Healthy Ramblings

Nourish Your Body: The Importance of a Balanced Diet for Health and Fitness

11/17/2024

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Today, let's talk about the critical role of a balanced diet in achieving your health and fitness goals. Proper nutrition not only fuels your workouts but also promotes overall well-being and supports long-term success. 🥗

Here are three key components of a balanced diet for optimal health and fitness:
1. Macronutrients: 🍗 Ensure you're consuming the right balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fats to fuel your body and support muscle growth and recovery.
2. Micronutrients: 🥦 Incorporate a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to provide essential vitamins and minerals for optimal health. If you want some information on an easy “seatbelt”, text “simple” to 705-220-2823.
3. Hydration: 💧 Stay well-hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day, especially before, during, and after exercise.

Remember, a balanced diet is crucial for achieving your fitness goals and maintaining overall health. 🍎
Wishing you a life filled with nutritious choices!
In health,
Your friend JP jenn

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Why Are You Taking Supplements?

10/2/2024

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My Nutritional Seatbelt

Many people don’t think twice about what they’re grabbing off the shelves: I was that person. The old me would try the “shiny new bottle” with fancy labelling. Protein powders were the same… I didn’t have a taste for them but the convenience was attractive. I would buy brand after brand chasing a drinkable one: I just could not stomach them.

Then I started turning bottles over to see what was actually in them and that felt incredibly overwhelming! Between the ingredients and the promises, I felt disheartened that nothing was worth the money.

In 2001, I was introduced to a food based supplement by my 17 year old diabetic client. I was intrigued but skeptic.

I wasn’t too humble to know that what I was doing wasn’t good enough. My eating habits were giving my body just the nutrition it needed for baseline health.

During this time, I worked shift work as a personal trainer in the gym and travelling to in-homes: I was always on-the-go and I was not eating well! Somedays I’d do better but I was not consistent.

Strep throat three times a year was not uncommon for me [this began when I was a teenager]. Razor blades in my throat were brutal. As a self employed pt, if I didn’t work, I didn’t get paid.

Between my “on-the-go” food choices that lacked lustre on the best of days and my erratic schedule, my body was deprived of essential nutrients and I felt it. I was over the idea that vitamins could be my “safety net” and more or less accepted that this was just how my body was.

The JuicePlus concept appealed to me though: it was real food. My body knew how to use natural fuel and this I understood. What wasn’t computing was how.

So I did a deep dive and I started asking the question, do I need a supplement and why?

What I learned was that more research was emerging showing that our bodies absorb nutrients more effectively from real food than from synthetic vitamins. My curiosity was stoked.

THE QUESTION: what is the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of multivitamins we’re so fond of. Well, despite their popularity, extensive research indicates that multivitamins might not be the golden ticket to better health as we once thought. More studies were showing they had not been proven to significantly reduce the likelihood of chronic diseases.

So why do we keep buying them and even giving them to our kids? It's time to re-evaluate this costly habit that may be providing us with a false sense of security.

I soon found myself on a path to a holistic approach to our family’s health. Rather than rely on multivitamins, we started incorporating more good in our diets: putting effort into rainbow meals, lean proteins and more grains and so here we are today, 23 years later, eating consciously. Not perfect, because I do love my sweets, but I’m aware.

If I’ve shared some information here that has you intrigued or if you feel that you too have a gap in your nutrition, I want you to know that I might have a solution for you. It’s ok if you don’t think you can eat well everyday ~ it’s hard in our modern world of hustle and convenience.

But if you’re ready to surround yourself with our community who is committed to wellness, education and inspiring healthy eating, moving and living, we got you. And your body will thank you ~ if not today, for all your tomorrows!

I host wellness events, workshops and educational meet ups. If you'd ever like to join in to be emPOWered to live a healthier more fulfilling life contact me. I've got short-cuts to health that are natural and family friendly and because of our beliefs, we even help get more fruits and veggies into kids FOR FREE!

Learn more here!

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a pounding heart isn’t always a concern...

