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Monthly Archives: March 2022

healthy relationship

Strengthen Relationships One Small Habit at a Time

Given the choice, most people want to be in healthy relationships and therefore want to create habits of healthy relationships. Healthy, happy relationships are the foundation for our mental health, personal satisfaction, and our esteem. The better our relationships are, the healthier we are. These are habits that can improve your life. It’s that simple. In the same way, we can boost our physical health one small habit at a time, we can also boost our mental health one small relationship habit at a time.

Relationships Require Effort

There’s nothing better than experiencing an effortless connection with someone. Finding people who click with your personality, morals, values, and interests feels amazing. Even the most compatible relationships require effort, it takes time and energy to keep relationships interesting and healthy.

Life gets busy, and sometimes our relationships suffer. Finding the time to invest in relationships and stay connected is often in jeopardy as schedules fill up and more demands take up our time. That’s why small habits can help strengthen relationships so they can withstand the natural ups and downs of life. It also helps you to get the expected life you want to live.

Small Habits of Healthy Relationship

It’s not healthy to be all things to all people. In fact, giving too much in a relationship can lead to co-dependency which isn’t healthy at all. Even parents and children need healthy balances between them, but there are small things that can strengthen relationships and make them better. As follows are habits that can improve your life.

Here are some ideas-

Relationship micro habit: Pay attention to the five love languages Gary Chapman, author of The Five Love Languages, suggests that people give and receive love in one of five ways-

  1. Gifts
  2. Acts of service
  3. Touch
  4. Words of affirmation
  5. Personal time

Learning the love language of the people you’re closest to can help you strengthen your relationships in meaningful ways.

Relationship micro habit: Share a meal – Ever hear of the term breaking bread? That refers to coming together for a meal, which in ancient times was a gesture of friendship. The act of sharing a meal with people you care about creates the opportunity for quality time, laughter, and connection without distraction. Make time to go to dinner or host dinner with the people you want to create strong bonds with.

Relationship micro habit: Learn to listen – Being a good listener is harder than you may think. In fact, learning to actively listen is one of the best things you can do to strengthen relationships. Good listening requires reading non-verbal communication, asking questions, and letting the person you’re with know you’ve heard them. Great listening skills strengthen relationships and make communication incredibly easy.

Relationship micro habit: Be honestBe fully honest with your thoughts and your feelings. Remember your partner cannot read your mind. They do not know what you are thinking or feeling about matters. It is important to be able to fully listen and then respond honestly. Ensure that when you communicate you communicate from a healthy place, one that is free from blame, shame, or finger-pointing but one that is open, honest, and caring.

There are plenty of ways to make the people closest to you feel important. Develop micro habits that build strong relationships that withstand the test of time. If you are interested in working through some of your relationship stressors please check out some of our online relationship courses.

Time Management

Don’t Be Late Again! Tips to Improve Your Time Management

If you struggle with being on time you know the panicked feeling that comes when you are late and the need for effective time management skills. The uncomfortable and often awkward moment when you arrive disheveled and apologetic for being tardy and having to ask for forgiveness. Being late can give you a bad reputation and cost you respect.

Being late doesn’t mean you don’t care about being on time it just means you need greater time management skills. Often, it’s the result of being unprepared, overwhelmed, and sometimes easily distracted. Good time management isn’t just for mythical perfect people who seemingly don’t have real-world problems like screaming, uncooperative children, and dogs that dart out the door. Everyone deals with the same types of issues; some just develop micro habits that help them avoid being late.

Effective Time Management Skills That Keep You on Time and on Track

If you struggle to be on time, there are plenty of things you can do to reduce the chance of being late. Try any or all of these tips to help keep you focused.

Tip: Identify your time thief – Everyone has a thief that steals their time. For some it’s scrolling through social media, for others it’s underestimating the time it takes to get ready or be somewhere. Everyone has a habit that contributes to their poor time management skills. Identify your particular time thief/thieves so you can concentrate on making changes.

Tip: Use a prompt- Your smartphone does more than host social media and makes calls. You can easily use your alarm to set reminders to help you stay on time. Create a micro habit to set prompts that give you 15 or more minutes warning in case you find yourself easily distracted. Sometimes a simple prompt is all you need to stay on track. It also helps to prompt your family to help them stay focused when you need to leave on time. Reminding children in 15-minute increments before needing to leave can help.

Tip: Centralize your gear – Be sure to centralize things you need so you don’t waste time hunting for things on the way out of the door. Create a micro habit to keep keys, wallet, phone, and other gear in a specific location so you can grab-n-go without thinking about where each item is.

