First off, who needs a reason to eat chocolate… am I right? But here’s the thing. Yep. You knew there was a catch, didn’t you? You gorgeous thing, you!

The catch is this. I’m not talking about chocolate that you find in your typical over-the-counter candy bars or snack items. Those typically have MILK chocolate which has a higher sugar content and less of cocoa. The chocolate I’m referring to is dark chocolate (85% cocoa or higher, if you can stand it).

Now. This may sound a wee bit silly... but, learn to schedule exercise like an appointment. IF you think of exercise like a meeting with YOU being the CEO of your body... you wouldn't miss the meeting, right?

Even if you are JUST starting out (now: check with primary care physician before starting any new workout routine)... but write down exactly when you are going to workout + with what (DVD, group class, weights, walk around the block, etc).

As an emergency veterinarian, I have used activated charcoal plenty of times to treat certain toxins in patients, but over the past year or so, charcoal has made it’s way into my beauty routine.

First, as a cleanser in my facial soap bar and weekly face mask which I love! Then, I started to use charcoal in my tooth paste… and now in my deodorant! I’ll share these products down below as well as a few links if you’d like to dive deeper into understanding charcoal! And why wouldn’t you? For me, I love discovering new ways to reduce chemicals + toxins in our daily routine because there always seems to be a connection in everything, right? Especially in the products you use and your brain + gut health.

Recently. I discovered the need to stop focusing so much on NUMBERS and really shift my attention to the TYPES of foods I was nourishing my body with which maybe a bit of a “duh” moment to some… but it was an “aha” moment to me. Maybe you are like this as well… you focus so intently on HOW MUCH calories you eat or get overwhelmed with macronutrients. How much fat? How many carbs does this have? Ugh. Do I need more protein?

It’s all too overwhelming and if I’m being honest, it’s a slippery slope for me… because once I start tracking numbers, it’s ALL i think about and my attitude towards food starts to become a tad bit aggressive instead of realizing food is a gift to my body — it gives you the ability to HEAL and NOURISH your body! How wonderful is that, am I right?

You probably have heard that a kick-sass morning routine is what you need to WIN YOUR DAY! Heck, it’s something I tell the women in our Brain + Gut Health Explorers Community… but here’s a fun factoid for you.

Yes. Rising + shining (even dimly) early in the morning and crossing things off your list will help you reach that goal… lose weight, publish that book, be a homeschooling teaching ninja… whatever goal you set for yourself. But the thing NO ONE talks about is the importance of an EVENING ROUTINE.

my hubster has this amazing ability to spit out truth bombs when you least expect it. or want it.
and the other day, we were talking about the goals we set for the upcoming month when insert his truth bomb… read on.

one thing we sometimes forget to do when mapping out a HUGE goal we have... whether that's a health/fitness goal, weight loss goal, business venture, family goal, etc. is CELEBRATE the wins along the way.

it’s something I learned which helped me tremendously on my health journey.