I am going to start off with a big old controversial statement! From my research, PROPER sun exposure (which means spending time in the sun without burning the skin) does NOT lead to skin cancer. In fact, it actually PROMOTES HEALTH when done right!
How can this be true and why are so many people misguided? Keep reading to hear more of my thoughts on the matter and look at research that may challenge the common belief.
Learning from our Ancestors
In general, current generations spend less time outside in the sunshine than previous generations. The comfort of an air-conditioned home and other modern technology draws many people inside in warm weather preventing their exposure to the sun.
While there are some precautions that are wise to take, the lack of sunshine is one factor that contributes to the decline of health in modern civilizations. In fact, too little sun exposure may be even worse than too much.
Our ancestors long ago were outside in the sun hunting, gathering, and living in the community. Their survival depended on being out in the elements. They didn’t have temperature-controlled homes, so being outside was common.
Though our ancestors did this out of necessity, modern-day research shows many benefits to this way of living for both our physical and mental health. It is especially important to be intentional about this in northern areas.
Benefits of Sunshine
Sunshine can make you feel lighter, move more, sleep better, and have more energy. It tends to chase away the winter blues, giving us a fresh perspective on life. But did you know there are benefits that can actually affect our longevity?
One study found that sunshine could “reduce blood pressure, cut the risk of heart attack and stroke - and even prolong life.” It states that since heart disease and strokes linked to high blood pressure cause about 80 times more deaths than those from skin cancer, the benefits may outweigh the risks.
But, we may not even have to worry as much about cancer as traditionally thought. According to Dr. Ruscio, sun exposure leads to the formation of the active form of vitamin D (1, 25-OH) which improves DNA repair and may PROTECT the skin from cancer (as opposed to causing skin cancer like most people think).
Other studies suggest that sun exposure demonstrates a significant REDUCTION in all causes of mortality. With this in mind, we must question the belief that sun exposure is dangerous.
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Want to know my top trick for EASY meal planning and grocery shopping??
It's an App called Mealime!
Mealime is a free meal-planning app that makes meal planning and grocery shopping a snap. It helps me avoid the 5 o’clock “what’s for dinner” problem, relieving me of this mental load and letting me enjoy my family instead.
I’m sure you’ve been there; it’s time for dinner but you have no idea what to make. With everyone hungry takeout or a quick processed meal may sound like a good option.
While eating out can be a fun experience every once in a while, doing so because it is the easiest option doesn’t always leave you feeling good about it. This habit can also be expensive and may prevent you from feeling free to eat out when you really want to.
Even though meal planning makes my day so much easier, it can be hard to stay on top of it each week. That is why I love the Mealime Meal Plans and Recipes app. Let’s take a look at this app to see how it can free you from dinner-time stress.
What is Mealime
The Mealime app provides easy-to-cook recipes. You simply input the number of servings you’d like to make (2, 4, or 6) and choose the recipes you want in your meal plan from their list of possibilities. Then Mealime…
- complies a grocery list for you to shop from.
- separates the list into categories such as produce, meat, spices, etc.
- allows you to remove the items that you already have in the kitchen.
- gives you the option to buy online through a number of local stores with pick-up or drop-off options.
You really couldn’t make meal planning any easier. You can literally plan your meals and shop for groceries in five minutes.
Food Allergies, Preferences, & Specific Ways of Eating
Many people who have food allergies, strong preferences, or specific ways of eating feel like these services aren’t for them. Mealime has taken all of this into consideration, allowing you to mark ingredients you don’t want to use and choose some popular ways of eating.
- Allergens - Mealime provides the option to mark any of the top 12 allergens. Then they filter out recipes containing these allergens. (For severe allergies please double-check everything before consuming.)
- Preferences - There is a section to mark food preferences from a long list of ingredients you may not like. Mealime will keep that in mind while choosing recipe suggestions.
- Specific ways of eating - You may choose a specific way of eating such as Paleo, vegetarian, low-carb, keto, etc. (I like to eat real food at least 80% of the time. I’ve found choosing the Paleo option helps me get to this goal by focusing on simple real foods.)
Tips & Tricks
- Share one account with your spouse, so either of you can shop or start cooking when the other isn’t there.
- The app is most easily used on a mobile device.
- Let family members help choose the meals. I let each of my kids pick one meal a week and then they help me cook it.
- Pick the number of servings based on the number of people you are feeding and how much leftovers you would like.
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The weather is warming up and it will soon be summer. After a hard Chicago winter, many people are ready to embrace all the summer has to offer. In the process of enjoying the activities that go with summer, we can find ourselves super busy.
Whether work is in full swing or the kids are home from school (or both), it’s important to take time for yourself. It doesn’t have to take long or cost a lot of money. Some self-care techniques only take five minutes and are completely free.
While it’s nice to take vacations, the little things may be more practical. They can support you in the day-to-day, allowing you to be present for each special moment of the summer.
Let’s look at some tips for taking care of yourself this summer!
Social Connection
Summer is a great time to connect with those that bring you life. Meaningful social connections impact your mental and physical health in positive ways, leading to parasympathetic nervous system activation. This is often referred to as co-regulation of the nervous system, and it puts you in a rest and digest state of being.
So, connect with friends and family...
- in person if you live close.
- with a video call so you can be face-to-face.
- through a phone call.
- by email or text.
Don’t forget the people in your home. Having a meal together, playing a quick game, reading a chapter of a book together, or going for a walk in the evening can be a great way to connect.
Healthy Boundaries
While you enjoy connections with friends, it is easy to simply go along with what others ask of you. But it is important to consider what is best for you. Accepting every invitation or request can leave you with little margin; overscheduled and overwhelmed. It can also lead to resentment.
