Healthcare is a "Beach"... Take a Vacation to Wellness

Suburbanista Naperville Presents...

Healthcare is a "Beach"... Take a Vacation to Wellness

Guest Blogger: Gina Jones

Just imagine… you’re sitting by the pool sipping a cold drink listening to Bob Marley song, “Don’t worry about a thing…”; or falling asleep as you lay under a palm tree listening to the ocean throw waves onto the beach every ten seconds; or when you are at 11,000 feet, you’re standing in your skis at the top of Copper Mountain in Colorado looking across the breathtaking ravines saturated with pine treetops; or its all aboard the Oasis of the Seas listening to a mariachi band while the ship pulls into the port of Cozumel. 

Aaahhh…no meetings, no conference calls, no issues, no “crack” berries, no laptops, no stress.  It’s so simple yet no one sees it…vacations help improve your health.  We are so used to being in the flight or fight mode, that if we ever try to relax, it seems difficult for our brain to tell our body what to do.  We need to shift our bodies back to neutral - it’s time we take vacations more seriously.  The famous Framingham heart study showed over a time span of 20+ years, while tracking thousands of people who took a vacation of one week or more on an annual basis, had reduced risk of heart disease.  Men reduced their risk by 32% and women by 50%!  Other studies showed that non-vacationers had eight times more likelihood of dying at a younger age and two or three more times likely to develop depression.  Now being a business owner, mother, wife, volunteer and catechist who multi-tasks (of course!), I believe in these statistics because of what I feel every day – STRESS!  Funny thing is I already have a history of heart disease in my family, increasing the probability of incident - so it’s time for me to de-stress and fast!    


Why don’t we make time to re-group?  After a vacation, don’t we feel spectacular, happy, and ready to go on with a sense of new energy and creativity?  Doesn’t that benefit relationships, enhance bonding with family and friends, and positively boost our mood?  Doesn’t that benefit the boss when we return to work and have that mindset of contribution and readiness?  Yet we Americans will still forfeit an average of two earned vacation days a year, according to an Expedia survey.  That means we throw away 226 million unused vacation days nationwide.  If an employee truly believes that the boss wants them to go on vacation, get the rest and relaxation, and come back to the office ready to give 100%, would they give 100%?  Logic tells me yes and not because of any statistic, but because it is just human nature.  Sometimes we get so wrapped up in collecting hard evidence before implementing a change, that we lose sight of the mental benefits behind a positive change.  Having the right mindset translates to energy that takes action to get things done whether it be at work, home or elsewhere.

So do yourself and your family a favor:  start planning that vacation now!  Keep the big picture in mind when justifying the vacation - do it for your mental, physical, and emotional health and well-being.  You will be a new person afterwards and most likely be around a lot longer! 

You deserve a memorable, relaxing and affordable experience while on vacation. If you would like to learn how to avoid the marketing hype and to travel at exclusively lower prices, you may contact me at (630) 915-1968 or gina.jones@tributumcorp.com.

Gina Jones is a Vacation Benefit Specialist who partners with employers to offer a unique employee vacation benefit. She helps to attract and retain top talent, improve performance, and provide incentives to encourage goal achievement.  To learn more about her wholesale vacation programs for consumers and businesses, Gina can be reached at (630) 915-1968 or gina.jones@tributumcorp.com.                      

The Rejuvenation Cleanse

After months of feasting on heavy hearty meats and potatoes, celebrating with toasts of shots, champagne and wine, the time has finally come to rejuvenate ourselves and start anew.

Too many times, especially this time of year, we get caught up in the rush of the holidays, busy business hours or running our children around to all of their school activities. Our energy decreases, leaving us lethargic and lazy. Rather than taking some time to ourselves to organize our healthy habits and reflect on the day's activities, we give in to the quick and easy, "I'll just make some mac and cheese for the kids and wrap myself in a warm blanket in front of the T.V."

Today I present to you a new form of embracing the winter season, inspired by Ayurveda. A distraction from all the... distractions. A time for us to Rejuvenate and to do some good for our own bodies! The guidelines to this practice are as follows:

1. Participate daily... if you mess up - keep on going! Whatever you do, don't give up. Only complete this when you are truly ready to to do so and you have accomplished that which you have wanted to accomplish.

