My Medi Blog

Sometimes we need to change things up. Below are 19 little things you can do to shift your mood and help improve brain function. When we do something new our brain has an increase in the density of myelin or the white matter in your brain that helps improve performance. Just remember when you try something new your brain fires new neurons and helps "open up" your brain waves for greater learning and sharpness.

Try some of these:

1) Try and make a new recipe. This allows you to explore new foods, get your brain firing in new ways, and eating homemade can be more nutrient-dense depending on your choice of recipe (choose wisely).

2) Go to a new grocery store. Give yourself the extra time to do this and have fun finding all your favorite items at a new place. Be COVID safe.

3) Go do something active with kids: Play ball, jump on a trampoline, rollerblade. Your brain loves to do something new, especially when you add a lot of movement with learning.

4) Plan a date with your spouse to observe nature. You can't lose with this one!

5) Work on your posture. This is great for your spinal sensory nerve, core, and whole body. Good posture is a must practice!

6) Learn a new joke by asking 3 friends to tell you a joke. Laughing is great for the mind, body, and soul.

7) Wear bright colors. Also, if you know what your balancing colors are for any of your emotional blockages be sure to wear them daily. If you do not know what we are referring to come in and get our InnerVoice analysis scan or email our recording. You can ask for more information by sending an email to info@happywholeyou.com

8) Join a virtual class: A dance class - Paint class - A cooking class - Karate class- Any new class.

9) Watch a sporting event. Stand-up, sit-down, fight-fight-fight!

10) Read a positive quote every day for seven days and email all the quotes to a friend. Have them do the same.

11) Play on the playground with your kid(s).

12) Go for a walk. Yes, clear your mind and increase blood flow to your brain.

13) Turn on a good song and dance. Heck yeah!

14) Call an old friend… yes, on the phone. Walk and talk!

15) Order some clean new products and smell some essential oils: lavender, abundance, lemon, deliverance, and more.

16) YouTube a good speaker. Yes, do not stop learning.

17) Color in a coloring book (something that reminds you of your childhood could be fun).

18) Ride a bike. Just cruz and take in the scenery.

19) Scream out loud and smile... just because.

Have a great weekend!

Yesterday was a challenge. I broke down and cried three different times… for no strong reason. Yelled at my kids… okay, I yelled twice and just fell into a deep funk that I couldn't pull myself out of. The repetitive thoughts of gratitude seemed like they were a lie. I couldn’t shake the “yuck” I was feeling and while in this emotional trap I kept reminding myself, “Everything is okay. You have so many things to be grateful for. So many people are going through so much more. You are so blessed.”

While all this is true, sometimes you just want to say, “Fuck it!” I feel like shit in my privileged life with first world problems. I think the key lesson from yesterday was. Yes, you can feel bad and vent but then get your shit together and add-in actions that will help you feel better. Sometimes I don’t give myself the space and time to explore why I’m feeling bad. It’s like I have to push through it quickly, and when I do that I don’t get the opportunity to explore where these feelings are coming from.

It's all good among the shit!

So, yesterday I gave myself some space and realized why I was feeling the way I was feeling. The collective energy of all the junk was hitting me and made me realize I needed to cry. I needed to surrender. I needed to let go. You guys, yesterday, I started crying because my dogs were scratching the slider door because they wanted in. However, it wasn’t just my innocent dogs (who by the way show me so much love and excitement—without hesitation—every time they see me) it was the compound effect of kids with online learning stress, trying to work from home, having a husband who injured himself, not being able to be outside because the air is so stinking bad, realizing I gained ten pounds, family dynamics, owning a small business dynamics, not seeing friends dynamics, feeling like I am all alone dynamics, helping a recovering alcoholic dynamics, losing old friends dynamics, big bill dynamics, and the list goes on-and-on.

But really, all this is is life - right? Life is always evolving and always changing and sometimes the dynamics in this life make you feel like shit no matter who you are. So lesson: Give yourself the grace and space to feel bad for yourself and the collectiveness of all the bull in the world, but then within a day or two—or for some of us maybe three days (okay a three-day max)—we must be gentle and place ourselves back in the flow and move forward in gratitude, in good health practices, and in good relationship practices.

