NoBS Wellness

When animals go through a traumatic experience that triggers their fight-or-flight response, they are able to complete the cycle in their nervous system once the threat has passed by literally shaking it off and not holding on to the trauma. As humans, most of us have not mastered this skill of letting the trauma go. To make things even more intense, our perceived threats can be anything from an email from our boss to an actual life threatening situation (think: walking too close to the curb on a busy street.) In this conversation with Sarah Wolfman, a Chicago-based Somatic Therapist, we delve into somatic experiencing and how it is used to "shake off" traumas you feel in your body so you can regulate your body once again. Sarah goes deep into what somatic therapy is and gives us a thorough understanding of how this works in the body and what to expect.

In the "You Want Me To Do What??" section, Shanna shares more about what she experienced in the somatic experiencing exercises Sarah walked her through during the interview. And Nicole talks about how this interview helped her recognize the need to bring awareness to her body and how it feels on a daily basis.

Episode Recap: Interview with Sarah Wolfman - 2:52, "You Want Me To Do What??" section - 56:20

Highlights:

• Somatic experiencing strives to connect you to your body and bring awareness to the fact that your body is always present. In connecting to the body, you can recognize what is physiologically happening so you can find ways to feel different rather than being stuck in your thoughts.
• Somatic therapy brings an element of "talk therapy" to the practice while also practicing physical connection.
• As Sarah describes it, somatic therapy is a way to space out "the story" ruminating in your head safely, slowly, and with consent so you can pause, restore, and find completion.
• Somatic experiencing therapy was developed by Dr. Peter Levine based on his observations of the animal kingdom and how animals dealt with stress and trauma.
• Trauma is an incomplete fight-or-flight response that becomes a survival pattern that manifests in a number of ways, including: chronic pain, emotional pain, psychological disorders, compulsive behaviors
• In somatic therapy, you work with:
• • The breathe/breathing techniques
  • Touch
  • Grounding
  • Orienting to the room
• Somatic therapy isn't about "healing" a specific trauma, but rather working with the body to recognize what is coming up in the body, how to physically complete the fight-or-flight response to that trauma response, and then regulate the body
• Somatic therapy training is 3 years for the base certification through the Somatic Experiencing Trauma Center
• Top 3 Breathing Techniques Sarah shares:
• • Breathing in and out through the nose with the exhales lasting longer than the inhales (eg. inhale for a count of 3 and exhale for a count of 4)
  • Breathing for energy by "closing" your left nostril with your finger and breathing in and out through your right nostril
  • Breathing for calm by "closing" your right nostril with your finger and breathing in and out through your left nostril

Resources:

Where to find Sarah Wolfman:

• Website: http://www.somatictherapychicago.com/ 

Somatic Experiencing Trauma Center website: https://traumahealing.org/

What if going to the doctor was all about optimizing your health and preventing disease & illness? That's what we get into in this episode with Dr. Alexander Paziotopoulos, MD, FAARM. Dr. Paziotopoulos, founder of the Pazio Institute, talks with us about his unique approach to healthcare that he created by merging the principles of preventative medicine and systems-based engineering. He gives us the example of airplanes and how engineers have created a multitude of checklists and other systems to understand what can (and does) go wrong in these complex machines, when things go wrong, and how to both prevent things from going wrong and optimize the machines so things won't go wrong. Applying this concept to medicine, we learn how his medical practice varies greatly from traditional Western medicine.

We also spend a lot of time going deep into understanding how to optimize our health. (Spoiler Alert: his tips are straight-forward and don't require you to spend money or work with a specialist.) 

