My OMAD (One Meal A Day) Intermittent Fasting Results & What I Eat In A Day Week 1

May 21, 2021 Taylor Hornbeck

I have been participating in the OMAD fasting practice and have noticed lots of changes happening. I’ll be going over that in this post as well as what I eat in a day as part of this new routine.

ADJUSTING

The first two days of this new routine went well but day three was a little different. I teach a virtual class called Wellness School and being in teacher mode takes a lot of mental energy. I realized that I was hungry and not just mentally hungry I was physically hungry as well after my class. I did break my fast and ate within a two hour window so it wasn’t my best day fasting however I knew I needed to listen to my body. It was a good learning experience because I know I need to figure out how this will work going forward when I have therapy clients to assist and classes to teach. On these days I normally need more energy so I’m formulating a plan as to what is the best option for me. During my fasting experience I give myself room to be flexible with my eating times, etc. Especially being a mom and starting a new role where I need to learn new things, I know that some days will require more energy and likely more food and I’m okay with letting this happen. I listen to my body and what it needs above anything else. I know that it doesn’t need to be perfect to be beneficial for my life.

WHAT I EAT

I normally have what I call a victory salad which consists of hummus, cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado, mixed with fish sauce, soy aminos, white wine vinegar, sesame oil on a bed of dark leafy greens. The salad is normally accompanied with roasted garlic sweet potatoes, spaghetti or pesto sauce, meat, parmesan cheese and seasoning. After my meals I like to enjoy a dessert of some kind as well. These are normally quite healthy unlike your typical desserts. Some things that I have been loving lately are chocolate covered stuffed dates, oatmeal cookies or homemade ice cream with fruit. I always try to have a healthy balanced meal that includes fruits, vegetables, clean protein, healthy fats and carbs.

A WEEK OF OMAD RESULTS

Although I don’t use the scale as a main way of measuring my progress with my fasting journey, it can be beneficial to check in on it. To get the most accurate results when weighing yourself you should aim to weigh yourself at the same time everyday ideally on an empty stomach and after you’ve already used the bathroom for the day. When I first started I weighed 174 pounds and after a week of OMAD when I weighed myself I was 169 pounds. During the first week of my OMAD fasting I mainly hiked, walked and biked as forms of exercise but going forward I’ll incorporate more workouts. I wanted to give my body time to adjust to OMAD before doing the workouts I would normally do. I’ll be curious to see how the next few weeks go especially after incorporating more workouts.

If you are curious about trying fasting for yourself I have created an ebook called Intermittent Fasting For Mental Health if you’d like to purchase it and do the challenge for yourself.

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Intermittent Fasting For Mental Health: For Beginners - Mental Clarity, Reduce Stress, Boost Mood - Week 3

May 19, 2021 Taylor Hornbeck

Intermittent Fasting For Mental Health For Beginners, Part 3.png

Welcome to Week 3 of my Intermittent Fasting For Mental Health Challenge. In Week 1 and Week 2 we touched on how to prep for a fast and how to maintain a fasted state. This week we will talk about how to break your fast. I’ll be using the ebook I created called Intermittent Fasting For Mental Health as a guide if you’d like to purchase it and do the challenge for yourself.

The first thing you want to do when breaking your fast is to consider healthy options. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t have any treats. I think it’s most paramount to begin eating healthy when you break your fast. Think things like healthy fats, clean protein, fruits and vegetables. If you have a day that you have been exercising I recommend adding more protein. When it comes to carbs it will largely depend on your body type but for most people this can not seem like enough nutritional value or can cause reactions such as spikes in blood sugar. Some people like to break their fast beginning with a bone or vegetable broth. This can be a good smooth transition from fasting to consuming calories. I personally don’t feel this is necessary except in instances where you are doing extreme fasting such as a 36 hour fast. This is something worth exploring for yourself personally. Sometimes I do like to break my fast with half of a fat bomb so I'm not overly hungry and overindulging when I do break my fast completely.

CHEAT DAYS

Many people have two ways of seeing cheat days, they will either consider a full cheat day or just a cheat meal which is more ideal. Normally your cheat meal will not be back to back with another cheat meal day if you can help it. If you spread out these meals then you give your body the chance to benefit from recovery and recover faster. Through my work as a Holistic Nutritionist I have seen many of my clients have cheat days on the weekends and eat clean throughout the week. In my experience it’s better to split up the days so your body can recover. I have also found that moderation works much better than forbidding yourself to eat certain foods. Having a cheat meal twice a week is a good way to satisfy the things we may want but may not be the healthiest options for us while also balancing healthy eating. If we don’t balance this then we tend to abandon our new healthy habits quite quickly. Another way to satisfy cravings is to create healthier versions of the thing that you want. For example, if you are craving a burger and fries you could cook something like a turkey burger with avocado, hot sauce, mustard, oven roasted fries and in a low calorie or no calorie bun option. This way you can eat the thing that you want while providing much more nutrients to yourself. This gets easier as you go along. You intuitively will reach for healthy options and begin to crave those. When you are making the transition to healthier options it can feel overwhelming to do it all at once. To make sustainable changes I recommend swapping out a less healthy meal or ingredient for a healthier alternative.

IDENTITY SHIFTS

Mindfulness also plays a big factor when it comes to eating habits. Many people can get an identity around how they eat. You might be someone who says something like “I just can’t eat healthy”. This becomes your identity so as much as you need to make physical changes you also need to make mental changes to shift your identity to that of a healthy person. Whatever we tell ourselves our mind and body will respond to. If we are building a habit of saying I can’t do something then your actions will reflect that however if we also tell ourselves we can do something then our actions will reflect that as well.

TOOLS

In last week’s challenge post I mentioned that there are apps that can assist you with your fasting journey. One of the apps is called Simple Fasting. Another good option is the Zero fasting app. While doing my research about fasting I also came across this interesting article about leptin/ghrelin ratio and how it affects our feelings of hunger, mentally and physically. This study may not necessarily be focused on women or women of color which is important when it comes to weight, fasting and BMI however it is a good food for thought article to get you started. Ghrelin helps to determine your hunger cues and the intensity of them. Leptin is a hormone that helps balance energy by inhibiting hunger. As you continue fasting your body will get adjusted to your new routine and the mental hunger pangs will subside.

I’ve noticed that the last thing I eat within my feeding window makes a significant difference in how well my fast goes. The thing I eat is a large, low calorie oatmeal cookie. The oatmeal is packed with vitamins and nutrients. It also helps me stay full for longer. I created an oatmeal three ways video where I share recipes on ways you can incorporate oatmeal into your diet.

EATING WITH OTHERS

Whether you are a mom or you live with other individuals that you are used to eating with, it can feel like a lot of pressure to not eat while they are eating. My biggest tip for this is to choose an eating window that aligns with the time the others in your house would be eating. I choose to have my eating window during dinner time so I am still able to enjoy that time with my family. If you are present during times that others are eating but you aren’t you can also use that as an opportunity to become a great conversationalist and focus on building relationships instead of eating. In some cultures it can seem rude if you do not try the food being offered. In these cases you can say something along the lines of “Yes, I’d love to try so please save me some as I’m focusing on my health until 4pm”. This way you can still say yes without seeming rude while also keeping in line with your health goals. This is a great opportunity to set boundaries. Sharing why you are fasting is a great way to help people understand as well. It can also inspire others to try fasting for themselves. If eating socially is a large part of your interactions with people this can be a great opportunity to suggest other activities like crafts of hiking.

I encourage you to apply these tools that we discussed above and know that this is a fluctuating life practice and it doesn’t need to be perfect. You can adjust however you’d like so it best suits your needs.

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Intermittent Fasting For Mental Health: For Beginners - Clarity, Reduce Stress, Boost Mood - Week 2

May 14, 2021 Taylor Hornbeck

Intermittent Fasting For Mental Health For Beginners, Part 2.png

The purpose of this post is to be a follow up to my previous post about fasting for mental health. In this post we will go deeper into how to stay in a fasted state and what it feels like to be in a fasted state. Throughout the challenge I referenced the ebook I created called Intermittent Fasting For Mental Health if you’d like to purchase it and do the challenge for yourself.

TYPES OF FASTING

I’m currently trying the OMAD style of fasting which I’ve been enjoying as it has been a great way to kickstart my mental health and body cleansing. When I began getting my fitness back into a solid routine in April until now I have lost 5 pounds. 3 of those I lost once I started OMAD. if you are someone who would like to lose a large number of pounds then fasting might be a good idea. You’ll notice that as you fast you will start losing more weight because you have more fat to burn so it’s easier for your body to get rid of.

