by Candice Scott | Mar 23, 2020 | Health, Lifestyle, Motivation
I am currently sitting on my couch writing this and thinking how insane life is currently. TV shows are being broadcasted via Zoom or Facetime, I am training clients via Facetime daily now, my husband job is 100% stress right now, and most of the world is in quarantine. What is happening??
Well we all know what is happening and it is called COVID-19, something a few weeks ago we thought was just something that was in Asia and some of Europe. But we were wrong.
I know I am probably one of the rare ones in saying this but I have hope right now. I seriously do. Amongst the craziness I know we will come through stronger. I am not saying I do not worry, because of course I do, income is down, stock market is down, I mean we were about to buy a house now we do not know if we will even be making half of what we did last year…. and we intended to do better this year! There are a lot of unknowns… but I do have faith that we will prevail. I mean maybe God wanted to get our attention, maybe He wanted to tell us to slow down and stop putting our hopes and dreams in money and technology and other people…. religious or not you cannot help but think that something God or the universe is trying to tell us all something. I think this can be used for our good, and that is part of the reason I do have faith. Bad things happen all the time (although this may be one of the worst for us all) most of the time we learn from the bad and become better humans, I mean am I not right?
So back to what this article is really about – how to destress when everything is falling apart. Below I have 10 things I believe can truly help. I would love for you to try them for yourself.
Start your day with thankfulness– 
This is something that has helped me tremendously. That is gratitude. We all I am sure have gratitude for something, however doing a gratitude journal is something you should try during this time. In the morning first thing before you do ANYTHING else, think of 5 things you have and are thankful for that very day. Write them down and take it a step further. This can literally be a game changer.
Move – Another thing to do first thing in the morning, if you can start your day with thankfulness THEN simple movement you might see a 180 in your mindset. Look up some studies I am serious. Simple stretching like these are a great way to get going in the morning. It gets your blood flowing and some endorphins going too. Nothing too crazy but just gentle movement.
Call someone you haven’t talked to in a while – Think of someone who may be lonely right now, someone who may just want to talk or going through a tough time. Maybe you know someone who is or has been affected personally by COVID-19. Reach out. Doing this can make not only them feel better but also you. And if they can do it via facetime then do it that way. There is something about just seeing someones face that can make a difference.
Deep Breathe – Get those stress and cortisol levels down. SERIOUSLY.It helps our immune system too. Do this 5x – Inhale DEEEPLY for 5-6 counts, hold your breath for 2 counts then exhale 4 counts. Focus on your breath when you do. Find out more about this one here.
Read a book – Not a reader? Listen to one. Or read a magazine. So many of us NEVER have time to do these things so now is the time to relax and take advantage of it. 
Check out my list of some of my favorites if you need some inspiration! FAVORITES
Workout – No doubt that working out helps our attitudes and our immune systems. There are plenty of things you can do at home even without any equipment. Check out my two workout plans that can be done entirely at home with minimal equipment (use code CHANGEUP to save $10!). 
Virtual Training
Do NOT watch the news when you first get up in the am or right before bed. – I think this should go without saying. We want to meditate on the good not the bad. I am not saying that we should not watch the news at all, I am simply saying that we need to take a break from it for about an hour before we try to sleep (atleast).
Keep a schedule even when working at home or when doing things that aren’t the “norm” – Schedule is key to normalcy. Even if you are someone who normally hates them. Try to keep a routine as best you can. It could go something like wake up at x time – thankfulness/morning pages at x time- stretch at x time – emails at x time – calls at x time- workout at x time – dinner at x time- read at x time. Whatever you do day to day try to keep it that way even while at home.
Find someone to help or an animal (virtually) – If you are in a place where you can help someone right now, do it. It will literally make you feel so much better. Even if it is not financially. Maybe you can go grocery shopping for someone. Maybe you can buy some home made items from someone or support a local business. Tip someone more than normal. If you are able to foster an animal you can still do that in a lot of places right now too. And what better a time than now with you working from home!
Reread or rethink about your 5 thankful things right before you go to bed. – Get that mindset right.
The little things right now are what matter most. Lets try not to forget that!
Have anything you want to hear about right now? Let me know!
Message me – candicecfitness@gmail.com
by Candice Scott | Jan 20, 2020 | Lifestyle, Nutrition
We have all heard anti inflammatory is the way to go. To avoid x or y to prevent ___. There is so much different information out there how do you know what is right? It can become overwhelming as you start to read it all and try to implement or try different things. Once you hear about one new thing then there is another. Who is with me on this?!
