How is your self esteem? Here’s some self esteem boosting tips!
On a scale of 1-10, how high is your self esteem?
Having low self esteem can negatively affect many aspects of your life. It may interfere with normal day-to-day activities and even hinder your ability to create relationships. Low self esteem can affect both your personal and professional life in big ways. The good news is that there are ways that you can boost your self esteem!
Here are some things you can do to change your perception of yourself:
- Think positively and writing down 10 great things about yourself
- Reach out to loved ones and friends to ask them what they think your best qualities are
- Surround yourself with a positive and supportive people that are cheering you on
- Incorporate more physical exercise into your routine because exercise releases endorphins
- Do something with a purpose because helping others is a big boost in self esteem and gives you a greater sense of purpose in your life
- Plan and be proactive about what you need to focus on. Procrastinating or putting things off until the next day is a drain on self esteem and can make you feel overwhelmed
- Listen to your body – rest when you need to! We can often push ourselves which makes us feel drained and can cause us to focus on the negative aspect of ourselves.
- Make sure you eat right because nourishing your body is a necessity to have balanced emotions and mindset.
- Set time aside for yourself because self care is an essential aspect
If you’re having trouble looking on the bright side or want support in moving past some tough emotions, reach out to Kitty! She can help you start accepting and releasing the negative emotions and together we can start thinking creatively and help you figure out how to move past it!
Schedule a mindset coaching call with Kitty today!
How are you setting 2022 up for success?
How are you setting your new year up for success? January is the perfect time for reflecting on 2021 and planning what you want in 2022. Intentionally planning what we want to achieve in the new year makes us much more likely to reach our goals!
Here are some ideas of how you can set yourself up for success and be intentional on what you want to create this year!
- Vision boards: Vision boards are a fun way to see your goals on paper and put your big dreams out into the universe. Creating a visual representation of your intentions and goals that you can look at everyday is a great way to program your subconscious mind and shift your mindset to success.
- Writing out your goals – Journal on your goals and write down everything you want to achieve this year (and beyond!). Then choose the most important things on the list and create an action plan of how to get there. This will help you stay focused on what you want and give you the steps to get there!
- Creating intentions (themes you want to focus your year around): Set themes to focus on this year. Will you be bringing more gratitude into your year? Maybe you want to focus on being calm and centered. Take some time to think about how you want to show up and how you want to feel this year and set that intention!
- Start a new healthy habit: Create a new healthy habit for yourself. Do you have a morning routine that energizes you and mentally prepares you for the day? What about an evening routine that helps you wind down and get ready for bed. Focus on creating a new habit that will improve your life and your health.
- Create a schedule that incorporates doing more things that you love: In this new year, intentionally plan a schedule that you love, incorporate more time with your family, work in gym time, and blocks to relax. Intentionally creating a schedule that you love will make you happier day to day and you’ll always have something to look forward to!
- Make yourself a priority with consistent self care: Many of us tend to push our self care to the bottom of our to-do list. Self-care is incredibly important for our mental health and overall wellbeing! By filling ourselves up mentally, physically, and emotionally as our top priority, we are more productive, happier, and have better lives overall!
- Sign up for Kitty’s Believe, Receive, Achieve program, an all in 3 month journey to shift your mindset and transform your life! You will create a vision of your dream life and learn the secrets tips on how to bring this vision into reality. This program is designed to help you identify what is holding you back and release these blocks so that you can start living your best, most empowered life. In addition to learning tools and techniques, this program will teach you how to implement small lasting changes that will make a big difference in your life. This group launches on January 31st and is filling up fast, so reserve your spot here now!
World Alzheimer’s Day
September 21st is the 10th year anniversary for World Alzheimer’s Day. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, a progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills. Currently 5.7 million people in the United States have Alzheimer’s disease and a new person is diagnosed every 65 seconds.
Raising awareness around Alzheimer’s is important so that people can both understand this disease and take steps towards preventing it. Alzheimer’s is hereditary but there are things that can be done to reduce your risk. Here are some tips on how to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
- Keep blood sugars and weight in check to avoid diabetes. Diabetes is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s so keeping up with a healthy diet and taking medications if you do have diabetes is important.
- Stay cognitively active by reading and learning new things. Brain health and activity can be a great way to stay sharp.
- Get regular physical exercise. A sedentary lifestyle puts you at higher risk of diabetes. Find a fun workout program, take part in group sports such as bowling or join a gym that you love to help you stay active.
- Maintaining a healthy weight will help to avoid obesity and heart disease. Cardiovascular disease has been linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s so be sure to eat a healthy diet and maintain a healthy weight.
- Eat foods with vitamin C or taking supplements.
- Maintain an active social life. Find a new hobby group to join or social activities to be a part of.
How to pick the best sunglasses
Sunglasses are essential for personal self care. So many people will skip wearing sunglasses for convenience, but ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun can be very damaging to your eyes! Extensive UV exposure can even lead to early development of cataracts, which are a big problem in the US as they affect 50% of people by the age of 70. To protect yourself, it is best to wear sunglasses yearound whenever you’re outside (even if it is cloudy because you are still being exposed to UV rays). This is especially important when around bodies of water or snow as these are very reflective. Wearing sunglasses regularly also helps protect the delicate skin around your eyes, which reduces wrinkles and slows the signs of aging.
