I loved this so much that I am sharing it again . . . Happy Mother’s Day, Moms!

One of the perks of having your own business is that you get to choose (to some extent) the people who you surround yourself with on a daily basis.  I am continually inspired by spending time with my colleagues, who I am lucky to also call friends.  I have asked some of these great women who work with me at Nutritious Life to take a moment to reflect on Mother’s Day.  Their answers speak to some of the pillars that are the foundation of a Nutritious Life. I hope these words inspire you as you recognize and honor the women and mothers in your life, this Mother’s Day.

Tiffany: Eating Empowered

As a mom of a preschooler, people ask me if my daughter eats healthy because I’m a nutritionist.  The truth is, she’s a typical kid who loves her sweets and struggles to get in green vegetables.  When I was in grad school studying nutrition I had very strong ideas about how I would feed my child when I became a mother…and then I actually had a child.  She is her own person and has her own likes and dislikes.  She does like a lot of healthy foods, but it is a daily, ongoing attempt to get her to try new foods.  I just try to expose her to these wonderfully healthy foods as much as possible, so at the very least she recognizes them (she can identify kale and avocado even if she hasn’t quite yet learned to like them).  She helps me assemble my salads, we go to the farmers’ market together, and she knows all about vitamins A, B and C and how they make her body healthy.  I keep telling myself that I was picky as a kid and grew up to love vegetables, so there’s hope for her, too. So, on Mother’s Day we will enjoy one of our favorite weekend activities together…cooking whole wheat pancakes.  She gets on the step stool and helps me measure and mix the batter, and we occasionally add some fruit to bump up the nutrition.  But let’s be honest, for my daughter it’s not about the whole grain goodness; it’s really all about the syrup.

Amanda: Stress Less

Growing up, my mom always taught me to STRESS LESS. I’ve always had a tendency to stress about things that were out of my control or that really weren’t worth stressing about. My mom has a saying: “Is this tragic or merely inconvenient?” Putting the problem into perspective and knowing that I can deal with the “inconvenient”, and helping me come up with a plan always helped me stress less, and is a phrase I often repeat to myself today when something arises. To return the favor, my mom and I spend Mother’s Day indulging in a relaxing spa day each year.

Lara: Sleep Deep

As the mother of two little girls, almost 4 and 20 months, sleeping in doesn’t happen often. Since our eldest child was born, my husband makes Mother’s Day a special day for me beginning with a lazy morning in bed. It’s amazing what a little extra sleep can do for my overall mood and energy. It sets me up for an amazing day with my family. In fact, just the idea of knowing I can stay in bed is enough for me. On Mother’s Day, like most days, I just want snuggle with my girls and get lots of hugs and kisses. Being a mother is the greatest gift in the world. And a little extra sleep doesn’t hurt!

Michelle: Pamper Thyself

Mother’s day is a traditional day in my family where for as long as I can remember, the day is all about embracing, valuing, and pampering my mom, grandmothers, aunts, and all mothers in the family alike. For brunch, my dad’s side of the family would gather around my grandmother over an abundance of middle eastern Persian cuisine and tell jokes, pastime stories, and sing happy mother’s day songs in Persian, Hebrew, and English. My cousins and I would create small gifts of hearts and poems to distribute to our mothers, giving them hugs, kisses, and unforgettable keepsakes. Then for dinner, we would do the same exact thing with my mother’s side of the family. As I grew older, my gifts became more sophisticated from a scribble of love to a spa date. It is a big day of appreciation and acknowledgement for all mothers do – so do a little something extra to pamper all the mothers out there, including yourself! No matter how old you get mom still loves the hand written heart shaped poems – a keepsake that she can always turn to for happiness and smiles. This Mother’s Day pamper mom with written love whether that is a beautiful poem, note, engraved poetry art, or a handmade scrapbook/collage, it will be sure to keep her smiling and feel loved and appreciated for more than just one day!

Stacia: Sex Ed

I don’t really like to be the center of attention. It makes me nervous. I have tried repeatedly to make Mother’s Day about my mother or mother in law – pampering others is much more my style. But, with 3 amazing kids, I have no choice but to succumb to their doting. Really, it is like bizzaro day. Instead of making 5 breakfasts, lunches and dinners, cleaning up and managing the household, my family takes charge. Behind it all is my husband, who plans, orchestrates and organizes breakfast, my kiddie “rock concert” and barbecue or picnic. There is nothing sexier to me than watching the man I adore (after 12 years 6 moves, more than 10 jobs between us, sickness and health) make super-daddy-egg-sandwiches, and actually clean up. On Mother’s Day, it is not lost on me that the honor of being called mumma is really because of the man I love.

