7 tips for deep, blissed-out sleep.

Time for some sweet pillow talks about dreamland where we spend about one-third of every day of our lives… 

But first, why am I even talking about sleep when it’s something our bodies do naturally?

Actually, the truth is that sleep is not something that just happens… unless you are a teenager. Even babies need to learn to fall asleep and sleep well. 

What’s important about getting good sleep?

Good sleep is vital for good health. Sleep deprivation can lead to a multitude of health issues: 

• It escalates the hunger hormone called ghrelin, which increases food cravings.
• It escalates the stress hormone called cortisol, which can cause weight gain, diabetes, heart attacks, high blood pressure, depression, osteoporosis and depressed immunity. 
• It causes elevated blood pressure in people with hypertension, which can lead to cardiovascular disease and stroke.
• Learning how to improve your sleep is not just a luxury - it’s a necessity.

How do I get better sleep? 

Follow these 7 tips and rest assured (excuse the pun) that you will feel more rejuvenated and energized than you even knew was possible: 

1. Practice regular sleep rhythms by going to bed and waking up around the same time each day. 
2. Create total quiet and darkness in your bedroom.
3. Avoid caffeine or reduce your intake afternoon as it affects your sleep dramatically.
4. Get regular exposure to daylight for at least 20 minutes a day because the sunlight triggers your brain to release melatonin, which is vital for healthy sleep. 
5. Eat no later than two hours before you go to bed because eating a heavy meal before bedtime will impede your body’s natural overnight detoxification process. 
6. Write down your worried thoughts before bedtime so you can free your mind and drop into a deep and restful sleep. 
7. Take a hot salt or aromatherapy bath because raising your body temperature before bed helps to induce sleep.

What do I do now?

In my health coaching practice, I help my clients implement these 7 tips and more so they can make the most of their sleep—and their health. 

Click here now to schedule a time to talk with me if you need the support and accountability to help you follow through like never before.

To your health.

Dejan

Get your glow back.

Ever wondered which foods will give your skin that amazing glow like you've have spent a week detoxing on a tropical island? 

Sulfur-residue foods!

But first, why am I talking about eating sulfur for glowing skin?

Great question! Sulfur is not just the mush of yolk found in deviled eggs at your annual office Christmas party that you avoid like the plague.

Sulfur is actually the secret beauty mineral for glowing skin!

Why else would people flock to mineral hot springs to soak in water that smells like rotten eggs?

Sulfur helps your body to digest fats, controls the metabolism of carbohydrates and rids the body of waste that clogs skin pores causing a lackluster complexion.

So what is the fastest way to glowing skin?

Unless you can make it to your local mineral hot springs or spa weekly, your surest way to get glowing skin is to get in the habit of including foods that are rich in sulfur in your daily diet.

You may be surprised to hear that sulfur-rich foods are often the ones you avoid because they tend to give gas and smell like rotten eggs when you cook them.

But try your best to embrace these amazingly nutritious cruciferous veggies like cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, Bok Choy, kohlrabi and Brussels sprouts!

Here is a healthy and delicious recipe to help you include sulfur in your diet to get the glow:

Get “The Glow” Salad:

1 bunch arugula, chopped

1 bunch watercress, chopped

3 leaves kale, shredded

4 radishes, sliced into half moons

1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips

1/2 cup purple cabbage

1 avocado, diced

Hemp seeds or pumpkin seeds to taste

Get “The Glow” Salad Dressing:

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp stone ground mustard

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 bunch fresh Italian parsley, chopped fine

4 basil leaves, chopped fine

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

How will I know if it’s time for me to eat more sulfur-residue foods?

Glad you asked! It’s time for you to include sulfur-residue foods in your diet if you answer “YES” to any of these questions:

• Your skin is prone to acne
• You have brittle hair and nails
• You have a pale, pasty complexion

And even if you don’t have any of these symptoms, sulfur is still your go-to for glowing skin! 

What do I do now?

