Healthy Habits
My unique personalized approach to creating healthy habits for a balanced lifestyle
How to set up life-long healthy lifestyle habits
It doesn’t have to be hard. A few small tweaks to your daily routine are all you need.
It’s important for a bunch of reasons. It kick-starts your metabolism and prevents you from overeating later. Eating things that are high in fiber and proteins keeps you feeling full and energized. If a big bowlful is just not for you, start with a room-temperature organic protein drink, organic miso soup, or something warm to start your day.
2. Stay Hydrated with filtered water – If you aren’t too keen on good old plain water, add slices of organic mandarin, orange, lemon, lime, or cucumber. Every cell, tissue, and organ in our bodies need water.
3. Get your exercise . Take a break every hour. Do some stretches, go for a quick walk or run up and down some stairs if you have some. According to the National Cancer Institute, regular exercise helps control weight, maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints, and reduce our risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.
4. Set a time to log off. Put the phone down or close the I pad, or computer and walk, read or cook, or whatever you fancy.
5. Spend time outside. Raise your Vitamin D levels and nourish your bones, heart, and mood in some urban green spaces or in the country if you are lucky enough to live there. Take walks during lunch breaks, play sports, bike ride, or organize a weekend away with friends and go bush. Spend at least just 15 minutes outside in the sun.
6. Meditate: Take time to smell the roses
However, you do it, meditating or just stopping for a few minutes each day has been confirmed by studies that eight weeks of regular meditation can actually change parts of your brain related to memory, learning, and emotions.
7. Chew and Go Organic and Natural. Ditch Artificial and Processed foods
Tempting to grab some artificial sweetener when you are on the go and toss some in your tea or coffee? Skip the flavors and chemical-ridden syrups too in that takeaway coffee or tea. Artificial sweeteners and flavors have been found to disrupt normal body functioning and actually trigger a hunger response in the body. I recommend chewing each mouthful 20-30 times to get it into its most digestible form. Studies have also shown that chewing slowly reduces calorie intake by about 10%, partly because it takes your stomach about 15- 20 minutes to tell the brain that it’s full.
8. Limit saturated and trans fats
There are major benefits of consuming organic healthy fats like those found in nuts, seeds, olive oil, and avocado. At the same time, it’s important to reduce trans fats saturated fats, and increase Omega 3 polyunsaturated fats in the diet to protect against heart disease. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/cholesterol/prevention-and-treatment-of-high-cholesterol-hyperlipidemia/the-skinny-on-fats
9. Pay attention to your mind-body balance
You are the only one who knows what’s best for your body and mind. Recognizing how your body responds to seasonal changes and listening to what your body and mind need is the first step. It will let you know when you feel hungry, full, dehydrated, too hot or cold, or even slightly out of balance. That means you are in tune and will know what to do. Pay close attention to your energy and how your body feels overall, and you will find that you can maintain a healthy overall balance.
10. Get your sleep
Develop the habit of getting a solid 7-9 hours of sleep. If you’re having trouble getting to sleep, keep your bedtime routine free of TV, laptop, cell phone, and other devices, at least 2 hours before sleep and out of your bedroom, Give your brain some genuine downtime.
Nutrition and diet. Eat More Plants!
Every week there seems to be a new food trend doing the rounds, Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Pescatarian, Sugar Sucks (The New “Keto” and much more it is difficult to know what is right for you.
Eat More Plant-based Foods
Forget “Veganism”; plant-based foods is all about eating a majority (90% or more) of plant-based foods, but not excluding Organic and free-range chicken leg or grass-fed and finished meat. Proteins derived from plant sources – think pumpkin seeds, almonds, pea protein, and hemp protein. Adaptogens, ashwagandha, turmeric, reishi, lions mane, and shiitake mushrooms, are also hugely popular for the plant-based trend.
This diet is also great for the planet because plants have a much lower carbon footprint than animals. As such, you’ll notice the growing interest in sustainable, or better yet, “no waste”
With rates of mental health, infertility, gut health, children’s health, toxic overload, and chronic disease on the rise, get the facts you need from a professional and make informed decisions.
