5 Ways to Look and Feel Your Best

As the world finally starts to reopen, you may want to see some positive changes happen in your life without really knowing where to start. Whether it’s about taking better care of your physical or mental health, finding a more rewarding career, or spending more time with your family, here are some ideas to implement in your daily life so you can start looking and feeling your best:

Take a Lunch Break

Too many of us stay seated at our desks when we’re working, and we neglect to take a break midday to enjoy a real lunch – not just a sugary snack and a caffeinated beverage. Skipping that meal has a negative impact on our productivity. We start feeling sluggish and we even get in a bad mood as we wait for the workday to finally end. Getting out of the office and enjoying nutritious food helps us refuel, gets our creative juices and energy flowing again, and allows us to be more productive and in a much better mood for the rest of the afternoon.

Add Micro-Exercise to Your Day

You don’t have to spend hours at the gym to enjoy the benefits of physical activity. Ten to 15 minutes of exercise you can practice while at work can do wonders to keep you healthy. Use elastic resistance bands for a quick workout as you take a short break between two projects: you’ll be able to work every muscle group in your body without having to lug heavy or cumbersome equipment. Do a few push-ups, some jumping jacks, and crunches throughout the day, and you’ll soon start gaining more muscle and feeling more energized.

Alleviate Everyday Stress 

Whether you deal with a difficult boss at work or you’re a full-time caregiver at home, make sure you take time for yourself on a regular basis in order to refuel and prevent burnout. Pamper yourself by taking a spa day, going to the salon, or going shopping. Take a yoga class to relieve stress, and if you have chronic pain or headaches, you may also benefit from massage therapy, acupressure, or acupuncture. Acupuncture has proven abilities to heal the mind and body, lowering your stress level and providing joint and back pain relief.

Start a New Career

Dare to pursue your dream career by taking classes online to get an MBA. Whether you want to develop your skills in economics, accounting, finance, marketing, HR, or research and statistics, studying online will allow you to pursue a degree while still being able to continue working and spending time with your family. When selecting an online school, make sure it is accredited and can deliver the credentials you need, and that it offers competitive tuition rates. 

Log Off Social Media

For some, social media has turned into an addiction that is making them feel isolated, stressed out, anxious, and even depressed. Their fear of missing out makes it impossible for them to turn off their devices, and seeing other people’s vacation or holiday photos online makes them feel inadequate, unable to keep up with the Joneses. So take a break from social media and take time to enjoy your own life with your loved ones instead, avoiding the pitfalls of comparing yourself to others.

If you want to look and feel your best, be proactive and look for ways to improve your circumstances. Whether you’re dealing with a bad boss or a stressful home life, find strategies to help you relax and refuel. You’ll have a new, more positive outlook that will carry you through each and every day.

Looking for natural healthcare solutions to restore your health and prevent illness? Contact rizzoacupuncture.com at 352-284-0817

Surprising Ways to Lose Body Fat

Surprising Ways to Lose Body Fat 
That Can Boost Your Sleep and Health

Setting a goal to lose weight is one of the first things most people do when they start a new diet or fitness program. There’s absolutely nothing wrong wanting to lose weight, but for many of us, putting too much focus on the scale isn’t the best way to achieve the results we want. Instead of concentrating just on weight loss, you’ll have better results by aiming for fat loss. 

The following tips from Rizzo Acupuncture for losing body fat do more than just tip the scale in your favor; they also help you sleep better, feel better, and achieve better health overall. 

Troubleshoot Sleep Problems

If you feel stuck in a rut with weight loss, you may be glad to know there’s more to it than just diet and exercise. Sure, diet and exercise are important, but other factors are also at work, including lack of sleep. According to HuffPost, even a small amount of sleep loss causes hormonal imbalances, such as higher cortisol levels (also known as the stress hormone), which, in turn, increases your appetite and makes you more likely to reach for unhealthy foods.

Part of the problem is this relationship between sleep and weight goes both ways, meaning that excess weight can also be keeping you up at night. However, that doesn’t mean you have to stay stuck in this cycle; troubleshooting the issues that keep you from getting enough sleep, such as sleeping position and general comfort, can stop the cycle. 

One of the first things to consider is your mattress, especially if it’s too old or maybe even too small. Ideally, someone who is heavier should have a durable mattress that fits their sleep style and that’s built for larger people. 

Stress Less

Now that you know how the stress hormone cortisol is connected to an increased appetite, it shouldn’t be surprising to hear that having a high amount of stress in your life is another factor that makes it hard to shed those extra pounds. The solution here is one that any of us can appreciate: take a little time to manage the stressors in your life. 

