Change Archives | Hudson Valley, NY Lifestyle & Wellness

January 27, 2021 by Aimee Hockett Leave a Comment

My Relationship to Food Changed in 2020

Our Relationship to “Resolutions”

If the past year has taught anything, it’s that consistency of healthy habits will always be challenged for one reason or another. Sticking to new habits becomes a common core focus for a lot of people during the beginning of year, so it’s worth mentioning. As many of us discovered, needing more time at home was not the solution we thought we needed to get that together! Diligence has never taught us what some of us have learned from asking for more consistent compassion after the turmoil and loss that occurred 2020, and beginning of 2021.

Among so many crises on display, the widespread consequences that dieting has had across our lives is more clear than ever. With collective trauma exhaustion setting in, compassion is critical in balancing our emotional and physical relationships to food. It’s necessary to nurture all areas of fuel if we cannot have social and emotional fuel in the ways we had before covid. Food & our associations to it is 100% apart of that equation.

For me, switching up my career focus with nutrition and focusing more on creating things, I needed to figure out what my relationship to food meant to me. I asked myself many times, how can I best help people wade through their wellness goals with everything going on and also work through my own mental health/dietary struggles? After a few years of being a nutritionist, one year after discovering I had synesthesia responses to taste, smell, sound and emotion, and several months of isolation, I began to feel my perspective shift dramatically when considering how others might feel about food as emotional fuel right now.

What does it mean that I can connect to food and my body in ways other people can’t? People often approach me for advice with a heavy heart and careful level of uncertainty. After all, the subject of our personal habits and health status is a sensitive one and it is difficult to know how to bring our needs to others when searching for the right kind of help.

I know how quickly we can learn about what the body really needs to feel healthy regardless of how well we know our bodies, I’ve seen plenty of people succeed with it. I thought I knew my needs really well, but I was still figuring out life changing things when I started paying enough of the right kind of attention to myself. If there’s anything I’ve learned from my own 2020 experience, it’s that our relationships to food is an entire network of experiences woven through almost every moment of every day in our lives. We can’t ignore any of it. It shocked me to think back to the destruction that the dieting industry has had on my own body and evokes compassion for everyone else swept along the tide with me, still struggling to get out.

While weight loss is still an important and valid goal for some, people are having more conversations about the emotional consequences of disordered / restrictive eating from dieting and the impacts on diet from unrelated emotional distress (so, all of 2020). Many people will go on a diet as a means of control when what they really need in their life falls more in the category is basic human needs and stability.

Did you know that regardless of what your goal is, it is perfectly normal for your body to respond to change in life with a change in appetite or function?

Or were you fooled like me into thinking you could just control that part of yourself?

Not all bodies work the same so how does that change our relationship to resolutions at the beginning of the year? The control mindset is based off of control, however control is rarely achieved when ignoring the facts. In this case, it is that our bodies call the shots, not our intentions and we must learn listen.

In 2020, Our Relationship to Food Changed

The lessons I’ve learned in 2020 have changed my relationship to food completely and if there’s one thing I want others to learn from me, it’s that the commitment to your relationships with your body and food is fluid and at the mercy of so many life factors. Diligence is only part of the equation but not the common variable.

Balance is only achieved when you know yourself and connect with your humanness. Forcing habits or convincing myself to ignore my body’s internal messages never yielded the same powerful results as mindful strategizing and thoughtful decision making have.

As the diet industry shifts, many people are also waking up to how deeply culture, heritage, racism, and cross generational trauma weigh in on our emotions, our physical sense of health and our intimate relationships with food. These dynamics (especially when injustice, inaccessibility, harm and violence have taken place) alongside understanding the stabilizing functions of our bodies can give us almost every piece of information left unanswered from most diet plans.

There are few things in life that we do quite as often as we eat and drink so it is important to approach dietary habits with a balanced mindset. In order to exist in a balanced state of health, all areas connected must be taken into account. When we think about the vast network of our relationship to food, we see that it’s important to also consistently consider seasonal changes, accessibility, finances, taste preferences, safety, etc… It is woven into every fiber of life across our entire planet. So why do we put so much focus on productivity or the shape / size of our bodies?

In 2020, many of us had a different relationship with food when we had to re-strategize how we go about getting groceries. We will never forget the great toilet paper shortage! Accessibility has changed a few times over the course of the past several months. Finances changed. Businesses changes. Safety changed. Skills & habits changed. Our collective perspective and relationship to how food exists in our lives changed completely. It’s time to stay accountable with ourselves, community and people that contribute to our wellbeing (aka- businesses).

