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Healthy Habits For a Busy Month

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September is an action month – no matter if you have school aged children or not. September always has an air of back to school, back to work, back to business. As schedules get busy it can be easy to slip into unhealthy patterns; that’s why it’s useful to establish some key routines that help keep you on track with healthy habits so you can have the energy and good health you need to get it all done. Here are 3 simple, healthy habits. Which ones can you implement so that you continue to feel your best, even as life gets busy?

  • Drink Water – Are you drinking enough water? A good rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in water ounces per day. For example, if you are 150 pounds aim to drink 75 ounces of water per day. Have a hard time reaching your water goal? Carry a water bottle with you and schedule reminders in your phone to drink some water every 60-90 minutes. Keeping well hydrated has so many benefits including flushing out toxins, boosting immunity, improving bowel movements, and providing an energy boost.
  • Carry Healthy Snacks – To avoid the 3pm slump and junk food grab, carry healthy snacks instead. You can keep them in your purse / bag or make a healthy snack drawer at your desk or office fridge. Some ideas:
    • Raw or dry roasted nuts
    • Nut butter with apple or pear slices
    • Hummus with veggie sticks (ie: peppers, cucumbers, snap peas, jicama, carrots)
    • Jerky (healthy brands: Epic, Tanka, Chomps, Nick’s Sticks)
    • Healthy snack bars (Larabar, Kit’s Organic, RXBars)
    • Hardboiled egg (make a dozen for the week)
    • Smoothie (make at home and bring with you in a thermos)
    • Kale Chips
    • Seaweed snack (Sea Snax brand is great)
    • Homemade muffin (see yummy recipe)
    • Or maybe you don’t need a snack at all! Perhaps you need some water, fresh air, deep breaths, a walk around the block, or a 5 minute stretch session. When that afternoon slump happens ask yourself, “How am I feeling, and what do I need?” The answer may surprise you!
  • Bedtime routine – Do you wake feeling refreshed? If not, check in on your sleep habits and see where you can make changes.
    • Aim for lights out between 10:00-10:30pm to allow for optimal restorative sleep
    • Turn off all screens 30-60 minutes before lights out
    • Experiment with a relaxing routine before lights out. Choose one or two: a cup of chamomile tea, epsom salt bath, stretches, deep breathing/meditation, journaling, or reading a book/magazine.
    • Use blackout curtains, an eye mask, and/or earplugs to assist with restful sleep

Which of the healthy habits above can you implement? Share with on our Facebook page. We’d love to hear from you!

(Read more about Angela Ross, CNC and her nutritional coaching practice HERE.)

Staying Healthy During Cold and Flu Season

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Late fall through early spring is traditionally cold and flu season. To stay as healthy as possible and to keep those around you healthy, consider these tips:

  1. Wash your hands – Your hands touch all kinds of shared surfaces through the day and a quick stop to wash your hands with warm water and a little soap can really make a difference. How do you get your kids to wash well? Teach them to wash while they sing the Happy Birthday song twice, or about 20 seconds. Alcohol based hand sanitizer is better than nothing, but, the pressure from the water on your hands does a better job.
  2. Wash your surfaces – Keep things clean around the house to avoid picking up infections from others.
  3. Avoid others who are sick – Do your best to avoid friends, family and coworkers who are sick. We can do our part to help each other by staying home from work and keeping kids home from school when they are sick. The general rule is stay home 24 hours past the last fever before heading back to work or school.
  4. Cover your mouth with your elbow when you cough
  5. Keep your hands away from your face – Especially your nose, eyes, and mouth which are easy germ entry points.
  6. If you get sick, take care of yourself! – It’s true. Let yourself sleep the amount that you need. Drink lots of fluids. Eat nutritious food. Don’t smoke. All these things are important for prevention and treatment of illness.
  7. Is it more than a cold or flu? – The flu virus can be very serious. Sometimes the flu can even set you up for a more serious infection like pneumonia. If you are ill for more than 5 days, short of breath, unable to keep fluids down, or are suffering from dehydration, severe pain, or are unable to take care of yourself, please contact our office so that we can help you to get the care that you need.
WholeFamilyMD, Blog, Healthy Meals

How to Have Healthy Meals Even When You’re Busy

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Let’s be honest, eating healthy takes a little more time and effort, but no one wants to spend hours on end shopping, prepping, and cooking every week. So what can you do? Two of the best ways to avoid being a slave to your kitchen are:

  • Batch cooking
  • Stocking your pantry with healthy, real foods

Read more