Category: Guest Post

Time for a Change? 5 Ways to Transform Your Life

Have you been feeling stagnant and stuck lately?

Sometimes, we all need to change things up to feel motivated again – especially when we’ve spent the last year coping with a worldwide pandemic.

Guest Post by Phillip Carr, Photo Source: Unsplash

If you’re unhappy with where you are now or the direction your life is headed, you always have the opportunity to try something new. 

The idea of shifting your habits and routines can seem daunting, but if you focus on small, achievable goals, you’ll be surprised at how easily you adapt.

You may not notice a difference overnight, but with time, patience, and dedication, psychologist Stacy Reuille-Dupontbelieves that taking these steps to transform your life will pay off. 

Get in Shape

Finding a sport that suits your interests and lifestyle makes exercising feel like fun rather than a chore. After a couple of months of exercising regularly, you’ll have more endurance, you’ll sleep better, and you’ll definitely tone up. 

Starting a fitness routine doesn’t have to mean lifting weights or running miles every morning.

In addition to weights, exercise bikes, and treadmills, joining a gym typically gives you access to lots of classes, like pilates and yoga. 

If you’d prefer to work out at home or you’re simply looking to save a little money by forgoing a gym membership, you still have plenty of options when it comes to exercising.

For example, you can follow along to workout videos on your TV with a streaming device.

Find some channels and apps featuring instructors you like, and it can feel like you have a personal trainer in your living room!

To boost your motivation, you can also put together custom workout playlists to stream while you exercise.

Choose an easy-to-use streaming device so you can flip through channels and songs effortlessly while you work out.

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Cook Healthy Meals

Working out is just one aspect of living a healthier lifestyle.

Stocking your pantry with healthy staples and committing to cooking most nights rather than eating out can have a significant positive impact on your physical and mental health.

Packaged, processed food and restaurant meals are often loaded with excess sugar and sodium.

You don’t have to be a skilled chef to whip up tasty, nutritious meals – with a little practice, you’ll have the basics mastered in no time. 

Not sure where to begin? Harvard Health Publishing suggests incorporating more fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains into your diet.

Next, experiment with new recipes that combine ingredients you already love and find healthier alternatives to dishes you enjoy.

You’ll have more energy on a daily basis, and you’ll save money in the process!

Make a Budget

Want to take control of your financial future? Creating a realistic budget that helps you stay on track to your savings goals is the first step.

With countless apps that help you watch your spending, sticking to a budget has never been easier. 

If you’re ready to figure out your personal budget, begin by taking stock of all of your necessary expenses, like rent, utilities, insurance, and other monthly bills.

Next, account for eating out, shopping, and getting drinks with friends.

Look for ways you can save money each month, such as:

  1. Refinance loan rates remain low, so now is the perfect time to lower your monthly payments.
  2. Reducing the number of services you subscribe to. For example, if you use Netflix and Hulu more often than you watch live TV, it might make sense to cancel or cut down your cable package.
  3. Cutting down on your grocery budget. As noted above, eating an excessive amount of packaged foods can impact your physical and mental health – and buying them can put a dent in your wallet.

Any ancillary funds you can save can be put toward a long-term savings or emergency account.

Having this financial cushion will give you peace of mind right away, not to mention in the event you need to use it.

Talk to a Therapist

If you’ve been struggling with depression or anxiety and your symptoms are holding you back from living the life you really want, it’s time to talk to a therapist.

A therapist can help you understand why you feel the way you do and teach you coping strategies that will help you manage your stress and move beyond depression. 

It may take a little while to find a therapist who is right for you.

Begin your search by looking up providers in your area, and make a few phone calls to schedule your first session.

Committing to therapy for even just a few months can dramatically transform your mindset. 

When you decide to take responsibility for your path in life and move confidently toward your goals, gradual changes are the key to lasting success.

With the right tools and support, you have the power to transform your life. 

If you are looking to optimize your life book your FREE consultation session now.

Try These Simple Practices to Prevent Anxiety Attacks

If you deal with anxiety attacks, you know how distressing and stressful they can be.

Guest Post by: Emma Grace Brown, Image via Rawpixel

Anxiety is your body’s way of responding to stressful situations, and a healthy amount of it can provide you with extra energy and focus on overcoming challenges.

