HACKS & TIPS — MISFIT WELLNESS

Modern workplaces are designed to foster the productivity, focus, collaboration and well-being of employees. Conversely, our homes are typically designed around functions like sleeping, eating and relaxing. They also tend to be filled with distractions that have the opposite effects of thoughtfully designed workplaces - barking dogs, blaring televisions and shouting children. So how can we transform our routines and home environment in a way that eases the stress caused by this dissonance? How can we protect our mental and physical health while working from home?

MY 12 FAVORITE TOOLS FOR ANXIETY, DEPRESSION & STRESS

Over the past 10 years, I have continued to add more tools and build upon the ones I find most helpful. Thanks to individual therapy, couples therapy, workshops, retreats, continuing education courses, books, podcasts and confidants, I’ve built a robust toolkit that helps me both proactively and reactively manage anxiety, depression and stress (because aren’t they all so intertwined?!) Nothing changes overnight, but together, these tools have helped me stack up more daily moments of peace, calm and joy than I ever experienced before they entered my life. They are like beautifully simple little bricks that have helped me build higher levels of consciousness, gratitude and content. I hope they do the same for you.

IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT. IT’S YOUR HORMONES.

Understanding the importance of hormone health, what affects it, and how to protect it allows us to be better advocates for our mental and physical health in an incredibly powerful way. It also allows us to be more patient, compassionate and supportive of ourselves and other women. Below is everything I wish I had known about hormones from the start.

FINDING JOY AND HEALTH DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

I work with all sorts of people. Young professionals in their 20’s, c-suite executives in their 50’s, retirees, stay at home and working moms of all ages, athletes, artists, yogis, scientists, counselors. They are unique and singular human beings that come to me because they want to be happier, healthier, kinder to themselves. They, and we, are all incredibly different. But in this moment, we have never been more similar. We are all struggling. And we are all in this together.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been offering single session services focused on helping people survive, cope and in tiny ways, thrive in this bizarre alternate reality. There were many common themes that arose in these discussions that gave birth to the tools and resources below. These are the coping mechanisms my clients, friends, family, and own little household are finding most helpful right now.

MISFIT WELLNESS HEALTHY GROCERY SHOPPING TIPS

Eating more whole, real foods that support the health of your brain and body begins at the grocery store. Filling your cart, your pantry and your fridge with foods that help you harness the power of nutrition gets you one big step closer to improved energy, mental clarity, immunity, digestion, moods, skin and so much more. But what to do when you’re surrounded by highly palatable, convenient packaged and processed foods in every corner of the grocery store? How do you navigate the aisles without unintentionally loading your cart with hard to resist comfort foods, cookies, candies and sugar cereals? Below are my tips to help you create a sustainable, affordable healthy grocery shopping routine that still leaves room for treats and chocolate. Plenty of chocolate.

WHAT NO ONE TELLS YOU ABOUT MAKING PEACE WITH FOOD & YOUR BODY

Although I’m grateful that there is more openness and dialogue around making peace with food and our bodies in the media, often what we see is over simplified, prettied up and packaged (often to sell products or services) in a way that I believe is a bit misleading and does a disservice to people embarking on this journey. If the expectation is that this is a simple, 30-day, sunshine and roses process, people are destined to feel as if they’re doing everything wrong when it’s anything but, and they’re likely to give up. The truth is a lot more complicated and loaded with things I wish I knew from the start. Below is my version of it.

HOW TO DEAL WITH STRESS AT WORK (AND BEYOND)

Unfortunately, stress is so woven into the fabric of our lives these days and it’s often unavoidable. We can’t control many of the variables that contribute to stress, but we can change how our brains and bodies react to it by choosing healthier coping mechanisms that minimize the detrimental effects without causing any harm. That is where the stress management tactics below come into play. You might not be able to fire your boss (or your kids) but you can reduce the stress they cause with these tactics.

THE HEALTHIEST, BEST TASTING SNACK & PROTEIN BARS

I’ve been testing bars for a couple of months now, and here are a few of my favorite healthy snack and protein bars. I feel good about eating these when I’m pressed for time and feel good enough about the ingredients to share them with family, friends and coaching clients.

FUNDAMENTALS OF HEALTHY EATING PART VIII: COOK AT HOME (EVEN A LITTLE)

You don’t have to be a wizard in the kitchen or spend hours every day cooking complicated meals entirely from scratch, but spending a little more time creating balanced meals with whole food ingredients is an investment in your health that you’ll never regret. With just a few hours spent in the kitchen each week, you can reap the benefits of more health promoting nutrients in your diet. Think better digestion, increased energy, more stable moods, clearer skin, improved immunity and so much more!

FUNDAMENTALS OF HEALTHY EATING PART VII: HOW TO CROWD OUT PROCESSED FOOD & DRINK

In my experience, most people are confused about where to start with healthy eating and how to put meals together after years of choosing packaged convenience foods. So, I’ve come up with this handy little guide for integrating whole, real foods into your meals, your routine and your kitchen and crowding out the junk.

