This past weekend I was in Arizona visiting my sister. We spent most of our time in Sedona and Scottsdale, hiking trails, hitting the crystal shops, and eating amazing meals for dinner.

This is not a promo email for Arizona (though I do recommend it!) but I give context before taking a weird turn with this edition of the Newsletter.

While I was gone, my dog was boarded at her usual place. She's always happy to be dropped off there, though I know the extended stay isn't her favorite. She is still sleeping most of the day away as she recovers from what I assume was fun and stressful time.

Each day I was gone, I got an email with an update on how she was doing. The categories of the updates are actually what inspired today's note--I'll save my thoughts on the beautiful landscape of Sedona for another time...

3 Tips for Better Habits

There were 3 things my pup-date focused on (see what I did there?):

Energy, Play, & Poop.

Stick with me here, I promise this is going somewhere.

As I receive each update and noticed the themes, it occurred to me that these are some of the same factors we humans should be checking in on daily.

1. Energy. Where is your energy at? High, low, anxious, open, judging? Energy can be interpreted and felt many ways. What matters is that you're paying attention to it and being more intentional to create a state shift when you're in need of a change.

One of the fastest, most simple ways to do this is movement, as in moving your body. It doesn't have to be a workout; in fact, a 20 minute walk outside would be your better bet. If moving outdoors isn't possible, a few stretches and up/downs at your desk are good enough.

2. Play. In the case of my dog's update, they also shared what she was playing and WHO she was playing with. I have no idea who these other dogs are but this is relevant because it gives me some insight into how my dog is doing. Is she playing tug of rope or chasing a ball with another high energy dog, or lounging around with the older dogs?

   Who we are spending time with and whether we spend any time playing are not just indicators of how we're doing, they are factors that impact how we're doing. Connection to others is critical to our health and well-being; and I'd argue that play is as well.

My question to you is, do you have enough of each of these in your life? If not, how can you invite more in? When can you put it on the calendar, the same way you would a meeting or an appointment?

If you're feeling highly connected to others and playful, is there anyone you can bring into the fold who may need a little more of both?

3. Poop. I'm sure I almost lost you when I first mentioned this one but I'm glad you stuck it out because this is important. Poop, both the quantity and quality, is a direct indicator of your health. Issues here can be due to diet as well as your stress load and emotional state.

If your digestion doesn't feel quite right, something is up. When troubleshooting this one, keep it simple. Start by pulling out a few foods that you think could be causing the issues (aim for 7 days without them) and then add one of the foods back in for 2-3 days in a row and see how it goes.

If the symptoms return, you may want to rethink how often that food appears in your regular food rotation. Sometimes, actually almost all of the time, the poison is in the dose. We can handle small amounts of certain foods but once we reach our limit, we pay the price.

And while you're pulling things out of your diet, remember to add in water. Sometimes issues with digestion, energy, and mood are solved with a little more hydration.

Double Click for More Details

OK. You sat through me mentioning poop so let's shift gears to something a little more exciting to talk about.

Having dogs my whole life has been a blessing, driven me crazy, created love and joy, and broken my heart. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

This email got me thinking about other ways our pets (cats too of course) can teach us to live a little better.

Check out this quick read from WebMD on 20 things we can learn from our pets. Enjoy!

1 Last Thing...

Big, fun, exciting news to share this week!

As we enter into the holiday season, many healthy behaviors become harder to stick to.

To help you resist crumbling like Christmas cookies at the sight of sweet treats and savory sides, I'm opening up coaching spots for the month of December and offering a discount.

All the details went out in a previous email but here's the TLDR version:

BLACK FRIDAY PROMO: Start 1-on-1 Nutrition Coaching in December, get one month for FREE and 30% off the regular price IF you sign up by Black Wednesday, 11/27.

If you're ready to get started, CLICK HERE to join and use code "STARTNOW" to get the lowest price PLUS the free month.

I hope to see you on the list!

Take Action!

How will you use this information today?

What ONE small action step will you commit to?

Write it down & set a reminder to check your follow through.