Recently, someone asked me if there is such thing as Couch Potato Syndrome. I looked into it and sure enough there are many, many articles and studies on the subject. This person asked because she feels that over the past few months she has slipped into the couch potato category. I feel that she’s not alone and I want to offer help to her and anyone else who is feeling the couch potato blues.

Let me first start by saying that it’s mid-winter, it’s been very cold and very snowy which doesn’t help how we feel from day-to-day.

Upon researching information on ‘being a couch potato’, I come across all the health risks this brings but not many reasons for CPS (couch potato syndrome). Knowing that there are health risks, I will share those with you first. Sitting around being a long-term couch potato can cause lower bone density, poor posture & back pain, osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, muscle weakness, poor sleep and a slower thought process; there may be more but these are a few major concerns.

In my research I didn’t come across any reasons for CPS other than one study, published in the American Journal of Physiology, stating that it’s genetic. In my opinion, if you weren’t always a couch potato but have become one more recently, there’s a deeper reason for it and prehaps a way out of it. Some questions to ask yourself and maybe even make lists or journal about it are:

1 – Am I happy? If not, why?

2 – Am I in pain physically?

3- Am I overwhelmed?

4 – Do I have all I need? What do I need?

5 – What can I do to make things better personally?

When you answer these questions truthfully and from the heart, you have taken your first step toward changing your outcome, improving your body and mind.

So now what? What can I do to get off the couch, you ask?
First, take your list of answers from the questions above and decide which one or ones to tackle first. If you’re in pain, decide what you can do to change that, then do it. If you’re unhappy, change something in your life that will increase happiness. Overwhelmed? Ask for help, say no sometimes, eliminate tasks that can wait and rethink areas of importance.

Next, get moving! Movement increases motivation and motivation brings happiness, happiness leads to contentment and desire to keep the ball rolling forward. Not motivated to get moving? Do it anyways! You can start small and increase activity as you feel fit. Schedule in a 15-minute activity break every day and force yourself to do it. Your activity is your choice as long as it involves physical motion, cleaning, dancing, walking, playing catch, jumping jacks or any other workout routine. Whatever you choose is right, it’s yours and up to you to do it.

Often when we are depressed we feel most comforted by sitting in sorrow or thought, spacing out, being quiet or being distracted by fantasy such as TV or books. When we’re overwhelmed we feel the same way, we don’t want to have to think or be responsible. And, when we are just plain unhappy and dis-satisfied with our lives we get stuck not knowing where to turn or what we can do to change our outcome. The first step is always to do something to get momentum going.

If you’re feeling anything like the previously mentioned moods, take your steps toward improving them one item at a time. Happiness, contentment and forward motion is the key to a long, well-lived life!

Every so often someone says something to me that penetrates deeply into my soul. One such case happened in the latter part of 2008.

I had been searching for a new chiropractor, someone I could trust, who knew their stuff inside-out and who was professional. After some time, research and high praises from friends/acquaintances I found exactly the person I was hoping for. I found Dr. Guo; he is a chiropractor & acupuncturist with a strong belief in Chinese medicine – he was perfect for me.

During one session while he was placing his acupuncture needles in the exact spots for my particular issues we chatted. Something about holding tension due to trust, past emotional & physical pain & trauma, etc. he said two final words to me before leaving the room; “stand tall”. He left me there for the usual 25 minutes with soothing music, heat lamps and the acupuncture needles towering but gently resting just below my skin.

Stand Tall. My mind was filled with thoughts of stand tall. My posture? My emotions? My attitude? Stand tall. There are so many ways I can stand tall; there are so many areas I need to stand tall in. I closed my eyes, I rested for the full 25 minutes with his gentle words replaying in my mind…stand tall.

Upon leaving his office that day I went through the next two weeks repeatedly hearing his voice telling me to stand tall. I stood tall, I kept my posture in check, I kept my self-confidence in higher esteem, I was reminded in nearly every situation to stand tall. Emotionally and physically, I stood tall.

Two weeks later I returned to Dr. Guo’s office for my next treatment session. He went about his work while he asked how I was doing. I told him that just two simple words that he spoke to me last time hit me strongly in a positive way. I told him that I took his words “stand tall” in two ways, physically and emotionally, and that they made a positive impact on me and how I saw myself; he responded, “I meant them in two ways”.

Since then, those words have stayed with me. His advice was powerful. He often said things that I thought of as profound, but those two words were the most powerful for me at that time. I will forever remember and be thankful for Dr. Guo and his deep-rooted wisdom.

Let me state that the only reason I no longer see Dr. Guo is because I moved an hour and a half away from his office which I was traveling to for about 6 months after moving but it got to be too much and so I found a local chiropractic office.

We all love rewards! We often reward our children for good things they do such as getting good grades, doing their chores, being kind to their siblings, I’ve even overheard moms tell their child they will buy them a candy bar if they are good in the grocery store, and so on; often the reward is food, more precisely candy or other sweet snacks. We reward ourselves in much the same way.

Rewarding ourselves with guilty pleasure foods isn’t the healthy way to reward an accomplishment. Many people turn to food for sorrow as well as reward so when you use the same thing for both, you mix the message that you’re giving your subconcious self.

