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My day begins early with exercise, a warm beverage, and a hearty breakfast. This afternoon I’ll enjoy a light lunch with my grown son and play board games to celebrate the holiday. Our meal will include a hearty soup, a vegetable platter, and dessert…a slice of homemade pie - recipes below. If the weather allows I’ll enjoy a long hike later in the day.
Wishing you and yours a safe and healthful holiday!
Be Well. ~Tiffany
In one week I celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. The how, the when, the where, and the why we choose to celebrate this holiday has changed dramatically over the years, and for a number of reasons…
I am an empty-nester; extended family has grown and gone
Each of my grandparents have passed away
My retired parents would prefer to gamble at a nearby casino and dine at a buffet rather than bother with cooking
Some of us work multiple jobs and odd hours
This year…COVID19 urges us to stay home and avoid large gatherings
And then there’s me…one with particular tastes and am the only person in my circle of family and friends who has adopted a vegan whole food plant-based oil free diet. Tasty holiday recipe links below!
My family and friends are accustomed to, and fully support, my dietary preferences. In my resource guide and website I share my experience and failures following trends and fad diets over the course of my adult life. This is not a new story, since many people struggle to find a successful and doable diet. My current meal plan evolved over time. There was plenty of trial and error, time and effort spent educating myself, and ultimately I discovered The McDougall Program while watching the film Forks Over Knives. I learned about the work of Dr. John McDougall (author of books like The Starch Solution) and T. Colin Campbell (author of The China Study). After this introduction I dramatically changed my way of eating and transformed my life on multiple levels.
Today, and in the week ahead, I am expressing heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the aforementioned pioneers, who practice what they preach, and help others understand the science of nutrition. By following recommendations to focus on starch, whole foods, and avoid oil…I sleep well and wake-up refreshed, I manage arthritic and artificial joint pain without prescription medication, and my overall health has improved dramatically. The bottom line is that I can honestly say that I feel good on a regular basis.
Below are a few links to plant-based Thanksgiving recipes. They are gathered from a few of my favorite foodies such as Plant Based Gabriel, Brand New Vegan, SpudFit, and of course, my hero…Dr. McDougall. Wherever you are, however you celebrate Thanksgiving (or choose not to), and whatever types of dishes grace your table, dine well! We are each in charge of our own health status and have the ability to improve our current state of health simply by improving our diet, exercising, and better managing stress.
Be Well! ~Tiffany Anderson, LMT, RMT, BS, CHES Founder, Anderson Therapeutics Author, Butternut to Bionic: A Resource Guide to Hip Replacement Surgery
Vegan Butternut Soup, Brand New Vegan
Thanksgiving/Holiday Menu and Recipes (Soups, salads, dressings, gravy, entree, desserts, and more), Dr. McDougall
A Whole Food Potato Based Guide to Eating and Living, Cookbook by SpudFit
Chocolate Sweet Potato Tart, Plant Based Gabriel
*Portion of this blog first posted November 21, 2019
Fall…the perfect season to focus on improving sleep. Why? Darker days and cool temperatures naturally beckon us to a deep state of slumber. Adequate sleep is essential for good health and crucial to those of us managing chronic conditions. For decades I struggled with sleep deprivation. Now I experience the best sleep of my life! Check out the Rest section of my 3 Key Concepts to Improved Health where I share resources and tips that help me to fall asleep and stay asleep. Consult your doctor to see if those resources are a fit for you. I find that sleeping between 5-7 hours per night is best for me. Here are a few restful tips…
Cutting down on caffeine. Caffeine is a tough addiction though I feel better and sleep more soundly when I avoid or limit this powerful stimulant. Reducing caffeine may also help to reduce blood pressure.
Scheduling relaxation time - nightly routines guide me towards better sleep. This routine can be as short as the time it takes to brush your teeth. I enjoy meditation with healing sounds, guided imagery CD’s, sipping a cup of chamomile tea, and listening to music designed for deep sleep.
Eating a small plain baked potato or other fat-free starch (my favorite is a small bowl of steel cut oatmeal with blueberries and oat milk) an hour or so before bedtime. A wholesome starch strong snack is warming, eases anxiety or the blues, and helps me to sleep more soundly.
Sleep Well!
~ Tiffany Anderson, LMT, RMT, BS, CHES
Founder, Anderson Therapeutics & Author of ‘Butternut to Bionic: A Resource Guide for Hip Replacement Surgery
*Post originally published October 11, 2018
Our bodies are designed to move. Whether you are young or mature in years, have natural joints, have arthritis, or are living with artificial joints, movement is the most important thing you can do to protect and strengthen your joints.
