Live Love and Eat

Live Love and Eat

Heal t h | Wellbeing| Nutrition

HAPPY NEW

YEAR!

CHARTING THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR Nutrition for Sports performance

Benefits, safety and tips for exercise during pregnancy

YOU AND ME 2023

TIME TO GET COLD

Stop focusing on the wretched stuff.

Instead, Spotlight your Strengths

ISSUE 82 JANUARY 2023/ ISSN 2689-7741

BOOST YOUR Immunity...short and sweet and simple....

YOUR ''TRUE'' CORE... or...will the real core please stand up?

What to do when you are comparing your food to others

It really does take a village

LIVE LOVE AND EAT

WHAT IS INSIDE ISSUE 82

06

03 EDITOR'S NOTE 04 MEET OUR CONTRIBUTORS 13 BOOST YOUR IMMUNITY....SHORT AND SWEET AND SIMPLE.....

16 NUTRITION FOR SPORTS PERFORMANCE

21 YOUR ''TRUE'' CORE...OR...WILL THE REAL CORE PLEASE STAND UP?

26 STOP FOCUSING ON THE

WRETCHED STUFF INSTEAD SPOTLIGHT YOUR STRENGHS

34

EXCLUSIVE!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! CHARTING THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR 40 WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARE

30 TIME TO GET COLD One of the biggest trends sweeping across the fitness and biohacking fields is cold therapy.

62 BEST HEALTHY RECIPES

COMPARING YOUR FOOD TO OTHERS

51 IT REALLY DOES TAKE A VILLAGE 54 BENEFITS, SAFETY AND TIPS FOR EXERCISE DURING PREGNANCY

57 20 HEALTHY SNACK IDEAS FOR THE NEW YEAR

60 YOU AND ME 2023

New Stories, New Writers

Editor’s Note Where did the time go, I cannot believe we are in 2023. Reflecting back on this past year. The magazine grew so much this past year. We got new contributors, and new readers, and most of all we are out on various platforms all over the world. We could not have done this without you as a reader. When I started this magazine a few years back I did not know that we will be reaching so many people who want to live a happier healthy life. I cannot wait to see where the magazine will be taking us in 2023.

We wish you a Happy New Year!

Bernadine Otto

Editor-in-Chief

In this issue, we have amazing articles, if it is your health, well-being, or nutrition we have you covered. Be sure to check out our healthy recipes.

We have a new look and lots of new content.

CONTACT US 4497 Wyndtree Drive #212 West Chester Ohio 45069 513 2758081 bernadine@liveloveandeatmagazine.com www.liveloveandeatmagazine.com

Our Team

4497 Wyndtree Drive , West Chester 45069 513 275 8081 | bernadine@liveloveandeatmagazine.com

Bernadine Otto

Jace Jacobs

Managing Editor Weight loss coach

Author/Happy Mindset Poet

Judy Brown

Victoria Kleinsman

Health and Wellness coach

Food Freedom Body Love Coach

Ryan White

Dr. Danielle Litoff

Fitness and MMA Coach

Sherry Parks Money Mindset Coach

Kim Klein Life Coach, Certified Holistic Health Coach, Certified Feng Shui Practitioner, and author.

Doctor of Physical Therapy and Health Coach

Linda Watson Astrologer & Soul Guide

Sharon Clare Body Coach/Personal trainer

Maayan & Gal

Ingrid Harm-Ernandes

Co-Founders of Smoozitive

Pelvic physical therapist/Author

Copyright © 2023 Bernadine Otto. All rights reserved.

Published by Live Love and Eat

HAPPY

NEW YEAR

NEW YEAR Enjoy the start of a bright and promising New Year.... a new beginning. It only comes once a year

CUDDLE UP DAY It is an opportunity to snuggle up to someone on a cold winter's day or night.

Chances are it is cold outside, so cozy up to a special someone, and enjoy the warmth and love, this day is enjoyed by both young and old.

INTERNATIONAL MIND-BODY WELLNESS DAY January 3 is International Mind-Body Wellness Day, an opportunity to celebrate how a healthy mind and healthy emotions means a healthy body! The mind, body and soul connection plays an integral role in our overall health and well-being.

MEET OUR SPOTLIGHT

Maayan & Gal CO-FOUNDERS OF SMOOZITIVE

l a G & n a Maay

About Us Maayan & Gal live in Paris, France. They are sisters, both born in Israel and each relocated about 8 times since. They are 4th generation expats, and they keep the tradition alive.

Gal is single, and Maayan is married, and mom of 2 amazing girls.

Connect with us www.smoozitive.com info@smoozitive.com IG: @smoozitive

How did you get started in your career? In What Year?

5 years ago, we sat down for a coffee, just as sisters, and dreamt of impacting the world and spreading our positivity. It took us another couple of years, when finally in 2021 we decided to join forces and develop Smoozitive together. Being ex-pat since early childhood, and our recent moves to France from Israel, got us to think, about what is it that we know best, and how we can use it to positively impact others. That’s when it came to us, we wanted to help women create a life they actually enjoy living no matter where they are. Relocations and digital nomads are a big thing in today’s world. People are moving countries all the time. However, many of them find it very challenging and overwhelming. We went on a mission to make sure as many women as possible will actually enjoy their move abroad, and daily life. By combining our knowledge from mindfulness and positive psychology, together with our life experiences as women and ex-pats - we are able to support and guide women from all over the world.

Who or what has been your greatest professional inspiration and why?

As we entered the knowledge industry and looked for the leaders in the field, we discovered Dean Graziosi - multiple New York Times best-selling author, entrepreneur, and leader in the selfeducation industry. His honesty and authentic way of presenting business and entrepreneurship resonated with us so deeply that we just can’t stop learning from him. Dean’s way of developing digital businesses, and his approach to business and life, in general, is so inspiring to us. He always says: “Fall in love with your clients. Fall in love with their results. Fall in love with marketing.” This is his formula for success. And guess what, he got us to fall in love with what we do on a daily basis, and with our clients.

Without knowing, he pushed us so far out of our comfort zone and got us moving into the direction we are aiming for.

What advice would you offer to someone starting out in your industry?

Good things take time. If you believe in what you do, and you’re doing it for the right reasons - You’ll get there. The key is to have patience and believe in yourself. An advice we got that really helped us along the way is “Stop asking How, ask Who”.

We tend to focus on how we can do things, and it’s normal not knowing everything, especially when starting out. But someone out there - knows! They’ve done it before, they’ve studied it, they’ve experienced, failed, raised back up, succeeded. No need for you to do it all by yourself.

It’s true for business, and for life in general.

What professional challenges have you faced that have contributed to your overall success?

Developing a business from scratch, in an industry that is in development in itself, is challenging.

We faced, and still do, marketing challenges, sales challenges, creating content, staying up-to-date with what’s going on on social media, figuring out how to have the most appropriate offer, how to create online courses, how to write a book, all of that was new to us - therefore challenging.

But the biggest challenge of all - was our own limiting beliefs. As human beings, we have tons of beliefs. While some of them make us fly, some are fixing us so hard to the earth, that we think we just can’t move. We had so many of those limiting beliefs concerning business and success in general. For example, we believed that “hard work equals success”, that “we’re not qualified to advise others”, that “we suck at sales”, that “wanting to make a lot of money is wrong”, that “women just can’t do those kinds of things”. The more we went on developing our business, the more we discovered how our beliefs are limiting us. Hence, one of the biggest work we had to do when developing our business, is actually busting those beliefs and creating new healthy beliefs that allow us to fly and grow.

We worked really hard on busting those beliefs, so today we can live by new ones and stop limiting ourselves.

Are there any specific contributions you have made in your field which contributed to your success? (i.e. inventions/patents. Books authored or coauthored etc.)

In the beginning, although we had our own ex-pat experiences, we didn’t know our audience well enough; Their thoughts, feelings, desires, pain, dreams, and fear - and in order to succeed in our business, we needed to get in touch with a lot of women from all over the world. So we created a platform that allowed us to speak to women on a weekly basis about life abroad, their challenges, their success, and everything around it. ‘Coffee-Talkie’ was a great success and we met women from all over the world.

We gave this service for free for over a year, and besides being a super positive moment each week for us, it was an amazing way to gain public awareness. This also allowed us to build the foundation for ‘LaPlace’, our membership platform, which is currently running and welcoming new members regularly.

In addition, since the beginning, we host Instagram lives under the subject “Real Expat Talks’. Every time we meet virtually with another guest, a woman who is living abroad, and have a friendly chat about her life abroad experience. The goal of those lives is first to inspire other women who are thinking of moving abroad, recently moved, or have been living abroad for many years, and empower them to see that they can do it as well. And from a business point of view, this contributes greatly to our marketing by increasing our audience reach.

What do you do in your free time (volunteer, work, hobbies, etc.)

Although we spend most of our working time together, and some of our ‘free’ time as well (we just can’t get enough of each other), we do have some time apart, doing things to fulfill our own needs.

Maayan loves to start each day with her yoga and meditation practice to set the day right. The afternoons are usually dedicated to quality time with her girls and husband. Family is super important to her. In addition, she finds time to work out, listen to podcasts, read books, cook, bake, and many more.

Gal loves to start the day slow and enjoy her cup of coffee while listening to music. Her social and family life is important to her, hence during most of the afternoons, she meets friends, goes on dates, or spends some more time with Maayan and her family. A recent hobby of hers is car racing, so on Sundays, you can usually find her at the pub with the Formula 1 group she created, cheering for the Ferrari team. In addition, she finds time to binge tv shows, listens to podcasts, work out, relaxes, and more.