After 2020, I am wondering, What areas do you feel balance is most disconnected when it comes to food in your world?

How My Relationship with Food Changed in 2020

One of the most important elements in this network between food and our bodies is our bio-chemical feedback responses when food connects with emotion controlling neurons in our brain. The network between our neurons connects with the food we consume in a variety of ways. It dives deep into our relationships with health, starting with the moment we smell something or taste something. We can experience any number of (sometimes random) elements of life like nostalgia, re-lived trauma, shame, or relaxation.

In fact, food and the sensory experience of deliciousness is a special kind of emotional fuel we don’t get in many places in our life. Especially when we haven’t been able to see and hug our people for a long time, it’s important to have an outlet for happiness and remembering good times.

During my year of isolation, I spent a lot of time remembering the smell of places I’ve missed when looking at old photos, the taste of food I’ve eaten that I wish I could order again at a table… and I remembered the smells of homes and restaurants from cherished memories with loved ones when I heard certain songs. The ability to reach out to nostalgia so closely during a period of solitude made me realize how many years of unawareness of my synesthesia caused a lot of health issues for me.

For most of my life, I had no idea that I had synesthesia or that the types of synesthesia I had were possible. Because I also had food allergies, I experienced a great deal of disordered eating patterns and I struggled to manage my appetite, especially around my emotions. This lead to a whole host of consequences with my health like IBS, skin reactions, mild phases of anorexia (no appetite or will to eat), debilitating stomach pains, acid reflux and panic attacks. I eventually began to fear food and struggled to pull myself out of a deep depression because I would often feel like every sip and bite went against the core of my human needs, even if I was hungry or tired. In a desperate attempt for relief, I began chasing a desire to help others heal from similar experiences. I went back to school to study Clinical Nutrition & Integrative Health because I wanted to understand why I felt the way I did and explore the creative career outlets that wellness and food had to offer.

Over the years, I’ve learned more about mindful eating and began to look inward into my own connections with food to better understand how to help others. That compassionate work set me on course to decoding the most important element of my life that I’ve always been chasing to repair. There was always something I could sense about myself that I wasn’t understanding or seeing clearly, but knew was different from other people.

I only thought that synesthesia was the ability to see color when you hear music. I thought you literally saw these colors in front of you, like a hallucination in the room. In the process of exploring guided meditation and mindful eating, I became more aware of what it was I had been searching for in myself.

That’s when I realized there are over 80 different types of synesthesia [https://synesthesia.com/blog/types-of-synesthesia/] and hundreds of other people that can relate to me. I learned can call on smells and tastes at will, I see color when I eat something delicious or hear a wonderful sound. That is just a few types of synesthesia that I have. I began to pay closer attention to this in my mindfulness practice to learn how it impacts my decision making skills. I realized anxiety and depression dulled these senses, always leaving me feeling like part of me was missing. Now that I have spent so much time with it in 2020, it has become the forefront of how I exist in the world and my relationship has completely changed with food. I can visualize the networks we all have with food, nutrition and wellness more clearly and want to share this gift to help others.

How We Can Approach Wellness in 2021

My experience taught me that our food choices can help or hurt us in so many different ways – financially, physically, chemically, emotionally, and we are constantly chasing the questions of, “What does my level of care say about me?” “How do I take better care of myself?”

The most effective way to make progress towards consistently balanced health is organizing and harmonizing the elements in this network and then making the effort to prioritize the most fragile elements. Balance does not exist without consistency, but compassion is the key to consistency. This year I am helping others by sharing the most impactful elements to health & wellness with a new VIP Membership. For a closer look into what synesthesia has taught me about wellness, you can now join the membership for instant access to all my best wellness challenges, recipes, mindfulness practices and meditations. Each month I will be adding new content and taking requests for specific topics!

Click Here to Join!

As always, I am eager to connect and would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Find me on social media and add a comment in my posts or send me a direct message! Can’t wait to hear what you think!