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When will 2020 be over? Distance learning - really? Are these numbers even real? The vibration of stress and tension are very high right now. The unknown of so many things has some of us on our toes and others have fallen over to surrender. The idea that once 2020 is over things will go back to the “way they were” - is that even possible? Are things ever how they were in the past? I would argue, No! Everything is evolving and changing. We are evolving and changing. Change is real but it doesn’t have to be a struggle, in fact it should be looked at as a blessing. As a time for growth.

All too often we can get stuck on the negative “struggle” but couldn't we shift our perspective and look at it as positive growth?

I myself found my level of anxiousness rising last night. I couldn’t sleep. I was thinking how I feel stuck. I feel behind. I feel sluggish. All these feelings arose because I allowed myself to make a story up in my head. The story wheel of “poor me” and “corona, corona, corona.” The truth of it all is I am okay. I am not behind - I only feel behind and I’m only stuck if I allow myself to feel stuck. The keyword here is “Feel” what we choose to feel. I can shift my feeling of being stuck to a feeling of progress.  

In moments of uncertainty, one thing is certain - the power of choice. The power to choose to acknowledge what is working. The power to recognize what is good. The power of knowing you get to choose! You get to choose how you feel, what to eat, what to fill your day with, how to respond or react to anything. The power of choice came to mind when I was wallowing in my feelings of struggle. Truth - when you are in the struggle it does feel real but on the flip side - progress, happiness, and hope are right next to you in that same moment of choice.

I fully acknowledge that choosing happiness. Choosing to see progress versus the struggle is not always an easy thing, but then again, the more we choose something the more it is there for us. The more it multiplies for us. So, in choosing to be in progress, can’t we multiply progression? I know choosing to change the way your mind works is not always an easy thing to do...at first. But isn’t it worth paying attention to? You know you are on the right path when your thoughts bring you joy and you feel that joy. As I myself grasp the idea of choosing how I feel, I must remind myself the challenge to progress can be persistent and will result in good habits that serve you.

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There are endless memes and posts about drinking during the Covid pandemic. Moms “surviving” their day with a bottle of wine in hand before 10 a.m. Wine glasses that say “Because of Virtual Learning.” Other posts that show a “Quarantini.” It’s all fun and games until you find out a loved one is trapped in the vortex of alcohol consumption. 

There has been an increase in online wine sales during the pandemic and overall alcohol sales have increased during the pandemic months. While jokes about drinking during the pandemic can seem funny on the surface, many people are struggling with their drinking habits. Having even a couple drinks a day can have a major impact on your brain function. 

As much as the wine industry would like us to believe that drinking wine is healthy and there have even been articles like “Could Wine Treat Coronavirus?” suggesting the resveratrol in the wine is protective against viruses... I would argue we are better off to eat some grapes or take a supplement with anti-inflammatory properties with higher amounts of resveratrol in them vs. drinking a glass of wine that also has damaging alcohol, sulfates, and other unhealthy side effects. I think many of us can admit to indulging in something less than healthy but holding on to the idea that a sliver of that something may offer health benefits, so we give yourself permission to continue with it. Let’s be honest, we all like to be a little “bad” but thankfully our bodies are resilient. However, over a period of time… say the six-month-Covid-19 period, we can cause a lot of damage with long-term effects. And if you develop an  alcohol addiction, it can become a life-long problem mentally and physically.

From our friends at Amen Clinics, “The message is clear:  When crisis strikes, drinking is not only socially acceptable but encouraged. A study early on in the pandemic claims 1 in 3 Americans are more likely to drink alcohol during work hours while in lockdown. The numbers vary by states: 38% of California, New York, and Pennsylvania workers are drinking during work; about 50% in Idaho, Kansas, Iowa, and Virginia; and Hawaii ‘wins’ at a reported 67%. The study didn’t even look at non-work hour consumption!”