Both of us value fun and pleasure, and because you always find time for what is important to you we always find time for those. Whether it’s a quick dance in the living room, a great moment of laughter, or a nice girly rom-com night.

What would you like readers to know about you and why?

Life is about fully living, not just being physically alive - is our main philosophy and is guiding every step we take for the past couple of years. Though it’s not something we invented, it was always present in our lives, but became super clear and meaningful when we decided to adopt this approach. As a Holocaust survivor, our grandfather has endured some of the most traumatic experiences a person can go through. Yet, the message that was important for him that we get from his experiences, is that life should be about fully living it. Because if you get to be alive, you should spend it on actually living, and not only surviving. He did enough real survival in his life, that he made sure we won’t let simple life challenges stop us from living. We took his legacy another step forward, and are consciously training ourselves all the time - to see life this way, actually living this way, and spreading this approach globally to everyone who’s willing to hear us.

What is your favorite quote and why?

We have a lot of quotes that are inspiring and guiding us daily, both in our personal lives and business so it was hard to pick one. But the following one really resonates with both of us: “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun, and - SNAP - the job's a game!” - Mary Poppins As funny as it may sound that we quote Mary Poppins (which to be honest, was very much present throughout our entire lives), this particular quote makes so much sense to us, and is really relatable to how we live, how we develop our business and what we share with our clients.

What 3 tips will you give someone who is struggling to live healthy?

If you’re struggling right now, we believe the best is to start small, with easy steps you can actually do, and in one area. Get a win, and then keep on going to other areas. In addition, here are 3 tips that in our beliefs are the most effective: Breath As crazy as it may sound, most of us don’t breathe consciously. Simply stopping from time to time to breathe, a couple of deep breaths can improve not only your health physically, but your general feeling as well.

Do more of what makes you feel good You know yourself best, and you have things that make you feel more confident, energized, capable, happy, calm, and so on. It can sometimes be super small things that you don’t necessarily realize the impact they have on you or bigger things that are more obvious. So the first thing to do is acknowledge what makes you feel good, and then make sure you find time for it on a daily basis.

Focus on what is.

Even if you’re struggling to live healthy right now, you’re probably doing something right. We tend to focus on what we aren’t doing, and feel bad about it, bringing ourselves down and always chasing what more we should do. But if we start focusing on what is, what’s working, and what we’re already doing and celebrate those - we start seeing things more positively and this will greatly impact our general well-being.

What kind of legacy would you like to leave the world?

As we are 4th generation ex-pats and know what it is like to move a lot, the legacy we would like to leave in this world is that one should create a life they actually enjoy living, no matter where they live.

We only have one life, that’s a given fact, no do-overs or rehearsal dinners, it’s just this. So better make the most out of it, isn’t only a cliche, it's a choice. How we see things in life, how we approach them, and how and with whom we spend our days and free time are our choices. We believe we should all actively take steps to make this life one we actually want to live and enjoy. It’s up to you and us both.

What have you been working on for 2023?

As we said in another question, we fell in love with our audience and with helping women make their move abroad a smooth and joyful one. So we have big exciting plans in mind, and we can’t wait to make them all reality. For now, we recently launched our new online course ‘Move Abroad With Ease: The Expat Woman Blueprint’, which is here to help women move abroad without letting their stress and overwhelm take control.

It’s already available on our website for you to check. Plus, we plan on welcoming more amazing members to LaPlace and spending time connecting with our audience in various ways.

BOOST YOUR IMMUNITY…..SHORT AND SWEET AND SIMPLE….

WRITTEN BY JUDY BROWN

Winter is upon us. Viruses are all around.

The different seasons call us to change our habits and routines. Often we forget.

Wintertime presents an opportunity to slow down, to cook warm foods, and to care for ourselves a little differently.

While viruses are part of life, we can help ourselves recover by incorporating a few simple wintertime habits.

Here are a few suggestions: Drink lemon water daily - lemon alkalizes your body.

Viruses thrive in an acidic environment. I drink my lemon water with warm water first thing in the morning.

There are so many benefits to lemon water.

Consume nutrient-dense foods - this gives you the best boost of vitamins and antioxidants to rebuild and strengthen your immunity. Your gut is home to roughly 70% of your immune system. Want to supercharge your immune system? Make a smoothie with lots of fruits and veggies.

Eat lots of garlic - it is a natural antibiotic. Try to incorporate it daily in your cooking. I love roasting my veggies with fresh garlic.

Drink lots of water - this is an obvious suggestion but in the winter we often forget because we don’t get as hot and thirsty. Staying hydrated is important. I keep a glass of water near me all day. For variety, add grated ginger of crushed mint.

Use lots of herbs and spices - they are also nutrientdense, full of flavor, and with healthy benefits. Sprinkle generously on your food! Did you know cayenne can help open up your sinuses? Horseradish as a condiment can also clear your head.

Drink warm herbal teas - they are soothing and nutritious. Ginger is an anti-inflammatory. I make my own ginger tea with freshly grated ginger, honey, and lemon. This homemade tea is especially nice when you are feeling under the weather.

Massage your chest and sinuses - this helps to keep your sinus clear and open. I like to use a warm compress with a drop or two of eucalyptus essential oil and massage it on my face and neck and chest. While you are lying in bed try massaging your face.

Get outside - while it might be cold and hard to get motivated, going outside is good for our respiratory health. Walking and breathing fresh air keeps the oxygen circulating.

I always look forward to my winter walks in the woods. And we all know that sunshine = Vitamin D! We need more of this important vitamin in the winter.

Rest - your body needs sleep to heal. Help it out! Winter is a good time to set up a new bedtime ritual to ease into sleepiness. I love having chamomile tea after dinner.

I also love my bed warmer (a specifically made bean bag warmed up in the microwave). Cozy blankets and a good book make for easy sleeping.

Have fun - this always elevates the mood! Fun and play come in many shapes and sizes. Find what makes you laugh. A better attitude and mood increase our resilience. Having fun is a great stress reducer.

These are just a few immune-boosting suggestions. While intention is needed to change or start a new habit, many of these are easy to incorporate. The different seasons call us to be flexible.

Set an intention to add these strategies to your daily routine so you can fully enjoy the beauty of the winter season!

Judy Brown has a BA in Biology from Connecticut College and is a Certified Holistic Health Coach trained by the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.

She coaches women in their midlife years who want to reclaim their health and discover a more balanced and vibrant lifestyle. Judy provides individual and group coaching, workshops, smoothie demos, and guided meditations for groups. She has a blog and several published works.

She has two grown children. Judy loves to read, write, walk in the woods, sail, have afternoon tea, and explore the world with her husband. Also in her spare time, Judy makes and sells cards and photo art from her photography. www.judyswellnesscafe.com https://www.facebook.com/judyswellnesscafe/

N U T R I T I O N F O R S P O R T S P E R F O R M A N C E WRITTEN BY SHARON CLARE

Whether you're an elite athlete or go to the gym once a week, your body requires fuel when you exercise. We look at whether you need carbohydrates when you workout if you can exercise on a low-carb, high-fat diet, and why protein is so important Why carbohydrates are needed for exercise Food is stored in the body as glycogen and broken down into glucose during exercise, feeding the muscles with energy. We can get glycogen from most food groups, but carbs are thought to convert to glucose more easily than protein or fat. As a result, carbohydrates are considered to be the energy food; which is why we often see marathon runners eating bowls of porridge or bananas before their race. This is known as carb-loading; consuming large quantities of carbohydrates in the run-up to an event to increase the amount of glycogen in the body.

The body naturally contains enough glycogen to run the course of an hour’s workout or a 10 km run. But for distance runners, glycogen sources are often exhausted by the half marathon mark — hence the need for carb-loading.

Can people exercise on a low-carb, high-fat diet?

Professor Tim Noakes Emeritus Professor at The University of Cape Town, argues that since the only function of carbohydrates is to produce energy, humans can exist on a zero-carb diet.

Noakes supports the consumption of a low-carb, high-fat diet (LCHF), which uses fat as the body’s primary fuel.

“When you stop eating carbs, the body reduces the secretion of the hormone insulin — needed to store carbohydrates after we eat them — and for some reason becomes less hungry,” he says. “As a result, subjects eating this diet eat fewer calories and lose weight.”

An LCHF diet contains plenty of animal products including meat, fish, eggs, and dairy, along with nuts and non-starchy vegetables. It excludes grains and starchy vegetables like potatoes.

“The liver can produce all the glucose we need for exercise — we do not need to ingest any,” says Noakes. “An LCHF diet teaches our bodies to burn the fat in our diet — not to store it as fat in our abdomens or under our skin.”

What is ketosis?

Despite countless studies suggesting that carb-loading helps endurance, Noakes believes that humans can exercise at high intensities without it. The body naturally contains greater reserves of fat; and sustaining a high-fat diet forces the body into a state of ketosis. This is when there is not enough glucose for energy, so the body produces ketones from fat and burns these instead. Endurance athletes would, therefore, have enough energy from fat to cover greater distances, eliminating the need for carb-loading.

However, Graeme Close, Professor of Human Physiology at Liverpool John Moores University, disagrees. He points towards a study by Louise Burke from the Australian Institute of Sport. .

The increase in fat oxidation caused by the LCHF diet meant that oxygen demand at a given speed increased, impairing the performance of athletes.