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March 20, 2020 by Aimee Hockett Leave a Comment

5 Ways to Focus on Your Health

There are so many things we can be doing to improve our health status on a daily basis. Do we always make the effort? No. In light of a global crisis, it may have us rethinking how easily we put some of that effort off. When life (or life for everyone) comes to a screeching halt, it almost seems like a direct order from mother nature that we need to reevaluate our habits of livelihood and maybe switch some out for ones that are more efficient or self/environmentally preserving. When there are so many overwhelming suggestions right now, I suggest you start with the simple things in life covered in my top 5 Ways to Focus on Your Health. The goal is to make the process easy and practical to your current lifestyle and how to adjust to the new normal.

What Ways Do You Need To Focus On Your Health?

For weeks I have been in a continuous conversation with my thoughts about “intuitive eating” and “flexible health habits”- wondering to myself, how much can one person afford to not create these important daily habits before something takes that all away and really teaches them to change completely. I never expected to receive such an extreme answer from the world.

Not everyone thinks having established health routines is important. Do they at some point need to or do people really get by without every really needing to prioritize their health?

All along I knew in the back of my mind what the answer was, but seeing our habits in a truer light during historic pandemonium proves to me that the following methods I use with my clients is crucial to maintaining a balanced life under any strain or health status. It is proof that when you think you are ready may be too late to start trying, much like hydration. Thirst is a sign you are already too late to fulfill your needs. If you think this is something you don’t need, you are wrong. In the next crisis, you won’t be prepared to survive without learning about some new things regarding your health practices.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to share more of the same things you have seen or already tried time and again with your health. This isn’t about an at home workout roundup or a recipe roundup. While those can be so helpful, this is about rocking your core and changing your life for the better. Of course, without completely overwhelming yourself during this panicked time or requiring you to attain the unattainable.

What I am looking for is for you to take this opportunity to get into the dusty parts of your life and clean out the nitty gritty of some of your daily habits. There will be no better time to start shaking things up in order to optimize your comfort, nourishment, happiness and overall financial efficiency related to your health. It’s time to find new ways to focus on your health with a personal deep clean.

If you think you don’t need this or if you think you are ready (or not even) for this crisis or not, chances are, you are going to get restless during an extended self quarantine and there may be some casualties (struggles, rationing, arguments, etc.) that might go on in your household during this time.

This historical moment has everyone policing others over their behavior, not totally sure themselves what is right or wrong anymore. Self isolation with limited resources and freedom teaches you a lot about how much time, energy, money and awareness you are willing to commit towards your health.

Some may realize they devote too much of one thing to achieving a balanced livelihood and this can cause a lot of stress and strain on your lifestyle during the current crisis.

It is now or never to give yourself a shot at improving the quality of your life when you can no longer just buy a cheap solution for every problem. It’s time to figure things out for yourself and learn a few new things about how your health habits influence your quality of life and overall health. Instead of just ordering a solution, make one (these obviously are not words for every need, but can apply to many during sudden tough times).

5 Ways to Focus On Your Health At Home

1. Assess Your Pantry Staples

First thing is first during this crisis, we have to bring up the fear shopping and how we might be feeling about our food habits right about now. Does this situation have you at all reevaluating how you normally stock your pantry? I sure have and I am also glad to have started this practice of re-prioritizing my pantry items months ago, for the sake of saving money & reducing environmental impact. This moment in history is proof to me that no matter what your situation is, it is always good to be prepared.

5 tips to stocking your pantry like a nutrition professional

Don’t put off your health efforts now. This doesn’t mean go all in and avoid carbs, go totally gluten free (unless you need to), eat plant based, avoid junk food, etc. I mean, it is time to make a plan for your pantry preparedness and reconsider making minor changes while keeping a well balanced and stocked pantry. You can get detailed tips and suggestions by referring to my balanced pantry essentials list included in the Mindful Eating Ebook listed below.

Here is what is included in the Pantry List:

2. Spend Some Time Eating Mindfully

Isolation at home is not ideal to many people and feelings of restlessness can set in. A global crisis requiring widespread self isolation is the perfect time to prioritize self grounding work and learn more about the connection between your body processes & how you are feeling.

There are so many ways you can expand your relationship with food and your current health status through mindful eating. I strongly encourage you spend your time during this isolation period learning about your eating and digesting processes through mindful eating exercises.

The Mindful Eating Ebook includes intuitive eating exercises and has you review every element of your dietary habits like budget, skills, equipment, taste preferences and recipes you like. It encourages you to try new things and guides you through implementing them, making sure you and your body benefit from the experience. If you want to expand on the pantry stocking section in this, check out the spices tips listed in number 3 below.

For a more comprehensive 90 day wellness challenge, check out my newly released wellness journal!

