Category: Wellness

Mindfulness from a Millionaire

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I am not getting paid for this post, I just really enjoyed this book and wanted to share.

Who doesn’t want to be a millionaire? All kidding aside, the title is meant to draw you in, but what is inside is so much more than any gimmicky sales pitch. This is one book you really can’t judge by its cover.

Millionaire Success Secrets by Dean Graziosi is a personal development guide, and is packed with open-ended questions, which lead to self-discovery through mindfulness exercises. Bet you didn’t see that coming, did you?  By the time I got to the second chapter I had begun carrying this book and a notebook around with me, so I could work on the exercises wherever I was.  Boring Wednesday morning meeting? Mindfulness exercise to the rescue, making a waste of time actually productive.

Dean starts off simply: “Where are you right now?” in all aspects of your life and “Where do you want to go?” in those same areas.  Think about the power of those seemingly simple questions for a minute.  Anyone who has done a “Level 10 Life chart” knows how important this is.  A large majority – a staggering 92% – of people don’t achieve their yearly goals [1].  Almost 20% of the adult American population, an estimated 40 million people, are currently suffering from some sort of anxiety or depression [2].  According to a Gallup survey, eight in every 10 adults say they experience a moderate to high level of stress every day [3].  Why are we doing this to ourselves?  If you’ve never taken the time to define your goals or what happiness means to you, how do you know if you are heading in the right direction?  Do you know what your “why” is?  This book helps guide you through the steps.

Daily mindfulness and taking the time to discover your “why” have been proven to have profound physiological effects.  Mindfulness meditation, not only lowers stress, but has also been proven to increase telomerase, an enzyme which aids in cell regeneration and can slow aging and reduce cell damage [4]. In addition, research demonstrates that mindfulness bolsters our immune system, making us better able to fight off diseases, from the flu to cancer. Mindfulness also helps improve concentration and lower the stress which is so prevalent in our society [5].

Favorite part:   In Chapter 9 – the Power of Happiness, Dean gives the reader 10 simple habits that you can start using today, which will help you reach higher levels of happiness in your life. After all, all the money in the world won’t buy you happiness, you have to get that from within.  Why not start now?

Favorite quote:  Winston Churchill said “The definition of success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.”

Where to get it:  You can buy it on amazon, but on his website it is much cheaper and he gives the proceeds to charity.  https://dgachieve.com/bl-book-opt  Fair warning though, you will get a lot of upselling emails from his team, which you can quickly unsubscribe out of.

[1] https://www.wealthresearchgroup.com/why-98-of-people-die-without-fulfilling-their-dreams/

[2] https://adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics\

[3] http://www.gostress.com/stress-facts/

[4] http://www.freemeditations.com/benefits-of-meditation-increased-telomerase.html

[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12883106

Homemade Body Butter

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Have you ever looked at the ingredients in commercial lotions and moisturizers?  Many companies put alcohol in their lotions to dry your skin out faster and make you keep coming back for more.  There are also a lot of toxic chemicals found in many skin care products, many of which have been banned in other countries:

  • Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA):  found to disrupt normal reproductive system development and thyroid hormone levels
  • Oxybenzone (found in sunscreens):  found to cause irritation, sensitization, allergies and low birth weight
  • Parabens:  an estrogen-mimicking preservative used in many products, found to disrupt your endocrine system, as well as cause liver damage and stomach cancers
  • Petroleum:  Often contaminated with cancer-causing impurities, since it is produced in oil refineries at the same time as automobile fuel, heating oil and chemical feedstocks.
  • Retinyl and Retinols:  Sunlight breaks down vitamin A to produce toxic free-radicals that can damage your DNA and cause skin lesions and tumors

Ewww.

I spent months trying to find an affordable off-the-shelf product that didn’t contain harmful ingredients.  When that failed, I started making my own at home, with ingredients found in my kitchen.  I now know exactly is getting absorbed by my skin.  I use this lotion every day, even on my face, and I no longer have dry skin (I only apply once a day) or any facial skin issues.

