Introducing big-picture health advice from a naturopath: a series
This is the first in a series of articles discussing each one of the topics below, to offer tools, education, and hopefully inspiration to transform your health. There is never a better time to get a better handle on your health than right now. The tips I am about to share have helped me and my clients stay grounded, resilient, and healthy. The goal is not to be perfect, but to do your best and to always keep moving forward even if you've had a stressful day or "off" week.
This series will explore each one of these topics in depth with will include lots of recipes, tips, and some personal experiences. Make sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram for regular inspiration, education, tips, recipes, and other updates!
1. Mindset
What we think fuels our behavior, just like what we eat fuels our bodies. Patience, persistence, self-discipline, consistency, and a little tenacity all help when making changes to your routine. I will go into detail on this in a few weeks, as it is foundational to each of the following articles, so stay tuned for this one with lots of tips on how to implement change as we head into summer.
2. Exercise—Outdoors if Possible
Move your body. Exercise is critical for your wellbeing, mentally, physically, and emotionally. Sometimes we forget about the benefits of exercise, need inspiration for keeping it in our routines, or just need to change it up. I’ll be providing some of my workout tips so keep an eye out for this if you want a fresh look at working out.
3. Eat Whole Foods
Cooking doesn’t need to be labor intensive or expensive to taste good or to be healthy. Eating whole foods can not only increase your nutrition, reduce inflammation, and reduce risk of depression but it can also help reduce risk of chronic disease such as cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline and type 2 diabetes. Want some cooking tips, recipe ideas or to further understand why eating whole foods is a better option for you and your family? Stay tuned!
4. Sleep
Sleep! People, shut off Netflix and sleep! Make sure you AND your children are getting adequate sleep. It will help your body heal, integrate new information, form memories, and reduce cancer and dementia risk, just to name a few. Later this summer you will receive some of my favorite sleep tips and favorite sleep remedies.
5. Mindfulness/Gratitude Practice
Practice some sort of mindfulness daily. It’s less about how long you meditate for and more about the daily practice. There are so many options for meditation – this could be a gratitude practice, walking meditation, prayer or other preferred practice. A three-minute meditation can be enough to help calm anxiety, reduce stress, and help with focus.
6. Self-compassion
Do you struggle with being hard on yourself? Or compassion for others? Having self-compassion can help you deal with negative self-talk but it can also serve a bigger purpose – allowing us to be compassionate towards others. This can be overlooked and undervalued, so let’s get real with a conversation about developing a self-compassion practice.
7. Supplements
Take the right kind of supplements by the right companies at the right dose, otherwise don’t bother taking them as they could do more harm than good. There are some important nuances regarding supplement use and safety that many people are not aware of, so keep an eye out for this article if you take any supplements!
You can follow Dr. Maureen Dunn on FaceBook or Instagram. If you are interested in finding out how she can help you, schedule a free 15-minute discovery call here.
Medical Disclaimer: Information provided here is for informational purposes only. However, this information is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional, or any information contained on or in any product. Do not use the information provided here for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing medication or other treatment. Always speak with your physician or other healthcare professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or other supplement, or using any treatment for a health problem. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your health care provider promptly. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking professional advice because of something you have read here. Information provided here and the use of any products or services related to this content by you does not create a doctor-patient relationship between you and Dr. Maureen Dunn or Intuitive Medicinals, LLC. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent ANY disease.