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Fitness Fitness and Health Wellness

7 Reasons Good Health begins with Foot Care

Everything starts from the Sole up! I feel like often in fitness we are focused on vain goals. We want to look good, bigger arms, defined back and legs. Not everyone thinks of fitness as helping you to function better. In that neglect to perform better, we often take our feet for granted until we injure ourselves or worse. Feet are the foundation of our body and the key to a healthy life.

Those who often walk, stand for long periods of time can tell you when their feet feel good they feel good and there are many reasons:

7 Reasons good Health begins with your feet

1. Sturdy Foundation

We need to have and maintain a sturdy foundation. The human body is amazing and until I started studying correctives, I didn’t even realize how we are adaptable. Our feet are typically smaller than the other parts of our body yet it contains;
42 muscles
26 bones
33 joints
50 ligaments and tendons
Which hold our entire body upright. Your little size 8 feet can withstand hundreds of pounds and has over 15,000 nerve endings from our toes to our heels.

Our feet are meant to withstand a lot similar to a foundation of a home. Have you ever had a crack in your foundation? If no, you are fortunate because a small crack in a foundation can completely shift your home, ruin your walls and compromise your roof. A foot injury can do the same.

Feet are meant to be taken care of, but we are usually focused on the vanity body parts rather than the function essential ones. We wear our shoes way too long, don’t stretch or massage them until they are in pain.

That is the first place we should begin when focusing on our health from the bottom up.

2. Foot Care equals optimal circulation

We sit too much, and that is causing the muscles in our feet not to get the activity they need so that they can have good blood circulation. Our shoes also inhibit blood flow and circulation. It is suggested that you should massage your feet daily for about 10 minutes. From a 10-minute foot massage, you can cause dramatic effects on your blood circulation. It’s also a great way to relax and unwind.

My little Mimi is excellent at massages and offers them freely. Although, she enjoys it her little four-year-old hands just don’t get the job done. I have been using Solehealers at the end of my day, and I cannot tell you how it has improved the tightness in my calf and it just feels right.

3. Helps you sleep better

If you don’t find you have time for a good foot rub take a few minutes before bed to indulge. Not only will it promote circulation while you sleep and relaxing you from a stressful day. Studies have shown Foot massages before bed has been associated with relieving headaches, migraines, neck pain, lower and upper back aches too  Relieving this body pains help you to get a more peaceful slumber and feel well rested when you awaken the next day.

4. Boost your Mood

Another study revealed that foot massages are linked to relieving people from depression and improving mood. This is due to the over 15,000 nerve endings that reside in your feet. There is reflexologist who can pinpoint certain pressure areas in your feet that will boost your mood. In patients with depression, it is recommended to massage your feet 2 to 3 times per day for about 10 minutes to help relieve depression symptoms.

SoleHealers are great portable, therapeutic foot massages that you can do right at your desk as I am now as I write this post. I noticed that while writing it helps keep me focused and attentive when I am massaging my feet on my Solehealers.

5. Healthier Feet

Massaging and stimulating your feet muscles also helps with ankle and heel pain which is a biggie in my house. Since my Level 3 Ankle Sprain and my husband rupturing his Achilles tendon, we have found the value in proper foot care. We both use the Solehealers to help strengthen our weak ankles. It’s also helped my husband with his foot swelling at the end of the day. I like to stand on my SoleHealers during my warmup to kind of invigorate my feet before I begin my ankle correctives. It’s nice how small and portable the SoleHealers are because they make it really convenient to take anywhere.

6. Helps with anxiety

At first, when I was researching I thought the last thing I want to do when I am anxious is to sit down and stay still for a foot massage. I gave it a try and guessed what it works!  High Anxiety has plagued me for eleven years. I have tried pharmaceutical relief, prayer, and other homeopathic aids. It wasn’t until I got my SoleHealers and was doing research on foot care that I decided to try them out. It was beneficial this month. September my anxiety was very high due to many triggers in my life.

One day while having racing, anxious thoughts I gave it a, “Why not?” I stood on the SoleHealers for about 5 minutes and with a little prayer and standing still on my healers the wave of anxiety went away. Now honestly I am not sure if it was prayer because that has helped me in the past but taking that moment just to stand still and massage my feet was very calming. Other than my experiment, studies have shown a positive correlation between foot massages and reducing anxiety.

