Gluten Warrior

Did you know that by caring for your gut, you can positively impact many aspects of your life?
WHOLE BODY-AND-MIND BENEFITS OF A HEALTHY GUT:
😌 Brain and Mood
When your gut is well, it can help keep your brain happy and nourished. Your gut is constantly talking with your brain via hormones and other chemicals. These gut-brain conversations can affect your mood, appetite, thinking ability, emotions, and even sleep! Research has shown that the gut microbiome can affect mental health. Current thinking suggests that your gut may actually be your first brain, not the 2nd.
⚖ Weight
Keeping your gut healthy can help keep your weight healthy. Researchers have linked gut bacteria imbalances to weight gain and obesity. Off-balance gut bacteria can also affect the production of hormones that regulate our appetite and cravings.
🛡 Immune System
Would you believe that 70-80% of your immune system cells live in the gut? The Immune cells in your gut work with the rest of your immune system to protect your body and eliminate any pathogens (aka bad guys) you might encounter.
🌿 Skin Health
You need a healthy GI system to properly absorb all those wonderful skin-supporting nutrients like vitamins A, C, E, K2, healthy fats, and zinc. Research points to a connection between gut problems and skin disorders.
💪 Overall Wellbeing
Your digestive system makes sure the life-giving, mood-supporting, muscle-building nutrients you consume are broken down and available for your cells. In this way, your gut health affects every part of your body.
TIPS FOR A HEALTHY GUT 🙌

Nourish well: A balanced, fiber-rich diet can do wonders for your gut! Get plenty of fruits, veggies, whole grains, and legumes into your meals. Load up on lean proteins and healthy fats while limiting sugar and highly processed foods.
Include probiotics and prebiotics: Probiotics are beneficial bacteria for your gut and prebiotics act as food to keep the probiotics flourishing. For prebiotics, enjoy fiber-rich foods like legumes, whole grains, fruits, and veggies. You can take probiotic supplements and get them by adding naturally fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, or kimchi to your diet. 🌱
Manage stress: Did you know stress alone can take a toll on your gut health?! Give your gut the calm environment it deserves by lowering your stress levels with things like relaxation practices, yoga, hobbies, and reaching out to loved ones.
Stay hydrated: Drinking enough water helps keep your digestive system running smoothly. For optimal gut health, aim for at least eight glasses per day. 💦➡ Did any of this surprise you? Are you feeling inspired to help keep your gut happier? I know I am!

All individuals should take an active role in the maintenance of their health, the prevention of disease, and the treatment of their disorders with the guidance of a health care professional. Choose wisely and be in charge. Have an advocate with you. The more we take it upon ourselves to learn about nutrition, the better prepared we will be to take that active role. A good diet coupled with medical advice offers the best chance of living a healthy life. If you have a ten in your optimal nutrition and lifestyle with a 10 in your healthcare team you have an exponential multiplier effect. Attitude is also an important factor in the processes of health maintenance and healing. We must have a positive state of mind in order to bring harmony to the body. The realization that body (lifestyle), spirit (desire), and mind (belief), must come together is the first step to better health. “Your future will be exactly what you decide to make it.” (Dr. Forrest C. Shaklee) and words of wisdom by Phyllis A. Balch in Prescription for Nutritional Healing, and a few from me

Does this sound too simple? Basically, it is simple, not rocket science. Our modern life styles have gotten us off the right track, with fast and highly processed foods, alcohol abuse, drug dependencies and abuse, a polluted environment and food supply, and high tech stress. Nature intended to fuel our inner healing force with the right natural substances to enable the body to function up to its fullest potential. Nature’s resources–whole foods, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids, phytochemicals and other natural bounties–are designed for use in our immune systems. However, because most of us have a profound lack of knowledge as to what our bodies need to function properly, we find ourselves out of balance and susceptible to all sorts of illnesses. And the home run, the take away will be in tomorrow’s message. Thanks again to Phyllis A. Balch for almost all the words, from her book Prescription for Nutritional Healing.

