Here are 6 Habits That Make Losing Weight Easier (and Why They Work!)

Healthy doesn't have to be hard. Here are 6 Habits That Make Losing Weight Easier (and Why They Work!) 🌟

If you're ready to shed pounds and feel great, these simple habits can set you up for success:

1️⃣ Get Outside: Fresh air and sunlight boost your mood, regulate sleep, and even help curb cravings. Plus, moving outdoors burns calories and clears your mind.

2️⃣ Eat a High-Protein Breakfast: Starting your day with protein keeps you full longer, reduces snacking, and helps your body burn fat more effectively.

3️⃣ Practice Mindfulness: Stress eating? Mindfulness helps you tune into your body’s needs, making it easier to avoid emotional overeating.

4️⃣ Drink Plenty of Water: Staying hydrated can curb hunger, improve digestion, and give you more energy for your workouts.

5️⃣ Pay Attention to Portions: Even healthy foods can derail your progress if you overeat. Portion control helps you enjoy your meals while staying on track.

6️⃣ Squeeze in Exercise: A quick workout—even 10 minutes—gets your heart rate up and helps to increase your metabolism.

Why Herbal Teas are a Great Addition to a Healthy Eating Plan

Herbal Teas have been used for centuries for medicinal purposes.

Let’s chat about a healthy - and yummy - alternative to your regular cup of joe… even if you’re addicted to your caffeine, you may want to check out the numerous health benefits of caffeine-free herbal teas! Herbal tea benefits may include reduced inflammation, stress alleviation, immune system support and more. Herbal tea is a great addition to a healthy eating plan.

So what exactly is herbal tea? Herbal tea, also known as tisane, is a beverage made from steeped herbs, spices, or fruits. Unlike true teas (black, green, white, etc.), herbal teas do not contain caffeine. This makes them a great choice for those who are looking to avoid caffeine or for those who are seeking a soothing, calming beverage.

Benefits of Herbal Tea for Body, Mind, and Soul

Herbal teas offer various health benefits for the body, mind, and soul. Here are just a few of the many benefits associated with drinking herbal tea:

• Herbal teas can increase energy levels and improve mental clarity.

• Herbal teas can help to boost your immune system.

• Herbal teas can help to improve sleep quality.

• Herbal teas can aid in digestion and promote gut health.

• Herbal teas can help to reduce stress and promote relaxation.

• Herbal teas can help to improve sleep quality.

• Herbal teas can help to detoxify the body and promote healthy skin.

There are many health benefits associated with herbal tea. Herbal teas are packed with antioxidants and phytochemicals that can boost your immune system, improve digestion, and promote healthy skin. They can also help to reduce stress, anxiety, and insomnia. Here are four of my favorite herbal teas and their associated health benefits.

Chamomile Tea

Chamomile tea is brewed using chamomile flowers and is naturally caffeine-free. It has many potential health benefits, including improved digestion, reduced inflammation, and relief from anxiety and insomnia.

Chamomile tea is rich in antioxidants, which can neutralize harmful toxins in the body and help to prevent cell damage. In addition, chamomile tea has traditionally been used as a natural remedy for indigestion, gas, and diarrhea. The soothing effect of chamomile tea may also help to reduce stress and promote relaxation. For those struggling with insomnia, drinking chamomile tea before bed may improve sleep quality.

Ginger Tea

Ginger tea is a great choice for those looking to improve their digestive health. It is a type of herbal tea made by brewing fresh or dried ginger root in hot water. However, you can also buy pre-made ginger teas at most health food stores.

It is rich in Gingerol, a compound with powerful medicinal properties. Some of the health benefits of drinking ginger tea include relieving nausea, reducing inflammation, and boosting brain function. Ginger tea is also good for digestion and can help to soothe an upset stomach.

Lavender Tea

One of my favorites is Lavender tea is not only incredibly fragrant but also offers various health benefits.  It has a light, floral taste and can be enjoyed hot or cold and is made by steeping Lavandula flowers in hot water.

Lavender is a natural relaxant and drinking a cup of lavender tea before bed can help you relax and get a good night’s sleep. It can also help to soothe an upset stomach and relieve nausea. In addition, lavender tea has antimicrobial properties, which means that it can help to fight off infections.

Peppermint Tea

Peppermint tea is a refreshing and flavorful tea. Not only delicious, it also offers a number of health benefits. Peppermint is a rich source of antioxidants, which help to protect cells from damage and may boost the immune system.

Peppermint tea can also help with digestion and may relieve symptoms of indigestion, such as gas and bloating. The soothing properties of peppermint tea can also help to ease tension headaches and muscle pain.

Drinking peppermint tea may also help to reduce stress and anxiety, and it has been used traditionally as a remedy for headaches. In addition, peppermint tea has been shown to improve respiratory function and clear congestion. So next time you’re feeling under the weather or just need a pick-me-up, reach for a cup of peppermint tea. You may be surprised at how beneficial this humble herb can be.

