Wellness Challenges - DeClutter, Save $, Reiki, and More...

Happy New Year! Wishing you and yours the best of 2023.

What wellness resolutions do you have in mind for the upcoming year? I’ve chosen a mellow approach and will begin the year with a precursor to spring cleaning by taking on a one month de-clutter challenge. Morning light therapy will help me to banish the winter blahs and my complimentary Full Moon Distance Reiki Healing Session on January 6th promises to center and ground us - join me!

Improving my fiscal health is also at the top of my list. Below are links to these challenges along with the astrological forecast for 2023 from a dear colleague of mine, Suzanne Wagner.

Be Well. ~Tiffany

  • Tidy Up In 2023 – January De-Clutter Challenge!

    If you feel that your space is disorganized and overflowing with just too much stuff, join me for a daily de-clutter challenge in January. The free printable offers daily suggestions on areas of your home to clean up…set your timer for 15 minutes and start tidying your space!

  • How’s Your Fiscal Health?

    Stash your cash in 2023. Replenish your savings by following this weekly savings challenge to improve your fiscal health. Free pdf.

  • Morning Light Therapy – Banish those Winter Blues

  • Suzanne Wagner - Intuitive Patterns for the Year 2023

Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

Decrease Inflammation by Reducing Your Waistsize...

Belly fat is stubborn. The excess weight accumulated around our waist can be difficult to lose, though visceral fat is highly dangerous and detrimental to our health.

Did you know that belly fat, otherwise known as visceral fat, is a metabolically active organ? This means that the body views an abundance of fat tissue, especially the fat that accumulates around our organs, as another body part. Fat cells play a variety of roles, white fat cells store energy and secrete hormones helping to regulate insulin after food intake. Brown fat cells are specialized to release heat and protect against hypothermia. Beige fat is specific to hormone sensitivity and the final of the three types of fat in the body. Having excess fat is dangerous due to the over secretion of hormones…estrogen is produced by fat cells, which is one reason why being overweight is a risk for breast cancer in both men and women. Learn more about the connection between adipose tissue and hormone regulation here.

Excess weight around our waist also contributes to back pain and places a strain on all joints in the body. How to best lose belly fat? By making changes to your diet! Consume extra fiber by adding plenty of whole grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits to your meal plan…this helps your body to reduce inflammation and lose weight. Whether you follow an omnivore diet or are open to a plant-based approach, both The McDougall Foundation and Forks Over Knives offer plenty of plant strong recipes that are designed to improve health.

Dine Well. ~Tiffany Anderson, LMT, RMT, BS, CHES

Source: Texas Heart Institute Journal

Image by Marta Cuesta from Pixabay

Hip Strengthener - Squats!

Strengthening our hips improves mobility, prevents injury, and even reduces the likelihood of back pain. A simple and highly effective exercise to strengthen our hips are squats. The key to the effectiveness of this exercise is technique. Learn how to perform the perfect squat here.

Top benefits of squatting include…

SQUATS HELP IMPROVE STRENGTH

As we squat, we are putting our entire body in an anabolic state (muscle building) by activating our quads, hamstrings, thighs, core, lower back and butt. Not many exercises can activate your whole body in this way and develop strength and muscle building in all parts of the body.

SQUATS INCREASE MOBILITY

As we squat, we are relying heavily on our legs and core to help keep us upright and stable. In developing our core through squatting, our mobility is improved, allowing us to become more balanced. Strong legs are pivotal to mobility as we age as well.

SQUATS MITIGATE INJURY

A lot of injuries sustained as we get older are due to weaker joints and muscles and the ligaments that hold it all together. If these are weaker, it’s much easier for us to hurt ourselves by doing the simplest of things. Squatting regularly will actually help to strengthen these body parts for less potential injury.

Be Well. ~Tiffany

Source: Fabulous50s

Vegetables Build Strong Bones...

Did you know that a high intake of green and yellow vegetables has been linked to increased bone mineralization during childhood and the maintenance of bone mass in young adults?

Older adults also benefit and can protect bone health by eating more vegetables…women who consumed more than nine servings of broccoli, cabbage, parsley or other plants high in bone-protective antioxidants had a decrease in bone turnover.

Vegetables are one of the best sources of vitamin C, which stimulates the production of bone-forming cells. In addition, some studies suggest that vitamin C’s antioxidant effects may protect bone cells from damage.

Vegetables also offer a wide variety of nutritional benefits such as being a terrific source of fiber and are an affordable addition to a well balanced diet.

Want to learn more? Dr. McDougall offers extensive research and insights into bone health and the importance of diet, exercise, and sunshine in an article on osteoporosis, here.

Dine Well. ~Tiffany

Source: Healthline

Tis the Season to Stay Well - Thump that Thymus!

Cold and flu season is right around the corner - are you taking steps to avoid becoming sick?

Simple choices can strengthen your immune system and protect your health. Lifestyle choices such as avoiding tobacco, eating plenty of vegetables and fruits, exercising regularly, getting enough rest, maintaining a healthy weight, and if you do drink alcohol...drink in moderation. Do these suggestions sound familiar? Lifestyle choices can have a powerful and positive impact on your health. *

Additional steps to boost immune health and prevent illness include:

  • Spending time in nature (forest bathing!) and enjoying moderate time in the sun.

  • Drinking herbal teas.

  • Meditation, prayer, and deep breathing techniques.

  • Thymus Thumping. Learn about this lymphoid organ and how thymus thumping can benefit you and your family. Check out this video demonstration and/or these easy to follow steps on a patient education sheet from the Seattle Children’s Family Resource Center, titled, The Three Thumps, here.

This information is not a substitute for medical advice. Take what is useful, investigate these options, and speak to your physician before incorporating something new into your personal wellness plan.

Now, more than ever, take good care of yourself to prevent illness, and invest in your health.

Be Well. ~Tiffany Anderson, LMT, RMT, BS, CHES

Founder, Anderson Therapeutics

*This post is an excerpt first shared in the September 2019 Anderson Therapeutics monthly newsletter, emailed to subscribers, and archived online. Please note that monthly newsletters shifted to seasonal/quarterly editions beginning March 2020. Read the September 2019 issue in it’s entirety here.

Image courtesy of Adobe Free Stock photos. https://stock.adobe.com/search?k=thymus+gland

Happy Thanksgiving to You and Yours...

Wishing you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving! Oftentimes I travel over the holiday weekend, yet this year I am staying home since I vacationed in Disneyland over Veteran’s Day weekend. Holiday celebrations are taking place at the home of my grown son - we plan to feast on my sweet and spicy sweet potato mash topped with toasted pecans, a savory stuffing, a fresh tossed salad, steamed broccoli, and a pumpkin pecan pie for dessert. Afterwards we will enjoy our family tradition of playing board games.

However you celebrate - may your day be full of warmth, kindness, and joy.

Dine Well. ~Tiffany