3. Take a Look at Your Spice Cabinet

Now that we are all reviewing our food stocking skills a little differently these days, it is the perfect time to get to know some of the spices you have tucked in the back of your pantry (make sure they are not too old-gross!). While essentials are flying off the shelves, many stores still have a lot of the flavor enhancing ingredients I keep stocked up on.

Chances are, you may end up eating meals that are more sparse in ingredient variety or freshness compared to what you may prefer or are used to. If you want to include more fresh foods to improve your health, it can be tricky but you can do it and be smart about it. Read up on some of my favorite flavorful pantry essentials in the Balanced Spices Handout and turn some really boring meals into cheap and delicious ones!

If you want to expand on a larger pantry overhaul, this spice guide is the perfect way to take that to the next level. In the spice handout, I go over maximizing the uses of fresh, dried and packaged ingredients. Testing out new options for acid, aromatic flavor, minerals, fats, salt etc. is a great way to reduce your overall use of certain ingredients, reduce your grocery budget and lean more on nonperishable items. This gives you a chance to explore new flavors without feeling like your supplies are greatly restricted at this time. After all, the best remedy for a restless soul is something delicious.

Download my Free Balanced Spices Handout to take your spice game to the next level. Here is what you get:

4. Learn About Immune Boosting Nutrients

Everyone has something to say or has questions about how to boost your immunity during this pandemic. These days, doing so effectively is going to be hard based on limited access to supplement vendors, mail delivery and the fresh foods we might normally go for as a cheap and delicious way to get an immune boost.

The reality of any situation is that you should always have a plan and routine to include immune boosting nutrients. Those who already have nutrient rich pantry staples will have an easier time adjusting to the new normal and a better experience in isolation as well as, whether or not they get sick.

I recommend you spend some time learning about a variety of immune boosting nutrients and where to find them. Read more about some of my favorite immune boosting nutrients below. I had a strong desire to highlight these nutrients over others because most can be found in cheap, shelf stable pantry essentials and make a big difference in your overall immune health. Click through the links below to get an introduction to some immune supporting nutrients & how they function.

Zinc

Zinc is a powerful and popular immune boosting nutrient. It has a wide range of functions as it is found in over a hundred different enzymes and plays an important role in healing wounds. Needless to say, it is all over our immune system, protecting us through active healing and the eradication of pathogens. It can help improve symptoms and quality of life in prevention of and treatment of a number of conditions or illnesses. Zinc is an important and abundant nutrient to support everyday health … Read More . . .

B12 (Cobalamin)

B12 is a big conversation among vegetarians, vegans and plant based individuals. B12 is abundant in many animal proteins but difficult to maintain on a plant based diet. B12 is a critical immune supporter and more importantly, an energy and probiotic regulator. We need it to turn our food into energy and create new blood cells as well as manage the bacteria found in our digestive tracts (from mouth to gut). B12 is necessary to keep the brain, blood and nervous system functioning optimally. It is … Read More . . .

Calcium

Many people know that calcium is important to grow and maintain strong bones. Many people don’t know the wide range of foods that contain calcium outside of dairy and the roles that calcium plays in the human body. Did you know that calcium is important in monitoring the pH levels in the blood? Foods that contain a lot of calcium are tofu, almonds, spinach, parmesan, sardines and tahini. If you don’t eat enough varieties of calcium rich ingredients, you definitely want to check out … Read More . . .

Magnesium

Magnesium plays an important role in the processes of movement and relaxation. It plays a key role in our recovery, rejuvenation, and ability to use energy. Without magnesium, we can’t get very far and may struggle with restlessness, cramps, fatigue, aches and pains, dehydration, and impaired mental function (i.e. over emotional, angry, poor concentration, poor comprehension, etc). Magnesium helps maintain a healthy energy system in our body and keeps it’s physical structure clean, active and … Read More . . .

Potassium

Potassium is one of the more important nutrients that the body relies on. It plays a vital role in hydration of all things in the body. Many processes in the body cannot take place without proper fluid control to all areas. In a time of dehydration, potassium adjusts to help support all of the vital processes that take place. It keeps all parts of our muscles, skeleton and nervous system flowing together smoothly. This plays a critical role in many healing processes, especially the role of … Read More . . .

