The truth, however, is that an estimated 20 % of Americans are sleep deprived and get less than six hours of sleep a night.  What’s keeping us up at night?  All those electronic devices – the Internet, cable TV, our non-stop email  – just to name a few.  Diabetes, heart disease and obesity have all been linked to too little sleep.  When we’re sleep deprived, we’re less productive, have shorter attention spans and are more likely to be in or cause an accident.  And lack of sleep has also been linked to higher cortisol levels – the stress hormone.  When we’re not getting enough sleep, our body responds with increased cortisol levels which can lead to weight gain. 

Burning the candle at both ends may work for a while but the reality is that can take a toll on our health. This was brought home to me as I watching Oprah recently. Bob Greene, fitness and health guru was discussing his new book, 20 Years Younger:  Look Younger, Feel Younger, Be Younger!  In addition to healthy eating, exercise and skin care, I was struck by the discussion of sleep and its impact on aging when we don’t get enough.  He suggests 7-9 hours a night.  Are you even in the ballpark?

I have been making a conscious effort to get more rest. I get up every day during the week at 5:30 and have a daily practice that includes tongue scraping, drinking warm water to activate my internal organs, meditating, chanting and exercising.  That’s a lot to do so early in the morning!  But what a difference it makes when I actually get enough rest and feel more alert when I wake up.  Here are three strategies I’ve been using to help me ease into more and better sleep – I’m far from perfect but I am much more self-aware of my habits and patterns:

• Wind down before you get in bed.  I need to have 30-45 minutes in the pre-sleep mode when getting ready for bed. I used to just pop into bed and expect to go to right to sleep, but your body needs time to transition.  For me this includes quiet time with no TV or Internet and reading for at least 15-30 minutes. I also include the usual things in this time frame too – brushing my teeth, washing my face, etc. but it means I have to plan ahead and be mindful of the time.
•  No TV in the bedroom.  For my entire life, I’ve never had a TV in my bedroom.  I can thank my mom for that awesome habit! TV sucks you in, promotes poor sleep and can even do a number on your sex life! TV can be just fine in other parts of the house but leave it out of the bedroom if you want to support a better night’s sleep.
•  Eat early and allow 3-4 hours to digest your food.  Going to sleep on a full stomach after a late night binge promotes poor sleep, not to mention potential weight gain.  Your body needs to rest and recover during the night and eating too close to bedtime keeps the body far too occupied.  Ease into earlier, lighter meals in the evening that won’t leave you feeling uncomfortable before bed.

 Are you a sleep champ, supporting your health with sufficient zzzz’s or do you have room for improvement? How can you start sleeping more? Leave your thoughts on the blog and let’s share some sleep-tastic ideas!

It almost sounds silly to say that I was reconnecting with my body since I exercise almost every day and am very active, but our weekend retreat, Radiant Health for Women, was about slowing down, tuning into and really noticing what’s going in our bodies.  To be honest, I sometimes miss the cues my body is sending me when I’m running from one activity to another.

I don’t know about you, but I find it increasingly easy to be overwhelmed by the pace of my busy life and schedule. I have too much going on, not enough down time and am overstimulated by the 24-7 access to technology that so many of us are vulnerable to, spending far too much time emailing, Facebooking, Tweeting and the like.   I can easily get sucked into spending too much time doing and not enough time simply being.   

Ironically, I talk about self-awareness a lot when I speak to women about creating vibrant health as we age yet it’s something I continually need to work on – I believe that we teach what we most need to learn. In my recently published book, A Healthier You, I wrote at length about this topic in the chapter, “Clean Eating, Self-Awareness and the Power of Prevention,” and about how eating a healthy diet alone won’t necessarily prevent chronic disease.  In fact, increased self-awareness and knowing our bodies are equally important components to creating a healthy lifestyle.

It reminds me that just about two years ago I had a case of Shingles, a virus caused from too much stress.  Even though I was eating the healthiest of foods, my stress level was off the charts and I was doing a horrible job of running my business and managing my life in a balanced way.   Clearly my level of self-awareness about my own health and body was amazingly low. 

During the retreat, I remembered what it felt like to truly relax without my To Do list looming in the background — that felt liberating.  And I had a chance to practice restorative yoga that was also part of our weekend workshop, reminding me that more calming exercise has a place alongside strength training and spinning, it doesn’t all have to be go go go all the time!

Above all, this weekend tune up reinforced the notion that self-awareness, slowing down and tuning in shouldn’t only happen when we decide to make the time for it.  Like anything else that’s important to us, we need to make it a priority. And just as you endeavor to practice clean eating every day, why wouldn’t you and I practice increased self-awareness everyday? The key for me is to make daily baby steps that keep my stress levels in check so I don’t get overwhelmed to the point of having the Shingles again.

