Category: Health and Wellness
5 Ways to Cultivate Gratitude
In this season of thankfulness, it is important to take a step back, look at your life, actions and mindset to consider how you can increase your personal gratitude and happiness. Gratitude is possessing the ability to recognize the sources of goodness and to return to that source with kindness.
Benefits of Gratitude:
- Helps us focus on what we already have instead of what we lack
- Reduces Stress
- Provides contentment which comes from being thankful for what you have
- Produces healthier mind and body
5 Ways To Possess Gratitude:
- Keep a Gratitude Journal each day. At the start of your day, write down one thing you are grateful for. This will help you begin your day with positive intentions.
- Give, Give, Give. Donate to charity. Give your time or money. By giving of yourself you will become grateful for all you have and also for all you are able to do for others in need.
- Smile and genuinely thank people for compliments. Taking a compliment can be difficult for some. Make sure to really listen when someone pays you a compliment, take it in and thank them in sincerity. Later, you can reflect on that compliment and return the favor to that person with a genuine compliment towards them!
- Meditate. Take time out of your day to meditate. This will help to keep focus and perspective on the good and calm.
- Find value in the negative. Remember, there is always positive even in the most unfortunate situations. Locate the positive and your gratitude will appear!
The word Gratitude is truly a verb, meaning it is a practice. It needs cultivating and is always developing. Begin today by sharing this blog with those your are grateful for having in your life!
FUN IN THE SUN | Vitamin D
As summer is fast approaching, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about a semi-controversial subject….the sun! Worshiped by Aztecs and later by extreme tanning
enthusiasts, the glowing orb that fuels our little planets energy systems, is a vital part of
the human body’s well being.
I am not advocating exposing yourself continuously to the harsh UV rays of the sun until
your skin is either burnt to a crisp or cured as a leather, but what I am saying is that
sunlight in moderation is not only good for you, but necessary for optimal well-being.
How UVB Rays Are Good For You:
The UVB rays in the sun (the very same rays that cause sunburn) cause the body to
synthesize a certain chemical, that is present in the skin, into Vitamin D. Vitamin D
actually works in the body as a hormone. It helps the body with the absorption of
calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D also helps protect the body from autoimmune and
certain female organ cancers. It also helps with mood regulation, one of the reasons
people often suffer from SADD is due to the lack of sunlight in the winter months.
Ways To Get Your Daily Vitamin D:
While there are many factors that prevent people from getting the vitamin D necessary
from the sun alone (sunscreen, fully covered in clothing, smog, etc), it is important to
accept this simple gift mother nature has to offer and try to spend 15 min a day in the
unfiltered light. For any deficiencies of vitamin D, there are lots of fortified foods and
supplements. If you are worried that you may be deficient in vitamin D, you can always
ask your doctor for a simple blood test to find out.
So get outside and enjoy the weather! And remember, the simplest sun protection,
comes from what you eat. Eat the rainbow, getting full antioxidant support to fight off
free radicals.
Upcoming Class: Intuitive Eating and Cravings July 26th Sunday 10-11:30am
Register early to receive 25% off https://msi-healing.com/event-
About the Author:
Leslie Kemp, CHHC. I have been actively involved in the health and wellness industry for over 15 years. I graduated from The Desert Institute of the Healing Arts in 2000 as a massage therapist. This journey led me to also study aromatherapy, Thai bodywork, and Reiki. In my quest for studying and sharing healing modalities the missing component in my tool belt seemed obvious. Hippocrates said it best, “Let food be they medicine and medicine be thy food.” So I attended the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. During my training, I studied over 100 different dietary theories, practical lifestyle management techniques, and innovative coaching methods with some of the world’s top health and wellness experts.
I am a member of The International Association for Health Coaches. In my practice, I work with women who have lost their spark to help them get their sass back by empowering them to make lifestyle choices that will allow them to thrive.
Give Yourself the Present of Presence
One of the best things you can do for your overall well being is to remain active and accountable for your own health choices. By this, I mean many of us go about the day mindlessly and simply going through the motions. We get hungry. We eat. We get thirsty. We drink. Tired? Sleep. But where is the enjoyment, the zest, the LIFE, in that way of living?