At the end of the day, drinking 1-7 drinks per week can shrink your brain, according to a 2008 study at Johns Hopkins which appeared in Archives of Neurology. We also know that the brain consumes about 20% of the oxygen we intake and when we drink we decrease blood flow to the brain. Our brain is a high consumer of energy, oxygen, and nutrients. What we consume goes to the brain in high amounts.  In an article by Amen Clinics, “Drinking 1-2 glasses of wine a day, which is considered ‘moderate’ drinking, leads to atrophy in the hippocampus, according to a 30-year study of 550 women and men that was published in BMJ. The hippocampus is a critical brain region for learning and memory.” As alcohol decreases the number of brain cells and decreases blood flow to the brain, over time, this impact has been linked with dementia and other memory problems. Even when we know all of this there is still the reality that drinking is addictive and socially acceptable. So, what can we do to help a loved one struggling with consuming too much alcohol? 

1. Ask questions! Ask how you can support them and come from a place of love and respect, not judgment.. Let them know you are here to support them without judging them. This is not something that is solved overnight. Ask what their values are and what they truly want in life. Is the alcohol adding value to their life? Be curious!
2. Don’t argue! Arguing will not get you or the person you are supporting anywhere. 
3. Support their environment while supporting them. Do things that do not involve triggers to drinking. Encourage them to share with those around them that they are not drinking and ask for support.
4. Get additional professional support. Explore consulting, support groups, life-coaching, alternative health therapies, and other modalities that encourage healthy brain, body, and emotional support.

Also, if you are the one working with someone struggling with alcohol consumption be sure you are also supporting your own emotional and physical needs. 

Checkout this SPECT from the Amen Clinics that shows 3D pattern imaging of how substances like heavy alcohol consumption impacts the brain over time.  

One topic that you hear me speaking about is the "inner bully." Some people refer to this as the negative voice inside your head, the monkey-mind, or just that self-critical voice. Whatever you call it – step on it and throw it out! 

We are so hard on ourselves and we need to stop! Think of some of the mindless negative things you may say to yourself everyday. What are they? Do they sound something like: "I wish I had it all together like she does," or "I look fat in that," or "When will I catch a break?" or "She is better than me at everything," or "Why does my marriage struggle so much?" or "Man she is the best Christian ever!" or "I am too old, or too fat, or not good enough." STOP!

We all have an inner bully that pushes us down in life. The worst part is that we allow it! Why? If we said half the negative things we said to ourselves to someone else we definitely would not have many friends.

I am here to tell you to STOP bullying yourself. NO one, and I mean NO one, has it all together 100% of the time, so don't allow your inner bully to tell you otherwise. Our inner bully will cause us to be tense around others and decrease our ability to reason clearly. This usually leads to us taking our stress out on loved ones... like our spouse! I am guilty of that!

Just today I had to call up a neighbor (I have never done this before) and asked if she and her husband could watch our two kids for two hours. They agreed and I went out to dinner with my husband for the first time in months...MONTHS!!! I took an argument that sparked this morning, as an encouraging moment to make a plan to have one-on-one time, for what I called a "Save our marriage dinner." We let way too much time pass since we had quality husband and wife time. It was nice and I am thankful our neighbors helped us out. The thing is if I had not set this up I am 99% sure there would still be tension between us, and my inner bully would point out how I needed to work on my marriage and tell me I wasn't doing a good job as a wife. A positive mind followed by action is the antidote to defeating the inner bully. I stayed positive, I took action and set up a dinner where my spouse and I were able to talk things out. Communication is key! The less he communicates and the less I communicate the less enjoyable our marriage is. So, remember everyone has their problems, don't allow your inner bully to compare you to others. 

The best thing we can start to do is reprogram our brains to look to the positive in every situation. Like this morning after the argument, I knew this was an opportunity to spend time together (just us). Instead of letting things fester I addressed what was going on with a positive alternative to staying home, watching TV, and ignoring each other... yes that has happened! 