“A wise man should consider that health is the greatest of human blessings”-Hippocrates.
This and the quote from Socrates, in tonight’s story should guide us in all our actions, especially where our health is concerned. Too many of us do not have the slightest idea of how to maintain good health, or robust optimal health. When illness strikes we rely on our doctors to cure us. What we fail to realize is that “the cure” comes from within ourselves. Nature has provided us with a wondrous immune system, and all we have to do is take proper care of this inner healing force.
Does this sound too simple? Tune in tomorrow, here, and in our 21 Day Whole program. Ask me to let you in. It is a private group.
Meanwhile, give a silent thank you to Phyllis A. Balch, CNC for most of the above dialogue, from her book Prescription for Nutritional Healing. Thank you for reading, Bruce

t’s Fruit and Veggie Friday! Post pictures of fruit and veggies you ate in the comments to get an entry into our weekly giveaway!!! 📸
If you (or anyone in your family) could use a little boost in the veggie department, here are our favorite tips.
TIPS & TRICKS TO EAT MORE VEGGIES✨
🧄Add Flavor: Experimenting with spices, herbs, or sauces can make your veggies super satisfying. Have you ever roasted vegetables with garlic, olive oil, and a dash of salt? How about adding hot sauce to cooked veggies for a spicy kick?
🍝Sneak Them into Meals: Try adding veggies to soups, stews, and casseroles. Another great trick is to grate or finely chop them and add them to pasta sauces, chili, or meatloaf.
🥕Prep Them in Advance:Wash, cut, and store veggies in the fridge in easy-grab containers. “Future you” will be happy about this when you’re hungry or ready to cook.
🍹Blend Them into Smoothies:Try mixing spinach, kale, or other leafy greens into a fruit smoothie for a healthy and delicious drink. If you struggle to eat veggies, blending them into a smoothie is a great place to start.
🥬Try Something New: Expand your horizons with veggies you’ve never tried. You may be surprised at how much you enjoy a new vegetable when prepared in a way that appeals to your taste buds.
🌱Add Organic Greens Booster:Put little scoops of extra greens into your smoothies and recipes.
Also a salad for breakfast is a refreshing start, with protein in it as well. Rejuvenating.
These and other tips, recipes, etc. are available in our 21 Day Whole program going now. Ask how to get in, there are 11 more days, and you can get all the info.

Distress, eustress, we are all stressed. How has your stress level been lately?
We can’t talk about whole-body health without talking about how incredibly powerful destressing is! 💆‍♂️💫
Why? Because chronic stress and constant stress hormone exposure can affect your whole being:
– Mood– Raises the risk of irritability, anxiety, and depression.
– Brain – Can be a sleep stealer and impair concentration and memory.
Heart – Can raise blood pressure and increase risk of heart disease and stroke.
Immune health– Weakens your defense against invaders.
– Digestion – Takes a toll on your gut health.
– Weight and appetite– Affects appetite, leading to overeating or undereating.
– Reproduction – Can lead to more PMS and challenges with fertility and libido, all of which increases stress, and partner’s stress.
– Skin – Triggers inflammation and slows wound healing.
Now, don’t let this list cause you more stress! 😅
The real message is that just by using destressing techniques in your daily life, you can make a huge impact on your wellness at many levels.🌟
💟 We’ve got you: Watch for our next post on destress strategies. Take a look in 21 Day Whole group for all kinds of great info. Ask for an invitation to access it.

Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.–
How to Stay Hydrated in Winter
Most people tend to think about the importance of hydration during hot weather and summer months. It’s easy to remember to drink water when the sun is out and the temperature is up. But proper hydration is just as important during the winter. You may feel less thirsty in cold weather, but winter dehydration is a real thing. Every aspect of your body needs water to work properly. Water is used to carry nutrients to your cells as well as flush waste from your body. It’s used to control body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. Proper hydration affects the health of your muscles, joints, heart, immune system, skin, and even your brain, and without it, your body begins to shut down. Even mild dehydration (less than 4 glasses of water a day) can affect your mood, memory, concentration, and reaction time.
The most common recommendation is to drink 6 to 8 (8-ounce) glasses of water a day. Over 47% of Americans do not drink enough water each day. Here are a few ways to tell if you need to drink more water.
The Signs of Dehydration
Headache
Lightheadedness
Thirst
Muscle cramps
Dry mouth
Low energy
Dark yellow urine
Constipation
Irritability
Less sweating than usual
Join us tomorrow for the Hacks…

Some of us live to eat, others eat to live. Some graze all day, some eat one meal a day. Sometimes we can forget to eat or would rather not take the time to eat–why eat or sleep, it gets in the way of productivity or other activities. However, the organism, that’s us, needs fuel for the furnace, oil to lubricate the moving parts, water or other fluids to blow off steam, and believe it or not, time in the repair center–the garage, round house, mechanics bay, bed really, not sick bay. And that all happens when we sleep adequately. OK, that means a different length of time for each age bracket and extenuating circumstances. That’s for another discussion. Point being that it takes around 21 days to train a new habit and untrain the old one. How about delete as a better descriptive. Reinforcement helps too. these are two reasons why we have a 21 Day Whole challenge running now, we just capped day 2. You can catch up easily as it is run with posts every day-No webinars or anything to watch or listen to. There is a lot of discussion, group support, downloadable materials, and it is private. The social aspect is a big thing for success. Our social genes thrive when nurtured, as do our bodies. Come with us for the next several days and by month’s end you will have some new healthy habits. feel good, happy with yourself for learning some new things for yourself, and so on… See below for some energizers, and if you aren’t touched by one or two, use them for models to make them your own. See you on the inside. The group is: Wellness 360 – #GenH, and the action is in the 21 Day Whole Challenge. We start day 3 tomorrow, and you can easily catch up.

Movement for Mind and Body
I used to think of exercise as just for physical health and frankly most of the time just recreation. Little did I know back then it does amazing things for just about every area of your life!
Movement is the ultimate holistic habit. The benefits support each other and multiply! For example, exercise boosts your mood, sleep, focus, and immune function. Plus, it reduces stress, which improves all of those areas even more! 😌
WHOLE BODY-AND-MIND BENEFITS OF EXERCISE✨
Physical
· Immune function: Supports your immune system by increasing blood flow and helping to reduce stress.
· Strength: Can increase muscle strength and overall musculoskeletal health.
· Weight: Burns calories and helps increase metabolism.
· Heart Health: Strengthens the heart and reduces heart disease risk factors.
· Bo­­ne Health: Resistance exercises support bone density and strength.
Energy
· Energy Levels: Increases energy levels and reduces fatigue.
· Libido: Improves sex drive.
Mental Health
· Mood: Boosts your happy brain chemistry, increases self-confidence, and reduces mild depression and anxiety.
· Brain Power: Supports more focus, alertness, and cognitive function.
· Sleep: Helps you fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly through the night (as long as you don’t exercise intensely before bed).
· Stress Reduction: Fosters relaxation by reducing stress hormones and stimulating endorphin production. 💆‍♀️
Earlier talked about ways you can get more movement into your days. Our other big tip for you is to use simple strategies to make it a habit!
MAKE IT EASY BY MAKING A HABIT✨
1. Create a routine that makes it easy to get started. It really helps to tag a movement practice onto things you already do daily, like drinking your smoothie.
2. Put all your focus on creating the habit first. Zero in on making your routine automatic. Results will naturally follow, but don’t focus on them yet.
3. Start with a super small activity. It could be as simple as starting or ending your day with a walk around the block.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/rel…/2006/11/061101151005.htm

I just sent you an invitation to join Wellness 360-#GenH. This is where all the action will be for the next 21 Day Whole Challenge, and the cleanse info as well. This is a resource our group has put together that covers a lot of health and wellness areas. Posting has started. The kickoff is January 10th. Take a peek, join us, call me if you have any questions Bruce