WELCOME TO WELLNESS

"You is smart, you is kind, you is important." ... Anyone? Years ago I had a hard time believing that what I thought about myself had any influence on what would happen in my life. How could saying words in my mind make any difference at all? In the last two years I have had the chance to explore my beliefs and understanding of my inner world and the world around me. It was a hard pill to swallow to admit that I have more power of my mind than I had been willing to admit. If

I don't know if you know this about me, but when I set my mind to something , I'm all in. No excuses, make a plan, and just do it. I know I can do whatever I set my mind to and setting goals and achieving them is extremely satisfying for me. But what happens when something goes wrong? Maybe I've messed up and eaten at the wrong time, or I've eaten the wrong type of food, or (like in yesterday's case) I slept in past 5am. Through this process of challenging myself over and ove

Oh, 5am. I somehow love and hate you. I am 10 days into my 66 day challenge and I am finally starting to see the benefits. I have accumulated some tips that have helped me make the transition from a night owl to a morning person and I am here to share them with you! While this has not been a "perfect" experience, it has been one of self discovery and perseverance. Grab your coffee and read on to see how! 1. When is Bedtime? I once read that the most radical act of adulthood i

What the heck is acetaldehyde? I promise you, this won't be a boring chemistry lesson - a class I barely passed in high school.. Acetaldehyde is an organic chemical compound that is created within our bodies, most often associated with hangover symptoms after a night of drinking. Brain fog, nausea, irritated guts, fever, etc. are all symptoms of acetaldehyde excess in our bodies. This excess negatively effects the body's metabolic, endocrine, neurological and immune systems.

"We know what we like and we like what we know." - Oh boy did Bee Wilson hit the nail on the head with this one simple statement. As people, we are resistant to change and we crave routine and comfort. Changing our habits (especially our food habits!) is incredibly difficult because the urges we feel to satisfy ourselves are a mystery deep within us. But change is possible - we do it all the time! I am one week into The 5am Club, and it has been incredibly challenging. I am e

You won't believe it, but this morning my body work up on its own at 4:30am! But you best believe I slept for 30 more minutes - progress? This morning was not as hard as day one of my 5am Club Challenge, which is very encouraging. Don't get me wrong, I'm still tired and it appears to be a permanent state of being during these wee hours of the morning. But I have done it before and will do it again! The positive parts of yesterday gave me the boost I needed to start today with

I'm sure you're wondering - WHY 5AM? I'll admit, it is an ungodly hour and everyone should be sound asleep. I decided to take on this challenge after receiving The 5am Club by Robin Sharma as a gift. It got me thinking about what I want to accomplish in my life and all the things that are holding me back. Spoiler alert* I'm the only thing holding me back! I chose to try waking up at 5am for 66 days to retrain my mind and body to be awake, creative, and productive before most

Oh what a month it has been; a roller coaster of physical, emotional, and psychological challenges and triumphs! To recap: the purpose of a Candida Cleanse is to eliminate excess yeast to relieve symptoms of fatigue, brain fog, acne, skin irritation, PMS, estrogen dominance, bloating, gas, anxiety, etc. The main symptoms I was experiencing were bloating, acne, anxiety, and gas. I won't lie to you, this cleanse was hard. No alcohol, sugar, fruit, gluten, and dairy begs the que

It's time my friends. Time to head into phase 2 of this cleanse. I am so excited to say that I will be finally adding in some starchy vegetables (e.g. sweet potato, squash, and beets - oh my!) and some low sugar fruits like berries. While it may seem silly to get excited about such things, I have spent the last 20 days without a lick of sugar of any kind. I have also extra-challenged myself to not have sugar substitutes like stevia or erythritol (note: these sugar substitutes

Spirituality has always been confusing for me. I was raised Catholic, attended a Catholic school, and went to church until I was 14. As a child, I always loved the stories they told, but over time I hated the pretension, the kneeling, the being inside, the gnawing feeling that there was more I still didn't know. I still look back on my childhood and the influence of the church and I am grateful for the moral lessons we were taught on those Sundays. (*This post is not about or

Welcome back! I'm not dead! I'm sure you were all very concerned. The past 10 days have been an absolute experience to say the least. I have given up sugar in the past, usually for about a week at a time to help my body reset. I have never gone longer than 7 days and my goodness it has been fascinating. Food & Drink I'm sure your wondering, what can I eat? What is left after you remove sugar, grains, dairy, fruit, and starchy vegetables? I also do not consume conventionally r

It's happening... The post-holidays health rebound. We have eaten and drank our way through Christmas and have come out the other side ready for a do-over. All of those treats, drinks, and travel have taken a large toll on my health, specifically my energy levels, skin, and digestion. (Refer to Sugar Free Challenge to learn more about how sugar has been negatively affecting me for weeks!) Have you ever heard of a Candida Cleanse? Candida albicans is a yeast that exists in all