7. It feels good

Having healthy feet feels good. It’s awful to walk around in pain, and your feet take a lot of weight on them. Practicing self-care feels good so if you don’t have magic handed Mimi or able to get regular foot massages. I would highly recommend SoleHealers. My mom loves them and uses hers daily. Great for everyone whether you have foot ailments or want to prevent foot ailments.

Solehealers are “Therapeutic relief for stressed out feet” They are helpful to relieve plantar fasciitis, bunions, hammer toes, stiff ankles, and feet. Reduce pain after a day of walking in high heels. All you do is stand on them positioning your feet differently and let the magic happen. So simple and so many benefits. They also have some videos for you to try the new exercise with or to use specifically for different foot ailments.

Check out SoleHealers and grab a 15% discount with my promo code 15BLESSED

  1. I received SoleHealers for a product review I make a commission from my affiliate link as well as other affiliate links that I am partnered.  I recommend this product but if I didn’t I would tell you. My full disclosure policy is here. 
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christian mom faithfueled friday

Legacy

 

legacy

Ready to go home

My October began with losing my Great-Grandmother peacefully to this world.  As my Great-Aunt pointed out, she was 94.5 years old.  When you enter this world, we count the months, and when you get to a certain age, they count even more.  My cousin Jamie brought up that she was alive for 16 presidents.  She was born at the end of the first World War and lived through World War II, Vietnam, and Iraq.  The things she has done for our country, her faith being a charter member of Mt.Vernon Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Raising four amazing women, teaching hundreds if not, thousands of young Christian children through her work in the Church and leading our family for 94.5 years.

Proverbs 31:28 (NIV) Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:

Sitting at her repast, I took a moment to look at my grandmother’s home.  Everyone in their except my Great-Uncle was her legacy.  They were only alive because my Great-Grandfather and Great-Grandmother had met and started a family together.  They were blessed to leave behind Ten Grandchildren, Twenty great-grandchildren, and six great-great-grandchildren.  The legacy the Gaynor’s has affected all generations.

legacy

My great grandmother has left strong beliefs of loving God, working hard, taking care of your family and your home. Every time I think of her I only can smile.  She was bold, beautiful, God-fearing (watch out for her), tell it to you straight, New York women. Always a little sassy, vivacious and ready to take on the task. Yet, from far away in her modest Seventh-Day Adventist demeanor you would not know such a fireball existed when she was behaving. My great-grandfather  had his hands’ full of the five women in his house.

legacy

Every once in a while out of the blue should always send me a care package with crafts, Bible studies for kids, art supplies and a brown paper bag of green apple straws. They would bring me so much joy and would be so unexpected.  Just like Alzheimer, my Great-Grandmommy is the third immediate family member to me that has died from Alzheimer.  Just like the surprise package one day your loved one can bring you so much joy, and then unexpectedly their familiarity with you wears off, they become distant, and that same light that flickered when you came within their presence is no longer there.  They know you, but you can tell it’s a little foggy.  Some days are good, and then others are not but every day they are pulling away from you. My great grandmommy and I often spoke till about five years ago. She would send me cards and letters of encouragement thanking me for photos of my girls.  I’m going to miss her little check-ins.

Psalm 78:4 We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that He has done.

legacy

I learned a lot from being around my family for almost a week.  It had been ten years since the last time we had been reunited since my Great-Grandfather’s passing.  Hearing everyone talk about her and their perspective was nice to catch up. Watching the dynamics of my Grandmother and her three sisters.  The other family relationships interactions.

It made me think of the legacy I will leave my girls.  From silly things like sewing.  Gaynor women sew, I sew (well I used to) before three kids and all the other add-in on life. I used to sew my clothes in high school the night before I wore them.  I haven’t taught my girls to sew, and now I feel obligated to leave that with my girls.  Serve the Lord, my Great Grandmother served her church and lived a God-fearing life.  I am grateful I now have those same convictions and will leave that legacy for my daughters.  Work hard.  Another legacy that I have adopted from watching my Mother, Grandmother and Great-Grandmother.  Honor your husband.  No matter what my Great Grandmother was doing at a particular time in the evening, she would grab my Great-Grandfather’s slipper and robe and be standing at the door waiting for him when he got home.  I also believe that you should be submissive to your husband and honor him.  Although, I do not have my husbands robe and slipper waiting for him at the door (I need to work on that) I do try to respect him and his role in our family.  Protect and love your family. I am not sure if I could say more about that she protected and loved us all at no cost.  Although, it was somber to send my Great-grandmother home. I know that she followed God, lived life and loved hard.  I hope that I can honor her legacy and leave it for my daughters to pass on to the next generation.

