Health

Physical health, illness, overcoming health challenges, healthy lifestyle, and practices.

10 Tips for Tackling Menopause with Grace

10 Tips for Tackling Menopause with Grace

I recently entered the much despised stage of life: second puberty. More commonly known as menopause. This is a stage of life that most women go through with varying degrees of symptoms and frustrations and lengths of time. Do I want a taco? A salad? My husband’s head on a platter? It changes often and quickly. Sometimes I just want to be left alone. Other times I want all my people around me. I want to eat the carbs, but I want to stay in the same size pants, which is, for the record, impossible. I have yet to find a diet or miracle food to prevent the dreaded menopause belly, otherwise known as muffin top. I exercise, I eat right (most […]

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7 Ways to Get the Most Out of Now

7 Ways to Get the Most Out of Now

Change. It is a certainty. It never ceases to amaze me how life can completely change in the blink of an eye. It invigorates me and leaves me a little terrified at the same time. We often go about subconsciously believing that we will live forever—that time is always there. The mind is amazing how it can trick us in that way. But we rarely fully experience the present, even though it is the only thing that is certain about our time here on earth. Experiencing the sudden death of my father and the traumatic birth of my daughter (born with a rare genetic disorder) heightened my awareness of how life can turn on a dime. I’m sure many of you have had similar life curve balls. Yet, we know

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Natural Teeth Whitening—For Your Child and You

Natural Teeth Whitening—For Your Child and You

Lately, I’ve noticed my oldest son’s permanent teeth look a bit yellow compared to my other three boys, who still have their baby teeth. Of course, my first assumption was that he wasn’t brushing correctly. Or worse yet, he’s skipping his brushing altogether. But after a few weeks of supervising and not noticing a big difference, I started to do a bit of research. Apparently, baby teeth are naturally whiter than permanent teeth. One pediatric dentist explains that “permanent teeth not only have a thicker enamel, but the layer under the enamel (dentin) is also more dense. Dentin is yellow in color. This gives the permanent teeth a color slightly more yellow than the baby teeth. And it’s perfectly normal!”(¹) There is

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5 Things to Do If You're Struggling With Breastfeeding

5 Things to Do If You’re Struggling With Breastfeeding

Engorgement and cluster feeding and sore nipples, oh my! Plugged ducts and milk blebs and bad latches, double oh my! I’ll take the lions and tigers and bears any day, thank you! Breastfeeding is the hardest job nobody told you about. It’s one of the most natural things our female bodies can do, yet it definitely does not come naturally. I’ve heard on more than one occasion from moms who would rather repeat the pains of childbirth to never have to breastfeed again. Yep, sounds like this nursing gig is no walk in the park. When I gave birth to my daughter, I struggled with getting a proper latch, which made breastfeeding very painful for the first few weeks. I also dealt

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7 Easy and Natural Methods to Boost Your Immunity 2

7 Easy and Natural Methods to Boost Your Immunity

Ah, winter. ‘Tis the season for crackling fires, family and friends gathered around the table, and sledding down the snow-covered hillsides. It’s undoubtedly a favorite time of year for many, but the chilly winter months can quickly lose their luster the minute germs make a debut. The influx of coughs, colds, and flus seem heckbent on ruining all the fun. Many pesky illnesses that sprout up during the winter months are viral, which mean antibiotics won’t do the trick. These bugs seem to have no qualms with keeping entire households homebound for weeks; it can take up to two weeks for them to run their course. Prevention is key, so wash those hands frequently and start boosting your immunity by trying these

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8 Guilt-Free After-School Snacks For Your Littles

If your kids are like mine, they come home from school hungry! I’ve been working a lot on packing healthy lunches for them, and consequently on providing healthy after-school snacks for when they get home. If you’re out of after-school snack ideas, here are a few oldies (but goodies!) and a few new ideas for you to try with your kids! Variations of “ants on a log.” I bet we can all remember having a celery stalk with peanut butter and raisins, but you can also halve a thick carrot and add the toppings the same way! Try a different kind of nut butter (or sun butter) for a new flavor, add honey if your sweetie likes sweets, and if your kids

