People are always talking about the importance of a support system or an accountability buddy; even I posted a Motivation Monday about it on social media, but to be honest, I used to not believe in the need for an accountability buddy and all these Facebook groups trying to get people to connect. I no longer feel that way and I want to share with you why just in case you could scream if you see another Facebook group.

I was recently having a conversation or actually inserted myself into a conversation while having my nails done at the spa about agave. One woman made the comment that she didn’t use agave because it’s so bad for you, and the person doing her nails agreed, saying, “oh no, agave is so bad for you”. Here is where I inserted myself into the conversation…

Habits are a powerful thing. But if you know like I do, creating habits can be incredibly hard and sometimes they even feel impossible. Habits, however, are the reason why you aren’t losing weight, why you constantly feel like your schedule is out of control, why you can’t seem to get ahead financially, and why you aren’t doing the work that you love.

While poor gut health has existed for an eternity, people just weren’t talking about it. Now it seems to be all the rage. In fact, Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, said all diseases originate in the gut. If that is true why aren’t more providers targeting the gut as part of chronic disease management? Likely because it’s easier to treat a symptom than it is to correct the underlying problem.

There’s a new study talking about using spinach as a dietary supplement to cut hunger and increase fullness. When I first saw the headline, “could spinach help with weight loss”, I thought um, yes, duh, and why the heck is that news.

The deal is they discovered a spinach-derived supplement called Appethyl that they suggest is responsible for increasing satiety, or helping you feel full longer, and reducing cravings for salt.

Yoga is so much more than poses on a mat. In fact, did you know that yoga can literally change your health? Anywhere from reducing anxiety, to lowering blood pressure, to balancing hormones, to alleviating pain from fibromyalgia, to lowering blood sugar in people with diabetes. The list goes on and on. This week, let’s focus our attention on the benefits yoga has on diabetes.

Vulnerability sucks. There’s probably a better way to say that, but that’s how it can feel sometimes. For example, every time I invite someone in, be it on my blog, my Weekly Wine Chats, in my yoga classes, on social media, or share my business, there’s some vulnerability in that. I’m sure you have similar examples of vulnerability at work, in your relationships, or maybe even in building a business. The problem with vulnerability though, is “you have to feel it, to heal it.” Let me say that again…

I learned the phrase “protect your punch bowl” from success coach, Darren Hardy. It immediately resonated with me and I wanted to share it with you. It’s Mardi Gras season here in New Orleans, so there will be many parties and many punch bowls filled with probably more liquors than the creator will admit to. But once you get that perfectly flavored Mardi Gras punch, the last thing you want is for someone to say, “I think it needs more pineapple juice!” And now it’s ruined….

Have you chosen your word for the year yet? Or maybe I should ask, do you plan to choose a word for the year? Personally, I like choosing a word in addition to my goals because the word is usually tied to a feeling, whereas our goals may not be, or let me say the feeling associated with our goals may be harder to identify. I would argue then that you picked the wrong goal if it’s not tied to a feeling, but we’ll save that discussion for another day. Let’s stick to your word for the year.