8/18/2024

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Exercise: The Unexpected Self-Care Hero... Forget spa days and fancy face masks—your new self-care secret might just be lacing up your sneakers. Exercise isn’t just for athletes or gym buffs; it’s actually a top-notch self-care tool. Here’s why moving your body is like giving yourself a high-five:
Why Exercise is Your Self-Care BFF

Mood Booster: Ever heard of endorphins? They’re like the brain’s little party guests, making you feel happy and pumped. Exercise kicks these guys into gear, making you feel like you’ve just won a mini lottery.
Brain Reset: Think of exercise as hitting the "refresh" button for your brain. A good run or a dance-off in your living room can clear away the mental cobwebs and help you think straight—plus, it’s a great excuse to wear sweatpants all day.
Emotional Outlet: Exercise is a safe place to let your feelings out. Had a bad day? Channel that frustration into your workout. Think of it as a therapy session where the only person you’re shouting at is yourself, and the only thing you’re lifting is weights.
Mind-Body Connection: Activities like yoga help you become best friends with your body. It’s like having a heart-to-heart with yourself, where you discover that, yes, you can touch your toes (or at least get close).
Routine with Benefits: Adding exercise to your day is like creating a new, healthier habit—think of it as adulting with a side of “I’m doing something good for myself.” It brings structure and a sense of accomplishment, making you feel like you’re actually winning at life.

How to Make Exercise Your New Self-Care Routine

Pick What Makes You Smile: Whether it’s salsa dancing in your kitchen or pretending you’re a superhero while jogging, choose activities that make you happy. If it feels like play, you’ll want to stick with it.
Listen to Your Body: Your body is like a temperamental cat—if it’s not happy, it’ll let you know. If you’re feeling sore or just plain tired, give yourself permission to chill. Self-care means not pushing it too hard.
Set Achievable Goals: Set goals that don’t make you want to hide under the covers. Start with small wins, like a 10-minute walk, and build up. Celebrate those little victories like you’ve just conquered Everest.
Create a Fun Routine: Make exercise a regular part of your day, but do it in a way that feels fun. It could be a morning stretch, a lunchtime walk, or an evening dance-off. If it’s enjoyable, you’re more likely to stick with it.
Find Your Workout Crew: Enlist friends or join a group. Having a workout buddy makes sweating it out a lot less of a solo endeavor and a lot more like a social event where everyone gets to wear athletic gear.

So, forget the myths—exercise isn’t just about getting fit; it’s a fantastic way to show yourself some love and care. Put on those sneakers and get moving. Your mind and body will be doing a happy dance in no time!
JP Jenn x

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It's not Always Barbells & Deadlifts

5/17/2023

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Walking is a simple way to exercise that’s accessible and affordable and can be done anywhere improving your cardiovascular health, strengthening your muscles and bones and enhance your overall wellness. It helps to maintain a healthy weight easily as it’s an effective way to burn calories and when coupled with a healthy eating plan, it can be a game changer for incredible health transformations!

Walking helps to combat fatigue by stimulating circulation and delivering oxygen and nutrients throughout the body helping the cardiovascular system as well as contributing to a better quality sleep for nighttime rest.

Use it or lose it! If you think joint health is important when you’re in your 30’s, wait until you’re 50… or even 70! Walking is a low-impact activity that helps to alleviate stiffness and joint discomfort and is particularly beneficial for people with conditions like arthritis.

When it comes to brain health, there is so much research about the neural connections and the impact walking has on helping to reduce cognitive decline and dementia that it's staggering we're not talking about this even more! Get moving!
The mental health benefits alone from walking are reason to make time daily. The endorphins released during a simple walk are natural mood-boosting chemicals in the brain, reducing stress, anxiety and depression symptoms. Walking outdoors in green spaces or nature can be especially beneficial, promoting relaxation and a sense of connection with the environment for a deeper sense of fulfillment.

Walk solo or find a buddy! The social interaction of engaging with family, friends or different groups can help you stay connected and motivated and accountable to this simple healthy habit helping you to create a healthy habit that sticks or life!

With spring upon us, my hope is that you will consider a good walk to discover too that it's not all barbells and deadlifts. Sometimes, it's just about being present, one foot in front of the other.

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The Birth of JuicePlus Story

1/29/2023

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As my 22nd year anniversary with The JuicePlus Company approaches next month, I am reminded about how fleeting the moment of sharing plant powders was with me by one of my clients. She was 17 years old and newly diagnosed with diabetes and casually mentioned JuicePlus during the cool down part of one of her sessions.

I recall being captured by the wholefood concept because it just made sense. But being a fitness trainer, I was prospected often to promote and sell various supplements and protein powders. I knew the industry was flawed but lucrative so I was skeptical, but thankfully I was curious enough to take a deeper look at the science behind JuicePlus because it was food based.

