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Courtesy of the Mayo Clinic…
Want to flip the switch on feeling down during the winter months? Dr. Craig Sawchuk suggests giving light therapy a try. Light therapy is thought to affect brain chemicals linked to mood and sleep, easing symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. Dr. Sawchuk recommends using a 10,000-lux light within the first hour of waking up for about 20 minutes. Continue light therapy into the spring or whenever your mood starts to naturally improve.
Be Well. ~Tiffany
An Asian squat is a movement first introduced to me by Schellea Fowler of Fabulous50s. This is a challenging position and took some time for me to master. The health benefits are numerous, and most importantly, the muscle strength involved when you are able to sit in an Asian Squat improves balance and helps me to protect my artificial joints!
If you only master one health routine in 2023 - make it an Asian Squat!
The videos below will introduce you to an Asian Squat and how to master this healthful movement!
Be Well. ~Tiffany
Image by 🆓 Use at your Ease 👌🏼 from Pixabay
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
Wishing you and yours a safe, healthy, and happy holiday season.
Be Well. ~Tiffany
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
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…
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.
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.
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
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
