3 Healthy Things to Do Every Winter Solstice

The winter solstice comes once a year. Some of us don’t notice it. Some of us don’t even know what it is. But some of us look forward to it, knowing it’s the shortest day of the year and daylight will increase after it passes. Like many milestones and holidays of the year, this event can mark a moment for personal reflection and action planning. Take a moment to consider the choices you make as you live your most Nutritious Life. 3 Healthy Things to Do Every Winter Solstice 1. Sleep deep. Shortest day = longest night. Take advantage of this and plan for it to be a perfect night of sleep. Check in with yourself to evaluate your sleep hygiene. Sleep experts recommend that you establish a simple ritual before you go to bed to tell your body it is time to rest. Brush your teeth, wash your face, read a book or meditate for several minutes before you close the light. Make your slumber environment clear of stressors by making your room as dark as possible, turning off the television and silencing your phone. Set yourself up to be successful by making your bedroom a sanctuary for sleep. RELATED: 10 Foods That Help You Sleep 2. Sweat often. It’s dark when we leave for work and dark when we return home. It’s only normal that motivation to move wanes without the friendship of the sun. While it’s tempting to skip the gym in favor of extra time hunkered down, do your best to move each day, especially today. Walk an extra few minutes to a bus or subway stop further away, take the stairs, and walk the neighborhood to incorporate a little more movement into your daily routine. Also, you don’t have to be a weekend warrior to enjoy an hour or two of cross country skiing, a few minutes on the ice rink, or an afternoon sledding with the kids. Make time during the week for simple, active pleasure. The benefits will show in your mood first. Remember these little bits of movement can not only add up but can also motivate us to move more and get in a “real” workout. RELATED: Morning vs. Evening Workouts: Which is Best for You? 3. Live consciously. We spend a lot more time inside when it’s dark and cold outside. Spending time making your home or office a space that you like to be in will deflect some of the stress and help you lead a well and healthful life. Winter cleaning isn’t so bad when you play your favorite music and the result often makes you feel great. Carve out an hour to freshen up your space today. Light scented candles and shift some furniture around so you can enjoy it in a new way. Take a minute to look at what is and isn’t working in the space you live in so you can feel empowered in your world. Take time to appreciate your surroundings today—those in nature and those you created for yourself. Acknowledge the winter solstice this year, and every year going forward. Honor yourself and your work as you pursue your personal Nutritious Life ambitions for another season. Make it a day every year that you press the reset button amid the chaos of the holiday season, and focus on you. As you look forward to sunnier days, remember to enjoy the darker days, too!

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5 Tips To Keep Your Microbiome Healthy This Holiday Season

The weather is getting colder and that brings on more than just magical snowfalls and turtleneck sweaters. The flu season can really put a damper on our lives and your gut plays a huge role here. Your gut is critically tied to your overall wellness. The gut is essential for a strong immune system, helps regulate hormones, and eliminates toxins from the body. “The lining of your intestinal wall is an important barrier that prevents things that aren’t supposed to get into your bloodstream from getting through,” explains our own Keri Glassman, RD. “There are billions of bacteria, viruses and fungi in your gut. You’re hosting colonies and armies of microscopic bugs which we collectively call microbes that are essential to your immune system, heart, lungs, skin, and gut. When things get “leaky,” that can cause inflammation.”  So, to ensure that our microbiome stays healthy this holiday season, we chatted with Dr. Azza Gadir, PhD,  an immunologist, microbiome expert, and Director of R&D at Seed Health. Her published research was focused on the immunological mechanisms that underlie the role of the gut microbiome in conferring protection to diseases early in life. So, when you want to know about gut health, you call her (and we did!). Here’s Dr. Gadir’s top five ways to keep our gut healthy this winter: Make the Most Room for Vegetables  Gut bacteria primarily subsist on plant-based fiber found in beans, nuts, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. That’s right—fiber isn’t just for pooping. For gut microbial diversity, try eating cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower which contain compounds that your gut bacteria can metabolize into beneficial nutrients. Cook Something  While we know that diet plays a big role in shaping the gut microbiome, new research indicates that cooking methods not only alters the digestibility of plant foods (starch), but can also impact the gut microbiome. Added bonus, some scientists have suggested that cooking and baking could help you feel better (emotionally).  Keep To Your Routines or Create New Ones  Your body has a 24-hour clock, also known as circadian rhythms. But did you know that your microbiome exhibits diurnal variations? The disruption of circadian rhythms through irregular sleeping patterns, light exposure at night, and irregular feeding times have been suggested to impact the gut microbiome. This mysterious relationship between the rhythmicity of our microbes and our circadian clocks is still being explored, but it’s suggested that consistency in sleep-wake cycles could promote the homeostasis of this synchronous relationship.  Layer Up and Go Outside  We now know the natural environment plays a pivotal role in shaping our health from a young age—the more exposure we get, the richer and more resilient our own microbiome tends to be. Turns out, the environment has a microbiome too, and it is much less diverse than the great outdoors. So, try to get outside this holiday season. Take a Daily Probiotic  Beyond diet and lifestyle adjustments, probiotics (and prebiotics) are complementary tools you can use to help the microbes that exist to help you. Probiotic + prebiotic formulas (like OmniBiotic) have been clinically and scientifically studied to provide benefits for gastrointestinal function, skin health, heart health, gut immune function, gut barrier integrity, and micronutrient synthesis. It’s an easy daily ritual that has long-lasting benefits. “When choosing a probiotic, it is recommended to discuss with an RD or MD as your specific needs will require a specific strain of probiotic,” adds Glassman.   (photocredit: Shutterstock)

