Whether we are at the office, in the car or at home, we spend much of our day sitting down. So much time in fact that it can impact how active we are throughout the remainder of our day. Because of the amount of sitting we do, it can be hard to find times to be active and burn calories. If you still want to lose weight, but can’t avoid the huge amount of sitting throughout your day, check out these three sitting exercises that promote healthy weight loss.

1. Replace your chair

This is a super easy way to get in some key exercise while you are sitting at work. Take your old office chair and replace it with an exercise ball. More specifically, a stability ball. A stability ball will help you tighten and strengthen various parts of your body, including your core, leg and back muscles. It has been proven that when you do this you can burn up to an extra 100 calories a day!

2. Set healthy reminders for yourself

This is a simple practice that can greatly improve your health, quality of life and weight. If you set healthy reminders for yourself throughout the day while at work you can avoid staying stagnant and eating potentially unhealthy foods. For example, set reminders on your phone to tell yourself to get up and walk around the office for a few minutes, or to walk up and down a set of stairs. In addition, you can set reminders telling yourself what snacks you should eat during the work day, or what healthy option you should have during your lunch break.

3. Drink lots of water

Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate. Keeping yourself properly hydrated is very important. And by doing this you can even help yourself lose weight without getting up and impacting your work day. Drinking lots of water ensures that your metabolism and other bodily functions can work to the best of their ability. Keeping your metabolism hydrated and fully operational helps reduce your calorie intake.

Autumn is the season of letting go. We watch as the trees release their beautiful but ‘ready to fall’ foliage. There is a sadness to it, but a gracefulness as well. The same energy is asked of us, as humans, in Autumn. We must let go of what is no longer needed in order to consolidate our resources. This is not a time for emotional or physical constipation. And yet, some of us find ourselves extra congested come autumn, congested with emotions, with phlegm and with poop! Why is this and how do we fix it?

Autumn, in TCM, belongs to the metal element which is represented in the body by the Lung and Large Intestine energies. These are both involved in refinement and elimination, key functions associated with the metal element and the fall season. The Lungs filter the air we breathe, obtaining purified oxygen for energy while releasing carbon dioxide. The large intestine extracts the last bit of usable moisture from the body’s waste products before their final elimination. 

These organs also deal with grief. Sadness and loss are the emotional themes of the season. Mourning is a fact of life and one we must face with bravery, love and patience but it is not meant to be a chronic condition. Emotional constipation can lead to a variety of more serious and physical health threats. Honoring loss also means letting it go. To everything there is a season…

Nasal congestion is also a potential seasonal issue. The lungs are said to open into the nose, so when our lungs are not ‘letting go’ properly we may feel ‘blocked up’ in our sinuses. Phlegm can also be a result of a weak earth element (digestive function) which may be causing buildup in the lungs, as the lungs are considered to be the offspring of the digestive organs and directly affected by them. Practice breathwork for lung function and avoid cold, raw and damp (such as dairy) foods to help prevent the buildup of phlegm. 

Intestinal constipation is also one of the main health concerns of the season. The large intestine is designed for preparing the waste for release and then actually delivering it out of the body. There are many challenges to this system, especially with this change of season. We are shifting gears in Autumn, from the extreme yang outward energy of summer to the first inward turn of yin, beginning to prepare for winter. During this internal pull, there may be a temptation to hold on to what is not essential while drawing in resources. That pull can actually inhibit peristalsis, the natural rhythmic movement of our intestines that guides the stool out of the body. Autumn is also a time of dryness, as the humidity of summer is drained out of the air, and pulled back into the earth. This ‘drying out’ energy can be overdone in our intestines, leading to a dry constipation. 

Combat Constipation with:

• The practice of letting go of stuck emotions: requires awareness of emotional energies and time and space to process them. Give it a go!
• Abdominal massage: castor oil is a great oil to penetrate the tissues and encourage movement of stagnation. You can use clockwise circular motions on your lower belly.
• Fiber: eat your prunes! The fiber binds to toxins in the intestines and gives the intestinal walls something to work with to assist peristalsis.
• Stay hydrated: With Autumn being the season of dryness, keep a healthy fluid balance in the intestines with daily water intake and occasional aloe vera juice for internal hydration.
• Acupuncture and Chinese herbs: Acupuncture is fantastic at helping to balance patterns associated with constipation. There are also chinese herbal formulas such as Ma Zi Ren Wan that help alleviate intestinal dryness, as well as other formulas geared to other causes. These should be used with guidance from a qualified herbalist.

Let us help you flow and let go with the season, schedule an appointment to assist your body in making the shift! 

