As the temperatures begin to fall, try bringing some of that coolness into your kitchen.  Fresh may be best, but don’t overlook the benefits of frozen. 
Consider enjoying any or all of the following:
 
 Frozen Berries – they are a nutritional powerhouse, are available all year round and can be found for a reasonable price.  Thicken a smoothie with frozen berries, flavor water, create your own berry yogurt or simply eat them straight from the bag for an icy cold sweet treat.
 
 Frozen Veggies – going green, or orange or red or yellow has never been so easy. Take a stroll through the frozen vegetable aisle of your grocery store and you will find spirals, blends, chopped, diced, riced and julienned varieties.  Fill half your plate or bowl with these cool offerings and your health and energy may soar.
 
 Soup/chili – forget the cans, the pouches and the boxes.  Heat and enjoy your next bowl of steamy, satisfying soup or chili in minutes.  Beware of pre-packaged brands (the sodium and additives can be extreme) and consider double batching your next pot of soup or chili and freeze the leftovers for quick, nutritious grab and go meals. 
 
 Ice cubes – As icicles begin to form, don’t forget about ice cubes, well ice cube trays actually.  Go old school and fill a tray with yogurt before it expires (for smoothies), chop herbs and freeze in water (great flavor enhancers for sauces or sautéing) or freeze extra coffee or tea to enjoy full strength iced tea or coffee.
 
 Cookies – hot out of the oven is ideal, but if for some reason you have extra cookies – freeze them and enjoy them at another time, you know for those times when you really need something sweet.
 
 
It’s time to consider how frozen foods can become an easy part of your meal prep/plan and in terms of always having fresh….let it go!

It’s the month of pumpkin everything.  Pumpkins can be found on our doorsteps, on our socks, in our coffee and maybe even waiting for us in a field.  This orange wonder signals the start of a new season, and maybe even the start of trying something new.  Consider any or all of the following:
 

• Lift – Incorporate a hefty pumpkin into your strength routine and you have a festive, natural way to pump(kin) some iron

 

• Face it – Give your self a pumpkin facial. Pumpkin pulp contains enzymes that can dissolve your dead skin cells, leaving your skin smoother.  Mix 2 Tablespoon pumpkin puree with ½ teaspoon of honey and a ½  teaspoon of milk.  Slather on your face, relax for 20 minutes, wash off and it will be like you were at the spa. 

 

• Plant – Fall flowers are even more seasonally appropriate when they are in a hollowed out pumpkin.  A festive natural decoration for your porch, table, walkway or deck. 

 

• Chill – Find a round bowl shaped pumpkin.  Chop off the top 1/3 and scoop out the insides.  Put a glass or plastic bowl inside the pumpkin, fill it with ice, beer and you have a new way to chill.  Go the added pumpkin step and get some pumpkin ale to enjoy and keep chilled in your pumpkin cooler.

 

• Spice of Life – Pumpkin spice is in or on everything at this time of year. The spice in itself is a nutritional powerhouse. Ginger, cloves and cinnamon have super anti-inflammatory powers. The digestive benefits from nutmeg and allspice found in pumpkin pie spice make it a year round keeper for roasting carrots, topping popcorn, adding to yogurt or sipping a pumpkin spiced latte any day of the year.

 

• Pick it – Go farm to table or front step and visit a local pumpkin patch.  Enjoy being outside, walking through the field or maybe even scrambling through a corn maze and finally hauling your ideal orange fruit for a truly natural workout.  Get a bonus pick by selecting a freshly made cider donut,caramel apple or pumpkin pie.

 
Pumpkin, it’s pretty pumpkincredible!

All the school kids are doing it these days.  They read, they write (or type) and they round it all out with some arithmetic.  Let’s take a page from their book and focus on our own set of “R’s”.  Consider practicing one or all of the following:

• Read. Read something that pushes you a little bit out of your comfort zone.  Try a new author, genre or format.  And remember reading a page, is still reading.

 

• Write. A letter, a card, an e-mail, a text or even a post-it note – write someone a thank you or share what is truly going on in your life and or in your head or heart.  Putting thoughts onto paper can be one of the most cathartic and healthy things you do for your well being.

 

• Add it up. Take a moment and think about how you spend your time.  Who or what gets the majority of it.  Does it add up to what you want, need and deserve?

 

• Relax. Seriously, just relax. Whatever that means to you, just take a few moments and relax.

 

• Re-ignite. What is fun and puts you into a flow state?  Re-ignite that passion by taking one small action towards making it happen.