HCO which stands for Hydrate, Caffeinate and Oil Intake happens to be my favorite method of fasting. This is something that I’ve been doing for awhile because it makes the most sense to me. Hydration is very important whether we are fasting or not so it’s essential that we hydrate before anything else. Drinking water first thing in the morning is a great way to kickstart your body functions. Something like lemon water or water with apple cider vinegar is a good choice as opposed to coffee which dehydrates you. I average 16-32 ounces of water first thing in the morning. I’ve been on an ayurvedic kick later so i’ve been drinking copper water. The caffeine part of HCO is optional as some people don’t like to have caffeine. If you are someone who drinks coffee this can be beneficial because it does help suppress your appetite and give you an additional energy boost. You can also get caffeine from green tea which provides additional benefits such as antioxidants. The O of the HCO method is for oil intake, this is where we want to consider MCT oil or coconut oil as part of your drink routine. If you haven’t heard of bulletproof coffee it’s a brand that has created the method of mixing coffee and coconut or MCT oil. These oils are great because you are able to consume them during your fasting periods without breaking your fast. You also get the benefit of consuming some calories which can alleviate hunger pains. You can even buy to-go packs of oil to eat as you feel hunger pains during your fast. Start with 1tsp of oil and up it to 2 tsps if you feel like you need it. When I first started fasting I wasn’t aware that you could consume oil so now I try to limit it as an insurance method but it’s nice to know I have that option. I have also gotten into the habit of creating “fat bombs” which are comprised of coconut oil/butter or MCT oil and zero calorie ingredients.

HOW TO STAY FASTED

There are a few pieces that contribute to staying in a fasted state. One of the things to note about trying to remain in a fasted state is that you can actually apply a few techniques that I will go through that allow you to have some calorie intake but not eating a meal as you normally would.

WHAT TO EXPECT

When you are fasting it typically takes up to a month before you feel the long term benefits of fasting. During the calibration period of your body adjusting to the fast you can expect your body temperature to fluctuate, you may sweat more, you are likely to feel restless, distracted, headaches and low energy. When it comes to energy you may feel sluggish but should still be able to do things and not feel completely exhausted. These symptoms are a normal response to your body making adjustments to fasting. Your body is also used to eating at certain times like breakfast or lunch so it will give you mental cues that make you seem hungry. I recommend making a tea or coffee with oil in it or having a fat bomb 30 minutes before you would normally eat to prevent the feelings of hunger.

WHAT TO DO DURING YOUR FAST

One thing to consider is the duration of your fast to determine what your energy ratio will be for the day. This becomes easier the more you fast. You can workout during your fast but it’s important to be mindful of the intensity level. Walking is a great form of movement to do during fasting periods. I also enjoy doing inversion therapy. What I do is only partial inversion therapy where I sit with my feet up the wall. This is a way to recalibrate the energy and get blood flowing. Performing self care is also beneficial especially on the days where you are experiencing low energy. When you have reached an intermediate stage of fasting it may be a good time to start incorporating moderate workouts again starting with twenty minutes and seeing how it feels. It’s good to prepare a plan for keeping focused on things other than eating during your fast as well. Some of these activities can be journaling, completing things around your house, crafts, meditation, etc.

TOOLS

There are a few apps that assist you with your fasting journey. You can track when you start and stop your fasting and set reminders for those. There are also apps that help monitor your energy output to get a best estimate as you are starting your fasting.

Fasting is great because you can adjust it to your own personal needs whether that’s consuming oil or changing the times of your fast to best suit you. Don’t give up on your fast because you feel like you haven’t done it perfectly. Remember that is a human practice and some days it will go better than others. I do think the modern approach of incorporating oil into fasting is better for beginners because you don’t have the sensation of struggling to get to your eating window and helps you to feel more balanced.

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OMAD Day 1: How To Start - Beginner Reaction & Intermittent Fasting 24-Hour Before & After Results

May 12, 2021 Taylor Hornbeck

Although I’ve tried different types of fasting over the years I haven’t tried OMAD yet so this post will focus on what OMAD is, how to get started and my experience on the first day. If you’re interested in trying fasting for yourself I am running a four week fasting for mental health challenge so I encourage you to join.

STARTING OUT

Although I’m not really a person who uses the scale often I did want to check in on what my current weight was before I started the process. I’ll be participating in OMAD for seven days to start and if I like it I will do thirty days. If I continue with the thirty day challenge I’ll check back in once a week to see what my weight is on the scale. My main goal in fasting is not weight loss, it’s mostly about structure and order. I noticed that my skin was looking dull so I did a full examination of my sleep hygiene, skincare routine, eating and exercise habits. OMAD is a good opportunity for my body to reset and improve the previous areas I mentioned as well as my mental health.

BREAKFAST

During breakfast time I had green tea as well as a coffee replacement. For my coffee replacement I blended it with coconut oil, cocoa powder, stevia and a pinch of salt to create a bulletproof hot cocoa. I also had my 32 ounces of water which I added lemon, apple cider vinegar, and stevia. I planned to have my meal around 3PM. The beverages that I had for breakfast definitely helped me to feel less fazed by the fast.

BREAKING THE FAST

I had planned to break my fast at 3PM however the day I started my OMAD journey I had a work conference scheduled for that time so instead of eating something just to eat I decided I wanted my first meal to be delicious and I waited a bit longer to break the fast. I did feel mentally hungry but not physically hungry nor did I feel like I needed to eat immediately. Throughout the day I was also drinking a lot of water and I had another green tea. When I did break my fast I made sure it was a well balanced and nutritious meal. It consisted of spaghetti squash, italian sausage, a large mixed greens salad and a berry cobbler for dessert.

THE NEXT DAY

Although I did sleep moderately the night I started OMAD it was more of a circumstantial thing due to me having to get up and check on my puppy. I don’t think the mild sleep was a result of the OMAD. I felt great when I woke up and my body felt light. I do feel as though the challenge is doable at least for seven days. Stay tuned to see if I do a two week OMAD challenge. I did check in on the scale the morning after but I won’t be doing that often as I mentioned. I find it less valuable than being aware of your own body and checking in with that.

I recognize that many people participating in OMAD are mainly interested in losing weight but as I mentioned in the beginning that is not my main goal. I’m more interested in doing this as a lifestyle. I’m going to be paying attention to how this challenge affects my time, my mental health and my overall body health. I look forward to updating you with my progress in all those areas.

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Intermittent Fasting For Mental Health: For Beginners - Mental Clarity, Reduce Stress, Boost Mood - Week 1

May 7, 2021 Taylor Hornbeck

Intermittent Fasting For Mental Health.png

Today's blog post is all about intermittent fasting and the benefits it can have on mental health.

WHY INTERMITTENT FAST?

I think it’s important to touch on the benefits of fasting as it applies to mental health. When we fast our brain is able to scrubbed clean of toxins. This is helpful in improving our clarity, our ability to recall information and to recover at a cellular level. There are the added benefits like losing weight if that is your goal. Since our bodies are no longer burning sugar during a fast they are able to burn fat. This process is called ketosis. When we give our cells a chance to recover they are able to improve our anti-aging abilities so our skin gets better as well as taking preventative measures for cancer, Alzheimer's and improved immune function. If you get sick often or are at risk for cancer for example, this can take a toll on your mental health. Things like aging prematurely or struggling with weight management can affect your confidence and ultimately your mental health state as well.

I created an ebook for the four week intermittent fast challenge I ran called Intermittent Fasting For Mental Health if you’d like to purchase it and do the challenge for yourself.

DRAWBACKS

There are many benefits of fasting however when your body is acclimating to a regular fasting practice, it can be tough to start out. On average it takes approximately one month of consistent practice to achieve the results I’m going to share.

RESULTS

1. MENTAL CLARITY

The first benefit of fasting is having a clear memory and the ability to think clearly. The people who fast often say that they have an improved mental sharpness and increased concentration. You may even have a sense of increased spiritual clarity.

2. ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS

This one is powerful because most of us have an awareness of what’s happening around us especially women. When you fast this increases even more than usual. Your awareness of your environment is heightened because you aren’t having any food. You may notice a stronger sense of hearing, improved eyesight and sense of smell.

3. MENTAL & EMOTIONAL WILLPOWER

You will find that you have more range to handle stress and emotionality when you’re fasting. I find your body isn’t willing to give into emotions as much as it would if you were not fasting.

There are many additional benefits that I go into inside the ebook such as reduced anxiety, increased spiritual awareness, improved sleep, reduced mood swings, a brighter mood and the ability for your body to process and eliminate toxins and buildup.

BREAKING INTO YOUR FAST

There are two key components that are worth your time and attention regarding fasting. The first point is that you need to prepare. You want to prepare for your fast before you start. Consider what ways will make you successful in achieving your fast. You want to first begin by eating properly the day before you go into your fast. It’s good to have a balanced meal with healthy fats, protein and vegetables. Whatever you would normally have that makes you feel satiated. You don’t need to feel stuffed but you do need to have a meal that is substantially nutritious. The next step is getting good quality sleep. When you begin with good sleep you are much more likely to withstand a fasting period. Of course if we don’t have good sleep hygiene then we are more likely to reach for junk food and we are more impulsive with our decision making.

One thing that is worth considering in advance is how you are prepping. A lot of the people that I work with as a holistic nutritionist are moms or women that have partners, etc who will not be fasting with them. In these situations you need to consider how you are approaching food. If your kids or your partner are asking you to make breakfast for example that might be tricky because you will want to avoid triggers. During the times that I’m choosing to fast I make my kids food that I wouldn’t enjoy eating to help avoid temptation. You may also want to consider pre-making the meals you need to have made so you don’t have to worry about cooking during your fast. If you don’t have to cook for anyone else then consider removing all the food from your line of sight.