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Here’s How to Help Your Kids Fight a Cold Naturally and Quickly

Here’s How to Help Your Kids Fight a Cold Naturally and Quickly

Oh no… The dreaded sneeze, sniffle, or fever has made its first appearance. Immediately your mama’s mind fills with questions: Are they getting sick? What kind of sick is it? Where did they get it? Did we expose anyone else? Are their siblings acting sick? Can I keep them from getting it? Can I avoid getting it? Do I need to cancel our upcoming plans? How long will we be quarantined? How can I help my kids fight a cold? And then, the most important question that we will cover today: What can I do to help kids fight a cold naturally and cure it quickly? I’m not a doctor, but I will say that over the course of the last seven

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If You Want To Get Healthy Do These 5 Things

If You Want To Get Healthy Do These 5 Things

For a girl whose dietary and lifestyle choices once included generous amounts of Cheez-Its, menthol cigarettes, and energy drinks mixed with vodka, doing a massive overhaul on my (not-so-healthy) habits was overwhelming at first. I’m not going to lie… it was downright hard. I wasn’t sure what foods my body would benefit from, so I tested popular diets and eliminated trigger foods. I wanted to find cost-effective ways to incorporate more organic produce to get healthy. So I found good deals and discounted products I could add to my recipe rotation. I began exercising on a consistent basis, and instead of automatically reaching for my former go-to substances during times of stress, I explored spiritual practices that seemed to calm my mental

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feeling stressed out? 5 tips to stay calm

Feeling Stressed Out? Here Are 5 Tips to Stay Calm

What are the life events that can leave you stressed out or assessing your life as a whole? Presently for me, it’s the milestone birthday quickly headed my way. It has caused me to dwell on the concept of time and the warp speed at which it seems to be running. Based on recent conversations I’ve had with others on the cusp of milestones or new seasons, I know I’m not alone with this realization. It makes no difference if we’re referring to the actual seasons of the year, a particular age, or the seasons by which we categorize our lives (think of labels such as singlehood, parenthood, empty nester, divorce, illness, etc.). A by-product of living in our modern age are seasons that are fluid,

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Words of Encouragement From a Cancer Survivor

Words of Encouragement From a Cancer Survivor

Each year as I celebrate my “Cancerversary” of a Stage 2 Triple Negative Breast Cancer diagnosis, I reflect upon the eight months of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation to battle my disease. As a survivor, I can say that the healing process is arduous. Physical and mental challenges continue long after the stages of cancer end, but for me, life has become more meaningful. After assessing cancer’s collateral beauty, I have found so much to enjoy and appreciate. Some days my bones feel twice my age, and my chemo-brain leaves me struggling to find the right words. But I’ve done more living since my cancer treatment ended than I have in many years. I’ve landed on the ocean from a seaplane, I’ve snorkeled,

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drinking excessively 8 healthier coping strategies for women

Drinking Excessively? Here Are 8 Healthier Coping Strategies for Women

This article was written collaboratively by Caroline Beidler and Lindsey Encinias. Did you know that one alcoholic beverage per day (five ounces—yes, that’s right, not even the size of a measuring cup) is considered “moderate drinking” for women? We didn’t either. Is cocktail hour coming a little early—like noon? Does “Momma social club” always offer drink options? Regular morning cocktails with brunch? Nightly wine (in that oversized glass) and Netflix? Is that drinking excessively? Maybe you can relate. Are Women Drinking Excessively These Days? Recent statistics show women are reaching for the bottle more than ever.1 According to researchers, women have increased their heavy drinking days by 41% in the last year.2 But the increase hasn’t just been since the pandemic. Since the early 2000s,

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On Life and Childhood Cancer, From a Pediatric Oncology Nurse