“I hear the fat-loading crowd screaming at me, saying three weeks of loading is not long enough,” says Close. “But I would ask how long an elite athlete would accept impaired performance when there is no proven gold at the end of the rainbow.”

Close suggests those looking to boost performance in a high-intensity sport should stick to a higher carb intake. “Consuming about 6-8 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight the day before would be advisable and then a good carbohydrate breakfast,” he says

Exercise for weight loss According to US-based author and sports nutritionist Nancy Clark, the main appeal of a high-fat diet is weight loss.

Ingesting carbs before exercise causes a rise in the hormone insulin which, when elevated during training, limits fat oxidization — the reaction which causes our bodies to burn fat.

The Ohio State University found that endurance athletes who ate very few carbohydrates (10 percent carbs versus 70 percent fat) burned twice as much fat as athletes. On average, the low-carb runners’ fat-burning rate was 2.3-fold higher than the rate for high-carb athletes.

However, Clark warns, as with any restrictive diet, cutting out carbs isn’t always sustainable. “My experience suggests that many people who seek out a keto diet have a bad relationship with carbs, so instead of binge-eating the whole bag of cookies, say, they cut out carbs completely.”

Why is protein important for exercise?

Proteins are known as the building blocks of the body, maintaining and repairing cells and tissues. Even when we’re resting, they are used to replace proteins in tissues that are naturally turned over.

Proteins provide little energy during exercise but they’re important post-workout because they allow the muscles to repair and recover, preventing muscle loss and building lean muscle.

Most people require 70-140 g of protein every day — around 1.5-2 g per kg of body weight.

According to Professor Close, the key feeding time is breakfast, after the overnight fast. “If you’re training hard I also advise protein before bed to help with overnight recovery,” he adds.

The verdict Ultimately, nutrition for sports performance comes down to your personal goal.

Evidence suggests that a low-carb diet mainly supports fat-loss but can provide energy for moderate exercise, whilst a high-carb intake improves performance in high-intensity sport.

Sharon can help you achieve your fitness goals in the gym, at home & also outdoors. Personal training is available 1-2-1, in couples & also in small groups. Body coach fitness has a holistic approach to health & wellness, fitness, nutrition & sports performance & is dedicated to educating people on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle! Whatever your goals Sharon will help you achieve them. When not training others to achieve their goals Sharon works towards her own, training hard to compete at an international level as a natural physique competitor. https://www.facebook.com/sharon.clare.14 Body Coach Fitness www.bodycoachfitness.com www.bodycoachfitness.org www.bodycoachfitnesseducation.com www.businessvault.net 07875086760

Your “True” Core … or … Will the Real Core Please Stand Up? Written By Ingrid Harm-Ernandes

Every year as December rolls around people begin thinking about resolutions for the New Year or perhaps, they just start thinking about being healthier in the New Year. Exercise and activity are quite often the focus of improving health and are great for gaining and maintaining good health. However, it can be confusing and often overwhelming to know where to start. If we don’t know where to start then following through to achieve our goals can be difficult.

When starting a program of exercise, it is vital to pick a program that can be safe and effective and will avoid injury. There are many programs out there but a basic tenant is making sure you start easy and increase at a slow steady rate. At the core of a good strengthening program is, well, the core! Unfortunately, what is really the core and what most people think the core is, are two different things. Many people are led to believe that the core is just the rectus abdominis or your “six-pack”. The rectus abdominis is only one very small part of the core.

The real core is actually an amazing and complex set of muscles, bones, fascia, and ligaments that support your body in every movement you do, every single day. It provides movement, stability, balance, and coordination for our body.

Proper knowledge of what the core is can go a long way in helping someone understand how their body works and why it is important in every task we perform. With this knowledge, we can better understand how we can properly strengthen our body without causing injury. This is important whether you are just beginning a program or are presently performing a higher-level program. In fact, high-level athletes are at a high risk of irritating their bodies, particularly their pelvic floor, if they do not train properly.

What is the “True Core”?

The core is comprised of four basic muscle groups and the fascia, ligaments, and bones that support or are active with muscle activity. We will be focusing primarily on the muscles in this article. Imagine that your core is like a house. We can look at each group of muscles as a component of this house. The most important component of the core, yet the most ignored, is the pelvic floor. In a previous article, we discussed that the pelvic floor muscles, called the Levator Ani, are a group of muscles that are at the base of your pelvis. They run from your tailbone to your pubic bone and in between your sits bones (the part of the pelvis that we literally sit on). They look something like a hammock or sling and support your body and organs no matter what your activity is. They are also responsible for controlling your urine (pee) and bowel movements (poop).

Additionally, they are a big part of sexual response. They work very closely with the other core muscles and your organs.

When the muscles of the pelvic floor weaken or get too tight, we can have issues at the pelvic floor such as urinary and fecal incontinence, constipation, pelvic pain, and pain with sex. In addition, it can often be difficult to use our entire core well when lifting and carrying objects or performing daily tasks. If you think back to the idea of a house, the pelvic floor would be the foundation of your house.

The next muscle group to consider is the abdominals. They are much more than the rectus abdominis, which people strive to work on to get a six-pack. The abdominals are a group of muscles that are responsible for more than just doing sit-ups. They bend, twist, and move your core while supporting, protecting, and holding in your organs. The transverse abdominis, or lower abdominals, are extremely important in the overall support system and work directly with your pelvic floor. Think of your abdominals as the front of your house.

Your back and buttock muscles are the next set of muscles in your core. There are a number of muscles that move and support the spine in your back and buttock. In addition, many of the muscles in your buttock area are integral to hip motion.

These muscles also work in tandem with your pelvic floor.

They are responsible for helping you lift objects, walk, stand, balance on one leg, and more. You can think of these muscles as the back of your house.

The last muscle in the “True Core” is the diaphragm. It is also a muscle and it is a vital component of breathing.

In addition to the very important job of breathing, it is also part of core control and it has a strong influence on the pelvic floor. As you breathe in and out the pelvic floor responds. It is like a soda can where the top and bottom parts are moving up and down together. If the diaphragm is not functioning well, it can impact the function of the pelvic floor and if the pelvic floor is not functioning well, it can impact the way the diaphragm works.

People with breathing difficulty and diagnoses that impact the lungs often have pelvic floor issues as well. When considering the entire core, you can think of the diaphragm as the roof of your house.

When beginning an exercise program, if the entire core is not considered the program will probably not be successful and may cause injury. A program that focuses on core exercises that include all abdominals, pelvic floor exercises, balance, and coordination, is vital to a successful program. An exercise program should always include good body mechanics (using your body so that there is reduced stress on structures such as joints, muscles, and ligaments), which can improve how you actually perform and exercise.

There are some basic ideas that everyone can follow in order to help build a good foundation for exercising. However, if you are having any pelvic symptoms or concerns it is important that you consult a pelvic physical therapist.

Consulting a Pilates or Yoga expert can also be important for beginning a program focused on the core.

When beginning a program, consider working on the transverse abdominis. This muscle runs horizontally across your belly and is responsible for holding your organs in, stabilizing your pelvis, and working in tandem with your pelvic floor. It is also known as your “corset” muscles.

You can feel them the best very low in your abdominals just an inch inward from your pelvic bones. Start the exercise by lying on the floor with your knees bent. Gently try to roll your belly button toward your backbone while you slowly and GENTLY blow air out through your mouth. You can place your fingertips just inward from your pelvic bones on your abdominals to feel the contraction. You should not feel your upper abdominals strongly tighten or your belly bulge out.

Pelvic floor exercises should be at the heart of all exercise programs. With proper support from the foundation of your house, you will be able to better perform your other exercises and protect your pelvic floor from injury. To perform a proper pelvic floor contraction, it is important to try to use the pelvic floor muscle (the Levator ani) by itself. You should imagine pulling your vagina or anus up and inward as if you want to stop peeing or pooping. You should not be tightening your buttock muscles. Hold for 2-3 seconds if you can, then relax for 2-3 seconds. Relax for longer if you need to. Try to repeat this 10 x in a row, 3 x per day.

Pelvic floor exercises are great exercises for everyone but it is very important to note that if someone has pelvic pain, pain with sex, or has difficulty trying the pelvic floor exercise they should consult a Pelvic physical therapist as soon as possible. Remember to breathe! It sounds silly to remind people to do this but a lot of people hold their breath without realizing it. This puts undo stress on the pelvic floor and the body in general. Always remember to exhale while doing the difficult part of the exercise program.

As you progress with your program incorporate these basic exercises into all other exercises. If you are lifting weights, it is important to consider what your pelvic floor is doing. Performing a pelvic floor contraction as you are lifting can prevent pelvic floor issues down the road. The more you do it the more it will become a habit so you are not thinking about it during the exercise. The same for breathing properly. Consider including balance and coordination throughout your program. This is vital as we get older. This is when our balance can decline and falls carry a greater potential for injury and fractures. As we enter a new year, understanding and considering the health of your core is a goal that can easily be achieved and will help you build better health in many aspects of your life. You live in your house: the real core, every day. Taking a little time every day or so to make sure it is in good working order will allow you to reap the benefits of good health for the rest of your life. Get your real core to “stand up” and be active! By staying strong, preventing falls, and preventing future pelvic floor issues you will improve your health, not only this coming year but for the rest of your life.