In my health coaching practice, I help my clients to shortlist sulfur-residue foods that will best suit their diets so they can get glowing skin daily.

If you answered “YES” to any of the symptoms above, then click here now to schedule a time to talk with me about including more sulfur-rich recipes in your diet to get that healthy skin glow.

To your health.

Dejan

How to solve your digestive problems.

Dejan here to share my best-kept secret with you for better digestion.

But first, why am I talking about having better digestion in the first place?

Great question!

We all know that suffering from digestive problems such as gas, bloating, reflux, stomach cramps, diarrhea, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease can seriously hinder our daily functioning and make us miserable.

Your gastrointestinal tract (GI) tract acts as your body’s food processor and if it’s blocked, overloaded, polluted with toxins such as food additives, pesticides, and preservatives, or otherwise irritated, it is going to let you know how it feels by having one of the reactions listed above.

Your GI tract first breaks down your food by the mechanical process of chewing and then by a multitude of complex chemical processes that extract nutrients to feed your system and expel toxins.

The best way to ensure that we are helping make it easy for our bodies to digest our food is to chew A LOT so that our food mixes with our digestive juices so it can be easily digested and better absorbed for optimal nutrition.

So what is my best-kept secret to better digestion?

CHEWING!

Believe it or not, chewing is one of the most important aids to our digestion and it’s also one we often take for granted so much so that we sometimes just swallow our food whole, forgetting to grind our teeth altogether!

Learning how to chew your food properly (up to 30 times per bite) will help you extract the maximum nutrients from your food and get your digestive juices flowing right AND help keep your weight down and your tummy flat.

How? Because if you eat healthy food packed with nutrients that you chew properly with each bite, you will be able to recognize once you feel full and you will, therefore, eat less!

My clients find that learning how-to chew helps to:

• Sense intuitively when you are full
• Gain way more satisfaction from eating
• Develop a healthier relationship with food

How to chew better for optimal digestion:

To get in the habit of chewing, try chewing each bite of food at the beginning of your next meal 30 times. (Putting your fork down and breathing between bites will help.)

Even if you only have 5 minutes for a meal, let the chewing relax you and use it almost as a meditation. That way you’ll enjoy the whole spectrum of tastes and aromas that make up the meal, trigger cephalic phase digestion, and your body and brain will be satisfied even with a quickie.

What do I do now?

In my health coaching practice, I help clients understand why they eat in a rush and forget to chew and we come up with a how-to guide for chewing that is easy to implement and turns eating into a whole new enjoyable experience.

If you want to learn how to chew for better digestion that will lead to a flatter, firmer belly then click here now to schedule a time to talk with me about it!

To your health.

Dejan

Ready to learn to eat mindfully?

Dejan here to help you learn what mindful eating is all about and how it can help you keep your weight down.

But first, why am I talking about eating mindfully anyway?

Good question!

In the modern world, we eat for convenience rather than for nutrition. We eat for instant gratification rather than long-term health benefits.

an you imagine learning a new way of slow eating in which you actually get to experience the tastes and textures of your food rather than wolfing it down in a hurry or snacking on the go?

I can help you to learn to slow down and eat mindfully! I can help you to see the food you eat as medicine that not only nourishes your whole system but also tastes delicious!

So what is mindful eating?

Mindful eating means taking the time to honor your food by choosing high quality, organic food, preparing it with care and eating it slowly and mindfully using your five senses to really enjoy it.

It means allocating quiet time to prepare and enjoy eating your meal without rushing or multitasking at the same time.

Mindful eating is a way of saying to yourself: “I respect my body enough to be mindful of what I put into it and of the way I eat.”

Think of this type of eating as a meditation. It means choosing to be present with your food and the way you eat it.

• My clients find that eating mindfully helps to:
• Sense intuitively when you are full
• Gain way more satisfaction from eating
• Develop a healthy relationship with food
• See food as medicine
• Discover new tastes and texturesImprove digestion (less gas and bloating)
• Regulate bowel movement
• Discover food sensitivities
• Create healthy habits that enliven you

How will I know if it’s time for me to learn to eat mindfully?