Sitting has become an American pastime. Amid the pandemic more jobs have shifted to virtual and many are sitting hour after hour every day. My own line of work went from active interaction and strenuous movement to a very sedentary job as a Contact Tracer. This dramatic change required me to incorporate different types of exercise and fitness breaks throughout the day. My morning starts with a long invigorating walk. This is my favorite time of day since it is quiet, peaceful, and watching the sunrise sets a positive tone to my day. Strength training 3 times per week enables me to maintain stamina; while stretching, Yoga, and calisthenics help me to remain flexible and promotes cardiovascular health.
Sitting has long been called the new smoking…yes, sitting is really that bad for your health. The easiest way to mitigate the negative effects of sitting is simply by standing more often. Stand at least once per hour…invest in a standing work station…stand while you are on the phone. The fact below should motivate you to stand:
After sitting for more than an hour, your body halts production of the fat-burning enzyme lipase by as much as 90 percent.
-Plant Strong, Rip Esselstyn
It’s simple. Stand more often and move more often. Prior to the shut downs in March my life was very different. I imagine that you have experienced dramatic changes in your life as well. Investing in good health practices such as daily exercise, eating a nutritious diet, and getting quality sleep helps me to manage stress during these uncertain times. Below I’ve shared additional tips and resources to help you.
Be Well. ~Tiffany
3 Key Concepts to Improved Health: Soothe - Nourish - Rest
Butternut to Bionic: A Resource Guide for Hip Replacement Surgery
Exercising at Home:
Care to join my Tribe? Subscribe and receive this newsletter by email or read archived editions of the Anderson Therapeutic newsletter here. Subscribers also have the opportunity to download my FREE resource, 4 Proven Methods to Manage Chronic Pain (also accessible under this tab: Recommended Products).
The Fall 2020 edition includes my success story, courtesy of my hero Dr. John McDougall, plus resources and tools to help you sleep as well as a FREE 5-minute meditation.
Improve your health with 3 Key Concepts. Soothe - Nourish - Rest
Fall 2020 Anderson Therapeutics Newsletter
Be Well. ~Tiffany
As a 55-year-old Caucasian woman living in Utah, I risk having low vitamin D levels. Alongside the supplementation recommended by my doctor, the obvious solution to prevent low vitamin D levels is receiving adequate sunlight. Sunshine is important to our health in more ways than one. Read more about sunlight deficiency here.
The bodies largest organ, our skin, is designed to work together with the liver and kidneys to synthesize vitamin D with minimal exposure to the sun (about 20 minutes). Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin, and when stored in the body, can sustain a person for around two months before the fat stores are depleted. Sunlight is free, and when accessed naturally the skin will never overproduce vitamin D - though if you rely on supplements you can take too much, which may lead to toxicity.
Sunlight as ‘light therapy’ has been used historically by mankind; referred to as heliotherapy and phototherapy. Medical uses of sunlight have treated conditions such as rickets, depression, arthritis, gout, psoriasis, scleroderma, acne, insomnia, fighting infection, and more.
This advice is not a substitute for medical care. Speak to your doctor, read the research, and become better informed in regards to managing your health.
Be Well! ~Tiffany
*Blog post first published October 3, 2019
After decades of good health, I faced liver failure, heart failure, and osteoarthritis leading to artificial hips. I’ve come to understand how difficult it can be adjusting to a new lifestyle when faced with an illness that will likely never go away. Chronic illnesses are increasing, In fact, it’s predicted that by 2030, 37% of adults age 50 and older will be affected by some type of chronic illness. According to a 2019 report from the National Health Council, “…chronic diseases affect approximately 133 million Americans.”
“I know how your feel.” - The truth is you probably don’t.
“But you don’t look sick.” - Many chronic illnesses aren’t detectable by outward appearances. This isn’t what people like to hear and leaves them feeling as if others don’t believe that they are truly sick.
“You have to think positive.” - This can be a frustrating platitude for someone who can never walk away or take a break from being ill. It’s okay to acknowledge that being unwell is rotten and unfair.
Listening, education, and awareness are the keys to care. Remember to never ‘Dis-ability’, meaning, allow the ill person to demonstrate his or her own capabilities and limits. Our assumptions about what a chronically ill person can and can’t do are sometimes incorrect. No one wants to be defined by a disease. Help empower them and focus on abilities and interests.*
Be Well! ~Tiffany Anderson, LMT, RMT, BS, CHES
Founder, Anderson Therapeutics
Author - Butternut to Bionic: A Resource Guide to Hip Replacement Surgery
Article can be viewed on page 6 of the PEHP Cycles 2014 publication here.
*(First published in the PEHP Viewpoint Holiday 2013 issue, p.8 - while employed at PEHP as their Wellness Communications Specialist. Responsibilities included production and designing the monthly PEHP Wellness newsletter (distributed statewide), conducting biometric health screenings, and writing articles such as this one for numerous PEHP publications.)
