Category: Health

I love my children who are really adults now and am thrilled to have them home this summer with one already out of the nest. However, my previously quiet house is now filled with the background noise of the Netflix series du jour, friends coming and going, a constantly dirty kitchen, never enough food in the frig, (Mom, there’s nothing to eat!) and the evidence every morning of late night snacks (which is why there’s nothing to eat!) I go for a walk in the neighborhood and am surrounded by loud mowers and blowers, or construction saws. And then there’s the news! Urgent action alerts multiple times a day as our country’s health care, environmental protections, education, and women’s health are under review for change.

One evening as I was doing dishes, I heard a whisper “ go to the beach, alone and do it soon. Actually, it was more of a command from my higher self than a gentle whisper. I found myself completely on board with this idea “ I had to make it happen!

Here’s what I learned:

• I don’t like to inconvenience others or ask for anything for myself. I did it anyway. Step #1 was to both ask a friend to stay at her beach house and then inform my family they were on their own for 3 days.
• Three days of quiet time by a beach felt like just a warm-up “ could have used a whole week.
• Time alone once every 15 years or so is not enough!
• I was happier and lighter not checking the news or social media.
• As I started to unwind, I found I moved slower and was actually more tired than I allow myself to be on a daily basis. I napped daily which I swore I couldn’t do.
• I spent every moment possible outside (I love screened in porches!). Nature is a salve, a balm, a healer.
• I definitely do too much for those who are capable of doing things for themselves.
• I could meditate for an hour a few times/day. Each meditation brought me deeper into a quiet I haven’t heard before and a feeling of a loving Presence that came from within.

We love time with our families and friends but time alone is essential to recharge, reset your nervous system, reconnect with your self, reclaim your sanity and your soul. I am blessed that I had the opportunity to have the experience I had. Even if you can’t get away, try to carve some time out in your schedule such as on a weekend morning. My sister-in-law woke up at 5 am when her kids were home for her me-time. Maybe you live alone but fill your silence with distractions. Really look at how you are spending your time. Big and little screens are addictive and take us away from our center. Do you really need to check your email, social media and the news as often as you do? Do you really need to watch as many TV shows?

The world, our families, our jobs will go on without us as we gather back into ourselves and gain a new perspective and refill that empty cup we try to pour from. We are uncomfortable with silence, with space, with just Being but that is where the magic happens, allowing Grace to move through and as each one of us.

The unexpected election results of this week may have you thrilled your guy is in the White House or reeling with disbelief because you expected Hillary Clinton to win. Either way, it has been a chaotic and stressful week with many changes in store in the coming months. My humble suggestion in the midst of this storm is to go inward and find your center.

My center is that place of calm and essence of being that no one can shake me from. My first experience of this was at the end of my first yoga class 25 years ago. I was working as a RN in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Tiny, fragile lives depended on my focus and calm. The stress of maintaining that for 8 or 12 hours at time was getting to me. Somehow I found my way to a yoga class and the release I felt by moving my body in a mindful way through all the poses and then ending with savasana, a deep relaxation known as Corpse Pose was profound. I now practice Kundalini yoga every morning and meditate before starting my day. I haven’t stopped learning or searching for other methods.

Here’s what I have learned:

• Have a daily practice. Mornings are best to set your nervous system and mindset for the day.
• Start small; even 5 minutes of deep breathing before you rush off to start your day will help.
• The Zen Theory of Change involves simply noticing – what is taking you off center?
• Notice how your body feels in response to your experiences. Do you feel tightness and constriction or freedom and ease. Choose freedom and ease. Use this as a compass for making decisions that are true to you.
• Before reacting or believing a thought, always ask – Is it true? Check out Bryon Katie’s website: www.thework.com for more instructions on using four simple questions to keep you in reality and learn about yourself.
• Find your center through getting in touch with your body. If meditation sounds intimidating, simply sit or lay down and tune in to your body from head to toe. Where’s the tension, what is it trying to tell you?
• Focus on your senses as a way into mindfulness when you are driving, cooking, walking, taking a shower.
• Spend a few minutes breathing while focusing on your heart. Inhale to a count of 4 and exhale to a count of 6. Think of someone you love, fill your heart with gratitude. This puts your heart and nervous system in coherence which is extremely beneficial. Check out the Institute of Heart Math for more information. www.heartmath.com. Inner Balance is a product that has an app for a sensor to teach you to stay in coherence which keeps you in the rest and repair nervous system.
• Be very choosey about how you spend your time. Choose actions that align with your values.

