I don’t mean say no to everything you love to eat and do but I’m personally taking a stand on saying no to being over-committed and stressed out during the holidays.  With holiday invitations and gatherings beckoning, not to mention shopping and wrapping things up at work, there are far more things to do than I could possibly fit in. 

In the past, I’ve been a holiday “YES” woman.  Yes, I’ll make an appetizer for this, Yes, I’ll help you wrap gifts, Yes, I’ll come over to decorate, Yes, I’ll come to your event.  But all that “yessing” landed me in a state of overwhelm and anxiety with not nearly enough time for myself.  I was so stressed out trying to fit everything in that I didn’t truly enjoy myself. For me, the holidays should be a nice balance and the pace should slow down. As it is, I spend too much time rushing around throughout my day and year and I don’t want to do that during the holidays too.

And given the traumatic year I’ve had with health issues, surgery and a cancer scare, I’m truly appreciating a slower pace, finding time to read and relax more and not have to do everything.  I think saying no is one of the healthiest things I can do this year and I’m happily putting it into action.  And once you get going, saying isn’t actually that hard.  

Here are some specific ideas about how I’m creating more boundaries and a slower pace:

• Attending less holiday parties and events
• Making time spent with family a priority
• Minimizing shopping and skipping the crowds at the mall
• Consciously connecting with friends I won’t see over the holidays by phone and Skype
• Setting aside time to read, watch movies and just be
• Making healthy choices for holiday meals and snacks…More down time means more time to potentially eat so I’m planning ahead with healthy treats

What are you unequivocally saying NO to this year that you’re thrilled about and will make a huge difference in your sanity and stress level?

By the way, if you’re stumped about how to navigate the holidays and maintain clean eating without packing on the pounds, check out my “Clean Eating During the Holidays” audio recording: http://budurl.com/te6a. Some great ideas on how to say NO yet enjoy yourself.

Ever try a news blackout? If not, I want to challenge you to disconnect and tune into your body.  As I know you already know, we live in a constant 24-7 environment where information is readily available — too available — and a self-imposed information break would do most of us a lot of good.

Personally, I like to have a periodic information break every few months.  In fact, when I do it, I go for a week at a time without the news and you know what? It’s downright liberating! I’m a news junkie, I like to keep my finger on the pulse of what’s going on but here’s what I’ve noticed:

• When I’m so focused on what’s going on in the outside world, I lose track of what’s happening inside, in my body. I’m less tuned into to what my body needs.
• Too much focus on the news, especially these days, tends to make me anxious and edgy.
• When I take a break from the news and too much over-stimulation, my body relaxes and my mind quiets
• When I’m in a news blackout, I eat quietly, I chew more slowly, I enjoy my food more fully
• My life and health are improved!

Simply put, extracting yourself from the media and Internet fray, even for a short time, is a powerful way for you to tune in and practice better health.

My husband is on a business trip for a few weeks and although I really miss him, I’m using the time to practice my news blackout. No NPR (the source of most of my news), no checking the New York Times online and limited Internet access (I can’t totally give it up but I am limiting my time on Twitter this week).  I’m quietly listening to music, being in silence and reading for pleasure.  It’s like a mini-vacation without the beach (and cost effective too!).

Can you see the possibility for a news blackout? How soon could you do it, for how long and how do you think it could help you?

But over the years, through a mix of yoga and learning helpful techniques from my good friend Millie Grenough, life coach, author of Oasis in the Overwhelm, and deep breather extraordinaire, I’m pleased to be a recovering deep breather (because truth be told, we all started out this way).  I love how breathing deep helps me tune into my body and quiet my mind, and those are just a few of the benefits.

Take a listen to today’s audio tip to learn about why deep breathing is so good for us and what you can do to get into the deep breathing flow.

Are you a deep breather and how does it support your health? Do tell.

It’s pretty ironic though because growing up I was definitely on the shy side. Not with my family and friends of course, but in school I just hated public speaking. I still have some not so pleasant memories of more than one public speaking melt down.

But that was then, and now speaking to large groups or small, on radio or TV, is like second nature and I love it.

So I was ecstatic to be a guest on Metro Chick Radio during my recent trip to Detroit. I spent an hour with my ultra-cool colleagues midlife coach Karen Batchelor (in the middle) and branding expert and talk show host Jill Jordan.  We were talking about how to overcome the overwhelm we often feel in our lives as women and find more balance.  These days it seems like most of us are racing around at a breakneck pace and just getting the basic things of life done can seem overwhelming. Our conversation was about simple things we can do to calm down, get more centered and take a break from too much anxiety.

And not only did we talk about overwhelm, but how to figure out those midlife years when there’s all kind of changes going on (not the least of which is our body starting to shift in unexpected and often unsettling ways!). Karen is a midlife expert — she’s a pro at coaching women as they navigate the joys and challenges of midlife (menopause, aging parents, career changes, just to name a few) and we had a great time talking about how midlife can be downright extraordinary if we let it.

