Heal Nourish Grow Podcast

In this final session of the 30-day healthy habit challenge, Cheryl McColgan encourages participants to reflect on their journey and choose three habits to continue for the next 90 days. She emphasizes the importance of building consistency through small, manageable changes and aligning these habits with long-term goals. Cheryl also discusses the significance of flexibility in habit formation and encourages participants to map out their habits for greater success. Takeaways Choose three habits to continue for the next 90 days. Set specific, achievable minimums for each habit. Focus on sustainability rather than perfection. Building habits starts with small, consistent actions. Align your habits with your long-term goals. Flexibility is important in maintaining habits. Mapping out habits can enhance success. Reflect on your journey and celebrate wins. Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts!  21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight  Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life  Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off  NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube  Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:00)Hey everyone, I’m Cheryl McColgan, founder of FeelNourishGrow and welcome to day 30 of the 30 day healthy habit challenge. You made it to the end and I’m so excited to be here with you for this last day and to hopefully hear all about some of your challenges, some of your wins. I would love it if you would respond to the email after the challenge is finished and just let me know how it went for you. I am always rooting for you. But anyway, for the final day, it’s another kind of reflection thing. but it’s more future focused. I want you to choose three habits to continue for the next 90 days. So if you discovered there was a particular habit during this challenge, you did a lot of the reflection and reset throughout the challenge, and there were probably ones that you noticed that worked really well for you or that you thought, okay, this is a good habit. I can see this really helping me in my everyday life. Go back to those and commit to doing it every day for the next 90 days. So ideally, I’d love for you to keep moving for 10 minutes every single day. Maybe it turns into 15, maybe it turns into 20, maybe it turns into going to the gym. These are the way that habits build. We keep doing these small little wins over time, and that’s how you create really big change. So choose those three habits for the next 90 days and set tiny minimums for each one. So you want it to be really specific with yourself what it is that you’re intending to do for those three habits. So again, if I mentioned movement is the one that you want to continue, you could keep it at 10 minutes. Or you can say for the next 90 days, I’m going to do for the first 30 days, I’m going to do 10 minutes a day. For the second 30 days, I’m going to do 15 minutes a day. And for the third 30 days, I’m going to do 20 minutes a day, whatever it is for you. But making it specific, making it something that you meant to and making it something that’s still relatively small so that you’re going to maintain it. Because at the end of this next 90 days, I want you to set you up for another really big win where you prove to yourself that you can trust yourself. and that you can make changes and you can create new habits that actually stick. So again, create the minimum, but let’s do three. Over the next 30 days, hopefully some of these habits have turned into a lifestyle. The focus involved with doing little challenges like this just builds like confidence in yourself and it beats perfection. We’re not looking, we can’t all be perfect all the time. We’ve got to just go for sustainability. And that is really how I’ve been able to like. create these habits for myself that people always talk about me being so disciplined, that kind of thing. It really all started like this, just small little things. Whenever I get onto a new thing that I want to try, I’ve taught myself that if I go big in the beginning, I might be able to stick with it for a little while, but quite often I crash and burn or I just get burned out on whatever it is. But if I start adding it in a little bit of a time, that really creates more of a habit. A great example of this for me, I’ve had many of exercise things over the years. think I mentioned previously in this challenge, I was a runner for 17 years. Obviously, I just didn’t go out the door one day and run a marathon. It took small changes over time and building consistency. The same thing now where I’ve really been on my streak with strength training is that when I initially started, I told myself, okay, I’m only going to go three days a week, half an hour max. I’m just going to get in the gym, mess around with the machines. That’s going to be a good enough start. Created that consistency mark for myself. and that kept building and building over time to where now it’s almost like I can’t, in a way, don’t, I mean, I know it’s not that I don’t want to, sometimes your body needs a break and I build in rest days and all that, but I actually feel guilty now if I think about one day where I’m not feeling like going to the gym, it’s like, it’s a habit now, I have to do it. That’s basically how it’s turned out. these. Consistency things over time is really where you create this thing where you almost feel like it’s just automatic and it doesn’t feel like you need to back out of it or should back out of it. It just becomes purely a habit. So that’s just one example, but it could also be food or sleep. You know, the same thing when I started keto, I didn’t just one day decide to start eating no carbs. I cut it back over time. I didn’t necessarily go cold turkey. That’s all to say that it all starts with these little things. So pick three things that you feel are really going to feed into your long term goals. And if you haven’t done it yet, this might be a really good time to do that core values and goals worksheet. If this speaks to you, it’s if you go to the website and search ultimate wellness, what is ultimate wellness? The sheet, the link for the sheet is in there and I’ll just walk you through some cues and some questions. to learn more about what is it they’re all about? What are your core values? And that’s how you create these longer term goals. And then you set these little habits in line to eventually reach those. So if you’re going to do something anyway for the next 90 days, that’s also a great time to do that exercise so that you can start to create these habits that are gonna get you to your five year goal, your 10 year goal, stuff like that. So if you’re wondering to like where to start with picking three, how do you narrow it down? consider this, this is one option for you. Pick one that’s a movement habit, pick one that’s a mindset habit, and pick one that’s a food or sleep habit, and start with that. Write down the minimum for each of those, and then that’s your thing for the 90 days. Develop some cues around this. So when and where each habit is going to happen. And of course, you can be flexible. There might be days where if you say, okay, I like working out in the morning, I’m work out, I’m gonna do my 10 minutes of movement, first thing when I wake up. Well, maybe one day for whatever reason that can’t happen. We can be flexible, of course. But mapping it out, putting it your calendar or having the intention to do it at a specific time every day or stacked with another habit that makes sense, that’ll just set you up for even more success. So again, it’s not that we’re not being flexible, but really giving yourself those cues about when and where this is supposed to happen. That way when you see the cue or go to the spot where it’s supposed to happen, will remind you. that strengthen that habit over time, that that’s where it’s supposed to be. I think that is finally about it for us for this habit challenge. I hope that you got something out of it. I’d love to hear what you learned. I’d love to hear what worked for you, what didn’t work for you, what were your challenges, what were your big wins. As always, if you’re finding this later and you’re like, my God, the challenge is over. It’s not, you can start it at any time. I’ve designed this so that you sign up for the email. and it’ll send you the series day by day whenever you get started. So whenever you find this, it’s available to you. It’s healnourishgrow.com slash habits. So I’ve said every day, I’ll see you tomorrow, but this time I won’t. I’m still be around on all my channels, all my socials on YouTube, but I’m not gonna have an everyday message to you for a little bit, hoping to get the podcast back on regular schedule, once a week releases, interviews with interesting people in the health and wellness space. and me talking about whatever random topic of the day that I’ve turned into a research project for myself basically. But yeah, that’s about it. So I will see you somewhere down the road and I hope to hear from you. Take care. Bye bye.

In today's episode, Cheryl guides you through one of the most important parts of building lasting habits: reflection. As the challenge nears the end, this is a chance to look back on the entire experience and notice what actually shifted for you. Cheryl explains how reflection helps reinforce progress, identify what worked, and spot what did not work without judgment. Today's habit is simple and quick, but powerful. You are going to write a few notes about what changed, what you learned, and what you want to carry forward. The goal is not perfection. It is awareness, progress, and building a sustainable approach to healthy habits that fits into real life. Takeaways Reflection reinforces progress and helps you recognize what is working Noticing change helps your brain see the challenge mattered and created results Small changes and small increments are the most sustainable way to build habits Looking back helps you identify which habits you enjoyed and which felt harder The tracker can help you spot patterns in consistency without judgment Awareness is the first step to improving what comes next Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts!  21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight  Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life  Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off  NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube  Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:00)Hey everyone, I’m Cheryl McColgan, founder of Heal Nourish Grow and welcome to day 29 of the 30 Days of Healthy Habits Challenge. So we’re getting here towards the end and it is time to reflect again. So this will be similar to some of the reflect and resets that we did throughout the challenge on each seventh day. But today we want to reflect on what has changed this whole. So what is it that you’ve learned from this challenge? What things changed for you? Did you enjoy moving every day? Did you discover a form of movement that brings you some joy while you’re doing it? I want you to write three quick notes about what changed today. So just the minimum, two or three things. Reflection helps you reinforce the progress that you’ve made and helps you notice what is actually working and also maybe what is not working. So as you’re reflecting, can write down really any thoughts that you have around this, but at least three bullet points is what I’d like for you to come up with that changed. And we also see that there’s some evidence that your brain can see there was a change, that this wasn’t all for nothing, that it wasn’t just another exercise in futility, but things actually did change or shift. And so even if you weren’t perfect every single day, even if you missed some of the days, this was never meant to be about. Perfect, right? Like when I said from the outset, I don’t want this to be something like a challenge that’s like 75 hardware, you miss something, you have to start all over, it’s really punitive. And I think there are obviously some advantages to those kinds of challenges as well, but this is just something to ease you in to making changes and to learn how the best way to make sustainable habits is to make small changes, small increments. note your progress, really create it in a way that works, that can fit into a busy schedule, but that you’re still actually making changes and making progress along the way. Notice, maybe look at your tracker, if you need help thinking about things that worked or didn’t work, notice how consistent you were or lack of consistency if that’s the case. Again, we’re not judging here, we’re just noticing and hopefully thinking about some things that would carry well into your future. As always, the links for the research are in your tracker and in today’s email. And if you haven’t signed up, if you’re just finding this and you’re like, what is this whole challenge all about? Just go to heelnourishgrow.com slash habits, and you can join anytime. So that is it for today 29. And I will be back with you one last time tomorrow for the habits and the final day. So get ready.

In today's episode, Cheryl returns to one of the most impactful habits for long-term wellbeing: connection. In a world where so much communication happens through texts and social media, it is easy to feel socially connected without actually getting the benefits of real support and real interaction. Cheryl explains why true connection is closely tied to both mental and physical health, and why it is worth repeating this habit later in the challenge. Today's focus is about moving beyond good intentions and turning connection into an actual plan by putting something social or supportive on the calendar. Takeaways Real connection supports mental health, physical health, and overall wellbeing Texting and social media can make you feel connected without providing real support Scheduling time with people turns a good intention into a real plan Community and support groups can be just as valuable as time with close friends Making a specific time and date matters more than saying “sometime” Social plans can be simple and still create meaningful connection The sooner you schedule it, the more likely it is to actually happen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BnlCHBdhGc[k/embedyt] Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts!  21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight  Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life  Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off  NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube  Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:00)Hey, everyone, I’m Cheryl McColgan, founder of Heal Nourish Grow and welcome to day 28 of the 30 Days Healthy Habits Challenge. Today, we’re going back to connection. We did this earlier in the challenge, but I think it’s important to hit on it again because in this day and age where everything has become text and social media and learning things about your friends and people in that way sometimes, reaching out and making true connections is becoming more more valuable. And it is so related to good health, good mental health, good physical health. Thank you. Bro. community a strong support group. people finding new people to connect with. And so today’s habit is make it happen. So it’s going to be a social or supportive thing on the calendar. I would say that this could be, you know, an event, a social meeting with a person that you already know, or if we’re calling it a supportive thing, it could be more like seeking out a book club or a support group or a way to meet new people. So either one that you choose and one may be easier the other depending on if you’re introverted or extroverted, but you’re going to do one thing. like that. So it’ll be to schedule this social time, you’re gonna get real support in real time, hopefully boost some happiness, get a few laughs. And putting it on the calendar turns this intention into an actual plan. The planning part is key because we all have intentions, right? How many times does somebody say to you, we should get together, but they don’t actually make a date or make a plan for doing to you. and mental health and physical health. So one of the things that you can choose to do if you want to be mental health and physical health is to do something like make a walking date. Just take a walk with a friend, go for a walk in nature, go for a walk on the treadmill next to each other, but somewhere that you can talk and interact and actually have real connection. You can go for a coffee. It could even be a phone call if you can’t get together in person, but set aside time that you’re actually going to do it. And both people have availability. Yeah. So time and date. leave it as, some time is not okay. It’s gotta be a plan, it’s gotta be on the calendar, it’s gotta be like, map. If it’s something that you can’t accomplish this week, I just want you to get on the calendar. It can be something in the future, but I really want you to intend to treat it as part of the calendar, actually do it. But if you can’t, this first day or tomorrow, actually have that interaction, have that schedule time with somebody, the sooner the better. There’s no time like the present, right? As always, the reason links will be in your tracker and in today’s email. And if you’re finding this in the future on YouTube or on the podcast, you can sign up at any time. doesn’t matter when you find this. It’s heelnourishgrow.com slash habits. And that is it for today. As always, I will see you again tomorrow. We’re getting closer towards the end.

In today's episode, Cheryl shares a simple but powerful habit that can completely change how you handle stress, conflict, and emotional triggers. The focus is on building a short pause between what happens and how you respond, even if it is something small like a frustrating comment, an anxiety spike, or an email that instantly sets you off. Cheryl explains how taking just 10 seconds can reduce rumination, support more consistent decision-making, and help you respond in a way that aligns with the person you want to be, not just your first impulse. She also offers an easy cue phrase you can use in the moment, plus a beginner-friendly option if 10 seconds feels too hard. Takeaways A short pause helps create space between the stimulus and your response Reacting immediately often leads to choices you would not make once you calm down This practice can reduce rumination, meaning you replay the moment over and over later Pausing works in social situations and in private moments when you feel triggered internally Deep breathing during the pause helps settle your body before you respond If 10 seconds feels too long, start with 5 seconds and build from there Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts!  21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight  Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life  Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off  NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube  Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts!  21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight  Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life  Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off  NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube  Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:00)Hey everyone, I’m Cheryl McColgan, founder of Heal Nurse Grow and welcome to day 20. I call it a practice because this one is tough sometimes. It’s something that I have been practicing for a long time in my own life. And that is to today, your habit is to pause before reacting for 10 seconds. So a great example of this is usually better word triggers you or makes you anxious or makes you frustrated. And you may want to just react in that moment. And quite often what you’ll find is if you just take a pause, a couple deep breaths are useful here as well, but take a pause, give yourself a moment to think, give yourself a moment to feel where that comment or conflict or whatever it was, where it landed in your body, where you’re feeling it and just take a deep breath and then respond. And so why this is good. And it’s going to reduce rumination, which is that idea that you just keep playing something over and over in your head. All of this is going to support consistency and create a space between the stimulus and the response. And this usually leads to better choices or better interactions. Another thing, you know, I’m talking about reacting with someone else, but it could also be that you’re alone. It’s a personal thing that you’re just reacting to in the moment. So that’s a time to again, take some time, take a deep breath and just let it settle and figure out what you’re really thinking about it rather than just your initial knee jerk response. Because it could come in the form of an email or something that just happens to you and you’re just anxious and caught up in the moment. Just give yourself a beat. Pause, breathe, and then choose. That’s like a cue phrase. So along with this habit today to take that pause, think of pause, breathe, and choose. what I like to do with a pause. And it’s funny that my my ex actually noticed this about me which I thought was pretty perceptive because if you would say something that was A heavy sigh like. and then just breathe a couple times and then I would respond. So maybe you don’t want to make it so audible or so obvious because this person in my life did notice this, but you could even say, you know, your thing about pause, breathe, then choose. It could be even a choice to say, I need a moment to think this over. I may need a moment to process this. Something like that that gives you just the time. to go ahead and take that deep breath and to give it some reflection before responding. So if 10 seconds seems too long to you, let’s start with five, as this challenge has gone the whole way. make yourself work towards up towards bigger habits, bigger goals, you know, everything like that. The small things will just make it seem more simple and less stressful on you. So if 10 seconds is too long, go for five. As always, the research will be in the email and in the tracker and you can join at any time by going to healnursegro.com. So if you find whatever you find it in the future, please join and you’ll get to take advantage of learning all these fun new things that can help you get to your goals. So I will see you again tomorrow.

In today's episode, Cheryl revisits one of the most important stress-related topics in the challenge: money. Since financial strain is a major source of anxiety for many people, today's habit focuses on taking one small action that supports your future financial wellbeing. Cheryl explains why progress on financial goals is linked to better overall health and stability, and she shares simple, realistic examples you can complete in 10 minutes or less. The goal is not to build a full budget or overhaul your finances. It is to make a quick “future you” move that reduces stress, creates more control, and supports your ability to stay consistent with other healthy habits. Takeaways Money is a common source of stress, and reducing financial strain can improve overall wellbeing Small progress toward financial goals can help you feel calmer, more stable, and more in control The habit is about long-term support, not daily spending perfection Financial stability can make other healthy habits easier to maintain because stress is lower Automation is one of the easiest ways to reduce mental load and improve consistency Even small savings can matter, especially over time with compounding interest If money habits feel overwhelming, the best approach is a tiny step and then pause Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts!  21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight  Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life  Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off  NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube  Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:00)Hey everyone, I’m Cheryl McColgan founder of Heal Nourish Grow, and welcome to day 26 of the 30 Days Healthy Habits Challenge. Today we’re back to money. We did this one habit earlier in the challenge and we’re coming back to it again because as we learned from the previous one, if you read any of the research or just listened to the podcast from before, that money is ⁓ quite a source of stress for a lot of people and this is no surprise, right? But it does show in the literature that making progress, making financial goals and taking some of your financial stress away actually creates greater wellbeing. It just helps you feel more settled, less anxious, less stressed. So addressing money things now and again is a good idea. Cheryl McColgan (00:45)obviously I think we should be considering what we’re consuming, what we’re spending money on, that sort of thing every single day. But when you’re doing these future plans or kind of more extended timeframe things for savings, that’s maybe not something that you’re thinking every single day. So I didn’t mean to say that, obviously you shouldn’t be focusing on spending on a daily basis, but these kind of larger goals might be something that’s more a once a week, once a month sort of thing. So back to today’s habit is to make one future you money move today. And so this is going to be something that lowers financial strain and just gives you stronger financial capability in the future. And that’s all associated with better health and wellbeing. It reduces stress, as I said before, creates stability and having stability and having control of your finances supports other healthy habits as well. It gives you the finances and the ability to invest. in other areas of your health if you need to. And it also having less stress in your life makes all the behaviors easier to repeat when you don’t have stress cropping up. So to give you some examples to make this easier, do something like set up an auto-save program at your bank or on an app. So taking $10, $20, $1,000, whatever works in your particular financial situation to automatically save each month. Automated bill. have a bill or two or all of them that are scheduled to pay every single month so that it takes the stress off of you remembering to send a check or to submit your payment online. Maybe increase your retirement contribution by 1%. This is an area that I’m really interested in because I have always been involved in some degree and both my partners have been in finance and I actually ended up doing a speech about it in college. But the compounding Interest is such a huge thing the earlier you start saving even if it’s a small amount and then I say earlier I’m like the younger that you start saying your that money just has more time to double and double and double again over time With the you know compounding interest and if you start saving much later in life It doesn’t have as much time to grow now That’s not to say you still can’t start because like every all of this you can start any time But the younger that you start saving the better it’ll just set you up much more in the future for having some again, gains without having to do anything else. The once in the money is in there and it’s growing with interest, it just keeps building on itself. If the automation seems too much, maybe it’s something like setting yourself a calendar reminder or writing a small financial plan, maybe for the next week or the next month. So we’re doing it in 10 minutes or less. We’re not making a spreadsheet here or creating an empire of things. Of course, if you want to do that at some point, I think that’s awesome. But this is just meant to be, again, a small, doable habit that doesn’t turn you off from it. So setting up an automation, something quick like that, or setting aside more money to save is a good choice here. So if it’s triggering too much stress, just do a small step, something in relation to it, and then stop. And you can always come back to this at a later date or give it some further thought when it comes for the weekly reset and reflect. As always, the studies are linked. in the email that you received and in your tracker. And if you haven’t joined yet, that link to join is heelnourishgrow.com slash habits, you can join anytime. It’s never too late. That’s probably the theme of this series so far. But hope you enjoyed this and I will see you again tomorrow.

In this conversation, Cheryl McColgan emphasizes the importance of strength training for overall health, particularly as we age. She discusses how even short sessions can be effective and encourages listeners to incorporate strength and stability exercises into their routines. Cheryl highlights the benefits of consistency and the need to challenge oneself with appropriate weights to stimulate muscle growth. She also addresses common misconceptions about strength training and reassures listeners that it’s never too late to start. Takeaways Strength training is crucial for functional health and aging. Short sessions of strength training can be effective. Two days a week of strength training can yield significant results. Lifting heavy means finding the right weight for you. Body weight exercises can be a great starting point for beginners. Balance and stability exercises are important for overall fitness. Osteoporosis and muscle loss can be reversed with strength training. It’s never too late to start strength training, regardless of age. Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts!  21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight  Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life  Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off  NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube  Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:01.902)Hey everyone, I’m Cheryl McColgan, founder of Heal Nourish Grow and welcome to a day 25 of your 30 day healthy habits challenge. This is one I’ve been waiting for to send to the very end here the last few days and that is to challenge you to do a short strength or stability session. So this is not going to require any equipment. It’s not going to require going to the gym or anything like that. But I just want you to try it if this is something that you don’t do on a regular basis. because strength training has just so related to so many aspects of health. There’s more and more stuff coming about all the time. It is maybe more important than strict cardio for a lot of reasons, but it supports again, functional health, just moving around on a day-to-day basis. And it’s a lot of longer term, less health risks when you strength train. So strength and stability, it all supports healthy aging, it supports confidence and just again, your function in daily life. I always say, you I’m training to be able to get off the toilet by myself when I get older because these are the kind of things that people lose the ability to do because they lose the strength in their legs. And that is just crazy scary. Also short short sessions are easier to maintain and it builds this consistency, which is an awesome thing for habit building. I’ve actually been following along with this other podcast recently called mind pump. I’m pretty sure that’s right. Like 99.9 % sure. But anyway, these guys have been training people for years and years and years and just a great collective wealth of knowledge. And they have programs that are just 15 minutes a day. Now people do them six days a week for strength training, but that 15 minutes a day, it supports the habit, keeps the habit going. And it’s enough time if you do for 15 minutes, you probably do two to three sets of some strength training exercise, kind of a full body. idea and they’re doing all the big lifts like deadlifts, squats, lunges, that sorts of thing. I don’t have their program unfortunately, but that’s the idea behind it is supporting this daily habit, doing it an amount of time that doesn’t scare people off and that people can fit into their schedule. And that’s all it takes to build strength. You can build strength with that little of strength training a day. And actually if you didn’t want to do it 15 minutes a day, like if you would have to go to a gym to do this and that seems like, oh, that’s a lot of Cheryl McColgan (02:26.766)driving time to go to the gym for just 15 minutes of work, even just two days a week of a longer strength training session that hits all parts of your body is enough to get 80 % of the 80 to 90 % of the strength that you’re going to get anyway. It comes from just two days a week. You’re hitting your muscles two days a week. You’re waking up the muscles two days a week. You’re stimulating the muscles to grow by lifting heavy enough that it puts a signal in your body to grow. If you’re just doing something little and repetitive, that’s not a signal for the body to grow. That’s why you got to lift heavy for you. People get scared when they hear lift heavy because they think it means, you know, for example, that I would go pick up a 200 pound, you know, barbell off the floor. No, that is not. That’s too heavy for me. Right. I’ve got to do what’s heavy for me. And that means something that I can pick up and do maybe six, eight, 10, 12 reps. That’s the kind of range that’s really good for strength building and growing muscle. And so you want to just do something that’s heavy enough for you doing these little two pound weights. If you’re, you know, even the average woman that might that even if it’s heavy for her, like for a week or two, that’s very quickly going to be too little of weight to cause any real change. So sorry for the little that was a bit tangential, but I just to get the idea of you definitely want to do it. If you’re going to go ahead and do it, like at least give yourself enough. of a challenge that it makes some difference. Now, all that being said, I said you don’t need any equipment for this one and you don’t because especially if this is completely new to you doing body weight exercises and things at home are going to be plenty of new stimulus for you to try. If you already lift, you already have access to a gym, then I would just maybe challenge you to try a couple of exercises that you haven’t, don’t normally do or you don’t normally. or maybe if you already strength train, you don’t have the stability part as much, maybe you’re gonna try some stability work for this part of the challenge. So just choose like a little, you can make a little circuit mentally for yourself that you’re gonna spend 10 minutes doing this. And so again, if you don’t have any equipment home or anything, maybe it’s an odd and you can just do this if you find it too stressful to think about figuring this out for yourself. Air squats, so just body weight squats. And if you don’t recognize any of these things, if you look here on look on YouTube, Cheryl McColgan (04:47.554)You’ll find plenty of videos that will demonstrate this for you, but simple body weight squats you can do sit to stand. So if you are worried that even a squat might be too much for you or too stressful, you want to just literally lower yourself down slowly to a chair and then bring yourself back up using the strength of your legs. So not pushing off with your, know, really using the strength of your body and your core to push you back up out of the chair. You can do some hinge work. So just literally bending over or if you have milk jugs or soup cans or things like that in the house, if it’s just way too easy for you bending over pretending you’re gonna pick something off the floor, maybe actually have some milk jugs, something like that. And then you could also do pushups. Everybody knows what that looks like. You can do pushups against the wall if you’re not very strong. And if you’re already very strong, you can just do pushups as many as you can in a row would be a great challenge. also wall sits like literally bending so that your quads, your quadriceps, the tops, your thighs are parallel to the floor and leaning your back against the wall and just sitting there. That’s an isometric exercise, also very strengthening. So those are all just it. So just 10 minutes, you’re gonna move your body in some ways you haven’t tried yet. If you’re looking to create stability, some balance types of things, most people don’t do those on a regular basis. It would always be surprising to me when I was in yoga class, we’d have. obviously a whole section of that that was balance of balancing on one leg in some way, whether it’s stretching at the same time, holding a foot while you’re balancing on one leg or just simply balancing on one leg without the stability of a wall, something like that could be a good option for this part of the challenge too. So there shouldn’t be too much concern about figuring something out because there’s so many videos online now and just Don’t pick anything that looks crazy or out of whack or too, too challenging. Just, you know, pick something that makes sense for where you are in your body right now and your current strength and skill level and just make it a little challenging. Maybe make it something new. But getting out of your comfort zone in regards to strength training, think particularly for some women, this is still a barrier. And it’s just such a shame because the Cheryl McColgan (07:03.362)things that happen with old age, especially to us women, bone loss, bone density, osteoporosis, osteopenia, all of that can be prevented and reversed. There’s some excellent data on reversing osteopenia and osteoporosis through strength training. So that’s pretty amazing. then sarcopenia, that is the loss of muscle mass as we get older. And if you don’t move, if you don’t put that stress on your muscles, we just continually lose muscle mass. as we get older and older and become that’s how we become frail. That’s how people are not able to get off the toilet by themselves. That’s how people, you know, quit moving their bodies because they don’t have the strength to anymore. Again, though, this can all be reversed. I think that’s amazing news. But what I’d really love for you to happen is if you can make it a habit now. and get as strong as you can now. Hey, believe me, it all, it all goes downhill. It’s all fightable. It’s all reversible, but the older you get, the more challenging it gets for a number of reasons. It gets more challenging mentally. gets more, you know, your time is, uh, tends to be more valuable just cause you’re busier as you get older, more demanding job, children, things like that. So whatever age you are now though, it is not too late. It’s not never too late to get started with strength training. You’ve just got to make it appropriate for where your body is now. and make it consistent. And like I said, if you’re going to do it every day, that is totally fine. Keep it shorter if you’re doing it every day. And if you’re nervous, you can always hire a trainer or like I said, look at videos online, practice the movement at home, feel confident in the movement before you take it to a gym or like I said, hire a trainer. That’s always a good option so that you have somebody that’s there with you that can just guide you and walk you through it and teach you how to use machines, things like that. So anyway, that is your challenge for today. I hope you enjoy moving your body in this way and challenging yourself. Like I said, make sure you, if you’re using weights in this little part of the challenge, make sure you pick up something heavy enough that’s actually challenging for you. Don’t just like move some little two pound weights around and think that that’s enough. We’re going to like actually try to stimulate some muscle protein synthesis here. So anyway, that is it for today and I will see you again tomorrow.

For Day 24 of the 30 Day Healthy Habits Challenge, Cheryl shares a habit that makes healthy living feel way easier: planning ahead. Today's goal is simple, plan tomorrow's movement and one healthy meal. This helps reduce friction, decision fatigue and makes following through with healthy choices easier. This habit is all about keeping it realistic. Your healthy meal doesn't need to be fancy or time-consuming, it just needs a plan. If tomorrow feels too tight, you can plan for a healthy meal sometime in the next three days instead. Takeaways Planning reduces friction and helps you follow through without relying on motivation. Deciding ahead of time reduces decision fatigue, especially at the end of a busy day. Meal planning supports variety, helping you include more ingredients and avoid repeating the same meals. Aim for at least 30g of protein in your planned meal (breakfast, lunch, or dinner your choice). Try adding one produce item you don't normally buy to increase variety and support gut health. Planning your movement mean choosing what you'll do and when you'll do it so it actually happens. Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts!  21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight  Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life  Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off  NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube  Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:00.014)Hey everyone, I’m Cheryl McColgan, founder of Heal Nourish Grow and welcome to day 24 of the 30 days healthy habits challenge. So today is one that I am particularly fond of and I think it’s fun. Some people will not think this is a fun habit to have, but that is to plan tomorrow’s movement and one healthy meal. ideally we’re going to plan one healthy meal for tomorrow, but I will say that if you have a particularly challenging work schedule or this is something that you don’t do on a regular basis, you can really plan for that healthy meal just sometime in the next three days. But the idea is to plan ahead to figure out what it is, how you’re gonna make it, what ingredients you need for it, if you need to find a recipe, all that kind of good stuff. And everybody’s definition of a healthy meal will vary slightly, obviously, depending on your goals and depending on. you know, what that looks like for you. There’s, you know, there’s all kinds of different dietary practices that anybody might be following. So I’m not prescribing a specific one. Of course, you know, I’m going to say that I would challenge you to, for whatever it is to have at least 30 grams of protein in it. And this one healthy meal you can plan, can do it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, whatever that means for you. It’s going to be, you know, if you’re not used to cooking, I don’t want you to plan like a big elaborate thing, unless that sounds fun to you, then yes, you could do something like that. But it would mean just a nourishing healthy meal. It doesn’t have to be necessarily anything fancy or anything that requires a lot of cooking. It just has to have a plan. So planning reduces friction, reduces decision fatigue later. It might be decision in the moment that you have to make, but once that is done and once you’ve already planned for it and gotten the ingredients, you already know what you’re having for dinner tomorrow. So that should make everything really easy through. throughout that next day, not having to worry about that one part of your day, that’s already decided. And then it also, in the literature, the research for today, it says that it supports food variety, which is really also great for your diet, great for your gut microbiome. People that plan meals tend to include more different ingredients rather than if you just, if you don’t do much planning, you just might grab whatever’s available, grab what you typically tend to buy anyway. And so it gets… Cheryl McColgan (02:18.71)you know, can get pretty repetitive. So this planning ahead to try a new recipe or to make something slightly different can also just introduce variety into your meals as well. And then as far as picking your movement, that can be whatever you’ve stuck with for the whole challenge for your 10 minutes, but you’re going to plan like when in the day you’re going to do it, what time, what’s going to work for you tomorrow. So this, this idea of this habit is just the idea of planning ahead just helps make everything run more smoothly. And it can be, again, the minimum. It doesn’t have to be a ton of cooking. Just make it a healthy nourishing meal, whatever that means to you. I will challenge you, like I said, get your 30 grams of protein in that meal and maybe a piece of produce that you don’t typically pick out. Maybe try something different. Maybe just go to the grocery store and be like, this looks interesting. I’ll try making this and then look up a recipe that goes along with that ingredient that you happen to find in the produce aisle. So hopefully that gives you some ideas about how to approach this one. Again, optional journal prompt for you. The links to the research are in your tracker and in the email that you received for the day. And that is it. I will see you again tomorrow.