But when your anxiety reaches unhealthy levels, and it begins to disrupt your life, it’s time to figure out how to bring it under control.

Fortunately, there are many practical methods to keep anxiety at bay and reduce stress. From therapy self-study at home workbooks to diet and exercise, try these tips from Stacy Reuille-Dupont to prevent future anxiety attacks:

Change Jobs         

Sometimes anxiety is rooted in or triggered by a career path that no longer fits your life. Whether you have changed, the job has changed, or a good thing just needs to come to an end, sometimes you need to move on. Evaluate your career path to determine if it still accommodates you. If not, be bold and make the change to find something more enjoyable. 

If you find your current career is not the right fit and is triggering anxiety, then consider going to school and getting on track for a career that will suit you better. Online schooling is more accessible and flexible than ever in the digital age. While still working your current job (keeping a steady paycheck) and managing your responsibilities, you can attend online courses. 

If you already have your bachelor’s degree, you can go back to earn a master’s in fields like education, business, or criminal justice. If you don’t have your bachelor’s degree yet, you could achieve one in anything from health care to technology.

Try Breathing Exercises

Anxiety can cause every muscle in your body to tense up. It also impacts every organ, your mood, and your energy levels. Breathing exercises are proven to lessen not only the symptoms associated with anxiety but also to alleviate or altogether eliminate anxiety attacks. 

Try different breathing exercises until you find one you like (e.g., belly breathing, box breathing, alternating nasal and mouth breathing, 4-7-8 breathing, etc.). And use the techniques whenever anxiety washes over you.

Steer Clear of Substances

While things like breathing exercises and life changes can improve anxiety, triggers make it worse. Anything that alters your brain can exacerbate anxiety. Whether we are talking sugar, alcohol, caffeine, or cigarettes. Not all bodies are the same, so not everything will affect you. Steer clear of anything you notice that worsens your anxiety and find healthy alternatives when possible.

Eat Well and Exercise     

Your body and your mind are intrinsically intertwined. When you take care of your physical health, you will naturally see improvements in your mental and emotional health. For some people, their anxiety can be kept entirely at bay by maintaining a good diet and exercise routine. For others, it can help manage or lessen the impact of anxiety. 

Eat healthy, balanced meals consisting of proteins, fruits, vegetables, and seeds. And try to move your body every day and make it a fitness routine that brings you joy. You may have to try a few different exercises until you find the right fit. 

Lean on Others

Community is essential to human nature. Resist the urge to battle the mountain of anxiety alone. Include your friends, family, and professionals like Stacy Reuille-Dupont in your journey towards overcoming this obstacle. Reach out when you need support. You’re not alone.

When anxiety controls significant portions of your life, it’s time to make some changes. Consider the tips above to keep your anxiety levels within a healthy range and prevent future attacks.

You might be surprised by how a simple modification to your daily routine can make such a lasting impact on your overall health and wellbeing!

Would you like to read more helpful content or learn about my psychology, addiction counseling, and personal training services? Visit StacyReuille.com to find out how to work with Stacy today!

How You Can Heal Your Stomach Naturally

Unfortunately, there are plenty of digestive ailments that can affect our lives. They can make eating painful and difficult and add complications to our lives that we just don’t need. If you are looking to improve your digestive health, here is what you need to know to do so naturally.

Guest Post by: Justin Bennett of HealthyFit.Info

Image Courtesy of Pixabay.com

Get to Know Your Gut

Our digestive tract is often called the second brain of the body. It produces the chemicals we need to feel happy but also is imperative to our immune system’s functionality. Our guts are full of helpful bacteria, such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Akkermansia, as well as other probiotics. These help us digest our food but also keep our bodies healthy. 

When the levels of healthy bacteria diminish, we can experience negative side effects, such as constipation or diarrhea. You may have difficulty processing food, become bloated, or even have heartburn. These changes in gut flora can lead to a fluctuation in weight, fatigue or loss of sleep, skin conditions, and even autoimmune deficiencies. Understanding the need for probiotics, and knowing what you can do to improve your gut health, can cause other areas of your health to dramatically improve.

Adjust Your Diet

You can start the process of healing your digestive tract with your diet. The most basic tenet of a good diet is to eat unprocessed, natural foods. You want meals that have healthy fats, such as avocados, nuts, and salmon, and that offer large doses of fiber to keep your insides clean. 