Selenium

Selenium is a powerful antioxidant mineral. While not the most commonly found nutrient, it is typically found among high protein sources. Antioxidants remove toxic stress on the body caused by a number of agents of oxidative stress/inflammation (like pollution, mold, illness, mental stress, injury, stale food, plastic, etc.). The impact of toxins found in these everyday encounters vary in severity. Your body needs cleanup protection measures and selenium plays anti-inflammatory roles in the … Read More . . .

Vitamin A

When you hear vitamin A, you probably think about orange foods like carrots and sweet potatoes. Vitamin A is actually present in a number of nutrient rich ingredients ranging in color from red, orange, yellow and even green. Some ingredients with a lot of vitamin A include liver, carrot juice, sweet potato, butternut squash, collard greens, pumpkin, bluefin tuna, swiss chard, broccoli rabe, boo toy and kale. Vitamin A is a powerful fat soluble antioxidant that can support durability of skin, … Read More . . .

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is one of the most important nutrients. While people associate with Vitamin D with happiness and sunshine, it actually plays a critical role in sustainable energy. Vitamin D is fat soluble but created with hormones/other nutrients found on the surface of skin. It is then absorbed through fat in the skin and eventually absorbed through the blood stream. As a powerful nutrient, it works by maintaining energy converted from food, supporting your blood pressure regulation (helpful & … Read More . . .

5. Tips for a Healthy Back While Working From Home

There is no time like during the current global circumstances to make us reassess how we do just about everything related to our health. While many are working from home for extended periods, they might just learn a new thing or two about their health in ways they might not expect.

Some might expect to make changes to their hygiene habits, but others might realize a thing or two about how their body operates physically while working in a new setting. Sounds minor enough compared to a global pandemic but posture still is very important.

We tend to go about our days as usual, paying attention to the task at hand but rarely do people ever stop to think mindfully about how they hold a pencil & how that might be effecting the whole of the body and physical health.

You can’t easily cause injury from holding a pencil but if you take the example of straining your wrist while you write and add it all up with hundreds of other minor strains throughout the day, multiply that by years and you can be prone to developing some aches, pains or even worse, injuries. Over time, that can create major health issues that can cause frustrating physical limitations you would not want to be experiencing during a global pandemic. It’s blunt and tough, but true. Practicing good posture can save you a lot of struggle in a situation you wouldn’t expect to be in.

Now is the perfect time to asses how you go about your day to day and what you can do to improve overall health and prevent any prolonged health issues like neck and back pain.

Here are some helpful tips and tutorials on neck & back pain:

Tips on everyday activities for a healthy back: https://www.spine.org/KnowYourBack/Prevention/Lifestyle-Choices/10-Tips-for-a-Healthy-Back

Proper Computer Posture: https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/staying-healthy/how-to-sit-at-a-computer/

Proper Head/Neck Posture: https://www.anthrodesk.com/blog/proper-head-posture-how-ergonomics-can-help-in-correcting-forward-head-posture

Importance of Good Working Posture: https://www.anthrodesk.com/blog/the-importance-of-good-posture-at-work

While you are stuck at home, consider some potential upgrades for the future by checking out my favorite 10 Office Tools To Help Relieve Back Pain.

Ways to Focus On Your Health Moving Forward

While we all panic, worry, hope and pray, do what you can to create moments for yourself and your own growth. If you think you don’t need it or can’t make it happen, reconsider. You are only self sabotaging and the value of the impact you have over not making the effort to improve these areas of your life can add up. While so many need help, we cannot be there for others if we are not healthy first. Make sure you are taking extra care, learning new things on how to do so and are supporting others in new ways you haven’t been before. You can easily add 5 Ways to Focus on Your Health every day with small changes that make a massive difference in your own and others quality of life.

Make sure to get on social media and let me know what tips you found the most helpful in these resources. What do you need help with? Connect with me @theakkitchen and tag #theakkitchen on Instagram, Facebook , or if you want to customize 5 Ways to Focus on Your Health, you can book an appointment, or send me an Email!

September 5, 2019 by Aimee Hockett Leave a Comment

Summer of Change

I was on the phone recently with a customer service rep to fix an error I made while placing an order online when I realized just how much I have to be grateful for during this Summer of Change.

Since I have been off social media and working for months on creating more serious & informational content, I decided it is time to update you on some things in my life this summer and some fun facts about what inspired me to do what I do as a nutritionist.