In this conversation, Cheryl McColgan discusses the importance of creating a stress release ritual as part of the healthy habits challenge. She emphasizes the benefits of consistent practice in managing stress, including physiological and mental health improvements. Cheryl shares various breathing techniques and practical applications for stress relief, encouraging listeners to find what works best for them and to incorporate these practices into their daily routines. Takeaways Create a stress release ritual to manage stress. Consistency in practice helps build resistance to stress. Breathing techniques can significantly reduce stress levels. Box breathing and movement can aid in stress relief. Anxiety during breathing practices may indicate shallow breathing habits. Research supports the benefits of meditation and breathing exercises. Incorporate stress release practices into daily life for better mental health. Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts!  21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight  Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life  Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off  NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube  Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:00.494)Hey everyone, I’m Cheryl McCogan, founder of Heal Nourish Grow and welcome to a day 23 of your 30 days of healthy habits challenge. Today’s challenge is to create a stress release ritual. This is either going to be movement or breath. And this is just going to be something simple. It’s something easy and that you can repeat and that’s about 60 seconds of breath if you’re choosing breath or two minutes of movement. And we’ve had some… of this in the challenge already, you’ve tried different types of movement, you challenge yourself to move in a different way on some of the days. And so maybe if there was something that you tried and you notice like, hey, that’s really good for me. And it does relieve stress. Maybe it’s that maybe it’s if you try to need a mobility exercises we talked about or stretching or something like that to release stress or if it’s 60 seconds of a breath practice, one of the previous days we mentioned the three just three deep breaths, something that simple 60 seconds is going to take longer. So it might be like five deep breaths, 10 deep breaths, but you’re just doing something that’s more extended amount of time. was like a quick stress release in the moment. This is something that is more focused on bringing your heart rate down, just, you know, bringing your stress in your body, your heart, your blood pressure, that kind of things like reducing all of those are really getting the parasympathetic system nervous system to come into play on this so that it relieves your body and your mind of stress. So we’re just doing the minimum, the minimum, the minimum today. We’re just doing the minimum today on this. And this short stress ritual is good for a couple of reasons. It can reduce physiological stress, so your body stress and build resistance over time. And then can also reduce mental stress. So if you do this consistently as a reset, it’ll help you to respond rather than react in the moment. It’s going to make, you know, that makes for better discipline, better decision making. If you’re not just flying off the handle at a moment’s notice, it also helps with your interactions with people. If you happen to notice when you get stressed that you snap people little more often or respond in a way that is not professional or calm. Having this little ritual will give you a way to kind of downshift. And the more that you train yourself on this, you know, you might notice anytime that you take some deep breaths, it helps. But when you train this every single day as a habit, Cheryl McColgan (02:17.43)It is a response that trains your brain to automatically go into that more relaxed state just by the act of you starting to do it. So it’ll become more effective and act more quickly every single time. So here’s some examples. If you’re having trouble thinking of one to do, we can go back to that three breath rate set, but you might do it for longer. Just set your timer for one minute and inhale, exhale, slightly longer exhale to really bring in that parasympathetic nervous system response. You could try box breathing. You could do a quick walk. You could do wall pushups or you could do the stretching routine. Those are all good ones. And if you have something else outside of that that you think of to do, I would love to hear about it in the comments so that we can share that with others. And then, you know, one of the times you want to try it is any time during the day where you’re feeling a trigger or something that’s making you nervous or anxious, angry or anxious. And so maybe it’s like you got an email from your boss and it’s automatically creating stress in your body. That’s a great time to do this stress release routine. Or if you are getting ready to sit down for a meal and you’ve been running around all day before you try to start eating, maybe calm your body. It’s just gonna promote better digestion and better, you know, mindfulness of your chewing and experiencing your food. So again, it’s just to be repeatable. It doesn’t need to be really complex or… long or drawn out, like I said, just 60 minutes for breath practice, two minutes for a movement practice. Some people might notice, and I did notice this when I was teaching yoga a lot, is that for some people, a breathing practice can kind of create anxiety. And usually if that’s the case, it might be that you have, your body is kind of trained to take very shallow breaths and not expand the diaphragm. So really thinking about when you’re breathing to let your… abdomen and belly expand as you’re breathing. So if you were to lay on the ground and put your hand on your stomach, you want your belly to be expanding up as you’re breathing. So that’s really feeling all of your lungs, not just the top of your lungs, but your lungs are going like all the way down almost to your waist. So you want to expand your lungs as fully as possible. And again, that slightly longer exhale, that’s going to really calm any feelings of anxiety. So if you notice that you’re trying to do the breathing, but it’s causing some anxiety for you for some reason, Cheryl McColgan (04:32.376)I’m going to guess it’s because you’re kind of habitually a shallow breather and you’re kind of just breathing almost in the upper chest. So try that low, slow breathing that expands your belly and see if that doesn’t help. So that’s about it for today. Start this stress release practice, whatever that looks like for you. As always, the links to the research are in the notes and my gosh, there are so much good data on meditation and breathing and things like that for relieving stress and anxiety and just doing a whole lot of great things for your physiology as well as your mental state. So definitely check that out if you have time and then optional journal prompt for you there too. So anyway, that is it for today and I will see you again tomorrow.

In this episode, Cheryl McColgan discusses the concept of habit stacking, a technique that involves attaching a new habit to an existing one to make it easier to adopt. She shares her personal struggles with maintaining new habits and provides practical examples of how to effectively implement habit stacking in daily routines. The conversation emphasizes the importance of cues and motivation in forming lasting habits, as well as the value of research in validating health information. Takeaways Habit stacking is a technique to make new habits easier to adopt. Attaching a small habit to a daily routine can enhance consistency. The perceived importance of a habit affects motivation to maintain it. Using strong cues can help in forming new habits. Daily routines can serve as effective cues for new habits. Habit stacking can reduce decision fatigue. Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts!  21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight  Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life  Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off  NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube  Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:00.174)I’m Cheryl McColgan founder of Heal Nourish Grow and welcome to day 22 of the 30 days healthy habits challenge. Today is something that we’ve talked about a little bit throughout the challenge, but I haven’t really dedicated an episode to it yet and I haven’t challenged you to actually do it as part of the habit challenge and that is to habit stack. So habit stacking is really simple. It can sometimes be hard to find ones that put together that make sense. But when you can find those ones that go together that make sense, it just really makes this such an easier thing. So today’s challenge is to attach a small habit to something you already do every single day. So I think I just even mentioned this in the last recording for day 21 in the reflection thing is about if you missed habits, know, habit stacking is a great way to do those. Because if you’re finding them challenging to fit in your day, sticking them to something you already do is going to be one of the easiest way that you can make that stick. And then so I’ll give you an example of the one since I started making this challenge, I’ve been thinking about this a lot for myself. And here’s the one that I’m working on right now. So I have had this hair trauma for the last three years. It’s a really long story that you don’t need to hear about in this episode, which I have actually done a podcast episode on it before. But at any rate, it’s, you know, I’ve had a lot of trauma to my hair. I’ve had a lot of hair falling out. I’ve had some scalp irritation, things like that. And so I’ve been very focused on that. And one of the things I purchased to help me deal with this is this OS one supplement. I’ve been using their skincare for a while now. Absolutely love it. I have an article over at the website all about it. He says a peptide science. It’s really cool technology and it actually works and there’s some good clinical data behind it all. But anyway, oh, and just because I mentioned that If you read about it, you do get a little extra discount with my link or something. But anyway, the point of none of that is the point here. The point is that I find it difficult. I bought this hair serum and I bought like I can’t remember if I bought a three month supply or six month supply because you definitely get a bigger discount if you buy more. And plus, if you’re doing anything with your hair, it’s going to take you a little bit longer to actually notice results. Right. So anyway, I’m getting to the point I promise is that I bought that serum, probably a good Cheryl McColgan (02:20.305)six months ago now or maybe even longer. And I’ve only used it maybe a total of five times and I’ll start to think, okay, I’m going to use it today and then I’ll get on the new habit of doing this every day because you got to do it every day for it to really be effective. So I haven’t been able to do that up to this point. I don’t know why it’s such a simple thing. It’s not difficult. You literally split your hair, you put the serum on the scalp, you rub it in, you go to bed. Easy peasy, right? Can’t seem to make myself do it, but The one thing I do every single night is wash my face, brush my teeth and put on my skincare. put on the same skincare by the same brand that I put on my face every single night without fail. Doesn’t matter how late I’m out. Doesn’t matter what else I’ve done. I will not go to bed without washing my face, putting my skincare on and brushing my teeth. That is a solid set in habit that does not fail. for the last few days or since this challenge when I was talking about habit stacking several times, I’m like, this is just ridiculous. have this perfect habit that this pairs with, which is like I mentioned, my teeth and skincare routine in the evening, I just need to put that hair serum like literally where I cannot miss it. And so I had it on the counter next to my toothbrush. I don’t know why, but that wasn’t quite working because the flow. But what I found was I put the hair serum inside of a drawer that has the skincare. I took the hair serum out of the cabinet off the counter. put it in the drawer like literally right next to the moisture. And this is so dumb right, you’re like, why can’t you just put that in your hair every night? I don’t know why. This is why anybody has trouble with habits, right? This is why we’re doing this whole challenge. But put it right next to my skincare so that it’s literally right where I take them both out. I do the skincare part, I put that back and then I take the hair stuff and then I put it and rub it and put it right back next to the moisturizer. So that seems to be working. So that is a habit stack. So that was a very long winded way of telling you. But I also think it speaks to the fact that, you know, obviously none of us are perfect. Even those of us that are very good at discipline, very good habits. And also there’s something about the perceived importance of the habit, I think. So this particular thing, like if I put this stuff in my hair or not, it really doesn’t matter. It doesn’t affect anything. I’m not even sure 100 % that it will help or that it will work. So it’s not a high Cheryl McColgan (04:40.651)value habit, right? There’s not a whole lot of motivation example for me to continue that habit. Whereas something like changing your nutrition or changing your diet, if you’re say your goal is to lose weight, there’s a lot higher of motivation or importance. I won’t want to say motivation because motivation like we talked about that comes and goes. But the importance of that to your health or to your future goals, looking a certain way or having a certain body composition, the importance of that is a lot greater. than something like putting this stuff in your hair that may or may not work. You know if you change your nutrition behavior, change your eating behavior, that that will have a positive outcome. So I think you also have to look at the importance of any particular habit in relation to how hard that’s gonna be to maintain or how hard it’s gonna be to force yourself to do. So the whole reason this works is pretty obvious. The habit stacking, the first habit, the existing habit is the cue and there’s no motivation there. The second habit just comes right after it, because that’s where you’re sticking it now. And so again, this creates less decision fatigue. It just makes it easier for you to just go ahead and do it. So here’s an example. made this little formula that I wrote out so that we are all on the same page with this. It’s so ridiculously simple. But just for clarity, it’s after I blank, I will blank. So for example, after coffee, I will drink water. But I would put that in reverse, because as we talked about, It’s stacked like that can still be stacked even though we’re supposed to drink the water before the coffee because well the coffee is still the cube. We’ll go to the thing to get coffee and we’ll be like oh yes I’m Annie and I’m going to drink this water first. And the other thing is after brushing teeth I will stretch two minutes. So you’re picking a cue that happens every single day because we want this new habit we want it to be a habit that’s like an everyday habit we just stick it with there. So that is really it for today. If you keep forgetting then you might need a stronger cue. the more automatic the queue is, the easier it’s going to be to get this new habit to stick. So look for those things, like I said, like brushing my teeth or things that you’ve never missed. Those are the ones you want to stick it to. And as always, the links for the research, the links for the research, this week aren’t exactly tied to or for today aren’t exactly tied to habit stacking, but they’re just kind of the. Cheryl McColgan (07:01.517)way that goal setting interacts with habits and things. So I think those are pretty interesting, but those are in your email and in the tracker. As always, the optional journal prompt is there if you want to do that. And the research is always optional to read, but hopefully it’s, know, mostly if you just skim the abstract or skip down to the results, that would be a super quick read for you less than a minute. So also that could be a come a new habit, just like looking at, you know, looking at the research or especially, I don’t know, this one’s turning into a longer little episode here. But just this is a totally random unrelated thing, but to encourage you whenever you hear certain things online, before I repeat them, or before I invest a whole lot of time in belief or disbelief or whatever, I’ll go search the topic in the PubMed and just see if there’s any existing literature or research on the topic and see if it’s even in the direction of what the person is claiming online. Because there’s a lot of bad information out there nowadays. I’m sure you already know this. but it’s always nice to just consider the source, number one, and then go check, do a little research on your own and see. And the reason I like to go to PubMed first is because too many articles on the internet are all full of opinion, right? So just looking at the existing literature is a pretty good hint and a good signal to whether something is valid or not. So anyway, sorry to be a little tangential on this one, but hope you… Enjoy today’s habit. I hope you can find a habit that you can stack with one of your existing ones. And I’d love to hear all about it as always in the comments below. Or if it’s something you don’t want to share publicly, you’re always welcome to email me as well. And if you’re not signed up for this challenge yet, if you just randomly found this on YouTube and you’re like, what is this all about? You can go to healnourishgrow.com slash habits and you can start this 30 days of healthy habits anytime for free. just check that link out and you’ll get started that very same day or the next day, you’ll get the emails and then you’re onto your 30 days of creating new healthy habits. So that is it for today and I will see you again tomorrow.

In this episode, Cheryl McColgan discusses the importance of reflecting on progress during the 30-day healthy habits challenge. She emphasizes the flexibility of the challenge, encouraging participants to celebrate small wins and make adjustments to their habits for better integration into daily life. Cheryl also highlights the significance of planning for long-term habit maintenance beyond the challenge, ensuring that participants can sustain their new habits over time. Takeaways You don’t have to be perfect on this challenge. Celebrate the progress and reinforce the behavior. Small adjustments prevent an all or nothing mindset. Keep your focus on being consistent. Choose the habits that resonate with you. Missed days are just data for you. List out three wins this week, even if small. Creating small daily habits supports your core values. Watch on YouTube Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts!  21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight  Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life  Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off  NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube  Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:00.142)Hey everyone, I’m Cheryl McColgan, founder of HealNourishRo and welcome to day 21 of your 30 days of healthy habits challenge. So day 21, we’ve made it through the third week and if you’ve been doing the challenge along with us the whole time, then you know that this is time for the weekly reset. We reflect and adjust. So again, you don’t have to be perfect on this challenge. That’s why all the habits have only taken five to 15 minutes a day is so it gives you some things to try, gives you some things that see which habits could really work well in your life, what could help you the most. And knowing that you don’t have to start over again, if you miss something, you can just do the little habit along with the next day’s habit, or you can just jump right back in. It’s not anything, one of these challenges where you have to start over if you miss a day. This is meant to be very flexible, to fit easily into your life, and to just give you some new ways of thinking about habits that might be helpful to you, and that you might wanna integrate. each and every day going forward instead of just trying it on these little five minute, 15 minute intervals. So today’s habit is look at your tracker, celebrate what you did, and then choose one habit to make easier next week. So some of these, if you’ve been going through, you know, I’ve encouraged you, you’re just trying the one habit each and every day. But if you found a habit that speaks to you or that was super easy that you wanted to add in for the entirety of the challenge, maybe you’ve been doing those. And so notice if you told yourself, hey, I was gonna drink that glass of water every single morning before I drank coffee. Have you stuck with that? Have you done it? And just notice what’s making it more difficult to keep that habit in is that you didn’t put the water next to your bed like I suggested, or maybe you go downstairs and you just go straight for the coffee and you forgot one day to do the water first. So whatever it is, just look what’s making these easier. And so I’ve been sending out the emails at 6.30 a.m. Eastern time. Eastern time, that’s probably not the perfect time for everyone in the whole world that decides to do the challenge, obviously. But noticing if it’s harder to integrate into your day because you just got it later, maybe you kind of set it the day behind where you read today’s habit and you actually do that tomorrow so that you can plan ahead for it and know where it best fits in your day, that sort of thing. So again, we’re just looking to make these easy. We’re looking to make them fit with the habits that we already have, trying habit stacking, putting one habit, sticking it with another that makes it easy. Like we had the idea about, Cheryl McColgan (02:19.554)taking supplements when you brush your teeth kind of thing, or putting your running shoes next to the door where you have to see them before you go outside to go to work and remind you to take your bag with you for the gym. know, whatever it is, you’re just trying to plan ahead so that you make things easier and repeat it every day until it becomes a habit. So the consistency is the key. Again, not every day is gonna be perfect, but making these small adjustments on a week to week really prevents you from getting to this all or nothing mindset like, why are you missed three days? So now it’s too late and you just forget about it and you never come back to this. It’s always noticing that evaluating the week. Okay, yeah, maybe I wasn’t perfect this week. I missed this and this. How can I do that better next week? Maybe I’ll come back to those habits because I actually missed them this week and I wanna try them. But just you’ve got to celebrate the progress. and reinforce the behavior so it feels rewarding. So we want to notice the positive. We always want to be training our brain to notice those positive things, have gratitude for the things that did work this well, easy this week, and then set your mind up for noticing which ones were more challenging and figuring out a way to make that easier for yourself the next time. It just, you know, also keeps the momentum going. So we just want these small wins. And I want you to list out. Three wins this week, even if they were small. Ideally, they’re related to the habit that you did. You were able to try this one that you weren’t so sure about. But you can also just start with three wins, period. Just evaluating your week and thinking about the positives. And then choose one way to make it easier. So if you missed some of your 10 minutes of movement every day this week, how can we make sure that you hit that every single day next week? Because really, I think that that is one of the most beneficial habits that if you don’t have already integrating that, you will just do yourself so much good. And specifically, like I mentioned, if you can make sure that you walk outside on a regular basis, you’re not always being in the gym on the treadmill, something like that, but being outside, connecting with nature. So if that was one of the friction points when you were having your habits this week, maybe plan out next week where you look at your calendar, you figure out what’s your biggest, busiest day, and then figure out where you’re going to fit in your movement. Cheryl McColgan (04:34.85)figure out where you’re gonna fit in your five minute habit. And then again, we’re just resetting the miss days, they’re just data for you. We’re just observing, we’re not judging, we’re just noticing what went well, what didn’t, that’s it. So don’t look for, you know, I didn’t do enough, I didn’t, you I messed up, no negatives like that. We want to keep it all positive and just frame it in a way of learning and noticing the data so that we can make it better the next time. So keep your focus on being consistent. doing the little habit every single day. We’ve got seven more days to go at this point. And I hope you’ve enjoyed it up to this point. Like I said, there’s gonna be habits where you might do them and you think, okay, that’s not really for me. That doesn’t resonate for some reason. Or maybe there’s some habits that really do resonate. And then you look in the literature on it, you look at the research. I just gave two links, but most of them, there’s many more links that you can look at for these habits. So just choose the ones that you want to dig into and notice what might be better for you going forward. We’ve got, like I said, only about a week left. So at some point you’re going to come out of this and you’re going to need to have a plan for maintaining these habits. Because I’m assuming if you’ve practiced this the entire time, you really want to create new habits in your life. So we want to figure out a way that we can keep carrying that forward, not just after 30 days, but 60 days, 90 days, a year, year after year, repeating those small habits that are going to get you to your bigger. goals. And I think I mentioned it before on one of the other podcasts is I have the 10 year core values and goals worksheet for you. So that’s at the website. If you go and search what is ultimate wellness, the link for that form is in that article. And it also just talks about, you know, figuring out what is wellness for you, figuring out what habits work for you on a day to day basis. So the article is kind of all about that. And the worksheet helps you notice like, what are your core values? What’s important to you? And it kind of goes back to the very beginning when we picked the three focus areas for this challenge. You know, that’ll give you a good hint into what might be your core values and what might be these overarching things where you want to plan out for the next five years, 10 years going forward. know, creating those small daily habits that will support that. So anyway, that is it for day 21. I hope you have a nice little reflection and reset. And as always, I would love to hear in the comments what you found challenging, what Cheryl McColgan (06:56.652)What were your wins? It’s just always exciting to celebrate along with you. So that is it for today. I will see you again tomorrow.

In this conversation, Cheryl McColgan discusses the importance of adopting small, manageable habits to improve mental clarity and reduce stress. She emphasizes the benefits of a five-minute decluttering practice, which can lead to a calmer environment and a sense of accomplishment. Cheryl shares insights on how clutter can increase anxiety and how small wins can build trust in oneself. The conversation encourages listeners to embrace these habits as part of a broader 30-day healthy habits challenge. Takeaways Clutter increases your stress. It creates a calm Zen mind. You get to check it off your list and it’s done. Touch it once, that’s the practice. Don’t be tempted to deep clean. Watch on YouTube Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts!  21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight  Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life  Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off  NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube  Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:00.62)Cheryl McColgan founder of HealNourishGrow and welcome to the day 20 of your 30 days of healthy habits challenge. Today is one that I use pretty frequently and I think it is so helpful and actually looking into the research about it I always knew that there was a reason that this was a thing that was good for you. But today’s habit is that you’re going to declutter one small area for five minutes. So you’re just going to set a timer on your phone or in the kitchen time or something like that and stop when it ends. Now, I will say what happens to me when I use this little habit is that sometimes I kind of get on a roll and I don’t really want to stop. So if you want to keep it super manageable and not let it go kind of taking over other parts of your day, if you have a really busy day, you might want to just take a five minute section that’s right before you need to do something else. So you definitely have to stop. And it’s interesting how it almost leaves you kind of craving more because once you get started, quite often you get a little bit in a flow and then a rhythm or you want to do a little bit more. And it’s kind of like the other habit that I shared with you, I mentioned how I would kind of trick myself when I used to have to get out the door to go run or go exercise or something like that. And so it’s kind of the same with this. saying I’m only going to declutter for five minutes and then I’m going to stop. So it takes away the resistance to that. Because I know a lot of times if I have a big cleaning project or if I have an area that’s a big mess and I just I want to reorganize it and I want to deal with it, but I just I will mentally put it off forever because it seems like it’s going to take too much time. And it creates a lot of mental stress for me specifically. So I think that this habit is a really good one to take on. It is something that, again, like all of these habits has research to support why it’s good for you. But basically clutter increases your stress. So like I just described, for me, it definitely creates, it’s more like anxiety for me, what it creates when I have a messy space. And a calmer space also supports calmer routines. It makes it easier to carry through on your other habits because you’re not looking around thinking about all the things that you need to clean up or organize or do. It’s just a calm Zen space really creates a calm Zen mind. So this small reset can also help reduce visual stress and make your environment just more supportive for everything that you’re going to do in that space. For example, right now, if I look at my desk, there’s a few papers and things on it that aren’t making me so happy in the moment, but Cheryl McColgan (02:22.466)That’s probably what I will do for my five minute little clutter cleanup today. So you start these short sessions and it really helps you build trust with yourself because again, it’s a small win. And so in this scenario, the way that we set this up, decluttering a small space, you’re going to have the small win where you finish what you started and you get to check it off your list and it’s done. And that always feels great, right? So that’s another way it’s really supportive. So as far as picking a tiny zone, Here some examples or ideas that you might want to use. So for example, a counter space, maybe the kitchen, junk drawer. I don’t know, my junk drawer would probably take more than five minutes. I might not pick that one for this particular one. One specific shelf, or maybe it’s a part of your car. Maybe it’s like just vacuuming. You know, this one’s not really decluttering per se, but say you had trash or work things or piles of paper or something in your car, you can declutter that space. And then the simple rule is just you only want to touch the things once I think that is a really good practice as well I try to get my husband to do this with the mail, but he just he’ll sort through it He’ll kind of look at it and then I’ll put it down. It’s like touch it once So that’s what we’re doing with this declutter habit and you just trash it donate it or relocate it That’s your choices. So it’s either trash donate put away just you’ve got to deal with it though in that moment and So again kind of stopping at that five-minute mark even when you want to keep going the reason this is important for this particular habit is it’s about repeatability. So you can’t, you know, you can’t put it off as easily when it’s only five minutes. If you get into a whole thing where you try this five minute habit and then it takes you 20 minutes because you didn’t stop and then you’re kind of annoyed by it because it took over some other space in your day that you needed. That is so I think it’s good to sit mentally that parameter at the very beginning and then that way when you stop again you get to check off. that thing off your list, you did it the way that it was supposed to be done, and that’s it. So if you have problem with that touching it once kind of thing, or something you really need to give it more thought, because even Marie Kondo, is that her name? I think she’s the one that’s the lady that’s the declutter lady. But a small decide later, Ben, is OK. And this is only for one day, so you probably won’t need that. But if you’re going to carry this habit forward into the future, Cheryl McColgan (04:43.958)maybe have a small side later been that way you can put some little things in there when you’re feeling overwhelmed, but you can still put it out of the way and make the one space that you’re focused on actually being, you know, completed like we’ve discussed. So even just if it’s one square foot, that is it. It’s like, don’t be tempted to deep clean. Just remind yourself that this is a small little habit that you’re going to start repeating over and over. And that’s why we want to keep it super manageable. And this one is again, you can tell I’m talking about this one a lot because it is definitely something that I find challenging, where if I would practice this habit every single day, these small five minute cleanups, I’d be in so much better shape than when I ignore it or I wait until I have enough time to do the whole thing, because you easily keep putting it off and keep putting it off. So anyway, hopefully that was useful for you today. As always, the research links will be in the tracker and in your email for the day. And if you haven’t signed up yet for the challenge, if you’re just running into this video on YouTube and you’re like, what is this all about? This is a 30 day healthy habits challenge. you can sign up at any time. And that link is healnursgrove.com slash habits. And so that’s it for today. I will talk to you again tomorrow.

In this conversation, Cheryl McColgan discusses the importance of setting digital boundaries to improve mental and physical health. She highlights the negative effects of excessive screen time, particularly from social media, on anxiety and overall well-being. Cheryl offers practical strategies for implementing a digital detox, such as uninstalling apps and creating physical distance from devices, to foster healthier habits and reduce stress. Takeaways Setting digital boundaries is crucial for mental health. Excessive screen time can disrupt sleep patterns. Social media contributes significantly to anxiety levels. A digital detox can free up valuable time. Uninstalling distracting apps can help focus. Physical distance from devices can improve well-being. Using Do Not Disturb features can reduce interruptions. Awareness of screen time can lead to healthier habits. Watch on YouTube Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts!  21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight  Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life  Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off  NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube  Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:00)Cheryl McColgan founder of Heal Nourish Grow and welcome to day 19 of the 30 days of healthy habits challenge. So today’s habit is that we’re going to set one digital boundary for the day and why this matters is probably obvious to you. There’s so many so much information and so much research now on screen time and how it’s affecting people and there’s so many reasons it’s not healthy. So the number one and we talked about this before in relation to sleep is the blue light that emanates from your phone. You’re holding it very close to your face for a great part of the day. So it definitely interferes with your circadian rhythm and sleep. In addition, you know, just the act of looking at your phone, having it in your hands can create wrist carpal tunnel kinds of issues. It creates a hunch in the shoulders and this forward head lean that is very hard to counteract. And then saving the probably the most important one to talk about for last. is that it really affects depression and anxiety. And we’re seeing a lot of research come out on this having to do with social media specifically and young children and screen time. And there’s kind of two separate things just screen time in general for children is less clear, I think in their literature, because I saw at least one research study recently that was saying something about it. wasn’t really the screen time itself necessarily interfering with neural development so it can be a positive in some cases but screen time as far as social media for both adolescents and adults is not healthy. It creates a lot of anxiety and depression and some of this is by design. So the app designers and if you ever listen to any of the interviews with people that talk about this stuff it’s really interesting how they purposely want to make you scroll more and spend more time on the app and now I think TikTok has gotten to be especially the worst because now it’s all like live streams of people trying to sell you something. So it’s also become a means by which you can, you know, lose some control of your financial situation. And, know, TikTok in particular, they’re just making it so, so easy to click on a live video and purchase the product immediately or put it into a cart where you’re still can watch the video and then prompts you to buy. So there’s any number of reasons giving yourself a digital detox is a good idea. In addition to just freeing up some of the time during your day, if you ever look at the stats on your phone about time spent on social media, like unless you’re scrolling social media while you’re on a treadmill or working out or something like that, that’s probably about the only other thing you could really reasonably do at the same time. But if you ever look at your screen time on your phone for specific apps, it can be really interesting and give you a big clue as to whether you need to do this type of detox a little more often or not. those, the links to that, some of the research will be in the email, of course, for you to read all about that if you want to do something extra. But today’s only habit is to just set the one digital badge boundary. So I want to give you some ideas about what that might be. It could be to uninstall. the app entirely from your phone for the day. That’s one really easy way to do it. There’s also some different apps and features, I believe, on either Android and iPhones that can put on a Do Not Disturb where you don’t get notifications for a certain period of time. You can also take it at a specific time of day or kind of have it stack it with other things. So for example, there’s also some literature that says maybe having the Wi-Fi next to your head at night or things plugged in next to your head, the EMFs, is not that great. So instead of plugging in your phone next to your bed, maybe today your digital boundary is you plug your phone in another room and just leave it in the other room. And then that way you also aren’t having that instantaneous access to it when you wake up first thing, you can kind of wake up more naturally and maybe take a few breaths and do some of your gratitude practice or one of the other habits that you’ve been working on throughout this challenge. And so those are just some ideas about how you can do this. Now, if you need for your phone for work, obviously, or you have apps that you use specifically for work on your phone, you might need to figure out how to let those specific notifications come through. Or like I said, if it’s just one app that’s particularly problematic for you that you tend to spend too much time on or let it distract you, maybe just uninstall that one from for the day. So hopefully that gave you some good ideas to set your digital boundary. As always, you’ll be doing your 10 minutes of movement, which is amazing. And then optional. are the extra reading, but I do think these are two pretty good ones, although it seems maybe obvious to you at this point that because it’s been in the news so much that too much screen time or too many apps and social media can create a lot of anxiety and depression. But those links will be in the email. And yeah, I think that’s about it for today. So I hope you enjoy trying this little detox, digital detox, and be sure to let me know in the comments if this is something you practice already on a regular basis or it’s something that you’re Going to try, would love to just hear your thoughts about the digital media space and how you’re taking any steps to mitigate that. So I will see you again tomorrow.

