NOURISH

We all live in a world filled with stress, and this is taking its toll on us, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

According to a Global Burden of Disease Study, the prevalence of most chronic diseases has doubled over the last three decades. It suggests that as a society we are failing to prioritize our health. Chronic disease can be linked to several attributing factors: Sedentary lifestyle, high stress levels, Unhealthy diet, Increased toxic load, Poor sleep habits, and decreased sense of community.  All of these increase stress on the body and mental health.

The good news is that there are many things we can do to support healthy responses to stress, making our bodies more resilient.

Nutrition

The sad fact is our food, even the best organic is not as nutritious as it once was, due to soil depletion. Many times this leads to unhealthy guts unable to assimilate the vitamins and minerals in our food.

Interested in learning more? Check out this article on nutrition as prevention.

What Can We Do?

Supplement

Use tonic herbs and adaptogens that are easy for the body to incorporate nutrients, building stress resilience, and improving overall health.  Here’s a great place to start.

Get Back in the Kitchen

Get back to basics by preparing food at home.  When I was very sick (read my story here) I discovered gluten and unhealthy foods had to be eliminated in order to heal my gut. I developed a recipe book after spending hours in the kitchen finding food that made me feel well, and still tastes delicious.

Hydrate

Drink plenty of filtered water – half your body weight in ounces of water each day.  If you weigh 150 lbs, you will need 75 ounces of water.  Easy Tip! Right when you get out of bed drink 8+ ounces.  It is an excellent way to start your day. You can read more about the importance of hydration here.

Sleep

Did you realize that sleep allows the body time to heal? Our bodies are designed to sleep at night and awake when it becomes light outside, this is a circadian rhythm.  It is a natural process, however many things interrupt this process like:

The light and energy from devices (phones, TV, computers), caffeine, our mind races from events of the day, and staying awake past 10 at night, just to name a few.

Here’s some great information on sleep and mental health.

What Can We Do?

  • Begin to set habits of working with the circadian rhythm, such as turning off all devices by 9 pm, and turning out lights by 10 pm.

  • Adaptogens work by regulating the body's stress response, helping to lower cortisol levels and promote a sense of calm. By reducing stress and anxiety, adaptogens can create a more conducive environment for restful sleep. Click here to order a great product with powerful adaptogens.

What’s your stress level?

Take a short quiz and see how you’re coping.