SELF CAFE TIPS

by: Chat Mills

I used to be the kind of person who could stay up as late as I wanted to, get everything done, and wake up ready to rock the next morning. It wasn't until my late-30s that I realized this wasn't a viable plan.

Yeah, I know. My freakin' late-30s. Unbelievable!

When the pandemic hit and all the stress and worry about the future set in, I realized I had no productive coping mechanisms to manage stress. And as luck would have it 37 years of repressed stress decided to make it's way back into my life like an obnoxious family member at Thanksgiving. 

The first aspect of my health that took a hit was my sleep. And this was my sign that something was off in a BIG way because I have never had any issues falling asleep. I am 100% the person whose head hits the pillow and I'm out.

When I tossed and turned, I knew something was wrong.

When the to-do list just kept growing and growing in my head, I knew something was wrong.

When I couldn't shut out the thoughts, I knew something was wrong.

When I didn't sleep through the night, I knew something was really​ wrong.

Here's the thing though - how the hell do you raise a family, work your job, be a parent, and a spouse and a friend, and oh yeah, manage all the freakin stress that brings, so you can get restorative sleep to be rested enough to lower stress for the next day??

What the actual....

SELF CARE TIPS

By: Chat Mills

Ah, February. The month of love.

Or at least according to the candy industry anyway.

However you feel about Valentine’s Day, I think we can all agree that February is a GREAT time of year to reconnect with yourself and begin the journey of self love. The new year is in full swing and you've had a whole month with whatever resolutions you've made.

I have always been someone who is athletic, fit, happy and overall in good health and wellness. If you’ve been following my journey then you know that there were some pretty significant bumps in the road that led to a major disconnect to the happy, fit, healthy athlete I once was.
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In 2020, after reeling with the effects of a global pandemic and the previous trauma of my life, I decided enough was enough. I had already gone through the most difficult transformation of my life through losing a child, so learning to love, appreciate, and be grateful for myself and all that I am couldn’t possibly be that hard, right?

Here’s the thing though → It’s actually really hard. ENTIRELY POSSIBLE but hard.

I know you feel me on this! Um, I do love myself. No, like, I totally love myself. Okay, I at least like who I am; that counts, right?

How do we get out of that place of thinking we love ourselves to really feeling that love? Is it really that important to incorporate self care? 

Here are my top reasons why it is important to love yourself, why you should incorporate self care and the benefits that doing this has had to my overall health and wellness.

TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS

By: Chat Mills

Now that we are in the swing of the new year this is about the time that I find myself saying, "Oh yeah, about those resolutions I set..." 

Palm to face.

You're shaking your too head because you know what I'm talking about. You're probably also thinking about how you've let yourself down (again), and how tomorrow you'll get back on track!

Except without a plan you won't. Trust me, I know how this goes.

I knew it so well that I finally decided to do something about it. Over the last year I was so sick of that disappointed feeling that I said, "Chat, get your shite together!" So if you find yourself in this boat where you're simply just floating but are ready to get it together then I have some very realistic and manageable strategies for you!

WEIGHT MANAGEMENT TIPS

By: Chat Mills

Another holiday season has come and gone and if you're like me it's followed by the feeling that you've maybe overindulged. 

For years I looked at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Memorial Day, hell, even Flag Day (which coincidently happens to be my son's birthday) as an opportunity to throw caution to the wind, let loose, and eat whatever I wanted. I would think to myself, "I'll get back after it tomorrow!"

The thing is though that I didn't get back after it the next day. I didn't plan or portion my plate. I ate whatever I wanted and I paid for it with bloat, indigestion, and an upset stomach.

Over time this had done a number on my waistline and my mindset. I had convinced myself that I would always be this way - fat and sassy. You know what I'm talking about, the "I'm not losing any weight anyway so I might as well eat whatever (but secretly inside I'm so wanting to make a change I could cry and most likely will when the button on my pants blows a hole through the living room window when I go to sit on the couch later)." 

You know, that feeling?