Today's habit for the 30 day healthy habits challenge, is a seriously under appreciated part of health. However, it's one that impacts both how you feel now and how you age over time: connection. Having supportive relationships and a sense of community isn't just good for your mood, it's strongly linked to longevity, resilience, and overall well-being. For today's habit, you're going to reach out to someone. Call or text, but take it one step further and make an actual plan. Suggest a specific day and a specific activity, even if it's simple and free, like a walk or a coffee. If you can, I want to encourage you to call. Hearing someone's voice or even leaving a quick voice message creates a deeper kind of connection than a quick text, and it's something we've gotten away from over time. Relationships require communication and follow-through, and today is about being the person who makes it easy for connection to happen. Takeaways Connection and supportive relationships are linked to mental health and longevity Isolation can negatively impact health over time, and reaching out helps reduce that A quick message is good, but a real plan is better Suggest a specific date and a specific activity so it doesn't stay vague Consider calling instead of texting to create a more meaningful moment of connection It does not have to be expensive or complicated, a walk, coffee, or casual catch-up counts Relationships require communication and consistency, and someone has to initiate it You can build a strong support system with just a few key people, but you have to invest in it Watch on YouTube Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts!  21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight  Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life  Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off  NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube  Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode Transcript: Cheryl McColgan (00:00.394)Cheryl McHogan founder of HealNourishGrow and welcome to day 18 of your 30 days healthy habits challenge. Today is one that is such an underappreciated part of health and that is to reach out to someone and having connection in your life and having a supportive community is really just so key not only to your mental health but also it’s highly related to longevity. So if you want to be healthier Creating a small circle or a large circle of people that you have in your life that are available to you is just really important and an underrated aspect of health. So today’s activity, today’s habit is to reach out to someone. Now I’m gonna say call or text, but plan something. Plan to meet, plan to meet in person, plan to go somewhere. It doesn’t have to be somewhere where you spend money necessarily, maybe go for a walk or just grab a coffee or it could be dinner. just anything like that. And I am going to encourage you, I said text or call, but I’m going to encourage you to call because we all have gotten maybe a little lazy with that over time. And it’s just nice to hear people’s voices, even if I’m not able to pick up the phone for some reason in that moment, I always love getting a nice voice message because it’s just something we don’t do that much anymore. Why this matters again, social connection, it’s protective for your mood and longevity and It’s just going to make you less isolated, which is also related to health over time. And if you don’t reach out, you’re not going to have those connections. You’re not going to have a actual relationship like relationships require communication. It requires touching base. And I have to say, I’m really impressed. There are certain people in my life that are just so very good at this. And I really admire that quality. They’re always the one to reach out or just say, thinking about you or let’s get together soon and throw out a date and throw out an idea. That’s another thing. mean, people, I feel like that’s one thing when you say, yeah, we should get together soon. That’s not a plan. That’s why that’s part of this conversation of this habit is to get you to be the one that says, how does next Thursday work or throwing out a date and an activity? Because a lot of people, you were the one to reach out. You’re the one that was thinking of them. And so I like for that to be kind of the way that you connect is to actually put an idea out there and Cheryl McColgan (02:22.99)not make it so ambiguous because quite often I have people in my life that will say that, we should get together. And yet they never suggest a time or an activity or a date. And it’s just kind of, I don’t know, it falls flat, I think in the realm of relationships. So it shouldn’t always be one sided. You shouldn’t always have to be the one to do that. But for this habit for today, I’m going to say, I’m going to put that on you to make that challenge to just reach out to somebody that you miss, that you want to catch up with, that you want to see and make some plans. And so that is today’s habit. As always, the research behind this, if you want to dig into it a little bit more, you’ll just find that it’s so related to many aspects of health. And I think you might really enjoy reading that if you need any encouragement about staying in touch with people, because it doesn’t have to be a big group. You just have to have somebody that’s got your back, somebody that you can rely on. And you have to create that. You have to put some energy into it. So that is it for today’s habit and I will see you again tomorrow.

Today's habit might surprise you, but it's one of the most important for overall well-being bring some attention to your finances by creating small win. Financial stress doesn't just live in your bank account, it aksi shows up in your body and your mental health, too. For a lot of people, the biggest stress isn't even the numbers, it's the avoidance of financial related tasks or thinking. So today, we're keeping it simple: one small money action that helps you feel more in control, builds momentum, and makes bigger financial tasks feel less overwhelming. Key takeaways: Financial stress is closely tied to mental and physical health, this is wellness, too. A tiny step helps break the avoidance cycle and builds confidence fast. Keep it small and doable. Ideas: cancel a subscription you don't use anymore, move $10–$100 into savings, pay a bill you've been putting off, review your expenses for the week or month, look at your credit card statement and spending categories, use your card's built-in tools to spot patterns. Even a one-day change (like skipping a habitual purchase) can be a helpful reality check and can add up over time. If you want extra support, I'll include a tool I've been testing (Rocket Money) in the show notes (free trial link if available). Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts!  21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight  Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life  Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off  NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube  Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Watch on YouTube Episode Transcript: Cheryl McColgan (00:00.43)Cheryl McCogan founder of Heal Nourish Grow and today is day 17 of the 30 days of Healthy Habits Challenge. So today is an interesting one and I think it’s one that people don’t always think about when you’re thinking about your health and wellness but it is actually so important especially for your mental health and just for overall well-being and that is today’s habit which will be to do a small financial win. So this could be anything really just a small money action that’s going to lower your financial stress because financial stress is really linked strongly to mental and physical health and taking a small action can help build confidence and reduce the stress of avoidance because a lot of people don’t do financial stuff because it’s like they just don’t want to think about it they don’t want to take the time to deal with it they think if they ignore it it’ll just go away something like that but you can have this tiny win today that will create some momentum and make bigger challenges feel less overwhelming. Is it like anything else? Like all of these habits we’ve talked about, you got to start small and build on it. So to make it easy, here’s some few options and examples of things you might do. One might be to cancel a subscription that you’re no longer using. That’ll save you maybe $10 a month, $20 a month, something like that. The streaming services have all got us crazy lately because everything you want to watch is on a totally different channel. So take a good look at that and maybe consider pairing that down. You might move $10, $20, $100 to your savings account, a pay a bill that you’ve been putting off, review an account, maybe review your expenses for the whole month or review your expenses for the week. Review your credit card bill. Really just take time to actually look at it and see where your money is going. There’s actually some good tools in most of the credit card things. If you log on to your account online, it’ll kind of… break it down into categories like, you know, bills and utilities. You might be looking at Amazon specifically, it’ll give you the whole amount that that has. If you look at whatever card that you have, it tends to have some good tools along with that that can show you how you’re managing your finances or where you’re spending. And then noticing once you see where you’re spending, that’s how you have been able to like create one of these small wins, see if there’s something that you can eliminate or something that you can change. Cheryl McColgan (02:28.586)Also an app that I’ve been testing out lately. I believe it’s called Rocket Money, but I’ll I think I have a link for now for a free trial period or something like that. But I’ll find that and put that link in the show notes for you. But it’s just a nice tool. can help you keep track of some of these things and give you some ideas on how to, you know, look, start looking at your finances a little bit more critically. You don’t want to do a big overhaul here. Don’t get into a whole thing about, you know, doing a grand evaluation of everything that you’re spending, everything you’re doing, try to just identify something that’s simple. Some of the things I mentioned, maybe it’s like skipping your $7 Starbucks for the morning, something like that for a lot of people that can really add up. But we’re just trying it for one day to day and just giving a little bit of attention to this. You can see if it’s something that is alignment with your priorities that you set at the beginning of the challenge, those three focus areas, you know, depending on what those are. your finances could be a really big part of that and part of the big key to keeping those moving in the direction that you want to move them. So as always the links for the studies will be in the email and in your tracker and so if you’re interested in diving a little more deeply into this you can find those links there and like I said it’s strongly related to mental and physical health a lot more people a lot more than people really realize. So taking a look at your finances and having the small win today, where can you cut back a little or where can you save something for your future will be a nice little mental uplift. So that is the habit for today and I will see you again tomorrow.

Today's habit for the 30 day healthy habit challenge is simple, powerful, and genuinely fun: set aside 10 minutes to do something creative or playful. As adults, we often stop making time for “silly” or purely enjoyable moments, but those short creative breaks can lower stress, boost your mood, and make it easier to stay consistent with healthy habits the rest of the day. Whether you put on music and fully immerse yourself, try painting, cook, take photos, knit, or explore something totally new. This is about giving your brain a reset and letting yourself experience a little joy. Takeaways Today's habit: Do 10 minutes of fun or creativity, in addition to your daily movement. Fun isn't “extra”, it can lower stress and support your overall well-being. Short creative breaks can improve mood and stress resilience, making healthy choices feel easier. As adults, we often forget how to play, making fun a habit helps bring that back. If you work in a creative field, choose something different from your job to truly reset your brain. Aim for an activity that helps you enter a mini flow state. This allows you to be extra focused and not thinking about everything else. Try something new you're not “good” at. Being a beginner can actually make it more immersive and fun. If you're too tired for “fun,” choose something restorative (like a relaxing read) and still count it. Watch on YouTube Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts!  21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight  Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life  Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off  NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube  Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode Transcript: Cheryl McColgan (00:00.558)Hey everyone, I’m Cheryl McColgan, founder of Heal Nourish Grow and welcome to day 16 of your 30 days of healthy habits challenge. Today is fun because it actually is doing something fun or creative for 10 minutes. So this is of course, in addition to your 10 minutes of daily movement, but you’re going to take a separate 10 minutes at some point today and set that aside to do something creative or fun. So this is often challenging for people. When I even think about it for myself, I’m like, what do I find fun? What would I actually do with this 10 minutes? Well, the beauty is it can be anything. And hopefully you have a hobby or a thing that you do, whether it’s art or singing or dancing or just something that speaks to you and creates fun. This fun or creative activity, it can lower stress, it supports your well-being, and it just makes healthy habits throughout the day easier to maintain if you always have a little bit of fun. Short creative breaks can also support your mood and it creates stress resilience. fun, we don’t always make time for it, but you can make that a habit too. And that’s why I wanted to include this one in the challenge because I definitely think it’s something that when we become adults, that we do this less and less. And it’s too bad because those times that you’re silly, and I find, at least for me, it’s often easiest for me to do this with friends, is that the silly creative or just fun times, it creates so much joy and you almost forget what it’s like. Whereas I feel like when we were younger and kids, we were more carefree and had less responsibilities. it was easier to just say pull off work and do something fun for 10 minutes. But it really will pay you benefits if you look at it in terms of your work, because when you give yourself that little mental break, and especially if you’re in a creative field, it is nice to take a break and do something fun or different from whatever it is creative that you do for your actual job. So I would encourage you if you are in a creative field, if you do, for example, you do some people call it I do creative, I don’t know if I really think that it’s because I don’t. Cheryl McColgan (02:12.332)I don’t think of writing creativity in the same way that I think of like drawing or painting or things like that. To me, that seems more like creative activity, but it is, it really is creative. And even when you’re doing it kind of more in a work component, that it’s not, you know, I’m not writing fiction or anything like that. So it’s not creative in that way, but it is still a different kind of skill of creativity. So for mine, I would not choose writing, obviously, I would do something completely different. And for me, I’m more likely to choose fun. for this challenge. So I would probably just maybe put on some music and you know really just take a moment to immerse myself into it and listen to it. I find that very fun and very rejuvenating and very refreshing break from work. So here’s some other ideas for you if none of that is resonating with anything so far but I already mentioned music. I mentioned drawing or painting. There’s also cooking. or taking photos or some other hobby that you have. Maybe it’s knitting, crochet, maybe it’s, one of my friends does this thing with these little like sparkly crystal things, putting them into pictures and stuff. just anything like that. And ideally also something that you can get in a flow state with if you can within 10 minutes, because it’ll just give you that stress relief because you’re totally focused and you’re not thinking about anything else. And in the past when I’ve done this, I haven’t thought it was fun. cannot draw or paint at all. Just was never a skill of mine, but I had bought this inexpensive acrylic set from Hobby Lobby. think those are pretty all over the US anyway. And it’s just a place that has a lot of different creative supplies and housewares and things to decorate with and stuff like that. So a lot of stuff for creativity. But being a person that doesn’t paint or draw at all bought this little inexpensive paint kit with how to canvas and spent the afternoon on my patio and started, I had an inspiration piece that was a flat perspective thing that I had seen somewhere that I had a photo of and I got so immersed such in a flow state, was unbelievable. Excuse me. And I think that it was even more so of a flow state because I didn’t know what I was doing. So. Cheryl McColgan (04:30.67)Extra bonus points if you try something new with this challenge that you’re not used to because I think it can create an extra fun thing. So if you’re extra tired when you’re doing this and this fun doesn’t seem like the thing go for relaxation whether it’s just a 10 minute break to do something you don’t normally get to do like reading something like that. That would be fine as well. So that is your habit for today. And if you’re not yet signed up, you can always start at any time. We’d love to have you and that’s it for this one. So I’ll see you again tomorrow.

Setting an intention for the day can help keep you focused on what’s really important. It gives you the ability to make decisions that are in alignment with what you’ve chosen to focus on for the day. Watch on YouTube Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts!  21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight  Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life  Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off  NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube  Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode Transcript: Cheryl McColgan (00:00.142)everyone, I’m Cheryl McColgan founder of Heal Nourish Grow and welcome to day 15 of your 30 days of healthy habits challenge. This morning is going to be simple. We’re going to pick an intention, just one priority. So at the beginning of the challenge you identified three areas that were your top priorities. So let’s set one intention that’s related to one of those priorities. You don’t have to do all three, just one. So. You will do this, write it down like we said before, there’s something about hand to real paper, actually writing something out that is very different than writing in the app. But if you’re using the app or you’re using a simple note in your phone, something like that, that is totally fine as well. But if you’re keeping a journal or you’re using that throughout the challenge, I definitely recommend actually handwriting this one. You could also write your intention for the day on a post-it note and put it somewhere where you’ll see it often throughout the day so that it keeps reminding you. So whether that’s on your computer, if you’re working or maybe putting in your purse, or if you’re in the kitchen a lot, dealing with your kids throughout the day, putting it on the refrigerator, something like that. So just one thing, and this thing about choosing a priority, or choosing an intention for the day, it really reduces decision fatigue. So if you’re really trying to stay mindful of that intention throughout the day, it’ll just make your decisions. easier. So you’re like, okay, is the decision I’m about to make in line with that priority, that intention that I set for the beginning of the day or not, and you definitely want it to be one try a whole day where you’re just really being in alignment with what it is that you want for yourself. It also just helps you reduce mental clutter and it directs you gives you some attention to your purpose. And it just makes the chances that you’re going to follow through a lot more realistic when you set that intention at the beginning of the day and actually Like I said, keep reminding yourself of it. Another thing you can do is actually set a timer or a reminder on your phone so that it pops up every once in while and again, just brings it back to the forefront. So you can keep it as easy as two sentences if you need it some kind of more, a little bit more direction around this, but it’s today I will blank and I will show up as blank. Cheryl McColgan (02:16.576)Again, having those little reminders around are a great way to approach it, but you could also attach it to some cue that you do something that you do throughout the day. You might be like every time I open my laptop, top, I’m going to repeat that intention and then just bring it to top of mind. So however it is that you’re going to be able to keep it in the forefront, do that, whether it’s the writing, the putting it on the phone, the attaching it to a cue. It’s kind of like the attaching it to you is like that idea of habit stacking that we’ve talked a little bit in the past. If warnings are too hectic, you could always write this intention the night before, or if you get stuck and you’re just can’t figure out something, maybe choose from being calm, consistent, present, kind, focused. Those are all ways that you could show up. Or today I will be one of those things, something like that. As always the links for the research are in your tracker and in the day’s email. If you’re not signed up yet, healthy habits challenge, be sure to go to healnourishgrow.com slash habits. You can easily sign up and start anytime that you find this. So you don’t have to wait till the beginning of the new year, the beginning of the new week. You just sign up for the challenge and then you’ll start getting emails the very next day and you’re off to the races. So I will see you again tomorrow. That’s it for today.

This is the end of another week of the healthy habits challenge, and Cheryl McColgan discusses the importance of evaluating the week in order to identify ways to improve for the rest of the challenge. Watch on YouTube Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts!  21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight  Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life  Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off  NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube  Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode Transcript: Cheryl McColgan (00:00.846)Hey everyone, I’m Cheryl McColgan, founder of Feel Nourish Grow and welcome to day 14 of your 30 days healthy habits challenge. We made it to day 14, that’s the end of week two and now it’s time for the weekly reset. So every week we do a reflect and adjust. It’s not a time to make any judgments about yourself or to be sad or unhappy with yourself for not doing a particular day or anything like that. You’re not perfect, you don’t need to be perfect. We just need to keep repeating the habits and not get stuck on, you know, this idea that we, you know, there’s the streaks and stuff are fun. And I, again, I made this challenge to be manageable so that it’s five to 15 minutes a day. So that ideally you’re getting those wins every single day. But if you do miss a day, it’s totally okay. You’re just jumping back in. So for the weekly reset, we’re going to go back to the same thing that we did on day seven. And that is to list one win. one challenge and one small adjustment for next week. Again, we’re doing always the 10 minutes of movement every day. I hope you’re enjoying that. I’d love to hear how it’s feeling in your body, what you’ve been doing for movement, what’s different for you with that. And then also going back to your focus areas. Ideally every day when you are looking at the habit that we’re doing, and I’ve tried to mention this a few times throughout the videos, but it’s not always easy for me to remember to do it on every single one, but to… Keep the habit in the framework of your, the three things that you identified at the beginning as your focus areas, trying to integrate that in some way that supports those focus areas. And if it just doesn’t fit for you, maybe that’s not one of the habits that you’re going to keep going forward. But those focus areas, again, ideally when you have these kind of focus areas in mind, and I like to take the focus areas and eventually, you make them into goals that are maybe a monthly goal or a five-year goal or a 10-year goal. things that are much bigger goals, you have to take these small steps to get there. And so, but these focus areas in, I have this other thing that I wrote up a long time ago and it was just about your daily or your goals and habits and kind of identifying what things are most important to you in your life. And, Cheryl McColgan (02:23.566)So was this program that I wrote about and it’s still on the website. I’ll include the link in the show notes for you, but it’s a goals and kind of identifying things in your life. Like what are you about? What are your primary drivers and what are some big goals in the future that you want to get to? You might have a five-year goal, a 10-year goal, but these daily little habits that we’re creating should all support your focus areas, your future goals, things that you’re gonna get to. the… Example I always like to use is the marathon. You know, you’re not going to go out and run 24 miles, 25 miles, 26.2 to be technically correct in a day. I’d like just do that tomorrow. You’ve got to build up to it. Ideally, if you’re going to run a marathon that’s four months in the future, you’re starting out by running a few, you know, maybe it’s even minutes at a time if you’ve never run before. And maybe it’s a six month build up to this or a year build up to this goal. But it’s these little daily habits that get you there. So anyway, all that is to say to just take these into account every habit that you try in this challenge, notice what’s speaking to you and then see how you can apply that to your focus areas. So hopefully that all makes sense. And as always, if you have any questions or anything, you can always reach out. But sometimes these things want to have a little bit of ambiguity around it because everybody’s got different goals in mind and different things that they’re doing. And so it’s nice to have a little bit of interpretation of it for yourself. But again, if you’re struggling or having trouble or just have questions, always feel free to reach out. And if you’re not doing this challenge yet, I encourage you to go ahead and sign up. It’s healnourishgrow.com slash habits. You can start any time, no matter when you’re finding this, it is never too late to start again or to just get started. Going back to your three things that you’re doing, your one win, your one challenge and your one small adjustment. If this week was messy, and you had a lot of little loops along the way. The win can be I did not quit. So it can be as simple as that. Again, this is not meant to beat you up or to be something that you yet again failed at like a New Year’s resolution. It’s nothing like that. This is all just bringing more awareness to your habits, giving you some things to try that will hopefully be useful in your real life after the challenge is over and that you can keep going for Cheryl McColgan (04:48.174)months, weeks, years, however much it supports your goals and your personal well-being. So that is it for today. I will see you again tomorrow.

For day 13 of the healthy habits challenge, Cheryl McColgan discusses the importance of emotional check ins for mental health and behavior change. Watch on YouTube Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts!  21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight  Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life  Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off  NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube  Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:00.046)Hey everyone, I’m Cheryl McColgan, founder of Heal Nourish Grow and welcome to day 13 of the 30 Days Have Healthy Habits Challenge. Today we’re doing a quick emotional check-in. So this is something that I noticed that when I’m just, you know, in work mode and I’m kind of moving through my day and I’m just checking things off my to-do list, you often don’t take time to just kind of check in with yourself and see how you’re actually doing. So it can be useful just to make sure that you know what’s going on. You can check in and see if you’re you notice you’re overly stressed overly anxious if you’re doing too much and it’s just a simple one-sentence thing that you’ll do for this emotional check-in and that is to say right now I feel blank and we’re also noticing if there is any feeling in the body that’s associated with this. So it’s just taking kind of an overview of both your physiological and emotional state at the same time. Quite often when we experience certain emotions, whether it’s stress or anxiety or excitement, you know, they don’t always have to be negative emotions that we’re feeling, but you’ll notice that you feel it somewhere in your body. And so that can just be useful to notice where you’re holding extra tension. And again, it just gives you some bullet points or some things to notice that you can try to counteract them. So for example, yesterday’s habit was the movement stack. And if you take an emotional check-in and you notice that you feel anxious in that moment. Well, it might be useful to do one of our breathing exercises that we’ve checked in as a habit or to do a little bit of movement to, you know, move some of that anxiety out of your body, but to first notice it, you have to notice it if you’re going to be able to do actually address it and do anything about it. So the cue is right now I feel blank and just notice where you feel it in your body. So the reason this matters is that labeling emotions can help reduce anxiety and help you respond with more intention. And then it also reduces the intensity. So especially if it’s a negative emotion, this naming it and noticing it will help you calm down and actually respond instead of overreact or react in a way that is not helpful for you. It also strengthens just self-awareness and mindfulness. So this is also something that we do sometimes in a meditation practice that you are Cheryl McColgan (02:19.957)you know, people’s minds are going everywhere, but you’re just observing thoughts and noticing them in a meditation and not necessarily trying to change anything, but just getting this idea of self-awareness. So if you get stuck and you’re not like can’t name what you’re feeling, you can use this simple list. This is or some of the most common ones that people might experience in the moment is stressed, calm, anxious, excited, tired, hopeful, frustrated, happy, sad. all there’s all kinds but those are kind of the typical ones that people might feel and then add one sense to this and say I feel this because so you might again it’s this idea of tuning in so that you can be more aware of actually what’s happening to you in the moment and an example might be I might feel this way because I’m frustrated with my boss or I might feel this way because I’m excited to go on my trip tomorrow or something like that. And if you want to go even a little bit deeper, you can ask what do I need right now? So if you are feeling stressed or anxious again, that’s what do you need? Maybe it’s some of the tools that we’ve practiced so far that help reduce stress and anxiety. So if you can’t, again, if you don’t know, what you feel exactly. And this is this is really challenging for a lot of people. Start with a sentence of say something and see if it resonates with you say like I feel tired. And then, you know, think about that for a second. Is that it or I feel overwhelmed? Just pick any one of those things that I named off earlier in the video and try it on and see if that works out for you. But if you have trouble, that’s probably a sign that you need to take this on as a more more practice that’s every day and something that you might want to keep because if you’re having trouble naming it, then that just is kind of identifying that maybe you’re not present in the moment and you’re not in tune with your emotions or feelings. So of course, there’s the links for the studies associated with this in the challenge emails and in the tracker. They’re always in the tracker, which is a great tool. So you’re checking off these days. Cheryl McColgan (04:37.151)of habits that you’re trying and kind of creating little streaks. And that’s also a great way to keep your habits intact and going from day to day into the future. So if you’re not signed up yet, the link is heelnourishgrow.com slash habits. And for those of you that are doing the challenge right now, I will see you tomorrow.

Cheryl McColgan discusses day 12 of the Healthy Habits challenge with the idea of a “movement snack.” Getting up from your desk on a regular basis and adding in small bouts of movement throughout the day has a number of benefits. Watch on YouTube Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts!  21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight  Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life  Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off  NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube  Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode Transcript: Cheryl McColgan (00:00.11)Hey everyone, I’m Cheryl McColgan, founder of HealNourishGrow and welcome to day 12 of your 30 days of healthy habits challenge. Today’s habit is to do a movement snack after for sitting too long. So I love the name of this and normally I’m not a big, not opposed to snacks generally, but you’ll do better if you just eat real meals, but movement snacks, we’re all about those for sure. So all this is going to do is do some kind of movement after you have been sitting for a while during the day. a lot of us have desk jobs where we sit in front of a computer. If you’re very active throughout the day, you have an active job. Maybe this is more like a movement snack in the evening after you’ve kind of wound down. You’ve been sitting around on the couch for a little bit. But anyway, just any time that you’ve been sitting for, you know, say maybe 45 minutes. For some people, you might get antsy quicker than that. For other people, you might want to sit longer. but try not to sit longer than 45 minutes. So you’ll just do like a two minute little movement break. Ideally, you want to stand up if you’re working in front of the desk, doing stretches like I’m demonstrating here on camera. So if you’re watching audio only, I’m pulling back my hand with the other hand just to stretch out my wrists. I do a lot of typing. So that is a really good one for me. You can also put your arms behind your head and grab one elbow and do a nice stretch there. So that could be the first part of your movement snack. And then to just get up for a minute, maybe go get a glass of water or just take a walk down the hall, maybe step outside for a minute, something like that. So your body is just really designed for frequent movement. And these long times that we’re sitting just really aren’t good for us. So especially if you’ve been sitting at a meal for a little bit, having that little bit of movement after. a meal, whether it’s a walk or something like that is really good for blood glucose. So doing something like some air squats that there’s also a recent study on that where it showed doing some air squats. When I say air squats, I just kind of mean like body weight squats where you don’t need any equipment or anything like that is as effective as walking for blood glucose control. So that’s pretty cool. It also just can support circulation, energy, focus. These are just Cheryl McColgan (02:19.24)nice way to break up your day and again just not have yourself sitting all the time. Eventually when you sit for long periods you don’t counteract that it’s know shortens your hip flexors it create a lot of issues in your body. We all get this kind of forward head when we’re working in front of the computer so things that you can do to counteract that like bringing your arms behind your back and interlacing your hands and then really stretching back to create a stretch in the front of the chest is a way that you can kind of counteract some of that you know, hunched forward movement. So I am mentioning a lot of stretching, but I do want you to get out of the chair for sure. Again, try to keep it to 45 minutes. If you get up more frequently, of course, that’s always amazing. But that is the habit for today. So try not to sit for too long. As always, if you’re not yet part of the challenge, you can go sign up. The link is in the show notes or in the comment box below. If you’re looking at YouTube in the description box, it’ll be there. And yeah. Let me know if you find this helpful and I’ll see you tomorrow.

Cheryl McColgan introduces the idea of tracking one thing during the day for the healthy habits challenge. Tracking brings awareness to your behaviors and gives you a powerful tool for habit change. This link is for the free Cronometer food tracking app mentioned in the episode. The habit tracker we recommend is Griply. Watch on YouTube Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts!  21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight  Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life  Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off  NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube  Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode Transcript: Cheryl McColgan (00:00.014)Hey everyone, I’m Cheryl McColgan, founder of Heal Nourish Grow. Welcome to day 11 of the 30 Day Habits Challenge. And today we’re going to start a practice that is something that’s useful for a lot of parts of your life. It may be something that you’re not used to doing yet. For a lot of people, this is a very foreign thing to them. But the habit for today is to just track one thing. And so that could be tracking your movement, that could be tracking water, it could be tracking your mood, something like that. Again, this is all about learning the skill of discipline. So it doesn’t need to be perfect. You just need to do it. So pick a thing that you’re going to track. Maybe it’s steps, maybe it’s water, maybe it’s like your mood, like I said, or maybe it’s protein. We talked about protein a lot, so maybe you want to track protein. But you’re just keeping it neutral. You’re just collecting data. You’re not judging yourself. So if you’re tracking steps, you’re not shooting for a certain amount. Or if you’re tracking calories, you’re not trying to restrict or anything. You’re just… tracking what is and using it as a simple data point. So that’s the minimum today to just track one single thing. If you need tools for tracking, I’ve mentioned to you the couple of apps before that we have in the resources for journaling, for tracking things. One that I have not mentioned yet, if you’re going to use… If you’re going to track things like protein or calories or things like that, an app is super helpful. mean, back in the old school days, we literally used to write it down and try to find ways to look up calories and stuff. It was a lot more challenging. Now it’s super easy. My favorite, one of the ones that people know a lot is my fitness pal, but I find that one to be very inaccurate, just not that good. Chronometer is amazing. I use the free version for years. I pay for it now because it’s that good. I love it. It’s not super expensive. But if you go to https://healnourishgrow.com/cronometer that’ll give you the link that gives you access to the app. Like I said, it’s a hundred percent free. You get really access to most things you need without ever having to pay anything. It’s just if you want more advanced tracking features like tracking. I think one of the advanced things is more like tracking your micronutrients kind of things, but for just everyday calorie tracking and things like that, it’s a great app and it’s super easy to use. Yeah, so one thing, whatever it is, pick that. That’s your habit for the day. It should be super simple as always. Cheryl McColgan (02:17.922)Hope you’re keeping track of these things in your tracker. If you ran across this and you’re not part of the challenge yet, just go to healnourishro.com slash habits and you can join at any time. It’ll set you on day one. And so whatever time of the year it is, whenever you find this, would still love to have you join. So that is it for day 11 and I will see you again tomorrow.