What about you? Are you aware of what’s going on in your body? Are you tuned into when you need more time for renewal and to unplug from your busy life?  And while going away for a weekend of rest is optimal, we can create opportunities for self-care and awareness right at home.

What will you do today and this week to become more self-aware, tuned in and to celebrate vibrant health? What do you most need right now?

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.

On Monday, December 6 at 7 pm ET I’ll be having a conversation with one of my favorite people, Millie Grenough, pictured at left.  Millie is a life coach, therapist and author of Oasis in the Overwhelm: 60 Second Strategies for Balance in a Busy World.

If you’re like many people I know, the holidays can heap on added stress dealing with traveling, visiting family or simply the rush of trying to do too much with not enough time to relax.  Add in too many holiday parties with tempting food that’s calling your name, and you can have a recipe for added weight gain as well.

Millie and I will both be sharing our favorite healthy tips and tricks to minimize stress during the holidays, make powerful intentions about self-care and truly enjoy ourselves.

I hope you’ll join in the fun and get inspired to make the most of the holiday season that’s upon us.

Join us by dialing in to the following number on Monday, 12/6 at 7 pm ET: 

712-429-0690 – enter 600493# as the passcode.

I hope you can join us!

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?

And as I know you already know, self-care is the perfect elixir to help us achieve optimal health — it’s boosts our immune system, rejuvenates our spirit and helps us manage our stress more effectively.

What’s your favorite self-care activity to stay healthy? Personally, I’m a big fan of getting my feet massaged – it just feels so good. And when it’s a reflexology treatment, it’s even better! Check out this video I shot last week at the Biggest PJ Party in CT.

So the question is, what simple thing can you do to love yourself up today and every day?  What’s inspiring for you and what specifically will you do?

By doing I mean I’m consistently busy seeing clients, working on my business, writing, spending time with family and friends, and the many others tasks that make up life.  Needless to say I love it, but sometimes even I need a break from doing, doing and more doing.  And after the sprint of the holidays, visiting family, being away and trying to squeeze in all kinds of activities, I’ve been ready for more time to just be.

Part of doing a cleanse is to not only detox but also to give your mind and body a break. For me, part of that meant limiting my time at the gym. I went last Monday and then decided to take the week off and not over tax my body (that was a convenient ploy, wasn’t it? lol).  It was also about going with things and I decided that doing the dishes wasn’t mandatory – that’s such a far cry from my let’s-keep-everything-in-working-order mantra.  But just going with it can be enlightening. 

And when we came home Friday night and found out we didn’t have heat and the gas company couldn’t get here until Saturday morning to fix it, no problem (well okay, it wasn’t great), Bruce and I bundled up in the den, turned on the tiny space heater and watched movies. 

I’m convinced that lightening up by juicing and starting to detox really set the tone for how my week went.  I worried less, let things unfold and just went with it even if things didn’t go according to plan.  Just seems like I get better outcomes when I stay present and see how things unfold whether cleansing or  juggling multiple priorities as I often do.

What about you, when was the last time you let go and went with it, and what was the result?

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.

Case in point — this past weekend, Bruce, my mom and I headed to Rhode Island for the day. We have a sailboat that’s been in storage for years. We haven’t had the time or money to get it in the water but every year we make a trek up there to see what shape it’s in and empty any pooled water before winter sets in.

So we were about to walk out the door on Saturday morning, me with my laptop bag strung across my shoulder, when they both gave me an incredulous look. “What are you doing with THAT? You aren’t going to work in the car are you?” Well yes, I said, I have TONS of work to do. That’s when they did a tag team number on me and insisted that I leave it behind. And much to my dismay (and later delight) I begrudgingly did.

But here’s the thing. I totally needed a day without work — both my body and mind were screaming for some much needed down time. As a business owner, I’ve gotten in the habit of working pretty much everyday, even if only for a few minutes. But the reality is, we all need a break, we need to quiet our minds and get away from the daily grind. And not working in the car allowed me to be much more present, take part in the conversation (instead of half-listening like I’m apt to do when multi-tasking) and thoroughly enjoy my favorite Saturday morning show (”Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” on NPR).

And taking that break seriously does support better health. It supports a healthy immune system, it reduces stress and it helps us laugh and have fun — all key factors in creating great health, especially during these over-the-top, busy. super-stressful times in which most of us live.

What about you? How adept are you at giving yourself a total break from your hectic routine and indulging yourself a bit? What do you and how does it support your health? I’m reminded that I need to plan days last this past Saturday a lot more often.

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.