Happy New Year! I'm back after our trip to Arkansas, though unfortunately I ended up with the bad cold that everyone else had once we got back... Christmas was fun and relaxing, and it was wonderful to see the nieces and nephews growing and becoming little people, which always amazes me. It's so interesting to watch their personalities develop as they become their own unique individual selves - so different from each other, even the twins!

I'm a little late with the "New Year's Resolutions" post as we got back late last weekend and I was too tired to put something together at the last minute, so your monthly "freebie" will be posted next weekend. I'm doing things a little differently this year, and instead of sharing my own resolutions, I decided to share some tips for creating your own healthy resolutions - ones you can actually stick to!  Take these 5 ideas as a good place to start in your own health and fitness journey, but feel free to put your own spin on them to make them work for you.

One of the main problems with typical New Year's Resolutions is that they are set to achieve a specific result - and one that is often overly ambitious. If your goal is to lose 30 lbs this year, this may seem like an insurmountable goal so it may be difficult even to make progress without giving up. Breaking the goal down into smaller ones (i.e. lose 5 lbs by March 1) may help. But beyond that, this goal is not necessarily a sustainable one to start with. What happens if/when you achieve the goal? Do you then go right back to your unhealthy habits and put all the weight back on?

This is why my New Year's Resolutions are rarely concrete, one-time goals. I certainly set many goals for myself, but they are on more of a short-term timeline and not in a "resolution"-type format. Instead, I look at resolutions as a way to make improvements in my life on an ongoing basis. For example, "Do yoga at least twice a week," or "Call one friend or family member every week." Not only are these very achievable, they are also measurable (did I do yoga twice this week or not?), and they lead me to form long-term healthy habits.

If you would like to improve your health, your fitness, or your relationships, making resolutions like these is a great way to create lasting change in your life.

What healthy resolutions can you make (and keep) this year? How about making a resolution to cook at least 4 meals per week at home? Or eat at least 2 different vegetables every day? To work out at least 3 days per week? To only eat natural forms of sugar? Or to stop eating factory-farmed meats?

Below are 5 more ideas for healthy resolutions that you can keep this year, which will change your life (and health) for the better:

As promised, I'm back this week with your monthly freebie! This month I've got a truly special gift for you...

As you probably know if you've been reading this blog for a while, gut health is incredibly important for your overall health, with implications for your immune system, brain function, mental health, and more. There are a number of ways that you can support your gut health, from eating healthy, whole foods with plenty of fiber, to avoiding alcohol and tobacco, to including fermented foods in your diet, and more.

However, one of the most popular means of support is taking a daily probiotic supplement. There are many of these on the market today, but not all of them are created equal. Some probiotics may be be completely useless by the time they reach your gut, while other supplements utilize various mechanisms to keep the helpful bacteria safe until they get where they need to be.

This month, I am excited to be able to give you a FREE bottle of one of the best probiotic supplements on the market today. (Yes, it's really FREE - no strings attached!)

Grab your free bottle here now, or learn more below...

November has arrived, and along with the chilly temperatures (snow is in the forecast a few times over the next week) comes our monthly special event or "freebie" giveaway!  This month, we're taking a look at brain health, and how brain function impacts our daily lives.

So many of us function from low energy, sluggish metabolism, and brain fog on a regular basis. For most of us, the cause is related to the cause of most of our other modern lifestyle-related health problems: poor nutrition and lack of sleep and exercise. So it stands to reason that addressing these factors would help to improve our memories, increase our energy, and help us attain clear minds and better focus and concentration.

However, tackling major lifestyle changes all at once is usually a recipe for failure, which is why the guide below is so helpful. It breaks down the remedy for brain fog and fatigue into 13 simple steps that you can easily incorporate into your daily routine, to help you quickly improve your mood, memory, and mindset, and get more out of life!

You can go ahead and grab your free guide here, or read more below to learn more about what's inside...

With family visiting from Minnesota this weekend, it has been particularly busy around here, and I almost didn't get a chance to do a blog for you, but I found this quick and easy immune-boosting recipe that I wanted to share with you - especially as it ties in so well with last week's post on essential oils.

While many of us think of essential oils for aromatherapy purposes, did you realize that you can actually consume some essential oils? In fact, in some countries, essential oils are often used in medicinal preparations and tinctures for maintaining good health or fighting off illnesses. However, not all essential oils are safe for consumption, so be sure to review the below information carefully, and consult with a naturopath experienced in the use of essential oils before consuming.

The delicious and simple recipe below is safe to consume once or twice per week, and may help to keep viruses and bacteria at bay - plus it is warming, relaxing, and invigorating, which makes it the perfect thing to sip on a chilly fall or winter afternoon!

Cold and flu season is here along with the cooler weather and shorter days, and it's time to make sure your immune system is in tip-top shape for the winter!

There are many things you can do to help give your immune system a boost and stay healthy during the winter months. Getting plenty of vitamins (especially C and D), sleep, and exercise, and drinking lots of healthy fluids like tea, chicken bone broth, and plain old water are your first and most important weapons against illness.

However, some studies have found that certain plant extracts such as essential oils can also be of great help in boosting your immune system and keeping you healthy. While there are hundreds of different essential oils out there, below are 7 of the best ones for immune health - plus some tips for using them.

