Wellness With Diana

Let's pretend it's not still in the upper 90s in Texas for a minute and settle into the fact that it's mid-August and school is going to start in a week. Fall means new beginnings, change, and transition for so many of us. If I may take a moment to share what in the hot mess (I mean "new beginnings") is happening over here...

• Oldest child is going to Kindergarten in 8 days
• Baby (it's a girl!!) #3 coming at the very end of October

I'll stop there because isn't that enough for one family?! I'd like to propose that we use this month to 100% FREAK OUT and lose our minds! Just kidding, I'm proposing the opposite actually. Although we don't always have the privilege of knowing in advance when change is coming, we've known about our new level of chaos arriving...

I've talked to countless clients, family, and friends about what their health goals are and what's stopping them from achieving them, and I hear the same story a lot:

I want to feel healthier and stronger and have more energy. I want to eat cleaner and maybe lose some weight.

When I ask, "What is stopping you from achieving these goal the responses are always very similar:

Meal planning. Time (<--that is a big one). Self-discipline.

I want to address the meal planning today because when that is executed, the other things seem to fall into place more easily.

Meal planning can seem daunting and overwhelming if you don't know where to start. So start here...

• Figure out what your goals are. If you're cooking dinner at home...

Quickly becoming some of my most treasured belongings are those that allow my 3.5-year old daughter to do things for herself. The kitchen is a place where I continuously ask myself, “How can I equip Emmy to be self-sufficient in this space?” There are so many appliances and utensils that I cannot allow her to use without my help or supervision at this age, but I am on the hunt for anything that will increase her independence! Mamas around the globe understand that more independence for their kids equals less work for mama!

My recent priority was to find a way for my daughter to help prepare her own lunches and help me prepare our family dinners. Unfortunately, using knives and chopping food is a huge part of the meal prep, and she is not coordinated...

Quieting your mind is absolutely key to keeping yourself balanced and sane. Every day we have thoughts and tasks that create chaos in our brains, thus making what many call the "monkey mind." Mingyur Rinpoche is a Tibetan Buddhist Master who does a great job of explaining the monkey mind and how to calm it the heck down in this 1:47 min video.

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Many people are starting to shift their perspective about making New Year's Resolutions because they are noticing that when they make a resolution, they seem to do well with their intentions through (maybe) the end of February. Instead of resolutions, I want to encourage you to think about making concrete goals for yourself. Check out the meanings of each word...

• Resolution definition = a position arrived at after consideration
• Resolution synonym = intention, decision

• Goal definition = the end toward which effort is directed
• Goal synonym = purpose, objective

Goals are about the effort and end. Which I interpret to mean it's not only about obtaining that objective, but also about the journey or path you took to get there!...

My friends are incredibly important to me. As an extrovert, my friends have always been incredibly influential on my mood, my mission, and my heart. In fact, they are a huge reason that I was confident enough to stop teaching in order to pursue a career in health coaching. They pump me up and encourage me beyond belief, and that is often what spurs me on day after day!

Lucky for me, a few of these friends (and family) are just as passionate about healthy living as I am, which makes hanging out with them easy, fun, and really motivating!

One friend that I truly love and respect is Camille Moore. We met just after college, became fast friends, and have been walking through life together ever since. She started a popular lifestyle blog...

By definition, a salad is simply a mixture or combination of smaller pieces of food that are usually served with a dressing. Most of the time, we picture salads with cold/raw ingredients, but sometimes it's cold enough outside, and you just want a light meal that's warm. Sometimes you just want a salad, but you want it to be warm!

That is precisely why a simple and delicious "winter salad" recipe is nice to have in your back pocket! When I asked my hubby whatflavors he thought would be good in a winter salad, he replied, "WINTER salad? Why is that a thing? Do we say Summer Salad? No... I think you should suggest putting a pumpkin pie on some spinach or a hot chocolate on kale." Why do I still ask him for feedback on this stuff? I don't know, maybe he's on to something?...

Sometimes I feel like smoothies are God's gift to me as a mama. I make a smoothie at home at least 4 or 5 days a week for breakfast or lunch because it is fast, easy, and I can pack a ton of nutrient-dense ingredients in one place. These are all important factors when you're taking care of little people that don't give a crap about your schedule, sanity, or health. They just don't get it, but I can't fault them for that...yet. Gimme 8 or so years.

Another reason I am obsessed with the liquid nourishment is simply because it is easy to digest, and therefore, my body doesn't spend a ton of energy breaking down the food I'm ingesting. This translates to having more energy to run after and take care of my kids, house, husband, friends, work, and myself! If you play your cards right,...

Mmm, pollen. It's that time, y'all. Allergies are Satan's spawn in many forms - itchy/runny nose, itchy/watery eyes, lethargy, inability to breathe, headaches, and sore throat. Basically, the feeling of death by pollen. Many people resort to sharing their horrible symptoms on social media this time of year in hopes that others will comment about how they can't breathe either because hey, misery loves company.