This particular customer service rep had a thick southern American accent, if I had to guess what region, I would say somewhere around Virginia/West Virginia. He was a particularly chatty person compared to most reps I speak with but he was kind and polite, genuinely just curious about all of the people he interacts with but barely gets to know in his day. He pointed out my work email (which was the email I used for this order), ([email protected]) and asked me about my business and what I do. I told him that I am a nutritionist, I went to graduate school and I am a recipe developer. He had so much joy in hearing about the different ways people live their lives & he told me a little bit about himself.

Further along in the interaction, he had a question about my address when I cleared it up for him that I actually live in a cottage. He said “Wow! A nutritionist and a cottage, now that just sounds even cooler.”

This summer I have felt infinite amounts of gratitude waking up each day & seeing all of the incredible changes that take place in the wild and nutritionally dense forest in my back yard. Not only am I able to grow and harvest wild berries, herbs, and even make my own maple syrup, but I have been the most successful I’ve been at growing an herb and vegetable garden.

In addition to the adventures I get to experience in my own home, I spent some time in the Adirondack’s on Saranac Lake. The Adirondack’s are a dream for me. I love coming back every year and always hate leaving. Even weeks after coming home, I miss the mountains, trees, water and the loons.

If you don’t know me well, then you probably don’t know that I grew up in Maryland, close to D.C. and lived in Baltimore County before moving to upstate, NY. We moved to Hudson 2 years ago and into our little cottage a year ago. I am only 20 minutes away from where we lived in Hudson but the wild nature that is able to thrive out here blows my mind. My time here has been cathartic, healing, and transformative.

This place has completely changed me as a person and brought me so much serenity and harmony. With all of this change has come a fair amount of revelations and a total reset of my mind-body connection. This summer I have made many more changes to my life and business. If you have been around for a while, here are a couple of major announcements that have resulted from my magical summer Upstate:

Number 1 change you need to know about: I am moving my office! I am no longer at KB Chiropractic but will still be located in Hudson. I am joining a few other practitioners from the area to form a new community integrative health center. We have our eye on a location but details are still in the works!
I am adding new services! I have always wanted to do more than nutrition consulting. While I will continue to have nutrition appointments available virtually and in person, I will be adding on business coaching and consulting services. I mainly will be helping wellness professionals to organize their administrative systems so they can spend more time doing what they love without the extra business baggage that comes with it. This means that I will have a whole new library of resources and regular workshops available!
I am creating jewelry and home good items to sell on Etsy!
I am planning a podcast. I have so much more to share and I really want to share these messages more effectively while having the option to bring my favorite experts into your life to share what they have done for mine.
I am revamping my recipe calendar. I am carving out more time to create more recipes. People are always asking me fore more & more recipes. In order to make this work, I need to rework my schedule to plan out the appropriate amount of time necessary to complete a recipe from start-finish (this is a lot more involved than one would think) and connect with companies that will hire me to create, photograph and write up recipes using their products.
The last change I have seen in the last three months is a total revamp of my website to better reflect what my main goals are with my business, recipes, blog posts, life, etc. Around all things I do and help people with, the main agenda is to find the Basics that promote a True level of maintained Balance. To better help people achieve this, I created the True Balance Basics Method. You can learn more about this method here.

Here are some tips I have to dealing with change and leaning into the flow of new seasons of life:

1. Develop a new way to plan the day, every day.

Every day is going to be different as change approaches or is unfolding. Some days will bring unexpected tasks and interruptions. Planning out everything you need to do in advance can end up setting you back more. Try to wake up each day and plan out 2-3 of the most time sensitive tasks you need to take care of (including appointments or errands; things that tend to be especially time or energy consuming).

2. Set a timer mid morning and mid afternoon to check in with your network.

Staying on top of communications and admin tasks (even personal ones like sending a text reminder to a friend or family member) is so difficult to keep track of while experiencing change. These are the things that don’t tend to make it on to do lists & points of contention or added stress can creep in because something will get forgotten along the way.

3. Spend at least 30 minutes in the morning and evening just focusing on doing absolutely nothing.

Don’t look at your phone, don’t talk to anyone except for casual conversations with those you live with (do not include responsibilities or how your day was. Try to focus on recreational interests like something you say on TV, the internet or your reflective thoughts about life). Grab your favorite beverage and enjoy some fresh air, views outside or just get cozy in your favorite place to sit. Relax and spend the time just taking slow, deep breaths.

4. Spend at least 15 minutes making sure you have everything you need to be nourished, comfortable and prepared.

You can do this the night before or plan for an extra few minutes of your morning routine to make sure you have prepared snacks, fluids, relevant vitamins, and important pieces of information to make your day an efficient and stress free success.