Cheryl McColgan discusses the habit for day 10 in the Healthy Habits Challenge, a simple 3 breath reset. Breathwork is a great tool for stress relief and attention. Watch on YouTube: Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts!  21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight  Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life  Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off  NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube  Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode Transcript: Cheryl McColgan (00:00.414)I’m Cheryl McColgan founder of Heal Nourish Grow and welcome to day 10 of the 30 day healthy habits challenge. So today is going to be a habit that I have been practicing for a really long time because it’s a little bit based in yoga, which if you know a little bit about my background, I’m a certified experienced yoga teacher, tons of hours teaching, have been doing yoga since… gosh this is… tough to say, but like over 30 years now I picked it up while I was in college. But anyway, it’s about a breathing practice. And this one’s not a structured breathing practice. This is just to try this one time today. And that’s just to practice a three breath reset. So at some point during the day where you’re either tired or feeling a little stressed, or you’re having an interaction that is making you tense up, you’re simply going to take three deep breaths. Now the one thing I want to teach you about this because there are a lot of structured breathing programs and they all have maybe slightly different purposes. There’s box breathing, there’s alternate nostril breathing, there’s a ton of different breathing practices. And we are going to talk about another one I think later in the series that’s for a different purpose. But really this is just a practice to just get you thinking about breathing. And the thing I just want to bring home is that the most One of the more important parts of any breath practice, I think if you’re using it to calm down or to fight stress, which is what we’re trying to do with this one, and that is to extend the exhale slightly longer than the inhale. So if you inhale for a count of four, for example, you want to exhale for at least a count of five. And the reason that this works and there’s plenty of data on it, like you know, with this whole challenge, there’s always research and the links for those are in your tracker and emails. But the slightly longer exhale activates your parasympathetic nervous system. And that’s the part of your nervous system that’s for calm, that’s for rest and digest. And it’s the one that a lot of people really have trouble accessing. So just having that slightly longer exhale is a great way to do that. So today, like I said, one of those times you’re just going to do that slightly longer exhale. Cheryl McColgan (02:18.487)This is gonna cue your nervous system to be more calm and it’s gonna help with stress and impulsive decisions. So it’s particularly useful in situations maybe with your significant other or at work or with your children. Anytime you’re feeling a little frustrating, just take a moment, three deep breaths, slightly longer exhale, and then deal with whatever the situation is. So you might wanna use some kind of trigger moment today. that makes you think of it. Like again, if we do this habit stacking thing, the thing that’s going to help you do it most easily. Now that’s most useful when you, it’s something that you want to accomplish every single day. And I certainly think taking this time, any time of day, doing it at a specific time is really good, but I think it’s really more useful even, like I said, in those little situations where you might have some stress, like before a meeting or when you’re driving in traffic or something like that, or just using it to really settle yourself down before bed, you could make it. part of your bedtime ritual if you wanted to do that. So that’s today’s thing. Super easy. Just breathe. If you want to read the signs, make sure you’re signed up for the challenge. You’ll get all the links in the tracker and in the emails. And that’s it for today. I will see you again tomorrow. I was almost going say next week, but man, we’re only on day 10 here. So we got a lot to go.

In this conversation, Cheryl McColgan discusses the significance of prioritizing protein intake in meals, particularly as one ages. She emphasizes the benefits of starting meals with protein to enhance satiety, meet nutritional needs, and support muscle health. Cheryl explains the concept of anabolic resistance and the importance of leucine in protein synthesis, providing practical advice on how to incorporate more protein into daily meals. The discussion highlights the challenges of meeting protein requirements and offers strategies for achieving a balanced diet without feeling restricted. Takeaways Eating protein first can help you meet your protein needs.Protein is highly satiating and can prevent overeating.As we age, our protein absorption efficiency decreases.Aim for 30-40 grams of protein per meal for muscle health.Leucine is crucial for stimulating muscle protein synthesis.Tracking protein intake can help ensure adequate consumption.Eating protein first can change your overall eating habits.It’s important to balance protein with carbohydrates and fats.Consider adding a protein snack before bed for muscle recovery.One meal a day focusing on protein can be a great start. Watch on YouTube Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts!  21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight  Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life  Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off  NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube  Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:00.524)I’m Cheryl McColgan founder of Peel Nourish Grow, and welcome to day nine of the 30 Day Healthy Habit Challenge. So today we’re going to talk about one of my favorite things, one of my favorite hacks, if you want to call it a hack, and that is today’s habit, and that is to eat protein first at one meal. So you don’t have to do it every meal, just one meal today. It’s not about perfection. This is just about sequencing. So doing this one meal totally counts, if all you do is that, you win today. The reason that you want to start with protein is because it really highly satiating, it increases fullness. And one of the things that I’ve been working on my protein intake, I’ve been tracking it for about the last five or six years now, where I’ve really been more focused on intentionally getting more protein each day. And even after all that time, if I am not focused on it, I will tend to not get enough protein on any given day. So one of the things that eating protein first does for you is if you’re if you’re one of those people that they’ll say when they learn what their optimal amount of protein is, you’re like my gosh how would I eat that much protein it’s so difficult. Well it’s probably difficult because you’re eating other things first that take up this, I always say when I’m talking about a salad or bread before meals, I’m like, no, that’s just gonna take up the space where the meat should be, right? So I always keep that in my mind. That’s how really I approach every meal is I know how much protein I’m supposed to get each meal. I get that out of the way, I put that on my plate, I weigh it out, and then I know that I’ve gotten that. And then I use carbohydrates and fats to fill in the energy calories after that. So that’s… Really the main reason to do it is because protein is very satiating. Most people don’t get enough of it. And eating it first really allows you to make sure that you get it in. This is important for a few reasons. First of all, as we age, there’s this thing called anabolic resistance. So basically it means that the protein that we eat is not absorbed properly or might not be broken down effectively. I don’t know if they really know what the exact mechanism is, why that happens. Cheryl McColgan (02:17.934)But basically, it’s like if I eat 30 grams of protein as an 18-year-old person, that’s almost getting 100 % utilized in the body. Whereas if I eat 30 grams of protein as a 45, 55, 65-year-old person, maybe only 80 % of that gets broken down into amino acids. so especially as you get older, that getting the proper amount of protein is really important. Unfortunately, what tends to happen, people’s appetite sometimes get less or over time or they just don’t eat as well as they get older and they just get less and less protein and that just creates a number of health problems. Sarcopenia is low muscle mass that can happen as you age without strength training and without the proper amount of protein. There’s also this other idea called the protein leverage hypothesis, which is basically that your body will keep seeking out. eat until your protein needs are met. So if you are eating a lot of either processed foods or a lot of foods that might be good for you, but don’t contain a lot of protein, it tends to make you overeat because your body will still be telling you, no, I still need protein. I still need those amino acids. And so you just keep eating and eating until you get to that point. So that’s some of the reasons that it’s very important. And since we’re on the topic, I’ll just go ahead and talk about that. You know, you heard me mention 30 grams. 30 grams of protein is basically what’s required to stimulate muscle protein synthesis. again, if you’re an older person, you might need more like 35 to 40 grams per meal. the real key there is not necessarily the grams of protein, it’s the amount of leucine in the protein that stimulates muscle protein synthesis. And they say that that’s two to three grams of leucine required to start that process. So again, as we get older, it might not be broken down as efficiently. So you really want to get like 35 to 40 every time you eat a meal. Every time you eat is an opportunity to stimulate muscle protein synthesis. And for most people, even the smallest women, you need about 100 grams of protein a day. An easy way to figure this out and kind of what’s been going around in the health space and people that are focused on this work, people like Dr. Don Lehman that do this kind of literature about protein, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon. Cheryl McColgan (04:36.558)is that so the minimum is about one gram of protein per pound of ideal body weight. So say you are a woman, you might have a few maybe your 10 or 20 pounds of weight, you have little weight to lose. And so whatever you weigh now, you feel like your ideal weight for your height is 150. Well, that’s the amount of protein you’d be trying to get in a day is 150 grams of protein. So for me, what that has meant is I’ve had to add a fourth meal into my day, basically like an afternoon protein hit. Because I find it challenging to, number one, wake up and get something like 50 or 60 grams of protein. I mean, that would be ideal, but I just don’t have the appetite for that. So I always go for like 35 to 40 my first meal of the day. And then lunch again, it’s kind of hard to eat something that’s going to be that amount of protein. So it’s usually lands around 40 to 50. And you can see how that’s still by the end of the day, if I’m shooting for 150 grams of protein, I’ve still got like 60 or 70 to eat and you don’t want to be eating ideally a giant meal before dinner. having that little afternoon protein and then the evening meal is kind of how it’s worked out for me. I’ve also had people talk or heard interviews where they talk about having, you know, a protein snack in the evening before bed is very muscle stimulating and just kind of If you’re a person that’s working on your body composition, working on building muscle, working out a lot, maybe having, you know, that eight o’clock protein shake or something before you go to bed might be a good way to get that extra amount in. I did just mention protein shake. Ideally, that’s not what we’re leading with in this challenge. You’re eating a real food protein for your first part of your meal, and then you’re filling in with carbs and fats. Anyway, that is all the reasons why you want to start working on eating protein first. And you’ll see that if you do that, it really changes the way you eat pretty naturally. So instead of having to restrict a lot of things or change a lot of what you eat, if you really just eat the protein first, you’ll find that the things, the rest of it kind of balances itself out pretty easily. And it also becomes very hard to overeat on protein because say you’re eating a chicken breast, you’re not really going to, you know, magically overeat chicken breast. It’s pretty hard to do. Cheryl McColgan (06:51.106)But we quite often magically overeat other things like that have that carbon fat combination. If you just start eating some chips or you know, those kinds of foods, bread or whatever it is, those are much easier to overeat for that reason. And also I think going back to the protein leverage thing, that’s probably why as well. So that was probably more than you wanted to know about protein, but I really wanted to make a good case for why eating protein first is a habit that you really should take on in your life. And Hopefully you will maintain this one. I think doing it one meal a day at first is pretty dang easy. So maybe you carry that out for the rest of challenge, or again, maybe this is just one of those you try, you’re not sure it works for you, or maybe come back to it later. But for today, it’s just eat protein first at one meal. So that is it for now, and I will see you again tomorrow.

In this conversation, Cheryl McColgan emphasizes the importance of daily movement, particularly through walking outdoors. She discusses the health benefits of connecting with nature, the accessibility of walking as an exercise, and the significance of discipline over motivation in maintaining a consistent exercise routine. Cheryl encourages listeners to take a 15-minute walk as part of their healthy habits challenge, highlighting the positive effects on mood and energy levels. Takeaways Walking outdoors connects you with nature.Daily movement is essential for health.Discipline is more important than motivation.Walking is an accessible form of exercise.Fresh air and sunshine benefit your well-being.Getting outside can improve your mood.Consistency in exercise leads to better health.Small steps can lead to significant changes.Enjoying the scenery can enhance your experience. Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. Watch on YouTube: Episode Transcript: Cheryl McColgan (00:00.174)Hey everyone, I’m Cheryl McColgan founder of Heal Nourish Grow and welcome to day eight of the 30 Day Healthy Habits Challenge. Today’s challenge is going to be something, you’ve already been doing movement every day as part of the challenge, but today I’m going to task you with taking a 15 minute walk. There’s specific reason that we wanna do a walk. So it doesn’t have to be any fast kind of walk, it doesn’t have to be a specific pace, but ideally I would like for you to walk outside. And there’s a good reason for that. It is really a healthy and important thing to connect with nature on a daily basis. And I realize, you know, depending on what part of the country you live in right now, as I’m recording this, it is the end of December. And so it was about 25 degrees today here in the Midwest. And I realize it might not seem like the most pleasant thing to do, but if it’s cold, bundle up. get outside if it’s too warm where you are, go earlier in the day where it’s cooler. Obviously be safe if there’s ice, if there’s an excessive amount of heat, maybe walk inside on the treadmill instead. And if you can’t walk outside for whatever reason and you don’t have a treadmill and you can’t go to the gym, then you’re just going to do whatever the movement you’ve been doing. So you’re still gonna keep your habit of daily movement. But the walk outside is so great because you’ll get some fresh air, you’ll get sunshine, getting real sunshine on your eyeballs outside is so important for your circadian rhythm. It allows you to connect with nature, like I said, so just observing the trees. I’m looking out the trees outside my window right now, not in how many leaves, but just noticing the sights, being outside, breathing the fresh air. is so wonderful to actually get outside and get out of your office. Now, For most of us, walking is pretty accessible. So just about the most accessible exercise that there is. Even people that are seriously deconditioned or very, very overweight can have small little walking snacks as part of their routine. And mostly people can handle this pretty well. It really supports heart health. So you’re doing cardiovascular work whenever you move, you’re making your heart pump harder. And I said, you know, there was no… Cheryl McColgan (02:16.206)speed or intensity kind of goal with this walk is just meant to be a stroll and get outdoors. But if you take on walk as kind of your normal daily movement activity, you can definitely make it a heart healthy activity if you go a little bit faster. And it’s really one of the it’s it’s just so like I said, it’s so accessible to everybody. It’s so easy. It’s free. You just walk outside your door and do it. And I realize There are parts of the country where maybe it’s not so safe to walk for various reasons. Like don’t have sidewalks in my neighborhood, so that’s bit of a challenge. Here’s a tip for walking outside. If you don’t have sidewalks, you’re always supposed to walk against traffic, right? Because you want to be able to see the cars coming out, you know, so that you can easily jump to the side if needed. But, you know, and there might be, you know, maybe you live in an area that’s higher crime or something like that. So maybe it’s not as safe to walk outside, but you can possibly drive to a park or, you know, just take some time to get outside. Ideally daily, but definitely weekly and I know that in cities it can be more challenging, but it’s definitely going to help with your energy. It’s going to help with your mood. It’s like I said helps heart health and it’s probably one of the easiest habits to repeat which makes it perfect for a discipline practice because you can almost always convince yourself to go for a walk if you have to convince yourself to go for a run or go to the gym and strength train or get in a cold pool to swim in the morning. Those can all be very challenging, but just to go for a walk, I think most of us can convince ourselves to do that. I do have, since we’re talking about what’s more challenging, what’s easier or not easier for exercising, and I may or may not have mentioned this before because I think I told you guys that I, some of the recordings for whatever reason didn’t have sound. And so I may have mentioned this previously or I may not have. It may have been one of the recordings that are lost, but for years I just used this little trick for motivation or actually, It’s a discipline trip more than motivation. Motivation, like I said, the whole reason we’re not talking about that this much in this challenge is because motivation comes and goes. I it’s great when you have it because it helps you get started on projects or started on a new exercise regime. But it quite often doesn’t help you maintain that. That’s where discipline comes in. Discipline is just doing the thing, right? So when I was a runner for 17 years, quite often there’d be many days I didn’t feel like doing. I didn’t particularly actually even like running, yet I did it because of the whole discipline thing. It’s one of the things I… Cheryl McColgan (04:37.784)have cultivated pretty well over the years. But it would be like a conversation with myself. If I really didn’t feel like it, I would just say, okay, well, just put on your running shoes, put on your outfit and go outside, you know, just get started for five minutes. And if you really don’t feel like you can come back in, I mean, you can convince or chew it, whatever it is, it’s the getting out the door or getting to the gym part. That’s the hardest part. Once you’re there, you’re gonna do something. I almost. Guarantee it in all the years. I’ve tricked myself like this It has never ended up that I didn’t actually do something and I’d say 95 % of the time I did the whole Workout or routine or whatever it was I had planned so it might always been to the Perfect speed or the perfect intensity or anything like that, but I did it and that is Discipline that is all it is is just repeating it being consistent Of course, there may be times where you need to honor your body and take time off and that’s totally fine. That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m just talking about when you know you should do it, you set aside the time to do it and you just don’t want to. That’s just a little trick there. So anyway, I hope wherever you are that you are able to get outside and take a walk today. Like I said, 15 minutes. So it’s a little bit longer than the amount of movement that we’ve been doing. It’s not going to increase every day from here or anything like that. We know that that’s not what this challenge is about. It’s still going to be 10 minutes of movement a day. But I just wanted to challenge you on this one. Get the outside, get that extra little five minutes outdoors, get your heart rate pumping a little bit, breathe in some fresh air and enjoy the scenery wherever you are. Like I said, my scenery right here, right now is not all that exciting, but there’s always things that you can find to observe once you get outside. And even it’s just noticing how the clouds look today, because it’s a dreary overcast day here in Cincinnati. But hope you enjoyed today’s challenge, today’s habit that we’re trying and I will see you again tomorrow.

In this conversation, Cheryl McColgan discusses the importance of reflecting and adjusting weekly habits to foster personal growth and discipline. She emphasizes that perfection is not necessary, and encourages listeners to integrate small habits into their daily lives. The conversation also highlights the significance of aligning habits with personal priorities and sharing wins and challenges with others for support. Takeaways You don’t have to be perfect; just keep trying.Reflecting on habits helps identify challenges and adjustments.Completing a habit is a win, no matter how small.Aligning daily habits with priorities simplifies decision-making.Weekly evaluations can enhance personal growth and discipline.Small adjustments can lead to significant improvements over time.Sharing wins and challenges fosters community support.Self-reflection is key to understanding personal resistance.Tracking workouts can reveal patterns in energy and motivation.Integrating reflection into weekly routines is beneficial. Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts!  21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight  Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life  Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off  NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube  Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode Transcript: Cheryl McColgan (00:00.162)Hey everyone, I’m Cheryl McColgan, founder of Heal Nourish Grow and welcome to day seven of the 30 day healthy habits challenge. So today you made it through a week. You’ve tried six new behaviors up to this point or maybe not so new, maybe you’ve tried them before, but you just haven’t integrated them into your everyday. And now it’s time for the weekly reset. Time to reflect and adjust because again, this is about learning the skill of discipline. through habits. You don’t have to be perfect. You’re just need to get it done. And again, if you missed a day, it’s no problem. You just jump back in. You can do the habit the next day or just restart, pick up wherever you are. It’s not meant to be this crazy restrictive thing. I do think it’s fun, you know, to use the tractor to keep streaks going. These are such little small habits every day that it’s almost they’re too small to ignore. Like you kind of have to do it because it’s like, I always notice if I have a bigger thing that I’m dreading, like a big project for work or going to the gym on a certain day where I’m not really feeling it. If I put it in the perspective of it’s a big long task, like it’s going to be an hour workout, it’s got it supposed to be a heavy leg day and thinking about all of those things that can definitely make you not want to do it. But if you put it more in the perspective of, okay, I don’t feel great today, but I’m just going to work out for five minutes and if I really don’t feel it, I can quit that kind of thing. That will make it a lot more likely that you follow through. So that’s why it’s good to do these reflect and adjust evaluations of the week. If any resistance came up around doing any of these habits, I’d be surprised again, because they’re so small, but it could happen. It could just be got super busy one day and you just didn’t even feel like it was worth it. It seemed too silly or didn’t speak to you for whatever reason. This is the time to reflect on that. and adjust and kind of just get some learning out of it about yourself and you know why are you resistant to certain things and just self-reflection basically. So what we’re going to do today is write down one win, one challenge, and one small adjustment for next week. Hopefully you can find one of each of those. Again it’s kind of like the gratitude practice sometimes it can be hard to think of at first or if you’re having a particular bad day but Cheryl McColgan (02:25.774)One win is any day that you completed the habit. That’s a win. If you completed all six of the habits, that’s a big win. What was one challenge? What was the one thing that or one habit that you kind of thought about that didn’t speak to you you didn’t want to do it or you tried it and it wasn’t for you or you tried and it was too hard, something like that. Uh, and then one small adjustment for what next week, what can you maybe do better? What can you incorporate more of? The one thing I would encourage you to is to go back to the three priorities that you set for the beginning of the challenge and see if you were able to incorporate those in each day with the habit that came up. Could you tie it back to your priorities? So say your priorities were that you want to eat healthier and be more present with your family and whatever a third one is. But could you take those daily habits that we tried and was there a way that you could integrate that into the things that your priorities because at the end of this that’s really what you’re learning to do is you want to identify your priorities and that that helps make each decision that you make every day a little easier because if it aligns with your priorities Then that’s something you should be doing if it’s something that doesn’t align with your priorities like you said you want to eat healthier, but you have this idea that you want to you know, eat ice cream every day or something. I’m not saying ice cream is wrong. It’s just like maybe every day is not the greatest. But that doesn’t align with your overarching goal, right? Your overarching priorities. So it’s just something to look at in these times when you’re doing the evaluation or the reflect and adjust period. And that’s kind of at the end of every week, whether you’re doing this challenge or whether you’re doing a habits thing or not, it’s still a useful tool, this particular thing to kind of integrate on a Every so often basis, I like to do it once a week, just kind of look at the wins for the week, look at the challenges, what’s a way to adjust, kind of working on that for myself right at the moment with my strength training program because I’m noticing, I’m way overdue for a deload, my body’s very tired, I’m trying to make it to some time when we go out of town to have a little break, but I’m adjusting now because I’m noticing that my body is really. Cheryl McColgan (04:47.808)not in a good place at the moment and so I’m having to adjust my plans but that comes from a reflection because I reflected back on the week reflected on kind of how I was doing with my workouts one of my habits has been to you know I always track the workout and I also make some commentary about how it went or what kind of day it was and I’m noticing just more really tired days more really dragging days more days where I am not dreading it, but it’s just more challenging. And so I’m definitely noticing that, okay, maybe there’s my body’s telling me something here I need to reflect and adjust. So I would say work that in, and every week, no matter what you’re doing, this is a great habit in and of itself, right, to maybe look at in the future. So as always, the links for the research will be in the tracker. And I’d also love it if you’d hit reply on the email and tell me your wins. from the week. would just like to hear them. think it’s fun. or share them in the comments below because we can just all cheer each other on with our wins. And you know, it’s not always, not always pleasant to publicly share your challenges, but if you’re so inclined or you want advice and you think other people might have a strategy that could help you pop that in the comments too. You just never know what kind of feedback you’re going to get when you, well, I will say YouTube tends to be more aggressive with the feedback sometimes I’ve noticed that so you you can decide if you’re up for that or not. Would love to just hear your thoughts on week one in the comments and that’s it for today. I will see you again tomorrow. Take care.

In this conversation, Cheryl McColgan discusses the importance of replacing unhealthy habits with healthier alternatives rather than restricting them completely. She emphasizes the ease of substitution in creating sustainable dietary changes and introduces the concept of mindfulness and tracking behaviors to facilitate change. The discussion is framed within the context of a 30-day healthy habits challenge, encouraging listeners to adopt small, manageable changes for long-term success. Takeaways Substitution is easier than restriction for behavior change.Small swaps can improve diet quality without drastic changes.Mindfulness in tracking behaviors can lead to automatic changes.Replacing unhealthy foods with healthier options enhances adherence.Cutting out beloved foods can lead to a rebound effect.Practicing discipline is key to forming new habits.The challenge encourages starting changes immediately, not waiting for a specific time.Mindful tracking can help in reducing alcohol consumption.The goal is to create sustainable habits through gradual changes. Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts! 21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode Transcript: Cheryl McColgan (00:00.152)Hey everyone, I’m Cheryl McColgan, founder of Heal Nourish Grow and welcome to day six of your 30 day healthy habits challenge. So today we’re going to work on doing something that is not restrictive, but yet just replacing. So for example, this is just again, all about practicing discipline. And so instead of cutting something out completely, we’re just gonna do a swap. So one of the easier, Examples I can think of for this is maybe you drink a sugary drink or soda every day. Instead, consider drinking a glass of water in place of that or replace it with something closer to a soda, which would be maybe a diet soda, sugar-free soda, something like that. So rather than just trying to ditch the habit completely, we’re going to do a replacement behavior. And the reason this works is that substitution is just a lot easier than restriction, right? So small swaps can really improve your diet quality without having to do any crazy, really restrictive things. Like for example, keto, as you know, that that’s what I’ve done very strictly in the past. Right now, just so you know, I would still say I’m low carb, but I have kind of changed the way that I have been eating over the last year because I’ve started strength training a lot more and I did a bodybuilding competition. And so my diet looked a little bit different than it has for the past seven years, but I’m definitely still low carb and go in and out of ketosis at times still, but much more carbs in my life. Right. So that’s the example is that when you do something like keto and you go all in at the beginning, you’re really doing a lot of restriction, but instead can you replace those? And that’s really what it looks like for a healthy diet, no matter what kind of style of eating you choose, whether it’s just eating more whole foods or eating less sugar, whatever it is for you, making those adjustments in a sense that you’re replacing something rather than restricting it is a lot easier. So in the idea of like the keto diet, one of the things like so for example, carbs, let’s say potatoes well. Cheryl McColgan (02:09.814)instead of just getting rid of potatoes altogether, maybe replace it with something else that’s lower carb like cauliflower. Cauliflower is the solution for everything, right? So it’s just a replacement thing. And it also just create better adherence because if you try to cut everything out at once, and that’s really, again, what this whole challenge is all about is that year after year when I’ve talked to people or worked with people on doing new habits or New Year’s resolutions or goals for the new year, people always tend to bite off more than they can chew because when it comes to the time of year, like if you happen to be doing this in January, I mean, I hope you pick it up anytime. Because like I said, it’s always for me, it’s like, okay, notice that you need some help with something and don’t wait till Monday, don’t wait till tomorrow, just start doing it now again. So you could start this challenge over any time that you need it. But really it’s… Cheryl McColgan (03:28.281)But really what it’s meant to do is get you thinking in the right direction and start trying little new things so that you can create bigger changes later if that’s your goal. Or maybe there’s something that you think you want to change in your life. So maybe you try this one little habit around that first and then you think, okay, well that’s really not the right way to approach it. Or maybe you don’t actually need to change that thing at all. Maybe you just need to replace some behavior. So anyway, I hope that gives you some sense of why we’re doing it this way. But also in this particular one, like the restriction versus replacement, it’s just an easier behavior change. Because if you’re still going to have, here’s another example, if you need to cut down your coffee, right, or cut down your caffeine, instead of cutting out coffee completely, maybe you switch to decaf or maybe you switch to half-caf. You still get the taste, you still have the behavior, you still have the enjoyment of it, but without the thing that you’re trying to negatively impact. So hopefully that makes sense. Just doing these behaviors that replace things rather than restricting them is a lot easier. It can also just make you if you if you’re working on diet in particular, I mentioned adherence like diet is probably the place where it really impacts the most. Because again, like cutting out those things that you love is eventually going to cause a rebound effect process possibly whereas if you put in something similar but healthier, it just makes that behavior easier to repeat over time. And then you might find as you practice behavior longer and longer, it becomes more of a habit. Then maybe you cut down or cut back or cut out certain things because there are definitely certain things. And again, diets probably the best example, but there’s, there’s definitely things in your diet that just aren’t healthy and you’d be better off if you cut them out completely. And you probably say the same things about some lifestyle behaviors as well. So I think I may or may not have mentioned earlier in the challenge that You know, another thing that people like to look at this time of year tends to be behaviors around alcohol. And I, in the past, had interviewed Ian, who’s the founder of Sunnyside, and he had reached out to me because they’re doing something this month. So their app is available year round. And it’s actually a really cool app because it’s kind of on the same vein. It’s not totally taking the behavior away or it’s not restricting. It’s just asking you to be more mindful and track things. And as you track things and become more mindful, Cheryl McColgan (05:54.37)sometimes your behavior changes automatically. And so around alcohol, they’re not saying don’t drink at all, but they’re just saying be more mindful and maybe eventually do replacements, do mocktails, do different kinds of beverages, or eventually start cutting back. But it’s the tracking and the mindfulness about it and that substitution behavior that makes it really useful. So anyway, I’ll make sure that is in the show notes as well because they are actually offering a totally free. January program that you don’t even have to put your credit card in for. But anyway, the app is really awesome. And if that’s one of your behaviors that you’d like to do this substitution with, I would definitely recommend trying that app at some point. So hopefully this makes sense. That’s a pretty simple habit to try for a day. Just swap one thing. We’re just replacing or changing slightly. We’re not restricting. But just, again, that practice of being mindful around this and noticing what it is you might need to change, I think will be super helpful. So. That is it for today. I will see you again tomorrow.

