Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Just reviewing my posts from last year and my last post says I was trying to be consistent and it is dated February 2023! LOL Well we all know how that turned out. But I do just want to jump in here today and wish you all the best with your wellness matters in 2024. As I did with my posting, we all just do are best and when we let things slip we just start over and keep moving forward. Hopefully, every time we try we get better at our good habits and before you know it, they become just that.. a habit. Here’s to 2024! May it bring you joy, peace love and good health....

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Hip Mobility!

It’s Wellness Wednesday on Friday! Got a little behind and did not want to skip. I made my posts on Instagram and Tik Tok but did not get to this post and I’m trying to stay consistent so here I am on Friday! Today’s Wellness Tip is Mobilize your hips! Even before the pandemic many of us spend a lot of time sitting at a desk or binging our favorite program or driving around in our cars or standing on hard services. All of these things make for very tight, immobile hips. Hip mobility is critical for healthy movement and injury prevention. How we stand and how we walk can cause problems with our lower back, knees and hips and if our hips our tight it usually throws us into a pattern that it less than healthy for our body. The hip flexors actually originate in the lower back so tight hips can put a lot of stress on your lumbar spine. Last week we talked about stretching and stretching everyday. I can’t emphasize enough how important this is when thinking about our hips that we stretch them and release them. Again, you can find some great hip stretches on my YouTube Channel Total Body Wellness Pilates and More. Look up 30 days of stretches and you will find some there. So get up and move around, go for a walk, do some Pilates, yoga, or Gyrotonic and stretch out those hips. Like Comment...

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Let’s Get Stretching!

It’s Wellness Wednesday and today we are talking about adding stretching to your day. Every day! There are so many benefits to stretching everyday. Regular stretching can benefit your overall health by increasing your flexiblity which helps to improve your performance in your everyday activities and exercise with much more ease. Regular stretching can increase your range of motion which gives you more freedom of movement. Regular stretching can increase blood flow to your muscles which can improve your circulation, reduce muscle soreness and shorten your recovery time after exercise. Regular stretching can improve your posture! Regular stretching can help to heal and prevent back pain Tight muscles make it easier to pull them. Regular stretching is a great stress reducer and can help you to calm your mind. Regular stretching can help to decrease tension headaches! Regular stretching can help delay the reduced mobility that can come with aging. I like to stretch first thing in the morning to get my body going. All you need is just 5 to 10 minutes a day and you will be amazed how much better you feel. You can find lots of stretches on my YouTube Channel Total Body Wellness Pilates and More. So let’s get...

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Stand Up and Move!

It’s Wellness Wednesday and today we are talking about reducing the amount of time you spend sitting! Research has linked sitting for long periods of time with many health concerns. Increased blood pressure, excess body fat around the waist, unhealthy cholesterol levels, obesity just to name a view. On the other hand the many benefits to sitting less and moving more are many: reduced risk of chronic diseases, improved weight management, reduced risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders such joint injuries, low back injures, osteoporosis. So if you have to spend all day at a desk or if you spend long evenings watching Netflix, take breaks. Stand up, walk around, get some water, stretch. Just move and you will feel better and be taking care of your...

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Why Adding Avocados to Your Diet is a Great Idea!

It’s Wellness Wednesday! This year on Wednesdays we are going to talk about one thing you can add to your life or one thing you can take away that will lead you to a healthier lifestyle. Last week we talked about taking something out of your diet and this week we are talking about adding something in. Although I suspect many of you may already be doing this. Avocados. Did you know that the avocado is actually a kind of berry? Yup it is and it is packed with vital nutrients. They are a great source of vitamins C,E, K and B6. They are rich in riboflavin, niacin, folate, magnesium and potassium and they provide lutein, beta carotene and omeg-3 fatty acids. They are low in calories, carbohydrates and sugar and they contain fiber and healthy fat that is essential for every single cell in the body. Because of they are such a great source of vitamins and minerals they help maintain healthy cholesterol levels, they are great for your vision. They help to prevent osteoporosis, they may help to prevent some cancers. They are great for supporting fetal health. They improve digestion and they help to prevent chronic pain. All this and they taste amazing on just about anything. So this week is an easy one. Try to add at least one avocado a week to your diet but you can eat up to two avocados a day if you’d...

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Challenge One for 2023 – Cut High Fructose Corn Syrup out of your diet!

Today is Wellness Wednesday and as promised, I want to discuss little things you can do on a regular basis to improve your health. This is actually going to be a hard one but if you are able to do it, you will improve your health immensely. Today, I’m going to challenge you to cut out High Fructose Corn Syrup from your diet. We don’t really hear a lot about High Fructose Corn Syrup much any more but it is still just as bad as ever. This additive is considered one of the primary causes of obesity and overweight of Americans. High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) can lead to health problems because it is comprised of 50% fructose which needs to be converted into glucose (stored carbs) or fat by the liver before it can be used as fuel. This leads to an increased risk of fatty liver disease. HFCS can add visceral fat which is a harmful type of fat the surrounds your organs. Yikes! Excessive intake of HFCS can lead to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, both contributors to MANY diseases including type 2 Diabetes. Finally, there is absolutely NO essential nutrients in HFCS only plenty of empty calories. So, what foods contain HFCS? Fast foods, Breakfast cereals, Bread, Sweetened dairy products like yogurt, ketchup and many condiments, candy, canned foods like soup and fruit, soft drinks. Wow! Cutting this out of your life is going to be hard but if you read labels, you will find things with natural sugars that will be just as satisfying but not so bad for your health. It’s a tough challenge. But you can do it. Even if you just cut out or replace a couple of things, you will be on your way to better health. Good...

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