Mental confusion; Lack of mental clarity; Difficulty thinking most of the time, in varying degrees. Walk into a room and can’t remember why you are there?  It’s called brain fog.  We are finding out that it can be brought on by various triggers.  Stress is one of those. Chronic stress can over stimulate the brain, so giving your brain a break—and proper vitamins and nutrients—can help quell the damage done to it and its nerve cells. In fact, your brain is fueled by an array of nutrients. Among those are omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, CoQ10, zinc, calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, vitamin C and vitamin E. So, be sure your brain gets the diet it needs to function properly. Adaptogenic herbs, or adaptogens, are a wonderful gift from the plant kingdom. These herbs strengthen our resistance to mental and physical stress.

This next trigger, fatigue and lack of adequate sleep or rest can adversely affect your brain, leading to muddled thinking. On average, an adult requires 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep per night. Not getting that amount will cost you some brain power.  Sleeping restores the body and brain.

Then there’s gluten. Believe it or not, gluten-ridden foods, including that morning bagel, lunchtime sandwich or pasta dinner can all contribute to brain fog. Gluten, of course, is a protein found in most grains, including wheat, and can disrupt the balance of chemicals and hormones in the brain. Those who have gluten sensitivity often have mal-absorption of nutrients, which can adversely affect mental abilities. What happens is that the body attacks gluten as an invader, which damages the villi lining the intestine, which are there to absorb nutrients as food passes through the small intestine. With damaged villi, however, nutrients are not absorbed properly.  So go gluten free.  For those who are sensitive to gluten, eating any gluten activates the immune system and can damage the gut villi. Symptoms spread from the gut throughout the body, including the brain. Hence, brain fog.

For some women, however, there’s more to the story of brain fog. Surgical menopause at an earlier age can lead to the decline of memory and thinking skills, says a study released and set to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 6th Annual Meeting in San Diego. Surgical menopause occurs with the removal of both ovaries prior to natural menopause onset and typically accompanies a hysterectomy—a procedure one-third of the women in the U.S. will have before they turn 60. However, stats indicate that nearly two-thirds of the hysterectomies are unnecessary.  It’s your body so ask until you understand before surgery.

Now back to surgical menopause and brain fog. . . Researchers found that women who had surgical menopause had a faster decline in long-term memory related to concepts and ideas, in memory that relates to time and places, and in overall thinking abilities. What’s more is that the researchers also found a significant association between age at surgical menopause and the plaques linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Is that scary or what?  Those who underwent surgical menopause at younger ages had significantly more of the plaques associated with Alzheimer’s than those of women who had the procedure later in life.  Interestingly, no such correlations were seen between cognitive decline and the onset of natural menopause.  It’s not unusual; however, for women to report short-term brain fog after menopause—both surgical and natural—but researchers believe that this results from a sudden drop in the levels of estrogen, which plays a significant role in cognitive and memory. With natural menopause, however, cognitive changes are temporary and aren’t linked to the risk of dementia.  The changes with surgical menopause, however, appear to be more long-term, leading to continuous negative effects to the brain.

I help people overcome their limiting beliefs that are keeping them stuck, broke, and unhealthy to create balance, time freedom and healthy thriving lives! You can reach me @ www.livinglifeholistic.com or via email at susano@livinglifeholistic.com

We face time stress when we have too much to do, when we don’t have enough time for the important things, when we fail to do what we hoped because we ran out of time, when we are late, and when we hurt other’s feelings with no time for them. We get up stressed in the morning because our day already has defeated us before we ever begin.We already know the only outcome is failure. On those days, we also make it worse by picking a fight with a family member, being crabby, fussing, screaming, and becoming negative.

This adds more stress and takes more time during the day because we certainly didn’t schedule in the time it takes to be grouchy and at odds with others. At night, we go to bed seeing in our minds the huge list of what we really needed or wanted to do that didn’t get touched! Yes, usually on that list are the things necessary for hitting our goals and working towards our freedom. Does any of this sound familiar? Is this your life? Do you want to make some changes?
As you are working on your schedule, consider the following. I am not a big fan of time blocks now that I am not working in a J.O.B. With that said, I can also see the importance of using time blocks for short periods to get things accomplished. But you have to find out what works for you and then apply. So try a time block or other time management systems until you find the one that speaks to you.