Glad you asked! It’s time for you to practice mindful eating if you answer “YES” to any of these questions:

• You get bloated after eating
• You scoff down your food like there is no tomorrow
• You eat just to feel full not to enjoy the tastes
• You eat to numb out
• You want to learn to enjoy healthy food
• You feel bloated easilyYou gain weight easily
• You crave sugar or starchy foods
• You have difficulty focusing or foggy brain
• You feel lethargic after eating
• You have allergies or hay fever
• You feel addicted to eating foods that aren’t healthy for you but you can’t stop
• You tend to gain weight easily, especially in your belly
• You have extra pounds that won’t come off with diet and exercise

What do I do now?

In my health coaching practice, I help clients discover what triggers them to overeat or binge eat. Then I lead them through a step-by-step process to learn how to eat mindfully and to learn what to eat for their unique body type.

If you answered “YES” to any of the symptoms above, then click here now to schedule a time to talk with me about how you can learn to eat mindfully.

I’ll help you understand what’s blocking you from eating mindfully and I’ll show you how to get started.

To your health.

Dejan

Write it down.

One of the most valuable lessons I have learned is that we are not our thoughts. This can be a very delicate differentiation in our minds.

So often we start to believe every thought that comes to our mind. Just because it's in our mind doesn't mean we are that thought. When we have so many of these thoughts swirling in our minds, it can be difficult to notice that we can choose which thought to believe and which to dismiss. That's where taking a pen to paper comes in handy.

For me, this is a process of getting thoughts out of my head and onto paper. Getting those thoughts on paper places them outside yourself where you can observe from above.

This creates clarity and gives you a better perspective on various parts of your life. This is a place to allow yourself to be free with how you are feeling and what you desire. It's your home to explore your life and measure how you are progressing with your goals. Good times to write can be before bedtime, when you first wake up, after a significant event or throughout the day jotting down insights that come to you - which can be reviewed later on.

Grab that journal and write your heart out.

Sharing is caring: Journaling is just one dimension of a healthier life. Who do you know that is struggling with their health & wellbeing? Share with them my complementary Body Transformation Breakthrough Conversation. I've heard it's life-changing. I'm just sayin'. ;)

It's time to unplug.

We all know it and it's constantly talked about - the non-stop feeling of being plugged-in with technology doesn't seem to subside. Everywhere we turn, we feel we can't take a break or slow it down. However, at what point are we going to do something about it? Are we actually going to take action to change something in the way we live day to day, so that we can have a chance to experience true connection?

In my opinion, technology is a tool and I try very hard not to become attached to it. One way to do this is keeping TVs, computers and mobile phones out of the bedroom. If you wish to watch TV, have a designated area for doing so. Having the TV in the bedroom will keep you stimulated while in bed when instead you want to be falling asleep. Same with computer devices. If you have to use it in your bedroom, at least use it at a desk and don't bring it to bed. I keep my phone on the other side of the bedroom, away from the bed. If it's near the bed, I am more likely to reach for it.

If you use your phone to wake up, purchase an alarm clock to place on your nightstand instead. Also, by having the phone on the other side of the bedroom, it will get you out of bed and prevent you from hitting that snooze button.

When having a meal, take all devices off the table. Having devices on the table makes you more likely to impulsively play with it and be distracted.

So, next time you are about to pick up that phone or bring that laptop to bed, reconsider, and you just might improve the quality of your life.

Sharing is caring: Unplugging is just one dimension of a healthier life. If you've got a friend who's struggling with their health & well being, please share with them my complementary Body Transformation Breakthrough Session. I've heard it's life-changing. I'm just sayin'. ;)

You gotta move.

We can call it exercise, workout, WOD or whatever else you want. I simply like to call it 20-30 minutes a day of functional movement. For me, this typically is Running, Yoga, Hiking, Sightseeing or Cycling.