I don't have allergies right now, but don't worry, I'll have my time from January through March during Cedar Season. It's the "fifth season" in the Hill Country of Texas. It is brutal, and I promise the allergy medicine industry is banking because so many of us have the "maybe if I take two a day when it calls for one, then THAT will help" mentality. So. Much. Medicine....

Your boss. Your family. Finances. Death of a loved one. Deadlines. Marriage struggles. Sickness. 1000 emails. Traffic.

Did it stress you out just reading some of those words or phrases?? Stress is inevitable, but it's also why you can't and won't lose weight. No matter how healthy you eat or how hard you work out, if you have a pretty stressful life, I can pretty much guarantee you won't lose weight. Your attempt at Paleo and a gym membership may not be the final answer. I know that's frustrating for many people who think they've finally found the perfect routine.

I want to break down in layman's terms why your body isn't absorbing that healthy food nor responding to those workouts, so you'll better understand how one simple change may help you achieve your health goals...

I'm a mama, so naturally I spend a significant amount of time thinking about how to raise decent human beings who others would want to hang out with (now and when they're older). Parenting is not for the weak, and these kids are serious about making you earn a respectable name for yourself, even if they are the only ones who know that name.

As parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and caretakers, our goal should be simple: raise a child that is loved, confident, strong, happy, and healthy. This creates balance, and everyone needs balance. It's the single thing that will keep a person more productive and less stressed. In my opinion, that's what will also make someone successful, but there's this fine line we have to be aware of.

Most parents have experienced the fine line...

Just because someone tells you a food or behavior is healthy doesn't mean it's healthy for YOU or your body. We are all created and wired differently, to the very last fiber of our beings. So really, we are NOT all created equal. How's that for something to digest today?

The second aspect of the Total Transformation 90-Day Program is figuring out what to eat for your unique body type. This is my favorite part of the program, honestly, because it resonates with me so much! This was and is, by far, the most significant dimension of my health journey to date. When I cut out gluten, my body went through some major changes for the better. I became stronger, 25 pounds lighter, gained energy, and wasn't having digestion issues anymore. Hello, game-changer!!

I had always made a...

Happy Wednesday! Today I want to reiterate how you should be able to live life to the fullest while sustaining a healthy lifestyle. You should be able to go out with friends, have a drink, and dance your face off! I'm bias, but I really think this is what life's all about (see pic above from the night before I got married)! Having a healthy and balanced life is 100% doable, you just need to know how.

I want to introduce you to the biggest aspect of my health coaching program: The Total Transformation. This 90-day program is a highly effective way to achieve your goals in creating a stronger, leaner body, a clearer mind, and instill a confidence in yourself that you haven't had in a long time. No matter where you are in your life, this experience could be beneficial for you...

South Beach Diet. Atkins. The Master Cleanse. NutriSystem. Weight Watchers. Whole 30.

They all have something in common. They are all temporary.

Not a single one of these was meant to be a long-term fix for your health. I've never met anyone who has followed any of these diets for more than a week, a month, or maybe a couple of years. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you feel good while they're doing it (minus the Master Cleanse - don't do that to yourself). However, as soon as it's over, your "old ways" creep back in and at that point, you not only feel all your old symptoms coming back, you can add "defeated" and "frustrated" to the list next to headaches, gas/bloating, allergies, weight gain, low energy, and irritable.

When did diets become the...

Hey there! I want you to meet my good friend, Fat. You may already know him, or maybe you've heard a lot about him. He hasn't had the best reputation in the past, but you should know he's just been terribly misunderstood. I feel like if you spent more time with him in the right setting, you'd love him. He's a badass with really solid intentions.

No one was intimidated by Fat before the 1970s when our government thought it was their job to analyze the relationship between diet and disease. After getting all the "facts," they came up with a pretty convincing plan that went something like this: "Fat makes us fat, so we need to make everything low-fat! This will be great because we can put fear in the minds of the people, then make billions with all these new products we'll put on...

Just because you don't like the taste of vinegar doesn't mean you won't be able to drink this (or possibly even look forward to it)! I loved getting a text from my father-in-law one day saying, "It's weird, but I'm actually starting to like it." I also had one of my clients come to me randomly and ask, "Does the apple cider vinegar make your skin clearer?! Mine has cleared up since I started drinking this!" It's a type of "detox" for parts of your system, so...it does cleanse.

Now that I have you believing it's totally legit (right?!), I'll impress you with the many health benefits. *Disclaimer: some of this is scientific, and some may be mental (real talk), but nonetheless...it works. ;)

Benefit #1: It has been found to help prevent some of the digestion of starches in...