Anyone Can Be on Time Most of the Time

Honestly, everyone is going to be late sometimes. On the off chance you know you are going to be late, it’s always best to reach out and communicate. Calling ahead and letting people know you are going to be late can reduce the impact being tardy has. Offering to reschedule or simply letting them know you’re running late is proper etiquette and can help keep you from giving off the vibe you aren’t respectful of their time.

If you are looking to work on your time management and need structure please check out our time management online course.

Healthy Grocery Lists For Weight Loss

Grocery stores, as with other forms of retail, rely heavily on marketing to influence your purchases. Unfortunately, this can create a challenge when shopping for healthy grocery lists for weight loss or health grocery store list ideas because the marketing often promotes convenience foods, popular items that may have virtually no nutrition, and products that bring in higher profits, regardless of their nutritional value.

It’s important to understand how to maneuver through the aisles of your local grocery in order to get out with a cart full of healthy goodies.

Follow these tips to help you choose nutritious foods that your family will love and healthy grocery store list ideas:

1. Shop with a list:

Having a healthy grocery list for weight loss involves planning ahead by putting together a list before you enter the grocery store. Separate your list by area of the grocery store. This will allow you to work your way through the store without becoming distracted by unhealthy goods.

2. Shop the perimeter:

The perimeter of the store is where you’ll find fresh fruits and vegetables, fish and meat, bread and dairy. The bulk of your grocery shopping should be done in these areas, where you can choose fresh and healthy food. These are where most of your whole foods originate in the grocery store.

• Not all food in the perimeter of the store is automatically healthy, but fresh foods from the dairy, deli, bakery, and butcher areas of the store are generally more nutritious than boxed and frozen products.

• In the fresh food areas, look for organic produce, meats from free-range animals that weren’t treated with harmful hormones or fed genetically modified foods, and products made from non-genetically modified grains.

3. Follow your list:

When you do venture into the interior aisles of the store, only buy the specific items that are on your list. Especially a healthy grocery store list for weight loss. If you are not shopping from a list it can be tempting to add things to the cart that you may not need or can be loaded with processed foods.

• Try to avoid pre-packaged items, frozen items, and items that are advertised for children, as these tend to be the unhealthiest options in the grocery store.

4. Shop for real foods:

Choose 100% fruit juices, 100% whole grains, and foods that contain as little processing or as few additives as you can. You can add more sugar, salt, or seasonings if you like later.

5. Read the ingredients:

Avoid foods that contain the following:

• Artificial ingredients

• Ingredients you don’t recognize or can’t pronounce

• Foods that contain high numbers of ingredients

The best way to keep yourself from eating junk foods is to simply never buy them or bring them home. Healthy Grocery List ideas include buying whole organic foods derived from recipes that you have chosen ahead of time.

In today’s modern era, online grocery shopping is even better where you can organize your ingredient lists from the comfort of your home. Smart Shopping at the grocery store is one of the best things you can do for your family. When the bulk of your groceries is fresh, wholesome foods, you’ll find that they taste better, too, as well as provide the nutrition your body craves.

          You can also try to lose weight by changing your habits 

 

self esteem

Increase Your Self-Esteem by Adopting Meaningful Micro Habits

It may be hard to imagine how micro habits are ways to build self-esteem, but they do. Micro habits pertain to any area of life and are habits to be more productive. From health to lifestyle, adopting micro habits that help you shift your mindset and laser focus on positive living are bound to have a positive impact. The more successful you are, the more your self-esteem blossoms.

Each time you add a micro habit to your daily life, you trigger the opportunity to be proud of yourself. From making the bed each morning to choosing to eat a healthy dinner, there’s plenty to celebrate when you make good choices. Over time, the confidence you gain from automatically making responsible and sound decisions is a reminder of how far you’ve come.

Here’s the psychology of how micro habits are ways to build self-esteem

Confidence comes from well-being: Well-being is a state of comfort, health, and happiness. Each time you choose a micro habit that contributes to your well-being it boosts your confidence over and over again until it’s normal to feel great about yourself.

Micro Habits require positive thinking: Choosing micro habits requires a positive attitude and a willingness to do the task over and over again. Positive thinking is a mindset and behavior that starts to diminish negative thoughts and attitudes. The less negatively you think, the more your self-esteem rises.

Practice generates confidence: Micro habits to be more productive require learning new habits and mastering them over time. This generates confidence from overcoming roadblocks or learning new behaviors. The act of doing something repeatedly builds self-esteem as what once was a struggle becomes simple.

