But first and foremost, social connection. Being with “good friends.” A very important health plank.

We know how good it feels to be with others, especially family and friends that we care about. Getting together with friends creates memories, and allows us to decompress, relax, and laugh.

Meeting a friend for a hike or a cup of coffee, or reconnecting with an old friend on the phone, allows us to step out of our moments of craziness, for a slow wind down of just being in conversation with another person.

Our stressful jam-packed lifestyle is put on hold for a while.

“Owning your Health” or being the “CEO of your Health” has offered layers of meaning for me over the past couple years as I’ve worked through my Health Coach program and certification.

I came to it with a deep interest in learning about health for myself, my family, as well as the opportunity to create a practice that could help others become more aware of what taking control of one’s health really means.

After all, I was getting a bit older, beginning the wind down of actively raising children, and finally had some time to think, and think about me.

One of the memories that I reflect on from time to time connects back to a family vacation in Maine when I was a teenager.

We had booked a kayaking trip to explore the islands of Eggemoggin Reach, and we were excited about getting out on the water, in a kayak no less, which I think was a first for all of us.

But we awoke that morning to a gray, foggy and rainy Maine day. Not the weather we were hoping for. We were faced with the decision - do we go, or do we cancel.

What would you think if you left your doctor’s office with this type of prescription:

Eat one cup of blueberries per week

Eat 2-3 cups of tomato sauce per week

Eat a handful of walnuts every day

I’ve talked about this before, but I’ll say it again - I hate the word diet. Diet conjures up limitations, sacrifices, and just generally a feeling of yuk. But what is a good substitute for the word diet?

It’s not easy to determine, but I landed on the word “menu.” The word MENU is exciting, liberating, and represents a series of choices.

Of course it is not lost on me that the word “menu” is also exciting as it implies we’re out! We’re relaxed and not cooking!

But let’s put that thought aside for the moment.

As the diet economic machine pushes out 5 million diet books a year and racks up 78 billion in revenues … at some point we just need to face the truth.

We know what we’re supposed to eat … and we know what we should avoid.

Knowing and doing are two different things however. And that’s where this “diet” stuff can get hard.

Let’s transition from thinking and planning to some tactics.

And I'm starting with dairy. Often when people are experiencing a range of health issues, from acne to digestive issues, milk (as well as dairy in general) can be the culprit. Eliminating dairy from your diet might be the first step to helping you feel better.

My husband and I both experimented with a 30 day reset diet last year (the goal of which is to figure out which foods might be bothering you), and when we introduced dairy back into our diet, we were surprised at how uncomfortable it made us feel - bloated and gassy.

And that’s the magic of intention, practice, and reworking the conditions if necessary to make success happen.

When I talk to people about what I do as a Health Coach, I respond: “I work with clients to help them figure out how to optimize their health.” And I know so many people respond thinking … “I feel good” … “I don’t need to do anything differently” … “I’m healthy.”

I get that. But what I’ve learned more than anything on this health journey is that you have to work at optimization … even when you think everything is going swimmingly.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - GO!

Memory flashback. With that simple countdown, did you think back to standing on the 50 yard dash starting line in 2nd grade?

And, no matter what you were doing the moment before, as soon as you heard the countdown and “Go," you were running as fast as you could.

That count down cleared your head, enabled focus on the task at hand, and moved you forward. You didn’t have time to consider that you hate running … you hate losing … or that you really weren’t wearing the right shoes at the moment. It’s just time to run.

I took myself to “Tiny Habits” School last week. I didn’t pass with flying colors, but I did learn a thing or two. And one of my key learnings? If you don’t succeed at first, rethink your plan.

So, just what are “tiny habits?” Well, actually they are just tiny habits. Very simple, but quite profound.

If you’ve already found the time to sit down and reflect on how you want your year to look - bravo! Because one thing is for sure, writing things down on paper just makes them real. And of course, it provides a hard copy of what's in our head and therefore personally meaningful.

If you’re still mulling things over, or maybe haven’t had the time to think things through, the following framework may provide useful in terms of thinking through the dimensions of your world.

Celebrations … well, they’re important. Do you know that from an evolutionary perspective, we are designed to experience and remember negative events almost triple-fold to positive ones?

For most of us, snacks have become a part of our every day. Especially when we are stressed, mindless eating can easily ensue. So find some time to figure out what your arsenal of healthy snacks looks like. Then you know when you're in need of an energy boost ... you have some good choices in front of you that won't make you crash an hour after eating.

… But that half-consumed can of pumpkin puree still sits in the fridge. And given that I am someone who hates to waste … well, ANYTHING … I’m always on the lookout for ideas on how to use up … well, should I say, “fridge remnants.”

And the good news is, pumpkin and pumpkin pie may still make it into your holiday planning. So here’s an idea … for those leftover remnants.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie. If you are a pumpkin pie lover, this really is pumpkin pie in a glass – quite delicious. And soooo healthy; pumpkin is packed with nutrients.

Our modern lifestyle lends itself to the development of chronic inflammation within our body, and it is our body’s reaction to a whole host of perceived assaults. What are these assaults on our body? They are as simple as not getting enough sleep, living in a constant cycle of stress, not finding the time to exercise, and of course, not eating the right foods.

All of this leads to a process of “inflammaging” – a slow and gradual process of building inflammation as we age. While our body tries its best to cope with these assaults, and is certainly successful at the onset, overtime chronic inflammation ensues.

You may have noticed in the past few years that the produce area of your local grocery is making from for more organic fruits and vegetables. Organic simply means that the produce has been grown and harvested without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides or other artificial agents.

The first big stumbling block when it comes to buying organic is the price. Organic is clearly more expensive. The second stumbling block is the variety and availability. Conventionally grown fruit and vegetables clearly dominate the aisles. And, it often looks better than what’s sitting in the organic section.

“EATING JUNK FOOD IS SO COMMON THAT WHEN SOMEONE STARTS EATING HEALTHY IT’S INSTANTLY LABELED AS DIETING.”

Full stop. Just think about that statement. A bit ironic. A bit humorous. Quite a bit true.