Childhood obesity is a serious health issue affecting more than 12 million children in the United States. From a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, obesity is related to a weakness in the digestive energy, a stagnation of energy in the body, heat accumulating in the stomach or an accumulation of dampness and phlegm. These imbalances may be inherited or may be products of the environment, lifestyle, diet and stress of the patient.

There is no magic pill for obesity – but in most cases, childhood obesity can be prevented or treated with lifestyle modifications and natural medicine. Here are four ways to help your child overcome obesity.

1. Move!

Exercise is incredibly important in reaching and maintaining a healthy weight. It is important, especially for kids, to make exercise fun! Try different team sports and individual athletic endeavors, competitive sports and collaborative activities, high intensity exercise and more gentle forms of movement like yoga or tai chi. The important thing is to find what is right for your child – what he or she will keep doing on a regular basis (at least four times per week).

2. Eat a Spleen-friendly Diet

In Traditional Chinese Medicine the spleen is what controls digestion. It is in charge of transforming the food we eat into nutrients the body can use, and then transporting those nutrients around the body. When the spleen is constantly fed food that is overly processed, sweet or greasy, it can’t function optimally. This leads to the formation of dampness and excess fat. The metabolism will suffer as the spleen is weakened, compounding the problem. That is why it is important to be sure your child largely eats a spleen-friendly diet.

To nourish the spleen, avoid foods that have a lot of sugar, are overly processed or are particularly greasy. Also, limit the intake of cold temperature foods and beverages. The spleen exerts a lot of energy heating up the food you eat to be 98.6 degrees – you can help it out and give it warm foods or room temperature beverages, allowing it to use its resources on digestion, transformation and transportation.

3. Heal the Gut

A spleen-friendly diet is a great way to prevent obesity and to teach your child how to stay healthy long-term. However, in order to reverse direction when obesity is already present, it is important to take steps to heal the digestive system, as it is clearly already compromised. Taking age-appropriate probiotics is a great place to start. Probiotics introduce good, healthy bacteria into your gut, so that there isn’t space for unhealthy bacteria to make themselves a home. More and more research shows how integral our microflora biodome is to our overall health, and probiotics are an essential piece of creating healthy gut flora. Another way to heal the digestive tract is to introduce bone broth. Bone broth refers to soup or broth made from cooking animal bones (ie, from beef, pork or chicken) for a long time, allowing the broth to leech out the good, healing nutrients from the bone marrow. Bone broth is incredibly nourishing to the digestive system as well as other core energy systems in the body. It helps repair a damaged gut.

4. Get Acupuncture

Acupuncture can be a terrific therapy for helping your child through this process of losing weight and shifting their lifestyle. Depending on the age of your child, acupuncture or acupressure may be more appropriate, and both serve to move stuck energy, strengthen the spleen and stomach, reduce heat or inflammation, and transform dampness and phlegm. They can improve metabolism, reduce cravings, regulate appetite and offer support during these difficult lifestyle changes.

It may be hard work, for both you and your child, but overcoming childhood obesity is essential in setting your child up for health as an adult.

If it’s your first time seeing an acupuncturist you may be taken back by some of the questions you are asked during the intake. Even if you are just coming in for help with headaches, you’d most likely get questioned about seemingly unrelated bodily functions. While the subject of your poop may be uncomfortable at first, rest assured that, in Chinese Medicine, it has a long history of being used as an important diagnostic tool. In the case of the headache and almost any other complaint, the color, consistency, frequency, even odor of your poop can point to patterns in energy, substance and organ relationships that will inform the most effective treatment.

While your acupuncturist is investigating the imbalance that is responsible for whatever you are seeking treatment for, you will get asked specific questions about what ends up in your porcelain throne. The reason for this is because many organs are involved in the process of digestion. We often look at the absorptive functions of the spleen, stomach and small intestine, the Kidneys as the root source of digestive fire, the liver as an important player in harmonizing digestive function through the regulation of qi movement in the body and the large intestine as that main exit pathway that pulls out excess water to finally concentrate our waste material into the perfect poop. 

In explaining the state of the body based on the function of these organs, Chinese Medicine uses terms like damp, dry, heat, cold, stagnant, excess, and deficient. These terms refer to patterns of energy and substance recognized in the body that can predict other health aspects. For example, we can predict that a patient recognized as having a “damp pattern” evidenced in loose stools and edema might tend to also suffer from brain fog and difficulty losing weight.

So before getting into the various signs of imbalance, let’s lay out the ideal poop situation. When all is well a person should have a bowel movement 1-2x/day. Less can be considered constipation, while more would be considered diarrhea. According to TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), the perfect bowel movement is formed but not hard, it should not be odorous, there should be no blood or pus, and you should not have to push hard. If you fit the bill, this is generally indicative of not only good digestive health, but overall health as well. 

