Starting my year of Reinvention With a Bit of Decluttering

So I don’t know about you, but every year I pick a word to carry me through the year. I know it is a common thing to do nowadays, but I pick a word and this year my word is REINVENTION.

I needed a strong word that propelled me through this new year. This part of post menopausal me, is a different me than prior to menopause and reinvention is the perfect word.

At the beginning of the year, I set some intentions for myself. And in order for me to fully embrace reinvention, I had to let go of old habits, old things, and things in general that no longer served me.

So I started out the year doing a whole Marie Condon thing. Marie Kondo, the worldwide decluttering maestro, teaches that, though it's hard to part with items we've owned for a long time, working out whether they spark joy can make it easier to let them go.

I made a plan for myself to declutter an area a month for the year. Is in January, I started with my clothes.

I started with my drawers. I decided what I wanted to keep and what I hadn’t worn if forever and what just plain did not fit and never would again. I made decisions about how each piece of clothing would fit into my “reinvention” year. Once I finished my drawers, I was finished for the day. Remember I have all month to complete decluttering my clothes. I did not want any decision of what to keep or get rid of to be rushed. And, the drawers were a way to ease into this task. When done, I had a pile for keep, give away, donate, and resell.

Next was my closet. One thing that I knew if I went all Betty Davis on my closet I would have a whole mess and not accomplish what I wanted to. I started with pants and shirts because I knew making decisions on what dresses to keep and which to let go of would be tough….I love dresses. Lets just say when it was all done I had 10 thousand steps on my fit bit just by going back and forth to the close in my room.

Tackling my clothes, shoes, toiletries, and makeup took the whole month of January because I made it a task in my day not a one time decluttering party. The other thing that was different from any other time I decluttered was I immediately took the donate bags and put them in my trunk and took them to The Salvation Army. In the past, those bags would sit for a while and sometimes I would wonder where is that black shirt I use to have and remember it was in one of the bags and out it would come again. Not this time!

At the end of January, my closet, bathroom items, drawers, and even the night side drawer was decluttered. What I found was when I walked in to my closet, I not only a sense of accomplishment, but I felt my body relax in the organization.

This month, It’s the kitchen. My favorite room in the house. In January, I watched Home Edit on Netflix and got inspired to organize my kitchen. In January, I ordered the container set I needed to organize my pantry and purchased it at the beginning of February. I did that because I know myself and I would have wanted to dive right into the kitchen without have completed the January decluttering project.

I used the same concept as my bedroom and closet and started with one area. I chose the pantry which normally would be one of the last but I kept it in order but not organized. I decided to do shelf by shelf instead of removing everything from the pantry. I then got rid of any expired items. I then started putting the items into their own containers (I took things out of boxes and bags) and arranged them on the shelf. Each container was labeled and then for each shelf, wash, rinse, repeat. And, the month is still young. This week I am finishing my spice cabinet.

What I did not expect from this venture was how freeing and complete I would feel after I decluttered. According to a home and garden article: Decluttering isn't just about clearing your home of clutter, period. For many of us, decluttering can have a positive impact on mental health. A recent survey of homeowners showed that 44% of us experience ‘mess-stress’ at least weekly and 72% of ‘naturally tidy’ people have experienced stress from an untidy home over the pandemic*.

One other thing that I decided to do in my year of reinvention is to read a non fiction book a month that serves me and what I want to do in my life. January was Atomic Habits by James Clea. If you have not read it, get it. This month is Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown (she is by far my favorite non fiction author),and The cholesterol cure. I had to pick two because I take in Brene’s books slowly and mark up the book so it may take many months.

I am loving how the decluttering and learning and just bing a new me has changed me in such a short period of time. I truly can’t wait to see what is to come.

How are you creating a mental clarity space for yourself? What things do you need to let go of that no longer serve you?

Healthy Eating 101

If you are looking to begin eating healthier, it doesn’t have to be difficult to start.  Healthy eating along with sleep and exercise are very important for maintaining your health. If you struggle with eating healthy foods, then you know that breaking unhealthy habits can be a difficult part of the process. 