In addition to removing food you should think about what it is that you will be drinking and eating during your fast and feeding periods. You can have water or tea. There are some approaches that only allow water but I like to take a modernist approach to fasting so I allow for bulletproof hot cocoa and other drinks. I like having these options so I can continue my fasts even during times where it seems difficult.

The next consideration would be how long you will be fasting for so you can plan for that. If you are going to fast for longer periods of time it is important that you decide to put your rigorous fitness routine on hold closer to the point that you are going to break your fast. I’m a person who enjoys working out in the morning but if I’m fasting until 3pm I won’t workout until 1pm or 2pm because I don’t want the reaction of hunger in the morning and potentially risk ruining my fast.

When you’re fasting you will have extra time on your hands since you won’t be preparing food or sitting down to eat. I find it helpful to create a to-do list to focus on throughout the day and take your mind off the feeling of mental hunger pangs. Mental hunger is different from physically feeling hungry. Mental is more about your mind thinking that you have specific times to eat and sending signals to your body to entice you to eat during those times whether or not you are actually physically hungry.

Step two involves a shift in your mental state. You need to change your mindset to prepare for your fasting period. When you break into your fast you need to mentally break into your face as well.

STYLES OF FASTING

There are several different styles of fasting you can choose from. My preferred method if you are a beginner is the 16:8 method. You will fast for 16 hours and be able to eat during an 8 hour window. You want to be able to eat all your meals during that 8 hour time period. You could also try a 14:10 method if you want less time fasting while you’re starting out. There are also methods such as 5:2. This is where you would eat normally for 5 days out of the week then for 2 days you are only eating a restricted amount of calories typically that is 500-800 calories although it will vary for each person. The method that I am personally practicing during our challenge is the OMAD style. In this style you only eat one meal per day. Another method I have tried in the past is the warrior fast where you fast for 20 hours and eat within a 4 hour window.

Fasting has many benefits as we touched on in this post. I also like that it is flexible. You can play around with the different styles you like and what works best for your lifestyle and body. It’s a powerful experience to take your health into your own hands. This confidence carries over into other parts of life, you may find that you feel more empowered at work or in your relationships from doing challenges such as these.

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Oatmeal 3 Ways: How To Eat Healthy: Holistic Nutrition For Beginners

May 5, 2021 Taylor Hornbeck

Today’s post is all about why we should all be incorporating more oatmeal into our daily nutrition plan. I have three recipes that I’ll be sharing at the end of this post. As a holistic nutritionist I realized I haven’t created much content around nutrition so I will try to do more of these. If you haven’t already you can check out the last video I did featuring a giant cookie recipe.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF EATING OATMEAL

Oatmeal is very nutritional dense and full of benefits which means it has a lot of nutritional value as opposed to foods that have low nutritional value like junk food. Oatmeal contains polyphenols which are great for your heart health and your blood pressure. These are essential for the functions of your body such as heating and cooling you. It is also packed with antioxidants much like green tea. These are important for cellular level anti-aging and give our bodies a chance to refresh and replenish. Oatmeal is also full of fibre which is needed for your general digestion as well as the sensation of feeling full or satisfied which can make you less likely to reach for food as often or choose foods that aren’t nutritious. You can improve and lower your cholesterol. You can also lower your blood sugar as well which is important for your body functions, concentration and memory. Oatmeal is also a low calorie food. I would recommend trying to eat at least ½ cup of oatmeal everyday. ½ cup is the amount that I personally feel satisfies me the most.

ADDITIONAL OATMEAL BENEFITS

Not only is oatmeal extremely good for us to eat it also contains properties that assist our skin as well. These properties can help soothe our skin and has the ability to work from the outside in. You may notice that there are things such as oatmeal soaks designed to help you improve your skin.

To get you started with your oatmeal journey, I’ve included three great recipes down below. These are ones that I rotate through on a regular basis. I like to enjoy a cookie after my meals for the day especially during the time of practicing OMAD so I don’t feel like I’m starving. Ending your day with a bit of oatmeal is a good strategy for anyone who fasts or participates in OMAD. If you enjoy this type of content with nutritional information as well as recipes let me know on my YouTube channel so I can continue to create more. What I did when I made these cookies is I made a base containing the same ingredients then I split the batter up and created different flavors so they could all cook at the same time and I didn’t need to do additional work. As with all my recipes please adjust the recipes in accordance to your own preferences. In addition to these recipes I occasionally add fruit, almond butter, peanut butter, cream cheese or yogurt to switch it up.

Oatmeal Chip

2C Oat Flour

1 Egg

1/2 C Almond Milk

1 Tsp Baking Soda

1/4 Tsp. Sea Salt

1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

1/2C- 3/4C Monk Fruit Sweetener

1/4C Unsweetened Applesauce

1/2 Mashed Banana

1/4C Cocoa Nibs

1/4C Sugar Free Chocolate Chips

Oatmeal Double Chocolate

2C Oat Flour

1 Egg

1/2 C Almond Milk

1 Tsp Baking Soda

1/4 Tsp. Sea Salt

1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

1/2C- 3/4C Monk Fruit Sweetener

1/4C Unsweetened Applesauce

1/2 Mashed Banana

1/4C Cocoa Nibs

1/4C Sugar Free Chocolate Chips

1/4C Cocoa Powder

Traditional Oatmeal

2C Oat Flour

1 Egg

1/2 C Almond Milk

1 Tsp Baking Soda

1/4 Tsp. Sea Salt

1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

1/2C- 3/4C Monk Fruit Sweetener

1/4C Unsweetened Applesauce

1/2 Mashed Banana

1/4C Raisins

1/4C Walnuts

2 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon

1/2 Tsp. Nutmeg

1/2 Tsp. Ground Ginger

Directions: Mix all ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes.

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8-Minute At-Home KettleBell HIIT Workout, Low Calorie Big Cookie Recipe & Wellness Definition

April 30, 2021 Taylor Hornbeck

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As a holistic therapist and wellness coach I always recommend some sort of movement especially when it comes to combating anxiety and depression so in today’s post I’ll be sharing an at home kettlebell workout that you can incorporate into your fitness routine. All you need to participate is a kettlebell of whichever weight works for you. If you want to start with 5lbs and work your way up that’s great, I’ll be doing the workout with a 10lb weight. I’ll include the moves in this post but if you prefer to watch the video you can scroll to the bottom of the post and follow along. Each move will be performed for 40 seconds followed by 20 seconds of rest. You can repeat the circuit two to three times depending on your

1. KETTLEBELL SWINGS

Kettlebell swings are quite simple, all you need to do is swing the kettlebell underneath the crotch area up and away from your body. Make sure your feet are pointed straight in front of you, slightly bend your knees and keep your back straight. Use your hips and pelvis as momentum to get the kettlebell up towards your shoulders.

2. KETTLEBELL DEADLIFTS

Stand with your feet shoulder length apart and bring the kettlebell down in between your feet. Your back should also be straight while you go into a deep squat. You should be feeling this movement in your glutes if you are doing it properly. When you come up be sure to squeeze your glutes. If you have a heavier kettlebell feel free to use it during this move

3. FIGURE EIGHTS

For this move a lighter kettlebell is better to ensure proper form. Starting in a center position with feet shoulder length apart, take the kettlebell and pass it through your legs then up to shoulder height then through the legs again and raise it to your opposite shoulder. It’s important that you take it slow if you’re new to this move and use a kettlebell where you are comfortable gauging the weight to avoid any flying kettlebells.

4. STEP-UPS

If you don’t have a step-up box at home you can use a sturdy chair. Hold your kettlebell against your chest and when you step up onto your surface you can press the kettlebell up then step back down. Alternate which leg you step-up with first.

Now that our workout is complete we have earned a treat. This recipe that I’m sharing will allow you to satisfy your sugar cravings while also keeping you on track for your nutrition and wellness goals. I make this whenever I want something sweet and I’ve still been losing a few pounds a week just by making small changes. I don't think this recipe is overly decadent but if you prefer it that way you can always alter the recipe.

Low Cal Big Cocoa Cookie Recipe:

2 cups oats/ oat flour 600 cal

1 vegan egg 30 cal

1/2 c almond milk 15 cal

1 tbsp olive oil 119

3/4 c Stevia 0 cal

2 tbsp Chocolate PB Powder 50 cal

1/2 c Unsweetened applesauce 70 calories

1/2 c Cocoa Powder 98 cal

1 Tsp. Sea salt 0 cal

1 Tsp. Baking powder 0 cal

1 Tsp. vanilla extract 0 cal

Cook the cookies for 15 minutes at 350F degrees

To close out this wellness post I want to talk about a wellness concept. I thought we could start this off with the definition of wellness itself. The definition that I found for wellness is “Wellness is the act of practicing healthy habits on a daily basis to attain better physical and mental health outcomes, so that instead of just surviving, you’re thriving”. I think thriving is the keyword here because that takes us from survival mode into a state where we are experiencing our life with peace, presence and health. This is what inspired me to create this wellness series so you can look forward to more in the future!

