Self-care: Simple Sugar Scrub

Winter’s dryness inflicts all sorts of maladies on our skin. Here’s our scrumptious 3-ingredient recipe to exfoliate your skin and help keep it smooth & hydrated. Give it a try this weekend to indulge in something other than, or as an adjunct to, binge-watching Netflix (we suggest Bling Empire – watch lives of luxury and feel luxurious).

Ingredients

1 cup raw turbinado sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

3 drops essential oil of your choice (we recommend peppermint to energize and uplift or lavender to help relax)

Instructions

Put sugar in small mixing bowl, add olive oil until you get to your desired texture, then add the drops of essential oil. Mix well. You may want to transfer the mixture to a glass or plastic jar.

In the shower, gently rub the sugar scrub over your body. Enjoy and follow with a bath or shower. Your skin should feel slightly oily because of the olive oil and soak in fully shortly afterwards. Employ safe shower techniques as the mixture can cause shower/bath to become slick.

Caution: do not exfoliate if your skin is sunburned, otherwise irritated or where there are cuts or sensitive areas. Always do a patch test first.

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White sugar, given what it does to our internal biochemistry, is best used on the outside of our bodies (hence, the Simple Sugar Scrub). Even if you don’t eat a pint of ice cream or drink soda every day, there is a very good chance you’re still getting more added sugar than is serving you. 

This is the time to explore how headaches/migraines, candida, digestive health, infections, fatigue, foggy thinking, and more have connections to sugar. Address the challenge of losing weight while you improve body composition, confidence, and experience more natural energy! Learn more & join our next challenge group.

YOU: President for 2020

No matter who you voted for U.S. president in 2016 and who you plan to vote for in 2020, we urge you to consider voting for YOURSELF this year.

What do we mean? Well, while you can write yourself into the ballot, that’s not exactly what we’re referring to.

During the 10+ years we’ve been working with clients, often what is mentioned along with their health goals is that they are tired of putting themselves on the back burner….and by having done so, they feel like they’ve landed in their current situation with regards to weight, cholesterol levels, thyroid issues, stress and burnout.

We first congratulate and acknowledge how hard that transition is from being the burnt-black pot on the back burner to being the pot that now gets the attention. Think about the mean of the words “on the back burner.” When you put something on the back burner, you have decided it’s a low priority. You’ve deemed it not immediately important. And so what happens? The pot keeps simmering away and is ignored until you either walk by and remember to tend to it, or it runs out of liquid and you wonder where that burnt smell is coming from. Once a pot or pan is is scorched, it takes a lot more scrubbing to clean it and return the utensil to its previous state.

It’s the very same with our health – (remember Quiz: Body Mindfulness)? Oftentimes when we aren’t in acute pain, we defer the care of our body, we make it a low priority while we juggle ‘more important things’ and busyness on the front burners. It’s only when we have a migraine, are running to restroom and having abdominal cramps, are burnt out and fatigued, or have an acute cavity that we look past the front burners and start to pay attention to ourselves. Think about the pots or pans you have on the back burner – is it your health? Your relationship? Your career?

Why do we operate this way? Human psychology is such that when things are going well, we tend to assume they will follow that same path. We tend to not really *love* change and often we won’t do something different until the pain of not doing so is greater.

And it’s not just you! If you haven’t read The Person Behind the Professional, you’ll see the pain endured and how the health transformation was made:

“As I rose into the role of president of my own life, I knew I still needed a cabinet- a group of experts who would help me achieve a higher state of health. I hired acupuncturists & massage therapists and have consistently had a health coach who inspires me and keeps me accountable to my health goals. Having a health-minded partner and friends is huge in this area too. No (wo)man is an island.”

By building a cabinet of trusted advisors and coaches, you are able to super-charge your success and reach new states of health and vitality previously unimagined.

No matter what this year holds for the presidency….you can always cast a vote for yourself, gather a cabinet, and have the support to level-up in 2020.

Your nutrition expert and coach will assist and guide you on your path to looking and feeling great! Schedule a complimentary 20-minute call to get started.

 

 

 

CNBC: Allergies & Gluten

We recently had the pleasure of educating the public about the top food allergies as well as the difference between gluten intolerance or sensitivity and celiac disease in a segment this past weekend.

The segment aired on Saturday, October 26th on CNBC but you can watch them on the Advancements website and Vimeo. Learn more about this important topic with these additional questions and answers:

Q: How are food allergies and food sensitivities becoming a growing public health concern?

A: Food allergies and food sensitivities are becoming a growing public health concern because of how it affects us in healthcare expenditures, our communities, schools and even in our own homes if a family member or friend has food allergies and sensitivities.

Food allergies can cause anaphylactic shock and are a huge concern. The ‘big 8’ allergens in the U.S. are milk and eggs, fish and shellfish, tree nuts and peanuts, wheat and soy. In other countries, including the United Kingdom, they have even more common allergies including lupin, sulfites, and celery.

Q: How does gluten affect a person with celiac disease versus one with a sensitivity or intolerance to gluten?

A: In someone with celiac disease, eating gluten causes the body to attack and destroy the villi in the small intestine, causing nutrient deficiencies and gastrointestinal issues including diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, and weight loss. Even skin rashes, lactose intolerance, infertility and bone loss can be symptoms.

For a person with gluten sensitivity, the symptoms can be similar to the ones present with celiac disease minus the damage to the villi of the small intestine.

Q: What are the benefits of a gluten-free diet to those who have celiac disease or gluten sensitivities?

A: Following a lifelong gluten-free diet is imperative and the only treatment (thus far), for those with celiac disease. The good news is that the villi of the small intestine can heal and one can absorb more nutrients, have a decrease or elimination of symptoms, and have a reduced risk for colon cancer.

The benefit of a gluten-free diet to those with gluten sensitivity can be a lessening or even elimination of symptoms including skin rashes, headaches and migraines, bloating, stomach pains, and fatigue.

Q: Who else can benefit from following a gluten-free diet?

A: Some people with autism, eczema, multiple sclerosis, and chronic fatigue syndrome report feeling better when eliminating gluten from their diets. It is possible that they could have a gluten sensitivity and this may help explain why their symptoms improve on a gluten-free diet.

Also, some people have gone on a gluten-free diet as a means for weight loss, but it is not necessary nor recommended.