Find rewards that don’t involve food. Reward yourself with personal time-meditation, a special book, a new scarf or other clothing, get your nails done, see or buy a movie, buy a new cd, take a yoga or other grounding type of class…the options are endless!

Use food as nourishment. Use sweet foods as mind and soul nourishment such as once a week indulgence, your 10% of freedom foods but always keep portion sizes within reason.

When you turn to food as rewards you often end up feeling self-defeated. When you reward yourself with time or objects other than food, you find deeper appreciation for what you have accomplished.

Think about a goal that you’re working at to reach and decide on the reward you will give yourself once you reach it. Set small goals more often and get great results and fun rewards!

I set goals for myself, daily goals, weekly goals and seasonal goals. Sometimes I set a yearly goal but not often; maybe I should?

I plan, I prep, I organize until I get it right enough to start working on that goal – but then right enough is never quite reached.

We’re not alone, we all do it. Why do I do this? Why do you do this?

We’re stalling for time. We’re finding; no, we’re making excuses for not being there yet. It’s so much easier to explain why we haven’t reached our goal yet…simply put, I haven’t started, I’m gearing up, I’m getting ready, I’m making sure I have everything I need first, I’m waiting for the right moment, I have a plan, I need to get past this party, that gathering, these holidays, vacation, I need to wait until all my kids leave home! My head is SPINNING! Is yours?

When will we have it all together? When will we finally get it right? What if when we finally have it all together it’s too late?

I’m going to try…no, I’m going to absolutely adopt a new set of mind game rules for myself…no more mind games. Now is the right time, I have prepared enough, I’m ready (whether I actually think I am or not), I can, I will, I want to, I’ll survive a party, a vacation, the holidays making healthier choices, I’ll show my kids how it’s done while they’re still close by.

I’ll root for me, today, right now. If I slip up today I always have tomorrow. Tomorrow, I will begin again; and so on, and so on and so on…

Lately I’ve been in a slight mental fog. I’m thinking/hoping maybe it’s just because of the lull after the storm called ‘the holidays’; maybe it’s the fact that a year has come and gone and the beginning of a new one is upon us? Whatever the cause may be, I need to – I want to get out of it!

Some simple common causes of mental fog, aka brain fog are things like stress, physical/mental fatigue, and depression, lack of sleep, nutrient deficiency, dehydration and allergy to certain foods. More intense causes range widely from heavy metal toxicity to poor gut health. If you don’t feel better after trying to eliminate common causes associated with brain fog, you might want to opt to have your blood screened for a more in depth diagnosis.

Now that you know what might be causing your mental fog and lack motivation, here are a few simple things you can do to improve your brain health.

Daily steps to calm your thoughts:

– Sitting quietly letting your mind wander and let it go – meditation

– Take a 10-minute walk, just a short walk alone can decompress and clear your mind

– “Fun 15”, take 15 minutes all for yourself every day, sound too easy? Try it anyway!

Drink enough water – half your body weight in ounces every day! (150 pounds = 75 ounces etc.)

Eat nutrient dense foods:

– Citrus, greens and other vegetables for vitamins C, E, & B, & rich in zinc

– Essential fatty acids – fish, avocados, flax and olive oils, other nut and seed oils, whole nuts & seeds.

Try the tips listed above and see if your fogginess improves.

Being in a mental fog isn’t normal nor healthy. Some people have felt this way for so long that it feels normal to them, yet uncomfortable. Temporary fogginess has become somewhat natural in the toils of daily life, but it should never last; the body should have ways of adjusting out of it, not to it. As we find gadgets intended to simplify our lives, we often find ourselves more stressed by these little distractions; it shouldn’t be that way – it doesn’t have to be that way.

If you feel like you’ve been constantly foggy for a while or even if it happens occasionally on and off, you can benefit from learning what foods and lifestyle choices influence how you feel or function through working with me.

Sprouting is easy and extremely nutritious. When beans and seeds are sprouted they offer more nutrients than when they’re cooked. You can add sprouts to salad, soup, grain dishes, bean dishes or eat them as a nutritious snack as I often do. You know those times when you feel like nibbling but don’t want to make poor choices? Nibble sprouts!

All you need to begin sprouting is: A mason jar, a square of plastic canvas found at craft stores (if you decide to sprout seeds such as Jonathan or brocco-seeds you can buy a finer mesh plastic canvas) Lentils and Mung beans (aka Moong beans)

Cut a piece of canvas to fit inside the screw part of the mason jar to replace the solid top.

Add 1/8 cup mung beans or ¼ cup lentils to the jar, put the newly designed cover on top, fill it with water to rinse the beans once then add enough water to cover the beans. Place out-of-the-way to soak 8-12 hours, over night works well. Empty and rinse the beans, drain well and lay jar on it’s side out of sunlight. Rinse and drain beans twice a day for 3-4 days until you see sprouts. When they’re fully sprouted, rinse and drain them then spread them out on a clean kitchen towel for about 1 hour to air dry well. After they’re dry store them in the refrigerator in a covered container.

Enjoy eating them alone or in a variety of dishes!

If you find that you love sprouting you can find safe seeds to sprout here: http://sproutpeople.org/

Important tip: You should never sprout seeds that aren’t meant for eating such as vegetable seeds from the garden center. They’re only used for gardening and aren’t safe to be used for sprouting in this manner.