Clarity Wellness

I know you already know that you can save money on food if you cook at home more often and plan your meals so you don't throw so much out. Right? Then why don't we do that? Time? Energy? What to make? The key is in the prep work. Here’s how to do it so you can hold onto that hard-earned cash and reduce your food waste: 1. Look at what you already have. Shop your fridge and pantry before planning your meals for the week. That way you won’t end up throwing things out that go bad before you can use them, and you won’t buy things that you didn’t realize you already had. Make sure you have a few basic staples on hand to use in an emergency—frozen produce, cans of tuna or salmon, eggs, etc. 2. Check out the grocery ads and download your coupons before you go shopping. If something is on sale, now may be a good time to stock up on things you use often, like meat or in-season produce that you can freeze. 3. Decide on a meal plan. Look at your schedule for the week, taking into acco...

It's that time of year again.  You're coming off a busy season of shopping, cleaning, cooking, eating, drinking, and if you have teens like I do--concerts, final exams, final projects, and occasional full-on meltdowns.  It's exhausting. And in the process, I'll bet there are are a few things that moved down on the priority list, mostly the healthy things that keep us grounded, like exercise, sleep, carefully-planned meals, alone time, etc. If you're in the mindset of looking forward and planning for a healthy, happy 2023, here are a few things to consider in building a killer morning routine that will set the stage for a day that feels calm, productive, and self-directed. There are hundreds of books on building a morning routine, but you ultimately have to figure out what works for you. Have you read The Miracle Morning ? It's one of my favorites.  If you have, you'll remember the SAVERS acronym for a successful morning: Silence Affirmations Visualization Ex...

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....

My favorite place to get in a stair workout on vacation. I know you have the best of intentions to keep up with your exercise plan this summer, but what happens when you go on vacation and your regular routine is suddenly interrupted?   It can be really hard to get back on track once you return home, so it's a good idea to keep at least a small semblance of an exercise routine in your life each day while you're away. Some vacations naturally include a healthy dose of exercise by default.  You may be hiking, swimming, or walking around Disneyland all day.  Others may include a lot of lounging on the beach or next to a pool (with a cocktail in hand!)  Whatever your idea of a good time, here are some ways to make sure you keep up the healthy habits you've worked so hard to implement. 1.  Explore the town on foot.   I love to go for long walks or run around a town that I'm visiting.  If we're staying in a hotel I often ask the front desk staff for recommen...

  I don't know about you, but I've got lots of plans for this summer.  The fact that it's going to be a shorter break than usual makes things a little more complicated, but still, I'm excited to get out of the normal routine and use the time off for some personal growth projects, some household projects, and some long-awaited travel. Many of us, emerging from our Covid cocoons, have big plans for self-improvement.  We want to implement exercise programs, eat healthier meals, and shed the Covid pounds that crept up on us while keeping us comfortably insulated from the outside world.  Making the plans is the fun and easy part.  Keeping up on our plans and actually making them work is the not-so-easy part.  Here are some ways to help you stick to your plan. 1.  Write it down.   This seems obvious to most people (ok, maybe just to me), but I like to write things down as the first step in any process I undertake.  Make a list of things you want to...

  The term " self-care " gets thrown around a lot these days, but how many of us really know what that means, and even more importantly, how many of us actually do that?  With all the stress in our lives it's so important that we give ourselves a break from time to time to stop and recharge our systems.   Even the things we don't normally see as stressful are enough to raise our cortisol and adrenaline levels, adding to a baseline level of stress that our bodies and minds are not meant to handle.   Watching the news?  Scrolling through Facebook?  Sitting in traffic?  Staring at a computer screen all day?  Feeling a lack of purpose in our lives?  The pandemic has not helped things with the underlying anxiety we are feeling on a regular basis.  It all adds up and affects our mood, our sleep, our hormones, and our overall health.  We need to build daily self-care routines into our days, and every once in a while we need to ta...

I love to plan! Planning trips, planning my day, planning meals--it doesn't always mean I follow through with what I planned, but it does make things go more smoothly when I have at least a general idea of what the day will look like. When it comes to eating, our lives are so busy that it makes things much easier when there is a plan in mind, ingredients ready, and an overall flow to the week. The first thing you need to do is plan a time each week to plan! My time is usually Sunday morning before the rest of the family is up. I look at the calendar to see which events we may have in the evenings that affect how much time I have to cook, who will be home, and what time we will eat.  I usually plan on 1-2 restaurant nights, one leftover night, and maybe a “breakfast for dinner night," so that leaves me with 3-4 meals to plan. Here's a list of things to prep, but of course, adjust it to meet you and your family's meal preferences. Move any meat you might need from the...

  2020 has been great in some ways, but it’s not a year I’d like to repeat in the near future. I find that the best antidote to anxiety and helplessness is to make a plan, challenge myself, and accomplish something each day—no matter how small. You asked...I answered! When I asked members of my Facebook group what they would like help with, many said that motivation to work out was a major challenge. I hope a little friendly competition and accountability will help! So here’s the challenge: 20 reps of 6 simple exercises, with bonus points for 20 minutes of cardio. Start today and continue for 20 days, or start tomorrow and go as long as you like. It’s up to you. Click here for a copy of my handy checklist to keep track of your exercises each day. Jump in at whichever day of the month it happens to be. Print out at least two copies (for November and December) and start checking off your exercises. Checklists can help with accountability, but an even more effective way to build a...