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Emotional Freedom Technique 101: How & Why To Use EFT For Healing, Stress, Anxiety, & Depression

April 28, 2021 Taylor Hornbeck

I had posted recently asking my audience what they wanted to see me talk about next and the overwhelming response was EFT so today’s post will be all about EFT, what it is, how to use it, what the specific acupressure points are on the body and the healing statements.

WHAT IS EFT?

EFT is also known as Emotional Freedom Technique which is a healing method that can be used individually or you can work with a coach to receive EFT treatments. EFT can also be done in a group or partner format. A typical EFT session should be five to ten minutes if you are looking to get the full effect of benefits from it. It has become very popular because it is a tool that many people have found worked very well for them. EFT involves tapping on acupressure points throughout the body to release energy that may be stored there. Tapping has many benefits including feeling more relaxed, calm, balancing energy and releasing negative energy. Tapping paired with a healing statement becomes a powerful way to heal current or past pain. While EFT is a great resource, healing is a multi dynamic process so you often need to do multiple things on your healing journey to assist with complex trauma. We have tons of resources available to use for healing like therapy and self care so we should take advantage of all of them during our healing process. EFT is primarily used for PTSD but it’s also helpful for depression and anxiety. It can also be a way to visualize positive experiences that you would like to focus on. It can be used for increasing self confidence as well as goal setting.

HEALING STATEMENTS

Healing statements can be very fun to create and also very simple. My favorite one that I have learned throughout the years during my EFT training is “even though (fill in the blank) I still love and completely accept myself”. In the blank space you would insert whatever it is that you tend to be upset with yourself about or the thing that you are trying to heal. I have given my therapy clients healing statements in the past but I do think it’s very important to use your statement in your own language. Our own language and style of speech is so powerful for our own acceptance of the words we chose. If you are repeating words that someone else has chosen for you it may not be as valuable as words you have selected yourself. I invite you to create your own statement when you are participating in your own EFT practice.

ACUPRESSURE POINTS

There are many acupressure points located on the body but for the purpose of this post I will just point out the seven ones I normally use. When tapping you can use one finger or two fingers depending on the size of the meridian point.

Between your eyebrows and located on your third eye chakra is the first energy meridian point.
The second point is located just below the eyes around the eye socket bone.
The third point is under the nose and before your upper lip.
The fourth point is located on the chin.
On the wrists the fifth point is located.
The collarbone is the spot where the sixth point is located.
Under the armpit is another point for tapping.

If you would like to learn more you can watch the video below. In the video I also include a mini EFT practice for you to follow along with and get a better sense of how EFT works.

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7 Highly Effective Habits For Work From Home Moms: Self-Care, Cleaning, Cooking & Working Vlog

April 23, 2021 Taylor Hornbeck

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This post was inspired by a YouTube video I watched so I felt compelled to share my own seven habits that allow me to be my best self as a work from home mom. I’ve recently created a list of powerful habits that stays beside my bed as a reminder of the things I can do throughout my day to make it better. I printed them off and put them in a frame so I’m able to mark them off as I do them throughout the day. I try to do all of them although some days I am not able to fit all ten habits in.

1. HYDRATE

The first habit that I do is hydrating. When I wake up I will drink water and I try to drink three of my 32oz bottles per day. My current go-to is water with a quarter cup of cranberry juice and sea salt.

2. MEDITATION

As a holistic therapist I’m a huge fan of incorporating meditation into the day. It allows you to think calmly and helps reduce stress and anxiety. I try to meditate in the morning as a way to refresh my mind. You don’t need to meditate for long to get the benefits either. If you only have time for a few minutes it is still very beneficial.

3. JOURNAL

I use my Holistic Planner to journal in the mornings or at any time during the day. I love journaling because it’s a great practice to curb anxiousness and helps you collect your thoughts. I also use my planner for goal setting, self celebration, meal tracking and much more.

4. MOVEMENT

In the morning I like to do some form of exercise whether that’s a workout or going for a walk and listening to music. It feels good to wake up my body slowly and enjoy the fresh air. Walking is a great way to get movement that is low impact and the alone time helps me get my thoughts organized so I can show up as my best self for my family during the day.

5. TIDYING

Throughout the day I will tidy my house to keep things organized. Recently I’ve been on a minimalistic journey and have been enjoying simplicity which makes cleaning and tidying much easier. In my kitchen I have packed away any extra dishes so I don’t spend extra time cleaning and putting things away. I find it easier to do small bursts of cleaning rather than spend hours trying to do it all.

6. MEAL PREPPING

After I’ve done my morning routine I like to plan what my family will have for dinner that night so I’m not stressed about what to make when it’s 5:00PM. I mentioned in a previous post about minimalism that I like to cook as minimalistically as possible. The approach that I use is to make the components of the dinner but not put it all together, that way my kids can eat the things they like and I don’t have to make separate meals for them.

7. WIND DOWN ROUTINE

In the evening I really enjoy having a routine that allows for great sleep hygiene. One of the first things I do is listen to an Audible book with my boys. I find this helps set the tone for relaxation. The last thing I do before getting into bed is say a prayer, celebrate a few things that I did throughout the day that went well and assess what habits I could work on the next day.

If you’re interested in using my ten powerful habits you can access a printable version of my list here or you can create your own. I hope this post provided you with ideas on habits that help you show up as your best self everyday.

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3 Ways To Heal Your Inner Child: How To Start Healing W/ Self-Care: Definition & Symptoms

April 21, 2021 Taylor Hornbeck

Today I wanted to talk about inner child healing because this is something that I am currently working through with my Mindset Cultivation students. If you aren’t familiar with my course I host a bi-weekly class session around various wellness topics. I, as a holistic therapist have had years of practice helping clients work through inner child work as well as my own personal journey doing inner child work. I wanted to share three tips in this post for those who are interested in healing their inner child. In my experience, an inner child is speaking to a mindset that is linked to past experiences in your youth. This can range between the ages of three until eighteen give or take. You may have had experiences that have been imprinted into your life through trauma. An important thing to note is that inner child work does not always need to stem from negative experiences. However, when we speak about healing the inner child we are speaking more specifically about trauma based experiences. Inner child work is working through whatever traumatic experiences that occurred when we were younger and didn’t necessarily have the skills developed to manage what was happening during the time. Through my own journey and helping others I have come to realize that our inner child will usually develop tools to help us cope but they may not be the healthiest coping mechanisms we would use in adulthood. Sometimes inner child shows up as reverting to our younger years and behaviours that aren’t as productive as our mature adult self would practice. This can be a good way to determine if your inner child is in charge or if you are in charge. When we behave with maturity and thought that is our adult selves stepping forward whereas our inner child might cry, withdraw, jump to conclusions etc which is how your younger self would cope.

CONNECT

The first point that I want to make for anyone wanting to do inner child work is to practice connecting with your inner child. As a therapist I recommend going into a meditative state and practice having conversations with your inner child. You can also write letters to them. To do this you can write one letter as your inner child and write another as your adult self in response. Another way that you can practice connecting is thinking about what your inner child has experienced and writing about the experience. Write about the timeline of the event and the feelings that came with it. Many people will feel that this work can be very traumatic and can pull up a lot of wounded parts of their past which is true but it can be very powerful and empowering. It can be helpful to work with a therapist for this if you have a lot of trauma connected to your youth.

CHECK IN REGULARLY

It’s important to make checking in with yourself a regular practice. You don’t want to do an inner child practice once then not revisit it because once is likely not enough for proper healing to take place. You can continue to work with a therapist for this or you can choose to create your own practice where you are checking in on your healing progress on your own. By checking in regularly you can also help determine what the triggers are and how you can develop healthy coping mechanisms which brings me to the final point of creating awareness.

CREATE AWARENESS

I think the biggest thing that you can do during your practice of healing is creating awareness around what the triggers are for your inner child. What makes your younger self feel frustrated, rejected, ignored or any other feelings that may arise in situations. It’s a good opportunity to journal and write down the feelings and then the actions you can take to protect and support your inner child. For example if you feel anxious in certain scenarios you may revert to your inner child's coping mechanism which might not be the best choice in adulthood. When this occurs you want to think of what you can put into practice to remove these feelings. In this example if you were feeling anxious instead of jumping to conclusions or withdrawing you could ask questions so you can clarify what’s happening without spinning. I find that asking questions is such a powerful exercise. There are many more healthy coping mechanisms that you can use as well such as setting boundaries. As you do the work you will begin to determine what works best for you.

That sums up this post on inner child work. As I mentioned above this is just one of the many topics we cover in the school of Mindset Cultivation. This is a community for black women who are working to change, heal, grow and connect so I invite you into the classroom to join us. Your first class is 50% off! I look forward to sharing more of what we are learning because it allows you to know some of what we're doing in class and you are able to get a taste of what you can learn.

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Why I Broke Up With Instagram: 3 Health Reasons You Should Consider: Social Media & Quality Of Life

April 16, 2021 Taylor Hornbeck

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Today’s post is all about letting go of Instagram and disconnecting. The reason why I wanted to create this post and share this information with you all is because social media has been an increasingly useful tool to connect especially over the course of the pandemic. I can understand how there is an increase for a lot of us with how much we access social media tools, however it does have drawbacks in regards to how it affects our health so we will discuss those below. I have personally found that I preferred Instagram over Facebook but for the purpose of this post you can swap out whatever platform you prefer.

