Wellness

3 Health Myths That Die Hard

Health-related topics and the wellness industry are both inundated with misinformation. The myths that have circulated for decades continue to be repeated because many people stopped questioning their validity years ago. Over generations, these false truths gradually get absorbed as facts rather than recognized as subjective opinions or societal preferences.   Here are 3 examples:  “Fresh produce is the ‘most’ nutritious.”…

Continue Reading

Health, Recipes

Meal Prep Blitz – Web Exclusive

Do you shy away from making meal prep a consistent habit? Is the thought of having to eat the same dish several times in one week the reason why? But what if you could cook once, but have three to five different entrees waiting to be savored in five minutes or less on the remaining six days? That idea probably…

Continue Reading

Health, Lifestyle, Wellness

Self-Care is a “Social” Practice

Care is a fundamental component of the support TOPS Club provides to its members. We know improving one’s health doesn’t need to be a solitary endeavor. Nor is it one-dimensional — because mental, emotional and physical wellness are interdependent. But what you may not know is that there is a plethora of evidence to support all the buzz about self-care…

Continue Reading

Nutrition, Recipes, Wellness

Meal Prep for One

One of the most useful cookbooks I have come across this year so far is The Ultimate Meal Planning for One Cookbook. Written by culinary instructor and recipe developer Kelly Jaggers, it contains 100 recipes for those who frequently dine solo — or often need to prep single-serve, ready-to-go meals for work, school or travel excursions. I was so impressed…

Continue Reading

Stress, Wellness

Staycation Sleep Tips

Rest and relaxation do not require jaunting off to faraway destinations. Sometimes the most restorative place to be is right at home. Although sleep tourism is currently trending in the travel industry, many of us do not carve out enough time to adequately recharge in our daily lives. I personally struggle with this in terms of my fitness routine. Working…

Continue Reading

Wellness

Taming Our Tummy Triggers

Do you have chronic stomach issues? This is a loaded question with dozens of possible answers. Because the truth is, many of us would say yes, despite our reoccurring symptoms being vastly different. Flatulence, constipation, diarrhea and gastric reflux are examples of potential responses. For some, the cause is an underlying physiological condition such as Celiac disease, ulcers or irritable…

Continue Reading

Nutrition, Wellness

What It Means To Eat Clean

Weight loss is often the “clickbait” for starting one’s wellness journey. But for healthy changes to be sustainable in our lives, we need a deeper purpose beyond being thinner. This is why any tricks we try to speed up this process — especially before special occasions like a wedding, high school reunion or a vacation — end up being quick…

Continue Reading

Wellness

Curate a “To Don’t” List

Spring cleaning can be executed in myriad ways. Personally, I think periodically refreshing our wellness routines should be just as much of a priority as reorganizing the pantry or closets. Creating more time to implement healthier habits requires intentionality, focus and a heck of a lot of hard work. It takes practice — and patience — to cultivate new skills…

Continue Reading

Wellness

Making Fitness “Family Friendly” 

Where I live (in the Midwestern United States), it has been unseasonably warm, and snow-free, these last few weeks. This means my daughter and I are starting to resume outdoor workouts together, and solo. Running is one of my fave types of exercise, whereas she often prefers bike rides or jumping on the trampoline with her friends. One activity we…

Continue Reading