3 Simple Shifts for Health and Healing
Trying to overhaul your entire life at once can lead to more stress—and ultimately more illness. Forcing the changes can mean you beat yourself up for being "weak" and giving in to the cravings. Let's not fight with ourselves and create more frustration. Small, simple shifts or actions, combined with consistency, can lead to big, powerful results.
Once I discovered that I had to change my diet, I went on a mission to learn as much as I could about healing with food. Eliminating gluten and dairy was a great start and the results were transformative. But that didn’t mean the rest of my (somewhat deficient) diet could stay the same.
But I wasn’t ready to overhaul everything at once. Taking out big categories of food from my diet was hard enough. And the truth is, you don’t have to do everything at once. You don’t have to make huge, grand changes in order to feel better. In order to really revamp your health, you can make small, mindful changes over time.
Small Changes Lead to Big Impact
Trying to overhaul your entire life at once can lead to more stress—and ultimately more illness. Forcing the changes can mean you beat yourself up for being "weak" and giving in to the cravings. Let's not fight with ourselves and create more frustration. When I was ready to make big changes to my diet, I started with a small juice cleanse to help me break the emotional eating habits. This got my mind and body in the right place for phase 2, which was working on my daily diet.
We all know that sugar and processed foods aren’t good for us, but cutting out those comfort foods can be hard, even after a cleanse. That’s why it is important to continue to introduce healthy foods and beverages into your diet to ultimately “crowd out” the junk foods. The more nutrients you consume, the more satisfied your body becomes. When your body feels taken care of, it doesn’t crave so many quick fixes, like coffee, chocolate and alcohol, as much as it used to.It is truly amazing what simple steps we can take to yield major results!
3 Simple Shifts You Can Make To Reduce Inflammation
1. Add in Fresh Green Juice
My juicing journey was incredibly significant in my life, as it represented a major turning point for me. But even after the juice cleanse, I continued to fill my body with wholesome, green-powered juices on a regular basis. Whether it be in the morning for breakfast or as an afternoon pick-me-up, I always try to have a few cups throughout the week. A cup of green juice is a nutritional powerhouse because the nutrients hit your cells fast. Without fiber to slow down the absorption of greens, veggies and fruits, your cells soak up an abundance of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It's important to have this be MOSTLY vegetables and very little fruit so it doesn't spike your blood sugar. Add something like this a couple times a week. And when you don’t have time, of if a juice doesn’t feel right, try it as a smoothie instead.
2. Incorporate Some Bone Broth
Homemade bone broth (not the kind you get in a box) contains collagen. Collagen is what keeps your bones, ligaments, skin and tendons elastic and youthful. Bone broth is also known for healing digestive issues and reducing inflammation. It has been key to helping improve my digestion. When I was on my juice cleanse, I added a few cups of bone broth every morning to maximize my energy. If you are shifting to a new diet, a cup of bone broth can help you feel satiated while offering your body a healing dose of comfort.
Here is my recipe for a combination of veggie and chicken broth.
Here is Nom Nom Paleo’s recipe for beef bone broth using an Instant Pot
Learn more about the health benefits of broth at this talk from Ancestry Foundation
3. Drink More Water Than Other Liquids
Our bodies are made of more water than solids. And if all we drink all day is coffee, then soda, then alcohol, where is our body getting the fresh clean water it needs to operate? Also our bodies can confuse signals of hunger and thirst. So if you’re feeling really hungry or craving a sweet treat, try drinking a glass of water first and see if it helps. If it does, you were probably dehydrated. The rule of thumb is to consume half your body weight in ounces daily. Of course, this number can fluctuate depending on many factors, such as climate, activity level and age.
In addition to plain filtered water, I try to drink warm water with lemon every morning in the summer instead of a cup of coffee. Shocking, I know! But the lemon clears toxins and congestion that your body releases while you’re sleeping. It revs up your digestive system and provides you with more sustainable energy than a cup full of caffeine.
A “simple shift” for you could be to just drink more plain water than all the other liquids you drink each day. This small change could mean a big difference in the hydration of your skin and how your digestion works.
3 More Shifts That Could Make a Big Impact
Move Your Body More
This is a shift for those of you that do not already have an exercise routine every day or at least a few times per week. Moving our body helps our digestion to work, our lymph system to move toxins out, and increases our lung capacity. If you sit a lot, get up once an hour and walk around your house or desk. Just move your body a little more than you are now. And try to keep that up every day.
Get Some Sunlight on your Skin
There is plenty of research that tells us the benefits of getting sunlight in our eyes in the morning to help set our circadian rhythm. Seeing the sun in the morning helps to tell our brain that it is morning and its time to boost our energy. Try to get some sun on your skin every day.
When I am working from home, I try to take a break around noon to go sit in my backyard. I take a big beach towel, lay it on the ground and lay down exposing as much skin as possible. I lay there for 10 minutes taking deep breaths, eyes closed (no phones!). That means I am getting at least 10 minutes of sun on my skin each day of the summer, which boosts vitamin D, which is a healing hormone and boosts our energy levels.
Go to Sleep When you are Tired
Be purposeful about getting rest and solid sleep every night. If you start to get sleepy around 8:30pm, then that is the time to start putting yourself to bed. If you are pushing past your natural body’s cycle, you are missing out on critical sleep patterns. Many of us force ourselves to stay up late. And it might not feel like force because we are watching TV or looking at our phones and that stimulation may cover up our natural rhythm.
Create a habit of going to bed when you are tired, and your body will start to regulate sleep better.
Healing Takes Time
If you are struggling to lose weight, reduce inflammation or curb cravings, try adding one healing action at a time. Remember that healing takes time, so give your body time to adjust.