What you need:

  • 1 cup shea butter
  • 1/2 cup unrefined coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 10-15 drops your favorite essential oil (optional)

What to do:

Place a large mason jar in a small pot filled hallway with water (essentially making a double boiler) and heat over medium heat.

Place all ingredients into the mason jar and heat until everything is fully melted, stirring frequently.

Carefully remove mason jar from pot (or wait till it’s cool), and place on the counter (or in fridge) to cool.  Stir body butter every few hours as it cools to maintain smooth consistency until it becomes solid.  Enjoy!

Notes:

If when cooled it is grainy in texture, reheat to liquid again and re-cool, stirring more frequently this time.

After its fully cooled, if it is too liquidy, reheat and add in more shea butter, and recool.

You can use any essential oils you prefer.  For the family lotions, I make a neutral scent with a combination of mint and bergamot. When I make some just for myself, I use lavender or jasmine.

Find Your Happy Place

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In a 2017 survey, only 33% of Americans reported that they were happy.  It has been said that happy people don’t HAVE the best of everything, they simply MAKE the best of everything.  Can it really be that easy?

Why is happiness so important to our well-being and overall health?  The physical effects of unhappiness are similar to the negative effects of stress:

  • Weakened immune system
  • Weight fluctuations
  • Risk of heart attack or stroke
  • Fatigue/Insomnia
  • Trouble with memory/decision making

Aristotle said that “Happiness depends on ourselves.” 

We all have the power to make small changes in our behavior that can have a big impact on our happiness levels.

So, what you can do to be happier:

Acts of Kindness: Taking the time to think of others is shown to change your perspective, and has been linked to a raise in self-esteem, and can help you build new social networks.

Exercise: Find an activity you enjoy and get to it.  Walking, biking, skateboarding…  find your new hobby.

Find the silver lining in everything: Optimism is a learned art form.  Practicing finding the joy in the little things, and start focusing on the good – even in tough situations.

Redirect negative thinking: Don’t deny your negative feelings.  Acknowledge them, and work to find a purpose behind them, and a way forward to fix or get out of the situation.

Practicing mindfulness: Taking time every day to focus on the things you are grateful for can help shift your focus to happier things.

Encourage strong friendships: Developing new friends, and fostering old relationships into new deeper bonds can help you connect deeper with those around you.

Turn the screen off:  Social media has been shown to have a huge negative effect on people’s moods and self esteem, so focus on you for a change, and put the phone down for some peaceful moments every day.  Meditate, go on a walk, or take a hot bath instead.

For the benefit of our health and wellness goals, let’s all make happiness a priority!

The Harmful Effects of Stress

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We talk about stress a lot.  How bad it is, and how full of it we are – see what I did there? – and you can even find advice for how to deal with it.  There is no doubt that our lives are stressful.  We are constantly running around, and adding new stresses every day.  Our jobs are stressful, our families are stressful, worrying about money can be stressful, kids are stressful.  We are so stressed we can’t relax, and we are stressed about not being able to relax.  Life is hard.  Life is stressful. It’s the natural way we live now.  So why should we do something about it?

Stress affects the body on a cellular level.  Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, protects the body and mind from stressors, allowing you to get away (i.e. run away from the tiger). When your body realizes a threat, cortisol and adrenaline are released in the bloodstream by the adrenal glands (two small organs that sit above your kidneys and are part of the endocrine system) to help the body react quickly, rushing blood to the brain, heart, and muscles.  Corticosteroids are also released which will increase sugars in the bloodstream, alter the immune system responses, suppresses the digestive system and the reproductive system. This “natural alarm system” communicates with regions of your brain that control mood, motivation and fear. Once the initial stress has passed, the body’s processes return to normal.