Just as the body gets stronger with the stress of weight training, your spirit can also become stronger in times of change. Look for the opportunity for growth for you.

Staying physically active is hugely important as we get older. There are plenty of examples of athletes in their 80’s who still compete at weight lifting, marathons, and even the now famous Iron Nun, (thanks Nike) Sister Madonna Buder who just finished her 46th Triathlon and who didn’t start running until she was 47! However, the body is changing and its important to know how to stay active without overloading and getting injured.

I love to move and have been active my whole life whether it was running, cycling, yoga, dance, or walking. I feel like the same person, therefore I can still do what I did at 20, 30, 40. Right? Like running up a steep mountain trail or keeping up with the young yoga enthusiasts or perhaps even taking a Pound fitness class very close to a college campus that combines drumming with cardio and hundreds squats and plies! I humbly admit to all the above examples. I felt the tug in the hamstring but thought it was just sore and I would heal like I did with all my other intermittent sore muscles. So, I kept walking and riding my bike. I did consult with a PT but didn’t get the rest I needed. The pain didn’t go away and by the time I actually went to see a Sport’s Medicine doc, I had a small partial tear in the tendon. Ouch! Now I have time to write this blog.

So, how to prevent this situation?The safety margin of an exercise dose tends to decline with aging, according to Kallinen and Markku in their article, Aging, Physical Activity and Sports Injuries published in the Journal of Sports Medicine. The authors state that, The best ‘treatment’ for sports-related injuries is prevention. Good agility, technical skills, and cardiovascular and musculoskeletal fitness are important in injury prevention among the elderly. (or middle age).

Tips for Maintaining Fitness:

• Adjust your mindset! Accept the fact that you are getting older and treat yourself with care and compassion.
• Set goals but be realistic about your training plan.
• Warm up your muscles before jumping into an activity.
• Flexibility exercises are important to counteract the loss of flexibility as we age.
• Make sure your posture is in alignment by consulting with a physical therapist or DO. Donna Byrne, a licensed Physical Therapist and owner of Pilates Central has been specially trained by the Postural Restoration Institute and incorporates these exercises into all the Pilates classes taught at her studio. Hips that are out of alignment for example, can lead to all kinds of problems that I am experiencing first hand!
• Start slow with a new activity or even an old activity that you haven’t done in a while. Do half the usual time at first and then add 5-10 minutes the next time you do it.
• Incorporate the 3 basics of fitness in to your weekly routine: strength training, cardiovascular training and flexibility.
• Cross-train. Over-use injuries are common so mix up your routine but see above about starting slowly!
• For brain/body fitness, incorporate activities that include balance, coordination and reaction time. Yoga, dance, tennis are good examples of these activities.
• Use a foam roller to loosen up the connective tissue that tends to get less flexible with age. Maintain a healthy weight so you will have less wear and tear on your joints. Choose activities you enjoy. Nature and socializing are also good for your health. Exercise outside or with a friend or in a fun class to get twice your benefit and keep you motivated.
• Last but not least – Don’t ignore pain – that is a signal something is off!! Listen to your body and give it the rest or the care that is needed. Hopefully, you won’t need to learn the hard way!

I have been privileged to work with 8 people who are participating in my Pilot Project which combines my work as a health educator/coach with the new skills and tools I have been accumulating in my studies with Chicago healer, Kurt Hill, Martha Beck, Byron Katie, Tara Brach, Dr. Keith Holden, in addition to countless books on Jungian psychology and holistic and energy healing. Some will call this line of work Somatic Psychology or Energy Healing or Energy Psychology. Kurt Hill calls it Advanced Psychosomatic Character Therapy. It uses both ancient healing methods and very modern science in psychoneuroimmunology, mind body medicine, quantum physics and vibrational medicine.