3 Ways to End The Year Positively

2020 is ever so slowly coming to a finish.  As we head into the winter months, all of us are looking for a glimmer of hope heading towards 2021. After several sessions this week, I recognized a trend appearing across my interactions. The theme was choosing to finish this unconventional year strong instead of just limping along to the end. It got me thinking…I, too, want to be on an upswing come December 31st. Are you ready to join in? My motto these past months has mainly been “whatever it takes”. Some months I was strong with cooking new recipes, cleaning out closets, taking lots of walks, and reading new books. Other months seemed to drag on as uncertainty would rise.  The idea of putting the last months of the year to good use is certainly not new.  However, it feels even more important this year than past years. Sometimes, figuring out where to start is the hardest part.  Let’s look at three areas to help you focus on making the most of this unprecedented year.  Be Intentional This year has been a lot about just winging it, right?  Make it through the day, and get another week or month checked off. The days have had a tendency to drag on, and some of it is just a blur. While the mentality of “adjust and adjust again” has been essential to our living, being intentional these last months will provide unforeseen benefits. Susan Avery Stewart, author and retired clinical psychology professor shares that slowing down lowers stress and blood pressure, enhances decision making and other cognitive functions, and restores emotional equilibrium. Living with intentionality helps us to be in the moment. It helps cut out the noise and have more clarity of our true wants and needs. Let’s simplify life. The holidays are here and we tend to get busier and busier around this time. No doubt, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas will look different. Maybe you will decorate the house more this year because you just love the lights everywhere, or maybe just your favorites will come out.  Begin planning now to bring more joy into your life and less chaos. To be intentional, you must slow down to make a choice. Otherwise, you can get caught up in the day or week, and decisions are made too quickly. You have the power to slow the pace down. We all know the saying, “Less is more!” Less news, less social media, and less commitments can lead to more calm and more joy. Plan for Wellness Fall is a great time to revitalize your exercise and food plan. Let these areas play off of each other in a positive way. The more you move, the more likely you are to fuel yourself with good food. The more you choose wholesome foods, the more energy you will have to move your body. Food is medicine, and fall fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of vitamins to amplify your immune system.  Moving your body on a regular basis increases your mood and releases stress by providing those feel-good hormones called endorphins.  Nourish your body in this area to feel your best! Relaxation is essential to balance out these last months. Try not to think of this as the “if I have time” category. It is imperative to slow down our bodies and minds.  Internally, we have all run on full blast this year, but it is simply not sustainable. Carve out time to meditate more, pray more, read more encouraging books, or maybe take a bath a few nights a week. You can also promote peace by having relaxing scents in the house, getting outside more often, or taking a break from social media. Journaling is another great way to reduce stress and worry. It’s time to revive our wellness plan to fit this season of life. Brighten someone else’s day. Let’s find more ways to bring kindness and share love with others. Mayo Clinic’s research shows, “Physiologically, kindness can positively change your brain. Being kind boosts serotonin and dopamine which are neurotransmitters in the brain that give you feelings of satisfaction and well-being, and cause the pleasure/reward centers in your brain to light up.” We may need to look for different ways to give this year as we are gathering in groups less and less. Expressing compassion for others is needed more than ever right now.  What feels like the best way of going about this for you this year? Maybe there are opportunities at your local stores which focus on the needs in your community. Perhaps there are places to donate as you shop for the holidays. Make an extra loaf of pumpkin bread, and share with a neighbor. Drop groceries off at someone’s house.  Be generous with your “thank yous” when you’re out and about. Drop off a note or send a letter to someone you miss. Spreading some extra generosity around will do us all some good! Now, here is the critical step. Psychology professor Dr. Gail Matthews at the Dominican University in California, led a study on goal-setting with nearly 270 participants. The results…you are 42 percent more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down. Get out your calendar, and write these ideas down!  When will you move your body?   What week will you try a new recipe?   Which night is bath night?  Carve out your meditation or journal time. Write in reminders to simplify your week, and be intentional with your choices around the holidays. How will you spread joy to others? Balance your actions by adding in some grace time for yourself. If the week didn’t go as planned,  just move the goal and focus on the following week.   The act of seeing these reminders will make you much more likely to accomplish them. Give yourself some extra encouragement, too. Write out love notes to yourself.  Be intentional, plan for wellness, and brighten someone else’s day!  Let’s end this year by setting