Reprogramming your mindset to shift to the positive takes time but let me give you some examples of how you could rethink things! Your boss yells at you for missing a deadline. You say to you: "I am sure glad, next time I will not let this happen. What a great learning opportunity!" Yes, you may not say this so chipper right away, but say it to yourself and once the pissed-off look on your boss's face wears off, you will digest the lesson and still have a smile on your face. Or let's say you forget to pay the credit card bill on time. You must say to yourself: "This is a good lesson. You worked hard for your money and now you are giving it a way for being late on a payment. I will not let this happen again." This is much better than crying and stressing over this late payment and you may even be able to get the late payment waived if you call the company and apologize that this one time you were late. If you are late more than once that is a whole other topic and blog post coming soon! 

Here are some quick mind-shifts to reprogram your brain:

1. You failed again – shift to – You learned another new way not to do it!

2. That will never happen – shift to – How can I make this happen!

3. Dam that driver – shift to – Looks like they are in a hurry.

4. That will take too long – shift to – I am going to enjoy the process.

5. Your boss dislikes you – shift to – He/She is just getting to know me!

6. You have been gaining weight – shift to – I am starting to walk everyday on my break and I feel great.

7. A coworker is being rude – shift to – Maybe she is having a bad day; I am glad my day is looking up!

8. Your kids are driving you crazy – shift to – They are such a blessing and this time is going to fly by. 

You will defeat the inner bully if you saturate your mind with positive thoughts! Find the good in all what seems bad. Go to the positive and enjoy the missteps of your day!

Tis’ the season for shopping and this blog is filled with small business links to amazing products. Many of us enjoy the ability to shop small businesses but with Covid and the craziness it can be hard to shop in person. Small pop-ups are being canceled and for some individuals they may not be comfortable shopping in person. So, have no fear on-line ordering is here and you don't have to depend on big business like Amazon or Target. Shop small these businesses plus, you can order online and have your gift shipped straight to your loved one.

When you shop small businesses and purchase from these amazing humans you are supporting not just a family but a dream. Supporting small businesses is one click away and needed more now than ever. Thank you for taking the time to read this... now let's get to the good stuff!

Looking for great skin care, make-up, and or non-toxic products? Here are our face and skin businesses:

1. Super clean, woman owned Beauty By Earth products: We love the bath bombs for a great gift! Plus, check out Beauty By Earth’s Holiday Gift Guide!

2. Clean Beauty offered by Beautycounter! We recommend the non-toxic lip glosses and the citrus body lotion. Clean for your kiddos and zero yuck!

3. How about some amazing firming neck cream? With LaDonna Bailey Arthurs AgeWell Skin Care she has you covered and you will notice a difference within a couple applications. Click here for the good stuff!

4. How about growing your own lashes for days? Check out Felicia Trone's LashBoost here.

Want nails, nails, nails?

1. Nail Art! Yes, one of our favorites with Jenny Wahley. Her stick on ColorStreet nails are amazing. We love gitter!

2. Want more nail art? Check out more colors with Gabby Embrey. Click here! for more great designs. Kid and adult sizes.

Want Jewelry and some high vibe items?

1. This single mom has fun fashion earrings starting at only $5. Shout out to Chiffawn Brogdin!
2. Shop the Happy Whole You High Vibe collection of necklaces $15 here. We love them all!
3. How about some gems and other high vibe items? Myrna Buckles has some great items here!

Home Goodies!

1. Smelly non-toxic soy goods here for your home! Check out Angela Biek’s favorite soy melts. Fun and different!

2. Goodies for your home. Have you heard of Mary & Martha? Just ask Kori Powell about all the home goodies from the collection!

Looking for some cute hats or clothing?

1. Our friends @VibeStitch have amazing semi-custom hats that will leave you and those around you smiling. We are obsessed with their “Be A Nice Human” hat. Check out their collection here. Owned and ran by amazing women.
2. We love Heidi Shubin from Sugar Daddy’s . Her small business has many fun clothing items, jewelry items, and even bling masks! Order your high end goodies here!

