to staying on track with your healthy lifestyle when you are traveling. Traveling is typically out of the daily routine for most people. Many times we are on the run and following a schedule, and it always seems easier to grab something on the road, or at the airport on travel days. Unfortunately, many of the options available to the average consumer are typically not very healthy. I like to set myself up for success with my nutrition to nourish and support my body when going on vacation.

When most of us are on vacation, we like to allow ourselves food/drink items, that you would normally not consume on a daily basis at home. It is important to give ourselves grace, and enjoy these “treats” while doing something out of our normal life, while allowing them in moderation on vacation. To treat yourself at every meal with an alcoholic drink and/or a non compliant meal, would eventually add up in calories and inflammation. I suggest enjoying certain moments throughout vacation consuming what you desire, and then also maintaining balance with other food and drink items that you have purchased or brought with you.

                           

Many times my husband and I choose to stay at an AirBnb instead of a hotel so we have a kitchen to cook in for some of our meals. We do love to treat ourselves when on vacation, but it’s also nice to not treat ourselves every meal while we are on vacation. If hotels are your travel game, then at least load up on some healthier snacks like fruit, nuts, bars, yogurts, and waters for your room. It’s helpful to stop at a grocery store at the beginning of your vacation to pick up snacks, drinks, and/or food to cook for your vacation. Making sandwiches for your travel day is great whether road tripping or flying on a plane. If you happen to be flying to your destination and road tripping from there, I suggest packing a foldable cooler or buying a disposable one at your destination for your trip.

                                                 

My favorite travel snacks for road trips or air travel are listed below:

  • bars – RX, Lara, Thunderbird are some of my favorite grain free brands
  • cut up veggies like celery, bell peppers, cucumbers, baby carrots
  • cherry tomatoes
  • grapes, bananas, apples, cherries
  • jerky (no sugar added) – Chomps, Nicks Sticks,
  • nuts (dry roasted or raw)
  • dried fruit (no added sugars)
  • chocolate bar – Hu, Blue Stripe, Bronners
  • granola – Purely Elizabeth, Paleonola, Grandy Organics
  • yogurts (no sugar added) – Harmless Harvest, Culina, Laava
  • seltzers and water (no added sugar)
  • olives
  • hard boiled eggs
  • cured meats (no sugar added)
  • healthier chips like Siete – cooked in non seed oils
  • crackers like Simple Mills, Cult Crackers – grain free
  • nut butter (no sugar added) for apples and bananas
  • tin fish like mackerel
  • apple sauce in a pack – Once Upon A Farm, Santa Cruz,
  • fruit snacks – That’s It, Solely

Happy healthy travels! What do you like to bring to snack, eat, and drink on during vacation? Comment below!

 

Walk Wise

Walk Wise

Walking provides us with a mode of transportation to get from a to b. Many of us take for granted the ability to walk as this seems like something we have always done. Think of small children as they progress from crawling to walking, this takes time, strength, and determination. Our muscles and nervous system do a wonderful job of relaying these messages throughout our body, along with connecting to our mind.

 

Walking may also be used as a form of exercise when engaging in power walking. Power walking is with a quicker pace than your normal stride, yet you are not quite jogging or running.  When one is power walking, it is important to have a strong, tall posture, with your shoulders back and your core engaged. Make sure to be aware of your surroundings and stay hydrated. Power walking may improve your mood, reduce stress, and boost brain function. It may also help you sleep better, which can lead to higher energy levels throughout the day. Power walking may improve your cardiovascular fitness, and strengthen your heart and lungs, improve blood flow, increase oxygen and nutrient delivery to your muscles, and lower your risk of diabetes. Power walking is a great activity to do with others in your community. It is a time that you may enjoy engaging conversationally with others, while also motivating one another to be active with your walk.

 

Another type of walking that tends to be overlooked is mindful walking. Mindful walking focuses on the sensations of walking; the sights, the sounds, and feelings of each step. Mindful walking is one way to make a daily meditation practice part of your regular routine. The key is to pay attention to the experience of walking – the sights and sounds of your surroundings, the sensation of your feet on the ground and the rhythm of your gait. Mindful walking is a great way for busy people to incorporate a meditation practice into their weekly routine – it just requires bringing a different quality of attention to something you’re already doing. Mindful walking may also help to redirect your focus from stressful situations, while releasing natural endorphins. When I go out for mindful walks I love engaging with nature; listening to the bird songs, hearing the sound of the wind blowing, smelling the scents of the native flowers and plants, hearing and watching the rushing rivers and waves crashing on a beach, these are always special times in my day when I take those extra moments to appreciate the world around me.

 

 

 

 

Grounding, also known as earthing, is the practice of making direct contact with the Earth’s surface with your skin, such as walking barefoot. Grounding is based on the idea of how electrical charges from the earth can have positive effects on our body. There are theories that suggest that grounding may improve your mood, reduce inflammation, reduce stress, and improve sleep to name a few benefits. I love when we vacation to the beach and my shoes come off and I walk most of the day barefoot in the sand! Have you ever noticed how relaxed you feel when taking a beach vacation? Yes I know, you are on vacation and not working most likely, so of course you feel relaxed, but what if it’s also the fact that you are grounding?!

Speaking of places I enjoy walking barefoot, I love a good labyrinth to walk in. Not that long ago I traveled to Civana Wellness Resort in Arizona, they had a wonderful labyrinth that I walked barefoot while repeating a mantra to myself. Since then I found a lovely labyrinth by the river in our small town of Lyons. I make time to go down there and take off my shoes for a grounding, mindful walk in their labyrinth from time to time.

