Life is too short and your mental health is too important to let inconsequential numbers be the boss of you.

Did you know? 
Your weight only measures your gravitational pull, which has nothing to do with your health or worth or capabilities or value.

Did you know?
The Body Mass Index (BMI) was created by a Belgian mathematician (not a physician) named Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet, who himself said explicitly that it could not and should not be used to indicate the level of fatness in an individual. It is scientifically nonsensical, physiologically incorrect, and likened to mathematical snake oil. (source: National Public Radio)

Did you know?
Looking at "before" and "after" pictures immediately forces your brain to compare your own body to someone else's untold journey between two photographs, without even knowing if the steps they took were healthy or sustainable.

These kinds of photos also perpetuate a culture of shame and erroneously idealize thinness. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I used to work for a woman in the fitness industry who constantly drilled into us that her waif-like physical structure was "the ideal," but she was, ironically, one of the most physically ill, mentally unstable, and emotionally unhappy people I'd ever met. 

Did you know?
One study found that looking at “fitspiration” posts on Instagram leads to body dissatisfaction, lower self-esteem and even a worse mood.

Did you know?
The diet industry is a multi-billion dollar a year industry. (source: Business Wire) Companies in the diet/fitness industry profit from your personal discontent, which is why they work hard to trick you into thinking you need to look differently to be happy. Let's be clear: they do not care about you, they care about making money. 

Did you know?
Mirrors can distort reality. What is on the surface of the mirror is only a projection and therefore not something that we see in the same way that we see actual objects. Every time you look in a mirror with a critical eye, you create an opportunity to reinforce a negative self-image that may or may not even actually exist. (source: The British Psychological Society)

 Self-care September Day 19: Stop Scrutinizing Your Body

• Stop weighing yourself - in fact, today's the day to finally throw your scale away. You do not need it.
• Stop using your BMI as an indicator of anything at all.
• Stop measuring your body parts.
• Stop taking Before and After pictures of yourself.
• Stop studying your naked self in the mirror.
• Stop grabbing or pinching your body in hurtful ways.
• Stop following "fitspriation" accounts on Instagram that only showcase themselves over and over and over again.

As they say, "You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire Universe, deserve your love and affection."

• Start telling yourself, "I love you," and "My gracious, you're gorgeous," when you look in a mirror.
• Start using other barometers to measure your health progress.
• Start appreciating all the amazing things your body can do.
• Start moving for pleasure, because it's fun and brings you joy.
• Start understanding you don't have to burn calories to "earn" your food each day.
• Start realizing you've likely been conditioned by a culture and society that has messed up values. 
• Start extending yourself grace when you realize old habits die hard.
  
• Start using a gentle touch to handle yourself - lovingly and deliberately washing yourself in the shower, kindly applying lotion to your body, compassionately rubbing moisturizer or sunscreen on your face, calmly fixing your hair, tenderly clipping your nails...be nice to you. 

I love you and will see you soon!
xo,
Coach Alex

Today we're focusing on another tried-and-true self-care suggestion, because the benefits of drinking water are well-known and well-documented. 

Did you know? 
Your body as a whole is comprised of approximately 60% water. The functions that depend on these bodily fluids include digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients, and maintenance of body temperature. Additionally, your muscles alone are made up of around 80% water, and even a slight dip in their hydration can impair their physical performance. 

Water really is that important. 

When you drink water, you can:

• help prevent disease
• improve your mood
• bolster your memory 
• prevent headaches and migraines
• relieve constipation
• boost your brainpower - "Counseling clients about their health and wellbeing should include conveying the importance of water for normal body functioning, as well as its effects on physical and cognitive performance."

Because your body loses water through breathing, sweating, and digestion, it's important to rehydrate by consistently drinking plenty of fluids and eating water-dense foods - even mild dehydration can lead to headaches and mess with your brain's ability to function the right way.

In short, staying hydrated is one of the best things you can do for your overall levels of health and wellness.

Self-Care September Day 18: Hydrate Thyself

Here are a few tips to make water consumption easier to habituate, originally shared in my blog post Hydration Station:

• Claim a favorite water bottle or cup as your faithful companion (I love my Yeti cup because it keeps my cold drinks cold and my hot drinks hot for an impressive amount of time)
• Aim to fill your chosen vessel back up as soon as you drink the last drop
• Keep a separate water cup/bottle at work, in your car, in your gym bag...anywhere you regularly spend time (just be sure to wash them all regularly!)
• Bring water to bed and guzzle it down before your pretty little feet even hit the floor in the morning
• Add fruit: lemons, strawberries, oranges, and limes are a few options to consider for a little extra zing
• Increase your consumption of water-dense foods - read “10 Foods to Help You Stay Hydrated” to get started  
• Say yes! Anytime anyone offers you a drink of water, accept the offer and bottoms up!
• Similarly, train yourself to take a sip any time you hear the words "water" or "drink" in casual conversation or on the television
• Keep in mind that there’s an app for that. Try free versions of Plant Nanny, WaterMinder, or My Water Balance for customizable reminders to drink up
• DIY: set an hourly alarm on your phone to build a habit of sipping throughout the day

Cheers to you!

