By Leighana Martindale

This is part two in a series of posts written to help inspire and motivate you to put your mental, spiritual and physical needs first in 2020. We’ll offer ideas and steps to help you achieve peace and happiness in the new year.

In 2020 we should all be loving our bodies, nourishing our minds, and taking necessary steps to heal. With this goal comes the need to eat better, exercise, and to cater to our bodies’ needs. Giving ourselves the nourishment, love, and attention we all deserve. While we are all in very different places on our journeys, there is no doubt we all need to continue to take care of ourselves physically.

Nutrition and Diet

We are born with two homes: our bodies and this planet so the number one thing we can do for both of our homes is to begin cutting out meat and dairy products. Trust me this isn’t easy, and if you’re like me with a family from Arkansas, then you grew up on meat, cheese, and a shit ton of carbs. So transitioning to a vegetarian or vegan diet can be especially hard for those not accustomed to this lifestyle, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

I find cutting everything out ‘cold turkey’ can be tricky so realistically, you should expect to have slip-ups, but that’s okay! We all have to start somewhere and going vegan/vegetarian is an entire lifestyle change so be patient with yourself.

Whether your goal is to completely cut out all meat and dairy products or if it is just to consume less meat and dairy products, there are a few things I like to think of that make me want to try harder and eat better. For example, my skin. Dairy products and cheese especially clog pores, so when you’re pissed about your breakout, think of what your diet has been lately.

The second and biggest push for me is gut health. Think of all the diseases, allergies and issues people have developed over the last 20 years. From a huge spike in those with celiac, lactose intolerant, and the scariest: H. Pylori.

What Is H. Pylori?

Over 40% of the American population and over 50% of the entire world lives with the bacteria known as H. Pylori but many do not know as symptoms are broad and can vary. But what is H. Pylori and what does it do?

This bacteria lives in your stomach lining and causes various issues like being unable to eat meat, dairy, gluten, tomatoes, sugar, things high in fat, processed foods, and things with a high acidity [like coffee]. When active H.Pylori causes a lack of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and when going untreated causes ulcers. An unsettling fact I recently learned from a friend going to medical school is that 90% of stomach cancer is caused by H. Pylori.

90 fucking percent! That’s scary! Even beyond those statistics, an alarming number of people are being diagnosed with celiac and as lactose intolerant as well as a number of other allergies and gut issues. This is our bodies begging us to nourish them, so let’s focus on a few things we can do to promote a healthy gut and a healthy body.

• Great foods:

  Broccoli Sprouts, Garlic, Kimchi and other pickled foods, vegetables in general

• Plant-Based Diet
  * But please remember: NOT ALL VEGAN FOOD IS OKAY - PROCESSED IS STILL PROCESSED.

• Probiotics: Kombucha

• Manuka Honey

• Antioxidants [Vitamin C]

• Practice Meatless Mondays or make a strict no meat in the house rule if you’re just started to

  kick meat

Let’s Get Physical

Basic movement, you would be shocked how much just walking frequently and dancing often can do for you. Studies have shown that dancing helps reduce stress levels, increase serotonin, and help to develop new neural connections. As if anyone should need an excuse to jump around and shake it out, now you have one! So blast the music and go full dancing queen at least once a week although I recommend at least once daily as often as possible.

Stretching is my most favorite ways to connect with my body. No matter what your flexibility level is, we all have the ability to stretch. When stretching use this time to practice being present. Think about each part of your body and focus on the muscles that are stretching. Connect with and be present with this piece of your body. When you are finished stretching dance around a little to loosen and warm your body. If you do this for as little as 5 minuets daily, you will be surprised by how much more connected you feel with your body and the progress you can make just by practicing a little a day.

Yoga is another great and fun option that also has a starting place and position for everyone. Start where you feel comfortable and watch your mobility and strength grow. I challenge you to do a minimum of three sun salutations a day for a week. By doing this many people report that they experience a sense of calm and looser muscles. Try it for yourself as it could be a great way to begin your journey.

If you want to step it up a level though, look for local classes. Push yourself to even do a hot yoga class at some point. I will warn you now, they are definitely intense and extremely hot.

Treating our bodies with the respect they deserve is so important and such a huge part of healing ourselves. If we do not nourish and respect our physical bodies, how do we expect to respect our minds and selves? While there are many aspects involved in healing oneself, the physical is one that should be a huge focus this coming year. So join me in the challenge to heal, to treat ourselves better.