What I have found is that profound healing is possible at any age and no matter how long you have been dealing with your “issues”. Your “issues are in your tissues” so accessing them in your body and releasing them in a very relaxed state leads to profound and what seems to be lasting shifts.

Comments from participants include:

• “I went from stuck to unstuck”.
• “Feelings of anxiety and negative thought patterns I have had for years are just gone”
• “I have recovered a sense of joy, more energy and a release of old patterns”.
• “I feel like I have a new pair of glasses on, I am seeing a whole new world.”
• “Ann creates space that allows the layers to emerge.”

These are powerful statements that show results in just 6 sessions. I have learned that everything is related: your habits, your memories, the pain in your back, the negative self-talk, the inertia, insomnia, hormones, the food you eat, and on an on. These are all clues to what is holding you back from feeling your best and functioning optimally. I have learned ways of accessing and uncovering unconscious material or blocks in the form of dreams, physical symptoms, daily irritants or stressors, mental symptoms and the chakra system. I have also learned skills for transforming and using them to heal wounds from the past making room for more energy for self-healing.

By recovering aspects of your Self that have gone into hiding, you align with your true authentic Self. That is at the heart of this process which feels like freedom in the mind body and spirit. Ready to find your wings? Stay tuned for some transformational stories next time.

There is difference between indulgence and overindulgence. Indulgence every once in a while is fine but too many people put on weight over the holidays that takes all year to take off, if it ever comes off. I recently went to a seminar on understanding the connection between the brain and some of our behavior around food given by Dr. William Kelley, a Professor of Psychological and Brain Science at Dartmouth College. Here’s what science tells us about why we often fail to stick to our health goals and how we can outsmart our biology to keep you on track during the holidays.

It is important to know yourself and your usual patterns. Are you the type to have a small piece of dark chocolate and you are satisfied? Or does one bite of ice cream mean you will finish the whole carton?Yes? Read on:

Brain Basics:

• Habits are an automatic response that the brain has figured out to improve our well being. Habits are learned and maintained based on reward.
• We have a Reward Center and a Control Center in our brain. The Reward center is considered bottom up because it tends to happen without our awareness. The Control center is a top down function meaning it doesn’t happen automatically and can amplify or dampen the reward center.
• Reward pathways are created through reinforcement involving a neurotransmitter called Dopamine. You eat a cookie or get a like on Facebook and dopamine is released lighting up the reward center. If you do this often enough and especially if there are emotions involved, a new habit is formed.
• The cookie or Facebook or a glass of wine or whatever lighting up your brain becomes a “Cue” “ meaning whenever you are exposed to the cue, your brain becomes very motivated to receive that reward. It lives for the moment without caring about long-term implications. Give it to me NOW!

Stress and the Control Center:

• You probably are already aware and have experienced what stress does to the Control Center “ it dampens it so it becomes a very soft voice when faced with that cookie. At the same time the Reward center amplifies so all you hear is COOKIE!
• This applies to any reward: Pick your Poison – smoking, heroin, facebook, video games, alcohol, etc.
• You are more likely to overeat when stressed if you are female, already overweight, sleep-deprived and on a diet.

Brain Science tips to avoid overindulging this holiday season:

• Avoid Cue exposure by not buying your trigger foods your higher self doesn’t want you to eat.
• Don’t allow even one taste of the forbidden food (or one drink, one cigarette, etc.)
• Amplify positive emotions through daily gratitude or doing a heart-centered meditation.
• Prioritize some daily stress management technique such as doing deep inhales and exhales throughout the day. Prioritize sleep over your to-do list, which may mean simplifying.
• Alternate alcoholic drinks with sparkling water.
• Don’t try a restrictive diet during the holidays, it will only backfire. Fill up on eating whole foods (fruits and veggies) which will turn off your appetite and limit your exposure to triggers whether it is sugar or salty/crunchy.

Is there a Magic Bullet that could help with all these factors that is just as effective as all of the above mentioned strategies? Yes! Mindfulness training has been shown to be very effective at regulating sleep, the stress response, overeating, smoking and drinking. Instead of trying to stop the emotions and craving, with mindfulness you learn to observe them and let them go. Yes, I really want to eat that. Yes, I am really annoyed right now. Hug your emotions and let them go, and watch yourself pass on the second helping of pumpkin pie. I am teaching an introductory course on Meditation that will cover some of the basics of Mindfulness. For more information please see the Meditation Course page under Services on my website.