Here Are 5 Reasons Why You Need to Detox

Check out our 14 day whole food cleanse under Programs

Here are 5 reasons why you need to detox, or at least why you should consider a detox:

DETOX BENEFITS #1: Our toxic burden is heavier than ever

The challenge we face today is the toxic burden is greater than ever. Our food is inundated with fertilizers, pesticides, hormones and more. We ingest more chemicals then ever before from the air we breathe to our water supplies. Our bodies are in over-drive to keep our systems clean and clear.

DETOX BENEFITS #2: It can set the stage for healthier habits

A worthwhile detox is one that involves whole foods, implementable habits and actionable tools that you can incorporate easily into your daily life.

DETOX BENEFITS #3: It can help you feel better

When our detox pathways are exposed to too many toxins, we can feel moody, sluggish, achy, fatigued, bloated and more. Many of us don’t connect what we eat to how we feel. Detoxing can make a world of a difference when it comes to healing our symptoms and feeling better.

DETOX BENEFITS #4: It can curb cravings

Sugar is addictive. Period. In fact, studies suggest that sugar is even more addictive than cocaine! Although there’s usually a period where you might experience some withdrawal symptoms, a detox can help you unhook yourself from sugar cravings and other hyper-palatable foods. You’ll start to realize just how GOOD you feel replacing inflammatory foods with nutrient-dense options. A GREAT detox will TEACH you important things like what’s contributing to your food cravings and how to recognize true hunger from emotional hunger so you’re better equipped the next time that craving strikes!

DETOX BENEFITS #5: It can help balance your hormones

Our liver helps break down and remove excess hormones, which helps to keep our hormones balanced naturally. If you’ve ever heard the term “estrogen dominance” you know what we’re talking about. When our liver is overburdened, it can contribute to the re-circulating of hormones (that should have left the body) creating imbalances that cause a wide range of symptoms. These symptoms can include hair loss, mood swings and painful periods and weight gain.

Lessons Learned…

• You have to slow down

• You have to sit still

• You have to stop

• You have to breathe

• Having time to slow down, sit still, stop and breathe gives you patience

• Having patience allows you to be present

• Being present allows you to be a good mom, friend, sister, and health coach

• Being a good mom, friend, sister and health coach allows you to take the time to make great food

• Making great food gives you energy

• Having energy allows you to take time for yourself.  And, that’s not selfish, it’s necessary to become the best version of yourself

• Being the best version of yourself allows you to be there for your loved ones in way you never imagined possible

• Being afraid is okay

• Sitting with your fear and learning from it propels you to do things of which you didn’t know you were capable

• Being stuck only means you don’t feel like you had any other options

• Having time to create head space allows you to create other options for yourself

• I learned to believe in myself again

• Change (lasting change) takes time

• Time is all we have

The Road to Becoming a Health Coach

My health + wellness journey really began in 2012 when I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism.  That journey, coupled with losing my job, is what catapulted me into reconnecting to my purpose and passion.

What is that, you ask?  That feeling of unequalled bliss and contentment.  You know it.  You’ve felt it.  That moment when you know everything is in its perfect place and time and you’re content just being you.  You feel comfortable in your own skin.  You know your purpose in life. You’ve found your calling.

I found it slowly.  Sometimes painfully.  But when I found it, I knew there was no turning back.

After losing my job, I had taken some time off, time just for me.  But who was “me”?  I almost felt lost.  I was on a walk one morning in October of 2014 and it was then I realized, I didn’t know who I was anymore.  I had gotten into this fog.  This rat race pace of life.  I was just going through the motions.  Living my life in survival mode.  I felt panicked.  Anxious.  I knew I was a mom, a wife, a friend, a daughter, a sister, an “HR” person, but I had no idea who Rachel was anymore.  I was exhausted.  Bone tired.  Physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually drained.  I was lost.

I’d seen friends and family with serious illnesses and while I was battling my own with the hypothyroidism, I became scared.  I knew I needed to make some changes.  I didn’t want to live out my days in a fog and just going through the motions.  I wanted to be alive.  To feel.  To laugh.  To love with reckless abandon.  I wanted to teach my kids that they could follow their dreams.  There was a sense of immediacy.  Urgency.  Now or never.  Do or DIE.  Literally.  What if this is my only chance to make these changes?  What if I don’t make these changes?

I didn’t even know at the time what those changes should be, but I knew how to start.  So, I started working with a personal trainer, I figured I’d “lose some weight” and get to feeling better.  Ya know, “get in shape”.  But, it wasn’t quite like it was in my 20’s, where I could hit the gym for a few weeks and notice changes in my body.  More cardio, I thought, so I started running.  And, let me tell you, I’m not a runner.  In fact, I didn’t even really like it.  My trainer said something about my eating habits and I laughed her off.  Ha!  I don’t need to eat differently, I eat “pretty healthy” I said.  Wrong.  I started reading books about whole and real foods and realized how much processed crap we were eating.

