It's 6 hours before the ball drops on the east coast.  Are you ready?  Here are my top suggestions for new year's resolutions (better yet, goals for 2023) to improve your health and your life:

• Start a journal... write in it daily, start tonight with your reflection on 2022.  Tomorrow write about your hopes/dreams/goals for 2023.
• Drink more water... set a goal for half your body weight in ounces DAILY.
• Stop doing something.  What comes to mind for you? Smoking? Drinking soda? Using profanity?
• Start doing something... walking daily, stretching daily, meditating daily, you choose.
• Write yourself a positive affirmation and read it aloud each morning when you wake up.
• Write your bucket list and commit to checking five things off in 2023.
• Book a coffee/lunch/dinner date each week to connect with your significant other, close friends or important family members.  Life can become busy, intentionally make time to connect in 2023.
• Start a gratitude card and carry it in your pocket.  It's as simple as writing one thing you're grateful for today on a small index card and sticking it in your pocket or purse.  Take it out and look at it throughout the day.

Can't figure out what to buy for that difficult-to-shop-for-person? With a week left before Christmas, it's time to get creative.  Why not buy something healthy, functional and a little fun?  Here's my top ten list for healthy holiday buys in 2022...

1. Glass water bottle
2. Essential oils... be sure to buy good quality, there are no regulations.   I recommend checking out the Wholefoods selection or DoTerra.  My favorites are lavender, breathing blends and grapefruit.
3. A diffuser for those essential oils!
4. A Thera-cane for working out your own hard-to-reach muscle knots
5. Silk pillowcase.  (Great to protect your hair and your skin.)
6. Nutra-bullet or user-friendly blender
7.  A Snake Plant...  It doesn't need much light, you only water it once every 2-3 weeks, and it has one of the highest oxygen turnover rates of any houseplants!
8.  A new journal.
9. A subscription to a health-based app like CALM or MY FITNESS PAL.
10. A gift certificate to your local smoothie shop, yoga class pass or massage.

76% of Americans say their daily life has been interrupted by a lack of sleep.  Not only can it affect your mood and energy level for the day, but it can also adversely affect your overall health. Notably, insufficient sleep has been linked to the development and management of a number of chronic diseases and conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and depression.  Here are some Choose Health™ tips for better rest.

• Power down.  Eliminate any screen time 1 hour before bed.  
• Turn off or silence your phone so incoming alerts or texts don’t cause a sleep pattern interrupt.
• Eliminate other causes of sleep pattern interrupt: snoring from a partner, animals, etc.
• Create a relaxing bedtime routine to help you wind down.  Consider journaling, creating a list for the next day, stretching, meditating, a hot bath or shower or reading.
• Don’t consume alcohol or nicotine within 3 hours before bed.  These may negatively affect the quality of your sleep.
• Likewise, avoid consuming caffeinated products in the late afternoon or evening.
• Eliminate sources of light in your bedroom such as alarm clocks, night lights, light from a phone or streetlight through your windows.  A dark room can contribute to better rest.
• Make a consistent schedule for a bedtime and wake up time that allows for 7.5+ hours of sleep as an adult or 9+ hours as a growing child or teen.

The best way to increase your chances of a achieving your hopes and dreams is to set goals.  Goals, when set properly, serve as steps towards reaching your big dream.  So, whether that be saving up to buy a car, running your first 5K or getting into a top college, set some time aside and put your pen to paper.  Step one is actually writing down your goals. Step two is writing them in a way that maximizes your chances for success, and that is S.M.A.R.T.
Your best written goals will meet five criteria, easily remembered by the acronym:
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Attainable
R – Relevant
T - Timeframe
Setting great goals is easy once you get started.  Write down what you want to do, be specific.  Find a way to measure whether you’ve achieved it or not.  Quantifying with numbers works well here.  Be sure you’re giving yourself something realistic and attainable to accomplish.  Ask yourself if achieving this goal is relevant to the big picture of achieving your dream.  Then give yourself a deadline of when you’ll be done.
As an easy example, a poorly written goal might say “Lose a bunch of weight so my pants fit better.”  Using S.M.A.R.T. goals, it could read “Lose 5 pounds in the next three months by walking daily and eliminating alcohol consumption so my tuxedo pants fit better at my wedding in June.”  

Want to up the ante? Give yourself a reward if you achieve your goal by the deadline!

PRO TIP: If you have a big audacious goal, you may want to break it down into several goals to keep it attainable.  

Dorland’s Medical Dictionary defines health as: "An optimal state of physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
Our daily habits and choices lead to this social, emotional and physical well-being.  But changing habits can be difficult and require more time than one might expect, on average is takes 66 days for a new habit to become automatic!
Want to feel better or looking to up level your life?  Start with a self-assessment.  Draw a wagon wheel on a sheet of paper.  It’s a round circle with five spokes.  Then label each spoke for Choose Health areas of life: EAT, MOVEMENT, THINK, SLEEP and LIVING CLEAN.  Once you’ve done that, rate yourself on a scale of 1 – 10 in each area.  Put your score on the corresponding spoke, with 1 being at the center of the wheel and 10 being on the rim of the wheel.  Not sure what number to give yourself?  Ask yourself questions like these for each area…
EAT

• Do I eat 5 servings of vegetables per day?
• Do I eat a variety of colors of fruits and vegetables?
• Do I drink half my body weight in ounces of water?
• Do I eat fast food and/or drink soda more than once per week?
• Do I consume more calories than my body requires?
• Do I get enough protein in my day?
• Am I eating an excessive amount of processed foods?