It doesn't matter what it is, the key is to attempt 20-30 minutes a day of getting that blood pumping and enjoying it. Over time you can increase that number to 60 minutes. You can break out multiple activities to total 60 minutes for the day if that's more doable for you.

If you enjoy the activity you are participating in, you will benefit much more from it. It should be fun, such as dancing, Zumba, trampoline, walking the city, swimming, basketball, pilates, bike riding, horseback riding or any other activity that floats your boat. One of my favorite quotes is by Albert Einstein which tells us this: "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving."

Sooooo... today, make a decision to jump up from your work desk and move your body in a funky, weird and strange way - your co-workers might look at you strangely, but who cares.

Sharing is caring: Movement is just one dimension of a healthier life. If you've got a friend who's struggling with their health & well being, please share with them my complementary Body Transformation Breakthrough Session. They'll thank you for it ;)

Is sameness driving you nuts?

We wake up, we brush our teeth (if we remember), we drive to work, we work all day, we come home, we watch our favorite show, we go to bed, and before you know it, we start to feel sameness all around us. It doesn't have to be that way.

Break up your routine and do something that is enjoyable for you. Even if it's an activity that you participate in regularly, go do the activity in a new location. One of the things I do is look for Parks or Preserves that I have never run at. Then I will pick a day when I have time and I will drive there. The driving and navigating to the location also becomes part of the adventure.

Do you drive the same route to work each day? Tomorrow, pick a different route and all of a sudden, it's not "the same old shit" again.

Even seemingly mundane activities can become part of your adventure. If you usually have a family brunch or breakfast at home, you can add adventure to it by driving out to a nostalgic diner which offers a unique experience. Now the whole morning becomes a family affair that is an enjoyable experience.

Travel to places you have never been to before. Even if you like a specific type of vacation experience, take that experience to a new city, park, resort, mountain or whatever else you prefer. This will stimulate you in new ways and create a sense of wonder.

Get out there and have fun with it.

Sharing is caring: Adventure is just one dimension of a healthier life. If you've got a friend, colleague or client who's struggling with their health, please share with them my complementary Body Transformation Breakthrough Session. They'll thank you for it ;)

I'm sorry. What did you say?

In a world so full of noise and distraction, we listen but we barely hear anything. Listening means not talking when someone else is talking. If we are talking when someone else is talking we can’t really be listening to the other person. Even when we think we are listening, we must ask ourselves if we really understand what the person is asking, feeling or suggesting.

Try your best not to assume you know what the person is saying based on your assumptions and projections from the past. When someone is speaking, focus on them and not on the phone ringing, computer screen or another person interrupting. The person you are talking to wishes to be heard even when they don’t seem annoyed by your lack of attention. 

One of the most powerful gifts we can give an individual is the space to be heard without jamming words down their throat or finishing sentences for them. They are big boys and girls, they can finish their thoughts on their own if we let me.

Did you know that when an individual is about to jump off a bridge and take their own life, at that moment just noticing and witnessing the person without saying a word can save them from jumping? We speak they jump, we don't speak and they don't jump. That's how powerful listening can be.

In the comments below, I would love to hear which action you will take to listen more to those around you.

Sharing is caring: Listening is just one technique to a healthier life. If you've got a friend, colleague or client who's struggling with their health, please share with them my complementary Body Transformation Breakthrough Session. They'll thank you for it :)

Clear the deck.

We hear it all the time - "I'm so busy", "I'm stressed out" or "I've had enough." In this state of mind, we start to feel that we can't handle any more tasks or requests. Yet, we continue to absorb more information, more possessions and more drama around us. With all this clutter swirling around our minds, it's understandable how we can't focus on what's happening in front of us.

We need less, not more. What we need is more quality rather than quantity in all areas of our lives. One way to accomplish this is taking away what you don’t need in order to gain what you truly want. You can start with email. Start unsubscribing from all those emails that are not important. While you're on the computer, clear off your desktop screen of all random files and do the same for folders, applications, and accounts.

