How to have a stress free holiday

How to have a stress free holiday

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The holiday season brings a great deal of joy and warmth.  There’s something extra special about this time of year — but it doesn’t come without challenges.  A great deal of added stress is seemingly dumped on our plates, and we find it hard to catch our breath.  The pressure of finding gifts, rushing around attending added events, hosting people at your home, visiting relatives you miss during the year and even having to deal with those that aren’t always a joy to be around. Maybe this is the time to talk about how to have a stress free holiday season?

This season really can be enjoyable and heart-warming, even with the stress involved.  Walking into this time of year with a great mindset and some helpful reminders gets me through every year… and I’d love to share my tips on how I do this with you.

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Update Your Outdoor Menu For Fun and Wellness

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One of the best aspects of summer is gathering outside with your friends and family to enjoy delicious food and conversation. Warm (or hot) weather and longer days are the perfect equation for a gathering. Cookouts are a staple of summer, but if you’re trying to eat for better health, you may be left munching on the veggie tray as everyone else fills their plate with hotdogs and baked beans.

You don’t have to be stuck with just the veggie tray. There are numerous healthful options to choose from during the summer cookout months, so there’s no need to be left out of the fun or go home hungry. Read more

Insert the Gift of Nutrients for 2018

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Christmas is fast approaching, and it is time to savor all the joy it brings — friends, family, meals together, giving & gratitude. Of course, these are accompanied by hearty dishes and sweets that can certainly wreak havoc on our bodies. Casseroles laden with cream, sugary cakes and cookies, and other tempting empty calorie bombs will adorn the dining tables we surround. Unless we do something about it, that is!

But how can you make healthy decisions during this season of eating, especially without anyone noticing? Well, I have a few of my favorite tricks to share with you that I have used – and the best part is, nobody ever notices. Read more

Secrets of Holiday Bliss

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The holidays have begun. It’s a time of year that is know for its busy nature that can contribute to stress levels beyond the norm. You likely have several party invitations collecting on your counter, a long list of people on your Christmas card list, and the daunting task of braving crowds as you shop for gifts for your loved ones.

And all of this is added to your normal every day life. It can be overwhelming to say the least!

As my gift to you, I want to share Read more

Enjoy A Cookout Without Guilt

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Many Americans celebrate July 4th with cookouts and fireworks. Some eagerly anticipate these gatherings, while others may find the typical spread to be fraught with challenges.

Whether a basic or extravagant cookout, there are often healthy food choices to be found. Here are a few recommendations that are consistent with an anti-inflammatory diet. Read more

Spice Up Your Holidays – and Your Health!

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whole-spicesYou may consider this week as the home stretch for the holidays, or are you may just be getting warmed up with Christmas, New Years and then the buildup for Mardi Gras? How are you faring thus far? Remembering to care for yourself?

One way that you can care for yourself is to incorporate spices into your food, or even a cup of tea, to support your body with the benefits they offer. My list of possibilities is pretty long, but let me offer a few options to get you started. Read more

Strategies for a Healthful Holiday

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holiday-partyAs you look over this month’s calendar are your weekends filling up with social events which will involve the gathering of friends and family, not to mention a variety of tasty morsels and assorted bubbly or creamy drinks.

Have past holiday seasons left you with extra pounds displayed on your scale, a pesky foggy brain, lagging energy, and a nagging sense of “oops, I’ve done it again”?

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Give Yourself the Gift of Gratitude

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gratitudeWhat is your focus in these last few days before Thanksgiving? Are your thoughts dominated with a grocery list for the food you will prepare, the arrangements that must be made for guests, the seating arrangements or perhaps the calorie overload that comes with the traditional feast? Or perhaps your primary thought is where you will settle for your post-turkey nap?

All of these demands on your attention are significantly contributing to your stress level, which hinders your digestion, affects your cardiovascular and respiratory function, and makes you susceptible to viral illness.

There is a fairly simple practice that can improve your health, your relationships, your emotions, and your career … all in only 5 minutes a day. Curious?
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Another Holiday Sugar High?

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halloween-candyWhat scares you most about Halloween – images of scary costumes and horror movies, or the effect that the sugar overload will have on the children you know?

When I was a child decades ago, candy was a part of birthday parties and holidays scattered throughout the year, but it wasn’t a daily source of calories as it is for children today. Few children come home from school each day without having eaten some sort of chocolate, lollipop, or sugary substance. It may even have come to them as part of their school lunch in the form of fruit juice or chicken nuggets with ketchup, to name a few options. Read more

For the Love of Chocolate

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chocolateWhat picture comes to mind when you hear the word “chocolate”? A favorite candy bar at the checkout counter, Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka, or the delicious drips of a chocolate fountain? The Christmas season often brings visions of sugar plums, or chocolate bars, to our heads.

Have your tastes in chocolate changed since your childhood? They usually do. Read more