What legacy has your family left you? What do you hope to pass on to the next generation?

Deuteronomy 6:5-7  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

 

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Breakfast Recipes

Protein Pancakes

This is a sponsored post. I received this product in exchange for a review there are also affiliate links that I make a commission. I make a commission off the links in this post and am a Nuzest USA Ambassador. I’d tell you if I didn’t like it and why. My Full Disclosure Policy

Pancakes, Bacon, and Eggs are like our Sunday morning go-to. I usually make a double batch on the weekend and freeze them for the lil diva’s breakfast during the week. I place each one in between parchment paper, so they are easy to pull out and toast just like your convenient frozen pancakes already made in the store. It allows me time in the morning to provide them with a homemade breakfast in minutes.

I have never really liked pancakes, but my daughters do. After flipping pancake after pancake and not being able to indulge in anything with wheat, guess what I want, crave, obsess? Yes, pancakes. You always want what you can’t have well not anymore. These pancakes are so easy to make, delicious and don’t add extra time and a whole lot of ingredients to your regular breakfast routine. I even had the kid and husband approved, and they gave it a two thumbs up. Since finding out about my wheat allergy, I have been making a conscious effort to eliminate wheat in my diet. I just feel so much better and can get the full benefit of living a healthy lifestyle.

These pancakes are a great alternative to your traditional pancakes. Its a very simple easy recipe to follow and most people have the ingredients.  I prefer to use plant-based protein powder, I use Nuzest Vanilla because I don’t do well with Whey because of my lactose intolerant and prefer not to have soy products. Nuzest Protein is more does not have lots of the artificial junk that can be found in most protein powders. Just as a personal preference. Like I said, these pancakes taste like the real deal. You can top them with your favorite fruit, nuts and I used Lakanto Maple Pancake Syrup, which is Sugar-Free, Calorie Free and tasted pretty decent its junk free made of Monk Fruit Sweetener. I have had sugar free pancake syrup before, and this is the best one yet.

[amd-yrecipe-recipe:22]

 

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Fitness Fitness and Health

What is Leg Day?

What is leg day?

While many people are mixing it up doing Total Body Blast HIIT or Glute Building Circuits or other fitness trends. There is something to be said by grouping your workout routine by muscle group. It’s a technique that is popular with bodybuilders for many reasons.  

The goal of a Body Builder is to build muscle and look symmetrical it’s more than just a muscle defined tanned physique. There is a purpose to the training.  To target muscle groups and their weakness aesthetically is what the term Leg Day came from. In your workout routine on Leg Day you are focusing on just that the lower limbs of your body.

Leg Muscle Group

 Usually broken up into several parts:

  • Quads
  • Hamstrings
  • Adductors
  • Abductors
  • Glutes
  • Calves

These are the focus on leg days. Depending on how your periodize your workout that can also be broken up into their separate days or groups.  It is common to see Antagonist muscles (muscles that work opposite of each other) group together; such as Quads and Hamstrings. You also see Synergistic muscles too (muscles that work together) Such as Hamstrings and Glutes. It really depends on your goals and what you are trying to build aesthetically. Targeting these muscles on specific days allows people to track their progress and specifically train areas they feel weak.

Two Leg Day Workouts

Today I am sharing two of my favorite Leg Day Splits and a workout to target these muscles.  Progressing your weight as your body adapts to the load and resistance will help you to gain muscles in these areas.  

If you don’t challenge your body, you won’t change despite how often you hit each muscle.  Your body needs to adapt to stress to change so make sure that you are challenging yourself a little further each workout either with reps, the speed of reps or the weight that you use to do the exercise.

How to build leg muscles?

There are various ways to cause Hypertrophy in muscles when I train my clients I prefer super and triple sets because you can get a lot done in little time.  

Circuits are also a great way to challenge yourself these workouts can be done both ways a continual circuit where you are moving from one exercise to the next without rest until the end. Most people prefer circuits because it makes them feel like they are getting the workout they typically expect.  Most people are looking for a heart pumping, sweat inducing, breathless panting and a circuit with high effort can achieve all of those things. 

I also use supersets or triple sets where you group two or three workouts together with little rest in between exercise and a break between sets. You can get a lot done with Supersets and challenge yourself depending on how they are grouped. 