Ms. Harm-Ernandes is a pelvic physical therapist. She was the Co-Director and a mentor for the Duke Women’s Health Physical Therapy Residency Program, a mentor for new pelvic PTs, and participated in PFDN research projects. She is board certified in Women’s Health (WCS) and Pelvic Bloor Biofeedback and served on committees for both the APTA and AUGS. She enjoys presenting on the importance of recognizing and assessing the pelvic musculoskeletal system. She published “Assessment of the Pelvic Floor and Associated Musculoskeletal System”, in the FPMRS journal in December 2021. In 2021 she published her book, “The Musculoskeletal Mystery: How to solve your pelvic floor symptoms”. She has been a guest on national and international podcasts and webinars and is “The Pelvic Detective on YouTube. Her goal is to provide individuals with the knowledge they need to get proper pelvic care and for everyone to realize the pelvic conditions are common but not normal. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ingrid-harm-ernandes-5057773b/ https://www.facebook.com/ingrid.harmernandes.71/

Stop Focusing on the Wretched Stuff; Instead Spotlight Your Strengths Written By Sherry Parks

I recently had an exchange with a former client.

She shared with me that she had taken the Myers-Briggs Personality Test again. It had been a few years since she’d taken it and she thought she knew what result she’d get. The test came up with a different result than she expected.

Her personality test was slightly different – and she was interested to read more about the new aspects of who she was at that moment. The report started with strengths and then moved on to weaknesses. As she read through the weaknesses, she started to feel a little discouraged and could see that she did have some of them. She felt herself getting overwhelmed and discouraged with all she “needed to work on”.She shared with me at the very bottom of that page, there was this message:

“Feeling self-critical right now? Before going to the next section, scroll up to reread your strengths – and let them serve as a reminder of how much you, dear Mediator, can bring to this world.”

And she took that on. She scrolled back up to re-read her strengths. Then she shared the experience with a work colleague. Now, whenever she starts to go down a rabbit hole of despair, her colleague reminds her to scroll up.

Isn’t that a beautiful reminder for all of us though? So often in life, we allow the negative, bad and stressful things to rule our lives. We all have lists of things we want to fix, improve or change about ourselves or our lives. And that doesn’t serve us.

I don’t know who said this first, it’s attributed to several - “What you focus on expands.”And it’s so true. It’s because our minds are equipped with that handy reticular activating system (RAS). In short, the RAS is the part of the brain that filters out what is important and what isn’t in any given moment. Thoughts that we have on a regular basis become familiar and basically, our brain looks for ways for us to get them. Even if it’s a bad or negative thought.

This is why for so many of us it is difficult to get what we want. We are focusing on the negative thing instead of the change. For example, if you want to save more money. And you are constantly thinking I don’t have enough money in savings, your brain registers that as what’s most important. Repetitive thoughts create a familiar pathway and our brain helps us get it or keep it.

So, thinking you don’t have enough money in savings, putting some in, and still thinking you don’t have enough – well your brain sees that as an opportunity to spend some money. An emergent desire for something new, a broken appliance, a flat tire. Anything to create that “not enough in savings” thing.

This is why it’s so important to “scroll up” in life and focus on the good things rather than the bad. Embrace your strengths and put your main attention there. That isn’t to say that you can’t work on those “weaknesses” if you want, just be very careful how you think about them and how much.

Here are a couple of ways to start training your brain to scroll up and put your focus where you really want, so that you can have more of the good things.

Make a list of your Accomplishments Yes, you have them. And what we tend to do as human beings is to celebrate for a short time and then focus on the thing that isn’t working. I encourage all of my clients to sit down and write a list of everything, big and small, that they’ve accomplished.

And this is a great practice for you too. Not only does it remind you at the moment what an amazing human being you are, it also gives you a tool to come back to. Whenever you start to feel yourself getting mired in the “weak” parts of you, pick up your list and read through it.

GET OUT INTO NATURE Whether you are an outdoor person or not, there is an amazing benefit in spending time in nature. I’ll admit being outdoors is not my favorite thing. And I’ll also admit some of my biggest aha moments and also happiest ones have been outside. Walking in nature and feeling the grounding presence of ancient trees is something that truly lifts me up. Or, walking on the beach with my feet feeling the sand and water, truly inspires me to focus on what’s good. Every. Single.

Time.

So, get yourself outside and find those things in nature that do that for you. Here are some ideas to try: Walk on the grass with your bare feet Sit in a flower garden and just look at all the parts of one flower and marvel at its beauty and intricacy Put your arms around a tree and see if it speaks to you Maybe it sounds a little woo-woo – and I bet it helps shift your focus. Test it out and see.

Be present. Be here now When we start to put our focus on our weaknesses, we are often looking at the past and the mistakes that we perceive came from those weaknesses. Or, we are looking to the future and telling ourselves all the things we “should” be doing to overcome our weaknesses. Neither of those is here and now.

If you are putting your focus on the current moment, it allows you to be with what is. It puts into perspective that this is what’s important. It allows you to live fully, right now where you are with all the glory of your strengths and weaknesses. In fact, those things melt away.

Here is one of my favorite ways to get present. Sit comfortably in a chair, bare feet on the floor. Close your eyes and take a deep breath in through the nose and let it out through your mouth. Do that a few times until you feel yourself relax into the chair. Then, feel the support of the chair. Feel the grounding that feet on the floor give you. Keep breathing. Don’t try to stop your thoughts, let them come. Just don’t engage them. Let them pass. Keep breathing. Feel the breath enter and leave your body.

Do this for a few minutes until you feel fully present. In that moment, feel your body, mind, and spirit aligned in the present moment. Then move on about your day keeping your focus on what is in front of you.

All three of these tools are powerful. Whether you choose to use one or all three or something else entirely, the important thing is for you to scroll up. Allow your focus to be less on the things that need to be fixed and more on the things that are perfect. I encourage you to do what you can to scroll up. Keep your focus on what you want more of (those strengths) and allow what you want less of (those weaknesses) to fade into the background.

Sherry Parks, CPA, is a Life & Money Mindset Coach who helps women escape feeling trapped by their finances. She is passionate about helping women change mindset, emotions, and actions regarding money so that they learn to keep what they have and generate more.

Check out her 5 Steps to a Better Money Story workbook or join her women-only Facebook group More Than Enough Money Sisterhood.

TIME TO GET COLD Written By Ryan White

One of the biggest trends sweeping across the fitness and biohacking fields is cold therapy.

Cold therapy has been linked to numerous health benefits, and because of this, its popularity has soared in recent years. The main benefits that practitioners frequently cite are reducing inflammation, increasing metabolism, and even aiding sleep, but there are numerous others.

Cold therapy is generally done via an ice bath, where the practitioner submerges themselves into a tub of ice water and remains there for usually one to five minutes. It can also be done via cryo chambers and taking cold showers, but the ice bath has been shown to be the most beneficial of the modalities.

It’s hard to say what’s made cold therapy as big a trend as it’s begun to be. Wim Hof was certainly one of the first to really get it on the map. “The Iceman” became enormously popular due to the incredibly coldbased feats that he’s performed over the years. Since he burst onto the scene, it seems as though every fitness and biohacking influencer has gotten on board the train. In people’s quest to get healthier and perform at as high of a level as possible, cold therapy has now become a staple in many programs.

I, myself, began doing regular cold plunges several months ago and have noticed numerous benefits from it.

The most noticeable benefit from my experiences has been fat loss. Without changing anything in my diet or training routines, I began losing some body fat. This happens because being that the cold causes your body to convert yellow fat into brown fat, which is then used for energy in the body. Your body also needs to work harder to heat itself up and protect itself from the cold, thus causing a spike in your metabolism.

Another benefit I observed since beginning my foray into cold therapy is how it impacted my ability to handle stress. From a psychological standpoint, willingly subjecting yourself to the cold, which is a stressor, will absolutely increase your toughness and resilience to not just that, but other stressors as well. From a more scientific standpoint, however, the cold also impacts your autonomic nervous system’s ability to deal with stress. Cold immersion also stimulates the Vagus nerve causing the suppression of stress hormones like cortisol all the while increasing feel-good chemicals like dopamine.

Another benefit I noticed was an increase in my energy levels. By stimulating the nerve endings in the skin, oxygen levels, heart rate, and respiration rate all increase, giving a boost of energy to the practitioner.

One of the most important benefits I experienced however was improving my sleep. I’ve had issues with sleep for years, and since beginning regular cold therapy, sleep comes easier and gets deeper. This happens because since the cold is a stressor, it causes your body’s sympathetic nervous system to activate.

Shortly after the stressor is removed, however, the Vagus nerve kicks in, and releases endorphins into the body.

These were only some benefits and limited to only the ones I could observe. There’s so many other upsides to cold water therapy though including stimulating the lymphatic system and helping to move lymph around the body, alkalizing the blood, boosting testosterone, and others.

The question remains though, how do you start cold therapy?

As mentioned before, there are several kinds you can do: cold plunge, cold shower, and cryotherapy via a cryo chamber. Of these though, the plunges are the gold standard.

Since it’s become so popular there are plenty of facilities that offer cold plunges. I regularly go to a facility called Sweat Houz that offers cold plunges as well as infrared sauna.

You can also make your own by buying a tub or even a trash barrel and filling it with cold water and lots of ice.

If you have limited financial resources and don’t have the space to put together your own ice bath, cold showers are a great option. The only cost to you would be a little more tacked onto the water bill and it can be done in the comfort of your own home. It’s not quite as good as fully immersing yourself in water, and if possible, it’s best to do the showers daily but still doing a full immersion once per week.

