The 12 Days of Christmas ... End of year reflections from one special needs mom to another ...

Without your health, you've got nothing going on. I thank God every day for good health. - Ric Flair

Day 3: The Gift of Health

If this year and last have taught us anything, it is not to take good health for granted.  But I know you likely already know that.  Chances are your child may have had health issues which has kept him in hospital too.

Good health is important for all of us.  It’s important you help not only your children stay healthy, but also YOU!  I work with many parents to help them help their children thrive.  And I can tell you it’s easier for us to help our kids than it is for us to help ourselves. 

Putting yourself first doesn’t come easy for many, and harder especially for a mom with a child with special needs.  Add the holidays on top and you have a recipe for complete burnout!

When they go through safety instructions on an airplane, they instruction you to put the oxygen mask on you first and then put it on your child. If you are not healthy, you won’t have the energy, stamina, strength, and mindset you need daily on your special needs journey.  If you aren’t healthy, you will feel exhausted, stressed (yup, even more so), and will struggle to cope. (Trust me on this; I’ve been there and expect many of you have too.)

Self-care is a crucial step to feeling healthy, balanced and more able to give to others. In 2009, researchers publishing in The Lancet defined health as the ability of a body to adapt to new threats and infirmities.1 (How apropos!)

Regardless of where you live, you can't depend on others or your healthcare system to ensure your health remains good.  For example, despite the USA spending $3.5 trillion on healthcare, the life expectancy of Americans is lower than people in other developed countries.2 That likely has everything to do with access to healthcare and lifestyle choices. 

Good health is central to handling stress and living a longer, more active life. The best way to maintain health is to preserve it through a healthful lifestyle rather than waiting until sickness or infirmity to address health problems. Deciding in advance what you will eat and how you will live is something you need to do for yourself as no one can make the "proverbial horse drink the water" ;).  It's important to set an intention and take action - daily.  

Getting right down to the nitty-gritty of ensuring you are living the healthiest life you can for yourself, your kids, and your partner, it all starts with good digestion.  Digestion is the tell-tale sign of whether your body is working as optimally as it can.  If you have symptoms, such as nausea, heartburn, indigestion, pain shortly after eating or a few hours later, bloating, gas, excess mucus, constipation, and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea, then you aren’t digesting and absorbing what you’re eating. And if digestive distress is rampant, then I can assure you that every single function of your body is affected by this. 

In other words, how well you digest and absorb your food will affect your immunity, your mental health, your sexual health, your hormonal health et cetera.  

I know you have been concerned when your child has experienced symptoms like this.  Are you taking as good care of yourself as you do of your children? 

It's easy to think or say that you can just pop this pill or that and ignore what’s going on, but that's like putting a band aid over a sliver and trying to forget that it's there.  Eventually the puncture wound will heal but the tiny piece of wood will still be in your skin reminding you it’s there every time you apply pressure. 

So, it does take a little bit of effort to gift yourself good digestion and health.  Here are some initial tips that apply to you and your children …

• Drink enough fluid (caffeinated teas and coffees don't count) - at least 1/2 your body weight in ounces a day - more if you've been sweating
   
• Meals should consist of plenty of
• vegetables (potatoes and corn don't count :) )
• some fruit (as carbohydrates)
• clean (unprocessed) protein
• lots of healthy fats (e.g., avocados, nuts and seeds, coconut milk, coconut / olive / avocado / fish / flaxseed oils).  

Once you have had at least 2 meals like this a day then consider if you want to have those cookies, ice cream, or cake. 

• Avoid as much as possible
• processed foods
• fried foods (an air fryer makes a great gift!)
• dairy (very difficult for many to digest)
• vegetable oils (canola, sunflower, safflower, soybean, cottonseed, peanut)
• foods laden with sugars
• too much bread and pasta (which break down into sugar in the body)
• more than the recommended daily allowance of spirited drinks #cheers
• Eat all your meals for a day within a maximum window of 8-10 hours, with the last one finishing at least 3 hours before you go to bed.  The more you (adults) can shorten that window of time the better for you.  

• Ensure you are getting essential nutrients
• Vitamin D3 (especially if you live in northern cold climates in Canada and the upper US states)
• omega 3 fatty acids (seafood, fish oil)
• vitamin C (citrus fruits, leafy green vegetables, supplementation)
• a good quality multivitamin / mineral supplement, especially if you have not been proactive about getting those colourful veggies into your diet

If you have been living with digestive distress for years, decide it's time to take care of you before it gets worse and leads to other complications.  Honestly, you'll feel like a new person, and you will feel surprised by how other things, like energy and mood, improve too. What a gift that would be for you!

If you do want to act right now to improve or fine tune your digestion, consider working with someone to take the guess work out of what will help you specifically.  I am offering 20% off through December 31 of my Initial Nutrition Protocol for you or your child.

Starting in January 2022 I will also do a group 10-week class in which we will in community help each other achieve our Best Health.  You can sign up here for the My Best Health group program.

Coupon code “INEEDTHIS” will get you 20% off both programs. 

Good health is central to handling stress and living a longer, more active life. The best way to maintain health is to preserve it through a healthful lifestyle rather than waiting until sickness or infirmity to address health problems. Your family needs and deserves you at your best. I’d love to help you set your intention and take action - daily.  

Tomorrow I'll share with you the fourth gift you can give yourself to reach your best health.

(Any guesses? 20% off any program for anyone who gets it right!  ) 

With love,

- Lisa xo

P.S.  I've never offered a discount on my Initial Nutrition Protocol or My Best Health (group nutrition and mindset program) before.  The Initial Nutrition Protocol It will provide you with food, supplement, and lifestyle recommendations customized just for you.  My Best Life will provide you the guidance you need to improve your health and digestion, but it will not be tailor made just for you.  However, learning and implementing in a community is usually more successful than try to do it alone.  If you want to make 2022 your healthiest year yet, take advantage of these offers before they expire.   

 References:

1. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(09)60456-6/fulltext
2. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/health-expenditures.htm