As a health coach, I have some things to say about how to best handle a sugar hangover, especially during Halloween. For those unfamiliar with this concept, a sugar hangover occurs when your body is inundated by significant sugar intake. Sugar, as whole, is increasingly recognized as toxic to the system. It’s like gasoline. It only belongs in the gas tank or combusting in the engine and nowhere else inside the car. A sugar hangover is akin to dousing your car with gasoline. Indulging in sugar may send you into a tailspin of body inflammation, joint pain, anxiety, depression and …

Co-written by Veronica Nabizadeh and Kimberly Hyatt I thought it pertinent to write about art as it relates to health as this month’s entire edition is devoted to highlighting the veritable performing arts schedule this season. I’m going to step out on a limb and proclaim that every health organization, school institution and any corporation for that matter should incorporate the healing arts into their offerings or benefits package. The evidence is conclusive: healing arts works. The mission is to enrich the quality of life in Northeast Florida through unleashing the creative spirit of young people. By providing access to instruction …

How lucky are we that we live in a beautiful city that provides a variety of places in which to fish! Now, I find myself challenged on how I can relate fishing, something that I have yet to try, to health and wellness, one of my life’s greatest passions. I’m grateful to know someone who can give a first-person perspective on what fishing does to someone’s state of mind. My nephew tells me that fishing instantly whisks him away from the stresses of the day. The first tug on the line brings a variety of mystery and excitement. He claims …

Last month, a friend of ours asked my husband, a medical doctor, why it is that we sometimes get brain freezes when we eat ice cream.  Interesting question and it got me thinking.  Have you ever noticed that those things that cause the most pain, have the simplest solutions? Take the brain freeze for example. It’s an acute brain pain that can stop us in our tracks. It virtually paralyzes you.  The pain is intense because the nerves have been rattled by the sudden drop in temperature. Immediately, they start sending signals to the brain to tell the body to …

It’s swimsuit, tank tops and flip flop season now that the heat and humidity have dialed up a bit. As I write this article, I’m thinking about a hysterical movie called “I Feel Pretty” starring Amy Schumer, and the fact that some of us will be dreading slipping into our summer attire because of poor body image. I took my young daughter to see the movie. We couldn’t stop laughing–it was actually quite funny! I was curious however, about how my daughter’s attitude would be towards her own body since an overarching theme in this flick is about body image …

Have you ever felt like a sack of potatoes, with no energy to even call your best friend for help or company, or to get yourself excited about the most amazing event that you have been dreaming about? Do you feel that you are doing everything right, eating organically, taking quality supplements, exercising, and sleeping well, but you still find yourself being tapped out in a ho-hum doldrum? Most of us, at some point in our lives, find ourselves in a rut with no energy to climb our way out of it. It would serve us well to know why, …

In order to have a frank and honest discussion about personal healthcare, five axioms need to be understood: 1) Our state of health is our responsibility and choice. 2) Beyond healthy genetic endowments, there are no shortcuts to being healthy. 3) We need to want to be healthy. 4) We need to have some degree of belief that we can do something about it. 5) And finally, we need to know that our environments are often laden with toxicity. There is both toxicity from individuals causing undue stress, and from harmful chemicals in our air, food, and water that are …

We humans love new beginnings. A new day, a new dawn is on the horizon and it’s coming rather quick. Are you contemplating making a list of resolutions for the year 2018? Is this finally your year to overcome the roadblocks, the setbacks, the failures? Yes! Because the good news is, you CAN do it. You can conquer old habits by replacing them with new sustainable ones. You can even be a greater success than you can imagine right now. BUT, you must want it bad; so bad, you are willing to do anything to get it done. Interested in …

Tis the season of sugar and flour in abundance!  Let the emotional eaters and food addicts beware! The shelves of our local grocers and retailers are overflowing with cheaply priced candies, caramelized popcorns, and frosted pastries. The sugar and flour fest begins in October with the fall festivals, Halloween parties and trick or treating. Then, continues on with Thanksgiving, Religious Holiday dinners and ends with . But, does it really end? No, we have birthdays and the rest of the observed holidays for the remainder of the year. There is always a good reason to have sugar and flour but …

I got an interesting email from one of our readers who questioned her own sleep habits after reading last month’s sleep article. Meet Tina. Tina is a 32 year old healthy night shift nurse who is also a fitness trainer. She sleeps 8 hours a day, eats only Non-GMO organic foods, is well hydrated, has optimized her hormones, works out, and meditates regularly. Tina’s schedule: She works 7pm to 7am, 3 days a week. She hopes she can fall asleep when she gets home. On the other days, she is working as a fitness trainer and struggles to keep the …