Unfortunately, many women suffer from low sex drive. Most women will laugh nervously when out with their girlfriends when the talk turns to how mismatched their sexual desire is with the men in their lives. Having more sex will probably fall to the bottom of the list behind sleep, childcare duties or just reading for 10 minutes so you can go to book club actually having read some of the book! Most will admit to mercy sex when a woman agrees to have sex only to keep the peace or to make their husbands happy. Many women will report that they enjoyed the sex even though they didn’t feel up for it at first.

Will a new women’s libido pill, flibanserin, that a panel of experts recently recommended for FDA approval solve the waning of sexual desire among women? The New York Times reports that many committee members voted yes but had misgivings because of the low effectiveness of the drug in trials and its potential side effects. The trials show that women taking the drug had one more satisfying sexual event per month than women receiving a placebo. Side effects include fatigue, dizziness, fainting and nausea. The New York Times reported on June 14th that the drug company, Sprout Pharmaceuticals, recruited feminists and women’s groups to support the drug despite of its mediocre results and side effects. This has divided the women’s health community as some feel that this was inappropriate.

The medicalization of this issue is a potential problem, ignoring the complexity and potential to address the root cause. Here are some things to think about:Researchers are beginning to understand that the original model that places sexual desire first is flawed; meaning the hunger for it before arousal is not universal. It turns out that many people, especially women experience desire as emerging in response to arousal. Arouse first, desire follows. This is consistent with the frequent comments of women who state, I enjoyed myself although I really didn’t have any interest. Maybe women just aren’t turned on. This isn’t a disease. In fact, HSDD or Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder was removed from the American Psychiatric Association’s manual of Disorders in 2013.Dr. Sara Gottfried, the Harvard trained Ob-Gyn author of The Hormone Cure, states that studies show that hormone imbalance accounts for 70% of low sex drive/response. In addition, common prescription drugs such as anti-depressants and birth control pills can also rob women of their sex drive/response.Unresolved relationship issues or lack of communication leads to distance. Women need to feel connected first, where as men tend to want to connect through sex.Today’s women are stressed out, juggling multiple roles with women still doing the majority of work at home. Not in the mood = exhausted.Women put pleasure last. Women are conditioned to place other’s needs first. If sex is perceived as yet another thing on the to-do list for other people, she won’t prioritize it.I prefer solutions that get to the root cause rather than mask the issue with yet another pill “ a pink pill in this case.

When working with women who want to improve their sex lives, I use a whole person approach, exploring the five elements:

• Physical: Are there hormonal imbalances? Taking medications such as birth control pills or anti-depressants that can lower sex drive/response.
• Nutrition: Are food intolerances or lack of food quality leading to fatigue or generally not feeling well?
• Emotional: How much stress is in her life? Does she feel supported, loved, listened to? How does she feel about her body? Her relationship with her partner?
• Environmental: Is there a TV and/or laptop in the bedroom? How are home and child care responsibilities divided?
• Spiritual: How does she feel about herself? Is she able to fully give and receive love and pleasure? Does she have spiritual beliefs that inhibit her sexually?

Instead of medical treatment for something that is not a disease, women deserve a thoughtful approach that doesn’t judge them or give women yet another reason to feel less than. Before popping another pill for a complex issue, don’t you deserve a whole person approach and a sustainable solution?If you want to learn more about how you can feel better in your body, more energy, better mood and yes, increased sex drive, schedule a free 20 minute consultation today.Grab a girlfriend and join me for a fun, informative and experiential Hormone Harmony group on Tuesday evenings July 7th -July 28th. Go to the Hormone Balancing page on my website (http://www.essencehealth.net/#!page3/cee5) for more information and to sign up.

Have you heard the phrase I will catch up on my sleep when I am dead? Well, the ironic thing is if you consistently get less than 7 hours of sleep per night, you may get that chance to catch up on your sleep sooner than you thought! In fact, researchers at University of Chicago found that after 32 days of sleep deprivation, all the rats in their study were dead. Do I have your attention now??