I love you and will see you soon!
xo,
Coach Alex

​I've said it before and I'll definitely say it again: eating colorfully is good for you. It can make you healthier, stronger, and even help you live longer.

A quick google search will turn up oodles of evidence for why eating a rainbow of food is a worthwhile goal, but here's a quick summary of what each color can offer in terms of your health and wellness:

• Red Fruits and Vegetables help fight cancer, reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease, improve skin quality, and more. 
• Orange and Yellow Fruits and Vegetables improve immune function, reduce the risk of heart disease, and promote eye health, among other things.
• Green Fruits and Vegetables boost the immune system, help detoxify the body, restore energy and vitality, support clear skin, strong nails, and shiny hair, and so much more.
• Blue and Purple Fruits and Vegetables fight cancer and unwanted inflammation, enhance the immune system, and help perpetuate a youthful glow.

Self-Care September Day 11: Eat the Rainbow
Make your meals as colorful as possible today (and really, from now on.) If you're looking for ideas of foods for each color, you'll find lists of them in my blog post: Challenge: Eat the Rainbow.

Three of my favorite colorful meal opportunities are:

1. a salad (for example: tomato, carrots, grilled summer squash, lettuce/spinach, blueberries, raisins)
2. a one-pan oven meal (for example: chicken apple sausage, bell pepper, sweet potatoes, corn, broccoli, cauliflower or cabbage,) and
3. a charcuterie board (for example: see above photo.)

The options are practically endless. Add spinach to your pasta, or use spaghetti squash or zucchini zoodles in place of pasta. Put berries on your oatmeal. Include carrot shavings in your hash browns. Mix in green onions to your scrambled eggs. Top your meat and cheese tacos with shredded lettuce, tomatoes and corn.

Of course, not every meal needs to have every color represented, but it can be fun to look for ways to get in as many as you can each time!

I'm interested in hearing how you incorporate the colors you choose if you're interested in sharing below. 

I love you and will see you really soon!
xo,
Coach Alex

In my "Non-Scale Victories of Consistent Self-Care" blog post, I provide a comprehensive list of ways to gauge your progress towards a health/wellness goal, and why they are better than stepping on a scale.

Here is that list in a simplified form. Whether you print it out or simply use as reference, I encourage you to spend a few moments contemplating each item and making note where you are at before you begin any new undertaking or challenge or change in diet or increase in movement. Then, use the same list throughout and after your challenge to see how far you've come!

Directions: on a scale from 1-10, with 1 being "Excellent/Not a Problem Whatsoever," 5 bring "Average/Sometimes an Annoyance," and 10 being "Ugh, this is a Daily Source of stress/anxiety/embarrassment/frustration and I'm OVER IT," rate the following considerations before and after your program to measure your progress on your health and wellness continuum. 

Our bodies require nutrients in order to survive, function, and thrive.

We need large amounts of some - we call these macronutrients - and smaller amounts of others - we call these micronutrients.
​
Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals, and macronutrients include:

1. Protein
2. Fats
3. Carbohydrates

The food we eat contains a combination of any/all of the above. Each of these three macros provide energy, or calories, to your body, and each affects your body in different ways.
​
In this post, we’re looking a little closer at the basics of Protein - what it is, why you need it, and how to get enough.

You already know that drinking water is important - like, for survival and stuff - and today we're getting into the why, where, when, and how of getting enough H2O! 

Remember, you are worthy of being taken care of, especially by your own self. 

So bottoms up, chug-a-lug, and cheers!

Staying hydrated is a fundamental part of staying healthy. 

While drinking plenty of water is the obvious way to get it done, let's not forget that eating certain foods is another.

You can actually consume a significant amount of water through a variety of water-dense fruits and vegetables into your diet, so much so that it can literally alter how much water you may need to drink in a day. 

​As long as you’re eating plenty of water-rich foods and drinking water along the way each day, you shouldn't have a problem staying hydrated.

​Keep your body's healthy water levels high by including any/all of these 10 water-dense foods.