How about getting yourself a coach for 2021?

1. How about a life coach to help you navigate this thing called life and support you with getting what and where you want to go? Life coaching here!
2. What about grabbing that business coach you have always wanted? Gift yourself success for 2021 with sales coaching from Nicole Cramer!

Yummy products, health products and supplements here...

1. Our friend Genevieve Branco loves these mixes by the Gourmet Cupboard. She said they make life easier during the busy times!
2. The CBD mama has a great selection of clean CBD products and her favorite is her Vital IQ + Collagen. Click here for more information. Thank you JamieLynn Cota!
3. Salsa anyone? Thank you Edward Martinez for the BrochaChosSalsa.com #Spicy

Looking for some high tech items?

1. Kurt Finnery has Macs4Less. Click here to get more info.

Thank you for supporting the business owners on this page. We hope you will shop with your friends and family this holiday season.

Happy Holidays!

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Each and every one of us is energy. It is time we go beyond the physical and get in alignment with the energy of self-love, joy, peacefulness, and take the journey of self-care from an energy viewpoint. It is time to elevate our being, inject more love into our way of being, and trust that if we choose to fill ourselves up with enough high vibrations and feel good things then the opposite will no longer be there to weigh us down unless we choose to lower our vibration.

Some facts that we know about this life in a nutshell:

1. Everything is made of energy
2. Everything has a very specific frequency/energy that it vibrates at
3. Energy vibrations and frequencies attract their match

With these simplified facts I believe and have experienced first hand how changing the things we say (words are vibrations and energy), changing the things we do (actions are energy), and changing what we bring into our lives (change the energy coming in) we truly can create a way of being that allows us to feel Happy and Whole and the choice is up to You.

Where can you start? How can you start raising your personal energy/vibration/frequency to feel and be better? Start with your thoughts! Our thoughts are about 90% the same each day. Unfortunately, the repetitive thoughts that are self-critical or critical of others, or just critical in general can make up a large proportion of that 90%.

I had heard of a Japanese doctor who claimed that water reacted to negative and positive speech by revealing a pattern in the water which he froze so he could study them. When he spoke to the water negatively it caused the water to freeze in a more chaotic formation and when nice, kind words were spoken to the water the water froze is a more uniform pattern. Suggesting negative words create chaos in the water and positive words allow for more uniformity and beauty. When I heard of this idea I immediately thought of the Disney movie Frozen and how “Water has memory.” If this is true then the thoughts we think (positive or negative) would have a profound impact on our biology since our body is mostly made up of water... right? Well I wanted to test this concept. Could thinking or speaking negative thoughts impact our biology?

During a breathworks class I was teaching I put this to the test (as best as I could without a million dollar double-blind study and a team of scientists behind me). The topic of the class was on happiness and inner peace so I easily flowed this experiment into the mix. I asked for a volunteer to stand in front of the class with their back to the class. I then let the volunteer and the class know I wanted to see if just thinking negative thoughts/words or positive thoughts/words could impact my volunteer’s energy and if it could cause a physical (something we could witness) response. With this in mind I then (without my volunteer knowing) gave a thumbs-up or thumbs-down signal to the class. I started with the thumbs-down signal (again my volunteer had no idea I was giving a thumbs-down) and signaled the class to send negative thoughts and energy to the volunteer. Meanwhile, I had my volunteer place her left arm straight out where I would place a continuous downward pressure on her arm and she would try to resist my pressure with the same force. During this time her arm became weaker and after about 30 seconds I asked her if she believed the class was sending her positive or negative energy. She said, “I actually think it was negative.” Then we tried it again and I gave the class a thumbs-up and they sent her love and positive energy. Her arm stayed stronger and did not weaken during the 30 seconds of continuous pressure I was placing on her arm. She was obviously stronger with loving and positive energy.

Now that experiment was thoughts from others impacting her, but what about her own thoughts? I then had her place her arm out again and she said the word love. As I pressed down on her arm (again she was pressing up to meet my resistance) as she said “love,” she was strong. As soon as I had her say “hate” her arm weakened like she had a gummy shoulder and her upward resistance was no longer as strong like when she said, ``love.”