Schedule IN the critical. Everything you allow IN must be a priority or a matter of high importance! There is a competition for the hours in your schedule so think protectively over your time.

• God
• Spouse and Children
• Showering/Brushing Teeth
• Taking me time
• Sleep
• Meals
• Exercise
• Your business or JOB

Schedule OUT the time wasters. The minute you identify a time waster, eliminate it as quickly as possible. Nothing is worse than a time waster sucking your energy out!

• Conflict (What a huge waste of time and energy! This is of the enemy so pray on this if consistent)
• Unnecessary computer or TV time (a little goes a long way, add up how many hours you waste)
• Game playing on phone or technology devices (Add up hours each day then week)
• Gossip
• Clubs & groups that have nothing to do with your Purpose or Goals (unless you joined them to enlarge your network or increase your influence or to explore new things to add to your life or family.)
• Over – sleeping or under – sleeping (both are detrimental to your health)
• “Hanging out” habit (the habit of doing nothing for hours with others or by yourself)

Delegation – Whenever possible, team up on chores, management, administrative, errands, etc. Spend time with your spouse, family, friends, or team and design a plan that will allow everyone to use synergy to dig out extra hours for building a Live Free life. This can also be a family building time exercise.

Multi-Task – Look at the times during your day where multi-tasking would be possible and valuable. If you are working at a J.O.B. and you have a lunch 30 minutes or 60 minutes, this is a perfect opportunity for multi-tasking. You can take a nutritional shake (hand blenders work well in the office) to work and make calls while you sit outside in the sun and have your lunch. It’s a power lunch full of energy, fresh air, and sunshine. Maybe you need this time to talk with your spouse everyday for connection in the marriage.

Make it Count – Enjoy and be “in the moment”! Do NOT think about the millions of other things you should be doing or where you should be at that time. If it was important enough to find a place in your schedule, then it’s important enough for your undivided attention. This is huge for say date night or family time. Be present and make it count for the other person/people to know how important this is.

I help others overcome their limiting beliefs that are keeping them stuck, broke, and unhealthy to create balance, time freedom and healthy lives. You can find me at www.livinglifeholistic.com or via email susano@livinglifeholistic.com

Headaches and migraines are generally accepted as just a part of life.  They can be brought on by stress, not eating regularly, not enough physical activity, not drinking enough water, lack of sleep and for women from hormonal imbalance.  You know what I am talking about, that throbbing or massive pounding going on between the eyes.  I personally have very few headaches and have never experienced a migraine.  My husband suffers from migraines, but with a natural holistic protocol we have been able to keep them very few and far between these days.

Many women experience headaches just before their periods and for menopausal women they can just be erratic at best.  When estrogen levels take a dive, which is usually just before a period, the headaches can flair.  Some women get the migraines which can be oh so disruptive to life!  So, what do you do?  In the past, we used the conventional method of ibuprofen or acetaminophen, along with some very strong prescription medications.

These were a band aid of course.  And my concern was the side effects to the liver if you take them excessively.  My husband was taking the highest dosage possible.

I am holistic so I recommend a lifestyle change that you can practice for life.  Opt for a low glycemic food plan, eliminate the sugar, gluten, dairy, soy (GMO), peanuts, alcohol and caffeine.  Use high quality pharmaceutical grade supplements, essential oils, grapeseed extract, may need to increase the calcium.  CoQ10 and magnesium may need to be added as well.  Each person is different so you may need to try and then adjust.  Remember that stress can influence your hormonal balance.  I love to walk and hike, Yoga, Pilates and meditation.  The key is to get calm and centered and pay attention to the level of stress in your life!