There are countless stress-busting techniques you can try, but the key is to find what works for you. Make time for a hobby you enjoy, try aromatherapy, practice yoga or Pilates, or get outdoors more (you get bonus points for being outside in nature while exercising!). If you’re going to be exercising outdoors and plan to bring your smartphone along (and possibly use fitness apps), an armband can keep your phone secure. 

Another weight-management technique to employ is acupuncture. When done correctly, the tiny, fine needle points used during treatment interact with the body’s “energy pathways” to stimulate and release endorphins, which create a calming effect that helps prevent excessive eating, a reaction brought on by stress. This is encouraging news for those looking for drug-free options to reduce anxiety and thereby cutting out unhealthy dietary choices. 

Balance Your Diet

When your goal is not just to lose weight but specifically to reduce body fat, it’s important to remember that a truly balanced diet isn’t about deprivation. As NBC News explains, any successful weight loss plan has three things in common: you eat more vegetables, more whole foods, and less sugar. That’s lots of more, which is why it’s smart to focus on what you should be eating rather than stressing about what to avoid.

Beyond these general rules, you can add even more fat-burning foods. For example, foods high in probiotics help you feel more full and support a healthy metabolism. Along the same lines, healthy fats from salmon and avocados actually burn the fat you don’t want while keeping you feeling full. 

If you’re making these dietary changes and exercising, it’s only natural to want to see the results of your effort. Just remember that focusing too narrowly on weight loss obscures the bigger picture. The ultimate goal is to live healthier, sleep better, and love what you see in the mirror.

 contributed by Jennifer McGregor

Healthy ways to cope with chronic pain

Learn Healthy Ways to Cope with Chronic Pain 

Dealing with the aftermath of a newly diagnosed condition can feel overwhelming at times. However, it’s important that you don’t let the chronic pain that may come with it keep you from living your best life. Here are some ways you can safely manage your symptoms and overcome the shock of such a life-altering diagnosis, courtesy of Rizzo Acupuncture. 

Rizzo Acupuncture provides natural healthcare solutions to help you restore your health and prevent illnesses. To learn more, please (352) 284-0817.

Set small goals

After receiving the news, take the time to properly deal with your emotions. Make time for yourself and don’t be afraid to say no to others. This is a big life event and, as such, it is normal to feel angry or afraid. Though treatment can feel like a never-ending roller coaster, developing a plan of action will help you feel more in control. 

Finding a support group also will help you to feel less alone and may teach you healthy ways of coping with the pain. Set small goals for yourself — even if it’s just going to the park for a walk — so you feel accomplished. Consider seeking help from a counselor, acupuncture physician or physical therapist, as well. Chances are that with the proper techniques, the pain will lessen as time passes. 

Reduce inflammation

When coping with the pain, remember to take any medicine as prescribed. Also, consider investing in massage therapy or acupuncture to help you relax. A hot or iced bath will reduce inflammation, as will the antioxidants in green tea. Yoga combined with meditation can reduce stress and allow you to build your endurance, as well. 

According to Spine-health, “Clinicians who specialize in treating chronic pain now recognize that it is not merely a sensation, like vision or touch, but rather chronic pain is strongly influenced by the ways in which the brain processes the pain signals.” When all else fails, deep breaths, soothing sounds, and positive visual imagery may prevent you from focusing on the pain. 

Prevention.com asserts that “while medication and therapy are key to controlling symptoms, incorporating physical activity can vastly improve your quality of life.” Even though the pain may signal otherwise, it’s important to keep moving. Exercise can improve your energy levels, help you sleep better, and even fights depression. It’s more doable if you practice low-impact workouts including swimming in short bursts, rather than a more intense exercise such as running. Something as simple as walking, stretching, gardening, and cleaning the house are useful physical activities to partake in. 

Create an oasis

Oftentimes, a serene and peaceful space can help relieve the tension in your body and mind. So be sure to create a homeenvironment that makes it easy to relax in. Your house should act as a sanctuary with soft blankets, candles, lighting, comfortable seating, artwork that inspires you, fresh flowers or greenery, and neutral colors. Keep it clean and cozy by decluttering and re-arranging any storage spaces for optimal organization. Less is more when it comes to relaxing, so get rid of things you don’t love or need and consider hiring a maid to help you keep up with tasks around the house. 

