It’s that time of year again for New Year’s resolutions. Some of the most common resolutions include losing weight, exercising more, being mindful of others, quit smoking and eating better. Resolutions can be fun to make, but difficult to maintain throughout the year, with most people giving up by day 7. Whatever your resolutions may be, NaturalPath can help you achieve your health goals and become the best version of yourself.
Here are our top 10 articles to help you on your way to accomplishing your New Year’s resolutions:
Everyone knows that exercise is a vital piece to losing weight and maintaining weight loss. There is evidence that exercise will positively influence the drive to eat or not eat through the modulation of hunger and adjust the sense of fullness and satisfaction after eating. Exercise is vital to successful weight loss. Many of my patients ask me these things about exercise and weight loss…
Recent estimates suggest that if current trends continue, by 2030 half of all Americans will not just be overweight but obese. Weight loss is more complex than just calories out exceeding calories in. A thorough assessment of all the factors contributing to weight gain ensures better long term success. Fluctuating blood sugar levels mean sugar and carb cravings. Consuming these increases insulin. Insulin tells your body to increase fat production. Maintaining a stable blood sugar through a low glycemic index and low glycemic load diet, daily physical activity, and stress reduction are key for weight problems. Stable blood sugar means fewer cravings and more control over what you eat…
3. Even More Reasons to H.I.I.T. the Gym
Short intense workouts reverse diabetes and standard care makes it worse. I come from a family of long distance runners—I am also from a family prone to type 2 diabetes. About ten years ago, I was shocked to find that sustained endurance exercise was not correcting my high blood sugar and in fact, blood test results indicated my cardiac health was not so good. That was then and this is now. And this recent study adds to the body of evidence showing that a different kind of exercise works.
4. This Happened When I Started Lifting Weights
Understand that you will start feeling better before you start looking better. It wasn’t until a friend of mine posted a picture on facebook from a get-together last year that I realized the strength I had gained. When I lift heavy (heavy for me, that is) weight, I know my muscles need carbohydrates to build and repair. I’m always on the lookout for new ways to incorporate healthy nutritious carbohydrates in my diet…
My aspiration is that in every moment I would ask myself only “How much can I find to appreciate, and how sincerely, how deeply?” I want to learn to search every situation until I find something, anything I CAN appreciate and indulge myself shamelessly. I aspire to drink wantonly of thankfulness until I become drunk and lose all perception what most call “reality”. A teacher told me, “All happiness for a reason is, in fact, misery.” (Because the reason will change.) I’m discovering that the source of my feeling good is not in money, sunsets, my children or anything outside myself. Thankfulness is not dependent upon any circumstance. It is the core longing of my soul. It is me, my true nature. I love loving…
There is an ever growing body of evidence pointing to the role of the mind and its healing power in the treatment of stress, pain, mental, emotional and physical illness. Mind-body approaches such as guided imagery and mindfulness meditation are becoming more widespread as the scientific studies mount indicating that mind-body techniques may not only improve the quality of life for those facing a health concern or serious illness, but can actually promote physical healing and whole person wellness of body, mind, heart and spirit. These therapies are gaining more interest from researchers in major hospitals around the world and the increasing popularity of the MBSR Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program and related evidence-based research findings demonstrating its effectiveness…
7. 5 Herbs that Help You Quit Smoking
Smoking is a killer. We all know this, but how many of us are so addicted to it we can’t seem to stop – not to mention how costly all the commercial remedies are. With about one-third of all cancer deaths and a quarter of fatal heart attacks in the United States being attributed to smoking, finding natural ways of kicking the habit makes total sense physically and financially. Here is a list of five ways you can get back to breathing naturally with a smoke-free lifestyle…
8. The Healing Power of Mindfulness
In holistic medicine, patients are encouraged to change the diet to improve digestion; undergo cleansing protocols to improve liver function; take herbs to balance hormones; exercise to improve cardiovascular function… Yet science tells us we are more empty space than actual physical matter. Furthermore, the particles that make up the bits of space we are can change based on thoughts, or even via mere observation. Treating the physical has its merits. We certainly cannot deny that. However, if one’s focus ends there, a huge opportunity for a much deeper level of healing is missed…
9. 7 Reasons to Exercise Outdoors All Year Long
As we settle into autumn and anticipate winter, we tend to spend more of our active time indoors. We go to the gym instead of the park. We take a spinning class instead of a long bike ride. We climb a machine instead of a mountain. Instead of walking on the beach, we walk on the treadmill. Shorter days and colder temperatures do make it more challenging to schedule outdoor activity, but it’s still important as ever. Here are seven reasons to exercise outside whenever you can…
Relaxation is an important part of reversing prediabetes, staying healthy, and reducing the risk of some of the deadliest diseases in the United States including type two diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. When I bring up the subject of relaxation with my patients, they often tell me they’re too busy to relax. It takes too much time. They don’t know how. It doesn’t come naturally to them. They would prefer to take a supplement and get on with their day, but that’s exactly why I recommend relaxation. Because it isn’t about taking something, it’s about doing something, and because people who think they have no time to relax are usually the ones who have the most to gain from trying it…