In this conversation, Cheryl McColgan discusses the importance of developing a gratitude practice as a healthy habit. She emphasizes the challenges of recognizing positive aspects in life due to our brain’s natural tendency to focus on negatives. Cheryl shares personal anecdotes and practical tips for cultivating gratitude, including writing down daily appreciations and reflecting on small joys. She highlights the scientific benefits of gratitude for overall well-being, resilience, and stress management, encouraging listeners to adopt this simple yet impactful practice. Takeaways Developing a gratitude practice can be challenging but rewarding.Our brains are wired to focus on negatives rather than positives.Finding small joys in daily life can enhance our perspective.Gratitude practices are backed by research supporting well-being.Writing down what you’re grateful for can change your brain’s response.Reflecting on your day can help reinforce gratitude.Using a physical journal may enhance the gratitude experience.Gratitude can improve resilience and stress management.Small, manageable habits are key to success.Consistency in practicing gratitude leads to lasting benefits. Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts! 21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode Transcript: Cheryl McColgan (00:01.07)Hey everyone, I’m Cheryl McColgan, founder of HealNursH Grow and welcome to day five of the Healthy Habits Challenge. So today is a habit that I’ve tried many times in the past. I haven’t always been able to get it to stick, but whenever I do it, I do find it really useful. And that is to develop a gratitude practice. But today, in the light of just, you we’re just doing small habits, manageable habits, we’re just gonna write one thing. that we’re grateful for today. That’s it, one thing. And this is a challenge for some people because it’s really, you you might have a day where you think that there was nothing good to appreciate, and I hope you don’t have too many of those days. But what happens is our brain is kind of naturally wired to notice the negatives more than the positives. Our brain was evolved under this paradigm of like, there’s a lot of danger in the world. There’s animals and things that we had to watch out for and it’s a lot. different nowadays, but our brains are still wired in that way. And so it tends to go to the negative things first and not notice the positive things in life. part of this habit is really changing the way that you look at everyday life and finding small joys. The way I like to look at finding things to be grateful for is it’s not always this grand thing. I mean, yes, every day we can be grateful for having a roof over our head or having a job that pays us so that we can buy food and all those kinds of things. And those are probably the more obvious things that we’re grateful for. Or maybe your friend did something nice for you that day, or your husband or your spouse or your partner did something that you really appreciated. So those are all kind of easy things to think of to be grateful for. But I’ve started finding some things in my day where there’s just like these little moments of joy, and it’s something that just brings a smile to my face and… you know, makes me think in a more positive way. So for example, the first time I recorded this, I lost some of the recordings, unfortunately. There was no sound for some reason. But anyway, I have this silly little sticker on my desk. And so if you’re not watching on YouTube, I’ll describe it to you. It’s just an alpine scene, retro with, it says, apres on it, like for apres ski. And this little silly thing. Cheryl McColgan (02:18.988)It just made me smile. was on Amazon looking for some Christmas things and I saw it and it’s just a sticker. So was very, very inexpensive and I bought it and it just brought me a little moment of joy. Now this doesn’t mean to say that it needs to be something that you buy because quite often it’s other things like I’ll notice a new flower comes out in our yard or something. I just take a moment to like really appreciate that and be grateful for it or trying to think of some other. good examples or just appreciating a really good meal that you had or a good dish that you tried or, you know, just little things like that, something that you cooked, especially if somebody else made it for you, then it’s really something to be appreciated, right? So just finding those little joyful moments throughout your day can really help make this practice easier. And then if you decide again to take this on as a more serious practice something that you’re going to maintain over time. And I do suggest that you try it because there’s plenty of research backing. As I said, with all the habits, there’s always something backing this up on why you want to do it. But this one, the research really shows that it just helps with your overall wellbeing. It helps again, train your brain to look for wins instead of always looking at the negative. And then a gratitude practice can also shift your attention to what’s working, which supports resilience and stress management. And you know, stress management, who doesn’t need that, right? We could all use that. So just the fact that it improves overall wellbeing from this simple little practice of writing down what you’re grateful for each day. To me, it’s a no brainer. And I am really kind of mad at myself that I haven’t been better about taking on this practice more seriously over time. Now, I’d also say for this particular day that we’re just writing this one thing that we’re grateful for, I wanna encourage you to write it just on a notepad or just hand a paper, write it instead of putting on your notes on your phone or instead of in your habit tracker, just because there is something very different about actually writing that affects your brain differently, I find. So just try that for today, actually writing it out. But you can also use, I’ve recommended a couple of apps for you to try that are either the habit trackers or journaling, that kind of thing. And you can, so you can also write it in your app. And if that makes it easier for you to do this practice. Cheryl McColgan (04:38.39)on a daily basis, then I would definitely use an app. But also a lot of people just like using an old school notebook or journal and just handwriting it down. the time that I was doing that for a while, I really did find that it shifted my perspective. It just made me feel a little more calm each day. So anyway, it’s an easy win. Just do it at the end of your day. That way can kind of take a moment to reflect on your day as well, which can often be a useful habit to have too. And yeah, so that’s your goal for the day is to write down one thing that you’re grateful for. And as always, the show notes or the sorry, not the show notes, but the links are in the tracker and in your email. And so you can read about those studies that show how this gratitude practice works. And again, just as a reminder, those that’s always optional, but everyone you find one of these habits kind of speaks to you, that might be the time to dig in and read. a little bit of the research or to do the journal prompt at the end of the day so you can really explore like why you think this would help you and how it’s helping you and that sort of thing. But those are all optional. Again, we’re trying to keep this simple and repeatable and small wins. So you just do your one thing, your habit, you write it down. It doesn’t take too much time at all. And yeah, so start there, stick to that. But always if you’re inspired to do more, that’s always encouraged too. So that’s it for today. I will chat with you again tomorrow. Have a great night. Bye bye.

In this conversation, Cheryl McColgan discusses the significance of establishing a wind down routine before bed to enhance sleep quality. She emphasizes the importance of calming activities, such as reading, warm baths, and reducing screen time, to prepare the body and mind for sleep. Cheryl also touches on the use of sleep supplements and tools to improve sleep, highlighting the critical role of good sleep in overall health and wellness. Takeaways Create a simple wind down cue before bed.Calm your brain and nervous system for better sleep.Screen time at night is a poor habit for sleep.Reading before bed can help you relax.Warm baths signal your body to calm down.Turning off bright lights aids in winding down.Sleep is critical for health and longevity.Good sleep supports weight loss and fat loss.Consider a warm drink as part of your bedtime routine.Engage with others about effective wind down routines. Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts! 21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:00.078)Hey everyone, I’m Cheryl McColgan, founder of HealNurshGrow and welcome to day four of your healthy habits challenge. Today’s habit is very simple, but it’s so powerful and it has to do with one of the things that I think is one of the most underappreciated aspects of health and that is sleep. And so the habit that we’re going to do today is to create a simple wind down cue before bed. So what this does is basically gets you ready for sleep, starts to calm your brain, starts to calm your nervous system so that you can actually get in bed and go to sleep instead of getting in bed and staying wired for multiple minutes or even hours after that. Definitely something we want to avoid. So having this consistent wind down cue is exactly what it does. Cues your brain and your body to be ready for sleep and to start to calm down. There’s any number of things that this could possibly be for you. One of the things that you will have heard from many people in the past, and this is so true, is that screen time at night is really a poor habit to have to get good sleep. So maybe your wind down cue is putting your phone in the other room and putting it on the charger before you get ready for bed. That’s a great way to do that. It also cuts down on the blue light. So that will allow your body to produce melatonin, which gives you better sleep. But this cue is something you want to do consistently every day, just so that it gives again, your brain and your body that idea that it’s time to calm down. Another thing that people really like doing for this type of cue is to simply do some reading before bed. And so again, not reading on a device like your computer or your phone, but maybe an old school book. I know that sounds crazy or the the Kindles now have, they don’t have any blue light coming off of them. And just reading is just very calming in the evening. It’ll put you right to sleep. Even books that you’re in love with and excited about. Sometimes it’s like, it just starts to get you very drowsy and you want to ideally do it in bed. as soon as you really start to get sleepy, you just put the book aside and go to sleep. Cheryl McColgan (02:16.782)Another one that’s great for bedtime is a warm bath. The whole reason that this works is warming up your body. And ideally you want to do it maybe an hour to an hour and a half before bed. But again, it’s a relaxing activity. It’s something that signals it’s time to calm down and get ready for sleep. But it also has a physiological response in the body where you warm up your body temperature a little bit. Then when you get out and it starts to come back down, your body temperature coming back down actually makes you sleepy. So that’s another good one. But really any of these, can be anything that works for you. You just want it to be something that you can do on a consistent basis and that actually helps calm your nervous system. So it could also be, you know, a breathing exercise or some light stretching or, you know, anything like that, that’s going to make going to bed easier for your body. Another one is, Turning off bright lights. So maybe your cue for your wind down is to go around your house and turn off all the lights and maybe you just have like a gentle Red light in the room or just dim lights in your room as you’re winding down But just doing those cues time after time eventually it gets your body to a place where It’s calm enough and it’s ready some other things that I use for sleep since we’re talking about sleep sometimes just a wind down cue is not enough for some people but Again, I think if you practice it on a consistent basis, that’s going to change over time where it really does help you get to sleep. But there’s other things. There’s supplements you can take. mentioned melatonin. I actually wouldn’t recommend taking that on a regular basis because it does tend to make you feel groggy in the morning. In addition to that, it can also affect your own melatonin production over time. So that’s kind of not as recommended. But there’s plenty of sleep supplements. Sorry, I was losing my word there. Sleep supplements out there. that I’ve tried, I’ve used a brand called Dream. I had a new one sent to me that was from, the company’s escaping me. It’s kind of a funny name, but I’ll link it in the show notes. So also that could be part of your ritual is if it’s both of these drinks are kind of like a hot cocoa that you drink at night that has magnesium, GABA, some other sleep inducing things in it. So that could be your ritual is to make your nice warm drink, go get in your bed, sit that, relax, and then. Cheryl McColgan (04:38.434)go to sleep. So that’s one of the tools that I tend to use a lot. And then I’ve also talked a lot about in the past that I use a bed cooling pad. So I’m menopausal age, unfortunately. And a few years ago, I started getting horrible night sweats where it just really interrupted my sleep. So I started using a cooling pad on my bed about five years ago. And now it is so hard for me to sleep without it because it actually not only cools you but warms you as well. and can use it to like gently warm the bed as your, almost as your alarm clock. Instead of using a harsh alarm, it just starts to warm up your body and wake you up very naturally. So depending on where you are with sleep, this wind down cue is a great start. And that’s all we’re looking for in this challenge, right? Just trying some new little habit snacks that you can see if it works for you or you can see if it would do you good to add it on in the future. But this is just the beginning. So sleep is such, like I said, such a critical and underappreciated thing for health, longevity, for weight loss even, helps with fat loss. I mean, there’s so many reasons why you want to get good sleep, but this is just a small way that you can get started. Start repeating this if it speaks to you. If you’re someone that has trouble with sleep, I highly recommend that you take this one on and keep it for the rest of the challenge and beyond, because it will only help you. It may not be enough, like I said, but it is great stars. So some of those things that I mentioned, I’ll make sure I link them in the show notes. But for now, just create your simple wind down cue before bed. Try it out, see how you sleep and let me know in the comments if this works for you. If you already have a wind down routine, I’d love to hear about it because I think everybody wants to hear some good ideas if they can’t think of anything that works for them or speaks to them. So definitely let me know if you have any tips and we can share them with everybody else in the comments. OK. See you again tomorrow.

In this conversation, Cheryl McColgan emphasizes the significance of incorporating movement into daily life as part of a healthy habit challenge. She discusses the importance of discipline, consistency, and starting small with just 10 minutes of movement each day. Cheryl highlights the benefits of exercise for both physical and mental health, including its effectiveness in combating depression and anxiety. She encourages listeners to find ways to make movement a habit and to build up their heart health gradually. Takeaways Discipline is just repetition and consistency.Start with small steps to build a habit.Exercise can be as effective as medication for depression.Aim for at least 10 minutes of movement daily.Strength training twice a week is sufficient for health.Consistency is key to maintaining healthy habits.Find ways to make exercise enjoyable and engaging.Track your progress to stay motivated.Overcoming mental barriers is crucial for exercise.Building heart health takes time and patience. Watch on YouTube Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts! 21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:01.08)Hey everyone, I’m Cheryl McColgan, founder of HealNourishGrow and welcome to day three of the 30 day healthy habits challenge. Today we’re going to talk about movement. So even though you’ve already been doing that as a component of this challenge from day one, I just want to talk about the importance of it. Again, reminding you that discipline is just repetition and consistency. So even on days that we aren’t motivated to move quite often, just knowing that it’s a habit, making that commitment to discipline is enough to make it work. And so today you’re just doing 10 minutes of movement. Maybe you’re trying something different than the other days that you’ve already moved in this challenge. That’s one thing I want to encourage you to do throughout the 30 days is you’re doing your 10 minutes of movement per day. Say you like, like I do have already a regimen where you lift weights a few times a week. I happen to be doing five, but whatever works for you actually based on the research, just two days a week of strength training is enough, but we’ll talk more about that at some other time. But so for example, for me, I’m very bad about stretching and mobility. So that’s the kind of thing that I’m going to be doing for my 10 minutes a day for my movement. So I’m going to keep my regular thing that I’ve already been doing on a consistent basis. And I’m going to add that in through the 30 days. So the minimum counts, you don’t have to do more than 10, but just challenge yourself to do 10 minutes of whatever it does. So why this matters is obviously there’s so many components of health. And I think that everybody has pretty much heard all of these things at this point. But for your heart health you need to get your heart rate up every day I think that the recommendation now that is being said is hundred and fifty minutes per week So we’re just doing ten minutes a day. We’re not quite there yet But what I want to do is again encourage you to start slowly. You don’t go from zero to a thousand Instantaneously, you know, we need to build up practice build up our heart health build up our heart strength to get to those longer amounts of activity. And so if you’re a person that doesn’t move consistently on a daily basis now, setting yourself up for failure is what’s going to happen if you say, I’m going to walk for half an hour every single day when you’ve been doing nothing. It’s just too much. That’s the way that people, you know, get into these new year’s resolutions and don’t make it very long because they, bit off more than they can choose. So doing these small steps really helps. In addition, Cheryl McColgan (02:22.912)Exercise is actually more effective than antidepressants for depression. Yes, you heard me say that right. Why every doctor and every psychiatrist and every psychologist does not promote this. is in their literature. It is very clear that exercise is as effective as medication for depression and anxiety. Now, if you’re on this medication, I’m not telling you to get off. I’m not a doctor. I’m not saying that it doesn’t help you or that you don’t need any of those things. Nobody’s saying that. But consider, especially for certain types of depression, that exercise is just as effective. Studies have shown this time and again. So if your medication is not working for you, or if you’ve had to add on medication because it doesn’t seem to be effective, consider that exercise might really be a great addition to your mental health and discuss that with your doctor. And like I said, there’ll be some research links in this right here. I can’t remember if those… specifically were in this one because I could put that I could put in there probably 100 links for each of these habits if I really wanted to but I just wanted to keep it obviously brief so that you might actually look at them and read them but if this is something you’re interested in just go to pubmed.gov and type in exercise and depression or exercise and anxiety and you’ll just see a whole huge long list of research in this area. But the idea with the movement is we want to show up still when motivation is low. Because like I said, we’re not always gonna be motivated every day, but we can practice discipline every day. And my trick, and I used to be a runner, I’m not anymore, but I ran consistently for 17 years and my knees gave out. And if I had to do it all over again, I never would have done that kind of exercise. If I would have strength trained when I was younger, more consistently, I would have just been so much more happier and my body would be so much better off for it. But anyway, it was a practice of discipline and I did it whether I liked it or not. And what was really effective for me on days that I really didn’t want to go run, even though I was scheduled to go run, is I’d be like, okay, just put on your workout clothes and just go out for five minutes. And after five minutes, you still don’t really want to go, just come home. And I would mentally convince myself of that more times than I care to admit. And sure enough, I’d go out and I’d get started. you can guess probably the amount of times I turned around and game home. Cheryl McColgan (04:45.304)game home, that was like zero. I don’t, literally don’t think I ever did that once I started, once I got out the door. And so that’s another, just trick yourself. Sometimes it’s even just, I’m just going to put on my workout clothes and then see what happens. So, you know, just find ways to do that. Find ways to make it a habit. And again, this is a reason we’re starting with 10 minutes, cause it’s so small that you almost can’t. Like you can’t convince yourself not to do it almost because it’s so little. It’s easy when I think of like, I think I got to go to the gym and I’m going to be resistance training for the next hour. That’s easy to convince myself out of. But if I convince myself, okay, I’m just going to go to the downstairs gym and I’ll just do a few things. And if I really don’t feel like it, then I just won’t finish again. That, that really never happens. The key is just getting yourself out the door or getting the shoes on or whatever it is with the movement you’re going to choose getting in that cold pool. Once you’re in there, you’re going to be fine. It’s just getting to that point. So as always the links to those studies will be in the tracker for you and in the email and Be sure to check off your habits We want to keep that consistency going and keep that little gamification of you Making the checkmark having your list that up how many days in the road do you have a streak? Let’s just keep it all going. So have a great rest of your day and I will see you again tomorrow

For day two of the 30 day healthy habits challenge, Cheryl shares why hydration is so important and how to use this simple yet important habit to start your day. Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts! 21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:00.098)Hey everyone, I’m Cheryl McColgan and welcome to day two of the 30 day healthy habits challenge. This one I’m really excited to share with you. It is something that I have been meaning to do for a long time. So I will be doing this throughout the challenge with you. And that is to drink a glass of water after waking. That is so simple and yet I don’t know, I never do it. Do you? So ideally you want to do this. before you have your coffee, before you have anything else. I’m not telling you a very specific amount, but they make it a large glass of water. So in my world, I have this, actually I have it right here on my desk. It is empty. So it’s proof positive that I need to be drinking more water. But this is about 16 to 20 ounces in this glass. And that is what I like you to do before you do anything else. Now, if you happen to get this on the, you you get this in the morning, but more than likely, You might have already had your coffee or you’re listening to this while you’re drinking your coffee. If that’s the case, like I said, this is easy peasy challenge, right? No big deal. Just try it tomorrow instead, along with your habit that’s going to come tomorrow. But if you’re hearing this in time, drink that glass of water before anything else and then you can move on. So why this is important. Even mild dehydration can affect your mood and attention. And hydrating early in the day, it supports everything, energy, digestion, performance, you’re hydrating your cells. And one of the people that I interviewed before on the podcast, they were saying, ideally, you know, for the challenge, we’re drinking this kind of large glass right at the beginning of the day, but ideally, you want to be hydrating throughout your day, because you need that extra hydration for your cells on an ongoing basis, not just all at once. So as much as we hate those little Stanley cups and everything that people carry around, If you can have one of those or have this glass of water on your desk and take a few sips like every few minutes, that’s really the ideal way to hydrate. And this is again, starting the day with a simple success. just gives you a good mindset for the entire day, knowing that you already had one small win and it’s just a great habit to start. So another thing you can do is you can set this habit up at night. So maybe you actually put a glass of water Cheryl McColgan (02:14.754)by your bed before you go to sleep. And that way when you wake up, you immediately drink that glass of water. This can also help if you’re like me, I take thyroid medication first thing in the morning and I have to wait 30 minutes before I can eat or do anything else anyway. So how I’m gonna approach this challenge is I always just, my thyroid pills are very, very small. So I always swallow them dry while I’m still in bed in the morning. But I’m gonna make it a point for this challenge to bring up a glass of water with me in the evening, put it next to my bed, put it right next to my thyroid pills. And I’ll just do that all at once. So that’s also a little intro into what we call habit stacking, which we’ll be talking about throughout this challenge, but more specifically on one of the days. but basically all habit stacking is, is just take one thing that you already do consistently and then put another habit right with it. So for me, I am very good about always taking my thyroid medication in the morning, but I don’t have a glass of water next to it. And I generally don’t get out of bed to do it. So the way I’m going to make it easy on myself is to just put a glass of water next to the bed. So anyway, it’s like I said, if you missed it this morning, try it tomorrow and then try it with the habit. That’s how kind of all these are. it’s for some reason, you don’t get the email until later in the day and you miss it, just do it the next day. They’re two simple habits. They don’t take any time at all. And so waiting until the next day is completely fine. So again, no need to be perfect. Just one glass. If you do a smaller glass than me, no judgment there. You can do whatever size works for you, but drink a glass of water. Okay. I will see you tomorrow.

In this conversation, Cheryl McColgan introduces the Healthy Habits Challenge, emphasizing the importance of choosing three focus areas for personal growth over the next 30 days. She discusses the significance of daily movement, consistency, and mindfulness in forming new habits. The challenge encourages participants to track their progress and integrate meaningful habits into their daily lives, ultimately aiming to reduce overwhelm and enhance motivation. Takeaways Choose three focus areas for the next 30 days.Daily movement should be at least 10 minutes.Focus on what is meaningful to you.Track your progress to stay motivated.Customize the challenge to fit your lifestyle.Reduce overwhelm by having clear priorities.Practice discipline through repetition and consistency.Integrate new habits into your daily routine.Eliminate decision fatigue with focused goals. Watch on YouTube Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. CONNECT WITH CHERYL Shop all my healthy lifestyle favorites, lots of discounts! 21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart: Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight Dry Farm Wines, extra bottle for a penny Drinking Ketones Wild Pastures, Clean Meat to Your Doorstep 20% off for life Clean Beauty 20% off first order DIY Lashes 10% off NIRA at Home Laser for Wrinkles 10% off or current promo with code HealNourishGrow Instagram for daily stories with recipes, what I eat in a day and what’s going on in life Facebook YouTube Pinterest TikTok Amazon Store The Shoe Fairy Competition Gear Getting Started with Keto Resources The Complete Beginners Guide to Keto Getting Started with Keto Podcast Episode Getting Started with Keto Resource Guide Episode transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:01.048)Hey everyone, I’m Cheryl McColgan, founder of Feel Nourish Grow and welcome to day one of the Healthy Habits Challenge. I’m really excited to get this started and kick this off with you. This, if you’re in 2026, this is the first year I’ve started this, starting on January 1st, but the awesome thing is it’s available anytime. So whenever you’re hearing this, this is your day one. So today is to choose your three focus areas. We’re doing discipline as repetition as consistency. It is just something that you learn over time, but you do have to practice it. You don’t have to be perfect. You just need to do it. And so today’s habit won’t take you too long at all. You’re going to choose the three focus areas for the next 30 days and then write the smallest version of each one that still counts. And so this could be things for you. I mean, we have the daily movement, which is 10 minutes a day. So if you already have a really regular exercise program, maybe you commit to adding one day a week of some new movement or maybe it’s a slightly longer movement or maybe your focus area is working on your spirituality or maybe it is mindfully drinking if you drink alcohol. I actually have some friends over at Sunnyside. And they are doing a totally free challenge for this month too that focuses on just being more mindful around drinking. You don’t have to do a totally dry January. It can be kind of a semi dry January. But anyway, they are offering that for totally free. You don’t even have to put your credit card in. I’ve got a special link for that and I will make sure that that is in the show notes and down below for you if you’re on YouTube. So it could be that could be your focus area. It could be your relationships, focusing on your relationships. taking more time to connect with people or to make sure that you communicate with certain people on a daily basis in a certain way. So really it’s just going to be whatever is meaningful to you. I want you to pick those three focus areas and the way that you’ll carry that throughout the challenge is ideally you’re going be tracking in some way. So I’ve designed a spreadsheet tracker for you and that is in the email. You’ll copy that and then you can use it to just check off the things you’re doing. Cheryl McColgan (02:14.39)You can also use it to make a note of what your three focus areas are. And so ideally, every day when you get the email and or watch the video or listen to the podcast, I want you to have those three focus areas in mind and see if there’s a way that you can integrate the habit that we’re trying into those focus areas so that it’s really meaningful to you. It won’t always work. There will be some of the habits that you’ll just be trying just to try and they won’t necessarily relate to your three areas of focus. but you’re just going to be mindful on a daily basis of these focus areas and keep those as something in the back of your mind that you’re always trying to work towards. And if there’s any way that you can integrate it with the daily habit, then that’s even better. So this is all you have to do today, along with your 10 minutes of daily movement, because that’s going to be every single day. And this is any movement that works for you. There’s more explanation about it in the email, but it could be really anything canoeing, biking, running, walking, dancing, yoga. just any kind of joyful movement, ideally something that gets your heart rate up just a little bit. So depending on where you are in your fitness journey, that can literally just be walking around the block or say, you know, that you’re a runner. Maybe you make a new habit around 30 days to do something slightly different with that, whether it’s increasing your speed or taking more days off. If that’s something that you need, I want you to really just honor your body, but you’re still going to move your body for 10 minutes every single day. So if you’re already very, very active, that might look something more like on your day that’s supposed to be a rest day. Maybe it’s just some gentle stretching or mobility work. So really you’re going to customize this challenge so that it works exactly well for you. But anyway, starting with your focus areas, it just creates clear priorities throughout this 30 day challenge. It’s going to reduce overwhelm because you’re just going to focus on those three things right now, nothing else outside of that. That’s not to say that you don’t have other goals or other things that you want to prioritize in the future. But for this 30 days, we just want to give clear focus to these three so we can really give those a chance to take hold. And this clarity is just, like I said, reduce your overwhelm. It’s going to eliminate decision fatigue because any time there’s a question, you just go back to those three priorities and you’re going to make that very clear in your mind that’ll help you make your decision. And so you just spend less time deciding and more time doing ideally with those high priorities in mind. Cheryl McColgan (04:34.478)It should also just take a little less mental energy when you know that those are your priorities and you’ve already decided that’s what you’re focused on for this 30 days should make everything a little bit easier. So I would also like you to consider if you’re a person that this kind of motivation works for you instead of just having it, know, on your phone in a tracker app and there’ll be some links in that first email for apps that I like and things that you can use. But it’s also nice to just maybe see it in the morning when you get up. So if you always you know, go in the bathroom to get ready in the morning, maybe writing your three focus areas for the month on a sticky note and putting it on your mirror or making it your screen saver on your phone, just somewhere where you’re going to see it often enough that it keeps it high priority in your mind. And then also consider each day as you go through this challenge, you’re going to get the habit in the morning and your email and Most of these, there should be plenty of time throughout the day to fit this in. Like I said, it only takes five to 15 minutes, but also just consider what your day looks like on a daily basis and maybe kind of mentally map out a time where you’re going to plan to do this habit. So maybe for you, it’s morning, lunch or evening, or maybe it’s a very specific time of the day. You could set a timer on your phone. Like usually when you have a little, maybe you have a little downtime, you set the timer and then that’s when you’ll do the habit for the day. So that’s some ideas on just how to integrate it and make it easier. But like I said, today, every day is going to be a very simple habit. take five to 15 minutes. So identifying these three focus areas, I think for most people it will come to mind pretty quickly. But you can certainly take a little bit more time if you really want to mentally evaluate where you’ve been in your life lately and what three areas could use the most work. So this. in theory could be the longest day of habits, but it’s going to set you up for success for the whole month. But for a lot of us, we kind of already know which areas we should be working on. And so coming up with those three might even only take you two to three minutes. So anyway, best of luck today. As always, if you’re having super challenges during this time and or you have questions about the program, most of these things should be pretty obvious. And some of the things are a little bit ambiguous on purpose so that it gives you some flexibility. So as long as you are making Cheryl McColgan (06:57.462)you know, having your three priorities, making those the thing that you’re going to focus on and then trying the one habit for the day. That’s really all that you need to do. So until tomorrow, good luck with the habits today and I will see you soon.

Cheryl McColgan introduces a 30-day healthy habits challenge to help people learn to practice dicipline. The program focuses on discipline over motivation, emphasizing daily practices and habits that can be easily integrated into busy lives. With a flexible approach, participants are encouraged to find joy in movement and consistency, allowing for personal growth and self-improvement throughout the challenge. Takeaways The 30-day challenge is designed to help maintain resolutions.Discipline is a skill that can be trained over time.Daily movement, mindset, and consistency are the program’s pillars.Small, manageable habits lead to sustainable change.Participants can choose their own joyful movement activities.The challenge is not about dieting or weight loss.Flexibility in daily practices is encouraged.Missing a day doesn’t mean starting over; just pick up again.The program is evergreen, allowing for repeated participation.Building a foundation of small habits leads to larger goals. Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. Watch on YouTube Episode Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:00.184)Hi everyone, I’m Cheryl McColgan, founder of HealNourishCrew. And today I wanted to chat with you about a new program that I’m starting. And it’s basically this time of year, know, everyone’s interested in making a lot of resolutions and starting new habits, but they’re really hard to maintain over time. And that’s where I really wanted to be able to help you and hopefully create a program that will actually help you meet your goals and make the challenges. that you want to make this year. So what I’m starting is a 30 day healthy habits challenge. If you’re tired of starting over, this is going to be the program for you. Everybody starts the new year, you know, with a lot of motivation. And that is something that wanes over time quite often before even the end of January people have given up. But the challenge is to create something that you can maintain for the whole year, right? And that really comes down to discipline. because while motivation may wax and wane, discipline is something that’s very real and it’s also something, a skill that you can actually train so that you will be better and better at it the more that you practice. And that’s what this program is all about. So building that skill over 30 days, it’s going to be small habits each day so we can learn to train that skill and it’s free. It’s totally free. I’ve wanted to do this for a long time because habits and consistency and discipline are something that has been in my content for years now. And I’ve always wanted to do this and I can never just quite figure out a great way to deliver it and to make it make sense. But basically it’s built on three pillars. And this is how I wanted to challenge you with this because I think it’s habits that will sustain you for your whole life, obviously. And that is daily movement, mindset and consistency. And so each day that we practice these short habits, it’s only going to take five to 15 minutes total each day, get a short video. And that’s why I’m starting this now, because this is the introduction, tell you all about it. And then there will also be audio on my podcast feed. And so if you are in a big rush and you are driving to work, you can still listen to the habit, learn the research behind it, learn a little bit about why we’re trying it. And you’ll be able to listen to that. Cheryl McColgan (02:21.898)on your daily movement, you’re taking walks or you’re biking or whatever it is you’re doing. So there’ll be the podcast feed. And then you also get an email that lays out the challenge for the day, gives you the research links. There’s a handy tracker. I’m suggesting some apps for tracking. Also, if you’d like to do that and make it completely digital. the habit tracker spreadsheet still works perfectly great too. So you don’t, if you want to keep it simple and old school, that’s totally fine. So what this is not, this is not another weight loss challenge. This is not all or nothing like a lot of you have heard of or tried 75 hard. This is not about perfect. This is about just practicing consistency day after day. And if you miss a day, it doesn’t mean you have to start over. It doesn’t mean you failed. It just means that you start over again. And that is really what I have learned over the years. And what I when I practice my discipline, it’s not that I’m perfect all the time. It’s just that I always start over and I don’t wait till Monday. I don’t wait till the next day. Once I realize that in the moment, I notice that and start again, right? That moment. And that’s the kind of practice that we’re going to be doing throughout this whole challenge. So your daily checklist will look something like this. You’ll either watch or listen to the day’s video. You’ll do the habit of the day. You’ll do your daily movement of 10 minutes. If you’re somebody that already exercises a whole lot more, this is already part of your lifestyle. Obviously you’re going to continue to do that, but I will challenge you to maybe make some different kind of choices in your movement patterns. So if you’re a runner, let’s say, maybe challenging yourself to try some yoga or try some mobility work or strength training, if that’s not something that you do currently. So you’ll do the habit, you’ll do your movement and you’ll check these off in the tracker. Hopefully it’ll give you a great sense of accomplishment. It always does for me when I’m checking off things off my list. And then optional things. are to do the journal prompts. So you’ll get a journal prompt each day and to read the PubMed link, because I don’t want you to just think I’m picking habits here at random. Obviously, a lot of these are based on my own personal experience, habits that I think are very, very helpful and contribute to your health. But the reason that we do these habits is because they’re based on research. So that there’s at least some… Cheryl McColgan (04:36.43)something behind it that why it’s good for you and you can read the study or not, or just read the abstract and read the conclusion just to get an idea. But basically, you can dig into this as much as you want. So if there’s a particular habit that really speaks to you when you try it, that might be the day where you take those items that were optional and add them in. And the reason I’m trying to keep this to five to 15 minutes is because we want the small wins here. You don’t want to take on something that’s so challenging that you set yourself up for failure for the very beginning. Small habits build into big habits and you’ve got to take it one step day by day to get to these bigger habits that we have in mind for ourselves in the future. So it’s like you wouldn’t, you know, if you want to build a beautiful house, right, you’re not just going to get a bunch of two by fours and start nailing them together. You have no foundation. It won’t hold up over time. And so that’s the same. thing that we can do here. We’re going to build the foundation and then later after you’ve built these small habits or found things that really help you on a daily basis, then you can tackle the bigger things and bigger goals and goals that are five-year goals, 10-year goals, that kind of thing. But it really starts with these everyday little habits. So we’re going to set up so that these systems help you beat willpower. You’re just going to do it every day and they’re so easy you almost can’t skip them. That’s what I like about them. You just return quickly to it if you missed one. And there’s no shame, there’s no judgment. It’s just, we’re all human, right? We’re all gonna miss a day or we’re gonna have a day that’s so busy, but these are really small. So hopefully you’ll be able to do that. The movement is very flexible. It’s really whatever works for you. I like to say that find something that’s like a joyful movement that you can do once in a while. So for me, it’s like, you know, dancing around the kitchen while I’m cooking or something like that. That just makes me happy. Put on some good music. But then of course I have my strength training that I do and walking and all of that. but you’re going to pick one that works for you. So if it’s hard to squeeze these things into work, it’s only 10 minutes. You might walk a little bit over your lunch break. You could walk five minutes in the morning, five minutes at night. And of course, if you can do more and want to do more and you have more time that day, please feel free. This is not, this is just the minimum. This is just getting you into the habit of moving your body every single day. And then we’re going to just realize that even on busy days, that’s where you fit in these little tiny things. Cheryl McColgan (06:58.31)So let’s see here. I want to make sure that I don’t miss anything. Okay, we’re not dieting. We’re not losing weight. You’ll have the tracker. So yeah, I think I covered all of the points. just was going through my notes just to make sure that I didn’t miss anything. But I think that that gives you a good sense of what this challenge is about. If you don’t know me already and you come across this, you’re like, well, who is this that’s leading this challenge? I have a whole about page over at my website, but basically my degree is in psychology. have some graduate training in psychology. I’m a registered, experienced yoga teacher. I’ve practiced yoga for over 20 years. I have been strength training now, consistent. I’ve done it my whole life, but really only gotten consistent the last three years. And so that’s been a really exciting thing for me as what I classify now as an older person. It’s so important to health. And so you’ll probably learn a little bit about that somewhere along in the challenge as well. And then I’m also studying for my personal training certification. I don’t know if ever use it, but I’ve just been so into learning all the things around strength training that I thought, hey, why not? And then it’s something that I can share with you guys and hopefully, you know, give you some further information to benefit you and your goals. But yeah, so that’s a little bit about who I am. If you want to learn more and go over to the about page of my website and I am on stories daily and Instagram. And as we start this challenge, I’m to be starting at January 1st. I’m going to be doing it along with you. A lot of you will be starting on January 1st is awesome, but the great thing about this is I’ve set it up to be evergreen content on the website. So anytime you go to the website and click and sign up, you can start the challenge that very next day. So it’s something also that if you get, like I said, there’s no off track. Hopefully you want to complete the 30 days and just if you miss a day, go again. But say you get busy and you kind of just give up on it, but you come to a time in your life again where you want to restart. You can always do that. It’ll be there for you to do 30 days. at a time, anytime of year, because like I said, that’s what I always believe in. I don’t think you should wait. I think whenever you have the inkling to make a change, to start something, start it today, start it now. Just the only thing I will say is if you happen to find this before January 1st of 2026, I am in the process still of completing the content. At this point, it is Monday, December 29th. So hopefully it’s further along by the time you find this. Cheryl McColgan (09:20.59)and it should be available. But if for whatever reason it’s up and you sign up before January 1st, then you’re just going to have to wait a couple of days before you get started. So now the most important thing, if you’re listening on audio on the podcast feed to sign up, you’re going to go to healnourishgrow.com slash habits. And if you’re here on YouTube, the link will be down below. But yeah, I hope you join me. I think this should be fun. Like I said, it is a challenge. It’s 30 days of consistency, but it is nothing that you can’t handle. And I think it’ll give you a lot of confidence and a lot of interest in learning more about discipline and practicing them on a daily basis. And it’s just like your muscles, the more you practice it, the stronger it gets. So let’s all get more disciplined in 2026 together. And I’d love to have you join me and help you meet your goals. anyway, until, if well, you’re listening to the podcast, I’m gonna say until tomorrow, I will see you soon. Okay, thanks, bye.