A great first step on your way to a healthy lifestyle is to rid your home of temptations that will distract you from following better eating habits. Clearing your pantry, cabinets and refrigerator of junk foods, processed foods, and sugary beverages is a good start to a healthy lifestyle and takes away the temptation of eating unhealthy foods. If the thought of not having that go to snack available you may need to gradually wean yourself off of the sweet and salty snacks. It does not have to be all or nothing. Healthy eating is not about depriving yourself of all the good things in life, but about moderation. 

Another great step to healthy eating, when you’re first starting the process, is to take a few moments to learn what foods are the healthiest for you and how they work within the body. To start eating healthy we must begin by thinking healthy. Most people understand that fruits, vegetables, and low-fat meats and some dairy products are good for you, but few people understand why. The key is learning about nutrients. When you understand how specific nutrients work and why you need them, it becomes more reasonable for you to make healthier choices for your body. If you are really serious about a healthier lifestyle, a nurtitionist, dietitian or health coach can help you learn and begin your healthy journey. 

Preparation is key in starting a new healthy diet. You must take into consideration your schedule for meals. If you often eat in a rushed hurry at odd times of day, you are probably more inclined to grab a rushed meal which is not the healthiest choice. So, plan ahead! Instead of grabbing a fast food for lunch, take a bagged lunch to work, like a healthy wrap with protein with some fresh fruit and vegetables. Remember not to forget your evening meal, a simple plan to have a meal ready before you get home would be perfect. One way to solve this problem is to plan out your evening meals for the week. Meal planning is key to eating healthier. Once a week, plan your meals, breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks and make a grocery list based off of that plan. When you get home from the store, meal prep all your meals for the week and package them so the decision of what you are going to eat is already made and you can just grab your next meal from the fridge or freezer and guarantee your healthy eating success.

It is never too late to start healthy eating. The benefits of healthy eating can add years to your life and reverse some diseases. Start with baby steps. Even if you only replace one soda a day with a glass of water, you are really improving your calorie intake. If you eat fast food every day for lunch, try replacing that half of the time with better quality foods. When you start by taking small steps you aren’t cutting out all of the foods you love all at once. By taking your time to learn about your eating habits and slowly replacing them with better meals, you will feel much better physically, mentally and emotionally and well on the road to becoming as healthy as you can be

If you would like to explore how a health coach can help you with living a healthier life, schedule a free 30-minute consultation with me. here.

Diabetes Awareness Month

Diabetes is a condition that impacts how the body converts the food into energy. And this disease occurs when blood glucose or blood sugar levels get too high. So with diabetes, the body either doesn't make enough of the hormone insulin, or it's just not able to utilize insulin as well as it should.

When our cells stop responding to the insulin, there is actually excessive blood sugar that stays in the bloodstream. So there's just more sugar circulating in the blood than the body can respond to, and this is what causes problems. Over time, the unmanaged blood sugar can cause heart disease, vision loss, kidney disease, and a host of other health complications. So managing blood sugar is really critical for everyone.

Prediabetes is a health condition that occurs when our blood glucose or blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not quite high enough to warrant a diabetes diagnosis yet. 

In the US, 84 million adults or more than 1 in 3 people have prediabetes, according to statistic from the CDC. I found it astounding to read that 90% of those people who have that prediabetes don't even realize that they have it.

Prediabetes is basically a precursor for type 2. So if they are in a prediabetic state, that's a risk for that, in addition to heart disease and to stroke.

In diabetes and prediabetes, the cells in the body are not responding normally to insulin. So the pancreas gets a signal that more insulin must be needed because the body is not responding, and that's really an attempt to try to get those cells to respond and let that sugar into the cells. And this is known as insulin resistance.

