5 Secrets to Living a Happier, Healthier, and More Vibrant Life.
Welcome to Nourished Magnolia! The intention of this space is love, kindness, and healing. No matter where you are on your journey or what you’ve been through to get here – this is a safe and welcome place for you to use your voice, reconnect with yourself, and embrace the idea of transformation. You were born with everything you need to live your healthiest, happiest, most vibrant, and abundant life. Fill your toolbox with all the things that move you towards the life you know you are meant to live.
The crossroad of science and magic is where true healing and transformation happens.
Keep reading for 5 powerful tools to heal the mind, body, and soul…
1. Find a balance between clean eating and conscious eating.
Following an intuitive eating lifestyle has become more and more popular over the past several years. Intuitive eating embraces a mind-body approach to nourishing your body and becoming more aware of how, why, and when you eat. Eliminating the guilt and shame of indulging in foods you want allows you to make peace with food - AND the benefits will carry over into many aspects of your life.
Through intuitive eating strategies, you can find a healthy balance between eating foods that properly nourish your body and provide lasting energy…while also indulging in foods that satisfy your taste buds and delight your soul.
The journey to healing your relationship with food begins with changing your mindset around your body and your health. Honor where you’re at right now on your health journey and the way you feel in your body. Sometimes it can feel like a constant struggle of what we “should” and “shouldn’t” eat. Putting a label on the way we eat can trap us in a restrictive mindset. Take a big step back from the diet mindset of all-or-nothing and food restrictions.
Making peace with food will require you to give yourself full permission to eat what you want. This may sound like an opportunity to eat uncontrollably and over-indulge – many people use it as an excuse to do so. However, if you’re interested in true mind-body healing and a healthy relationship with food you’ll want to take the intuitive eating lifestyle to the next level.
Food is meant to be both nourishing and enjoyable. When you remove all the rules you can learn how to tune in to your body and discover which foods work best for your body.
Food provides information for your cells and building blocks for your health. Some foods will provide your body with the nutrients it needs to make you feel your best – and some foods will initiate discomfort and disease. Once you have become a conscious eater - the foods you want to eat the most and the foods that make you feel your best will be aligned.
Changing your mindset and developing intuitive eating habits won’t happen overnight. Support, encouragement, a positive attitude, and patience will be the key to true transformation and end the battle with food and your body.
Here are 2 steps you can take right now to become an intuitive eater:
1 – Break free from the diet culture. Begin to recognize the internal chaos that comes along with restrictions and the “not good enough” messages of the diet world. There is no one diet that works for everybody. You are perfectly unique – your body requires nutrition designed for YOU.
2 – Quiet your mind and tune in to how your body is communicating with you. Notice when you feel hungry and when you feel full. Acknowledge what drives you to eat outside of hunger – is it boredom, anxiety, sadness, emptiness…? Your body will speak to you when something is out of balance. We just have to learn how to decode the messages.
Is that little voice inside urging you to reconnect with your body’s wisdom? Sign up to download your free intuitive eating roadmap.
If you’d like further individual support on your journey to becoming an intuitive eater – get in touch with me using the link below – together we can create a plan to get through all your health roadblocks.
2. Immediate and lasting healing begins with self-love.
It’s time to cultivate deep self-love that includes all parts of you – especially the parts that you wish to change or improve upon. The relationship you have with yourself – mind, body, and soul – is the most important relationship you will ever have.
Is your internal and external dialogue about love? Or does it tend to lean towards conflict?
The mind and body are intimately connected. The body stores information from our thoughts, words, beliefs, and past experiences – which, when coming from a negative and destructive place – can manifest as disease in the body.
While we can not change our past or avoid future traumas – we can choose the perspective and narrative we have for each of our experiences. Accept where you are in your journey right now and move in the direction of light, and peace. We can choose love and we can choose to heal.
A simple practice that can bring you closer to love in each moment:
Close your eyes – place your hand on your heart – feel what it’s like to have your whole heart open to receive the love that innately lives there. Breathe slow and intentional. Channel a feeling of love with each inhale and exhale.
This feeling of love gets lost in the busyness of life and daily stressors. Take a moment to pause and remind yourself that this love is with you always.
When we begin to reflect, build awareness, think critically, and ask questions – we can lean into more love, self-discovery, and deeper connections.
Be gentle with yourself. Make a self-care plan. Do all the things that fill you up. Dance, play, laugh, pray - whatever it looks like to you. Honor your greatest and most important love – YOU.
3. You are the expert of your body.
Listen to the wisdom of your body. Our bodies speak to us through symptoms and sensations. When something is out of balance or isn’t quite right – your body will let you know. Many of us haven’t been equipped with the knowledge and skills to pay attention to the body’s wisdom.