In this episode of the Heal Nourish Grow podcast, Cheryl McColgan shares her holiday greetings and personal updates, discusses the importance of building habits for the new year, and introduces a 30-day habit challenge designed to help listeners create lasting changes in their lives. She also highlights resources for a healthier new year, including a Quit Sugar summit and the significance of understanding macros in nutrition. Cheryl emphasizes the importance of small steps and invites listeners to join her on this journey towards better health and wellness. Five Things You Need to Create Good Habits: https://youtu.be/8OVjrPu9UoM Takeaways The importance of building habits for the new year is discussed. A 30-day habit challenge is introduced to help listeners create lasting changes. The challenge focuses on small, manageable habits rather than overwhelming resolutions. Listeners are encouraged to join the challenge and share it with friends. Cheryl highlights the Quit Sugar Summit as a valuable resource for the new year. Understanding macros is essential for nutrition and flexibility in diet plans. Cheryl is creating a Macros 101 class for listeners. The podcast emphasizes the significance of small steps in habit formation. Listeners are invited to participate in the challenge and share their experiences. Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. https://youtu.be/Gu77hsJN-g4 00:00 Holiday Greetings and Personal Updates01:23 Building Habits for the New Year04:03 Introducing the 30-Day Habit Challenge06:58 Resources for the New Year: Quit Sugar Summit08:36 Exploring Macros and Nutrition11:42 Upcoming Content and Closing Thoughts Episode Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:01)Hey everyone, welcome to the Heal Nurse Ro podcast. If you can tell a little bit of difference in my voice, I’ve actually had a cold for a bit and I’m just now to the point where my voice is somewhat normal and I’m not sniffling and sneezing and being totally obnoxious. So I really wanted to go ahead and record this episode to share several things with you and to wish you happy holidays. Where I am right now in the US, it is currently Christmas Eve. So I have actually still got a lot of things to do today. We’re actually having lasagna for dinner. The boys are both home for Christmas. So that is their request. So I’ll be making some homely lasagna tonight. And then tomorrow we will be enjoying a roast beast, which I always kind of laugh when I say that because it’s from the Grinch movie, I believe. I always call it the roast beast. So just a roasted. Primed Rib Roast and yeah, so looking forward to sharing the holiday with my family and just catching up on some things quite honestly, because the last several weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind and with me not feeling as well, I’m behind on some things that I need to record and share with you. So we’ll just get right into it. The first thing I wanna talk about is building habits in the new year. So. We’re getting ready to come into that time. And if you followed my content for a while, you’ve heard me talk about it before is whenever we come to this time of year, people make a lot of New Year’s resolutions. And typically what happens is by sometimes even before the end of January, people have already given up on their resolutions or they what usually happens actually is they’ve bitten off more than they can chew. They’ve made these kind of resolutions that are just too big without taking the steps they need to do first to build up to that. And so I always like to encourage you to take small little steps towards habits. That’s really how you create lasting change. If you go to my YouTube channel, if you’re listening to this on audio, if you’re watching a video, you’re already on YouTube and I will try to link the video here if I can figure out how to do that. But I have a video on five things you need to create better habits. And that was covered by Authority Magazine. think it’s maybe it was in 2019 or something like that. So this is certainly something that I have been focused on a long time in my content and in my own personal life, trying to create better habits, new habits. As I go through that the year, I really don’t wait until January. I’ll pick something up whenever it occurs to me that I really need it in my life. So right now I’ve got several things that I’m working on. A lot of it related to work. But the one thing I kept thinking about this and I’ve thought about doing this for years and sharing this with you and it really wasn’t until this year where I was able to conceive of it in a way that I can bring it to fruition and really deliberate in a way that I think will be useful to everyone. It’s 100 % free. So I’m really excited about that because I just want to share information that will help you live a happier, healthier life. know, healers show has been around for I believe it’s going to be. eight years this coming summer. I’ll have to go back and look when I actually launched it, but my about page that I wrote way back then is I’ve never changed it because it still just holds the same meaning to me what I want to share with people, how I want to help them be healthier, share information that’s based on the latest research. You know, I’ve certainly changed my mind about several things over the years and I think it’s important to be able to do that when presented with new information. So Anyway, what this is all about, it’s a 30 day challenge, but it’s not the kind of challenge you’re thinking about the kind that you’ve tried before and you weren’t able to get through it was it’s too crazy or 75 hard, which is just an insane amount of things you have to do on a daily basis. And it really just sets people up for failure in my opinion, because in it’s well, I guess it’s named properly, right? 75 hard because it is very challenging. But this challenge is really all about creating better habits. At very beginning of the challenge, you’ll set some intentions around things you might want to change. But really, every day is going to be a short podcast, a video, and an email that you get in your inbox. And it just gives you a small habit that you’re going to try that day. And it only takes about five to 15 minutes each day. One of the things is daily movement. you get to choose whatever it is that speaks to you. what you know if it’s joyful movement you get bonus points for that maybe some kitchen dancing something but if you’re already on an exercise program it’s just going to have you you know you can make it into something that’s a little longer for you or maybe try a different thing for that 30 days but that’s one of the main components because i do believe that moving your body every day if you’re not in the habit of it brings more awareness around that and just committing to doing that you will feel so much better by the end of 30 days and if you’re already moving you are going to get to try all these little habits that I have planned out for the 30 days. And if it’s something that speaks to you, once you try the habit, hopefully I’m thinking that you’ll try to implement it every day of the challenge. But if it didn’t speak to you, if it didn’t resonate or it’s something that you already do, you’re kind of just gonna leave that behind. You’re gonna take from this what you need from it. And it’ll be, know, all of it has research links every day. So if you’re interested in spending more time on this particular habit, you can read about why it’s good for you or how long it might take to implement it, that sort of thing. So it’s really been a lot of work. And I actually, because of being a little bit sick, I haven’t recorded the rest of it at this point, but I got a little bit more to do. I’ve got the emails set up for the daily emails. And now it’s just a matter of recording the rest of the content. so that when you are on that day with the habit, I’ll be right there with you. I’ll be talking about it. I’ll be sharing about how I use it in my daily life and maybe some more of the research. So it’ll be in an audio format where if you’re in the car going to work or something, like I said, the habit itself, whatever you’re gonna try is only gonna take five to 15 minutes for that day. But if it’s one of the habits that you’re more interested in, you’ll get to hear more about it and learn more about it. And hopefully it’s, you know, learn that it’s something that you could really use in your life and that might really help you. So. That is a challenge. I would love for you to join me. Like I said, it’s a hundred percent free and you can just go sign up right now It’s a heal nourish grow comm slash habits So please please do this share it with your friends because you always are more successful creating new habits when you have friends involved You can talk about the different ones together. What’s what’s working for you? What’s not? It’s just it’s just more fun when you have more people involved. So And you know, I always greatly appreciate it if you share the podcast or share my content with others, because that’s the easiest way that people find me. It is getting so much more challenging on the internet these days with AI to find people that resonate with you to find real people that are doing work in the space and in any space, really. It’ll be interesting to see really how that evolves over the next several years for sure. But If you would share it, I’d be very grateful. HealNursePro.com slash habits. That’s how you sign up. The second thing I want to share with you, that’s another resource for the new year. It is a summit that I’ve been involved with in the past and they reached out to me and asked if I could share about it again. And I said, of course, because it’s something I really believe in. They always have great speakers. It’s another thing that’s 100 percent free. And that is the Quit Sugar Summit. And it’s not it’s interesting because even if you don’t want to totally remove sugar from your life or If you already have a healthy relationship with sugar, doesn’t bother you. You don’t have diabetes, those sorts of things. The speakers are all just really excellent speakers in this health space. And I think whether you really want to quit sugar or not, you will still get some great knowledge from that and maybe get some tips and tricks and different things that you can, like I said, implement into the new year and just learn about. And so that is heelnourishgrow.com slash quit sugar summit. So super easy to sign up for that free as well. It starts, I believe, January 12th. So you’ve got a little bit of time, but you go ahead and sign up for it now they’ll send you some reminders about when it’s going to start because you do need to watch it on the days that they send it out because that’s how they make the summit for free basically. So that content will be available on the day that it is registered to run and then after that unfortunately you won’t have access unless you choose to pay for it but it’s a really great way to get some free content watch the ones you can or watch just the ones that you’re interested in, you’ll get the names of them beforehand. So that’s another great resource for the new year. And then the last thing that I’ll talk about today, I’m going to keep this relatively short because I’m sure that my voice is a little bit annoying with the hoarseness that I still have left from my little cold or whatever it was. is that this is another resource that I’ve been wanting to create for a long time. And it really came to me when I was doing my contest prep for the bodybuilding shows and doing some serious dieting, which I still need to share all of that with you, kind of some lessons learned and some thoughts around that, because doing this at 52 and still being able to lose weight aggressively was really interesting. And I think it just goes to show you. that it’s definitely possible. There just might be some things in your head that you have to get past a little bit or habits that you might need to change slightly to make that still available to you and your body. So if that happens to be a goal for you in the new year to lose weight or work on your relationship with food, have some content coming around that, but. The one that I really want to create and I think is useful for anybody, no matter what your goal is, because it’s also useful if your goal is to build muscle or to gain weight, and that is macros. The power of macros. I have been tracking macros way back since when Spark people was still around. It has gone out of business a long time ago, but that was one of the first trackers before my fitness pal, before any of that. When I was back when I was a runner, I would often track my macros or any time that I needed to lose a couple pounds. That’s what I rely on. And macros gives you so much more flexibility than a diet plan than a strict, you know, whether it’s a vegetarian diet or keto diet or Whole30 diet, it gives you so much more flexibility than any of those options, because you simply learn how to track your food and what it’s about. so that plan for that one is to kind of do a macros 101 class for you and just share know, first of all, what are if you’re, I mean, at this point, I feel like everybody has heard this term, but I quite often realize that I’m a very, I’m in a very specific space where I read, listen to, consume this kind of content all the time. And it’s basically my work life, right? So it’s something that I’m very educated on. And so I kind of forget sometimes that there are people that don’t know some of these terms. And I’d be curious, comment below. If when I said macros, you knew immediately. what it was and if you’re like, what the heck is this? Because I just be curious. I think most people do know at this point. But anyway, macros are fat, carbohydrates and protein. Alcohol is kind of considered a fourth macro in a way, and I will definitely talk about that in the macros 101 class. But I wanted to save that for when my voice is actually fully back and I’m not still stuffy so that it’s because it’s to be a long term, I think great piece of evergreen content and I want it to sound. little bit better than I’m sounding right now if that’s possible. So that’s coming as well. So that’s kind of what’s been going on over here and the reason that I have been a little delayed. I do have an interview with a guest that is already prepped that will be coming up and it’s a really interesting guest that went through a lot of personal challenges and just kind of sharing some of her insights and ways that she was able to overcome those things and some projects that she is personally working on to create some experiences for people that I think could be really interesting to a lot of my audience. And that is, you know, groups of women, and they kind of go out into nature into the wild and just learn skills around being outside and reconnecting with the outdoors. And so I’m really excited to share about that coming up too. But anyway, that is all I wanted to say for today. So again, if you could go over and sign up for the challenge. It’s heelnourishgrow.com slash habits. And I hesitated to even call it a challenge because yeah, don’t I don’t honestly don’t think it will be too challenging. And that is the beauty of approaching habits in this way. And when you go, if you go listen to the thing, the five things you need to create healthy habits, it’s really about starting small and building on that. And you know, doing things like habit stacking, you everybody, you brush your teeth every morning and every night, right? You always do that. So if you need to do anything, like take a new supplement or something, you know, putting it right next to your toothpaste, that’s a great way to do that. So habit stacking is also something that we’ll chat about in the challenge, but I really think it’s like a reset and it’s a way to try new things. So that’s how I’m looking at it. That’s how it’ll be approaching it with you. And again, I you will sign up for that and join me share it with your friends and family so they can join you too and we’ll all get healthier in 2026. Like I said, I’ve definitely got some new goals and I’m working on some things for myself and I’m going to be doing each of these habits each of the days that they go out as well because I want to learn from it and I want to see you know which ones resonated with me or is there anything that I’m doing in my daily life that I should have shared that could have been a better habit to share with you to try. So yeah, so we’ll all be doing it together and I’m really excited about like I said I thought about doing this a whole bunch in the past and I just haven’t found a way to deliver it and really Map it out the way that I have this time So I would love to have you along for the ride But anyway until next time which will hopefully be much sooner here now that I am well and back to recording and the other I think I mentioned with the challenge is there will be The audio component, it’ll be like a special podcast episodes for a series for a while. And so if you’re catching this later, and you missed signing up for the challenge, once it’s out January 1, you can actually start it at any time. And the beauty is, I think you should be able to start it over as well. So if you really enjoyed it, you get off track for a little while you want to come back to it. can always just start over the 30 days kind of like an evergreen thing so no matter when you hear this in the future this will be available to you. So that’s all for now and I hope you have happy happy holidays however you’re celebrating enjoy your time with friends and family and then let’s all get ready for 2026 and creating some new awesome habits so see you next

In this episode, Cheryl McColgan discusses strategies for maintaining wellness during the holiday season. She emphasizes the importance of setting realistic intentions, managing weight, coping with stress, making mindful eating and drinking choices, and balancing social obligations with self-care. Cheryl provides practical tips for navigating holiday challenges, including travel and family dynamics, while encouraging listeners to be intentional and mindful throughout the season. You can find Cheryl’s previous episodes about avoiding holiday weight gain here. Disclaimer: Links may contain affiliate links, which means we may get paid a commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through this page. Read our full disclosure here. Takeaways The holidays can be stressful, and it’s important to plan ahead for wellness. Setting intentions rather than big goals can help maintain focus during the holidays. Protein intake is crucial for satiety and managing weight. Eating to 80% fullness can prevent discomfort after meals. Cortisol levels can rise due to holiday stress; managing stress is key. Alcohol consumption should be mindful, as it can cloud judgment and lead to poor food choices. The holidays should focus on nurturing relationships rather than just food and drink. It’s okay to say no to social obligations to prioritize self-care. Post-holiday, it’s important to return to normal routines quickly to avoid weight gain. Mindfulness and intention are essential for a balanced holiday experience. Watch on YouTube Episode Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:01.038)Hey everyone, I’m Cheryl McColgan, founder of Peel Nourish Row, and it has been a little while since I’ve been on the mic. I took an unexpected longer hiatus than I thought I would, and I’m just now getting around to starting to record again. And I really wanted to get on here and do this episode because the holidays are such a stressful time for everyone. It’s a time where people could use extra support, could use extra ideas about how to de-stress, not gain weight during the holidays, and just find ways to support your wellness in this busy time of the season. So I’ve done another episode like this in the past, and I’ll be sure to link that in the show notes, but for this one I did map out a few bullet points to keep me on track. I’ve got my laptop here with that on it so that I can glance over there occasionally and remind myself of what I wanted to share with you today. But the first thing is this why this, what does holiday mean? wellness even mean or why does it matter? Again, it’s a stressful time. We’re around family for some times that’s very exciting and sometimes it can be very stressful and there’s a lot of travel involved typically and a lot of extra events and cooking and things like that. So it can be just a time where there’s so much going on that you forget to actually take care of yourself. So planning ahead now so that you don’t have to recover from everything at the beginning of the year is a good plan. And usually what I like to say during the holidays, I mean, if you’re a lot of people that listen to this podcast are interested in weight loss or fitness or health and wellness. If you’re trying to lose weight during the holidays, that can be particularly challenging. I think what would be a better goal for most people is to just maintain during the holidays and not gain extra weight that you then have to kind of backtrack from the progress that you’ve made throughout the year. So all that being said, I think the good way to start with this is just to set some intentions around the holidays. So for example, just to be really mindful every time that you eat or, consistent movement or practicing on your sleep during the holidays to make sure that you stay on track with your wellness. So whatever that intention is, just making something specific enough that you know what it is that you’re trying to accomplish, but generally it’s not going to be any big goals during this time of the year. Cheryl McColgan (02:24.606)Just because it’s like I said a lot of extra stress a lot of extra things going on and so Setting really big goals around health and wellness this time of year can just be a way that sets you up for failure Which is not what we want want to go into the new year Thinking positive feeling positive and having every intention that way when we get to the new year We’re kind of set up in this place. been mindful, we’ve been practicing taking care of ourselves and then once we get to the new year we can really focus on those bigger goals that you want for yourself and your wellness in 2026. So after you’ve set the intentions let’s address the first thing is weight. I actually looked this up before I got on here and most people gain anywhere between a pound to five pounds during the time period from Thanksgiving to the end of the year. And while that can be also if your intention is to say enjoy time with family, eat really good foods, just nourish yourself and not to worry too much about weight gain, that is a perfectly acceptable intention as well. But if you want to think about, you know, maintaining your weight or not gaining weight during the holidays, then it’s important to kind of have a plan when you go into this. So the first thing, you know, I’m going to say is what we’re always very focused on here is the importance of protein. Protein is a very satiating nutrient. There’s a lot of theories around about how your body will keep seeking out food if you’re not getting a proper protein intake. So that’s the first thing. So every time you sit down to a meal, plan on getting your protein in first, and then you can have a little bit more flexibility with the rest of your meal because you know that you’ve gotten your protein requirements out of the way. And then you can fill in after that with fats and carbohydrates. If you’re a carbohydrate eater, if you’re still trying to practice keto during the holidays, it is a time. perhaps be just a little more flexible with that only because there’s going to be a lot of temptations there’s going to be a lot of things you want to try so again having that intention around that whether it’s taking a bite here or there or allowing yourself certain days of the week or a party or something like that to enjoy a few more carbs again just being really mindful and setting that intention so that you don’t kind of go off the rails with that stuff because some people one of the reasons they do a lower carb lifestyle is because they don’t have Cheryl McColgan (04:40.728)They don’t either feel good when they eat carbs or they have a relationship with them where when they eat too many carbs, it makes them hungrier and eat more. So if you know that you’re that person, you certainly don’t want to set yourself on this crazy path of that during the holidays by eating a lot of extra cookies or potatoes or candy or whatever it is you’re normally avoiding for the most part. So being really mindful about those choices and allowing them in in the quantities that make sense for you and your personal goals. So the other thing is eating to 80 % fullness. Now this is something that we should be practicing pretty much all of the time if you’re doing an eating program where you’re doing just more of an intuitive eating kind of style. If you want to give yourself time for your brain to get the feeling of whether you’re actually full or not. So eating slowly, eating mindfully, chewing your food and stopping. when you’re already starting to feel full because it takes a little while for your brain to catch up with your body. So if you’re already starting to feel full, chances are 20 minutes later, 30 minutes later, you’re gonna be, you might have that stuffed feeling, which a lot of people have after Thanksgiving meals. So just being really mindful of why you’re adjusting to take note of how you’re feeling if you’re starting to get full and shooting for that 80 % mark in that way. If you go a little over, you’re not going to end up on the couch with your holding your stomach and just being miserable. You’ll probably end up in a much better place. Also, I have two thoughts on this. And again, it’s about knowing the kind of person you are. So there’s this idea of saving your calories for certain big meals and everything. And I think that that can work for some people, especially if you’re tracking your macros and you’re eating a meal that maybe you made or that it’s a simple meal like tracking a certain quantity of turkey, for example. that’s very easy to track. So you can either save some calories for later, so not eating as much throughout the day so that you know when you have a big meal that you’re not going to go over your calorie allotment for the day. But again, it’s about knowing yourself. If in the past you’ve experienced that, for example, on Thanksgiving, you don’t eat most of the day or you just eat a very small breakfast and then you go totally overboard, you feel sick the rest of the night, Cheryl McColgan (06:52.886)You might be better off having two smaller meals earlier in the day, again, very protein forward. And maybe yes, okay, saving a little bit of your calories for that last final bigger meal, but not allowing yourself to get so ravenous that you just go off the rails when the meal comes. So again, knowing yourself here is the key to practicing this and to knowing which one will work best for you. So just give that some consideration before you go into those days where you know it’s going to be a bigger food day. knowing your plan also is a big key here. So don’t wait until the last minute to kind of mentally prepare yourself for what’s going to happen. Have a plan when you go in at this point, you know, you’re listening to this, you’re not a five year old, you’re an adult, you’ve had many holiday meals, you know what your tendencies are. And so just again, set some intentions around how you want it to be different this year and how you’re going to approach things so that you end up with a successful holiday. The next thing is holiday stress and cortisol. Cortisol is such a big trending topic right now. I’m just getting out of balance. And so the top triggers are in this scenario, probably family obligations or family relationships. So again, just setting your intention, kind of knowing how you approach these kinds of things, knowing the kind of stress that you might encounter. And having some strategies ready to better deal with that. So for example, if you know that you get very overwhelmed once all your family’s around and all these things are happening, maybe make it your intention that you’re going to go for a walk after dinner or something like that. Or maybe just take some time for yourself to kind of regroup, calm down, do some deep breathing exercises, whatever it is that you feel is going to nourish you. is you don’t have to spend eight hours in a row with the entire family doing all these activities that can be very, very stressful. again, knowing yourself and taking a little break away from that if you need to practice some breathing exercises, practice some ways to calm yourself and certainly getting into activity throughout the day. It’s a really nice way to accomplish that. I also find that there’s this idea. Cheryl McColgan (09:02.127)of the way that people communicate, you know, often at the holidays, it’s like everybody’s around the table and you’re really face to face and you’re, you’re catching up on things. Sometimes you’re talking about intense topics, but there’s this idea of, you know, conversing face to face, which is very intense and can be one way. And another thing where it’s more like a side by side interaction, like if you’re walking or you’re doing an activity, you’re not looking at each other, you’re still being able to communicate. You’re still being able to have time together, but it’s just not that really intense draining kind of thing. So maybe thinking of some activities that you can do together as a family, or again, taking that little time for yourself away for a little bit can be a way to mitigate some of that stress. And then maintaining your routine. You’re not going to be able to maintain your routine probably perfectly over the holidays, but the more that you can stick to that, the more that you can stick to your routine about going to bed at a certain hour and doing a certain amount of exercise that you normally do, the less that you deviate from that plan, the better you’ll feel throughout the holidays. Again, it’s going to require some flexibility. Things are going to, you know, not always go perfectly, but if you can stay to some kind of schedule and be consistent, that’s really going to help you a lot. Also, you don’t need to add a lot of extra stress to yourself during this time. So if it is more stress to get in your workout for that day, then it is to mindfully skip a day and then do what you need to do, you’re going to actually lessen your cortisol doing that because if you still try to do all the things, workout, do all this, and then you have the extra stress on top of it, that might make you feel even more overwhelmed. So taking those breaks when you need it, being mindful, and not using that as an excuse to skip workouts or to skip taking care of yourself or to go to bed late every night, really try to find much as possible, you know some people hate this word, but trying to find balance around that as much as possible is going to be really a key to having a great holiday season. And then the next thing is around healthy drinks and alcohol holidays. Whether you choose not to drink at all and that is certainly a trend now that I 100 % support because you know I’ve said it before Cheryl McColgan (11:20.503)And I’ll say it again, just for those you who may not have heard this, or you may not always have it in your awareness may not want to happen your awareness, I am sometimes guilty of that myself. But alcohol is a poison. There’s really no amount of it that is safe. And depending on who you are in your health, potential problems, it can be much worse for some people. So that’s definitely something to give some consideration to it increases your risk of cancer, it increases risk of you basically everything negative can be traced back to consuming alcohol. Now, that all being said, many of us still choose to drink knowing the dangers and knowing the risks with that. And there is also an idea. So if you look at French culture or Italian culture, and people often call that out because those cultures drink primarily wine, but it’s not the Reservoir Troll. That’s kind of been debunked for a long time. It’s more about that they use alcohol as a way to be together in community and to be very social and they don’t go overboard with it. So that’s probably at least part of the reason that we find in those populations that it doesn’t seem to be as detrimental to health. But again, all that being said, just make good choices around it. Be mindful of quantity, be mindful of very sugary drinks. just, it racks up the calories. So always choosing those beverages that might be on the slightly healthier side for the lack of a better word for alcohol, but that would be things that are clear that don’t have a lot of additives, drinking organic wines whenever possible, taking a break in between to have a glass of water before you have the next one and really thinking about whether you even need the next one. There’s a great app for this that I’ve called out on the podcast before called Sunny Side and it just helps you track drinks. And if you do it in the moment as you’re doing it, it might really make you consider Hey, do I need to go to this next one? Is that going to totally derail me? Because the other thing that happens when people drink alcohol is they tend to make less good decisions around food, right? They may say, well, forget it. just, you know, I’m going to have everything now because it clouds your judgment. And it also can, I think, make you hungrier when you’re having alcohol. So that’s just something to be thinking about too. And then so that’s the drinks part, the food part. Cheryl McColgan (13:41.444)What is your strategy around going to parties? Again, knowing yourself here is key. So if you go to a party, super hungry, or you’re just going to eat whatever’s available and it might not be the healthiest choices. Or do you choose to have a high protein, small meal before you go to a party so that you’re not as ravenous when you get there. And that makes it so much easier to only choose the things that are really appeal to you that feel worth it calorie wise that are a great taste. Because it really, the holidays should be more about being in community with people and nurturing your relationships. And we make it so much about food and drink. And that is an amazing and fun part. mean, you know, this is coming from our recipe developers, when who loves to eat, who loves to cook. It’s kind of the way that I show my love and appreciation for people is to feed them and to cook for them. So I am again, I’m certainly not there’s no judgment around this. It is just trying to be mindful of decisions that you’re making when you’re in these social situations. And when you’re parties in particular because the types of foods that tend to be there are not the most nourishing. So one thing you could try if this is you and you know you struggle with this is having a two-bite rule or something like that. So if there is a dish that you really want to try or something extra that’s there that is really looks appealing to you, just having two bites and then moving away from that for a while. And again, so this is where eating a small meal before you go really helps because you’re not ravenous and then you just have a couple bites here and there. You’re focused on socializing and being with the people that you’re enjoying. And I think that can be a really great way to approach parties. Another scenario is when you again have these family gatherings, quite often you might be asked to bring a dish. So this is the perfect opportunity to bring something that you love, bring something that you know is healthy and nourishing for you or that works for your particular diet or works for your particular goals. And most people, you know, enjoy trying new things too. So it can be, know, whatever it is, whatever dish it is that appeals to you. That way, you’ll know you’ll have something there that you like and that will be healthy for you. And then you get to share it with your friends as well. So that’s another way to approach the eating strategy. Then we have travel. Cheryl McColgan (15:59.843)wellness. So travel can be tricky because while there are much better options nowadays, airports tend to be very expensive. If you’re driving on the road, I almost feel like that’s actually better because almost every gas station now will have some healthier options, whether it’s meat sticks, jerky. Quite often in the gas station, I can find boiled eggs. In the refrigerated section, there’s always pickles and things like that. But another thing to do is just to pack small meal with you when you’re traveling. you’re on the road or in a plane, you can make it work. I learned a lot about this this spring when I end up doing those bodybuilding competitions because you have to be so specific with your food during those times that I traveled multiple times with my own food that I prepared and made. So that is another way to handle that. And then also just making sure that you take breaks when you’re traveling as much as possible. So whether you’re in the car or on the road, take some time to stop. get out of the car, move a little bit, just stop at a rest area if you’re driving or if you’re on the plane, making sure that you get up every hour or so, which can be, I know frustrating for seat mates and things like that, but you really just want to make sure, you know, there’s health reasons behind that too, because there’s that risk of clots when you’re on a plane. So just taking that little bit of time to get up, walk back to the back, even if you don’t have to go to the bathroom or something, just getting out of your seat for a little bit when you’re traveling on the plane can really go long way into just making your body feel a little better when you finally are back on the ground again. And then there’s this idea too, during the holidays that we have to do it all. And I know I’m very guilty of this, but I will say the older I’ve gotten, the better I’ve gotten at managing this a little bit better. And that is, you you know the energy reserves that you have, you know the amount of energy it requires to be with certain people, you know the amount of energy it takes to be out of your house, go to an event. be at a party, stay out late, all of those things. You don’t have to say yes to everything. I know this is really difficult for people, but I like to think of it like this. When I say no to certain things, I really am saying yes to certain other things. So for example, if I say no to a specific party, I’m saying yes to recharging myself to having that extra time to do a workout or cook for my family. Cheryl McColgan (18:22.538)or whatever it is, just it’s not a don’t think of it as no, think of it as a yes to something else. So that really helps me when I’m trying to manage those decisions. The other thing to note about that is you want to balance that idea with the holidays are a special time and it’s pretty limited. And it often involves people that might not be in town all the time, you only get to see once or twice a year. And so just be mindful of that as well. You might have to expend a little bit of extra energy in one specific weekend or evening in order to accomplish, you know, seeing the people that you need to see and that you want to see while they’re in town and balancing that with again, your personal energy reserves and taking care of yourself. So the big word here, I guess that you’re noticing is balance, but it just requires being really mindful and having a plan. So, you making the choice, whether it’s making the choice to drink alcohol or not drink alcohol or go to a specific party, you’re not going to specific party, whatever it is, you definitely want to have peace around it and you want it to be intentional. So there’s that word again. But just, you know, not just going with the flow so much and letting everything run over you during the holidays, I think is really what it boils down to. You want to every day just take a few minutes to… of breathe and be like, okay, what’s going on today? What’s happening? Do I have this party? then you’re managing the rest of your schedule around that. So you can try to find as much balance as possible. And then after a big event, the next day can be quite tiring, right? So if you still happen to weigh yourself the next day, and you know, I’ve talked about this before, I personally have weighed myself every day for years and years and years. I have a fine relationship with a scale. I’m able to look at it as just data. it is not a big deal for me. And I do think that over time that this has allowed me to maintain my weight because whenever you see it creeping up, you’re not suddenly surprised by that. You can see a trend over time and you give you more time to do something about it. Whereas the shorts amounts of times in my adult life, mainly when I was dating and, somebody’s house in the mornings and stuff when I didn’t have the opportunity to weigh, it starts to creep up on you. Cheryl McColgan (20:34.574)So for me personally, after an event, I would still weigh because it doesn’t bother me. If you’re the type of person where the scale really negatively affects your mood, you may not want to weigh yourself the day after event because what happens at events, you tend to get a lot more sodium than usual. You might not drink as much water. You might eat more carbs. There’s a number of reasons why you might wake up the next morning and see the scale be up three to five pounds. Just know that that is not real weight. That is just water weight from the day before. And what you don’t want to do though is go through the whole entire holidays, not checking on that because that is when you are likely to possibly gain some weight. And since I mentioned the scale, will say this I’ve been using is for over a year now, the Hume BodyPod. It’s on some amazing sales right now with Black Friday and going into Christmas and going into the new year. They usually have a sale as well. And I have a whole episode on it. know, the at home body composition scales are not perfect. Nobody will argue that they are. But this one is very comparable to a Dexascan, which is pretty much the gold standard for weight. And it keeps track of your body composition as well. So if you are working on gaining muscle or losing fat, things like that, the scale gives you a lot more data around that. If you’re interested in it, I love it. I’ve had it, like I said, I’ve been using it for over a year now. I have a great discount code that stacks on top of whatever sale. is going on. So look for that in the show notes, but the link, if you just want to go to the link that will work and automatically apply the discount. is heelnourishgrow.com slash Hume, H-U-M-E. And you can check out that scale. if you want to, and again, like I said, it’s not perfect. had a whole episode on that to kind of tell you the things about it to be an awareness. If you start using it, you have to be super consistent with when and how you use it. And that will help you get the best data from it. But just keep in mind, it’s not perfect. people have expectations around it that it’s going to be kind of this magical tool. But I have found it to really be an awesome, amazing asset in my wellness box. And again, when I go out for that kind of holiday thing, I will still weigh I will be aware though that it’s not going to be probably a number that I’m liking that I get on there. But then usually by the next day or two days later, drink a lot of water, go back to your normal thing, and your weight should be also back to normal as well. So Cheryl McColgan (22:56.44)Again, if you know they’re the kind of person that will freak you out, just wait a day or two before you get back on the scale. But I wouldn’t go the entire holiday season not weighing yourself. you only weighing yourself once a week has that same problem associated with it because of those fluctuations in your daily water weight. If you just have one data point for the week, it’s less likely to know if that is real or not. So that is one another reason to keep weighing consistently throughout the holiday season because least three to four times a week is much better than only one. And then after the event, so the next day we just talked about the next day a little bit, I would rehydrate, have some electrolytes, make sure you have a protein heavy breakfast, and again just go back to normal after that. I think that’s where people really get off the rails during the holidays because they think of it, I had one bad meal, I’m putting air quotes around that if you’re not watching the video, but they have one bad meal. And it kind of sends them in this spiral where they think, well, I already messed up. Might as well just wait and start again at the new year. No, you can have one awesome holiday meal one night out with friends, enjoying a party, something like that. And then the next day, you just simply go back to normal. Do everything the way that you always do. And you have a lot less likelihood of putting on a whole bunch of weight during the holidays. So I think that covered all of the points that I had in the document that I already had mapped. out. Again, I had another episode like this where maybe I mentioned some other tools. I’m going to guess they’re pretty similar though. But it’s always good to revisit this year after year because you start to think of things in different ways. You start to have new tools at your disposal, new things that you learn personally that really work for you, new things that you’ve learned about yourself. So I always think it’s important to revisit these things each year and, you know, go into the holidays being very mindful and intentional so that we don’t get off the rails. So Going forward I It was like I said, it’s just been procrastination central over here for me to get back on the mic and start recording the podcast again But now that we’ve broken the seal, hopefully it’s going to continue on the once-a-week basis that always has in the past I’m going to be doing something a little different at least for this Time period between now and the new year in that I will probably most likely be doing mostly solo Cheryl McColgan (25:22.672)episodes just because there’s a few topics that I’ve wanted to cover. I need to do a follow up on the whole bodybuilding situation that had competitions that happened this spring and summer and share with you some insights and some things and some new tools that I learned out of that as well as just a few topics that I think deserve some coverage and it would be easier for me to just put it out there myself. As far as I did record one interview last week with somebody that I is more kind of a more unquote, I’m going to say again with the air quotes, but I’m going say kind of a normal person that is not a particular expert in a certain way, although that’s not really true because she’s like an Olympian and she has a new company that she’s working with women on. outdoor skills and should be really, I think, entertaining for you guys. She’s also competed in bodybuilding and learned some lessons out of that that she shared with me in the interview. So I definitely have that one coming up here soon. And then in the meantime, if there are topics that you’d like me to cover or guests that you’d like to see the interviewed on the podcast, as always, please get in touch and let me know if you could leave a comment below. Let me know what you found most useful about this particular episode and what strategies you will be using during the holidays. If I missed anything, I’d love it if you’d share in the comments anything that I missed or thoughts that you have on dealing with the holidays because I’m sure everyone else that sees it and reads it, you know, we all need all the help we can get during the stressful season. So I would love it if you could share that in the comments. But so that’s it for now. I will see you again next time. And hopefully, like I said, we will be back on much more regular schedule going forward. So have a wonderful rest of your day and I will talk to you soon.