Add more Plant-based foods and choose Organic when it’s available. Eating naturally fermented pickles, sauerkraut, or kimchi with each meal is a great way not only to improve digestive symptoms such as bloating, gas, overweight, and mood swings but also to support your immune system, mental health, weight loss, rebalance your gut bacteria and feel more vital and energized.
How to achieve the weight that you want
Stop dieting! Don’t count and reduce kilojoules, otherwise, your body will think there is a famine, which raises stress levels and contributes to fat storage. With a few simple changes to your diet, including fermented foods, “Intermittent Fasting” rebalancing your hormones by eliminating toxic hormone disruptors, and finding an exercise routine that works for your body, you’ll soon be on your way to a lighter, healthier, and happier you.
Pre- Conception, Pregnancy, and Fertility ( I wanna have a healthy baby!)
Pregnancy didn’t come easy for me; for fifteen years I struggled to menstruate or conceive. My own frustration, impatience, and lack of confidence in the GPs empowered me to take back control and change what wasn’t working in my life.
Something had to give–I gradually ate more plant-based, vegan, ferments, and pickled foods, used medicinal herbs and finally at the ages of 41 and 46 my new path resulted in naturally falling pregnant and having two home births.
I struggled for more than 15 years to conceive. After discovering Chinese Herbs, a different diet and exercise plan, and cutting out endocrine disruptors and other contaminants it worked. I had a beautiful boy and then a lovely girl.
If you are thinking about becoming pregnant now or in the future or you having fertility challenges right now let’s talk.
It begins way BEFORE conception and in utero. The road to parenthood starts with your and your partner’s commitment to health at least 3- 6 months before conception.
Balance your mood through your hormones Get Back your natural spark!
There’s a persistent myth that only women above 50 have hormonal imbalances. Women and men of all ages experience imbalances. Even mental health issues like depression and anxiety can have their roots in hormonal imbalances and endocrine disruptors, in fact, hormones regulate almost every key function in your body. No matter what your age, it’s possible to reverse any systemic damage and get back your natural spark.
What meditation can do for you
Whether it be to support your mind, mood, or health, meditation is a fantastic tool to achieve these goals. In just a few minutes a day, you can focus your mind to reduce pain, stress, anxiety, mood swings, depression, and much more.
It’s not possible to smell, taste, touch, or see stress but you can feel the effects on your mind and body. With meditation, you can minimize the effects on your body and mind very quickly.
Just start with 5- 10 minutes a day at the same time in the morning, in a special place and it will soon become a habit just like brushing your teeth.
There are many forms you can learn. Together we can try different types of meditation techniques to see which one best resonates with you.
Tips for better Children’s health
I’m passionate about helping you grow strong, happy, and healthy children. Discover the simple tools, you need to treat your child’s health symptoms naturally, and keep them vibrant and healthy, make safer and healthier decisions when it comes to getting your family to start eating healthier, avoiding the impact of toxic chemicals, by choosing safer products for your kids, and more.
By introducing plant-based Organic Whole foods and Organic fermented foods into their diet at an early age, you will boost their immune system and overall health. You will be liberated from the concern that we all face as parents about making sure you are doing the right thing for our children’s health.
Is Life Coaching, Counseling, Coaching, or Psychotherapy for you?
Sometimes, while we know what we want, we struggle to find the patterns and systems to get us there. Life Coaching, counseling, or psychotherapy may be a solution to help you feel equipped with the tools you need to build a more fulfilling life.
- Figure out your goals and build concrete plans to achieve them, whilst also addressing some of the underlying issues that might be holding you back.
Let’s look to set achievable goals and produce measurable results in whichever areas of life you wish to focus on. Practical steps to navigate your life in the right direction, whether that be in your career, your relationships, or your sense of self.
A counseling, coaching, or psychotherapy relationship provides an opportunity for you to make sense of what you no longer want or need in your life and make space for what you do.
Embrace change, and make this transition so you can move forward.
A Word from Marcea
Contact me to book a free one-on-one health & wellness session. Consultations are available in-person (Sydney or the Blue Mountains) or online (worldwide).
With over 30 years of experience, knowledge, and wisdom in Eastern and Western whole food, medicine, fermentation and yoga, Qi Gong, and other forms of exercise; and over 25 years of experience as a counselor, life coach, yoga teacher, and nutritionist I am passionate about supporting you in reaching your goals.