Signs of imbalance include stool that is too soft, too dry, sticky, thin, small, stinky or any color other than a nice dark brown. 

Soft or loose with undigested food: we look at spleen, stomach and small intestine absorptive function as well as the strength of the kidney yang or that fire of metabolism in the body.

Dry, hard:  generally considered to be caused by a deficiency of yin (moisturizing, cooling aspects of the body), or blood. Basically, the person is dehydrated.

Thin: can be a result of qi deficiency or qi stagnation. Consistently pencil thin stools are considered a red flag in Western medicine, and while it may just be an area of spasm in the colon, it is best to rule out more serious concerns like a blockage such as a tumor.

Sticky or Slimy: If you have to wipe multiple times, you may have excess ‘dampness’ or ‘phlegm’ in the body. (In Western medicine this is associated with the inability to break down fat). 

Pebbles: If you tell your acupuncturists that your poop looks like goat droppings, s/he will check for signs of liver function. The liver, according to TCM, is in charge of keeping a smooth flow of qi in the body. If qi becomes stagnant, waste wont move along its exit path, instead it sits and dries up, breaking down into ‘pebbles’, especially when there is also excess heat involved.

Color is important from both an Eastern and western perspective. In either case, there are some red flags such as pale or gray stools which may indicate a bile blockage. Red in your stool can be indicative of blood (are you SURE you didn’t eat beets yesterday?!) which should be further investigated.  Generally though, according to TCM, we may look for signs of heat (or infection) in the intestines if we hear that there is dark yellow stools, or want to check liver function if they tend more greenish. 

Strong odor is another sign of  heat in the intestines, While an especially foul odor indicates damp-heat. All of these distinctions are important as they inform treatment in both acupuncture and herbal approaches.

Even if you’re not experiencing any problems, it’s still a good idea to monitor your stool regularly. This can help you identify any potential health concerns before they become a bigger problem. So keep track of what your poop looks like, and if you notice any changes, talk to Heidi right away.

When it comes to achieving healthy and radiant skin, sometimes the best solutions can be found right in your kitchen. Nature has provided us with an array of powerful ingredients that can nourish and rejuvenate our skin. By incorporating kitchen remedies into your skincare routine, you can harness the power of natural ingredients to promote a glowing complexion. Let’s explore some easy and effective kitchen remedies for skin health.

1. Honey for Hydration:

Honey is a true skincare gem with its moisturizing and antibacterial properties. It helps to retain moisture, leaving your skin soft and supple. Apply a thin layer of raw honey to your face and let it sit for 10-15 minutes before rinsing with warm water. The natural enzymes in honey also gently exfoliate, revealing a refreshed complexion.

2. Turmeric for Brightening:

Turmeric has been used for centuries for its skin-brightening properties. Its active compound, curcumin, helps to reduce inflammation and even out skin tone. Mix a teaspoon of turmeric powder with plain yogurt or honey to form a paste. Apply it to your face and leave it on for 15-20 minutes before rinsing off. Be cautious, as turmeric can temporarily stain the skin, but it will fade over time.

3. Oatmeal for Soothing:

Oatmeal is a gentle and soothing ingredient that can calm irritated and sensitive skin. Grind a handful of oats into a fine powder and mix it with warm water to form a paste. Apply the mixture to your face and leave it on for 10-15 minutes. Rinse off gently with water, and enjoy the calming effect on your skin.

4. Lemon for Brightening and Exfoliation:

Lemon is a natural exfoliant and skin brightener, thanks to its high vitamin C content. Squeeze fresh lemon juice into a bowl and dilute it with equal parts water. Using a cotton ball, apply the mixture to your face and leave it on for 10 minutes before rinsing off. Due to its acidic nature, lemon juice can be drying, so it’s important to moisturize afterward and avoid sun exposure.

5. Avocado for Nourishment:

Avocado is a treasure trove of nutrients that can deeply nourish and hydrate the skin. Mash half an avocado and mix it with a tablespoon of honey or plain yogurt. Apply the mixture to your face and leave it on for 15-20 minutes before rinsing off. The natural oils in avocado will leave your skin feeling soft, supple, and rejuvenated.

Remember, everyone’s skin is unique, so it’s important to patch test any new ingredients to ensure compatibility with your skin. Additionally, these kitchen remedies can complement your regular skincare routine but should not replace professional dermatological advice for specific skin conditions.

Incorporating kitchen remedies into your skincare regimen can be an enjoyable and cost-effective way to nourish your skin naturally. So, raid your pantry and indulge in these wonderful kitchen remedies for radiant and healthy skin.

Note: If you have known allergies or skin sensitivities, it is crucial to consult with a dermatologist or healthcare professional before trying new ingredients on your skin.