Cheers to another year of parenting! I hope you are honored, pampered and rested in celebration of all your hard work.

I loved this so much that I am sharing it again . . . Happy Mother’s Day, Moms!

One of the perks of having your own business is that you get to choose (to some extent) the people who you surround yourself with on a daily basis.  I am continually inspired by spending time with my colleagues, who I am lucky to also call friends.  I have asked some of these great women who work with me at Nutritious Life to take a moment to reflect on Mother’s Day.  Their answers speak to some of the pillars that are the foundation of a Nutritious Life. I hope these words inspire you as you recognize and honor the women and mothers in your life, this Mother’s Day.

Tiffany: Eating Empowered

As a mom of a preschooler, people ask me if my daughter eats healthy because I’m a nutritionist.  The truth is, she’s a typical kid who loves her sweets and struggles to get in green vegetables.  When I was in grad school studying nutrition I had very strong ideas about how I would feed my child when I became a mother…and then I actually had a child.  She is her own person and has her own likes and dislikes.  She does like a lot of healthy foods, but it is a daily, ongoing attempt to get her to try new foods.  I just try to expose her to these wonderfully healthy foods as much as possible, so at the very least she recognizes them (she can identify kale and avocado even if she hasn’t quite yet learned to like them).  She helps me assemble my salads, we go to the farmers’ market together, and she knows all about vitamins A, B and C and how they make her body healthy.  I keep telling myself that I was picky as a kid and grew up to love vegetables, so there’s hope for her, too. So, on Mother’s Day we will enjoy one of our favorite weekend activities together…cooking whole wheat pancakes.  She gets on the step stool and helps me measure and mix the batter, and we occasionally add some fruit to bump up the nutrition.  But let’s be honest, for my daughter it’s not about the whole grain goodness; it’s really all about the syrup.

Amanda: Stress Less

Growing up, my mom always taught me to STRESS LESS. I’ve always had a tendency to stress about things that were out of my control or that really weren’t worth stressing about. My mom has a saying: “Is this tragic or merely inconvenient?” Putting the problem into perspective and knowing that I can deal with the “inconvenient”, and helping me come up with a plan always helped me stress less, and is a phrase I often repeat to myself today when something arises. To return the favor, my mom and I spend Mother’s Day indulging in a relaxing spa day each year.

Lara: Sleep Deep

As the mother of two little girls, almost 4 and 20 months, sleeping in doesn’t happen often. Since our eldest child was born, my husband makes Mother’s Day a special day for me beginning with a lazy morning in bed. It’s amazing what a little extra sleep can do for my overall mood and energy. It sets me up for an amazing day with my family. In fact, just the idea of knowing I can stay in bed is enough for me. On Mother’s Day, like most days, I just want snuggle with my girls and get lots of hugs and kisses. Being a mother is the greatest gift in the world. And a little extra sleep doesn’t hurt!

Michelle: Pamper Thyself

Mother’s day is a traditional day in my family where for as long as I can remember, the day is all about embracing, valuing, and pampering my mom, grandmothers, aunts, and all mothers in the family alike. For brunch, my dad’s side of the family would gather around my grandmother over an abundance of middle eastern Persian cuisine and tell jokes, pastime stories, and sing happy mother’s day songs in Persian, Hebrew, and English. My cousins and I would create small gifts of hearts and poems to distribute to our mothers, giving them hugs, kisses, and unforgettable keepsakes. Then for dinner, we would do the same exact thing with my mother’s side of the family. As I grew older, my gifts became more sophisticated from a scribble of love to a spa date. It is a big day of appreciation and acknowledgement for all mothers do – so do a little something extra to pamper all the mothers out there, including yourself! No matter how old you get mom still loves the hand written heart shaped poems – a keepsake that she can always turn to for happiness and smiles. This Mother’s Day pamper mom with written love whether that is a beautiful poem, note, engraved poetry art, or a handmade scrapbook/collage, it will be sure to keep her smiling and feel loved and appreciated for more than just one day!

Stacia: Sex Ed

I don’t really like to be the center of attention. It makes me nervous. I have tried repeatedly to make Mother’s Day about my mother or mother in law – pampering others is much more my style. But, with 3 amazing kids, I have no choice but to succumb to their doting. Really, it is like bizzaro day. Instead of making 5 breakfasts, lunches and dinners, cleaning up and managing the household, my family takes charge. Behind it all is my husband, who plans, orchestrates and organizes breakfast, my kiddie “rock concert” and barbecue or picnic. There is nothing sexier to me than watching the man I adore (after 12 years 6 moves, more than 10 jobs between us, sickness and health) make super-daddy-egg-sandwiches, and actually clean up. On Mother’s Day, it is not lost on me that the honor of being called mumma is really because of the man I love.

