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9 Tips for Good Gut Health During the Holidays
This blog is sponsored by MegaFood®. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
9 Tips for Good Gut Health During the Holidays
The holidays are a busy, busy time full of hustle, bustle and go go go. It’s also a time where we are certainly exposed to foods that are a bit more rich and indulgent than our usual fare. Our gut is often at the receiving end of the worst discomfort. For some of us it may be accidental exposure to gluten or maybe a bit more sugar than the rest of the year, or even a couple of cocktails – it happens! This time of year can feel particularly challenging to our vitality due to the added stress, travel and lack of sleep. All of this combined can be a bit rough on our bodies and particularly our digestion.
For many of us, especially those of us that struggle with autoimmune disease and other health imbalances, it certainly doesn’t take much for the symptoms to arise. Rather than managing the consequences and putting band aids on the list of resulting symptoms, I want to offer you some of my go-to tips for supporting your gut during the holidays to avoid the discomfort and so you can feel your very best and enjoy this magical time of year!!
A Healthy Gut is a Healthy Body*
We all know by now that a healthy gut is paramount to a healthy body.* From a properly functioning digestive system to a strong immune system and well functioning brain – our gut is foundational to our vitality*. During the holidays, there are many things you can do to protect your gut and support your health.*
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Between Meals Podcast. Episode 08: How to Find Your Happy Weight + Unlock Your Body Confidence
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“When we focus on a number on the scale, we are never going to find happiness and we are never going to find balance in our life”
In episode 08 of the Between Meals Podcast, I am joined by my friend and co-host Daniele Della Valle as we talk about how to find your happy weight and unlock your confidence.
In this episode learn how to show up for yourself and do the hard work, discover how to deconstruct toxic environments and relationships and most of all, learn how to be open to rebuilding, as needed, to live the life you were destined to live!!!
As we unpack this topic and dive into exploring what this has meant for both of us personally and in working with clients, I am not going to pretend that this is an easy shift or something that you just flip a switch on and suddenly boom, congrats girl, you are confident, proud and accepting of every bit of your body. This is an ongoing journey and hot damn spoiler alert –– it isn’t linear – there are ups and downs, there are set backs and there are tough lessons. It’s not about the end game or reaching some goal where you never struggle again, but rather it’s about honoring the work and the lessons we learn along the way.
But like so many things in life, this is also your reminder that this is a practice. It’s a practice that requires work, it requires you to show up and sometimes it requires you to dig deep into the shadowy parts of yourself that you may not be quite ready to face just yet – but like the work you put into your health, this too has incredible rewards!
Stay tuned to the end of the podcast, where I am sharing a beautiful practice that has been so powerful for me, to support you in your self love and body confidence journey and to remind you that you are perfect, exactly the way that you are, RIGHT NOW!
Between Meals Podcast. Episode 08: How to Find Your Happy Weight + Unlock Your Body Confidence
In This Episode of Between Meals Podcast, We Talk About:
- dealing with hurtful negative comments
- are you really in a relationship with your food?
- the problem with “cheat days”, treats, indulgences, foods that are “good” and “bad”
- the danger in our culture’s perpetuation of “you aren’t good enough – you need to change”
- exercise as a tool to feel good, not to obsessively fix “a problem”
- unpacking the narrative of “You Aren’t Enough”
- learning to love your body and find your happy weight
- where do you get started when you feel there are a million things in front of you
- trusting in and honoring your individual journey
- navigating change when not everyone is on board
- resistance and leaving toxic relationships – cling to those who are supportive and believe in who you are trying to become
- the importance of community
- what is your WHY? What are you trying to achieve?
- what can you do about self sabotage?
- unpacking the narrative and the external expectations of what “should” be
- society’s construct ideals of unattainable goals, “nirvana” “bliss” “perfection” and how it benefits from us constantly seeking to want to be “better”
- loving your body, without shame and apologies
- What are we trying to achieve?
- mission over metrics
- first steps as you start your journey of finding your happy weight
- managing the expectations of others and setting boundaries
- SAY YES!
AND MORE!
As always, we finish the show with a fun game of Would You Rather? and please be sure to stick around for the wrap-up portion where I share a beautiful practice to support you in your body confidence journey. I invite you to incorporate this super powerful, intentional exercise as part of your daily self-care routine. It’s an amazing opportunity to give yourself the space to shut out the noise of the world and to really listen to what your inner voice is saying.
Remember: you are perfect, exactly the way that you are. RIGHT NOW!
Show Notes + References:
- www.danieledellavalle.com
- Grab Daniele Della Valle’s book Happy Weight
- Follow Daniele on Instagram
- Pat Bailey’s The Hell Yes Academy
- Mirror Gazing
Thank you to our sponsor:
How to Stock a Healthy Keto Pantry
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(Listen on iTunes)
You can now subscribe to the Between Meals Podcast on Apple iTunes, Soundcloud, Google Play, Spotify and Stitcher
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING:
Since we are still pretty new on iTunes, please do us a solid and SUBSCRIBE and of course, we would be honored if you took the time to rate and review the show, this will help more people find us and help the show to grow! If you liked this episode or others, please share on social media and tag us, share with friends and family, etc – this means the world!
