Pearls of Wisdom for a Healthy and Joyful 2024

As we step gracefully into 2024, I feel honored to share this journey with your beautiful spirits. This year, let's focus on five key areas that I believe are like pearls in our quest for a healthy and joyful start: Sleep, Food, Stress Resilience, Movement, and Self-Love.

Sleep

There's so much valuable information out there about sleep hygiene, but two points I find particularly important are:

1.    Consistency in our sleep schedule is crucial for our circadian rhythm. Although it might be challenging, especially on weekends, going to bed and waking up at the same times each day greatly benefits our body's natural cycles.

2.    Being mindful of our light exposure is key. To maintain our circadian rhythm, it's essential to avoid blue light before bed. This might mean reducing screen time or using blue light blocking glasses. Similarly, exposing ourselves to full spectrum light in the morning can positively influence our pineal gland.

Food

In our fertility practice, we recommend avoiding inflammatory foods like sugar, gluten, and dairy and focusing on organic foods as much as possible. Including a variety of veggies in each meal is crucial; they're packed with macro, micro, and phytonutrients that help control our genes for a healthier us. Lately, I’ve been loving adding different types of squash to meals - they're simple to bake and add so much.

Remember to avoid plastic where you might not expect it, like in to-go coffee cups and can liners.

Stress Resilience

I love the term 'stress resilience' because stress is inevitable, but how we cope with it makes a big difference. Meditation is a wonderful tool for many reasons, from increasing brain mass to boosting our immune systems and even slowing aging. And remember, it's okay if your mind wanders during meditation; just acknowledge the thoughts and let them go.

Movement

Movement is important for emotional health, improving circulation, balancing our nervous system, and boosting our immune system, among other benefits. Remember, these benefits are linked to moderate-intensity exercise; high-intensity or long-duration exercises can put our bodies into stress mode.

Heidi Cox, an inspiration in holistic living, shared a wonderful article with me about the power of play and its role in happiness: Relearning to Play. Dancing with family, for instance, can be a source of immense joy and connection.

“When you play with others, your bodies and brains synchronize; you breathe together, your cortisol reduces, you connect.” – Dr. Harding

Self-Love

And of course, self-love: It's about setting aside time for activities that bring us joy and fulfillment. Whether it's taking a relaxing bath, reading for pleasure, buying fresh flowers, or engaging in creative activities like coloring or designing art, these moments are essential. They're not just indulgences; they're necessary practices that enrich our holistic well-being.

Let's embrace these pearls of wisdom and make 2024 a year of health, happiness, and fulfilled dreams. Here’s to a year filled with magical moments and continued growth in our holistic journeys. 🌟