Now, I know this isn't any double-blind study and could be considered super subjective but there was enough evidence for me. It was enough proof our thoughts, our actions, the words we speak, and everything we choose to bring into our lives impacts not only our biology but our energy field around us. This energy field is what we can control through our thoughts and emotions to attract like energy.

So let this be a reminder for some, or a mindset shift for others, to pay attention to the thoughts and words you feed yourself and what you speak to others. Pay attention to what you act on and what you bring into your life. You can not lose with proper self-love and self-care, your vibrational energy will be so high you only attract the higher good. The choice is up to you!

Need help with the energy thing or the self-care/self-love thing? Come into Happy Whole You and experience our practices that can help you raise your vibration and brain power or hire us to work with you remotely! info@HappyWholeYou.com

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As we take the holiday lights down and ponder what 2021 will bring, I encourage you to explore a new outlook on health. An outlook that puts your brain health and energy field first. An outlook that focuses more towards how your brain is functioning, how you are truly feeling, and how your vibrational energetic state is impacting your overall joy!

I know for a fact that working on one's brain health and energy field is way more impactful than a number on a scale or dress size in the closet. I have worked in wellness for twenty years and every new year we see the same routine. “I want to lose weight!” “I am going to get in shape!” Why are these two “goals” so common?... People want to feel happy and healthy! Truth is they make these goals based on a feeling. On an emotion but then they only address the physical. They don’t address what's going on within them.

You can eat all the green salads, slam green juices, workout for hours on end, but if you don’t look inward you will not be successful. This is why at Happy Whole You we start with what's going on within you and the energy around you to get the best results.

Do you know what type of brain you have? Do you know if you have any emotional blockages within your body or in your energy field? Are you confused as to what I am writing about? Let this be a sign that in 2021 it is time for you to care for yourself from a different approach.

Here are a few tips to enhance your brain and energy field:

1. Kick off the new year with a decluttering of your home and virtual world. Everything you bring into your life is bringing energy. Get rid of the things that don’t bring you joy and the things that drain your energy;
2. Shift your thinking and vocabulary. The words we speak carry an energy. As so the words we think impact the energy of the brain. Try to take out negative words from your vocabulary like: hate, can’t, or any swear words. Maybe cut out one word each month and see how you do. Also be mindful of the conversations you have with others. Make sure you stay in a positive light which will raise the energy of the conversation and will leave your brain happy.
3. Sage your house, car, and even yourself. Sage is a great way to shift out negative energy and it is also antimicrobial and antibacterial.
4. Get support with your brain health and energy field. Visit Happy Whole You on F street to learn more.

When I started in wellness it was all about the body mechanics and physical aspect of being well. It was all about the legs, abs, and butt. Not about the brain nor the energy that supports our whole being. We are all emotional energetic beings! Doesn't it make sense to work on the brain and energy?

I want to remind you that feeling good and happiness is something that lives within all of us and can be accessed when our brain is properly working, our energy is healthy, and our mindset is open. For a long time I thought to be happy I had to look a certain way and once I got that look everything would fall into place… Well let me tell you that never worked for me or any of my clients. The real work needs to be done internally with your brain health and energy first!

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Back in the day, I used to be very lonely. I even considered myself depressed and was diagnosed with depression. A major factor that played into this label was the fact that I created habits that made me feel lonely. Interestingly enough scientists have identified common habits that are signs of loneliness. Reflecting back on these habits I realized, with the era of Covid, it is even more important to recognize patterns of lonely habits. Here are some common habits that lonely people practice and some I have practiced myself!

1.) Busy busy busy. I always used to be too busy to connect with others. I would fill my days with work and stress, work and stress. Don’t be too busy to connect with others.

2.) I used to be a more rigid thinker. I would have my daily routines and would not want to compromise my routine. When we were dating, I told my future husband he only had Tuesday and Sunday nights to hang out with me. He literally sat me down when we were dating and told me if I didn’t change up my routine so I could spend more time with him (looking back, he probably felt like he wasn’t a priority), things would not work out.