The rest is history and today, I passionately and boldly share JuicePlus with everyone who will listen because while the company’s motto is “To Inspire Healthy Living Around the World”… it has always been my belief to do good and this aligned with my core values.

The JuicePlus Company makes premium whole food supplements that are clinically backed by over 40 research papers today and for only the price of a cup of coffee! It’s a simple and focused product line: fruits, veggies and berries in capsules, chewables, whole food protein powders and bars and even year round vertical gardens! Our entire focus is based on helping people to get more fruits & veggies into the body helping people to bridge the gap between what they eat and what they should be eating everyday.

As a personal trainer, I educate people about healthy living, including daily habits around food and fitness and JuicePlus is a natural solution for everybody! It makes it easy for people to keep it simple in an industry that can be very confusing at best, and harmful at worst.

The human body is innately and brilliantly designed to seek and be in a state of health so healing is simple when it's provided with the right tools. The fact is that many people can’t, won’t or don’t want to eat enough whole foods and certainly the quality and quantity that their body requires leaving many living in a malnourished state without ever even knowing it.

I’m someone who appreciates the back story and so I’m sharing here with you, The Story of JuicePlus from the creator of these plant powders himself, Smokey Santillo because I believe that you too will have a greater appreciation of what this simple JuicePlus habit can do for you!

Take a peek at JuicePlus here:
jenniferowen.juiceplus.com/ca/en/products/capsules

“Before I tell you about the research behind Juice Plus+®, I’d like to tell you the personal story that led to the development of this whole-food product. When we’re experiencing a trauma or other significant event, we don’t always fully understand it until it has passed, and then we realize that it has changed our lives for the better. Living a life is a lesson itself and is always teaching us something; we just have to learn how to interpret the direction it is taking us. Even a chronic illness is pointing us in a specific direction, as I learned when my father got sick.

It was 1980 and I was on a lecture tour, teaching herbal seminars in Denver, Colorado. During a break, I received a phone call from my father. He told me his spleen had swollen to the size of a football. It was so large he was using one of his Marine Corp belts to hold it up and it was so painful that he could hardly move. My mother made an appointment for him at a nearby hospital, where the doctors could not believe how large his spleen had grown–and it was still growing.

At the end of the day, my dad called me again and said he was diagnosed with lymphoma, cancer of the lymphatic system. I was so stunned I couldn’t even reply. I just held the phone, praying that I didn’t really hear what he had said. My throat closed up, so tight I could hardly breathe. He felt my shock and distress and told me everything was going to be okay. Being a naturopath and teaching people for years how to live by the laws of nature, I had to ask myself, why did this have to happen? (Don’t we all wonder why, when something so traumatic happens to us?)

I told my dad I’d be home in four days as soon as my tour was over. By the time I got there, his doctors had already removed his spleen and started chemotherapy. I was floored, totally irate. No questions had been asked–they just did the surgery and started pumping him full of drugs.

After three weeks, my father had lost 40 pounds and nothing was working. The chemotherapy had failed and there was nothing more they could do. His doctor called our family together and told us my dad had no more than three weeks to live. After breaking the news to my dad, I asked if he’d like to try natural therapy at my clinic in Tucson, Arizona, where I would take care of him. He said, “I would have come to you before this, but I didn’t want you to be responsible if anything bad would have happened to me.” I picked him up and carried him out of the hospital without even checking him out.

As he got stronger, he was able to drink vegetable juices by mouth. Fruit juices, however, made him feel ill because of their sugar. You don’t want to feed cancer cells sugar, because they thrive on it; plus, it acidifies the body, putting an even greater strain on a sick person’s system.

I wanted to find a way to get more concentrated nutrition into his body to increase his strength and boost his healing, and it occurred to me that if I could juice the vegetables and dry the juice, the powder would be more concentrated than the juice itself. I set up some small dryers in my office and found that it would take hours to dry the juice, but it worked. I’d give him tablespoons of vegetable juice powder stirred into small amounts of water daily. To my amazement – keep in mind, at that time we knew nothing about phytochemicals – in two months he put on 30 pounds. There was no meat or carbohydrates other than tablespoons of dried vegetable juice in his diet. I wondered, how could someone put on so much weight without eating?