Leg Day 1- Super Sets

Quads, Hamstrings, and Calves

Each Exercise 3 sets with 10-12 reps each exercise

 

Leg Day 1 Circuit

Circuit for 30 seconds each exercise 10 sec rest in between 60-90 seconds between 2-3 sets

 

Leg Day 2- Super Set

Adductors, Abductors, and Glutes

Each Exercise 3 sets with 10-12 reps each exercise

  • Banded Crossover Donkey Kicks (Targets Adductors, Abductors, and Glutes)
  • Cable Kickbacks (Glutes)
  • Sumo Squat (Targets Adductors)
  • Pulse Tippy Toe Lifts (Targets Adductors, Abductors, Calves and Glutes)
  • Romanian Deadlifts (Targets Glutes and Hamstrings)
  • Barbell Banded Hip Thrusters (Targets Adductors, Abductors, and Glutes)

Leg Day 2- Circuit

Adductors, Abductors, and Glutes

Circuit for 30 seconds each exercise 10 sec rest in between 60-90 seconds between 2-3 sets

  • Banded Crossover Donkey Kicks
  • Cable Machine Kickbacks
  • Hip Abductors with Cables
  • Cable Hip Adductors 
  • Deadlifts
  • Barbell Hip Thrusters

Working Leg Day into your Schedule

When targeting muscles, I prefer to begin my week with a Leg Day and finish it with a Leg Day!

You can add a third Leg Day in the routine but make sure if you are lifting heavy that you don’t hit the same muscle group day after day. You can cause muscle fatigue or overtrain which will cause other setbacks that will not help you reach your goal. I like to split my leg days up with Upper Body days in between for example;

A Sample Workout Schedule:

Monday- Leg Day 1

Tuesday Upper Body 1

Wednesday Leg Day 2, Conditioning or Rest Day

Thursday Upper Body 2

Friday Leg Day 2 or 3 (Depending on if you did conditioning)

Saturday Conditioning

Sunday Rest

It really is up to you and what your body can tolerate but make sure that you are working smarter and not harder so that you can get your desired lean legs quickly.

Do you work on just one muscle group at a time or do you like to mix it up?

 

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Wellness

7 Changes to Live a Healthier Lifestyle

What is wellness?

What exactly is wellness? Many people have a different definition, but overall it’s adopting a healthy lifestyle.  Wellness is the absence of disease as well as feeling and enjoying your life. There are many components it’s your Spiritual, Physical, Mental and Emotional well being.

What affects a healthy lifestyle?

Your health affects everything in your life it changes how you feel, think, moves, and engage with others. Could you imagine having a common cold every day? Or worse in my thoughts being in pain every moment of every day? That is what some people go through daily some things even worse. When you are sick, you realize that your health affects everything.

I genuinely believe that the enemy is attacking our bodies which is affecting our lives. What people call poor choices I am calling bad habits because despite what we know we still choose the things that are bad for us merely out of comfort and enjoyment.  There are so many diseases that are rising and not subsiding or going away.

Why is wellness important?

Heart diseases, diabetes, cancer, mental health-related illnesses are all rising.  There are many studies on the correlation to our overall lifestyle and physical health. Including the psychological stresses of a fast-paced, busy life, poor food quality and choices, lack of exercise and no social AND spiritual connection.  

Three years ago, I was apart of these statistics from the mental health of depression and high anxiety and obesity. I have to say every piece of my Wellness Puzzle (Spiritual, Physical, Mental and Emotional) was off and it wasn’t until I submitted spiritually did I begin to see a physical result in my life and health.  

Seven changes I made to live a Healthier Life

1. Pray-

If you haven’t been following me, that is a given.  There are studies of the connection between physical and spiritual health. 

“The healthier the spirit and the greater its influence over the physical body — the greater its ability to correct or overcome physical shortcomings.” (From a letter of the Rebbe, dated the 2nd day of Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, 5715)

Prayer is a way to talk to God and have a relationship. That’s how I began my fitness journey through daily prayer and how I help others start theirs through my online program. I use it till this day during before, after and during workouts and have a much stronger prayer life.  I genuinely believe that it helped me have an inner power more significant than my own. Through prayer, I have changed my poor habits into habits that not only I can live with every day, but I truly love. It’s an excellent foundation for my healthy lifestyle change.

2. Change bad habits to good-

Something that I have discovered along this journey. When I was overindulgent, stressed, poorly nourished, sedentary, sleep deprived, and with no self-accountability. It was acceptable it was okay. When I started going to bed early, rising early, eating well, exercising regularly and boldly professing my faith that’s when I got backlash. “Why are you working out so much?” “You should have cheat days more!”   It’s as if poor choices and bad habits are condoned because “everyone” else is doing it taking the easy way out. Creating this reactive culture that we live. Our society is fixated on reacting to poor choices;  Whether it’s through pharmaceutical medicines or surgeries. Living a healthy lifestyle meant replacing my bad habits with old. Trying to be preventative through education, self-awareness, and prevention.  