3.) The glass was always half empty. No matter what was going on in my life back then I always found a way to make everything about myself and then use the “poor me” attitude. I would always look at everything through a negative lens… No one wants to hang out with the “victim mindset.”

4.) I put up a heart wall and would not share my vulnerability with others. It was like I had to wear this mask of always being busy, being a hard worker, and independant when really I was hurting inside and longing for deep connections. It is amazing when you start sharing your vulnerability with others how it allows you to connect with them and they connect with you.

5.) More recently, I can only imagine people that are only connecting online as being even lonelier. Unfortunately, many people use social media as their primary means of connection. Results from a 2018 survey show that using social media as a replacement for real connections increases feelings of loneliness. Also, in the Journal of Preventive Medicine, they found young adults who were on social media experienced higher levels of social anxiety.

Knowing what I know now and changing my past habits I have stronger connections with others and have let loneliness go. It is vital for us to connect in person with other people. We must have conversations through voice versus text. We must have physical connections with smiles, eye contact, hugs, and handshakes. Most importantly we must take care of our physical and mental health so we are able to communicate in the real world with other people. When we are not taking care of our physical and mental health, we can be derailed and feel misplaced based on our body and brain not functioning how it should. What habits could you change to strengthen your relationships and flee the feelings of loneliness?

Have you ever heard someone say, “Every time I eat this or that it makes me gain weight?” Well, there is truth to thinking something will make you gain weight and actually gain weight. The way we think about food and the way we feel about food impacts our ability to digest and utilize every macro and micronutrient.

Your brain is the first step in the digestion process. Yes, your brain, not your mouth. When we begin to think about food and anticipate eating something, the image of that food, say a candy bar, is registered in the cerebral cortex of the brain. The information about this yummy chocolate bar is then relayed electro-chemically to your limbic system. Your limbic system supports key physiological functions such as hunger, sex drive, thirst, temperature and more. The brain then takes the emotional input and transfers the information into a physiological response.

By eating anything with a positive mind (in this example chocolate), the happy thoughts make your body respond differently. Instead of thoughts of guilt, when you eat the chocolate with pleasure, your hypothalamus will take this pleasure and send activating signals to your salivary glands and stomach. This creates a physical response that will allow for a better breakdown of the chocolate while using more calories. When you eat with mindfulness, your body is happy to help digest your food for you.

Now let’s say you eat the chocolate with feelings of guilt and deprivation. These negative signals are then sent down as inhibitory responses which means you will be eating the chocolate without an efficient breakdown. The body is stressed, and we know our bodies do not work well when stressed. Think of the people that you know who have stomach problems. Are they a highly stressed or anxious person? Do they have a poor relationship with food?

How do you feel when you eat? When you sit down to eat, do you experience your food with mindfulness? The more you can slow down, smile, and have positive thoughts about your food the more your body will produce the necessary responses you need for full digestion.

Tips:

1. Before you eat, tell yourself this food is going to nourish my body.

2. Take time to look at your food before you eat it.

3. Take a deep breath and relax before you eat.

4. Smell your food.

5. Chew your food 10-20 times before you swallow.

Challenge: Next time you get hungry, drink a glass of water to clean your palate. Then take a piece of broccoli, banana, apple, or celery or a carrot. Bite it with your eyes closed and with no external noise. Chew the food twenty times. Feel the texture and think about all the nutritional benefits of this piece of food and how it is repairing any damage to your body. Check in with yourself on how this makes you feel. Take 3-5 minutes in silence to eat a whole cup of this food and within a few minutes you may find yourself feeling more satisfied without a hunger response. Our relationship with food is a very important relationship as it is one major fuel for our lives. If you struggle with overeating, cravings, or have a poor relationship with food checkout the services at Happy Whole You for support. We offer emotional brain health coaching and supporting supplements and resources to help you balance your brain and increase