​As mentione a few weeks ago....Stress is a normal part of life, but when it spirals out of control, it can have a huge impact on ourwell-being. Fortunately, there are many things we can do to manage and reduce stress.

Breathwork is one such approach that combines focused breathing exercises with mindfulnesstechniques to help us relax and cope with the pressures of everyday life.

What is Breathwork?

Breathwork is an umbrella term for several different types of breathing exercises designed to help people relax and ease their stress. It typically involves slow, deep inhales and exhalesthrough the nose while focusing on your breath and body sensations. This type of breathing helps to activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which calms the body down andreduces stress levels.

Manypeople also find that breathwork helps them gain insight into what they’re feeling or why they’re stressed in the first place. The Benefits of BreathworkThe benefits of breathwork are numerous, ranging from improved physical health to bettermental well-being.  Regular practice can help reduce anxiety and depression, improve sleep quality, increase energy levels, boost immunity, reduce inflammation, improve focus and clarityof thought, promote feelings of calmness and relaxation, and overall just makeyou feel good!Additionally, since breathwork doesn't require any special equipment or training, it's easy to doanytime and anywhere—it's a great way to relax after a long day at work or before an importantex am.

How To Get Started With Breathwork  

Getting started with breathwork is easy! All you need is a comfortable space where you won’t be disturbed for 10-20 minutes (you may want to set aside some time every day for this). You can

Start by simply sitting in a comfortable position with your eyes closed (or open if you prefer) and taking deep breaths through your nose for several minutes until you start feeling relaxed. Thereare lots of online resources available that will walk you through more advanced techniques like alternate nostril breathing or pranayama if you're interested in exploring further.

Takeaway:  Stress affects us all at some point in our lives, but luckily there are ways we can manage iteffectively without relying on medication or other drastic measures. One such approach isbreathwork—a combination of focused breathing exercises and mindfulness techniques thathave been proven to reduce stress levels significantly when practiced regularly over time. It'seasy enough for anyone to get started right away, so why not give it a try today?Who knows—it might just be the key to unlocking better mental well-being

Here's to your health 
​Theresa

Fruits and Veggies That Help to Burn Fat
For a well-balanced diet, you need to have plenty of fruits and veggies in addition to your lean protein and whole grains. Luckily, they are not only low in fat and nutritious, but many of them actually help to burn more fat.

 
High Fiber Fruits
There are many fruits that are nutritious and good for, which most of them containing vitamins and minerals that will be good overall. However, not all fruits are equal in terms of how well they burn fat and help you lose weight. When you want to burn more fat with your fruit, look for ones that have a lot of fiber, as this is going to help fill you up, improve your digestion, plus burn more of your body fat. To start with, have more apples. These are low in sugar, high in flavor and high in fiber.
You can also have your fill of berries, which are loaded with antioxidants and burn fat as well. These also happen to be low-carb approved, so if you are on a low carb diet, you can still enjoy them. Go for strawberries and blueberries first, then raspberries and other types. Avocadoes often get confused with being a vegetable, but they are actually fruit. They also boost your metabolism and are a good healthy fat to enjoy. Finally, add grapefruit to the list, which helps you to burn fat and has loads of vitamin C.

Nutrient Dense Vegetables
Now for the best fat burning vegetables. You definitely want to add as many veggies to your diet as you can, opting for frozen or fresh whenever possible. Try to avoid canned vegetables as they typically have a lot of sodium that you don’t want or need.
The vegetables with the best fat burning abilities are those that contain the most nutrients. To start with, try adding more chili peppers and bell peppers to your diet. They have a high amount of fiber and plenty of vitamin C and vitamin A. Broccoli is also high in fiber and contains the same nutrients.
Kale is one of the best leafy greens to add to your diet, helping to burn fat and providing you with calcium, protein, and fiber. Don’t forget about lentils, which are going to help improve your digestion and improve weight loss at the same time. Luckily, all of these veggies are delicious and easy to add to your meals.

To your Health,
​Theresa

 
Stress can cause a whole host of issues to your health. 
 
Different types of stress, relationship stress, work stress, worrying about children stress, pregnancy stress,  exercise stress, stress that certain foods put on the body, financial stress.  Then there is happy stress, buying a new home, a new baby arriving, planning a wedding, etc.  

​But, stress isn’t just what happens in life, it’s what happens in the body. From head to toe, stress impacts every system, ultimately impacting our health and wellbeing.
 
From the beginning, stress effects us on every level.  We may not realize it at first, or we may.  When stressed, our body does things to protect us, such as shutting down digestion, or creating more blood sugar, and cortisol.  Our body prepares us during stress for that fight it thinks we are about to have, or to help  us run faster. It puts all it’s energy into protecting us, therefore there is nothing left for digestion, or other normal bodily functions such as conceiving, or nutrient absorption.  Our bodies produce cortisol during stress.  All these things are okay if the stress is just short lived, but if the stress persists and becomes chronic stress, then everything takes a toll.  The production of extra cortisol is huge.  Think of it as adrenalin, to help us do whatever we need to protect ourselves.  But if that cortisol is continually produced, it can affect everything. It affects the health of our gut for one, and the health of our gut is the basis for most of our health.  It effects our good bacteria, it effects whether we have leaky gut, which can cause food sensitivities, and autoimmune issues. 

Extra cortisol is stored in our fat cells, this storage creates extra fat.  Fat is where toxins are stored creating extra fat, and around and around it goes.  Constant cortisol production also tires out our adrenal glands creating possible adrenal fatigue.  I have also experienced this in my life, chronic stress, creating both health concerns, as well as extra weight gain.  I know this because as soon as the chronic stress ended, so did the pain and weight-gain.  So as you can see, it is very important to reduce the stress in our lives.   As I mentioned abover, there are different kinds of stress, there is short term stress, or happy stress, such as buying a new home, or the birth of a child, and those types of stress, are ok.  We can’t avoid stress altogether, but we need to realize when it is happening, and have the tools to take care of it so that it doesn’t become chronic.  And of it already is chronic, we need to recognize that as well, and have the tools.  So this is why I have enabled you to access free, my guide to reducing stress. 

To health and happines.....
Theresa