In this episode of the Heal Nourish Grow podcast, host Cheryl McColgan speaks with holistic nutritionist Meg Gage about her personal journey with acne and how it led her to help others. Meg discusses the multifaceted nature of acne, emphasizing the importance of mindset, gut health, and customized skincare approaches. She shares insights on how stress and limiting beliefs can impact skin health and offers practical tips for listeners to start their healing journey. The conversation highlights the need for a holistic approach to acne treatment, integrating mental, physical, and emotional well-being. Connect with Meg to learn more at her website. Takeaways Everyone has the potential to heal acne, regardless of their past experiences. Mindset is crucial in the healing process; negative beliefs can exacerbate skin issues. The body communicates through symptoms, and understanding this can aid healing. Gut health plays a significant role in skin conditions like acne. Customized skincare is essential for effective acne treatment. Stress management is vital for overall health and skin clarity. Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/Hv7zOyux71E Episode Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:01)Hello everyone, welcome to the Heal Nourish Grow podcast. Today I am joined by Meg Gage. I hope I got that right, it's spelled a little differently. And she has a really interesting health history. She's a holistic nutritionist. She specializes actually in acne, I guess, prevention and treatment. And as you can see by her skin, I mean, it looks amazing here if you're watching on video. So if you can't see it, maybe pop over to YouTube. Meg (00:08)You did. Cheryl McColgan (00:30)But it wasn't always this way Meg, right? So I'd love it if you could just start by sharing a little bit of your history, your health journey, and then we'll eventually get into how you came to figure out like how to get rid of acne. So welcome. Meg (00:45)Thank you. Yeah, it's quite the journey. feel anyone who becomes a healer always has quite their own story as to how they got there. But yeah, ever since I was five, I just dealt with multiple traumas and that kind of stress of living in prolonged kind of fight flight breathe since I was little showed up very physically for me in a lot of symptoms, one of which was long standing acne. since I was 12 and others were chronic pain, chronic fatigue, a lot of misdiagnosed disease of like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. All the while at that point when I was 12 being put on hormonal birth control without any kind of questions asked, that's just what we did back in those days. So, you without having many cycles of my own, I was just put on these synthetic hormones as well. And kind of throughout dealing with major health issues over the years and a couple of car accidents and whiplash and PTSD and concussions, my acne was always such a consistent thing in the background. And when I came off hormonal birth control without any prep work or understanding that after a decade, this might have crazy impacts on my hormones when they try to kind of rebalance themselves, my acne exploded into very cystic hormonal me all over my face, all over my back, all over my bum, very painful. And it really just started my quest in kind of the natural healing world. And for the next five years, I tried everything from, you know, naturopaths to nutritionists to Chinese medicine practitioners to herbalists to acupuncture, all in a quest kind of to heal my skin and nothing worked. And it was a very frustrating journey. I was spending upwards of $30,000 on this. It felt like a full-time job, distress when you're kind of putting 100 % of your effort into healing something for it not to work. And then just seeing so many practitioners that were telling you so many, so many varying things. And I just… got to a point where I was like, need to do this myself.

In this conversation, Cheryl McColgan shares her journey of preparing for a NPC Fit Model bodybuilding competition at the age of 52. This episode is in vlog format and best viewed on YouTube although it's still being released as an audio podcast. She discusses her training regimen, nutritional strategies, and the mental challenges she faces throughout the process. Cheryl emphasizes the importance of protein intake, understanding ketosis, and the role of supplements in her routine. She also reflects on her daily activities, meal preparations, and the significance of maintaining a healthy body fat percentage while training for the fit model competition. Takeaways Challenging oneself can lead to personal growth. Nutrition plays a crucial role in competition prep. Understanding individual carbohydrate needs is essential. Daily routines can help manage energy levels during prep. Supplementation can enhance performance and recovery. Protein intake should be prioritized for muscle synthesis. Meal prep can simplify tracking macros. Finding enjoyable foods can make dieting easier. Maintaining a healthy body fat percentage is important for women. It's important to listen to your body during training. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWat2qgDcsE Episode Transcript New NPC Fit Model Division Cheryl McColgan (00:00.504)So I'm back a little later in the day here getting ready to make my dinner, but I realized when I started editing the video that I did not really set this up very well. So I wanna put this at the beginning. I am sharing with you a day in what I've been doing for the last almost 10 weeks now. And that is training, eating, losing fat for possibly competing in the fit model category in the NPC. When I thought about this in the, well first of all, thinking about doing this at age 52 is quite daunting, never having been stepped on stage before in a bodybuilding competition. But if you wanna learn more about that thought process, I have another podcast that I did on that and I'll link that down below. But basically, I'm still not 100 % certain that I'm. to do it, but I've been training, eating, doing fat loss for last 10 weeks as if I am definitely going to do it. So it's just a little scary and that's the only reason I'm thinking about not doing it. I think it'll be fun in a lot of ways. I think it would be a great experience and I'm all about challenging myself and putting myself out of my comfort zone. So that's why I started it. anyway, so this is kind of just my day, how I've been training, how I've been eating, bio hacks that I do, supplements that I use, all that kind of good stuff that will all be here in the video. Yeah, I don't normally do vlogs, so this is totally new format for me, but hopefully you'll find it helpful or somewhat entertaining or maybe while you're trying to get through your cardio, you'll be watching this video, which is how I've been getting through a lot of my things that I've been doing over the last several weeks, listening to podcasts, watching videos, watching other people talk about their preps and things like that. Cheryl McColgan (01:55.946)So without further ado, let's move on to my day. Hey everyone, good morning. This is going to be a totally different kind of video for me. I've never done one of these before, but I thought I would take you through a day in the life of prep. So you can see a little bit what it's more about, get some of my feelings on it. Yesterday was a particularly difficult day. So we made it through, woke up this morning. Actually, the first thing I do in the morning that I did not video is get on the scale because that's what you do you're tracking and I… this morning, so despite yesterday being an awful day, we did have progress, at least in the sense of what the goal is right now, is moving that body fat down. So now, I'm just going to make some coffee, do some fasting cardio,

In this episode, Cheryl McColgan shares her personal journey in health and wellness, focusing on the importance of muscle mass, protein intake, and the development of consistent habits. She discusses her experience with weightlifting, the potential of competitive bodybuilding, and the role of coaching in achieving fitness goals. Cheryl also addresses the challenges of fat loss and the daily commitment required to maintain a healthy lifestyle, emphasizing that it's never too late to start lifting and pursue personal goals. Episode mentioned: Motivation is Overrated: How to Crush Your Goals Without It Takeaways Every meal is an opportunity to stimulate muscle growth. Optimal protein intake is crucial for muscle maintenance. Building habits is more important than motivation. It's never too late to start lifting weights. Diet fatigue can impact your commitment to goals. Having a coach can provide accountability and guidance. Setting specific goals helps maintain focus in fitness. Muscle mass is vital for longevity and quality of life. Transitioning to a new gym can reinvigorate your fitness journey. Daily commitment is key to achieving health and wellness goals. Episode transcript: Cheryl McColgan (00:01.806)Hey everyone, welcome to the Heal Nourish Row podcast. I am Cheryl McColgan, your host and founder of Heal Nourish Row. And my apologies for showing up on here looking a bit disheveled, but I just finished my basement workout. And so while this is on my mind, I thought I would get this recorded for you. So it's something I've been wanting to share for a little while. And I actually started to record it yesterday, but it was such a weird day. I had gotten some crazy news and It was just, I was not in good head space. So thought I'd revisit it today and try to put together my thoughts for you a little bit more coherently. But anyway, just in case you haven't listened to previous episodes, I will give you some background here. So, you know, the whole channel and the whole podcast is focused on health and wellness, and that's probably how you found it if you're listening to this. But pretty much my whole life I've been involved in health and wellness in some way. And over the years I have dabbled in lifting kind of on and off, but I've never gotten to stick until the last couple years here. I finally I'm over 50 now and I'm like, well, this whole push in social media and in education for older people about maintaining their muscle mass and how it really relates to longevity and just overall. you know, however long you are going to live, living your life well, because you can function on your own when you have muscle. And it's really an epidemic right now of sarcopenia, which is the lack of muscle mass as you get older, as well as obesity and many other things, but a lot of things that are just really preventing people from living well into their older years. And so having seen, you know, various people over my life and having been blessed with still being healthy at this point after watching my dad battle cancer and things like that. I'm like, owe it to myself to really take this on and finally commit to maintaining my muscle. So that is what I've been working on the last several years. And it started with really just Cheryl McColgan (02:10.913)getting optimal protein and making that a big focus. And so if you've followed my content for a while, I've been talking about that just in case you have not heard this before. I want to make sure I put this out there. Every meal that you eat is an opportunity to stimulate muscle protein synthesis, which is the process by which your body maintains and builds muscle mass. And in order to stimulate that, you need about 30 grams at least of protein at each meal. is that will include about three grams of leucine, which is thought to be the amino acid that really stimulates muscle building. And then as you get older,

In this episode, host Cheryl McColgan interviews mental health professional Celeste Rains-Turk. She specializes in helping individuals improve their relationship with food and body image. Celeste shares her personal journey of overcoming disordered eating and how it inspired her to help others. The conversation delves into the complexities of disordered eating, the impact of body positivity movements, and the importance of mindfulness in achieving a healthy relationship with food. Celeste emphasizes the need for a balanced approach to health and fitness, advocating for self-love while also recognizing the importance of caring for one's body. The episode concludes with practical strategies for changing food associations and fostering a healthier mindset around eating. Celeste shares insights on diet breaks, the impact of choices on long-term health, and offers resources for improving food relationships, including coaching programs and an upcoming wellness retreat. Connect with Celeste and learn more about the upcoming retreat at celestial.fit and follow her on Instagram. Takeaways Many individuals struggle with their relationship with food and body image. Disordered eating can often go undiagnosed due to its complex nature. Mindfulness can significantly improve self-esteem and body image. The body positivity movement has both positive and negative implications. It's essential to focus on health and longevity rather than just aesthetics. Self-love should not lead to self-destructive behaviors. A balanced approach to nutrition is key for long-term health. Understanding food relationships is crucial for emotional well-being. The cycle of restriction and bingeing can be interrupted by trust in oneself. The power of choice allows for healthier eating habits without guilt. Diet breaks can provide mental relief and improve long-term results. Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/vcAQRWNmSbs Episode Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:00.494)Hi everyone. Welcome to the Heal Nourish Grow podcast. Today I am joined by the lovely and very smiley Celeste Rains-Turk and I am really excited to chat with her today because she is a mental health professional. She specifically deals a lot with helping people with their relationship with food, has so many free resources for that and so many programs. And in addition to that, she is a prolific podcaster and I've basically been pod-stalking her for the last two or three months. Celeste Rains-Turk (00:07.45)You Cheryl McColgan (00:30.294)I know a lot about Celeste, but now I'm going to share that with you guys, because I just think she is a really amazing source of information and really a light in the world of health and fitness. So Celeste, all that being said, welcome to the show. And could you just share with people a little bit about yourself? How did you become attracted to this mental health work and what lights you up about doing this kind of work? Celeste Rains-Turk (00:53.403)Well, first of all, thank you for having me. I like your vocabulary usage. It's great. So what I'll start with what lights me up about this work because I think that lends insight into what got me into it. So what lights me up most about the work that I do is seeing people achieve something they didn't think was possible. So a lot of the people that I work with, they come to me almost on a last hope, a last resort. thinking is there any way I can actually heal my relationship with food and my body without sacrificing my fitness and physique goals? Because so many of them have been told by fitness professionals or mental health professionals that they cannot do both and I want them to know that they can. So it is incredibly rewarding for me to see them actually achieve that goal. That is amazing because they don't expect to do that. Now, as far as what got me into it was I personally Cheryl McColgan (01:32.974)been pulled by.

In this episode of the Heal Nourish Grow podcast, Dr. Chris Rhodes, a nutrition scientist, discusses his journey into the fields of longevity and fasting. He explains the significance of autophagy and shares his personal experiences with fasting. Dr. Rhodes also introduces Mimio, a product designed to mimic the benefits of fasting at the molecular level, and discusses the clinical studies that support its efficacy. The conversation delves into the science behind Mimeo's ingredients and their roles in promoting healthspan and longevity. Visit Mimio to learn more and get an awesome discount! Takeaways Fasting can activate longevity bio programs within our cells. Autophagy is a crucial process for cellular health and longevity. GLP-1 drugs like Ozembic may positively impact longevity pathways. Mimeo is designed to mimic the benefits of fasting without actual fasting. Clinical studies show Mimeo can improve metabolic health markers. The formulation of Mimeo includes powerful anti-aging molecules. Nicotinamide plays a key role in cellular energy and metabolism. Using Mimeo can enhance the benefits of shorter fasting periods. Maintaining a balance between mTOR activation and fasting pathways is essential for health. https://youtu.be/CidbXEJcj3k Episode transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:00.834)Hey everyone. Welcome to the Heal Nourish Grow Podcast. I don't even know the name of my own podcast. It's loving my words today. But anyway, I'm really excited about today's guest. I'm here with Dr. Chris Rhodes and he is a nutrition scientist. I'll let him better describe himself, but you will have heard his full bio, of course, before this, but I always like to start out, Dr. Rhodes, with just having you kind of share in your own words, what brought you into this space? What made you passionate about working with Mimeo Health and the technology there. Like what led you to this point? Dr. Chris Rhodes (00:32.962)Yeah, great question. Really happy to be here, Cheryl. Thanks for having me on. really got me interested into the longevity space, the healthy aging space, and eventually the fasting space was coming out of college. I got my BS in biochemistry from Leroy LaMaria Mount University, but like a lot of college kids didn't really know what I wanted to do there. So to try and figure that out, took an immunology fellowship at Stanford, just kind of pouring through all the research I could get my hands on going to all these seminars, and eventually came across the longevity research. And I thought that was so fascinating because it was this thing that used to be relegated to myth and legend, right? It was like Ponce de Leon and the Fountain of Youth. And now it's this very active, very rigorous area of scientific research with a ton of funding and a ton of companies and a ton of government and scientific attention on it. And it's one of those things that helps with everything, right? If you can solve aging, then you can pretty much also solve disease because by and large, most young folks don't get disease. really see that aging is something that's an underlying factor in every disease that happens. So if you can tackle these fundamental issues of aging at the cellular level and really slow that process down, then you can not only potentially enhance lifespan but also healthspan at the same time, which I think is what we're all really going for, living our lives as well as possible and as best health as possible for as long long as we can. When you're in the healthy aging and longevity space, eventually you come across fasting because fasting is one of the only ways that we know of to reliably extend lifespan and health span helps to treat, prevent, or delay most major diseases. And the reason why that was so fascinating to me is because it does all of that without actually adding anything into the system, right? So it's not this superfood or this wonder drug that's doing al...

In this episode, Cheryl McColgan interviews Vitalijus, co-founder of Pulsetto, discussing the importance of sleep, stress resilience, and the role of the vagus nerve in health optimization. Vitalijus shares his personal journey into biohacking, including a 200-night sleep experiment that revealed key insights into improving sleep quality. The conversation delves into the science behind stress resilience, the vagus nerve's function, and how devices like Pulsetto can aid in relaxation and recovery. Vitalijus emphasizes the significance of personal experimentation in health and the growing importance of mental health in today's world. Read more about Pulsetto and purchase with our 15% off discount here or use code HEALNOURISHGROW15. Takeaways Vitalijus conducted a 200-night sleep experiment to improve his sleep. Key factors for better sleep include darkness, temperature, and minimizing disturbances. Stress is a major factor affecting sleep quality and melatonin production. The vagus nerve plays a crucial role in connecting the brain to internal organs. HRV (Heart Rate Variability) is a key metric for measuring stress resilience. Biohacking allows for personal experimentation to find what works best for individual health. Mental health is increasingly important in managing stress and overall well-being. Using devices like Pulsetto can help activate the vagus nerve for relaxation. Athletes can benefit from vagus nerve stimulation for recovery and performance. Small changes in sleep habits can lead to significant improvements over time. Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/YGxZvO67bLM Episode transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:01.07)Hi everyone. Welcome to the Heal Nourish Grow podcast. Today I'm joined by Vitalius and I got the first name going pretty good. I'm not even going to attempt the last name, so I'll let him share that. And of course you will have heard it in the bio here prior to the recording. But welcome to the show today. We're going to talk about all things kind of Vegas nerve, what that even is, why it's relevant to you as a person out there listening to this. And Vitalius has a big interest in sleep and kind of a past with some things where he was super into biohacking. this is really pretty interesting. So, Vitalius, all that being said, we start by you just sharing a little bit about yourself and your background in the biohacking? And I would love to really chat about that sleep experiment you did, because that was quite impressive what you did with that. Vitalijus (00:45.603)Yeah, so before I created Pulsetto, am one of the co-founders of this company. I was working in corporate world and basically in the sleep industry. I was working in different countries, in different locations and I was responsible for sleep products. So naturally, sleep topic was always somewhere near, you know, but you know, one day I decided to go deeper to this topic. I had some issues with sleep also. So it was like, I was working in sleep industry, but at the same time I was sleeping bad, you know, I was working like a crazy for 16 hours and etc. And then when I was 29, I got panic attacks and Xanax and it was terrible experience. Cheryl McColgan (01:10.178)Yeah. Vitalijus (01:34.605)that I remember that I said, okay, I need to change something. And the starting point was sleep, yeah, because I was near this field and topic and etc. So what I did basically at that moment, I just took around 70 factors, which has some kind of scientific publications, know, and etc. 70 things. I will explain what those things mean. And I took those things I just listed. And then, you know, I started this kind of 100 night experiment, which means that I took one thing from those 70 lists. Yeah. And then three evenings in a row, I consume this thing. And I was imagining my aura at that moment, was like, what users It was not like a scientific study,

In this episode, Dr. Lloyd Glauberman shares his journey into psychology and hypnotherapy, discussing the importance of sleep, the obesity epidemic, and introduces the concept of lifestyle intelligence. He emphasizes the need for tailored approaches to behavior change and the innovative tools available for personal development, including his app that combines storytelling and hypnosis. Connect with Dr. Glauberman through his website and you can download his app on the Apple store with a free 30 day trial. Watch on YouTube https://https://youtu.be/QO3fjKBAnyc Takeaways Hypnosis is a common state we experience daily, often without realizing it. Sleep is crucial for cognitive function and emotional regulation. The obesity epidemic is influenced by lifestyle choices and sleep deprivation. Lifestyle intelligence is about understanding and improving our health behaviors. Self-esteem has shifted from real-life interactions to social media validation. Hypnosis can be effective when tailored to individual needs. The brain cleans itself during sleep, highlighting its importance for health. Healthy behavior skills should be integrated into early education. Show Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:01.038)Hi everyone, welcome to the Heal and Nourish Grow podcast. Today I am joined by Dr. Lloyd Globberman, but he has generously said that I should call him Lloyd during the show. but just so you know, he is a doctor. Of course you heard that in his official bio, but Lloyd, I'd really love if you could share with the audience now, just in your own words, what got you into this line of work and what got you interested in helping people with their health and wellness? Lloyd Glauberman (00:25.712)I stumbled into the profession of psychology after I graduated from college. And at the time, in addition to being in college, I played drums in a rock and roll band. And like everybody else, I wanted to be a rock star. However, as the fact that we're talking right now just lets everybody know that never happened. So I had to figure out something else. And it was during that time when Vietnam War was still in. Cheryl McColgan (00:39.82)Of course! Cheryl McColgan (00:46.606)you Lloyd Glauberman (00:55.322)in play and the only way to avoid being involved with that in an appropriate fashion was to work for the government in the health professions in some kind of way. And I stumbled across a job at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center, which was a psychiatric facility for residents of Harvard. So it was an up-tempo, really smart bunch of folks kind of thing. And so I walked in, off the street, went upstairs to the person who was in charge of personnel and I said, you by chance don't have any jobs available, do you? For people who might want to begin a career. And they said, did you graduate college? And I said, yeah, seven days ago. They said, fine. When can you start? What? do mean, when can I start? I'm not even sitting down in your office. I said, are you actually hiring me right now? She said, Yeah, you look like you can do the job. Monday. Okay. That started my career, that bizarre set of circumstances. So I get there and I am now a psychiatric aid helping deal with and support people who have severe emotional problems, obviously, because they've been hospitalized. And I was getting very nice feedback from the staff, from the nurses who had been there for decades, from the psychiatric residents. said, you know, you should go into the business. Hence. I did. I started applying to graduate school. I got married early. My wife and I moved to California and I bumbled and stumbled through the whole process and finally got my doctorate from Syracuse in 1976. Came to New York, took the licensing exam and here we are decades later and I'm still involved in the business and it's still enjoyable even though I'm a new Cheryl McColgan (02:48.13)That's an amazing story.

I've been planning to do this Hume Health review for a while, but I wanted to wait until I'd used it for six months. During this time, I got three DEXA scans to compare the results to the Hume Health Body Pod scale. According to the manufacturer, the Body Pod correlates within three percent of a DEXA scan. For this Hume Health vs DEXA review, I thought it would be easier to present my thoughts in a video/audio form so I can share it with my podcast audience as well. If you prefer to read it the transcript is below and I'll be updating this page shortly with a written review. If you decide to try the Hume Body Pod, use code HEALNOURISHGROW at checkout to receive an extra discount that stacks on top of their sales! In this episode I discusses the importance of daily weigh-ins and how they can be a valuable tool for tracking body composition over time. However, just knowing your weigh isn't enough, especially when you're actively working to build muscle and lose fat. I share my thoughts on various body fat scales I've used in the past as well as most recent experience with the Hume Health Scale. Using the three DEXA scans I got during the same time, I compare the accuracy and utility of using a home body composition scale. I also share tips and tricks on how to get the most accurate readings from your Hume Body Pod. I also provide practical tips for maintaining muscle mass while managing weight, highlighting the significance of protein intake and consistent tracking. Takeaways Daily weigh-ins can help maintain consistency in weight management. Daily weight fluctuations are often due to hydration and diet, not fat gain. Tracking weight over time reveals trends rather than daily changes. Body fat scales can provide insights into muscle and fat composition. The Hume Health Scale offers improved accuracy over traditional scales. DEXA scans and body fat scales have their own variances in accuracy. Consistency in measurement conditions is crucial for reliable data. Prioritizing protein intake is essential for muscle preservation during weight loss. Regular strength training helps protect muscle mass during calorie deficits. The Hume Health Scale is a valuable tool for at-home body composition tracking. https://youtu.be/gb4NKuS--ek Link to Document Podcast Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:01.262)Hey everyone, welcome to the Heal Nourish Grow podcast. Today I am going to discuss a product that I've been using for a while and this will be a little bit different of a podcast episode, although it will weave in some of the tools that I've used over the years to be consistent. And one of those things is the simple body scale. So I'm one of those weirdos that I weigh every single day. I just look at it as data. And I really feel like over the years, this is what's helped me be really consistent and not gain or lose too much weight in any one given time. I know a lot of people are not very excited about using a scale or having daily weigh-ins, but I really do think it's a valuable tool if you're a person that can just treat it as data and not allow whatever the number on the scale says to wreck your day, basically. Because body weight is so dependent really on just day-to-day hydration, whether or not you had a salty meal the night before, that sort of thing. And so what I've noticed over the years is that literally my weight can fluctuate within a week of anywhere from a pound or almost the same every day all the way up to a five pound difference, just depending again, mainly on hydration. if you can look at it that you know, People will often say this and it drives me nuts. I gained three pounds this week or I gained three pounds yesterday and it's like you really didn't. You didn't gain three pounds of fat overnight. You probably just ate something really salty the day before. So what's really important is more the idea of tracking your weight over time and looking for...