He then got to the point where he could also drink fruit juice powder without feeling ill, so he’d have fruit juice powder in the morning and vegetable juice powder the rest of the day. I gave him very little fruit juice powder, though, as I noticed that if I gave him too much, his urine’s pH would turn acidic. I also added proteolytic enzymes and some herbs to the regime. I was constantly changing the dosages of his supplements according to his pH, using the monitoring system in my book, ProMetabolics.

The results were astonishing. Within three months of my taking over his treatment, my father got out of bed and re-modeled my kitchen. He had been a carpenter his whole life and loved working with wood. Continuing on a nutritional program of eating large amounts of vegetables, dried juice powders, and soaked and sprouted seeds and nuts, he went back to work within six months and worked as a carpenter for another six years. It’s my opinion that he’d still be alive today if his doctors had not removed his spleen and given him such high doses of drugs during his hospitalization.

From my father’s recovery, I realized the hidden healing power of whole foods, so I began studying all fruits and vegetables known to man, and I learned that some were much more nutrient-dense than others. Ironically, the ones most concentrated in nutrients were the ones most people didn’t eat at all, or always cooked before eating: parsley, beets, cabbage, and broccoli, to name a few.
Experimenting over several months, I created one concentrated juice-powder formula with fruits and another with vegetables–the most nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables on the planet. Soon my clinic looked more like a produce-drying facility, and everyone who came to me, regardless of the problem, was given a bag of each powder. The healings that I observed were no less than miraculous; I knew I was on to something big when my patients were getting well so fast.

The formulas I used in my clinical practice are now the most wonderful line of fruit and vegetable concentrates, called Juice Plus+®. I designed and patented these products, and NSA, LLC in Memphis, TN, manufactured, distributed, and promoted them. Benefiting thousands of people in over 30 countries, Juice Plus+® is the most researched nutraceutical in the world today.

Just before my father died, he was so concerned about my professional reputation that he said, “If I die, will people still believe in you? Will they still buy your books?” I said, “Dad, what we accomplished together, this idea of concentrated fruits and vegetables, someday will be known all over the world.” And that’s exactly what happened. My father’s recovery gave birth to the most wonderful product line of fruit and vegetable concentrates, Juice Plus+®.

My father taught me pride and honor. He would tell me that a man’s word is all he has. In over 50 years of being a carpenter, he never once had a written contract with anyone–only an agreement of a smile, honor, and love. He will always own a piece of my heart. I know he is always with me; he’s my strength and motivation.”

And now you know The Birth of JuicePlus story! If you find yourself curious as I did 22 years ago, I invite you to browse my website where you may contact me for more information or order on the spot. Be sure to sign up for the free chewables for your child, grandchild or even neighbour! And after you've ordered, you will hear from me as your JuicePlus Customer Care Partner and Health Coach!
jenniferowen.juiceplus.com/ca/en/products/capsules

Thank-you for your time to learn about something so wonderful as the story of how JuicePlus came to be for people like you and me!

Blessings to you,
JP Jenn

Learn more about JuicePlus!

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Let's Talk About the Growing Trend of Building Income On-Line!

1/7/2022

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If I've tweaked your interest to learn more than let's do tea! You & Me can dive into one of my favourite things to talk about where you can learn more to see if this something you'd like to be a part of !
All are qualified & all are welcome!

Book Call

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REST IN PEACE MR. JOHN MCROBERTS

4/11/2021

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SCENE:
WHO: 29 year old personal trainer meets 67 year old retired insurance broker
WHAT: whole food based supplement
WHERE: 604 Danforth Avenue, Toronto
WHEN: February 2001
WHY: to understand the value

How could something so insignificant create a ripple effect that today impacts so many people all around the world?!

AND... continues to today & will forever.

THAT’s Legacy my friends!

For those who don’t know, John McRoberts is my JuicePlus sponsor. He’s the one who showed me the research behind this whole food supplement when I skeptically asked for proof that it actually works way back in 2001.

John & I used to meet often as I worked at a gym on the Danforth & we’d grab a coffee between my client sessions... most times just chatting about life in general.
What began as a business partnership to help me to host the occasional in-home wellness party, attend events for me to better understand about micronutrition (more often than not, he was either begging me to meet him there because I was “too busy”, “too cool” or a total “no-show”. Sometimes he would even drive to my house to bring me himself!! lol - Boy, was I stubborn w a serious attitude!

But John was WISE! With 67 years, he had a lifetime of experiences that made him an important vessel to learn from!