Why Sleep is Important:

• Your body cleans out toxins and damaged cells, resets your immune system, and turns on the rest and repair hormones at night.
• The brain does its own clean up at night, reorganizing information, boosting memory and facilitates learning and brain growth.

Sleep Loss Leads to:

• Increased risk for obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease and mood disorders.
• Decreased mental function including decision making, reaction time, memory, communication, situational awareness are decreased by 20-50%. That’s like taking a few days of vacation time per week as far as lost productivity goes.
• Increase in calorie intake by up to 500 calories/day.More wear and tear on your body.
• Decreased mental function.

How To Sleep Better

• Avoid or cut back on caffeine: Some people metabolize caffeine slowly so even a morning cup of coffee can affect your sleep. A good rule if you really can’t cut caffeine is: No coffee after noon.
• Limit alcohol: Yes, it helps some fall asleep but it interferes with your deep sleep and delays the REM cycle. It can also lead to a blood sugar dip, which can wake you up. Expose yourself to morning sunlight.
• Use the bedroom for sleep and sex only.
• Eliminate all screens from the bedroom.
• Set a screen curfew for 2 hours before you want to go to sleep. Download free software or an app called f.lux, which reduces the blue light of your screen. Some people wear amber colored glasses while watching TV or using the computer.
• Stick to a regular routine of going to bed at the same time every night.Unwind before you go to sleep.
• Write down whatever is on your mind whether it is a to do list or something bothering you.
• Better yet, write down 3 things you are grateful for. Studies have shown this improves sleep.
• Exercise during the day but not later than 2-3 hours before bedtime.
• Meditate, stretch, do yoga or just a total body relaxation before bed to rid the body of excess stress. Slow, deep belly breathing turns on your relaxing nervous system.
• Avoid liquids 2-3 hours before bedtime. Drink enough water during the day. (6-8 cups)
• Sleep in a quiet, completely dark, cool room (64-68 degrees).
• Use ear plugs or white noise machines and an eye mask if needed.

Detox

The word has a lot of different meanings depending on who’s talking. It could mean detoxing from a substance addiction, or a colonic cleanse or 3 day juice fast. In nursing school, we learned that the body does its own detoxification daily and without that process we would die.

While many health professionals are skeptical about the need for a detox, most would agree that eating a whole foods diet with plenty of fiber enhances the natural detoxification pathways of the body.Emerging research shows that nutrients play an integral role in the detoxification process and that nutrient dense diets that also address food intolerances assist the body’s natural detoxification system, help to balance hormones and decrease inflammation.

Why do we need to detox?

• We are exposed to thousands of chemicals in the food, air, water and personal care products we use. There are 4 billion pounds of toxic chemicals released into the environment every year.
• Our body’s detox systems are not functioning due to digestive issues and over-taxed detox organs due to an accumulating body burden.
• Much of the food we eat is low in nutrients and minerals, high in refined sugars and starches and void of adequate fiber. These foods can cause inflammation and are not adequate to enhance our body’s detox pathways.
• To reset our hormones. Coffee, sugar, alcohol and factory raised meats, pountry and dairy can wreak havoc on our hormones that set how we sleep, store fat, and respond to stress.
• To feel better! Most detox participants enjoy weight loss, improved energy, mood, less joint pain and allergy symptoms.
• To slow down and become mindful of what we are putting in our bodies, our thoughts and emotions.

Detox tips from the experts:

• Eat more garlic, onion and cruciferous vegetables
• Eat the rainbow in fruits and vegetables
• Eat more fiber
• Identify your food intolerances
• Balance your blood sugar
• Eat enough high quality protein

Essence Health is offering a 21 day online Spring Detox based on the latest research from the Institute of Functional Medicine beginning May 11. Choose from 4 different tracts; Standard, Weight Loss, Digestive Health or Autoimmune. Early Bird pricing until May 3rd. Please visit the detox page on my website at http://www.essencehealth.net/#!detox-/cc52

Did you ever wonder if you really were steering the ship of your life? I seemed to have stretches of time that what I felt, what I ate, how I slept, and even what I said was completely out of my control. All this started with adolescence and my first period when everything about me, and the world I was living in changed. It was like my ship was taken over by a rogue pirate!