So there I was, working out, running and finally eating better.  I met with a nutritionist.  I found a holistic nurse practitioner.  I had blood tests run.  I drastically changed my diet.  I watched documentaries about our food supply and the way our food is “made”.

I was blown away.  It was then I realized this was more than just my “new thing”.  These changes had to be sustainable, not just a fad, diet or something to “try”.  These changes needed to become my new normal.

Slowly, over time, and lots of steps backwards before making that next real leap, they did become my new way of life.  My family’s new way of life.  It was an awakening.  I was able to see clearly for the first time in years.  I was able to breathe.  I was able to sleep and feel restored.  I found me again.  I found out what I like and don’t like.  I found my voice.  I reconnected to my soul.  I found my heartsong.  Bliss.

Now, how was I going to make this new passion, this new lease on life continue and help others do the same?

I took time to drill down into my past, I wanted to find the next step in this process.  I’d spent 14+ years in an HR career that allowed me to learn all facets of HR.  What I realized I was passionate about was the benefits piece.  Not just benefits, like “I love health insurance” (which I actually kind of do love that messy confusing world), but helping others navigate the tricky world of health care.  Helping others.  Hmmm.  What I really loved about benefits was the opportunity to create wellness programs.  Hmmm.  Wellness.

I joined the wellness committee at my kids school.  I thought that reconnection would help fill the void that I now actually had time to feel.  I loved it.  I was helping others with wellness and it was showing my kids (and other kids and moms) how to make healthy choices.  Hmmm.  Helping moms and kids make healthy choices.

I was perusing Facebook one day and saw a post from a friend and former colleague of mine.  It was about “health coaching”.  I was curious.  I sent her a message.   We began chatting and she was working for the Health Coach Institute and was loving it.  She was enrolled in the courses too.  I knew this was it.

After some juggling and tons of networking (over a 6+ month time frame), I enrolled in the Become A Health Coach program.  I graduated in 2016 and am absolutely, 100%, know with my entire being, that I’m in the right place.  At the right time.  And I couldn’t be happier.

If you think this is your time to find your true North, let’s chat!  I can help!

Your Path

I am obsessed with taking pictures of paths when I’m on a hike.  It started long ago with a hike to the “Keebler tree” in the woods of a Columbus, Ohio, Metro Park.  My dad had found this tree with a huge hole in it, big enough for my sister and I to fit in it together and we’d climb in and say we were the Keebler elves.  Although I don’t know which one of us was more scared of the spiders that were probably more realistic residents of said tree.

Anyway, I digress.  We’d walk through the woods at Highbanks Metro Park and I noticed the winding paths through the trees and how some were straight, some were curvy and some winded out of sight.  I was hooked.

Anytime I’m hiking, I’m taking pictures of the path in front of me and it always makes me think “what’s up ahead, what’s around the corner, what’s beyond the next bend”?

My “path” in life wasn’t always straight or clear.  There were lots of winding roads that led me to where I am as a health coach.

What path are you on?  Are you taking the road less traveled?  Are you making healthy choices that keep you on the path to finding your heartsong?

If you’re ready to find a new path, send me a note, and I’ll help you on your journey!

Gratitude

It’s that time of year when we all are supposed to be thankful, right? Yesterday I wasn’t feeling it. I was grumpy. Tired. Frustrated. Just bummed out. And, a little bit rightfully so. But still. “It’s almost Christmas”, I said to myself. I should be thankful. I should be grateful. And I wasn’t. 

A good friend called me and suggested I take just a 10 minute walk and practice a gratitude meditation while walking. I literally didn’t have 10 minutes. Not even 10. I was working from home, had to run something over to my daughter at school, which meant a “quick” trip to the grocery between conference calls. (it was anything but quick.) I had to stop working at a certain time to get a shower, because, if I’m being honest, I was too tired to get up for yesterday. I’m waiting on an answer at work and I was frustrated that I hadn’t gotten it yet. I’m in a graduate level Health Coach training and I’ve had (or I’ve made) NO time for it in my “busy” schedule. I haven’t been working out. So, really good reasons to give myself permission to be “grumpy”. Anyway, I took time in the shower and appreciated my hot water. I listened to my favorite song (Oceans by Hillsong United). I reveled in the smell of my mint shampoo and soap. I started praying in full gratitude. Thank You for… Thank You for… Thank You for… 

It may have lasted 10 minutes, maybe 12, maybe eight. I have no idea. What I do know is I felt better. Relaxed. Appreciative. Calm. Centered. Clear. All the things I needed so desperately. 

My point is this. When you can’t get yourself there with your normal go-to fix (which as my friend knows for me is a walk), just get yourself there, maybe it’s a two minute stay in the bathroom stall because that’s all you have time for. Maybe it’s a one minute linger in the car before walking into work, or home. You’ve always got one minute. Maybe one minute turns into two, two to three and so on. 

Practice gratitude. I promise, you’ll be grateful you did!