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING

Let's first talk about what happens when we have too much brain time. You might be familiar with the documentary called Social Dilemma but if you haven’t seen it I’ll sum up some points below. Social media can be very hard on our mental health. With social media you may notice over time that you have increased feelings of anxiety, overstimulation, comparison thinking, increased depression, lower confidence and more stress. Social media can be great. I love that I can create content that helps people on my YouTube channel but there can be too much of a good thing. As mentioned above there is some emotional baggage that comes with overly using social media.

INCREASED DISTRACTION

In my own experience I have found that Instagram happens to keep me in a distracted mindset. After I realized I was struggling with a distracted mind and slower memory recall I tested only being on Instagram every other day and setting a timer but for me those things didn’t work because I would still fall into the black hole that is social media. Being that I have a full schedule I don’t like the feeling of being distracted and I noticed my mood would dip after being on social media. I realized that I was letting a lot of things slip by like my self-care so I wanted to give myself time and attention back.

TAKE A BREAK

One thing that you can do if you aren’t wanting to fully let go of social media is to practice setting a timer so you feel in control of how much time you spend. If you find that the timer doesn’t work because you get sucked in then you can try to have one day where you use social media and one day where you don’t in an effort to create balance. When I work with my clients in my holistic therapy sessions I have them create a client assessment form when they first start. One of the things that I look at is how much time they spend on social media and this will help me when I am assessing the symptoms they are coming to me about and how it can correlate with their relationship to social media. If they are coming to see me with depression and anxiety symptoms and they have reported spending a lot of time on social media this helps to let me know that they are potentially related.

Ultimately I decided that me and Instagram needed to separate. I still have my account for the purpose of my business if there are ever collaborations that I would like to do with other brands but I did delete the app from my phone and I don’t plan to add it back. I want to spend more time practicing what I preach and teach as a wellness coach so this is a way to refocus on that goal. If you are struggling with how to achieve your goals as well then I would encourage you to take a break from social media as well. Social media will always be around and it’s a great tool to connect with people but it is beneficial to take a break.

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After-Work Self-Care Sensuality & Feminine Energy Routine, Rituals, Practice: How To Ideas & Tips

April 14, 2021 Taylor Hornbeck

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Today I thought it would be a good idea to create a post on my sensuality and feminine journey and share some helpful things I’ve found out along the way. This will be more focused on what I do throughout the day and after work to tap into sensuality and feminine energy. When I first started this series I got a request to discuss how to transition into more feminine energy after work is done for the day. Many people including myself are working from home especially during these times. I feel blessed to be able to work from home however it can create some interesting dynamics. It can be harder to transition from work to home life because you aren’t really changing your environment. Usually you need to commute to work via train, car or walking so there is downtime to adjust to work or adjust to coming home. As a work at home mom I have listed some of my best practices for embracing my feminine energy below.

AT WORK

When I’m at work I’ve tried to make a conscious effort to wear things that allow me to dress up at a bit more or make me feel more feminine. I try to make it something that isn’t a beat up piece of clothing. This can be difficult when you live at home and work from home because it’s easy to wear something that is most comfortable but I've been trying to add more pieces to my wardrobe that best represent me and who I want to be. If you’re interested you can watch my video from my Minimalism and Mental Health series on creating a capsule wardrobe. Through creating this capsule wardrobe I’ve naturally been adding colors that make me happy to wear them like pink, green, blue, etc. During work I may have my hair up in a ponytail or pulled back into a bun and as part of my after work transition I let my hair down so it isn’t up anymore. I also take my shoes off. I want to be barefoot because it helps me to feel more grounded and more connected to myself. On weekends I try to do a pedicure as a form of self-care so it’s nice to let my feet breathe and enjoy that. Another thing that I do after work is choose not to wear a bra. Wearing a bra is a part of being a woman but i like to take mine off because i don't want to feel contained. A part of connecting to sensual feminine energy is releasing all of the holds that have been placed on you throughout the day or throughout your experience as a woman.

MUSIC

I say that music is marvellous and that might be something you want to integrate into your life. I find it helpful when transitioning from work to home. I like to listen to relaxing music, usually it’s ChillHop on YouTube or on Pandora. While it may not directly correlate to feminine energy it does relate to getting into a relaxed state and coming back to center. Whichever music does that for you would be perfect. You may want to create a playlist that you turn on when you are done your work for the day.

ROUTINE VS. PRACTICE

Having a routine isn’t always necessary. It doesn’t need to be a routine but it can be a practice instead. A practice is more valuable than a routine because if it’s a practice you don’t worry about getting it right or wrong you simply stay in a state of practice. I want to encourage you to consider your sensual femininity as a practice instead of a routine.

When I create these videos I like putting what I recommend into practice instead of simply researching the ways to help because I want to know if the things I’m suggesting can really make a difference. Stay tuned for more videos in my Feminine Energy series including my night and check out my feminine morning routine if you haven’t already!

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4 Simple Things You Can Do For GREAT Mental Health: Tips From A Wellness Coach

April 9, 2021 Taylor Hornbeck

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As a follow up to my previous post which touched on four simple things you can do for your physical health I made this post focusing on what you can do for your mental and emotional health. Both mental and physical aspects are very important when it comes to your quality of life experience. I’m going to walk through the things that I’ve found to be most impactful as a holistic therapist.

INSPIRATION

The first point I have in protecting your mental and emotional health is one that I don’t think gets enough attention and that is having regular inspiration in our lives. Regular inspiration is positive energy, things that make you feel abundant, uplifted, full of hope, power and promise. You want to make sure that you make space for this everyday. You don’t want to miss the opportunity to fuel your mind with positive motivation and inspiration. This helps buffer to feelings of doubt, fear, isolation, loneliness, depression, etc. If you are listening to something that you think you “should” be listening to that doesn’t necessarily count. If you are someone who feels like your relationship to religion is a have to rather than a want to where you feel like you have to go to the Sunday service or have to listen to the church podcast those experiences may not have the same affect. You want to seek out experiences that inspire you authentically. If going on Youtube and listening to an Oprah speech is something that inspires your soul then you may want to choose that. There's nothing wrong with having a religious practice but it doesn’t need to be the only exclusive tool you use to nourish your inspiration and motivation. When you are in a regimented routine you aren’t necessarily being challenged or impacted in a way that can improve your mental and emotional state.

SLEEP

This may seem like a physical health thing but in order to protect your mental and emotional health you need adequate sleep. Your emotions can become very dysregulated when you are not sleeping well. If you’re getting interrupted sleep or if you’re suffering with insomnia you may want to consider working with someone like a sleep therapist to improve this. I’ve worked with many people to help them repair their sleep through creating good sleep hygiene habits. Something like insomnia doesn’t need to be a permanent fixture in your life. Many people who have implemented an insomnia plan are able to eradicate it from their lives. You do need to be willing to change your behaviour patterns though and allow yourself to be supported.

MINDFULNESS PRACTICE

This point can piggyback on to the last point about sleep hygiene and that is going to be a mindfulness practice like meditation or visualization. I want to invite you to create a gentle meditation practice. A lot of people will say they don’t know how to meditate or that they are too busy to meditate but I encourage you to focus on the results instead. We can box ourselves into thinking we are or are not a certain type of person but we are whichever type of person we chose to be. So if you currently don’t consider yourself as a person who meditates you can change your thinking and choose to become that person. Some things to consider when creating a meditation process are keeping it simple, quick, useful and effective. For anyone who is wanting to start a practice but isn’t sure where to start I recommend doing a guided meditation, trying ten minutes of breath work or starting small and doing five minutes before bed or in the morning. Even if you begin with five or ten minutes of mindfulness a day it’s very helpful to clear your mind, sense of calm and your mental health.

JOURNALING

The last thing I'm going to mention for your mental and emotional health is journaling. Journaling is a very powerful tool to make sure you are taking good care of yourself as well as get clarity and process things better. It’s great for organizing your thoughts and creating a path forward. Sometimes we feel heavy emotions but when we have space to journal it helps you to move forward and work through your current feelings.

Those are my four tips for taking great care of your mental and emotional wellbeing. If you purchase my Holistic Planner you can track all of the things we touched on above and more. I love creating these series for you and I look forward to any suggestions you may have on topics you would like me to touch on.

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4 Simple Things You Can Do To Have GREAT Physical Health: Tips From A Wellness Coach

April 7, 2021 Taylor Hornbeck

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I wanted this blog post to be focused on the simple, low hanging fruit things you can do to take good care of your physical self. I’ll also be doing a similar post on the things you can do to take care of your mental and emotional self. The concept of low hanging fruit is focusing on things that are easy because wellness doesn't have to be hard or complicated. Wellness can be simple and the more simple we make it the more likely we actually are to follow through.