 

 

 

 

There are numerous ways to engage in walking throughout your day. Walking wise is a concept I enjoy as I encourage those to be mindful, and engage with themselves when walking. Certain thoughts and ideas that may arise on my walks, do tend to add to my own personal growth and wisdom. I also enjoy getting a bit of a workout in at times with power walking, again this is a time to engage with your mind and body and walk with power and intention. Comment below about the types of walks you enjoy in your daily life, I love to hear what others are doing for their body, mind, and soul!

CHECK IN WITH YOURSELF

CHECK IN WITH YOURSELF

As we are approaching July 1st, six months after the calendar year has begun, it is a wonderful time to check in with yourself and see how you are doing so far this year. How are you really? How are your intentions for this year coming along? Have you set goals and started working towards them, or maybe even achieved them? Have you started implementing healthy choices or rituals in your life to support your lifestyle? Take this time to reflect on the past year, write down and acknowledge your achievements thus far, write down the intentions you are currently working on and the ones you have not yet acted on.

If you struggle with setting intentions for yourself, I wrote an in depth blog in January earlier this year on exactly how to do this for yourself, check it out! Looking over my intentions this year, I am proud to see some that I have already accomplished, and new rituals that I have implemented in to my daily lifestyle. I also see intentions that I am currently working on, and other that I have not yet started to implement. I am looking forward to tackling some of these intentions throughout the rest of this year. Acknowledge yourself and be proud of the intentions you have set forth and completed this year, I am proud of you! Also, be sure to give yourself grace for the intentions you have not yet implemented.

One intention of mine was to drink more water and track it. I was tracking my daily water consumption, and was able to increase the amount so regularly that I no longer need to track it, drinking more water has now become a habit for me!

Another intention of mine was be the best version of myself and show up for myself. This is an intention that I continually work on, and do need to remind myself from time to time to check in with myself.

I am excited to start learning how to play my new crystal sound bowl, as I had an intention for this year, to learn a new activity or hobby. I have yet to learn how to play this bowl, but I will this year as I am one step closer having acquired a crystal sound bowl this year on Mother’s Day from my husband Dave.

I look forward to working on other intentions I had for this year and implementing them into my life. We grow as a person when we try new things and step out of our comfort zones. Learning and dreaming do not have to stop once we are no longer an adolescent. A mantra I wrote to myself on January 1, 2024 was this, my mind and body are strong and healthy, i am strong and healthy. Writing down this mantra reminds me that I have already been implementing another one of my intentions, it’s become second nature for me to incorporate a second meditation or yoga practice in to my day. I am grateful for my intentional growth in my journey, I truly hope the same for you.

 

 

Sunscreen – to wear or not to wear

Sunscreen – to wear or not to wear

When I was diving into my research of purchasing a “healthier” sunscreen a few years ago, I found it daunting in all honesty. Luckily I found the organization EWG which stands for the Environmental Working Group. This group has been around since 1993 shining a spotlight on outdated legislation, harmful agricultural practices, and industry loopholes that pose a risk to our health and the health of our environment. I found so many of their articles useful and they opened my eyes to the skin care industry, more importantly sunscreen. The EWG verified mark on sunscreen products indicates that a product has met their full criteria to ensure it adheres to their strictest standards for efficacy, ingredient safety, and transparency.

A SUNSCREEN CAN BECOME EWG VERIFIED IF IT:
  • Meets EWG’s criteria for overall product hazard score
  • Is formulated to provide balanced UVA/ UVB protection
  • Does not contain any ingredients on EWG’s “Unacceptable” list
  • Discloses all ingredients, including those in fragrance.

Below you will find a link to EWG’s sunscreen guide for 2024. There is also a place to input a specific sunscreen and see the “hazard” rating from EWG. The  hazard score ranges 1-10 reflecting hazards linked to the ingredients.

https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/

There are many other options for sun protection besides utilizing only sunscreen. Before I share these other options, I would like to briefly chat about UV light, abbreviated for ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet light has shorter wavelengths than visible light, but has longer wavelengths than X-rays. UV radiation is present in sunlight, and constitutes about 10% of the total electromagnetic radiation output from the sun. There are three different type of UV rays UVA, UVB, and UVC. While UVA and UVB rays are transmitted through the atmosphere, UVC ray and some UVB rays are absorbed by the earth’s ozone layer. Both UVA and UVB rays can cause damage to your skin. Sunburn is a sign of short-term overexposure, while premature aging and skin cancer are side effects of prolonged UV exposure.

There are shirts, hats, and pants that shield your skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays. On days when there is a higher UV index, choose to spend time outside in the early morning or evening hours when the sun is lower in the sky. There are numerous apps that you can download on your phone to check the daily UV index for your specific location. I enjoy using the app UVIndex to find out my specific daily index. Sunglasses are great for UV protections for your eyes. Be sure when purchasing sunglasses you see the labels UV400 or 100% UVA & UVB Protection.

I love spending time outside both in the sun and shade. For example, go on a nice hike or walk and afterwards have a picnic lunch in the shade, out of the sun. Enjoy sitting by the ocean or a lake with the shade of trees or umbrellas.

Some folks will argue that wearing sunscreen is not good for you. Unfortunately we do know that too much sun may cause skin cancer. Though I do agree that for 10-30 minutes per day, depending on the time of day with the height of the sun in the sky, you should not wear sunscreen and allow your body to soak up the natural vitamin D3 from the sun.

Enjoy getting outdoors in the sun and shade, it is great for your overall health, body and mind. Do your research on sun protection products and decide what products work best for you!

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