Once you have your modality set up, then it’s just about how long you’re going to do it for. What I always recommend to people with anything, when building a habit, is to at first set expectations lower than what you know you can achieve. So if you know you can tough it out for three minutes, force yourself to stay in for one.

When I first started doing them I literally started with as little as forcing myself to take ten deep breaths, and then I’d let myself out. As you do it more and more and you become more resilient, increase the duration you stay in. Ideally, shoot for three to five minutes in there.

You’ll be happy you did.

Ryan White is a fitness and MMA coach who has been in the fitness industry for over ten years.

Growing up obese and unhealthy, Ryan changed and committed to a healthy lifestyle when he decided to become an MMA fighter. Having lost over one hundred pounds in preparation for a competition, he now strives to help others make meaningful change having trained everyone from marathon runners and UFC fighters to average Joes and Janes.

Ryanwhitefitness@gmail.com https://www.instagram.com/ryanthegreatwhite85

HAPPY NEW YEAR! CHARTING THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR

Written By Linda Watson The holiday season has wound down and this is the time of year we begin to think about what we want our lives to look like moving forward. It gives us a chance to reflect on the previous year and ask some thought-provoking questions.

Were we able to accomplish the goals we set for ourselves? Is our life path moving in a direction that feels positive? Are we happy with our lives both professionally and personally? How can we improve our lives overall this year?

Although I am not a believer in making New Year’s resolutions, I do believe in being open to the change and transition that is bound to come in some way as the planets shift and create new energy. It is more about setting intentions. The question comes down to how you want to handle life’s changes and also have your eyes wide open for life’s opportunities. Giving these things honest thought helps to move us in the right direction with more clear intentions. We are able to act from a place of knowledge after careful consideration, rather than reacting out of stress and anxiety.

One of the best ways to get started on this journey is to follow the Moon phases and work with the lunar energy during this month. Each lunar phase gives off a different energy and if you can deliberately act in accordance with these cycles, it can help guide your daily life. This article is meant to help you develop a practice that can help you to achieve soul guidance and deepen your intentions for a well-balanced life.

I will also provide you with the Moon Void of Course dates and times. The Void of Course times will be calculated for Eastern Standard Time (EST). When we say the Moon is Void of Course, we are referring to when the Moon makes its final major aspect with another planet before changing signs. The Moon stops being Void of Course once it enters a new sign.

During this time period, the Moon is sort of just freefloating, without any influence from any other planets. Usually, we don’t even notice this because it is void sometimes for only a few hours or as long as a whole day. Or it can happen while we are asleep so it doesn’t affect us at all. However, it is important to recognize this time period because when the Moon is void, it is not a good time to initiate plans, usually because it is easy to overlook important information that helps us make sound decisions. It can be challenging to focus on anything that requires concentration or is detail oriented.

It is best to stick to a routine or your everyday tasks.

It is not a good time to sign contracts, finalize agreements, or make any major decisions. Our vision is totally cloudy and no good will come of anything we try to push through. Keep all those things for another day or even a few extra hours. It is extremely helpful to mark the days and times of the Void of Course Moons on your calendar to remind yourself to take a step back and not push through on something during those times.

Let me begin by listing the eight moon phases.

New Moon Waxing Crescent Moon First Quarter Moon Waxing Gibbous Moon Full Moon Disseminating Moon or Waning Gibbous Last Quarter Moon or Waning Third Balsamic Moon When you see the term “Waxing” or “Waning” this is referring to what the Moon is doing. During the waxing phases, the Moon is moving from darkness into light. This is the phase starting after the total darkness of the New Moon and continues to show a bit of itself every night until the Moon is at its brightest. A sliver more can be viewed each night, and it appears to be growing until it reaches the Full Moon phase. The waxing cycle symbolizes growth, development, and creation. It is about letting ideas begin to germinate and blossom until it reaches the peak at the Full Moon when there is total illumination and dreams can be realized.

During the waning phase, the Moon is just passed the Full Moon phase when it was at its brightest and fullest. It continues losing light until the Moon can no longer be easily viewed, moving once again toward the New Moon phase. When the Moon is waning, it appears to shrink each night. This is a cycle of release, forgiveness, and gratitude. It is symbolic of shedding the old and preparing for renewal and transition.

The lunar phases are all about the changing relationship between the Sun and Moon during the Moon’s monthly orbit around the Earth. They describe the kinds of energy generated at each stage of the process. If we can learn to use this energy according to the cycles, we have a better chance of creating the life we want.

I am going to walk you through using this energy throughout the month of January. Aligning with the Moon cycle can help you to understand how the energy of life flows through you. Working with each phase can bring you closer to abundance in your life by knowing when to set your intentions, how to better understand your emotions, when to do inner work, and when to manifest. If you continue this practice it helps you to connect deeper with your soul and heightens your intuition.

Beginning on Sunday, January 1st, the Moon will be in the sign of Taurus. This is a lovely start to the new year since the Moon in this sign provides calmness and serenity to our emotional lives. There is a steadiness or grounded energy with this Moon. The Moon will be in its Waxing Gibbous phase, which is the last phase before the Full Moon. It will be in this phase until Friday, January 6th.

During this week, the best course of action is to concentrate on areas of self-development and selfawareness. You can begin to devote time to personal growth and spend this time reflecting on the ways you want to improve your life, your work, and your relationships. Focus on the best ways you can progress and grow.

On January 2nd we have a Void of Course (V/C) from 5:16 pm until 9:44 pm. It will then enter the sign of Gemini. On the 4th, the Moon is V/C again from 7:08 pm until the next day, January 5th, at 9:15 am, after which it enters the sign of Cancer.

On January 6th, we have the first Full Moon of the year in the sign of Cancer. The Moon is in her rulership in this sign and is very sensitive, nurturing, and caring. Be prepared for some emotional ups and downs and a need to be near your home, your comfort zone, and security. A Cancer Full Moon reminds us to learn to nurture ourselves and allow our own emotional needs to become illuminated.

It can be a time of enlightenment marking a new path in our self-knowledge and emotional maturation.

During this time period until the Moon goes V/C on the morning of July 7th (5:23 am – 9:40 pm), just chill a bit. Take time to just do some odds and ends around the house, have family over, and pamper yourself.

As the Full Moon moves into the sign of Leo later that evening, the energy of the Moon shifts, and for the next couple of days you may find yourself feeling more self-confident and you radiate light. This is the time to release any blockages around your heart’s desires and anything stopping you from expressing your creativity and passions.

Move forward with courage and show up for yourself with confidence.

Your intentions could include ways to stimulate your creative projects, artistic expression, and innate talents, as well as ways to enhance your aspirations to be recognized.

On January 9th, we enter the Waning Gibbous or Disseminating phase, which takes us through Friday the 13th.

This is the time where we begin to see where our knowledge and wisdom can be shared with others. During this week be open to change and transformation. If you have a message to get out, now is the time. You will want to take this time to share and interact not only through information, but also through socializing, charity work, attending or teaching classes or workshops, and making new friends with whom you truly connect intellectually.

The gift of this phase is learning to integrate new insights into your life and share that knowledge.

The Moon is also V/C on this date between 8:52 pm and 10:15 am on January 10th. Remember that during those hours, hold back on beginning anything new. Use the time to gather your thoughts and organize the ideas or information that you want to share. The Moon is V/C again on Thursday, January 12th, but it is only for a very short time between 6:06 pm – 9:56 pm.

On Saturday, January 14th, the Moon enters its Last Quarter phase through Monday, January 16th. The Last Quarter Moon phase is when the Moon is half in light and half in shadow. At this time of the Lunar cycle, we are drawn inward and away from the outside world and influences. This phase is traditionally about releasing and letting go. Use the Last Quarter phase of the Moon to go deep within yourself during meditation. Reflect on where you have been, where you are going, and why you are heading there. There are lessons here about sensing your own truth and shifting perceptions. It is actually a time of looking back AND looking ahead. You will want to take care of things you have been putting off and work on wrapping things up.

This is a transitional time. You may have a nagging feeling that there is more to do before a new cycle begins.

Often it is about getting real regarding unhelpful relationships or things in your life, misguided dreams or aspirations, or anything that has been holding you back.

During this cycle’s week, the Moon will be V/C on Sunday, January 15th between 3:40 am – 7:08 am, and on Tuesday, January 17th between 9:27 am. – 12:30 pm.

The Balsamic phase begins on Tuesday, January 17th through Friday, January 20th. The Sun also enters the sign of Aquarius on the 20th in preparation for the New Moon on Saturday the 21st.

The Balsamic phase is the final step in the Lunar cycle. This phase is marked by the smallest sliver of light before the Moon’s surface turns to complete darkness just before the New Moon starts the cycle again. The Balsamic Moon Phase helps to integrate all that is and will be in order to prepare for the next Lunar Cycle. One of the best things you can do during this 3 day period is to rest and let your mind, body, and spirit relax. This is an excellent time for creativity and inspiration and to just let your imagination run wild. This is the time when significant ideas can come up for you and you are able to understand what has gone before. It is about replenishing your energy and spirit in anticipation of the New Moon.

On Saturday, January 21st, we have the New Moon in Aquarius. Emotions will tend to be guided by intellect and a sort of detachment. Aquarius is compassionate, but more in a big-picture way. This energy will steady your emotions. You may feel more inventive and progressive with the Moon in this sign. With a New Moon in Aquarius, look for ways to be more innovative and unique with your ideas, to become aware of ways to adopt new trends into your life and follow your dreams, to find ways to support humanitarian issues for the good of others, or wish for ways to promote healthy friendships and feelings of comfortability in group situations. The best way to honor the New Moon into your life is to write down your intentions about what you want to create. Set clear intentions for the month ahead, clarify your goals, start new projects, and acknowledge what has transpired since the previous New Moon.