In his younger years, he was a high level track ATHLETE with hurdles being his talent & even earning a scholarship to the University of Houston!

He was also a DAD & a GRANDFATHER & an immensely proud one! His grandsons played sports & he didn’t want to miss a beat so he thrived on being their chauffeur & #1 fan at all their events! His face would light up whenever he spoke of his family to me.

I met John before having kids myself so our conversations changed over the years and man oh man did he teach me much as I ventured on paths that he’d already journeyed. Part of his gift was that he didn’t lecture or preach… he just shared & was there for support when needed.

John was a GENTLEMAN. Like I’m talking, ladies first, holding doors, respectful language - spending time with John was a true gift.

And he was the eternal OPTIMIST! I lived in Pickering when we first met & so when we planned our coffee meetings I always dreaded trying to find parking on the Danforth because it was nearly impossible - literally!
He used to always say to me, “Now when you’re driving down Jenn, I want you to visualize where you’re going to park. I want you to trust that the parking spot for you will show up, just keep your thoughts there, stay focused & look for the signs.”

And ya know... the perfect parking spot was always there! Always!

He had a favourite word too: the F-word! I use it occasionally but I’m going to be more intentional about making sure I use it everyday to honour my old friend John.

FASCINATING! If someone was rude, mean-spirited or just a jerk... John would simply say, “That’s FASCINATING!”

He knew that no one was worth us letting go of our own character values & dignity & that ultimately, we get to choose how we react in our life.

But as I alluded to earlier... I was short sighted, self serving & without vision. I simply didn’t know, what I didn’t know.

Fortunately for me, John in his wisdom, understood this & despite my endless excuses, ego, push back & quite frankly ignorance, John was LOYAL to his belief in me & incredibly PATIENT because eventually, I did come around.

When we last spoke in December, we joked about my stubborn ways & enjoyed a good chuckle about those early days. He told me how proud he was of me for all my personal growth, achievements & success with our Company & shared that he saw those possibilities & my potential all those years ago. I’m not the kind of person who seeks recognition but man did that make my heart swell hearing him say those words to me.

John knowing my story of struggles understood me because he was also familiar with my journey... we talked about all that too because truth be told, John was a like a father figure to me.

He watched me grow from a “know it all” personal trainer working pay cheque to pay check spinning my wheels getting no where, to a broken woman digging in the dirt of her own pain-filled bull crap, to the top of our Company anchoring into a mission that was “meant for me BECAUSE of my pink ribbon scars”.

You see John was about PEOPLE! When he sat down with me on that winter day over coffee, he wasn’t concerned about me saying no to JuicePlus.

He wasn’t worried that he wasn’t a health “expert” when I started asking questions that he didn’t know the answers to.

He wasn’t thinking why would this 29 year old female personal trainer talk about health w a 67 year old man who could be her father. [Keep in mind, I didn’t even know John - he was referred to me by one of my clients!]
But John didn’t give a rat’s butt about that nonsense!

What he did know was that he had something that could possibly help me & so he took time out of HIS day to meet with me bc I was curious about what JuicePlus was & he simply offered me some information about it.
More than that even, John actually CARED about helping people because John was for people.

Read that again...

John was FOR PEOPLE.

20 years after our first meeting, John passed away last Wednesday. He passed away on my youngest’s 15th birthday. I don’t believe in coincidences.

Claire is an old soul, all about kindness & has an incredible calmness about her. Her perspective is beyond her years & her patient curiosity serves her well in life.

When I opened up the message on Saturday morning to read that John had passed, I was shocked. You know when you just assume that people will be there forever? That.

John & I just spoke in December & he sounded great outside of the fact that he missed going to the gym because of Covid: he was a member of the Granite Club for all the time I knew him & he never missed his workouts! Health was very important to him & that included moving his body everyday. He shared with me that because of the winter weather, it was just too risky for him & his wife to go walking outside on the slippery sidewalks & that he was excited for spring already just to get to do that again! He had the best attitude!

I sat in my chair by the window, sipping my tea trying to digest this news with a lump growing in my throat thinking about his words. The day was just getting started and the sun was already beaming: spring is finally here with the birds chirping & singing their glory but John was not.

John changed my life with a simple act of kindness and not in a little way, but in the most important ways!

My heart has been feeling all the feels of my friend & my only hope is that he knows how grateful I am to have met him all those years ago & how much I value his mentorship despite our paths taking us in different directions in the latter years: he with his grandchildren & me with my children.

