Chronic sleep deprivation can contribute to a host of health issues.  For migraine sufferers, it’s even more important to get restful sleep to stave off those middle of the night and early morning headaches. 

It’s recommended that we need 7 –9 hours of sleep per night to not just function, but to thrive in your life. You probably already know those nights that you barely get any sleep because: 

#1: you couldn’t quiet your mind 

#2: had the list of to-dos running through your head

#3: had to get work done by a looming deadline

#4: your kids or significant other kept you up 

So, you could hardly focus on anything. Because SLEEP – just didn’t happen! 

A Harvard study claimed, “lack of adequate sleep can affect judgment, mood, ability to learn and retain information, and may increase the risk of serious accidents and injury.” The report also mentioned that sleep deprivation could lead to health problems...

Are you in full spring-cleaning mode, yet?  I love this time of year -- out with the old, in with the new…(and hopefully out with more than comes back in, if you are in a de-cluttering mood like I am!)    Tidying up your home and your life can breathe such a breath of fresh air into your life.  One important aspect of cleaning is the household cleaners you use, and I wanted to share some of my favorite tips with you about how to choose healthier versions.  

These chemical-laden household cleaners can make it hard for us to breathe, cause our eyes to water, or even lead to health concerns we certainly want to bypass.  For me, they turned out to be yet another piece of my migraine puzzle that I discovered the hard way. These damaging chemicals are found in everything from your fabric softener that gets clothes feeling snuggly to your soap-scum remover, and everything in between.  

The smell-good factor is what causes a...

Do you ever feel like something is off with your body but can't put your finger on it? You may have a food intolerance or sensitivity. To find out what's causing your digestive discomfort, aches, pains, or headaches, you might want to try an elimination diet. 

You'll start by removing certain foods from your diet -- the foods that are well-known for causing symptoms. Then, you'll reintroduce the foods you eliminate one at a time and take note of any symptoms. The process takes about six weeks, and if you have a food sensitivity or intolerance, you'll be able to see which food is causing your body distress and avoid it. 

The Way Elimination Diets Work

There are two phases to the elimination diet. The first is elimination, where you remove the foods that could trigger the symptoms you're experiencing. You'll stop eating them for 2 to 3 weeks. These foods are commonly known allergens such as dairy, nuts, wheat, gluten, eggs, and seafood.

After that,...

I must say…. adjusting my shopping, cooking, and eating habits during a drawn out global pandemic that started just one WEEK after having a total knee replacement, has been challenging, to say the least.  It all has had a SIGNIFICANT effect on my overall eating and exercise habits.  It became easier to stock up on shelf stable food like pasta and rice and store bought canned tomatoes for my sauces rather than fresh veggies.   

And a few other shelf stable treats snuck in there along the way (hello Boom Chicka Pop popcorn!)  so I recently decided to take stock of my stock (no pun intended) and refresh my fridge and pantry with what I know is the best mix of fresh and shelf stable foods for me to have on hand.

Here’s what I know for sure: if the unhealthy food is there, you’re going to eat it. Once that bag of Boom Chicka Pop popcorn is open, it becomes a single “serving,” so you need to stock your kitchen for...

Even if you love the holidays and await them all year long -- we can all agree there's a significant uptick in stress during this season. Especially in 2020.  Even if the visits have shifted to virtual meetings, Facetime dinners, and Zoom gatherings with family and friends, our schedule has no “white space” left during this season.  

I thought it would be so much emptier at the store this year, but with so many people working from home, they are finding a way to run to the store during what used to be “off hours”, so traffic is more hectic than usual, stores are packed, and it can be pretty easy to send you, an otherwise calm person, into overwhelm.  

The most wonderful time of the year comes with a price that goes beyond the extra calories and frantic holiday shopping. 

Let this year be different.  Putting a focus on lowering stress can help you enjoy the season without the added pressure. Taking a natural approach to...

It’s no secret that the best workers are workers who think like the owner. Imagine the difference between an assistant who just completes the tasks at hand, and an owner who is constantly asking herself, “What’s next? What can I do better? What’s coming down the pipes? How can I turn this corner to get more value?”