TREAT YOURSELF LIKE A PLANT

The first thing I recommend doing is to treat yourself like a plant and what I mean by that is make sure you get sunlight, nutrients and water. Get outside and soak up some sun, eat nourishing foods and make sure you stay well hydrated. We can break all of those sections down further but for the purpose of this post I’m going to leave it as one.

MOVEMENT

I think there is a huge benefit when you aim for at least twenty minutes of movement a day. It doesn’t always need to be strenuous exercising like HIIT or cardio, you can also choose to stretch or walk. You may even want to break it up and do ten minutes of intensive movement and ten minutes of something less intense. You don’t need to do a lot of exercise to get the benefits. You get happy endorphins going, you feel more empowered and you’re thinking more clearly. Some days you may not have much energy and on those days you can walk even if it’s raining because you still need the movement despite the circumstances. If possible there may be places in your area that you can walk indoors. It’s an illusion to think that the weather is stopping you so I invite you to let that go so you can be free to get it done.

GRATITUDE

I know that a lot of people would consider this more of a mental tactic than a physical one but is it? If we are feeling more gratitude for what we have it can improve our energy and sense of wellness and your physical body gets the benefits. The sensations of feeling good and excitement is also tied to gratitude. When you implement a gratitude practice it can help your physical sense of wellbeing. It can give you that little bit of energy you need to get up and do the next thing, it can give you the sense of security, power, freedom or whatever you need to get more movement or productivity happening.

NUTRITION

I know I touched on this in the first paragraph briefly but I think it’s worth mentioning again. If you can I would aim to make at least a few attempts a day where you prioritize some nutrition effort. As a holistic nutritionist I find it’s not impossible to work on your nutrition without being a perfectionist. You don’t have to be perfect or do 100% everyday for it to count. Making a few efforts a day can be one of the most basic ways to secure your physical health. The more we focus on what we’re doing well the less we will focus on what little mistakes we have made or whatever junk food we have consumed.

All of these points are more easily achievable when we schedule them in. I recommend getting my Holistic Planner so you can keep track of everything we touched on here and more. I created the planner around focusing on your nutrition, physical movement, self care practice and your mindset building skills for a holistic and complete picture of your health and wellness. I look forward to creating more posts in this series which I’m calling my Tips From a Wellness Coach series. If you haven’t already I recommend checking out my Minimalism and Mental Health series and my Feminine Energy and Sensuality series.

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The Four Agreements / 5 Best Book Review/ Live Book Club Meeting: Holistic Ambition

April 2, 2021 Taylor Hornbeck

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The latest book that we have read as part of our Holistic Ambition book club is The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz’s. This is my second time reading the book. The first time I read the book I was blown away by the concepts and started implementing the agreements into my life. My stress, anxiety, sadness, and depression were helped significantly. The book depicts how much our mindset plays a role in our emotional landscape. Similar to the way people used to refer to cannabis as a gateway drug to harder drugs I think The Four Agreements is a gateway book for enlightenment and understanding life differently. I love this book for a number of reasons. One of the reasons is that it can open up your mind beyond status quo and beyond the way we normally think.

THE AGREEMENTS

1. BE IMPECCABLE WITH YOUR WORD

The book mentions that you should speak with integrity, say only what you mean, avoid using words to speak against yourself or gossip about others and to use the power of words in the direction of truth and love. I think this is such a powerful concept because words carry so much weight and have the ability to shape our lives. If you were to be impeccable with your word would you say the same things you said yesterday? What would you change? It’s good to reflect on these questions and determine if you are speaking with truth and love or are you speaking from a place of fear or frustration. It’s great to determine the pattern of your speech and what emotions live there. There's no person who will always speak in the direction of truth and love just because they read the book however it’s helpful to begin putting into practice. Question the areas where you could improve your word. During the current times of COVID and quarantine there could be many of us who can practice improving our word which isn’t a problem it’s just another opportunity to pay attention.

2. DON’T TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY

The book talks about how nothing that others say or do is because of you, it’s merely a projection of their own reality. Most people experience what others do as a personal meaning in their life. It’s worth thinking about that. Are you someone who struggles with taking things personally or are you someone who doesn’t take things personally? This can be applied to both good and bad scenarios. If you’re used to someone such as your mother providing great care for you and you believe it’s for you when it’s actually for her and fulfilling the need that she has to be a good mother then that can feel scary. It can challenge the way you think people feel about you and if they love you the same. For this particular concept I like to take what is useful and apply it. This doesn’t necessarily change your relationships with the people you love but it does create clarity and boundaries around waiting for other people to do things for you or provide you with a certain level of love and security. This isn’t necessary because it isn’t personal if they don’t do it. I think in this scenario it is more important to focus on the things that aren’t happening in our lives versus the things that are going well. When you apply this to areas where you find yourself in episodes of disappointment, stress or frustration then not taking things personally can be helpful.

3. DON’T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS

Ask questions and express what you want. Communicate with others clearly to avoid negative situations. This agreement has weight behind it because I think it pulls in the concept to be impeccable with your word. It puts communication as a personal responsibility. Sometimes this can be more of a hurdle for women in particular and I say that because there are some socialization practices that encourage us not to always communicate directly. Ask yourself if this is difficult for you or if you’re already applying this concept? I wouldn’t say I was taught to communicate directly but over the years and through self exploration I have found that I am happier when I do practice not making assumptions. I personally don’t like to waste energy on thinking about what others mean I’d rather ask them and save myself the time. This can be a bit of a tough concept to put into practice.

4. ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST

Your best is something that will constantly be changing due to a variety of factors such as your health. If you do your best in every situation you can avoid feelings of self judgement and regret. I think this is a fair agreement and I appreciate that the author mentioned that you shouldn’t expect your best to look the same everyday. This makes me think of a concept I have shared with my private therapy clients as well as with my Mindset Cultivation students. The concept is that the best you have to offer will vary from day to day. What I like to say is you’ll have your bronze days where you’ll just show up but things might not be perfect, your silver days where things are flowing and you’re hitting your momentum and your gold days where you are in full swing. Every type of day is valid.

THOUGHTS FROM THE BOOK CLUB

One comment that was made was about the concept of loving someone by accepting them completely as they are and by wanting to change them you don’t really love the person. This is a very beautiful point to be clear on especially if you are choosing to pursue someone or sharing your life with someone. Let go of the idea of trying to change someone or trying to mold someone into something you want them to be. Trying to change someone's character or personality traits will not work. No one is going to rebuild their cerebral patterns and concepts for anyone else’s behalf. If you find yourself in friendships or relationships where the person is continually getting on your nerves then we have to explore if they have more good that makes them worthy and realize that there are always going to be parts of people that you interact with that won’t always work for you. In our relationships we have to value others for who they are. We can make space for boundaries on how we interact with each other but as far as personality traits it is what it is and you cannot change someone's personality. If someone wants to change and grow then it’s their job to do so.

Another point that was brought up from one of the members was how the author touches on how we’ve been indoctrinated. The author talks about how each of us are born and taught to live in a version of reality called a dream. In this dream everything is happening on a stage. We live in the dream playing out the behaviors that are taught to us, reinforced and rewarded and we avoid the behaviors that are punishable because there is a socialization that happens from parents to children. Being indoctrinated and domesticated by other people in our social circle who are in the dream version of reality where we are all playing to the social norms that are expected of us based on our ages and stages of life. I struggled with this concept. I sat with it and mulled over why I liked and didn’t like it. I didn’t like it because it is what would happen. Parents will teach their children what they know for better or for worse. There are good parts of it too such as having social agreements such as we all agree to wear clothes when we go outside. We want to be able to override what we were taught and replace it with what we feel authentically. In the book it doesn’t really mention how that would fit in so I began asking myself things like if that were to happen how would it fit in to our lives? What would we go to feel more free? Would they be good or bad things? I would assume that it’s meant to do good things and let yourself be who you are. I remove the barriers from life that prevent me from being who I am.

A point was made in the book club which was questioning how we domesticate our children when they need to live in this society. To that I say figure out who you are and practice that. We don’t automatically know who we are, we have to figure that out. I also find that as far as domesticating our children we want to raise them to be self sustained and the highest possible quality of life but we also need to teach our children to be themselves. Are we creating space for them to find out who they are or are we overly directive? We would do this by telling them they need to be a doctor or a lawyer instead of allowing them to come to that conclusion on their own. Always evolving is a natural thing that happens. When we learn who we are there is less of a chance of imposter syndrome.

FAVORITE QUOTES

One of my favorite quotes from the book is “Don’t take anything personally because by taking things personally you set yourself up to suffer for nothing”. I think this is powerful because this can apply to almost every situation. When we take things personally we attach our emotions which means our energy will be attached as well. That’s not how we want to live because then we realize we are out of energy before the day is even over.

“You will find that you don’t need to trust others as much as you need to trust yourself to make the right choices”. I like this one because it returns your power and energy force back to you. You don’t have to worry about what everyone else is doing.

“You are not here to sacrifice your joy or your life, you’re here to be happy and to live and do your best. If you intend to do two hours of meditation but do eight hours instead you will grow tired, miss the point and won’t enjoy your life”. I liked this one because you don’t want to get lost in a numbers game for your self care game but instead focus on what you physically and emotionally need and connect with that. In our Holistic Ambition community we are trying to better our lives but we don’t need to do ten self care tasks a day or have an intensive practice to improve our quality of life.