 

• Ruminate. Not normally something we are asked to do.  But there is a catch, ruminate on the positive things you have done or shared.  

​

• Realistic. Be real about your expectations for yourself and for others.

 
 Are you ready to make your health a priority for not only this school year, but for the years ahead?

​We are deep into Summer at this point, how’s it going?  When you think of Summer, what comes to mind and what are you doing to bring those thoughts to reality?  Before it gets noticeably darker earlier and the crickets have quieted, consider any or all of the following:
 

• Run through a sprinkler
• Ride a bike
• Bite into a juicy peach or a slice of watermelon
• Sit on a porch and read a book
• Swing in a hammock and really relax
• Chase after the ice cream truck and enjoy a sweet treat
• Sip a glass of something that “says” Summer to you  (rose, iced tea, lemonade)
• Create something with chalk (a hopscotch board, a mantra written out, etc.)
• Dine alfresco
• Light a sparkler
• Fly a kite
• Enjoy an outdoor concert
• Watch a sunrise

 
Go ahead, give yourself permission to soak up all the season has left to offer and get a taste of simple joy.

Welcome to the second ½ of 2019.  Before you dive into a  Summer mindset (which is highly recommended), take a few minutes to check-in with yourself and your intentions.  Here are a few questions to consider asking yourself for an honest review:
 
What were my intentions when 2019 started?
 
Why did I select these intentions?
 
How am I doing in regard to fulfilling the intentions (or goals or resolutions)?
 
Which intentions are still meaningful to me and why?
 
What intentions am I sticking with or re-setting for the next 6 months?
 
How will I be mindful of these intentions?
 
What small actions can I commit to, so that my intentions realized?
 
 
Remember to check-in from time to time, take note of your highlights and yes, check-out from time to time for optimal health and balance.

When the sun rises, are you ready for the day or ready to hit the snooze button a few more times? If “morning person” has never been a way you would describe yourself, consider incorporating one or all of the following into your routine:
 

• Set a bedtime alarm.  Decide what time you really need to go to bed to get enough sleep to actually feel rested in the morning.  Now set your “it’s time to get ready for bed” alarm 30 minutes before that time.  When the alarm goes off, power down all electronics, get ready for bed and be in bed by your newly self- designated bedtime.
• Avoid fashion frustration.  Laying out what you will wear, (be it your gym clothes and or your clothing for the day), the night before, can save time and frustration in the morning. 
• Use an alarm clock. Go old school, stop using your phone right before you go to bed.
• Flip your opening lines.  Those first thoughts you say to yourself when you wake up (“I am so tired” or “I’m so stressed”) can significantly impact your energy levels for the day.  Try changing the script to something more positive.  Until it becomes habit, stick a reminder note on your nightstand.
• Hello sunshine.  When you get up, open the shades immediately.  Natural light flips your brains switch from sleepy to awake. And if the sun isn’t up yet, turn on the lights to get as much bright light in the room as possible.
• Stretch. Reach for the sky, now your toes, side to side and take a few deep breaths.  These simple moves alerts your body that its time to get up and going.
• Delay. Even a quick phone check can drain precious morning time and energy. If you start your day on your device, more than likely, you are starting it out in a reactive way.  Claim your morning as yours, and keep your device off for the first 15-30 minutes you’re awake.
• Chug. Ok, not really…sip a glass of water (add lemon if you like).  Starting your day with some pure hydration sets a healthy foundation for the day.
• Make your bed.  This simple action, can bring a sense of calm, control and might take you out of sleep-mode.
• Enjoy breakfast.  Providing your brain and your body with some fuel in the morning can boost alertness, moderate energy swings and may even control hunger waves later in the day.  Whole grains and berries are both full of fiber, add some protein and possibly even some healthy fat and you are set for success and satisfaction.

 
You may never be a natural “morning person”, but with a few tweaks to your routine, you can master your morning and set yourself up for whatever the day throws your way.

Does the thought of a digital detox give you the shakes?  We all know that more and more of our time is devoured by tech and it isn’t exactly terrific for our health.  But total abstinence (did you know that 71% of Americans sleep with their smart phones?!) is not required, just a little unplugging from time to time. Consider one or any of the following smart phone strategies:
 
Phone pause.  Wait and consider why you have the impulse to reach for the phone, is it  (habit, are you  lonely or an escape?  Be intentional about checking your phone.
 
