October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  In this field of health, there is a ton of attention given to detection of breast cancer. One area that I feel is sorely lacking though, is information about what women can do around prevention. For instance, did you know that micronutrients (think vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids) are important in breast cancer prevention? Have a read of the article below that talks about micronutrients, breast health and the comprehensive micronutrient blood testing that we offer at Ways to Optimize. It takes out the guess work and allows us to support you in a more targeted way, reducing any nutrient gaps that we see. 

Here is a guest blog from our Women, Wine & Wellness - Lowry speaker for October, Lorrie Grillo.

One of my favorite aspects of feng shui is that it doesn’t require you to make huge changes in your space to bring change into your life. Whether your goals are to increase your energy, enhance your well being, attract more prosperity or fame (to name a few), small changes can begin the process. Small changes made with intention--getting rid of old or outdated items you no longer use to make room for new; clearing off your desk at the end of the day to prepare for the next; making your bed in the morning to create calm at the end of your day; removing everything from a kitchen counter except what you use regularly to encourage healthy eating—help your environment support your best you. All are feng shui practices that are easy, effective, and quick.
 
I was recently reminded of how the small changes we make to our spaces and our lives can also help change the world. While reading one of my favorite feng shui tomes, A Guide to the I Ching, a translation from the Chinese by Carol K. Anthony, I came across this important passage:
 
Every step of progress leads not only to our own success, but to a better world. Our smallest self-improvement is of the greatest importance to ending suffering in the world, and to bettering the human condition, for how things are in the world is a reflection of the accumulated effort of human beings to follow the good within themselves. 
 
Wow! We can feel good about cleaning out a drawer or a closet, but we can feel even better knowing the success we create for ourselves with these acts is also bettering the world!
 
Here are other small feng shui steps you can take toward self-improvement--and positive world change--that can be accomplished in less than an hour:
 

• Cull stale herbs and spices and questionable pantry items from your kitchen. Checking expiration dates makes this an easy task. 
• Review all your first-aid kits--in the car, drawers, and backpacks—for expired products. If you ever need to deal with a bee sting, you’ll be glad your Benadryl is potent. 
• Look through your bathroom drawers and medicine cabinet to make sure all your makeup, medicines, and ointments are current. Toss out what’s old and replace what’s necessary. 
• Take a trip under your kitchen and bathroom sinks to get rid of aging, potentially toxic and caustic cleansers. 
• Clean out your closet. If you don’t have time for a full-on purge, pick one area to focus on. Clean out a sock drawer, your scarf display, shoe collection, or tie rack (small steps, remember?)    
• Take a close look at all the notes, magnets, and artwork hanging on your refrigerator--discard or recycle what no longer speaks to you. Same goes for your kitchen bulletin board!

 
Together we can make a difference.  Help is a close as this link with a search function and a directory to help you find the place to recycle just about anything: https://www.denvergov.org/content/denvergov/en/trash-and-recycling/recycling/recycling-directory-dropoff-locations.html .
 
Will anyone notice the small changes you make? You will, and not only will you benefit from making them, you know the world will benefit, too!

Contact Lorrie: www.thrivingspaces.com | [email protected] | (303) 882-7275 

Despite the fact that there is so much information out there about the health benefits of good sleep it is interesting how many of us still fail to make it a priority. It’s really tough to get it to sink in that it truly makes a difference in our lives. Maybe this might motivate you to prioritize sleep. Did you know that a rough night’s sleep can impact hormones that affect your weight?!
 
Pretty much everyone is familiar with the experience of a bad night’s sleep. You wake up feeling depleted and it is no coincidence that you are reaching for sugary foods and caffeine! Studies show that depriving people of sleep for just one night, increases cravings for junk food and decreases rational eating decisions in the frontal cortex. Well that’s not likely to help your weight, is it? If you do succumb to those cravings then you have set yourself up for a day of more cravings, hunger and fat storage as your blood sugar levels sore and crash repeatedly.
 
So what’s going on here and why does the sleep loss often send us on this downward spiral? Sleep affects the following hormones that are likely out of whack after a rough night:
 
Leptin tells your brain that you're full and regulates metabolism so you can switch to fat burning when your body needs to.  Decreased sleep duration reduces leptin production so no wonder your appetite is out of control when you are tired.
 
Ghrelin tells your brain to eat. Sleep deprivation increases gherlin levels driving your body to want more food.
 
Adiponectin is an anti-inflammatory hormone produced by adipose tissue that regulates fat breakdown. Optimal adiponectin levels can reduce the risk of insulin resistance, diabetes and therefore weight gain. Reduced sleep decreases adiponectin production.
 
Insulin is a fat storage hormone. When it is elevated you cannot burn fat and your body holds on to it. Our cells need to be sensitive to insulin otherwise our insulin levels can get driven up. Chronic sleep loss decreases insulin sensitivity keeping our levels elevated and our body storing fat.
 
Glucagon releases fat from your fat cells to burn for energy. Decreased sleep duration reduces levels so your ability to burn fat will be reduced.
 
Cortisol, which causes us to store fat and breakdown muscle, gets chronically elevated with lack of sleep due to the increased stress.
 
Growth hormone, your fountain of youth, is made during deep stage 4 sleep so less sleep can reduce your levels. It aids in muscle synthesis and repair, boosts energy and improves fat metabolism.
 
If weight loss is elusive for you then focusing on an improved sleep routine could make a world of difference for you and should be part of your long-term strategy for health. Nutrient levels can certainly impact sleep so let us know if you’d like to get your nutrient levels tested using our $100 off deal this month.
 
If you want to learn more about how to Unlock Weight Loss, you might consider joining me and Fran Gallaher for our workshop on October 13th, Unlock Weight Loss – Little Known Keys that Open the Door to Your Success where we’ll share some of the nutritional and energetic areas that have been holding our clients back.