3.Getting a Emotions Checks

How we feel emotionally can affect our body; it will react with inflammation, pain, disease, and illnesses.  Negative feelings and emotions can directly be correlated to poor health. Addressing your feelings can help you in your path to healing your body and living a healthy lifestyle.  There are many programs, Doctors and specialist that you can find in your area to address your emotional wellness. By making sure I was emotionally healthy through counsel, spiritual devotion and prayer it released me from self-imposed barriers that were affecting my health.  It’s a necessary change I needed to make to live a healthier lifestyle.

4. Educate Yourself on Alternative Ideas

There are many ideas that are contradictory to how our culture’s beliefs.  Sometimes you have to walk a different path than the masses. There are so much research and successful studies on homeopathic therapies and remedies.  Many have been in existence since Biblical days but over the years never gained popularity. My family has been transitioning to living and healing from what God has given us. Whether it be homeopathic pain relief like Arnica which you know I love, essential oils which I recently have been educating myself or with natural plant-based detox. God gave us all we need to live and heal our bodies are amazingly able to recover naturally.  By changing how you use synthetic medicines can help with a healthy lifestyle.

5. Change How you Spend your time

We are so busy being busy! Our social connection and personal time to relax and restore is often affected. Television has mostly been eliminated from my schedule. I typically watch TV when I am folding lots of laundries or doing long bouts of cardio which is not often.  Replacing the hour television show, I used to watch it for an hour at the gym. It’s helped me to physically be well and take care of my body. Finding time for things that are important to my health was a change I needed to make for a healthy lifestyle.

I also believe you need to take time to connect with friends and family daily.  Life is not meant to be a blur, and people aren’t expected to be extras on your tv show.  Just like you, they enjoy connecting with others, and those you love can help your health.  People who are alone and isolated live shorter lives than those who are engaged with others. We were meant for a community, but in our viral culture, we are beginning to find our community on online sources isolating and keeping us from real-world connections.  Unplug, touch, hug and engage with people in real life.

As an adult it is hard to make friends but easy to find those with a common interest.  Do the things that you love, and you will find others to be in a community or just the people right next to you in your own house on the phone.  Life is too short and too important to be stuck behind a screen.

6. Eat Right

Another, “Duh De” but for real! Cut out the Carbonated, Refined Sugar, Artifical Colors and Flavors, Processed (C.R.A.P) stuff that resembles food in your life and start to eat Fruits and Vegetables, Organic or Natural Meat, Omega 3 and good fats, Drink more water (F.O.O.D).

No diet required to live a healthy lifestyle. The things that you put in your mouth almost instantly effects your health. There is no doubt and question in my mind. Is it easy to not eat C.R.A.P?

NO!

But once you make it a new habit; it’s just that second nature. It only takes consistent effort and exploring different things to find what you love.  Your perspective can determine, and the energy you put into changing your life will reveal your results. Basically, what you put in your will get out two-fold. Eating right is a necessary change to a healthy lifestyle.

7. Move More

Everyone just wants to try a diet and still stay still, but that is not going to cut it to change to your life. I put this last because it’s not the most important, but it is essential. We were made to move that is how God created us, and we are sitting our way into an early grave. Should you be moving every day!

YES!

The CDC only recommends 150 minutes per week, but honestly the more you move, the longer you live, the healthier you live. So, I recommend 150 minutes per week, but I encourage you to find something you love to do and do it every day for as long as you like it might add up to over 150 minutes without you even knowing it!  

Get Educated

There are other tools that I would recommend for a healthier lifestyle: massage therapy, self-care, and positive self-talk.

Ultimately, it begins with education which is something that my Great Grandfather instilled in me to always try to learn something new every day. I am attended in Well Summit in Brooklyn, NY October 5 & 6th.  It is a fantastic opportunity to network, learn and educate with over 800 people in the Wellness Industry! I would love to meet you there, and I can give you $75 off your ticket with CODE: WSDe

Join other people who have realized that we can live a happier healthier life if we make some changes and me.  Change is always hard but often for your good and trying one or two of my suggestion can hopefully help you make some changes in your own life to live healthier.

Did you find any changes helpful? Do you think you’re ready to change? What steps are you taking to achieve wellness?

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