Confidence includes acceptance: Mastering a habit requires a level of acceptance and understanding. If you’ve engaged in a healthy micro habit like exercising for 30 minutes a day or eating a low-fat diet, you likely begin to appreciate your body and develop an acceptance of it, with or without flaws. This boosts self-esteem and generates a level of maturity.

Discipline boosts self-esteem: New habits require a level of discipline. Even when things are routine and automatic, they still require a level of commitment. Being more disciplined creates a subconscious satisfaction and appreciation for the work it takes to stay on task. This is one of the ways to build self-esteem every time you engage in healthy micro habits to be more productive.

You may not have expected micro habits to boost your self-esteem but they certainly do. Mastering tasks is something to be proud of and our mind knows when we are doing the right thing for our health and welfare

Healthy Eating Tips From Dr. Erica Steele

Welcome back to the coast live for another wellness minute with Dr. Erica Steele from holistic family practice Virginia Beach.

healthy eating

Incorporating vegetables into the diet can be challenging, especially for those people that are oftentimes will use a blender to be able to blend veggies into the diet so we can hide all of the vegetables from them. We also want to start with our sweet vegetables because those tend to be more appealing to the sweet vegetable subjects such as sweet potatoes, those sorts of things. Our root vegetables oftentimes are satisfying to those sweet palates. Using light organic sauces, such as ranch or BBQ can help tone down some of the bitter flavors of your broccoli as well as your asparagus. These healthy eating tips can help support even your pickiest of eaters to be able to incorporate more vegetables one step at a time.

Learn more healthy eating tips

One of the newest and most popular trends in natural living families in the past few years, plant-based diet transformation, has stirred up quite the discussion amongst health professionals.

A vegan diet is one that requires you to strip all and any animal products from your diet. This means no meat, dairy, eggs, or animal flavors of any kind. This also means avoiding the use of any animal-based products such as leather items such as furniture, shoes, etc. Pretty much anything that is made from animal products.

Flatten Your Tummy

Flatten Your Tummy In 3 Steps

Many people ask how to get a flat tummy fast naturally, and what the best way to get a flat stomach fast is, so we decided to write a blog post about it.

Make these nutrition, exercise, and posture tips part of your daily life and you’ll blast away your belly fat.

Eating for a Flat Stomach

 

1. Maintain a healthy body weight:

If you’re already above your ideal weight, you’ll need to burn more calories than you consume to lose those excess pounds. It’s great to tone your stomach muscles, but they’ll remain hidden until you shed any fat that covers them. This means lowering the fat in your diet to 20% to have a lean diet.

2. Get plenty of fiber:

A diet high in fiber will help prevent bloating. Green veggies contain tons of fiber along with healthy ancient grains such as quinoa are gluten-free and high in protein. They can also help you feel fuller faster, and most vegetables are low in calories. You can also start a vegan diet to get proper fiber. 

3. Cut down on sodium:

Many people eat twice as much sodium as health experts recommend. Too much salt can lead to high blood pressure as well as bloating. The biggest culprit is processed food, so read those nutrition labels and prepare your own dishes from fresh ingredients. Drinking plenty of water also helps to lower your sodium levels. Always shoot for half of your body weight in ounces at least. How to get a flat tummy fast naturally includes reducing sodium intake, and often the answer when I am asked what is the best way to get a flat stomach fast.

4. Eat smaller meals:

If lavish dinners make your belly bulge, try switching to smaller and more frequent meals. Eat 5 to 6 times a day every 3-4 hours. You’ll be less likely to get hungry and overindulge. Also, keep your meals protein-dense which will keep your blood sugar stable. Make a meal plan so that you can maintain your meal properly.  

5. See your doctor:

If you’re losing weight but failing to see any change in your waistline, talk with your doctor. There are tests that can detect if you have underlying stressors such as thyroid imbalances or food allergies. You may need to avoid certain foods or take supplements to help support the digestive process.

Exercising for a Tighter Tummy

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – November 22, 2018: health professional measuring a patient’s waist

1. Understand the myth of spot reduction:

Your body gains weight all over and loses it the same way. Sometimes simple diet and exercise alone cannot overpower genetics. We utilize radio frequency to be able to hit these stubborn areas, which is quick, easy, and painless.

2. Do aerobics daily:

Aerobic exercise is the best way to burn more calories. Take a daily walk or run. Go swimming or skating. Aim for about 30 minutes of activity a day. Supplement that with lifestyle changes like using the stairs instead of the elevator.