2. No "time frame". This means that you choose how long you would like to do it for. Keep in mind, that it takes two weeks to truly learn a new habit... but please don't let it stop you from continuing to make it a lifestyle!

3. Have fun! Enjoy this time to focus on YOU, yourself, and your body. Grab some friends to participate and help to motivate one another. And do not be afraid to try new things!!

4. Email any success stories, recipes, or great ideas as you please. Suburbanista will be posting success stories, advice, and recipes every Monday. Email mysuburbanista@gmail.com

The Rejuvenation Cleanse

Goals:

1. Increase Energy

2. Improve Digestion

3. Detoxify the body

4. Relieve Bloating

5. Relieve Stress

6. Clear Mind

Bonus: loose weight :)

Five Components:

1. Dietary Habits: Using the list below, modify your groceries and recipes to begin your rejuvenation process. Remember to consume at least 8 glasses of water a day, to chew as many times as you can before swallowing, and to take time after each couple of bites to truly savor the flavors. Most importantly, sit for ten minutes or so after your meal... observe how it makes you feel. Are you more energized? Or are you bloated and lethargic?

    Consume More:                                            

    Plain/Greek Yogurt                                        

    Fruit (include one new fruit per week)            

    Most Vegetables                                              

    Lentils & Legumes

    Farm Raised Fish                                                                                   

    Occasional Poultry

    Honey
    Whole Grains (like brown rice and quinoa)

    Consume Less or Avoid:

    Yeasted/Starchy Breads (and white rice)

    Wheat

    Flem Causing Dairy (Cow's Milk & Cheese)

    Peppercorn

    Flesh Meats (animals who consume their mother's milk or die in pain or fear)

    Gas Producing Vegetables (mushrooms, potatoes, hot peppers, garlic, and onion)

    Caffeine (addictive and unnecessary)

    Processed Sugars & Sweeteners (addictive and unnecessary)

2. Meditate or Sit with Your Thoughts: Set aside some time every day for YOU. Even if it is only 10 minutes or so, find a comfortable seated position in your favorite room, close your eyes, and just be. Allow your thoughts to move across your inner gaze and rather than oppressing them, observe them. Observe if they pertain to real things or if your mind has just created them. Observe how it feels to breakdown your thoughts to understand further, or to erase those that your mind has only created as a form of distraction.

3. Breath: More often than not, we all forget to truly breath. Through out your day, take time to release your tensions with your breath. When you are in your car, in between tasks, or you made it home before anyone else - inhale deeply, and exhale fully. Inhale in to your belly, allowing it to expand completely, and when you can not inhale any more, exhale fully. Exhale until your body naturally reaches for a new inhale. Continuing this breath work (the diaphragmatic breath) helps to calm and quiet the mind while relaxing tensions in the body.

4. Be Active: Everyday, get your but up and moving by becoming involved in some sort of activity. Whether you choose to hit the treadmill, or vigorously scrub your floors, do something! Tie in fun activities to your week's schedule by even planning a snow shoeing day at Morton Arboretum or attending a Yoga and/or Zumba class with some friends. If all else fails and your schedule runs tight, make an effort stretch before going to bed. Even stretching allows the blood to flow, increasing your heart rate and relaxing your body and mind.

**Bonus Challenge: No Television!

That's right. If you would like to take it one step further, cut out the hours spent on the couch in front of your television. Limit yourself to your one hour favorite show if you have to, but avoid sitting on the couch waisting time when you could be focusing on getting things done around the house or being more active!

5. Reflection: Journal daily. Write about what you did, how you ate, what you experienced, and how it made you feel physically and emotionally. Document your progress so that your future self may refer back to this time in your life and either engage in the rejuvenation process once more, or create your own form of rejuvenation.

Feel free to post comments and/or questions on the blog or Facebook page. This is meant to be a fun and exciting way to learn more about you and your body. Each person is completely different and is permitted to personalize the Rejuvenation plan to meet their needs. I look forward to hearing of all your success!

Busy rejuvenating,

Suburbanista
mysuburbanista@gmail.com