Remember to communicate about your condition with your family, friends, and even those around your workplace so they can offer assistance. Don’t be afraid to ask for help as many others may understand what you are going through. With the right coping methods, you can safely manage your symptoms and feel like yourself again.

Courtesy of Jennifer McGregor

Autumn self care

In Chinese Medicine during this Autumn time, which is a little short here in Gainesville, Florida, is considered the metal element and is a good time to focus on our lungs and large intestines, which dominates the skin, respiratory system, immunity, eliminating and the emotion of sadness. The cooler temperatures and dry winds of autumn most directly affect the Lung, often resulting in symptoms such as a scratchy throat, dry nose, chapped lips, dry cough, or dry stools. To protect the body from these external factors, we focus our health during this season around warming and strengthening the body. It”s a time to move from external, expansive nature of summer to the internal, contractive nature of autumn.  Fall seasonal changes can play a large role in guiding our food choices to prioritize nourishing the organs.  

Some things that can help promote balance and keep the lungs and large intestine healthy during this time are:

1) Breathe Deeply- especially while walking outside in nature.  Taking full deep breaths into the abdomen or doing a 4-7-9 breathing (4 seconds-inhale, 7 second hold and 9 second exhale) can help calm the nervous system and nourish the metal element.    

2) Let go of negativity/things/habits- The energy of the metal element is letting go, so autumn is a good time to be mindful of letting go of anything that does not serve us to make room for new experiences that will help us learn and grow. Bringing our awareness to what makes us feel bad or prevents us from living life to our fullest potential and avoiding them

3) Autumn is a great time to get rid of old things and reorganize and clean out our “closets”

4) Fall is associated with wind and in Chinese medicine, wind can cause many diseases.  Wearing a scarf can be very helpful to ward of a cold where the wind enters mostly around the neck

5) Eat warm cooked foods-It’s a good time to take a break on the cooler salads. In the summer, the warm yang nature of the season helps us digest raw foods. But as it gets cooler in the fall, you should eat more cooked and warming foods. This prevents further strain on your digestion and Spleen, preventing spleen qi deficiency and stomach qi deficiency such as weakened digestion and immune system and helps your body conserve energy to protect itself from illness. Soups, stirfries and stews are easier on the digestive system. Try to also steam or cook your food at low temperatures for longer periods of time, this cooking method helps support and nourish the fluids and yin.

 6) Eat foods that have a warming, moistening effect on the lungs-The Autumn has a lot of dryness and wind. So it’s a good time to try to eat foods that generate fluid and moisten the lungs such as pears, apples, snow ear fungus, persimmons, figs, pumpkins, nuts and seeds.  Eating foods that tend to have a sour nature can also help the body preserve fluids and moisten such as grapefruit, pickles, lemons.

Foods that are warming and supporting to our digestion and metal element during the Autumn time:

· Parsnips

· Cabbage

· Radish

· Leeks

· Asparagus

· Celery

· Sweet potatoes and other root vegetables

· Horseradish

· Garlic

· Ginger

· Orange vegetables like winter squashes

· Onions

· Olives

· Vinegars

· Pickles

· Fermented foods (including yogurt, miso, sauerkraut, tempeh)

· Adzuki beans

· Navy beans

· Walnuts

· Chestnuts

· Almonds

· Lemons and Limes

· Apples

· Pears

· Plums

· apricots

· Spices: bay leaves, black pepper, chili, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, rosemary

· Dark, leafy winter greens such as kale, collards, chard, mustard greens, etc.

Foods to avoid during this time are ones that create coolness and dampness, such as:

· Uncultured dairy products like cold milk, cream, etc.

· Cucumbers

· Watermelon

· Cold drinks

· Raw foods (including salads, instead opt for cooked vegetables)

· Noodles

· Potatoes

· Bread

· Sugar

 And don’t forget your self care with rest, exercise and Acupuncture. There are many ancient Chinese healing techniques that are helpful to boost the immune system through strengthening the Lungs and wei qi, which is our protective layer or in western medicine our immune system.

Each person is different so we use Chinese medicine diagnosis to formulate where your body is weakest to strengthen your core energy and nourish any qi and blood deficiency and move qi and blood stagnation to create balance in an individuals pattern differentiation.

As a therapist in Gainesville, Fl. I have seen that Autumn is a time the weather goes back and forth a lot so it can throw our bodies of guard, making us more susceptible to cold/ wind invasion and a weekend digestive system if we do not prepare and take care of ourselves. It is important to keep our bodies in balance with eating warm cooked foods, taking deep breaths, exercising, spending time outside and doing regular acupuncture and Tai Chi.