I think this book is a great book for anyone to read. The book is an easy read and concepts are easy to understand then apply to your life. I also plan on reading Don Miguel Ruiz’s other books such as The Mastery of Love and The Fifth Agreement. I think he is a very powerful author and I look forward to sharing any insights I’ll gain from the other books. If you’re interested in joining our book club we focus on books that feature black authors, health, wellness, nutrition, fitness as well as black sci fi. If you don’t know about black sci fi or afrofuturism then you have been missing out!

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Sensual Feminine Energy Boosting Morning Routine & Rituals: How To Activate Your Goddess Vibration

March 31, 2021 Taylor Hornbeck

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Today’s post is all about feminine energy and sensuality which is something I have been researching and personally exploring as a goal for the year. When I posted my last video about feminine energy I received a lot of feedback on others also wanting to reawaken their feminine energy. A popular request from the last video was on how to transition in the evening. I’m still experimenting with this for myself and how to create a feminine evening routine but what I can tell you is that my morning routine has three steps to activate the sensation of being connected to being a woman and expressing that.

Fragrance

I have personally noticed that as a mom I have not been putting on perfume or fragrance oils on a consistent basis especially during the pandemic when I’ve been inside the house a lot. When I wake up one of the first things I do as part of my morning routine is to put on fragrance oil. I put it behind my ears, on my neck, my wrists and in the crook of my elbow. After I put it on I enjoy the aroma of whichever scent I have put on. I find this a good time to do some positive self-talk as well. Self-talk is when you are verbalizing who you are in a positive way and self love is when you’re thinking it. Positive self thought is just as effective. When I’m putting on my fragrance I tend to think thoughts such as “you’re going to have a great day today”, “you’re going to crush it today”, etc. Whatever things you are wanting to cherish about yourself should be what you focus on as you are applying your fragrance. This helps me to feel more connected.

Clothing

Another key thing that I’ve been doing is selecting and wearing clothes that make me feel happy. I’ve been wearing a lot more pink lately. Pink is a color that I have been incorporating in my capsule wardrobe and color palette. I really enjoy wearing certain colors more than others which help activate the sensation of feminine energy. Another plus is that it saves tons of money as you don’t buy things that don’t align with your color palette.

Jewelry

I also enjoy putting on my jewelry as part of my routine because it makes me feel happier, feminine, adorned and loved. There are a few pieces I always gravitate towards especially necklaces. I’m almost always wearing a necklace but I’ll also wear a few bracelets as well as rings. As I put my jewelry on I like to think it helps activate the feeling of femininity.

Although these things may seem like little or insignificant things they really have been making a difference in my ability to feel more feminine and tap into my sensuality more. I hope these tips helped and inspired you to think of ways you can incorporate activities that activate your feminine energy. There are lots of ways to infuse your day with femininity and sensuality using your five senses which in my opinion is what sensuality equates most closely to. I recently published a Holistic Ambition podcast episode where I covered 3 self love rituals so check that out if you want to learn more!

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10 Things I Will No Longer Buy In 2021: Minimalism And Mental Health

March 26, 2021 Taylor Hornbeck

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Lately I’ve been into watching videos about 10 things people no longer buy since becoming minimalists so I decided to create my own version as another segment in my mental health and minimalism series. I thought it would be interesting to share my list with you and see if any of the items are frequent use items or low use items for you.

1. Netflix subscription

I cancelled my Netflix subscription in January and the reason I chose to cancel it was because I realized there are free platforms to use if I want entertainment. I also think it’s valuable to be in a good place to reduce the need for entertainment. If I want to minimize distractions in my life in 2021 then I need to be mindful of how I am putting energy into entertainment. In this case the energy I am putting in is my money for my subscription. Where we place our energy and our money can be useful toward our goals or not useful. During this year I have a lot of things I want to see happen so I am removing distractions and replacing it with something more valuable.

2. Conditioner

This one is interesting to me and will be helpful for anyone who has locs. I have recently been made aware of my loc sins. Locs don’t need condition so I won’t be purchasing it anymore. Instead I will be doing black tea rinses and I did invest in a hair steamer because I want to make sure my hair is getting a full steam to stay soft.

3. Soap

I am no longer going to be buying soap. I have a past history of making soap and I actually partially begin my Youtube channel as a way of sharing soap tutorials. So I’ve decided to return to my urban homesteading roots and make soap every month until I build up a stock. I’ve recently been blessed with some vegetable glycerin so I can turn all my soap bars into liquid soap and I’ll be able to use the soap as hand soap as well as body soap. Keep an eye on my email newsletters as I’ll be sending out soap recipes if you’re interested in making your own.

4. Microwave

I won’t be investing in a microwave going forward. Microwaves depletes the nutritional value so they aren’t the healthiest option for the quality of your food. If you’re eating to obtain nutrition I would recommend using your oven or eating food that are of room temperature. In the current space my family is renting there is a microwave however I personally haven’t owned one in over 5 years however I wanted to include this item in case this was something you are considering doing away with.

5. Uncomfortable shoes

Shoes are something that I really love but since starting my minimalism journey I have been cutting back and have only been keeping shoes that are really comfortable, useful and stylish. I’m not going to be shoe shopping unless I need to replace one of the pairs I currently own.

6. Shaving cream

Shaving cream is something that I won’t be adding to my shopping list anymore. Instead of using shaving cream you can get away with olive oil and liquid soap combined. Something that I use as well is hard wax for my underarms and bikini areas. I find this doesn’t leave dark marks on my complexion and reduces ingrown hairs.

7. Processed junk food

It’s been a minute since I’ve bought traditional junk food like Oreos, Chips Ahoy, Cheez Its or processed bakery stuff. Not only is this a better switch for my health but it’s a better switch for my wallet as well and for the environment. Instead I enjoy fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds.

8. Nail Appointments

I won’t be paying to get my nails done anymore because I have come to realize it’s more work to keep up with. Instead I’ll either have clear nails or whatever I have done to them at home

9. Hair Appointments
Along with nail appointments I won’t be booking any hair appointments. I realized over the course of having my locs for four years I have only gone to the salon to get my hair dyed because I don’t want to mess it up. However, everytime I went I paid an obnoxious amount and didn’t get the color I wanted. Paying a lot of money and setting aside time just to be disappointed is something I can’t do. I’ve been able to maintain my hair on my own so I’m happy to continue doing that.

10. Special occasion clothing

I’m in the middle of a sensual and feminine energy journey so I’m trying to reduce how many crew neck t-shirts I have but because I work from home my clothes can be quite casual however I still want items that reflect my feminine side. I am putting together a colorful capsule wardrobe so I won’t be purchasing any clothing until I figure out what pieces I want to add.

11. Facewash

I have made a big batch of turmeric, African black soap, activated charcoal soap, so as I mentioned before I’ll be turning that into liquid and using that as my facewash going forward.

12. TV

Something that I haven’t invested in for a few years now is a TV. We gave our TV’s away because we weren’t using them so it felt like a wasted space. In our current rental home there is a TV which we have been making use of but we didn’t purchase it and we won’t be purchasing one in the future. If I want to watch something I usually would use my laptop and if I’m looking for a bigger screen in the future I may purchase a projector.

My purpose with this list was not to shame anyone into owning or purchasing the items I listed above but more so let you in on the things in my life that felt like a redundancy. I hope this post inspires you to have a look at the things in your life that you may not need.

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I hope you enjoyed learning about some of my tips to improve your wellness and health journey. Be sure to share your real life wellness questions below!

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How To Create A Colorful Minimalist Capsule Wardrobe Color Palette: Find Your Best Power Color

March 24, 2021 Taylor Hornbeck

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In this post we will expand on having a minimalist capsule wardrobe by creating a color palette. If I’m honest I’ve never been a minimalist who believed my wardrobe needs to consist of only a white, gray or black palette. I also don’t think that’s necessarily true for all minimalists so if having color makes you your most authentic self then you can rest easy! I wanted to share a capsule wardrobe approach where you could create a system that works for you and your minimalist journey is even better. I’m going to go over how this will work to save you more money and feel more confident.

GETTING STARTED
I like to create my color palette on Canva. In the templates section if you type in color palette you can use one of the ones they have already created for you. The template I chose has the colors on the side and allowed me to include a picture of myself to compare colors against. After selecting your template you’ll want to upload a clear, color photo of yourself to add to the template. The picture you select will ideally show some of your skin tone and likely one that shows how it is in the winter versus the summer when you are more likely to have a darker tone than your regular complexion. The reason this is helpful is because your color palette should work for all seasons. I personally think your minimalism color palette should work in all seasons or it defeats its purpose but ultimately it is up to you if you would like to have two different palettes for warmer and colder seasons. The photo I chose of myself for this project was a photo of me in a tank top showing some skin on my arms, face and chest. Sometimes the color on our faces can be a darker tone because it gets more sun exposure. For the most accurate results include a photo that displays the skin tone of your face and body.