And we all know that hydration is key to living.  Cut the carbonated drinks.  Water is best and drink more of it in the heat.  Add fruit or veggies to infuse it.  Non caffeine teas are good but not in excess.  Watch how much you are drinking in the later part of the day or you will be getting up at nigh disrupting your sleep to urinate.  Balance is the key.

Tell me how you deal with headaches and/or migraines?  Share what has worked and what hasn’t.  I help people overcome their limiting beliefs that are keeping them stuck, broke and unhealthy to create balance, time freedom and health!  You can find me at www.livinglifeholistic.com or via email at susano@livinglifeholistic.com

How could I not drink enough water! Do you find yourself asking that question? I hear this a lot ~ I really try, but my days are busy and, honestly, I forget! Who wants to stress out about how much water they’re drinking in a day, on top of all the other things we have going on in our day!  We are already multitasking way too much already!

Remember how you used to be told that if you were feeling thirsty, you were already dehydrated? Well, that isn’t true. Your body isn’t designed to tell you when you’re too late, it’s designed to trigger the thirst mechanism when it is time to drink something – BEFORE you are dehydrated!  Your body is after hydration and nourishment. You get a lot of your hydration needs from your food. Sometimes, your body will kick out “I’m hungry!” signals when you’re actually thirsty and craving hydration!

This “You must drink 8 glasses of water a day” doctrine only became the doctrine when we stopped eating our fruits/veggies and started eating more processed food. Yes! Your body needs to be hydrated, you can’t live without water. There are studies out there nowadays that are showing that we’re already getting a lot of water in our daily diets, especially if we’re eating healthy with lots and lots of vegetables and fruit. And let’s face it – water can be boring.  There are lots of great ways to get the amount of water your body needs to keep you hydrated. I drink a warm chai tea in the morning, 20oz. protein smoothie every morning, sometimes another 20oz protein smoothie in the afternoon,  then I go through a 20oz. water bottle that I carry around with me all day long. That alone is almost 64oz. of liquid! And that’s not even counting all the fruits/vegetables I eat daily.

Here are some tips to help you get the water your body needs to keep up with your busy life: 

1. Eat your Fruits and Veggies – Cucumber, celery and radishes are more than 95% water! Throw some in your salad or keep some spears handy for snacking (add some hummus for important protein). Tomatoes, green peppers, cauliflower, spinach, broccoli, baby carrots, are also great vegetables for their water content. Watermelon, star fruit (I really like these), strawberries, grapefruit, cantaloupe are sweet treats that are all more than 90% water. If you are diabetic, then watch the fruit intake for the natural sugar.
2. Don’t Overdo it – You CAN drink too much water. You can actually flood your system with water, producing low sodium levels, flushing out minerals and vitamins that your body actually needs to perform at peak condition and do a number on your kidneys. If you’re eating lots of clean veggies, you’re getting LOTS of water. But when you do drink water, don’t chug it, you’ll just wind up peeing it out without doing much to hydrate you. Nothing like having to find a bathroom everywhere you go!  Sip it throughout the day instead. And speaking of urination THAT is the real sign of your state of hydration. It should be a pale yellow color. If it’s almost clear, you’re drinking too much. If it’s dark yellow, go drink something!
3. Make Your Water More Interesting – Filter your water whenever you can. Infuse it with a slice of lemon, strawberries or a slice of cucumber. Glass is best! It sounds silly, but having a glass or bottle you enjoy drinking out of can make a difference in how you feel about drinking! Especially if you are using essential oils in your water the container has to be glass as the oils will disintegrate the plastic.

Just remember that caffeinated drinks will dehydrate you, so you should replace them with something to hydrate.  Water is not the goal, hydration is. Keep your water consumption interesting, listen to your body, and you will always be hydrated.

I’ve just given you really important information about water and helpful hints on how to keep hydrated. What fun ways do you have to stay hydrated? Tell me so I can share!

I help people overcome their limiting beliefs that are keeping them stuck, broke and unhealthy to create balance, time freedom and healthy thriving lives.  Find me at www.livinglifeholistic.com or via email susano@liviniglifeholistic.com