Time out.  Set a timer for 10 minutes, turn your phone facedown and don’t touch it until the timer goes off.  Then check and repeat , if possible.  Try and increase to 11 minutes, 12 or 20.
 
Solo screening. Stop second screening; watching TV while scrolling on your phone.  Practice just doing one thing
 
Prioritize.Turn off all notifications except phone calls and text, This makes it realistic if someone really needs to get in touch with you
 
Phone diet. Technology is not on the menu, don’t check, look or play with your phone during a meal or all meals.
 
Spring clean. Temporarily delete a few social media apps and games and see if you really miss them.
 
Go ahead and dial back your phone use and see how you feel and connect differently with others.

Peanut butter and jelly, chips and salsa or a burger and fries are classics. These combinations are delicious and we tend to gravitate to them.  Other foods are simply tasty and good for you on their own, but make them part of a pair and they offer special health benefits. Consider incorporating one or more of the following into your next meal or snack:
 
Banana & Yogurt – Yogurt is rich in probiotics (the stuff that improves the levels of good bacteria in your gut).  Banana is chock full of prebiotics, or plant fibers.  Combine them and it is a win-win for your GI tract. Try them in your next smoothie.
 
Avocado & Tomato – The good fat  (monounsaturated) in the avocado promotes the absorption of lycopene (a powerful antioxidant), which helps calm inflammation.  Decreasing inflammation can lower your risk of many ailments from your brain to your heart to your joints. Include both in your next bowl or burrito.
 
Strawberry & Peanut butter – Bursting with vitamins  on their own(C found in the strawberries and E found in peanut and all nut butters), yet combine them and they become a powerhouse as the C helps with the absorption of the E.  Reducing cell damage as we age are the benefits of this pairing.  Update your pbj by swapping the jelly with fresh strawberries.
 
Chickpeas & Garlic – Absorbing iron from plant proteins is harder than from animal proteins, but adding some garlic to the garbanzos can boost the iron you get.  Increase your iron and energy with this combo. Enjoy some garlic hummus today.
 
Turmeric & Black Pepper – Although these two are spices, not food, they are too impactful not to ihighlight.  Turmeric is “the” current spice darling of the anti-inflammatory diet.  Although the bioactivity of turmeric is low, but when it is combined with black pepper it manifests into a nutritional powerhouse.  Include black pepper in your next batch of curry.
 
So many things in our lives are better when done together.  Bon Appetite!

We often tell others to wait a minute.  What if when we said that, we actually meant it?  What if we took thatminute and did something for ourselves? Wait, what? How can 60 seconds have any kind of impact?  Try any or all of the following and see for yourself what a minute can do for you.
 
- Step outside for a dose of Vitamin Nature
Bonus points for doing it first thing in the morning
 
- Text a friend for connection
        - Bonus for making yourself and or your friend laugh
 
- Indulge in an exercise snack
        - Bonus points for doing something you enjoy…dance, jump, skip, etc.
 
- Brain dump on paper  
        - Bonus of taking a tech timeout and relieving some stress
 
- Hello hydration. Sip some water or some wine 
        - Bonus points for refilling a reusable water bottle but not your wine glass
 
 
- Share some gratitude
        - Bonus points if you include yourself in that gratitude
 
- Wash your hands well, really well
        - Bonus for using soap
 
- Engage your sense of smell
        - Bonus for using essential oils, plants or baked goods
 
- Inhale and exhale. Then do it again and again, and again
        - Bonus points for pausing between and after each inhale and exhale

No need to wait, go take a minute and see how the time adds up for you and your health.
 

​Are you in the mood or in a mood?   Things don’t always go as we plan or wish and it can easily seduce us into a negative attitude. To regain a more positive perspective, try one or several of the following strategies:
 

• Ruminate. Recall a win or something positive that you excel at.  This type of confidence boost can shift your focus from the negative to the positive. 

 

• Move.  Just 300 seconds of getting up and moving around can shift your mood.

 

• Write. When worry hijacks your day and brain, write your worries down.  Set a timer for no longer than 15 minutes and put it down on paper.

 

• Recharge. Just do it… something you enjoy like reading, painting or walking.   

 

• Breathe. Seriously, just breathe for 1 minute.  It clears your head and reenergizes your spirit.

 

• Love. Show yourself some and treat yourself to a longer shower, a specialty drink or some time in nature.

 

• Mantra.  Repeating a positive affirmation can snap you into a better mindset.

 
So next time before a headache gets you, get in and stay in the mood…a positive mood.