Most of us may not be getting chased by tigers daily, but our bodies react the same way to all stressors.  What happens if we are always stressed?  All day, every day.  You wake up in the morning, and you start thinking about that To-Do list, or you have to deal with traffic on the way to work, or maybe your job itself is a 9+ hour day of constant stress?  If that fight-or-flight response stays turned on, full throttle all the time, the subsequent constant overexposure to cortisol and adrenaline will disrupt all your body’s processes and your adrenal glands can get worn out. [1, 2]

Depending on how you deal with stresses in your life, this can all have a very negative effect on you and your well-being.  Stress in our society is such a typical part of life, we tend to normalize unhealthy ways of dealing with it.  It’s very natural in our society to “self-medicate” with alcohol, drugs or food to deal with stress, because its readily available and makes you feel better instantly for a few short moments.

Six months ago, I hit a wall.  I had been going full throttle for years, like most people, balancing life, work, side projects, kids and I didn’t notice how stressed I was.  After a while, I lost the ability to handle even the smallest of bad things.  The funny thing was, I didn’t even notice it was happening, I was so busy just trying keep my head above water.  One night, my body had enough and I had a panic attack.  Though it was a terrifying night, it was a real eye-opener, and I knew that things had to change.  Of all the things I had been juggling, I knew that I couldn’t really drop any.  The one thing that I knew I could do was change my attitude about all of it.  See here for I “de-stress”.

Another thing that really worked for me was this product.  It’s a natural product that simply offers adrenal support.  I only took it for one month (one bottle) and it really was a lifesaver.  It didn’t take the stress away, but it took the edge off and allowed my body to heal itself and finally process the stress hormones.  It helped to restore my body’s natural stress response. (I don’t recommend products that I don’t personally love.  If you are stressed and nothing else is working, you might want to give it a try).

If you are stressed, and let’s face it we all are, you have to do something about it.  Doing nothing means you put yourself at risk for chronic issues. You can’t get rid of all the stressors in your life.  We know you are stuck with your family, even if they drive you crazy, and you do have to work to make ends meet.  You have to take the time to de-stress your life, even if all you can do is change your attitude about it.  Don’t put it off.

[1] https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20046037

[2] https://draxe.com/3-steps-to-heal-adrenal-fatigue/

[3] https://shop.drberg.com/adrenal-cortisol-regular

Why Is Sleep So Important?

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We should be spending a third of our lives asleep, and yet we are all running around over caffeinated and exhausted.  Restful sleep is essential for good health, in that ensuring quality sleep helps protect your both mental and physical well-being.  For children and teens, sleep also helps support growth and development.  Sleep deficiency alters brain activity and can affect how well you think, react, work, learn, and mood. Sleep deficiency also has been linked to depression, suicide, and risk-taking behavior.

Sleep allows your brain work as efficiently as possible. While you’re sleeping, your brain is processing all the information that you learned the previous day and preparing for the next. Without it, it would not be able to repair and form new pathways which support learning and retention.  Studies have shown that a good night’s sleep improves learning.

Sleep is vital for your physical health as well. During sleep your body is able to regulate hormones, heal damage to blood vessels, organs and muscles, and keep your immune system working effectively. Sleep deficiency has been linked to increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke.  Because of its effects on hormones, sleep deficiency results in a higher than normal blood sugar level, which increases your risk for diabetes and obesity.

Getting enough quality sleep helps you function well throughout the day. People who are sleep deficient are less productive, have a slower reaction time, and make more mistakes. Studies have shown that sleep deficiency can harms your driving ability more than being drunk can.

Things most likely to cause problems with sleep:

  • Stress is the number one cause of sleeping issues!
  • Drinking alcohol before bed
  • Consuming caffeine later in the day
  • Exercising close to bedtime
  • Working shiftwork
  • Doing mentally intense activities right before bed
  • Traveling
  • A room that’s too hot or cold, too noisy or too brightly lit can harm sleep quality
  • Comfort and size of your bed
  • habits of your sleep partner

We all know that sleep is important.  But what can you do to improve your sleep?

Understanding the basics might help.  While you sleep, you go through cycles of sleep stages. The first stage in a sleep cycle is light sleep, followed by deep sleep and a dream state referred to as REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. A full sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes and is normally repeated several times each night.