MOVE

• Do I get at least 30 minutes of exercise per day?
• Can I do a reasonable number of push ups for my age/body type?
• Do I get at least 10,000 steps per day?
• Can I touch my toes?  Am I flexible?
• Do I have physical hobbies or play sports that I enjoy?
• Do I take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator?

THINK

• Do I generally wake up excited to start my day?
• Do I count my blessings/pray/meditate on a daily basis?
• Do I have a confidant who I feel safe and supported by?
• Do I feel emotionally/socially/physically equipped to have a successful day?
• Do I have goals that I am working towards?

SLEEP

• Do I wake up feeling rested and refreshed?
• Am I getting enough sleep for my age?
• Do I go to bed and wake up at a similar time each day?
• Do I fall asleep easily?
• Do I stay asleep, or is my sleep interrupted?
• Do I use electronics/have screen time within 1 hour of going to sleep?

 
LIVE CLEAN

• Do I smoke or use tobacco or vape?
• Do I drink alcohol? (Adults more than one serving per day?)
• Do I use personal care products with harmful chemicals? (Reference EWG.org)
• Is my city or well water tested for contaminants/filtered in my home?
• Do I read the labels on foods I buy for added colors, preservatives, chemicals and chose to minimize those ingredients?
• Do I have houseplants, change the furnace filters regularly and open my house windows at reasonable intervals to improve indoor air quality?

 
Once you’ve scored yourself by putting dots on your spoke, connect the dots.  Is the shape you’ve drawn round?  If not, your health wheel is “out of balance”.  You’re doing great in some areas, but other areas need more awareness and attention. Look at the areas that scored lower and see if you’re inspired to make changes in those areas.  If so, start setting some S.M.A.R.T. goals in that area! (See our S.M.A.R.T. Goals Blog for more on this).
It's ok if you’re not inspired to set goals in your weaker areas right now.  Although things like quitting smoking or eliminating fast foods may give you the quickest health gains, setting goals in areas you’re already strong in will still benefit you too.  Add a 15 minute walk to your morning or evening routine.  Eat a fruit or vegetable with every meal. Go to bed 30 minutes earlier each night. Journal for 5 minutes per day. You choose!  Set a goal, hold yourself accountable and stick with it for 2 months.  Little, consistent changes over a long period of time will lead to improved health and happiness!

Let's talk: BACTERIA! Fermented foods are known to provide many health benefits such as antioxidant, anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-carcinogenic and anti-atherosclerotic activity! But why do fermented foods offer all of these incredible benefits?
 
Many fermented foods are rich in vitamin C, iron, and zinc — all of which are proven to contribute to a stronger immune system. During fermentation, microorganisms generate various nutrients such as vitamin C, B group vitamins (including the famous B12), and vitamin K. Bacteria also consume sugar from vegetables! Fermented foods also offer good bacteria to your gut. A diet rich in fermented foods enhances the diversity of gut microbes and decreases molecular signs of inflammation, according to researchers at the Stanford School of Medicine. Many individuals who added fermented foods to their daily diets saw improved energy, skin, and mood management.
 
Biologically active peptides, which are produced by the bacteria responsible for fermentation, are also well known for their health benefits. Among these peptides, conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) have a blood pressure lowering effect!
 
Here are some food groups with fermentation to add into your meals this week!

• Kefir.
• Plain Yogurt.
• Dry Curd Cottage Cheese or Farmer's Cheese, or fermented cottage cheese.
• Certain aged cheeses (check label for live and active cultures)
• Fermented Vegetables.
• Tempeh (choose gluten free)
• Miso (refrigerated)
• Pickles (in salt, not vinegar)

 
 Resources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28945458/#:~:text=As%20a%20result%2C%20fermented%20foods,diabetic%20and%20anti%2Datherosclerotic%20activity.

The end of high school and into my first year of college was rough.  Publicly rough.  I struggled with cystic acne.  It was bad. I felt sad most days and couldn’t grasp the idea of beauty without having a full face of makeup on.  It lasted two whole years.  I became self-conscious and lacked the confidence I had had almost all of my life. I was continuously trying to find the next solution... I tried all of the lotions and potions.  But there was no quick fix. 

Lesson 1: Often times what is happening on your skin is a reflection of what is happening on the inside: gut issues, hormonal imbalance, emotional stress, chemical toxicity, nutritional deficiencies, etc.  Symptoms are your body's way of telling you it needs attention.  Ignoring a problem, hoping it goes away or stressing over it is never a winning solution.

Lesson 2: I surrendered and found peace in my body and my situation. 

Lesson 3: Take positive action for health.  I began a vegan diet (which was also gluten-free), detoxified my skincare routine and addressed my emotional stressors. 

Although it was hard, the experience turned out to be a blessing. I learned to work with my body, listen to it and heal it from the inside out. ​I am forever grateful for that journey that taught me how to heal myself, appreciate my skin and its beautiful flaws, and find confidence when I thought I’d never find it again. If you're struggling, KEEP THE FAITH & LOVE THE JOURNEY!!! You’re YOU because of everything YOU were made to do.  If you're ready to find a path to better choices in the way you eat, sleep, exercise and think... join me in the journey here to be our best, healthiest selves.

P.S. The pictures are from 5 years ago vs. now.  While the visible scars eventually fade on their own, it's your choice to let go of the emotional scars.
​

Join me for a live on instagram to learn more about breathwork and meditation for healing at 3pm on Friday, September 16th!

Join me @brookeamills tonight on Instagram at 7pm for a live with Dr Annie @brainhealthkitchen as we discuss Brain Health: Food Tips and 5 Foods to Support Brain Healing in honor of National Concussion Awareness Day this week!