By guest blogger, Denise Pettigrew, RN, Certified Holistic Health Coach
As Moms, we all have the hardest job in the world. We take care of the kids, the husband, the
house, the pets, and, on top of all that most of us have our own busy careers. Unfortunately, we
always seem to end up last on the list and put our needs on the back burner. The best Mother’s
Day present you can give to yourself is to stop putting yourself last! I know, I know, who has time
for locking the bathroom door and reading your favorite romance novel in a luxurious bubble bath
with lavender candles, over a glass of wine. Here are five easy tips that we can all incorporate in
our busy lives by honoring ourselves !!! And if you take care of yourself you will have more
energy and joy to take care of everyone else.
#1 Find Gratitude and Joy
I know how busy and stressful being a Mom can be. But just remember, these days will be gone in
the blink of any eye and one day we look back longingly at the days when our children were
young. We have been blessed to raise these amazing little girls and boys and watch them grow day
by day from little children into young adolescents and young adults. Try to savor the joy in those
moments. Find something to be grateful for every day.
#2 Avoid Sugar
Sugar is one of the most unhealthy, yet widely consumed foods. It is highly processed, has
absolutely no nutritional value and is destructive to our bodies. It is found everywhere. Not only
in sweets like cookies and candies, but in places you wouldn’t expect it like ketchup, salad dressing
and peanut butter. Avoiding sugar is one of the most healthful things you can do for yourself.
Sugar causes weight gain and obesity. About 20 years ago researchers concluded that the fat in
our diet was making us fat and sick, but recent research has proven that it is not the fat, it is the
sugar. We know that sugar causes type 2 diabetes and contributes to many diseases including heart
disease, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer. Sugar also ages us more quickly through a process called
advanced glycation end products (AGE’s). Sugar is extremely addictive (and food manufacturers
know this), so, the more you eat or drink, the more you want. The best strategy is to jump the
canyon and dramatically cut down on eating excess processed sugars and sweetened foods. Our
taste buds are very adaptive. After a few days off of sugar you will start to become more sensitive
to the taste of sweet things so that the sweetness of an apple becomes a delicious dessert. And,
once you stop eating or drinking sugar, you will no longer crave it. So, enjoy your healthy fats, but
ditch the sugar !!
#3 Eat Whole, Unprocessed Foods
Processed foods are an illusion. They often appear to be healthy with claims like low fat, low carb,
vitamin fortified, no trans fat, contains whole grains, etc. But go ahead, read the label on any food
that comes in a box, bag or can. Can you understand, or even pronounce, most of the ingredients?
If you can’t understand the ingredients chances are your body can’t either. Processed foods are
making us unhealthy, sick and fat. Food is information to our bodies. The food we consume
interacts with every cell in our body and actually impacts the expression of our genes. Eating a
diet of healthy whole foods has the ability to turn on our good genes and turn off our bad genes.
So, just because you have a family history of heart disease, cancer or Alzheimer’s disease, does not
mean that has to be your destiny. Eating whole foods and fruits and vegetables that contain
valuable phytonutrients can dramatically decrease your risk of disease, help you lose weight and
increase your energy. Our bodies were designed to eat whole foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts,
legumes, and healthfully raised dairy, chicken and meat. So go ahead, eat some real food!
#4 Learn to say “No”
This last tip is especially important for Moms. There is no shortage of demands and requests being
placed on our already overloaded schedules. We can take a lesson from our toddlers – just say
“no”. You know the usual requests volunteering at our school, social engagements, creating the
perfect Halloween costume from scratch, or baking homemade cookies for the school bake sale.
Just remember – you don’t have to make everyone happy (trust me you couldn’t anyway, even if
you tried), don’t feel guilty, you don’t have to say yes to everything everyone asks you to do. You
only have so much time and energy. Learn to prioritize how you are going to spend those precious
I specialize in helping women in midlife overcome weight loss resistance, fatigue, and hormonal
imbalance issues. It is my goal to help women find their optimal health and vitality through
nutrition and lifestyle.
I offer a free one hour health history consultation. Call or email to schedule your appointment.
Denise Pettigrew, RN
Certified Holistic Health Coach
67 Willard Ave.
Portsmouth, NH 03801
(603) 988-2544
http://www.denisepettigrew.com/
healthcoachdenise@comcast.net
About Healing Hands Community Chiropractic
Our mission at Healing Hands Community Chiropractic -Portsmouth, NH is to promote and support the overall health, well-being and highest quality of life of all individuals and families in our community through affordable chiropractic care.
Healing Hands Community Chiropractic is a health -care model intended to increase access to chiropractic care by offering adjustments in an open setting and fees on an affordable sliding-scale, without income verification. By doing so, we offer the people of our community the opportunity to receive treatment as often as they need, to get the results they deserve with no insurance hassles -simply paying what they can for only $20- $40!
Click here to book now!