SWATCHES

Once your photo has been selected and uploaded to your template you can begin looking for color swatches. One of the first things you can do is find items in your house that contain colors you might be interested in adding to your palette. Something to consider is if the color is a special occasion color. A great example of this is a red dress. I personally would not wear a red dress on a regular basis instead I would save this color for a special occasion. If you come across a color that you only wear on special occasions you may want to consider excluding it from your palette because it won’t get enough wear. As you’re selecting your colors a good thing to ask yourself is if your skin glows or dulls against the color. Choose colors that make you look good and feel confident. You want to be wearing the color, you don’t want the color to be wearing you! Something else to consider when making your selections is if the color compliments the other colors you have selected. Once I have chosen some I like to drag the colors beside one another to see if any of them would look good together. I personally enjoy wearing a lot of color but you may enjoy some more subtle styles or choose to have a pop of color within a neutral outfit. Having colors that work well together allows you to have more diversity in your wardrobe which can allow you to have more combinations without adding more pieces.

SAVING MONEY

Having colors that work well together allows you to have more diversity in your wardrobe which can allow you to have more combinations without adding more pieces. In addition to which colors look the best on you it’s important that you consider which cuts and styles look best on your body type. It may not be the easiest task but figuring out the best cut for your specific body. Wrap dresses aside because they seem to work for everyone, certain styles are going to work better for some body types versus others. Consider what is the style of clothing that works for you. Now that I have begun my minimalist journey I have realized that I don’t need to wear crew necks, I prefer square necks. Square necks allow me to be more comfortable, let me feel more like myself and have the added bonus of working on my feminine sensual energy.

Defining your color palette is a great step in your minimalism journey and I hope this post helped you determine your own. This post is another segment in my minimalism and mental health series so feel free to explore the previous video and post I have made on minimalism and mental health.

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Chakras 101: How To Info For Beginners- What & How To Do Chakra Healing

March 19, 2021 Taylor Hornbeck

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I had to find a way to explain chakra work for my Mindset Cultivation course students and I thought I would share the knowledge with everyone so it can assist you on your journey even if you aren’t joining the course.

WHAT IS A CHAKRA?

Let’s start with the basics, what even is a chakras? From my understanding chakra is a Sanskrit word that means wheel. When you think about wheels you know that they have the ability to turn all the time. Chakras are about locations within the physical body that hold energy. You can think of them as energy wheels for different parts of the human experience. Emotions as well as actions and behaviours will be tied to these different energy points. I think it’s important that we all consider utilizing chakra energy balancing for mindset cultivation, habit change, behaviour change, feeling aligned and healthy in our bodies. I’ll break down the chakras for you so you have a better understanding of how they work and how they work together.

CROWN CHAKRA

The crown chakra is located on the tops of our heads. It relates to your highest spiritual self. If you think about the wisest part of you that gives you awareness with a feeling of connection to a higher self. When you have ideas that seemingly come out of nowhere they could be coming from your crown and that energy could be being activated. Each chakra also has a color associated with it. The color for the crown is violet or white. I always think of white as clarity and purple as a color for royalty so you can consider a queen making decisions that would have her crown activated.

THIRD EYE CHAKRA

The third eye chakra is located between our eyebrows. This chakra is in alignment with the awareness from the crown but it pulls in more of the intuition piece. It allows you to see the things that are of psychic or spiritual nature. The color associated with the third eye is an indigo blue. This color is associated with wisdom, peace and trust.

THROAT CHAKRA

As the name suggests this chakra is located in your throat. This chakra's superpower is the ability to communicate and express yourself verbally. You can harness this chakra power when you are speaking your truth. Biting your tongue and preventing yourself from speaking when there is something you want to see may result in this area becoming blocked. The color that correlates to the throat chakra is blue.

HEART CHAKRA

The chest area is where the heart chakra is located. The heart chakra is all about how we can tap into unconditional love including self love, nurturing, kindness for others as well as yourself. It’s both internal and external. The heart chakra acts as the central space for the other chakras because it’s connected to each one. It’s important to align your heart chakra in order for the others to work optimally. Green is the color that you would look to if you would like to do work surrounding your heart chakra.

SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA

Your solar plexus is located at the top of your abdomen. This is my favorite chakra and I love it because it is the center of our willpower, self confidence, goal setting capacity and self esteem. If you have ever dealt with self doubt or imposter syndrome then you should likely do some solar plexus work. It’s very powerful. I found when I activated a practice of meditation based on solar plexus and heart chakra healing I was able to get over some barriers and blocks that were coming up when I was writing my book. If you find that you have a start stop pattern. The color associated with solar plexus is yellow so you can incorporate more yellow elements if this is an area you want to work on.

SACRAL CHAKRA

In the area below the belly button and before the pubic bone is the area where the sacral chakra is located. The sacral is another one of the chakras I like the best because it holds the power of joy, expressing your creativity and sexuality. It is the space where you feel pleasure. If you struggle with freedom of play, creativity or sensuality then you may need to focus more deeply on your sacral chakra to heal it. The color associated with this chakra is the color orange. If you’d like to work on this meditate on the color orange, wear orange or incorporate more orange foods or nuts into your diet.

ROOT CHAKRA
The final chakra is your root chakra. It is located on top of your pubic bone and in your tailbone area. The power in this chakra is to create a space of grounding, self identity, safety and survival. If you are feeling like you need to work on this chakra the associated color is red so you can lean into crystals, foods or other elements to do work on this area.

In total there are seven chakras that we went over in this post. For my Mindset Cultivation students I offer the 20 chakra activation methods so you can try different methods on activating your chakras. For any others who may be interested you can purchase my Chakra Healing Chart from my website as a guide to where your chakras are located when you are doing work on them. It may be helpful for you to journal to see if there are times you refrain from speaking or have trouble connecting with your higher self. This can reveal areas that you may want to spend time working on for more flow or recognize the areas where you are doing well. Something to note is that there is no progress if you are solely focused on energy work. As much as energy work can help you it is not the only tool to achieve what you want in your life, you always need to pair the energy work with a physical action. If we don’t change anything then nothing changes. It’s great to perform actions towards your goals while incorporating energy work so you are open and ready for change.

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Self-Reiki 101: How To For Beginners- Energy Healing For Beginners

March 17, 2021 Taylor Hornbeck

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I’ve been studying Reiki for the last two years so I’m excited to dive into this post on self reiki for beginners. I’ve attended private reiki courses as well as read numerous books on the subject like Reiki for Life. I have not taken a course to be officially certified but I do feel I have learned and practiced enough on my own that I can share a lot of valuable information on this subject.

WHAT IS REIKI?

Reiki itself is a word that equates to understanding life. Reiki originated in Japan in the early 1920’s. It draws on the benefits of channeling life energy to your chakras for an optimized life. Self reiki is the concept that all of us individually have access to a deep power source that cannot be depleted or turned off. According to reiki we can tap into this higher energy source in order to heal ourselves. It’s a great tool to promote healing in our lives, incorporate into our stress management system and many more options. Reiki can also be applied to pets, spaces in your home and other living beings.

REIKI BASICS

I’m going to break down the components of reiki based on what I’ve learned and in my practice as clear as possible. There are about three key components that make up reiki.

The first component is being in an intentional meditative state. You don’t need to have an intense meditation but you are making a mental space to observe, connect and engage with your self practice. This could look something like taking a few deep breaths and focusing your thoughts on self reiki and healing.

The second component is all about voicing your intention. To voice your intention with reiki means that you are using a reiki activation phrase. You can make your own phrase or find one that will work for you. It can be beneficial to design your own phrase so it aligns best with who you are for the most impact. An example of a reiki intention statement would be something like I intend to release the healing power of reiki for my best self and highest good.

The third component would be your hand placement. In my experience with reiki our hands are our vehicle to move the reiki energy through the different parts of our body. I personally find that I like to align my palms with wherever I want to focus the energy. I’ve found that the palms are more powerful than the fingertips. If I was working on my crown chakra then I would place my palms at the center of my head.

CHAKRAS AND REIKI

During my practice and studying I realized that reiki is very closely related with chakras as we utilize the chakras to move the energy through the body. If you aren’t familiar we have energy points in our body that relate to our spiritual, physical and mental self. The placements that I have found most simplistic to work with align with the standard chakra points of crown, third eye, throat, heart, solar plexus, sacral and root. I created a functional art piece to help you with this. It’s my self reiki healing chart. This chart will show you the hand placements as well as provide you with three reiki statements that I use to activate my self reiki practice.

If you’re interested in diving deeper on subjects like this I offer a Mindset Cultivation course. There is tons of great information as well as bonuses such as the chart I listed above.

WATCH THIS VIDEO TO LEARN MORE:

MY #1 HOPE:

I hope you enjoyed learning about some of my tips to improve your wellness and health journey. Be sure to share your real life wellness questions below!

DID YOU LOVE IT?

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JOIN THE FIT LIFE NEWSLETTER AND GET CONSISTENT HOLISTIC INSPO, TIPS, TOOLS, RESOURCES, AND INFORMATION TO HELP YOU INCREASE ENERGY AND REDUCE STRESS FOR BOTH AT-WORK AT HOME!

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