Clarity Wellness

  I noticed this morning during my walk that I was ravenously hungry about an hour into it. This doesn't usually happen to me. I can typically go all morning without a twinge of hunger. However, I've had a couple of weeks of not-so-low-carb eating and I can definitely tell a difference! Give me a teacher appreciation donut, some graduation cake, or a couple of pizza slices with the kids, and boom! I'm right back on the blood sugar rollercoaster.  You know how I can tell? I wake up in the middle of the night a hot mess, I run hot periodically throughout the day, my brain is foggy, my running injuries are aching, my nose is stuffy, and I'm hungry more often than usual. I'd like to think that I can have a little bit of sugar and feel ok, but every experiment fails and I find myself scrambling to get off the rollercoaster and back onto solid ground. Here are some key ways I've found to get back on track and feel better soon. Get it out of your house (and work...

Aren't they pretty? Hi friends, here's a little bonus I thought I'd put out.  Short, sweet, and yummy. :) If you'd like to talk to me more about creating a wellness and nutrition plan that works for you , I've got you!  I'm a certified Nutrition Coach who will create a simple, customized meal plan for you and coach you through how to implement it into your busy life.  We also talk about all the pitfalls that make it hard, and help you make it the anchor that keeps you healthy, energized, and sane through the whirlwind of your everyday life. I'd love to talk to you about the program, so  book a free consultation with me by clicking the  Calendly  button. I look forward to talking to you! Click here to sign up for my weekly newsletter Join my  Clarity Wellness Low-Carb Ladies Facebook Group

If you ask most people why they want to try a low-carb diet, they will probably tell you they want to lose weight.  Great.  Most of us want to.  But what is your true why behind losing weight? Why number one:  I want to fit into my jeans.  Is this because you want to save money and be able to fit into all the clothes in your closet so you don't have to go out and buy new ones?  Or does the thought of trying on jeans in a fitting room fill you with dread?  Are you tired of looking at your closet and realizing that half the clothes in there don't fit you anymore? But why? Is it merely financial, or is it because you feel frumpy and unattractive? Are you afraid your husband doesn't see you as beautiful anymore?  Are you holding back from intimacy because of the extra weight? But why?  Go deeper... Are you afraid that your health is deteriorating because you're carrying extra weight?  You can't do the physical things you once did?  You ...

Well, it happened.   Just like that we returned to our pre-pandemic behavior and let life get really crazy again.  When people ask me how I am, I find myself answering, “Just crazy busy.”  I wasn’t going to let that happen. Then marching band season happened, and since I have a senior and a freshman this year, we let things get away from us.  Early morning practice and nighttime events, along with tough course loads and the homework that goes with them have transformed my girls into walking zombies.  My husband and I find ourselves volunteering for more than we had planned and going to every night rehearsal, concert, fundraiser, etc. that we can.  We’re all stressed and tired, but I honestly wouldn’t change it for the world.  We get one year where they are both in the same school,  playing on the same marimba, no less,  and I’m not going to miss a minute of it. Every time I watch them play, I get goose bumps.   Every. Time....

There's a lot of anxiety going on in my house these days.   I have two very driven, overachieving high school daughters born of two driven, perfectionist parents, and we're all pretty hard on ourselves sometimes.  Add to that a pandemic, followed by a variant, a divisive political climate, underfunded schools and overworked teachers, global warming, AP tests, honors classes, and 4:30 am wake up calls for marching band...Yep, there's a lot going on. I was reminded last week of a technique that I had heard of in the past but hadn't done a very good job of implementing.  It's called the 5-4-3-2-1 technique for dealing with anxiety , and it goes something like this: 5: focus on 5 different things that you can see in your immediate surroundings. 4: look for 4 things you can touch around you. 3: notice 3 things you can hear right now. 2: find 2 things you can smell. 1: acknowledge 1 taste, usually whatever you ate or drank last. The problem with this technique, like many ...

  Do you wake up tired, puffy, and foggy-brained? Do you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep? Do you have asthma, allergies, sore joints, skin issues, or other autoimmune conditions? Are you moody, anxious, or depressed? Do you deal with PMS or other hormonal conditions on a regular basis? Do you have chronic gut issues? If you’ve been following my posts, you know that I would recommend a sugar free/grain free diet to reduce the inflammation that leads to these conditions.   I believe in a holistic approach, however, and another big factor that may contribute to these conditions is the environmental toxins we surround ourselves with every day. Toxic chemicals are found in our food, furniture, carpets, cooking utensils, mattresses, cleaning products, body care products, and cosmetics. And that’s just a start… Entire books have been written about all the things to watch out for, but I’m going to try and narrow it down for you so you at least have a star...

I've been digging deep into the work of Dr. Ted Naiman  and others lately about the importance of protein in our diets.   Protein is the most important macronutrient when it comes to building strong muscles and bones, and repairing tissues throughout the body. If you think about it in the most basic terms, we are made of protein, so doesn't it make sense that our bodies need a lot of it?   It is also the most satiating, which means that when you eat a lot of protein you will feel full longer, and won't be as likely to crave the not-so-nourishing foods later in the day. There is also a theory out there that the reason many of us overeat is that we are not getting enough protein, so we go looking for it in other food sources and keep eating until we either get enough or can't eat another bite. (The Protein Leverage Hypothesis--it's a real thing, look it up!)  Therefore, when we eat more protein, we aren't as hungry all the time, we feel better, we build muscl...

Brain health is one of those things you take for granted-- until you get older, that is, and you realize it's not a given anymore. You start forgetting peoples' names, you forget why you walked into a room, or you can't think of the right word to say. Sometimes you just feel like your brain's a little fuzzy, you're living in a fog, and you just can't quite focus. All of that is normal, to a certain degree, but there are some nutritional and lifestyle changes you can make that will help clear the fog.  Inflammatory foods, like sugar and processed foods, cause oxidative stress, which kills neurons, weakens your memory, and impacts your ability to learn and process thoughts properly. Scary stuff, right?  Instead, focus on whole foods, full of vitamins, and healthy fats that help build neural connections--not break them down. Here is a list of some of the top foods for brain health: Nuts—almonds, macadamias, walnuts, Brazil nuts, pecans Seeds—flax, pumpkin, sesame,...

I've been noticing myself saying the phrases, "but, whatever," and "who knows?" a lot lately.  Yes, there are a lot of things that we don't know right now, but if I step back and really listen to myself, there's a lot of indecision and resignation in those wishy-washy words. Information overload leads to confusion, especially when it comes to things that are new to us, like the "Novel" Coronavirus.  How do we best protect ourselves?  How effective are the vaccines?  How can I even get a vaccine? And on and on. Then there's the nutrition and wellness scene.  What's the best diet for me? Vegan? Carnivore? Keto? Low-fat? Low-carb?  Who knows?   The research I read says this, but Self magazine says this... but whatever . Self talk affects everything we do throughout the day.   That little voice in your head determines how you react to a situation, how you feel about yourself, and how you feel about others.  Do I want to be resigned and in...