The Moon moves into its Waxing Crescent phase on Sunday, January 22nd through Friday, January 27th. Right after the New Moon, this energy is full of enthusiasm and is often described as “energy with focus.” You are ready to go. This is the time when you actually start to focus on your vision and start to move forward toward actualizing your dream. You absolutely need to let go of any fears you have so that your dreams can blossom. Your challenge will be in putting those dreams into action.

There is also three Void of Course Moons this week to be aware of. On Monday the 23rd from 5:19 am until 12:30 pm, on Wednesday, January 25th from 11:12 am until 1:48 pm, and then on Friday the 27th from 4:01 pm until 6:42 pm. You will be in initiating mode, so make sure you take time to slow it down during these times.

On Saturday the 28th the Moon briefly moves into its 1st Quarter phase and quickly moves into the Waxing Gibbous phase on the 29th. However, during this 1st Quarter phase, there is an element of tension or nervous energy. You will be feeling more confident about your future and willing to take risks. This is a turning point when something in your life that was in its infant stage now springs into action. Begin the process of making things happen in a new way, but make sure you keep your eyes open for more information that could become available in the next phase. Some type of crisis or issue could come up where you need to work a little harder and will need to make a decision or have some type of challenge where you need to step up to situations that are more difficult. Ambition, self-motivation, and determination will be key strengths for you at this time.

The next day, January 29th, the Moon enters its Waxing Gibbous phase, taking us to the end of the month in the air sign of Gemini. This is the phase where we started at the beginning of the month when you once again begin concentrating on your self-development and self-awareness. A time when you see that life is full of potential. It is time to seek new ways of expressing yourself while you also analyze and try to figure out what motivates others. With the Moon phase now in Gemini, it is a great time to put that Gemini energy to use. Your intentions at this time may include ways to enhance learning, promote effective communication, develop and improve your social skills, or improve your relationships with your siblings, family, or neighbors. During these next couple of days, learn as much as you can about yourself as the Moon moves toward that Full Moon phase in Leo occurring on Sunday, February 5th.

In my opinion, the best way to chart or Moon map is to print out a blank calendar for the month and write each phase on the appropriate dates. Use a journal to track your thoughts and intentions and your guiding goals and principles.

Remember that during the New Moon you will want to write a list of what you want to attract, and during the Full Moon what you want to let go. I love to buy a pretty journal that I use specifically for this process, or you can find lunar journals online or in book stores which provide reflective prompts timed to phases that are especially helpful. The best thing to keep in mind is to have fun with this process and be creative. Try this for a couple of months and experience the magic that will come with you intentionally incorporating the Moon phases in your thoughts and actions.

Linda Watson is the owner and creator of Soul Guide Astrology. She is a member of the American Federation of Astrologers. She provides birth chart readings and solar return (yearly) chart readings, offering support, insight and guidance to better help others find their focus and move forward with their dreams. You can schedule a consultation by visiting her website, www.soulguideastrology.com. Find her on Facebook at Facebook.com/linda.watsonastrolog or on Instagram at instagram.com/soulguideastrology

EXPEDITION | PAGE 2

What to do

when you are COMPARING YOUR FOOD TO OTHERS

WRITTEN BY VICTORIA KLEINSMAN

Comparing can be helpful occasionally Mirroring someone’s eating behavior CAN be helpful occasionally otherwise you literally wouldn’t eat at all unless others were eating.

When I was in recovery from anorexia, I use to watch what others ate like a Hawk. If they ate more than me I’d feel a sense of safety and achievement. If they ate less than me or if I heard that they hadn’t eaten all day for whatever reason, I literally hated them! My sister told me she used to eat more than she needed to around me to encourage me to eat and to show me that eating was safe and ok.

That did help me as I had no idea what or how much to eat if I didn’t have a reference point or someone to model that for me. Thank you to my amazing sister Michelle.

When I was in the binge eating and bulimia I used to copy my sister’s eating behaviors so I wouldn’t eat “too much” but funnily enough, what I discovered was that she actually ate what I used to think was “a lot!” She was a normal eater. She had breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and desserts when she wanted them. She also said “no thanks” to dessert sometimes. That triggered the hell out of me as I always wanted dessert but I wouldn’t let myself have any if she didn’t. For me, that restriction turned into binge eating in secret and hating myself for it, and comparing myself to my sister.

In terms of exercise, if I had literally just got back from a long run and my boyfriend was on his way out to the gym, I would be so angry at him…! “How dare he go and exercise when I’m not exercising too?!” even though I HAD just exercised. I would be a feeder. I would want others to put weight on. I would want others to not exercise. It sounds crazy but I know so many of you will be able to relate.

Migration response After reflection and research, I’ve come to the conclusion that in the migration response when the anorexia gene is switched on, anyone who was moving more or eating less than you would have been a threat to your survival. Think about it… if your biology thinks you’re migrating to a land with abundant food because your current environment is in a famine, anyone else that might get there quicker than you are a threat. They would eat the food first and therefore survive. And you might not. When you’re in this response, you’re not you anymore. You’re evil. You’re grumpy. You’re angry.

You’re hateful to those that are trying to support you.

You lie. This is because you’re in survival mode and all your animal brain cares about is survival.

So the only way to get out of the migration response as soon as possible is to EAT and REST. This is the hardest thing in the world to do because you’re literally going against your biology at this point.

When your anorexia gene is activated your biology is screaming at you to eat less and move more. Going against that feel impossible but IT IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE.

You CAN override your

biology

at this point because ultimately you’re also actually starving and malnourished. And you do not have to be underweight by BMI to be anorexic. You can be underweight at any body weight as it depends on what YOUR natural weight is.

If you’re not currently in anorexia, meaning that you either don’t have the genetic predisposition for anorexia (thank goodness) or you have had anorexia previously but you are now weight restored enough to not be in malnutrition (yay!), you will still have severely cemented neuro-pathways that are currently always acting in fear of weight gain. Unfortunately, if you’re reading this, you’d have learned the fear of weight gain from the moment you were born and your conditioning and upbringing will have determined the severity of this fear.

Migration response or not, these feelings can almost be just as strong as the biology response to the migration response (I have experienced both) and can feel truly debilitating. This is why even if you haven’t had anorexia, you can still experience all of the symptoms such as constantly comparing food, purging behaviours in an attempt to compensate for a binge, excess compulsive exercise etc.

All of those are because you have a fear of weight gain. And if you’re physically or/and emotionally restricting, your brain thinks you’re starving because you’re constantly showing it that you’re in a famine and your biology will fight back. You will binge eat.

But it’s your brain that needs to be re-wired to not be fearful of weight gain if you’re ever going to get out of this hell hole and live in food freedom and body love. AND THIS CAN ABSOLUTELY BE DONE!

Listening to your body So as I said, very occasionally, copying someone’s eating can be helpful. I ate more during my anorexia recovery because my sister was always eating more around me to encourage me to eat.

When I was in bulimia, I saw what normal eating looked like and was surprised at how much my sister ate during a typical day. Turns out that as grown-ass women, we need way more food than we think we do. The 2k calorie guideline for a typical woman is way off. Everyone is so different. Our bodies know what’s up… Now if I were to guess as I don’t count calories, I’d say I eat on average 3.2k calories a day, probably more. During recovery from anorexia I was eating about 5k a day for months and during my binges, I’d eat 8k in one sitting!

Monitoring other people’s plates and eating habits is not only exhausting, but it’s also perpetuating eating disorder behaviors.

Ultimately the goal as soon as possible is to start trusting your own desires, appetite, and hunger.

If you’re not currently experiencing binge eating and you don’t have hunger cues or desires to eat, then it is super important that you eat anyway. I recommend the following: Breakfast Snack Lunch + dessert Snack Dinner + dessert Snack

If you DO have desires, appetite and hunger then follow these without exceptions. This means if everyone you’re with only eats half their meal, you eat all of yours and have seconds if you want it. This means if you’re thinking about chocolate and you’ve only just eaten, then go eat the chocolate regardless of whether someone else is or not. Follow your physical and mental hunger always. It’s the only way to be truly free around food.

Over time when your body feels safe that there’s enough food, your cravings and desires for food all the time will naturally diminish as your body settles into the safety of enough food and into your natural set point weight.

This is the case for any eating disorder or disordered eating including binge eating. Binge eating is a restrictive eating disorder. I haven’t met anyone who binge eats without either previous or present physical or EMOTIONAL restriction due to their fear of weight gain.

Here’s a recap of what emotional restriction is: The emotional restriction is physically allowing food to eat whatever you want but you’re shaming yourself for doing so. You think that you should be eating less. You feel guilty for eating certain foods or amounts of food.

You have fear of weight gain and keep thinking about “cutting back” or finding ways to control what you’re eating. All the time physically allowing but still “binge eating” and wondering why…

Emotional eating is sneaky.

When you’re comparing what you’re eating to other people it can be helpful to ask yourself these questions: Is this person in active recovery from an eating disorder such as anorexia, binge eating, or bulimia?

Has this person been through what you’ve been through with food?

Do you share your body with this person?