That doesn’t mean we can’t start learning and healing right now. Healing is possible when we quiet our mind, listen to our body, and begin to address the underlying issue. When you learn to decode the messages your body sends – you can become your own healer. Think of your symptoms as communication from your body. When all things are in balance – your body will communicate in joyful, vibrant, and loving ways.
Each and every symptom and health challenge you experience is your body letting you know something needs your attention. Rather than treating each symptom individually – take some time to uncover the root issue causing each symptom. Sometimes we live with symptoms for so long they just become a part of us. We know it’s uncomfortable – sometimes even debilitating – but we have accepted it as part of life.
Here’s the thing…we don’t have to give in to the idea that we will never get rid of these symptoms. You’ve probably tried EVERYTHING to ease your pain and discomfort. Maybe you’ve seen a handful of doctors – and still haven’t found relief. You’re not alone if you feel hopeless and defeated with your health struggles.
I challenge you to explore the root of what is causing your health challenges - and I support you on your journey to a whole new healthy, vibrant, and energized life.
For individualized support and guidance - click the link below to get in touch with me.
4. Make sure you’re getting enough quality sleep every night.
It’s well known that sleep affects nearly every aspect of our lives. Getting proper sleep helps us feel more alert, relaxed, and motivated - and can impact our health in significant ways. During sleep, the body is able to rejuvenate and repair damaged cells, release antioxidants, and keep emotional areas of the brain in check.
Consistent sleep deprivation is linked to poor mental and physical health. When we don’t get proper sleep our cognitive brain function, problem-solving skills, and ability to cope with stress is significantly reduced. Anxiety, fear, and depression increase, the immune system is compromised, and you can become susceptible to the onset of chronic health conditions.
10 benefits of getting proper sleep:
Boosts your immune system
Supports a good mood
Increases productivity
Improves your memory
Supports healthy digestion
Prevents unwanted weight gain
Protects your heart
Supports a healthy stress response
Helps you think more clearly
Lowers your risks of serious health complications
Developing good sleep hygiene will improve the quality of your sleep. Sleep hygiene is the idea that one prepares correctly for sleep and creates a sleep-promoting environment. Your body thrives from certain practices that help you get enough sleep - these methods can help combat restlessness, poor REM sleep patterns, and insomnia.
10 simple sleep hygiene changes that can have a big impact on your health:
Eliminate the use of caffeine in the late afternoon and evening
Falling asleep before 11 pm will promote proper melatonin production, keep cortisol levels in balance, and prevent inflammation
The optimal bedtime is between 9-10:30 pm.
Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. This will help your body reset its internal clock, get in a natural rhythm, and know when it’s time to be asleep and when to be awake.
Stop using TV, phones, tablets, and any blue light-emitting devices 2 hours before bed to encourage better sleep. Blue light stimulates the brain and inhibits melatonin secretion.
Use light-blocking window coverings or use a sleep mask to eliminate ambient night light.
Keep the room temperature between 65-67 degrees Fahrenheit during the night to enhance normal lowing of body temperature during sleep
Only use your bed for sleep and sex. Wakeful activities like working, eating, and watching TV will train your brain to be awake in bed.
Engage in relaxing activities in the evening like reading a book, taking a bath, or meditating.
Stop eating at least 1 hour (preferably 4 hours) before bed.
5. Re-learn how to breathe
Breathwork is one of the most effective modalities for healing. Learning how to breathe consciously and with intention will allow you to build self-awareness, help clear anxiety and stress, and experience life-changing healing and transformation.
So many of us are living in a constant state of anxiety and stress, it’s become “normal” and something we think we just have to live with. Breathwork will break down these misconceptions and move you into a flow of bliss, peace, and happiness.
The physical benefits of intentional breathing are often immediate. Deep breathing will activate your parasympathetic nervous system, slow down your heart rate, lower blood pressure, and initiate a sense of calm.
As you build upon your breathwork practice you’ll notice the release of emotional baggage and traumas you’ve been carrying around with you for years. Strong breathing techniques will help to clean out your energetic and emotional systems – giving the body a chance to reset your nervous system.
Box breathing is a simple exercise you can do anywhere at any time to bring a sense of calm into your day. Place your feet on the floor to ground yourself and follow these steps…
1. Inhale through your nose for a count of 4. Fill your belly and your lungs.
2. Hold the air in your lungs for a count of 4.
3. Exhale through your mount for a count of 4. Be sure to fully empty the air from your lungs.
4. Hold the breath out for a count of 4.
5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 for 5 minutes. As you feel more comfortable with the breathing technique you can increase to a count of 8 for each step.
*It’s helpful to measure your level of anxiety on a scale of 1 to 10 both before and after you do the box breathing exercise.
Sending you light, love, and healing energy - where ever you may be.