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Between Meals Podcast. Episode 07: Navigating the Holidays with Ease and Grace
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The holidays are upon us once again and wooo buddy, there’s a lot of noise right now. People telling you HOW to create the perfect guilt-free holiday menu and the best workouts to burn off ALL those calories. There are the warnings about not “going off track”, “what to do when you fall of the wagon” or “have ruined everything you have worked so hard for all year long” – ya’ll spoiler alert – this is not how it works!!
I have been there, the holidays can certainly bring up feelings of fear and it can trigger concerns that you will be sent into an unending spiral after one indulgent meal or that in one day you can undo all of your progress. Then of course, there is the other extreme, the binge eating, the feelings of scarcity, the removal of responsibility and the urges to eat things that you KNOW will make you feel bad – just because it’s “one day”. In both extremes it’s important that you recognize you are giving up your power.
The most important thing to remember is that YOU are in control. You hold the responsibility to make the choices that are right for you. Whatever those may be. There is no right or wrong answer or some perfect formula for how to do it all correctly. But, if you can slow down, listen to your intuition and remember that YOU hold the power to choose what is worth it for you and what isn’t. From my own personal experiences, with that realization and in knowing that ultimately I get to CHOOSE what I want – comes an incredible amount of relief to just navigate the holidays like any other day.
Join Cristina Curp of The Castaway Kitchen and I as we have an honest conversation as we share how we personally navigate the holidays, sharing our tips on how to avoid the extremes of total seclusion and the fear of destroying it all or the other end of the spectrum – totally letting the feelings of scarcity win and just full-on binging, forgetting everything you know about paying attention to and honoring your body. Listen to learn how to navigate this busy, often triggering season with ease and grace so that you can stand in your power, remain in the driver’s seat and most importantly have a HAPPY holiday season filled with LOVE!
This should be a magical time of year, where you deserve to relax, enjoy yourself, to be happy and merry while you celebrate old traditions and create all new memories!!!
SHOW NOTES & REFERENCES:
Grab Cristina’s book Made Whole
Download the Holidays Made Whole FREE eBook
Follow Cristina on Facebook and Instagram
Cristina on Growing Up Fat: How I Experience the Health and Wellness Space
AND MORE!
And of course, as always, we finish the interview portion of the show with a fun game of Would You Rather? and stick around for the wrap-up with my producer hubby, Mark!
LISTEN NOW ON ITUNES
You can now subscribe to the Between Meals Podcast on Apple iTunes, Soundcloud, Google Play, Spotify and Stitcher
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING:
Since we are still pretty new on iTunes, please do us a solid and SUBSCRIBE and of course, we would be honored if you took the time to rate and review the show, this will help more people find us and help the show to grow! If you liked this episode or others, please share on social media and tag us, share with friends and family, etc – this means the world!
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The Power of Gratitude + FREE Gratitude Journal Download
Gratitude is an immensely powerful force that we can use in the most simple of ways to expand our happiness and cultivate loving relationships, it can even improve our health, both mental and physical.
I am so excited to share the Power of Gratitude. The very many powerful health benefits to a regular gratitude practice along with some tips and thoughts on how to cultivate a grateful heart, plus if you scroll to further down, I’m even offering a free download of a Gratitude Journal worksheet you can use daily, as part of your practice.
I invite you to explore ways to support living gratefully as a way of life, not simply something we celebrate once a year.
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How-to Make Essential Oil Holiday Room Sprays
The various aromas of the holidays and the feelings they evoke are certainly synonymous with this time of year. The rustic evergreen of a fresh cut christmas tree; spicy, warming cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves; bright, citrusy orange or the fresh, minty smell of candy canes – these can all bring the good feelings of seasonal cheer, the reminder or family and love and the promise of a season full of joy and happy memories.
As someone very triggered and often driven by scent, I am also someone who is very sensitive to scent. I always have been. Would that make me scentsitive? heh. I find the fake, synthetic aromas to cut through the air, not in a good way, and often times they provide an instant headache. They linger and simply mask any existing odors, they can overpower a room and even more alarming, they are often loaded with so many chemicals. The more I clean up my life and the more I cut out, the more I am aware of and sensitive to where all nasty stuff is hiding. That connection of your brain to your body and that innate knowing of what to avoid, certainly becomes more heightened. The more connected and in-tune I become the more I seek for natural, clean alternatives.
These holiday inspired all-natural scents will not only provide a welcoming and cozy, seasonal setting perfect for holiday gatherings, but you’ll also be reaping the many therapeutic benefits of the essential oils, too. Purifying the air, warming your soul and uplifting your spirit, these room sprays are inexpensive to make, you can customize your scents and your blends to make your own personalized aroma and of course, they make an amazing gift.
This formula and the various blends fill a 4oz bottle, but feel free to double or triple your recipe. As always, I provide you with printable labels to customize your gifts. I left the area where the oils are listed, blank, so you can make your own custom blends.