When you adopt the attitude and practice of a successful business owner, you practically guarantee your own health and happiness. You will also eliminate the mentality of, “I work from 9 to 5 and then I go home.”

Do you want to live your life on a 9 – 5 basis? Or do you want your life to be like a Jack-in-the-box that’s so full of excitement that it literally can’t be contained? That’s how I want to live! Take a look at these 5 steps to live like a boss.

Step 1: Always Ask Why Not

Most people ask, “Why?” I want you to ask, “Why not?”

For instance,...

Everyone faces challenges in life. And every one of us has to crawl through periods of adversity to come out the other side a winner. And in our current global crisis, we all seem to be facing challenges at the same time.

But that's not what this blog is about. I’ve recently been helping people overcome migraines, and a common trigger has been stress due to certain humans in their life who are draining them to the point of causing migraines and sleep issues. So in today's blog, I want to give you five ways to deal with an energy thief who is piling on stress during an already stressful time in history. And an energy thief can show up whether the world is in crisis, or in glorious abundance, so keep these tips in mind for all future situations.

You know her (or him). She's the one that thrives on negativity, drama and being the victim. She blames everyone else for everything that has happened in her life.

Enter: Debbie Downer!

1. Don't Engage Her.

...

How do you get motivated to cook when takeout is calling your name? It's hard but I'll tell you how we stopped dialling for delivery and started eating healthier without missing a step.

How many of us have a list of take out restaurants at our fingertips at home and at the office? It often feels so much easier to reach for the phone and order pizza, Chinese, subs..whatever. So how can you get motivated to cook when all you want to do is dial out for dinner?

First, you have to make it easy to make a healthy choice and second, you have to make it fun.

There are three basic ways I make cooking at home more appealing than ordering out.

1. Get Motivated to Cook by Planning Ahead.

First, I plan ahead.

I know, I know! It sounds awful and demanding and “how can you possibly plan a full week of dinners!” but let me tell you, meal planning is your friend! From your waistline to your pocketbook to avoiding migraines from preservatives...

How many times have you told yourself that you’re going to “eat better?”

You’re not going to eat any carbs or treats. You’re going to do nothing but drink water and eat kale for the next month?

And how often have you been successful following that “all or nothing” mentality?

My guess is never. Maybe that’s because it’s never worked for me but studies prove that when you make sweeping proclamations denying yourself entire food groups, you increase your weight loss failure rate exponentially.

Just sayin’…

Because of the “all or nothing” approach I took to dieting in my 20s and 30s, I didn’t just have the emotional diet mentality failures…I actually crashed and burned my endocrine system and ended up gaining 90 pounds in 2 years in my mid 30s!  Yikes!  There is a lot more to that story that I’m sure I’ll share another day, but I learned a...

Before we dig into this topic, let’s start with a quick guessing game. 

Read the following ingredients and try to guess what it is:

Soy Protein Nuggets (Soy Protein Isolate, Tapioca Starch, Salt), Peanut Butter Fudge (Corn Syrup, Invert Sugar, Peanut Butter [Peanuts, Sugar, Salt], Sugar, Palm Kernel Oil, Peanut Flour, Milk Protein Isolate, Soy Lecithin, Salt, Vanilla Extract, Xanthan Gum, Carob Seed Gum, Beta-Carotene), Chocolate Flavored Coating (Sugar, Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil, Cocoa Powder, Whey Powder, Nonfat Milk Powder, Soy Lecithin, Natural Vanilla Flavor), Corn Syrup, Acacia Gum, Fructose Syrup, Peanut Butter, Peanut Flour, Peanuts. Less than 2% of the Following: Glycerine, Soy Protein Isolate, Natural Flavor, Calcium Phosphate, Salt, and Vitamin & Mineral Blend (Calcium Phosphate, Ascorbic Acid [Vit. C], Magnesium Oxide, dl-Alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate [Vit. E], Niacinamide [Vit. B3], Zinc Oxide, Calcium Pantothenate [Vit. B5], Ferrous Fumarate...