After reading The Female Brain by Luann Brizendine, MD, about 8 years ago, it all made sense! Just as I suspected, hormones control everything from our sleep patterns, appetite, energy levels, who we fall in love with and how we feel about ourselves. This started a personal and professional interest in hormones. I was determined to throw Jack Sparrow overboard and get a handle on mine.

It wasn’t until after I read The Hormone Cure by Harvard trained OB-GYN Dr. Sara Gottfried and then was trained in her protocols that I feel I have control over my hormones. Due to my age, I should be in the midst of complete Hormone Havoc and am happy to report I am sleeping through most nights and my moods are stable. Life is good! This information made such a difference in my life; I want to share some basics of the most common hormonal imbalances and how to control the Queen of all hormones. This will give you more energy, may lead to weight loss and to better moods. This approach starts with lifestyle changes first, and hormone replacement as a last resort.

The major hormones of the body work closely together. This means that if one is off, it can reduce or block the production of another essential hormone. The most common scenario is that the stress hormone, cortisol (the Queen) is often high in busy women. High cortisol can interfere with thyroid hormone, which controls your metabolism, and progesterone that helps to calm the female brain and prevent PMS. This leads to weight gain and cranky moods. Sound familiar?

Balancing hormones is complicated and it is important to try to uncover the root cause. Is it too much stress, could it be an underactive thyroid? Perhaps it is both. If it is due to prolonged stress leading to high cortisol, which slows down your thyroid, then addressing the stress and cortisol seem to be a logical first step to restoring your thyroid function.

Everyone is unique with different hormonal imbalances but there are some lifestyle changes you can make today to help keep or put your hormones in balance.

• Start your day with enough protein and fat
• Eat enough fiber to help estrogen balance “ 35-45 gms.
• Limit screen time after 8pm
• Get enough Omega 3 fatty acids
• Change your perception of stressful events “ ask yourself, is it true?
• Take deep belly breaths throughout the day.
• Limit sugar intake (including alcohol)
• Don’t over exercise. Walk, do yoga, lift some weight and sprint a few times/week.
• Treat yourself to high quality dark chocolate (check the sugar content!)It takes at least 21 days to make a new habit effortless so pick one thing and commit to it and then when that’s easy, try something else.

Once you start feeling better, you will be more energized and committed to make more changes. You are worth it!!If you are interested in finding solutions to your hormonal imbalances within a whole health framework, please check out the Hormone Balancing page of my website.

This holiday season has snuck up on me in a big hurry with the sudden transition to winter overnight. As our Halloween pumpkins were covered with snow, we were suddenly thrown into Holiday mode. As I sit to create my to-do- list, my stomach clenches, my breath gets shallow, my heart speeds up…How will I ever get all this done?!

Uggh, with holiday stress so pervasive, what’s a health conscious person to do to get through to 2015 with your adrenal glands intact? Read on and you will learn some simple techniques to keep your mind/body/spirit in relax mode so you can actually enjoy the holidays.

Sources of Stress:

Hans Selye, considered the grandfather of stress, defined stress as any event that causes change or demands adaptation. So under this definition, stress comes to us through weather changes, exposure to viruses, lack of sleep, more sugar, caffiene, and alcohol, less day light, to-do lists, family drama, feelings of nothing ever being enough, ie. falling for the trap of the perfect house, gifts, cards, etc.

Why should you care?

Stress literally has an effect on every cell in your body. The body is either in a relax, repair and fight off infection mode, or fight or flight, break down mode. You can’t have it both ways. Cortisol is the main stress hormone that your adrenal glands produce that governs your blood sugar, digestion, food cravings, sleep/wake cycles, and blood pressure. With chronic stress, the fight or flight never turns off, putting you at risk for diabetes, belly fat, insomnia, high blood pressure, just to name a few. Stress is additive and if you don’t actively remove it, it will build and you will get exhausted.

What can you do about it?