So an individual can have prediabetes for years with no clear symptoms. These are some of the common symptoms of somebody that is either diabetic or moving that direction-- so urinating frequently often at night, feeling very thirsty or very hungry-- or people may describe it as this like there's nothing I can do to satisfy this hunger. That's a signal that their cells aren't getting the energy that they need- - blurry vision, numb or tingling hands or feet, fatigue, very dry skin, and wounds that just don't seem to heal or just an increase in illnesses like getting colds and viruses. That's another indicator that their immunity is being affected.

So risk factors for prediabetes or diabetes include prediabetes, the precursor, also insulin resistance sometimes. A person may go to a physician, and they might not use the word prediabetes. They may say insulin-resistant. Your insulin resistance are showing, signs of insulin resistance. So this is still a risk factor for a full-blown diabetes diagnosis in the future.

Also race and ethnicity is also a factor African-Americans or Hispanic, Latino Americans, American Indians, Pacific Islanders, and some Asian-Americans are at higher risk than other ethnicities.

Diabetes hits women hard, especially at midlife. In the United States, it’s the number 6 killer of women ages 45 to 54 and the number 4 killer of women ages 55 to 64. What’s more, diabetes increases your risk of heart disease, stroke, and many other serious conditions, including blindness, kidney disease, and nerve disease.

Diabetes prevention is close to my heart because my mother had type 1 diabetes where she was insulin dependent because her pancreas was not producing any insulin. I watched what she had to go through with needles and watching what she ate and how it affected her life.

Last year, I was certified with the CDC as a diabetes prevention lifestyle coach with the Diabetes Prevention Program because of what my mother went through. It is a one year program for people who have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes, had gestational diabetes when pregnant, or as a result of a Pre-Diabetes Risk Test which measures if you are at risk for pre-diabetes. The purpose of this 1 year program is to prevent Type 2 (T2) diabetes from even occurring through a healthy lifestyle. This program is not for anyone who has already been diagnosed with diabetes.

My next Diabetes Prevention Program starts on January 8th. If you have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes, gestational diabetes while pregnant or after taking the survey mentioned above, it shows you are at risk for pre-diabetes this program is one you should consider. If you are ready, you can register here.

Eating Healthy Into the New Year Without Missing a Party

So, it’s November. How did that happen so fast?

The holiday’s are right around the corner. What does that mean to you? Family, Food, Fun? How are you approaching your health during this time?

I am a wellness coach who does not believe in diets. Yes you heard that right, no diets. But I do believe in eating healthy and ways in which you can eat to prevent or control illness.

Leading up to Thanksgiving, how are you going to prepare your body to eat all that good food without guilt? I call this front loading where you commit to eating healthy leading up to a big food event like thanksgiving or Christmas and when those holidays come around, you can enjoy your meals without concern of having a set back after the holidays.

How do you do that you ask, well lets start with meal planning The more you have your meals planned the less you will grab the first thing to eat when you are running late of extremely hungry. Then the shopping and then the prep. Meal prepping done on one day gives you the meals you need all week and takes the guess work out of the “what am I going to eat” question. The other thing that it does is insure you know what foods you are eating because you are cooking them and what nutrients you are getting to maintain your healthy lifestyle.

Here is how I meal plan and prep:

• I decide what meals I am going to make for the week.

• I build my grocery list based on those meals and snacks. I still order and pick up my groceries most weeks. The weeks I do not, I still use the grocery app to plan my groceries. The app for the store I shop at. HEB has an area for you to create a list for in store shopping where it gives you the aisles everything is on so you are more organized.

• I usually shop on the same day that I plan on prepping.

• Once I get my groceries home, I leave out anything that needs chopping like bell pepper and onions and chop them all for the recipes I have chosen for the week.

• I set my oven for any roasted items that need to go in and season and cook them all at once if they are all on the same temp to cook. I have a timer on my oven, microwave, and Fitbit to use if they are going to be in at different times but the same temp.

• Once all my meals are prepped, I put them in individual containers with all the foods for each meal. I found that if I put them all in one container, I am less likely to want to take the effort to put them on a plate (this is just a weird thing with me) so it works better for me to only have to pull it out of the fridge and microwave it if it is a meal or put salad dressing on it if it is a salad.