Thankfully sunglasses help reduce the UV exposure for your eyes, but not all sunglasses are created equal. There are 2 really important things to remember when you are picking your sunglasses:
- 100% UV protection: this is the #1 most important factor because this means the sunglasses will filter out damaging UV rays. This usually comes in the form of a protective coating, but your sunglasses must be labeled as having UV protection, otherwise they are not really protecting your eyes!
- Polarized: these reduce glare and reflection, which give you clearer vision especially in bright light. This increases contrast without distorting color and also reduced eye strain (which makes your eyes tired and negatively affects your vision) and squinting (which causes wrinkles). This is based on preference as well, but there is a noticeable improvement in visibility when wearing polarized lenses.
Unfortunately these features are often confused with each other, but they are not the same. It is important to ensure that your sunglasses have both of these features to have the biggest protective effect for your vision.
Here are a few more tips that are helpful when picking out your shades:
- Bigger is better as this provides more protection for your eyes and the skin around your eyes. The more coverage your sunglasses have on your face, the more protection they provide, so consider buying wraparounds or oversized sunglasses.
- Color and darkness of the lenses do not matter. Choose whichever color and darkness you like, it is your preference. Many people think that darker lenses protect your eyes better, but this is a myth.
- Cost does not matter. As long as they have UV protection (and polarization if you want to see things clearly), the cost is irrelevant.
Smile to improve your health!
June is National Smile month. Smiling and laughing so many benefits that support you on mental, emotional, physical and social levels. Here are 8 reasons to smile as much as possible!
- Smiling activates brain chemistry that boosts your mood! When you smile your brain releases dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin – all of which are feel good molecules that increase your feelings of happiness. Regardless of how you feel, smiling boosts your mood and increases positive thoughts!
- Reduce your stress with a smile! Studies have shown that smiling decreases cortisol (stress hormone) production which lowers your stress levels. Smiling also decreases feelings of anxiety and depression.
- Did you know that smiling boosts your immune system? One study showed that smiling and laughing actually increased the number of infection-fighting antibodies and immune cells. So give your immune system a boost with a good belly laugh!
- Smiling decreases your pain! The endorphins released by smiling and laughing actually reduce your feeling of pain. Which means laughter really is one of the best medicines!
- Lower your blood pressure with a smile! Studies have shown that laughing can briefly increase your heart rate followed immediately by a slower heart rate and decreased blood pressure. Even small amounts of laughing can help reduce your risk of heart disease!
- Did you know that smiling makes you look younger? One study showed that subjects who were smiling were rated as looking younger than the same person with a neutral or angry expression. Be sure to smile to embrace a youthful appearance!
- Smiling can help you have better relationships! People who smile often are described as more likeable and positive, which leads to better relationships and improves overall well-being.
- Would you like to be more attractive? Smiling makes you appear more attractive to others. Multiple research studies have found that people who are smiling are rated as more attractive.
No matter how you feel, you are only one smile away from having a better day! Anytime you are looking for a quick “pick me up,” turn on a funny video or do something else that gets you smiling and laughing!
How to pick the best sunscreen!
Summer is here, which means it’s time to get outside and enjoy some sunshine! Since the sun is out in full force, it’s really important to wear sunscreen to prevent sunburns that can lead to skin cancer. June is Skin Cancer Awareness month. Unfortunately skin cancer affects 1 in 5 Americans by the time they are 70, which is why it is so important to protect yourself! Thankfully sunscreen can reduce the risk by more than 40%! Not all sunscreens are created equal, some are much better than others. This article is designed to teach you tips on how to pick the best sunscreen!
Sunscreen Recommendations:
- Choose a broad spectrum sunscreen as this protects against ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays.
- Get SPF 30 or higher. Many people don’t know that the SPF number is the number of minutes of protection (i.e. the time duration you should reapply). The higher the SPF number the longer you can go between reapplication! Be sure to apply at least once every 2 hours at the maximum.
- Water resistant does not mean waterproof. Even water resistant sunscreens are only water resistant for 40 to 80 minutes. Sunscreens should be reapplied after you’ve sweat or been in the water.
- Apply liberally! Maybe people will put on a light layer, which does not fully protect your skin. Be sure to add enough to get a thick layer on your skin.
- Mineral based has less potentially toxic ingredients. Try to find a sunscreen that uses zinc oxide or titanium oxide as a
- Check the expiration date before using. Sunscreens that are expired have lower effectiveness.
- Read the ingredients carefully! Choose sunscreens that have Avobenzone instead of Oxybenzone (an ingredient found in some chemical based sunscreens but it has been found to be a hormone disruptor and potentially lead to skin sensitization, so it’s best to avoid).