My suggestion for you is to, as much as you are able, to stay in the moment with your choices.
It is very easy to get a bag of chips and soda from the vending machine or a donut from the break room if you are absent minded and simply responding to your body’s queues of hunger and thirst. But if you are present and in the moment, you may realize that what you truly need is a glass of water and some sliced veggies and hummus instead. OR if you really want chips and soda, at least you can be in the moment with it and truly enjoy it.
Staying Accountable With Your Actions:
What I mean by accountable is if you are making choices absently, it is easier to pretend that it is out of your control. You ate the donuts because you don’t have will power or time or everyone else was eating them. You have removed your own responsibility for yourself.
But if you are truly present, you are naturally in control of your own actions and you can make choices fully aware of their benefits.
So take a deep breath and look around. We were blessed with five senses to experience this beautiful world. Enjoy!
Enjoy Our Intuitive Eating Video:
Register Now For Our Next Intuitive Eating Class And Receive 25% OFF!
Intuitive Eating and Cravings with Leslie Kemp
About the Author:
Leslie Kemp, CHHC. I have been actively involved in the health and wellness industry for over 15 years. I graduated from The Desert Institute of the Healing Arts in 2000 as a massage therapist. This journey led me to also study aromatherapy, Thai bodywork, and Reiki. In my quest for studying and sharing healing modalities the missing component in my tool belt seemed obvious. Hippocrates said it best, “Let food be they medicine and medicine be thy food.” So I attended the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. During my training, I studied over 100 different dietary theories, practical lifestyle management techniques, and innovative coaching methods with some of the world’s top health and wellness experts.
I am a member of The International Association for Health Coaches. In my practice, I work with women who have lost their spark to help them get their sass back by empowering them to make lifestyle choices that will allow them to thrive.
Spring Your Body Into Clean | Healthy Changes
As we now enter Spring in full force, it is a good time to clean out the winter cobwebs, not just in our homes, but our bodies as well. Through the winter people tend to nourish themselves with comfort foods. These heavier foods are appealing especially for those of us that live in cold climates. As Spring settles in and we head into the warm months, it’s good to clean out and lighten up a bit. There are many ways to do this from the extreme cleansing enthusiasts who jump into a multiple day juice cleanse to the more gentle spirit who simply incorporates more water daily to help flush those hard working kidneys.
Here are a 5 ways you can help move your body into the next season:
- Eat fresh greens: Baby greens, dandelion greens, baby kale and chard.
- Berries, berries, and more berries: As the lush variety of berries begin to come into season, enjoy! They are full of antioxidants and are extremely cleansing to help you flush out the winter doldrums.
- Asparagus: Go ahead and risk the stinky pee. Your kidneys will thank you! This natural diuretic has anti-inflammatory properties that make it perfect for a spring fling.
And of course hydrate: Drink plenty of water to help flush winter and any accumulated toxins out of your body. Make your water fun by adding, cucumbers, lemons, any citrus combination, or berries. The possibilities are endless.- And finally, get outside and move: Walk, bike, or whatever your outdoor pleasure…After being cooped up indoors for all winter, your skin will love the sun. Your lungs will love the are. And your whole body, head to toe will love the increased circulation.
Most of all, enjoy the new season!
Eating for Beauty Class:
Join Leslie Kemp on April 12th Sunday 10am – 11:30am. Learn about the top “beauty foods” and the techniques to maximize the beauty of health. Click here for more information, https://msi-healing.com/event-registration?ee=975.
About the Author:
Leslie Kemp, CHHC. I have been actively involved in the health and wellness industry for over 15 years. I graduated from The Desert Institute of the Healing Arts in 2000 as a massage therapist. This journey led me to also study aromatherapy, Thai bodywork, and Reiki. In my quest for studying and sharing healing modalities the missing component in my tool belt seemed obvious. Hippocrates said it best, “Let food be they medicine and medicine be thy food.” So I attended the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. During my training, I studied over 100 different dietary theories, practical lifestyle management techniques, and innovative coaching methods with some of the world’s top health and wellness experts.
I am a member of The International Association for Health Coaches. In my practice, I work with women who have lost their spark to help them get their sass back by empowering them to make lifestyle choices that will allow them to thrive.