You are probably already aware that the hottest topic in medicine these days is the gut microbiome. Seriously - it seems like there's a new article about the importance of gut health coming out every 17 seconds these days!

However, if you've somehow missed this news and aren't sure what I'm referring to, your "microbiome" refers to the collection of trillions of microbes living within your intestinal tract. Influencing the microbiome in a positive way appears to be a key factor in promoting heath - and not just physical health, but mental as well.  

A healthy microbiome is part best friend, part power converter, part engine, and part pharmacy.

If you want to optimize your health, heal chronic disease, or know which foods are right for you… understanding your microbiome is absolutely your first step!

Of course, we all know we should be eating lots of healthy foods such as spinach, beets, broccoli and other colorful vegetables, fruits, nuts, and berries. But unless you have the right microbes present that can fully metabolize these foods, you won’t get the full benefits…

And, in some cases, these foods could actually harm you!

Obviously, knowing what works for your gut is key to optimizing your gut health. Read more below to find out why your gut health is so important, and what you can do about it!

I think often about the conundrum that is modern life...

We have more knowledge and more technology available to us than ever before in human history, yet we seem to continue to make the stupidest decisions - especially when it comes to our health! We live in a society of stress, confusion, and disease - all of which seem like they should be things of the past with all the resources we have access to in today's world...

Doesn’t it sometimes seem strange how we can be so technologically advanced yet so stressed out and unhealthy?

I often wonder how we can find our way back to a healthy balance. Or if it’s even possible?

And then this weekend, I got a sneak preview of something that finally put it all together for me...

Not just what’s wrong, but why, and what we can do in our daily lives as caring, conscious individuals to make real positive change - and I'm not just talking about diet and exercise...

I'm talking about ancient wisdom that shows us how we can all sustainably thrive in a toxic modern world.

If you're interested in becoming more self-sufficient and learning how to take control of your health and become more in touch with your body's health needs, I believe there is nothing more valuable that you can do then to learn to make your own natural medicines.

While the mainstream medical industry would have you believe they know everything there is to know about health, in fact, they have only been around for the past century or so, while humans have been making natural remedies and medicinal preparations at home for thousands of years! There certainly have been some valuable advances in medical technology over the past century, but that doesn't mean that our previous thousands of years of experience are no longer valid.

With a combined approach, you can learn to treat minor issues at home where appropriate, and rely on the more advanced technologies of our medical institutions when medically necessary for more serious illnesses and injuries. By taking this approach, not only will you save money, but you will also learn to be more self-sufficient, and develop a deeper connection with your own body and a better understanding of its needs - two things which are practically priceless.

Unfortunately, much of the knowledge of ancient medicinal remedies which used to be passed down to from generation to generation has been lost from memory over the past century, and few people in today's modern world know how to make home medicines or medicinal preparations. The good news is, for the information that has survived, the internet makes it easier than ever for people to re-learn these lost skills.

If you are interested in learning the art and science of making your own medicines using natural and effective ingredients, I would like to invite you to attend this inspiring 4-part video series that is coming up in the next few days, which will teach you how to confidently heal the 12 most common ailments using natural, homemade medicines.

Register Here for the FREE Video Series, or learn more below...

As you may know by now, I'm a big fan of fermented foods, and I regularly experiment with interesting new fermentation methods. One fermented food that I have yet to try making myself is kombucha.

Kombucha is a fizzy, fermented tea drink that has gone mainstream in recent years, and you can now find it in the refrigerated section of not just health food stores, but even big supermarket chains. However, the kombucha you buy in stores is, of course, a far cry from what you can make at home. Some storebought kombucha contains artificial ingredients such as colorings or flavorings, and of course, most contains lots of sugar.

However, homemade kombucha can be a delicious and nutritious drink, and it's a great way to get more fermented foods into your diet for their healthy benefits.

From what I have read, kombucha is also really easy to make, so I'm looking forward to trying it! The recipe below demonstrates how easy it is to make your own homemade kombucha.

What is health anyway? Is health merely the absence of disease? Are you healthy just because you don't have symptoms? Or does real health go a little deeper than that?

According to our modern allopathic medical system, each symptom of disease exists in isolation - and each bodily system is treated as separate from the others. This is what doctors learn in medical school - to diagnose "disease" via symptoms, and prescribe medications to treat these specific symptoms.

If you have a skin rash, you are sent to a doctor (dermatologist) who deals specifically with skin rashes. If you have digestive or stomach problems, you see a gastroenterologist. If you have heart problems, you are sent to see a cardiologist.

But what if all these symptoms were actually related?

With the conventional approach, rather than finding the root problem and addressing it, you would instead think you suffered from three different maladies and would likely end up on (at least) three different drugs!

On the other hand, holistic approaches to health - such as Functional Medicine - actually address the patient as a whole. ALL of your symptoms are considered together, and treatment is tailored to each individual's unique needs - rather than standardized "treatments" being used to treat specific symptoms separately. Functional Medicine doctors are trained to "treat people, not diseases," according to author and Functional Medicine doctor, Mark Hyman.

Addressing the entire spectrum of health is understandably more involved and time-consuming than simply focusing on one particular symptom or disease, but if you want to achieve truly balanced health and wellness, there are 7 key areas that you will need to address - both on your own as an individual, and with your doctor.