Episode Recap: Interview with Dr. Paziotopoulos - 3:10, "You Want Me To Do What??" section - 1:04:16

Highlights:

• Medical Engineering as Dr. Paziotopoulos uses it:
• • Applying systems-based engineering principles to medicine
  • Understanding what goes wrong & when it goes wrong so that these things can be prevented and, even better, the complex machine (in this case, your body) can be optimized
  • Using checklists & project management when treating a patient
• Expanding your lifespan includes physical movement, diet, mindfulness, and spirituality
• In making changes that will impact your health, Dr. Paziotopoulos recommends pairing the new habits with something you already automatically do; for example:
• • Going to the bathroom and doing a breathing exercise (which means you don't take your phone to the bathroom with you)
  • Brushing your teeth and standing on one foot
• You have to add physical stress to the body for it to change & adapt
• Recommendations Dr. Paziotopoulos gives for optimal health:
• • Plant-based diet: based on science, we are designed to be a plant-based species (especially if you consider teeth and intestines). 80% plants 20% meat
  • Mindfulness: strive to recognize that the true "you" is not the thoughts and feelings you have
  • Exercise: 
  • • Do something explosive two times per week (all out sprints for 100 yards)
    • Powerlifting, specifically squats, deadlifts, pressing overhead, bench press, pull-ups (higher weights, low reps)
• The stronger you are, the harder you are to kill
• Dr. Paziotopoulos recommends yoga as a daily movement practice as it checks many of the boxes that influence your health:
• • Intention
  • Gratefulness
  • Breathing exercise
  • Mindfulness
  • Purpose
  • Exploring your body (strength, balance, endurance)
  • Getting into coherence (potentially)
• Two supplements Dr. Paziotopoulos recommends:
• • Vitamin D
  • DHA (from algae oil)

Resources:

Where to find Dr. Paziotopoulos:

• Instagram: @thepazioinstitute
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepazioinstitute/
• Website: https://www.thepazioinstitute.com/

Recommended website for powerlifting info: https://startingstrength.com/

Life Extension website (recommended company for vitamins & supplements: https://www.lifeextension.com/ 

It's finally the end of 2020!! As we look to the new year and all of the potential that it holds, let's take some time to set intentions for how we want to feel, be and approach life in 2021. Shanna & Nicole break down intention setting in this episode, how it is different from goal setting, and why it's a better new year's practice than making resolutions. They detail out a process that you can easily follow for creating your own intentions and discuss some ways to keep your intentions top of mind. Finally, they share their own 2021 intentions and why those intentions are important to them. (So feel free to borrow their intentions if you don't have time to do the whole process.) This is an episode that you'll want to keep coming back to year after year!

Highlights:

• The difference between intentions & goals:
• • A goal has an endpoint; it is something you are trying to accomplish
  • An intention is about being, feeling & how you approach life
• Intention setting process:
• • Find space & time just for you
  • Ground yourself in the present moment through meditation, breathwork or movement
  • Get clear on what you want (not what you don't want) - it often helps to do some journaling or vision boarding to get this clarity
  • Write down your intentions & then take a break
  • Come back & rewrite them if you need to
  • Find someone you trust to share your intentions with

• Journal prompts:

• • Take a personal inventory of 2020 - what went well, what didn't go well?
  • Based on 2020, what do you want to do more of/have more of in your life? What do you want to do differently in 2021? 
  • How do you want to feel in 2021? Get detailed...don't just write "good"
  • What do you value? And then rank those values. Afterwards, write a list of how you spend your time, money & energy. Rank those based on where you spend the most to least amount of time/money/energy. Where are there disparities?
  • How can you show up for yourself in 2021?

• Stay connected to your intentions through daily affirmations

Resources:

Details on creating affirmations: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/246869

Pollyanna movie Nicole mentions: https://movies.disney.com/pollyanna

When it comes to relationships, being attracted to someone and being attractive to them is crucial. While you may immediately think of attraction as only pertaining to appearance, it goes so much deeper. In our conversation with Kimberly Beam Holmes, we learn the PIES of Attraction and how they can help your relationships as well as (and most importantly) you. PIES stands for Physical, Intellectual, Emotional and Spiritual, and those are the components of attraction that you should consider when thinking of working on any of your relationships and yourself. Kimberly breaks all of these down and shares insights & examples of each so you can start to apply this work to your life.