- Here’s a list of things you want to make sure are not in your sunscreen:
- Aminobenzoic acid
- Trolamine salicylate
- Cinoxate
- Dioxybenzone
- Ensulizole
- Oxybenzone
- Meradimate
- Sulisobenzone
- Padimate O
- Here’s a list of things you want to make sure are not in your sunscreen:
My Favorite Brands:
- Whole body = Alba Botanica – Hawaiian Sunscreen Fragrance Free Sunscreen Spray SPF 70
- Face = Sun Bum – Original SPF 50 Sunscreen Face Lotion
Other Considerations:
Sunscreen cannot prevent 100% of sun damage. If you’re going to spend an entire day outside, consider getting SPF shirts and SPF hats!
Benefits of Grounding
Grounding is GREAT!
Getting into nature is so relaxing and balancing. Nature is the ultimate stress reducer! Grounding, sometimes called earthing is simple – it is getting your skin to touch the ground. You can do this by walking barefoot, laying on the ground, wading in shallow water, hugging a tree, gardening and getting bare hands into the dirt. If you ever done these things, you have probably noticed how much the help you chill out and relax. But if you’re like me, you have probably wondered how it works! So here is a short explanation – We are bioelectrical beings living on an electrical planet. Your body operates electrically. All of your cells transmit multiple frequencies that run, for example, your heart, immune system, muscles, and nervous system. The act of grounding is absorbing electrons from the earth and releasing excess protons into mother earth.
The benefits of grounding are amazing! Grounding is the most effective and quickest acting stress reduction technique I have ever found because it supports our mental, physical and emotional health! It benefits many body functions and has the following effects:
-
-
- Reduces inflammation
- Decreases chronic fatigue & chronic pain
- Boosts mood, reduces anxiety & depression
- Reduces stress levels by normalizing stress hormone levels (cortisol)
- Improves sleep quality
- Supports cardiovascular health: reduces blood pressure, improves circulation
- Balances hormones & blood sugar; regulates metabolism
- Improves memory & focus
-
Of course getting into nature is the best possible way to ground, but sometimes that’s not available to us, like if you live in a crowded metropolitan area with very little grass or it is the dead of winter and there is snow on the ground. Thankfully there are some grounding tools you can use in these times, which include grounding pads, mats, and blankets. This winter I purchased an Earthing Elite Mattress Cover Kit and have been absolutely loving it! I immediately noticed a dramatic increase in my sleep quality. According to my smart watch, I get a lot more REM & deep sleep now that I have the grounding pad!
Go outside and check it out for yourself today!
Walking Meditation
Quick How to Guide for Walking Meditation
Most people think that meditation means sitting quietly, but meditation can also be an active process! My favorite type of meditation is WALKING MEDITATION! Walking meditations help you slow down and really enjoy the beauty that constantly surrounds us! This is especially great because it helps you squeeze mindfulness and movement into your busy schedule at one time!
The process is quick, simple and easy, try out this 10 minute walking meditation:
1. Ground yourself – Walk slowly and connect to feelings of your legs and your feet on the ground. Feel the sensation of your heel as it touches the ground, the base and arch of your foot, and finally the toes. Notice what it feels like to lift your foot and the muscles in your legs. Focusing on these sensations grounds you and helps you be present in your body at this moment.
2. Gratitude – Remember that walking is a luxury that not everyone has. Take a moment to show appreciation for your legs and feet and feel gratitude for the ability to walk. Thank your legs for the daily service to get you to where you want to go!
3. As you walk, pay attention to your senses, one at a time:
(1) the feeling of your body walking, the feeling of your breath going in and out of your lungs, the feeling of wind and temperature on your skin
(3) any smells in the air or plants around you
(4) the taste of the air or anything in your mouth
(5) what you can hear
(6) what you can see
4. Focus on all of your senses at once and pause to thank your amazing body. Remember to smile and be grateful for the time you took for yourself today!
New Year, New You Mini Challenge Day 5: Sleep
Is recommitting to health one of your goals for 2020? Then join this FREE 5 day mini challenge!
You’ll get healthy tips that are easy to implement and it’ll kickstart your health journey for 2020!! Each day we’ll cover a topic to give you tips, tricks, and teach you why it’s so important!
Topics include:
– Meal planning made easy and why breakfast is so important
– Creative ways to squeeze exercise into your busy day
– Why drinking water is so important and how to hit your daily hydration goal
– Importance of sleep and how to improve your sleep habits – Benefits of meditation and how to integrate mindfulness in your everyday life
Click here to learn more about my 6 Week to Success program!
New Year, New You Mini Challenge Day 4: Exercise
Is recommitting to health one of your goals for 2020? Then join this FREE 5 day mini challenge!
You’ll get healthy tips that are easy to implement and it’ll kickstart your health journey for 2020!! Each day we’ll cover a topic to give you tips, tricks, and teach you why it’s so important!
Topics include:
– Meal planning made easy and why breakfast is so important
– Creative ways to squeeze exercise into your busy day
– Why drinking water is so important and how to hit your daily hydration goal
– Importance of sleep and how to improve your sleep habits – Benefits of meditation and how to integrate mindfulness in your everyday life
Click here to learn more about my 6 Week to Success program!
