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Carlee
Right now, there's one question lingering in just about everyone's mind. How the heck do I stay healthy? Hi, I'm Carlee Myers, your friendly stress management expert. And this month we are talking about your physical health. And I brought on an amazing friend and colleague, Nancy Smith, who is a life enhancement coach. She has formal training as a licensed mental health counselor. And Nancy's philosophy is that everyone deserves to live a vibrant life pursuing their passions and what provides meaning to them, using her knowledge and experience. She helps her clients strengthen their relationships with ourselves, which is which allows them to create and achieve the quality quality of life they desire. Nancy, I'm super, super excited to have you on the show, as always.
Nancy
Hi, Carlee. Thanks for having me back.
Carlee
So I'm curious, for everyone who hasn't met you yet, would you mind sharing a little bit more about you and how you ended up where you are now?
Nancy
OK, so I started off working in psychiatric health and branched out of that to life in health coaching, proper life coaching. When I was I grew up in Canada and now living in New York, I came to New York for grad school and after grad school, it's like I just wanted to stay in New York and work in psychiatric hospital and help everybody. But, you know, you can't do that. I help who I can help. Got my training and actually branched out into the life and health coaching because I have I grew up with being very physically active. I've been active most of my life. And I realized more when I got older, not necessarily when I was younger and my parents were registering me for tap, jazz, ballet, softball, soccer. I loved all of it, but didn't realize until as an adult how those things really helped in pursuing life, active life in general. So. Just so with any kids that you have getting them involved in some physical activity, I see. And as an adult, it just helps confidence, collaboration, plus all the other physical benefits that physical activity and movement.
Carlee
It's funny that you say that. And I feel like at some point you probably told me that you did tap jazz and ballet and all of all of the things. And maybe I'm just thinking throwing it out there. Maybe this is why we get along. Because I did tap jazz. I quit ballet in, like, seventh grade. I couldn't do that. I did all of the dancing. I did track. I did I probably all of it throughout high school. And so I find that to be really interesting. So how does this. I'm curious, how does this all tie into the world that we're living in right now?
Nancy
Well, you know, we're living in the time of COVID 19, and our life has changed. Being someone that was a regular gym goer, I'm not going to the gym anymore. I really miss my gym family. But we all understand that life is not normal, so. Physical health, physical movement is still important, whether we are on quarantine lockdown or not. It helps not just with the weight gain, but during COVID 19. Boost. It helps boost your immunity system, which is a defense against COVID 19. It also for your audience helps reduce stress and anxiety. I know there are many times when I have felt stressed or anxious and just going out for a run or a walk has helped. Helps me reduce that stress and anxiety. It actually just clears my head and I can think better. and it improves sleep. Go ahead.
Carlee
It's interesting, too, because you know what you're sharing about, you know, moving your body to reduce stress there. I just want to jump in on that, because I know one of the things that I don't remember where I picked it up, but I heard someone share that anxiety is just energy. And one of the things that I learned in my journey is that when I'm feeling anxious and I can't identify the cause, you know, a good walk or a good run or a good workout, oftentimes I leave on the other side feeling so much better because I had a place to put that energy. And the same goes honestly for like any creative outlet. I was able to take that anxious energy and put that energy somewhere else that's healthy and productive versus into trying to figure out what the plot twist is in the Netflix, you know.
Nancy
Right. You're absolutely right. Like that stress. It's anxieties, it's all energy and everything. We're all energy. So being able to focus that energy on something purposeful, meaningful, productive. It just helps reduce and put that energy somewhere else that you're getting and you're feeling better. It just again, improves your mood, clears your mind.
Carlee
Yeah. And I want to just talk about this this whole immune system thing. And actually, you know what I want to talk about? I want to talk about the they've been calling it like the quarantine fifteen or like the quarantine 30. And so, you know, one of the things that I've heard and I'm just curious to hear your thoughts, is that, you know, when we when we are not fueling our body with the proper nutrients, when we're not moving it enough, it creates this negative negative impact on on our immunity and our immune system function. And I'm curious to hear, just like your thoughts or details on on your perception on that.
Nancy
Yeah. When we start when you say that I lose mine to me, early days of COVID 19. You'd go to the grocery store, I go to the grocery store when I could go to the grocery store and looking for toilet paper. And of course, those were all wiped out. And if you walked by the snack aisle, all the snacks, potato chips, all of those things were gone as well. And during this time, I think people want comfort. So they try to go with the comfort food. And actually, this this is a time where we should be eating more of this fresh produce and vegetables, and our fruits. Because, again, those provide us good energy after you eat. Sorry, McDonald's. McDonald's, Big Mac. You don't feel energized. You don't feel like you feel. At least last time I ate it, which was a billion years ago. It just sits heavy on you, on your system. So this is a time to eat more fresh produce and the fruits.
Carlee
Yeah. And, you know, I want to, like, add on to that. You know, there's there's actually a science behind what foods create what looks like different psychological effects. So like, for instance, we probably all heard that caffeine can create more anxiety in the body. But little did didn't many of us know, including me. I found out that Salmon actually can produce a calming effect in the body when you eat salmon and carbs, of course, does the same thing. And then it was a matter of choosing the foods that are going to fuel not only the mental state that you want to be in, but also the physical energies you want to have throughout quarantine. So I'm curious, Nancy, what are your recommendations to maintaining physical health if we're in quarantine or just in this new normal?
Nancy
Just quickly. Number one is what we just talking about. Eat fresh, fresh food, fresh produce, fruits and vegetables, as many as you can. Reduce your snacking, choose healthy snacks, get outside, get outside, walk, run anything. Also, if you have kids, take them. It's so nice to see a lot of families out walking in the morning or in the evening during this time. Do some calorie burning chores. Take virtual classes, take online classes. Do a challenge. I just recently finished a plank to challenge a 30 day plank challenge. So get gabbers, we can do a physical challenge. Get some sleep, get sleep, get sleep and really focus on what you can control. Remember, we're all in this together, so stay positive and remind yourself of your your strengths and abilities. Those we
Carlee
love that. And I just love that. So we want to know, what are you taking away from this episode? What's one little nugget that you're gonna take and begin adding to your life, implementing into your day to day. Let us know in the comments below. Now, if you're feeling overworked or exhausted, I've got some great news for you. The Stressless company works with high achieving CEOs, business owners and managers just like you to find that sense of peace and freedom they desire. And as a result of our work together, they learn how to properly manage their time, tasks and energy so that they can experience more free time efficiency. And yes, even prosperity sounds pretty great, right? Well, apply for a complimentary stress, less clarity session today to start the conversation about working together. Visit stress less COCOM slash apply for more information. This concludes this episode of The Stress Less Show. And I want to give Nancy one last shout out and big thank you. Thank you so much for coming on the show.
Nancy
Thanks, Carlee. Good to see you. Absolutely.
Carlee
So if you enjoyed this week's episode, let us know by giving us a big old thumbs up and hitting that follow or subscribe button. Thanks for listening. Share if it resonated. And we'll see you next week. Bye.