I am going to make it a little easier for you. I have done alot of the research so I am going to lay out the basics. I like lament terms personally so if you are like me in that way then this will help!
First off—- What exactly does anti inflammatory mean?
Lets back up first then make our way to that…. The definition of inflammation “is a localized physical condition in which part of the body becomes reddened, swollen, hot, and often painful, especially as a reaction to injury or infection”. (1) So when you think of it as our bodies defense mechanism meaning, when our immune systems think there is something harmful so it ups its defenses (our white blood cells, immune cells and cytokines). This is suppose to happen, however these things can go into overdrive, and that is where auto immune conditions come into play. For example Rheumatoid Arthritis- the immune system is attacking joints based on different factors putting up defenses to those areas. This happens when things like toxins, or medicines that build up over time in our liver, or having leaky gut occur and harmful substances are in our body for an extended period of time. This would be referred to as chronic inflammation. On the other end of the spectrum though when you get red after your fall or eat something with too much histamine and react by allergies that in turn is an acute inflammation response.
Hopefully that helps somewhat!?
So WHY do we want to choose Anti Inflammatory Foods?
Alot of foods I grew up on like, chips, cookies, boxed meals, or really anything boxed for that matter have artificial preservatives and toxic like chemicals in them (I.E. Corn Oil, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sodium Benzonate, Artificial Colors and Sweeteners) these things have in some way been linked to cancer, diabetes, thyroid and metabolic damage, etc. So think of what these things are doing to your body when you ingest them. We weren’t made to process this fake stuff… so hello immune response, and if you consume them frequently hello chronic response.
Now this isn’t to say that only foods are the problem for inflammation, our environments such as mold, dust, gasoline and other fumes in the air and then the metals in the tap water we drink and use…. they all play a part too.
We want to add things to our diets and lifestyles that help us. That make us thrive. Our bodies were built for that believe it or not. Many Anti Inflammatory Foods listed below have super antioxidant, vitamin, mineral and nutritional properties that can help combat these harmful pathogens and toxins weve allowed ourselves to have over the years.
The Anti Inflammatory Food List
Eating the right foods that our bodies were made for can help us heal! Foods actually do have healing properties when eaten without any thing like preservatives or chemicals added to them. The ones listed below are just a starting point, but some key things to look for when going to the grocery store.
Some staples to look for or start adding to your diet are:
- Turmeric – a great spice that contains one of the best known things for inflammation curcumin. Curcumin is well known for fighting inflammation within the body. Now just sprinkling a little on your food isn’t going to cut it though. You need it mixed with black pepper and honestly the best is to take it in supplement form.
- Vegetables – Like broccoli, cauliflower and brussels are great for some of their anti inflammatory compounds.
- Organic Leafy Greens – These are rich in antioxidants and polyphenols which are protective compounds (think spinach, kale, collards)
- Organic Cherries and other dark colored berries
- Organic Wild BlueBerries – I love these. These have 2x the antioxidants of normal blueberries. I add them to my smoothie every morning
- Organic Meats/ Poultry/ Fish/ Eggs – be sure to read where they originated from. Whether they were fed corn or soy as many “cage free” varieties are still fed these things which can in turn pass it to us when we ingest it. (For fish look for Wild Caught) The EPA and DHA in fish like salmon and mackerel are great for helping combat inflammation as well.
- Olive oil – (the best being extra virgin for anti inflammatory effects) – contain something called oleocanthal which is shown to have similar effects like taking ibuprofen.
- Avocados – it is basically a superfood as far as I know lol. I love them personally but so does my body. They are packed with magnesium and fiber and healthy monounsaturated fats as well as other things that have been shown to help fight cancer risk.
Ok so what is the takeaway here?
Well for starters lets focus on incorporating some of the foods listed above into our diets. Along with that try to start eliminating or cutting back on soda, burgers, fries, anything with words you cant pronounce on the label.
Is that doable?? I think so!
Another option is to add in some good for you vitamins and whole minerals daily, You can check out some of my favorites here MY FAVORITES . I personally use the Daily Nutritional Support Daily with Wild Blueberries and Spinach. It is a great way to start the day!
As always if you have ANY questions please don’t hesitate to contact me!
-C
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