Cruciferous veggies and healthy carbs, like sweet potatoes and squash, are excellent for our digestive strength. Add some fermentation to your day as well. Fermented foods are rich in naturally occurring probiotics, which can bolster our gut and our immune system. Don’t stop there. Things like apple cider vinegar have something called hydrochloric acid, which helps us process difficult-to-digest foods, like fats and protein. Unsweetened yogurt is also good for us. If you are getting dairy-free versions, make sure they have live cultures added to them.

Find the Right Exercise

You may notice that when you exercise, you find some of your digestive ailments alleviated, yet there are ways to make sure the workouts you choose are the best possible option for digestion. Yoga is one particularly effective means of exercising your digestive ills away. Many poses gently compress your internal organs, which can help move things along in a natural, calm way. You also stretch your body out, elongating your spine and intestines, which can help digestion. Regular exercise can strengthen your muscles, especially your abdominals, which may aid in your digestive health. Moderate aerobics can increase circulation, which helps blood get to your gut.

If you’re planning on starting a yoga practice, you can do so right from home. Create a dedicated space for practicing—a spare bedroom or rarely used dining room is ideal. Make sure you remove any possible distractions and introduce some calming elements like indoor plants. Open any curtains or shades to allow as much natural light into the room as possible. If dirty windows are preventing light from entering this space, you can read reviews on window washing services near you to find capable local window cleaners. Expect to pay between $2 and $7 per glass pane. 

Things to Avoid

There are plenty of things we shouldn’t do (or eat) if we want to keep our gut healthy. Foods high in lectin should be avoided, as lectin can stick to our intestine and make it difficult to process nutrients. This can lead to inflammation, something that needs to be avoided to heal our gut. It’s also wise to avoid foods that are heavily laden in fat or foods that have been fried. These can cause chaos in our intestines and stomach, leading to aggravated IBS, acid reflux, or heartburn. Spicy foods can irritate the GI tract, so no matter how much you love hot food, it’s time to cut back. 

You may need to reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption. It can cause inflammation in the gut, and also block our bodies from absorbing nutrients. It may even lead to diarrhea or stomach cramps. You may also want to cut back on how many berries you eat. Tiny seeds can get stuck in our stomachs or intestines and cause many problems, such as infection.

It may seem like a giant overhaul, but remember, you don’t have to make all of these changes overnight. Living a healthy lifestyle will come from making small, gradual changes over time. Setting goals such as eating a mindful diet, doing the right gentle exercises, and knowing what you should avoid are great places to start. Soon, you may find yourself feeling better than you ever have.

Free Yourself to Improve Your Life By Cutting Out These Habits

There is no shortage of literature that revolves around actions you can take to improve your life. But what if sometimes we need to be focusing on the habits and mindsets that we should eliminate? By stopping negative actions we have … read more

Guest Post by: Dorothy Watson of the Mental Wellness Center

Image via Unsplash

… become accustomed to, we can free ourselves to make meaningful strides toward health, wellness, and joy. Stacy Reuille-Dupont, Ph.D. has listed some practical things that you can stop doing today so that you can make room for a better you!

Staying at an Unfulfilling Job

First of all, you spend a lot of your life at work. So, if you hate your job, chances are it is having a negative impact on your life. Whether your job is boring, not accommodating your talents or desires, or simply too stressful, make a change now. 

These days, you can get a college degree while still balancing the other responsibilities in your life. Taking online courses will help you boost your career prospects and give you the flexibility you need to focus on family, work, and other commitments. For instance, pursuing a bachelor of science in business, information technology, or health administration could open up all kinds of opportunities for your future. Just make sure that any online school you consider is accredited and offers competitive tuition costs. 

Waiting to Get Started

Too many people wait to make meaningful changes in their lives until there is no longer an opportunity to make them. Don’t wait for your situation or circumstances to be perfect before you change your career, try a new hobby, start a family, or make other moves. If you wait for the stars to align, you may find yourself looking back at missed opportunities. 

Skipping Over Your Own Needs

Did you know that you could be a great parent, family member, friend, and citizen without living to please others? Taking care of your needs does not make you selfish. Each of us has a unique personality and chemical makeup, which means that none of us have the same exact needs. Make time to relax, recharge, and navigate any mental, emotional, and physical health issues that are keeping you from reaching your goals.