In the "You Want Me To Do What??" section, Shanna and Nicole lament that PIES doesn't just mean eating delicious baked goods to make yourself more attractive (just kidding...kind of). Shanna shares how she intuitively understood the importance of the PIES concept years ago, after her divorce. She has been consistently working on her PIES as a way to show up better in her relationships. Nicole provides some details about her relationship coaching experience and how she now realizes that working on yourself can impact how her husband shows up in their relationship.

Episode Recap: Interview with Kimberly Beam Holmes - 2:30, "You Want Me To Do What??" section - 39:18

Highlights:

• Kimberly found in her work at the Marriage Helper that there is a process to falling in love, and it starts with attraction
• PIES are the four aspects that make up attraction
• • P - Physical
  • I - Intellectual
  • E - Emotional
  • S - Spiritual
• The PIES are the layers of attraction. P (physical) is the first layer, and you get deeper with each layer/letter.
• How you physically look might be what catches your eye with someone, but it's not what will keep you attracted
• The physical component of attraction has more to do with things such as energy level, how you are fueling yourself (food, drink), and how you feel in your body.
• For the intellectual component, ask yourself, "Am I an interesting person to talk to?" - what hobbies & interests do you have
• Another consideration with the intellectual component is that you can strengthen your connection with someone by participating in their hobbies/interests, even when you wouldn't choose them for yourself
• Emotional - for this component, consider "Do I invoke emotions in another person that they enjoy? Do others like how they feel when they are around me?"
• With the spiritual component, understand what your beliefs & values are AND whether you are living in line with those.
• Of the four elements (PIES), you can be positive, neutral or negative. If you are negative in any of the aspects, it can start to detract from your relationship
• The Whole Love Path starts with Attraction, moves to Acceptance (is this someone I accept as they are?), then becomes attachment, and continues to Aspiration.

Resources:

Where to find Kimberly Beam Holmes:

• Instagram: @kimberlybeamholmes

• Podcast: It Starts with Attraction

• Youtube: Marriage Helper

Rate Your PIES at It Starts with Attraction: https://itstartswithattraction.com

Marriage Helper website: https://marriagehelper.com

PIES University website: https://piesuniversity.com

The concept of self-love may sound cheesy or make you think of a never ending list of self-help books. But, as more and more psychology studies are showing, self-love is vital to mental health and well-being. In this episode, we talk with Josh Trent, Founder of Wellness Force, about the power of self-love and the practices you can incorporate to cultivate more of it. He also details his breathwork program (called BREATHE): how he developed it, how breathwork can help, how the program is designed, and what you can gain from a daily breathing practice.

In the "You Want Me To Do What??" section, Shanna and Nicole share their experience with Josh Trent's BREATHE program.

Episode Recap: Interview with Josh Trent - 2:07, "You Want Me To Do What??" section - 59:04

Highlights:

• We only change when the pain is so great that our love for ourselves trumps the fear of change -- self-love makes us change
• A journaling prompt that Josh recommends: emotional inventory
• • Take a paper and draw a line down the center
  • On the left side, write down 10 things you truly love
  • On the right side, write down 10 things causing your the most pain (either internal or external)
  • Take a deep breath, sit with it, meditate and/or do some breathwork
  • Call someone you trust and share one thing you are most grateful for & one thing your are committed to changing
• Focusing on breath turns off the default mode network of your brain -- the network focused on fear and scanning for threats
• Beliefs that aren't challenged are the ones that never change
• With self-love, you need to love ALL of you:
• • Love your fear
  • Own your shit
  • Are you loving being in your body?
• Self-love tools Josh recommends: breathwork and journaling
• Self-love is a daily practice
• Josh's perspective on breathe -- If I can breath, I can choose
• The BREATHE program was created based on science & research to teach people how to enter rest & relax rather than fight or flight
• Josh's Top 3 Tips on Well-Being:
• • Take an honest inventory of who you are & where you are
  • Have a mindfulness practice of who is in your space -- both people & technology
  • Find something you love in your life and just do that as much as you possibly can