And during this time I realized that being bloated and my desire to live a long healthy life became so much stronger than the comfortability after overeating (which actually isn't all that comfortable) that I made a change. There is hope folks and below I share my top for tips for working through the overindulgence AND how to not repeat it!

WEIGHT MANAGEMENT TIPS

By: Chat Mills

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

There's something about this cliched phrase that gets me right into the holiday spirit. I have such great memories of my childhood holidays and both my husband and I are working hard at creating new memories with our children. 

Part of this evolving tradition includes creating healthier holidays. Now, before you sigh heavily at the prospect that this going to be yet another post from another blogger basically telling you in a fancy way that you can't have any fun because you'll just be unhealthy and overweight, then rest assured that you can remain calm and carry on!

Why you ask?

Because 1) I'm really not that fancy and 2) I'm about balance.

I have come to terms with the fact that a lot of the foods that I loved (notice the past tense there) to eat are full of additives, preservatives, and sugar that don't provide me any nutritional value and may contribute negatively to my overall health. I've also made the realization that I don't have to stop enjoying my life and delicious food. I have other options. 

NUTRITION TIPS

By: Chat Mills

If you read my last post on ingredients for healthier baking then you know how much I love sweet things! 

​​Like many of you I never had a problem with my weight, my energy, or feeling fit when I was younger. I could eat anything I wanted and I rarely gained weight. I was so naïve to how exercise impacted my body, the kinds of food that fueled my body, and how sugar affected my body.

I was a swimmer and never paid attention to the fact that my 3 hour practices and weight training played a huge role in why I was so fit. Or the fact that my mother cooked pretty healthy and nutritious meals every night. Or that we never ate fast food, had sugary cereals, and rarely did we have dessert. 

By the time I got to college I had a very dysfunctional relationship with sugar where my dinner consisted of an ice cream cone from the soft serve machine and the cafeteria's cake of the day almost daily. Eating chicken fingers at 11pm on Thursday didn't seem like a big deal then and now the thought of that makes my stomach hurt.

Now as an adult on my healthy living journey I've had to reevaluate my relationship with sugar. Not just because I wanted to manage my weight but because I wanted better health overall and for my kids to be able to establish a healthy relationship with sugar now so it doesn't get out of hand later.

Try these three tips as a starting point to having a healthier relationship with sugar. 

NUTRITION TIPS

By: Chat Mills

Without a doubt fall is my favorite time of year. 

​One of our favorite things to do as a family is apple picking. The event is so popular in our family that when Liam coined the day as “Apple Day” all the children followed suit. It’s now a holiday in our family. 
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My sister and I have a follow up day known as “Baking Day.” On this day we make as many baked goods as humanly possible with all the apples picked on Apple Day.

Baking and all things sweet are very popular in my family. There is nothing like making our goodies and enjoying the fruits of our labor, no pun intended. Over the years, as both my sister and I worked on our health habits, we had to come to grips with the fact that while these treats are yummy, there is a toll on our overall health - and waist lines.

SELF CARE TIPS

By: Chat Mills

MINDSET TIPS

By: Chat Mills

MINDSET & STRESS MANAGEMENT

By Chat Mills

I woke up a few nights ago feeling massively uncomfortable. Naturally I sat up at and started googling everything and anything that could possibly give me digestive issues. Forget the fact that I hadn't exactly made the best food choices the day before. That couldn't possibly be it, no, it had to be a bacterial infection, or stomach cancer, or an ulcer. It HAD to be that. From 4 am until about 5:30 am I scrolled the internet to find a solution to my self diagnosed aliments. 

I know how ridiculous all of this sounds. I know that I should know better - I mean, I empower people to reset their health habits by educating them to focus on clean eating, how to get into activity, how to shift their mindset, manage their weight, you get the idea. Here's the thing though, more often than not I spend more of my time focusing on the things that create stress in my life INSTEAD of how to respond to the stress in the first place. And if I am really being honest with myself (which you know I am) I am choosing not to recognize the stress I'm feeling.