It is important to consider what you are willing to give; financially, physically, and even emotionally. After doing so, many of us will find that we need to learn how to say “no” to others without feeling guilty.
Practice Gratitude
Gratitude is good for our brains. It activates the hypothalamus and floods our brains with the feel-good hormone dopamine. It also decreases the prominent stress hormone cortisol, decreases blood pressure, and increases heart rate variability.
By placing our attention on things that bring us pleasure we can cultivate gratitude in an authentic way.
For more ideas on gratitude check out Creating a Gratitude Practice.
Mindful Grounding Techniques
We can tend to live in the past or in the future, but a key to enjoying life is to live in the moment. Grounding is simply bringing your awareness to the present moment. This is done through awareness of your body and surroundings.
Simply closing your eyes and paying attention to your breath brings you back to the present moment. Intentionally looking at things in your surroundings or noticing sensory input can be effective as well. The key is the intention and awareness of the action.
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For years we have been told that losing weight was as simple as burning more calories than we ate. Under this belief, I would diligently count my calories and stay in a calorie deficit. When the scale stayed the same, I was really confused.
Now I understand that our food is much more than just a source of calories. Our bodies are not simple scales balancing the calories in and calories out. The source of these calories matters much more than I imagined.
Complex chemical systems break down the food we eat in different ways. Ingredients really matter. What we eat causes hormonal changes that impact whether we are in storage mode or fat-burning mode. Natural foods will be used by the body in a different way than overly processed foods. This makes a huge difference when you are trying to lose weight.
Let’s take a walk down memory lane to see the type of foods I would buy thinking they were healthy. Keep in mind that my concern is with entire categories or types of food. I am not trying to single out the particular brand mentioned.
Food Companies Interests
Food marketers are tricky. They do a fantastic job making foods look and sound healthy to the consumer. Words like gluten-free, low-fat, heart-healthy, and all-natural make us believe the food is good for us. But do these words really indicate healthy options? Not necessarily.
We must remember that the bottom line is the main concern for companies that make these products. In addition to getting us to buy their products (often through tricky marketing), they will try to keep manufacturing costs as low as possible.
Some of the ways they keep their cost low is by making the food's shelf life as long as possible. This may include ingredients like preservatives that are not in our best interest.
It is also well known that companies make their food addictive so we want to keep eating and buying it. To do this they test combinations of sugar, salt, fat, and chemicals that taste good and keep us coming back for more. These corporate motivations are NOT in our best interest!
My Interests
I don’t want the cheapest ingredients in my body. I want my food to go bad! This sounds weird, but any food that will last on a shelf forever must be full of chemicals to keep the bacteria away.
And I certainly don’t want to be addicted to my food. We know that it’s hard to eat just one chip or cookie, but don’t struggle with the same addictive behavior when it comes to broccoli or an apple!
In no particular order, let's get started with the foods I thought were healthy. (Click on the picture to read the labels. A bigger image will pop up in a new window.)
Boca Burgers & Veggie Burgers
Myth: I use to think red meat was bad for me. Since soy patties have less fat and cholesterol than beef burgers, I thought they were healthier.
Now: I am not afraid of fat. I know cholesterol in my diet does not play a strong role in determining my body’s cholesterol levels. Now I look at each ingredient. If I wouldn’t want to eat the ingredients plain, then why would I eat them all combined in a food-like product?
The fact that this ingredient list is about 32 ingredients also concerns me. A good grass-fed burger from a cow that was healthy and getting to walk around and eat its natural diet only has one ingredient. I’d choose that any day!
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For as long as I can remember, my oldest daughter (7) has been scared to go to bed. She tells me she is scared of the dark or scared to be alone even though she sleeps in the same bed with her 4-year-old sister.
Recently, I challenged my girls to try something new. I explained that if they keep telling themself the same story (I'm scared), of course their brain thinks that it's true.
I continued to share that the secret to feeling something different, is to change what you are telling yourself. Even if you don't believe it yet, when you start telling yourself something enough, your brain will start to believe it and your feelings will begin to change.
What about you? What stories are you telling yourself, and how is that affecting your life? Let’s take a look at it from a child’s point of view and see what we can learn from them.
Changing the Story
I worked with my girls and started practicing positive affirmations. It was a simple concept and very easy to do. I had the girls repeat after me:
- I am safe.
- I am strong.
- I am brave.
Each night when anyone told me they were scared, I reminded them about the affirmations.
Last night, when I gave Harper her good night hug, she whispered in my ear "I am safe, I am okay, I am not scared" and then happily and peacefully went to bed. It was a precious moment that made this mama’s heart glad.
How is this applicable to you?
Let’s take my girl's lead and see if we can change our story. What story do you currently tell yourself over and over again?
- Maybe it's about your looks (I'm fat. I'm ugly.)
- Maybe it's about your finances (I don't have enough money. I’ll always be struggling.)
- Maybe time is more of the issue (I'm so busy. There isn't enough time.)
- Maybe there is something you want to change in your life, but you are afraid of making the change (I hate my job. My relationship isn't working.)
- Maybe your body is hurting or there is a symptom you are struggling with. (I am broken. Things will never change.)
I really encourage you to spend some time thinking about this, and then FLIP YOUR SCRIPT. Maybe it's time to try one (or more) of the following stories.
- I have a pretty face. My body is strong. My smile is beautiful.
- I'm doing what I need to have a better life. There are good things in my future.
- I know how to schedule my day. I have good boundaries.
- I am a valuable employee. Any company would be lucky to have me.
- I am not stuck in this relationship. I have choices.
- My body is strong. I can do the things that will help me heal.
Even if you don't believe the words you are telling yourself when you start, the more you say them, the more your brain will begin to believe them and your reality will start to shift!
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