Resources:

BREATHE Program:

Breathwork.io

Where to find Josh Trent:

Instagram: @trent_sd

Podcast: Wellness Force

Where to find Wellness Force:

Instagram: @wellnessforce

Website: https://wellnessforce.com/

In this supersized episode, we go deep into learning about energy and using the subconscious mind to heal with the help of Aisha Ahmed. Aisha is a subconscious healing specialist, Body Code Practitioner, PSYCH-K Facilitator and founder of Aisha Heals. We learn from her about Emotion and Body Code and their ability to target & release energetic imbalances in order to heal such things as physical pain, stress & anxiety, relationship issues, and more. All of this is done through working with the subconscious mind. We also talk about PSYCH-K, and it being another tool for reprogramming the subconscious. Based on research in neuroscience, PSYCH-K is described by Aisha as high speed mindset change.

In the "You Want Me To Do What??" section, Nicole describes her experience working with Aisha and Body Code. She explains how she felt different energetic shifts and a change in the pain that she felt in her shoulder during her session with Aisha. From Shanna, she tells about her PSYCH-K session, and one of the practices done that made her believe in the power of energy healing and the subconscious mind.

Episode Recap: Interview with Aisha Ahmed - 2:19, "You Want Me To Do What??" section - 49:34

Highlights:

• Aisha Ahmed started her career in IT, but after feeling a calling for something bigger and finding personal success with the Body Code, she changed careers to her passion of empowering people to get to their true potential and discover their purpose in life.
• The Body Code & Emotion Code were developed by Dr. Bradley Nelson, a holistic chiropractor, based on bioenergetic healing and subconscious reprogramming.
• Emotion Code is a healing system that:
• • focuses on emotions as trapped balls of energy in the body
  • works to release the energetic imbalances in the body caused by trapped emotions
  • uses muscle testing to get answers from the subconscious
• Body Code is a healing system that encompasses the Emotion Code along with:
• • physical misalignment
  • toxicities
  • nutritional deficiencies
  • energetics of limiting beliefs
• To understand what's going on in a person's subconscious, practitioners are trained in distance connecting to the subconscious through energy and using muscle testing as a form of biofeedback.
• To clear trapped emotions, practitioners use the meridian system of Chinese Medicine.
• Aisha encourages those that try Body or Emotion Code to be open to seeing how you feel after a session before making a judgement. Some people feel an immediate response while others experience things a day or two afterwards.
• PSYCH-K is described as high speed mindset change based on neuroscience and the Whole-Brain State.
• PSYCH-K works on the subconscious mind to:
• • Release resistance & internalize new beliefs
  • Focus on what you want in life
  • Remove the emotional attachment to past traumas & triggers

Resources:

Where to find Aisha Ahmed:

Instagram: @aishaheals

Website: https://www.aishaheals.com/

Books mentioned in the episode:

The Emotion Code by Dr. Bradley Nelson

In this supersized episode, we go deep into learning about energy and using the subconscious mind to heal with the help of Aisha Ahmed. Aisha is a subconscious healing specialist, Body Code Practitioner, PSYCH-K Facilitator and founder of Aisha Heals. We learn from her about Emotion and Body Code and their ability to target & release energetic imbalances in order to heal such things as physical pain, stress & anxiety, relationship issues, and more. All of this is done through working with the subconscious mind. We also talk about PSYCH-K, and it being another tool for reprogramming the subconscious. Based on research in neuroscience, PSYCH-K is described by Aisha as high speed mindset change.

In the "You Want Me To Do What??" section, Nicole describes her experience working with Aisha and Body Code. She explains how she felt different energetic shifts and a change in the pain that she felt in her shoulder during her session with Aisha. From Shanna, she tells about her PSYCH-K session, and one of the practices done that made her believe in the power of energy healing and the subconscious mind.