If the answer is no to any of these questions, then there is absolutely no point whatsoever in comparing your food with theirs. I know for many of you this makes sense logically, but it can feel almost compulsive and like you just have to do it anyway…

This is because fear is in the driving seat. Fear of weight gain is telling you: If you eat more than her/him then you’re greedy.

You need to finish eating last because you’re not allowed more food if you finish first.

Why can’t you just leave food when you’ve had enough as they can?

You’re such a failure, you need to control yourself more.

If they’re not eating it means you can’t eat.

You can’t let anyone watch you eat because everyone will stare at you and they’ll see how disgusting you are.

You need to eat in secret so nobody can see how terrible you are.

If they’re fatter than you then you’ll feel safer, encourage them to eat more.

You must purge what you’ve just eaten to feel clean and empty…

ETC Fear has absolutely no trust because it wants to control everything. But here’s the thing… fear can’t hurt you… unless you allow it to by following its demands.

Trust and surrender Write down 10 things that your body does that you can surrender to and trust that it knows what it’s doing.

I’ll give you 5 to get you started: Tells you when it needs to pee Tells you when you need to poop Tells you when it’s cold Tells you when it’s too hot Tells you when you’re tired Now finish with another 5…

You CAN trust your body, we’re just taught that we cannot because of society’s fear of weight gain and weight bias. If you do not rewire your fear of weight gain, you’ll never fully recover. I have rewired my fear of weight gain which I never thought would be possible for me in a million trillion years times infinity!

What actions would you start taking IF you trusted your body to let you know what, when and how much to eat?

Start taking those actions NOW. Feel the fear and do it anyway. It’s the only way out.

What actions would you start taking if you KNEW you could overcome the eating disorder (because you CAN!) Eg – eat regularly, eat a lot and rest. Start taking those actions NOW.

Your life is happening NOW. Not when you’ve lost _ pounds, got skinny enough or are perfect enough. Stop putting your life on hold all because you have been brought up in a society that has taught you to fear weight gain. You can rewire that fear, love your body and live the life of your dreams in your natural authentic body! Reach out to me for support to get you there.

I’m going to leave you with some tips and tricks that will help you to stop comparing your food to others as you start working on overcoming your root fear of weight gain. If you do not go to the root then any progress will only be temporary.

Tips and tricks to help you to stop comparing food Eat alone so you can’t compare (not a great long-term solution) Remind yourself that you’re not that person and they’re not you. Everyone has different requirements, different pasts, and different physical and emotional needs.

Share your fears with the person you’re eating with. Sometimes just sharing our shame can help. They can lovingly give you words of support.

Create 3 mantras for yourself to remind yourself when you’re doing it; eg – “It’s safe to eat what I want.

I want what I need.

I choose freedom.

They’re not me. My body knows what to do.

I can’t control my food and feel happy and free.

Let go. My food will be whatever it will be.

Eating is not optional.

Feel the fear and do it anyway.”

Use your bloody-mindedness and willpower to stop yourself from taking the action of fear that fear is demanding that you take. YOU get to decide.

If you had a gun to your head would you be able to not take action of your fear? I thought so… so you do have the ability to stop.

You got this!

Victoria is a Certified Transformational Life Coach specializing in helping high-achieving women to heal their relationship with food & their body. She is a coach, mentor, speaker, and writer; working with women from all around the globe, speaking at worldwide events, and is a writer for Live Love And Eat Magazine. Victoria has lived with eating disorders and body hate for over 20 years. (she was diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa in her early teens and then Binge Eating Disorder and Bulemia in her early twenties).

Through her own personal experiences, education, certification, and countless hours spent on personal development, she holds the skills, knowledge, and empathy to guide and support you to food freedom whilst building a loving relationship with yourself and your body. Victoria has profoundly helped many women around the world to transform their lives and she knows the importance and value of constantly investing in and improving herself in order to serve her clients powerfully. Her goal is to positively impact millions of women from all around the world. https://www.victoriakleinsman.com/ info@victoriakleinsman.com https://www.facebook.com/victoriakleinsman https://www.instagram.com/victoriakleinsman/ Podcast: https://anchor.fm/victoria-kleinsman “Victoria’s Secrets To Health & Happiness” on any podcast platform Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1g1H40rbSQ6Trmcha59kDg

IT REALLY DOES TAKE A VILLAGE

Written by Kim Klein

So, you’ve opened all your presents, taken down the tree, and put the singing Santa and his elves away for another year.

The new year is here, all brightly adorned in hope, optimism, and a sense of renewal. This year we will get it right. We’ll fix all the wrongs in our lives and go on to live happily ever after.

Sound familiar?

We resolve to do better, to get it right this time. We vow to lose weight, get in shape, stop smoking, eat better, make more money, and things along those lines.

But take a deep breath. Maybe it’s time you give yourself a gift.

How about the gift of acceptance? How about letting yourself off the hook for feeling that you’re not enough as you are right now, that you’ve got to change?

Instead of starting the new year off focusing on the perceived negatives in your life, why not try appreciating all that you are and all that you have in your life right now? Take some time to just enjoy where you are. That you are alive. That the future is full of possibilities.

Of course, there are always things in our life that could stand some improvement, some growth, and some new ways of thinking and doing. And that’s all good and well, as long as we can still love and accept ourselves right now, in the moment, just the way we are.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve tried to implement positive changes in your life for about as long as you can remember. Swear that you will start a new diet and exercise routine on Monday, give up coffee on Tuesday, start writing your book on Wednesday, make more time for friends on Thursday, and then on Friday kick yourself once again for not keeping your word and promise yourself you'll start again next week, or after the holidays or after you return from your summer vacation.

Life is kind of like that. Rinse and repeat.

I’m the type who never liked group activities. I was even kicked out of my Bluebird troop at a very young age for not being “a team player.” I never liked joining clubs of any kind. It’s not that I don’t like people; I just never liked their rules or having to abide by them. But now, I’d have to say that one of the most valuable lessons I have learned so far, much to my chagrin, is that it really does take a village. Surrounding ourselves with the people who love us no matter what. The people that aren’t judging us because we gained 10 pounds, or that we lost our job, or that we can’t afford to go on a skiing trip with them this year.

When there are things that we do want to change, to better our health, to bring us more peace of mind, to reduce the stress or dissatisfaction in our lives, or almost anything that we want to accomplish or achieve, we seem to be able to do it quicker and with less frustration when we have a team - or a person, on our side. Support, friendship, encouragement, and group hugs can be extremely important. The icing on the cake, so to speak. We can go it alone, but in all honesty, why would we want to? It can make the trip so much more uncomfortable ~ kind of like being in coach when you could’ve flown first class.

If you’ve been trying to feel a certain way, to live a life that you are passionate about, but it just seems that you’ve gotten nowhere, embrace the help of a friend, a coach, or a special someone. Someone that can motivate you, inspire you, cheer you on, and all the while, love you for who and where you are in the present.

If this sounds good to you, I’d like to offer you the gift of a complimentary coaching session - all you need to do is go to my online scheduling calendar and book yourself a call. We can accomplish a lot in an hour, and it might just be the kind of support that you’re needing.

Kim Klein is a Life Coach, Certified Holistic Health Coach, Certified Feng Shui Practitioner, and author. She is the founder of Kim Klein Life Coaching and Wabi-Sabi Women and is the author of Damn, the Pusherman ~ Sugar, The Legal Drug that is Keeping You Sick and Fat, and Nine Degrees North, a young adult fiction novel. https://kimkleincoaching.com/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/boomer women/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberklein/ kimberjklein@gmail.com

BENEFITS, SAFETY AND TIPS FOR EXERCISE DURING PREGNANCY

Written By Battle Born Health

As a physical therapist in Reno who works with many pregnant patients, I often get asked about exercise during pregnancy. The most common questions patients ask are what exercises are safe to do, and what exercises should I be done to prepare for labor. Patients are also often misinformed that exercise can be harmful to their pregnancy when in fact it can be incredibly beneficial. So, let’s get into the benefits; what to watch out for; and how to stay mobile and active during your pregnancy.

Benefits of Exercise During Pregnancy It is ideal to exercise four to five days a week for 20 to 30 minutes throughout your pregnancy. There are many benefits to exercising when you are pregnant. It improves blood pressure as well as overall strength and fitness levels. Exercise in pregnant women reduces the chances of gestational diabetes or can help manage gestational diabetes if you have the condition. Back pain is also reduced with exercise, and the strength and mobility you gain through regular movement can help with delivery. Also, regular exercise helps keep the digestive tract healthy and prevents or eases any constipation issues.

Every pregnancy is different and unique.

Just because something works for one person doesn’t mean it will work for another. When you are pregnant is NOT the time to start training for a marathon if you haven’t been running prior. It is also not the best time to start getting into intense CrossFit or other programs if you had not been doing it prior to getting pregnant. Exercise can be wonderful during pregnancy but keep it realistic to you!

Clam Shells Named for the way your legs and hips resemble a clam shell when performing the movement, this exercise will strengthen your hips and thighs while also stabilizing your pelvic muscles and toning your glutes.

Squats You can vary the speed, depth, or weight in a squat to make it challenging for you, but the most important part is keeping the form. Doing proper squats is an excellent way to build strength in your legs and glutes.

Bridges Bridges are a fantastic way to work your glutes and hamstrings. This video shows you several ways to do a bridge workout depending on the intensity and difficulty you want for your fitness level.