Another area you can clean up is clothing. Go through your clothing and donate those items that you don’t wear any longer. How about the car? Yup, go in there, take everything out and place back only what you need. File cabinets are another area creating confusion. Take the time to throw out all those papers personal and work-related that you know you'll never need. The point is that every item in front of you is more information your brain has to process, and we don’t need any more brain overload.

I would love to hear how you declutter your life in the comments below.

Sharing is caring: Decluttering is just one technique to a healthier life. If you've got a friend, colleague or client who's struggling with their health, please share with them my complementary Body Transformation Breakthrough Session. They'll thank you for it :)

Shhhhhhhhh & Notice.

We all can benefit from a little bit of silence given all the noise around us. When you first wake up, try to sit up in bed for a few minutes without any noise. Just observe what is happening around you. If you jump in your car for a quick trip to the store, try doing it without any radio. It’s so impulsive for us to leave the radio on full tilt so that when we turn the ignition key the radio automatically turns on as we left it last.

Practice silence when someone is talking and avoid talking over them. You will know when you start talking before they finish speaking. You can also practice silence by going for a walk in the woods and paying attention to what comes up around you. If you are alone, you can practice eating in silence without the phone going off, radio busting out tunes or the TV blasting out the latest depressing news story.

Just Breathe.

If we don’t take one breath, we die. Breathing is often forgotten as essential to life. In the morning we can start with a few focused breaths as we wake up. Notice the air moving in and out of your nose as it travels down into to your body. There are many breathing techniques out there. The point is to be aware of when you are stopping the natural flow of your breath, causing tension in your body.

This often happens when we are exercising. Try to allow your stomach to naturally expand when taking a breath in and contract when letting air out. Think of a balloon filling up with air and then letting the air out. When running up and down hills, you might start to get out of breath - this is normal. All you have to do is allow the short breaths to happen in rapid succession rather than forcing a breathing pattern you think you should be having. Even when you are eating, you can be focusing on breathing in between bites or before starting your meal.

Don't sleep your life away.

Sleep is mandatory for us to function. Unfortunately, it is something that is overlooked. At times it has been even mocked in society with statements such as “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” The funny thing is that we are simulating death when we are sleeping. What we are after is rest and not sleep. We have heard it stated so many times, “I just want to go to sleep and forget everything.” The truth is the next day we wake up without forgetting anything at all.

Try to go to bed when you start feeling tired, rather than based on a specific time you have in your mind or on the TV show you watch. Some things that might help you is using an App that alerts you when it’s time to hit the pillow and when it’s time to wake up. Another trick is to align waking up with the sunrise. Even if this is earlier than you usually rise, it will naturally have your body desiring to go to bed earlier. If you do happen to have a late night, still try to wake up at sunrise. You might be slightly tired from a shorter amount of sleep, but you can always sneak in a nap in the middle of the day. This will set you up properly for the cycle of the following day.

If you happen to wake up in the middle of the night and can't sleep, remove yourself from the bed and go sit on a sofa in a dark room. Perhaps read a book alongside ambient light until you start to get tired again. At that time return to bed and start falling asleep all over again. The reason for this is when we are laying in bed twisting and turning while awake we are telling the body to be awake while in bed. When we are in bed we want it to be for sleeping (or some lovemaking if you should be so inclined - I'm just sayin')

Water your life.

Water is life. On a daily basis, get in the habit of staying hydrated. It’s often misunderstood what hydrated really means. A simple way to make sure you are staying hydrated is to take your body weight, divide it by 2 and drink that many ounces of water daily.

Some ways that you can enjoy water a bit more is to place mint leaves, orange, lemon or lime slices in your water. To ensure that you drink enough water, purchase a water bottle and make it your best friend. Take it with you wherever you go and it will act as a reminder to drink water. This habit will also help you keep track of how many ounces of water you drank for the day.