One of the easiest ways to improve sleep quality is making sure you go to bed with enough time to go through full 90 min cycles, and not wake up in the middle of one (i.e. giving yourself enough time to sleep 6, 7.5, or 9 hours a night).  I have found personally that if I go to bed at 8:30 or 10, to wake up at 4, I feel a lot better rested then if I go to bed in between those times.  More often than not I will wake up a few minutes before my alarm.

Other things you can do to improve the quality of your sleep:

  • Eat well and get regular exercise
  • Keep a regular sleep/wake schedule
  • Don’t drink caffeine in the evening
  • Avoid alcohol and heavy meals before sleep
  • Minimize noise, light and excessive temperatures where you sleep
  • Develop a regular bed time and go to bed at the same time each night (even weekends!)
  • Try and wake up without an alarm clock
  • Attempt to go to bed earlier every night for certain period; this will ensure that you’re getting enough sleep

[1] https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/node/4605

[2] http://www.apa.org/topics/sleep/why.aspx

How to De-Stress Your Life

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There are tons of things people will tell you for how to de-stress.  Some are great and may work for you.  But I find that many of those tips are short term things that don’t really fix the root of the problem.

Here are some longer term stress management strategies that I have found can help:

Eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise and plenty of sleep 
You knew that would be my first recommendation!  Give your body everything it needs to have a fighting chance against stress and everything life throws at you.  Stress affects you on a cellular level, and you need all that good nutrition and rest to help your body process and regulate the hormones.

Find that one thing that makes you happy, and do it every day
And I mean really truly stupid happy.  If you don’t have something that comes to mind, then it’s time to start experimenting.  For me, it’s singing.  I’m not any good, but driving with the windows down, music up and singing along is the best part of my day.  (There may be some dancing as well) I try to get it all out, so by the time I get home, all the work stress that’s been building up all day has been processed and it’s no longer bothering me.

Stop caring what people think
We put so much pressure on ourselves to be or act a certain way to prove ourselves to the people around us.  Take some time to really think about what is important to you and why, and work on those things.  Let the rest go. People see me singing in the car, and they stare or they laugh, but you know what?  I don’t care.  I feel good, and if they are laughing, they are smiling, which means I made someone smile.

Literally just relaxing, daily
Take a hot bath, meditate, do some yoga, or get a massage. Maybe taking a long hot bubble bath sounds amazing, but you are a big manly man and are concerned about how that may be perceived.  Dude, let it go.  Your secret is safe with us.  You know what’s not manly?  Having a panic attack because you didn’t make yourself a priority.  So light those scented candles, and sink nose deep into some relaxation.

Keeping a sense of humor
Especially about things you can’t change.  Snark will keep you young!  When something bad happens, and you know something always will, train yourself not to wallow in the bad, but to find that silver lining.  And if you can’t, just openly laugh about how bad it is.

Having fun with family and friends
The good ones, not the toxic ones.  Avoid all toxic people as best you can.

Reprioritize
I started Bullet Journaling a few years ago.  (If you don’t know what “BuJo” is have some fun on Pinterest discovering it.)  Essentially it’s a to-do list, agenda, and life organizer.  I’m not very artistic so mine is pretty plain. But it’s as encompassing as you need it to be.  I use mine mainly to track everything I’m working on, and I carry it with me always. Nothing like a to-do list to make you feel like your life is in order.  I have a running list of my life goals, and every few months I look them over and adjust my sails if need be.

Volunteering in your community
Taking time to give back can be a great way to give you some perspective.  Look at all you have, how far you’ve come, all you have to offer.

Turn off all your screens
That’s right I said it.  The constant input of information, is wreaking havoc on our senses.  Start with 10 minutes a night, and work your way up.  Let life go on without you.  It will be there for you in the morning.  You may even find that you don’t need it anymore

No matter what is going on in your life that is stressing you out… the ONE thing you can change right now, is your attitude about it.  I know when you are in it, it is tough to see the edges, but take a step back, try to find a way to deal with it in bite sized chunks.  Let me know what ends up working for you!