Common Misconceptions About Exercise During Pregnancy Unless you have a high-risk pregnancy, the likelihood of exercise hurting your growing baby is very low. High-risk pregnancies include conditions in Mom like cardiovascular or lung issues, preeclampsia, or high blood pressure. High-risk can also be any complications with the fetus that your OBGYN may have identified. If these issues are not present, then the risk of injuring yourself or your unborn baby while exercising is not worth the worry. In fact, exercise helps you to have a healthier body and therefore healthier pregnancy.

Here are three of the most common misconceptions among healthy pregnant women when it comes to exercise: I have to back off my normal exercise routine As long as you have a routine that works for you and you feel good doing it while pregnant, there is no need to “back off.”

Listen to your body and if you feel good after a workout, keep doing it! If you get later in your pregnancy and fatigue easier or have aches in your back, then you can go lighter, but no need to preemptively change your workout routine.

I can no longer run Misinformation that running or higher impact exercises cause miscarriages are false. Especially if you are already a runner.

If your body likes running and you feel good doing it, there is no need to stop because you are pregnant.

I can’t lift heavy Lifting heavy is not harmful to you or your baby. If you already lift weights, there is no reason to stop because you are pregnant. In fact, continuing to build those muscles keeps you strong and your core engaged, which helps with posture and can help you avoid lower back pain in that third trimester.

Safety While Working Out During Pregnancy In general, low impact is a safe choice when pregnant, however, whether it’s the best choice depends on the person and how their pregnancy is developing. In a healthy pregnancy, if the patient was already very active, they are generally OK to continue with their workout routine (lifting, running, swimming, etc.), though may need to modify technique and form as their pregnancy progresses.

If you feel overly fatigued, have muscle soreness or strain lasting more than two to three days, or have pain beyond just soreness, you may have “overdone it.” If this happens, there are several things you can do to recover.

If the pain and soreness are mild, then you will want to rest and ice the area. When you are feeling better, consider changing the workout to not be so strenuous. For example, change the amount of weight you are lifting or adjust the height and angle of the movement.

If the discomfort is more moderate, then a prenatal massage may do wonders. You can also book a physical therapy appointment or see a prenatal chiropractor. All of these modalities can help more severe muscle or alignment issues.

Make sure to schedule rest days into your workout routine. These can include a 20-to-30-minute walk, doing prenatal yoga, or getting a prenatal massage.

Battle Born Health is a comprehensive physical therapy clinic and functional medicine practice that looks at the whole patient.

Our physical therapists listen to your concerns and health goals to create programs and treatment plans that help our patients achieve total body healing and improvement. https://battlebornhealth.com/

20 HEALTHY SNACK IDEAS FOR THE NEW YEAR

Written By Bernadine Otto If it is your health or wanting to lose weight healthy snacking is always helpful. Many of my clients have this concerned look on their faces when asking if they eat healthy snacks when it comes to snacking.

The key to healthy snacking is to find foods that have as much nutritional value as possible that will fill you up, so you aren’t hungry again a short time later

For example, a 100-calorie pack of chips or cookies will leave you feeling hungry again a short time later, AND they are not providing you with any nutrients. If you eat a banana and a few almonds, you are eating something nutritious(vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc.)that will fill you up longer (and help you feel better)and help you avoid the sugar crash

The more “whole foods” (unprocessed or minimally processed) you eat, the better. Have different snacks during the week to keep it interesting and to increase the different types of nutrients you are getting. Note: Eating organic is best, but do what your budget and preferences allow.

Here are 20 healthy snack ideas to get you started Almonds, walnuts, or cashews(a small palm fullisusually serving) Sunflower seeds and raisins3.Celery and almond butter(peanut butteror sun butter)1-2 tbsp Rice chips with hummus Organic tortilla chips and salsa or guacamole(for those that just HAVE to have chips).

Veggie sticks (celery, carrots, cucumber)and hummus or guacamole

Pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries Greek yogurt with granola (IF you tolerate dairy. Tip: read labels–avoid high fructose corn syrup and artificial colors & sweeteners) Green smoothie or a fruit smoothie with ground flaxseeds and/or chia seeds Fresh fruit or fruit salad Make your own trail mix with raw nuts seeds and dried fruit Greek yogurt with fresh fruit (for those that tolerate dairy)

Kale chips or zucchini oven chips(make your own)-for recipes visit:AllRecipes.com

Dinner leftovers

Good quality (organic, grass-fed) beef jerky

Salad with a variety of vegetables and olive oil-based dressing

Sweet potato chips or fries (make your own) Apple slices with nut butter or sun butter

For an easy on-the-go snack, check out Lara Bars (get the ones without added sugar).

Banana and nut butter (or sun butter)

Bernadine Otto is a Certified Transformational Nutrition Coach & an EFT Practitioner and the Managing editor of The Live, Love, and Eat Magazine. She helps women to make peace with food, cravings, and emotional eating by using a technique called The EFT Tapping Method for Weight Loss and Cravings. She also works with women who are tired of dieting, and women who have a negative body image. My approach is not to focus on calories or the scale but to find the root cause so my clients can have the happy, healthy life that they deserve. https://www.bernadineisthebodyshrink.com/ https://www.liveloveandeatmagazine.com/

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Written By Jace Jacobs

As I watch another beautiful sunset across the Arizona sky I keep thinking it's you and me in 2023.

It's our year. It's our time to shine.

One breath at a time, we got this.

Namaste Jace Jacobs Appreciate Everything ~ Love Fully ~ Need Nothing

You and Me I write about the sunrise And the sunset at night Positive affirmations From darkness to light I dig happiness and harmony And peace along the way I focus on what I love Each and every day I send you appreciation I love to see you smile I think about you often And yes it's been a while I write another line And then I set it free The best is right now and next A story about you and me I love watching the sunrise and the sunset. I enjoy the Moon showing up knowing when to shine its light. I love you and I love that we get to play this game. You and Me in 2023. Let's do this.

Much appreciation, love, and light.

Meet Jace Jacobs! Jace Jacobs is a Happy Mindset Poet, Performer, and Creator @ jacejacobs.com. Jace is an author and spoken word poetry performer. His Happy Mindset Poetry books are available on Amazon or via jacejacobs.com.

Jace enjoys helping cool souls raise their vibrational state so they can experience more confidence and clarity in their life.Appreciate Everything ~ Love Fully ~ Need Nothing#HappyMindsetPoetryVisit the social media links below for video performances of spoken word rhyming happy mindset poetry. https://www.facebook.com/jacewjacobs/ https://www.youtube.com/jacejacobs https://www.instagram.com/jacejacobs https://twitter.com/jacejacobs

What's

COOKING

Overnight Oats Ingredients ¼ cup old-fashioned oats ½ ounce chia seeds 2 tbsp coconut milk yogurt (see next recipe) 2 tbsp raisins 1/2 cup almond milk, unsweetened

Directions Place all ingredients into a small mason jar & shake until well combined.

Place in fridge and let sit overnight.

Eat cold, or heat if desired. Enjoy!

Notes Add bananas and berries. Enjoyed best when shared

Carrot Soup Ingredients 2 ½ 4 2 3 2 2

tbsp olive oil cup onions, chopped large carrots, chopped cups tomato puree, canned cups vegetable broth tbsp coconut aminos dashes black pepper

Directions Heat olive oil in a saucepan and cook the onion until starts to brown.

Add carrots, tomato, and broth, and bring to a boil.

Simmer until carrots are tender, about 1520 minutes.

Carefully (hot!) use a stick blender to blend until smooth.

Place in bowls and top with soy sauce and black pepper. Enjoy!

Notes Enjoyed best when shared with a loved one

Chocolate (Avocado) Pudding Ingredients 1 2 4 1 2 1 1

ripe avocado med ripe bananas tbsp cocoa powder tsp cinnamon tsp vanilla extract tbsp maple syrup dash salt

Directions Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and serve cold. Enjoy!

Notes Enjoyed best when shared with a loved one

HEALTH AND WELLNESS TIPS Exercise STRATEGIES TO MAXIMIZE RESULTS

Exercise may be the closest thing to being the fountain of youth.

Benefits of 30 Minutes of Daily Exercise Strengthens your muscles Improves heart and lung function Reduces your risk of illness and disease Stimulates the growth of new brain cells It can add years to your life Exercise helps us: Move better Look better Feel better Age Better But the fact is, many of us aren’t exercising as we should be.

Our goal is to change that.

STEP ONE: Let’s look at roadblocks, strategies, motivation, and ideas to get you going.

We are going to change your mindset and make exercise a priority so you can feel and look better.

Will one workout make a difference? Certainly not.

Would 208 workouts per year make a difference?

Most definitely!

The first step is DECIDING that exercise is a priority and creating a schedule that works.

Before starting any activity, think about: How active you are now A realistic, short-term activity-level goal Pro-tip: If you are inactive and feel out of shape, start small.

If you want to exercise frequently, start out slowly and gradually increase the time, intensity, and frequency of your workouts. This will increase your chances of sustaining your new lifestyle, gradually build your strength, and stamina, and reduce the chance of injury.

Note: Check with your doctor before starting any new exercise routine.

Be sure to put your exercise schedule on your calendar.

The best time to work out is the time that works for YOU. Decide what the best time is that works for you and map it Say no to excuses If you’re like most people, exercise will become almost addictive within a short period of time.

It’s a great feeling!

Still, having trouble? Revisit your goals and remember your reason behind your why.

Find your motivation

“Every year you make a resolution to change yourself. This year, make a resolution to be yourself.”

— Unknown