There is a lot of talk of detox in the wellness world, and a lot of that begs the question, “Is that necessary?” Don’t our bodies do detoxing for us, like, it’s their job? Well, yes and no. Our bodies do work hard doing a ton of detoxification—our livers, kidneys, bladders, digestive system, skin, etc., are all working all the time to rid toxins from our bodies as they enter through environmental and voluntary input.The issue now becomes the input—it’s a lot.…
If you grew up in the ’90s, carbs were probably Public Enemy Number One. That’s when the low-fat-diet craze led to a mass demonization of all things carbohydrate, and many people began eliminating bread, pasta, and other starchy staples from their diets to lose weight. For many years, I’ve made it a point to consume a good amount of carbs. When I discovered how to work my way around eating carbs, it made it easier to eat healthier, maintain a…
How many of you have weighing-scale trauma? I know I do. Years of me against the scale … What’s it going to say today? Was I good or bad? There’s so much guilt, trauma, and negative self-talk. Should we just throw the whole thing out? Women have a complicated relationship with the weighing scale. We tie a lot of our self-worth to the number that appears—and for most of us, it’s not just a number but a judgment of who…
Binge eating is an extremely common way to fill an empty space, literally and figuratively. Feelings of stress or anxiety, boredom, loneliness, lack of self-confidence, and signs of depression can lead us to fill that space—that feeling of lacking—with food. The problem is that it’s not a healthy way to fuel ourselves and often leaves us feeling ashamed or disappointed with ourselves afterward. Ah, the cruel cycle continues.Going out to eat with friends at an amazing new restaurant, celebrating, or accidentally eating more than…
If there is one that deserves daily attention, it’s the vagus nerve. It’s the longest cranial nerve in the body, extending from the brainstem, through the neck and chest, down to the belly and pelvic floor. While it is connected to every system in the body, it’s most deeply integrated with the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight), immune response, the gut, and our sexual organs in the pelvis. It’s kind of a big deal. Due to its long path, the…
If you go for regular massages, get facials, or maybe even do acupuncture but have never been cupped … let us be the first ones to tell you—you’re missing out. There’s so much more in it for you than those circular marks left behind that announce to everyone in your yoga class that you holistically take care of yourself. This ancient modality in traditional Chinese medicine is chock-full of visceral benefits. And now you can do it at home. For…
We’ve all gone to bed at a reasonable time with the best of intentions to get an incredible night’s sleep. We need it! We’ve been so stressed and we deserve to feel better tomorrow, so we lie down only to be met with tossing and turning, accelerated heartbeat, a nervous feeling in the chest, and shallow breathing. Anxiety has ruined many potential nights for great sleep. But is anxiety the problem, or is it a symptom? Sleep and anxiety are more interconnected…
A quick bio lesson: Your body needs energy to maintain normal function. You get that energy from food, which your body breaks down into smaller parts and can either absorb and use or excrete. When you eat carbohydrates, your body breaks them down into glucose, a simple sugar that’s your body’s primary source of fuel. Glucose travels through the body in your bloodstream, and it’s taken up by cells—in the muscles, the brain, nearly everywhere—to be converted into energy that…
‘Tis the season to be … bloated. Sigh. To help, we tapped Lisa Levitt Gainsley, author of The Book of Lymph, to share how to use massage to alleviate bloating. Get her insight and the step-by-step instructions below. People have been getting lymphatic massages to reduce swelling after surgery and shed water weight for decades. But the roots of lymphatic massage run deeper—its origins lie in boosting your immune system, clearing congestion, reducing stress and improving digestion, sleep, and more! Not only…
You know that feeling when you’re in a crowded room and yet you feel desperately alone? Or when you have a conversation and it all feels just a little bit meaningless and shallow? Perhaps you have an intuitive sense that something is missing from your life, but you’re not sure what? You’ve ticked all of life’s boxes—career, family, friends, fun, fitness, and health. Yet inside of you, there remains a deep longing for something more. This is what I describe as “soul sickness.”…