3. Strengthen your upper body muscles:

Building strong muscles in your shoulders, chest, and back will improve your posture and keep your abdomen from sticking out. Do some weight training or Pilates a few times each week. I find that Pilates and other Isotonic Biometric exercises are how to get a flat tummy fast naturally.

4. Tone your stomach muscles:

Spot exercises are effective in combination with aerobics and strength training. Crunches and leg lifts tighten and tone your stomach muscles. We use our Evolve Tight, Tone, and Trim device within our office to sculpt and tone abs with ease and often recommend this when asked what is the best way to get a flat stomach fast after diet and exercise have been exhausted.

5. Have fun:

Make your exercise routine enjoyable so you’ll want to stick with it. Design a variety of activities. Reward yourself when you make progress towards a slimmer waistline. Remember this is not a chore this is a goal and what you put in you will most definitely get out.

Improving Your Posture

Happy woman celebrating weight loss

1. Tuck your tummy in:

Imagine that you’re pressing your navel back against your spine. Even if it feels a little awkward at first, it will quickly become a habit with regular practice. The results are fast. Your abdomen will look flatter. You’ll breathe more deeply and feel more energetic. Even your clothes will look better. This is a quick tip on how to get a flat tummy fast naturally.

2. Pull your shoulders back:

Letting your shoulders drop back and relax helps to raise your chest up. This way, all of your core muscles support your weight instead of making just your abdomen carry the load.

3. Keep your body in alignment:

Whether sitting or standing, try to position your ears, shoulders, and hips in one vertical line. Balance your weight evenly over the balls and heels of your feet while walking or standing. Switch positions occasionally when sitting or standing for a long time.

A flat stomach can work wonders on your health and appearance. Eat right, exercise, and stand up straight. You’ll love your new look and finally be able to recognize is the best way to get a flat stomach fast.

Disorganized? Try These Micro Habits to Get Things in Order

Feeling scattered and disordered? It’s more common than you may think. Sure, your social media may make it look like everyone has their act together and enjoys creating Pinterest-worthy pantries, but for the most part, everyone could use a little help becoming more organized. Small daily habits can lead to productive lifestyle habits to help you improve your organization.

Micro habits are excellent for organizing all kinds of things. Small daily habits can make a big difference in how prepared you feel at work and at home. Being more organized can also help save

  • Time
  • Money
  • Worry
  • Stress

If you’ve been on the fence about starting productive lifestyle habits, focusing on organization is one of the easiest and most beneficial places to start. Remember our lives reflect our habits.

Here are some great micro habits that help anyone feel more organized

Empty your car every time you come home – It’s easy to keep your car neat and tidy by cleaning it out every time you come home. Place a trash can near your car and remove any trash as you exit the car. Keep a box or bag in the car to collect lose clothing, sports equipment, water bottles, etc.. and take them into the house. You can even invest in a hand-held vacuum to keep in the garage to quickly clean up the floors.

Take action with the mail every day – When you check your mail, it’s easy to toss it in the car, on the counter, or in a pile. Take action right away and throw away junk mail, open bills and put them in a secure place, and address any other mail that needs attention.

Create a staging area near the door – Place all items you’ll need for the next day beside the door before you go to bed. Staging your bags, sports equipment, workout gear, backpacks, and anything else that needs to make it out the door can ensure you don’t forget anything and you get out of the house on time.

Use designated boxes to clear up clutter – Designate a box or basket for each family member, toss their items into the container as you spruce up, and have them take it to their room when they go to bed for the night. This can help declutter the home, reduce back-and-forth trips to various rooms, and create a central spot for everyone’s belongings.

Invest in clear storage containers – Whether it’s shoes or items in the fridge, seeing is believing. Using clear storage containers helps keep things organized and easy to find. It also reduces the likelihood of buying duplicates of items you may have forgotten you already have.

Incorporating productive lifestyle habits can make it much easier to stay organized. They all add up together to help your home and life feel put together and easier to manage. Find the micro habits that make sense for you and your family and start to implement them right away.

Setting Healthy Boundaries with Dr. Erica Steele on Coast Live

This video is all about Setting healthy boundaries tips from Dr. Erica Steele

It is time now for another wellness minute Dr. Erica’s holistic family practice in particular.

Having healthy boundaries means balancing between how you personally feel as well as expectations of the outside world. When we don’t set healthy boundarie for ourselves, we tend to feel scared or even nervous, which triggers a lot of stress responses within the body. When you have healthy boundaries, you feel secure, supportive, and even more happy and whole mentally as well as physically.

healthy

Examples of setting healthy boundaries include knowing when to say no when you don’t want to do something, learning to follow through when you’ve made a commitment, communicating your feelings and thoughts to others. As well as knowing that taking full responsibility for your actions are key ways that you can set healthy boundarie for yourself as well as those outside worlds

Learn more tips on self-care

We’re often concerned with how well we’re taking care of others, but it’s important to give yourself the attention you need, too. There is a reason that on an airplane they often say to put your oxygen mask on first.