Episode Recap: Interview with Aisha Ahmed - 2:19, "You Want Me To Do What??" section - 49:34

Highlights:

• Aisha Ahmed started her career in IT, but after feeling a calling for something bigger and finding personal success with the Body Code, she changed careers to her passion of empowering people to get to their true potential and discover their purpose in life.
• The Body Code & Emotion Code were developed by Dr. Bradley Nelson, a holistic chiropractor, based on bioenergetic healing and subconscious reprogramming.
• Emotion Code is a healing system that:
• • focuses on emotions as trapped balls of energy in the body
  • works to release the energetic imbalances in the body caused by trapped emotions
  • uses muscle testing to get answers from the subconscious
• Body Code is a healing system that encompasses the Emotion Code along with:
• • physical misalignment
  • toxicities
  • nutritional deficiencies
  • energetics of limiting beliefs
• To understand what's going on in a person's subconscious, practitioners are trained in distance connecting to the subconscious through energy and using muscle testing as a form of biofeedback.
• To clear trapped emotions, practitioners use the meridian system of Chinese Medicine.
• Aisha encourages those that try Body or Emotion Code to be open to seeing how you feel after a session before making a judgement. Some people feel an immediate response while others experience things a day or two afterwards.
• PSYCH-K is described as high speed mindset change based on neuroscience and the Whole-Brain State.
• PSYCH-K works on the subconscious mind to:
• • Release resistance & internalize new beliefs
  • Focus on what you want in life
  • Remove the emotional attachment to past traumas & triggers

Resources:

Where to find Aisha Ahmed:

Instagram: @aishaheals

Website: https://www.aishaheals.com/

Books mentioned in the episode:

The Emotion Code by Dr. Bradley Nelson

A plant-based diet has grown in popularity in recent years, but can still seem very intimidating and restrictive. Jennifer Maynard, CEO & Co-Founder of Nutrition for Longevity, is looking to change all of that. With a background in microbiology & biochemistry along with experience working in Big Pharma (and growing up on a homestead in Alaska), Jennifer has merged her experience, knowledge and passion into a company that sees food as medicine, believes a long, healthy life starts with what's on your plate, and wants to make healthy, plant-based eating as convenient as processed, fast food. We have an engaging discussion with Jennifer about the science and research behind The Longevity Diet (created by Dr. Valter Longo). She also breaks down for us what regenerative farming is, how it is far better for the environment than conventional farming practices, and why it produces higher quality, nutritionally dense food. Jennifer also shares with us her tips for eating a more plant-based diet without feeling restricted or overwhelmed. 

In the "You Want Me To Do What??" section, Nicole shares about her experience trying out the Nutrition for Longevity meal kit service and what she likes about eating a more plant-based diet. Shanna gives some recommendations on books to read if you want to understand more about the research behind The Longevity Diet as well as a vegan lifestyle in general.

Episode Recap: Interview with Jennifer Maynard - 2:06, "You Want Me To Do What??" section - 49:37

Highlights:

• Jennifer Maynard made the career switch from Big Pharma to starting Nutrition for Longevity as she wanted to show that it is possible to practice regenerative farming successfully (meaning that you can make money from it) and to make healthy, plant-based meals easy, convenient, & accessible for more people.
• Regenerative farming is returning farms to as close to a natural state as possible, including mimicking mother nature and bringing soil back to its natural health.
• Soil organic matter is vital to the environment in general and to plants growing in it.
• • Soil used to contain 11% organic matter on US farmland.
  • Soil now contains only 1% organic matter on US farmland.
• Soil organic matter:
• • Serves as a sponge for water and retains the water. Why is this important? For every 1% of organic matter we increase on farmland, we save 170,000 gallons of water per acre.
  • Holds soil together so there is less erosion.
  • Pulls carbon from the atmosphere and holds it in the organic matter. Scientists argue that the most immediate effective way to affect climate change is to increase soil organic matter on farmlands.
• The Nutrition for Longevity meal plans are based on the Longevity Diet by Dr. Valter Longo. The Longevity Diet was created By Dr. Longo after over 30 years of research on centenarian hotspots throughout the world.
• What centenarian hotspots had in common:
• • Similar macronutrient profiles of protein, fats & carbs
  • Mainly plant-based with most protein coming from legumes
  • Lifestyle patterns of intermittent fasting & prolonged fasting
  • Regenerative farming practices
• Research on aging shows that both sugar and high amounts of protein accelerate aging.
• Protein is important, but the average American eats 50g more protein than is needed.
• Nutrition for Longevity meals are $11 on average while the average fast food meal in the US costs $12.50.
• Tips for Eating a More Plant-Based Diet:
• • Start by eating more veggies & fruits
  • Try a reducetarian diet, meaning eliminate meat out of 1 meal per day and work your way to less meat from there
  • Don't see it as restricting what you eat, but rather as a transition in how you eat
  • Try to get 5 colors on your plate
• You reset your taste buds every two weeks.