• I then put all the containers in the fridge and pull them out as needed.

• I also designate one day as crock pot day and cook that meal fresh. My breakfast is normally freshly made unless it is pre-made egg muffins or overnight oats.

What I have found is that if I only put the healthy but tasty things in my fridge and pantry, I eat healthy on what ever eating plan I create for myself.

So, if you plan your healthy eating prior to the holiday’s, you will sail though the holiday meals and parties guilt free and without resolving once again on Jan 1 to lose the weigh you gained during the holidays.

If you are serious about taking your healthy eating to the next level, I have a new program starting on Jan 3rd called New Year Healthy Transformation. It is a 3 month, 30 minutes a week program to help you create and keep a healthy lifestyle. I am only offering this program at the beginning of each year and to only 10 people. It is at a very very deep discount from my other programs because I want to help 10 people start their new year with a healthy plan. If you are interested you can sign up here: https://p.bttr.to/3GKkqqt I will only be offering sign up for this program until the end of the year.

Conversation With My Younger Self

I have been doing quite a bit of self reflection lately. The older I get, the more I identify the things that no longer serve me and my current journey.

I have had a lot of inner child/younger self reflection and conversations. The more I learn about the period of my life I am currently in, the better I feel about what lies ahead. My younger self thought 62 was OLLLDDD. That it was a time to sit and knit or just sit and wait for the end of all things you. In my 20’s, 62 was so far away that I thought I had so long time before I’d get there. Well it is here and it is me.

I was recently asked the question if I could go back and tell my younger self anything what would that be. I had to sit in that one for a while to truly reflect on now and then. Here is what I came up with:

If I was able to go back and talk to that 22 year old Alyssa 40 years ago, I would tell her to ask more questions. I would have learned more about my genetics and how diseases like the Alzheimers, and heart disease runs in my family. I would tell her to take the time to grieve her brothers death the prior year so that the grief did not show up in other destructive ways. I would ask the women in our family about their health and keep digging to understand what they have gone through so I have more knowledge of what may come. I would tell her that her intuition is valid and following it is the right thing to do.

I am sure we all wish we could go back and visit our younger selves, change some things and give some advice but of course we can’t. But what we can do is start from here and change or improve the things we can.

If you think it is too late to take control of your health it really is not. At 55 I started taking stock of my health by learning to exercise and eat for my age and stage and it is not too late for you to do the same. Have a talk with your younger self and see what she has to say.

Normalizing Menopause

I don’t know about you but growing up, coming into my womanhood, menopause was not a topic of discussion.

I remember my mom and aunts talking in whispered tones about “the change” and fanning themselves but no one sat me down to explain what was to come. My mom barely told me about what to expect with my period until it happened and even then she instructed me over the phone from work how to put on a pad. Once she got home, I heard her on the phone with my grandmother telling her I was a woman now.

In my mom’s generation, women were expected to leave the workplace when they became pregnant if they worked outside the home at all. So it makes sense that something like periods and menopause were not talked about as normal conversations.

Even today, women do not talk about menopause and if they do, it is still in hushed tones or the conversation is limited to hot flashes and weight gain. It is time to normalize talking about menopause and advocating for your health with your doctor.

There are so many parts to menopause and the time period women experience this season of life. There are a few ways we can begin to normalize conversation around menopause:

1. If you are fortunate enough to still have you mother with you, ask questions about her journey. Your journey may mirror her’s.

2. Learn about menopause symptoms and then log your symptoms every day. Take your log to your gynecologist visit and have a conversation about your journey.

3. Have conversations with your family and tribe about what you are going through. Menopause is a stage of your life not a disease and you should talk to your loved ones so they too can understand what you are going through.

The more we get comfortable talking about menopause and what we are going through the more normal it will be to the outside world. So ladies lets start talking all things menopause.

*get 25% off until the end of October for the 3 month menopause support coaching program here: https://p.bttr.to/3oz6A3p