Practice self-care each and every day

 

 

making your bed in the morning

Make Your Bed- A Micro Habit That Sets the Proper Tone for the Day

Micro habits are actions or behaviors that are small but mighty. On their own they may not seem significant, but added to other habits they make a big impact. One micro habit, making your bed in the morning, can actually help set the tone for your entire day.

Making Your Bed Boosts Your Mood

One of the reasons to make your bed in the morning is the instant accomplishment at the beginning of the day. It sets a tone that you can complete something. Psychologically, this helps motivate you to cross other things off your daily list. It feels good to complete an action and automatically boosts your mood.

Making Your Bed Looks Great

One of the reasons to make your bed in the morning is that an unmade bed looks messy, which can make the entire room look disheveled. Even pulling the covers tight and fluffing pillows makes a difference instead of making your bed in the morning.. Going the extra mile to decorate an eye-catching bed can elevate the look in your bedroom. Buy coordinating bedding and take the time to add pillows or a comfortable throw blanket.

Making Your Bed Triggers Similar Habits

Getting into the habit of making your bed actually triggers other micro habits. Your brain internalizes how easy it is to complete a microtask and the momentum leads to completing other micro-tasks throughout the day.

Making Your Bed Contributes to Your Mental Health

Statistics show that people have a more positive reaction to getting into a made bed rather than an unmade bed. Something about pulling back the covers and sliding into a nicely made bed elevates mood and helps you fall asleep sooner and stay asleep longer.

Making Your Bed is an Act of Self Love

Another reason to make your bed in the morning is that you spend a significant portion of your life in bed. Having a comfortable bed with luxurious bedding is a simple way to care for yourself. Your bedtime can be restful and restorative if you take the time to make your bed pleasing, welcoming, and comfortable.

Making Your Bed Models Good Behavior

Whether you live with your family or all by yourself, making your bed models the habit for other people. What you do influences those around you on a regular basis. If you hold a standard for making the bed, it encourages those around you to follow along.

Making your bed in the morning may seem insignificant, but it can get your day started on the right track and actually influence how much you tackle throughout the day. Make a micro habit of making your bed an easy-to-do, everyday practice.

If you want to learn how small changes can make big impacts in your life please check out our Habits Online Course

Micro Habits Can Radically Change Your Quality of Life

At this point in the series, you probably don’t need convincing that if you change your habits change your life and that micro habits to change your life are easy and good for you. The previous blog posts we focused on how building micro habits can help you make positive changes in your life without having to radically change everything all at once. During the second ten-day section, we focused on health and how micro habits can give you a mental and physical boost. Now, it’s time to focus on how micro habits can change your quality of life.

Micro Habits for the Home that Have a BIG Impact

Daily Cleaning: Cleaning clutter on a daily basis can radically improve your quality of life. Micro habits to change your life are done daily which helps your home stay neat and tidy. This can save time when you do a larger clean to maintain your home. Daily chores can include:

  • Doing dishes after each meal
  • Taking out the trash at night
  • Cleaning up after animals
  • Putting clothing in the hamper, wash, or folded and away
  • Sweeping floors

Choose micro habits that make the most sense for your needs. Create customized habits that help reduce clutter or help keep your home running smoothly. This will dramatically reduce stress, overwhelm, and help make your home clean and comfortable each time you are there.

Change your habits change your life in relationships that Have a BIG Impact

Investing in primary relationships: Your primary relationships require nurturing to thrive. Being in good standing with those closest to you helps you feel balanced and at ease. Taking the time to create micro habits that sustain positive relationships can radically improve your quality of life. Some easy micro habits that build lasting relationships include:

  • Date night with partner and/or children
  • Celebrating milestones
  • Writing thank you notes
  • Family meal time
  • Girlfriend/Guys Getaways

Depending on the primary relationships in your life, you can craft habits that fit the unique dynamics you have. The most important thing to remember is to be consistent. Creating habits that promote healthy relationships can dramatically improve your personal quality of life when you have harmony with others.

Finding micro habits that support and enhance the various areas of your life can significantly improve your overall quality of life. Pay close attention to the areas of life you manage day-to-day and see what micro habits to change your life you can create to make them better than ever.

learn more about micro habits that make a big difference in your life