In this episode of the Heal Nourish Grow podcast, Cheryl McColgan discusses how to stay on track with your 2025 goals, emphasizing the importance of consistency over motivation. She shares strategies for creating manageable goals, habit stacking, and balancing commitments to ensure success. Cheryl also highlights the significance of time management, mental tricks for habit formation and the value of rewarding progress. Personal reflections and life updates provide a relatable context for her insights. I She also shares her experiences and insights from a recent vacation, focusing on travel challenges, dietary choices, and fitness management. She discusses the importance of maintaining an active lifestyle while traveling, the balance between indulgence and health and the significance of consistency in fitness routines. Takeaways Motivation can fluctuate; focus on building habits instead. Consistency and commitment are key to achieving goals. Start with small, manageable goals to avoid overwhelm. Habit stacking can help integrate new habits into your routine. Evaluate your goals to ensure they are realistic and achievable. Balance your commitments to avoid setting yourself up for failure. Investing in time-saving solutions can enhance your wellness journey. Sleep is crucial for recovery and overall health. Use mental tricks to overcome resistance to starting workouts. Reward yourself for progress to maintain motivation. Baggage capacity issues can disrupt travel plans. Consistency in diet and exercise is key to health. Listening to your body is crucial for injury management. Aging affects fitness goals and recovery time. Balance indulgence with healthy choices while traveling. https://youtu.be/PJxtI424Rhw Episode Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:01.134)Hello everyone, welcome to the Heal Nourish Grow podcast. And also happy 2025. I don't think I've gotten to officially say that even though there has been an episode out this year. Anyway, today I just wanted to chat with you about how to stay on track with your 2025 goals. A lot of people set New Year's resolutions or even if you don't set a strict resolution, there might be some things that you are trying to work on in the new year and this is one of my favorite topics because I feel like everybody thinks they want to wait until they get motivated to do something. motivation waxes and wanes. And I speak to this 100 % from experience because over the years, my motivation in area of health and wellness has been lacking. But that doesn't prevent me from doing the things I know I need to do and that I should do. And that's because I think motivation is really overrated. It's more about creating your habits and then having just consistency and commitment over motivation. And that's really what will help get you to your goals. And one of the things that I find and I haven't been doing much coaching lately. I'm actually thinking about opening that up again. So if that's something that you're interested in, please get in touch and let me know. You can just email me at info at heelnourishrow.com. But one of the things that I've noticed in the past, and I've heard many, many other coaches and people in the wellness space say this, that the thing that people kind of get hung up on the most, particularly with New Year's resolutions, is that they try to bite off way more than they can chew. And so what happens is for maybe the first couple weeks of the year, you stick with whatever your new routine is. I'm going to eat right, I'm going to exercise four times a week, I'm going to drink more water, all this. And so you might stay with it for a couple of weeks, but it all becomes very overwhelming. And so instead of moving forward, you just feel overwhelmed and you kind of quit altogether and not taking any of those habits where if you do some things like habit stacking, and I'll talk more about what that is shortly,...

In this episode of the Heal Nourish Grow podcast, Cheryl interviews Kerry Mann, who shares his transformative journey of losing 100 pounds and overcoming severe health issues through dietary changes. Kerry discusses his struggles with depression, anxiety, and various health conditions, and how he discovered the ketogenic and later the carnivore diet, which significantly improved his mental and physical health. Kerry also shares his documentary that aims to highlight the healing power of a proper human diet and the stories of others who have experienced similar transformations. Find Kerry at https://healinghumanity.movie/ and @homesteadhow on social media and YouTube. Takeaways Kerry lost 100 pounds and overcame depression and anxiety. The ketogenic diet and later carnivore, was life-changing for Kerry. Kerry is passionate about sharing his story through a documentary. He emphasizes the importance of diet in mental health. Kerry's documentary features real stories of transformation and benefits of the "proper human diet." Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/PUwAE9wIz5s Episode Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:00.952)Hi everyone, welcome to the Heal Nourish Grow podcast. Today I am joined by Carrie Mann and he has a really amazing story that includes a hundred pounds of weight loss and he is now working on a documentary and I just think he has a really interesting background so I was really excited to share his story with you. So welcome Carrie and if we could get started by you just sharing. First of all, don't think I said in that like how you ended up. losing the weight and it's kind of a thing that is very popular right now. I think that a lot of people have heard about. So when it gets to that point, I would love to have you share how you found that and why that ended up working for you. So welcome, Carrie. Kerry (00:42.586)Thank you so much Cheryl, I appreciate it. Yeah, I'm down 100 pounds since my heaviest, overcame all sorts of health issues. For me, I actually, found the ketogenic diet maybe 10 or 15 years ago and it was kind of life changing for me back then. It was the only thing that had really worked for me. I had depression, I had anxiety, I was diagnosed with IBS. I sleep apnea. I went in for a sleep study and I had to get a CPAP machine. My stomach was just always hurting. No matter what I would eat, I tried many different types of diets, low FODMAP, plant-based diet, and my stomach was always bothering me. I ended up having a couple of kidney stones a few years ago. had my gallbladder was kind of borderline and the doctor was like, you could take it out or you could leave it. And I said, I have so many stomach issues. Let's take the gallbladder out. And then like two years after that, I lost my appendix. It burst on the operating room table. Could have killed me. Like, thankfully I went in for the hospital. I was actually thinking I was having another kidney stone, but I went in just before they were going to do surgery on the appendix, it burst. And just had a whole bunch of health issues. I had arthritis in my foot. They said it was gout and it hurt so bad I could barely walk on it. And then amongst all that my weight just kept going up the biggest issue for me was mental health depression and anxiety for 10 or 15 years. I tried every antidepressant anti-anxiety medicine and Just never got better for me the medication Sort of made me feel like a zombie I kind of felt numb to it But I I just didn't feel like myself and the really deep dark depression kind of never went away But when I found keto, which was 10 or 15 years ago, I was watching a documentary on Netflix and I learned about keto for the first time and I tried it. It was the only thing that ever touched my depression. I noticed like, I feel a little better. I feel different. It was a whoa moment. I'm like, I feel different than I have with any of this other medication.

In this episode of the Heal Nourish Grow podcast, host Cheryl McColgan interviews Ian Anderson, founder of the Sunnyside app, which focuses on alcohol moderation and mindfulness. Ian shares his personal journey, including his family's struggles with alcohol, and discusses the impact of the pandemic on drinking habits. The conversation highlights the importance of harm reduction and the shift in understanding alcohol use and recovery. Ian explains how Sunnyside works as a tool for individuals looking to build healthier relationships with alcohol. Ian discusses the evolution of Sunnyside, an app designed to help users moderate their alcohol consumption. He emphasizes the importance of personalization, gradual change, and the power of tracking drinking habits. The discussion also covers the upcoming Dry January initiative, which aims to provide inclusive challenges for users looking to cut back on alcohol. Ian highlights the benefits of using Sunnyside, including improved mental health, better sleep, and financial savings, while encouraging listeners to join the community for support and guidance. Go to HealNourishGrow.com/sunnyside to join the free Dryish/Dry January Challenge. You can choose to go fully dry, dry on weekdays or any number of other custom options! Follow Sunnyside on Instagram here. Takeaways The pandemic increased awareness of alcohol health issues. Harm reduction is a crucial approach to alcohol use. AA has a low success rate for long-term recovery. The definition of recovery has evolved to include moderation. Many people want to drink less but don't know how. Tracking alcohol consumption can lead to healthier habits. Sunnyside aims to be a supportive tool for change. Understanding alcohol's health effects can empower better choices. Personalization is key; users set their own goals and track progress. Gradual reduction in alcohol consumption is more effective than immediate cessation. Tracking drinks helps create conscious interference and awareness. Dry January offers various challenges to accommodate different user preferences. Community support enhances the experience of moderating alcohol consumption. Sunnyside provides a safe, anonymous space for users to seek help. The app encourages users to reflect on their drinking patterns and triggers. Sunnyside aims to create lasting behavior change, not just temporary fixes. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/R_bx-oTAY7E Episode Transcript: Cheryl McColgan (00:00.814)Hi everyone, welcome to the Heal and Nourish Grow podcast. Today I am joined by Ian Anderson and this conversation has been a long time coming. He is the founder of Sunnyside, which is a really awesome app that I've been checking out for the last couple of years, because you know I like to bring you guys all the things that will help you in your health and wellness journey. But we're going to save that for little while because Ian has a really interesting backstory and an interesting, I think, perspective on how he created this product to really help people. And so Ian, I'd love for you to share some of that now, maybe first talk a little bit about your professional background and then like what led you to create this product. Ian Andersen (00:37.766)Yeah, absolutely. Well, Cheryl, thanks for having me on the podcast. Like you said, it's been a long time coming. I'm glad we finally got to make this happen. And it's always a pleasure just to be able to meet new audiences and offer, you know, my personal story and whatever wisdom I can offer around alcohol health. It's something that's really important to me. So. The product is Sunnyside and it's an alcohol moderation and mindfulness app. So we will get to that, but I'll tell you a little bit about my story and how it led me to create this product that tens of thousands of people are using. So professional background, I was born and raised in California.

In this episode of the Heal Nourish Grow podcast, Cheryl McColgan speaks with Guy Odishaw about the challenges faced by children in the school system. They discuss the impact of technology on children's behavior, the rising incidence of ADHD, and the importance of regulating the brain to improve outcomes. Guy shares insights into innovative approaches to brain health, including the use of neuromodulation devices that help solve dysregulation in the brain, ultimately aiming to enhance focus and learning in children. Guy discusses the importance of moderating dysregulation in children to improve their learning outcomes. He highlights the positive effects of audio visual entrainment in educational settings, sharing success stories from schools that have implemented this technology. The conversation also addresses the challenges of sustaining such programs and the need for passionate advocates to drive change. Additionally, Guy explains how families can access this technology for home use and emphasizes the importance of integrating it into daily routines for maximum benefit. Find Guy at Cerebralfit.com Takeaways The school system is facing overwhelming challenges post-pandemic. Teachers are often left without adequate resources to manage classroom behavior. The rise in ADHD diagnoses is linked to various factors, including technology. Dopamine regulation is crucial for children's behavior and learning. Neuromodulation devices can help regulate brain function effectively. Parents and teachers can benefit from brain regulation techniques. Simple interventions can lead to significant improvements in children's focus and learning. Regulating dysregulation can significantly enhance learning outcomes. Audio visual entrainment has shown positive results in educational settings. Anxiety reduction leads to improved self-esteem and performance in students. Integrating technology into daily life can enhance its effectiveness. The rental program allows families to try the technology before purchasing. Positive changes in schools can lead to a more engaged classroom environment. Teachers' stress levels decrease when students are well-regulated. The device can benefit multiple users in a household. Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/aaV_NqUNGmo Episode Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:00.826)Hi everyone, welcome to the Heal and Nourish Grow podcast. Today I am joined by Guy Otishaw. Easy for me to say, right? It should be easy to say because this is the third time that you've been on this show and happy to have you back. Before we get into the topic of the day, Guy, can you just share with everybody, I've read your official bio of course, like always, but could you just share a little bit of your background and how you got into this work and what makes you so passionate about helping people in the way that you do? Guy Odishaw, CerebralFit (00:30.23)Well, it's great to be back. Thank you. So my background is primarily in integrative medicine and kind of two main tracks for me, my private practice as a practitioner, but then in some ways really my more full-time job, which is building clinics. My biggest clinic was a large integrative medicine clinic with 30 providers kind of across the spectrum of care from allopathic MDs all the way to energy work of various kinds and everything in between. And then my own private practice has been primarily kind of on the orthopedic side, pain, trauma, working on the body. But then over time, I got interested in bioelectric medicine. And then that led me down the path of bioelectric medicine. And then that led me to brains in particular. And now I spend most of my time working directly on the brain with neuroimaging. neurofeedback, neurostimulation, neuromodulation. so, so now my private practice and my clinic life are much more similar as I've kind of dropped the big integrative clinic and moved to a more focused, you know,

In this episode of the Heal Nourish Grow podcast, I share my journey of returning to strength training after a long hiatus. The importance of strength training for longevity and health span, the benefits of starting at any age, and how to overcome common barriers to consistency are topics in this solo episode. I provide practical tips for getting started, understanding progressive overload, and the significance of workout frequency in gaining muscle. I discuss the role of nutrition in supporting strength training goals and resources to find reliable resources for effective training. Science Backed YouTube Channels: Renaissance Periodization with Dr. Mike Israetel, Dr. Menno Henselmans, Dr. Milo Wolfe and Jeff Nippard. Newbie Gains: https://youtu.be/om7ow5PFhSE How to Maximize Muscle Growth: https://youtu.be/55nfFfWXSTM Hume Body Composition Scale, Big Black Friday Discount Plus Code HEALNOURISHGROW stacks on top! Takeaways Strength training is crucial for maintaining bone density as we age. Starting strength training early in life can have long-term benefits. Progressive overload is essential for muscle growth. You can achieve significant results with just two workouts a week. Body weight exercises are a great way to begin strength training at home. Nutrition, including carb intake (GASP), supports muscle growth and recovery. Finding reliable sources of information can enhance your training effectiveness. Strength training is more effective for fat loss than cardio alone. Tracking body composition can provide motivation and insight into progress. Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/HWPLHXs_s8A?si=vU43KmL5qVrkWMsF Episode Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:01.346)Hi everyone, welcome to the Heal Nourish Grow podcast. Today I want to share with you some things I've learned when going back to gym over the last 16 months. I guess what I really wanted to share is that I know a lot of people are going to start thinking about New Year's resolutions here soon and you know that I usually do some content towards the end of the year and the beginning of the new year around diet, around exercise, about… tips and tricks and things that you can do to make these things easier if you are adding these into your life. And so this has been a lot on my mind lately because I just made a change at the gym and I'll kind of go a little backwards and share with you just some of the things that I've been learning, what has helped me stay consistent and if you're going to start doing this in the new year, some things that you can do to hopefully make it easier for yourself and not make some of the same mistakes that I did going back. So, Just to give a little bit of background for those of you that may be new here, I've talked about this and shared this a bit in the past. I've been super active my whole life. I was a runner for 17 years, had to quit that because of my knees and I love hiking and anything outdoors. I am very excited to do and love doing. I walk almost every day outside. But what I haven't done consistently over the years is lift weights. And there's just been more and more content and research coming out lately around the benefits of lifting and strength training as far as longevity and just better daily life and the ability to live a better life into your old age. And I know if you're out there and you're younger and you're listening to this, you might not think that you need to start thinking about this now, but the sooner that you can implement this in your life and get it started, the better. There's actually research showing that. Children in particular and young adults like building as much muscle as you can when you're younger can actually help you when you get older because if you even take time off from those things from strength training and stuff at some point in your life and you come back to it if you had built a lot of muscle at a much younger age,

In this conversation, Dr. Victoria Williamson discusses the profound impact of music on the brain, exploring its role in memory, emotional connection, and cognitive enhancement. She highlights the significance of music from infancy through adulthood and introduces the concept of binaural beats as a tool for sound therapy. The discussion also covers her company, Audicin, which aims to provide sound solutions for wellbeing and productivity, backed by scientific research. Stay in touch with Dr. Victoria and get a free trial of Audicin at this link. Takeaways Music has been a part of human life for millennia. Newborns can remember melodies they heard in utero. Music is deeply tied to our emotional experiences. The brain processes music in a unique way that enhances memory. Binaural beats can help synchronize brain waves for various states of mind. Music can be used as a mnemonic device for better memory retention. The right kind of background music can enhance focus and productivity. Nature sounds in music can significantly reduce stress levels. Research is ongoing to explore the benefits of music therapy for various conditions. Watch on YouTube Episode transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:00.868)Hey everyone, welcome to the Heal and Rosh Ro podcast. I am so excited. I I think I say this when I'm talking to every guest, but that's because I only choose people that I really want to talk to for the most part. So today I have with me Dr. Victoria Williamson, and she is basically her life's work is all about music in the brain. And this is a topic that really gets me excited because I was a musician most of my time throughout school. I played saxophone for many years, also sang. and then my interest in psychology and the brain. And at the time, even way back when, when I was in school at this point, there was a lot of research on the really positive effects in a child's developing brain with using music. So I know that that research is out here, but what I'm really excited to talk to Dr. Williamson about is how they're finding that music also works wonders on the adult brain. So very long introduction there, Dr. Victoria, but I kind of wanted to let you know where I'm coming from as well. So welcome and could you just give people some background on how you got into this work? What sparked your interest in music? Dr Victoria Williamson (01:04.371)Well, thank you so much for inviting me. It's my absolute pleasure to be with you today. We share a lot in our background, you and me. So I paid for school teaching music. I'm a guitarist, classical guitarist, but I love all instruments. I love all forms of music, impossible to name a favorite. But I studied psychology. That's what I was drawn towards was understanding human behavior and I was going to school in the sort of late 90s, early 2000s, where neuroscience was blowing up. And we were getting all these cool studies where you could see actual pictures of the brain working. And that was just magnetic to me. when I found out I could combine my two loves, I could combine psychology and music. That was it. That was my pathway right there. And it mattered not that I had to study for so many years and have this kind of uncertain academic life. Cheryl McColgan (01:57.112)haha Dr Victoria Williamson (02:01.587)because you follow your passion, right? And that's what you're all about. So we absolutely share that as well. So my pathway through research always clung to this idea that music is transformative in human life. And we've been making music as a species for as long as records exist. The oldest musical instruments we've ever found on planet Earth are 40 ,000 years old. And these are very intricate bone flutes. They're carved from the bone of a vulture wing, and they use the same musical scale that we use in modern folk music. Cheryl McColgan (02:42.082)That's absolutely amazing.

In this episode, Dr. Malaika Woods discusses her journey from traditional obstetrics to functional medicine. She is now focused on the importance of understanding hormones for optimal health. She shares insights on personal weight loss journey, the mental aspects of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and the common hormonal issues women face, particularly during menopause. Dr. Woods also explains the significance of hormone replacement therapy, different methods of administration, and the importance of testosterone for both women and men. You can find Dr. Woods at her website, https://drwoodswellness.com/ Takeaways Weight loss is easier than maintenance; mental aspects are crucial. Nutrition, stress management, and inflammation are key pillars of health. Women often experience hormonal changes in their 40s and 50s. Hormone replacement therapy can reduce risks of various diseases. Bioidentical hormones are preferred for their safety and efficacy. Testosterone is vital for women's health and often overlooked. Men also experience low testosterone, impacting their health significantly Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/6STrr4xFR8A Episode Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:01.111)Hi everyone, welcome to the Heal Nourish Grow podcast. Today I have Dr. Malekah Woods and she is a specialist in women's health. She talks a lot about hormones and she also sees men patients. So if you're a man, don't click away. Plus you need to know this stuff about women's health as well. So all that being said. Dr. Malaika Woods (00:17.592)Bye. Cheryl McColgan (00:19.428)Welcome Dr. Woods. I would love if you could share with people a little bit about your background. How did you come to this line of work and any personal health and wellness thing that speaks to why you're so passionate about this now. Dr. Malaika Woods (00:32.175)Absolutely. Thanks for having me, Cheryl. So just to give you kind of a brief synopsis of my background, I actually wanted to deliver babies back in eighth grade. So that's how it all started. ended up being fast forward to 2011. I was a full -time OB -GYN and a very busy practice. I was a year out from having my second kid and seeing 30, 40 people a day. It was supposed to be the ideal job, but I was stressed out. I was a mother with, you know, a five -year -old and a one -year -old. And I was overweight. I was about 240 pounds and I knew I needed to do something different with my own health. And so that was my first step into looking at something other than traditional obstetrics and gynecology, which is what I'm board certified in. So my first journey was weight loss and I actually got board certified in obesity medicine. And over the course of 2011 to 2013, I lost 60 pounds. I tried a lot of different things and we may get into some of that down the road. And then I learned about bioidentical hormones. And I thought, wow, I'm an OB -GYN, but I don't really know anything about bioidentical hormones. And so I got certified in BHRT, bioidentical hormones for short. And then I learned about functional medicine. And all of this happened in a short span of time, probably around 2011 to 2014. And when I learned that functional medicine was about root cause approaches and natural solutions, I was like, okay, wow, this is what I've been missing all along. And so functional medicine is now what I do. It is the umbrella under which I offer those other services, whether it's hormone optimization, weight loss, thyroid support, a lot of different things, but that's kind of what brought me to where I am today. Cheryl McColgan (02:11.612)my gosh, I get so excited when I talk to health professionals like yourself that are really going away from sort of the traditional paradigm of just, you know, fix it with a pill or something and where it's really like a whole systems approach and, you know, getting to the root cause with functional medicine. Do you think that,

In this episode, Dr. Elizabeth Sharp discusses various aspects of health and wellness. She emphasizes the importance of diet, lifestyle and stress management. She shares about her journey into functional medicine, which led her to the the significance of gut health and hormonal balance. Dr. Sharp also highlights practical strategies for stress management, the impact of food sensitivities, and the role of habit stacking in creating sustainable health routines. You can find Dr. Sharp at Health Meets Wellness. Takeaways Diet and lifestyle are crucial for overall health. Daily movement, like walking, is essential for stress management. Mindful eating can improve digestion and reduce stress. Food sensitivities can significantly impact gut health. Gut health is interconnected with hormonal balance. Chronic stress can lead to various health issues. Habit stacking simplifies health routines and reduces decision fatigue. Maintaining muscle mass is important during weight loss. Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/PjnqETV5X2Q Episode Transcript Cheryl McColgan (00:00.908)Hi everyone, welcome to the Heal Nourish Grow podcast. Today I am joined by Dr. Elizabeth Sharp and we are going to talk about all different kinds of aspects of health, but a couple of things I think you guys will really appreciate, especially since we're coming in to this busy time of year with the holidays and stuff coming up, a lot of stress, so we're going to talk about that. But before we get into all that, Dr. Sharp, I'd just love if you would share with people, kind of a little bit about your personal… background because you have lot of interesting things that you've done. You've done some amazing hiking. You're also a yoga instructor. So you're obviously really passionate as am I about health and wellness. I'd love to just hear some of that background so that people can get to know you a little bit and understand why you've become so passionate about helping people on their personal health journey. Elizabeth (00:44.559)Yeah, so I would say I've always been interested in primary care and that's why I did the internal medicine training that I did and I knew that I wanted to go into primary care in residency. But as I started to practice, really started to appreciate the importance of diet and lifestyle and also the impact overall and kind of wellness and a general feeling of well -being in terms of the mind -body connection. And I think also that ties in with the gut -brain axis. And so I try to tie in all of those things with my practice because I've noticed the difference in my own personal health. When I'm active, when I'm eating a healthy diet, it makes a big difference. Right. And so that's kind of part of what got me into functional medicine is GI related conditions. Generally, I had a lot of patients coming to me with some kind of symptoms that were all very similar. So, you know, gas and bloating, abdominal discomfort that were really explained by the traditional medical work. And so I just thought, you there has to be more that I can do for these patients, more that I can offer. And so once I opened up that door, I really started to explore a bit more in terms of lifestyle medicine, a little bit more with expanded testing and understanding how you can incorporate general internal medicine with, you know, botanicals, nutraceuticals, supplements, that kind of thing. And ultimately how you can create a healthy lifestyle. which is really what sustains people for the rest of their lives with their health as opposed to just treating symptoms. Cheryl McColgan (02:21.56)Yeah, love that. And it's definitely a paradigm that this audience is used to hearing about kind of this functional health approach where it's not just, okay, take this pill is more like, hey, you're gonna probably have to do a little more work than that to move on and really have an optimally healthy life.

In this episode, Cheryl interviews Michael Byrne, CEO of BIA Neuroscience about their new biofeedback sleep mask. Michael shares his background in psychology and how he got interested in sleep. He explains the connection between stress and sleep issues and the importance of accurate data collection for neurofeedback. The sleep mask uses conduction drivers to provide audio stimulation to encourage the brain to enter desired sleep stages. The mask also mimics sunlight to wake users up gently and offers features like meditation and affirmations. The wake up experience Michael describes is amazing and we're looking forward to sharing more about it when it finally arrives! Order now at an insanely discounted price with a lifetime subscription to the software. This article is a great resource for more better sleep tips and strategies. Takeaways: Stress is a major factor impacting sleep, and accurate data collection is crucial for effective neurofeedback. The sleep mask uses conduction drivers to provide audio stimulation and encourage the brain to enter desired sleep stages. The mask mimics sunlight to wake users up gently and offers features like meditation and affirmations. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/V7KhtqU6f0M Episode Transcript: Cheryl McColgan (00:01.068)Hey everyone, welcome to the Heal and Nourish Grow podcast. Today I am joined by Michael Byrne and he is with BIA Neuroscience. And just me saying the word neuroscience, know that that's one of my things just to remind you about my previous content. I have a background in psychology and actually went to graduate school for a bit for clinical neuropsychology. So the brain is definitely something I'm always interested in. So I'm excited for you to share more about your company today. Michael, welcome. before we… get into all that and how this is going to help people with sleep, which is another one of my favorite topics. I'd love for you to just share how is it you got interested in this kind of work and kind of what inspired you to, you know, make a sleep product? Were you having personal trouble with sleep? Like what's the scoop? Michael (00:44.354)I'm excited to be here. Thanks for having me. I'll give a long -winded story and edit it as you feel. I went into biopsychology myself. I was very interested in the why behind people's behavior. Why do we do anything? And originally that led me to psychology. And then more I studied it, more I realized the brain was behind it. So I went towards biopsychology. And I ended up doing an internship with a group in paranoid schizophrenia. Cheryl McColgan (00:51.84)you Michael (01:14.38)Very quickly learned studying and working are two vastly different things in the field of psychology. So, you know, I was expecting something like a little bit more exciting and fast pace. And instead it's really quite upsetting and requires a significant amount of empathy and, you know, emotional backing behind it that can be quite draining. So I decided to just get into the working world and see what I liked. So I ended up getting a position at a neurofeedback clinic. I became a certified neurofeedback technician and just saw everything under the sun. And one of the things I noticed and one of the things that we emphasize every single time was when someone came in for a session, we asked them, how was your sleep? And big reason why we did that is it's a more objective way to get an understanding of someone's current cognitive state, so to speak. When you ask someone who's, for example, going through depression and you ask them, how are you doing today? it's one a negative trigger and two you might not get as direct of a response in terms of their current state of mind then if you ask something along the lines of how was your sleep? How was your energy? How are you feeling? It gets you a bit more of a rounded understanding and we asked that no matter the reason someone came in to the neur...

Dr. Emily Spichal, a functional podiatrist and human movement specialist, discusses the importance of foot health and the role of functional medicine and movement in podiatry. She shares her journey into this field and the development of her sensory-based product line, Noboso. Dr. Emily emphasizes the need for a holistic approach to foot health and the impact of footwear on foot function. She also explores the connection between foot posture, movement patterns, and overall body alignment, as well as the importance of foot health and its impact on overall posture and movement. She explains the benefits of using toe spacers to reset the feet and improve conditions such as bunions, hammer toes, and plantar fasciitis. Dr. Emily also emphasizes the role of sensory perception in foot movement and the importance of reconnecting with the sensory side of ourselves. Her new book is called Sensory Sapiens, which explores how modern movement is aging us and the need to prioritize movement longevity. She advises releasing the feet daily to reduce foot stress and pain. Connect with Dr. Splichal at her website and if you check out Naboso products here, use code HEALNOURISHGROW for 10 percent off. Kineon red light therapy for body pain was the other tool mentioned in this episode. After chatting with Dr. Emily, I bought the toe spacers as well as the sensory ball, I'm obsessed! Takeaways Foot health is an important aspect of overall well-being, and a holistic approach that considers factors like movement, stress, sleep, and diet is crucial. Functional podiatry focuses on treating feet in an integrated way, considering complex human movement and the sensory side of the foot. Footwear trends, such as the current maximalist shoe trend, can impact foot function and movement accuracy. Understanding foot posture and its effect on body alignment is essential for addressing movement patterns and preventing injuries. Setting a stable base by activating the foot tripod, externally rotating the hips, and connecting with the toes can improve foot function and overall body alignment. Toe spacers are an effective tool for resetting the feet and improving conditions such as bunions, hammer toes, and plantar fasciitis. Sensory perception plays a crucial role in foot movement and overall posture. Reconnecting with the sensory side of ourselves can unlock proper movement and support longevity. Dr. Emily's upcoming book, 'Sensory Sapiens,' explores how modern movement is aging us and the importance of prioritizing movement longevity. Releasing the feet daily can reduce foot stress and pain. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LMvMop1P71U Show Transcript: Cheryl McColgan (00:01.026)Hey everyone, welcome back to the Here and Learn, Grow podcast. Today, I'm already tongue twisting myself, because I'm already thinking about Dr. Emily's name, it's Dr. Emily Slickle. And we were just chatting before the podcast, I was hoping not to butcher that, but I think I got it right. So Dr. Emily, welcome. I am so excited to chat with you today about all things foot, because we have not had that subject on the podcast yet. And I think… what you're doing with the way that you treat people virtually and the products that you have brought to market to really help people with their foot health is pretty incredible. So all that being said, I would love for you to just kind of introduce yourself and tell us how you got into this line of work. Dr Emily (00:39.508)Of course, well, thank you for having me on Dr. Emily. I am a functional podiatrist. that's, to me, that's very important to have that distinction. So that means that I treat feet, but I treat feet in a very integrated way. think very much about complex human movement, but also stress, sleep, inflammation, diets, how do people breathe? So a lot of stuff that I bring into it, almost like functional medicine, functional movement into my podiatry.