I invite you to consider the following ideas:

• Mental/Emotional:Change your perception; reframe the holidays. Make decisions to do less, buy less. Take control in other words. Take the word should out of your planning.Set limits and make your health a priority. Set a bedtime and a screen time curfew. What you don’t get done, you don’t get done.
• Physical:Breathe “ use any moment to practice breathing and mindfulness. Waiting at a red light and/or washing dishes are both good opportunities to practice. To turn on the relaxing side of your nervous system, practice breathing with your diaphragm or belly and make sure your exhale is longer than your inhale. Inhale for 5 seconds, hold your breath for 5 seconds and exhale 7 seconds.Stretch “ yoga or just simply stretching while being aware of your breath is a healthy way to multi-task.
• Nutrition:Stay away from sugar, too much caffeine and processed foods as they all influence cortisol and can deplete you of the feel-good neurochemical serotonin. Get more of these vitamins and minerals as they can be depleted during stress: Vitamins A,C,E, Vitamin B complex, protein, cholesterol, essential fatty acids and minerals. Eat a varied whole foods diet or supplement if necessary.
• Environment:Maximize morning sunlight if possible and limit screen time after 9pm to help with sleep.Schedule regular exercise that is fun. Multi-task and exercise with a friend.
• Spiritual:Practice forgiveness “ forgive others and yourself for old wounds. Letting go releases emotions from the body. Start the new year with a clean slate.Practice loving kindness meditation. Simply focus on your heart center and take deep breaths. Imagine someone or something you love. Send that love to yourself first, and to others in your life. This is a very powerful practice that takes 5 minutes.

Just pick one of these items or if you are ambitious pick one from each category. Make a commitment to yourself to honor your deepest values this holiday season. Everything else will fall into place.

My husband and oldest son recently returned from a backpacking trip to the Porcupine Mountains covered in mud, tired, but exhilarated. Four days to uplug and connect with each other and the natural world gave them a sense of accomplishment but also a deep understanding of how everything is connected in the forest. At the National Institute of Whole Health, I learned that our health is much like the forest, an ecosystem where everything is related to everything else. Our physical health is a byproduct of what we feed it, the thoughts and feelings we expose it to, the environments that we live and work in, and most importantly our belief system which drives every decision we make. In this blog I will explore these elements more in depth, the science behind it and tips for you to optimize your own personal ecosystem.

A brief overview of the 5 elements:

Physical: This refers to the physical body, how we feel in our bodies on a day to day basis. Do we have energy to do all the things we want to do, are our joints and muscles achy, have we been diagnosed with a chronic disease, are we carrying extra weight? The physical body is a picture of what is going on inside each cell of the body, the health of our gut microbiome, and how much inflammation there is.

Emotional/Mental: Our emotions and thoughts are powerful drivers of our health. Each thought or emotion we have sets off a cascade of chemical messenger molecules that tell our cells and bodies how to react to our environment – prepare for danger or are we happy to be where we are right now.

Nutritional: Dr. Georgianna Donadio at NIWH likes to say that nutrition has become the new religion in this country. Everyone is so passionate about what they think is the right diet. There are some food rules to follow (such as no trans-fats) but it is really quite simple. Eat a whole foods based diet that is filled with as much plant based foods as possible, clean sources of protein and healthy fats. Everyone is different and one person may thrive on a diet that would be poison for another.

Environmental: The environments we live and work in give us the structure of our lives. Are our environments conducive to health? Do we live in a toxic environment filled with toxic chemicals in the food, air and water. Do we work in toxic environments with too much stress, too much sitting and no time for a healthy lunch. Are our relationships filled with judgements and negativity?

Spiritual: The word spirit comes from the Latin word meaning breath. It is our breath that connects us to all of life. It is our breath that reflects our relationship to life. Shallow quick breathing reflects a life that is fast paced, stress based and a sign that we are out of touch with our bodies. In yoga, the first and most important exercise you learn is to belly breathe. That turns on our relaxing side of the nervous system and has a way of instantly connecting you to your source. Our belief system is kind of like the hard drive of our computers. You don’t really know how the hard drive works, and unless your computer crashes, you aren’t aware of it on a daily basis. But that hard drive controls the operation of the computer much like our belief system controls our thoughts and actions which ultimately dictate our health.