5. Plan out the most efficient routes between errands and destinations to consolidate some of your responsibilities and spend less time on them.

6. Know that the change can bring just as much struggle as it can bring positive results in your life. Much of the change I experienced moving to the country and moving offices has involved difficult decisions, self doubt, risk, unexpected casualties, and extreme levels of stress. Among all the bad experiences I have had during these times of change, I have had better living situations, better health, and countless other unexpected benefits.

If you are planning for a major change in life or are currently struggling in the throws of new routines, the best way to plan ahead is to take each day at a time and don’t overcommit yourself.

June 13, 2019 by Aimee Hockett Leave a Comment

Prioritizing Joy During Men’s Health Month

A major element of working with my clients it to educate them on their mental health habits. A part of prioritizing my own joy and mental health has been to prioritize the work I enjoy the most. Something I love to do is to work with other wellness experts on improving the organization of their business. I recently started working with more clients to help them achieve their goals and keep their sanity. In light of prioritizing my own joy and mental health, I wanted to share some tips on Prioritizing Joy During Men’s Health Month.

Prioritizing Joy and Mental Health During Men's Health Month

I recently started working with Rachel Hershberger, MS, CNS, LDN of www.phillyfunctional.com to take her business systems to the next level. As we were going over monthly wellness topics one day, we had a long conversation about Men’s Health Month. We noted the differences between information in the media for women’s health and men’s health. We both pointed out a huge lack of support for men’s mental health. Today, you can find tons of support for women’s mental health and resources to encourage a woman’s sense of self love. Many conversations around men’s health do not feature this element of self love or mental health preservation.

Since June is Men’s Health month, we couldn’t help but stop and think about all of the misinformation given to all our guys out there. It’s important we support our men just as much as our favorite gals. The meaning of wellness is shifting dramatically for women and it’s time we talk about some important conversations and tips around the importance of joy in men’s health.With the monthly focus on men’s health during June, we wanted to remind and encourage you or your guys to spend some extra time this summer on activities that brings them happiness and joy.

Stress and stress related diseases or health crises are at a national high. Including more fun and adventure is an easy way to make effort in your wellness routine that doesn’t involve a strict diet, extreme exercise or supplement regimen. Enjoyment and fun is an essential part of self care and should be scheduled weekly.

Here are some tips to prioritize joy as a regular men’s wellness habit:

-Listen to music, find a portable blue tooth speaker you can carry around with you throughout the day or while you complete household or personal chores

-Spend time outside or being silly. Dance around instead of hitting the gym. Take a long walk or go on an afternoon adventure like hiking or renting some kayaks.

-Make sure you are not stressing yourself out with your wellness habits like exercise or meal prep after a long day. If you want to relax, research healthier restaurants or menu items that you have not tried before instead of worrying about spending the time and energy preparing to maintain your healthy habits every single day. Flexibility and taking breaks from your routine is okay as long as you tune into your needs and desires when you need the rest.

-Don’t forget to celebrate your accomplishments. Maybe you are feeling better than ever or met a personal or business goal you have been working at. Don’t ignore that! Buy yourself something delicious and healthy like organic dark chocolate, fresh berries or a delicious grass fed steak. Celebration doesn’t mean you need to break from your wellness habits. You can include these efforts while also getting some enjoyment from a special treat.

-If you are an avid reader or would like to read more but don’t find the time, try and listen to more audio books and podcasts.

-If you enjoy playing video games, try finding a new game that you can play with a high reward and low impact on stress, adrenaline or cortisol. If you have a group to join in, try playing an old school board game and get some extra social connection in.

-Don’t turn to alcohol every time you need to destress. If you find yourself turning to alcohol often, try and swap this out with something fun like throwing around a frisbee or going out to your favorite restaurant.

Disassociating from the many stressors we experience in life is a key part to preventing stress related diseases or symptoms. While it is not ideal to avoid our problems all together, we essentially need to take breaks when we get the chance. Finding ways to ‘turn off’ or rest our busy mind and body with something fun and exciting is just as important as eating the right blend of nutrients throughout the day. Make sure to check in with yourself or the men in your life to help them prioritize their personal space and necessary down time. Make sure they are getting enough fun and Prioritizing Joy During Men’s Health Month so we can help them work towards being the best versions of themselves!

Aimee K. Hockett, MS

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