Not Taking Care of Your Health     

This bad habit sort of falls in line with the previous one. You must carve out time in your daily schedule to foster your mental, emotional, and physical health. Make sure you are exercising at least five days a week and eating a nutritious, balanced diet. Also, come up with a bedtime routine that helps you get at least seven hours of sleep each night. There are strong links between our psychology and physiology, and making simple strides toward better exercise, eating, and sleeping routines can do wonders for all-around health. 

Dwelling on the Past or Future

One of the hardest things to do in life is to embrace the present. Each of us has made mistakes and experienced moments in the past which we wish would have gone differently. However, other than learning lessons, it does no good to dwell on the past. And at the same time, you shouldn’t try to predict the outcomes of the future. If you want to dream about what’s to come, focus on envisioning your goals rather than fantasizing about unrealistic circumstances.

Neglecting to Get Help

If you live with depression, anxiety, ADHD, or any other mental health issues, you are not alone. There are many more people throughout the world that deal with similar conditions. There are so many, in fact, that there are professionals who dedicate their life’s work to helping individuals navigate such issues. Don’t be afraid of reaching out for help. If you are ready to transform your life and receive the guidance you need for navigating the challenges ahead, connect with a mental health professional like Stacy Reuille-Dupont today!

Sometimes, self-improvement is being proactive about eliminating harmful behaviors or thoughts. If you relate to any of the habits above, start making the changes you need to make right now. And always be open to other ways you can develop healthy habits and mindsets that will keep you on track to becoming a better you!

Would you like to read more helpful content or learn about how Studio B is helping our clients through a wide array of physical and mental health issues? Visit stacyrd.com today!

No Gym? No Problem: 
You Can Do These Workouts Anywhere!

Staying fit during COVID-19 can feel almost impossible. In many places across the country, gyms are still closed. Others are open, but some people just aren’t willing to take the risk of heading back just yet. However, staying active is as important as ever — if not more. Not only does it keep us healthy and fit, but it’s also one of the best mental health tools at our disposal. Regular exercise significantly reduces the intensity of anxiety and depression. 

Guest Post by: Jason Lewis of StrongWell.org

Photo Credit: Pexels

Staying fit during COVID-19 can feel almost impossible. In many places across the country, gyms are still closed. Others are open, but some people just aren’t willing to take the risk of heading back just yet. However, staying active is as important as ever — if not more. Not only does it keep us healthy and fit, but it’s also one of the best mental health tools at our disposal. Regular exercise significantly reduces the intensity of anxiety and depression. 

Studio B offers fitness treatment and training to help keep you going with your regimen at home. Contact us for more information! 970-422-1761

Clarify Your Goals 

A plan is the first step on the path to success. Without a plan in place, you’re setting yourself up for failure — at worst — and settling back into poor habits that got you here in the first place. Sit down with pencil and paper in hand and clarify your goals.

Warming Up 

The last thing you want is to sustain injury when first jumping into a new workout regimen. Get your body ready to move. 

  • Warm up every time you exercise to prevent injury. 
  • If you exercise in the morning, try a yoga workout to wake your muscles up. 
  • Stretching before and after a workout is important for maintaining your flexibility. 

Upping Your Heart Rate 

Good cardio is one of the core foundations of a long, healthy life. Not only is it important for a healthy heart and increased “good” cholesterol, your endurance will increase, which makes future workouts much less taxing.

  • Figure out your target heart rate and use a fitness tracker to keep tabs on it. 
  • Running, jogging, and biking are all great ways to enjoy cardio outdoors. 
  • Few other types of exercise induce sweating like cardio, so be sure you’re wearing soft, flexible and breathable workout clothes and undies.

Strength Training 

You can gain muscle anywhere. Choose one or more areas to target and use a variety of weights and other equipment to optimize overall body strength.

  • Building muscle allows you to burn more calories at rest. 
  • You can set up a home gym with your favorite equipment.
  • Make sure your home gym stays tidy and decluttered so that you don’t experience jumps in your stress levels during your workouts. 
  • There are also bodyweight routines that provide a great no-equipment solution. 

Eventually, we’ll all be able to get back to normal. Finding ways to stay fit in the meantime, however, will make the transition back to the gym much easier. Don’t let this time set you back! With focus and motivation, you can stay on track no matter where you are.