Every year you’re introduced to some superfood promising to transform your health. Foods with fancy names like acai, agave, goji berries, wheatgrass and Yuzu (which is a Japanese grapefruit). But you already know about a simple superfood that has powerful health-boosting effects. That superfood is fiber. Yet only 5% of Americans eat the recommended amount. The American Heart Association recommends that women and men eat 25 grams and 38 grams of fiber a day from food, respectively. But on average, Americans eat only 10-15 grams of fiber a day. Are you getting enough fiber in your diet and why ..read more

What does it mean to be truly “well?” Not long ago, confused about what it meant to be “well,” I devoted myself to “wellness.” I drank the detox skinny teas and exercised with the purpose of earning and burning food. Being “well” was synonymous with physical wellness and doing it “right” meant achieving one look. But wellness isn’t a destination that you arrive at after drinking celery juice, achieving six-pack abs, seeing a certain number on the scale or even just eating your veggies. Yet as the year ends, you’ll be barraged once again with more “wellness” ideas. Wellness is the ever-changing ..read more

You’ve likely encountered that nagging voice inside your head saying, “I can’t do this” when you’ve tried to improve some aspect of your wellness: eating more veggies, moving more, getting more sleep, or maybe meditating. But don’t get disheartened. There’s some exciting neuroscience research that can help you understand and counteract that voice. Tame Your Brain and Negative Self-Talk The brain’s adaptability is one of its strongest features. However, with repeated negative thoughts, our brain strengthens specific neural pathways, making such thoughts occur more frequently. Think of this like ..read more

Are you truly who you want to be? Is this the life you really want? How would you answer those questions? Think about your daily life. Are you thriving, or going through the motions? Are your days full of work, relationships, and activities that are true to your authentic self, or do you feel trapped on a treadmill of responsibility? If you dream of a better life, now is the time to turn your dream into a reality. And the tools you need are within your grasp, to design a life that is fulfilling on the deepest levels. I invite you to identify who you are when you’re being your best self. I ..read more

What if you could declare your own authentic beauty and experience beauty as a creative, dynamic process? What if you could inhabit your body with more joy and confidence? These are the two goals of “Declare Your Own Authentic Beauty,” the 4th competency of The Be Body Positive Model. The Be Body Positive Model was created by Connie Sobczak and Elizabeth Scott, founders of The Body Positive. It’s a comprehensive framework that aims to promote self-acceptance, healthy body image, and overall well-being. The model comprises five interrelated competencies, each addressing a fundamental aspect of ..read more

Maybe you’re curious about the benefits of the body positive approach to health. But let’s be honest. The pursuit of health and wellbeing has become intertwined with the pursuit of a perfect body. From social media influencers to glossy magazine covers, the pressure to conform to unrealistic beauty standards can be overwhelming. Fortunately, there is a powerful movement that challenges this narrative – the body positive approach. Rather than fixating on achieving one specific “ideal” shape or size, the body positive movement advocates for being the healthiest version of your unique self, in bo ..read more

You grab your phone, tap on a calorie counting app, type in your personal data and out spits your calorie cap for the day. It seems like it’s a benign approach to your nutrition, but is it? As a former exercise professional and eat this, not that nutrition professional, I thought so. My days were spent measuring out spoonfuls of half and half, scrolling through brands and portion sizes on MyFitnessPal, and worrying about how many calories I was allowed to eat. At the end of the day, depending on my final calorie count, I felt good about myself, or not. I was swimming in diet culture that claim ..read more

Have you considered your existential health lately? When you think of your health, you might focus primarily on how you’re eating, exercising, and sleeping – all important aspects of your physical health. But my guess is that you’ve probably never heard of existential health or its benefits. What is existential health? Existential health is related to your sense of purpose and meaning in life and is linked to greater health and longevity. “Being inspired by things in your life doesn’t just help your emotional well-being — it may keep you healthier,” author Kelly Bilodeau reports in her Harvard ..read more

Diet plans make us believe we’re the problem if we failed to improve our eating habits on their diet. But key principles of “behavior change psychology” teach us that it’s how diets approach eating habit change as the real issue. So there’s nothing wrong with you if you’ve “failed” on a diet, or a meal plan. You’re not flawed if you “cheated; nor are you a willpower weakling if you couldn’t establish perfect eating habits in twenty-one days. Armed with the wisdom of change psychology, I hope you’ll stop berating and blaming yourself, show yourself compassion and make an empowering choice to ge ..read more

What if you said goodbye to quick fixes and welcomed sensible, sustainable self-care into your life? Sure this might sound like a great idea, but pressing the easy, convenient button is way more appealing, because frankly, you’re stressed, moody, don’t have the time to slow down and no matter how much you sleep, you still feel exhausted. Maybe your pantry is full of Gwyneth Paltrow goop-like supplements, such as “High School Genes,” “Madame Ovary,” and a “G.Tox 7-Day Reset Kit.” You’re doing all the “right” wellness things, but perhaps you still have this nagging sense of feeling unwell. And y ..read more