Resources:

Where to find Jennifer Maynard:

Nutrition for Longevity Instagram: @nutritionforlongevity

Nutrition for Longevity YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpRGcBlgivWFHykE52t4-Sw 

Nutrition for Longevity FacebooK: https://www.facebook.com/nflongevity/ 

Nutrition for Longevity Website: https://nutritionforlongevity.com/ 

Greater Greens Instagram: @greater_greens

Books mentioned in the episode:

The Longevity Diet by Valter Longo, PhD

The China Study by T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell II

Documentary Nicole mentions on regenerative farming:

The Biggest Little Farm

For all of the fun and excitement the holidays can bring, there can also be a lot of stress and emotional triggers around this time of year. That's why we brought Claire Mark back on to the podcast for this episode to talk about how we can better approach our holidays. She shares with us her best advice on using mindfulness, which can be honed through meditation, to respond to situations & those around you rather than reacting to them. Claire also gives us some tips on approaching meditation as well as setting boundaries. This episode has a wealth of information on being more mindful for the holidays and beyond!

Episode Recap: Interview with Claire Mark - 2:09, "You Want Me To Do What??" section - 41:53

Highlights:

• Claire describes mindfulness as paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment nonjudgmentally
• Meditation is a great place to practice mindfulness
• To work on the non-judgment part of mindfulness, Claire recommends using meditation to spend time with your thoughts, recognizing when you are thinking, and taking a step back from the thoughts by simply labeling - thinking or judging or feeling, etc.
• Mindfulness is helpful in real life as it allows you to respond vs react to a situation. This can be done by pausing before reacting to a situation so you can respond
• Simple ways to start a meditation practice:
• • Sit, close your eyes, take a few deep breaths
  • Use a mantra -- you can create your own mantra by thinking of what your intentions are for starting a meditation practice and then putting them into this statement: May I be…
  • Think of meditation as pausing to take control of your thoughts
• When it comes to holiday plans, set some boundaries with what you can handle, including time with family & topics discussed. Questions to ask yourself when setting your boundaries:
• • What can I handle?
  • Where are my boundaries?
  • How can I take care of myself so I don't put myself into a position where I'm reacting & on edge?
• Slow down and be aware of what is going on around you
• Claire recommends a loving-kindness meditation practice for reinforcing positivity, compassion, and open-heartedness

Books Claire Recommends:

Comfortable with Uncertainty by Pema Chodrun

Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Waking Up by Sam Harris

Into the Magic Shop by James R. Doty, MD

Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics by Dan Harris

Resources:

Where to find Claire Mark:

Instagram: @clairemarkyoga

Website: https://www.clairemarkyoga.com/

Email: [email protected]

Episode 1: Meditation is a Superpower with Claire Mark

Where to find Claire's classes with Yogaview: https://yogaview.com/

Where to find Chill Anywhere: https://www.chillanywhere.com/try

We're over 2020, it's been a tough year. And especially this year, who has the time or mental energy to think about incorporating new wellness habits into your day-to-day? Well, we've been talking to wellness experts weekly for over a year now and have found very simple ways to add some well-being into life without having to spend a fortune or overhaul our schedules. So let us take the pressure off of you - we've curated our top 10 daily practices we've discovered that help us feel well on a daily basis. These are little things you can do to feel a little better everyday. And the more you do them, the better you feel. So give the middle finger to 2020, and start 2021 now!