Cheers to another year of parenting! I hope you are honored, pampered and rested in celebration of all your hard work.

Boo! Scary things are going to happen if you eat a pillow-case bag filled with Halloween candy, like you did when you were a kid. The kid-version of you may have been able to handle a ton of candy without paying the price on the scale, but the adult version of you will not be so forgiving. This year I’m reminding you to have one delicious mini treat to celebrate the holiday, but after that I want you to focus on celebrating without the candy. I’m not being a witch, I’m being your angel, and looking out for you with these ideas:

Plan a sensational trick: break out your sinister self and create an amazing prank on someone. Remember to be good natured about it, and clever in your devising. Fake cockroaches in someone’s food can be hysterical. A little superglue to a quarter on the sidewalk can keep you in stitches. Put red Kool Aid in the shower head. . . that one freaks ‘em out every time.  And, Kool Aid certainly should go anywhere near our insides! Of course, you cannot go wrong with a little whoopee cushion action. Laughter is really healthy. It makes good sense to me. I feel great when I have a good laugh, but research actually has been done. Benefits of a good chuckle include:

• Laughter makes you relax – it relieves tension held in your bod and it relieves stress. After a bout of good humor, your muscles will show relaxation responses for 45 minutes!
• Laughing is good for your immune system – it raises immune cells and improves resistance to disease.
• Laughing releases endorphins – those are the “feel good” chemicals that create a sense of well being and can even relieve feelings of pain.
• Laughing is good for the heart – it improves blood flow, which can help prevent heart attacks and problems related to the heart.

Plan a scary movie marathon: the obvious choice is to watch Halloween movies, of which there are many. Choose an oldie but goodie or try something new and prepare to scream in fright! I’m a retro girl, with a particular love of old horror – Psycho, Motel Hell and The Shining are on the top of my list. Grab a friend, love or pet and snuggle down. I want you to get your love in and maximize the benefits of snuggling. What are they? Glad you asked:

• Snuggling boosts your immunity – similar to laughing, kissing, hugging and hand holding raise immune cells and fights disease.
• Kissing is good for your face – it actually has been proven that sharing saliva can prevent tooth decay and giving your face a workout burns calories and reduces stress.
• Oxytocin is released – release your oxytocin, friends. It is the hormone associated with orgasm in women, but is also released when snuggling – the amazing benefit is stress reduction and lowering of blood pressure. Get the love in!

Haunt the house: re-invent your home or work space to celebrate the fall and season of Halloween. Light pumpkin spice candles. Accessorize your home with hand carved pumpkins. Use holiday festive linens and tableware. While you are at it, why not re-season your wardrobe? Pack away the summer items you still have taking up space in your entryway. Make the rooms you spend the most time in every day geared towards the fall season. There are important benefits to feeling happy and clean in your environment. You should love the space you spend most of the time in. It will help you be happier and more productive.

• Uncluttered environments = uncluttered mind – it is true that if your space is full of stuff, your brain will be too. It is more relaxing to be in a clean space than a cluttered one. Studies prove this, but even if they didn’t, it is true for me!
• Clean homes are healthier – dusty or unclean homes can contribute to asthma, colds and the spreading of bacteria. Who wants that?
• Social benefits – if you have a clean house, you are more likely to share it with friends and family. Put up some skeletons and pumpkins to accessorize and show off your gorgeous space!

There you have it, friends. Halloween with your health first . . . a very mature way to celebrate . . . I doubt you’ll even miss the candy! Who needs it when you are tricking, cuddling and beautifying your digs? Happy Halloween.

Stress is bad for you… Right? Well, not always. New research has shown that short-term stress can actually have health benefits. This brief period of stress is called the fight-or-flight response, and is a reaction to immediate threats or danger…Think Superwoman.  During this time, your body’s immune system is boosted to prepare for possible injury as a means of protection. Don’t jump into the boxing ring just yet – this added bonus only happens from short periods of stress, not from the chronic stress most of us live with. Although a tiny bit of stress can be good, too much is not.

NLT: A favorite de-stressor of mine (and probably yours, too) is heading to the beach for some R&R. When you’re working on your tan or out cruising on a boat your stress hormones are often in a nice happy place. And although we should all be detached from technology it is not always possible…and when our phone dies…AAAHHH! Stress! This clearly defeats all of your efforts at relaxation. Not anymore. Solio Solar Products, a solar-powered battery charger, is your new life jacket. All you do is plug your smartphone (or any USB-powered device) into this charger, and voila! Charging begins. Save the stress for something else, and soak up the sun with no worries.