I’ve spent much of my weekend reflecting on the conversations we enjoyed including the wisdom of his words & actions. They seem more poignant now because I understand them better in hindsight << isn’t that always the case?

My emotions feel like a roller coaster ride with sadness, tears, laughter but mostly... GRATITUDE. I am so blessed to have been able to call John my friend & because of John, my life has been so very blessed but also... because of John, I have been able to pay those blessings forward for others to benefit.

You see, John was a quiet CHANGE MAKER. Many don’t know even him & yet thousands benefit from his work in some way.

He’s what I call the “Silent Leader”... the one standing at the back of the room, cheering everyone else on, genuinely happy FOR THEM!

No recognitions, special titles or medals.

No ego.

No “what’s in it for me.”

Just pure joy for THEIR accomplishments! For them overcoming & succeeding!

We’re so conditioned to focus on the people with “the marker” or “the microphone” or those strutting their “brand” on some stage but I want to encourage you all to look at who’s standing WITH you, BESIDE you because they are likely to be a Change Maker just like YOU! And YES, YOU can be a Change Maker too! We ALL are... John IS proof!

John changing my life started by him introducing me to a simple solution for better nutrition because he CARED & I’m so grateful that he did because that one simple action was a pivot that invited me to create my life & be who I am today fully & completely; a present parent, a supportive partner, a teachable leader & ultimately, a conscience human.

My hope is that wherever you are in your journey of life, you have a friend who cares half as deeply as my friend John did for me 20 years ago. To patiently & kindly pursue you because they see YOUR abundance & potential & the ripple effect of all the possibilities of how you can lead a fulfilled life by helping others, in a way that adds to your life... even if you initially see it as a “subtractor”.

Love those friends hard & faithfully… because they CARE intentionally for your good!

As for me, I know I only have to look as far as the back of the room to know John, my Change Maker is there in spirit, proud of the Change Maker I am becoming too!

And truthfully, I can only hope because those are some big shoes to fill!

Love & Gratitude,
Jenn O

PS. Don’t sweat the small stuff. And it’s all small stuff.

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Spring Forward Healthy Sleep Checklist!

3/14/2021

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As we move our clocks forward with daylight savings time into another spring, I thought it might be timely to talk about sleep health! Pardon the pun;-)

The truth is, most people struggle with consistent quality sleep on a good day so it only makes sense to bring this topic to light at this time ~ another pun but stay with me ;-) We know that sleep deprivation is a thing but have you ever considered how this 1 hour of sleep lost contributes to sleep debt? It’s real & worthy of a conversation so let’s talk.

As a health professional, I speak a lot about the Core Four Health Habits with rest being one of them. Tackling daylight savings time this year can feel like it’s even more of an uphill battle with the last 12 months of covid living impacting our mental health, overall feelings of fatigue & these “groundhog days” of living.

Here are 5 healthy sleep tips for you to use today but the back-to-basics simplicity of them make them a useful checklist to circle back around any time of the year!

CATCH SOME RAYS: get outside into the sunshine to assist your body’s internal clock & help your body to adjust you sleep-wake cycle & circadian rythmn.
KNOW YOUR SLEEP NEEDS: protecting your sleep & making it a priority is something too many folks drop the ball on. In fact, for most of us, sleep is the first thing we let go of in the rush of life. If you’ve gotten so far from knowing how much sleep your body actually needs, use a day when you don’t have to get up early to not set the alarm clock & see how long your body wants to sleep. You might be surprised & this will be useful for you in possibly readjusting your afternoon / evening schedule.
BE FIRST: knowing everyone will be “showing up” in a sleepier than normal state tomorrow & this week, be sure to plan well so that you’re not rushing your day &... if you can, lighten your schedule. The general population will be struggling from lack of sleep with side effects in performance, mental clarity, daytime fatigue & even worsened vision… so plan well knowing that it’s a day when errors & accidents are more common.
MOVE YOUR BODY: a 30 minute walk goes a long way every day, but double the benefits with daylight savings time! Get outside to invite the natural light to help cue your body in sync with your day-night cycle, allow those sunshine filled rays to hit your skin, breath the fresh air into your lungs & elevate your heart rate with a brisk walk because all of these are incredibly beneficial for overall wellness!
DITCH THE STIMULANTS: caffeine, alcohol, tobacco & technology are all sleep disruptors. If this feels like too much to take on, limit the amount & time of these consumed, especially the hours before bed. Oh & while we’re here… late dinners & evening snacks fall into this category. The short fact of this is that the body innately digests what we put into it & regardless of how tired we are, the body is going to do the work it’s designed to do so if there is work in the pipeline… it’s going to get “processed”. This ultimately disturbs our sleep quality, at best. This is bigger than most truly understand but if you’re curious to learn more, connect with me about the lifestyle program I personally live & promote.