1. Set hourly timer to take care of yourself - get up, move, drink some water, check in with yourself

• Take 5 minutes every hour to not be in front of a screen
• Don't overcomplicate it -- just see it as a reminder to even just stand up, shake things out and sit back down
• Make an agreement with yourself (or better yet, with an accountability partner) that you won't dismiss the timer without actually doing something, anything

1. Trust Your Gut - if you have an expansive thought or a "gut feeling", act on it once in awhile

• Don't overcomplicate intuition -- if something excites you to think about it, do it

1. Try Ayurvedic Self-Care - self-care is part of the Ayurvedic lifestyle, but don't think you need to go all in to try out Ayurveda

• Sprinkle it in to your normal routine based on what sounds enjoyable and easy for you
• You can do tongue scraping (or tongue cleansing) in the morning, which takes 15 seconds
• You can use a rose hydrosol to mist on your face in the morning or as a pick-me-up during the day, which takes 3 seconds
• You can play with recipes that call for warming spices such as cinnamon or ginger
• You can make yourself a cup of hot water with lemon or lime
• Plus so many other options

1. Meditate - do it daily, even if it's for 1 minute

• See it as a way to train your brain to respond vs. react
• If you can't "sit" in meditation, try practicing mindfulness in other ways like noticing the sensations of things like washing your hands or eating a meal

1. Leave Space for Fun - be like a kid again and make time in your schedule for fun

• Choose activities where you feel connection (to others, to your body, or to something you love), you get in a flow (by being immersed in what you are doing without forcing it), and you have a sense of playfulness (no judgement or seriousness allowed)
• Make your schedule for the day and then take one thing off of it so you have the space to find the fun in your day rather than focusing on your packed schedule
• Set a timer to dance to one song every day

1. Drink a Full Glass of Water First Thing in the AM 

• You lose water when you sleep and replenishing it helps you feel more alert, awake, and vibrant 

1. Take Small Breaks from Electronics - don't pressure yourself to spend a whole day or several days away from electronics, but rather picking certain activities to do without a screen in front of you

• Walk your dog or yourself with no phone
• Leave your phone in another room when putting your kids to bed
• Make meal times, screen-free times

1. Free Your Feet - your feet weren't made to be crammed into modern footwear all day, every day

• Take your shoes and socks off when your in your home and walk around barefoot
• Invest in a pair of zero-drop shoes for when you need to be in shoes

1. Move - our bodies were made to move so do it every.damn.day

• Don't put pressure on yourself to do a certain workout or exercise for a specific length of time
• Drop the judgement of how you move, how intense you move, and how long you move
• Any minutes is better than zero minutes of movement

1. Create a Morning Routine - how you approach your morning sets the tone for the day

• Nicole & Shanna have been loving Hal Elrod's approach to morning routine -- The Miracle Morning
• The Miracle Morning recommends focusing on six activities each AM called S.A.V.E.R.S - Silence (aka meditation or prayer), Affirmations, Visualization, Exercise, Reading, Scribing (aka journaling
• If that seems overwhelming, start small -- the key is to create a routine that is sustainable for you that starts your day off on a positive, high-vibe note

Resources:

Check out past episodes of the podcast to learn more about some of these topics:

Meditation is a Superpower with Claire Mark (Ep.1)

Ayurveda for Beginners with Justine Miller (Ep.10)

Develop Your Intuition through Spiritual Wellness with Lindsay Schroeder (Ep.18)

Why You Should Buy New Shoes with Dr. Ray McClanahan (Ep.27)

Be Considerate of Your Future Self with Erin Zammett Ruddy (Ep.44)