With Cinco de Mayo this weekend, most of us are looking forward to celebrating Mexican culture with bucket sized margaritas and heaping bowls of guacamole. If you’re looking for another way to honor the Mexican-inspired traditions, check out some Mariachi music, an art form that is central to Mexican nationalism. People who connect to their heritage have an increased level of empowerment, naturally cutting down on the extraneous stressors that plague our everyday lives. So as you understand and celebrate the cultural heritage of Mexico, you may also want to explore your own.

NLT: If you’d like to discover your own family’s history, check out http://www.ellisisland.org/. Fill in the Passenger Search with your last name and any other details you know to find out information on your ancestors  including what town they immigrated from, the ship image and their passenger records.  The website offers genealogy searching tips and printable charts to start filling out your family tree.

Let’s face it. April can be just as stressful as the holiday months for some people: taxes, upcoming finals and getting bikini-ready etc…With all that stress, laughter often takes a back seat. When was the last time you laughed so hard that you cried? Remember how it felt right afterwards? Laughter helps calm your body and prohibits your stress hormones from taking a toll on you. It gives us a feeling of pleasure and calmness. Laughter also has an added bonus: research shows that laughing 100 times is like riding an exercise bike for 15 minutes! So stress less, laugh more, and live longer.

NLT:  See if any famous headliners are coming to your city!  If comedy shows are not your cuppa tea, then try remembering past funny or embarrassing experiences you’ve had.  Sometimes just thinking about them can put a smile on your face…show that smile to the world! If you’re sitting at a desk and need a laugh break, these short videos are posted daily and range from giggle-worthy to downright hilarious.

The disconnect between the advances of the human mind and physical body are never more apparent than when we look at stress. Our bodies are equipped to manage the stressors of a life lived hundreds of years ago (see bear, flee). They have not adapted their reactions to modern day stresses – work deadlines elicit the same physiological responses as seeing a bear – but the stress reactions are chronic reactions, not fleeting, and they are wreaking havoc on our health and wellness.  Acknowledging that we are stressed is the most basic foundation to managing it. In effort to empower you, here are some thoughts to reconnect our mind and bodies over the subject of stress:

• Stress takes many forms. You may not experience all of the symptoms of stress, but more likely than not, you are familiar with a few of the following: headaches, muscle tension/pain, chest pain, fatigue, lowered libido, stomach issues, disrupted sleep, anxiety, lack of motivation, irritability, depression, overeating, under-eating, substance abuse, social isolation.
• Stress affects hormones. While the two major stress hormones – adrenaline and cortisol – are phenomenal in situations when you meet a bear, they are less helpful when chronically circulating in the blood. Adrenaline makes your heart race, raises blood pressure and stresses the cardiovascular system. Cortisol increases blood sugar, and enhances the brain’s use of glucose, which is also not ideal in a chronic state.
• Long term consequences of stress. Stress is subjective and somewhat qualitative. While we cannot say that a certain amount of adrenaline is linked to heart disease, we do know that stress has a direct relationship with: cardiovascular disease, sleep disorders, digestive problems, psychological issues such as depression and memory loss, weight management and skin disorders.
• Management of stress. We may visit our physician for something to manage any of the above conditions, but it is important to treat the illness as well as the symptoms. Taking control of being a less-stressed person is a proactive way to help manage your health. Try one of these 5 things daily to reduce your stress: meditation, yoga, exercise, taking a walk, journaling, socializing or taking a bath. Acknowledge that you are doing these activities to manage your stress and care for your wellness.

While it takes work to get the stress out, it is time well spent . . . a less stressed you is a happier, more productive and healthier you! What are your favorite ways to unwind? At what times of the day might you have time to reduce stress by taking a break on your terms?

Did your dog ruin another pair of your favorite shoes? Did your significant other forget to pick up groceries again? Did your kids spill grape juice all over your new white carpet? Let’s face it: we all get angry! While keeping it bottled up inside may seem like the right thing to do sometimes, research shows that letting out some aggression may actually help keep stress levels in check. Research also shows that by expressing anger, we are more likely to make better decisions in general. Since anger is easier to manage when it’s expressed, letting it out will help you cope and move on to more stress-free days. So go ahead, let it out! Just make sure you do it in a productive manner.

NLT: Looking for a new way to express your anger without looking like a maniac? Why not try letting out aggression and toning muscles? Yes, it’s possible to do both! We suggest blowing off some steam with Capoeira. From the land famous for acai, supermodels, and sublime beaches, Capoeira is a hot trend to come from the fabulous country of Brazil. It combines dance with martial arts for an active workout that’ll let you channel your stress and anger in a healthy, fun and beautiful way.  To learn some basic moves check out: http://capoeirauniverse.com/capoeira-moves/basic-capoeira-moves-list/.