After her morning coffee, some cuddles with her gorgeous Weimaraners, and a little bit of knitting (she’s admittedly a grandma trapped in a millennial’s body), Amanda heads to work ready to bring light and comfort to her tiniest of patients as they fight cancer. You may not know, but September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Perhaps you’ve seen the phrase “Fight like a kid” on a t-shirt or social media post recently and wondered what that’s about… it’s to bring awareness to the children who are battling for their lives. Some of us have never been around a child with cancer, but for others, this month hits close to home because of the fight they’ve shared in. The reality of this month

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6 Easy Ideas to Refresh Your Life Right Now

6 Easy Ideas to Refresh Your Life Right Now

When I think about things I want for myself, the first word that comes to my mind is refreshment. To me, to refresh something means to breathe new life into it. The dictionary also defines refresh this way: “to add new vigor and energy.” Which of us doesn’t want that? There’s really no area of my life that doesn’t need newness, invigoration, or fresh energy, but some will take more rest, work, and time than others. So I enlisted some ladies, including a couple of busy working moms of young children, to come up with a list of “doable” areas of life that women can refresh in spring or at the beginning of a new year. Things that can provide an immediate

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creating a wellness vision

Why You Need a Wellness Vision and Your Guide to Creating One

I don’t remember any watershed or lightbulb moments that first prompted me to take a more proactive stance on the state of my health and create a wellness vision. However, I do remember what happened when I made the solemn vow to start treating myself with a little more TLC: absolutely nothing. Zip, zilch, nada. Because when I made that pledge to myself, I imagined willpower would be enough to align my actions with my words and that my quest toward greater wellness would unfold in a buttoned-up linear fashion. Sure, it was a bit delusional to think that the process would be seamless and easy. Instead, I did the whole two-steps-forward-four-steps-back dance. (And later learned that all my back peddling, overanalyzing,

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5 Ways I Learned to Love My Middle-Aged Body

5 Ways I Learned to Love My Middle-Aged Body

The other day, as I was participating in my daily scroll on social media, a Facebook memory popped up on my feed. It was a heartwarming throwback of me and my youngest when she was just a baby. I looked tired, yes, but also had that new-mom glow as I held my daughter in her “Baby’s First Christmas” outfit. She was three months old and this was, sadly, quite a few years ago. I remember that picture well. We were at my in-laws’ house after church, and it was the first time I had gotten “dressed up” since giving birth. And I remember being wildly insecure about my new, mom-of-three body. I felt frumpy, overweight, and gross. I didn’t want to go,

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Facing a Health Scare? Questions You Need to Ask Yourself

Facing a Health Scare? Questions You Need to Ask Yourself

It all hit within 48 hours of one another. First, my husband left for a week of work travel overseas while our two daughters were sick, hacking and sneezing in between fever-induced sleep. Then, I received word that my dad was admitted to a South American hospital with COVID. Finally, the blow: a pelvic exam that warranted surprise ultrasounds. I was two steps out of my doctor’s office when my discouragement rose with a resurgence. In the days leading up to the tests, my mind became a breeding ground for every possible scenario (Side note: attempting to self-diagnose with “Dr. Google” is never a good idea). My emotions teetered on a pendulum between trust and terror. God is in all of this…

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6 Practical Tips When You Want to Get Healthy

6 Practical Tips When You Want to Get Healthy

A few years ago, I was told I had hormone imbalances that would make it more difficult for me to lose weight than other people. You’d think a diagnosis would be the perfect motivation to start making healthier decisions. However, all of the previous year was a festivity for me, and I’ve never believed in depriving myself of good food (still don’t!). I graduated from college, got married, moved twice, and got a desk-oriented job. I don’t remember the exact moment that triggered my get-healthy quest, but one day, it just clicked. I wanted to actually be healthy more than I wanted someone else’s body, for once. I realized that I needed tools, and I needed them to work for me where I

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