How Susan Merrill got to the bottom of her anxiety and depression

Susan Merrill had the perfect life on the outside – intact, midwest family growing up, straight-A student, married Mr. Wonderful right out of college, and a perfect job. But she was depressed and anxious. “My awakening started when I had my son,” she says. “I started to realize that here was this human being I brought into the world and in so many ways, I had been faking my life. I wasn’t that in love with my husband, I didn’t really like my job, but I was being what the American dream is – good job with benefits, marriage, buying a home in California – yet it was all kind of false. “It was the love for my son that made me realize I didn’t want to pretend any more. I wanted a more authentic life. I had no idea what that meant, but I knew at some level I […]

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Six simple ways to reduce anxiety and manage stress

By Norelle Done I run a business with my husband, and it gets really stressful sometimes. We’re a bootstrapped startup, employing 23 young professionals. Sometimes their individual stress levels and drama brings in a whole new element of management that I often don’t have the bandwidth to handle. Sometimes our clients can be challenging, too. As our business has grown, I noticed that my stress started affecting my health in significant ways, including having real panic attacks when checks haven’t come in on time. I knew it was time to learn how to manage my stress before I got serious health problems. If you’re in the same boat, please keep reading. Stress is bad news for your body I started with some research. First, I found a few scary stats on stress: Stress increases the risk of heart disease by 40 percent, heart attack by 25 percent, and the risk […]

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Super fast, super healthy Roasted Beet Hummus

I’m always on the lookout for super easy, no-brainer and super healthy snacks and meals. So here’s one I just found from the Institute of Functional Medicine: Roasted Beet Hummus. It’s fabulous, fast and super healthy. And by the way – it’s light years better than the hummus you buy in grocery stores. I’m usually disappointed in them, and the fact is, it’s really easy to make your own. This recipe takes minutes to prepare, and it’s well worth it. What’s so great about beets? Let’s start with the beets. Beets are high in immune-boosting vitamin C, fiber, and essential minerals like potassium (essential for healthy nerve and muscle function) and manganese (which is good for your bones, liver, kidneys, and pancreas). Beets also contain the B vitamin folate, which helps reduce the risk of birth defects. But we’re not finished. You can buy pre-cooked, cleaned beets at Trader Joe’s […]

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Sick of being sick? Five best ways to boost your immune system

Don’t you wonder why some people never seem to get sick and others seem to pick up every bug? I’ve had so many people get sick around me this year that I decided to research what I need to do in order to NOT get sick. Guess what? It’s not that difficult to build your immune system and stay healthy. Here are five simple ways to start: One: Follow a seasonal diet Did you know that a seasonal diet actually has immune boosting properties for each season? Who knew? Many of us get into a rut with the food we buy, even resorting to processed or frozen foods that lack important immunity-boosting vitamins and minerals. Fall and winter are orange season – think orange fruits and especially veggies like squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, corn, orange and yellow peppers, yellow beets and pumpkins. These bright-colored fruits and vegetables contain zeaxanthin, flavonoids, […]

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