BONUS TIP: create an environment conducive to restful, quality sleep: quiet & dark with a temperature in the range of 60 to 75 degrees. Some of my favorite affordable tools for success:

Sleep mask
White noise maker
Ear plugs

I hope this helps you transition into spring feeling less foggy headed & excited about the longer & brighter days!

See you on the sunny side friends!

Jenn

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49: I Was Never Meant to Fit In.

7/22/2020

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LOADED POST: “If you should go skating on the thin ice of modern life...”

Welcome 49 year old me to finding me!

In case you haven’t noticed, I like to have fun w photo filters but I wanted to share my raw & real 49 year old selfie today.
No filters.
No mascara, brow brush or face powder.
No fancy clothes or hat.
No frilly, anything.

Just me full on...
Grey hair.
Wrinkles.
Smiling, showing my crooked teeth.
Hiding behind nothing.

How vulnerable... or liberating, depending on your perspective.

Truth... I feel it ALL & it feels AMAZING!!

All my life I’ve been on a quest to fit in, belong somewhere, be accepted... anywhere, & sometimes, that included some pretty unhealthy, even dangerous places.

If we’ve chatted recently, you’re likely aware of the personal journey I’ve been on for the last few years. You might also get a sense of this if you follow me on social media bc it’s so damn hard for me to contain the enlightenment I experience on a daily basis - it’s actually mind blowing at times!

All this to say, 49 is even better than 48 & I’m actually excited for 50!

I’ve finally realized (1/2 a century in) that not only will I never fit in, I was never meant to ~ what a realization.

God’s Plan for me has always been greater than my imperfect life journey: I did not always know this but He selected ME to wear these “pink ribbon scars” KNOWING that when I showed up (albeit terrified & unsure) these indelible marks, I like to call them my pink ribbon scars, would be my catalyst to courageously face the challenges, required BY me to overcome, to evolve into the person I am today in order for me to best serve others. He knew that through my own lack of, I would be better able to take on the very important & unique task of helping others in a much greater way bc I understand the FEELING & that this is crucial in order to authentically serve the mission of “No parent should have to choose between paying the bills & raising their children”.

This person I am today chooses to live life feeling it all, leaning into & not running from, who chooses to trust her faith & turn to Him knowing I incapable on my own.

When I hesitantly stepped into His calling for me, He showed me the #1 most glorious place to “fit in” in this great big wonderful world - the place I’d been literally craving for, seeking all my life, was right before me... my very own family that I created.

Charlie, my partner in life who stands strong behind me & loves me through to my very imperfect core, unconditionally. To him I am indebted bc when I feel weak & insecure, he strengthens me simply by his belief in me & my purpose.

Avery & Claire, my conscious, heart-lead, brilliant & beautiful daughters who teach me every single day how to be a better human being... the greatest gift of all is being the mom that I am to them for them, but also FOR ME. They I would say, are the keys to unlocking my unknown potential. #healers

It’s so easy to “get lost” or “distracted” in this "modern world" (hence the title of this blog) that we must be INTENTIONAL about HOW we want to live this one life we’ve all been granted. #dontwasteitondogma

So yeah, 49 is feeling pretty spectacular so far & what has been highlighted for me these days is that... time passes quickly, things mean nothing & experiences are really what our hearts FEEL forever.

Here’s to living life authentically, passionately, unapologetically & understanding that it’s not about being everyone’s “cup of tea” but waking up to each of us living our higher purpose, creating a life we want to live & thrive in based on the decisions we make in our day-to-day. And... along the way, we find our people.

As I move into 49, I want to extend a genuine thank you for being here & supporting me & if you're also finding yourself on a personal path of self discovery too, let's connect! I know I have soooooo much more to say about all of this & so I'm deciding now to share more deeply & more boldly!

Blessings w Peace & Love,
Jenn

#discoveringme #sharingboldly #anotheryear

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