As I believe in creating more awareness around holistic health and wellness, I like to share various “health & wellness tools” that have worked for me and many of my clients. I may educate on reserched benefits of some of nature’s superfoods, as well as share tips and suggestions that generally support a healthy DIGESTION, HORMONAL REGULATION, BLOOD SUGAR BALANCE, and overall better health. However, everyone is different and it’s so important to honor your bioindividuality, so if anything doesn’t ring true to you, then do NOT apply it!
TRUST your gut, and don’t follow any recommendation that doesn’t go along with what you know to be true to you.
Also, I envourage you to place more focus on being healthy and FEELING good versus just losing weight. Please, try to enjoy your food, enjoy your exercise, and view any/all of your healthy habits as ways to give LOVE to your beautiful, unique body. DO NOT do anything that is making you suffer.
Lastly, if you have any health condition or take medications, consult with your doctor before starting a new regimen.
With that in mind, here are 11 health & wellness “guidelines” that I follow and truly believe in (based on my research, experience with myself and my clients as a health coach) to support a healthier body, insde and out:
MORNING HYDRATION. Start your day with 2 full glasses of water (and additionally, I suggest adding a warm mug of lemon water, sometimes with apple cider vinegar, too). Proper hydration is often underrated, yet it’s the key to having good digestion and energy throughout your day
STILLNESS AT THE START OF YOUR DAY. Before grabbing your coffee and starting the rush of your day, take 5-20 mins to breathe / meditate / reflect / journal. Sitting in silence is powerful and it’s when our best self shines through. I have come to realize that the Universe / God / our intuition talks to us in these moments of silence / stillness.
EXERCISE DAILY. Add some movement to your days - every day. Maybe weekends it’s just playing with kids or walking on the beach. But move your body and get your heart rate up every day. Do what you love. I’m currently a huge fan of Movement Snacks!
BALANCE IT ALL OUT WITH REST. Make time to rest, relax, and sleep 7.5-9 hours every day. Ok maybe some people do ok with 7 hrs but most of us thrive on 7.5-9 hrs per day! And finding time to just BE- to relax by yourself, at times a with family or friends, and to do things that bring you pure joy and a sensation of de stressing is so key for your physical and mental health. A healthy diet and exercise is nothing if you’re not balancing it out with down time and proper sleep.
EAT THE RAINBOW (OF VEGETABLES). Eat more vegetables, period! You don’t have to become vegan nor vegetarian but just eating more plants is the cornerstone to a healthy GUT and overall good health. The more variety of vegetables and different colors you incorporate, the better! If you know me personally you know I live by this rule! And learning to love veggi es is life changing. Experiment with any and all veggies and do not give up on trying new ones, and new ways to eat them (prepped/cooked differently)
EAT GREEN. Eat more green vegetables in particular. This is an add-on to previous point but I have to separate it because eating green leafy vegetables and green herbs has its proper list of benefits. Green veggies are packed with chlorophyll which give us energy and help detoxify our bodies, promote healthy digestion, hormones and so much more! I also suggest trying green superfood supplements (on top of a green-veggie rich diet).
AVOID GLUCOSE SPIKES. Eat stable blood-sugar balancing meals. No need to count calories or measure meals, but if you focus on having most of your meals be “balanced”- with some healthy lean protein, healthy fats and tons of fiber (primarily from veggies, nuts/seeds, some fruits, legumes and small amounts of whole grains if you digest them well) then you’re setting yourself up for success. Other blood sugar stabilizing tips include: starting your meal wtih a salad and leave the carbs for last, having some apple cider vinegar right before your meal, walking after a meal, and avoid eating constantly as each time you eat is a glucose spike. READ MORE HERE.
EAT MORE AT HOME. Eating more home-cooked meals will automatically make your diet healthier because you can control the quality of ingredients, amount of oil and salt you use. Plus, home cooked food is made with extra Vitamin L which is absolutely key for our health (love)!
FOCUS ON DIGESTION. Eat slowly, chew your food well, and be present at meals. Stop munching between meals and leave at least 3 hours between meals, and 12+ hours between dinner and breakfast (if that works for you). Aim to have breakfast and dinner as more simple easier-to-digest meals (ex. try a smoothie for breakfast and a veggie curry or stew for dinner). I don’t think we need to follow food combining rules 100% (it’s tiring and too restrictive) but I do believe that understanding what foods seem to help your digestion is KEY. When our meals are heavy and difficult to digest, it robs us of energy (making us tired), causes bloating or gas, and often blocks our ability to lose weight. Read nore HERE for 5 key digestion tips, and HERE for 9 tips for a great poop!
BALANCE AND DETOX. These two go hand in hand. As for balance: I believe in 80/20: Eat super healthy (what you know to be healthy for your body) 80-90% of the time and allow for those things that bring you JOY even if they’re not super healthy about 10-20% of the time. For example, for me it’s my daily dark chocolate and occasional red wine. And then, try a good food-based detox twice a year to help keep your health on point.
BIOINDIVIDUALITY. Honor your unique, beautiful body. Forget what is being “labeled” by your friend, a celebrity or that old-school nutritionist as “bad/ unhealthy” foods, and resist from blatanly following every new trend without researching it. Instead, take the time to work with a health coach and find out what’s healthy for you at this time. You may discover that “healthy” foods are cuasing you bloating because you’re not digesting it well. And you may realize that what you believe to be “OK” is completely sabotaging your health. It’s worth it to better understand your body and what supports it, and based on that, find your healthy, supportive balance!