6 UNCONVENTIONAL WAYS TO STAY SANE, HAPPY & HEALTHY THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS

There seems to be a thin line between loving and hating the holidays for most people, but a few years ago, I thankfully learned a few tricks for staying (mostly) on the love side. Amidst all the fanfare, it can be difficult to find time and energy to care for yourself, but I learned I’m much much more likely to be present, enjoy the season (and handle cranky relatives with grace), if I’m a little more proactive about putting my mental and physical health first. Here’s how I make that happen between gingerbread men and rolling my eyes at my cousins.

18 AFFORDABLE & EFFICIENT WAYS TO SUPPORT YOUR HEALTH

I started Misfit Wellness because I want to make a healthier and happier diet and lifestyle more accessible, approachable and sustainable - especially for those of us who have struggled with mental and physical health. Unfortunately the basic fundamentals of living and eating well often get sexed up and overcomplicated to the point where they seem completely inaccessible and unattainable to the average American. I might not be able to change the fact that our healthcare system and food supply in this country are beyond broken, but I can help you take your health into your own hands with simple diet and lifestyle choices made each day.

EVERY SAUCE RECIPE YOU'LL EVER NEED TO KEEP HEALTHY EATING EXCITING

If you think you need to be slinging plain steamed broccoli and forcing down boiled cabbage to eat in a way that supports your health, this post is for you. “Healthy is boring” is a big fat misconception. Using a variety of colors, flavors and textures makes almost any whole food based meal wonderfully exciting, but until you’ve got a little more experimenting under your belt, I have a fast and easy way to jazz up any dish: killer sauces and dressings.

6 THINGS THAT CHANGED THE WAY I DEAL WITH STRESS

By the time I committed to healthier habits around managing stress, it had already wreaked havoc on my digestion, immune function, sleep, weight and sanity. I no longer had the energy to have or be fun anymore. Don’t let stress make you a Debbie Downer too. Use these simple but transformative tips to help you manage stress before you find yourself perpetually frazzled, bloated, angry, and downright miserable.

FUNDAMENTALS OF HEALTHY EATING PART VI: 35 EASY WAYS TO EAT MORE WHOLE FOODS

Interested in eating more whole foods but don’t know where to start? This post is chock full of ideas for incorporating more vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and other powerful and nourishing foods into your diet in beautifully simple ways. The best part? When you focus on adding delicious and nutritious foods to more meals and snacks, you naturally start to eat less of the processed gunk over time. Now THAT is what I call a realistic, sustainable approach to healthy eating!

SO YOU'VE HEALED YOUR GUT. NOW WHAT?

Once you've done the hard work to get your gut bacteria back in balance, heal those gut walls and quiet inflammation, you start to feel the incredible benefits of eating and living to support gut health. The last thing you want to do is welcome chronic constipation, diarrhea, bloating, gas, brain fog, acne or mood disorders back into your life. So how do you loosen restrictions without compromising the delicate balance you've worked to achieve? Beyond eating a vegetable forward, nutrient-dense diet rich in whole, real, unprocessed foods and minimizing triggers and irritants like caffeine, sugar and alcohol, I encourage my gut protocol clients to explore these other ways to support gut health.

SNACK ATTACK: YUMMY & NOURISHING SNACKS AT HOME & ON THE GO

Arming yourself with nutrient dense whole food-centric snacks made with simple, real ingredients is the best way to nourish your body in a pinch without having to overthink it. Check out my favorite store-bought, on-the-go, travel and work snacks in this post!

FUNDAMENTALS OF HEALTHY EATING PART IV - EAT LESS ADDED SUGAR

The average American is eating 22 TEASPOONS of added sugar a day. And before you say "not me! I drink my coffee black and choose diet soda!"consider this: most people are completely unaware of how much added sugar they're eating until they start reading labels. On your next trip to the grocery store, examine the labels on the yummies you're throwing in that cart and you'll likely be surprised to see how much sugar is added to everything from seemingly "healthy" bread to savory crackers to vegan dips and paleo protein bars. But why should you care?

5 SIMPLE CLEANSE-FRIENDLY SMOOTHIE RECIPES + TIPS FOR JANUARY RESETS

It seems like 50% of the people I know are cleansing, resetting, detoxing or rebooting in some way this January. There are dozens of popular programs designed to overhaul your diet, restore your health, or simply shed the holiday pounds. People go gaga for the promised results then get a little discouraged when they see the "eat this not that" list. I feel ya. It can get a little confusing and frustrating when the "don't even" list looks way longer than the "go for it" list.

Below are some simple, nourishing and delicious smoothie recipes to take the headache out of creating a compliant meal in 10 minutes or less. These recipes comply with most of the popular protocols (including Whole30, 21 Day Sugar Detox or my fave, the Clean Program ) and are also wonderful on-the-go meals any time of year!

SMOOTHIES 101: HIGHLIGHTS FROM MFW + CLASSPASS WORKSHOP

Smoothies, smoothie bowls, acai bowls and ALL the blended things continue to be popular staples on the health food scene. Why is everyone from Gwyneth Paltrow to Katie Couric to little ol' me such a big fan?