Bottom line — it was just pure fun, lots of laughs and great ideas. Take a listen to what we had to say and enjoy.

And when I say health, I’m talking about all areas of our life – our financial health, physical health and mental health.

Last weekend I had the pleasure of working with my colleagues Jill Jordan and Katana Abbott (pictured here with me) to inspire and motivate women into action.

We teamed up with HAP, the Health Alliance Plan, a large HMO in the Detroit area, that’s committed to women’s health.  We were part of their “Wise Woman: Finding Your Balance” seminar on Saturday and it was a blast.

What I loved is that these awesome women had a chance to take a break for the day and practice some much needed self-care. I don’t know about you, but often I say I’m going to do some self-nurturing things but then I get busy and don’t make it enough of a priority – and that’s in all parts of my life, especially mental health. Simply taking the time to get quiet and clear my mind does me a world of good given the hectic pace at which I’m often working. This was a reminder that I need to do so a lot more often.

And here’s a great example of how information and inspiration equals better health for me. The first speaker at the event, Dr. Cathy Frank, did a great presentation on mental health, focusing specifically on a variety of anxiety disorders. Did you know, for example, that women suffer from anxiety at much greater rates than men? For years, I’ve been convinced that I’ve got some kind of anxiety problem because I tend to be a worrier. But lo and behold, it looks like what I made out to be a huge problem, isn’t nearly as bad as I thought. I don’t have OCD, general anxiety disorder or many of the other disorders she mentioned. Frankly, it was a relief to understand where I fit in.  And simply getting that information inspired me to think differently about my own health within a broader context.

What about you? Have you had the opportunity to get some information about your health that’s informed your thinking or motivated you to get into action?  In what way has that helped you?  I’d love to hear about your experiences and what you have to say!

I’ll admit that I’m a life long thinker. By that I mean that I’ve become a pro at spending copious amounts of time “in my head.” Thinking, analyzing, worry, intellectualizing, being wracked with anxiety, over-thinking, you name it and I’ve probably done it. And during that time, it definitely took a toll of my health. For years, I suffered from chronic eczema that was made worse by stress and worry. Through lots of different work over the years, I’ve been able to improve my ability to quiet my mind but this training took it to a new level. It gave me an opportunity to more fully tune into my body and learn strategies to get out of my head when I feel myself getting in a loop. And i really tuned in to being present in the moment, not just physically being present and mentally reviewing my to-do list.

I love the connection we can make when we get out of our heads and into our bodies – it’s so closely linked to knowing when something is wrong and improving our health. When we slow down and tune in, it’s much easier to feel what’s going on. When we stop our breakneck pace, we can hear those words of wisdom that may be telling us it’s time to see the doctor or get some other kind of help. When was the last time that you slowed down, got out of your head and really listened to what your body has to say?

Take a listen to this week’s audio tip and hear more about why slowing down is so important and how it can help you. Enjoy!

Last night I went out to dinner with my fiance and I have to tell you that the service was terrible and the food wasn’t much better. But you know what I loved? That we took our time and weren’t rushing. That I was totally present to both the food and conversation. That I really did chew my food and taste it, even if it wasn’t that great. I totally appreciated the experience (but needless to say, I won’t be going back to the restaurant).

When was the last time you experienced ecstasy when eating? Taken a listen to my audio tip this week and get inspired.

Have some thoughts about the audio tip and post? Please share them here.

I spent far too many years feeling bad when Valentine’s Day would roll around, wondering if there was something wrong with me. Back then, I didn’t get that I could create something special for myself regardless of whether or not I had a boyfriend. Years later, I now really appreciate myself and make it a habit to practice self-care daily.

Given that so many of us run around and have ultra-busy lives, we hardly take time to breath, let alone think about nurturing ourselves. We’re overcommitted, stressed out, anxious, tired, worried, unhealthy and have far too much on our plates to handle. What would your life look like if you took some time to just be? If you got quiet, de-stressed and did something special for you? I have a hunch you’d thoroughly enjoy yourself, just like I do.

I think the incessant pace of life gets in the way of simplicity. Technology is a blessing and a curse. We’re constantly “reachable” and “on.” People can find us in numerous ways. We’re on the go, trying to get more down with less resources and time. It seemingly doesn’t end. Yet, it doesn’t have to be that way. I really believe that we can make the conscious decision to simplify our lives and reduce our stress. We can decide that we don’t have to be wired 24-7. It’s possible to create a healthy lifestyle if we make it a priority and really want that for ourselves. I’m regularly trying to work on slowing down, relaxing more, and taking better care of myself.

What about you? Are you constantly in a state of worry and overwhelm? Or are you making conscious decisions to simplify your life and be healthy? It doesn’t have to be that hard, just takes some thought and planning. How are you choosing to be in better health?